Beloved (13 page)

She snuggled under the covers and thought of the irony of her situation. Kira Edwards was dead and now lay in a coffin of black pine boughs. Nothing could have been more fitting.

Octavion sat near the fire watching Altaria spread out her bedding. The day, like the eight before it, had been long and unsuccessful, but Altaria still insisted they travel by horseback. She was certain she’d sense Kira at some point and be able to locate her with the help of the Crystor. Octavion was skeptical and extremely impatient. He’d rather leap from one location to another and avoid the long hours straddling a horse.

“Why didn’t you go hunting with Luka and Cade?” she asked while finding a comfortable position.

“It is best if we stay in pairs. You and I can hunt tomorrow night.”

She stopped moving about and tossed him one of her ‘are you kidding me’ glares. “I do not need a guardian. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I think I have proven that these past few days.”

“I am not your guardian. I told Luka and Cade the same thing. I merely think it is safer if we do not wander off alone, that is all.”

“Right.” She drew a blanket over herself and mumbled something under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” She turned her back to him and readjusted her blanket.

It was hard not to think of her as his responsibility and she knew that. All the time he spent on Earth trying to keep her out of trouble had created a bond between them, but not as her brother, but guardian and protector. It was hard for him to switch gears and think of her as an equally strong Royal, especially since he’d once again promised his father to watch after her. Of course, he wouldn’t tell her that. She’d probably venture out on her own just to prove a point.

A log shifted in the pit, sending sparks flying up in the air. One landed on Altaria’s blanket so he reached over and brushed it away.

She rolled over to face him. “What was that for?”

“There was a live spark on you. What was I supposed to do, let it burn through to your skin?” He reached for another log and tossed it on the fire, sending even more sparks into the air.

“You could have said something. I would have taken care of it myself.”

He huffed out the air in his lungs. “You really need to get over this phobia of yours. I get that you can protect yourself. I know you are strong and independent and can shift into a ferocious beast and wipe out an entire village in one fell swoop. I even believe you could fly to the highest mountain-top and declare yourself queen of the entire world if you so desired. It was a spark. I would have brushed it off a horse’s rump if I thought it could cause pain or do damage, so get over yourself.”

Altaria laughed. “Go hunt, brother. You need to get some of that stress out of your system.” She drew the blanket up around her shoulders, exposing an unusual welt around her right wrist.

“Is that the same welt from the other day?” He reached for her, but she pulled her hand back and buried it under the blanket.

“It is nothing.”

“You want me to trust you and treat you like an adult, yet you lie and hide things from me like a child? Let me see it?”

Altaria sat up and slowly drew her hand out from under the blanket. She pulled back her sleeve and rubbed the welt with the tips of her fingers.

Octavion took her hand and leaned closer so he could examine it. He turned it over, first looking at the inside of her wrist and then the back where the welt seemed to be forming strange threads that swirled out across her hand and up her arm. They were barely visible compared to the bright red line that circled her entire wrist.

“Does it hurt?” He touched it with his fingertip and it seemed warmer than the rest of her skin.

“It itches more than anything, but once in a while I feel a twinge of pain or it stings.” She took her hand back and rubbed it again, this time more aggressively. “I think it’s because of the Crystor. Remember when Kira tried to cut the Crystor off and it made my wrist bleed? I can only guess that the same kind of thing is happening to her wrist, that either the Crystor is changing shape or it’s causing same kind of welt on her. I don’t know what it means or why it would do that, but I hope it means our connection is getting stronger.”

Octavion brushed his fingers through his hair. He’d never seen one of his creations take on a life of its own, but then his father had put his own charm on it, so Octavion had no idea what it was capable of doing? “If it changes, let me know. And keep trying to contact her through your thoughts.”

“We both are. Lydia’s pleas are non-stop.”

“How is Lydia doing, anyway?” He had to admit he missed having her around. She was much easier to talk to than her kindred spirit, although Lydia’s sassy attitude had seemed to rub off on Altaria and now it was like they both were in control, giving him constant grief.

“Eager to get out, but she knows it’s important for her to stay hidden. We’ve also come to an agreement on my shifting. She’s all right with it as long as I warn her and give her a moment or two to prepare. I guess shifting into animals is quite traumatic to her commoner blood, so she has to withdraw deeper than usual. I wish she’d said something before. I didn’t realize it would cause her pain.”

“You would think, being in the same body, you two would have learned to communicate better by now.”

Altaria smiled. “You have no idea. Before, the only kinds of communication between us was arguing and trying to outdo each other. I was a fool. It took us being separated and almost losing each other for us to realize how valuable we are as kindred spirits and how much we care for one another.”

“About time you came to that conclusion.” He leaned back with his hands behind his head and used his saddle as a pillow. “A little less drama would sure make all of our lives better.”

“Very funny.” Altaria rolled over and tucked her hands under the blanket. “Go hunt and let me get some sleep.”

But he didn’t leave. Instead, he focused on the crescent moons peeking through the gaps between the trees. The moons would be new in a few days and he worried if Kira would find a safe place to hide. He hoped Ussay had taught her enough about how not to entice Royals, especially during the new moon phase. And as much as he hated to admit it, he hoped she was right about Nigel’s oath to be her protector. In spite of his opinion of the Darkord, Nigel was a strong Royal and could keep her safe. If he didn’t turn on her.

Octavion closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He needed to find her, and soon.

Kira slid her knife out of its sheath and carved a notch in one of the larger branches framing her pod. Twelve notches in all marked how many days she’d been in Lairdor. In that short time she’d learned to love the people and knew each one by name. Out of nineteen Royals, nine were Darkords in various stages of losing their gifts. Jaya was the only Royal child. That left nine commoners—three children and six adults—and one world traveler, as Blayde had described her more than once. He made it sound like that’s what Kira did for a profession—traveling from one world to another like a vacuum salesman going from house to house.

The lid to her pod flew open and Blayde stood over her, his hands on his hips. “Sun is up. You going to sleep all day?”

She’d learned on the first day of her so-called lessons that there were no days off. She had to be on her toes every second—day and night. But then, so did he. Or at least in her opinion he did.

She swung her knife to distract him, while grabbing his ankle and pulling his foot out from under him, regretting it instantly. Because a moment later she hung by her ankles from the highest branch of the tree as it swayed back and forth in a brisk wind. A blue and orange bird the size of a fat rooster perched on the bottom of her foot. She wiggled her toes and it flew away, but not before depositing a green lump of goo on a twig next to her head. The odor nearly made her puke.

“Blayde! Get me down!” She wiggled and squirmed, but whatever he’d used to tie her ankles wouldn’t give way.

From behind her came an all too familiar chuckle. “Time you learned how to get yourself out of trouble.”

“Well next time I’ll just shock you and we’ll see who needs help then.” She twisted at the waist to try to see where he stood, but it was no use. She was stuck.

“You do not get second chances out here, Kira. Your first shot should be your best. Now climb up there and get your feet free.”

“How?”

“Bend at the waist and use your pant legs to climb up to your ankles. Adjust your weight so it is all on one leg. That should allow you to loosen the vine that is wrapped around your other ankle.” He hopped down to a branch in front of her so she could see his feet, but he was still too far away for her to reach him.

Following his instructions wasn’t as easy as it sounded. For one thing, her balance was off because he’d leaped to get her there. But that wasn’t the worst part. Her loose shirt was not only exposing her midriff, but was threatening to give him quite a show. She first tried to tuck the hem in her pants, but when it slipped out, she unbuttoned it half way up—or rather down in this situation—and tied it around her stomach.

Blayde leaned precariously against the trunk of the tree and crossed his arms. “It is my turn to scrounge for food. If I have to wait much longer, we will all starve.”

“Shut up!” She reached for a handful of pant fabric only to find it too tight against her thighs. She’d have to get a little swing going so she could reach below her knees where her trousers were a little looser.

He chuckled again. “You missed.”

She didn’t respond. Instead, she focused on the blood that flowed through her veins and the power she drew from the Crystor. Her eyes grew colder and colder until every detail around her popped in vivid detail. She bent at the waist and then straightened, pumping her arms back and forth until she had a good swing going, then put all her energy into one last attempt to reach her ankles. On the final swing she made contact with the toe of her shoe and held tight while using her other hand to free her foot from the vine. Once she did that, she was able to free the other. She jumped down, landing on her feet in front of Blayde.