Guardians of the Akasha (27 page)

Amber slipped underneath the steps and waited in the dark. The guard returned with the raft, tied it to the pole and went back up the steps, his boots passing inches from Amber’s face. She heard him lock the door in the wall and waited for everything to be quiet before she crept onto the raft, untied it, and slowly made her way over the water. The cook and her assistant had already disappeared down the road, but Amber wasn’t going that way. She knew who could help her find Keira, and find her quick.

The little girl felt a great weight lift from her shoulders as she flitted through the dark trees.

I’m getting help! Mama, Papa, I’ll be back soon!

Her feet found the path that she and Justin used to take so often—it seemed a lifetime ago—and she kept on running until she reached the clearing in the woods where the wolf pack lived.

She fell down to her knees on the soft grass, panting from exhaustion, and only looked up when a cold, wet nose snuffled her neck.

“Varg!” she called in relief, and threw her arms around the big wolf’s neck. “I am so happy to see you!” She was soon surrounded by the rest of the pack, each wolf coming up to greet and reassure her.

Amber giggled as the young pups fell over each other in their eagerness to reach her, and she spent a few happy moments scratching ears and furry tummies, until reality came crashing back.

She turned to the big male wolf. “Varg, I need your help. I need to find Keira, tonight! Do you know where she is?”

Varg and Ylva looked at each other, and Amber could swear she saw the silent communication between them. Varg stood up and came to stand next to her. He nudged her with his nose and looked at his back.

“You want me to…. Do you really mean it?” Amber asked, incredulously. The wolves had never before allowed her or Justin to ride on their backs, even when they were very small.

“Are you sure? I mean, I’m not little anymore,” she asked again.

The wolf looked her up and down with disdain, as if trying to say that he could carry a much heavier load than her slight body.

“Okay,” Amber laughed, grabbed a handful of fur and jumped onto Varg’s back. She felt his powerful shoulder muscles under her hands. She had scant time to shift her seat as he sprang away. Trees flew past them in a continuous blur of motion. Amber could only bend forward and cling to his fur for dear life as Varg ran on and on.

Chapter 30

It was their second night as guests at the Herberg and, once again, Keira couldn’t sleep.

Their landing at the airstrip the previous evening had been uneventful, except for a token resistance from a handful of Watchers who quickly dispersed when Marco sent a fireball their way.

“Now he’ll definitely know we’re on our way,” Adam had grumbled.

“Good,” Keira replied as they all bundled into a big SUV sent by Magda, the Herberg’s owner. They’d arrived late, but the friendly proprietress and her husband welcomed them with warm smiles and bowls of steaming
goulash
. Keira learned that Magda was also a Guardian. She had earth magick and was proud of the home-grown ingredients in their dinner. “I show you gardens tomorrow,
ja
?” she beamed.

This morning, after a night of fitful tossing and turning, Keira had finally gotten up only to find Marco and Yoshi already at the breakfast table.

“You look as tired as I feel,” she said and helped herself to some fresh bread rolls, cold meat and cheese.

“Hmm,” Marco acknowledged and took a sip from what looked like very strong, very black coffee.

“What’s the plan for today?” Keira asked and wondered if she could stomach some of that coffee.

“We wait for everyone to arrive. They should all be here by tonight,” Marco said.

Alison and Sammy joined them and after their own breakfast, Keira suggested they go for a walk outside. She felt herself relaxing as her friends laughed and joked and tried, not very subtly, to distract her from what lay ahead.

Sammy regaled them with tales of her holiday romances and Alison blushed when they asked her about unemployed ski instructors. All three girls appreciated the view when they discovered Magda’s blond, broad-shouldered son working in her vegetable garden.

The rest of the Draaken had arrived at intervals throughout the day. First came Adam’s sisters. They could be heard a mile away as they sang an infectious ditty and everyone’s feet started tapping.

“Stop it!” Adam thundered and they complied with laughs and giggles while hugging him from both sides.

Next came Chloe, Rafael, and Justin. Rafael disappeared inside with his brother to discuss strategy, while Chloe joined the girls outside and Justin went off exploring.

When they went in for lunch, Chetan, Zina, and Kamau were already there, talking with Magda’s husband.

“Oh, I didn’t see you arrive,” Keira smiled and greeted her friends.

“We came in a while ago; I had to feed this man first before I came to say hallo,” Zina said with a soft glance at her fiancé.

“Keira,” Chetan said and nodded a welcome.

She took a seat at the table and soon the conversation was flowing, along with a steady stream of German
weissbeer
, most of which flowed in Adam’s direction.

“Is it a prerequisite that every Draaken member has to be drop-dead gorgeous?” Sammy whispered to Keira.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Keira whispered. “And stop drooling!”

It was early evening and they were gathered in the living room, when Simone strolled in and hooked her arm through Marco’s. “Did I miss anything?” she asked.

“No, but now that everyone is here, we can iron out the last details,” Marco said and extracted his arm.

They’d planned their approach to the castle late into the night, agreeing that they would leave the Herberg midmorning the next day. Magda’s husband, Dieter, would take them across the border, following old loggers’ tracks, and into the forest. From the drop-off point, they would hike through the forest and reach the castle just before dusk. Dieter offered to take them right up to the castle’s gates, but Marco declined. He wanted to arrive unannounced.

“Early twilight is a good time to attack,” Chetan agreed. “The drawbridge and gate face west. The sun will be in their eyes.”

It was past midnight when everyone drifted off to bed. Marco walked Keira to her room. “Long day tomorrow,” he said. “I hope you get some sleep.”

“You too,” she said and hesitated in front of her door.

“Goodnight,” he nodded and continued walking down the hallway to his own room.

“Goodnight.”

*****

Now, Keira paced up and down in her room. She looked out the window, then paced some more and thought over their plan. Tomorrow they would cross the border and make their way to the castle. They had done what Yoshi had suggested. Marco had divided them into groups of two, and each group had their own orders. Still, they were no closer to finding the traitor and Marco didn’t want to take any chances with the mission.

Keira was going stir-crazy. She quickly pulled her boots on, grabbed her jacket, and left the room. She walked out onto the Herberg’s wide front porch; it reminded her so much of Cassandra’s cabin that she immediately felt calmer. She took a few deep breaths of the crisp mountain air and felt her mind begin to clear.

“Couldn’t sleep?” a deep voice asked behind her.

“Oh!” Keira gasped.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Marco said and stood up from the bench he was sitting on.

“No,” she smiled. “It’s okay. I didn’t expect anyone to be out here. I thought you’d gone to bed?”

“Couldn’t sleep either.” He stood next to her and together they looked up at the sky. There were no other buildings near the Herberg, no outbuildings either, so the stars were visible in all their shining glory. It felt as if they were standing at the centre of the Universe, surrounded by its magnificence.

“It is so beautiful,” Keira whispered, awed by Mother Nature’s display.

“Yes,” he agreed.

His voice hinted at a double meaning. Keira suddenly wanted to ask him what happened that night in the tent, why he left so suddenly. But she didn’t ask. She didn’t want to look like a needy fool.

“Keira,” he said. “I don’t know when we will be alone again, but I have to ask you—what do you plan to do once we reach the castle?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, avoiding the question.

“You haven’t taken part in the discussions today, not once. It is clear you have your own plan. Now the rest of the group has their instructions. Everyone is ready and they are assuming that you and I will join the battle to retake the castle. But we won’t, will we?”

“What do you mean ‘we’? You are joining the Draaken to create a distraction. I will enter the castle alone.”

“No,” he said, quite calm.

“You have to, it is the way it is supposed to be.”

“No,” he said again.

“What do you mean ‘no?”. You don’t have a choice, I never said you’d come with me.”

“I never said I’d let you go in alone. Besides, I
have
a choice, too, and that choice is to not leave you. I know you are going after the Book. It is dangerous and it is my mission to protect you,” he said.

“Marco, please,” she said. “I have to do this and you’ll be in the way. Besides, the group needs you to lead them.”

“Trying to make me feel guilty won’t work,” he said, amused at her attempt at convincing him.

“It’s not funny! I’m serious,” she insisted.

“You’re right, this is anything but funny. However, the others can cope without me. I am not so sure that you can.”

“Oh really?” she said, quite insulted.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he was laughing again.

“Oh, keep quiet,” she huffed. “You are not going with me and that is that!”

Silence greeted her statement. She peered at him through the dark; she could only see his silhouette leaning against a post.

“I meant it!” she said again, wanting to make sure he got the message.

He still didn’t answer, only walked slowly towards her. Keira gave an uncertain step back into the balustrade behind her.

His dark shape loomed over her as he bent his face towards her.

“I—am—not—leaving you!” he growled.

“You did before…. Twice!” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Damn it!

He sucked in his breath. The silence between them was loaded with her accusation.

When she couldn’t stand it anymore, her nerves stretched to breaking point, she stammered “I—I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you are right. I have left you before. It is no wonder you think I would be capable of doing so again. But this is different.”

“How?” she asked in a small voice.

“Because, I am sworn to protect you. I gave Victoria my word as Leader of my Family—as Commander of the Draaken. The first time—in the tent—I was endangering you.” He looked almost affronted by her not understanding.

“Oh, that is utter bull-twang!” Keira cried, hands on her hips and eyes flashing. “Please explain how exactly you were ‘endangering’ me?”

Marco made a noise that sounded like something between a curse and a laugh. “By placing my needs first. I was selfish, I wanted you for myself. But we have duties to our Families and to the Akasha. We cannot get distracted,” his voice was low and insistent. “Then, at Cassandra’s cabin, you were safe and protected. I had to get away from you. If I had followed my needs, you would not have been able to concentrate on your training and fulfill your destiny.”

“Well, if that isn’t the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard,” Keira said. “Not only are you seriously overestimating your effect on me, you are also underestimating my powers of concentration!”

Keira felt ridiculous even as the words left her mouth.
He wanted me
, was all she could think.
Stop it, stop it! Stop acting like a love-struck idiot. He may want you, but that is all. He cares more about his duty….

“You speak about duty—well, I have a duty too,” she found her voice again.

“Yes, and that involves keeping yourself safe!” Marco had his hands around her upper arms.

“Marco….”

The next moment he was kissing her as if his life depended on it. Her eyes were wide open, shocked. He was devastating her mouth, ravishing her lips. Then he wrenched his face away from hers and glared at her.

“What…?” she stammered.

“I am not letting you go again,” he said.

“Okay,” her smile grew of its own volition and she put her arms around his neck. It was her turn to pull him close, and this time the kiss was softer, a gentle exploration of velvet and satin. She closed her eyes with a sigh.

This is where I belong
, Keira thought as the world faded away around them.

He lifted her up and seated her on the top of the porch’s balustrade. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he stood, holding her firmly against him. His lips left fiery trails down her neck and along her collarbone.

*****

Amber’s eyes streamed with tears from the cold, predawn wind whipping across her face, and her fingers were starting to cramp. “Hurry, we must hurry!” she whispered into Varg’s ear through blue-numb lips. The big wolf seemed to understand as he put in an extra burst of energy and they went even faster. Suddenly, they were flying, hanging in the air for an impossible amount of time as Varg cleared a river in one jump and landed lightly on the other side. He ran on, ignoring Amber’s sharp gasp of fear.

They crossed one last hill and then Varg came to such a sudden stop that Amber almost flew over his head. She caught herself at the last moment and slid down his flank onto the ground in a frozen heap. The wolf panted from the effort of running for hours on end; then he threw his head back and howled at the sky.

*****

Marco stood back and smiled at Keira. He lifted his hand and gently rubbed her lips with his thumb.

“You look as if you’ve been ravished, my dear,” he teased softly.

She stroked his cheek in return, feeling the start of a stubble. “I loved being ravished,” she whispered.