by Linda Howard
“Minor,” he murmured, closing his eyes again. “Except for that.”
“Damn you!” She swiped both cheeks with her hands. “You threw yourself in front of me! Why? Why? It makes no sense!”
Those dark eyes slitted open. “Love you.”
The words hit her with more power than that she had unleashed on her surroundings. She sank back on her heels, mouth open with wonder. “L-love?” she stuttered.
“After the temper tantrum I just saw, I’m rethinking that.”
“Love,” she said, and now her tone was achingly gentle. “The temper tantrum was because I thought I’d lost you.”
“You still might,” Esma said acerbically behind her, “unless you move and let me tend him. The longer the knife is in his back, the worse it will be. Our knives are specially formulated to cause accumulating damage.”
Lenna turned her head to look at Esma. The Hunter had regained her feet and stood behind her close enough to touch, but hadn’t tried to wrench Lenna away. She held up her hands. “I swear I won’t harm him. I don’t want you to—” she glanced at Stroud’s motionless body “—do to me what you did to him. Whatever it was.”
Lenna cast Stroud a dismissive glance. She had no pity for him. She hadn’t lost her temper in such a very, very long time that she’d almost forgotten what it felt like, but she wasn’t surprised that Stroud wasn’t moving.
“If you can help him, do it,” she commanded Esma, her voice full of the authority of her position.
Esma knelt beside them, and together she and Lenna eased Caine to a sitting position. He could barely help them, and he ground his teeth to keep from groaning as the movement worked the wicked blade deeper into him.
Lenna saw how deep the knife was, and she remembered how long the blade was. She blanched. This was a death wound; it had to be. No wound could be so deep and not cause mortal damage.
But … he was a Hunter, and Hunters were notoriously difficult to kill. She reached for the knife to pull it from his flesh.
“Wait!” Esma put her hand over Lenna’s. “It has to be removed a certain way, to avoid further injury. I’ve done this before, more than once. I promise, I’ll take every care. Word of a Hunter.”
Lenna glanced at Caine, and he gave her a faint nod. She looked back at Esma. “Do it.”
For herself, she trusted Esma, and for some reason always had. But this was Caine, and he had to agree. He knew more about what was going on than she did.
Esma dug in one of her pockets and produced a slim pouch from which she removed two green pellets, handing them to Lenna. “When I pull out the blade, break each pellet and sprinkle the dust over the wound.” She slit Caine’s clothing, clearing the space around the wound. “Are you ready?”
Again Caine gave a brief nod. Esma gripped the hilt, slowly tilted the blade in a certain way that made the sweat pop out on his forehead, though he didn’t make a sound. Then she carefully rotated the blade to the right, just a little, and slid it free. Blood all but gushed from the ugly wound. Swiftly Lenna popped one of the green pellets and carefully sprinkled the contents over the wound, then did the same with the other pellet. Almost miraculously the blood slowed to a trickle, and the open edges of torn flesh seemed to smooth and flatten.
Esma slapped a square of bandage on the wound and it adhered to his flesh. Almost immediately Lenna could feel relief flowing through him, revealed in the relaxing of his muscles. He took a deep, shuddering breath, let his head drop for a few seconds, then he straightened his shoulders and prepared to stand.
Lenna and Esma both gaped at him. “You can’t get up yet!” Lenna protested.
He rose to his feet. “I can’t?” Gingerly he rolled his shoulders, but already his color was almost normal, and that hard, glinting light was back in his eyes.
Esma said weakly, “I’ve never seen anyone recover that fast.”
But this was Caine, and everything that Hunters were, he was more.
Lenna and Esma both stood, too. “How long have you realized you were meant to be on our side?” Lenna asked the other woman.
“Since I decided that it would be foolish to even attempt to kill Strength.” Esma sighed, shrugged. “I’ve never not completed a mission, but … I don’t trust Veton, not with the deck, and not with you.”
“Good call,” Caine said as he cleaned his knife and slid it back into the sheath. “He is the Tower, you know.”
“I know,” Esma said. To Lenna, she said, “If you had possessed the entire deck when I arrived, I’d have taken you to your own home, not to Veton.”
Lenna nodded, gave a small smile. “I should have known.”
Caine walked over to Stroud’s still body, and Esma went with him. Reluctantly Lenna joined them; if she could do harm, she could see the results. “Is he dead?”
To her surprise, Stroud was looking up, frozen but fully aware. The sight gave her the shivers. Caine experimentally nudged him. “He’s frozen solid. Can you thaw him?”
No longer surprised at a Hunter’s endurance, or differences from normal beings, Lenna held her hands out, palm up, and looked at them. “I don’t know how. If I tried, I might cook him. When I lose my temper I don’t … pull my punches, so to speak.”
“I noticed,” Caine said. To Stroud, he said, “Guess you’ll have to come to room temperature on your own, buddy.” He looked around the ice-covered warehouse, everything silver and blue and drifting in snow, a winter wonderland if one overlooked the destruction. “But that might be spring.”
Stroud couldn’t even blink, but his wide eyes showed comprehension. Caine shrugged. “Here’s some free advice: never let me hear of you or see you again. Change your name, live on another world, never cross me or mine again and I’ll let you live. Bide by those terms and you’ll be safe. Otherwise I’ll turn her loose on you again, and next time she won’t be merciful.”
Stroud’s eyes filled with horror.
Lenna didn’t feel pity for him. He had almost killed Caine. She glanced down at him once more. Maybe someone would find him, but she simply didn’t care.
She pulled Caine and Esma away from Stroud’s prone body and held out both hands. “The cards you hold, please.”
Esma reluctantly took the Moon from her pocket and slapped it onto Lenna’s palm. Caine did the same with the Emperor. Lenna reverently added those two cards to the rest of the deck, in the red bag. The glow of the cards brightened. The bag, which had been heavy while the deck had been incomplete, was suddenly lighter.
She took Caine’s hand and then Esma’s. “We will finish this task together,” she said, and leaned against Caine. “Take us to the Emperor.”
The Emperor’s castle hadn’t changed in the few hundred years since Lenna had last visited … or she thought it had been that long. Time didn’t matter on Aeonia, the way it did on other planes. Everything was exactly as it had been: the furnishings in his offices, the way the sunlight slanted through the tall windows. Jerrick hadn’t changed, either. Like her, he was forever Arcane.
Jerrick rose to his feet and gave Lenna a stern, serious look before dismissing Caine and Esma with a wave of his hand and a single brisk command. “Go.”
“No,” Lenna said, stepping forward. The Emperor wasn’t her superior. He was a … spokesperson, a leader, but in the end she held sway over as much of the universe as he did, perhaps more, because if Jerrick was strong he took that strength from her. “I would like a word with you, and I ask that these two Hunters be allowed to stay until I have done what must be done.”
Jerrick shook his head, focused on the task at hand. “Hand over the Alexandria Deck—”
Lenna shook her head. “No, not just yet. I have a request. A number of requests actually.” Convincing him to join her in what must be done wouldn’t be easy, but she needed the cooperation of several of the most powerful Major Arcana, and it all began with Jerrick.
Jerrick’s eyebrows arched in surprise. What had he thought she’d do, hand over the deck and go home as i
f nothing had happened? Maybe he thought she’d be happy to be back, grateful to return to her life of unending perfection. Perhaps she was … to a degree. Beyond that degree, though, a lot had changed.
It had been countless years since the Major Arcana had petitioned the One, He who had made them all, He who still guided them all. Now was the time. She knew what needed to be done, but she couldn’t do it alone.
“Call everyone here,” she said, issuing a command, not a request. “It’s time for a full council.” Some of the Arcane were close, others were far, but all could be here in short order, with the assistance of a Hunter or two. “Caine and Esma can assist with the transportation, for those who require it.”
Jerrick didn’t refuse her; he couldn’t ignore her, but he was less than enthusiastic. “It has been a very long time since we’ve had a full council meeting. What possible reason do I give for calling one now? It would be unwise to tell them all about the Alexandria Deck. It would be best for everyone if the deck is destroyed, or locked away.”
“I disagree. You lead us, Jerrick. You always have. But this is not a decision for you alone.”
Again, that eyebrow.
She continued, confident that he would accede to all her requests. “Before the full council meets, I will require a meeting with you, the Empress, the High Priestess, and the Hierophant. Caine and Esma can collect them first, and then continue with the others.”
“A meeting,” Jerrick said, again without enthusiasm, though he looked intrigued at the mention of the Empress. Their relationship was … interesting.
Lenna reached inside her bag and withdrew the cards that had started this adventure. She used both hands to remove them, to fan the cards out so Jerrick could see them, to display them as a powerful thing of beauty. They glowed more brightly than before, as alive as she was.
“Such beauty and power should not be locked away, not if there is another choice.”
Was there? Was there truly another choice? She was about to find out.
Caine’s back still hurt like hell, but it was healing, even though it had just been a few hours since Stroud’s knife had cut into it. He barely paid attention to it, so fascinated was he by watching Lenna literally remold her world by the strength of her will. Some of the other Major Arcana argued with her, some were wary and unconvinced, but it was evident in their eyes that, strong as they all were, she was Strength, and they would do what she wanted or would never again know peace.
A few hours was all that was needed apparently, for Lenna Frost, Strength, a woman, to change her world. She was no longer satisfied with things as they had always been.
In changing her world, she would change all the others, as well.
Her special premeeting accomplished, the One petitioned, she was ready for all the Major Arcana gathered in the Emperor’s castle, in a vast ballroom ostentatiously decorated in gold and crimson. The tall, wide windows were uncovered, allowing shafts of bright sunlight to shine through. Even Veton was there, looking displeased with Lenna, casting angry glances at Esma. He had sent three Hunters to Seven, and only one returned—one who had not only not completed the mission he’d given her, but who had evidently thrown in her lot with the others.
Perhaps, back on Seven, enough time had passed for Stroud to thaw, though here on Aeonia very little time had passed. If Stroud had indeed thawed, he’d been wise enough to follow Caine’s instructions and disappear.
Caine had never seen the Arcane gathered together in its entirety; not many beings had. It was an impressive sight, and he was not easily impressed. How long had it been since this had happened? A thousand, two thousand years? More? But they were all here now, because they had been called.
“Gather around me,” Lenna instructed, and the beings formed a circle around her. Caine studied them all. Some were dressed finely; others preferred plain dress. Several, like Lenna, were beautiful. Others were ordinary, while a few—two of them—might even be called ugly. Together they represented every aspect of life, from birth to death, and on this occasion they were gathered together in this room, so much power, so much potential and knowledge, bound to their physical beings.
Using both hands, Lenna held out the Alexandria Deck. She turned about slowly so all had a chance to see what she possessed. Long ago, they had all had some experience with the cards. They knew what she held; they recognized that which had been lost for so long. No one spoke or stepped forward. It was as if they were in a trance. The glow the cards produced was stronger than before, more constant. Together, complete and alive again, the cards were powerful beyond measure.
“The Alexandria Deck,” Lenna said in a soft, reverent voice. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen it. It wasn’t destroyed by fire—the fire Veton caused,” she added as an aside, not looking at him but letting her displeasure with him color her words. “We thought it was gone, but it survived. It thrived. It lived. I suspect this deck is more powerful than it has ever been.”
Someone—Caine wasn’t sure who—called out, “It should be destroyed!”
“No,” Lenna responded. “It should be treasured and protected. And changed,” she added with a tilt of her head. “The time for a power such as this one has passed.”
“Don’t destroy it!” Veton called out, his hands fisted, his face showing intense distress.
Lenna ignored him. “In the past few days I have had the opportunity to truly see one of the worlds we influence. Experiencing, touching, feeling … it isn’t the same as watching from afar.” She glanced at Caine, but her strong gaze quickly moved on, as she looked at each of her fellow Aeonians in turn. “I saw such wonderful things on Seven, and I also saw the ugliest mankind has to offer. There is so much love, and there is also hate. I saw disease and violence. I laughed. I experienced the beauty of a magnificent planet, the power of it, and I also saw firsthand the wonder of a child.”
“A child,” the Empress murmured, her voice full of emotion.
“We see all these things from the safety of Aeonia,” the Emperor said, though he seemed less insistent than he had when they’d first arrived.
“Each world has things we should know. Music and laughter must be experienced, not watched from a distance,” Lenna explained. “To hold a child, to feel rain on your skin, to experience fear—it’s all important. It’s not the same to watch from a safe distance. Watching from afar is no substitute for feeling. Whether it’s joy or pain, it isn’t sufficient to simply observe. And love …” She stopped circling, then she turned her head and focused on Caine, let a radiant smile transfuse her features. “I have loved, and I have been loved. We should all know that feeling, at least once in our long lives.”
There was an interested murmur from some of her peers, while others were obviously uncertain.
“The Arcana have not been a true part of life for a very long time,” she continued. “For too long, we have simply observed the lives we influence. It’s time, past time, for a change. Along with a few others among us, I have petitioned the One to make that possible.” With that, she tossed the cards into the air. Many gasped at that seemingly impulsive action. Veton even lurched forward, but he stopped when the cards Lenna had tossed into the air did not fall, as they should have, but remained floating.
The cards swirled, much as snow and ice had swirled around Lenna on Seven. They glowed and vibrated and danced, alive with power and joy. “Nothing stays the same forever,” she said quietly. “We’ve been trapped here for too long, insulated and isolated. The One has heard our pleas for change, and He has responded.”
One by one, the cards drifted to the Major Arcana they represented. The Fool grabbed his card from the air, laughing with joy as he grasped it in both hands. The others received theirs in much the same way, though some were more solemn than others.
“With your card,” Lenna said, “and with the assistance of a Hunter of your choosing, you will have the ability to travel to other worlds, to experience life, perhaps even to touch those who need you mo
st. You don’t have to use your card if you don’t want to—participate in your own time. It won’t always be easy, but we have had it easy for far too long.” Again, she looked at Caine. “It takes strength to participate in life.”
Veton was disturbingly giddy as he waited his turn. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. There were two cards left—Strength and the Tower. Lenna’s card drifted down to her, twirling as it dropped slowly. She took it and smiled. Only then did the Tower card move toward Veton.
Halfway between Lenna and the Tower, the card stopped moving. It hung in the air, shimmering and hesitant. The glow that marked the cards dimmed briefly, then increased until it was difficult to look directly into the glare.
Then the card burst into flame.
Veton screamed; the room shimmered and shook on the waves of his distress. The fire burned longer than it should have given the physical substance of the card, but soon enough the flames died, and a few charred wisps of paper drifted to the floor. Veton gave a long, choking moan, then dropped to his knees and screamed.
“The Alexandria Deck will never again be whole,” Lenna said. “Our power is great. As we have always known, that power is too great to continue unchecked. Abuse the gift you have been given today, and it can and will be taken away. The One has decreed that the Tower shall not travel.”
Veton remained on the ground, a sobbing puddle of a man, and in that moment he looked more like a man than a powerful Aeonian. He was broken. He muttered to himself, nonsense and sorrow spilling from him. The others were full of questions for Lenna, about her adventure, about how this new power would work. Would they still be restricted to five days? Yes, but with the ability to come and go that was not too great a burden. The One had set that time limit for a reason, and whether or not they knew why or agreed with it wasn’t important.
Others asked again if they would be required to travel? No, Lenna answered, the choice was theirs.
“Unfair!” Veton howled.
Lenna gave him a cool look. “You’re still the Tower, you’ll still be able to create chaos from afar, as you have since the beginning of time. You crossed a line when you tried to have me killed, and the One is holding you accountable.”