Unwilling (Book One of the Compelled Trilogy 1) (32 page)

Rowan spotted Kastor in the dense throng of men, towering a foot taller than any man, his long dark hair sticking to his head with sweat as he swung a huge broadsword, catching a uniformed man in the head. Blood gurgled from a massive wound in his side and Rowan could see exertion on Kastor’s face as he refused to die. Rowan paused, her thoughts growing muddled as she watched the young man Kastor had killed thump to the ground and continue to bleed from his wounds.

“Rowan!” She heard a voice call out, but couldn’t find the source. The voice sounded familiar and she started, but the Beast inside her roared up and drew her back into the fog that had settled over her. She walked into the group of fighting men, catching a glimpse of red hair through the swarm of men. “ROWAN!” The voice roared again, but Rowan could not concern herself with that now. She had to find Cecily and tell her that she could be free to walk in the sunshine whenever she pleased, that she wanted her to come with her when she left.

“Cecily!” Rowan laughed, spying the girl across the room, Rowan pushed through the mob toward her. She felt a stinging pain in her side but brushed it off.
Why won’t these people move so I can get to Cecily?
Rowan stormed in her head, the Beast stroking her frustration until she wanted to kill every last one of them.

When Rowan pushed through the clash of men, she found Cecily running around in hysterics, screaming a high-pitched wail. Her cheek was bruised, already a deep purple and tears streaked down her face, making her eyes red and puffy. Blood splattered the front of her shirt and Rowan couldn’t tell if it was hers, or someone else’s. Rowan halted, confused at the sight of Cecily with blood on her,
that’s wrong
.

There was something going on here, if only she could focus. The Beast tried to pull her back in but Rowan fought against it, it was like trying to come up from underwater but the current was to strong and it just kept pushing her back under. Confusion shuttered through Rowan as she took in the scene, supposedly for the first time.

Rowan turned, taking in the scene around her. Men were lost in battle, raising swords that clanged together, echoing off the walls and reverberating back at them. She heard grunting, and yelling, and the fevered shouts of men as they lay dying on the dirt floor
. Where had all these people come from? Who were those soldiers? Was that Chev
? She asked herself shocked but the person disappeared from view and Rowan thought it must have been a trick of her mind.

Rowans head snapped to Cecily as she heard the little girl scream.
I have to get her out of here!
Cecily was vaulting toward her, gone was the bounce from her step; Cecily ran with pure terror. Gone was the smile she always wore, replaced with a terrified grimace and large scared eyes. Rowan stepped toward her, a shout rising in her throat.

“CECILY!” Rowan screamed, her heart dropping into her stomach painfully. The younger girl’s mouth froze in an ‘O’, a scream blasting past her lips as a hand plucked her out of the air.

A massive man, more muscular even than Kastor, though not as tall and certainly not as hairy, wrapped his thick fingers around Cecily’s neck holding her off the ground. Cecily’s legs kicked wildly under her, her face turned red and then purple as the soldier squeezed the life from her. Rowan was still across the room, running as fast as she could through the angry mob, desperately clawing her way to Cecily.  

Rowan lost sight of her as two men stumbled in front of her, both wearing chainmail, locked together in a battle of swords that would only end when the other was dead. Rowan ducked around them frantically, Cecily coming back into view. The massive man gripped his sword, drawing it back, and plunged it through Cecily’s stomach. Cecily looked down at the broad sword as it slid back out, blood streaming from the wound, darkening her shirt.

Everything tilted. It froze and it was quiet and Rowan blinked, the world shifting, darkening, Rowan gasped as her heart broke shattered crumbled and the world started, all in one second that lasted days months years millennia and a little girls life that was ending in  one second, one exhale, one unthinkable moment that left Rowan breathless and

“CECILY!” Rowan screamed, her heart ripping in two. The man holding her dropped her to the ground where she lay crumpled, blood seeping out from her, mixing with the blood of others on the dirt floor. Rowan was three steps away, the man disappeared into the crowd. Two steps, Cecily coughed, blood spurting from her small lips and dribbling down her chin. One step.

“Cecily. Cecily no!” Rowan pleaded, pulling the younger girl into her arms. Her head lolled back, a small line of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. “Cecily please, stay with me.” Rowan begged. Cecily tried to say something but only coughed, blood burbling in her throat. “Cecily!” Rowan gasped, tears stinging the backs of her eyes. “You can’t do this, Cecily, do you hear me?” Rowan yelled, trying to summon back the Beast, refusing to let her friend die, but it lay dormant, refusing to be of use now that she really needed it.

“Rowan you can’t help her.” Someone said above her, trying to remove Cecily from her hands. Rowan smashed Cecily against her body, kicking at whoever was trying to take her.

“But I love her, I can save her. I CAN SAVE HER!” Rowan shouted, her voice catching in her throat as it seized with unshed tears.

“She’s gone Rowan. We have to go. Rowan, we have to go now!” Rowans tears blurred her vision, an aching throb pulsed in her head.

“Nononono, I can save her!” Rowan told the person, but she could see that Cecily was dying, her breath coming out in ragged puffs, could feel the limpness in her body. “But I love her,” Rowan sobbed weakly, unwilling to let the small body go. Rowan pushed Cecily’s flaming hair back from her face, stroking her bruised cheek.

“Rowan! Please!” The voice pleaded urgently, grabbing her under the shoulder and trying to hoist her to her feet.

“But who will feed Horace?” Rowan countered, refusing to let go of the young girl. “Cecily, you have to feed Horace, he will starve without you!” Rowan stammered out, Cecily becoming a blur through Rowans thick tears. The hand holding her tugged again and she allowed herself to be pulled up, Cecily’s tiny body rolling off her, Rowan was led away but she turned back once to look at Cecily, the little girl stretched out her hand toward Rowan, small tears falling from her eyes.

Rowan felt tired, so tired but she tried to turn, to go back for Cecily, her vision going black at the edges.

“Damnit, Rowan, your hurt!” The voice exclaimed, grabbing Rowans upper arm and leading her urgently away from the raging battle.

Rowan felt confused, struggling against the arms that were dragging her away, she kicked, scratched, she thought she even bit whoever was holding her but she was so tired she couldn’t remember couldn’t focus.

“No, no, Cecily’s hurt, I’m fine.” She protested, but she was so tired. If only she could lie down for a minute. The floor did look so soft. Rowan felt her eyes drooping, her body sagging.

“Not now Rowan, come on, stay with me just a little bit.” The voice urged, it sounded desperate, it sounded sad.

Strong hands wound around her waist, holding her up and she slumped against them, her feet shuffling as she was pulled along. “Come on Rowan.” The voice begged. The world swam black as cool air blasted her face. Rowan squinted her eyes as brightness assaulted her vision, making her see red.

“I’m so tired.” Rowan told the person. “Will you tell Jace...” Her head lolled backward.

Rowan felt nothing and she was lost to the world.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Rowan gasped, her whole body felt as though it was on fire. She writhed in agony, trying to call out to someone, to anyone, that would take this terrible horrible wretched pain from her, before crashing back into unconsciousness.

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“I can help her!” A voice said urgently, angrily.

“I will not let you near her.” Another voice seethed, familiar.

“If we continue to argue like this, she will die, she’s lost a lot of blood it’s a miracle she hasn’t already.” The first voice reasoned. Silence. “I can save her.” The voice said more softly, but still deadly serious.
“I can save you Rowan, just hold on.”

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Rowan was aware of the sun above her, blotched out by a face looming over her, its head ringed in golden sunshine. The man’s face was soft, their lashes were long and framed their pale blue eyes. Golden hair tumbled around his head and the way the sunlight caught it, made it look like his hair was made of the sun.

“Are you an angel?” Rowan asked weakly. The angel laughed, it was a lovely, melodic sound…

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“You will be fine now.” The Angel said to her in a voice that was made of wind and flowers, in an accent she did not recognize, but it was beautiful.

“You saved me?” Rowan asked. Though she did not know the man that stood before her, she trusted him immediately.

“Of course, you are my Tal.” The Angel replied earnestly. Rowan laughed, her, a Tal?

“I am not a God.” Rowan shook her head.

“Of course you are, or how do you think we’re talking right now?” He replied.

“I’m dreaming of course.” Rowan answered.

“Maybe.” Was all he said in reply. “Or maybe I’m dreaming?” Rowan frowned at his puzzling riddles, which elicited a stunning smile from the stranger.

“Are you an Angel?”

“No, not an Angel, though you can call me that if you like. I think I rather like the sound of that. Carter the Angel.” He laughed again and Rowan sighed, exasperated.

“Your name is Carter?” Rowan asked him once he had stopped laughing; a throbbing had just started behind her eyes, a dull ache that was beginning to grow.

“Yes, Carter the Angel.” He smiled lopsidedly, the left side of his mouth hitching up slightly more than the right. “I’ll see you soon, Rowan.” Carter said, smiling again….

Rowan rolled over, cold air prickling at her skin and winced as she did so, waking from her dream groggily. A dull pain throbbed from her side. The moon was high in the night and gave very little light to see by. Rowan felt around her side gingerly, her finger running across a thick puckered line.

Rowan furrowed her brow, feeling the line again. It was jagged and long. It started just to the right of her belly button and curved to just around her waist.

“Hmnph!” Rowan squeaked out as she sat up, a throbbing pain shot through her ribs as she moved. Rowan sat, breathing hard, observing her surroundings.

She could see the looming shadow of the mountain in front of her, dark and ominous in the night. Rowan could see feeble tendrils of smoke a few feet in front of her where a fire had been lit but now lay forgotten and smoldering.

Rowan could make out lumps of sleeping people scattered around her, maybe ten or so of them. She made her way slowly to her feet, her lips pursed painfully to keep herself from crying out again. She let the blankets she was wrapped in fall silently to the ground and she backed away from them slowly. Her eyes darted between the sleeping forms, making sure none of them had been alerted to her escape, their chests rising and falling evenly suggested that they hadn’t.

Rocks shifted under her weight and Rowans heart beat uncontrollably, she hoped her new captors slept deafly. Her feet crunched with every step she took and she wobbled on her feet, already exhausted, though she had barely taken a few steps.

“Nice night for a stroll eh?” A voice behind Rowan said chipperly, causing Rowan to jump, and then slip on some rocks. She cried out as she braced her fall with her hands, shooting pain though her arms and her side. “Well one with your injuries shouldn’t be traipsing about at all hours of the night.” The person said and Rowan thought she detected a smile behind the voice.

“I’m fine.” Rowan insisted angrily, coming to her feet. Only her pride kept her from calling out in pain as she did so.

“I can see that.” The laughing voice said. Rowan couldn’t imagine that he could see anything in this light, or lack thereof.

“I’m leaving now, and don’t think you can stop me, because you can’t, you know.” Rowan threatened, trying to make herself sound stronger than she felt, and nearly succeeded. Nearly.

“Oh I don’t intend to stop you, but if you go on now your stitches are likely to snap open and you’ll bleed out before the sun rises.” The voice said matter of factly. Rowan looked around for the disembodied voice but could not see a shadow large enough to be another person, just some large boulders, and he could be hiding behind any one of those, waiting for her to pass by before attacking.

Or maybe she was being paranoid… Maybe she was still dreaming. The voice laughed.