Tested by the Night (19 page)

Then she remembered the hunters were doing this for her, because of her, and at her command. God Draka help her, she was the biggest bully of them all.

For a moment, Mia hung her head and offered up a prayer for guidance. Becoming ruling queen of the barbarian nation someday meant all of Albrath to her, but not at the expense of even one single innocent. The duke had probably realized that about her, and that was why he’d chosen this particular quest. He knew she’d never be able to tear a child from its mother’s arms, not even to become ruler of the entire world.

“Stop,” she yelled. But the wind threw her words right back in her face.

Closer and closer to the crevasse the bears lumbered with the hunters close on their heels. Mia took off in a dead-out run. She could catch them. She’d always been a faster runner than most. It was one of her very few skills. She could reach them before the bear cub tumbled into the crevasse. She had to. She needed to stop this injustice while there was still time.

Her lungs ached from the cold and exertion, and her feet slipped on the ice as she ran. She almost tumbled to the ground more than once. With sheer determination, she pumped her legs even harder and gained on the hunters, inch by painful inch.

“Stop,” she yelled again, but this time she was much closer.

Talon and Jaxson turned toward her, and Talon yelled, “Get back, Mia. It isn’t safe yet. A few more minutes, and we’ll have them right where we need them. I’ll come and get you then.”

She shook her head. “I’m the leader of this quest, Talon Starkweather, not you, and I’ve commanded you to stop. And by stop, I mean everyone cease all forward movement this very moment.”

Talon held up a hand, and to a man, all movement did cease. Even the bears themselves quit running toward the crevasse and stood completely still, watching, as if curious as to how this drama would unfold.

Mia gulped as Talon strode toward her, his face a mask of pure fury.

He bowed low before her. “Your wish, as always, is my command,
princess
. But tell me one little thing if you don’t mind. Have you totally lost your VoT mind?”

She gulped again. “I—I—no, I haven’t. I simply can’t do it this way. You’re scaring the bears.”

Talon laughed. “I’m scaring the bears?” He pointed toward the two large and three smaller bears still standing completely motionless, watching. “Do those devils really look scared to you? Bane bears don’t scare easily, sweetheart, not even the little ones. But then, if you had long razor sharp claws and teeth like they do, you’d never be scared either. As a matter of fact, you give those cuddly little bears an inch, and they’ll take those claws and teeth and rip the skin right off your bones. And they’d do it before your next heartbeat had a chance to thump, thump. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen.”

He threw his arms wide and gestured to their surroundings. “This may very well be
your
quest we are here trying to accomplish, but Bane is
my
home turf and
you
don’t make the rules here. Now, be a good little princess, quit distracting me, and let me get on with my job. I’ll call you when I need you.”

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught both of their attentions, and they looked up to see Jaxson standing close by. He shook his head. “God Draka, you always were such an ass, cousin. I never realized how big of a complete ass you were before today. Have the decency to hear the lass out. She’s right, you know? It is her quest.” To Mia, he smiled. “And speaking of your quest, if you’ve changed your mind and need a husband instead, Princess, remember, I volunteered first.”

Chapter Thirteen

She was bone weary and running out of time. Mia only had three and a half days left before she was to present a Bane bear cub before the barbarian council, and she was no closer to her goal than when the sun had risen this morning. They’d spent the majority of the first day at The Academy before leaving. Then, it had taken two full days to travel through the portals and mountains in order to reach Bane and would take two more of the seven days allotted to return when the quest was completed.

That left the rest of today and possibly part of tomorrow to accomplish what needed to be done. Any longer, and she’d be cutting her time a little short for comfort. And having to cut her time short, very short, was more than a distinct possibility, considering how things were not progressing at the moment.

For at least the past four turns of the hourglass, they’d been at a complete standoff with the bears on one side of a wide ice shelf, and she and the hunters on the other. Mia had absolutely no idea how to proceed past this point.

Not that she’d admit her shortcomings or frustrations or concerns to Talon Starkweather. The man had been completely impossible to reason with since she’d demanded he break off chasing the poor scared creatures and let her have a turn at reasoning with them.

After he and the other barbarian hunters stopped laughing, he’d scoffed. “You can’t reason with a Bane bear, Mia, or any bear as far as that’s concerned. You don’t speak their language, and they sure as VoT don’t speak yours.”

Then he’d spent a good quarter of an hour boasting of his hunting expertise and reminding her of her lack thereof. When that didn’t gain him his way, he’d yelled and threatened to forcibly remove her from the scene if she didn’t stop being ridiculous. That hadn’t worked either.

She’d simply smiled and shook her head. After all, he might very well be a big strong barbarian, and he certainly had a well-deserved reputation in the arena against other men, but Talon Starkweather would never raise his hand to a woman, any woman, and she knew it. As a matter of fact, she probably knew him better than he knew himself. Even if he could be an insufferable ass at times.

And it wasn’t just his code of honor she was going off of either. Even if he wasn’t willing to admit it to himself, Mia knew, deep down, he cared about her and about her quest. Some things couldn’t be faked. Though the rising of the sun found them on opposite sides of The Academy most days, when evening came, they’d talked for hours, on every subject under the three moons of Albrath. She’d kissed his lips, she’d held him close, she’d touched and licked and made love to every delectable inch of his body, and he hers. Talon was a barbarian with more than his fair share of bluster and testosterone, of that there was no doubt, but he had no real bite behind his actions when it came to her.

She knew it, and so did he.

But what on Albrath was she going to do? She’d tried over and over projecting her mystic abilities outward, hoping to communicate on some level with the bears and let them know she meant them no harm and simply needed their help. It wasn’t working, though. The waves of mental energy kept bouncing back, crashing into her, making her nauseous.

It didn’t matter, though, and she didn’t care how bad it got, she wasn’t going to give up or back down. She couldn’t. Even if it got to the point she puked all over the pristine ice and made a spectacle of herself, there was no way she’d ask the arrogant, mighty barbarian hunter, Talon Starkweather, for his assistance or opinion. It would be a cold day in VoT when she gave him that satisfaction.

The problem of how to get the bear’s cooperation remained, however. And she desperately needed another tactic because what she’d been doing for the last four turns of the hourglass certainly wasn’t getting her anywhere.

For the last turn of that same hourglass, she’d stood virtually motionless and all alone, approximately fifty feet from the anxious looking bears. Only a wide flat sheet of ice separated her from them and the gapping crevasse looming at their backs. But every time she even dared wiggle so much as a toe in their direction, the bears growled menacingly. And so did Talon.

She was getting absolutely nowhere, and it was really beginning to get on her nerves. Not to mention the fact that her feet, hands, and nose were totally numb from the cold, and she really needed to pee—again.

Mia sighed and rammed her mittened hands into her fur covered pockets in the hope of gaining even a smidgen more warmth. That’s when she felt it, the smooth glass vile. Pulling it free, she held it up to the sunlight and watched as blue and gray ribbons of smoke swirled within. It was the potion of extraordinary knowledge Aunt Briar had given her. Perhaps she had another tactic up her sleeve, after all.

She smiled, took hold of the cap, and twisted.

“Just what the VoT do you think you’re doing?” Talon yelled. “Stop, Mia. Lady Briarlarn told you that concoction of hers hasn’t even been tested yet. And it’s certainly too dangerous to try in this situation. God Draka help us, anything might happen.”

She turned to him. “I thought using my mystic powers of persuasion would work, but it hasn’t, and I can’t allow the bears to come to any harm because of me. I see no other option, Talon. And Aunt Briar would never give me something that would be fatal to me. So what if the potion hasn’t been tested yet? There always has to be a first time for everything, right? The potion is supposed to increase my knowledge. If nothing else, perhaps it’ll give me some feasible idea as how to proceed.”

He started toward her, and the bears growled. He growled right back at them but didn’t slow.

Mia held up her hand. “Stay there, please, Talon. Can’t you see, you’re frightening them?”

He shook his head. “Then they’re just going to have to be frightened, because there’s no way in VoT I’m letting you take this kind of chance. Give the vile to me. I’ll do it for you. I’ll drink the potion. It’s my job to keep you safe.”

“Not this time,” she whispered. “I care about you way too much to ever willingly put you at risk.”

Mia uncapped the vile, tipped it up, and sucked down the ribbons of smoke.

Immediately, darkness threatened to engulf her as her sight dimmed and blurred. Her head throbbed, and every inch of her body itched and burned. Her breath caught in her chest, and her knees gave out. She would’ve fallen to the solid sheet of ice below if Talon’s big arms hadn’t swallowed her up in his strong embrace.

“No,” Talon’s voice shook. “No, Mia, no.”

She heard the anguish, the fear, and tried to reassure him she’d be all right. She even got so far as to open her mouth, but only a moan escaped.

Though in truth it was probably only moments, the initial effects of the potion seemed to go on and on and on. Pain so intense she feared her head would explode joined forces with her desperate need to scratch the skin from her body in order to relieve the horrible burning itch. Her eyes watered, and she couldn’t catch her breath no matter how much air she gulped into her lungs.

Mia prayed for a quick, merciful end to her suffering. And all the while, Talon continued to hold her close, to whisper in her ear, to encourage her to stay strong.

How long she was actually cradled within the circle of his arms, she had no way of knowing. It could’ve been moments, it could’ve been hours, or it could’ve been days. All she was really aware of was that no matter how bad the pain got, she was still safe and not only for this instant, but for always. Talon was her strength, her heart, her soul, and to him she would cling.

Slowly, the initial effects of the potion faded, and it took her a moment to realize she was hearing a voice she’d never heard before.

“Stupid chit, she should’ve listened to you, Talon.”

“Hush, Pearl. I don’t want to hear it,” he whispered, his breath puffing out and warming the chilled skin of her throat.

Mia smiled as she looked into the concerned face of the man she loved, but her words were meant for the dragon standing over him. “Who you calling a stupid chit, scaly-pants?”

Pearl looked as if she’d been slapped. “You heard me? You understood dragon speak? You aren’t supposed to hear or understand what I say. I haven’t given you permission.”

Mia smiled again. “Well, it seems I do, permission or not.”

“This…this is a disaster,” the dragon huffed. “They’ll be no living with her now.”

Mia chuckled, and Talon slowly slid her body down his until her feet touched the ground. “God Draka help us both, you’re going to be the death of me yet.” He shook her, but there was no anger in his gentle grasp, only fear. “Promise you won’t ever do that again, princess” he admonished. “I swear you scared a good twenty years off my life.”

She patted his chest and stroked his cheek. “I’m sorry, my love. I never meant to frighten you. I had to do something.”

Then an entirely new set of voices reached her ears.

“What are they doing, Grandmother?”

“I’m not sure, Wispy. Uprighters are a strange bunch even on a good day, and today certainly hasn’t been good so far. Let’s continue to ignore them, as long as they stay put, and perhaps, in time, they’ll simply go away.”

Mia gasped and pointed toward the bears. “I know what they said.”

“You do?” Talon squeaked.

Mia laughed. “Yes, I can understand every word. The potion, oh my God Draka, Talon, the potion of extraordinary intelligence has given me the ability to comprehend the languages of other species.”

“That’s amazing.” He shook his head. “But can you talk to them?”

Mia shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure, but I’m going to give it a try.”

She stepped out of his arms and took a single pace forward. Immediately, the bear who’d been called Grandmother by one of the little ones growled a “Stay back.”

Mia stopped and held out her hand. “I mean you no harm.” She shook her head again, but in wonder this time. Her voice had sounded like a growl. All five bears gaped at her.

“You speak our tongue?” Grandmother Bear yelled across the ice. “No uprighter has ever been able to communicate with us before. We thought you too simple a race. This is remarkable. Evolving, perhaps?”

Mia nodded. “Perhaps. But then, isn’t that the way life works? No matter how simple we start out, we all evolve in one way or another and continue to grow?”

Grandmother Bear nodded back, and Mia continued. “May I have a few moments of your time? I promise we aren’t here to harm you. It’s just…well, I’m on a quest, and I’ve come to Bane seeking your assistance.”