chapter Fifteen
Cami opened her eyes. She saw the light blue floor moving slowly below her, but her feet never touched the stone. A tingling flutter moved through her belly as she turned the corner. She felt light and weightless, almost as if she floated through water.
She knew she was dreaming, but not a normal dream. The detached sensation and an inability to control any part of it told her that this was a vision. She needed to see something, but she had no idea why.
She drifted through the lower part of the fortress. Her eyes moved over the halls and doors, trying to spot whatever was drawing her away from normal sleep. She didn’t know where she was going. A feeling pulled at her, tugging her through the building.
Alarm coursed through her as she approached the thick entrance doors. Were Laed and Kynar here? Before she could do more than wonder, the panels swung open wide. Cool, moist night air brushed against her skin and a soft breeze caught her hair and flicked it up around her face.
Clouds filled the sky, but she could see without any problem. Even better than she should be able to without the moon or stars shining overhead. The feel of the wind and even the scents around her seemed almost as real as if she’d walked outside. It was so strange. The first drops of a light mist began falling and she’d swear she felt the drops hit her arms. She looked down, but her body wasn’t there. It never was in these visions.
She floated across the darkened ground, drawn past the stables and arms area within the walls of the Thent. As she approached the thick defensive walls, the drawing pull lessened. Whatever she needed to see was nearby. What had drawn her out of normal sleep and to this spot of all places?
She looked around trying to see what was here. Inky dark shadows covered this corner of the wall. Nothing moved. She saw no one pacing the walk at the top of the wall or any sign of trouble. It was darker here than anywhere else along the wall, though.
A small pulling sensation along her spine gave her the only warning. She soared upward, yanked as if by an invisible string. Her stomach tightened and she clamped her mouth closed on a scream. The fields and houses spread out beyond the wall, but movement near the base of the wall caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes as she saw someone climbing the wall. At first, she didn’t know how the person was doing it, but then she saw the rope attached to a hook.
Now. The word echoed through her mind as she flew backward, jerked back into her body.
Cami woke gasping for air and her arms flailed for something to grab. Sitting up, she grimaced. She hated that. Her heartbeat began to slow, but she knew she couldn’t go back to sleep.
She’d felt the immediacy in that dream. It wasn’t meant for a day from now or two days. That was happening right at this moment. Swinging her feet out of bed, she felt almost the exact same pull as in the vision to go to Linc and Colm’s room. It was important. She had to warn them and make them believe that there was trouble or someone was going to get hurt or killed.
Almost before she realized she was moving, she rushed out the door and headed down the hallway to their room. The driving urgency almost pushed her to fling open the door and rush into the room. Common sense stopped her short of that. Both men were armed and warriors accustomed to battle. They’d perceive a threat in a person bursting into their room and react accordingly. She didn’t want to get stabbed or cut by one of their swords or knives due to sheer stupidity.
Knocking on the door, she waited outside, shifting nervously from foot to foot as the time lengthened.
Colm woke to pounding on their door. He didn’t need to look outside. It was still f*cking night time. A growl rumbled in his throat. When he was home and not out fighting, he liked to enjoy the chances he got for an uninterrupted sleep. This better be important.
Rolling out of bed, he grabbed the knife off the small stand on the side of the bed and walked over to the door. He knew Linc was awake. He heard him reach for his weapon. Opening the door, he looked out and was stunned to see Cami. She stood out in the hallway. Her hands were clasped tightly together and she stared at him with wide eyes. She looked a little pale, although that could havebeen the dim lighting.
“Cami, are you okay?” His first thought was that maybe her thigh was cramping again. She looked a little tense, but didn’t seem to be in any pain. It was too soon for her to come to them because she realized she belonged with them.
She shook her head. “It’s not me. Something’s wrong.”
Colm heard the stress in her voice and put his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“There are two men coming over the wall. It’s not Laed and Kynar.” Her words tumbled out in a rush so fast that he almost didn’t understand her.
She couldn’t have seen anyone. There wasn’t a window in her room. He could tell she was agitated. She shifted from foot to foot. Her shoulders twitched beneath his palms as if she wanted to slip from his hold and move. Her eyes glowed golden, showing her heightened anxiety.
“What do you mean there are two men coming over the wall? How do you know they’re coming over the wall? How did you see them?” He tightened his hands to get her attention.
Her eyes locked on him and she swallowed. She paled a little and then seemed to come to some decision. “The same way I know you don’t want a true mate. I saw it.”
He narrowed his eyes at her answer. She’d seen it. “Were you still awake?”
“No, I was asleep.” Her eyes narrowed and her hand lifted.
He opened his mouth to reassure her that it was only a dream and that nothing was wrong, but she must have seen something on his face. He had a feeling that she wanted to grab onto something, but he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Instead her finger poked into his chest and she took a step forward. Her head tipped back and her lips tightened into a straight line. From the tightness in her body, that might be because she was trying not to yell at him.
“It wasn’t only a dream. It’s the exact same way I knew how to find you and that I know I’m most definitely not your usual type.” Her lips curled and a growl rumbled in her voice. “I know because I’ve seen it. Believe me, there are times I wish I’d never had any of them and there are definitely things that I wish I didn’t see or know. It’s true. If you don’t go out there or send someone out there to check on it, I will go. They’re not here to say hello and then climb back over the wall.”
“What are they after?” Colm turned to find Linc standing behind him. He’d pulled on a pair of pants, but was barefoot and bare-chested.
“I don’t know. That’s the frustrating part. I can never tell unless something’s said. It mainly only gives me scenes and what’s said. I can’t hear thoughts. I don’t know what’s intended. There’s not some all-knowing voice that tells me what everything means. I just see it.” She glared up at him.
“They’re coming over the wall. Do you know where?” Linc asked the question slowly and calmly.
“Past the stables, across the practice field and it’s near a corner of the wall. I didn’t see anyone moving on that section of the wall, but once I saw those men, I wasn’t really looking.” She closed her eyes as if she was visualizing the area. “It’s cloudy and dark out there. If you don’t want them to see you before you spot them, you’re going to have to go without lamps and torches.”
“I know the spot you’re talking about.” Colm did know where she was talking about, the exact area. It was a spot that was supposed to be patrolled regularly. “I’ll go see if there’s someone there, but how do you know that the danger’s immediate and not in a couple days?”
“I don’t get a lot of clues, but occasionally there’s a sensation or a word that pops into my head. When I was trying to find help and it led me to Dovosh, I got the feeling that I needed to hurry or I could miss you. This time it was ‘now’. I don’t think there’s much room for interpretation there.”
“Doesn’t sound difficult to decipher to me.” Colm looked at Linc. He didn’t know how much of her visions he could trust. “Stay here with Linc until I get back.”
The visions were still new to her. She hadn’t told them enough to know if they were always right, but he did know that she’d been rushing to get to the city. She’d been waiting for them for days. He hoped that while he was gone, Linc could calm her down. Her eyes flared with light. He didn’t want her to lose control of her power again. She already doubted her ability to control it. If she really began to believe she was a danger to people, she’d leave. Or try to, at least.
She nodded. “But my magic isn’t a problem right now.”
“How did you know? Are you starting to be able to tell when your eyes are glowing?” Colm frowned.
“No, it was the way you looked at me. You kept staring at my face and frowning. Well, when you weren’t looking as if you doubted my sanity, that is.” She shrugged.
“Still, stay here. I want to know that you have someone close by in case someone did get over the wall and past me while I’m looking.” Colm smiled and pulled on a shirt and boots. He grabbed his sword and walked out the door.
“Take some men with you.” Linc called after him.
“I was planning to.” Colm called back. If he had to go out tonight, he was dragging a few men along with him. And if there wasn’t someone patrolling that wall regularly, there was going to be trouble for those on sentry duty.
Colm headed out into the hallway. He didn’t know what to believe. She seemed certain. Anxious and a little stressed, but confident that what she dreamed was the truth. By the time he made it downstairs, he was almost certain that this was going to be a simple walk around the walls to make sure the walls hadn’t been breached.
A small part of him warned him not to dismiss her premonition, but he needed proof before he began to trust her visions. Even though he was skeptical of her dream, he wasn’t going back to bed. He was too experienced to take chances and head back to the room without even a cursory check. He gathered a few men from those on night duty within the Thent and went out to investigate.
The moment he stepped outside, a shiver raced up his spine. The chill in the air had nothing to do with it. Clouds blocked most of the moonlight making the courtyard dark. Just as Cami had warned. He still had his doubts, but he headed for the stables.
Just after he passed it, an unfamiliar scent teased his nose. Human. He raised his head and inhaled deeply. Two of them. He couldn’t locate them exactly, but the scent was much too strong to have drifted on the wind from the forest.
He stiffened. There was someone trying to get into the Thent. He growled, but inside he was stunned to find that she’d been right. It did make him wonder exactly what she’d seen or heard in her dreams to enforce her belief that he didn’t want a true mate.
Not that she was wrong in that belief. He hadn’t wanted to chance finding a real mate. The connection with Linc left him open enough to the pain. They were warriors. It was possible one of them could be killed. He’d been a coward by trying to avoid possible pain in the future and admitted it now.
With a grimace, he focused on the strange scent on the wind. He looked over at the three men with him and saw that they’d also picked up the smell of the intruders. He nodded to them. They silently began to move through the shadows toward the wall.
He took little satisfaction in the fact that his eyesight would be better than any human’s on this dark night. They had breached the walls of his home and meant to harm someone here. His fingers clenched around the hilt of his sword.
Anger pulsed through him. Part of him wanted simply to cut them down where he found them. He couldn’t do that as much as it would satisfy the territorial part of him. They needed to know what the men were after.
Colm could think of at least two groups who’d want inside access to the Thent. The most recent and most probable would be the family of the woman they’d taken from the gate town. They wouldn’t know that she’d live in a house outside the walls. Of course, if it had been him, he would have watched for at least a day to know where exactly his target was. Of course, it could be the other group or someone entirely different.
Colm clung to the dense shadows as they crossed the practice field. His eyes scanned for any sign of movement along the wall. The intruders were there somewhere. If he could smell them, they were already within the Thent. He wanted to get them before they had a chance to harm anyone. It wasn’t often they had notice before something such as this happened.
Movement along the base of the wall caught his eyes. It was hard to tell if it was wishful thinking since the shadows were especially deep there. As he watched, he saw it again. The two shadowy forms hugged the stone wall and stuck to the darkest areas. Moving in spurts the two men moved one at a time across the open spaces. Colm sent two men to secure the man in back while he and the other guard approached the man leading.
The man in back called out and took off running. He must have seen some hint of movement. Colm didn’t watch him. He drew his sword and rushed for the first invader as he too began running. Colm followed and the other guard ran almost beside him. They intercepted the man as he tried to slip around the stables.
Colm didn’t know where the man thought he could go within the walls. There wasn’t anywhere he could hide that he wouldn’t be found. The rogue drew a knife from his belt. Faced with the sharp end of two swords, he didn’t seem to be intimidated.
The man exploded into movement. He caught the end of one sword on the tip of his blade, pushing it to the side as he used his other hand to grab and twist the other sword. Colm wrenched his blade free of the man’s grip. He smelled blood and knew the blade had cut his foe. The man’s foot flashed up and struck the guard in the groin. Out of the corner of his eye, Colm saw his guard crumple to a knee, but he focused on the opponent in front of him.
The wiry man glided and darted with amazing agility and cunning. This wasn’t some young fool as he’d first thought. The enemy showed no fear or doubt even as more men with torches and lamps ran toward them. The scream of warning had drawn the attention of the guards on the wall. Finally.
Colm drew his knife to use as a guard. Colm saw the man’s eyes fasten on him. Even as the man advanced, he knew the man had decided to do as much damage as possible. Colm wasn’t going to let that happen. Colm swung his sword and the man jumped back to avoid the waist-high swipe of the blade.
As men approached, the man’s eyes became more frantic. He dove in under a sweeping swing, his dagger lunging for Colm’s midsection. Colm twisted out of the way and drove his knife deep into the man’s chest. The man dropped to the ground at Colm’s feet, his breathing shallow and his life fading. Colm inwardly cursed, but hoped that the other man had been taken alive. He watched the man as others began to crowd around the dying man. Bending while the man still drew breath could be dangerous so he waited to search for some clue why he was here. He didn’t recognize the man or the tattoo at his neck. There might be a mark somewhere on him to designate a sect or mercenary group. He didn’t hold much hope for anything as clear as written orders. Even knowing what they were after would help narrow who sent them.
There were men inside the walls. One’s dead, the other I don’t know yet. Colm focused his thoughts on his bond brother.
Damn. Any idea why they’re here? Linc asked.
No, but hopefully we can find something to at least give us a place to start our search. Is Cami still with you? I don’t want her on her own until the entire building is swept to make certain we didn’t miss anyone. Colm exhaled slowly.
They wouldn’t have known the men were here without her help. At least not until someone had been hurt. He believed that. Her dream had been right and it left him wondering what exactly she’d seen that had her so cautious of them. Had she heard him say something in one of those dreams about wanting a woman who wasn’t his mate? He was pretty sure she’d had at least glimpses of the other women from some of her comments.
She’s still here. Tired and a little unhappy about having to stay, but right now she’s cooperating. Linc assured him.
Have her go sleep in the bed if she’s tired. Colm frowned. It was where she belonged. He was tempted to ensure she slept there every night, but they were still trying to do this the slow way.
I tried. She says she’s not sleeping there, emphasis on there. She’s not explaining what she means and she’s not budging on it. Linc’s thoughts carried his frustration easily.
Again Colm wondered what she’d seen. It’s those dreams. She saw something.
But she’s not saying what it is that’s got her upset. She knows we’re lovers. Linc hesitated at the last.
I’m certain she knows. I’m fairly sure it’s not about you and me being lovers. It’s probably something we said or did with the other women. Colm wished he knew the specific thing that was causing all her doubts and anger. If he knew, he could explain or at least find some way to battle it. Now he could only guess at the cause.
If she gets too tired, I’ll take her to one of the other rooms and stay with her as she sleeps. We’re going to have to find out what is behind all this. I have a feeling it’s something she’s told us before, but we didn’t put any special meaning on it, Linc replied. Keep me informed.
Good. I’ll be busy here. I need to find out how they got over that wall without being seen. There shouldn’t have been a long enough opportunity for anyone to climb the wall and get down to the ground between sentry walks. Colm looked at the wall. The men were supposed to be on alert because of the threat of Laed and Kynar. If two humans could get in, shifters might have made it all the way into the main Thent before they were discovered.