Blood of Half Gods: Kallen's Tale (17 page)

Quinn stares at her for a long time.  Finally, he says, “You find Giant blood so disgusting, you will not even consider the possibility of a union?  That does not bode well for further discussions.”

“Oh please, did you ask Dagda to marry you and then refuse to talk to him when he said no?”  Angry as I am, I still chuckle at the look on Quinn’s face.  “You asked for me to be here and I’m here.  Nothing you said last night implied that there was a condition of marriage attached.”

To both our surprise, Quinn slaps the table so hard with his palm that our chair shakes and then starts laughing.  “You are the damnedest female I have ever met.  Courage, beauty, logic.  Giants twice my size fear me in battle, let alone face to face in my own home.  Yet, here you are, tinier than most Fairies, and you stand up to me as if I am a dog misbehaving under your feet.  I believe your fearlessness makes you even more beautiful.  Come, let us be friends again.  Enough of these talks this morning.  We are getting nowhere.  You shall return for an early dinner and we will finish our discussions then.”

Astounded, Xandra says, “Seriously?  Just like that, our argument is over?” 

He grins, trying hard to be charming again.  But he and I both know he has no intention of letting this drop.  He is simply retreating to form a new battle plan.  “Yes, just like that.  I will have Orwick escort you out of the village.”

“We do not need an escort,” I grind out.

“It is not your safety I am concerned about.  I fear for the Giants on the street who dare cross Xandra’s path.”  He attempts humor but there is some truth to his words.

Xandra shrugs.  “Fine.”

“I will expect you back for dinner.  Until then…”  He takes Xandra’s hand in his, which amplifies their size difference, and bends low to bring it to his lips.  It takes all of my self-control not to snatch her hand out of his.

After a long moment, Xandra pulls her hand away but not before her face flushes.  Did she enjoy his touch?  “Okay,” she says, flustered.  Quinn gives me a triumphant look over her head.

Turning to me, Xandra grabs my hand and hurries us to the door.  Quinn’s rumble of laughter follows us down the hall and out of the house. 

Chapter 17

As we follow Orwick through the streets of the Giant village, I cannot shake my uncle’s words.  Xandra is naïve, innocent.  Even Quinn could tell that I am the only person she has been with, suggesting that she is making an uneducated decision tying herself to me.  Regardless of his lecherous desires, he is not wrong.  Xandra’s parents have also brought this up.  I have just been too stubborn to admit they all have a point.  But that is selfish on my part.  Letting her hand drop, I know what I have to do.  I need to let her go if I want to keep her.  She needs to have the same chances I did to figure out who and what she wants.  She does not need some jerk pressuring her to marry him without consideration for the fact that she has been sheltered from the entire male population all her life.  I want her to come to me knowing without doubt that I am the one, otherwise, we will both live in doubt the rest of our lives.  The thought pierces my heart, but I know it is true.

Xandra places her hand in mine again.  I do not pull away but as soon as we leave the village behind, she and I need to talk about this.  She knows there is something going on, and she looks at me quizzically.  I try to keep my face blank.

When we leave Orwick behind at the village end, I find my tongue does not want to work.  I am going over and over in my mind the best way to begin this conversation, but each new idea makes my heart crumble a little bit more.  Enough, I have to just do it.  I stop suddenly and Xandra runs into me. 

“Hey,” she says, scowling at me.

Looking towards the horizon, I say, “You should have the opportunity to date other people.  Otherwise, you will never be certain I am the one for you.”

There is a faint tremor in her voice when she asks, “Are you trying to tell me you want out of the left hand-fasting?”   

I am startled by her question.  That was not at all what I was implying.  “No, of course not.  I would marry you today if you would let me.”

Frustrated, she says, “Kallen, just tell me what’s going through your head.  You obviously have a point in all this.”

I run a hand through my wind-tousled hair trying to find the words.  Finally, without looking at her, I say, “I saw how you flushed when Quinn touched you.  It reminded me that I am the only person you have been with.”  I leave out the discussion I had with Dagda.

She bites her lip and if I did not know better, I would think she is trying not to laugh.  “You forgot about me kissing Kegan.  Doesn’t that count as me being with someone else?”

Anger flashes through me like fire.  “No,” I grind out, trying to wipe the memory of her pressing her body against his and kissing him from my mind.  “That does not count.  You were not yourself.”

She shrugs.  “Oh, I thought it did.  Well, I guess I’m stuck with loving you then.”

I cross my arms over my chest.  She is not taking me seriously.  “Thank you for bestowing the gift of your love so generously.”

She laughs outright now.  “Kallen, lighten up.  You were way off base about my reaction to Quinn.”

Right.  I know what I saw.  “He touched you, kissed your hand, and you flushed like you do when I touch you.”

Surprise washes over her face.  “I flush when you touch me?  I didn’t know that.”  After a moment, she shrugs.  “Still, you got it all wrong.”  A growl escapes my lips.  Why is she denying how he made her feel? 

Placing her hands on my arms, she tugs at them until I let them fall to my sides.  Then she wraps her arms around my waist and presses her body to mine.  “I didn’t flush because I was excited by his touch like I am with you,” she says.  “I was standing there thinking about the reasons he couldn’t even be a consideration.  He has some serious mood swings and anger issues, and he’s at least twice my age.  But, I flushed because I got a really bad mental image of what he and I together would be like.  It was a horrifying thought, and I was embarrassed it even popped in my head.  Repulsion is a better description of what I was feeling at the time, not attraction.”

Is she telling the truth?  Slowly, I lift my hands to her waist.  Looking down at her, I say, “Really?  I am supposed to believe that you looked at a handsome, muscular man and you were repulsed?”

“You think he’s strong and handsome?  Maybe you should marry him.  You’re part of the royal family, so it would probably still serve his purpose for asking me,” she teases.

Growling again, I pull her closer.  “I am not blind.  And neither are you.  You cannot deny that he is a handsome man.”

She scrunches her nose.  “Hey, I didn’t freak out on you when Radella was hanging out in our bedroom in a teddy.  And I’m sure you would have been annoyed if I did.  Why are you freaking out on me because
you
think some guy is hot?”

My brow furrows as I think about what she has said.  “First of all, I did not say he was hot.  I am not even sure what you mean by that.  And, do you really feel that is a fair comparison?  You were in bed next to me at the time wearing something awfully skimpy, so it was impossible to notice anything else in the room.”

She snorts.  “Right.  You’re just trying to get out of being a hypocrite.”  Maybe.

I chuckle and come clean.  “Perhaps I am.  I guess I will have to grow accustomed to you having a bevy of admirers wherever we go.”

“A bevy?  What’s a bevy?  And how old do you have to be to use a word like that?”

“Old enough to know the best way to get you to be quiet is to put my lips on yours.”

I lower my head and do just that.  There still may be some truth to Dagda’s words, but it is hard to believe that when she kisses me like she does.  She opens herself to me in a way that convinces me her love is as deep as mine.  Would I think that if I had never dated anyone else?  Yes, I believe I would. 

Suddenly, Xandra pulls free of my arms.  There is something terribly wrong.  A voice in the distance is saying,
“Xandra, you have to come inside now.  It’s dangerous to be off running around on your own.”
  Where is it coming from?

She look up at me with wide eyes.  “You can hear that, right?”

I nod, dumbfounded.  “Yes, I can.”

“Xandra, are you out there daydreaming about that boy again?  Honey, the doctor said that’s not good for you.  You need to push him out of your thoughts so you can get better.”

Is this a trick of the Giant’s?  Have they found a way to get into our heads?  They may not have magic themselves, but have they found a magical being willing to aid them? 

“It seems to be coming from that direction,” Xandra says, pointing towards a clump of low brush.  She starts walking towards it.

I grab her arm.  “What are you doing?”

She looks up at me.  “I’m going to try to figure out what’s going on.”

“We do not know this area and from what Quinn said, the Daityas roam these areas looking for trouble.”

She shrugs, not at all concerned with Giants.  “So.  And I don’t think it’s a Giant who keeps calling me and trying to make me think I’m crazy.”  She is probably right.  That does not make it less dangerous.

I shake my head.  “This is a bad idea.”

She purses her lips for a second.  “Yeah, probably.”  She begins walking again.

As we near the brush, we hear the voice again.  It sounds exactly like her mother.  “
Xandra, the doctor says if you don’t snap out of it, he’s going to have to sedate you.  You don’t want that, do you?”

The voice shifts.  It seems to be coming from another clump of brush now.  Before I can truly process this, Xandra is already walking in that direction.  A panicky feeling washes over me.  I know in my heart that whoever is doing this is a threat to Xandra and this must be some sort of trap.  I call out to Xandra, trying to warn her, but she suddenly disappears into the ground.  I run to the spot and expect to find a camouflaged hole or something, but the dirt and grass do not even look disturbed.  Tamping down my panic, I concentrate, feeling for magic.  Nothing.  I dig with my hands, pulling clumps of grass and dirt until my fingers are bloody.  I use my magic to move larger clumps of soil.  But, no matter how far down I dig, there is nothing except more dirt.

I know she did not teleport because she screamed.  Xandra never screams and she certainly would not scream if she simply willed herself someplace else.  This was not her choice.  Who did this?  Who took Xandra from me?  When I find that out, they will be sorry.

Chapter 18

Finally admitting to myself that I will not find her here, I rise to my feet.  I find myself walking back the way we came.  Quinn must have something to do with this.  That explains why he suddenly accepted that Xandra was not interested in him.  It did not matter how she felt about him, he was planning to kidnap her all along.  But how?  It had to have been done with magic, but where did he get it?  And why could I not sense it?  However he did it, he will not get away with it.  He is going to bring her back to me, even if I have to torture every Giant in the village to get him to talk. 

Most of the Giants do not pay attention to me as I weave my way through them.  The ones that do clear a path.  The murderous expression on my face is enough to get them out of my way.  By the time I arrive at the Chieftain’s house, I am so angry I can barely control my magic.

I do not bother to knock.  Instead, I blow the door off its hinges with magic.  It splinters into a thousand little pieces.  The housekeeper comes hurrying into the foyer, but she stops short when she sees me.  She starts walking backwards, not wanting to get in my way.

I follow the hallway that leads to Quinn’s office and yet another door crumbles to pieces.  Quinn looks up from his desk, his eyes raging infernos of ire.  Rising, he watches me stalk towards him.  “What is the meaning of this, Fairy?” he demands.

Magic flies from me and everything on his desk is caught in a tornado-like wind, scattering things here and there and ripping them to shreds.  “You know why I am here,” I growl.  My magic grows and the book lined shelves around the room crash to the floor.  “Where is she?  What have you done to her?”

Confusion washes over his face, momentarily covering his rage.  “Who?” he asks.  I am almost impressed by his feigned ignorance.

“What have you done with Xandra?”

Quinn shakes his head as if he did not hear me correctly.  “Xandra?  She left with you.”

“Yes, she did.  Then she disappeared without a trace.  Did you honestly believe you could get away with this?”  I catch him in a snare of my magic and begin to choke the life out of him.  “You will tell me where she is or I will kill you.”  This is not an empty threat.  I may have thought about it before, but this time, I am more than willing to follow through.  The only thing keeping him alive is his knowledge of Xandra’s whereabouts.

“I…do…not…know,” he gasps, struggling for air as my magic tightens around his neck.

“Like hell you do not know.  Enough with your political games.  Tell me where she is!”

Quinn’s eyes burn like branding irons.  “Let…go…of…me,” he says, but there is more pleading than ferocity in his voice.  He knows he is facing his own mortality. 

There are footsteps in the hall as Quinn’s men come to help him.  Before they are upon me, I put Quinn and myself in a circle out of their reach.  “There is no one who can help you.  You will tell me where she is or you will die.”

His face is turning purple and I cannot help thinking it resembles a ripe plum now.  With a little more magic, I could make his head explode.  But, then I may never find Xandra.  Easing my grip on him, I let him gasp some oxygen into his deprived lungs.

Once he has enough to form words, he squanders it on a string of profanities and threats that leave me unscathed.  “Your threats are empty,” I snarl.  “There is nothing you can do to harm me, but there are plenty of ways I can harm you.”

Quinn’s chest is heaving but his mouth has quieted.  He spends a long moment sizing me up, figuring out his best course of action.  He should be aware that anything less than the information regarding Xandra’s whereabouts will most likely get him killed. 

He must realize this because his body tenses, preparing for attack, as he finally says in an even voice, “I do not know where she is.”

My magic strangles him again, bringing him to the edge of consciousness before letting him go.  Quinn slumps down on one knee and gasps for air.  Red faced, he looks me in the eye, “You can do this all day, it will not change the fact that I had nothing to do with Xandra’s disappearance.” 

I am about to use my magic again when he raises a hand.  “Please,” he says gruffly.  I am sure that is a word that does not enter into many of his conversations.  “I understand why you believe I have had a hand in this.”

I cock my head to the side.  “I appreciate your understanding,” I snipe.  “But that does not get my wife back.”  I know that technically she is not my wife, but in my heart she is no matter what anyone else thinks.

“Neither will killing me,” Quinn huffs.  “If you truly want her back, you should be asking for my help, not starting war between our kinds.  What do you think my Giants will do if you kill me?  There will be a bloody war against your kind with many more lives lost than just mine.  Do you want that on your head?”

His logic is seeping into my brain, easing out some of the irrational anger.  Can he be telling the truth?  Is he truly ignorant of Xandra’s whereabouts?  “If not you, who else would be behind this?”

There is a small amount of relief in his eyes that I may finally believe him, but his body is still tensed, waiting for an attack.  “I believe we may have the same enemy,” he says coarsely, his voice like a rasp.  “Ellu has attacked my men without provocation, I can see his hand in this as well.”

I shake my head.  “He could not do this on his own.  Xandra is too powerful.”

Quinn lifts a brow.  “Then I should be honored that you believe I have such capabilities,” he says sardonically.

“You do not want to further anger me, Giant,” I growl.

His eyes narrow but he holds his tongue.  Rising to his feet, he says, “Ellu has done many things lately that surpass the capabilities of his weaker Giants.  I have long considered the possibility of him having outside help.  This occurrence proves my suspicions.”

He is making sense.  “Xandra is one of the strongest magical beings in the universe.  Who could be helping him?”

Quinn shrugs.  “I have heard rumors, but nothing that I could prove.”

“Rumors regarding what?” I ask, my voice returning to a normal timbre. 

“Rumors that he has been isolated from his tribe, holed up in his chambers.  Voices are heard within, but no other Giants have entered.  I believe he is being controlled by outsiders.  Very powerful outsiders if they were able to arrange the abduction of such a powerful magical creature as Xandra.”

Just hearing her name on his lips makes me want to choke him again.  “She will never be yours.”

Quinn sizes me up again then inclines his head.  “I see there is a love match here.  Who am I to interfere?”

His words grate against me.  He does not mean what he says.  “You will help me get her back.”  That is not a question.

Quinn is no fool.  He nods once.  “Of course.”  After a heartbeat, he adds, “Perhaps your uncle, the King, should accompany you to Ellu.  A level head can achieve more than grief fueled rage.”

I snort.  “A Giant lecturing me about violence.  The history of your race proves the hypocrisy in that.”

His eyes flash in anger.  “I may understand your state of mind, but do not push me any further.” 

I want to tell him exactly what I think of his threat, but I hold my tongue.  If he really had nothing to do with Xandra’s disappearance, then I may need his help.  “Where will I find Ellu?” I ask.

Quinn gives me a hard look.  “It is foolhardy to go alone.  You caught me unawares, which will never happen again, but Ellu has been heavily guarded for the last month.  Even you do not have enough magic to go against so many Giants.  Even if they are Daityas.”  I want to argue with him, tell him I do not care who I have to face, but the sane part of my mind knows he speaks the truth.  “Return to the King’s manse and await his arrival,” he continues.  “Ellu must welcome the King and his guards will be hard pressed to commit treason.  There is unrest in their village and Ellu is losing favor with the Daityas.”

After several long heartbeats and with bile in my mouth, I say, “I apologize for my behavior.”  Those are the most difficult words I have ever choked out of my mouth.  If I was not the King’s nephew and felt that I owed it to my uncle to make peace, I would have left without uttering a single word.

Quinn crosses his arms over his chest.  “You are young and cocky and that may get you killed someday soon.”  He shakes his head.  “If I did not understand the value of what you have lost, I would insist the King try you under the laws of the treaty.”

I narrow my eyes in his direction.  “You will not do that,” I say.  I know he will not.  If he did, he would have to admit that I practically killed him  and that he was powerless against me.

Quinn leans his butt against his desk that made it into the circle with us.  “You are correct.   But hear me, Fairy.  If you set another hostile foot inside my village, I will find a way to kill you.  Whether delivered by justice under the law or by my sword, I will kill you.”  Walking around his desk, he sits down as if dismissing me.  “You will have safe passage out of the village, but do not return any time soon.”

Our conversation at an end, I let the circle go.  The Giants who have circled us are still pointing crossbows towards me.  A safe passage seems doubtful.