Born of Silence (Immortal Guardians) (42 page)

****

Finding the portal proved easier than he’d thought, and after a quick reminder of their agreement, Garrick sent Sarah through it, back to her clan. He could only hope
the Harpies honored their
vow, though he had something much more important to take care of at the moment.

He took Dani back from Draven and settled her carefully against him. She shook in his arms, tears streaming down he
r face. “I can’t move,” she breathed. “
I can’t feel my arms and legs.”

A deep chill spread throughout him as he realized what she was saying. “Can you feel your wings?”

“No.”

He
glanced
at the Guardians as they gathered around,
all
of their faces awash with worry, except for Nitro, who peered at Dani dubiously. They had only run into a few more of Ekhart’s lackeys since finding Sarah, and all of them were tensed to battle if the occasion called for it. “I’ve
got to get her help.”

If the portal hadn’t landed them on Annera, he would have taken Dani back to his realm in hopes of healing her. As it was, he’d put himself in danger by setting foot on that island, and Dani would likely die.

“Take her back to the mansion. Gregory can handle it until we make it back,” Draven offered.

Garrick gritted his teeth. “I can’t get her back any faster than you could.”

“Can’t you trace? Are you too injured?”
The
vampire cocked an eyebrow in question.

He shook his head. “
I can still trace. I just can’t
with
her.”

The
others
glanced
at each other, a silent calculation apparent on all of their faces.
They knew it as well as he did. Without immediate help, Dani would die. Even if they found help, there was no certainty.

“Does Gregory know enough to help her?”

Draven’s eyes scanned over Dani before he looked him straight in the eye. “Let’s hope so, brother.”

“I’ll try then,” Garrick said. Though he didn’t think he could do it, he was willing to try anything for Dani. “What are you going to do here?”

Nitro and Ash glanced at each other, wide grins spreading over their faces. “We’re planning to level it,” she replied.

“Okay, good.
Make sure the portal is completely sealed off. We can’t have any of them returning.
”

H
e backtracked through the cave’s winding hallways, keeping
as
silent as he could. A few of the Guardians followed behind him, watching his back as he rushed toward the exit. On
c
e he saw the changes in rocks, he knew he
had followed the right hallway
,
knew he was only minutes from breaking free of the caves and of the wards they were spelled with.

The sky was still dark, just as it had been when they had infiltrated the caves. It had seemed like an eternity passed since they’d gone in, and the fact that it was still pitch
-
black outside proved to him that they hadn’t been inside nearly as long as he had assumed. The forest’s trees were illuminated by the moon’s light, though most was enveloped in shadows.

Keeping a tight hold on Dani, he willed with every fiber of his being that he could trace with her in his arms. It had never been heard of, but he had to do this. He
had
to. All his life, he’d been able to do special thing
s. This should be no different.
He would do this. For Dani, he would do anything.
He…

Couldn’t. He opened his eyes, damning that he couldn’t get her to safety. He shifted her, touching his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she replied. “I’m just glad I got to see you again.”

“I can’t trace with you
,
baby. I’m just not strong enough.”

“Pfft.” She tried to laugh, but it was weak. “I wouldn’t describe you as weak. You’re brave, and strong. And you have a good heart.”

Her eyes closed and he panicked. “Dani.” Her eyes opened. “Stay focused on me. Don’t go. I’ll find a way to trace.”

“Who said you have to trace?”

“What?”

“You don’t have to trace. The door. . .”

Oh gods
, Garrick thought. He was losing her. Her voice had trailed off, her body growing weaker by the second. “What door? Dani, what door?”

A small smile curved her lips and she blinked slowly up at him. Her long lashes swooped low over her cheeks each time she closed her eyes. “The mian tree,” she breathed. “Your magic.”

The mian tree? What would make her think of that now? It showed people what they desired most or their futures
.
I
t didn’t show things like…

Her future. She had seen him create a door. His heart leapt at the thought, hoping upon hope that she was right, that the mian hadn’t led her down the path to her own death. Still cupping her in his arm, he reached out with his other hand, drawing a line straight down to the ground. Light shimmered in the air where he’d drawn, and he hastily drew one at the top, and back down the other side. He stared at the thing for a time, wondering what next, but nothing happened. He drew a circle and the door opened.

****

With a hurried fervor
Garrick
typed in the code, allowing the
Guardians’
gates to open. As soon as he was able to fit through with Dani in his arms, he rushed up the driveway. He realized with a start that he’d done this
very thing twenty-four hours ago. Only that time he’d been in a hurry to reach Dani. This time it was to save her life. Immortals didn’t die as easily as mortals did, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t still perish. And with Dani being partially human, Garrick didn’t have a clue what she could survive.

Before he reached the top of the stairs, Gregor
y yanked open the front door
. He dropped it, and ushered them in quickly. After one surprised look at Dani, he said, “Get her downstairs,” and yelled at the younger servant to get first-aid supplies together.

“Is anyone here that can help?” Garrick asked as he rushed down the stairs and through the basement hallway.

“I’m afraid not,” Gregory replied, surprisingly spry for being as old as he was.

Garrick had to force himself to calm. Gregory was a human, yes, but he had also served the Guardians for years. The old man likely knew
a thing or two about immortals and wounds
, and there was no doubt the warriors had a close call or two during his employment
.

He just hoped he knew enough.

“Where are the worst injuries?” Gregory asked as they reached the empty infirmary room.

“Her neck.”

He
inspected the part of her neck he could see and looked at him questioningly.

“Her spine,” Garrick corrected.

“Lay her on the bed. Face down so I can have a look. And be very careful.”

He
did as the old man said, laying Dani down. Her wings fanned out over her body lazily, almost as if wrapping around her protectively.

Gregory’s mouth dropped wide open as he caught sight of the gaping wound that revealed much of Dani’s spine and the muscles and tendons of her lower neck. He did nothing to let her know of his shock though, and quickly set to work.

Dani’s entire body shook,
as
small breaths and nearly silent whimpers escaped her in small bursts. Garrick knew with certainty that it was from both fear and pain. She might not be able to feel her legs, but she could feel the pain that radiated from her back.

Gregory and the younger human worked
fervently
. The boy would hand Gregory supplies, though he refused to look at the bone and sinew, his face sickly pale. Gregory tossed out orders of things he needed, reaching out blindly as the boy ha
nded him what he’d demand
ed, before setting back to cleaning and dressing the wounds. “
Chester
,” he said. “Get me that vial of clear liquid that’s in the mini-fridge. I need to put her under.”

“No,” Dani said. “I can’t. Don’t knock me out.” Her eyes met Garrick’s. “Please, not again.”

Gregory looked
at
him as well
. “We’ve got to if we have any hopes of working on her. I’m afraid of the kind of pain she’ll go through as we
extract anything
.”

He stepped forward,
studying
the wound as Gregory pointed out what needed to be removed. Bits of rock and metal were imbedded in her bone and muscle, a steady stream of blood bubbl
ing
around the offending materials.

He nodded at the old man as
Chester
handed him the vial and a syringe. “It’ll be alright,” he said to Dani, returning to her side so that she could see him. “I’ll be here. I’ll make sure they don’t hurt you.”

T
he old man slid the needle into her skin and dumped the plunger. She merely watched Garrick, keeping her eyes trained on his.

“What happened?” Gregory asked in a calm, quiet tone. It was almost as though he was talking to a small, scared child he didn’t want to frighten. He pulled the needle out and set it on a tray next to the bed.

“
S
hould have stayed back,” Dani
breathed
. “You told me
…
to stay out of it.”

Garrick
held
her hand, making sure that she could see what he was doing, since she couldn’t feel it. Her hand was so lifeless she could have been dead, if it weren’t for the warmth and the feel of her pulse. “Shhh,” he said. “You did good, Dani. You saved my life.”

Her eyes slowly fluttered shut,
and
her breathing evened out as the tranquilizer worked through her system.
Hi
s gaze went from watching her beautiful face up to Gregory’s. The
servant’
s brows rose in question and Garrick nodded.

He kept ahold of her hand, making sure he didn’t break his promise to Dani. And from his seat next to the bed, he watched as Gregory set to work.

The house rumbled around him. The glass chandeliers quak
ed
from the fire and explosions going on down below. Ekhart rushed from his office, wrenching open his door as he made his way toward the stairwell. Just as his hand reached the banister, the elevator chimed.
He
froze, tensing, ready to battle whatever poor bastard dared use his mansion as a means of escaping the Institute’s caves. The camouflaged doors slid open, and Pyro rushed into the ho
use
.

He caught sight of Ekhart immediately, his lips drawn into a sneer. “The Guardians,” he said.
He scowled down at the remote used to control the Destroyer and threw it to the ground.

Ekhart’s eyebrows rose in shock. How? How could the Guardians have located the caves
? They were nowhere near
Newark
,
well out of the normal range of where the warriors monitored. He knew. He’d done countless tests, and they had never been drawn here before…

The sound of the elevator
’
s doors closing helped bring him back to the situation at hand. “The Destroyer,” he said. “They tracked her here.”

Pyro’s eyes flashed with awareness. Oh yes, the Ignitis
knew exactly what they’d been doing here
.

“What happened?” Ekhart barked.

“I had her out on a training mission and they came in, killing off all the demons. I ordered her to kill him
…
them
, and she didn’t. She overpowered it. So I ordered her back to her cell.”

They shouldn’t have brought her back. Should have taken her anywhere else, leaving cookie-crumbs until they could draw those Guardians bastards into a trap, killing them once and for all.

“Get to the computers. Shut all of the doors you can. If we’re lucky, we can save some of the caves.
Oh, and make sure the lower caves are sealed off as well, and close off the shaft.
”

Pyro bowed his head
and
darted off, his retreating form disappearing around the corner. Ekhart gripped the banister again and rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time until he reached the upper level of his mansion. He passed door after door, his eyes trained on one in particular. As he rushed toward it, the door opened, and a slim figure came out, closing the door with a snick.

The blonde woman saw him immediately and took tw
o steps backward. “Master
, I was just coming to find you. What is going—”

“You left her alone?” he growled. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”