The Keeper's Retribution: A Chosen Novel (The Keepers Book 2) Read online

  “Burn them,” Lucian ordered, his deep voice edged with fury.

  Ronan called upon Fire, a smoldering ball of red flame swirling in his hand. Before he could release it, shrill cries filled the air.

  The hair on the back of Effie’s arms and neck lifted, an overwhelming pressure settling hard and fast in her chest. Lifting her head, Effie’s eyes landed on a furred face half obscured behind a massive leaf.

  That couldn’t be what set her warning off. The lajhár were peaceful creatures; even the black markings on their brown and gray fur granted them a perpetual smile. Notoriously slow, they spent the majority of their time sleeping high in the trees, far away from other predators. The only thing remotely threatening about them were the needle-like claws jutting out from their paws.

  The lajhár crawled forward on the branch, and Effie’s heart started to race. There was nothing peaceful about the feral snarl on its round face, or the blood that dripped from its claws.

  “Lucian.”

  His name was the only warning she could give before death began to rain from the trees. Faster than she could count, furred bodies dropped from the branches, their cries filling the air.

  Around her the others unsheathed their weapons.

  “I never liked these little fucks,” Ronan bit out as he swung his ax and sliced one of the lajhár in half. “Cute and cuddly, my ass.”

  Reyna snickered darkly as she hurled her blades into the air, killing the creatures before they could reach the ground.

  Kieran was busy stabbing and kicking the small animals, his moves so frantic he appeared to be doing some kind of bizarre dance.

  Blood dripped down Kael’s arm where his flesh had been shredded by one of the lajhár’s claws. The creature was still clinging to his shoulder, shrieking as it tried to go for his eyes. Kael ripped it off and threw it hard at the base of a tree. The lajhár bounced with a screech and scrambled across the floor, heading right toward her.

  Effie flung her dagger, pinning its body to the ground. It was an instinctive move, but not her smartest. She was now down one weapon.

  “Move!” Lucian roared, swinging his sword whose edges had turned to dark smoke.

  Effie jumped out of the way as he decapitated the creature before taking out three more in one fell swoop.

  No matter how fast they moved, or how many they took out, the creatures continued to come at them. Effie’s hands were slick with sweat and blood as she worked her way through the ones closest to her.

  Pausing only long enough to shove her curls out of her eyes, Effie’s eyes flew wide as two of the creatures flung themselves at Reyna. She had her back turned and had no clue of the danger coming her way.

  “Reyna!” Effie screamed, her throat burning with the intensity of her cry.

  The Night Stalker spun at the sound of her name. Ronan was already moving, his ax spinning through the air as he took out one of the insidious beasts. The other one landed, its claws raking across her face and throat, before Reyna was able to tear him free and kill him. Ruby streaks dripped down her face, but she didn’t stop, continuing to battle the next wave.

  Sharp pain tore through Effie as one of the lajhár sliced through her leg. She’d been standing in place too long. Furious with herself, Effie stabbed the creature with more ferocity than she knew she possessed.

  “They’re still coming,” Kieran gasped in warning, his hair matted to his face and neck.

  Effie lost track of time as the battle raged. She panted, her lungs burning. This should have been an easy battle for them. The lajhár were hardly a threat against so many battle-tested warriors. But their sheer numbers were overwhelming, and those knife-like claws were coated with some kind of poison. She was starting to lose feeling in her leg.

  “How many of these little fucks are there?” Ronan asked.

  “Too many,” Kael growled, stomping on the head of a nearby lajhár with a wet squelching sound.

  Lucian looked torn, his desire to fight warring against the need to keep them safe.

  The jungle floor started to vibrate as a roar came from the east.

  “All this blood is attracting something far more deadly,” Ronan cautioned, sparing a glance in that direction.

  The lajhár, whose protective instincts should have sent them fleeing at the sound of approaching danger, only grew more frenzied.

  “Lucian, we’ve got to get out of here. We can’t fight the whole damn jungle on our own,” Kael insisted, his right arm hanging limply at his side.

  The vibrations grew more intense as whatever was coming for them moved in closer. It didn’t take more than a passing glance to tell that their group was in no state to take on the unknown monster. At least three of them were injured, the lajhár’s poison starting to slow their movements down as it worked its way through their bodies.

  With a savage roar, Lucian killed two more of the lajhár. “Fall back! Get to the portal!”

  Kael led the way as they followed Lucian’s bellowed order without hesitation, but even as they tore through the forest, the bloodthirsty creatures gave chase. They were relentless in their pursuit.

  The numbness was climbing higher up Effie’s leg, making her strides awkward and lurching. Each step was agony, and soon Effie was falling behind the others, a fiery burn starting to replace the numb ache.

  “Don’t you dare,” Lucian snarled, swinging her up into his arms.

  He was running, holding onto her with one arm while swinging his sword in the other. Effie soon gave up trying to do anything more than hold onto him as she bounced and slipped in his hold.

  It felt like a lifetime before they reached the portal, but finally, they were back in the clearing they’d arrived in.

  Effie let out a relieved cry as the infuriated creatures shrieked when they slammed into an invisible barrier. Whatever magic worked to conceal the portal was keepings the lajhár from getting close enough to follow them.

  “Why didn’t we think about that sooner?” Ronan asked once Lucian and Effie came through the portal.

  “Because no one thought they would actually get the better of us,” Lucian grunted, his frustration unmistakable. “I’m not used to having to retreat from something the size of a damn puppy.”

  Lucian carefully set Effie onto her feet, but her knee buckled, unable to support her weight. It was only her Guardian’s impeccable reflexes that kept her from sliding onto the floor.

  “What just happened?” Effie asked, her knuckles white where she gripped Lucian’s tunic.

  Ronan let out a mirthless laugh. “Didn’t you hear? We just lost a battle against a pack of demented rodents.”

  Kael scrubbed his good hand over his face, slumping against the wall. “The lajhár must have drank the water. It’s the only explanation for a total temperament shift like that.”

  “The corruption was able to work that fast?” Kieran asked, his throat bobbing like he was about to be sick.

  “Apparently,” Lucian muttered darkly.

  “It’s not the only thing that works fast,” Reyna said, her usually sultry voice thin and frail.

  Ronan snapped his attention to her. “What do you mean?”

  Reyna winced in pain as she gingerly poked at the deep scratches along the left side of her face. “I can’t seem to see out of this eye.”

  “Their claws were poisonous,” Effie interjected. “I didn’t notice at first, but it explains the severity of our injuries. I shouldn’t be having this much trouble walking from just a couple scratches.”

  “You too?” Lucian asked Kael, who gave a weak nod.

  Ronan bit off a curse. “Come on, let’s get you to the healers.”

  Reyna slapped Ronan’s hands away as he tried to lift her. “My legs are perfectly fine, Shield.”

  “Shut up and accept the help, woman,” Ronan growled.

  “I still have one dagger left. Are you volunteering to be my target?” she panted in a saccharinely sweet voice.

  “Mother’s tits, Reyna. You c
an be a cold bitch.”

  “Just help me stand and lead the way. I’ll be fine,” the Night Stalker assured him.

  Ronan looked ready to fight her over it, but was gentle when he helped her stand. “Come on, then.”

  Reyna wove her arm through his and leaned heavily against him.

  Effie started to limp behind them.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Lucian asked, stopping her with a hand on the arm.

  “To the healers?” she said, thinking it obvious.

  Lucian rolled his eyes. “As if I’d let you walk there on your own in that condition.”

  Not too injured to feel annoyed, Effie scowled at him. “You don’t let me do anything, Guardian.”

  Kael snorted. “Not the time, little warrior.”

  Lucian gave her a tight-lipped smile and swept her back up in his arms. “It’s either this or ass-first over my shoulder, fledgling.”

  “Fine,” she snapped, inwardly relieved she wouldn’t have to walk. It was getting hard to think straight with the shooting pain climbing ever higher up her body.

  “Kael, will you be alright there until I get back?” Lucian asked.

  The other Guardian gave a weak nod.

  “I can help him,” Kieran said, straightening.

  Lucian shot Kieran a look so filled with vitriol Effie couldn’t help but remember the night he’d made the man in the tavern piss himself. Not even she was immune to the promise of violence in her Guardian’s eyes.

  “And why should anyone trust you to be helpful, princeling?”

  Kieran’s pale cheeks turned crimson. “I’m more than capable of helping him walk down a few hallways.”

  “Are you? Only this morning you abandoned us in that cave. I still haven’t quite figured that out, by the way. Were you scared or simply throwing a tantrum?” Lucian laughed, but it was a sound devoid of humor. “Either way is hardly a point in your favor, is it? In fact, I can’t recall the last time you did anything remotely selfless.”

  “I warned you about my dream!” Kieran sputtered.

  Lucian’s eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped dangerously. “And I’m still working out what your play was. When I do—”

  “Enough, Luc. Let the poor bastard help me.”

  Lucian’s nostrils flared, his temper sinking its claws in deeper, before he released a breath and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  Wordlessly, Kael slung his good arm around Kieran’s shoulder and leaned heavily into him. Kieran grunted under the weight but remained upright.

  Lucian waited only long enough to ensure that the two men were moving before he set off in the direction Ronan had taken. From her perch in his arms, Effie glanced over Lucian’s shoulder and studied Kieran.

  Out of all of them, he seemed the most undone by the attack. He looked haunted as he stared at the ground. While disturbing, today’s fight was hardly the worst thing they’d faced recently, and all of them were still conscious. That was a vast improvement from their last bout in the jungle.

  So why then did Kieran look like they’d just suffered a massive defeat?

  As if he could hear her silent question, Kieran lifted his eyes.

  A shudder slid down Effie’s spine at the emptiness she found there.

  Kieran blinked, finally seeming to notice her, and his expression softened infinitesimally. There was a flicker of something in those green orbs, a warmth Effie hadn’t seen since she’d stumbled into his room on a drunken mission.

  Then Lucian spoke, shattering the moment. “Just a bit further,” he murmured.

  Kieran’s jaw clenched and his eyes darkened, turning his handsome face into something that frightened Effie more than anything else she’d seen that day.

  She let out a soft gasp as a shiver of premonition buzzed through her.

  Lucian tightened his arms around her, mistaking the sound for pain. “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe now.”

  Effie might be in Lucian’s arms, but the last thing she felt was safe.

  Chapter 15

  For the first time since arriving in the citadel, Effie wasn’t the only one to sustain an injury during one of their missions. It was a relief in the sense she didn’t feel singled out as the weakest amongst them, but it also meant her friends were spread thin while visiting the others.

  That left Effie with a lot of free time on her hands—time where all she could do was think. Being stuck with only her thoughts for company was Effie’s idea of hell. Her mind was a dark place filled with ghosts. Only a masochist would want to spend any amount of time wandering around in there.

  Although, some of the darkness inside her had quieted since coming to the citadel. Effie’s new purpose gave her something to focus on besides the past. Well, that and a certain Guardian’s intense gaze, but thinking of him filled her with a different kind of restless ache, so Effie avoided that as well.

  The only reason she was still in the healing wing at all was because the healers had threatened to chain her to the bed if she tried to escape before they released her . . . again. Lucian’s smug grin when they issued the ultimatum told her he’d help them do it.

  Grunting, Effie plucked at the bandage wrapped around the bottom half of her leg. Her injury itself was minor once the poison was removed from her blood stream. The issue—and the reason she was currently trapped in this bed—was that no one knew if the poison would have any lingering effects due to the corruption.

  After a restless night trying to sleep in the unfamiliar bed, and a half day spent failing to keep her mind occupied, Effie was fairly certain she was in the clear. If only one of the healers would come check on her so she could convince them of the same.

  The door creaked opened and Effie sat up, her flicker of hope guttering at the sign of the scarlet robe. She hoped her face didn’t convey her disappointment.

  “Why is it you only seem to seek me out when you know I can’t run away?” she muttered dryly, settling back into her pillows.

  Smoke paused in the doorway. “Would you rather I leave?”

  “No! I was joking.” Effie sighed. “We really need to work on your sense of humor.”

  “Perhaps you need to work on the quality of your jokes.”

  Effie gaped. “Are you teasing me? Are you even allowed to do that?”

  Smoke’s answer was to move closer to her bed, although Effie supposed there really was no point answering such a question. He was part of the Triumvirate; he could do whatever he wanted.

  “You aren’t here with happy tidings, are you?” she asked when he sat at the end of her bed. If he’s getting comfortable, this definitely isn’t an all-is-well kind of chat.

  “How are you feeling?” Smoke asked.

  Effie gave an exasperated sigh. “I’m bored.”

  “Better than the alternative.”

  “You mean death? Leave me in here staring at the ceiling a few more hours and I’m not so sure I’d agree.”

  “Restless, Daughter?”

  Effie opened her mouth to disagree, but thought better of it. Restless was one way of describing the feeling of unease that hadn’t abated since their venture into the jungle. It was certainly the easiest explanation.

  “How are the others?” she asked instead.

  “They’re worse patients than you.”

  Effie snorted. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

  “Neither did I.”

  Unexpected laughter bubbled up in response to his sarcasm. “I had no idea you could be so witty.”

  Smoke shrugged as if to say there was a lot she didn’t know.

  “So if you aren’t here to tell me something I want to hear, why did you come?” Effie asked.

  Smoke’s hood dipped as his voice filled her mind. “What you said about your most recent vision concerns me.”

  “That I seem to be the main focus?”

  He nodded. “I would like to work with you personally until we get to the bottom of it.”

  Effie threw up her hands. “
Finally!”

  “That pleases you?”

  “It’s only the one thing I’ve been asking you to do since I got here.”

  Smoke cocked his head, reminding Effie of an inquisitive bird. If he had been anyone else, Effie would have guessed he was genuinely surprised by her reaction.

  “Did you really think I would object?”

  “It has been your tendency since you arrived.”

  Her cheeks grew hot. “Not recently,” she said softly, picking at her blanket.

  “You didn’t want to share your vision with us.”

  Effie glanced up. “That didn’t have anything to do with you.”

  “We are one in the same.”

  “Not even remotely,” Effie said with a snort.

  She could feel the weight of his stare even hidden behind his hood. For once, Effie was glad Smoke didn’t have a human face. It would be impossible to look directly at that kind of intensity.

  Effie chewed on her cheek, trying to find the words she needed to explain what she meant because it was clear he expected her to.

  “I trust you, Smoke, because you have proven yourself worthy of that trust. You are the only one who has shown any interest in getting to know me. Not just as your newest Keeper, but as an actual person. You were the only one to drop the mask of your title and use your actual voice to speak to me. You were the one that came, time and again, to check and see if I was okay. Just you.” Effie shrugged, not sure what else to say except, “You were the one that told me respect must be earned.”

  “So I did.”

  “It’s not that I have anything against the Mirrors, but if I have to make myself vulnerable, I’d rather do it with someone who’s proven they aren’t going to use it against me.” She gave him a wry smile. “I learned that lesson quite early on.”

  A low howl whipped around the room, and Effie jolted before she realized it came from him. If the sound of rustling leaves was a sign of the Triumvirate’s amusement, then this was surely a sign of their rage.

  “I Saw.”

  Effie’s mouth went dry. She never knew two words could be so filled with anger.

  “Well,” she said once she finally recovered, “then you understand.”