Defy (3 page)

But then, most parents didn’t dream of the
future.

The dream he shared with Skye had been
recurring more and more regularly ever since their niece, Clara
Kate, transitioned to the human plane a couple of months ago. In
the dream, Tate was alone and outside the area of protection that
surrounded their homeland. An unseen attacker took her off-guard,
grasping her in a brutal grip and disorienting her. When she
finally realized what was happening, her terror was
devastating.

But it was the end of the dream that caused
Caleb to wake up in a cold sweat with an agonized cry in his
throat. It had his normally positive and cheerful wife looking sad
and worried. And it served as the reason why they absolutely
couldn’t let Tate have her way when it came to her request to
venture out with Quincy and Sophia.

For they had both foreseen their firstborn
daughter’s death.

The following day, Tate visited Quincy in the
clinic attached to the cottage he kept not far from the training
paddock. He called the cottage home whenever he visited her
family’s homeland, which occurred at least every three years, when
her mom and aunts all got pregnant. A long-time family friend with
extensive medical training on both the Estilorian and human planes,
he attended all of the births of the Kynzesti…the children of the
daughters of Saraqael and the newest Estilorian class.

Although each of the families had gladly
offered him room in one of their homes, he insisted that he didn’t
want to impose. Plus, even though the homes sat relatively close to
each other, the cottage boasted a nice central location that made
it easier for him to get to any of the expecting mothers. And since
it contained a fully stocked clinic, the fact that it was located
near the training paddock helped, too. Aunt Amber and Uncle Gabriel
weren’t always around when someone needed healing.

Tate privately thought that Quincy preferred
the solitude over trying to get any peace in a houseful of other
beings, something she well understood.

Right now, she wandered around the clinic
while Quincy stocked a satchel with every conceivable kind of
medical implement. The sunlight coming in through the two windows
in the room glinted on his blond hair as he leaned over the satchel
resting on one of the examination tables in the center of the room.
Although he usually wore his hair short, it was presently long
enough to brush the back of his neck with a noticeable curl. It
nearly touched the neckline of his black tank top. She personally
liked the way the longer hairstyle complemented the lines of his
handsome face, though she knew he’d change back to the shorter
style before too long.

When he turned again to one of the many
cabinets lining the walls, the sun also gleamed on the silver
markings lining his broad shoulders and the backs of his muscular
arms. The markings were a result of his transitions to the human
plane. As a Corgloresti, he was a harvester of human souls, the
only way full Estilorians had to reproduce, since Estilorian
females didn’t have the same reproductive systems as humans. As far
as Tate knew, Quincy was the most successful Corgloresti in history
at bringing souls over through the very complicated Corgloresti
Embrace.

He’d never failed.

As he pulled a glass container from the
cabinet and started unscrewing the lid, Tate let out a snort of
laughter. “Do you really think you’ll need tongue depressors to
teach Sophia to fly?”

His silver eyes narrowed and shifted briefly
to her. “Don’t give me a hard time right now. You already know how
stressed I am about this.”

She did know. Over the years, Quincy had
become a very dear friend. And she long ago reasoned out how he
felt about her cousin. She knew he was quite nervous over the
prospect of being alone with her for an extended period of time.
Even if she hadn’t had a second power that allowed her to see the
truth of any matter, his uncommonly jerky mannerisms as he packed
his satchel and the more pronounced accent in his words certainly
would have tipped her off.

“You know,” she casually pointed out, “if I
went with you, I’m sure it would be less stressful for you.”

He replaced the tongue depressors and lifted
a container of cotton balls, giving it a thoughtful study. Tate bit
her lip against another laugh even as he shook out a few fluffy
balls and absently replied, “Nice try.”

“It’s true,” she insisted. “I could serve as
a buffer for you so you wouldn’t be forced to try and make
conversation with Sophia.” She paused to watch him fumble with the
lid as he tried to screw it back on the container. Then she pointed
out, “I’m sure she’ll look especially pretty today.”

“Sophia isn’t pretty,” he said in an
affronted tone. He was so flustered that he dropped the jar.
Fortunately, it hit an area rug and didn’t shatter, though it did
roll across the floor toward the open window where Tate stood.
Quincy cursed and shook his head at himself as he hurried after the
container.

Tate laughed again and bent to help him pick
up the displaced cotton balls. “Okay, okay. I’m sure she’ll look
gorgeous, breathtaking and heart-stopping, then.”

He caught her gaze and some of the tension in
his shoulders eased. One corner of his mouth rose. “Well, that’s a
slightly more accurate description, at least. Though you did leave
out spectacular and magnificent.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Sighing, he walked to the trash can to throw
away the cotton balls that had escaped the jar. Then he secured the
lid and put the container away. “I’m pathetic.”

“A completely lost cause.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Why did I
suggest this again?”

“Because you’re hopelessly in love with my
cousin and don’t want to see her fail at this,” she answered,
running her finger idly along the frame of the painting hanging on
the wall between the windows. The painting had been done by
Sophia’s twelve-year-old sister, Leigh, and depicted the family of
panthers that lived within the area of protection.

“Oh. Right.”

Empathizing with him, she walked over and
rubbed his upper arm. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come
along?”

“Well, that would certainly make things
easier for me in one respect,” he admitted, giving her an
appreciative grin. “But it would get me into all kinds of trouble
with your father. You know him, right? Big guy? Handy with a sword?
Deadly glare when he’s angry?”

Her lips twitched despite the fact that she
knew her attempts to convince Quincy to take her along with him and
Sophia weren’t going to succeed. “Yeah, yeah. Well, I believe in
you, Quincy. I know that if anyone can help Sophia discover the
faith she needs to learn to extend her wings when all else has
failed, it’ll be you.”

He sighed again. “Thanks, Tate. No pressure,
though.”

Quincy walked with her out to the training
paddock with his packed satchel. Tate realized that all of her
family members were nearby, despite the early hour. A number of
them were stretching or completing their cardio warm-ups before the
weapons training ahead.

Tiege stood with Aunt Amber and some of their
cousins performing tai chi. Her dad and Uncle Gabriel spotted for
her brothers, Nick and Alex, as they lifted weights. Her mom glided
around the side yard with her younger sisters and cousins,
instructing them in dance. Aunt Olivia and Uncle James watched the
littlest of the children as they played with the family of panthers
before beginning school for the day.

Sophia sat on a large rock about twenty yards
from the paddock, looking quite glum as she awaited the day’s
flight efforts. Tate’s heart went out to her. She knew how
discouraged Sophia had been to fail again and again at bringing
forth her wings during the lessons her parents started after her
eighteenth birthday several weeks ago.

Plastering an encouraging smile on her face
as she and Quincy approached, Tate said, “Hey, Sophia! You’re
looking particularly pretty today.”

She heard Quincy mumble something under his
breath and fought a giggle even as Sophia gave her a baleful look.
The comment was true enough, though. Sophia’s turquoise sundress
flattered her petite frame. The long skirt of the dress, pooled
around her slim legs, made her look very delicate. She had secured
her golden hair at the nape of her slender neck in an intricate
knot, drawing attention to her wide blue-green eyes and the
blue-green butterfly wing patterns around her eyes, indicating her
second power. Although her small size and fair coloring differed
from the rest of the Kynzesti, Sophia managed to outshine them all,
in Tate’s opinion.

“Thanks, Tate,” Sophia said, barely glancing
at Quincy. She looked irritated about something and Tate wondered
if one of the scientific experiments her cousin so enjoyed was
giving her trouble. That always tended to spoil her mood. Of
course, she could have just been nervous. With Sophia, it was a
little hard to tell.

“I can’t wait to hear how everything goes
today,” Tate ventured, keeping her tone light.

“Hmm,” Sophia responded, shifting and getting
to her feet. Now, she spared Quincy a glance. “Well, let’s get this
over with.”

“Ah…” Quincy said when she caught his gaze.
He didn’t manage anything more.

“Your parents are coming to send you off,”
Tate threw in, trying to help. Quincy gave her a grateful look.

Uncle James and Aunt Olivia approached,
trailed by a group of giggling and bouncing children. Tate smiled
as her aunt pulled Sophia into a hug, then passed her over to her
uncle so he could repeat the gesture.

“We’re proud of you, honey,” Aunt Olivia
said, her light green eyes damp. “I wish we could be there, but…I’m
sure Quincy’s right. We were inadvertently restricting you in our
lessons. Without us there, you’ll have the faith in yourself that
you need to extend your wings.”

Sophia shifted uncomfortably and looked at
the ground. Her father gave her a gentle smile.

“We look forward to hearing all about it when
you get back,” he said.

She looked up and nodded. Quincy adjusted the
satchel he wore across his body. It rattled as the items inside
shifted. Although Uncle James raised an eyebrow over the obviously
full bag, he didn’t comment. He did, however, catch Quincy’s
gaze.

“Take care of her,” he said.

Quincy nodded. Then he looked down at Sophia.
“Ready?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said.

Tate saw the lie resonate in the word. Sophia
caught her gaze in warning, not that Tate was going to call her on
it. She smiled and stepped forward to give her cousin a hug.

“Try to have fun, Soph. I know you’ll do
great.”

As she watched Quincy lead her cousin into
the forest toward adventure, Tate felt the desire to go with them
like an ache in her chest. Instead, she turned with her aunt and
uncle and headed to the training paddock. And the mundane.

The tai chi session came to a finish as she
neared. Aunt Olivia led the children to their lessons as Uncle
James joined her father and Uncle Gabriel near the weights. Aunt
Amber watched her approach as she wiped her face with a towel.

“You need to stretch?” her aunt asked. She
was never one for idle chit-chat.

“Nah,” Tate replied. “I did my warm-up
routines earlier.”

“Cool. Why don’t you and Tiege pair up? I’ll
get everyone else set up with their weapons and then we’ll see how
you’re coming along with your new form.”

“Okay.” She glanced at her brother as he
finished drinking some water and strode toward her. “Ready for some
hand-to-hand?” she asked.

“You mean am I ready to kick your ass?” he
returned with a grin. “You bet.” When she didn’t return his smile
or give a snarky rejoinder, his grin faded. “You’re still upset
that Mom and Dad said no?”

She shrugged. He already knew the answer.
They knew each other as well as any two individuals possibly
could.

“You know it’s a lousy idea, Tate,” he
pointed out pragmatically. “We have no idea what things are really
like away from home.”

That was exactly her point, she thought in
growing frustration as she glanced at the break in the trees where
Quincy and her cousin disappeared. She didn’t have any idea what it
was like out there. And she very much wanted to.

“You’d only get yourself into trouble,” Tiege
continued as he twisted sideways in another stretch. “Your skills
aren’t sharp enough.”

That set her temper to a fiery pitch. She was
sick and tired of the lack of faith in her abilities. How on the
entire Estilorian plane could anyone
know
she would fail to
protect herself if she’d never been given the chance to prove
it?

Just as she opened her mouth to retort, she
noticed her parents as well as her aunts and uncles stop their
activities and look alertly toward the path leading from Uncle
Gabriel and Aunt Amber’s house. They all instinctively moved into
defensive positions and exchanged glances, and she knew they were
sharing thoughts. Tiege also moved into a defensive position,
standing in front of her as everyone gathered near them.

Tate watched as the class elders, Jabari,
Uriel, Zayna, Malukali, Sebastian and Knorbis appeared on the path.
Only the elders could find the enchanted location of the three
homes without assistance, as they had been involved in creating the
powerful protections. Tate wondered about the meaning behind their
arrival. Because it hadn’t been announced, it surely meant
something significant.

As curious as she was, though, she couldn’t
help but notice that everyone’s attention centered on them and not
on her.

Her parents and her aunts and uncles left the
training paddock to approach the elders. Her cousin, Joshua, walked
up to Tiege and nudged him with his elbow, and the two of them
exchanged theories while they watched the adults converse. Tate saw
her father look back at them briefly before turning his attention
back to the elders.