He thrust again and again, deep, hard, building to a rapid fiery rhythm, his weight a steady sweet pressure on her. She was full, so wonderfully full of him, and she wanted more.
She kissed his jaw and his throat, and he thrust harder. She clawed at his back, taut with strain, and the aching need within her blossomed into a cascade of bliss. She felt herself rising higher and higher, propelled by his thrusts and lost in the hot glide of their bodies, until something within her snapped. Pleasure drowned her, smothering all thought. She screamed his name. Her body screamed with her, gripping him, pumping. He clenched and emptied himself into her with a hoa.r.s.e growl. They lay together in a hot, sweaty tangle, and for a while, lost in the aftershocks, she couldnat tell which limbs were hers and which were his.
aThat was not the way it was supposed to go,a he said, his voice still raspy with echoes of l.u.s.t.
aHow was it supposed to go?a He pulled her to him, closing his arms around her, and Rose sank into him, implausibly happy. He ran his fingers along her arm. aSlow and sensuous. Sophisticated.a She turned on her side and kissed him. aHow terribly inappropriate of you, Earl Declan Riel Martel Camarine.a aYouave remembered my name. I feel the need to celebrate this momentous occasion.a aI thought we just did that,a she murmured, out of breath.
aBut if you insist on a do-over, Iam sure we can do this again in the near future.a aDo you know what happens when you overflash?a he asked softly.
aNo.a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aIave done it once.a He pulled her close, his muscled arm under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. aWe were trapped in a field while the Gaulas summoners ran a horde of marloks at us.
Theyare simian animals, large predatory apes.
There was no cover and no support. There were just the five of us, and we stood back to back and flashed. I remember my mouth was full of blood. My vision wavered. I felt like my arms were stretching out into the distance.a aWhat happened?a aWilliam went into rending. Changelings do this once in a while, especially after p.u.b.erty. They lose touch with reality and go berserk. He went crazy, and we just hit the ground, because when he rends, he kills everything. Iad asked him about it once, and he told me rending is going to the place where there is no G.o.d.
Make of that what you will. When he finally wore himself out, the five of us were the only things alive on the field.a aWhat wouldave happened if you had kept going, had kept flashing?a she asked.
aI wouldave died. I wouldnat have even known it. Youad think that you could push just a touch further, and then the world would fade and so would your life.a He kissed her cheek. aI wonat let it happen to you.a She frowned.
aYou donat know when to stop,a he said. aYou overdo it. Iave watched you flash for two hours straight, when you were trying to get Atamanas defense down. You have no clue where your limits are.a She rose on her elbow. aDeclan . . .a aThere were times when Iave deferred to you. The time when you stopped me from going after Simoen or the time when you told your elders about William. I did so because you understood the situation better. Itas Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( your turn to defer to me. I know what Iam talking about, Rose. I was a professional soldier for over a decade.
Youare brilliant, but you need training. If you go on that dock alone, youall die, and I wonat let it happen.a aNo.a She pushed away from him. aDonat you seea"a aI see.a He pulled her back and kissed her. aYouall magnificently kill the first wave of the hounds, and then the second wave will tear your throat out, and everyone will cry at your funeral and describe how you laid down your life for the good of your neighbors.a She recoiled.
He reached over, picked up her hand, and kissed her fingers.
aWe do this my way. We both survive, and then we deal with Ca.s.shorn.a His stare fixed her. aPromise me, Rose.a What he said made sense. She wasnat too proud to understand that, and she still got what she wanteda"he wouldnat be on the dock alone. aOkay,a she said simply.
aWeall do it your way. But we still need something from Ca.s.shorn for this curse to work.a Declanas eyebrows furrowed. aDo you think George is strong enough to reanimate a creature? Only for a short while.a aHe might be,a she said. aWeall have to ask him.a aIf he can do it, then I might have a plan.a His hand wandered down her body, stroking. He kissed her, and she slid tighter against him.
aRose?a Tomas gruff voice called from the porch.
Declan swore.
GEORGE sat on a fallen log and looked at the three dead crows lying on the ground before him. Sad, black bodies. Lifeless. They had been carefully killed, with a bow and arrow. Not a lot of damage to repair.
Behind him, Jack sniffed at the air. He probably thought the birds would make a nice snack. To the right, Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( Mmre and Rose sat on an old wooden log.
aI canat believe youare going to make him do this.a Mmre was angry. Her cheeks were flushed.
aHeall raise something again, sooner or later,a Rose said.
aBut not so soon!a Rose was using her areasonablea voice. He never won an argument with that voice.
aWhen would it be not too soon?a Rose asked.
aI donat know!a Mmre waved her arms. aNot now.a aIf it was up to you, not too soon would mean never.a aAnd whatas wrong with that?a aYou canat expect him never to use his talent again,a Rose said.
aGeorge,a Declan said.
George looked at him, crouched by the crows.
aWhat Iam about to ask you to do is called combat necromancy. Weare going to play some games first, and then weall do the hard part. Understand?a George nodded.
aBefore, when you raised things, you felt a connection between you and them, right?a George nodded again. It felt like having a fish on a very thin line, always shivering and tugging the line, but not too hard.
aAnd sometimes you stopped them from doing things. Like the time you stopped your grandfather from attacking Rose.a George nodded again. He could do that. He didnat do it very often, because he wanted things to be alive and do things on their own, but yes, he could do that.
aI want you to take it a step further,a Declan said. aIad like you to raise one of those birds and keep a very good control of it. You have to understand that this bird is raised for this one mission only. Once the Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( mission is over, you must let it go, because it did its job and it deserves to rest. Do you understand?a George nodded.
Declan kept looking at him.
aI understand,a George said.
aGo ahead,a Declan said.
George touched the bird on the right. She was the smallest, and he felt sorry for her the most. The bird pulled at his magic, it stretched, snapped, and Georgie recoiled, biting his lip. It always hurt when he raised something. He couldnat see the arrow hole under the feathers, but he felt it, and he fed a little of his magic down the line, closing it up, nice and neat, just in case.
The bird shivered. Slowly, she stretched one leg, then the other, rolled, and got to her feet.
Mmre sucked in her breath. aNow youave done it. Youave started the whole thing over again.a aVery good.a Declan rose to his feet and moved to stand by the bird. aI want you to close your eyes and turn around, keeping the bird very still. Iam going to touch the bird, and I need you to tell me when I do.a George closed his eyes. A faint touch disturbed the magic.
aNow,a he said.
aVery good,a Declan said. aWhat am I doing now?a aYouare pinning the wings to the body.a aI need you to tell me when you feel me let go.a A long moment pa.s.sed. The pressure on the crow vanished.
aNow!a aExcellent. You can turn around now.a Declan walked away until several yards separated them. aTry to make it walk toward me.a aHer,a Georgie corrected. aItas a girl bird.a aSorry. Please make her walk toward me.a George tugged on the line. Head never before tried to make a bird walk. Stopping the creatures from moving Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( was easy. This was harder. The crow stumbled and spun in place.
aTake your time,a Declan said.
George concentrated. The longer he focused on the magic between them, the more complex it became: at first it was a line, then it was a whole bunch of thinner lines, woven together, and then the lines fractured into a glowing web that clutched at the bird. He tried to tug on the web. The crow jerked and fell into the dirt. Georgie shook his head, trying to clear his vision.
aItas all right, Georgie, you donat have to do it,a Mmre said.
aGrandmother, let him be,a Rose said. aPlease.a George sighed. This just wasnat the way to do it. aGet over to Declan,a he whispered.
The crow picked herself up and spread her wings. She took to the air, flew a few feet, and landed on Declanas shoulder.
aSorry,a George said.
aItas good,a Declan said. aTry it again.a George nodded. It took him a good ten minutes to figure out what he needed to do. He had to concentrate very closely on the path before the crow to get her to walk. If he let up, she would fly over to Declan. When the crow had finally done her little walk, George let out a happy sigh.
aTired?a Declan asked.
aNo.a aNew game, then.a Declan opened his hand and showed him a small reddish rock. He tossed the rock into the dirt. aCan she bring it back?a The crow swooped, grasped the rock, flew back, and dropped it into Declanas palm. George smiled.
Declan raised his eyebrows. aThis is supposed to be harder than walking the bird.a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aItas easier for me.a All he had to do was to concentrate on the rock and then on Declan.
aHe used to make the birds steal cherries for us,a Jack said.
Declan bent back and hurled the rock into the bushes. The crow took off from his shoulder and followed the path of the rock, perching on a branch. George frowned. He couldnat see the rock from where he sat.
aYou canat find it?a Declan asked.
aI have to look through her eyes to find it,a George said quietly.
aAnd you donat like doing that,a Declan said.
George shook his head.
aBecause you forget youare not a bird when you do it? And itas hard to remember how to get back?a George startled. aHow did you know that?a aMy aunt is a necromancer. What Iam asking you to do is called necromantic possession. There is a trick to it. If I promise you that I can help you get back to your body, will you try it?a aRose!a Mmre jumped off the log.
aGeorge, you donat have to do it, if you donat want to,a Rose said. aItas your choice. n.o.body will be angry if you donat.a George thought about it. Head done it only once with a cat, because Jack was a cat whenever he wanted, and he had never been one and wanted to know what it was like.
The only reason he had returned to his body at all was because Jack found him, sitting still in the yard, and tackled him from behind, knocking the wind out of him. The worst thing was that he couldnat even remember what it was like to be a cat. He just remembered the vague, scary feeling of looking and looking for something and not being able to find it, and knowing that he was looking for his own body.
He wanted to know what it was like to be a bird.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( George looked at Declan. aOkay,a he said.
aWhenever youare ready.a Declan nodded.
George looked at the crow, grasped the line of magic stretching between them, and pulled, propelling himself into the black body.
The world exploded into colors for which there was no name.
For a long moment, he sat still, lost in the vibrancy and shimmering glow of the leaves, until something nudged him gently from the back of his mind.
The rock.
He was supposed to find the rock.
He hopped off the branch into the leaves and searched the ground. There it was, glittering with a dozen hues. So pretty. Pretty, pretty rock.
He took it into his beak and crashed through the bush. The sunlit gra.s.s was so beautiful. In the distance, he saw figures: two standing together, crystal clear and glowing, one stronger, the other weaker. Words surfaced in his mind. Rose. Mmre. He wasnat sure what they meant, but he knew they made him feel good. He saw another figure, smaller, with an odd tint to it.
He knew it as well. Jack. A fourth figure waited to his right, the largest of them all. Declan. He had to do something for Declan. He felt drawn to him, and he didnat know why. He spread his wings and flew to him, landing on his arm, Declan warm and rough under his claws. The rock fell from his beak.
There was a fifth figure, one he hadnat seen before. It slumped on the ground, curled into a ball. There was something oddly familiar about it, but it didnat glow like the others.
Declan opened his mouth and made a noise.
Ice slammed into him. He cried out, the world swirled, and George jerked up, gasping. His face was wet.
Next to him, Jack stood with an empty bucket.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( Roseas arms closed about him. They felt so comfortable and warm.
aShock breaks it,a Declan said. aDoesnat take much, especially if he didnat spend a lot of time in the other form. The longer he possesses something, the more intense the shock has to be. We had necroscouts whoad burn each other to get out, but that was after hours of immersion. Weall only need a minute, if that.a aYou okay?a Rose asked.
George smiled, the swirl of colors slowly fading in his head.
aI remember this time,a he said. aI remember what itas like to be a bird.a
TWENTY-THREE.
THE deeper one dived into the Wood, the darker it became.
The trees grew taller and thicker, their trunks rising high above like colossal textured columns. Their branches spread and twisted, bound together by moss and lichen and bright blue bunches of horsetail vines, dripping down like the hair of phantom tree spirits. The canopy formed its own separate level, removed from the forest floor, and as Rose found her way through the Wood, she glanced around once in a while above to make sure Jack hadnat gotten away from Grandma. He was none too pleased at staying behind.
She looked at Declan, who strode on, seemingly at home in the wilderness. He carried a small pack. In the pack, two crows rode, carefully secured. Back at Wood House, George had reanimated both. He didnat possess them at the moment, but he would sense when they were free and take them over.
It was a simple plan. They would get close enough to Ca.s.shorn, wait for the right moment, release the crows, and let George use them to steal an item. Then the crows would fly away and they would chase them, retrieve the item, and get away, hopefully alive.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( George would be allowed only five minutes of possession.
Five minutes later, ready or not, Grandma and Jeremiah would awaken him. Five minutes was a safe enough time limit, according to Declan. She didnat want to put George through it, but they had no choice. It was a flimsy plan all around, but it was the only one they had.
Shead spoken to Jeremiah and Leanne. Once George awakened and they no longer needed his gift, Jeremiah would take him and Jack and Leanne and her son out into the Broken, supposedly to get supplies. She had given Leanne enough money for a decent hotel room. With her strength, Leanne would be able to handle the boys. No matter what would happen in the Edge, her brothers would be safe.
The Wood thrived around them. Life reigned here. A hundred small noises filled the silence: birds bickering, squirrels screeching angrily at Edger ermines that came to steal babies out of their nests, badgers grunting heavily, and the careful coughing bark of the fox sounded so near yet far. Edger moss sheathed the trunks, its ladyas-slipper-shaped flowers all but glowing with pastel reds, yellows, lavender, and purple.
Fallen trees served to anchor new life, sending shoots up and giving purchase to vines. The perfume of countless flowers and herbs floated in the air, mixing with animal scents. Even the light, filtered through the canopy, was verdant and emerald green.
In the chaos of the Wood, she and Declan were just two small motes of life. At other times, she wouldave loved to sit and listen to the Wood breathe, but today she didnat have that luxury.
aCareful,a Rose called out, when Declan paused by a patch of bright pink gra.s.s that had broken through the Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( carpet of pine straw and dirt-hugging creepers. aVery poisonous.a She reached to the nearest vine, snagged a handful of pale yellow berries, and handed some to him. aFalse cherries,a she said.
He popped one into his mouth. aTastes like the real thing.a She could find no fault with the way Declan moved through the woodsa"like a wolf, soundless and light on his feet. His face had closed in again. The hardness around his mouth was back and so was the cold, distant stare.
She had insisted on coming with him against lonoreas wishes.
Her grandmother had been beside herself. aWhy do you have to take him there?a aSomebody has to. He doesnat know the Wood.a aLet Tom or Jeremiah do it.a aWe might have to run out of there like a bat out of h.e.l.l, and I can run much faster than either Tom or Jeremiah, and I flash hotter. Besides, he trusts me. Heall be comfortable with me.a lonore had pursed her lips. aI wish you wouldnat. I only have one granddaughter.a Looking at Declan, Rose got a feeling that he also wished she hadnat come. aMy helping you bothers you that much, huh?a she asked finally.
aI wish I didnat have to rely on you.a aYou didnat twist my arm. Itas my home thatas invaded and my family who is the target.a aI understand that.a He shook his head. aThe point of being a professional soldier is so civilians donat have to fight. We do the things we do so people like you can go to sleep safe. And here I am, relying on a civilian woman and a childas talent. Yes, it bothers me. As well it should.a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aIf I go away with youa"a she started.
His head came up sharply. He looked at her.
aIf I go away with you and if we decide to be together, eventually youall go away on some mission and Iall be left at home, pacing and biting my nails, hoping youall come back alive.a aItas not always quite that dramatic,a he said quietly.
aBut itas often dangerous.a aYes,a he admitted.
aWhat would I have to do to come with you?a she asked.