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Authors: Linda Winstead Jones
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the demon was actually inside him, but those feelings never lasted long. They did connect on occasion, when the demon had commands to issue, but Maccus's soul remained his own, at least for now. He had a feeling that would riot be true much longer.
The power he had always craved was finally his, and the cost did not seem too high, not to Maccus. What he had accomplished was remarkable, but when the Red Queen arrived, he would be elevated to a status higher than he had ever imagined possible.
Again, his biood danced, and the stone in the medallion which hung from his neck sparkled, green and black and bottomless.
----
4
There hadn't been a single day in her life that Keelia hadn't felt different. As an Anwyn, as a psychic, as a woman... always different. It would make sense that she'd become accustomed to those things whichHet her apart from others and embrace the fact that she was unique, but in truth the reality that she was not like others grew more painful with every passing year. She spent most of her life in human form, and yet she was not entirely human. Her Anwyn blood set her apart, so that even though she might appear to be of the same species as her many lowland cousins, she was in fact quite dissimilar. While it was true that there were lowland humans as well as Anwyn among her ancestors, both of her parents had Anwyn blood. That was unusual, or had been before her mother's arrival in The City had changed everything. It was expected mat she and Giulia would continue the tradition and produce more children who could be called pure Anwyn, but that could not happen until her mate presented himself. Her Anwyn mate.
She longed for a touch of normalcy in her life.
Inking a Caradon as her mate, as the prophesy had mistakenly said she would, would only set her farther apart from the others. No, her supposition that the destined union was a purely political one made more sense than the idea that she might spend a lifetime with this creature who had kidnapped her. Even if she did experience sensations she had never felt before when she looked at him, even if the dreams did tell her that there would be more than a political alliance between them, she could and would be the mistress of her own fate. She,was in control and could choose not to follow the natural—or unnatural—instincts.
Traveling with Joryn proceeded more smoothly than she had imagined it would on this, the first day of their journey. He had some dried food and hard bread in a small rucksack he carried over one shoulder, and carried fresh water in a wineskin, for those days when they might not find good drinking water along the way. The dagger at his waist would likely provide fresher meat at some point in the journey, if he did not hunt with balls of fire. For today they existed on the provisions he carried.
If he'd expected her to behave like a frail female who needed constant attention and care while traveling on foot, then she'd surprised him. She had energy and strength, and did not mind calling upon all she had in order to accomplish her objectives.
And she did try to be well mannered.
Keelia lifted her bound hands gently. "This is not necessary," she said in an emotionless voice. "I want to stop the darkness that has invaded these mountains we call home as much as you do."
"Why?" The fire Joryn had started with a flick of his fingers illuminated his face in the dark of night. The line of his jaw was tight, tense. Like Anwyn males, he grew no hair on his face or chest, so that jaw was smooth, as always. His lips were thinned, his eyes hooded. "Your people have not been affected."
"Not yet," she whispered.
She saw that they would be if the unnatural Caradon creatures were not stopped in time. The disease which distorted their bodies and stole their souls would spread if they didn't find the wizard responsible and... and... Keelia closed her eyes. She could see the wizard, working in a cave much like the one Joryn had made her prison. His
The power he had always craved was finally his, and the cost did not seem too high, not to Maccus. What he had accomplished was remarkable, but when the Red Queen arrived, he would be elevated to a status higher than he had ever imagined possible.
Again, his biood danced, and the stone in the medallion which hung from his neck sparkled, green and black and bottomless.
----
4
There hadn't been a single day in her life that Keelia hadn't felt different. As an Anwyn, as a psychic, as a woman... always different. It would make sense that she'd become accustomed to those things whichHet her apart from others and embrace the fact that she was unique, but in truth the reality that she was not like others grew more painful with every passing year. She spent most of her life in human form, and yet she was not entirely human. Her Anwyn blood set her apart, so that even though she might appear to be of the same species as her many lowland cousins, she was in fact quite dissimilar. While it was true that there were lowland humans as well as Anwyn among her ancestors, both of her parents had Anwyn blood. That was unusual, or had been before her mother's arrival in The City had changed everything. It was expected mat she and Giulia would continue the tradition and produce more children who could be called pure Anwyn, but that could not happen until her mate presented himself. Her Anwyn mate.
She longed for a touch of normalcy in her life.
Inking a Caradon as her mate, as the prophesy had mistakenly said she would, would only set her farther apart from the others. No, her supposition that the destined union was a purely political one made more sense than the idea that she might spend a lifetime with this creature who had kidnapped her. Even if she did experience sensations she had never felt before when she looked at him, even if the dreams did tell her that there would be more than a political alliance between them, she could and would be the mistress of her own fate. She,was in control and could choose not to follow the natural—or unnatural—instincts.
Traveling with Joryn proceeded more smoothly than she had imagined it would on this, the first day of their journey. He had some dried food and hard bread in a small rucksack he carried over one shoulder, and carried fresh water in a wineskin, for those days when they might not find good drinking water along the way. The dagger at his waist would likely provide fresher meat at some point in the journey, if he did not hunt with balls of fire. For today they existed on the provisions he carried.
If he'd expected her to behave like a frail female who needed constant attention and care while traveling on foot, then she'd surprised him. She had energy and strength, and did not mind calling upon all she had in order to accomplish her objectives.
And she did try to be well mannered.
Keelia lifted her bound hands gently. "This is not necessary," she said in an emotionless voice. "I want to stop the darkness that has invaded these mountains we call home as much as you do."
"Why?" The fire Joryn had started with a flick of his fingers illuminated his face in the dark of night. The line of his jaw was tight, tense. Like Anwyn males, he grew no hair on his face or chest, so that jaw was smooth, as always. His lips were thinned, his eyes hooded. "Your people have not been affected."
"Not yet," she whispered.
She saw that they would be if the unnatural Caradon creatures were not stopped in time. The disease which distorted their bodies and stole their souls would spread if they didn't find the wizard responsible and... and... Keelia closed her eyes. She could see the wizard, working in a cave much like the one Joryn had made her prison. His
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