The Scent (The Bryn and Sinjin Series Book 2) (3 page)

The audience below us started to turn around in wonder as the screams continued to infiltrate the room. They sounded like they were coming from the rear of the house, where the wedding festivities had just occurred. Next came the sounds of explosions and gunfire. I watched Jolie’s eyes go wide as she turned to face Rand, but before either of them could say anything, Sinjin embraced us both.

The brisk wind on my face was the only indicator that Sinjin was transporting us. As to where we were going, though, I didn’t have a clue.

TWO

When we touched down on land, I was able to catch my breath. I glanced around, but didn’t recognize my surroundings. I figured we had to be somewhere close to Kinloch Kirk though, because I glimpsed the roiling waves of the sea from where Kinloch Kirk stood. I couldn’t take in much more than that, however, before the salty ocean air stung my face as Sinjin flew through it again. The reason for the quick stop was that Sinjin could only dematerialize so far before he’d have to touch ground and start again. His gift of dematerialization was more along the lines of jumping long distances than it was flying.

When we landed the second time, our surroundings were much darker. Although the air still carried the ocean’s scent, it now included a stale, mildewy sort of smell. It took me a few seconds for my eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness surrounding me, but once they did, I recognized this new environment as the inside of a cave. The only source of light came from the moon, which shone through a large hole just above us. I assumed this must’ve been the same hole through which we’d passed to get into the cave in the first place. The milky rays of moonlight reflected the drops of rain that were pouring through the hole and puddling on the sandy bottom of the cave’s floor. The temperature inside the cave was arctic, owing to the chill of the stormy Scottish evening.

“Where are we?” I asked as I turned around and further inspected the cave. This was the first time I’d ever heard of any caves near Kinloch Kirk.

“A cave,” Sinjin answered succinctly, seeming amused by his annoying response. I frowned before turning to inspect my environs again. The cave wasn’t a huge space—maybe twelve feet wide by ten feet long. The roof was covered with stalactites that made it look even lower than it actually was. Some of them even touched the ground. All were covered with a greenish looking moss, which I guessed was probably algae.

“How did you know this cave was here?” I asked Sinjin, my gaze settling on him again.

“I have often come here to lose myself in my thoughts,” he replied, and seemed uncomfortable somehow. Moments later, he turned to face my sister. “Are you well, my queen?”

“Yes,” Jolie answered, her eyes wide with shock. I could tell she was far from well. And it wasn’t like I could blame her. In the course of the last five minutes, her life had completely changed. She’d gone from being a happy bride at her wedding to the confinement of a cold, wet cave while her husband, and her people, were attacked by mine. I didn’t even want to think about what Luce’s reaction would be once he realized I’d absconded with Jolie …

“Will we be safe here?” I asked her, forcibly banishing the subject of Luce for the moment.

“Yes,” Sinjin answered for her. “This cave exists on an island which is surrounded by the sea, so there is very little chance that we might be discovered.”

“Don’t underestimate Luce,” I barked back at him. “Because it could be to our detriment.”

“What happened back there?” Jolie asked suddenly. She turned to face me and then Sinjin, and the worry in her eyes was almost palpable.

“Luce,” I answered with a heartfelt sigh.

As I thought about what I’d just done, an inordinate weight seemed to settle down on my shoulders. I was overcome by feelings of remorse and guilt, but the more I analyzed the feelings, the more I sensed they were primarily aimed toward my sister and her people rather than toward Luce and my tribe. Even though I’d absolutely defied Luce with the whole disappearing act, I couldn’t say I regretted it. No, I felt justified in my actions, that the only thing I could have done was exactly what I did.

You did the right thing.
I glanced up, surprised to hear my sister’s voice in my head.

I guess I’m doing a bad job of hiding my feelings
, I replied with a sad smile.

Yes. They’re written all over your face,
Jolie agreed as she reached out to touch my hand. I glanced down at our identical hands, now entwined, and it suddenly dawned on me that whatever ties I might have had to Luce in the past, they no longer existed. Jolie was right—I
had
done the right thing.

Did you know this was going to happen?
she continued. I looked up at her again and took in her wide, blue eyes that were clouded with hurt and anxiety.

No
, I answered back in thought. Cocking my head to the side, I decided there was more I needed to explain.
I didn’t know Luce was coming to Kinloch until the very last minute. And as soon as I received word from him, I immediately told Sinjin, and we came after you
.
I hope you believe that I would never ever put you or your baby in harm’s way.

I believe you,
Jolie finished. She sighed and I was overcome with new and foreign feelings of worry and anxiety—her feelings. I was amazed at how easy it was to channel my sister’s emotions and thoughts—more so than with anyone else. I imagined that was because of our bond—the blood that ran through both of our veins—blood we both shared.

I wouldn’t lie to you, Jolie
, I continued, studying her intently. I needed her to understand how serious I was on that point.
I think we’re far beyond that by now.

Jolie nodded. Then she cleared her throat and spoke out loud. Apparently, she wanted to keep Sinjin in the loop, even though she addressed me. “Do you know how many of Luce’s people came with him?”

I shook my head, frustrated that I didn’t. “All he told me was that they were due to attack within the hour. And that was probably … maybe, thirty minutes ago.” I swallowed hard. “But I’m sure it’s safe to say he has all of our soldiers with him. It wouldn’t make sense any other way.”

“And how many soldiers would that be?” Jolie asked.

The time for me to choose sides was now upon me. Well, really, I’d already chosen which side I was on when I opted to protect my sister rather than obey Luce’s orders. But, even so, I’d never revealed the truth about my tribe—how many we were, or what our strengths and weaknesses were, etcetera.

“Bryn,” Jolie started, seemingly aware of my reticence in answering the question.

“I know,” I said, responding to her unvoiced observation that I either had to sh#$ or get off the pot. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. “There are three hundred Elementals and one hundred Daywalkers.”

Jolie was already well aware of the reason there was such a discrepancy between the number of Elementals and the Daywalker population. For some strange, unknown reason, after the male Daywalkers reached their twenty-first birthdays, they began to die. Consequently, our male Daywalker soldiers were few and far between.

“And you believe Luce had all of your soldiers with him?” Jolie asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure he realized his attack coincided with your wedding day.” Then I shrugged again. “Of course, he did mention that he raided my memory bank, so maybe he did know.”

“He raided your memory bank?” Jolie repeated while studying me dubiously. “How do you know he isn’t raiding it right now?”

I shook my head. “I would have to open my mind to him in order for that to happen.” Her frown and ensuing expression suggested she didn’t understand me, so I continued. “As soon as he contacted me with the information that he was planning an attack, I closed myself off to him.”

Jolie nodded and dropped her eyes to the floor of the cave as she digested the new information. When she faced me again, her eyes seemed hollower. “Then all this time, you’ve been feeding Luce information by leaving your mind open to him?”

I inhaled deeply, but nodded once I realized there was nothing I could say to defend my actions. They were what they were. “I always considered myself loyal to Luce, and loyal to my tribe. I was
your
prisoner.”

“And what about now?” Jolie continued. “Is your mind open to him now?”

“No,” I replied immediately, hating the expression of pain that glossed over in her eyes. I never imagined it would be so difficult to admit to my treachery, especially when I was my sister’s prisoner.

Jolie nodded, but I could tell by the fire burning in her eyes that the conversation wasn’t yet over. “You always considered yourself loyal to Luce, and yet once he told you he was going to attack, you turned traitor?” I noticed that Sinjin didn’t say anything. He just leaned against the wall of the cave, maybe ten feet or so from us. It was fairly obvious that he was allowing us as much privacy as the confined quarters could offer, and I was grateful to him.

I shrugged and reminded myself of Jolie’s comment. “I guess people change.” I was quiet for a few seconds as I realized I wasn’t exactly expressing myself properly. “What it came down to was that I couldn’t hand you over to him. No matter the situation. No matter the circumstances. No matter the fact that we are both on opposite sides. I couldn’t do that to my own sister and I couldn’t do that to my niece or nephew,” I finished as I glanced at her belly.

Jolie didn’t say anything more, so we both stood there quietly, each of us just staring at the other. “Thank you,” she finally said as her voice hitched an octave. “Thank you for choosing me.”

I suddenly felt uncomfortable with the emotion hanging in the air between us. In general, I didn’t handle emotions and feelings very well because I wasn’t used to them. Lacking any training on how to deal with anything that wasn’t based in logic, I usually ignored my emotions or pushed them aside so I wouldn’t have to confront them. “I think it’s probably safe to say that I made this choice a long time ago,” I tried to explain. “I just never really voiced it to myself.”

Jolie nodded and grew quiet again as her attention returned to the ground. When she glanced up at me a few seconds later, I could see another question brimming in her eyes. “Do you know what Luce’s plan is?” The uncanny weight of Sinjin’s stare was on me as well.

“To bring you and me back with him,” I answered glumly. “To what end, though, I have no clue.”

Sinjin cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice. “I apologize for not believing you sooner,” he began, addressing me. Then he frowned before facing Jolie. “Had I listened to your sister and trusted her when she first approached me with this information, I could have acted faster.”

“You had every right not to trust me, Sinjin,” I interjected, hoping to avoid making him feel responsible for everything that had just happened. “You acted just as you should have,” I continued. “After all, I
am
your enemy, right?”

“You aren’t our enemy,” Jolie exclaimed as she turned to face the handsome vampire. “And, Sinjin, please don’t blame yourself.” Taking a deep breath, she sighed. “Now isn’t the time to discuss whom to blame anyway. We need to focus on the bigger picture—what we’re going to do now to make sure my people survive.”

I shook my head. “There’s nothing we can do for them now,” I said resolutely. “Their fate lies in Rand’s hands.”

“Your sister is correct,” Sinjin added definitively. “We must focus on protecting you, my queen.”

“They were unarmed,” Jolie went on, as if she hadn’t heard either one of us. Her voice dissipated into the wet night air.

“I know,” I replied, unable to mask the sullen tone of my voice. “But hopefully, Rand was able to prepare them, at least a little bit?” The comment sounded completely inane even to my own ears, but I couldn’t help offering my sister a glimmer of hope, even if it was completely unfounded and far-fetched.

“Rand,” Jolie repeated as her voice broke. Even though I felt clumsy, I wrapped my arms around my sister and held her head against my chest. I tried to swallow the lump that was riding up my throat and decided there was a good reason I’d never dealt with emotions before—because they were pretty difficult to endure.

“He’s got Odran and the prophetess there to help him,” I whispered, searching for any sign of proof that Rand might be okay. “He’s also got the most powerful of the fae in Mathilda.”

Jolie shook her head and her subsequent tears drenched the front of my dress. “You know how powerful Luce is.”

I couldn’t argue with her because Luce was certainly the most powerful person I’d ever met. I swallowed and sighed heavily. There wasn’t anything more I could say. And there was no point in trying to offer meaningless comfort. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sell it. I was useless when it came to things like sympathy and consolation. Instead, I just held my sister and ran my hands through her hair, hoping that my ministrations would at least do something to comfort her.