Vengeance Born (The Light Blade #1) (35 page)

Candra chuckled and this time a few of the warriors joined her. Kalan couldn’t stop the grin that shaped his lips.

“There is no doubt these are uncertain times, Varian,” he said. “Until I met Annika none of us ever knew the
Na’Chi
existed. We believed you to be a myth.”

“How many more of you are there?” Benth asked curiously.

“Including me, forty-seven.” Varian’s tally drew a murmur. “Thirty one of us are aged fifteen and older. We have another nine young ones, and seven under the age of four.”

“Where are they now?” The silver-haired Councilor looked slightly bewildered. “Are they all hiding in the city somewhere? How could our Patrols have missed them?”

“I’m the only one within your city and the location of my people remains a secret until I decide whether I can trust you or not with their lives.” Varian then issued a dry chuckle. “When you’ve spent all of your life hiding from the
Na’Reish
it’s very easy to avoid being seen, even by those trained to spot the
Na’Hord
.”

Candra’s laughter came from deep inside her belly this time. She shared a look with Kalan but didn’t say anything. He knew what she was thinking and was surprised Varian had so diplomatically told them their Patrols weren’t worth the leather their boots were made from.

“I would like to learn how you evaded our Patrols so easily.” Kalan’s request drew agreement from several of his Commanders.

Varian’s sharp gaze pinned him where he sat, then the corner of his mouth twitched. “There are many skills among the
Na’Chi
we’d be willing to share with you. Our scouts might be younger than many here but I’d pit them against yours any day.”

The not-so-subtle challenge was reflected in his gaze. Kalan decided he liked the brash young
Na’Chi
. “Well, we’ll have to see what can be arranged.”

“Are you serious,
Chosen
?” Yance enquired. “You can’t be offering them all sanctuary.”

“The
Na’Chi
are hunted by the
Na’Reish
. They’ve placed their faith in a human woman who helped them survive, they hold no allegiance to their demon parentage, and the
Lady
claims them as her children.” Kalan held the man’s gaze for several heartbeats before speaking. “Why wouldn’t I extend an offer of sanctuary to them?”

The old warrior’s mouth opened and closed, as if he struggled to find the words to express his outrage.

“And what blood source will they slake their hunger from when the need arises?” Davyn’s soft demand cut off whatever Yance had been about to say. “Do all of you claim to drink the blood of animals like Annika? What will you do if none is available?” The warrior raised a mocking eyebrow. “You can’t guarantee their nature won’t put all our lives in danger. How many of us are willing to run that risk? You might ask that before making any decision,
Chosen
.”

Kalan didn’t like the grumble of support his comments received.

“Every
Na’Chi
monitors their hunger,” Varian broke in. “Just as you know when it’s time to eat—your stomach growls and grows hollow—we know when to hunt.”

“Our hunger never runs the risk of taking a life if we can’t eat.”

Varian leaned slowly forward, his gaze narrowed and Kalan saw the flicker of black in his eyes. “We are not animals.”

Kymora reached out to lay her hand on his arm. Kalan was ready to interrupt the brewing argument when the doors to the room were flung open.

“Commander!” Arek stood in the open doorway, his tanned face noticeably paler, a large tome clutched in his hands. “You have to see this!”

Davyn shot from his chair, his face red with outrage. “You have not been granted permission to address the Council, Second!”

Kalan rose, inwardly grimacing. Arek’s grand entrance gave the Council the perfect excuse to deny him. What had him so apprehensive to forget his warning not to antagonize the Council?

“Your pardon, Councilors.” Arek’s penitent tone and low bow startled quite a few. He immediately turned on his boot heel and stepped back outside to speak quietly to the two Light Blade guards.

The young woman, Shanna, returned, her expression bemused. “Councilors,
Temple Elect, Lady
’s
Chosen
, Second Barial requests permission to enter.”

“Could the day get any more interesting?” Candra’s dry question amused quite a few.

“Councilors?” Kalan asked. Candra inclined her head. Davyn shook his, as did Yance and Corvas. Benth hesitated a moment, made eye contact with Davyn then his features hardened. He shook his head. Kalan ground his teeth. “
Temple Elect
?”

“I’d like to hear what Arek has to say.”

“Four votes to two.” Davyn’s tone oozed satisfaction. “Close the door, Shanna.”

“Hold.” Heads turned as Kalan rose from his seat. “As
Chosen
, it’s my right to overrule the Council’s decision. I do so now.”

Kymora gasped. “Kalan, do you realize what you’re doing?”

The consequence of abusing this power was dire enough that any leader needed to consider carefully his decision to use it. The system ensured that no one
Lady’
s
Chosen
could gain ultimate control and turn the leadership position into a dictatorship.

“I’m prepared to step down as the
Lady
’s
Chosen
if Arek’s address is deemed a waste of time.” His sister nodded and said nothing more. Kalan met Arek’s solemn gaze over the heads of those at the table. “Come in, Second.”

The warrior strode into absolute silence. He advanced around the table and placed the tome before him. Kalan retook his seat as the book was opened at a marked page.

“If you’ll read this page and the next two,
Chosen
.” His friend’s expression remained neutral but an intense light burned in his eyes.

Kalan read the pages indicated. His whole body went rigid with shock and it took another reading to take in everything contained in the writing. His mind clouded, his focus narrowed until everything but the words on the page claimed his attention. The flames of anger ignited deep inside and it took every shred of willpower not to react immediately. He sucked in a harsh breath and the hand resting on the table curled into a fist. Precious minutes passed as he strove to contain it. Not until then did he look up from the book.

Kalan’s gaze took in the Council members, his lethal stare pinned each one where they sat. “On your oaths as Light Blade warriors, which of you have concealed the truth about the history of humans and demons?”

Chapter 25

T
HE sound of Rissa’s breathing seemed loud to Annika’s sharp hearing. Even without opening her eyes, she knew exactly how far away the child was and the precise position of where she leant against the door. She could also hear the beating of her heart. The rapid pace increased every time she groaned and the sound of it intensified her predatory need to claim what she needed to survive.

Her whole body now shook with the need for blood, every cell throbbed, her limbs ached with the pain of withdrawal and her moods were becoming harder to control the longer she went without. The cutting pain of curling her fingers into the palms of her hands drove back the terrifying sensations for a while. But the time between her lucid moments and the agony were growing shorter.

Annika lifted her head aware that the cheek she had pressed to the floor had gone numb with cold. She peered toward the door, able to see Rissa huddled there, her pale face turned blindly in her direction. She was trying not to show fear but total darkness wasn’t helping. The candle had sputtered and burnt out some time ago.

“Listen to me, Rissa.” Her voice was hoarse, strained with concentration it took to form each thought. “In a little while you’re going to hear some… strange sounds…” Her throat tightened with shame. “You might even hear me moving over here. Just stay there. Don’t make a sound. Nod if you understand.”

She did. Annika released a soft sigh and slowly sat up. Her limbs were stiff with cold but the movement awoke the pain in her shoulder. It cleared her mind a little. She leant back against the wall and fumbled one-handed with the belt around her waist.

“I’m going to throw my belt toward you,” she said. The sound of it hitting the stone floor made the child flinch. It slid to a stop near her boot. “It’s near your right foot.”

Rissa groped around for it, then her hand closed around the leather strip. She hugged it to her chest.

“It has a good, metal buckle on it. If I…” Annika’s voice faltered. She swallowed dryly. “I want you to use it as a weapon. If I come near you, swing it as hard as you can and aim high for my face.” The soft whimper nearly broke Annika’s heart. “I’m sorry, Rissa. I know you’re frightened of me.”

The girl shook her head hard. “I’m not scared of you…” Her reply cut off as if she remembered the instruction not to speak. She bit her lip and her chin lifted. “I just don’t want to hurt a friend.”

Annika drew in a shuddering breath. Her words meant so much to her. The small human girl was braver than any child should ever have to be. Anger at what Davyn was forcing her to live through burned in her veins. Healer or not, she wanted to kill him for putting Rissa through this.

“Nor do I want to hurt you.” She forced a reply past the tightness in her throat. “I’ll do everything I can to stop myself. Pray for us both—”

A wave of intense hunger assailed her. Her innards twisted hard. Every muscle locked tight as she arched back against the wall. It drove every logical and rational thought from her mind. She gasped and tasted the scent of Rissa’s fear.

Flinging out her arms, Annika dug her fingers into the cracks between the stones in the wall. Panting only flooded her senses with more of Rissa’s scent, accelerating her desire for blood but there was nothing she could do except ride out the pain and fight the urge to leap across the space dividing them.

Annika squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the lack of sight would ease the need. It didn’t. She heard a feral growl and could barely believe she’d made it. She threw her head back hard.

Pain exploded inside it as her skull cracked against unforgiving stone. The next wave of hunger seized the breath in her lungs and ripped another animalistic sound from her throat. It took all her strength to drive her head backward again. Light shattered behind her eyelids. She did it again. More pain. And again. A groan tore from her lips.

The hunger receded to a tolerable level.

She slumped against the wall, the ache in her head now as strong as the one in her shoulder. Her stomach heaved and she vomited on the ground beside her. The sudden weakness made her whole body shake.

Annika forced herself back into a sitting position. Tears slid down her cheeks as she prayed to the
Lady
for the strength to save a friend.

KALAN slowly rose from his seat, the legs of his chair scraping loudly on the stone floor of the chamber. The sickening feeling in his stomach grew as the silence in the room drew out. Candra and Benth wore confused frowns. Corvas was looking to Davyn while Yance’s tanned face was devoid of color. Davyn still wore that self-satisfied smirk and of all the Councilors, he looked the least perturbed by his demand.

“
Chosen
, what’s Arek found?”

Kymora’s soft voice calmed the fury racing through his veins. Drawing in a deep breath, Kalan glanced back down at the book. “Arek has brought me a record of our past history written by the then,
Lady
’s
Chosen
, Irat Zataan. He led the Blade Council four hundred years ago during the time we know as the Great War.

“He says… ‘
Will future generations understand the series of events that have transpired here today? I think not, but as my final Journey draws to an end I feel compelled to reveal the truth…’
He goes on to say he regrets his part in what happened and seeks forgiveness from the
Lady
for his actions… ‘
I don’t know the origins of our racial pride but the decision made by the Blade Council to enslave our demon allies was passed today in chambers.

‘Perhaps we became too obsessed with our own self-importance or believed our greater numbers gave us the right to exploit them. Maybe we grew to fear them. Certainly our resentment of our dependency on them and our jealousy of their physical superiority played a part in this—’”

Several curses interrupted his reading; one of the most vehement came from Candra. She wasn’t the only one with a look of horror on her face.

“The entry goes on to tell how they raided the homes of the
Na’Reish
in their attempt to enslave them. Many fled and those captured preferred death to servitude.”

His voice shook as he paraphrased Zataan’s entry.

“He revealed that the
Na’Reish
once coexisted with us for centuries. We were two races who shared a dependency—they needed our blood to survive, we needed their bloodlines to nourish the
Lady
’s Gifts. The Gifts belonged to the offspring of those who joined and partnered with the
Na’Reish
.”