Blood of the Guardian (2 page)

However, instead of listening, the crowd’s complaints only increased. They had grown so loud they couldn’t hear him at all. He scowled. The people of this town weren’t the smartest. But even so, how could they listen to that wench? The gypsy’s smug grin made his fists clench. His blood boiled in his veins.

“Master Nolan,” Greer said, “please calm yourself before you do something rash.”

Nolan didn’t care anymore. The light of Brim began to build inside of him. He closed his eyes, focusing on the specific Shay power he would need. He had done it to Alec once, had frozen him in the throne room back in Faylinn. Surely a handful of simple townsfolk would be easy compared to Alec’s hard head.

“Master Nolan, please,” Greer said.

Nolan ignored him. These people would listen to him, whether they liked it or not. He surged his Shay of Empathy, held his palms toward the crowd, and let the power burst forth.

Instantly, the room went mute. Every man, woman, and child—including his friends—froze like statues.

Nolan walked through the crowd, watching their motionless faces: some scowled with anger; others’ eyes were wide with fear. Even though they couldn’t move, they were aware of him.

“I’m sorry,” Nolan spoke, his arms shaking slightly at his exertion of power. “I’ll let you all go once I’ve had my say. It’s important you listen.” He pointed at the frozen gypsy, the sneer still embedded on her face. “She’s wrong. What you see here is no magic; it’s a gift. A gift given to us by Brim, the god of light, the creator of the powers we hold.

“After Alcandor became king, the stones were lost, and only those with the strongest abilities were able to come into their Shay powers. That is why King Alcandor formed his army, so he could manipulate those with power and keep them under his control. And he also concealed a very important truth: Everyone in the land, not just his soldiers, are gifted with Shay powers.”

Their frozen silence followed. Nolan surged his Empathy and searched them, hoping they understood. He sighed, shoulders sagging, when he only felt fear and confusion.

Of course they were afraid.
I suppose if someone petrified me, I might be a little scared too.
Once they were calm, they’d be more ready to listen.

Several more Nass tore out of the frozen bodies.

Nolan glared at the mists. The Nass only heightened their fears. Even if he soothed them with his Empathy, the Nass would drag them down again. He needed to get rid of these nightforsaken things. Nass first. Soothing after.

He had done it before.

He could do it again.

Nolan summoned the light of Brim, letting it build and gain strength. Last time, the act of cleansing the Nass had almost killed him. But this was nothing like before; it was only a small room, not a battlefield. With a small burst of Brim’s light, he could get rid of them and break through their thick heads with the truth.

He closed his eyes, feeling the light build. He let his focus slip and could hear commotion as people were released from his hold.

Someone grabbed his arm. “Nolan! What are you doing?”

Nolan shrugged off the hand and focused on his inner light. It was almost ready.

A woman screamed as the light spilled from Nolan, illuminating the space around him. In successive, gushing waves, the power of Brim exploded.

Chapter Two

MUTED LAUGHED AND FOUL LANGUAGE slowly drifted into Nolan’s conscious thoughts. He opened his eyes and slammed them closed as the all-too-familiar throbbing pulsed through his head. The last thing Nolan remembered was the room full of people, their stubbornness as they ignored him, their fear, and the Nass filling the room. Then he remembered the power of Brim exploding, and then he remembered nothing at all.

“He’s awake!” a woman said.

“Praise Brim!” someone else said. “Now I can kill him.”

In the distance, muffled bar music droned on—a flute and drum, maybe—followed by another round of bawdy laughter. Nolan blinked as his vision cleared.

He lay in a simple room with chipped, red paint covering rough walls. The lumpy bed made his body ache from a position he had probably held too long. Thin blankets hardly covered him they were so threadbare. A desk, with a mismatched chair, sat against the wall. Nolan’s leather bag dangled limp and empty over the chair.

Nolan scanned his surroundings and found three figures watching nearby. He swung his legs off the bed and stood. As soon as his feet hit the floorboards, his knees buckled, and his vision swirled. He braced for impact.

An arm appeared under his.

“Crows, Nolan. You weigh a ton!” An angry red scar ran down Alec Deverell’s face and puckered through his pursed lips.

Nolan shook his head as he fought unconsciousness.

“Come on, Nolan,” Alec said. “Either stand on your own or get back in bed. Otherwise, I’ll drop your naked arse right here on the floor.”

The fog cleared abruptly, enough for him to see both Greer and Kat standing on the far side of the room. Kat’s eyes met his, and her face flushed. Nolan fell back into bed under the safety of the covers to regain any smidgen of modesty he might have left.

His muscles shook, and his breath came in pathetic gasps. His heart pounded along with the drum still playing somewhere below. Instead of an all-powerful half-Guardian, he resembled a pathetic, feeble old man. A naked one at that.

“Forgive us for your current state of attire,” Greer said. “The cleansing destroyed your clothes. We’ve been unable to find a replacement. You are not a common size among men. And the tailors in town are a bit … uncooperative.”

“Cleansing?” Nolan said. His voice sounded rough as gravel.

“Yes, Master Nolan. The cleansing of the Nass.”

Vague memories of screaming and horrid fear emanating from the people passed through Nolan’s mind. Then the light of Brim exploded, ripping the clothes from his body and plowing through everything in its path. The warehouse probably hadn’t stood a chance.

“You destroyed it,” Greer answered, as if he had read his thoughts.

“And the people?” Nolan asked.

“They survived. I healed the injured in time.”

Nolan released a breath. At least he hadn’t killed anyone. He had always been good at control. He’d hid his power of Accuracy for years—at least when he was normal. But this time, even Greer’s prodding had done nothing to stop him from his impulsiveness. Impulsive? Him? Maybe the Nass had gotten into his head as well.

“How long have I been like this?” Nolan asked.

“Two weeks,” Kat answered.

“Two weeks?” When he’d released Brim’s light before, he’d only stayed unconscious five days. What happened?

Nolan adjusted his position and something hard rolled against his arm. He closed his hand around a smooth stone, and the Shay of Accuracy fluttered inside him. It was one of the Stones of Light.

“We kept them next to you to keep you alive,” Greer said.

“Why bother?” Alec huffed. “He’ll only kill himself next time.”

Alec stood off to the side, arms crossed over his chest, a scowl drawn on his scarred face. His blond curls were messier than usual, as if he hadn’t combed them in a day or two. Though his expression showed anger, concern leaked from Alec’s emotions.

What was Alec doing here, anyway? He hadn’t come along with them. He had opted to stay behind. But here he stood in all his angst-filled glory. And apparently, his mood hadn’t improved any since they’d left him at the castle in Faylinn.

“Alec?” Nolan asked.

Frustration oozed from Alec. “Emery wants you back in Faylinn.”

“Why? Is everything okay?”

Alec leveled his gaze at Nolan. “Think he’d send me if everything was fine? The soldiers are on the verge of mutiny, and there’s talk of an invasion—”

“Invasion?”

“From Talasi,” Greer added. “I have heard the murmurings here as well. Fishermen spotted Talasian boats in the distance, and there is talk of them coming in this direction. People suspect they might arrive within the next day or so.”

Why would Talasian boats come here?
Most Talasians kept their distance from Adamah; they were rarely welcomed with open arms. For the most part, their two races weren’t fond of each other. But that wasn’t grounds for them to invade. Nolan couldn’t help but wonder if there was another reason for their appearance.

Alec cleared his throat. “Nolan, Emery wants you back right away.”

“Why would Emery want me running off now, especially if Talasians are headed our way?”

Alec shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he fidgeted with the pommel of his sword. Nolan could feel impatience lacing Alec’s emotions, as well as concern for someone else.

Nolan propped himself up. “Is Emery okay?”

“If you don’t count his stress, yes, he’s fine.”

“What about Kael?” Nolan pressed further.

By Alec’s loud snort and frown, Nolan knew Kael was doing fine.

“Megan?”

Alec glanced over his shoulder at Kat and Greer.

“Greer, Kat … Can you give us a second?” Nolan asked.

Kat scowled and opened her mouth to protest.

“Of course, Master Nolan,” Greer interrupted, then he ushered the annoyed Kat from the room.

Alec waited until the door closed. He bit his lip. “Megan’s having nightmares.”

“Nightmares?” Nolan relaxed, his tension leaving in a rush. He’d imagined her lying in bed, dying.

“You don’t understand,” Alec said. “She eats nothing. She’s pale. She can barely keep water down.”

“Because of dreams?”

“Aye,” Alec answered. “And it’s driving Emery mad. He’s already dealing with those idiot Rol’dan soldiers and trying to salvage everything Alcandor destroyed. Not to mention repairs on the castle, and then there are the rumors of the Talasia—”

“All right, all right,” Nolan said, holding up his hand. “I get what you’re saying. And Megan’s illness is pushing him over the edge?”

“He can’t concentrate on anything else.”

“So she’s not eating?”

Alec paused. “She eats a little in the evening, then she goes to sleep, and the dreams make her sick all over again.”

“Has anyone checked her food? Is she being poisoned?”

“Emery has,” Alec said. “He can’t find anything.”

Nolan ran a hand over his smooth chin. First, he’d need to get out of bed. Holding out his hand, it shook in front of his face. Growling, he swung his legs over the edge, making an effort to stand.

The room spun, and Alec appeared next to him, cursing as he slowed Nolan’s fall.

“Stop it! You’re too big to catch.” Alec scowled.

They had been close, like brothers, before Nolan had traded his life for General Trividar, his
real
brother. And Nolan had frozen Alec in place, forcing him to watch him kill himself.

But Nolan had come back to life, becoming this half-Guardian atrocity. Since then, they rarely talked. They didn’t spar daily like they had before. Alec kept his distance; he still hadn’t forgiven him.

Alec helped him sit again, and a spark of his old determination pulsed from him. Nolan met his brown eyes, and Alec crammed the budding emotions behind his scarred mask. He released Nolan’s arm and stepped away.

“Well, you’re not going to be a lot of help like that,” Alec snapped.

Nolan’s legs trembled. “I need the stones’ light. It helped last time.”

“This town doesn’t have a temple,” Alec said, then he grumbled under his breath about it being a “backward fishing village.”

Nolan eyed him.

Alec cleared his throat. “Not that backward fishing villages are bad or anything.”

Nolan smirked and placed his large palm over one of the stones next to him in the bed. His Shay of Strength pulsed gently inside him. “Well, I’ll just have to use the warehouse again.”

“You mean the one you destroyed?”

Nolan flinched. “Um, yeah. Guess I’ll have to find somewhere else. Another warehouse? A boat storage building?”

“Don’t think they’ll be too keen,” Alec said, his expression smug. “They talk about you downstairs.”

“Good things?”

Alec snorted in reply.

Nolan supposed not. Pressing against the bridge of his nose, he stretched his exhausted brain. He supposed he could control their minds, convince them to let him use another building or store. He’d rather not if he didn’t have to.

“We’ll come up with something,” he said. “I’ll have a look around, see what might work.”

“And how do you suppose you’ll get there? You can’t even stand.”

Nolan smiled. “You can carry me.”

Alec forced a laugh. “Sure. If I had Strength.”

Nolan pointed to the chair. “Give me my bag.”

Alec passed him the leather pouch, and Nolan rummaged through the dingy bedding. After retrieving the stones and filling the bag, he slung it over his shoulder and stood. The power from the stones pulsed gently against his side, giving him a smidgen of strength. The room didn’t tilt and sway as much as before. It wasn’t perfect, but it did help a little.