Mysterious Warriors: Alone (16 page)

~ Chapter 37 ~

              Neal hadn’t been so angry since he’d found out Blake had lied to him their whole relationship. He still had a hard time processing that his best friend had been a woman, and not just any woman, but the woman he’d fallen in love with.

             
“This isn’t the same as me.” Blake stated.

              “Gary didn’t pretend to be someone else around you.” Janie added. “He’s not the woman you love.”

              “There you are.” Neal slammed the training room’s door shut as he found Gary fingering the swords. “I can’t believe this.”

              Gary spun, pointing at sword at him. “Oh. Sorry.”

              “Bonfire uses a sword as well.” Blake stated.

             
“At least I told you I was Strike pretty much right away.” Janie’s voice was almost smug.

              “What’s wrong?” Gary frowned as he sheathed the blade. “You look upset.”

              “Does everyone in my life have a secret?” Neal looked at him as a new understanding washed through him. “No wonder you two hated each other.”

             
“They must have fallen in love in secret. See, we’re not the only couple who kept secrets.”

              I had no secrets from you.

              “What in the blazes are you talking about?” Gary demanded.

             
“Elena doesn’t have any secrets from you.” Blake stated. “Yet.”

              “I just asked Rachel about her friendship with Janie, since we now know Janie was never a maid, which means they didn’t meet the way Rachel had always said they did.”

              “Rachel told you the truth?”

              “That she’s Lunette.” Neal nodded.

              “Oh.”

             
“Oh indeed.” Janie chuckled.

              “Which means you’re Bonfire.” Neal closed his eyes.
Did you know Gary was Bonfire?

              “I’m sorry I kept that from you.” Gary went to him and placed a hand to his shoulder. “I needed to protect my people from the Xanites.”

              “And now you don’t?”

              “Now someone else is Bonfire.”

              “Someone else can lie to his friends?”

              “I’m sorry Neal. I really am.”

             
“How many other people have lied to you? You know I lied about so much. Was anything I ever told you the truth?” Janie’s voice mixed with Blake’s. “You thought you knew both of us, and yet you never knew either of us.”

              “Does no one trust me?” Neal grabbed a helmet and tossed it across the room. “No one thinks I can handle the truth?” He shoved a dozen arrows off a table to the ground. “Is that it?” He smashed a window. “I was never good enough to know everyone’s secrets, and now everything’s falling apart. I can’t do this Gary. I can’t keep going on like this. I…” He dropped to his knees. “Why didn’t she tell us?”

              Gary dropped beside his friend and embraced him. “I don’t know.”

              “She was Blake, and she never told me. She never told us. Why didn’t she tell us?”

             
“You’ll never know.”

              “I don’t know.” Gary whispered. “I’m sorry she kept her secrets, and I’m sorry I kept mine.”

              “Did she think I wouldn’t love her if I’d known she was Blake?” Neal’s hands shook, and he tried to calm them. “Did she believe we wouldn’t accept her if we’d known she was a girl training to be a knight?”

              “She might have been afraid.” Gary’s voice remained soft. “She loved you so much, and she had secrets.”

             
“Maybe I never loved you.” Janie’s voice was soft. “What possible reason would the woman who loved you have for lying all those years to you? I lied about everything. Was there anything I told you that was true?”

              “So many secrets.” Neal murmured. “She never trusted me, and I have so many questions. Why didn’t she tell me she was Blake? Why didn’t Blake tell me she was a woman? Did Janie really kill Joanne? What was she hiding from? Was she really who I thought she was? Who was she?”

              “We may never know.”

              “That’s not good enough.” Neal elbowed his way free and stood. “Do you have any more secrets I should know about?”

              “No.” Gary paused. “No.”

             
“He’s hiding something.” Blake said quickly.

              “You’re sure?” Neal noticed his hesitation.

              “I’m sure.” Gary touched his shoulder. “I wish we could get more answers about Janie for you.”

              “Rachel was close friends with her.” Neal looked at him. “Do you think she knew the real Janie?”

             
“No one knew the real me.” Janie assured him.

              “She knew Janie was Blake.” Gary paused. “Janie told Rachel the truth after she found out Lunette was Rachel. That’s when they became good friends, even before Rachel introduced us to Janie. Did you know she loved you before you met her as Janie?”

              “That makes sense.” Neal shook his head. “I always thought there was something about her, something familiar. I fell so quickly, and now I understand why…”
You were my best friend. I fell in love with my best friend. How wrong is that? You should have told me right then. You should—

              “Would you really have wanted to know?” Blake asked. “’Hey Neal, I love you, and I’m that woman you think is a blonde goddess.’ I bet you would have been okay with me saying that to you.”

              “I don’t know.” Neal breathed.

              “Are you doing alright?”

             
“He knows you’re going mad.” Janie whispered.

              Neal looked at Gary, nearly forgetting he was there. “I’m okay.”

              “No you’re not.” Gary went to him and grabbed his shoulders. “You look terrible. Have you been sleeping?”

              “There are too many unknowns.” Neal whispered. “There’s so much I won’t ever know. I can’t let her go, and I can’t get closure. She’s gone.” He held onto his best friend. “She’s gone.”

* * *

              Koketa brought her right arm up to block the man with knotted blond hair. His forearm was like a brick as it hit, and she spun back, fingers grazing against the hilt of her sword. She lunged for the weapon, but his body slammed in front. She struggled against him, and he shoved her against the side of a dwelling.

              Sacrifice jumped on the man and yanked his knotted, blonde hair back. The man screamed and released Koketa. She grabbed her sword and leapt, trying to hack the man’s arm off.

              The bounty hunter slammed Sacrifice against another dwelling, and the man let go in time to break free.

              Koketa’s sword came down, slicing the skin and hair of the bounty hunter’s arm. Blood spurted from the grazed wound, and he glared at her. He blocked her next blow, and the bounty hunter yanked her left arm forward. She stumbled, and the tip of his elbow connected to her left forearm.

              Something crackled, and she thought she saw bone as the blood sprayed. Koketa fell back, too dizzy to blink or think. Sacrifice rushed to her, and Koketa’s vision went black as she dropped to her knees.

              Another bounty hunter charged the two, and Sacrifice pierced the man with his blade as Sarasa soared into the fight. The blond bounty hunter spat in their direction as he rushed off in the night.

              “Her arm.” Sacrifice cried.

              “I’ll fly her to Tobie.” Sarasa lifted Koketa. “She’ll be fine.”

              Koketa wondered if she was dreaming as she soared through the air in Sarasa’s arms. The flash of Sarasa’s blue wings shined in the moonlight. Koketa closed her eyes as she felt the wind whip through her hair, loose and free in the flight. When she opened her eyes once more, she wasn’t sure where she was. She knew it wasn’t Junipero, and she gasped as Sarasa dropped to land at the foot of a house in the middle of a marketplace.

              “Mo?” The voice was unfamiliar.

              “Her arm is broken.” Sarasa stated.

              Koketa was set on a chair, and she felt feverish as she looked into emerald eyes and raven hair. The woman touched Koketa’s arm, and Koketa gasped as something seemed to show through her skin like the blood in her veins. She looked down to see the bone and skin healed. Glancing at the woman, she whispered. “Thank you.”

              “You’re welcome.” The woman glanced at Sarasa. “Are you going to bring your whole team here?”

              “Only when we need serious healing.” Sarasa clapped the woman’s shoulder. “Thanks. We should get back. Tell Andy I said hi.”

              “I will.” The woman turned her emerald eyes on Koketa. “It’s nice to meet you.”

              “And you, sort of.” Koketa paused. “Who are you?”

              “A friend.”

~ Chapter 38 ~

13
th
day of Atz, year 520

              “Princess Tara Colville of Zorba’s Reach.”

              Tara’s mouth dropped as she made her way down the grand staircase leading into the transformed ballroom. Silver, light blue, and white sheets of fabric draped from the third-story balconies, including one long sheet that went from the third story to the first, making a giant slide for children. The scene in the room in front of her was an elaborate illustration out of a book.

              Giant bubbles descended from the ceiling, suspended in the air and threw multicolored refractions down onto the crowded ballroom. Groups of jugglers, face painters, and musicians packed the left side of the ballroom while a group of acrobats and contortionists entertained guests on the right side.

              Tara shook her head, desperate to find a friendly face in the mob. She passed well-dressed nobles she didn’t recognize, a tall man in a dark suit, and squeezed through the hordes until she managed to bump into someone she recognized. “Sarasa?”

              What was Sarasa doing at one of her mother’s parties? The queen would have a fit if the Mysterious Warriors decided to crash her granddaughter’s first birthday. Monika should know better.

              “Hello Your Highness.” Sarasa curtsied. “Queen Addison invited three of us to enjoy the birthday party for your niece.”

              “Three of you?” Tara scanned the room for the man she hoped to see. Her hand automatically touched the chain around her neck.

              “Sacrifice, Kitnan, and I are here.” Sarasa explained, keeping a dark eye on the crowd. Tara knew she would avoid Vance, as usual.

              “Well I’m glad you’re here. Where are your wings?”

              “I’m keeping them hidden in here.” Sarasa looked around. “It’s way too crowded to have my wings out.”

              Tara embraced her friend and whispered. “Whatever the disguise, you’re always going to be my confidante Monika.”

              “I know.” Sarasa touched her arm.

              Tara waved as she slipped through the crowd, wondering where Sacrifice was. She knew he wouldn’t know who she was, but she needed to see the man she loved.

              Pearl and Ian joined her.

              “Where’s Stefan?” Pearl asked.

              “He wasn’t able to make it tonight.” Tara explained. “His father came to town and wanted to speak with him privately. Stefan didn’t think Mother’s party would be the best place.”

              “I understand.” Ian nodded. “Did you meet Stefan’s father?”

              “Not yet. Stefan wanted to speak with his father before I met him.” Tara paused as she looked around the room and to the fine feast set up on the far side of the ballroom: gold plates, diamond-studded goblets, fine wine, roast duck, imported cheese, and rare fruit adorned the table with ornate lanterns embedded with jewels. “They don’t get along really well, so I think they needed to have time alone.”

              “Your mother sure knows how to be excessive.” Pearl noted.

              “My mother only gets to celebrate her first grandchild turning a year old once.” Tara repeated her mother’s words. She’d grown tired of the excuse for this over the top party.

              “Well your mother is known for throwing the grandest parties in Erde.” Ian shook his head. “She certainly lives up to her reputation.”

              Tara nodded. “She would be devastated if she didn’t.”

              “I was surprised she allowed Queen Addison to invite some of the Mysterious Warriors to the occasion.” Ian looked across the room.

              “I am as well, but my guess is Addison was adamant.” Tara noticed Sacrifice on the dance floor with Princess Elena. The one-year-old laughed as the Mysterious Warrior dipped her, Elena’s dark hair flying in the movement. Seeing the man she loved moving so well with her niece made Tara’s heart burst. She wanted to run onto the dance floor and join them, raise her hands and kiss the man who had her heart.

              “Rachel.” Pearl waved as Rachel, Gary, and Neal joined them.

              “There you are.” Rachel shook her head. “I saw you enter, but I couldn’t find you in this madness.”

              “Mother sure knows how to outdo herself.” Tara shook her head.

              “Elena seems to be having fun.” Ian noted. “It looks like she likes the Mysterious Warriors.”

              “Sacrifice asked if he could have a dance with Elena, and we didn’t want to refuse.” Rachel paused. “Mysterious Warriors are allies, and I’m glad to be able to extend our friendship to them.”

              Sacrifice seemed nearly breathless as he joined the group, holding Elena in his arms as he did. Tara’s hand went to the long chain around her neck. She longed to pull the jade pendant free and reveal the arrowhead to the man she loved. What would he say if he saw her necklace? Would he be shocked?

              “The princess seems quite taken with you.” Ian stated. “She’s a good judge of character.”

              “I’m glad to hear it.” Sacrifice gently handed Elena back to Gary. “May I have the honor of a dance with the mother of the birthday girl?”

              Rachel glanced at Tara before she nodded and let Sacrifice take her out onto the dance floor.

              “Does he remind you of anyone?” Gary frowned as he watched his wife dance with the Mysterious Warrior.

              “He reminds me of any of the warriors.” Queen Margaret joined them. “He remains masked to keep others from finding out his identity. Perhaps he’s scarred. Or he has a giant mole on his face.” She touched her grandbaby’s dark head. “Happy birthday my precious.”

              “Sakey nice.” Elena stuck her lower lip out as she looked at the queen.

              “I’m sure he is.” Queen Margaret’s deep blue eyes flashed, and Tara realized their mother hadn’t known about his dance with the princess. Tara wondered what her mother would say if she knew the truth about Tara’s feelings.

             
“Mom, you should get used to Sacrifice being at functions because I love him. I choose to marry Sacrifice. Oh, and I’m Cabaya.”
That would go over well.

              “Come Tara.” Gary held his hand to the princess. “A dance? Then I can steal my wife back from Sacrifice.”

              And I can dance with the man I love. Tara smiled as he led her into the middle of the dance. Queen Margaret gasped at the impropriety. Tara laughed as Gary twirled her with the rest.

              “Did I offend your mother?” Gary seemed innocent, but the side of his mouth was a smirk.

              “You did nothing wrong.” She assured him. “Apparently she hasn’t seen you do that with Rachel before.”

              Tara joined the women in the dance as they walked toward the back of the room, sashaying her arms low. Gary walked toward the front of the room.

              When Tara reached the end of the dance floor, she turned, and all the women walked back toward their dance partners, sashaying their arms high.

              Tara grinned as she met Gary once more; she twirled as Gary clapped low to the right. Then Gary took Tara’s right hand with his left to make a circle with each other. They spun apart and met Rachel and Sacrifice where they switched partners.

              Sacrifice spun Tara, and her heart beat wildly. She was dancing with the man she truly loved, the man who loved her as her true self. She was free to be wild and reckless, truthful and strong, beautiful and passionate with this man. “Gary’s stealing Rachel from you.”

              “I suppose I’ll have to finish the dance with you.” Sacrifice swayed side by side with Tara as they moved their arms gracefully in front and behind them.

              “I’ve always admired the Mysterious Warriors. I’m glad Queen Addison invited you to my niece’s first birthday.” Tara wondered if she sounded idiotic. She took a deep breath. “Thank you for being kind to Elena.”

              “She’s a precious child.” His voice was strained, and she didn’t think it was because of the mask.

              Tara faced Sacrifice and clapped to their upper left to finish the dance. He bowed. “Thank you for the pleasure of the dance Princess.”

              Sacrifice joined Rachel, Gary, and Elena. As the four spoke, Tara longed to be with them. She could have been Cabaya, and Sacrifice would gladly spend the entire party with her. If only Sacrifice knew the truth about her identity, she wouldn’t have to feel like this. Her heart could follow the path she truly wanted. Stefan would have to stop courting her, and Alex would know that she loved Sacrifice.

              But who was the man behind the mask? Would Sacrifice want to love the future queen of Zorba’s Reach? Would the power of her position scare him away? Or would he love her more for being the kind of royalty who wanted to protect those in her kingdom? And why was Sacrifice around when Alex and Stefan weren’t?