Men of Anderas II: Dak the Protector (13 page)

A quick glance told him Kierin was still
sleeping. He had to make sure she didn't get any images of what he
was about to do. He had to act on instinct alone or the stone would
stop him. Dak let his mind wander, reliving the agonizing memories
of all his failures again.

Quietly, with grim determination, he climbed
from one branch to another until he was about ten feet up. Focusing
on Anderas, Dak scooted along the branch until he felt it bounce
with his movements. Each scrape of limb against limb sounded like
thunder to his ears. Even his own heartbeat threatened to deafen
him. How could Kierin sleep through all the noise he was
making?

Don't think about Kierin. Think about …
Elizabeth and her sweet baby smell. Elizabeth and her dimples.
Elizabeth. Elizabeth. Elizabeth.

Repeating the name in his mind like a
litany, Dak hooked his knees around the limb and slowly leaned back
until he was hanging suspended from the tree. Just like when he and
JarDan were kids, he pushed his body forward enough to create a
swinging action.

When the chain slipped past his chin, he
wanted to shout for joy.

When it caught on his nose, he wanted to
howl in frustration.

Knowing he couldn't touch the chain, Dak
slowly shook his head back and forth. The silver chain with its
cursed rock fell to the ground with barely a sound.

Chapter Ten

It was such a lovely dream. She was safe and
secure within her fortress. A small, dark-haired baby played on the
rug near the fire while she sorted her freshly harvested herbs.
Thundering hooves and jangling harness announced the arrival of the
baby’s father. Wiping her hands on her apron, she quickly smoothed
her hair into place and reached for the baby--but the baby wasn’t
there. Something was terribly wrong. Dak now held the baby nestled
in his lap. Without a backward glance, he turned the horse and
galloped from the fortress, taking his son with him.

Kierin woke with a start, struggling against
the lingering fragments of the dream. The sun, barely above the
horizon, brought little relief to the early morning chill. Shifting
her position on the hard ground, she tried to find a comfortable
position. It was warm beneath the blanket with the fire snapping
and crackling behind her. As long as she stayed cocooned she could
ignore the troubles waiting for her this morning.

It took her several minutes to realize the
camp was quiet. Too quiet. Not even the calls of awakening birds
broke the unnatural silence. Moving slowly, she located her crystal
beneath the folds of her tunic. A focus session would not only help
her deal with the problems of the morning, she might be able to
sense Dak’s mood. She prayed he wasn’t as despondent as he’d been
last night. Closing her eyes and holding the crystal between her
palms, Kierin let her conscience expand. In her mind she could see
the edge of the fire pit, the stack of dishes exactly where she
left them last night, the fire blazing with fresh wood. Opening
herself completely, she reached out for the energy of the amulet
around Dak’s neck.

With a shocked gasp, Kierin jerked around,
tangling herself in her blanket in her haste.

"Good morning, little witch. Did you sleep
well?"

It couldn’t be! He had removed the amulet!
It wasn’t possible! Yet, the proof glowed softly in the light of
the fire--suspended from the end of the stick Dak held in his
hand!

"How?” It was the only word she managed to
sort from the jumble of chaos and confusion clouding her mind.

"It was simple enough, thanks to Talon," Dak
grinned and settled back against his saddle. "There’s fresh tea in
the pot. Why don’t you pour yourself a cup? We have a great deal to
discuss this morning."

Dak’s voice and manner would have been
perfectly acceptable in any social situation, yet Kierin’s
instincts were on full alert. She didn’t believe for one instant
that Dak was just making friendly conversation. There was an
alertness about him--a hard-as-steel glint in his deep brown eyes.
He was playing a subtle game of cat and mouse. She managed to free
herself from the tangled blanket and mumble an excuse in Dak’s
general direction before seeking a little privacy for her personal
needs. When she returned to the warmth of the fire, Dak had a cup
of clover tea waiting for her. Even now, after everything she’d
done to him, he couldn’t stop being the provider--the
protector.

The rising sun brightened their small camp.
The evidence of last night’s attack lay buried beneath the ground
under a dozen or more mounds of freshly turned dirt. It must have
taken him most of the night to remove all traces of the carnage.
Kierin wondered if Dak had slept at all. Probably not, if he had
time to figure out how to remove the stone. He certainly looked
like a man without a care or worry to his name and that was another
cause for her unrest. Dak reminded her of her father and brother,
bent over their game board in deep concentration. Each waited for
their opponent to make a fatal mistake, to show the weakness that
would guarantee the success of the game. Dak was waiting for her to
blink.

"Drink your tea while it’s still warm,
Kierin. Our discussion can wait that long."

Kierin chose a spot near the fire opposite
from where Dak waited and obediently lifted the metal cup to her
lips, careful not to burn her mouth on the hot brew. She could have
been drinking swamp water and not known the difference. The knot in
her stomach wasn’t going to go away until she knew what Dak was
planning, but she didn’t really want to hear him say the words.
Seeking a safer topic of conversation would delay the inevitable at
least until she felt more in control. She suddenly realized that
Dak was dressed differently.

"Where did you get the clothes? From
Talon?"

"From a pack bag tied behind one of the
horses. One of Draagon’s goons decided to update his wardrobe,
apparently. Everything in the bag is new. The pants are a little
snug but the shirts fit and the vest is warm. Even the shoes fit. I
buried the rags I’ve been wearing. A symbolic end to everything
associated with Safe Haven. You’re stalling, little witch."

So much for emotional control. Dak was in
charge now and he wasn’t about to let her forget it. "I shouldn’t
be surprised that you found a way around the stone. Its primary
function is to control large wild animals. Most are dangerous, but
none have your intelligence. How did you do it?"

"Intelligence separates us from the animals
but it was pure desperation that drove me to find a way to escape.”
Dak straightened, tossing his tea into the fire. "Even before we
left Safe Haven I managed to … react, I guess is the best way to
explain it. I knew by the expression on your face every time it
happened that I had done something you weren’t expecting. Don’t
ever gamble, little witch, your face shows exactly what you’re
thinking. It took me a while to find the one common factor in each
incident. Instinct. As long as my actions were unconscious, the
stone didn’t completely control me."

Kierin heard the words Dak spoke but it was
the incredible depths of feeling in his voice that touched her soul
with unbearable sadness. All of the "what-if" dreams of her heart
withered. He would never understand her reasons even if she dared
speak them. Her time with Dak was over. She’d have to find a way to
live with that loss.

"While you were arranging for our supplies
Talon lectured me on gravity. At the time, I couldn’t imagine why
he thought I’d be interested in a lesson in physical science. Last
night," Dak shrugged, "I guess I was finally in the right frame of
mind because everything fell into place. I climbed the tree until I
could hang upside down from a branch and gravity took care of the
rest."

Careful not to touch the amulet, Dak lowered
the stick holding the silver chain until the small, white stone sat
on a larger rock at the edge of the fire pit.

"This cursed rock will never again hold
anyone or anything prisoner.” Dak picked up another rock from the
fire pit and slammed it down on the crystal with enough force to
shatter the amulet. Nothing remained but the mangled chain and
powdered rubble. Tossing the stick and chain into the fire, Dak
glared at Kierin.

"As soon as we break camp, we're going back.
Last night’s attack was just the beginning. Draagon knows where you
are and his men will come after you. Find somewhere else to live,
somewhere on the other side of the galaxy. It’s the only chance you
have."

"No. I have to go home."

Dak couldn’t believe Kierin was so
obstinate. They were very nearly killed just a few hours ago. "And
do what? Hide behind your stone walls until your security system
fails? Draagon has an army at his disposal. Anyone who gets in his
way ends up dead. You’re not going home. You’re going back to the …
where in the hell are you going?"

"I’ve already told you. I’m going home."

Dak watched in mounting frustration while
Kierin calmly folded her bedding before tying it to her saddle. By
the Beard of the Prophet, the woman was going to drive him
insane.

"Dammit, Kierin.” Dak surged to his feet and
grabbed the heavy saddle from her hands. "Sit down and finish your
tea. I have never known a more stubborn woman in my life. Just what
do you have waiting at this fortress of yours that’s more important
than your life?"

If Dak hadn’t been watching her so intently
he would have missed the flash of panic in her eyes before she
dropped her gaze to her unfinished tea.
What are you hiding,
little witch
?

"I’m not hiding anything, Dak. I just want
to go home. Surely, you can understand that. You’ve made you desire
to return to Anderas known from the beginning. How long do you
think it will be before someone comes for you?"

Kierin’s response to his unspoken question
surprised him but she was too intent on changing the subject and
making a production of refilling her cup to notice. He’d been
picking up on her thoughts since the transport but he assumed it
was because of the amulet. She truly was telepathic. Dak settled
back against his saddle, reached for his own cup and waited until
she took a careful sip of the hot brew.

And how long have you been reading my
mind
?

Kierin gasped and choked on the tea.
Coughing and sputtering, she finally looked at him. With her aqua
eyes wide with shock, her hair coming loose around her shoulders
and tea splattered down the front of her tunic, she looked like a
bedraggled kitten. Dak fought the grin twitching his lips. He
didn’t want to be amused by Kierin. He wanted to stay angry.
He
was the victim here.

When her eyes narrowed he lost the fight. A
chuckle started deep in his chest then erupted into full laughter.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed. Before Safe Haven,
obviously. Damn, it felt good to just be able to
feel
again.

"Just
what
is so funny?” She asked
through clenched teeth.

The kitten was spitting and showing her
claws. She was on her way to being truly pissed. Dak laughed even
harder. He honestly didn’t know if her attitude amused him or if
his long-suppressed emotions finally boiled over like an
over-filled pot on the fire. Whatever the reason, it felt
great.

Dak was holding his sides and wiping at the
tears running down his face when a fleeting image of a water bucket
flashed through his mind. In the blink of an eye, he was drenched
with the coldest water he’d ever encountered. With a harsh gasp, he
grabbed at his soaked shirt trying to keep the icy water from
touching his body.

The shirt was dry! A quick check of his head
and face revealed the same condition.
Kierin
! The haughty
smirk on her face sent his temper soaring.

"We’re leaving in ten minutes.” Dak surged
to his feet, grabbed his saddle and headed toward the tethered
horses. The sooner he got back to the city and sent a message to
JarDan, the sooner he’d be home--and rid of this infuriating
woman.

"You’re free to leave whenever you wish.
I
am going home."

Dak threw the saddle on the ground. It was
time she realized
he
was in charge now and there wasn’t a
damn thing she could do about it. With his fists on his hips, legs
spread for balance; he glared at Kierin until she lowered her head
to avoid him.

"I will not leave a woman alone in the
middle of nowhere.” Dak’s voice sounded harsh even to his own ears.
"You’ll go back to the city if I have to tie you to your horse. If
you think I’m joking, use that witch magic of yours and read my
mind."

"It doesn’t work that way. The thoughts have
to be actively aimed at the person receiving them. It’s not like
opening a book. Forcing me back will only delay the inevitable. It
won’t prevent me from returning home."

Dak raked his fingers through his hair and
rubbed at the ache at the base of his skull. How could one tiny
little woman cause such a headache so early in the morning?

"Then you better hire yourself an army
because Draagon will be back. You can count on it."

"I know."

Kierin’s soft answer was filled with sadness
and something else Dak found hard to classify but even harder to
understand. Fatal acceptance.

"It will take several days before I hear
from JarDan. I’ll help find men who …."

"Dak, I appreciate what you’re offering, but
I can’t accept. It’s taken practically all the coins I had saved to
make this trip. I couldn’t hire an army of field rodents if all I
had to do was feed them."

Dak raked his hands through his hair,
pulling the long strands against his neck. Kierin managed to give
him the king of headaches and she’d been awake less than an hour.
"Just how in hell did you plan to support yourself if you’ve spent
all your coins on this ridiculous scheme?"