Passion (18 page)

Without
giving me any time to react, she turned and ran past the perimeter wall.

Choking
with pain and tears, I ran after her, but the speed with which she advanced was
almost superhuman.

Liam
caught up to me.  

“I
can’t let her do this.  Help me stop her.”

He
stopped just as she reached the war zone.  “There’s nothing we can do, Kama. 
She’s already too far.”

With
tears streaming down my cheeks, I watched her.  She marched, her head high and
determined, her stride strong and persistent.

I
tried to work up so magic, but nothing stopped her.

“She’s
too determined,” Torrid said as he watched me try again.

A
tall machine with human arms and a fierce human face, headed straight to her. 
Despite cries from both General Adar and Pim Seer, the creature showed no mercy.

“No!”
I cried out as the monster sliced through her with his blade.

Chapter 21

H
er scream echoed throughout the valley and
within seconds Pim was at her side.

With
Torrid and Liam, I rushed to her, eager to get her some help, but also fearful
that no amount of help would save her.

“We
need to get you treated,” Pim was saying as we arrived.  For all his ferocious
battling, he was now gentle before his limp and dying love.

“Mom,”
I said as I rushed to her side, almost shoving Pim out of the way.  “What did
you do?  What did you do, Mom?”

“Kama,”
she whispered as she struggled to open her eyes.

I
looked at her wound, blood gushing out and staining the sand around her.  With
a last ray of hope I looked at Torrid.  “Is there anything you can do for her?”

Torrid
gently touched his fingers to my chin and lifted my face to face him.  “I’ll do
whatever I can to help.”  He kissed me then and said, “Everything’s going to be
alright.”

He
placed his hands to my mother’s belly and closed his eyes.  The flow of blood
slowed to a trickle then stopped completely. My mother opened her eyes and sat
up.

“You
did a foolish thing,” Pim said, his voice soft yet reprimanding.

“This
is all your fault.  You're the cause of all this misery, all this bloodshed. 
Stop this war now, Pim,” Mom said.

“I’m
doing this for the good of everyone,” he said in defense.  “Do you want our beloved
Arcadia to fall to ruins like this wretched town has?”

“You're
asking us to pay an incredible price in order to have your vision of a perfect
town.  This isn’t what we’d planned, Pim.  This isn’t what I wanted.  The
fighting, the slavery, the deception… it’s all your doing.  Now it’s time you
undo it.  Call off this war!”  Though still weakened by her wound, her plea for
peace was loud and clear.

“She’s
right,” Liam said.  “You know she’s right.  There’s no way I can govern Arcadia
under such circumstances.  You need to call your army off.  You need to tell
Dr. Sanz that the war is over.”

Defeated,
Pim suddenly looked small and meek.  He looked around at his crumbling dream
and sighed.

“Don’t
force my hand,” a loud booming voice said.

We
all turned to see General Adar standing a few feet away.  Brilliant and
massive, he stared down Pim Seer.

“You
will not like how my djinns settle this.  Let’s stop the bloodshed now.”

I
gazed at my mother and was surprised by the love in her eyes.  Through the
years and great distance, her love for my father remained strong.

“Please
listen to him, Pim.  Let’s find another more peaceful and humane way of running
Arcadia.”

“After
all I’ve done for you, you still take his side,” Pim fumed.  “Don’t you
remember what they did?  They shunned you, Janice.  They didn’t accept you
because you're a human.  Have you forgotten?  You were pregnant and they turned
you away.  They didn’t allow you into the Nethers.  Who helped you then,
Janice?  Who picked up the pieces and gave you and your little girl a perfect
life?  I created the perfect world for you and for everyone.  For Kama.”

Liam
put a hand to my shoulder.  “You didn’t create Arcadia for Kama.  Don’t stand
here and pretend to do anything for Kama.  You captured her, bound her with a
leather band and treated her like a prisoner.  That’s not how you love
someone.  That’s not how you treat your future daughter in law… the future
first lady of Arcadia… the very future governor herself.”

“I
did what I thought was best,” Pim said.  “Once you take office, you’ll see how
difficult it is to make decisions that please everyone.  You’ll see how hard it
is to come to unpopular decisions; decisions no one else wants to make.”

“That
won’t happen.”  The familiar and cruel growl came from behind me and with it a
thin straggly arm that grabbed Liam.

With
a dagger to Liam’s neck, Dr. Sanz glared at everyone around him.  “It’s time to
fulfill your part of the bargain, Pim.  Pay up or your son will die.”

“No,”
Pim said.  “You're asking too great a price, even for my son’s life.”

Shocked
I gasped while Liam’s eyes widened with horror.  Pim Seer really didn’t care at
all for his own son.

“Really?”
Dr. Sanz said.  “I don’t believe that for a second.  When you told me to lead
the Rogues out to destroy the opposition, you specifically told me to keep your
son safe.  You had me put up a protective shield around him.”  He glanced at
Liam.  “He’s alive and fine… and now you owe me.”

“You
bargained with this man?” Janice said.

“Indeed,
he did,” Dr. Sanz confirmed.

General
Adar stepped forward.  “Even you should know better than to bargain with a Dark
Djinn, Pim.  You may as well be dealing with the devil himself.”

Pim
nodded as he held a firm gaze on Dr. Sanz.  “I can’t,” he said simply.  “There
are too many lives at stake.”

His
face contorted into an ugly sneer, he growled his discontent.  “Then say
goodbye to your son.”  He raised his dagger.

I
wanted to cry out, but my voice was muffled by a painful sob.

But
before Dr. Sanz could plunge the dagger into Liam’s heart, Pim rushed forward,
pushed Liam to the ground, receiving the blow meant for his son.

“Dad!”
Liam cried.  “No.”

Dr.
Sanz grinned.  “I guess it’s just as well,” he said.

Pim
pulled the dagger out and pressed his hands to his chest.

“If
the loss of blood doesn’t kill you, the poison on the tip of my dagger will.”

Pim
turned gray as he looked at Liam.  “I had to save you, Liam.  I love you, my
son.”

For
a quick moment, my life at the governor’s manor flashed before my eyes.  I’d
known this man all my life; had even loved him as my father.  He had done so
much, all in the name of love for my mother.  For all the evil and destruction
he’d brought to Arcadia, I was saddened to see the life leave his eyes.  I
gazed at Liam, wondering what he was capable of if he didn’t get the love of
his life.

He
rose and pulled me into his arms and I knew he’d never be like his father.

“Take
care of Arcadia,” Pim muttered as he fell to the ground.  “And Kama.”

Dr.
Sanz shrugged and clucked his lack of sympathy, then turned his attention to
Liam.  “Even in death, he can’t deny me what is mine.  It is now up to you to
grant me my wish, son of Pim.”

“I
don’t even know what my father promised you.”

“The
power to rule Arcadia!  He promised me the elixir that would help the Dark
Djinns win over the Light ones… the ones ruled by the royal family.” He gazed
at Torrid and Rowan.

“I
don’t…” Liam said.

“You
will never get the elixir,” Rowan said.  “It is the most secret and sacred of
all magic.  No one can touch it, especially a Dark Djinn.”

“Pim
promised me.  He said the Catchers would have it.  After all, only a Catcher
has the power to retrieve it since the curse placed on it by Armadon.”

“You
will not get close enough to the elixir, Rogue,” General Adar said.  “It is
time for you and your Rogues to taste what you have done to so many innocent
djinns throughout the years.”  He raised his hand and the fighting ceased.

“My
father is dead,” Liam shouted.  “I am the new governor and this battle is
over.”

Catchers
stood in stunned silence while Rogue Magical Ones glanced around a moment
before disappearing into thin air.

“It
appears they’ve all abandoned you, Sanz,” Liam said.

All
eyes turned to the evil little man. 

“Mark
my words,” he growled.  “I will take over Arcadia and the Dark Djinns will rule
the Nethers.”  He glared at Rowan and Torrid.  “Watch your backs.”

And
he was gone.

Epilogue

“T
his is a beautiful ceremony,” I said to
Liam.  “Especially considering the circumstances.”

Arcadia
needed to be rebuilt, as much of the Governor’s Manor did, but we’d managed to
clear away enough debris to make an official banquet worthy of Liam’s new title
as Governor.

“I
didn’t want to put you on the spot in front of everyone, but now that we have a
moment alone, I have something to ask you.”

I
looked at him, fearful of the question to come.  With everything that had been
happening, my mind and heart weren’t ready to make any kind of emotional
decision.

“I’d
like you to consider taking on the role of co-governor,” he said.

“Co-governor? 
Can I do that?”

“Why
not?  It’s pretty much the role you would have taken had you been my wife, only
without that… well, commitment.”

“Are
you comfortable with that?”

“I
wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t.”

I
didn’t have to think about it too long.  Just looking at all the people who’d
come to the ceremony; people who were happy to see Liam take over; people who’d
been through so much and who now looked to him with hope.  My place was here,
building a new and better Arcadia; one with flaws, but the kind of flaws
everyone preferred to live with compared to the false perfection we’d come to
know.

“I’m
honored, Liam.  I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

He
reached out to shake my hand.  “I’ll go make it official, then.”

Watching
him walk away I became acutely aware of Torrid who’d come to my side.

“I
assume you heard that,” I said as I turned to him.

“You're
really going to take on co-governing Arcadia?”

“What
would you have me do, Torrid?  My place is here and co-governing is the perfect
role for me.”

“What
about the Nethers?”

“What
about the Nethers?” I shot back.

“The
djinns are your people too, Kama.  And…” He hesitated and I saw the pain in his
eyes.  “And of course I would like you to come be with me as well.  I know we
haven’t had the chance to be together much lately, but I still love you, Kama.
Very much.”

“And
I love you, too, but I have to make things right here in Arcadia.  As far as my
romantic relationships are concerned, I want to take my time.  I want to make
sure I make the right decision without hurting anyone.  You know, I’ll always
be there for you, Torrid, but for now, my place is here with Liam.  He’s
offering me an unbelievable opportunity; to help run Arcadia, while being on my
own.  I think I need some time when I’m not someone’s girlfriend or wife.”

He
nodded, but was obviously unhappy with my decision.  “I see.”  He cast his gaze
aside.  “Rowan says Dr. Sanz is not done with us.  He’s now set his aim on the
Nethers and we’re already getting word of unrest in some of the provinces.  Dr.
Sanz and his dark forces are not going to back down.  Arcadia may have found
peace, but now the Nethers will have to face a war.”

With
a gentle touch, he brought his fingers to my forearm.  “I’ll be back and when I
do I hope you’ll still hold me fondly in your heart.” Before I can say anything
back to him, he pulled me harshly to him to crush me against his chest, and his
mouth met mine in a searing kiss that shot electricity through me. It was the
most passionate kiss Torrid had given me, leaving me feel as though my mouth
was on fire. “Remember me, Kama.”

He
turned to leave and I choked back a cry to have him come back, but just as it
pained me to watch him walk away, I saw Liam’s bright smile and knew I had to
concentrate on the work needed in Arcadia.

Eager
to take on my role as co-governor, I came to his side.

“Mr.
and Mrs. Healy are happy to hear you’ll be standing at my side, Kama.”

I
smiled at them and while I chatted optimistically about what was to come, I saw
a movement in the distance.  With a gasp of horror, I realized it was Dr. Sanz,
vying for my attention all while remaining hidden.

“It
was a pleasure meeting you,” I said to the Healys as they walked away.  Turning
quickly to Liam, I grabbed his arm.  “Liam, Dr. Sanz is out there.  Do you see
him?”

“Are
you serious?”  He peered into the forest past the gardens.

“Oh
my God!” I let out as I caught sight of what Dr. Sanz was trying to show me. 
“He has my mother.”

Now
that Pim Seer is dead, I can do as I please with your mother, Kama
. 

Dr.
Sanz’s voice entered my mind.

Janice
Johnson is the perfect pawn in this game.  What do you think your father, the
great General Adar, will do to have her?”

I
cringed as I realized it wasn’t over.  This war wasn’t going to be waged in the
Nethers as Torrid thought, but right here in Arcadia.  Dr. Sanz was going to
bring the War of the Djinns to Arcadia.

I
sent word to Torrid.
We’ll see each other sooner than you thought, Torrid.
Dr. Sanz has my mother. I’ll have to get her back.