Protector of the Flame (17 page)

Adjacent to an opening thirty feet back was the sprawling manicured garden. It had the majestic feel of her garden at Valhalla, the scope was grander with a maze carved through the high bushes. The heavy scent of exotic blossoms sweetened the air. She wandered by benches and fountains with artistic designs. Tree-shaped lamps illuminated as she drew near.

The technology here was far more remarkable than she expected. The lights outside and in the halls had motion detectors, except for the dormitory level. Those were only voice activated. Hydropower and solar energy powered everything. Neith had even taken recycling to the next level, using composites of seashells to make plates and the hardened shells of fruit for bowls and cups.

She meandered by a cluster of lavender. Beside it was an unusual flowerbed. Atop dark green stems that came up to her waist were blossoms in the shape of beehives, corrugated leaves in a frosty, iridescent blue. This would be paradise indeed if only her
kabashem
were with her. She’d find a way to be as patient as necessary, if it meant her mate would be safe and they’d have a future together.

Neith had almost two thousand years of wisdom that couldn’t be discounted and the ancient beauty had been responsible for bringing her and Cyrus together in the first place. Yet if war was truly inevitable, why risk helping them further?

The voice of a young girl reciting Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet
drew her to a corner, where she peered around a bush. Romantic verses poured from Nakia’s mouth as she theatrically pointed to the moon, then to the man with wheat-colored hair who had held her protectively on the day Serenity arrived. He had a slim, lean build and a long face. Seated on a bench reading, he ignored Nakia with every turn of his page.

After
Romeo and Juliet
proved ineffectual, the girl dramatically acted out both parts of
Othello
and relished in her turn as Desdemona dying. When she opened her eyes, the male merely turned the page, immune to her antics. In a huff, she jumped to her feet and stood in front of him, hands on hips. He didn’t look up.

She poked her head under one of his arms, climbed onto his lap and draped her arms around his neck. “Cae, I don’t like it when you ignore me.”

“I can’t pay attention to you every second of the day.”

“Every second?” she snapped. “You’re off working in the fields all day. You used to enjoy my performances.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Now you ignore me all the time.” Her voice softened as she pouted. “Don’t you still love me?”

He lowered his book and gazed at her.

Serenity stayed hidden behind a tree surrounded by bushes. Spying on such a private moment wasn’t the most respectful but their interaction brought a smile to her face. He must’ve been her
kabashem
. She wondered if her relationship with Cyrus might have been similar if he’d found her when she was younger.

Nakia kissed his cheek. The golden light gave the copper in her hair a fiery tone. Her fingers traced one of his eyebrows, then her lips crushed his mouth in a sloppy kiss. He stood abruptly and she slid down his legs, butt hitting the ground.

“Ouch!” she yelped.

A laugh escaped Serenity.

“Come out,” he said, whirling to face the tree.

She stepped into the light. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spy on you.”

“I believe you’re sorry to have been caught spying.”

Nakia stood and curtsied in a melodramatic way. “Good evening, Serenity. How do you like our island?”

“It’s paradise.” Or would be with Cyrus. Without him, there was only the ever-growing emptiness.

“Did you enjoy dinner?” Nakia asked.

“The meal was okay.” She didn’t want to lie but couldn’t be completely honest. The meal was not the tasty fare Mrs. Carter would’ve prepared.

“Cae says it’s dreadful. Don’t you?” Nakia threw him a glance over her shoulder. “He said the food at Herut is far better.”

“Herut? Are you Caelius?” Cyrus had mentioned a friend with that name. A Blessed friend.

“Yes, how do you know me?” He put his book down on the bench.

“Cyrus, my
kabashem
, has spoken of you.”

He smiled. “Will my brother join us soon?”

“That’s a question for Neith.”

A Blessed couple stood before her. How many more were there? Was this place a secret refuge for the reborn Fallen?

“How long have you been here?” she asked Caelius.

“Almost a year after my Whitescape, one of Neith’s record-keepers came to see me and told me of Nakia. Neith sent word asking me to wait five years before coming and gave specific instructions to ensure I wasn’t followed. I’ve been here nearly a decade.”

A Whitescape only happened when a Blessed Kindred’s
kabashem
was born. That made Nakia fifteen or sixteen, but with her underdeveloped appearance, lacking any womanly appeal, Caelius’s rejection of her overtures was understandable.

Nakia took Serenity’s hand. “Do you think we’ll become great sisters? I think so. You’re the first Blessed sister I’ve met, besides Rose, but she’s just a baby.” The girl stared at Serenity’s hand. “You probably have an extraordinary
ingenium
that allows you to protect yourself. What can you do? Your file didn’t say.”

The girl exuded so much warmth it was hard not to be immediately drawn into her. “I can project my emotions and thoughts using my energy stream.”

“I don’t really understand what that means,” Nakia said.

Serenity glanced at Caelius. In his hazel eyes, she could tell he had some indication.

“Can you protect yourself like Cae? Kill someone if you had to with it?”

“Yes, I can.” Not a twinge of embarrassment answering the girl’s question, only a surprisingly sublime sense of pride. It was nice to be around so many Kindred, especially those who posed a threat to end the curse, as she and Cyrus did.

“You’re very lucky. I have a stupid gift.” Nakia folded her arms across her chest. “I’m completely helpless.”

From the moment their eyes had met, Serenity liked Nakia. She recognized aspects of her own personality in the girl. If given the opportunity, they would become close sisters.

“Your gift is invaluable,” soothed Caelius, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“What can you do?” asked Serenity.

“I can sense danger approaching. I’m afraid my gift doesn’t give me much advance warning. I’d rather have something special like Cae’s gift.”

With a sigh, he shook his head.

“Go on, show her what you can do,” said Nakia.

Caelius reached for a tree.

“No!” Nakia gasped. “That tree is older than I am.”

“Choose something that won’t upset you,” he said.

She picked a palm leaf from a bush and handed it to him.

He held it up into the light. Where he grasped it, lush green turned to black. Decay spread to the tip of the leaf. In a gentle brush of a breeze, it crumbled to ash.

“Impressive,” Serenity said. Nakia’s lips puckered in a sour face. “Adriel can’t protect himself either, but his gift is indispensable like yours.”

“Adriel doesn’t have to protect himself,” Nakia said in a tone bristling with envy. “There are plenty who would protect him. I only have my Cae.”

“Are you talking about me?” asked Adriel, coming around the corner.

“We were.” Nakia straightened her shoulders, head high.

“The performance is about to start. I didn’t want you to miss it,” he said to Serenity.

“I’m sure you have seating reserved in the best spot,” Nakia’s voice oozed sarcasm. “Do you have room for us?” She took Caelius’s hand.

“There’s space for Caelius and since you’re just a mite I needn’t worry about you fitting,” Adriel replied.

Nakia stuck out her tongue. “I don’t want to miss a second of Layke’s performance so lead the way,” she commanded with a flourish of her hand.

In the hall, every seat along the front was taken and a few near the garden. Neith sat in a chair next to their reserved sofa. Adriel poured a cup of wine from a clay pitcher and handed it to the silver-haired beauty, then he poured one for Serenity and himself.

Nakia rested the back of her head against Serenity’s arm and threw her feet in Caelius’s lap. He took off her sandals and tickled her toes, making her giggle.

Adriel didn’t have enough room to sit cross-legged, but he hooked an ankle on his knee. His warm thigh pressed against Serenity’s leg and he relaxed, draping an arm around the back of the sofa.

The cold, light wine tasted of apples and pears. She detected the faint sound of mechanical gears moving.
Barenpetium
shutters several inches thick rolled down, sealing off the openings of the hall.

“Better acoustics,” Adriel whispered in her ear.

Not to mention an ingenious safety feature. As she lifted her cup, she caught Neith’s gaze glued to them.

A lovely woman waltzed in. A hush fell over the hall and all eyes, including Neith’s, turned to the center of the room where Layke stopped. The lights went out and pale moonlight poured in through the dome, casting a heavenly spotlight on her.

A silver bell voice pierced the silence as she sang a cappella.

The richness of Layke’s voice filled the hall and her heart with warmth. Flutters swirled through Serenity’s energy pool as she melted into her seat, sinking against Adriel. Overwhelmed by such artistry potent enough to stir her energy stream, she nearly held her breath.

She glanced at Adriel. Eyes closed, he moved his head to the sound of Layke’s crystalline voice. On the other side of the sofa, Nakia gripped her arm and Caelius sat mesmerized.

Silken lyrics flowed, weaving love around them in unbreakable strands.

Layke’s celestial vocals undulated in a five-octave range. If only the world could hear her sing, it’d put an end to war and smother hatred. If her hypnotic voice could reach the heavens, angels would’ve been moved to weep.

Serenity’s energy stream probed the Kindred vibrations nearby. She wanted to feel the harmony of the collective, to bask in the thriving pool circulating around her, but resisted the call of the others to plug in.

Closing her eyes, she thought of Cyrus instead. His scent of cloves and vanilla, his glorious smile and black licorice waves of hair framing his face. The feel of his breath on her skin, his mouth on her breast, his hand between her legs, driving her to unimaginable heights of pleasure so intense she dissolved in ecstasy every time they made love. He was the greatest pleasure she’d ever known and loving him the greatest joy.

But the way he caressed her cheek and gazed at her, Black Dragon eyes aflame, never failed to enrapture her soul completely.

Desperate longing, the choking grip of grief and the crushing ache of desire overflowed, flooding her stream until she released it in a slow wave to keep from crying.

When Layke’s song ended, she exhaled silent bittersweet thanks the enchantment was over. Nakia clutched her hand and Serenity opened her eyes.

A brilliant blue field of energy surrounded the sofa, encompassing Adriel, Nakia, Caelius and Tony. White electric charges surged through the bubble, hot as lightning bolts. Tony rolled onto his back, purring with his paws in the air. And all eyes were now on her.

Adriel grasped her other hand, squeezing tightly. She glanced up at him, but he stared into the gawking crowd with a steely look. His friendship, defiant and steadfast, dared the others to utter a word against her.

None of them had probably ever seen anything quite like the spectacle of one of her projections. Her
ingenium
was so rare, so unusual, only one other in Kindred history was known to have had it. Fascination she expected. The backlash of trepidation was a crushing disappointment.

Serenity reeled the energy field in and the light around them faded.

Neith rose from her seat in stately grace and clapped as she floated over to Layke. Everyone followed suit, rising and filling the hall with thunderous applause. Serenity stood in between Nakia and Adriel. No one glanced in her direction, but the vibrations of the others receded as if anxious to get away.

“My dear Layke, you never fail to bring a tear to my eye,” Neith said. “You’ve enriched our souls with the beauty of your voice. We thank you.” Neith clapped and a second ovation erupted. “Let us all be thankful for the glory of this eve. I bid you goodnight.”

The crowd dispersed, veiled murmurs swarming.

Adriel tightened his grip on her hand and slashed through the loitering crowd. Most shot penetrating glances that made her wonder if there was any place on earth where she’d feel normal. He ushered her upstairs, moving others protectively out of her way as if he was a bodyguard.

Once in front of her door, his hand slipped from hers. His gaze held a mix of emotion she had trouble deciphering. “Layke’s talent is bewitching, the way her voice cradles the heart, compelling it to love.”

He put his hands on her shoulders and stepped closer, looking down at her. “I asked Neith about your
ingenium
. She wouldn’t tell me but guided me instead to an archive about one with an exceptional gift who died long ago. He had an immense power, but was tormented by blood rage. He was a destroyer.”