Deceptions fall, p.14
Deception's Fall, page 14
part #6 of Call of the Elements Series
The weight of his words settled around our table. I could see regret on several faces. They really hadn’t thought about the consequences of making this choice. I snorted, drawing everyone’s attention. At least they had a choice.
“Alisandra makes a good point, even if all you heard was her distaste,” Dusha said. I glared at him, willing him to shut the hell up. He didn’t. “She was not given a choice to join. Her responsibilities and sacrifices were never explained to her until recently. Yet she always shouldered them with dedication and compassion.”
Heat flared up my neck, consuming my face and ears. He didn’t have to talk about me like I’d done something wonderful. I’d bitched and moaned the entire time.
“Whatever,” I mumbled, trying to avoid everyone’s shocked expressions.
“What is our plan for Sabina and her warriors?” Ronquil asked, saving me from having to answer any questions from the group.
“Until everyone is trained to work together, you can only react,” Dusha replied. “The elementals are working on a way to get into her kingdom undetected. We need to know the extent of her army at a minimum.”
“Can we not just send in a spy?” Maldrius questioned, leaning his forearms on the table.
Ronquil shook his head. “We’ve tried too many times. The last six never returned.” He glanced at me, and I shook my head. He nodded, understanding I didn’t want them to know about my torture. “The barrier surrounding her kingdom strips us from our magic. All of it. Including the elementals. The dark fae warriors allow no one to enter or leave, so we can’t even use a diplomatic mission as an excuse to get a spy in the door.”
“How can they block all magic?” Heidi asked, revealing a thick accent. “I thought the vampires were the only ones with a magic-proof room.”
I raised an eyebrow at Ronquil, seeing how he’d respond. I’d told him about the vampires’ magic-proof room when we first met, and he hadn’t believed me.
“Sabina adapted the vampires’ designs for her own uses. We suspect Neònach’s magic enhanced the spell,” Ronquil replied. “Hopefully the elementals will find a way to bypass it.”
Dusha nodded. “Let me give you a tour of your new home. After that, your elementals will take over your training.” He rose, stepping over the bench and heading for the arched doorway. “One more thing before we go. Every group must have a leader. Because of the importance of the fae realm in this fight, Ronquil will be the one to hold this position.” He stopped in the arch and faced us. “Decide among yourselves how you wish to be led.”
The elemental disappeared around the corner, and I stole glances at my fellow Dionadair. Ronquil was obviously furious at the way Dusha just threw that out there. I didn’t blame him for being angry, but Dusha’s method was probably best. No one would really argue with the elemental’s declaration.
If the others were upset by it, they didn’t show their unhappiness. I hoped I pulled off my ‘I don’t give a shit’ look, because on the inside, I was doing a happy dance.
Chapter 13
Dusha led us down a long, wide hallway that constantly curved to the right, making me feel like we walked in a large circle. My elemental explained that’s exactly what happened. Our building was actually a tower.
Our meeting room filled the center of the top floor. Four extensive libraries circled the outside wall. Sky lights in the roof provided the only light in the windowless rooms. The awe factor affected everyone in our group, not just me. I’d be spending a lot of time in the library.
We followed a winding staircase down to the next floor. Nine bedrooms lined the outer wall, following the outside circumference of the tower. Each bedroom was exactly the same with a tall, arched window on the far wall and framed by a desk and wardrobe. The oversized bed made me smile, but the lack of a bathroom wiped it away in seconds. I wasn’t the only one to notice.
“Where’s the loo?” Phoebe asked. I loved her accent. It was more distinct than Heidi’s.
Our little procession stopped in the middle of the hall. “The previous Dionadair were all men, so modesty was not a concern.” Dusha took in our rather eclectic group and smiled. “Your bathroom facilities are in the center of the tower.” He motioned to an open archway to our right. “We’ve modified it to provide some privacy, but the ten of you will need to decide how to share it.”
I frowned, not liking that I’d have to run across the hall just to pee in the middle of the night, with no privacy. The thought of a community shower sounded even worse. Fricking lovely. Then again, it’s not like I planned to spend all my time here. I had a couple options, including my luxury shower in LA or even my copper tub back at the castle.
The last set of stairs led to a large, open space. Rather than a hallway circling a center room, a stone wall cut the room almost in half.
“The kitchen and storage areas are to your right.” Dusha waved a hand at the open archway. “This area is self-explanatory.”
He was right. A solid wood dining table ran along the stone wall closest to the kitchen door. Benches made from the same wood lined each side of the rectangular table. Numerous seating areas filled the other side of the room. All the furniture was made of the same dark wood. It didn’t look like it was designed for comfort. Cushions were a must.
“Where are the training areas?” Dylan asked.
Rather than answer, Dusha led us to a set of giant wooden doors. He pushed them open on silent hinges, and we followed him into a wide meadow. It reminded me of the field of wildflowers leading up to the Elvin city, except for the enormous dome rising from the earth in the distance.
“Your training arena.” Dusha pointed at the dome, but his attention stayed on us. “Today should be spent introducing your elementals and deciding how to best integrate your unique abilities into the team. Unlike our last group, each of you brings something special. Your individuality will make this team stronger.”
He raised his eyes to the tower behind us. “Don’t wait to make this your refuge. Before you sleep tonight, make sure you have a change of clothing and whatever you need for several days. If there’s another attack, you need to be ready to leave within moments.”
Murmurs filtered through our group as everyone headed for the training arena. Dusha gripped my elbow as I passed, holding me back. Ronquil noticed and raised an eyebrow at me. I gave him a reassuring smile, and he left with his group. His group, not mine.
Dusha pulled me back into the tower and closed the door.
“Ronquil will need your help and reassurance,” my elemental said, leading me to one of the sofas in our living room. “Make sure you’re available for him. It’s difficult for him to trust us, understandably so.”
“You really thought you had to tell me?” I asked, a little offended by his statement. I knew all about Ronquil’s brothers. Alra had shown me their deaths when he shared his memories, and I’d seen firsthand how the loss continued to affect Nardan.
“You’re easily distracted,” he retorted. “I also advise not mentioning our connection. The others will not receive a bond with spirit.”
“I’m pretty sure Ron already knows. Lodron hasn’t exactly kept it to himself.” I frowned, remembering Lodron’s conversation with Kellen. The captain made a point of calling me a goddess because I had five elementals. He and I needed to have a chat. “Besides, you’ve made it very clear that I’m your favorite.”
“I’ll have a chat with your captain,” Dusha said. “Call me if you need me, favorite.”
“I will,” I said, grinning at him.
My elemental shattered into a bazillion tiny stars. I sighed. Half of me looked forward to this new chapter in my life, but the other half dreaded it. Everything was about to change. Again.
~~~~~~~~~~~
We spent the rest of the morning in the arena with Ronquil’s elementals. I giggled when I realized they were all female, but my amusement didn’t last long. They were fantastic at organizing us according to our strengths. They were also relentless. It didn’t matter to them that Yera was a troll or Heidi was a human. They had a plan to get us up to speed, which was way more than any of the rest of us had.
“Before we break for the midday meal,” Sinead, Ronquil’s water elemental, said. We all looked to her. I loved her name. It reminded me of Sinead O’Connor even though there was absolutely no resemblance between the two. “Think of your biggest weakness. What part of your current skillset is most lacking? Is it something you can overcome with training? Or is it just beyond your skills?”
She paused, giving us time to think about her questions. I already knew mine. Hand-to-hand combat. I was getting a little better with Lodron’s help, but I still sucked.
“Go home, rest, and eat. Bring back what you need for your rooms. We’ll see you in two hours.”
She fell to the floor—like all the water elementals tended to do—and disappeared. The rest of the elementals followed her lead, leaving us in the silent arena.
I rose from my spot on the floor and stretched. “Well that was fun,” I quipped. “I’m starving. I’ll see you guys after lunch.”
“If we’re going to be training here every day, we might need to stock the kitchen,” Matt suggested. “Can any of you cook?”
I laughed. “You know I can’t, but I’ll gladly buy the groceries.”
“We can cook. We run a catering business,” Heidi said, pointing at Phoebe. “It looks like we might have to let it go, though.”
“Don’t give it up yet, especially if you have employees who can take over part of the time,” I intervened. “This isn’t supposed to be a full-time job for us.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” Maldrius drawled.
I spun around and glared at him, opening my mouth to argue. He was probably right, but I’d argue on principle.
“Maybe it’ll be full-time at first because we have a pretty big learning curve, but yes, I totally plan on having a normal life after we defeat Neònach.”
A humorless laugh escaped Maldrius as he rose from the dirt floor. “See you in two hours.”
A surge of magic swelled around him, then he disappeared. Something else we learned this morning: the elementals would carry the non-fae through the realms. They were the only non-fae who could travel that way.
The room slowly emptied, leaving me and Ronquil alone. I was pretty sure he waited on purpose.
“You okay?” I asked.
He pulled his fingers through his hair. “Yes and no.”
“We can talk about it at lunch,” I offered.
“Good idea. Sage’s?”
“Good idea.”
A few minutes later, we sat across from each other at my favorite restaurant, smiling at my favorite cook as she took our lunch orders.
“I like everything, Sage,” I said. “You know that.”
She laughed at me and gave her attention to Ronquil. “What about you, my prince?”
He shook his head and frowned, but he didn’t hide the smile in his eyes. It’d been so long since I spent time around him, I’d almost forgotten about his allergy to smiles.
“Whatever you have the most of,” he said.
Sage winked at me and disappeared into her kitchen. We’d picked a table in the corner, hoping for a little privacy.
“So.” I leaned forward in my chair and gave him my full attention. “Spill it, Ron. What’s bothering you?”
“My elementals confuse me,” he said, his scowl chasing away the rest of his smile. “They were amazing this morning, but now they’re completely silent, almost like I’m not even here.”
“Have you initiated the conversation,” I asked, “or are you waiting for them to do it?”
He rubbed his hand across his beard and growled at me.
“Seriously, Ron? You’re not letting a bunch of women intimidate you, are you?” I tried to hide my grin and totally failed. “Pretend they’re guys.”
His bark of laughter startled me. “That’s your answer? Pretend they’re men.”
“They’re your friends, partners, warriors,” I replied. “They’re here to help us. That’s what matters.”
“They hear all of my thoughts, AJ.”
“As long as you’re not thinking about murdering someone, do you really believe they care?” I countered, then smirked. “Although, I’ve thought about murdering all kinds of people and mine never said a word.”
His eyebrows rose for a moment, then drew together. “Okay, fine.”
I drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out, knowing I would regret this conversation. “When I first got here.” I waved my hand indicating the little village around me. “I was stunned by how ridiculously pretty all of you are. Like most warm-blooded females, my mind saw the sex appeal first.” I held up my hand, stopping him from commenting. “It didn’t stay there long. You guys went out of your way to make me feel inferior and unwelcome. All of that shit ran through my head on a regular basis, but my elements never said a thing.” I frowned. “Except Adeen. She wanted me making all kinds of babies.”
“AJ—”
“What I’m trying to say is they’ll respect your mind and your space, Ron. Nobody’s brain can possibly be any more chaotic than mine, and I get along with my elementals pretty well.”
Sage brought out our food, and the conversation turned to training.
“You’re going to claim hand-to-hand combat as your weakness, aren’t you?” Ronquil asked.
“Yep. What about you?” I popped a bite of sliced potatoes in my mouth.
“I really don’t know. I’m pretty good at everything, but I don’t really excel at any one thing,” he replied, pushing his empty plate aside. Did he inhale his food when I blinked?
“Maybe your weakness isn’t combat skills.” He looked at me thoughtfully, and I continued. “I suspect Sinead will put us in groups to help each other overcome our weaknesses. We have a couple mages who are clearly terrified of their new role.”
“Are you suggesting I’m afraid to fight?”
I waved a hand at his scowling face. “We both know better. Our mages need someone to give them confidence, which you have plenty of.”
“How does that help me decide what my weakness is?”
“You need confirmation that you have what it takes to lead us. Heidi and Phoebe can help give you that.”
“I’ll figure it out,” he grumbled
“I have no doubts,” I quipped, smiling at him. “As long as they don’t put me with the damn elf, I’m good.”
“You know he’s our best fighter, right?” Ron gave me a strange look, one I couldn’t read. “He spent years becoming the best at everything because he refused to be treated like a servant.”
“Because of his lack of magic,” I sneered. “That pisses me off.” Humans had a history of suppressing those they perceived as weak or different. I shouldn’t have been surprised when the elves did the same, but it was still frustrating.
“Well, he didn’t let the lack of magic hold him back. The only one who might come close to Maldrius’ skill is the shifter. I haven’t seen him in action yet, so I can’t be sure.”
“I could totally be Matt’s partner.” My smile turned into a giggle. I was pretty sure that if we trained together, we’d spend more time chatting than sparring. When Kellen had first introduced me to the magical community and brought me to Victor’s lodge, Matt had become a fast friend. He always knew how to make me laugh.
“I’m pretty sure Lodron would have something to say about that.”
My humor vanished. “Lodron has no say,” I snapped.
He grinned, making me angrier. “So you two are together.”
“No!” My face flushed, and he actually laughed at me. I stood and pushed in my chair. “I’ll see you at the tower, Ron.”
His laughter followed me all the way back to my apartment. I knew I shouldn’t be mad at Ronquil for being observant, because Lodron and I did act like we were more than friends. But I couldn’t help being frustrated by it. We may have walked the fine line between flirty friendship and something more, but romance wasn’t in my future, especially with the dark fae holding a knife to our throats.
I shook away my thoughts and found my small suitcase, pausing at my wardrobe. Maybe I should empty some of the clothes at my house in LA instead. I rarely went back to my home on the beach. It didn’t make sense to keep an entire dresser full of clothes there.
With my decision made, I gripped my lovely leather suitcase in one hand and made a trip to Los Angeles.
The house was quiet, as usual, but I didn’t linger in the living room. I probably only had an hour left of my two-hour break. I walked down the hall, dragging my suitcase. My footsteps slowed just in front of my bedroom door. Did I just see a shadow in the master bedroom? It seemed unlikely as very few people knew about the house.
I drew in a deep breath as the shadow I refused to see drifted across the white carpet. I released the handle on my suitcase and pooled my magic in my core. It couldn’t be a vampire. It moved too slow for that. But who else knew about my house? Lodron and Alra, but neither of them would be here. Would they?
My heart nearly stopped when Braden appeared in the doorway to his master suite. I’d refused to accept the room as mine, even though he gifted the house to me months ago.
“Alisandra,” he purred. “I was hoping to catch you here.”
My heart stuttered several times. I wanted to run to him and wrap my arms around his neck, but he wouldn’t return my embrace. So, I flexed my magic and stood my ground.
“What do you want?” I asked, hearing my voice shake.
“I seem to have a few memory gaps,” he said. “I was hoping you’d clear some of it up for me.”
Braden took a step and was suddenly in my personal space. His deep blue eyes scoured my face with a haunted look. I’d broken this beautiful man and he didn’t even know it.
He slowly lifted a hand towards my cheek, and an icy shield flared between us. I couldn’t let him touch me.
He chuckled. The insincere laugh I hated.
