Out Of The Darkness (28 page)

“And he
’s more powerful than a god. Careful will not work against that. Or the Fates. And this was.”

Cass used her free hand to cover her stomach. “Was it hurt?”

“He. And no, he’s fine.”

“If I die, he
’ll die, too.”

“That
’s generally how it works. But you’re not going to die today. At least, I don’t think.”

“So why am I here with you? And how do you know about this place?”

“I’ve been here a few times in the last several months. The first was when I got my babe. The second was when
I
died. Ren came here once, too. A few more of us will before these wars are done.”

Cass studied the small road they were suddenly on. It was obviously summer, wherever they were, and wildflowers grew along the co
bbles. And they were definitely cobbles they were walking along. “It’s beautiful here.”

“I
’ve thought so each time. This is a different place than I’ve been before, though. Watch your step.”

Cass
’s fingers curled to touch the vines growing alongside the road. “Who lives here?”

“That
’s a question I haven’t answered yet.”

“I really don
’t understand why
I
am here.”

“I think, like Ren was a few months ago,
you
are here for your mate’s sake.”

“Why was Ren brought here?”

“For me. Ren still had a few lessons he needed to learn, before we could be truly happy together. Sweetie, do you know much about Laquazzeana?”

“Theo
’s book had a legend about them, but it didn’t go into detail.” And she hadn’t paid close enough attention to remember much more than that. She’d been far more interested in the plants that Theo’s books talked about. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember anything else.”

“Laquazzean come from many different paths—some are born to others, like Thas was to another pair who were lost to the darkness. Still, some like me are made. They are basically more powerful than the gods of almost any civilization or Kind. Mother Nature is one, Father Time is another. The three
Fates are some of the oldest that we know about.”

“Why you? If you don
’t mind me asking.”

“Of course not! I think that
’s why we are here.” Aureliana laughed. “I’m not one hundred percent certain why I was chosen, Cassandra. I was told it was because of my bravery and my willingness to care for motherless children. But there are many such like me out there. I still do not know the full depth of the reasons I was chosen. I don’t believe it is my time to know.
Yet.
You were chosen for a specific reason, as well.”

“
Me.
But why?” She wasn’t anyone special, and she knew that. She was just a young woman who had an affinity for plants.

“Because of the sweetness of your soul, your love of
all
things that grow, and because of your humility. And because without those things to check
him,
Nalik would grow in strength too quickly and too deeply. Until the powers within him would eventually eat at his soul. And it would take far too many of us to stop him. Many worlds could be destroyed if he was left unfettered.” Aureliana led her toward a small cottage at the end of the lane. “This is where Phaenna lives. Come, I think she has been expecting us.”

Cass tried to process what she was hearing. But she couldn
’t; she definitely didn’t understand. Aureliana pushed open the door and stepped inside. “It’s just as I remember. And she’s left some drinks for us on the table.”

“Where is she?” Who was this she? Phaenna wasn
’t a name she recognized.

“I think she is busy right now.” Aureliana waved a hand and one of the drinks began to stir itself. She laughed. “I wondered if I
’d be able to do that.”

She wasn
’t the least bit nervous and if Cass hadn’t already known, liked, and trusted her, she would have been much more of a wreck than she was. “Aureliana, I really do not understand.”

“Sit. We will talk. Your future changes today.”

“How?”

“You will be as if my child, Cass. We will grow and learn together always. Until the time we are all called to fight this war. To defend those who cannot. You, me, Ren…Nalik. Others. There will be others who come to join us. From my Kind, yours. Kinds we know nothing about yet.”

“I…can’t. I can’t do it. I hate war, violence. Destruction. I can’t
fight a war.
I can’t.”

“And that soul is why you must. We, Ren and I, and the others to come, most of us will be warriors, fighters. We need those with hearts such as yours to remind us of what it is we battle for. One thing I have learned long ago, even before becoming one of the ascension is that there must be balance in all things. There can
’t be winter without summer. Dark without light. Love without hate. Hurting without compassion.” Aureliana leveled a look at her. “Nalik without Cassandra.”

Cass shook her head. She understood what Aureliana was saying—in principle, anyway—but she still didn
’t understand why
her.

Aureliana could apparently read her mind. “I don
’t think any of us will fully understand why
us
until it is time. A bit of a non-answer, but it’s all I got. You have some questions you’ll need to answer. But first there is something you will need to see.”

She sat her mug back on the table. “Drink. You
’ll need to drink before we go. And we have a bit of time before, as well. Relax, Cassandra. All will be well. We’ll both understand—in time.”

Cass drank the strange liquid, completely unsure what it was. It had a vague mint taste and wasn’t unpleasant. “What is this?”

“Some kind of magic potion, I guess. I haven
’t figured it out. I think it has healing properties. I’ve had it before and so has Ren. You will drink it and be fine. The babe, too. We have to go for another walk.”

“Where to?”

Aureliana thought for a moment. “The past, I think.”

Not what she
’d expected. “I want to go home.”

“You will. But this is for Nalik. Can you do it?”

Could she? She closed her eyes and thought of him for a moment. The way he’d kept her safe over the last few weeks. How he had looked strolling into Jushua’s camp wearing black and red, and carrying his sword. The way he had held her after they’d made love the first time. Cass stood. “I can.”

Aureliana hugged her in approval. “Then let
’s go.”

Cass took the hand the other woman offered her and stood. “I
’m ready.”

As soon as the words left her mouth the cottage around them spun, when it stopped they were outside somewhere. Aureliana pulled Cass up from where the younger woman had fallen. “You ok?”

“Warn me next time, please.” She was shaky and felt sick, but the only choice she had was to keep going, to see this
whatever
it was through. “Where are we?”

“South America. About seven hundred years ago, I think. We
’re going over here.” Aureliana led Cass over a small hill. A village waited at the bottom. “They can’t hear us or anything, so we can walk right through the village with no problem.”

“Why are we here?”

“I think you are about to
meet
Nalik’s family.”

“I
’ve met them, I think. Some of them.”

“His mother and father and cousin, maybe. And of course you
’ve met me. We’re first cousins, Nal and I. He’s always been one of my favorites, you know. I’m glad I get to do this for him. Our mothers are sisters.” Aureliana walked up to a large adobe structure. “Here. This is our grandfather’s home. He was Equan before Nalik took over six hundred years ago. He hated Nal, I think. Because Nal was his heir and would be replacing him. Aodhan hadn’t been born yet. There’s about a hundred years between Nal and the others, you know.” Aureliana stepped inside, Cass followed.

There was a man in there, and he looked a lot like Nalik. There was a boy, too, and Cass knew immediately that it was Nalik. The boy wore only a cloth around his hips. He was around nine or so, Cass guessed. His hair was filthy and his skin covered in bruises. Two women were in a nearby corner playing some sort of game. They were laughing and chatting. Cass studied them—she recognized Nalik
’s mother.

“Mine, too.”

The boy was crying, saying something in another language. The grandfather didn’t seem to care—he reached out and struck Nalik across the cheek. Nalik landed near his mother and aunt. They looked at him with annoyance. The boy regained his footing and faced his grandfather, skinny shoulders back and chin high.

The grandfather spoke, and for some reason Cass could understand his words. “You will show no weakness, no kindness to the humans. They will turn on us all, do you understand? You will lead our people, yet you snivel over human friends. No more.”

The grandfather continued to hit him, again and again. His mother did nothing to help him. “Where is his father?”

“Outside with the other men and probably my father. They will not care what happens to Nalik.” Aureliana waved her hands and the adobe building spun like the cottage had. Once the space around them cleared Aureliana started walking again. “My grandfather owned him from the moment he declared Nal his heir. His parents wiped their hands of him then.”

“Yet they lived with him in Colorado.”

“Of course they did. Nalik had made his House beyond wealthy within one hundred years of becoming
Equan.
And my aunt loved status that being his mother brought her. They followed Nalik when he pulled half the Black House to the Northern continent four hundred years or so ago.”

“Why did he let them?”

“Because they had the one thing Nalik loved above all else. His young brother.”

They were in the American west, now, weren
’t they? “Dardanos?”

“Yes. Just a camp then. Primitive to some, but Nal, Aodhan, and the others made it work. Rydere was
dhar
of this group by then. But he was young, and many felt Nal should have been. But Nal was loyal to Rydere from the very beginning.”

There he was, in the midst of a group of people near the center of a town. They were laying stone of some sort. Nalik worked without a shirt, his tattoos catching her eye quickly. “What do those mean, on his skin?”

“He was chosen at the age of fifty to become a
Predatoi.
A demon hunter. Ironic, isn’t it?” They watched as Nalik, Aodhan, Cormac, Theo, and Rydere worked alongside some men, digging and rolling stones into place. “This is the main lobby of what would become the resort. It’s gone now, Cass. It caught fire a few minutes ago. But watch them. There’s Iavius. Before Kindara.”

What struck Cass the most was the way
he
wasn’t working as hard as the other men. “Why isn’t he working like the others?”

“Compared to Nalik and the other men, Iavius was…well…and do not ever tell Kindara this…Iavius was pampered and spoiled, even in the times in which they lived. And Nalik was just as responsible. Iavius had a good heart, but it took him a while to mature into a good
man.
He is very young here, less than one hundred I think. Kindara hadn’t joined the tribe, yet. She was still with her mother and father in Europe. She joins them two hundred years before Iavius dies, I think. I am on the next wagon train. It was the first time I met Nal, by the way. I had heard about him, and I was terrified. But he loved
me
too. Because I was family, and I was Aodhan’s. I’ll love him forever for that.”

The woods around them spun.
This
time Cass stayed on her feet. When the spinning stopped, Aureliana had Cass’s hand tightly in hers. “The next part will be hard, Cassandra. The hardest yet. I’ll hold your hand and help you through it.”

Cass nodded. Then her breath caught. She was face to face with a young girl, probably only four or five years younger than herself. She looked so much like Nalik and was beautiful.

“Erastine. His sister. She was seventeen here.”

She was in a cage, and there were cuts and bruises all over her mostly naked body. She gave her last breaths as they watched.

Others were watching too.

A man was laughing. Cass turned toward that man. She knew who she would see, and she wasn
’t wrong. “He was so, so evil.”

“Every Kind has its evil. Every Kind. There must be people to stop them. That is Nalik screaming now. He
knew
when her spirit left her body. He was holding on for her sake, but now she is gone. Iavius is already dead. Kindara isn’t.” With just a wave of a hand they were at Kindara’s side. She was naked and bleeding, her belly rounded. There was wailing and screaming, banging and yelling coming from somewhere in another hall. But it didn’t matter. All of Cass’s attention was focused on Kindara.