Warden
Ican feel the magic in the air around us, some of it from Long Meg, a hint of herbs and bitterness, some from the Thegn, thick, distasteful, cloying, and some I haven’t felt before.
A sweet tendril of goodness I want to be able to wrap around myself and never let go. It has to belong to my mate. There is no one else here who would make me feel this way.
I am already immortal, but even so, this magic makes me feel invincible. I can take on the entire of the Yeavering and beyond the veil and the Night Lands, and I will do it all for my lady.
The beautiful female by my side, who is keeping pace with me, a look of determination on her face.
For all this is not her fight, for all she was drawn into this situation because the Faerie wanted her and the Yeavering decided to hide her away, she is still here, still with me, still wanting to end things our way.
The cliff face looms ahead of us.
“Are we climbing?” she asks.
“I am a Brag,” I respond. “I do not climb.”
“That might make things a little difficult, Warden. If it turns out the Thegn is up there.” I point upwards.
“If it got up, we can get up,” I say.
“What do you mean?” Her brow furrows.
I hum the old refrain to myself as we make our way along the bottom of the rock face until I find what I’m looking for. My sweet mare nearly hits my rear, given I come to such a sudden halt. Not that I mind having her close to me, not at all.
Above us there’s the sound of a storm, the one the Thegn is creating. With an army on the move, it has a hope it can clear the fog and take us where we stand.
I won’t let it. I want my mortality. I want to be the Brag I should be, be the mate I should be. Give my Hazel what she deserves, a life filled with joy, and if we cannot find her memories, we will make new memories, together.
“Here,” I say, stepping sideways into the thin opening in the rock, one which I wouldn’t have found unless I was looking for it.
My lady does not follow me. She wasn’t looking for the opening. I take her arm and gently pull her to me.
“Well, this is interesting, Warden,” she says, looking around the dimly lit passage.
“This is a portal,” I explain. “It is also stone, like Long Meg. I thought it might have its tricks.”
The hairs on my neck raise, and I see a shudder run through my sweet mate. She feels it as much as me. This place is charged, waiting, ready.
I think it is on our side.
“This way.” I walk to the stairs cut into the rock, leading up. There’s just enough light to be able to see what needs to be seen.
“At least these are not as slimy as the ones in the Shellycoat’s castle,” Hazel grumbles as we begin to climb.
There is nothing but the sound of our breathing as we make our way up the increasingly narrow and steep stairs.
The higher we go, the more the wind whistles past us, wet and murderous, intent on knocking me off my feet, making Hazel’s skirts billow wildly.
I grab hold of her clothing and haul her to me, making sure she cannot fall.
The wind gets louder and louder. I can’t be sure she can hear me as I call to her.
Hazel’s head is bowed as she concentrates on putting one foot in front of the other, her chest heaving against my grip.
I might not be able to hear it, but I can feel it… her heart, pounding in her chest.
The wind and noise increase as we get close to the top. I pull her hard against me, wanting to feel her heat, needing her near me.
“The top is a few paces away.” I have to bellow into her ear against the noise. “The Thegn has to be there or this wind wouldn’t be trying to stop us.”
She says something, but it’s pulled from her lips into the air and away. There’s no further time to wait. If the Thegn hasn’t realised we’re coming, this storm will soon alert him. I swing Hazel around, shielding her with my body, and I fling us both out of the crack at the top.
The wind is wild, and it is fighting with the mist for dominance. It shrieks in our ears, and a thousand tiny needles prick my exposed skin.
I never should have brought my mate here. I might be immortal, but she is not. The Thegn might want her magic, but there’s nothing to say it won’t attempt to get it without hurting her.
In fact, as it’s a Thegn, the chances are it will only want her magic, her body being the mere vessel. I thank my horns and hooves she has the protection of her amulet along with me. I can provide the physical protection.
I will provide her with my body. It belongs to her.
“Warden?” Hazel is gazing at me, the sword in her hand, the amulet glowing around her neck.
“Yes, my love, my mare, my mate?”
“What are you going on about?”
“You have me, my lady. You have all of me, at your disposal.”
“That’s a good thing, Warden.” The voice of the Thegn booms through the rain and the wind and the mist. “Because I wish to have my immortality back.”
A spear of lightning slams into the ground next to me, singeing my flesh.
“Not until you are long gone,” I respond. “And we are here to deal with you.”
“It is too late,” the Thegn thunders. “I cannot be stopped, not without destroying the Yeavering and every creature in it.”