Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) (20 page)

Brienne took the gridom stone from her neck and held it out to the child. When she brought her hand out to grasp it, Brienne took hold of it, pulling her closer. There was no time for reassurance. She cloaked herself once more, expecting it to hide the child as well, but nothing happened.
Damn it.

Once they were out of the shelter of the tent, she would have to move, and fast. Maybe if they were lucky, the enemy would be too busy fighting the Coalition and her pack to notice them.

“Rishiki, we’re coming out. Be ready. My cloak will not cover her. Where are you now?”
She took two steps toward the entry before a vicious snarl sounded right outside.

Blast after blast lit the darkness all around the tent. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear someone was covering her. Evan was supposed to be on the other side of the encampment, not near this tent, yet he was. Instead of staying to the edges where he could make a clean escape, he’d come in close to protect her.

“Almost there. I will cloak her as soon as I am within range. Wait where you are,”
Rishiki commanded.

She couldn’t do it. Not without putting Evan at further risk.
“No, I’m coming out. Meet me at the edge, straight in front of the tent.”

Brienne tried to reach out to Evan, to reassure him and tell him to move out, but Rishiki’s hold was too strong. Fury roiled deep within her once more. If anything happened to her mate because of the Radren’s actions, she would kill him herself.

“Okay, honey, you have to help me now. You have to hold my necklace, remember?” She took a deep breath before allowing it to slip into the child’s outstretched hand.

As soon as the gridom stone lost contact with her skin, her energy, pure and bright, lit the interior of the tent. Anyone and anything looking in that direction would be sure to see it as soon as she lifted the tent flap. Pulling Resha into her arms, she came off the ground and took one last calming breath before dashing out and toward the clearing’s edge.

Evan’s loud, piercing screech cut through all sounds of battle, drawing the beasts’ attention up above where Evan had shot into the air. Drake’s deadly roar echoed right after, quickly followed by flashes of blue flames illuminating the camp, burning everything in sight.

Agonized roars started and ended abruptly as the Coalition tore through the camp, all coming to her aid.

She was almost out and could see Rishiki running uncloaked toward them when a massive beast stepped before her, its bulbous head thrown back in an ear-splitting roar. Rather than stop or slow down, she gripped the child tighter and flew into the air.

Even at the speed she was going, she could tell the beast was gathering power and would pluck them from the sky in one massive blow. Putting on an extra burst of energy, she swung to the left, then waited as the energy flew straight and true toward her until the last second before veering sharply right. The maneuver sent her in a spin with Resha shrieking in fear, but she couldn’t stop, couldn’t slow down.

Another smaller blast came at her, but she was powerless to stop it. She braced herself for the hit, turning just enough to shield Resha, though from this height a fall would be just as deadly.

“I’m sorry.”
She sent the words to the girl’s father, knowing they would never be enough to ease his grief, before the energy crashed into her and all went black.

Had it not been for the phoenix’s superior sight, Evan would have missed seeing Brienne’s tumble head over heels. His heart stuttered, and the beast within fought for release. For once, he didn’t fight it, didn’t hold it back. Blue flames licked up and down his arms, threatening to consume him.

He put on a strong burst of energy, whipping through the air to get to the small body slipping from Brienne’s arms. The child’s shrill cry branded itself into him as she plummeted toward the ground. His piercing screech stilled some of the fighting below, but none of it mattered, not his men, not the mission, and certainly not the fucking scymin. All the phoenix cared about was getting to its mate before her body hit the cold, hard ground. Blood pounded through him like a tribal drum, its beat frantic and unrelenting. Air seized in his lungs, burning for release, but the fiery bird pushed hard and fast, denying him even that.

The moment his fingers grasped the child’s arm, Evan’s vision narrowed from its wide-angled thermal view to encompass Brienne and only Brienne. Helpless to do anything else, he raced against time, willing the distance between them to disappear. He wouldn’t lose her.

He gave everything he had, pushing the phoenix to speeds he had never pushed it to, but he was too far. After the hit she had taken, she was too weak. She wasn’t fighting the descent, wasn’t preparing to soften her landing. The phoenix shrieked again, terror engulfing it as the realisation that its mate would not survive such a plummet set in. Unable to pull his gaze away, his heart stuttered and his breath caught in his throat.

A loud roar ripped through the sounds of battle. Before Evan could register what happened, the blur of Drake’s body shot into view below him, snatching Brienne from the air just moments before she hit the ground.

When Drake came up to meet him, Evan couldn’t speak, not even to thank the man who had just saved his mate. He took Brienne into his arms, wordlessly handing the trembling child to Drake, before taking off toward the borders again.

Evan couldn’t stay and finish the mission. His men would follow Drake’s command and join him as soon as it was safe, but none of it mattered. He needed to get Brienne out of there. Such a beautiful and wondrous soul had no place near such violence and devastation. He should never have allowed her to accompany them on the mission, but forbidding her would have accomplished nothing. She would have gone anyway, only without his protection. Not that having his protection had done any good anyway.

The battle echoed in the Dark Lands for miles. Alert to all sound and every vibration in the air, Evan scanned the sky for his men’s approach. What the hell was taking them so long? Brienne had yet to awaken, but her heartbeat was strong and steady. He held on to that fact like a lifeline. She would live. She had to. Evan refused to entertain any other possibility.

What he wanted to do was take her home to Avalore, but she needed healing first, and he needed backup before he could risk it. Too many things could go wrong in these lands when caught unaware.

“Where the fuck are you, Sperwell?”

“We’re on our way to you now. How is she?”

Evan ignored the worry in his friend’s voice and drew a shaky breath.
“She’ll be all right.”

“I’m almost upon you. You need to keep calm when I get there,”
Drake warned.

“Fuck being calm.”
He was not in the mood for games.
“What the hell is going on?”

Drake’s chuckle was far from reassuring.
“Nothing, but I have a passenger. I’m carrying Rishiki with me.”

“Drop the bastard from the sky and save me the trouble of hunting him later.”
Evan’s fists clenched at his sides. Were it not for him holding Brienne close to him, supplying her with energy, he would have gone up to meet them and done it himself.

“Don’t be too harsh. His mate and child were amongst the captives. You would have done the same.”

Evan’s heart raced. He would. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind he would do anything to keep Brienne safe.
“Is she all right? The child?”
As much as he hated Rishiki for what he had done, he wouldn’t wish the kind of fear she had been through on a little one.

“She’ll be fine. She’s refused to speak to any of us, but physically she’s okay.”

Evan tried to shake his guilt, but it held fast. He had let his mate down. Had let her fall when he should have done everything in his power to keep her safe.

“You had no choice. The girl was an innocent in all of it. You couldn’t let her die.”
Drake tried to reassure him.

“And let my mate die instead? Damn it, I just let her fall. Had you not been there…”
He choked on the words. His arms tightened around Brienne, holding her as close to him as he could without crushing her.

“You did what you had to do. That’s all. She’d never have forgiven you had you let the child fall to its death.”

Evan lifted his head as Drake came to ground a short distance away. Fire still blazed in his Second’s eyes as he dropped the Radren leader unceremoniously onto the ground and walked toward Evan. Rishiki didn’t attempt to get up or even open his eyes.

“What did you do to him?” He would kill the bastard if Rishiki tried to hurt her again.

Drake crouched close. “Nothing. And you won’t either.”

“Why? He deserves to die after what he’s done to her.” Fury boiled anew in Evan’s veins. “Twice. He did it twice, damn it. I couldn’t even take any of her pain the second time. The bastard wouldn’t let me in.” Evan’s gaze never left Rishiki’s body.

“Watch.” Drake placed his hands upon Brienne’s temples, giving her a small burst of energy. The moment it seeped into her, Rishiki moaned.

“I suspect the Radren’s been merged with Brienne since she was hit. If he dies, so does she. He’s holding her life force to her right now.” Drake shook his head. “She’s weakening fast. We can’t wait for the others. I’ll keep guard while you heal your mate.” Reaching down, Drake unfastened the forgotten scymin from her belt and secured it to his own. “I’ll take care of this. Once she’s stabilized, take her home.”

The scymin. He hadn’t even noticed the blasted thing tied to Brienne’s waist.

What he wouldn’t give to have his brother Aiken with him just then. He was a master healer, and he would know what to do. As it was, Evan could only go with his gut and hope it was good enough. Healing the injuries without knowing their severity would be tricky, but what choice did he have?

Deep burgundy energy glowed in his palms, growing and undulating as he manipulated it, infusing it with his own, creating pure healing light to send into his mate. Starting at the head, he allowed it to seep into her. The slow trickle should have been soothing as it went, but the moment it touched her, her body convulsed and her face contorted in pain. It took all of two seconds to withdraw, but in those moments, agony unlike anything he had experienced sliced through him.

Once the tremors subsided, her body lay so quiet, so still, he had to watch her chest for movement to reassure himself she was still breathing. The impression of blisters and welts growing and breaking on her organs burned itself into his mind.
“How can she survive this?”
Evan looked up at Drake. His heart stuttered as despair threatened to overtake him.

Unable to hold his gaze, Drake looked away.
“She’ll pull through because she has to.”

If the glimpse of pain he had felt was any indication, her suffering was enormous. He couldn’t imagine anyone living through it, yet she would, he would make damn sure of it. There was no way in hell he was letting her go. He’d waited too long to have her, and she was not leaving him alone again.
“I’m not letting you go. Do you hear me, Brienne? I’m not, so fight, damn it.”

A heavy weight pressed on Evan’s soul, trying to undermine his will. He shoved it away, releasing the energy still clinging to him, and began again.

Sure, he could manipulate it to get what he wanted, but he didn’t have the time. Allowing instinct to take over, he centered himself and tried again. His own cooling blue energy infused with healing light transformed and grew bright. The indigo ball he held in his hands pulsed and vibrated, its power barely contained. He had to cool the fire burning inside her, and though it didn’t make sense, he brought his own flames forth.

Before his hands even reached her, fire leapt from his outstretched palm, sizzling over her from head to toe, encompassing her in brilliant light. When he would have gone slow and started at the top, the energy took on a life of its own, seeping into each of her pores.

Her back arched off the ground, a deep moan slipping past her lips. He would have withdrawn again if he could, but the power rushing through him, through her, wouldn’t allow it. He half expected her to wake, or start thrashing, do something. But when the energy had completely infused, she lay just as still as before. “
Damn it, Brienne, come back to me now.”

“What the hell do you want from me? How do I fix her?” Throwing his head back, Evan screamed to the heavens.

Drake came to stand next to him, his face sombre. He didn’t have to say a word. Evan could see it in his eyes.

“Fuck you. She’s
not
dying. Get the hell away from her.” Fists clenched, Evan dared anyone to oppose him.

He had been aware of his men and her packmates as they’d arrived. He had even registered the small child huddling close to her father’s form on the ground, but he couldn’t look at any of them. He did not want to see their grief for a woman who wasn’t dead.

Legs shaking, Evan stalked over to where Rishiki thrashed in pain.

“What have you done to her?” Evan would have grabbed the bastard and knocked his head off had the child not been there to witness it.

Rishiki didn’t blink, didn’t flinch, though he should have been scared for his life. “I merged with her. I kept her alive. I took her pain.” The creature sneered at him before asking. “What have
you
done?”