The Garnet Dagger (22 page)

My tongue dried out. How was I to tell her not to take revenge? Tasted a hint of her betrayal and hungered for justice as well as her.

“Celeste?” I swallowed and took a step toward her. “You mustn’t do this.”

“Twice now I warn you.” Her golden eyes narrowed and I stopped in midstep. “Do not cross my path when I will have revenge for my family at last. No one will keep this from me.”

“It’s a trap, Celeste.” To assure her I was no threat, I tossed my sword at her feet. “Do not fall into this demon’s plan.”

Something flickered in the garnet dagger.

Racked my mind to find the way to believe she should stop. Memories flooded through me of all the times I took life. Pieces of my victims’ thoughts pierced my heart. Could that be the answer?

“Listen to me.” I stepped between her and the glowing wall separating her from the Warloc. “He carries a piece of each of his victims within him. If you kill him, they’ll feed on you. You will become your families’ murderer.”

A gasp escaped her lips. And I saw her golden eyes strain to flicker back to their shade of grey. But the strain made her arm shake. “It’s no use, I’ve called upon the magic and must spend it or I will be consumed.”

The Warloc’s laughter grated on my bones.

Helplessly, I watched as the flames of the dagger bulged over her hand and down her arm.

“Nivel,” I yelled, “do something.”

“I can do nothing. All depends on her,” his voice sounded weary. “Soon, her power will reach out and crash through my shield. Neither she nor I can stop it.”

Power surged through the tower room and crackled in the air like a thousand thunderbolts. Celeste stood with the dagger pointed toward the Warloc. And Nivel’s emerald barrier quivered as though in pain against the flames which shot out from the blade.

Through the door, the Bergone came. Teeth bared, their fur stood on end. Crowded, they burst through into the tower room. Stench of mildewed fur and blood radiated from them.

I snatched up my sword and faced them. My blade was like a reed against the Bergone. Hacked into them, blood dripped down my sword and arm.

Once my sword broke through one of their tough hides, I crushed my fingers into the wound. Drawed out their power, and weakened them. Then turned my blade on the next Bergone clamoring over the dead body.

Too many for me to worry about the others coming because of the dead I killed. Because of the Warloc’s call, all came here. I climbed over bodies, grateful for once of my power. As quickly as I weakened, draining their essence renewed me.

Still, my muscles cramped in my sword arm, I switched hands and then continued to fight. The Bergone’s bodies piled as high as my shoulders and blocked the entrance to the tower.

To my left, the stones shook. Grinding brought a cloud of dust and stone flew forward. I raised my arm to block the blow.

But Celeste sent forth a fraction of the fire now covering half of her body. Stones exploded into fragments, tingling when they hit my skin.

“I’ll exterminate the Warloc.” Celeste looked at me with her eyes glowing gold. “Then take my life with your power.”

“No!” I turned back to face the onslaught of Bergone. Even with her help, there were too many of them. “There has to be another way. Use it to fight the Bergone. Don’t sacrifice — ”

Five Bergone rushed me at once. Before I exhaled, they had me flat on my back. Felt the weight of them press down on my chest.

Struggled to rise, but dozens more rushed over me to enter the room. When every inch of me had been bruised, no more came in. I spun using one arm, my other bent at numerous angles.

A cluster of them swarmed around Celeste.

Fire from the dagger inhaled and exhaled as if a living entity. Fingers of flames danced along her. Celeste’s head was not consumed from the magic fire yet.

“It’s no use, Brock,” she whispered as though into my heart, “fire called up in justice demands to be fed. It won’t work on the Bergone as they are slaves of the Warloc. They have not done evil on their own for the magic to attack.”

I almost did not hear her words, for the Shints squealed as they rushed back and forth between Nivel’s emerald prison and the Warloc’s black beams.

Somehow I must save Celeste. Almost I had yielded to their suggestive power and killed her. My time under the Shints power reminded me. Nivel had said they and the Bergone were the souls of the witches and wizards the Warloc had engulfed. Perhaps some remnant of who they once were still remained?

It was the only chance we had. And I would take it.

“Celeste,” I yelled to be heard over the deafening noise, “let the justice be to the souls.”

I wondered if she understood my meaning. Bergone blocked my view of her.

“You will not die because of me.”

Heard the tears in her voice. Flames flew forward and I clenched my eyes shut. Heat radiated through me. Howls of the Bergone shook the walls. Celeste must have spent the last of the magic fire to incinerate them. There would be nothing left of her.

Nivel hung his head. His emerald cage between Celeste and the Warloc flickered out of existence.

Fire roared around the Bergone until nothing but smoldering heaps remained. Then the fire flew to the Shints like oil covered them.

I struggled to my feet. Bone stuck out of my right leg. I leaned against a column as smoke billowed with each Shint exploding.

The Warloc’s laughter like a madman’s, crescendo with each boom of the fire which engulfed the Shints.

Mounds of burning flesh marked the places of the Bergone’s graves. Smoke burned my eyes as I strained to make out Celeste.

Her body lay motionless.

“No!” I yelled and fell on my good knee.

Life was empty without her. My broken leg dragged behind me as I edged to her. I raged. I would kill all who crossed my path. Innocent or not.

“You see?” The Warloc laughed. “I am invincible. No one can touch me.”

“But,” Nivel’s stammered, his cage no longer visible or held the Warloc, “Brock has fulfilled the prophecies.”

What did damned prophecies matter? Celeste was dead.

“What are you babbling about?” The Warloc took a step forward.

I reached Celeste. Touch of her skin sent cold shivers down the back of my neck. Pungent smell of rotting corpses and sulfur choked me.

Noticed gold streams ascend from the corpses of the Bergone. Silver coils levitated from the sprawled out Shint stains.

“What’s happening?” The Warloc’s boots whispered backward to the far wall.

“Justice,” Nivel replied.

His black eyes widened.

The gold and silver intertwined. Braided, the colors flexed.

Before the Warloc could inhale to scream, the cords plunged into his body. Fire bore paths out of him. Still more cords wound over him, crushed his bones. His bones shattered in on themselves.

Blood gurgled on his lips. Pus and blood oozed out of every pore. His flesh melted into a pool on the stone floor. But the fire licked up even the puddle.

Soon, nothing was left of the Warloc except a smoldering indention in the stone. Gold and silver coils disbanded into glittering specks before they winked out.

Would have been a beautiful site, if Celeste had lived.

I gathered Celeste’s body to me. Just when I had found love again and she was taken from me.

Nivel placed a hand on my shoulder. “Replace the dagger in her hand.”

His words filtered through my mind, for I could not register them at first.

“What good would it do?” Perhaps he suggested this to bury her with the dagger.

“She’s connected to the dagger. Her magic, her essence, is buried within. If she is to have a chance at all to find her way back from the darkness, the dagger will guide her to her body.”

So I eased Celeste back to the floor. Reached over her, I grasped the garnet dagger. My fist clenched the hilt. The metal warm in my hand.

“Place the blade like this.” He showed me how to clasp her hands around the hilt.

Celeste’s body lay beside me, face up and eyes closed. I brushed a golden curl of her hair off her forehead. And I prayed to all the gods I’d ever heard of that Nivel was right.

Glanced at Nivel who nodded, and I placed the dagger on her breastbone. I eased up her left hand and then her right, and laid them clasped down on the hilt.

I held my breath. Nothing. With a glance at Nivel, he shrugged. I wanted to reach up and strangle him for his nonchalant gesture, when something caught my attention. Red flickered then glowed from the garnet.

Her fingers twitched. Grey eyes I thought to never see again flew open as she gasped for breath. “Is it over?”

She sat up and my arms flew around her.

“You’re crushing me.” Her hand pushed against my chest.

I released my hold, but my smile would not cease. For my love lived. Now everything was right again.

“Aye.” Nivel winked. “The Warloc’s body is gone, burned to nothing.”

Pain shot up my leg when I moved. Forgotten my leg and arm were shattered.

“Let me.” One of her hands brushed on my leg, the other upon my arm. Under the tickling warmth, I collapsed beside her. Soon the bones sticking out of my leg buried back into my flesh. Coolness swept over me.

“You’re lucky.” She grinned when I glanced at my healed body and then back at her. “Otherwise, I’d wrench your arm into place like you did mine before I healed you.”

“That was necessary. We didn’t have time. I’m sorry I hurt you.” How I wished to take away her pain. If only I had the gift of healing, I’d have healed her instead of shoving her shoulder back into socket.

“I was grateful for your help to escape Morgan. Just wanted to see your reaction.” Her smile brightened her face.

If I had healed her then, I’d have left her and the Warloc would have succeeded. Helping her up, I kept an arm around her waist as we left the tower.

Almost tripped down the stairs for staring at her instead of where my foot was headed.

Outside, my senses returned with the dawn. Questions I didn’t know if I wanted the answers to plagued me. Close, Shadowdancer nibbled on grass while we talked.

Rage boiled my thoughts of Nivel not explaining the prophecy to me. What if I hadn’t listened to my heart? He could have cost me everything. Had I killed her, would he have told me then? Even the Shints convinced me. If not for my love, the Warloc would have victory.

“Why did you not tell me that it wasn’t necessary to kill Celeste to honor the prophecies?” My gut twisted.

Celeste stroked my back.

“The prophecy would not work if I told you. I was instructed what to say when the bringer of death appeared.”

“Who? Where did you get this instruction?”

Nivel’s green eyes twinkled. And I wanted to smash his grin away. “From the witches.”

“What witches?” Celeste glanced from Nivel back to me.

“The council of witches who crafted the dagger. And gave me my children, along with a few precious moments with my wife.”

I gawked at him. Surely he did not mean what he said.

“The vampyre?” I stood on shaky legs. “Your wife was the human, tainted?”

“Aye, you’re my descendant from my beloved. Centuries passed as I watched the children of my children die.

“Just as you have had to live with your curse, I’ve had to share immortality with the Warloc.” Shadowdancer nosed Nivel’s hand for a pat. “The Warloc was the one who drove the people to ask for the vampyre’s help. Hoped in killing me, he’d gain my magic.

“But the witches absorbed my magic, held it in the dagger until the witch was found. Then my magic would rejoin to me,” he said with a wink, “which is why I knew you had not failed, for my magic returned. That and the safeguard of the dagger returning to you if lost or stolen.

“However, if the Warloc persuaded Celeste to use her and the dagger’s magic, then he’d possess her, and all of her magic. There would be none to stop him — not even your power to drain a
kahj
.”

“But the dagger saved us from the Bergone, and the fire of justice … ”

“Celeste’s magic, not mine. Her first bleed did not come strong enough to bring her magic to completeness until you freed her from Father Morgan. The Warloc knew what was needed to keep her magic dormant.”

“So, you’re Brock’s ancestor.” Celeste placed a hand on her hip. “Should have known, for you have the same eyes. Greener than the meadows in spring.”

“Flattery will get you anything you desire.” He swept into a quick bow. “Now, the dagger is Celeste’s, returned to the witch as vowed. I also surrendered my home to that monster, but the heaviest fine was killing my beloved Rachel after our twins were born. Then turn my daughter over to the witches to raise as my sacrifice.”

My father’s words rushed through my mind.

“What did they — the witches do to my sister then?” My mouth dried as I reined control over the hope leaping in me, “was her sacrifice the same?”

“Your sister is alive and well.” He stroked his chin. “Saw her last year.”

“How is she? What’s she like?” How could he have kept this from me? From even my father and mother? “What about the blood my father spoke of when he gave her to the witches.”

“The blood pact.” As though seeing my confusion, he waved a hand. “Each witch joined some of her blood with your sister’s. This would protect her as well as strengthen her magic.”

“What magic? We’ve not had anything worth bragging about for centuries.”

“Just as you inherited my love’s vampyre taint, so did your sister inherit a measure of my magic.” Then he clapped his hands overhead.

The ominous onyx gates lightened to a clear emerald. Climbing vines bloomed and seemed to caress the stone castle instead of strangling the blocks.

“Don’t know how much time I have left.” He gave Celeste a hug, and then me. “But I intend on staying here. In my home — Rachel’s home. Take care, Brock. Love is precious, do not flounder wasting time. The land is healing.”

A grin escaped me. It was done. But what of Celeste? I could not live among her kind, and my people forbade anyone to speak or even look upon a human.