Chapter 16
Mind and heart reeling, Daya watched through Ember’s eyes as Connor carried Veda across the fortress grounds and into the central keep. From the tight wind of her arms around his neck, it was clear that it would take an order of magnitude to tear her away from him.
Through their new bond, she had monitored the intensity of sensations bombarding Veda throughout the day. The earth, the guardian magic, the mental connection to Daya and the hawks. Fighting the pull toward the mountain had been on the verge of harming her as her fear escalated.
It wasn’t until Connor had embraced her that Veda had let go of the fight, her emotional energy turning to a different target.
Hope, joy, and relief had crashed through Daya with breathtaking ferocity as Veda was reunited with Connor.
Everything had dimmed in comparison, completely overshadowed in the moment.
As Veda calmed in the safety of Connor’s arms, so had the magic, settling into a much more peaceful coexistence. She was grateful for Veda’s sake yet worried about what the cusp of change would bring for all three of their futures.
Watching Connor in motion as he fought his way through the compound had been an unexpected emotional storm as well. A current of humming intensity now balanced out his lighthearted nature.
A cold mask settled over Connor’s features as he moved with a single-minded focus that let nothing interfere with his intended mission.
He was meant for much more than hiding on her mountainside.
Seeing him in violent action meant she couldn’t ignore it any longer.
Doing so would be a disrespect to him. To both of them.
It had solidified the realization that he was highly skilled and dangerous.
A magnificent warrior she’d only glimpsed the day she’d found him.
Her nerve endings flared with heat as she remembered the feeling, the intimacy, of all that intensity directed solely at her.
She’d been right all along. Her sky hunter was an incredibly worthy mate she’d remember with longing for the rest of her life.
Disconnecting from her avian counterpart, Daya sagged with relief against the boulder and tried to breathe away the shattering emotions bombarding her. With the raid coming to an end, she needed to get down to the fortress and help lead the exit, but she needed a moment to gather herself.
She kept her consciousness fully linked but not melded with Ember.
Being part of an attack was different from simply flying with the hawks.
The pull on her senses was heightened in an extreme way.
She stretched her neck and rubbed her temples around her eyes to soothe the throbbing strain.
They didn’t have such experiences often enough to make her used to the sensations.
The hawks continued to fly in patterns above the now quiet compound as they kept guard from the air. Numerous dead littered the ground, but there was no movement or other visible threats. After a few moments of complete stillness, her alertness ebbed from pursuing an active threat to watchfulness.
Her mountain range was usually a quiet, harmonious swatch of nature that was a joy to guard.
Stories of war and dissent had been handed down through the line of guardians.
They’d held weight with the equally ancient stories of a land brimming with magic.
The light and dark pieces of their history stretching back to their very origins.
Though the beginning of her reign as the acting guardian had been calm, recent events made her fear that darkness was beginning to sweep the land once again.
The mountain hadn’t called for multiple guardians since the time of great strife.
Whatever turmoil was coming, she would be needed more than ever. As would Veda.
Her would-be apprentice was incredibly young. Certainly, the youngest she’d ever heard of being called. Clinging to Connor, weak from the separation illness and her captivity, she appeared even more gentle and innocent. Daya wouldn’t just be training a new guardian; she would be parenting one.
Anxiety rushed through her in a taxing wave. It had been the sacrifice of her fertility that had been the hardest burden to bear over the years. She’d always wanted a mate and a child. Even after a century of guardianship, the yearning hadn’t waned, she’d just figured out how to live with it.
If Veda chose to stay, part of that long held desire would be fulfilled.
The fact that she was a daughter to Connor in all but blood made it so much more meaningful.
Daya wouldn’t be mentoring from a detached distance, the way her predecessor had.
Veda was the child of Connor’s heart. Of her own.
Family, as much as she would be Daya’s apprentice.
Nerves assuaged her as she stood and began to pick her way down the mountainside to join the rescue on the ground and meet her new charge.
Ereven’s reassuring voice sounded in her mind. We’ll help with the hawklet.
Maneuvering carefully over the broken wall, she set foot on the fortress grounds for the first time. Taking a precious moment, she pressed her hand to the bare earth and released a bit of magic in greeting. The land absorbed it as if in drought.
We need to cleanse this place. Renew its harmony, she said.
Hannelore sparked and warmed, radiating pleasure and approval through their connection.
Later, once the others left for home, she would need to return.
This land was her responsibility. Somehow, she needed to reclaim it and ensure it was used for a new purpose.
To further healing rather than harm and destruction.
How exactly she would manage that, she had no idea.
Soft voices ground to a halt as Daya entered the main hall. The children startled as she stepped into view, the oldest boy jumping up to stand in front of the others.
“It’s alright, Gavin. Daya is with us.” Sev settled the children quickly, reassuring them she was with the rescue team and voicing approval of the teen’s protective instincts.
“You’re Daya?” Veda peered at her with exhausted but intently assessing eyes. “Connor said I’m supposed to stick with you until he comes back.”
Mad as he was at her revelation about Veda’s calling, he’d still vouched for her, entrusting the girl’s safety to her. A tendril of affection wound through her and robbed her of speech. She cleared the thickness from her throat before responding.
“Yes. We’ll stay together.” For the journey and hopefully a whole lot longer.
Veda nodded her acceptance as Cass strode through the shadows near the stairwell.
“I’ve secured our prisoners below. They’ll survive until reinforcements arrive,” Cass said as she approached.
“You’re letting them live? Why?” That hadn’t been part of the original plan. She wanted them off her mountain immediately, not chained below to rot in darkness.
“This is bigger than just this incidence, an opportunity not to be wasted. But it’s safer for the kids if we don’t pause to extract information from them now,” Cass said. “I’ll send for someone to come collect them later.”
It must be killing Connor to walk away and not to interrogate them immediately. The men had terrorized and hurt the girls his team had died protecting. The children’s current safety was paramount though, and he wouldn’t jeopardize it for information.
“I don’t think you should let them live.” Veda’s chin pushed up with defiance, reminding Daya that she’d been through a traumatic situation with Connor before being captured a second time and brought to the fortress.
“Do you understand why Connor wants them held for questioning?” Daya asked carefully. This first moment was critical to their future bond.
“Yes.” Veda’s head dropped as she nodded, a sheen of tears glinting in the low light that suffused the room.
Through their bond, Daya could tell she was upset and feeling guilty, along with a deep loyalty to Connor. Veda hadn’t developed the age or experience to be truly comfortable wanting someone dead. But the base emotion was there.
Daya put her fingers under the girl’s chin and tipped her face back up. If Veda was to become a guardian, she needed to treat her like one. That meant honesty.
“I understand. I don’t want them alive either.
” Surprise flickered in Veda’s eyes as she continued.
“But the information they have might help more children. That’s important.
Connor is an honorable warrior, and we need to respect his choice and help him.
I’ll keep an eye on this area of the mountain until the men are retrieved.
They won’t be hurting anyone again, I promise. ”
“I believe you.” Veda’s relief that the men wouldn’t get away with what they’d done was clear in her words and through the bond. She might be weak now, but she had the internal strength to make a powerful guardian.
Cass gave Daya a meaningful nod before turning to clap Sev on the shoulder. “You’re up, Preddari. Let’s start packing out. It’s a long trek back.”
“You got it, shimira,” Sev said, using the name of a fierce, legendary leopardess with a tone of affection that made it an endearment.
It seemed Daya wasn’t the only one who took inspiration from the ancient stories and legends of Eldridge.
Cass shook her head at the hunter as she turned away, but Daya caught the slight change in expression that revealed the warrior enjoyed the moniker.
Another brick in the wall she had kept up between her and the visitors-turned-comrades disintegrated as she shared a smile with Sev. She hadn’t expected to like these people when they’d encroached on her territory and staked their claim on her sky hunter.
Sev took over directing the children, his relaxed and jovial manner earning a few half smiles from the weary refugees. He had been designated to lead the group on the journey back alongside her, leaving Cass and Connor free to defend them if conflict arose.
“Daya, do you want to help me bury the dead while Sev gets the kids ready to leave?” Cass asked.
“Yes, I picked a few spots around the perimeter that will work.”
She’d agreed to use her magic to help bury their enemies. It would speed things tremendously, as there were too many bodies to leave out for predators. Allowing the earth to reclaim them was right.
“The majority are here at the keep and in the guardhouse,” Cass said.
“Alright, let’s—”
A hunting cry sounded in her head, startling Daya to stillness as both Ereven and Ember shrieked a warning.
“Connor,” she whispered.
Daya snapped back into Ember’s mind, blinking to adjust her focus as the hawk barreled through the open stable doorway with dizzying speed in time to see Connor quietly approaching two armed mercenaries.
One of the fortress men was mostly hidden in a stall holding a huge dark horse.
From Ember’s sight, she could see the second he spotted Connor.
Instead of warning his comrade, he quickly picked up a tiny girl from where she stood at his feet and placed her on the black steed.
It was the child she’d first seen with the horses—Connor’s other little girl, Opal.
Connor engaged the armed men, trying to force them back towards the stable door as Rodric stepped inside and caught their attention. The captain she’d seen on her previous visit to the fortress peeled away from Connor’s pursuit to focus on the hunter.
“What’s happening?” Cass demanded, pulling her attention away from the scene in the stable.
“Battling three more,” Daya reported. “They’re holding.”
A small hand curled around her wrist. Daya’s vision suddenly wavered and then returned as Veda’s presence shadowed her mind, proving instinct was just as valuable as formal learning, especially when strong emotions were involved.
Help him! Veda’s cry resounded in her ears and in her mind.
He’s okay, Veda, Daya reassured, realizing this was not the first time the girl had seen her protector in combat.
Ember radiated fury but couldn’t do much to help in the enclosed space except claw at the man to keep him moving in the direction Connor was trying to get him to go.
As she chased the man out, Daya caught a glimpse of Rodric and the captain crossing blades.
The third man was noticeably absent from the fight.
Ereven! He’s going to run. Get Rogue! Connor had spent the afternoon teaching his horse to respond to certain signals from the hawks while they’d watched the fortress.
But he has Opal! Veda exclaimed.
Easy, nestling. We will follow them, Ereven replied. He won’t get away with her.
Finally pushed outside, Ember dove at the man’s face with a vicious cry, claws stretched to swipe his eyes. Connor aimed low with his sword, finishing their kill. The practiced movements of the hawk and warrior felt completely in sync, as if they’d been hunting together for years.
The black steed raced out of the barn as Ember regained her equilibrium after the attack. Celina shifted into view nearby, pulling a dark-haired girl near Veda’s age behind her protectively.
Circling just above the battle, they saw a flash of metal as the captain threw something deadly toward the women. Connor shouted as Celina fell and Rodric finished off the captain. The third man rode with Opal through the yard and cleared the barrier wall with ease.
Ereven streaked through the sky after them, disappearing into the trees. The thud of hooves sounded as Rogue ran up to the low, broken wall that surrounded the fortress. Connor rushed to meet him, using the crumbling stones as a mounting block to jump onto Rogue’s back.
“After them, Ember!” Connor yelled to his winged partner as Rogue took off.
Distracted by the feeling of fullness at all of them working together, even without Connor joined to them magically, Daya was startled when her mind was shoved toward Ereven’s.
Opal! Veda’s emotion surged through Daya, exacerbating her own.
Taking control of the shift, Daya guided Veda the rest of the way into Ereven’s mind so that neither of them would be hurt by the forceful pulse of magic powered by the girl’s rampant emotions. Their vision filled with the fast clip of trees as they wove through the darkening forest, prey in sight.