Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) (26 page)

Luke shook his head, "I can't let
you go."  Desperation was etched into the lines of his face as he searched
for another way out of this.

Nicole kissed his lips softly then
stepped back, "There's no other way."  Before she could say more a
firm hand tugged at her arm.  She stepped into the group of warriors and
followed Loch out the gateway.

Not a prison to keep her locked away. 
No shackles to hold her tight.  Not a mildew filled and sun-poor room deep
underground.  Nicole sat on a plush sofa staring blankly at the wall in front
of her.  The sitting area of the room was large enough to be considered a
living room in most homes.  The room…
her
room was well lit and
inviting.  All the comforts of home if you didn't notice the guard that stood
on her balcony and the one outside her bedroom door
—
both holding
semi-automatic rifles.

No one had made any demands on her. 
There had been no interrogations, no test of her powers and no push for her
loyalty since she arrived at Loch's estate.  A guard had escorted her into this
room almost a full forty eight hours ago and left.  There had been trays of
food brought in at the correct time for each meal but Nicole hadn't eaten.  She
only waited, wondered, and worried.  Nicole waited for what was to come,
wondered if Luke would have time to prepare before his father staged an attack
on the kingdom and  worried;  lots of worries ate away at her mind.

War was coming.  She made the call
herself.  In those moments staring into Loch's and Teya's eyes she knew there
was no way around it.  Teya wanted power and control just like Loch.  She
didn't care if her people were wilting away, growing weaker and weaker until
there wouldn't be a fae race left.  She would sit by and let the race drift
away and, in the end, it would be the same end result.  Loch would have his
genocide.  The entire fairy race would be wiped out.

How could she fix this when it seemed
the leaders of both sides were working toward the same goal?  Nicole kept
wrapping her mind around it again and again, trying to see the whole story but
something felt off.  A large piece of the map was missing and she needed to
find it to reach the correct point.

The door to her room opened but she
didn’t rise or look up.  Nicole continued to stare at the same spot on the wall
uncaring about her visitor.

"Why are you refusing to
eat?"  Loch sat in a chair across from her.

"What does it matter?  I'm immortal
so I won't starve."

"True.  But it will make you
weak."  He was right.  With each passing hour her limbs became heavier and
her mind became cloudier.  Even now, if the opportunity presented itself she
knew that she couldn't effectively attack Loch.  Maybe she could get a small
ball of fire or a wisp of wind to form but it would only fall flat before it
could do any damage.

Nicole didn't respond so Loch continued,
"Do you not appreciate the living accommodations?"

"It's just another prison."

"I guess you would see it that
way."  Loch stood cutting off her view to the spot that had been her
escape.  "Did you ever ask yourself why the warrior leader lives here in
your world?"

Nicole had wondered that when she had
been held in the basement of his estate.  She had expected the warriors to have
their own kingdom or fortress just like the fae but instead they live in the
same world as humans.  She thought it was their choice since they could blend
in with humans so easily but maybe she was wrong.

"Fae and warriors used to live in
the same kingdom.  The castle you just left was also shared by the King of the
warriors.  We protected the fae so it only made sense to stay close.  Our races
shared everything.  But as time passed the fairy race stopped looking at
warriors as their equals.  We went from being the strong protectors of the fae
to being no more than servants.  Then when your grandmother Titania fell in
love with her warrior she tried to change that way of thinking.  She wanted
that equality to come back but it was for her own self-serving interest not her
love of the warrior race."

"What does that matter?  Your
people would have had their place back," snapped Nicole.  She could not
tolerate the picture he was trying to paint of her grandmother.  Titania was
the only person, even if in spirit, that had been her constant guide.  And she
was family.

A ring of red brightened Loch's eyes. 
He was not one to be questioned and it was clear he would not tolerate it long. 
"Her idea of a union would lead to a mixed race.  A race like you.  No one
wants that."  He stared at her like she was diseased.

"So kill me and put an end to
it!"  Nicole stared fearlessly into his eyes.  Death would be the way to
end it all then.  No mixed blood would remain so there would be no need for
war.

A dark laugh came from inside Loch;
taunting and knowing.  "You're death will not end this."  His
laughter shut off as fast as it appeared, Loch's very presence was pressing
down on Nicole.  Drilling deeper into her head with each second his eyes met
hers.  "But deaths by your hand will.  The fae kingdom will be mine
because everyone will see that the Princess herself is loyal to her warrior
blood.  That means more than any amount of pain I could inflict under my own
command."

"But you made a deal with Teya. 
You said that you would leave the kingdom alone if she gave me to you."

"And why would I consider keeping
my word to her?"  A smile crossed his lips, "Did you know Teya locked
the gateway to the Fairy burial grounds?"  He chuckled, "I'm guessing
by the confused look on your face that you didn't.  It's actually very clever
of her.  She locks away the power so that there will never be a fae born
stronger than she is.  It insures that she keeps the throne.  Well, that is
unless you had decided to take it from her."

Nicole was reeling on the inside though
she kept her face slated.  Every last word about Teya made sense.  The way she
belittled her in front of people, the way she made her feel like an outsider
—
all of it was
Teya's way of keeping Nicole from thinking about wanting the throne for
herself.  She had done it too, and so easily.  Made Nicole seem like a child
who couldn't take care of herself and Nicole had fell right into her role like
a fool.  Inwardly Nicole groaned as the pieces fell into place.

"Now, it's time for you to play
your part.  You
will
lead my troops into war.  You will be their general
and I will have what's mine," Loch's voice was confident and commanding.

Nicole stared at him then after a moment
right through him.  She was done listening.  She would not fight on his
behalf.  All her time had been spent trying to find a way to avoid this war so
she wouldn't allow herself to end up fighting on Loch's side of the
battlefield.

Loch walked to the door, "If you
refuse to fight I will kill them all.  All, as in that whole pathetic town you
call your home back in Alabama, including your father.  I'm done playing
games."

**~***~**

Sleep came to Nicole in fitful bursts. 
A single nightmare repeated again and again each time the darkness took her.

She was standing in the middle of a
battlefield, explosions and gun fire all around her, but she was frozen. 
Frozen by fear and confusion.  Frozen by not knowing who the enemy was as
bodies blurred around her: warrior and fae alike.  The fog cleared a little
allowing her to move but she refuses to fight anyone, dodging attacks, ducking
bullets until she falls to the ground.  When she tried to crawl forward she was
suddenly staring into the lifeless eyes of Slade.  His body was charred by fire
but his face remained for her to bear witness to what her decisions instigated.

Digging her fingers into the ground she
crawled closer to Slade but just as she reached out to close his haunting eyes
a boot met the back of her head smashing her face down into the blood spattered
dirt.  Just when she thought she was going to suffocate the pressure released and
allowed her to roll over only to meet the blue glow of Luke's palm.  She could
see his face behind the power, glaring at her with cold black orbs. "You
should have chosen me sooner,"   He hissed as a burst of power escaped his
hands.

Nicole awoke gripping her chest where
she was sure the fire had drilled a hole into her skin.  Tears rolled down her
face while she struggled to catch her breath.  Her eyes darted around in
confusion before she realized that she was still in Loch's estate.  A fate just
as bad as the nightmare.

Sleep did not return to her that night
and dawn brought no singing birds or happy thoughts.  Nicole sat in a straight
back chair watching the bedroom door.  She was dressed and ready just as she
was instructed the night before.  A black military uniform was brought to wear
so that she matched the rest of the warrior army.  She pulled her hair back
into a simple braid before taking her seat to wait for her "training". 
Once again she would be trained by the warriors.  Only this time it would be
Loch's warriors so she could lead them into battle against the fae.

After the fitful night without rest only
one conclusion felt real: she would be a fool to pass up learning what Loch's
army had to offer.  She would contribute on the battlefield by learning the
weaknesses of her enemy and using that knowledge to burn them down.  Loch could
try to control her but she would always try be one step ahead.  "Smarts
will win over brute force in this war," she told herself.

"You've got to be kidding me,"
hissed Nicole when she walked inside the training arena.  Obstacles courses,
target dummies, weights, and various mats were placed around a building the
size of a football field.  All were occupied by warriors honing their skills
which, from Nicole's vantage point, looked perfectly polished already.  She
only had a few moments to take in the spectacle before all attention turned on
her.  Fighting the pressing feeling she should run, Nicole lifted her head and
walked out into the center of the floor.

Nicole's eyes were drawn to a window
high above where Loch and Mr. Casey, the man she had met at Slade's cocktail
party, sat watching the show below.  Within seconds the crowd descended,
surrounding her.  The tension pressed in on Nicole but she held her ground.

"Hey there, sweetheart," taunts
came from a broad but slender warrior with a scar running from the edge of his
lip in an arch up to his ear like a half smile.  "I've been looking
forward to our playtime."  He skillfully spun a small silver throwing
knife in his hand.  Before Nicole could react he buried it in the mat between
her feet.

Without hesitation Nicole yanked the
knife from the floor and sent a streak of silver through the air.  The blade
cut a red trail across the warrior's unscarred cheek before he knew what hit
him.  "That was your warning.  Next time I'll make sure it's deep enough
to have you wearing a permanent smile all the way across that ugly face."

The man wiped the blood from his cheek
with the back of his hand then lunged forward smashing into a body that wasn't
there seconds ago.  "Brien, her warning was clear," Claude commanded
the room with his strong voice.  Nicole was taken aback by the authority that
resonated off the man she had once thought to be no more than Slade's driver
and body guard.  The black uniform suited him, like he had donned this role for
years.  The crowd backed away silently but the message was clear: Nicole wasn't
welcome here.