by Linda Howard
He supposed there was some grain of truth to it. The good Raintree. The bad Ansara. But all Raintree weren’t saints. And not every Ansara was the devil incarnate.
From time immemorial, the Raintree, as a people, had chosen the straight and narrow, taking the high ground, showing an emotional weakness for the welfare of the Ungifted and preferring peace to war. Wizards with far too much conscience.
The Ansara tolerated humankind, manipulated them when they were useful, disregarded them when they were not. Ansara prided themselves on their skills as warriors and defended to the death what was theirs. But they were not monsters, not evil demons. They lived and loved and cherished their families. In that respect, they were no different from the Raintree.
But there were also Ansara like Cael. A few in every generation. Depraved. Evil. True monsters. Often innate sorcerers, they possessed the ability to lure the dregs of Ansara society into their service. They killed for the pleasure of killing. Took great delight in inflicting pain, in torturing others. They were as unlike Judah and his kind as they were unlike the Raintree.
When circumstances required it, Judah had killed. To protect himself and others, or out of necessity, when killing was simply a business decision. He didn’t tolerate disobedience or disrespect. As the Dranir, he possessed unequaled power among his people.
He liked power. Respected power.
He used and discarded women as it pleased him, Ansara and human alike. And once, even a Raintree princess.
Eve tugged on his hand, reminding Judah that he was tied to Mercy Raintree through their daughter, a bond that only death could break.
Sidonia’s agitated voice called Eve’s name.
“Hurry, Daddy, or she’ll catch us.” Eve urged him to walk faster as they sneaked away from Sidonia on the pretense of playing hide and seek.
Judah swept Eve up into his arms. “Hold tight,” he told her.
When she wrapped her arms around his neck, Judah ran, taking his daughter away from unwanted supervision. When they were out of earshot of Sidonia’s threats, Judah set Eve on her feet.
“We got away!” Grinning triumphantly, Eve clapped her hands softly. “She doesn’t know where we are, and she can’t find us.”
“So what do you want to do, now that we’re on our own?”
“Mmm…” Eve deliberated her choices for a couple of moments, then laughed excitedly. “I want to show you something really special that I can do.” She looked up at him, eagerness shimmering in her eyes. Mercy’s green eyes.
“Something new?” he asked. “You’ve already shown me how talented you are.”
“It’s something I’ve never tried before, but I know I can do it.”
Judah glanced around and noted that they were not near the house or any of the cottages. Open meadow lay north and east of them, a bubbling brook to the south and a wooded area to the west. If Eve tried a new skill and it backfired, she couldn’t do much harm way out here. Besides, he was with her to counteract any fallout.
“Go ahead, Princess Eve, test your powers. Try something new. Show me.”
Eve smiled broadly, then stood very still and concentrated. Seconds ticked by. She focused inward, calling forth her power. The ground beneath their feet trembled.
“That’s it. Command your power,” Judah said. “You’re in control.”
The fingers on Eve’s right hand twitched, moving faster and faster. A tiny circle of energy formed in her palm. An orb of golden light, shimmering like translucent diamond dust, grew larger and larger until it filled her hand.
My God! Eve had created an energy ball, the most powerful and deadliest power in any Ansara’s or Raintree’s arsenal. No child before had been capable of creating an energy bolt, and only a select number of adults could do it.
“Eve, be careful.”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
He zoomed in on the energy bolt his daughter held in her hand, as casually as if she were holding a baseball. “It’s very beautiful, but it’s extremely dangerous.”
“Oh.” Eve’s eyes widened in surprise, a hint of curiosity in her expression. “What does it do?”
Judah considered his options. He could probably dissolve the ball, but if he did, it might injure Eve’s hand. He could ask her to give the ball to him, and then he could dispose of it. Or he could allow her to find out for herself, under his strict supervision, just what such power could do.
“Turn and face the woods,” Judah told her. She did. “Now choose a tree.”
“That one.” She pointed to a towering elm.
“Aim your energy ball at the tree and whirl it through the air.”
Eve swung her right arm backward, lifting it over her head, and flung the psychic energy bolt in the direction of the tree she had chosen. She and Judah watched as the blast missed the elm tree entirely, zooming past it and exploding as it hit a stand of twenty-foot pines. A least half a dozen of the evergreens splintered into minuscule shards and rained down in heavy ash particles to the forest floor.
Holy crap! His little girl had just shot one of the most powerful energy bolts Judah had ever seen, taking out not one object but six.
“I missed my tree, Daddy. I missed it.” Eve puckered up, her bottom lip quivering.
He knelt down in front of her and tucked his knuckles under her chin, lifting her little face so that she looked directly at him. “You might have missed the elm tree, but look what your blast did. All you need is practice and you’ll be able to hit your target every time.”
Tears hung on Eve’s long, golden lashes, and her eyes shimmered with moisture, but she smiled and threw her arms around Judah’s neck.
“I love you, Daddy.”
Judah swallowed hard. I love you, too.
She hugged him tighter. “Mother’s coming.”
“It figures.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing.” Judah gradually eased out of Eve’s embrace as he rose to his feet. “Let me handle things, okay? When your mother finds us, she’s not going to be happy, so we’ll tell her that I’m the one who shot the energy bolt. That way she won’t be angry with you.”
“But that’s lying, Daddy, and lying is wrong.”
Judah groaned. Raintree logic. “Actually, it’ll just be a little white lie, so you won’t get in trouble.”
“Mother will know that I did it. She knows everything.”
Judah couldn’t repress his smile. “Why don’t we put her to the test and find out?”
When Eve looked up at him, he winked at her.
She winked back. “Okay.”
Exactly five minutes and sixteen seconds later, Judah sensed Mercy coming up from behind as he and Eve sat on the side of the creek, their shoes off, their feet in the cool water. He glanced over his shoulder and spied her a good thirty feet away.
When he turned back around, Eve said, “Mother is very upset.”
“Remember, let me do all the talking.”
“I think my mother is the one who’s going to do all the talking.”
When Mercy approached them, Judah and Eve simultaneously turned to face her.
“Hi, Mommy. Daddy and I are just cooling off. It sure is hot today.”
Mercy glared at Judah. “What did you let her do?”
Judah shrugged. “Eve didn’t do anything. I did. I was showing off a little for my daughter.”
“Is that right?” Mercy zeroed in on Eve.
Eve’s cheeks blushed bright pink. “Un-huh.”
Mercy scanned the area in every direction. When her gaze fell on the empty spot in the woods created by the absence of six large pine trees, she gasped.
Focusing on Eve, she said, “I want the truth, young lady. Did you—” she nodded toward the woods “—do that?”
“Do what?” Eve asked.
Mercy glared at Judah. “Not only did you allow her to do something extremely dangerous, you taught her to lie.”
“No, Mother, please. Don’t be angry with Daddy.” Eve yanked
her feet from the creek and hopped up off the ground. “I did it. I zapped a whole bunch of trees. I was aiming at just one, but—” she flopped her hands open on either side of her “—my energy ball kind of went crazy, and all those trees went poof.”
“Oh, God, oh, God,” Mercy mumbled under her breath, then turned to Judah. “Did you help her create an energy bolt?”
Judah stood up to his full six-two height and settled his gaze on Mercy. “Our daughter didn’t need any help. She was perfectly capable of creating an energy bolt all by herself. And in case you haven’t realized it, she took out six trees with one bolt.”
“She took out—of course she did.” Mercy marched over to Judah, nostrils flared, eyes blazing. “And you’re proud of her, aren’t you?”
“Damn right I am. And you should be, too.”
“I am proud of Eve, but…she could have been hurt, or hurt someone else.”
“I wouldn’t have let that happen.”
They stood there, glaring at each, a hairsbreadth apart, the tension between them palpable. She was furious with him. He loved that about her, the passion, the fierce, protective mama tiger in her. He wanted nothing more than to take her here and now, and except for Eve’s presence, he would have been sorely tempted.
She knew what he was thinking. He could see it in her eyes. And he also sensed her desire. Like animals powerless to resist the mating call, they couldn’t break the visual contact or the psychic bond that held them spellbound.
Spellbound his ass! He wasn’t some lovesick young fool. And he certainly wasn’t in love with Mercy. Once he’d screwed her again, this fever in his blood would cool.
“Mercy!” Sidonia cried as she came across the open field, three people following her. “Is Eve all right? Did that devil…?”
“She’s fine,” Mercy called.
“I’m getting damn sick and tired of her calling me the devil,” Judah said.
“Oh, great. Just great.” Mercy heaved a deep, exasperated sigh. “She’s got Brenna and Geol and Hugh with her.”
“A Raintree lynch party, no doubt.” Judah turned to face the approaching hangmen.
“You keep quiet.” She gave Judah and Eve stern looks. “Both of you. Let me do all the talking.”
Huffing and puffing, Sidonia stopped a couple of feet from Mercy. “I turned my back for two seconds, and he ran off with her.”
“It’s all right,” Mercy said. “It won’t happen again. Will it?” She looked from father to daughter.
Eve shook her head, then bowed it in a contrite manner. Totally false regret, of course.
Judah didn’t respond.
“What happened over there?” Hugh, a robust, gray-haired Raintree, pointed to the wide bare spot in the nearby woods. “You aren’t cutting down timber are you, Mercy?”
“Just a little psychic accident,” Mercy said. “I’m completely to blame.”
Hugh stepped forward, looked Judah over from head to toe, and held out his hand. “I’m Hugh Sullivan and you’re…?”
“This is Judah Blackstone,” Mercy said. “Judah and I went to college together. He’s visiting for a few days.”
Judah hesitated, then took the man’s hand and exchanged a cordial shake.
Hugh studied Judah with his green Raintree eyes. “Well, you are a handsome devil, all right.” Hugh chuckled. “I couldn’t figure out why Sidonia kept referring to you as the devil.”
“I’m afraid Sidonia and I got off on the wrong foot when I first arrived,” Judah said, then looked right at the nanny. “I’m sorry if our little game of hide-and-seek worried you. Eve and I were having so much fun playing that it never entered my head you’d be concerned about her.”
“Humph.” Sidonia gave him a condemning glare.
Judah glanced at the other man and woman, who seemed as intrigued by his presence as Hugh had been. He nodded to them.
“Hello,” the woman said. “I’m Brenna Drummond, a distant cousin of Mercy’s.”
The other man held up his hand in greeting. “I’m Geol Raintree, a not so distant cousin.”
“Forgive us, Mr. Blackstone, for being so curious, but Mercy having an old boyfriend visiting is quite an event.” Brenna smiled knowingly at Mercy, apparently giving her approval.
“Judah wasn’t my—” Before Mercy could finish her sentence, Judah slipped his arm around her waist. She went stiff as a board.
As if on cue, Eve cuddled up to Judah’s other side.
“Well, it looks as if our little Eve likes you, Mr. Blackstone,” Hugh said. “It’s always a good sign when a woman’s child likes you.”
“Hugh is grilling trout tonight, and I’m making homemade ice cream,” Brenna said. “Why don’t all of you come to my cabin for dinner?”
“Thank you, but I’m afraid—”
Once again, Judah cut Mercy off mid-sentence. “We’d love to, wouldn’t we?”
“Yippee!” Eve shouted. “Brenna makes the best ice cream in the world.”
Mercy forced a smile. After the search party went their separate ways and Mercy sent Eve back to the house with Sidonia, she confronted Judah.
“What did you think you were doing, agreeing to have dinner with my guests?”
“I was making an effort to be polite so they wouldn’t suspect there was a wolf among the sheep. Wasn’t that what you wanted me to do?”
“What I want you to do is disappear from my life and never return.”
“If I left, you’d miss me.”
“Like I’d miss the plague.”
“I’ll be leaving soon enough.” Going home to Terrebonne to fight and kill my brother, he added silently.
“Once you’ve taken care of Cael, please don’t come back here. Leave us alone. You’re bad for Eve. You must know that.”
“As a Raintree princess, you may be accustomed to issuing orders and having them obeyed, but I’m not one of your loyal subjects. Between us, I’m the master. And you’re my willing slave.”
“When hell freezes over!”
Chapter 13
Friday Afternoon,
Cael Ansara’s Compound in North Carolina
Cael had tried unsuccessfully to crack the shield surrounding Eve Raintree’s mind. All protective devices, no matter how strong, could be breached. It was simply a matter of finding the key. Every spell had a reversal spell. Every charm could be destroyed. Every power could be deflected. Given enough time, he could find a way into Eve’s thoughts so he could influence her thinking, but time was one thing he didn’t have. In two days he would lead his troops against the Raintree sanctuary. In two days he would kill his brother and become the Ansara Dranir. Only one thing stood in his way: little Princess Eve. She, too, had to die—along with her parents.
But the child was an unknown. Half Ansara, half Raintree. Such children possessed the talents of each parent. With Eve’s parents both royals, the girl’s capabilities could be uniquely powerful.
Cael laughed at his own foolishness. Eve was six. No matter what abilities she had inherited, they would be immature and untutored. Her supernatural skills couldn’t possibly be a threat to him. But her being Judah’s daughter could.
Projecting his thoughts, Cael directed his message to one recipient. Can you hear me, little Eve? Are you listening? I’m your uncle Cael. Don’t you want to talk to me?
Silence.
Talk to me, child. Tell me why I shouldn’t kill your father. I’ll listen to whatever you have to say. Perhaps you can change my mind.
No response.
You want to help Judah, don’t you? If you’ll talk to me, I’ll listen.
A boom of psychic energy thundered inside Cael’s head, the sound deafening in its intensity as it radiated through his body and brought him to his knees. As he doubled over in pain there on the rough wooden floor of his private compound quarters, an outraged voice issued a warning.
Stay away from my daughter, Judah said. She is off-limits to you. Don’t try to contact her again.
The p
ain stopped as quickly as it had hit him. Cael staggered to his feet, thrust his fist into the air and cursed his brother.
Get ready. I’m coming for you. Do you hear me, Judah? And when you die, our people will rejoice that they have a true Ansara leader, one who can return them to the old days when we ruled the world.
Judah heard Cael’s threats like a distant echo as he shut out his half brother’s ranting. Cael had finally crossed that thin line between instability and full-blown insanity. He wasn’t surprised. It had always been a matter of when, never if.
Knowing that, sooner or later, Cael would force his hand, Judah had put off killing Cael all these years for one reason only: his father’s dying request.
“Do all you can to save your brother. Kill him only if you must.”
In his own way, their father had loved Cael and had chosen to overlook his many faults. But in his heart of hearts, he had known that the seeds of insanity needed very little nourishment to burst open, bloom and ripen.
Kill him only if you must.
I must, Father, to save the Ansara. To save Eve.
Daddy?
No, Eve. Don’t use your thoughts to speak to me.
I’m sorry. It’s just that bad man tried to—
Shh…I’ll come to you.
Undoubtedly Eve had heard Cael’s threats. Damn his brother! Damn him to hell! Hurrying downstairs, Judah took the steps two at a time.
He found Eve alone in the living room, sitting on the floor amid an array of colorful construction paper, crayons scattered all around her. She glanced up at Judah when he entered but didn’t rise to meet him.