Born of Silence (Immortal Guardians) (18 page)

Shit. What clan would she be from? Garrick knew there were multiple Harpy clans that resided on Annera, and some on the other various islands that littered their realm. While this island wasn’t the biggest, it still housed multiple clans spread out over its vast expanse. The problem was that some Harpy clans rivaled others, and he couldn’t very well use any of their neighboring clan names, as that
was too easily
verified. Would it be safer for him to make one up and play on the fact that she is not from this realm? Or would that make things worse?

Did they even know of other realms?

Noting the Harpies impatience, he quickly sent a message to Dani.

“
Caomhnóir
treibh
,” she replied out loud.

The Guardian Clan.

A few Harpies ahh’d at her response, though none of them would have ever heard of the tribe—he’d made it up, using the first thing that came to mind.

The leader looked at her skeptically. “You’re of the old ones?”

The old ones?
Garrick told Dani how to say yes, which she quickly repeated to the Harpies.

“And how did you come to be here, old one?” the leader asked, taking a few steps closer to Dani as she cocked her head this way and that.

Alright, time to bite the bullet. “
Tell them this
,” he thought at Dani, then proceeded to tell her what he wanted her to relay to the women.

“I have come from another realm,” she replied in their language, stopping momentarily to catch what Garrick was repeating telepathically. “I was being hunted and had to come here for safety.”

A soft murmur spread throughout the women. “Stop,” their leader shouted, resulting in nothing but silence once the order was spoken. She turned toward Dani. “And you would run rather than fight,
Dani
?” she asked, sneering the name.

“
I would with as outnumbered as I was
,” Garrick said to Dani in the Harpy language. She relayed it perfectly, though her voice trembled slightly.
He could feel her shaking against him and hoped that none of the Harpies could sense it.
“Keep it up, you’re doing fine. Just don’t show any fear.”

“Hmm,” the leader responded. “And where did you pick up the trash?”

He had to fight the small smile that threatened to spread across his face. Harpies loved to hate Fairies. Fairies just hated Harpies—no love about it. “
He is mine
,” Garrick thought, waiting for her to speak. “
I need him for nourishment until I can return to battle.
”

Dani got a few approving looks at that, a few nods and a few smiles. Even the leader cocked a single eyebrow in apparent approval.
And somehow hearing those words coming from Dani’s lips gave him a trill of excitement.

“I am Tatyana,” the leader
said. “Come with me now.”

“
Nod
,” Garrick thought, and Dani did. “
Now push me to the ground
.”

She flicked her gaze at him questioningly before she
shoved him
. He fell down, landing on his hands. “
Now smile evilly
.”
She did. He got the barest of glimpses. A
few snickers resounded around him and he crawled to his feet just as Dani gripped his arm and followed the others. Only a few walked in front of Dani and Garrick, guarding Tatyana’s back, while most of them followed closely behind, whispering about taking his essence, some muttering how long it had been since they’d had a Fairy. Garrick was forced to ignore their comments, pretending he didn’t understand a word they said. The fact that Dani was able to ignore their comments—because she
couldn’t
understand what they said—would make her appear all the stronger to them, make her appear
as though she didn’t care what they said and
was unafraid that any would challenge her for Garrick.

Strength was impressive to Harpies, and the perceived arrogance that the others were picking up off Dani just made her all the more stalwart.

After probably
thirty
minutes of walking in the convoy, they approached what appeared to be the clan camp. They had a much better view of the ocean and Garrick spotted multiple fire pits that had meat cooking over the flame
s
. From the looks of the carcasses, they were roasting jallops. Jallops were about the same size as a deer, but their feet were more like a rabbits, only much
,
much larger, which made their leg meat that much more meaty and enjoyable. And that much harder to catch. They were bright white, with long shaggy hair. If it hadn’t been for that fact, then the jallops would likely neve
r be captured. As it was though
, their stark whiteness stood out against the lush colors of Caireal.

A few of the other fires had large pots that were boiling to the brim with stew that smelled incredible. Garrick’s stomach groaned with starvation.

Tatyana stopped in the center of their camp, turning to face him and Dani once more. “So,” she said. “What is this realm you speak of? What
is
a realm?”

Wow. The Harpies still weren’t aware that there were other planes and realms? No wonder they hadn’t made it out of Caireal yet—thank the gods. “
A realm is another land
,” Garrick thought toward Dani. “
And the one we came from is the one I call home
.”

Tatyana nodded in understanding, though she likely didn’t understand at all. “And have you run into any of my sisters in your travels, Gilded One?”

Garrick quickly looked over at Dani, realizing that Tatyana’s assessment was accurate. She did look gilded, with her gold and bronze coloring, her bright eyes and shimmering skin. Unfortunately, Tatyana noticed his quick reaction and her eyes honed in on him. He told Dani to say yes quickly, even as Tatyana said, “You understand us?”

“Yes,” he replied, speaking for the first time since their capture. “I can understand you.”

Her
lips
peeled
back
from her fangs. “
W
ho are you? And how is it that you can understand us better than your mistress?”

He straightened his back and lifted his chin. “I am Garrick of the Cyne’s of Gorm
Treibh
.”

“Cyne?” Her eyes flicked around at her sisters before they returned to him. “Cyne’s are direct relation of the royals, are they not? And how did this imposter capture a royal?”

Dani’s eyes were flicking back and forth between Garrick and Tatyana. Much the same as the other onlookers were doing.

“Just as she said,” Garrick replied. “We were both trapped together and I have been helping to keep her alive. She returns my essence to me when I am in need of it.”

“She returns your essence?” Tatyana
hissed, causing alarm in the Harpies surrounding them
. “That is not even possible. I should drain you for your deceit alone.” She stormed toward him, her claws extending. Garrick tensed to trace out of her way, but just as she struck out, a ferocious growl sounded and Dani leapt in front of him, blocking Tatyana’s path. Garrick
gaped
at her, shocked at her outburst when he noticed that her coloring had changed to the darker color of before, with ashen skin and dark, dark hair. Her wings were ramrod straight, creating as much of a barrier between him and the Harpy leader as she could. Shouting began, with Dani yelling in English and Tatyana yelling in Harpy. Neither understood each other, and that only made them angrier, but Dani refused to back down. On and on the hissing went until finally, unexpectedly, Tatyana pulled away.

“Your mistress makes no sense,” she growled, making eye contact with Garrick. She flicked her eyes to Dani a few more times in what looked like confusion. “What language does she speak?”

“English,” he replied. “One of the languages from our realm.”

“
Her
realm, maybe. Not yours.”

Dani only slightly relaxed, but she still held her position between Tatyana and Garrick.

“I belong to her realm now,” he said.

“You claim to be of another realm, and yet you are of the Blue Royals?” she asked.

“Yes. And I am.
” Sounds of hissing and the type of laughter that made a guy’s balls crawl up in retreat sounded around him. “A nephew of
the
king’s, that is.”

A gleam shon
e
in her eyes. “A nephew of Cedric? Or Cyril?”

How did she know so much about the royal family? Cyril was his mother’s brother—his uncle, and the king of the
Blue Court
. Cedric was Cyril’s son and had been Garrick’s best friend until he’d left Caireal. “Cyril,” he replied. “Cedric is my cousin.”

The wicked gleam still sparkled in her eyes, but Tatyana seemed lost in thought for a minute. “You’ve seen one of our sisters. Who is the Harpy you saw?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. We only saw her as we made our escape.”

Her
eyes swirled with black. “Where did you escape from? And how did you escape something that she did not?”

“What did she look like?” another Harpy asked.

Garrick turned toward the quiet voice, noticing a smaller Harpy—younger maybe—whose small voice had grabbed everyone’s attention. “Black hair,” he answered, almost as if the sight of the tiny Harpy had distracted his train of thought. “
I think.
She was tied down
and held in the dark
.”

Their leader hissed as the others whispered around them. “Sarah,” she breathed. Her eyes met those of her sisters. “It must be Sarah.”

“She was tied down?” another Harpy asked, stepping forward.

Garrick looked at her, nodding his head. “Yes.”

“Why couldn’t she break free?” Tatyana asked urgently. “How was she restrained?”

Dani tensed, obviously perceiving Tatyana’s expression and
tone as an act of anger. “What’
s going on Garrick?” she asked, only flicking her gaze to him for a second before returning
it
to Tatyana.

“They’re asking about the Harpy we saw at the Institute. They want to know how they kept her prisoner.
Stand still for me.
”

He used her to show them how the other Harpy had been restrained. It took him a minute to recall what he’d seen when they looked into her dark cell.

“Here,” he said each time he pointed to a different spot on Dani’s body. Her wrists, upper arms, thighs, ankles, and her waist. Then he pointed to the claw that stuck out at the tips of her wings. She shuddered as he touched it and the other Harpies collective intake of breath had his hand recoiling from her wing. “They also pierced her wings there. They’ve looped something through it to make it so her wings can’t move.”

Expletives
flew
all over the place. Dani stepped in front of him—the darling—in hopes of protecting him. He smiled at the gesture.

“We need to stage a rescue,” some said.

“We must get the queen back,” others said.

“Rip them from limb to limb,” and, “I’ll feast on their entrails,” countless others said.

It took a few minutes for Tatyana to settle her sisters down. And when she finally succeeded in that seemingly impossible venture, she
regarded
Garrick. “You will take us to her.
Now
.”

“Umm, no,” he replied without any hesitation. He would not be responsible for introducing Harpies to the human realm. “I won’t be doing that.”

“Oh, you will,” Tatyana said, stepping closer. Despite the fact that Dani stood between them, the Harpy made eye contact with him. “If you don’t, we’ll feast on you until you beg us to stop. And when you beg, we will tear you from limb to limb and deliver your dead body to your family.”

He
didn’t respond other than match
ing
her glare for glare. He knew Harpies had a temper, but
…
gods.

A smile curved Tatyana’s lips, her voice turning husky as she sauntered toward him. “Just like we did Cyril’s.”

They killed Cyril?

Garrick stared at Tatyana as his initial shock was overwrought with rage.

Tatyana flashed a fangy smile and continued on as if her last bit of news hadn’t been bad enough.

“Oh, did I hurt the wittle faiwy’s feelings?” she asked, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. “Would you like me to put you out of your misery?”

“Can’t,” he replied, lifting his chin, refusing to back down. “If you kill me, you’ll never see your queen again.”

Tatyana’s smiled disappeared, her eyes glancing over to Dani. “Wrong. We would still have one who knows where to find her.”