Moonshadow (Moonshadow #1)

Still, adrenaline coursed in her blood so strongly her hands shook. Just in case, she retrieved her gun from the micro vault and loaded it so she had some kind of physical weapon with her. The runes on her hands and arms were itching and beginning to crack and peel, but for now, she still had one telekinesis spell and one confusion spell left—she always counted her spells, just as she counted her bullets—and she watched from the doorway as the last of the Hounds was killed.

She could see no sign of Morgan, no sign of Nikolas. She saw Rhys and Rowan in the distance, and Annwyn strode across the clearing with two swords bloodied, looking fierce and magnificent. Finally, when the fighting died down and it looked calm enough to walk out, Sophie stepped outside and surveyed the full extent of the devastation.

Bodies littered the area as far as she could see. The nearby clumps of forest had been all but leveled. The small lake behind the house had drained into a huge crack in the ground. The cottage was rubble. One man had done this. One man had torn the earth apart, trying to get to them.

Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

Fight or flight. Fight or flight.

She hadn’t seen Robin since they had returned to the manor house, but she wasn’t worried. When they had broken through to Lyonesse, the puck had been revitalized, and he had shone with a kind of Power that had been nonexistent when she had first found him.

She walked to the cottage ruins and checked for the scent of gas. She didn’t smell anything, so she shrugged, found a likely piece of wall to perch on, and watched the aftermath. The Hounds had been decimated, but there had been injuries and casualties on the other side as well.

After some time, Nikolas, Gawain, and Cael walked out of the woods. Sophie sagged in relief. They moved slowly like they’d been running hard and were tired. Even from where she sat, she could see Annwyn lift a hand in inquiry, and Nikolas shake his head in reply.

Shading his eyes, he paused to survey the scene. He looked in her direction and strode across the field to her. She stood as he neared, running her gaze hungrily over him. He was streaked in blood. Her hands clenched.

She managed to ask without a quaver in her voice, “Are you hurt?”

“It’s not mine.”

Relief made her lightheaded. “And Morgan? I saw you signal Annwyn. You didn’t find him?”

“He got away.” He shook his head grimly. “I don’t know how he moved that fast, because he was wounded badly, and with silver arrows, no less. He must have had a vehicle parked nearby. We were hoping we would catch him before he reached it.”

“If he was wounded that badly with silver, that means he’ll be out of commission for a while, right?” She forced the tense muscles between her shoulder blades to relax. “So at least that’s something.”

“Yes. Healing spells and potions won’t help him. The bastard is going to be in a lot of pain over the next couple of months,” he said with savage satisfaction. He glanced back at the battlefield, and she did too.

“I had the impulse to help,” she said quietly. “But most of them don’t know who I am.”

“You’ve done more than enough already,” he told her. “I’ll have a couple of soldiers set up a tent for you, and you can go to bed.”

“Please don’t,” she said. “There’s too many wounded, not enough shelter, and you all have enough on your plate as it is. I’ll go to a hotel.”

At that, he turned his full attention onto her. “No, you’re not. You’re staying right here where I can keep an eye on you. Just wait here. I’ll send someone to get you when they have a tent set up.”

She coughed out an angry laugh. He was forbidding her to check into a hotel. Was there any point in having an argument over this? She was beyond her limit on patience and energy, and everything else.

After a moment, she said dryly, “Sure, Nik. Whatever you say.”

“What?” he snapped. “I don’t have time for this.” As he spoke, Annwyn called out his name from the direction of the house, and he raised a hand in answer.

“Of course you don’t, and I’m not arguing with you,” Sophie told him. She took a step back. “Go do what you need to do.”

He frowned at her. “We’ll talk about this later.”

She gave him a grim smile. “If you say so.”

She watched him lope across the lawn and join Annwyn. After a few moments, they both walked around to the back of the house.

Rubbing her tired face, Sophie assessed the gap between the fallen gate pillars. It looked like there would be room enough for a small car to pass through.

She limped over to Rowan, who was the nearest familiar face.

“I hate to bother you,” she told him. “But can you get someone to help you push the Mini out?”

With a frown, Rowan said, “Sure, if you want. Are you leaving?”

“There’s too many people here and not enough shelter,” she told him. “You—all of you—need time for a reunion, and with so many people you’re going to stretch the town’s resources too.” She paused. “I’m going to drive into Shrewsbury and check into a hotel.”

Rowan’s frown deepened. “Have you told Nikolas?”

“Yes, I did, and he forbade me to go,” she told him with such grim emphasis, his eyes widened.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to actually forbid you,” Rowan said uncertainly.

“It doesn’t matter what he actually meant to do. What matters is what he said.” She gave him a tight smile. “So I’m drawing a line in the sand that he can’t cross. About that Mini.”

Rowan tapped two strapping men on the shoulder. Between the three of them, they pushed the Mini out the open double doors and over the rocky ground until they reached a section of the gravel drive that was still more or less level. She went back into the house one last time to make sure she had collected all her things, and Rowan helped her to carry her luggage to the car.

As she closed the boot, Rowan turned to her. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into staying?”

“No, you cannot,” she said steadily. “Morgan has been badly injured. The Hounds have been thoroughly crushed. This is the perfect time for me to go, and it’s not just a good decision for you—it’s the right decision for me. I’m going to shower and sleep in a clean bed. Check my email. Connect with my own life.” Then, remembering, she pulled the commander’s ring off her thumb and handed it to him. “Go be with your people. Mourn, celebrate, visit. Hug the friends you haven’t seen in decades. If anybody needs to reach me, my solicitor in Shrewsbury is Paul Shipman.” She gave him a small smile. “Take care of yourself.”

He pulled her into an awkward hug. “Get some rest.”

She patted his back. “You too.”

Now if only the damn car would start.

The engine purred to life on the first try. Carefully she drove between the gate pillars and pulled onto the road, and she didn’t quit driving until she reached Shrewsbury. Once there, she stopped at the first hotel she saw.

No, they didn’t have any available single rooms, the polite attendant told her when she stepped inside to ask. They did have a small, two-room suite if she was interested.

It was a splurge, but why the hell not? she thought. You only live once.

She signed where he asked her to sign, showed her passport and credit card, and tipped someone to bring up her luggage. Then, as dirty as she was, she fell fully clothed onto the clean double bed and plummeted into sleep.