Guardian (35 page)

A large shadow fell across the vast throne room. I glanced toward the huge wall of windows overlooking the grounds of Faerydae’s kingdom.

Something large was flying toward the window, blocking the sun from view.

Ian fell to the ground, bleeding. I stepped toward him just as the windows smashed inward and Broud flew into the room.

The huge Unicorn lowered his head as he flew over Ian, driving his horn into something I couldn’t see.

A pain filled scream rent the air as the final shade flickered into sight with Broud’s horn embedded in his torso.

The huge, black unicorn tossed his head with a roar and flung the Shade across the room, where he slid bonelessly across the floor and crashed against the doors. Then Broud fixed his shining golden-brown eyes on Aubrie, and snorted mightily.

He lifted his forelegs into the air and screamed.

Aubrie lifted his sword and ran toward the huge beast.

Broud pounded his wings once, twice, and then flew off the ground, charging Aubrie with his horn, like an enormous bee intending to sting.

Aubrie never had a chance.

As he lifted his sword to pierce the mighty unicorn’s deep, black chest, Broud swung one mighty wing toward the elf and threw him halfway across the room. Aubrie skidded toward the far wall, scrambling to hold onto his sword, as Broud descended on him.

Broud landed mere inches from Aubrie and, with a final scream of rage, lifted off the ground and brought his enormous hooves down on Aubrie’s head and torso.

A horrible crunching sound announced the end of Aubrie.

I ran to Ian and helped him to his feet. He was bleeding from several wounds but none of them seemed serious. I helped him heal them as best I could.

When I turned back around, I found Broud nuzzling the curtains where I’d left Faerydae.

I looked at Ian. “She’s got one of those bands on her wrist.”

He nodded and strode toward Broud. Placing a soothing hand on the beast’s mighty, black shoulder, Ian knelt toward Faerydae.

The queen seemed totally unaware of her beloved friend’s presence.

Broud turned a sad, brown eye toward Ian.

“I’ll see what I can do, friend.”

Ian placed his hands around the band and his aura flared brightly. The iron band clicked and opened into his hands.

Ian threw it across the room.

Faerydae continued to stare blankly. He placed a hand on her forehead and sent his power into her again. Shaking his head he stood up. He looked at me, studiously avoiding Broud’s hopeful gaze. “He’s done something to her mind. There’s a…block of some kind there.”

I frowned. “That’s why he didn’t care if I saved her. He knew she would be no threat to him in her current state.”

Broud threw back his head and screamed again, flapping his mighty wings in anger. I stepped away, but Ian reached a hand to touch the unicorn’s heaving sides. “The Brotherhood, Broud. You must take her to them. If anyone can help her it is the Grigory.”

The angry golden light died from Broud’s eye and he lowered his head in agreement. Ian lifted Faerydae onto Broud’s wide back and twined thick strands of his mane around her stiff fingers. “Fly straight and true, my friend. She depends on you.”

Broud lowered his head again and turned toward the windows. We watched as he took to the air, turning toward the mountain ridge and the monks’ stronghold as he cleared the castle.

Then I turned to Ian. “To Olympus?”

He reached for my hand, sighing. “To Olympus. We have a Trojan Horse to disembowel.”

~ ~
*
~ ~

The gods were in session in the Building of Justice when we arrived. The double, golden doors were closed and two guards stood in front of them. Their eyes were locked on the far wall as we approached. They didn’t acknowledge our presence in any way.

I stopped in front of one and Ian stopped in front of the other. We stared at them for a moment and got no reaction. Finally I said. “We need to go in there.”

The one in front of me acted as if I hadn’t spoken.

Ian’s aura flared and the second guard gasped, his bright blue eyes turning toward me. A look of abject love filled his face. He dropped to one knee before me. “Nuria, Warrior Monad, how may I serve you?”

I blinked and turned to glare at Ian. “Open the door and let us into the chamber.”

The guard nodded and stood, reaching for the door knob. The second guard laid his sword across the doors, stepping into the first guard’s space. “Nay. What ails ye, Michael? Zeus will flay ye alive.”

The unfortunate Michael lifted his sword and met the other guard’s with a clang of steel against steel. “Step away, Thor.”

Thor’s face darkened and he pushed back hard with his sword. “Ass! Can’t ye see they’ve done something to ye?”

Michael flexed his massive arm and Thor suddenly found himself and his sword repelled. “Ye call me a dupe!”

Thor frowned. “Nay, I call ye an ass!”

Michael lifted his sword, his bright blue gaze darkening to resemble the seas in the midst of a roiling storm. “Ye’ll pay for that!”

And they were off. The sound of clanging swords soon filled the beautiful marble entranceway, followed by grunts of pain and effort. I watched the two guards dance away from us with my mouth hanging open.

“Are you coming?”

I turned to find Ian holding the door open. Shaking my head in disbelief, I slid into the Council Chambers before him.

Twelve sets of eyes judged our entrance into the Chambers. Twelve sets of eyes registering a variety of emotions from anger to horror to surprise.

Not one set of eyes was conveying welcome.

I bowed low to the twelve gods seated behind the long table. “Your majesties, I apologize for the interruption, but I have news that you must hear immediately.”

That was when I felt Ian’s aura flaring at my back. A breath later I heard his sword leaving its scabbard. I stood up and looked across the room, into the grinning face of Castor.

A.K.A Pollux.

“Welcome Nuria, Warrior Monad. You’re just in time.”

I glanced at Zeus and returned my gaze to Castor, “In time for what?”

Zeus responded before Castor could. “Pollux has been elected to serve as Guardian of Olympus.”

I looked at Castor and he smiled. I noted the gray pallor of his face and the fine sheen of sweat across his brow. Glancing down, I saw that his hands were shaking noticeably. Apparently the inhabitation spell was not making Castor comfortable in his brother’s body.

I fully intended to help him with that.

I turned to Zeus. “Your majesty, I have news of Castor.”

Zeus frowned. “You have interrupted this council to give us news of a mortal?”

“Not exactly mortal, sir. He shares immortality with his brother.”

Zeus and the rest of the Council turned to stare at Ian. He lifted his chin under their derisive scrutiny. “Who is this creature you have brought before us, Warrior Monad?”

I took a step backward to stand beside Ian. “This is the man you sent me to Earth to find, majesty.”

Zeus’ eyebrows lifted. “The human? You brought a human before the Council?” Zeus’ knuckles whitened on his gavel.

Aphrodite sat forward, her perfect features folding into a frown as she looked upon me. “Were you not instructed to kill this creature?”

I felt Ian tense beside me. His aura flickered once before he pulled it back under control.

I didn’t even try to defend myself on that point. It didn’t matter anymore. “Ian Lavelle is not a human. He’s part elf and part faery.”

Murmurs erupted down the Council table. The twelve gods and goddesses seated there appeared intrigued by this information.

Hades frowned. “Prophecy speaks of such a creature.”

Poseidon nodded. “Indeed, his influence spans the magical world. He is expected to do great things.”

I took a deep breath. Ian, at least would be safe from the Council. Now to attack the more pressing problem. I stepped forward again, sweeping my gaze to address the entire Council. “Majesties, Ian Lavelle and I have discovered a plot to take over Olympus.”

A sharp bark of laughter caused all eyes to turn to Castor. “That’s ludicrous. This Council has withstood a millennia of attempts to usurp its power. How would this plot be accomplished?”

I stared at him for a long moment, noting the way he jerked and twitched and wondering that the other gods didn’t notice. “As you well know, majesty…” I lowered my head in respect to poor Pollux, who was buried under his brother’s soul-spell, “spells can be used to obscure motives and mask perfidy.”

Zeus’s patience, never a snake with a long tail at the best of times, ran out at that moment. “ENOUGH!”

His gavel met the Council table three times in quick succession. The sound filled the Chambers, bouncing off the marble walls to reverberate against our ear drums for a full two seconds once he’d stopped.

I gritted my teeth and noticed that a few of the gods and goddesses grimaced.

Zeus’ booming voice was little better than the sound of his gavel.

“You were sent to Earth to discover the form and figure of a plot, Nuria Monad Warrior. Did you do so?”

I pulled myself up to my full height and faced him. “I did.”

“Speak of that then, since you have burst upon us unannounced and interrupted the Council’s business.”

I glanced at Castor. “That is what I’m trying to do, majesty.”

Zeus lifted one eyebrow and the gavel and I held up a hand to stop him. “Let me explain, majesty. From the beginning.”

The gavel lowered but Zeus’ hand remained affixed to its well worn handle.

“Upon locating Mr. Lavelle, we traveled to speak with Queen Tana. I learned that Tana had already engaged Mr. Lavelle to discover what he could about the plot I was constrained to investigate. Once there, I managed to impress upon Mr. Lavelle the importance of working together to discover what we could about the plot.” Ian snorted softly at this. Remembering how I’d drugged him with the Watcher’s potion my cheeks turned pink. But I ploughed on. “We traveled from Tana’s lands and attended one of the meetings.”

Athena, sensing a battle looming in the story, leaned forward, her grey eyes flashing with interest. “These plotters just allowed you to walk into their meeting?”

I shook my head. “I entered in a layer. They did not know I was there.”

Athena looked a little disappointed but she sat back in her seat, lifting one pale, elegant hand as an indication for me to continue.

“This is all fascinating,” Poseidon drawled, while examining his fingernails, “but some of us in this room are mortal, can we get to the point before those unfortunates hit the floor face first and turn to dust.”

I rolled my lips to keep from smiling. “Yes, majesty. Mr. Lavelle and I met with leaders from elf, faery, and Shadekiind. We even spoke with the great human wizard, Merlinus.”

A small sound made me glance at Castor. His twitching had increased noticeably.

We learned that the plotters, led on Earth by an elf named Aubrie and a faery named, Dawnia…”

“Tana’s sister?”

I glanced at Apollo and nodded. He frowned as his calloused fingers played with the strings of his lyre, sitting on the table in front of him as always. “Yes, majesty. Unfortunately Tana’s sister was plotting her overthrow.”

Apollo shook his head in disgust. Unlike many of the other gods, Apollo had a strong sense of right and wrong, and he never failed to be appalled at the dishonest antics of others.

“We learned that Aubrie and Dawnia had visited Merlinus and collected two spells. One to change appearance, and…” I looked pointedly toward Castor, “…one to allow a spirit to inhabit another’s physical form.”

More murmuring filled the room.

I turned back to Zeus, “That was when we figured out that the guardian Mack was killed by a god, not a human woman as we’d believed.”

Exclamations of surprise and alarm erupted along the Council table. I stood and waited it out. I knew what I was saying would be hard for them to stomach.

Lacking a gavel like Zeus, Hephaestus slammed his open palm on the table. “Impossible!” A small flame appeared above the fire god’s head and the temperature in the room grew noticeably with his agitation.

Ian stepped forward for the first time. I touched his arm but he shook his head and flicked my hand off his arm.

“Majesties, please listen before you make up your minds. It is possible we are mistaken.” He glanced quickly at me. “I don’t believe that we are, but if we
are
correct in this you’re all in grave danger. You have a pretender in your midst. One who has designs on control of Olympus and the entire magical realm. This pretender has already caused much damage and created much pain with his perfidy. And he is near the culmination of his great plan. In fact…” Ian turned to Castor and lifted his sword from its scabbard. “You are preparing to open the door to his dreams and hand him the golden key. Majesties, you see before you Castor, the mortal one, usurping his brother’s immortal form!”