Azurite (Daughter of the Mountain Book 1) (31 page)

“Brothers!” Captain Maddox’s voice sounded through the whizzing of arrows through the sky.  “Let’s make our way to the Border.  The Guardians will handle it from here!”  With the arrival of the protectors, the Wardens began gathering near the exit of the clearing.

Spencer’s men continued to assault the Guardians to no avail.  Sariel’s chiseled face took on an expression of frustration when an arrow collided with his cheek and bounced off uselessly.  Quickly, he clutched the glass handle of the whip hanging limply at his side.  He snapped it angrily at Spencer who was now only a couple of paces away from the advancing squad.  The sound of leather hitting air cracked in the night as the whip flew across the space between man and Guardian like a horizontal bolt of lightning.  The whip coiled around Spencer’s armored hand and jerked him forward over the coquina wall so he somersaulted across the ground and landed right at Sariel’s feet.

The Guardian reached down and grabbed Spencer by the throat.  With a smooth stone arm, he lifted him up till his feet were dangling inches from the ground.  The Prince was squirming and gasping under Sariel’s vice grip, and his iron helm had fallen over his forehead so his eyes were covered.  Sariel reattached his whip to his belt then flicked the helm off of Spencer’s head, careening it into the lagoon with a splash.  The Guardian’s monochrome eyes bore into his.

“You will leave this place, Spencer DeVore, and return to your township.  You will not cause any more harm to these men.  Do you understand?”  Spencer tried to say something, but Sariel’s hand around his neck only allowed him to produce infantile gargling noises.

“Then we understand each other,” Sariel said, gently placing Spencer back to the ground and releasing his strong hold.  “Because if you cause any injury to these men, a personal vendetta shall be created.”  Spencer coughed and spit, clutching his throat as if Sariel had been trying to suffocate him.  His eyes assessed the group of seven Wardens and seven Guardians with a murderous vengeance. 

“This isn’t the end,
Slythos
,” he threatened, panting hard like a dog ready to attack.  “You think because your kind killed The Deceiver that you can do whatever you like?  How convenient for you that those who created the murderer also claim to have destroyed it!”  He spit on Sariel’s perfect feet.  “You have no idea the weapons I possess.  I can eradicate your species from the face of the earth!”  He raised his arms and yelled loudly.  “And I’ll be waiting.  Demons,” he cursed then turned around and called out to his men to follow him.

              Liam suddenly realized he’d been holding his breath in nervously while watching the exchange between Sariel and Spencer.  He breathed out harshly as he watched Spencer’s shiny armor fade into the red cypress trees, followed by Dakota and Yanisin, whose weapons were now tucked securely away so as to not entice the Guardians.

              “You’re protection is appreciated, Guardians,” Maddox addressed the humanoids once the Carians and Misou had officially departed.  “We honor the sacred Oath through our Bond.”  He bowed his head first at Sariel, then his own Guardian, Zephron, who was made out of a dark green jade with black undertones.  The Captain looked around and rubbed his eyes wearily.

              “What was that about, Captain?” Avery asked.  Lines of dried sweat streaked his teenage face as he looked at Maddox expectantly.  “Why would the Commoners attack us when we did nothing to them?”  Jerome and Isaac both grunted knowingly.

              “Because they believe the lies told about sorcerers since the Great Severance,” Korbin explained.  “You should know that by now.”  Avery frowned as he looked back at the way Spencer had come in. 

“We protect the very world they know, yet they hate us for it,” he said sounding exceedingly sad.

“Better for you to realize that now than later,” Korbin replied bitterly.  “It’s been that way for thousands of years with no change in sight.  Better they don’t know the truth than live in fear of it.”

“Ignorance is bliss,” someone else added unenthusiastically.

“That DeVore prince doesn’t seem very blissful to me,” Aaron quipped evoking several snickers.

              “Shut it!  All of you!” Maddox interrupted.  “We need to get going.  There is still a long night ahead of us.”  He looked over at the statuesque Guardians and addressed them. 

“Zephron, Sariel, please lead us through the Border.  We don’t want to run into any more trouble this evening.” 

Both Guardians nodded out of respect.  Liam rolled his head then rubbed his shoulders painfully.  He was already sore from the altercation with Spencer, and that was nothing compared to the years of conditioning required when he was a newly assigned Warden.  In his head, he reviewed his sword fighting techniques compared to Prince Spencer, but eventually his thoughts meandered to Avery’s innocent questions regarding the Commoners. 

The fact that Spencer had followed a potential
Slythos
pair all the way from the Montanisto camp severely vexed him.  Wardens were the only sorcerers allowed to cross into the Commoner Realm, and the fact that Montanisto sat right on the Border made possible glimpses by Commoners quite unavoidable, despite all the efforts Wardens put into concealing their forbidden presence.  The hatred that Commoners held for the dead race they called
Slythos
still ran deeply in their culture, as Spencer only proved tonight by his failed assassinations of suspected outsiders.  The idea that Spencer and the Misou mercenaries were able to recognize a sorcerer when they saw one put Liam on edge.  How was he supposed to enter Montanisto to see Zora when the threat of murder hung so heavy on his head?

If Spencer and the Misou could tell Liam was a
Slythos
, would they be able to see that in Zora as well?  The though made Liam sick to his stomach.  At this moment, he wanted to escape his Brothers and rush back to Zora to warn her that her life was in danger.  But deep down he knew it’d be impossible to leave his Brothers and return to Montanisto.  He’d be breaking every rule the Wardens abided by, and he’d be even more helpless to Zora locked away in a Cerendova prison.  All he wanted in the world was to be close to her, but everything he lived for just moved him further away from that possibility. 

Every encounter Liam had with Spencer DeVore only caused him more heartache on Zora’s behalf.  The young woman, who held so such much goodness and potential, had a future that was becoming bleaker and bleaker under the Carian banner of House DeVore, and Liam was powerless to stop it.  Unable to run, yet full of worry and sadness, Liam just heaved over a little bit and put his hand on his sick stomach.

              “Out of shape, eh?” Aaron asked with a chuckle, breaking though Liam’s depressed thoughts.  Liam glanced over to his right and saw that Aaron had caught up with him, his bow now slung back behind his shoulders.  Maddox and Jerome led the front of the queue, followed by Aaron and Liam, while Isaac, Avery, and Korbin brought up the rear.  Seven Guardians walked silently next to the men with their massive wings tucked in close to their bodies.

“I guess you could say that,” he mumbled grumpily.

“All that swooning over the girl must have left you weak muscled,” Aaron joked trying to get Liam to return the jest, but the man remained silent.  Aaron’s smile faded when he realized Liam wasn’t in the mood to talk, and he removed himself so he was walking right behind him instead of next to him.  A sudden tickling in Liam’s consciousness caused by his Bond with Sariel forced him to look over at the Guardian.

“What is it?” he asked Sariel.

The Guardian hesitated.  “Something still follows us, I think,” he replied.  “Perhaps we should move further to the front…”

Sariel’s warning was interrupted by a blood-chilling scream erupting from the rear of the squad.  The other Wardens immediately spun around, prepared for an ambush, and drew their weapons.  Korbin had fallen to his knees, and his face was twisted in pain.  Liam pushed his Brothers out of the way as he rushed over to the injured Warden.  He skidded to a halt when he reached him then gasped in horror when he saw a Carian arrow protruding from Korbin’s calf, the thick Manchineel poison seeping into his wound like warm syrup. 

“We’re under attack!” Liam cried.  He felt Sariel’s stone-like body knock him to the ground and cover him protectively.  Another solo arrow arched overhead and made a swan drive downward, lodging itself in Korbin’s stomach.  Korbin cried out again as he doubled over and rolled onto his back.

“Stay here,” Sariel instructed Liam.  “We’ll find and kill the one who did this!”

With an angry battle call that rattled Liam’s ears, the Guardians immediately opened their ruffled wings and took flight to hunt the unseen nemesis that had cowardly attacked Korbin.  Avery rushed over to help Korbin pull out the deadly arrows, his face full of fear for his mentor, but before he could do anything, Aaron tackled him to the ground.

“Are you mad, kid?” Aaron demanded.  “If one drop of that poison so much as lands on you, you’re as good as dead!” 

All of the Wardens rushed over to form a circle around Korbin who was already shivering uncontrollably from the fatal wounds.  He reached for the first arrow and pulled it slowly out of his calf with an agonizing cry.  Then he removed the second, moaning as he did so.  Korbin lay on his back staring up at the familiar faces above him while blood pooled around his wounds. 

Manchineel poison was lethal to any sorcerer who came in contact with it.  Already Korbin’s healthy flesh color was draining from his face as the deadly toxins began leaking into his bloodstream.  It would quickly be pumped through his body by his heart, killing off his insides as it did so.  

“How do we stop it?” Avery called out desperately, tears brimming in his green eyes.  “We can’t just let him die!” 

Korbin groaned when Avery said this, and he reached down and ripped open his pants where the arrow had pierced his leg.  Aaron gagged next to him and turned away, for the flesh around the open wound had already turned black and infected.  The poison had eaten away the tissue around the entry point and would continue moving towards the brain until nothing was left but a heap of bone.

Korbin clenched his jaw and growled in anguish.  The whites of his eye were turning jaundice and grey.  Soon they would be dripping with blood as the poison devoured his living body.

“There is nothing left to do, Brothers,” Captain Maddox said solemnly.  Out of respect, all of the other men looked away from Korbin’s poisoned flesh and tortured body.  “We will wait until he passes then remember the honorable life he lived.” 

Maddox’s commanding voiced cracked as he brought his fist to his mouth to keep from breaking down woefully in front of his squad.  Korbin Black was older than the Captain, which means the two had known each other for a long time, and Wardens were as close as true blood brothers ever could be.

Liam’s heart was thumping hard in his chest as he watched the needless death of Korbin Black take place before him.  His fellow Brother was suffering, being murdered from within by the Manchineel poison that had tainted the Carian arrow.  He was slowly fading away from this life, experiencing nothing but cold writhing agony, and there was nothing Liam could do to stop it without endangering himself.  There was nothing anyone could do but sit back and watch him perish, then bury him with the honor he deserved.  Liam’s eyes began to sting with threatening tears, forcing him to stomp away from the huddled group. 

This is all my fault,
Liam thought as he paced back and forth. 
When I overheard that solider telling Spencer about the strange men traveling alone through the swamps, I knew he was talking about Wardens.  I knew Spencer sent his men out to find them with instructions to apprehend them, but I didn’t do anything about it.  I should’ve dropped everything and headed out to find my Brothers and warn them.  Our squad could’ve gotten a head start on our trip through the Border before Spencer even caught up with us.  None of this would have happened if I’d done what I was supposed to do for my Brothers, but I put my own selfishness before my duty, and Korbin is dying because of it.

Liam wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and looked around for Aaron.  He needed to confess this to someone; he shouldn’t have to bear this burden of guilt alone.  Aaron was hunched over talking softly to Avery who was clearly upset, but the Warden removed himself and quickly came over to Liam when he motioned him to.

“This is hard for us all, Liam,” Aaron tried to console, “but we shouldn’t try and make sense out of the Creator’s divine will…”

Liam shook his head and looked up at Aaron with shameful eyes.  “Brother, I’ve done something disgraceful, I think.”  Aaron frowned deeply in misunderstanding.

“What do you mean?” he asked slowly.  A howl of suffering broke through the night air as Korbin gasped for breath.  He wailed and shivered on the dirt ground like a helpless baby.

“I knew Spencer had his men looking for us,” Liam confessed.  “Just this morning, outside of Montanisto, I heard a soldier say he’d spotted two men traveling though the swamps alone.  By his description I knew they were Wardens, but I didn’t do anything about it.  Spencer sent the Carian guards to follow their trail with instructions to detain them when caught.”

“How could you possibly have known this, Liam?  We are directed to stay as far away from Commoners as possible.  What were you doing so close to their camp that you would overhear such a thing?”  Aaron stopped cold when he asked this, and his eyes widened in awareness.  “You were with the girl, weren’t you?  The one you were telling me about?”  Liam nodded weakly while Aaron remained silent and thinking.