Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
QUINN
I t’s been two days since the nightmare led me into the forest. Two days since that wraith donned the mask of my mother. Two days since I last saw Jade.
He’s yet to return after our brief encounter, and for reasons I can’t name, I’m bothered by it. I spoke with Merrick this morning, and none of the dragons have seen him, despite their nightly flies along the forest’s edge. If he’s out there, he doesn’t want to be found. At least there’ve been no forest fires, so he must be in control of himself.
The six hours of sparring and two hours in the water each day have served my body well. I’m fatigued, but in the best way. It’s been years since I felt the deep ache that comes with intense training, and though most would probably find a reason to complain about it, it brings me an odd sort of comfort. It’s not that I enjoyed the hard routine my father forced on me. In fact, I hated it. But when I was cursed—when I murdered him, along with half his kingdom—the sole purpose I’d been raised for died with him.
Now, with the burn of my arms and tightness in my chest, I almost feel whole.
Abby seems happier, too. She’s found purpose with the wolves and learning to see through their eyes. I haven’t shared mine with her yet, and although I know she wants me to, a small part of me is still afraid that she’ll see the monster I’m so fearful of unleashing again. It’s a foolish thought, since I’m so willing to share every other part of myself with her, but I’m just not ready.
There are voices in the distance, but I don’t let them distract me as a sword swings for my head. The sirens willing to work with me are learning faster than I’d anticipated and some of them are using tricks I haven’t seen. One of the influencers—a woman who, if you look directly in the eyes, makes it appear as if there are two of her—has been a particular challenge. I prefer to watch the eyes in a fight because they’ll tell me where the next swing will be aimed. So it’s either fight a real opponent and a phantom, or fight at a disadvantage.
“I almost got you that time,” she laughs. One lesson she’s yet to learn is that cockiness will never serve her. If this were an actual fight, she’d already be dead.
“What did I tell you about watching your footing?” I mutter. Since I can’t look her in the eye, I’ve been focused on her feet and her stance is terrible. She relies too heavily on her trickery. “And can someone find out what the fuck is going on over there?” The distant voices have grown louder and I can’t risk the distraction. As much as I hate to admit it, Netta is probably the most worthy opponent I’ve faced among the sirens. Yes, if this were a real fight, I would have already run her through, but I can’t exactly do that in a match. I win by disarming only, and that’s incredibly difficult when I can’t tell which Netta is real and which is fake.
Luckily for me, it seems she’s struggling to stay focused just as much as I am. I chance a glance up at her and find her head turned towards the sound. I won’t get another chance to end the match so cleanly, so I charge. As soon as my hands are on her wrist, it just takes the slightest pressure of my thumb in just the right spot to have her sword falling to the sand.
“Damnit!” she curses, swinging back around in an attempt to land a solid punch.
Dodging her is easier, so by the time her fist reaches the place she was aiming, I’m already six paces away. “You can’t lose focus. You have an advantage I could only dream about. Don’t give that away because of curiosity.”
I have no right to say that because I, too, am hyper focused on whatever commotion is happening down the beach. I’m about ready to head down there myself when one of the men I’ve been training comes sprinting back. “It’s the Chosen dragon,” he wheezes. I guess I’m going to have to work on their endurance if this jog has him winded.
“Jade? What about him?” Judging by the growing crowd, this can’t be good.
“He’s not alone.”
I’m about to question him more when I spot a blur of grey darting through the crowd.
‘Abby, what’s going on?’ If there’s a wolf there, she’ll already have more information that the wheezing siren.
‘Jade has a Guardian pinned in the sand. They need you over there.’
I’m moving before she even finishes the thought. What the fuck is Jade thinking bringing a Guardian here? Is that what he’s been doing all this time? If he went to Lunae, I might just have to drag him back out to that rift and give him what he wants.
It takes less than a minute to reach them, and what I find is exactly as Abby described. He’s clad in silver, so there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a Guardian, though it’s impossible to see his face with it pressed down in the sand.
I push my way through the remaining crowd. “That’s enough. Let him up.”
There’s a smile on Jade’s face when he looks up at me. For just a moment I think he’s going to argue, but then he pulls the man to his feet only to kick him down so he’s kneeling in front of me. “I brought you a gift,” he says, before turning his attention to the panting Abby. She must have run all the way here. “I brought us all a gift.”
Abby crouches down in front of the man. He’s young—likely no older than seventeen—and the terror in his eyes makes him appear even younger. “Are you hurt?” she asks. Always so kind.
“My arms,” he sputters. “They’re burning.”
Abby shoots a glare up at Jade and he just shrugs. “It was an accident.”
Sure it was.
“We’ll get that taken care of,” she says, though that might not have been her promise to make. Judging by the hatred in the eyes of those gathered around us, this man is destined for little more than a slow death. Again—what the fuck was Jade thinking bringing him here?
His hazel eyes meet hers. “Princess?”
“Please never call me that again. It’s Abby. Not Abilene—Abby. And your name is…” She thinks for a moment. “Ty. Right?”
“How did you—” he starts to ask, but she cuts him off.
“I tried to learn the names of all the Guardians who didn’t enjoy the cruelty.” Abby stands then and jabs a finger into Jade’s chest. “Why did you bring him here?” If I wasn’t worried about him accidentally setting her ablaze, I might enjoy seeing her knock him down a peg.
Jade’s cocky grin grows. “I can think of two uses for him.” When his gaze meets mine, I know what at least one of those things is.
“We’re not doing that,” I say with what I hope will leave no room for argument. Generally, I don’t care what happens to Guardians, but Abby seems fond of this one, so I’m not going to push him into the veil.
My answer only has Jade’s grin growing. He knew I would refuse, which is why he purposely said he had two ideas. I just hope the second is better than the first. “He’s your way inside Lunae.” That’s his idea? “That is, if you want a shot at saving those you consider innocent.”
It takes only a split second for Ty to put the pieces together. “You can’t attack Lunae!”
Jade’s smile disappears, and he drives a solid kick into the Guardian’s back. He falls forward, once again earning himself a face full of sand.
“I said that’s enough,” I growl.
Abby is beside the man again, and when he looks at her this time, there is nothing but desperation in his eyes. “Whatever you’re after, it’s not worth it. The prince… He’s vicious. More so than his mother. You should leave this place. Get somewhere far away. They’ll kill you.”
“I’m not going to abandon the people of Lunae.” She looks up at Jade. “Tell me your idea.”
I already know I’m not going to like this, and the smirk he flashes me does nothing to ease my concerns. “We need to see if your bite can still get the job done.”
My blood runs colder than Rosewood in winter. I must have heard him wrong because there’s no way he just suggested that. I have to swallow to fight the sudden aridness of my throat. “No. No, absolutely not.”
Jade rolls his eyes and then gestures to Abby. “Don’t be stupid. If you can change him, she can control him.” So he has been around. At least enough to see her working with the wolves, but that doesn’t change anything. I can’t change him. I won’t.
I keep my voice low because this is no business of the sirens. “I’m not going to do this to anyone else. I don’t even know if I can. The curse is broken.”
Jade does not put the same effort into quieting his words. “Yet you and your people remain wolves. You want the influencers to share their abilities with you. It’s only fair you share yours with them.” He’s hardly been around, yet he seems to know so much.
“This is not an ability!” I hiss. “I will not ruin another innocent’s life.”
Jade spits. “Innocent? He’s a Guardian. He pledged his service to the corrupt crown.”
“So did you,” Abby reminds him. “You may not remember, but—”
“From what I understand, I had a good reason.” Judging by the tightness in his jaw, this is still a touchy subject.
“Not wanting to starve isn’t a good reason?”
Jade groans, and I know it’s because he knows she’s right. But Jade’s right, too, as much as I hate to admit it.
“You don’t get to pick and choose your enemies. This man is a Guardian and if you’re not going to use him, then we may as well kill him now,” Jade says, summoning a clawed hand.
The Guardian drops into the sand in an attempt to crawl away from him. It seems Jade did something to his leg, as well as the burns on his arms. “No, please! I’ll do whatever you want. Don’t let that thing kill me.”
There’s movement in the crowd behind me, and that can only mean one thing.
“Put your claws away, dragon,” Erwyn says as he pushes passed me. For the briefest of moments, I think he’s going to defend the man, but then he says, “I can think of many uses for a Guardian.”
“Like target practice!” a voice from the crowd shouts.
“Let the wolves hunt him,” another suggests.
I’ve just about had it. I’ve been in the sun for far too long today. I’m hot, I’m tired, and I need a bath. “Enough!” I snap for the third time and hold a hand out to the injured man. When he takes it, I pull him shakily to his feet and allow him to use my arm to keep himself upright as I turn my glare back on Jade. “Did anyone see you take him?”
“The two who did are dead. There were no other witnesses in the forest.”
I look to Ty and use considerable effort to soften my stare. “Is that true?”
“Yes,” he gasps. “That monster killed them.”
Monster . That’s a word I know all too well.
“You cannot take his word for it!” Erwyn objects. This conversation is getting us nowhere and all he wants is to spill blood.
“So do not,” a siren says. I don’t know this one’s name, but I’ve seen her watching some of the sparring, though she’s never tried to participate. As if for my benefit, she add, “I am an influencer. I can project his memories.”
Project his memories? What does that mean? I don’t even have time to ask before an image appears in front of her. I see the Guardian, as well as two others, camping in the forest. Chaos erupts when Jade dives in as silently as any assassin and takes the two larger ones out. The man tries to run but doesn’t get very far when Jade’s hands ignite just before they make contact. The shriek that forces its way through Ty’s lips is one I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
The image fades, and silence falls over the crowd.
“So much for an accident,” I mutter to Jade, but his smirk doesn’t falter.
I turn my focus back on Ty, who seems terrified to have just relieved his own attack as if he were watching it happen to someone else. I keep my voice calm because if he takes much more, we won’t be getting any answers out of him.
“What were you doing outside of Lunae?” He hesitates, so I press. “Answer me or they’ll kill you.” That’s the opposite of keeping him calm, but I need him to talk more.
“I was part of one of six groups scattered just outside the border. The queen thinks you’ll attack. We’re just the warning system.”
Of course she thinks we’ll attack. She knows we need Arabella. “When is your next check-in?”
“Four days.”
“How do we know he isn’t lying?” Erwyn growls.
Abby moves to Ty’s other side, putting herself between him and Erwyn. “Because he has no reason to protect Imelda.” She turns to him. “We’re going to stop her. Will you help us?”
After a moment of hesitation, he nods—just before he blacks out.
After more seemingly endless debate, we came to a tentative agreement that Ty would have to be detained until a proper decision could be reached. A healer is with him now, giving Jade, Abby, and I a chance to finish our conversation alone. It’s already getting late, and with the wedding tonight, at least we shouldn’t have to worry about anyone slipping in and murdering the Guardian themselves.
“You can’t ask me to do this,” I say for what must be the third time. My fists are clenched at my sides, and I’m starting to wish there was time for another match on the beach because I’d really love to hit something.
Jade scoffs. “And you can’t tell me you’re not curious if you still can.”
He thinks I’m curious? “Not one bit. I won’t do it.” Abby shifts beside me, and as much as I don’t want to take my anger out on her, I can’t stop the words that have been wanting to spill from my mouth since we moved him into Marein. “Don’t tell me you agree with this.” She hasn’t said a word since we left the beach, and the only explanation for that is she’s not entirely against Jade’s idea.
She lays a gentle hand on my arm, and that alone eases some of the tension. “This is your choice, but I think we should talk about what this could mean. Having eyes inside is invaluable.”
“Eyes and teeth, you mean.”
“No, I mean eyes.” She crosses her arms and turns to Jade. So maybe she’s not entirely on his side. “What was your plan?”
Jade, who is casually leaning against the door that separates us from Ty, straightens slightly. “Get him inside and set him loose. Take out their forces while they sleep.”
Abby looks as disgusted as I feel. “You want Quinn to take away his humanity and me to force him to slaughter his friends?”
“You would use him as a spy to help you slaughter his friends. My way is faster. We’re at war, in case you’ve forgotten.”
She turns away, as if looking at him is suddenly too painful. “You’re the one who’s forgotten. I don’t even recognize you anymore.”
For whatever reason, that seems to cross a line. “Do whatever you want with him. At least I’m doing something,” Jade says as he storms off down the hall.
I lean against the wall and slide down it with a huff. Abby joins me and pulls me against her. I revel in her warmth. “What do you think we should do?”
“Talk to him. But not tonight. We still have a wedding to get to.”