Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) (25 page)

Shaking her head in denial Nicole
shouted, "Help me,
fast
!"  If she could just get Sage outside
of this room she could help her.  "I can save her."  She spoke to
Slade but he didn't acknowledge her.  He sat staring down at his sister,
motionless.

Nicole dropped to her knees beside him,
"Help me get her out of here so I can help her."  Slade shook his
head in response but still didn't look up from his sister's face.  Panic fills
Nicole when she saw Slade wasn't moving, "Don't you want to save
her?"  The question came out in a scream before Nicole realized the panic
flowing into her voice.

"It's too late,"  Slade's tone
was one of numbness.  He kissed Sage's cheek then stood.  "Her spirit is
gone and there's no bringing that back."

"But it worked on Kat.  You have to
let me try," Nicole pleaded.  "Help me carry her."  Nicole
raised Sage's head into her lap and for the first time felt how cold her
friend's body was.  There was no pink glow left to her translucent skin.  Only
a small trace of red lipstick remained to add any color to her face at all. 
That's when reality hit Nicole.  The life had gone from Sage and left an empty
shell behind.  Her mind screamed
this can't be happening
but her heart
was heavy and splitting in two.  "Why?" Was all she could whisper as
her tears started to flow silently down her cheeks.

"I think Luke may be able to answer
that for us." Slade placed a comforting hand on Nicole's shoulder. 
"We need to go."

"Go?  How can you be so calm about
this, Slade?"  Nicole's voice cracked as she tried to speak.  This makes
no sense.  How could he be so at ease when she is falling to pieces?  Did he
not care for her?  Didn't he love her like a brother should love his sister? 
She wanted to shake him until he showed some emotions.  A single tear or a fist
into a wall
—
anything to
prove he cared half as much as she did for Sage.  Sage
deserves
that
much.

"I'm doing what I do best
—
bottling up my
anger until the time is right."  He reached out his hand to Nicole and
pulled her to her feet then took one last look at Sage.  "Someone will pay
for this."

Just as Nicole was about to follow Slade
a gleam caught her eye.  Next to Sage's body was a necklace with a beautiful
emerald stone dangling from it.  She picked up the stone and found that the end
of the chain was tucked inside of Sage's waistband.  "Who were you hiding
this from?" she asked even though she knew she would never have the answer
from the voice she wanted to hear.  Nicole tucked the necklace into her pocket.

Outside the door Luke was waiting with a
miserable gaze.  Nicole could tell that he knew what they were going to find
inside but now she needed to know everything.  "What do you know?"

"Just what I saw in the guard's
mind.  There were images of Teya tormenting Sage and then of the queen cuffed
in the dungeon while Sage lay at her feet dying."

"I don't understand why she would
do this.  What could Teya gain by killing Sage?" asked Slade.

Luke stood in silence.  A torn look
creased his face and remained there as he spoke, "Sage had to choose
between saving herself or Nicole."

Nicole's world started to spin.  She had
caused Sage to die.  She had stood by without doing anything and probably would
still be out there in the training field right now if Slade hadn't gotten
worried.  What kind of friend had she been?  How could she be worth a life? 
Her chest tightened as she tried to focus on Luke's words.

His face hardened as he continued,
"Then there was Teya standing in this hallway telling the guard not to
leave his post.  She called for another warrior to escort her to the gateway. 
She was going to meet someone that could help with her problem."

"Her problem?" asked Slade. 
"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Those were the exact words she
used but I'm guessing
—
"

"I'm her problem."  Nicole
finished his thought.  Her self-hate was quickly being replaced with a burning
desire to avenge her friend.  To make Teya suffer like Sage had suffered but
one questions still lingered in her mind, "What do you know about
this?"  Nicole pulled the necklace from her pocket and held it out for
them to see.

"Where did it come from?"
asked Luke.  Nicole explained where she had found it and only received puzzled
looks.

Finally Slade broke the silence,
"You said that the last time you talked to my sister was the night of the
ball, right?"  Nicole nodded in agreement trying to follow his train of
thought.  "Well, it is the exact color of the dress you wore so maybe she
intended on you wearing it."

Nicole studied the jewel as she spoke,
"Maybe.  But why would she be carrying it in her waistband like she was
hiding it?"

"That may be a question we never
know the answer to, Nicole, but either way it was Sage's."  Luke took the
necklace and opened the clasp, "I'm sure she would want you to have
it."

Nicole moved her hair out of the way so
Luke could put the necklace on her and at the very moment that the clasp closed
Nicole let out a gasp, "Get it off."  Her power was gone but not only
that but her desire to move.  The necklace was weighing her down so she felt
weak
—
too weak to even
try to remove it.  It was ten times worse than being in the dungeon.  The power
the necklace was emitting was more like it was sucking the very life from her
body, taking away her will to live.

Luke quickly removed the necklace
leaving Nicole staring in disbelief, "It was like I was
dying…slowly."  She shook her head trying to clear the cloudiness from her
mind.  "Is that what it feels like for you, Slade?"

"No.  Mine just takes away my
power.  That's all.  That thing is something different," he studied the
necklace with a strange fascination.  "That was meant for a much darker
purpose than containing power."

Nicole nodded, "It took away my
will to live.  Death wasn't scary anymore, I wanted it and I needed it to
escape the darkness that was consuming me."

Suddenly Luke's words clicked into
Nicole's head like she had just heard them for the first time.  Recognition of
a grave mistake.  "I sent Kat, Dad and Rhys to the gateway."

Nicole and Luke were blurring through
the hall of the castle and out the doors in no time.  "What about
Slade?"  Nicole asked.  Even if he was allowed his powers he couldn't keep
up with Luke and Nicole.

"He'll have to catch up." 
Nicole nodded her agreement as they darted out the front gate of the castle and
down the cobblestone street that ran through the center of the town.  Nicole tried
to reach out to Rhys but came up empty.  Maybe they had made it out already. 
They could have beat Teya to the gateway and be safely back in Alabama by now,
sipping sweet tea on her dad's back patio.  That's what she hoped as they made
the turn that would take them up to the gateway in the woods where they had
entered days ago.  That's when she felt it but it was too late to stop.  A
dozen warriors appeared where before there had only been two on her mind's
map.  Someone had just let them in the gateway and she had a good guess whom it
was before Luke pulled her to a stop just out of sight of the great willow.

"Did you feel that?" he asked.

"Yes.  There was only two then
there were twelve more."  Nicole debated for a moment as she searched the
minds she could reach.  Most of them were closed off to her so they must know
about her abilities but then she reached a familiar one, "Kat's
there."

"Let me go in and try to get her
out."

"But where's Dad and Rhys?"

"Maybe they made it over before
Teya got there," said Luke but the doubt was heavy in his voice.  He knew
just as well as Nicole did that they would never let Kat be the last one
through the gateway.  Rhys loved her and so did James so they would have been
protecting her.

Just as Nicole was going to speak a
voice echoed in her head and she could tell by the sudden stiffness in Luke's
shoulders that he was hearing it too.  "Come join us.  I'm sure we can
make a trade," demanded a deep voice that hunted her nightmares.  It was
Loch.

**~***~**

Nicole's skin crawled knowing what was
waiting for her but Kat was there also so she moved without hesitation.  Luke
took her hand and they topped the crest of the hill together.  Luke was confronting
his father who had used him then left him for dead and Nicole was about to face
the man who had put this chain of events into motion years ago on a Florida
beach.

A line of warriors in black military
fatigues flanked each side of a tall, dark haired man with a full beard and
eyes as black as night.  He stood with his hands laced in front of him as if he
didn't have a care in the world.  Nicole and Luke stopped a safe distance away
from them.  A smile turned up the edge of his lips as he stared at their
interlaced hands, "It's seems you are making some wise choices for yourself,
my son."

"My choices aren't your
concern," said Luke coldly.

Loch nodded his head as if to say he
understood but wasn't concerned about Luke's brashness.  Then he motioned to
the line of troops to his right.  The formation parted revealing a scene that
had been concealed from them.  James and Rhys lay unconscious on the ground and
Teya stood beside them with a wide grin on her face.  A guard held Kat by the
arm.  "That may be true son, but I'm afraid the choices Nicole makes do
concern me along with all these
innocent
people."

The way the word “innocent” rolled off
Loch's tongue made the threat in his words clear.  Rage and hatred pounded in
Nicole's heart.  She wanted to spill Teya's blood more than anything she had
ever wanted in her entire life.  For Sage, for her unconscious father and
friend and even for her own satisfaction, but she stood her ground.  "Why
are you here," Nicole asked Loch.

"I was invited by your sweet
Queen."

"She is no queen of mine."
spat Nicole.

Loch released a dark, cold laugh,
"I've always enjoyed your bluntness, princess.  I'm actually very
surprised you've not killed this poor imitation of a queen yourself."  He
looked over at Teya who was holding Nicole's gaze with surprising confidence. 
"She is quite despicable but," he let out a sigh, " She has been
useful in putting us together.”

"Despicable?" Teya turned her
hard eyes onto Loch, "Don't forget whose home you are in."

A ring of red outlined Loch's dark eyes
and Nicole realized that things were about to turn destructive fast if she
didn't act.  She was through with losing people.  Sage was gone, her dad and
Rhys lay on the ground and her best friend was being held hostage.  "Don't
worry.  She will be taken care of soon enough.  I'll make sure of it….For Sage."
Nicole caught the twitch of surprise in Teya's face before she turned her
attention back to Loch, "I'll ask again, why are you here?"

Loch nodded a warrior toward Nicole
which made Luke step in front of her, "Back off!"

"But she's part of the deal, son. 
Nicole and I have a lot to talk about and Teya has agreed to turn her over to
me if I will leave her to rule this kingdom."

"You're not taking her
anywhere."

Loch leaned his head back just as
invisible energy swept out like a small atomic blast sending everyone stumbling
backwards.  Loch's eyes were consumed in crimson when he opened them again.  He
stepped forward and another wave shock sent everyone to their knees.  Nicole
covered her ears just as the ringing started.  This was all too familiar to
her.  The pain, the crippling effect, the drilling inside of her head
—
all of it she
had felt before when he triggered her hidden power years ago.

Just as she the pain became unbearable
and a scream hovered at the back of her throat it stopped.  All of the agony
was gone and she was being pulled to her feet.  Once her eyes focused she
realized that Slade stood at her side holding her steady.  His medallion was
dangling between his fingers.  Slade had leveled the playing field in one move.

"Slade, so nice to see you again,"
smiled Loch.  Before anyone could understand what was happening the guard who
had been retrieving Nicole punched Slade solid in the face and he crumpled into
a heap.

Nicole could feel her power rushing back
into her body but she knew the same thing was happening to Loch, "Stop! 
You let them go and I'll come without a fight."  All the work they had put
into wiping Morena's mind so Slade would look like a victim was wasted by his
one noble move.  He would be at the mercy of Loch if she didn't work fast to
draw the attention back to herself.

Loch considered her words as he took in
the scene.  He seemed to be taking great interest in the move Slade had just
made.  Then he waved his hand at the guard holding Kat, "Release
them."

Nicole held her head up high as Kat was
released.  She tried to rush to Nicole but she stopped her, "You've got to
hurry, Kat.  Get Rhys and dad up."  Nicole kept her eyes trained on Loch. 
She watched for any objection to what she had said but instead he just
scrutinized the scene like a chess player studying his next move.  When Kat had
the two men roused she reached her hand out taking Luke's.  To anyone watching
them it would look like Nicole was saying goodbye but she stealthy dropped the
charmed emerald necklace into Luke's palm.
Use it on Teya.  You rule this
kingdom by using her as your puppet.  Prepare for war.
  Nicole sent her
words into Luke's mind.  Their silent exchange would change everything.