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Authors: M. A. Nilles
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grass to right behind her. A set of reins landing on her shoulder startled her and she whirled.
"Hold him for me."
Nadia took the reins as Kaelen returned to the copse while unsheathing his sword.
With both horses grazing beside her, Nadia watched Kaelen hack at the lower branches. She winced at the thought of what that would do to his weapon, but without the demonlords around, it was their best chance for getting a good fire going.
Kaelen dropped a branch from the tree when a noise arose from the direction the demonlords had gone.
It could have been something far worse, but the emergence of the large cats calmed the fears arising in her mind. The riders in the group burst from the darkness with a familiar figure cast in the moon's glow heading towards her.
"Huntress." Lord Je'Kaoron stopped his mount before her and jumped from the saddle in the same motion, a worried look on his face as his eyes searched her. "Are you all right?"
That he cared enough to worry about her teased a smile from her lips, and she nodded. "Yes."
Amid the tromping of many tigers and horses, he leaned close and in a low voice asked, "Was there any trouble?"
"No, my lord. The goblin cooperated without any persuasion."
"I didn't mean the goblin."
Nadia followed his gaze to the trees, where Kaelen helped pick up branches broken off by the demonlords, who had taken over breaking off branches.
"No," she said with full understanding. "He…No." Kaelen had been strangely cooperative. He could have tried to take the dagger when they were alone, but he hadn't.
Je'Kaoron nodded and straightened to his normal manner. "And what of the goblin?"
Nadia blinked away her thoughts of Kaelen, glad to have something else to discuss. "Yes. He brought a message. He said his clan observed some things that worried them and that they want to find some First Ones that are Guardians to do whatever needs to be done to stop bad things from happening."
In the darkness, the man stared at her, but in the moonlight, those pale blue eyes grew distant.
"He couldn't tell me who these Guardians are, and when I argued with Kaelen, he ran off."
In his usual pleasant manner, he tipped his head. "Thank you, Nadia."
Thank you? For what—letting the goblin go or for getting the message? "Do you know who the First Ones are? He said they were Guardians of the lesser races."
"I know of them, but they don't want to risk discovery. Those who have been revealed in the past have been tortured for their knowledge." The look on his face in the moonlight tugged at the pity inside her. Sorrow or fear, she couldn't discern, but she wanted to console him as he had provided her solace in her grief. After all he had done for her, it was the least she could offer.
As she would have done with the girls whose half-blood newborns she had taken or the families of demon victims, she reached for his hand in a simple show of sympathy. He had been there in her distress, and she wanted to give him some sign that she understood. He had obviously been close to some these Guardians, whoever they were.
He curled his fingers in hers, his hand warm.
"Did you know any of them?" she asked hesitantly.
His eyes fell to their hands and she noted the repeated sliding of his thumb over her hand in the seconds that passed.
"Please don't ask me about that," he said in a quiet voice and broke away.
The shimmer of magic transformed him and he bounded off to blend in with the others still in tiger form around the low fire they had started.
Nadia watched him, unaware of the shadow creeping upon her.
"Not in the mood tonight?"
Emotions spiked at the accusation. She jabbed her elbow into the gap in his armor, making an adequate but less than satisfactory contact against Kaelen's ribs. "Leave me alone!"
Needing space from him, she marched away to the fire. At least Lord Je'Kaoron had a heart, which was much less than she could say for Kaelen.
Chapter 5
The next day came too soon after a sleepless
"Hold him for me."
Nadia took the reins as Kaelen returned to the copse while unsheathing his sword.
With both horses grazing beside her, Nadia watched Kaelen hack at the lower branches. She winced at the thought of what that would do to his weapon, but without the demonlords around, it was their best chance for getting a good fire going.
Kaelen dropped a branch from the tree when a noise arose from the direction the demonlords had gone.
It could have been something far worse, but the emergence of the large cats calmed the fears arising in her mind. The riders in the group burst from the darkness with a familiar figure cast in the moon's glow heading towards her.
"Huntress." Lord Je'Kaoron stopped his mount before her and jumped from the saddle in the same motion, a worried look on his face as his eyes searched her. "Are you all right?"
That he cared enough to worry about her teased a smile from her lips, and she nodded. "Yes."
Amid the tromping of many tigers and horses, he leaned close and in a low voice asked, "Was there any trouble?"
"No, my lord. The goblin cooperated without any persuasion."
"I didn't mean the goblin."
Nadia followed his gaze to the trees, where Kaelen helped pick up branches broken off by the demonlords, who had taken over breaking off branches.
"No," she said with full understanding. "He…No." Kaelen had been strangely cooperative. He could have tried to take the dagger when they were alone, but he hadn't.
Je'Kaoron nodded and straightened to his normal manner. "And what of the goblin?"
Nadia blinked away her thoughts of Kaelen, glad to have something else to discuss. "Yes. He brought a message. He said his clan observed some things that worried them and that they want to find some First Ones that are Guardians to do whatever needs to be done to stop bad things from happening."
In the darkness, the man stared at her, but in the moonlight, those pale blue eyes grew distant.
"He couldn't tell me who these Guardians are, and when I argued with Kaelen, he ran off."
In his usual pleasant manner, he tipped his head. "Thank you, Nadia."
Thank you? For what—letting the goblin go or for getting the message? "Do you know who the First Ones are? He said they were Guardians of the lesser races."
"I know of them, but they don't want to risk discovery. Those who have been revealed in the past have been tortured for their knowledge." The look on his face in the moonlight tugged at the pity inside her. Sorrow or fear, she couldn't discern, but she wanted to console him as he had provided her solace in her grief. After all he had done for her, it was the least she could offer.
As she would have done with the girls whose half-blood newborns she had taken or the families of demon victims, she reached for his hand in a simple show of sympathy. He had been there in her distress, and she wanted to give him some sign that she understood. He had obviously been close to some these Guardians, whoever they were.
He curled his fingers in hers, his hand warm.
"Did you know any of them?" she asked hesitantly.
His eyes fell to their hands and she noted the repeated sliding of his thumb over her hand in the seconds that passed.
"Please don't ask me about that," he said in a quiet voice and broke away.
The shimmer of magic transformed him and he bounded off to blend in with the others still in tiger form around the low fire they had started.
Nadia watched him, unaware of the shadow creeping upon her.
"Not in the mood tonight?"
Emotions spiked at the accusation. She jabbed her elbow into the gap in his armor, making an adequate but less than satisfactory contact against Kaelen's ribs. "Leave me alone!"
Needing space from him, she marched away to the fire. At least Lord Je'Kaoron had a heart, which was much less than she could say for Kaelen.
Chapter 5
The next day came too soon after a sleepless
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