Chapter Nineteen

 

Declan sat next to Nalini at the dinner table and enjoyed the laughter and the camaraderie between his brothers, Nalini and the others. It had been a wonderful meal, with incredibly good food and Declan was more relaxed than he remembered being in a long time.

His finger swirled in lazy circles on the back of Nalini’s neck, and Declan couldn’t help but enjoy the warm and accepting energy that he could feel emanating from her. It helped that she was partially leaning against his chest and he loved the feel of her cuddled up to him like this.

“So what’s next? What do we do while we wait for the meeting tomorrow night?” Shane asked, causing the casual mood to change instantly.

“We get some sleep, then train.” Morgan’s voice indicated it wasn’t a choice.

Declan looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised to note it was almost 4am. It didn’t give them much time for sleep, but he’d take what he could get. As much as he hated it, Declan carefully moved Nalini off his chest and stood.

“What time do you want to train?” he asked, willing to take any advice the guardian of war could give them for the meeting tomorrow.

Everyone began to stand, and Morgan shot Declan an approving nod.

“Be in front of the Talunaha in six hours,” Morgan ordered as he stood as well and stared expectantly at Nalini.

Declan leaned down, kissed the top of her head and gave her a quick squeeze of affection.

“Get some sleep. You have to be out there for training too, even if it’s just a refresher,” Declan said with a smile.

“He’s right. I expect you there as well as your mother. Please tell her when you take her some dinner and bunk with Amber.” Morgan was grateful that Declan had thought of it. He’d only been trying to keep Nalini and Declan apart for the rest of the night.

The consideration Declan showed for his daughter was beginning to make Morgan see the Dranovian warrior in a different light, and Morgan wasn’t sure if he wanted to know anymore. He hated that he was actually starting to like his daughter’s mate.

Declan watched Nalini leave and decided to stay back so she wouldn’t have a reason to remain with him. He knew she needed some sleep and Declan wanted to ensure that she was well rested before they had their meeting with Mastema tomorrow night.

Slowly everyone filed out of the dining hall but Declan, Morgan, Tristan, and Tiernan. When it was just the four of them, Declan went over to the soda machine and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and looked over his shoulder before grabbing only one glass.

“I’ll take one too,” Morgan shouted.

Declan grinned and grabbed another glass before going to the table the three were sitting at. He poured both glasses full of whiskey, set the bottle down then chugged his. He refilled it and held the bottle up to Morgan in question.

The boy/guardian looked a little concerned but picked up his glass and swallowed it in one gulp. Declan thought he looked OK, but a few seconds later he started gagging, then threw up all over the table.

“Oh hell! Really dude?” Tiernan said with a laugh as he disappeared from the table and reappeared a few feet away.

Tristan was airborne and several feet away as well leaving Declan to pound on the kid’s back while Morgan tried to catch his breath and not throw up again.

“A glass of water would be nice,” Declan said as he looked pointedly at Tiernan.

Tiernan grumbled as he walked to the soda fountain and Declan turned to Morgan who was looking a little green.

“Just take deep breathes. In through your nose and out through your mouth,” Declan encouraged.

He looked up to see Tiernan holding out a glass of water, and he took it from him and held it out to Morgan.

“Try a few sips. Don’t gulp it or you’ll puke again,” Declan warned as Morgan reached for it with shaking hands.

“It probably wasn’t a good idea to chug the stuff after eating a meal of spices,” Tristan muttered as he shot Morgan with a bolt of healing energy.

Declan gave Tristan a look of gratitude when he saw Morgan’s color was returning to his face and he appeared visibly better and less shaken. He damn sure didn’t want to explain to Nalini that he’d gotten her father sick.

“I’m all right. Thanks,” Morgan choked out. “Guess I need a little practice drinking in this body.”

Declan laughed to lessen the guardian’s embarrassment.

“I did the same thing when Chris, Mikal and I got hold of Dad’s stash when we were kids. We pigged out on fast food tacos then started drinking Dad’s liquor. I puked my guts out for hours before Dad figured out what happened and gave me some medicine. It takes practice for it not to bother you when you eat certain things,” Declan assured the guardian.

He hadn’t been trying to embarrass Nalini’s young father, only include him in one of his pre-battle rituals. He didn’t think about the boy’s young body and the fact that Morgan had probably never had alcohol in this life.

“I’m OK. It’s not a problem,” Morgan said in a more stable voice.

Morgan stood and looked at the vomit all over the top of the table and the floor. Declan leaned over and looked at it as well, then at his lap and the wetness where he’d been hit with what was dripping off the table.

“I’ll clean it up if you want to go change,” Declan offered as he stood and headed into the kitchen to get a mop and bucket.

“I’m already nasty, I might as well help.” Morgan followed behind Declan and accepted the cleaners and wash clothes the Dranovian handed him.

Declan got the mop and bucket, and he and Morgan set about cleaning up the mess while Tiernan and Tristan sat at another table.

When they were done and had put everything back up Declan grabbed the bottle of whiskey that Tristan had somehow saved from the table before it got splashed with vomit.

“Bless you,” Declan whispered as he took the bottle and a healthy swallow.

Morgan held out his hand for the bottle and Declan raised a brow at the kid.

“There’s nothing left to puke up this time,” Morgan said with a shrug.

Declan handed him the bottle and couldn’t help but take a step back as Morgan took a healthy swallow. He breathed deeply for a few breaths and his eyes watered, but when it didn’t appear Morgan would throw up, Declan took the bottle out of his hands and sat down beside Tristan.

“Well, now that pissing contest is over, I assume you wanted to discuss the protective measures we should put in place for Nalini and probably why she must be there tomorrow night,” Tiernan stated then frowned at the punch Tristan gave to his stomach.

“Being an ass won’t make this easier,” Tristan warned his friend.

“I’m being honest. I would think it would be appreciated under the circumstances,” Tiernan countered then looked at Declan and Morgan to see what they thought.

“Honesty would be a good thing,” Declan agreed as Morgan nodded.

Tristan glared at Tiernan for a moment before he turned to his brother and the guardian of war.

“We have no intention of allowing Nalini to be harmed. Our power will be intact to protect her, and if it all goes awry we will kill Mastema,” Tristan promised, meaning every word. “Nalini has to be there though. This curse is too powerful for Nalini not to be there.”

Declan was immediately unhappy with the news. “Why the hell does the bitch have to be so close to her?”

“How does that help with the curse?” Morgan argued. “It can’t just be removed from Nalini or any other children Isabel and I might have would then be afflicted next! The curse called for all of my progeny to be cursed. Why do you think we only had Nalini?”

“To remove the curse from Nalini, Mastema has to remove it completely. It can’t just be taken from Nalini but erased in its entirety. Anyone afflicted would have to be there for the curse to be removed,” Tiernan explained, obviously unhappy about the situation as well.

“What’s to stop Mastema from having an army waiting to ambush us?” Morgan asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“It would be suicide with the Dranovians there along with our seconds and us.” Tristan’s energy exuded confidence in his words, but his face reflected his uncertainty.

“I would like to be on a ship nearby waiting to get everyone out of there if this all goes to shit.” Morgan’s words made it sound like a request but his energy resonated with the order.

“What of Amber?” Tristan asked, surprised that Morgan didn’t consider her.

“I want to be on the ship with him,” Amber said from the doorway. “Can I eat first though? I’m starving.”

Declan jumped up and gestured to his seat at the table. “Sit down, I’ll get you the dinner we saved for you. If it’s too spicy, let me know, we made a few other things you might like better.”

“I love spicy food,” Amber said with a small smile as she trudged over to the table.

“Excellent.” Declan ruffled Amber’s hair as she moved past him then headed into the kitchen to reheat the platters of food they’d left for the girl.

When he came back out of the kitchen with the first two platters, Declan was surprised to see everyone laughing, even Amber. He set the plates in front of Amber and couldn’t help but smile at the way she almost drooled at the food.

“Dig in. There’s more where that came from, and tomorrow we’ll have some replicators which can provide you with food anytime you get hungry,” Declan promised Amber as he handed her a fork and a spoon for the rice.

Amber gently took the silverware from him before she attacked the plate like a starving animal. They all avoided conversation about the meeting tomorrow while Amber ate and it wasn’t long before she’d polished off the four platters of food that Nalini had set aside for the girl.

“Are you still hungry?” Declan asked, incredulous that she could be after eating more than he had.

“No, I’m stuffed now. Thanks.” Amber relaxed back in her chair and patted her stomach.

Declan took Amber’s empty glass of milk and refilled it in the kitchen. He set it down in front of her as he sat back down and looked expectantly at Tristan and Tiernan to restart the conversation they were having before Amber came in. When no one spoke, he did.

“I think we should have a cloaked ship ready to port us out of there if needed,” Declan stated then looked to Morgan, an unofficial ally in this to back him up.

“It can’t be Morgan,” Tristan argued. “We need him here with Amber. We absolutely can’t have two of our guardians exposed like that with us already there.”

“So you are concerned about an ambush!” Morgan shot back as he came to his feet.

“Your wife will be there!” Tiernan growled and rubbed his temples. “Mastema wouldn’t have suggested one of the fairest spots on the damn planet if she was planning an attack! It’s the dumbest place to try something like that since her power will be compromised as well.”

“Shane can fly the ship. In fact, Reign is coming to deliver the replicators soon, why can’t he fly the ship and be ready to port us?” Declan suggested.

He would feel better knowing they all had a way out if there was some kind of ambush planned. Declan didn’t want to take any chances with Nalini or any of them for that matter.

Tristan and Tiernan looked at one another for a second before Tristan nodded his head.

“Reign can do it since he’ll already be here,” Tristan agreed with a nod of his head.

Declan breathed a sigh of relief and saw Morgan’s nod of respect for him. He returned it good-naturedly, glad it wouldn’t have to turn into an argument.

“You have any suggestions on how to handle this if the shit hits the fan and we’re surrounded?” Declan asked Morgan.

He figured if the guardian was born knowing thousands of battle tactics, it wouldn’t hurt to pick his brain and Morgan seemed to appreciate being included in any part of it.

“Do we have a map of the area we can look at?” Morgan asked.

Declan tapped on his comm and pulled up a map of Sedona, Arizona. He flicked it onto the top of the table and used his fingers to pull it up into a 3D image.

“The vortex we’re going to is this one.” Tristan pointed to the area on the map.

Morgan looked down at the area and then moved over to see it from a different angle. Declan watched as everyone stood so Morgan could walk around the table without getting in his way. Finally, he sat down in Tiernan’s chair and pointed at an area.

“Put your ship in the air here,” Morgan said with a nod. “The pilot will have perfect line of sight of the surrounding area so if he notices a buildup of daemons he can give a warning and initiate port.”

“What about on the ground?” Declan asked as he noted the location where Morgan wanted Reign to be.

“Can we make the meeting area larger?” Morgan asked Declan as he stood and leaned over the table.

“Yeah, give me a second.” Declan tapped on the area several times until they had a more detailed view of the actual meeting place.

“Perfect,” Morgan muttered as he studied the area.

“Only Tristan, Tiernan and Nalini can be in the vortex with Mastema. That means the rest of you will have to be in the surrounding area. What you don’t want is to put all of your brothers out in the open, you want them to be your ace in the hole,” Morgan explained as he glanced up at Declan.

Declan nodded that he was listening and understood what Morgan was saying so the guardian would continue.

“You need to space everyone out in these locations,” Morgan said as he pointed at the different areas on the map. “This keeps you close enough to provide cover for those above and still remain somewhat protected.”

No one noticed when Amber slipped from the room as they all peered intently at the map and listened to the Guardian of War give them tactical advice. It was hours later when they finally broke up the meeting.

Declan looked at his watch and winced at the time. They were all scheduled to start training in another hour and a half, and he knew he’d have to make breakfast for everyone. As Tristan and Tiernan filed outside the dining hall, Declan made his way back into the kitchen and began scrounging in the freezer for something quick and easy to make everyone.

“I can help.”

Declan turned at Morgan’s words and nodded in appreciation at the offer.

“I won’t turn it down,” Declan said with a laugh as he put things on the counter and went back to rummaging in the freezer.

When he exited, he was surprised to see that Morgan had already torn open packages and had placed the frozen sausage links on the griddle and had the waffles set up near a row of toasters.

“You’ve done this before?” Declan asked.

“Nah, but I’ve watched my mother do it a hundred times over the years and know the routine by heart. Bless the woman for putting up with me all those years. I know it had to be rough.” Morgan smiled at the memories of her patience and love.

“I think you’d be surprised at how little she thinks of that. Your mom sounds like my own parents. They’ve always loved Tristan so unconditionally that his differences never mattered to them at all,” Declan assured the boy warrior.

They worked in near silence until breakfast was almost done. Nalini was the first to come in, yawning widely as she did. Declan thought she looked absolutely adorable with her hair mussed.

“Have you seen Amber?” Nalini asked as she looked around the kitchen.

“No,” Morgan replied. “She came out to eat a few hours ago, but I assumed she went back to the pod with you to sleep.”

Nalini left the kitchen worriedly, and Declan immediately followed her, hoping to find Amber quickly. He mentally kicked himself for not walking the girl back to the pod and making sure she settled in.

“Where could she have gone?” Nalini wondered aloud when she exited the dining hall.

“The forge maybe?” Declan suggested as he headed in that direction.

The first thing Declan saw were two more swords laying on the top of the workspace. The next thing he saw was Amber curled up on the floor fast asleep.

“Damn, she must have exhausted herself making more weapons,” Nalini whispered sadly.

Declan picked the girl up in his arms and cuddled her close as he made his way to the pod Amber was using. Nalini rushed ahead and opened the door for him then turned down the blankets in Amber’s bed so he could set her down. When he was done, Declan gently covered up the small girl, placed a kiss on her forehead and quietly left the pod.

When they walked back to the forge they noted the girl hadn’t made just two swords as initially thought, she’d made six.

“Where did you find the other ones?” Declan asked Tristan and Morgan who were standing at the forge looking at the six dark swords.

“They must have fallen to the floor when she fell into sleep,” Morgan replied with a sad shake of his head. “They were in the dirt.”

“They’re perfect too. Not even a slight deformation.” Tristan held one of the swords up and carefully inspected the blade.

“Each of your brothers will have a daemon killer blade for the meeting now. The weaponsmith put the odds in our favor,” Morgan said with a sly grin.