Crystalfire (23 page)

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Authors: Kate Douglas

BOOK: Crystalfire
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Artigos nodded and moved quickly toward the portal leading to the lower levels. “Tell me as we go. How did you know to find Mother Crystal? She tends to keep a very low profile.”
Alton laughed as he followed his grandfather down the first set of stairs. “You’re not kidding. I’d not heard of her before. HellFire was the one to send us to her. How do you know of her?”
Artigos glanced over his shoulder. “When one is locked away with one’s own thoughts for millennia, those thoughts can easily become the avenue to insanity. Mother Crystal took pity on me. We began with small conversations, with what you might call mind games. Then one day a scroll appeared, and then another, and eventually books and even magazines. At first, they were rare and difficult for her to come by, but this modern Earth has many books.”
“I wondered where you got those. I knew they weren’t all Lemurian, but I couldn’t imagine the guards bringing them to you.”
“Mother Crystal saved my sanity.”
“I’m glad.” Alton thought of all those years his grandfather had been a prisoner. How vital a man he was today, and how vitally important to the future of Lemuria. “Now let’s just hope she can save Eddy’s life.”
 
 
Eddy’s father had disappeared once again, his voice cutting off almost in midsentence, just as it had before. But he’d also mentioned that he’d sensed the demon king stirring again. That must have been what dragged him away.
Still, something felt different, which was odd in and of itself, since feelings and the void didn’t seem to go together. Eddy opened her consciousness as completely as she could, searching for whatever had caught her attention.
Something else was out there, some sense of life other than her own.
And just like her, it didn’t belong.
They
didn’t belong. Now, how could she know there was more than one of whatever she sensed? How strange.
Hello? Anyone there?
Silence, but still the sense of something near.
Hello? Answer me. Who are you?
She waited, but no one spoke. Frustrated, Eddy called on her blade.
DemonSlayer? Are you there?
I’m here, Eddy.
Is there someone else in the void?
The void is filled with souls. Unlike ours, most of them belong here.
What of the ones who don’t? Why do I sense there might be others like me?
There are no others like you. You are human made immortal. I believe you are the only one like yourself in the void.
Then who am I sensing? Not really human, but not animals or demons. They don’t speak, but somehow I feel them. Who can they be? The feeling grows stronger.
Ah! I know of whom you speak. They must be the souls of the sons of the women warriors.
The sons? I thought they only had daughters. The women who became the Forgotten Ones.
Most of them did, but some gave birth to baby boys. Boys who did not fit the demons’ plans.
Oh. Dear God! The wardens didn’t kill babies, did they?
No. The demons wanted them to, but the wardens could not be forced to murder their own children. They took them to Mother Crystal who sent them here, into the void, for safekeeping.
Neither heaven nor hell, Eddy thought.
What can we do to help them? We can’t leave them here for eternity. How many are there?
Only twelve. Twelve baby boys who have barely known life.
This could complicate things, couldn’t it?
Not necessarily. I will ask Mother Crystal. She might have an idea.
Do that. Please.
Twelve baby boys, born and sentenced to an eternity of waiting. It made her feel petty and small, to think she’d been so impatient. She’d only been here a matter of hours if her father’s account of time were correct.
Not really certain if they could understand or not, Eddy sent out a message of sorts.
Stay close to me and hold on. Help is coming.
And then she hoped she’d not told them a lie.
Chapter 18
Taron stood in front of the window, buttoning his warm flannel shirt as he stared at the gray, threatening skies. So beautiful, the way the clouds boiled overhead, their shapes an ever-shifting pattern across the sky. He didn’t think he could ever grow tired of such a beautiful, dramatic sight.
The snow-covered peak of the big mountain was lost in the clouds, but he could still feel its presence. Having lived within its depths for so long, it was an odd sensation to stand outside and know he was still so close, standing here on its sloping flank.
Lemuria might be in another dimension, but the power that was Mount Shasta crossed all dimensions. The energy vortex here was actually weaker than it was within Lemuria, yet it still held sway over this entire region.
It would be a fascinating subject to study. Someday, though he found it difficult to ever see himself in his old role of scholar and philosopher. So much had changed ... and the biggest change of all was just coming out of the shower.
He turned away from the window as Willow stepped into the room. He’d showered while she still slept, but now she walked from the bathroom into the bedroom accompanied by her own swirling cloud. Steam billowed out around her, framing her as if she had stepped out of one of those rainclouds overhead, and it was a struggle not to cross the room and grab her up in his arms, throw her on the bed and make love to her once again.
He didn’t think she’d like that. He remembered her making some silly comment about not being able to walk if they didn’t stop for awhile.
He really didn’t care if he never walked again, as long as he had Willow beside him in bed. Or beneath him. Or his new favorite position with Willow on top.
She sauntered across the room, stopped directly in front of him and stood on her toes to kiss his mouth. He felt her smile against his lips. Drew a deep breath of her scent.
“I can see what you’re thinking,” she said, “and the answer is no. Not now. It’ll be dark soon.” She turned away with a seductive sway of her hips and let the towel fall to one side.
He groaned as she dragged the towel behind her on her way to the closet. “One look at you and I know I’ve created a monster.”
She turned, giving him a perfect profile of firm breasts, slightly curved belly, and perfectly rounded bottom. “You?” She dropped the towel and in two quick steps was once again standing in front of him, naked and damp from her shower, her hair hanging in wet curls over her shoulders and breasts. “You’ve created a monster? I think not.”
She kissed him and then pulled away before he could hold her. He let his arms drop to his sides, but he clenched his fists in frustration even as he agreed with her. “You’re right. You’re too perfect to be a monster. Maybe it’s me.” He growled deep in his throat as he took a step closer to her, accepting that his entire life had changed because of this woman.
But his first impulse, to tease her and make light of the powerful emotions he could barely contain, faded away, overcome by the simple truth he couldn’t hide. Not from Willow, and most definitely not from himself.
With his hands clenched at his sides, he stood over her, looked down into her beautiful, guileless blue eyes, and said exactly what was in his heart. “I love you, Willow. I love you so much it hurts. So much it scares me to death, and I hate to think of what might happen tonight.”
The laughter left her eyes. She grabbed both his hands and sighed as his fingers slowly relaxed and tangled with hers. “Oh, Taron, I love you, too. But I plan to keep loving you for a long, long time. Don’t let your fears make that stupid fortune a self-fulfilling prophecy. We’re going out there to save Ed and we’re going to get rid of the demon once and for all. And then we’re going to spend the rest of our lives learning all there is to know about being in love.”
“I like the sound of that.”
She smiled, held his hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles. Then she set him loose and turned back to the dresser again. He watched with an entirely new sense of pure, male pleasure while she made her choices from Eddy’s clothing and carefully dressed.
She’d picked out tiny black panties and a matching camisole top that hugged every curve. Then she added a dark blue turtleneck sweater and black jeans, black socks and black leather boots. In that outfit, she’d just about disappear in the darkness if not for the blond hair.
Except she pulled a knit cap out of the dresser and stuck it on her head, tucking all that gorgeous hair up inside.
“Practical, but I’m really going to miss seeing your hair.”
Laughing, she whipped the cap off. “I just wanted to see if it would work. I don’t plan to wear it until later.” She stood there a moment and stared at herself in the mirror. After a moment, she rubbed her hands over her arms. “Taron? Do you feel any different tonight?”
“Different?” He crossed the room, stood behind her with his arms looped lightly around her middle, and studied the two of them in the full length mirror. As tall as she was, he was still so much taller, so much larger. And yet, between the two of them, Willow was stronger in so many ways.
“How so? In what way do you feel different?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure. It’s like I’m buzzing. Eddy says she gets that way if she drinks too much of Ed’s coffee. Like she’s got to do something to burn off the energy or she’ll explode. I sort of feel like that. It’s hard to describe.”
“Have you been storing up blue sparkles?” He laughed when he said it, but then Willow slipped out of his embrace and pointed her fingers at the middle of the room.
“I don’t know. I hadn’t even thought of that.”
She closed her eyes and Taron felt a slight change in the air pressure in the room. An instant later, a huge blast of sparkles exploded from Willow’s fingertips. Willow let loose with a short, sharp shriek of surprise. The mass of blue fire shot across the room, rolled up the wall and licked at the ceiling. Then the sparkles gently dissipated and faded from sight.
Taron stared at the wall and then spun around to stare at Willow, speechless. Then he looked more closely at the dark smudge streaking across the wallpaper. “What the nine hells was that?”
Eyes wide, Willow ran across the room and dragged her fingers over the wall. When she held up her hand, her fingertips were covered in black. “It’s soot. I burned Eddy’s wall! My sparkles have never done anything like that before. What happened?”
Taron stared at the dark smudge on the wall and then grabbed her hand and looked just as closely at her smudged fingertips. “I don’t know, but I’ll bet that could really piss off the demon king.”
“You’re not kidding. Could I somehow be getting stronger?”
“Maybe. But why?”
Suddenly she raised her head and grinned at him. “I think it’s you. Because you love me.”
He laughed. “That’s a bit farfetched. How could that make a difference?”
She shook her head in complete denial. “I don’t know how I know, but I do. I can feel it,” she thumped her chest with her fist, “here. When you weren’t admitting how you felt, maybe you created some sort of barrier between me and my sparkles. It’s gone now. I can feel the energy.” She tilted her chin and gave him a cheeky grin. “It’s quite literally at my fingertips.”
She kissed him, and this time it wasn’t a quick peck. This time she lingered, making love to his mouth the way he’d made love to her all throughout the day.
When she finally pulled away, both of them were breathing hard. “Okay,” she said. “Maybe that wasn’t a good idea.”
He laughed. “I thought it was a great idea.”
“You would. Not now. We need to get something to eat.”
“Are you sure?” He cast a quick glance at the freshly made bed.
“I’m sure. Now.”
He could hardly understand her through her laughter. As much as he loved the sound of Willow laughing, he wasn’t sure he liked the idea that she was probably near hysterics because of his forlorn expression.
He wanted her. Wanted the soft slide of her body against his, the taste of her on his lips, the hot, rhythmic contractions of her feminine sheath grasping him like a tight fist. And after he imagined every way to feel her, to taste and hold her, he let himself think of the other parts of Willow he’d already grown to love. Her wonderful way of seeing the world, her laughter, her sense of humor, her purity. She was a grown woman without any baggage, without a past to mar the way she saw the future. Everything for Willow was fresh and new, and that innocence was something she shared without reservation.
She was giving Taron the chance to see everything through her eyes, and he felt reborn. And then, like an insidious burst of darkness, Taron saw what might be. If he were to lose Willow, if he somehow lost her fresh and perfect doorway into life, he would have no reason to live. Her death would be the end of him. He bit back a curse as reality slapped him awake and he shot back into the moment.
Willow was still chuckling when she turned away and headed for the kitchen. Taron shoved his fears aside as he followed her down the hallway, and the last bits of darkness disappeared when he picked up Bumper’s excited thoughts.
Bacon, Willow? Are you going to fix me bacon? I love bacon. You didn’t make it this morning. Will you make it now? Please, Willow?
No, Bumper. No bacon.
Sighing almost as dramatically as Bumper, Taron added his thoughts.
Are you absolutely sure?
Willow was still grinning when he caught up to her in the kitchen. She turned and planted a big kiss on his mouth, and the last of the shadows vanished. Willow was right. Don’t borrow trouble. Do like Bumper and live for the moment.
It went entirely against his nature, but he was damned well going to try.
Willow ended their kiss and was suddenly all business as she pulled two big steaks out of the freezer and stuck them in the microwave to defrost. “This is better than bacon. I promise.”
He was almost certain he sensed Bumper’s excited leaps for joy.
It is, Taron. You’ll like steak. It’s good, Taron. Trust me. I love steak. Ed lets me taste it. Will you let me taste steak, Taron?
“Settle down, Bumper.” He glanced up in time to catch Willow rolling her eyes. “I have this image of her bouncing up and down with her tail going like crazy.”
Laughing, Willow tangled both hands in her hair and tugged. “You should feel it from my perspective.”
He relaxed even more as he watched her prepare dinner. She was so comfortable with all the different appliances. They had similar things in Lemuria, but he’d never grown all that adept at using them. Single men often took their meals in the various cafeterias or merely reheated simple things in their rooms. Tonight Willow baked potatoes in the microwave and she made a big salad while the steaks cooked under the broiler. Taron set the table, but he kept his eyes on Willow as she did everything with an economy of movement and an undeniable grace.
Proudly, she sat down at the table, taking the seat across from Taron. Her brilliant smile told him exactly how pleased she was with herself for creating such a beautiful meal.
Taron lifted his glass of wine. “To you and your amazing skills,” he said, though he wasn’t thinking entirely of her cooking.
Willow sipped her wine, but her gaze was pinned to Taron. “Eat,” he said. “Don’t let it grow cold.” Of course, he hadn’t taken a bite, either.
Finally Willow dug into her meal and Taron ate as well. It tasted every bit as good as it looked, but the food on his plate wasn’t what made this dinner so special. It was the woman sitting across from him, the knowledge that he’d made love to her most of the day and wanted her even now. It was the comfortable way they teased one another and talked about nothing. It was everything and nothing in particular, and Taron wanted to capture the moment. Wanted to save this day and this evening for all time.
Every experience today had been unique, every touch, every kiss. He’d never felt this way about anyone in his entire life, but it was even more than that. He realized he’d never before felt this way about himself, either. He’d been wrong when he told Willow he didn’t feel any different.
He didn’t merely feel different—he was different. She’d changed him in more ways than he could possibly name.
Barely forty-eight hours in her presence, and neither he nor the life he led would ever be the same again.
 
 
Alton was a few steps ahead when he led Artigos the Just into the crystal cave. His grandfather paused just inside the huge cavern and then, without any warning, dropped reverently to his knees.
Alton turned just in time to see him kneel, unsheathe his sword, and lay DemonsBane on the ground. Ignoring the curious eyes of the others standing inside the cavern, Artigos folded his arms across his chest and bowed his head. “Mother Crystal, all honor to you, and my heartfelt thanks for your care. I have long hoped to have the opportunity to come to you in person as a free man and offer to you both my loyalty as your servant, and my heartfelt thanks for your care.”

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