The Gazing Globe (28 page)

Blain roared out in anger.Afton's still form enervated him in a way he'd never known possible. From the depths of the earth he drew powers. Something in his intuition told him these were the powers of his father. Powers of a Druid. He focused on strengthening himself and felt the very forces of nature entering into muscle and sinew. He pulled free of the shadowy demons, charged Rhiannon and struck her to the ground. The woman was so stunned she didn't have time to react. Blain put his hands around her neck.

He only had a second to squeeze before people were pulling him off her choking form.

"Lay off, lad!" Lore ordered. "This woman's punishment is left to the Sorceress."

Blain struggled as Lore and several other large men held him fast. "IfAfton's dead, so is Rhiannon," he gasped and tried to pull free.

"Calm down, Blain!" Shayla commanded as she hurried into the chamber, knelt besideAfton's body and checked her pulse. "Aftonisn't dead. She's just badly injured. It's lucky for the both of you that Rhiannon didn't know there are other entrances into this chamber Quickly, bind Rhiannon and take her to the castle," Shayla ordered some of the men. "Lock her away from Myers. Someone help me withAfton"

"Let me have her," Blain tried to reach out forAfton's body which was lying in Shayla's arms, but Lore and the other men held him back

"Only if you calm down. Getting her to safety is our main concern right now. We'll deal with Rhiannon Stone and that man of hers later"

Blain nodded and extended his arms. Lore ordered his men to let him loose, and one of them picked Aftonup off the cave floor and handed her to Blain.

"I'm here, baby. It's all right," he whispered as he took her body in his arms and quickly followed the others out of the cave.

Twelve

Blain watched as Shayla, Hugh, andAfton's parents fussed overAfton. She was so pale it frightened him. "She'll be okay, won't she?"

"She's absorbed quite a dose of evil energy. We'll have to wait and see what happens," Shayla responded. "If she makes it through the night, then I believe everything will be all right."

Blain watchedAfton's mother cry. Her father tried to console his wife and not give way to his own emotions. In the hallway, six large men waited to hear what would happen to their little sister, and Blain felt the entire situation was his responsibility. He had brought this horror to these good people. To the woman he loved. And he was in agony over it. He should have known when he saw Rhiannon's twisted reflection in and said something, but it was too late to look back now. His only consoling thought was that none of the more powerful creatures around him had been able to hone in on Rhiannon as the source of their problems, but that really didn't make him feel less responsible.

After the struggle with the crazed woman, Blain discovered that the amethyst fairy stoneAftonhad given him was one of the reasons he'd survived. It glowed after having absorbed some of the powers Rhiannon had tried to use against him. As an element from the earth, it gave him strength. The same as it would have done his father or any other Druid. By giving it to him,Aftonhad probably saved his life, and he vowed to never again take it off.

He'd been told that little Pluck was fighting for his life. One other perimeter guard had been found injured, and two more were dead. That was why it had taken Shayla so long to get to him andAfton.

They'd been tending the other wounded guards, trying to save their lives. Rhiannon had used her magic to conceal Myers' and her presence until they got close enough to attack. Blain cursed himself for ever having anything to do with her.

He sat down besideAfton, took her hand and waited. No one would ever persuade him to leave her side. All through the night he whispered to her and held her hand. Cleansing incense was burned near her bed, while herbs were scattered beside her body. Her brothers were allowed in to see her in the early morning hours when it looked as though she wouldn't rally Gawain placed a hand on Blain's shoulder, and Blain finally took his gaze off Afton long enough to see the big man's eyes filled with tears. His heart was breaking, and Blain truly understood how lovedAftonwas.

Blain leaned closer to her. "Don't you leave me, dammit! If you do, I'll come after you. Do you understand, little Flower?"

Afton's eyelids fluttered open, and she moved her lips. Everyone stood absolutely still and held their breath. Blain leaned closer to her and gently pushed her hair back. "What did you say, honey?"

"Wh-what did you call me?" she croaked out in a very soft voice.

In his excitement, Blain couldn't talk. He just gazed into her eyes and placed a soft kiss on her lips

"He called you Flower." Gawain looked down at her with a tearful smile.

Afton's tired gaze focused on her eldest brother. "Gawain, you didn't tell him that silly nickname?"

Everyone laughed as she wearily smiled and squeezed Blain's hand. It was her way of letting him know she was going to be all right.

***

"Here, drink this," Blain said as he placed a cup of herbal tea into her hands. "It'll make you feel better."

Aftonshook her head in frustration. "I'm fine. It's been three days, and I want to get up."

He adamantly shook his head. "No."

"Couldn't I just. "

"No, you can't."

"If I could just sit by the window and see outside.. " Afton's voice trailed away as she looked, beseechingly, at him.

Blain sighed, considered the window seat, then carefully picked her up and carried her to it. "There.

Now you can see outside."

He tucked a warm blanket around her, walked across the room and placed some cookies the English referred to as biscuits on a small plate. "Eat these. You need to get your strength back."

Aftonwatched him place the small offering on a table and move it close enough so she could reach the food. "How long are you going to keep coddling me?"

He smiled, knelt in front of her and kissed the backs of her hands. "Forever."

She lost herself in his green gaze and finally smiled. "Blain, haven't you slept? You need a shave. Please don't make yourself sick over me."

"I got a little sleep when you did." He ruefully passed a hand across his face and felt the stubble. But going to his room meant leaving her even for a few minutes, and he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

Still, the way she was wrinkling her nose made him think he might need a shower as well as a shave.

"Okay, sweetness, I'll go clean up. But I won't leave until I can find one of those brothers of yours to stay with you while I'm gone."

"For goodness sake, Blain, I'm perfectly capable of..."

"You're perfect." He kissed her and made his way toward the door.

As he suspected, Gawain and the rest of his brothers were in the hallway. They'd long since given up trying to stay more than a few minutes with their sister. Blain had chased them all out as soon asAfton's father had taken her very tired and distressed mother back to their cottage. Since the castle had been closer to the caves, and immediate medical attention was available there, that was whereAfton, Pluck and the injured guard had been taken.Afton's family had haunted the place until they were absolutely sure she was out of danger. Still, those brothers of hers weren't going far from their baby sister. Blain understood it wasn't a question of his being in her room that fostered their constant vigil. They just loved her.

"I've got to get cleaned up or I'm afraidAftonwon't let me near her. Who wants to go in and..."

Blain grinned. Before he could finish the sentence, all six hulking men pushed past him and into the room, smiling like idiots. Gawain was last and nodded at him in appreciation. In the past few days, a bond had formed between himself and the brothers. It was a bit like having brothers of his own.

As he walked toward his room, he found he was grinning, too. SinceAfton's family had taken him in, he now felt as though he belonged with them. In the long hours as she'd slept, they'd talked and come to know each other better. That was how he'd found out about her silly nickname. He suspected that when Aftonwas able to put up a good fight, Gawain was going to catch hell over that indiscretion.

Blain whistled as he showered, changed and hurriedly left his room. He was in the hallway and on his way back toAftonwhen Shayla, Hugh and Lore approached him from the far end of the corridor. His good spirits sank when he saw their leaden expressions. They stopped as soon as they drew close.

"What is it?" Blain asked, his gaze moving to each of their faces. "Is it the other injured people?"

"No. Pluck and the other injured guard are going to be all right," Shayla told him, "but there's something you had better know."

"Is something wrong withAftonyou haven't told me about?" he asked, anxiously.

Shayla placed her hands on his forearms. "No. This has to do with Rhiannon and her mother, Hannah."

"I don't give a damn about them." Blain tried to step around the Sorceress only to have Hugh and Lore block the way.

"You'd best know, lad," Hugh said.

There was a kind of barely controlled anger in his uncle's tone that immediately alerted Blain. Shayla beckoned him and the others to follow. He anxiously glanced back down the hallway towardAfton's room, but it was clear he wasn't going to be able to go back there until whatever business Shayla had planned was over.

They walked, continuing a steady course down corridors, stairs and winding passages. A floor below ground level, Shayla stopped before a large oak door where two herculean guards stood watch.

"Go in," she ordered.

Blain looked into the Sorceress' eyes, hesitating when he saw the anger there, then entered the room.

Inside, Rhiannon was secured to a heavy chair, her hands tied behind her. The rest of the room was empty of any furnishings. Its stone-gray walls and floor confirmed the place had once been a dungeon.

Herb bundles lay on the floor, circled around Rhiannon. Blain guessed they were warding off whatever magic the woman might use. The Sorceress wasn't taking any more chances with her.

Rhiannon smirked when she saw him. "Well, well. I was wondering when you'd come."

He'd have turned and left, but the heavy door slammed closed. Apparently, he was supposed to stay and hear her out. "I take it you have something to say to me? 'Cause I sure as hell don't have a damned thing to say to you."

"I imagine your Sorceress wants me to tell you what I told her."

"And why would I care?"

"You should. You see, Shayla intends to pronounce judgment on me for coming here and attacking and killing her people." She paused, then continued when Blain didn't respond. "You know what that means?"

"I've got a pretty good idea, but you made that bed yourself."

"Yes, well, before she has me killed, I wanted you to know the entire story."

The smile she gave him could only be described as sickening. Something in the pit of Blain's stomach turned. "Get it over with," he bit out.

"Do you know why your father and mother stopped moving on after reaching Harvest?"

Again, Blain didn't respond. He didn't like the expression in her eyes, or the maliciously evil tone in her voice.

"They knew they'd finally been found by those of the dark side. They intended to stop running and make a stand."

Blain turned to leave. His heart throbbed out a warning, and he wanted to get away from her and back toAftonand her pure brightness. But Rhiannon's next words stopped him.

"You were on a trip to purchase seeds when your father suddenly died. Don't you wonder why your parents insisted that you go on so many trips alone?"

Though his heart was turning to ice, Blain turned back around to face her. "Go on," he responded in a low voice.

"Arthur had never been ill, had he? Syndra told you he just dropped dead while working." She stopped long enough to toss her long hair over her shoulder, smile wickedly at him and let her words sink in. "That story Hannah told you and everyone about being angry over the sale of her land was the truth. But not all of it. You see, Jediah, my bastard of a father, sold the land to Arthur without my mother's knowledge.

Since Father put the deed in his own name, it was easy enough to do. Jediah was a Druid just like your father, but like my mother, he was a practitioner of the dark powers. He left the Order the same day mother did."

"Get to the point."

Rhiannon continued as if Blain had never spoken a word. "I think Father once actually thought he loved Mother, but that quickly passed. He was afraid to go back to the Order, even though he wanted to, and one day he started drowning his sorrows in booze. Later, he found out he was dying. I think he correctly suspected that Hannah was slowly killing him with magic and potions. He couldn't do a thing to stop her or find a way to safely leave. He was a weak man, and there was no room in Hannah's or my life for weakness."

Blain's throat went dry. The clean forest called. He wanted to be anywhere but standing in this gray cell.

Rhiannon tilted her head back against the chair and continued, "Hannah had a plan. After she finally found Arthur and Syndra, she was going to kill them, lure Shayla to Harvest to protect you, then kill Shayla, you and your uncle. We knew there would be those of the Order who would never accept us, so we decided to buy up all the land in the area and start our own version of the Order. A place where only those of the dark arts could reside. With all our powers put together and Shayla dead, we could eventually attack the Order, finish off anyone who tried to stop us, and regain control. But that stupid father of mine came to believe that if he got the land out of the hands of those practicing the black arts and into those using white magic, he could redeem himself for whatever afterlife awaited, and, of course, take revenge on my mother for poisoning him. So, he made a deal with your parents behind Hannah's back and mine."

"What happened?" Blain angrily asked as he stepped closer to Rhiannon.

"When Jediah thwarted her plans, Hannah passed around that trumped up story about Arthur buying the land from her drunken husband who'd wasted all his money. It was the only way to explain why the best farmland in the area was suddenly sold. It also garnered my mother sympathy from the townspeople.