Shadow Borne (23 page)

"Let's run!" Someone else shouted from the
outskirts of the group gathered in a wide circle around Mark,
Aranu, Claire, Mike and me.

"No!" I roared, eyes narrowing on the
soldiers gathered close. "No one runs until they're told. Panic and
chaos will bring us nothing but death today." I didn't bother to
point out the high probability that death would claim us today
anyway. Instead, I launched straight into my plan.

"Spread out, nymphs, and move down the fence
line. We've got to be quick." I instructed. "There's a lot of fence
to illuminate and very little time left."

I took my place at the fence, concentrated
on how the shimmering used to look and exhaled close to the wood.
Tiny glowing sparkles danced around the post and I had to admit,
while it wasn't an exact replica of what the Matrons had done–it
looked damn close.

"Wow." Claire murmured, "Ari, I think…this
could work." She eyed the two-by-four section of lit up fencing
with shrewd speculation. "What can I do to help?"

"Stand there and act like we're not about to
be slaughtered." I answered, before turning to Mark and the other
men. "You've all got to go. Right now. I don't want to chance any
of those things seeing you, so go back that way, toward the
village."

"No way." Mark planted his hands on his
hips.

"Like Hell." Aranu added.

"Have you lost your mind?" Mike exploded,
oblivious to the hard stare Aranu leveled on him.

"Hardly." I bit out before forcing myself to
take a deep breath and be diplomatic. "Listen, for this to work we
have to be convincing. Those things–and possibly even Kahn and the
Lahuel–have to believe there's nothing wrong here, nothing out of
the ordinary." I stressed. "In other words, no reason for us to
rally the troops."

"She's right," Claire gestured to the golden
shimmer that cast it's light over the clearing and the band of
woodland nymphs who'd already moved further down the fence line,
hastily casting their artificial shimmer as they went. "They have
to believe we're still protected by the enchantment. Please." She
looked first at her husband, then her brother.

"We aren't leaving." Mark's voice rang with
cold authority.

"If those Coatyl come through the fence at
us, there won't be a damn thing you or your men can do about it." I
pointed out.

"I said we aren't leaving."

"Then at least hide in the trees behind us."
I sighed, knowing it was all the compromise we were likely to get
from the stubborn jackasses.

"Unbelievable. Just what happens if this
plan of yours doesn't work?" Mike demanded.

I flipped him a
single glance over one shoulder. "Then I guess we'll all die."

Chapter
Eleven

Aunt Ingenia used to say a warrior's
greatest honor was to die in defense of the ones he loved. A
warrior's second greatest honor was to die in battle–preferably one
in which the defense of loved ones was at stake. Staring at the
shocked, doe-eyed faces gathered around me, I could only surmise
that aunt Ingenia had been full of crap. It was pretty obvious that
the other nymphs didn't feel any more honored than I did. Putting
aside the fact that my aunt would have keeled over had she lived
long enough to see her only niece don leather armor and pick up a
blade, I wasn't at all certain this is what she meant by 'battle'.
Because honestly, to me at least, it looked more like an impending
mass slaughter.

"Aranu?" I raised a brow in his direction
and waited until I had his full attention.

"Yes?"

"Do you feel honored right now?"

"Do I what?"

"Feel honored." I repeated, idly fingering
the feathered end of one of my arrows.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Just answer the question." I sighed,
slipping the arrow between the strings of the blow and clasping the
weapon lightly between fingers that were, somehow, remarkably
steady.

"No." he finally said. There was a wealth of
anger in that single, clipped word.

"You do realize you can't
stay here." When his eyes clashed with mine, I reminded him of the
plan. "If the Coatyl–when the Coatyl–come to the clearing, they're
going to wonder why we're all here and armed to the teeth, to boot.
And if they notice that, then they might start to notice other
things, too." I explained with exaggerated patience. "Little
things, you know, like how
the lights on
the fence don't all look exactly alike.

"Aries–"

I pressed cold fingers to the well-worn
leather band on his arm, keeping my touch brief, fleeting, like
ripping off a Band-Aid. "The other soldiers wouldn't expect you to
argue with me. We can't afford this right now, Aranu. Time is a
luxury today, and it's not on our side. You have to go."

"Like hell.” he cursed viciously. "I'm not
leaving you alone here–"

"You have to." I bit out, truly irritated
now. Whether it was coming from a good place or not, Aranu was
about to get us killed. I glanced around and then behind us, where
Mark and most of the other men had retreated to lay in wait
for...whatever was to come.

Death, I realized. The single word
reverberated through my head as I went toe to toe with Aranu,
matching him scowl for scowl. Inside, horror became a deep,
blooming stain working it's way through my veins. Death was coming
for us, for sure, if Aranu didn't leave and take the rest of his
men with him. Fifty or so warriors stood tersely by, forming a
loose, protective semi-circle around the nymphs. Except, in
reality, they weren't protecting us at all. And if I didn't make
Aranu leave...Fuck.

I had to make him leave. Minutes that we
couldn't afford to spare were ticking by and I knew he would never
leave willingly, on his own. How the hell was I supposed to 'make'
him leave?

Aranu's grip on my arm tightened and his
chest heaved. And then it came to me. I had to convince him he
wasn't wanted here. Because that was why he was here, refusing to
leave my side. It wasn't just some misplaced sense of loyalty; it
wasn't about childhood friendships. Aranu loved me. I could see
that now.

So that was it, then–I had to hurt him, and
it had to be convincing. I tilted my head to the side and regarded
him through eyes that were beginning to sting with moisture and for
a second the forest, the artificially bright fence, the tension
weaving thickly around us, was gone. For a moment, time stood
frozen and I flashed on another time. Another life, deep in a
gilded forest, not far from the dome...

My legs didn't work.
I gasped and struggled in complete and total panic before figuring
out I actually could feel my legs. Not gone, then, and probably not
broken. Exhaling, I let myself go limp and concentrated on
breathing normally for a few minutes. Gradually, my eyes became
focused enough to see clearly and I took full stock of my
surroundings.

Thick, heavy
blankets were wrapped snugly around me and piled high over me. I
shoved weakly at the covers and struggled to sit up, but it just
wasn't happening. So weak...

When I lifted my
head, the beige canvas tent walls swayed around me and my stomach
seemed to lurch that much closer to my throat. I was in a tent?
Minutes ticked by and a strange warmth spread its way across my
arms and up my neck until my entire face was infused with heat,
like I'd been laying too close to a fire. My eyes widened. Was I
laying next to a fire?

My tongue snaked out
to wet lips that were cracked and dry. The heat flared and I
groaned. Time stopped and around me, the world burned. But wait, it
wasn't the world, only me. Brief flashes of awareness broke through
the fog that was doing its best to overtake me and I inhaled
deeply, not smelling any smoke. The tent wasn't on fire, then. The
realization was a welcome one but it didn't make me feel much
better. In fact, when I tried to think of a time in my life when
I'd felt worse, I couldn't. And then thinking was too much and the
sea of fog drifted over my head, sucking me into the abyss.

Light. Too bright.
Hands. Stop it. No...and then voices drifted through the mist.

"How is she?" The
strange voice was barely audible and it wasn't one I recognized. He
was talking to someone. So cold. Why is it so cold...

"Her fever's back.
The wet cloth seems to help only for a short time." This voice was
closer and...familiar.

"Is she going to
make it?"

"She'd better. Did
you find them?"

"No. Not yet. It
would help if we knew what the woman looks like, or where they were
being held."

"Well, keep
looking." The closer voice snapped. "I want them found. At the
height of the fevers, she rambles about a girl named Claire, who
was taken along with her. I'm assuming Aries managed to escape and
this Claire wasn't so lucky. I can't exactly question Ari right
now, so you know as much as I do. Just look for any woman in the
company of the guards. If you find one, take her and bring her
here."

"And the
guards?"

"Kill them all."

My eyes wouldn't
open. Darkness was coming for me again. It didn't matter. I was
safe. Aranu...

A voice broke through and the memory
evaporated faster than the time that was steadily ticking by.
"They're coming."

I didn't bother to turn and look at the
speaker. My eyes remained firmly fixed on Aranu. In the back of my
mind, remnants of memories swirled and lingered. Aranu as a small
child, dark skin and large, earnest eyes shining as he gave me his
last cookie after I'd dropped mine on the ground. Aranu standing
between me and Juliette, playing the peacemaker that time we'd
fought over the last juice pouch in the barrel. Fast forward a few
years, to a tall, awkward pre-teen at the base of an impossibly
large Gildwood tree, his arms braced wide as I climbed higher up
the branches.

The breath raced into my
lungs, faster with each passing scene until I was thoroughly and
completely off-kilter. In one final burst, several pictures
ambushed me at once and every single one featured Aranu. And not
the child from our shared youth, but the man. Tall, most of the
time brooding and sometimes in the shadows, on the fringe of my
world...but solid. Always there.
Always...there.

The words echoed in the stillness that, for
a moment, seemed to fill my soul. My lashes brushed against my
cheeks, fleeting, before I stared up at him once more. His eyes
widened, seemed to search mine and his expression softened.

"Please." I whispered, feeling moisture
gather at the corners of my eyes, imploring him without the words
that probably wouldn't have come out right, anyway. "You have to
go."

He leaned forward until his forehead rested
against mine. My heart clenched in time to the long fingers wrapped
around my biceps and I drew in a deep breath.

"I can't leave you here." he said.

"Aries..." Claire's shaky voice intruded on
the moment.

"Aranu." I swallowed back
what I really wanted to say.
I love you.
I'm sorry it took me so long to see it. I don't want to die. I
can't stand the thought of watching you die here today. I think
that maybe I need you...
Dangerous
thoughts. My needing him. Then again, did it really matter now?
Odds were, none of us would survive this night, anyway.

Swallowing past the aching
lump that strained against my throat, I raised trembling hands to
either side of his chest...because right now
he
needed
me
, whether he realized it or not. I
had to make him leave, and to do that I'd have to hurt him. My
heart stuttered at the realization of what I was about to do. But I
drew strength from Claire's silent presence behind me and raised my
eyes to Aranu one more time–and then I shoved him, hard.

"Ari–"

"No." I narrowed my eyes to slits and forced
myself to hold onto the harsh expression. "Don't touch me." I
warned, harnessing all the pent up energy that charged the air
between us. I drank it in and released it in an exasperated sigh.
Inside, my heart was cracking, bleeding. "Why won't you leave,
already? I don't want you here."

Comprehension replaced confusion and he
shook his head. "I know what you're doing, Aries. It won't
work."

Well. Had I really thought it would be that
easy? Injecting a hard edge into my voice, I strove for a demeanor
that straddled the line between indifference and scorn. "You just
don't get it, do you?" I gave a tight little laugh. "I didn't want
to have to do this but you won't listen. So fine. I love you,
Aranu." I stumbled slightly over the words, the mockery I was about
to make of them. "You've been a good friend and I owe you that
much."

My chest rose and fell and I forced myself
to ignore the wounded look that clouded his gold-brown eyes. "But
mostly I feel sorry for you. Since your parents and your sister
died, you've got nobody in your life and I get that you want to be
close to me, but this–" I gestured between us. "This constantly
hanging on my coattails thing has got to stop." My hands curled
into fists at my sides. "I'll always care for you but you're not
the man I'm in love with. I'm sorry."

At this, I deliberately let my eyes slide
toward the tree line to our right, the spot where Mike's light
green T-shirt was just barely visible between darker foliage and
deep brown tree trunks. "You're not him." I said quietly, swiveling
my head back to the stricken man who stood, breathing hard, before
me. "And you never will be. Now please go, and let me do my job.
All you're doing is embarrassing yourself in front of your
men."

"You kissed me back." His voice was harsh
and I steeled myself before delivering the final, killing blow.