CHAPTER 16
The fresh scent of pine and cool rain urged Gaetan down the corridor. He stumbled over the uneven floor, and his toe crashed against a stone protruding from the ground. A howl of rage burst from him, reverberating off the walls. As if the Keep shared his pain, sunstones lining the wall flared to life.
His jumbled thoughts were like fireflies, flitting around his mind without rhyme or reason. He continued onward, one foot in front of the other. His goal, to escape these walls, this prison that bound him. Only the fresh air and his need to run free kept him moving.
“He went this way!”
“Hurry, we have to stop him before he gets outside.”
Shouts, distant, but recognizable, filtered down the ancient passageway.
Gaetan growled and picked up his pace, distancing himself from the shouts filtering toward him in the ancient passageway.
Anlon… Nicole… Anlon… Nicole…
Unsure of the meaning, he focused on the mantra for it helped ease the swirl in his mind.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the passage, urgent and rushed.
A soft glow at the far end of the row beckoned him. With each step, the small light grew. An explosion of energy propelled him forward. He ran for the first time since he was eight, the first time since the devastating accident that had injured Ginnia as well as himself, the one he’d caused.
“I see him! Hurry!” a warrior shouted.
Anlon… Nicole… Anlon… Nicole…
Gaetan focused on the words, the light, the words, the light, the words.
The spicy scent of pine thickened. Rain pelted the trees, the brush, and the rocks at the Keep’s hidden entrance.
He burst into the forest. Between the treetops, the setting sun’s rays lit up the clouds in brilliant shades of pink and red. The exposed skin on his face and hands burned. Agony rippled along his nerve endings. He screamed.
Behind him, a warrior shouted, “Craya! The sun’s not down yet.”
“We’ll have to wait until it is. At least in his beast form, if Gaetan stays in the shadows, he’ll be all right. Ten more minutes and we’ll be safe.”
The warrior’s words penetrated into Gaetan’s thick skull. He covered his face with his hands. Leaving space between his fingers so he could see, he bolted deeper into the forest.
Water from the passing rain shower dripped from tree branches, coating his fur and dribbling over his fingers. The coolness was a welcome relief to his burned knuckles.
He ran and ran and ran. How long, how far, to what purpose, only his battered beast knew, but the mantra continued.
Anlon… Nicole… Anlon… Nicole…
Kaelyn checked the strap at her belt. Her trusty mace rested in its leather pouch, ready for action. The rumble of voices, heated and intense, reverberated off the Portal Navigation Center’s walls. She peered around the large room at the warriors under her command.
Strong, loyal, and devoted to their former king, their goal to find the prince was their number one priority. She glanced at the numerous sunstones lining the ceiling. “Alora, please keep the little tyke safe and help us find him.”
“The sun is down.” Saar’s deep voice rumbled between them.
“It’s time to go.” She stepped onto the portal’s platform and blew her whistle. The high-pitched tone echoed through the room.
The warriors quieted. Only the sound of their feet shuffling over the stone floor filled the air.
Kaelyn scanned the soldiers. “Our main goal is to find and retrieve Anlon. Mauree is searching for him and, for all we know, may have him. Three-quarters of the team will proceed with Saar and myself to the lake house. The rest of you will search for Gaetan. Don’t kill him unless you have no other choice.”
Several warriors nodded in agreement, their sullen faces representative of the task at hand. The chances of success for either group didn’t look good, but they’d battle the odds and win anyway.
As she stepped away from the platform, she glanced at the Portal Navigator. “Rin, do your magic.”
“Ya don’t have ta ask me twice.” Resolve glinted in his blues eyes.
He turned and swirled his gnarled fingers over the concentric circle of sunstones lining the giant portal stone. The gems in the outer circle ignited, brightening to a soft glow. He moved with grace and power, churning his hands over the precious crystals. One by one, the concentric rings ignited until the solitary red sunstone in the center filled the room with a faint red glow.
A mist appeared over the platform, opening to a forest bathed in soft moonlight. The eerie hoot of an owl filtered into the room, along with the scent of pine and cedar.
“Squad one, let’s go.” Kaelyn’s muscles tightened in readiness. If Mauree found the prince, she’d better not have hurt him. The thought of meeting up with her nemesis sent a tingle of excitement over Kaelyn’s shoulders. This time, Mauree would get her due. One way or another, the evil bitch wouldn’t last another night.