Seven Wardens: Books 1-4

Chapter 16-1-1

CHAPTER 16

She scowled. The landings didn’t seem to be getting any easier, which was just a pain in the tail considering they’d still have to use the Staran to get around.

Macey glanced around, trying to make sense of where they were. It was almost like the mists around the guys’ house. Hazy, and not at all conducive to being able to tell where they were.

“Did it work?” Jared asked, letting go of Cam as quickly possible.

She smothered a giggle. Guess they weren’t getting up to any fun together then. That was a little disappointing, but so long as they still both paid attention to her, she didn’t mind too much.

“Give it a second, and we’ll see,” Cam replied, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

“Not through this mist we won’t,” Flint muttered. Macey smothered a giggle. He did have a point. The mist was thick, and only getting thicker.

“Really, Flint?” Cam scowled but didn’t look away from the mists. Maybe he was as uneasy about them as Macey was. Flint slipped his hand around hers and squeezed tightly, for which she was more than grateful. She needed it. There was something extra eerie about these mists.

“You don’t think the Sìth are causing them, do you?” she asked, shivering. Was it her, or were things getting colder around here?

“I wouldn’t have thought so,” Cam said.

The four of them stood in silence, staring into the mists, and not wanting to take a step further. Macey saw a dark shape in the corner of her eye, and swivelled slightly on the balls of her feet, hoping it was just her on edge imagination, and not actually anything to worry about. To her horror, the shape didn’t disappear at all. On the contrary. It almost appeared to be getting bigger, as if it was something coming towards them.

The mists around them cooled drastically, and Macey’s breath began to frost in front of her. Letting go of Flint’s hand, she hugged her arms around herself, wishing for the warmth of the living room they’d not long left behind. Flint was warm but she didn’t want to look too needy right now, so better not to hold his hand as if she was afraid.

The shape became clearer, meaning it had to be something real, and not in her mind. That was never good.

“Cam...”

“Yes?” he replied instantly.

“What is it?” Her voice shook, which she hated. Weakness really wasn’t something she liked, and at the moment she felt she was exhibiting far more of it than she should be doing.

“It’s...” he trailed off as the shape emerged from the mists, along with what appeared to be a light shimmer of ice crystals through the air. Macey stepped back so she was pressed against Flint’s chest, his warmth seeping into her, but still not quite enough to dispel the cold lingering in the air.

The shape, or rather, the cat, that appeared from the mists was large, probably at least half Macey’s size, with jet black fur and a splash of white across its chest. But the thing that really caught her attention, was its eyes. They glowed an icy blue. Actually glowed. Considering she lived in a world filled with magic, she was still surprised by the glow. It was unnatural, and more than a little mesmerising.

“Hi,” she blurted, unsure of why she’d suddenly decided to start talking to the cat. But something made her do it, and if there was one thing she’d learned over the past few days, it was that, sometimes, she should probably trust her gut instincts.

The cat nodded.

Wait. Nodded? Cats didn’t nod, did they? She frowned at the creature, but before she could say anything else, it began to transform before her eyes. A tall, very pale, man with the same ice blue eyes, stood before her. His hair was the same colour as the cat had been, but with one white streak travelling through it. The similarities were striking, and she found herself just as enthralled by the man in front of her. He held out a hand to them, as if he was beckoning them to him.

“Can we help?” Jared asked cautiously, stepping slightly closer so he was flanking Flint and Macey, as Cam did the same on the other side.

“I hope so,” the man replied, his voice surprisingly musical.

“How?” Flint asked, his voice rumbling in Macey’s ear. She decided she could get used to their protectiveness. It made her feel a little warm and fuzzy inside.

“Please, help me save my sister,” the cat-man replied.

“Your sister?” Macey asked, realising that she was once again the one speaking for all of them. Maybe that was her role in the Warden dynamic. Maybe her diplomacy training hadn’t been for naught after all.

“She’s dying. I asked the Staran for help and you arrived. Please, make her better.”

For someone looking like an adult, his language was surprisingly simple. Maybe he wasn’t used to being in his human form? Macey knew that from some older kelpies who refused to even half-shift. Their thought processes would change, become more kelpie, more primal.

“I’m not quite sure what we could do for her… none of us are doctors,” she said, feeling terrible about having to disappoint him. He was as sad as he was good looking.

“If the Staran sent you, you will be able to help. Everything happens for a reason. Come, follow me.” Without even waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away with the elegance of a cat.

“I don’t like this,” Cam muttered. “He’s a cat sìth, they’re not known for their trustworthiness.”

“A cat fae? Really? I thought they were just a legend. Nine lives, black cats being unlucky, cat sìth stealing souls and all that...” Macey should really stop at being surprised that most myths seemed to be true. She was wondering why her grandmother never said that all the beings from her stories really existed. Surely, she would have known that?

“Incubi aren’t trusted either, and here I am, a Warden,” Jared said. “Let’s follow him, and if he means us ill, we outnumber him.”

“You don’t know that, there could be more of them,” Cam replied, but Macey ignored him.

“He wants our help, so let’s see if we can be of assistance.” She walked into the mists, following the cat-man, not waiting for her men. They would come with her, even if just to protect her. She realised that she could use their instinctive protectiveness to make them do what she wanted… fun.

Cam continued to whisper doubts and complaints, but Macey left him behind, catching up with the cat sìth.

“What is your name?” she asked him and he gave her a curious look with his glowing eyes.

“Us sìth never reveal our names, did you not know that?”

“Ehm, you’re the first cat sìth I’ve met. Why not?”

“A name gives you power over the named. That’s why we have nine, one each for partners, children, parents, family, neighbours, friends, colleagues, strangers and enemies.”

“Wow, that must be hard to keep up with,” Macey said wide-eyed. She was terrible with names, and remembering nine of them for each person would be more than a challenge.

“So you can’t tell me your name for strangers?”

“No,” he said simply, not giving an explanation.

“Well, I’m Macey. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Kelpie.”

She sighed. “Why does everybody always know what I am and I have no clue about what they are?”

Cat-man chuckled. “I’m a cat. My sense of smell is excellent.”

“Have you smelled many kelpies?” Macey asked incredulously.

“You’re the first. But you smell like the sea, and you’re not blue and don’t have a fishtail, so kelpie was the logical option.”

“Oh.”

“We’re almost there,” he said and they walked in silence, Macey still pondering what she smelled like. Maybe she should ask the guys if she smelled fishy? Then she’d have to do something about it.

A growl that was distinctively non-cat carried through the mist. She stopped in her tracks, suddenly suspicious.

“Why did that sound like a dog? You said we’re going to see your sister.”

“We are. We’re twins, in fact, but fraternal. She’s not a cat sìth, she’s a cù sìth.”

“A what?”

He sighed. “A dog fae, if you wish. I got the whiskers, she got the wagging tail.”

“Does that mean one of your parents was a dog and one a cat?” Macey had to suppress a giggle at the thought.

“Yes. Now will you please come? She needs help.”

Macey turned serious immediately. “Of course. Although I still don’t know what we could do.”

“Neither do I,” Cam muttered from behind her. The guys had been so quiet that Macey had almost forgotten all about them. The cat-man’s voice was so alluring, so beautiful that her entire focus had been on him. Only Jared’s incubus vibe got anywhere close to his.

Another growl, much closer this time. The mists slowly parted in front of them and offered them a view of an iron-wrought park bench. It looked out of place, as if it had been transported from an old-fashioned park. The ground was covered in mist, giving it an eerie, out-of-this-world feel. That made her think that she had no idea about where they were. Was this Earth? Another planet? An in-between place?

A heart-wrenching whine made her forget all about it. Behind the bench lay a large, white shape, camouflaged well against the misty background. It was too big to be a normal dog and far too white. Not even huskies were that white.

“Sister, I brought help,” cat-man said and quickly walked around the bench, kneeling next to his twin. Cautiously, Macey followed him, flanked by Cam and Flint. The dog was massive, the size of a small bull. Her fur was snow white with a dark patch on her chest. Her eyes were the same glowing ones her brother had, but hers were red-rimmed as if she’d been crying too much. Her large tail had been braided and embellished with a bright pink ribbon. The rest of her fur was shaggy though, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in a while.

She lifted a massive paw in greeting, but it was a weak gesture and it was obvious that she was finding it hard to move.

Macey approached carefully. The dog may have been poorly, but it was big and rather intimidating. She’d never been a fan of dogs, she was more of a cat person. And this cù sìth was far too big for her liking.

“What’s wrong with her?” she asked and cat-man sighed.

“She was stupid and tried to protect a human. She says he was important, but how could a human be worth getting hurt?” The disgust was clear in his voice.

“Who did she protect him from?”

Cat-man frowned. “We do not say his name. But he is the worst of the evil spirits that roam this land. He can fill you with terror and his voice makes even the bravest afraid.”

Macey turned around and looked at her men who were all having the same expression. The Voice. Could it be him? Could he have hurt the dog-woman?

“What did he do to her?”

“He sent her horrible images, memories filled with dread, visions of terrible futures. Her mind is in pain and I cannot reach her. She’s not getting out of the haze he induced. It’s like she’s trapped in a nightmare while awake.”

That sounded more and more like the Voice.

“Can she talk?”

“She has moments where her mind is clear enough to communicate, but those are rare. I’ve had to piece together what happened.”

“What happened to the human?”

“How should I know? And if I knew, I’d likely go after him. My sister is hurt because he got in trouble. He deserves to suffer for that.”

Cat-man’s eyes were glowing brightly now and Macey shrunk back at the anger shining in them.

A comforting hand pressed against her back. Cam. She leaned back slightly, wordlessly acknowledging his support. She liked that about her men. They were there, no matter what, offering her the support and protection she needed, while letting her fight her own battles. Though she wasn’t naive enough to think they wouldn’t insist on standing in front of her if her life was actually at risk. The foolish men. She could take care of herself. Not that flinching away from the cat sìth showed that.