Fates Divided: Halven Rising

Derek shook Elena awake, adrenaline pounding through his veins. How long had they slept?

He didn’t remember falling asleep—damn sleep deprivation. They could have been out for hours. He’d awakened to the sound of a twig snapping outside their tree. Peeking through the hidey-hole to check it out, he hadn’t seen anything. But that didn’t mean much.

The forest was dark. Anyone could be out there and he wouldn’t know it. More importantly, they had to race to the castle now that it was full night.

Despite the time difference in Tirnan, they only had so long before harm would come to Reese on Earth. And every day it took them to find a cure, more Fae died. The next could be Elena’s mother. If she’d survived the attack.

Derek hadn’t wanted to worry Elena, but he didn’t think it likely that Theda and Samuel had made it out of the Gatekeeper’s Hovel. But that wasn’t something he wanted to bring up when she’d only just reunited with her mother.

“What’s wrong?” Elena sounded groggy, but she sat up quickly. “What time is it?”

Derek considered the amount of fatigue left in his system and estimated they had a few more hours before sunrise. There was no way of knowing for sure, since his cell phone had stopped working.

He put a finger to his lips. “Time to go,” he whispered. “Check your cell phone. Mine died.”

She attempted to turn her phone on, but the screen wouldn’t light up. They should have turned them off to conserve batteries. Hindsight.

“A sound outside woke me. I don’t know if anyone’s out there. It’s tight in here, but I’d feel better if we Blended inside the tree. Hop on my lap.”

Elena’s eyes narrowed and she gave him a questioning smile.

As if he could think of that right now.

Okay, he could, but he was capable of pushing it to the back of his mind in an emergency. He dropped his chin and leveled a frown at her. “I don’t mean it that way.”

Later on he would mean it that way, but not right now.

Elena maneuvered onto his lap, facing him. She wrapped her legs around his waist. Under less dangerous circumstances, the position would have wreaked erotic havoc inside his mind. Right now his heart thrummed from adrenaline, not lust.

Okay, some lust, but mostly fighting adrenaline.

Derek cradled her face with his hands and kissed her.

Elena pulled back. “Wait—the biting thing worked. We could try something else besides kissing, if that makes it easier. I could… put my finger in your mouth? Or your ear? I don’t know, something so you can see better.”

Let’s see… kiss Elena or have her finger in my ear. “I’ll stick with kissing. I’ve gotten used to maneuvering around with it. I can manage.”

She smiled as though she could see through to his motivation. And yeah, he was probably transparent, but what sane guy wouldn’t be?

He pressed his mouth to hers, and Elena’s lips moved rhythmically with his to keep the connection. He ignored the automatic heat her mouth sent through his body, and kept fear of capture at the forefront of his mind.

Derek couldn’t risk anything happening to Elena, and not just because she was the key to saving them. She was a part of his life now. How could he ever have considered leaving her to attend a different school? He’d been bitter after she refused to believe him about Beatrice. At the time, moving to a different school seemed like a solution to his problems. Now, he regretted ever saying it. He wouldn’t leave her as long as she wanted him near.

Derek Blended and passed through the tree with Elena in his arms. He bolted across miles of forest until he came to the clearing.

The Fates River swept southeast in a steady stream. Keeping to the tree line, Derek saw several dark figures patrolling the area, and down farther toward the bridge. Supposedly, more soldiers would be scouting the woods, but he hadn’t encountered any on his way out. The forests in this realm were massive, which helped.

Derek headed north toward the Old Kingdom castle. He remained in the shadows of the trees, careful to steer clear of the guards and the moonlight.

Soon, he and Elena closed in on a massive gray structure up ahead. The castle loomed before them, reminding Derek of Hunyad in Romania, only bigger.

Derek had visited Hunyad Castle with his parents—the place where Vlad the Impaler had been imprisoned for seven years. Hunyad had creeped him out then, just as Old Kingdom castle did now.

A dark, stagnant moat surrounded the castle, giving off the scent of sulfur and rotting vegetation. Night hindered visibility, but the structure appeared to have several turrets or towers along the perimeter—and a large billowy center jutting into the sky.

The billowy center must be the Ancient Allon. Theda had said it grew right through the middle of the castle.

From what Derek could tell, the castle had about six levels and stood roughly twelve stories high, taller if you factored in the turrets. The tree must be at least two hundred feet in height.

Derek scrambled down the moat and up the other side, passing seamlessly through the water as if he was water too. He came to a large stone wall, similar to the one that surrounded the New Kingdom palace.

Shifting Elena in his arms, he noticed two guards approaching him from either end. They walked at a leisurely pace, taking in the foreground, probably making rounds. Soon they would crisscross right in front of him. Standing exposed out in the moonlight, Blended or not, wasn’t a good idea.

Derek quickly stepped through the wall to avoid the guards—and landed in a beehive of Fae soldiers.

Just like at the New Kingdom palace, a couple hundred heavily armed Fae milled about on the Old Kingdom berm. Heart hammering, Derek flattened his shoulders against the stone wall and tightened his hold on Elena. He looked for patterns, a way to cross the yard without attracting attention.

Some soldiers stood in pairs, scanning the grounds, while others paced in what seemed to be a patterned sweep of the area. And then Derek realized something. These guys didn’t look so good. Several of the Fae were coughing, and more than a few showed signs of deep fatigue with hollowed cheeks.

Fae didn’t get sick, which meant Old Kingdom hadn’t taken the precautions Theda insisted on for New Kingdom. They hadn’t separated the sick from the healthy. And that worked in Derek’s favor. They wouldn’t be in top form if things came down to a fight.

Elena grabbed his chin and swiveled their faces to the side. A soldier headed straight for them a few feet away.

Forget patterns. Derek sprinted to the center of the berm, swerved around several soldiers, and ran through the castle’s gray exterior.

They ended up inside an interior hallway that appeared to be deserted. Derek dragged in deep breaths through his nose, his heart hammering. It was a miracle no one had shouted out as they had passed through the yard.

The castle was nearly as dark as the night, illuminated by candles, just as Theda had described. Wood shutters covered the windows instead of glass, causing a draft. And the place reeked like a stink hole.

Forced to breathe through his nose and inhale the stench while his mouth was occupied on Elena’s, Derek eased down the corridor, slipping inside alcoves whenever someone approached. Several twists and turns later, he found the castle’s main hall.

In the center of the room, like a great Parthenon pillar, rose the Ancient Allon.

Though the trunk took up a large portion of the space, the room was big enough to accommodate another few hundred Fae. At present, fifty or so patrolled the area, a quarter of whom protected the tree.

Derek scanned for gaps between the guards, taking a few minutes to consider his options.

Elena kicked him in the butt like she was urging on a horse.

Growling quietly, he pierced her with his gaze. Her eyes laughed back, looking pointedly from him to the tree, as if to say, Hurry the hell up.

The girl had no sense of self-preservation. Their lives were at stake. He was being careful. Though he took her point.

Unless they waited for the guards to drop off one by one from the disease, they wouldn’t find a better opportunity to gather the leaves. The sun would soon be rising. The cavernous room was as dim as it was going to get. Even better, no one knew they were here.

Derek sucked in a deep breath through his nose and walked to the base of the tree, sidestepping Old Kingdom clansmen and slipping past Fae guards stationed at the base.

So far so good.

He stepped over the thick ornamental twine roping off the trunk, and gazed up at the tree’s crown, blocked from this angle. There was no way he’d be able to climb the tree with Elena in front of him. He’d scrape up her back, and getting a good hold would be a bitch.

He’d have to resort to a finger in the mouth after all.

Derek grabbed her hand and carefully inserted her finger from the side. She nodded and pulled her head away slowly, as though cognizant of how dangerous it would be if their connection tore apart and they were suddenly exposed.

No ripping sensation. The connection was intact.

Derek swirled his tongue around her finger and she narrowed her eyes. What? He needed a good connection.

Elena slipped around to his back, and Derek started to climb the tree.

“Intruders!” A shout sounded from behind.

Goddammit. They were still Blended, so someone must have seen through the disguise.

Without looking back at the person who’d shouted—wouldn’t make a difference anyway—Derek did the only thing he could. He raced up the base of the tree with Elena clinging to him.

More shouts erupted, then a loud blast went off that ended on a strange pinging sound.

Derek and Elena ripped apart like Velcro and fell to the ground. They landed with a thud on the soil at the base of the tree, Derek’s shoulder and head pounding from taking the brunt of the impact.

Ignoring the pain shooting through his shoulder and head, Derek swiped at the slippery, bubblelike film that covered him and reached for Elena. Guards swarmed in, but Derek quickly pressed his body to hers and kissed her to Blend.

Nothing happened.

He kissed her frantically, trying to make the connection, and still there was no sensation of Blending.

“It was only a matter of time before we caught you, Halven,” said one of the Fae guards, his hair fire-engine red. “The energy you triggered baffled us at first, stronger than typical for a Halven, but not strong enough to be one of us.”

The Fae smiled, revealing a dimple in his cheek that should have been cherubic, but instead looked lecherous as he watched Derek repeatedly attempt to kiss and transform Elena. “Don’t worry. It will be our pleasure to take care of your female’s needs.”

Derek pushed Elena behind him and jumped to his feet. He kicked the redheaded Fae in the gut and pulled out a small knife Portia’s guards had missed. One of the hidden knives Derek had strapped to his ankle.

Before he had a chance to use it, Elena shrieked.

Derek spun around. A different guard had his arm wrapped around her waist from behind, the other across her breasts. He was speaking in her ear, his words making her face contort with anger.

Derek surged forward to slice the bastard to ribbons, but a large hand clamped over his head, halting him in his tracks. He sank to his knees and fell flat on the floor, facing Elena.

He couldn’t move—could only lie there and watch the other Fae assault her with his words, the Fae’s hand roaming her body.

Derek’s head felt like it would explode as panic and anger coursed through him, while his body remained frozen on the ground.

Elena angled away from the Fae who was pressing his hand to her stomach and talking in her ear, and peered down at Derek. Her mouth tightened.

She elbowed the Fae in the gut. He grunted but didn’t let go—until she slammed her foot along his instep. The Fae hunched forward and she tucked her chin and threw back her head, cracking him in the jaw with the back of her skull.

The guy released her and dabbed at his bleeding chin, limping. Several guards stepped forward, but the one Elena had attacked stayed them with a raised hand. He wiggled his jaw, eyes blazing, and grabbed her just as she was about to reach Derek. He jerked her back by the hair, and Elena screamed.

The rigor mortis in Derek’s limbs—or whatever it was—slowly released, but he was still basically frozen. All he could do was watch the scene unfold.

He couldn’t protect Elena, and he was about to lose his mind.

Bracketing the front of her within the folds of his large body, the Fae guard held her so tightly Derek didn’t think she could breathe.

Perspiration broke out along Derek’s forehead as he focused on moving the joints in his legs. His knees popped free, and he concentrated on moving his elbows. Slowly the rest of his body began to respond. He moved his leg a couple of inches. The guards around him were so focused on Elena and the Fae that they didn’t notice his subtle movements.

The guard holding Elena suddenly howled and released her, blood streaming down the side of his shirt. Feet apart and braced for an attack, Elena gripped a small, bloodied knife in her hand. She must have had one still stashed as well.

The rest of the men watched raptly, weapons at the ready, but seemingly not concerned for their comrade’s safety. Which wasn’t a good sign. It meant that the Fae didn’t fear Elena.

Derek had lost his Halven ability from the blast that hit them in the tree; Elena must have lost hers too. Without her powers, she was no match for the Fae.

But Derek couldn’t consider that right now. He had to get them out, no matter the odds.

The injured Fae reached for Elena, but she jabbed the knife at him. When he dodged it, she twisted and elbowed him in the stomach.

The Fae stepped back, catching his breath. In one quick movement, he knocked the knife from her hand and grabbed her arms, wrenching them behind her. Anchoring his leg along the bend in her knee, he shoved her until she fell on the ground and then he followed on top. He pulled her arms over her head, holding them in place with one hand.

“Derek!” she screamed, her pitch too high. Panic-filled.

Derek slowly lumbered to his knees…and then his feet. Not everything was working perfectly, but good enough. He grabbed the knife he’d dropped earlier and barreled through the guards, landing on top of the Fae attacking Elena. He managed to stab the guy in the back before two shots rang out.

A searing pain blazed through Derek’s shoulder and hamstring, but he didn’t let go. He wrenched the Fae off Elena and stabbed him in the shoulder, his movements jerky and weaker than normal, but effective.

Another shot rang out, and this time the pain pierced Derek’s lower back.

He slumped to the side, rolling off Elena’s attacker. The edges of his vision went hazy.

The redheaded cherub in charge glanced around at his comrades. “This has been fun. How shall we dispose of them? Quickly, or let him heal a bit and torture them?” He smiled at Derek. “Maybe we’ll keep him conscious while we entertain ourselves with the girl.” He leered at Elena, who was squirming beneath the Fae Derek had attacked, while blood poured from the wounds in the man’s back. The guard had her trapped again, but he hadn’t made a move, apparently awaiting orders. “Her form has interesting attributes Fae women don’t possess to the same degree.”

Derek gasped for air, choking on the blood pooling in his mouth. His vision began to wink. He could be dying or passing out. Either way, he wouldn’t be able to save her. Not like this.

“My father…Osulf Niall,” he croaked. “I demand to speak to him.”