Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) (4 page)

Moving carefully to avoid a few thorny bushes, she
found a small depression filled with water. The plants had been trampled around
it; apparently the wildlife used it often. Sitting at the edge she removed her
boot and sock, wincing at the swelling already visible.

Sticking her foot in the water she gasped at the
sudden cold. Immediately the throbbing dulled. Closing her eyes she tried to
empty her mind. She had to calm down and think more clearly. She needed to
figure out what to do now.

All she could see was Cain with an arrow through his
chest. With a gasp her eyes snapped open again.

Are you well?

She nodded and blinked back tears. "One of my
friends died," she told him quietly.

Are you hurt? I smell so much blood on you, is any
yours?

She looked down at herself. Blood spattered her
clothes and stained her arms and hands. Some of it belonged to Cain. Clenching
her teeth, she fought the choking despair building in her chest. She had to
stop thinking about it. Now was not the time to break.

Looking up she saw the wolf staring at her, head
cocked slightly to the side.

"No. None of it is mine
.
"
She didn't want to talk any more.

Her foot had begun to tingle from the cold water and she
pulled it out. She crawled forward to the head of the pool where the water
flowed quickly and refilled her water skin. More tears threatened as she washed
her face and watered down blood dripped from her hands. She’d washed away
Cain’s bloody kiss.

Fighting rising hysteria she pushed herself forward
and dunked her whole head in the freezing water a few times. It shocked her
enough the numbness returned. Numb she could deal with.

Garen circled before lying down and resting his head
on his paws to watch her.
You are a strange girl.

She raised her eyebrows and dug out some food and
forced herself to eat a little.

"Have you met many humans?"

Some. Are you human?

Choking on a bite of food she stared at him
incredulously. "Of course I am!"

You smell strange. For a human.

Just what she wanted to hear. She scowled at him. "I
assure you, I am." She wondered suddenly what he looked like in human
form. Had he not changed because it wasn't safe? Or perhaps he didn't want to
be naked in front of her. Or did they change with clothes? She had no idea. "I'm
sorry we don't have any extra clothes. If you wanted to change I mean." She
grimaced at her floundering.

It doesn't matter.
He stood suddenly and circled the pool.
We should go. Animals will
want to drink and they will not come with me here.

"I’m almost done." Drawing her daggers she
cleaned them quickly, but well. After drying them on a mostly clean edge of her
shirt, she sheathed them again.

Biting her lip, her swollen ankle captured her
attention. It should be wrapped but she had nothing to wrap it with. Prince had
all the bandages in his pack. She packed up her sock and forced her foot back
into her boot. It hurt, but she didn't have any other options.

She rose and donned her pack. Limping along carefully,
she followed Garen out of the thicket and through the trees. He moved very
slowly. Darkness had fallen. The branches overhead hid the stars and moon, severely
limiting her sight. She cursed under her breath at the pain in her ankle. She
could hardly put any weight on it. Perhaps if she could find a large stick to
use as a crutch, it wouldn't be so bad.

Garen stopped suddenly.
Rest here. You will be
safe. There is nothing dangerous in the area.

She bit her lip in dismay. "You're going?"

You cannot walk. I will search for the horse.
He walked up and pressed his nose to her hand.
I
will return soon.

She smiled in relief and resisted the urge to pet him.
"Be careful."

His laughter filled her mind.
I am a Were. Very
little will harm me.
He turned, his laugh still echoing in her mind while
he disappeared into the night.

Positioning herself with her back to a large tree and
facing the fields she tried to make herself comfortable. It didn't feel safe
enough to sleep, even though she felt dreadfully tired. The fear of someone or
something finding her asleep kept her awake and skittish. So did the fear of
the nightmares which would certainly come if she closed her eyes.

Staring off into the darkness she concentrated on
identifying what created each little sound; the wind, bugs, an owl.

Something suddenly brushed her shoulder and she
screamed, fingers scrambling for a dagger.

A hand covered her mouth as she turned her head…and
saw a pair of orange glowing eyes. The scream died abruptly and she swatted the
hand away. "Rot! You scared the life out of me!"

Kei chuckled.

Pulling him close, she buried her face in his neck and
hugged him tightly. "I was worried about you."

His arms tightened around her. "Me, too. About
you." He leaned back slightly. "Where's Cain?"

She drew back and looked away. Words caught in her
throat. She didn’t want to tell him, didn’t want to say the words. "He
didn’t…" She shook her head and drew in a deep breath. Her hands started
shaking again. Tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Very quietly she
told him what had happened.

His eyes changed to red while she spoke. He pulled her
close again, holding her head to his chest and tucking it under his chin.

"Cain," he whispered, his voice choked. They
sat in silence, just holding each other and sharing their misery and grief.

She could have stayed there all night. Kei understood.

His arms tightened briefly and then he leaned back to
look at her face. "Are you angry? At me. For leaving."

She forced a small smile and ruffled his hair. "Stupid
Fey. No, I'm not. I asked you to go help Prince," she faltered and looked
away. "Is he..." She couldn't say the words.

"We made it to the fields."

"What happened?"

"We split up." He added, "To look for
you."

She nodded. "So he's not hurt?" When Kei
didn't answer panic seized her chest. "Kei?"

"He got cut. I tended him." He grimaced. "Fighting
did him no good. He was exhausted."

She bit at one of her fingernails for a moment before
suddenly standing. "Let's go find him."

Kei rose and reached out to steady her when she
swayed. "You're hurt!"

"I twisted my ankle. I’ll be fine."

He opened his mouth to say something and suddenly
froze, eyes darting about, searching the darkness.

She turned but he pushed her back. Swearing under her
breath, she wondered what he had seen or smelled. Another curse left her lips; she'd
forgotten to tell him about Garen.

Thinking of the Were brought him forth, a blur of
darkness and fur which leapt from the night’s shadows directly at them. He
landed on Kei, knocking him backward onto the ground.

Growls and snarls from both echoed around her.

"Stop it! Both of you! Stop!" Heedless of
accidental injury, she threw herself at them, grabbing a handful of Garen's fur
and trying to pull him off of Kei. "Stop it! He's my friend!"

Garen ceased his growling and attack so she pulled
harder on him.
He's one of my friends!

The Were growled once more before springing away.
You
failed to mention one was a Fey.

She dropped down beside Kei. "Are you hurt?"
He had fallen into a full fury, eyes blazing, teeth and claws extended. "Kei!
He's my friend. Calm down." She took his face in her hands and started
pulling the power of his fury into her.

He surprised her by pulling her hands away and sitting
up. "I can do it," he whispered.

She nodded but smiled a little when he wrapped his
arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. His deadly claws rested
gently across her back. She wasn’t afraid. Kei was someone she’d never fear
again.

Quickly he began to calm himself. She felt the wild
power within him recede.

Garen whined, startling her.

Please move away, Aro.

Kei leaned back and scowled at her. His eyes had gone
down to a light orange, his teeth had returned to normal and she could feel the
claws against her back retracting. "You didn't mention him."

She sighed and sifted position to rub her ankle. Kei
arms fell to his sides. Garen paced around them.

"I'm sorry, boys. Kei this is Garen, he helped me
earlier today. Garen, this is my friend Kei." She glanced back at her Fey.
"As you can see, he's not wild."

Your scent is a mix of fey and human,
the Were muttered in her mind.
No wonder you
smelled strange.

She laughed and Kei looked at her strangely.
Can
you speak to Kei?

Garen stopped pacing to look at her.
Not easily. It
is difficult for Were to speak to others not of our kind. Without the power of
a pack it is nearly impossible.

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Had he
just implied he didn't have a pack?

"Aro..." Kei began.

She shushed him, mind racing, trying to decide if she
should ask or not. Why not? "Do you not have a pack, Garen?"

He looked away, ears flattening.
No.

She bit her lip and looked back at Kei. "He said
no."

"And this is important?"

She felt it was. She had one more question to ask, "Are
you in trouble with them?"

No,
he said
again.
They leave me alone. I am...solitary.

Their meeting had been chance, however she felt like
something important was about to happen. She liked Garen, he had saved her,
helped her. "Do you want to stay with us," she asked impulsively. "We
can be your pack?"

"Aro," Kei hissed.

She turned and grimaced at him. "Garen helped me.
He saved my life." She looked back to the Were.

"He can’t replace Cain," Kei whispered
harshly.

She snapped her head around to glare at him. "I
know that!" She stared him down until he only pursed his lips and looked
away, shaking his head.

Aro?

She turned back to Garen.

He was staring at her, ears twitching back and forth.
Do
you mean this?

Of course. Obviously we aren't a normal bunch, but we
stick together. We're family.

Family.
His
voice echoed in her head, amazed, surprised, afraid.

She had no idea what he was thinking, how he felt. She
couldn't understand what his posture or actions meant.

Uncertainty overcame her. Perhaps she’d been too
impulsive. She did have a problem with that sometimes. However, for some reason
a feeling of rightness filled her. She didn’t understand, but it was better
than the overwhelming darkness threatening to claim her again.

She reached out and took Kei’s hand, giving it a tight
squeeze.

After a moment he sighed and squeezed back. "We
need to go." Kei stood and helped her up.

Garen still hadn't answered her. Perhaps his silence was
answer enough. However he hadn't left either.

"We're going to look for our other friends,"
she told him. "Both are men; one human, one an Elf."

Elf?
His
incredulous laughter filled her head.
You are a strange pack indeed.
He
paused.
I think I will join you. It will be...interesting.

She related this to Kei who sighed and shook his head
again. He seemed resigned to the situation. At least he wasn’t fighting with
her.

Reaching for her pack, Garen's voice stopped her
again.

Wait. I found the horse. I will bring it now.
He darted off into the darkness.

"What is he doing now?" Kei growled in
exasperation.

"He got me a horse," she said with a grin. She
laughed out loud at the look on Kei's face.

Garen returned, the horse’s reins in his mouth.
Strangely, the steed did not seem afraid of the giant wolf leading it. She
loaded her pack and Kei's behind the saddle and Kei helped her up.

"Thank you," she said to both of them. "Let's
go find our friends."

Chapter 4:

The Pack

They walked for a while in the darkness, Kei and Garen
moving silently so only the sound of the horse could be heard. To be cautious,
they kept just within the trees. They weren't sure if riders still roamed
beyond.

She couldn't see a thing and began to wonder what good
continuing to look would do. Her ankle continued to burn and throb and exhaustion
kept pulling her eyes closed.

A hand on her leg startled her. She hadn't realized she'd
drifted off.

"Garen seems to want to stop," Kei
whispered.

With a tired nod she guided the horse further into the
trees, following Kei until he stopped. He helped her down and she hobbled a few
steps before collapsing to the ground with a weary sigh.

There doesn't appear to be anyone near.

She looked over at Garen sitting not far from her. Kei
tended to the horse. "We should stop looking I guess. Get some sleep."

"We'll find them in the morning," Kei said.

She nodded vaguely, staring off into the darkness. She
hoped Kei was right. He finished with the horse and came to sit beside her.

"We will find them," he said quietly.

Tears welled in her eyes and her lips began to tremble.

He took her hand and they both shifted to lie down. She
closed her eyes, knowing he watched her. Knowing he worried.

Is he your mate?

She choked and raised her head, looking over at the Were.
What?

He doesn’t harm you when he’s in a fury. He protects
you and sleeps by your side.
When she
didn’t answer he asked again,
The Fey, is he your mate?

No. He is my friend.
She lay back down with a grimace. Kei raised his eyebrows
questioningly. "Garen asked if you were my mate."

Kei snorted and chuckled. He squeezed her hand. "She
is my family."

Strange girl.

Her lips twisted in amusement before she closed her
eyes and with a deep sigh, slipped into sleep.

* * *

She felt absolutely horrid. Nightmares had haunted her
sleep. The swelling in her ankle had gone down somewhat, but it still hurt.
They ate quickly, discussing which way they should travel to look for Bo and
Prince.

Perhaps we should split up?

Biting her lip, she turned to Kei and repeated.

Kei grimaced. "I would agree, however you don't
know Bo. There were a lot of humans running around out there yesterday."

She rubbed at her forehead. Prince wouldn't be a
problem. His elven heritage would make him easy to identify. Garen felt certain
he would be able to talk to him even from a distance. Probably.

She sighed.
I don't suppose you can look in my mind
and see him?

I...could. You would allow this?

From the tone of his mind voice she could tell her
offer shocked him. She grinned, if it worked, problem solved. She turned to
Kei, "I'm going to picture Bo in my head and Garen is going to try to see
it."

Kei frowned. "More people in your head?"

"It will be fine."

She grinned at Garen's obvious surprise at their
exchange. "Do you need to touch me?"

No. Just think of him.

Closing her eyes she pictured her fortress and herself
standing outside of its towering walls. They needed to meet outside of them. She
didn't even let Prince inside her inner walls.

Opening her eyes she found herself within her own mind
again. It didn't frighten her. She had done this many times with Prince while
he taught her how to strengthen her mental barriers. Her fortress rose tall and
mighty behind her. For a short distance all around lay barren, dark earth. The
sky rolled with darkness and abstract thoughts. It wasn't pretty. However, it was
her.

Turning, she glared into the darkness made of anger, fear,
panic, and everything else dark and broken within her. She wished it would go
away, turn into sunlight. She doubted it would happen, not for a long time at
least.

This is your mind?

She turned again at the sound of Garen's voice,
grinning because he sounded so surprised. She froze when she saw him.

He wasn't a wolf.

He looked human, thankfully clothed in simple pants
and shirt, though his feet were bare. A very sweet, innocent and handsome
human. She blinked a few times trying to smother her thoughts when she realized
where they were.

Too late. A flush crept across his cheeks and a cute
half grin appeared. He looked down at himself, holding out an arm, turning it
over. He looked back at her.
Am I acceptable?

She rolled her eyes. Stupid men.
Don't be getting
any ideas.

His grin cracked into a full smile. He looked beyond
her and it faded.
How did you do this? Why did you?

I travel with an Elf,
she answered flatly.
And I've had some problems
with a Dragos.

His eyebrows went up in surprise.

Before he could ask for the story she brought them
back on topic.
You wanted to see Bo?

She pulled forth the memories, spreading her arms to
release the images to float around them. At least he paid attention and looked,
finally nodding when he had seen enough.

He bowed slightly in her direction.
Thank you.
He
gestured around them.
For sharing with me.

She shrugged.
I don't mind if you want to come
again. Prince is here a lot.

Surprise spread across his face again before he turned
thoughtful.
I suppose the Elves are different. Were rarely go into other's
minds. We usually don't have need to, since we can mind-speak so freely.

She smiled a little.
Well, you can discuss it with
Prince, once we find him.

He took the hint and left her mind. She followed.

They made plans to meet. Garen would go alone, she
would stay with Kei. They still had a problem with Garen not being able to
communicate with Bo while in wolf form. So she peeled some bark and scratched "Aro
sent me. Follow" onto it. Garen would be able to carry it easily and
hopefully Bo would read it and not attack the wolf.

They set out before the sun rose over the mountains,
though its light filtered through the shadows so at least she could see enough
not to ride into a tree. She and Kei headed north. Kei quickly bounded across
the section of plowed field to search the fields beyond while she kept to the
tree line, keeping watch within the forest and also the cleared sections.

The rider slowly moving out from a corn field caught
her attention first. She quickly pulled on her horse’s reins until it stopped
and they both froze under the shadows of the trees. She turned, eyes searching
frantically for Kei.

What was she supposed to do? Biting her lip, she
looked back at the horseman, trying to figure out what he was doing. He had a
spear out, pointed down, and moved very slowly.

She noticed the man on the ground then, crawling,
pulling himself valiantly forward despite the armed, mounted man at his back.
Leaning forward she squinted, trying to see better.

Prince.
Her
breath caught in her throat and she quickly searched for Kei again. Seeing him
suddenly peek from within the crops across from her she waved her hand and
pointed. He nodded.

Cursing under her breath she looked away, trying to
decide what to do. Kei apparently knew about Prince. However, what exactly they
were going to do about it she had no idea.

Watching Prince crawl through the dirt brought tears
of anger and frustration to her eyes. She couldn't watch, couldn't let him go
through this. He was a prince, her prince. The soldier would not kill him, not
in front of her, not if she could save him.

Kicking her heels into the sides of the horse, she
pulled the reins to the side, steering it out of the trees and directly at the
horseman. The horse thundered forward and she struggled to keep her seat.
Growing up in a city, she’d had very few experiences riding. Her brothers had
made sure she’d learned the basics, but she’d never ridden full out before.

Her only thoughts centered on saving Prince. There was
no time for tactics or planning. Other than that, she had no idea of what she was
doing, or what she would do. It scared her. For once, she didn't care.

The man looked up at the sound of the approaching
horse and turned, but she was too close for him to move out of the way. He
tried to raise his spear but didn't have time. Her horse veered slightly,
trying to avoid his, but still it crashed into the front side of the other
mount. With a scream she threw herself at him, vaguely realizing she hadn't
even drawn a weapon.

Her momentum took him off his horse and they landed
heavily on the ground while the horses bolted. Luckily she landed on top of
him, breaking the worst of her fall. Even so, fury and anger still boiled
recklessly within her as she shifted and sat up to straddle him.

She automatically drew a dagger with each hand and
attacked, screaming and stabbing while he tried to push her off and defend
himself. Anger took over everything else. She’d lost Cain. He would have killed
Prince. Loss after loss was destroying her. Someone had to pay. She couldn’t
take it anymore.

He died…at some point. Kei's cry brought her out of
her fury, distracting her.

She stopped. Bloody daggers raised, she turned her
head to see him and Prince sitting together a short distance away, both staring
at her in complete shock. Looking down she saw the bloody mess beneath her. She
stood quickly, keeping her weight on her good foot, hands dropping to her sides
as she stood over the body.

Her chest heaved and she tried to control her frantic
breathing and calm the wild anger within her. It had felt good, killing him. It
probably shouldn’t have, but one like him had killed Cain. How could she feel
guilty for having her revenge? There was no trace of guilt or remorse within
her. She felt strangely better, freer.

She crouched down and wiped her daggers clean on the
dead man’s pants before sheathing them. She wiped her bloody hands as well. The
actions gave her more time to calm herself.

Sucking in a deep breath she stood and faced her
friends again. The feeling of being alone struck her suddenly, a sharp pain in
her heart. Embarrassment at her wild attack heated her face. Not for what she
had done, but the messy and uncontrolled way she’d done it.

Hands slid gently down her arms, and she looked up at
Kei, wondering how he’d come to stand before her.

He looked searchingly into her eyes, his full of
confusion. "Ar-ro?" Her name came out a quiet stutter. "You–"
His hands came up to gently wipe spattered blood off of her face. "Aro."
Kei shook his head slightly. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and glanced past him to Prince.

His pale face looked more tired and haggard than she
had ever seen him. Blood stained his clothes. She didn't know if any belonged
to him.

"So you do know how to fight," he said
quietly.

She smiled weakly. Did they think she had gone insane?
"That wasn’t fighting," she murmured.

Kei cupped a hand to her cheek. "Vengeance."

She nodded and locked her gaze on the ground. The
image of their shocked faces wouldn’t leave her mind.

"Aro," Kei whispered.

She met his eyes again. They shined with an orange
glow. A small, encouraging smile crossed his lips for a moment. "We have
to talk…later."

Despite his words, his tone filled her with relief
instead of worry. She nodded. Kei understood.

"I'll get the horses." He glanced over at
Prince. "We could use two now."

She watched him dart off across the field in the
direction the mounts had gone.

Prince sighed and shifted, his shoulders slumping. She
noted his pack was missing and held in a curse. Maybe Kei could find it.
Limping over to him she dropped down to her knees. "I was worried about
you."

He glanced over at her and shook his head. "I am
fine."

"No. You're not," she said with a frown. He
barely looked alive. She wished she knew what to do. What to say. They sat in
uncomfortable silence for a moment. "How far back did you drop your pack?"

He grimaced. "Not too far."

She nodded. "Kei can find it, when he gets back."
She worried her lip in the silence which came again. "So... I made a new
friend. A Were. He's helping look for you and Bo."

Prince raised his eyebrows and frowned. "Lovely."

She forced a smile. "You are a troublesome Elf. I
hope you know that."

He glared over at her. "Where's Cain?"