Shadow Fire (25 page)

The noise of the crowd is even louder now. Feeling Zane's eyes on me, I stare at the ground, unable to meet his gaze. I remember I'm not shackled, and I throw my arms around his neck, burying my fingers in his hair. Finding his lips with mine, I ignore the crowd and try to lose myself in his kiss. I'm somewhat surprised when the guards don't stop me. Not wanting to waste such a boon, I pour all the love I feel into our last kiss. His lips part and I explore every inch of his mouth with my tongue, trying to commit the feeling to memory. When I pull away, I kneel next to him, holding him in my arms. He leans into me, resting his head against mine. Silence fills the plaza, as if the townsfolk are too stunned to speak. The absolute silence is broken by Lord Nolan's voice.

"So I ask you, citizens of Palma, is this law just? Can you look at my granddaughter and say Lady Ashlyn was wrong to heal her? You all saw the horrendous pain she was suffering. We all know she would have most likely succumbed to her injuries. Is it right to punish someone who uses magic to heal the same as someone who uses it to kill? Can we close our hearts and minds and execute these two people for the simple act of caring? I have spent my life upholding the laws of Palma. But even I understand the law is not absolute, that sometimes changes must be made when the law is so obviously wrong. So it is the decision of the Elder Council that these two prisoners be immediately pardoned and released."

The crowd roars its approval. Riala runs to me, throwing her little arms around my neck. I exhale a mighty sigh of relief as I watch the guards remove Zane's shackles. Riala runs back to her grandfather. Zane helps me up off the ground, and I collapse in his embrace. When his lips meet mine again, the screaming crowd becomes deafening. Lord Nolan pats me on the shoulder, and I pull away from Zane. He motions for us to follow him. The guards clear the way through the celebrating crowd. Taking Zane's hand, I follow the Elder Lord through the throng of cheering people and up the steps of the Elder Hall. The blessed silence that greets us inside is welcome after the rambunctious crowd. Lord Nolan leads us through the central atrium and down a long hallway to a large office.

Chapter Twenty

Palma

After entering the office, Lord Nolan directs us to a sitting area in the corner of the room. He takes a seat in a large black armchair. Zane and I sit in the two smaller chairs facing him. For the first time I notice how tired the elder appears. There are dark circles under his eyes, and his shoulders slump a bit. When Zane takes my hand, I glance at him, flinching at the colorful bruises decorating his face. Returning my eyes to the elder, I wait for him to speak. We sit in silence for a few moments.

"I have no idea where to begin," the elder murmurs.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble we've caused," Zane says. "You were put in a difficult position."

"True," Nolan responds. "But I can never express the full extent of my gratitude to you, Lady Ashlyn, for healing Riala."

"It's just Ashlyn, milord. I'm not of noble birth."

"I beg to differ, milady," Nolan replies. "You have all the characteristics of a Lady: love, honor, compassion, determination and humility. In my opinion the title 'Lady' is not one to be born into but one to be earned through actions."

"Thank you," I say, my heart swelling from his words. His kindness is overwhelming and a bit unexpected.

"I'm truly grateful for what you did," the lord says. "Though, I'm worried now about the future implications of our actions this morning."

"Delistaire will be furious," Zane says. "He was counting on my death so he could easily capture Ashlyn. Of course he's been plotting my death for years. I've had a bounty on my head since I was twelve."

Zane's eyes are sparking with rage. It's such a relief to see emotion back in them even if it is anger.

"You're his son are you not?" The elder continues at Zane's nod, "I take it you defy him."

"Every chance I get." Zane's lips curl into a feral snarl as he spits out the words. There's such emotion in those words, each syllable stressed. My heart cries out for the suffering he endured at the hands of his own father.

"Why?" Nolan asks. "He's your father. We're taught to honor thy father."

"He's evil incarnate," Zane says. "I could never condone his malicious actions or the pain he's inflicted on so many." A haunted expression steals across his face for a moment then disappears.

"What will Lord Delistaire do to us for releasing you?" the lord asks, his green eyes filled with worry.

"Hopefully nothing right now," Zane replies. "He'll be too busy dealing with us to worry about Palma." He pauses for a moment. "If he manages to kill us, then you may have a problem."

"You told me why he wishes you dead," Nolan says. "But why is he after Lady Ashlyn?"

"It has something to do with the Goddess Statue," I say. "We just don't know what that something is."

Lord Nolan sits back in his chair, steepling his fingers under his chin. He appears to be deep in thought. I glance over at Zane, and I'm rewarded with a smile somewhere between a smirk and a leer. My heart starts beating faster just from the expression on his face. I wish Lord Nolan would think of something he needed to accomplish elsewhere.

"Well, you need to get to the island of Karina and fast," the elder says. "I'm sure I can find a ship willing to take you in the morning."

"Can't we just fly over on Freya?" I ask Zane.

"She can't fly that far in one day," he replies, smiling. "As far as I'm aware there's no place for her to land between Palma and Karina."

"If I might ask, who or what is Freya?" Nolan asks.

"Freya is a griffin. It seems Ashlyn has a way with magical creatures. We also have a fenrir wolf traveling with us," Zane answers. "Both will need to accompany us on the ship." He pauses, glancing at me then back to the lord. "Ashlyn is learning light magic. She needs to learn how to attack with it in order to defeat Delistaire. Light is his main weakness. I don't think we can successfully stop him without it."

"So now I'm an accomplice in this," Nolan murmurs.

I start to interject but am silenced when he raises his hand.

"I'm not upset. I hope you defeat that dastardly sorcerer. The world will be a much better place without him." He leans forward, his eyes thoughtful. "So you need a ship that will allow a fenrir and a griffin on board, as well as a crew willing to turn a blind eye when you practice magic."

"Yes. That about sums it up," Zane says laughing. "It seemed more realistic until you put it into words."

"Actually, my nephew is a bit of a rogue," Lord Nolan says, rubbing his hand over his chin. "He's a never ending embarrassment to my sister, but he has a good heart. He is, for lack of a better term, a pirate."

Well this is a stunning development. To think the head elder of Palma has a pirate for a nephew!

"He has a ship docked in the harbor right now. I'll write a letter for you, asking for his assistance. Of course, it will ultimately be up to you to convince him. If he doesn't accept, come back and let me know. Otherwise I wish you the protection of the Goddess on your journey."

The elder walks over to his desk to write the letter for his nephew. I'm dying to speak to Zane, but when I open my mouth he shakes his head then mouths
later.
While the elder is busy writing the letter there's a knock on the door. A young woman pokes her head into the room and the elder waves at her to enter. Two men enter behind her and hand Zane his weapons and gear. After they have exited the room, I busy myself helping Zane with his armor. I've just finished buckling the shoulder guard into place when Lord Nolan rises and hands the letter to Zane. He tucks it into his pack and we bow then take our leave.

"There's a bathhouse at the rear of the building," Lord Nolan says when we reach the door. "I'm sure you'd like to clean up. I'll have my assistant show you the way."

"Thank you," Zane says. "That would be most appreciated."

The assistant appears again as if from out of the woodwork and leads us down another long corridor. I realize I'm covered in blood and my clothes are torn, it must've made for quite the sight earlier in the town square. This is the same outfit I was wearing when I fell in the river.
I wonder if it's cursed…

****

For the second time this morning I exit the grand Elder Hall. The first time I thought I was headed for my death. This time I'm snuggled next to the man I love. He's dressed all in black, the gleaming silver armor set off by the dark contrast. As soon as we pass through the doors, Zane pulls me to the side and into his arms. I cling to him as all the fear and sorrow I experienced over the last few hours crashes down on me. Somehow, I'd managed to keep myself mostly under control even though my heart felt shattered beyond repair. Now standing in his arms, the reality of what almost happened becomes overwhelming. The adrenaline I was using all morning deserts me, and exhaustion eats away at my body.

Zane cups my cheek with his hand and gazes into my eyes. I'm mesmerized by those twin pools of fire. His affectionate smile warms my aching heart. Leaning forward, I press my lips to his. The kiss is slow and gentle; I'm lost to the sensation as he smoothly parts my lips with his tongue. He explores my mouth with meticulous tenderness. Cheering erupts around us, and he pulls away, his dark eyes glinting with annoyance. There's a crowd of people gathered around us and it's growing. Zane takes my hand, leading me away from our admirers. When we reach the harbor, the crowds are much thinner.

"By the Goddess, Ashlyn," Zane says, slowing our pace. "When I saw you up on the dais this morning my heart shattered."

"How do you think I felt?" I murmur, gazing up at him. "I would've done anything to save you. Barring that, I'd rather die by your side than go on without you."

He stops and pulls me into his arms again.

"I can't seem to stop touching you," he says with a small laugh. "I guess part of me can't believe this is real. On some scale my mind still wonders if this is a dream, if I'm still in that dank cell about to wake up any minute."

I reach down and pinch his arm. Hard.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"It's not a dream," I say with a tiny chuckle, before placing my head on his shoulder and leaning most of my weight into him. "I'm exhausted. Healing Riala completely sapped my energy."

"I'm so proud of you, Love," he whispers. "I didn't see the girl's injuries but from the reactions of the crowd they were serious. How'd you do it?"

"I just wanted to heal her so badly. After the council threw me out, I collapsed in the atrium crying." I close my eyes while composing myself enough to continue. "She limped up to me and asked me what was wrong. Her wounds were horrendous and yet she was worried about me. I focused like you taught me and pushed all of my emotions into her. I merely imagined her healed and whole. The next thing I knew she was."

"You're amazing," he murmurs into my hair. "Your compassion, fire and determination saved me. I can't thank you enough."

"You started it," I complain. "You're the idiot who healed me, against my wishes I might add." He stiffens a bit in my arms. "Thank you for ignoring me."

"We're quite a pair aren't we?" He chuckles as he relaxes again.

"You can say that again," I sigh into his shoulder.

"Shall we go find the rogue nephew of Lord Nolan?" he asks, releasing me from his embrace.

"Let's go," I reply, grinning up at him.

The port at the harbor is sizeable, but it's easy to find the rogue's ship. It's a large, beautiful schooner with two tall masts sporting red and white striped sails that are furled. The crow's nest rests atop the forward mast with a large banner flying above it.

"Hey, Zane," I whisper, "shouldn't the flag on the crow's nest be a skull or something intimidating, not a dolphin?"

"I think it's supposed to be a shark," he whispers back.

"Well then it's the least menacing shark I've ever seen," I reply giggling.

Zane's responding laughter is a welcome sound. We approach the ship and are stopped by two young crewmembers guarding the gangplank.

"This is the vessel of the Dread Pirate Taranis," the boy on the right of the gangplank says in a loud booming voice.

He's trying to sound threatening, but it isn't working. The red shirts both boys are wearing have a cute blue dolphin on them just like the banner. It's difficult for anyone wearing a dolphin on his shirt to be intimidating.

"We have a letter of introduction from Lord Nolan," Zane says, holding up the letter. "Please inform your captain we wish to meet with him."

The crewmembers continue to eye us. They could be twins. Both are my height and appear my age or younger. They're both sporting the same spiked hairstyle. The main difference is the hair color. The one on the right is blond and the one on the left has red hair. The blond reaches out to take the letter but Zane pulls it away.

"I'll present the letter to your captain. Please go fetch him," Zane insists, refusing to turn over the letter.

"All right you may board the vessel."

The two boys step aside and allow us to climb up the gangplank. When we reach the top, a rather rotund woman in a beautiful light blue dress greets us. She appears to be about the same age as my mother. Brown curls frame her plump face, falling in corkscrews to brush her shoulders. She seems out of place on a pirate ship.

"Hello, my dears. My name is Hanna," she says with a wide smile. "You're here to see Captain Taranis?"

"Yes," Zane replies, "We have a letter of introduction from Lord Nolan."

"Yes, I know who you are. You're the love struck couple from this morning. I haven't seen anything so romantic in years!" She sighs, her light brown eyes glazing over. When I glance at Zane, he rolls his eyes at me, making me giggle. "Come with me. I'll take you to Taranis right away."

We follow her through the main cabin door and into the narrow hallway beyond. The walls are made of a gorgeous dark mahogany wood. I wonder who keeps the wood polished to such a beautiful sheen. At the end of the hall, she stops in front of a large door made with the same wood as the hall and pounds on it. A muffled voice yells from within.