Wild Lands (Savage Lands Book 2) Page 19

  My mind flashed to how many times I had been beaten and then taken to the HDF clinic after training, and after a couple of hours, I headed back for more, feeling fine.

  “The healing around them appears to be at least three years old. Much longer than her time away.” Dr. Karl’s words flared back through my mind.

  “So I heal fast.” I folded my arms, glancing off to the side.

  “You have never been sick. Have you?” Andris asked. “Caden got colds, flu, chickenpox, pink eye… and you got nothing. He almost died of scarlet fever. Do you remember? Very contagious. While you never even got the sniffles.”

  “I have a strong immune system.” According to Dr. Karl, I had off the charts, abnormally strong immunity.

  “I recall a time I was playing with you, and you moved so quickly I didn’t even see it… even though you stood right in front of me.”

  I swallowed, my throat closing in on me.

  “Only three people know this story, and two of them are dead.” Andris took another drink. “Do you remember our cat?”

  “Aggie.” I had loved that sweet, old cat.

  “You found it dead in the garden. You were so distraught.” He rubbed at his head. “If I wasn’t standing there, if your father hadn’t seen it also, I would have thought it was a trick of my brain.”

  I sucked in. The memory was spotty and muddled. I had only been six, but I was sure the cat was still alive when I found it. It died on my lap.

  “You were sobbing and went to pet it.” Andris shook his head. “The cat came back to life.”

  “What?” I stepped back, feeling the wall press into my spine.

  “It climbed in your lap and meowed. You were so scared you jerked your hand away. It instantly went limp. Dead.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t dead before,” I whispered.

  “Rigor mortis had already set in.” Andris sat back. “Believe me, we tried to come up with every excuse possible. But that moment set your father on a trek, a quest for answers.”

  “Answers?”

  “Answers to what you were.”

  “So, what are you saying? I’m fae?” I let my fear slide off my tongue, my chest clamping down in terror.

  “You’re not fae.” Warwick shook his head, his forehead rumpling, his eyes digging in as if he were trying to see past my shell, poke in and find a reason.

  “How do you know?”

  “Your parents were both human and mortal,” Andris replied.

  “You knew my mother?”

  “Met her once.” He nodded. “Eabha was stunning.” My mother’s name drove into my chest, hearing the lyrical AY-va sing from his lips. My father used it so little, always saying your mother, I almost forgot she was a person, with a name. A woman with hopes and dreams. Not some fairytale I made up in my head. “Your father was devastated when he returned from the war to find she had died the night of the Fae War. Between your birth and the magic from the Otherworld crashing into Earth, her body couldn’t take it... He never even got to say goodbye.”

  I licked my bottom lip, peering at the ground, the guilt of her death on my conscience. I understood his subtle meaning; if she had been secretly fae, she wouldn’t have died in childbirth or from the magic. Humans succumbed to that.

  “Then there is no way I could have brought the cat back to life.” I could hear the hope in my voice, the need to counter the sickening squeeze deep in my soul.

  “As far as I know, only necromancers can raise the dead.” Warwick’s focus trailed up and down me. “You are not that.”

  A picture I saw once of a necromancer scared the crap out of me. Skin and bones, hooded in robes, ghostly looking monsters.

  They were the origin of the image of death with a scythe.

  “What about a natural obscurer? Isn’t Queen Kennedy rumored to be one… that she can raise the dead?”

  “You’d have to be a Druid.” Uncle Andris shook his head. “A very powerful one.”

  Right.

  A natural obscurer came from the most dominant Druid line. Their mothers purposely worked with black magic while pregnant, wanting the power to seep into the unborn child. And yet, it was still a long shot the baby would become one. The leader of the Unified Nations was exceptional and queen for a reason. Her roots came from the most top-tier Druid.

  “Then what am I?”

  “We don’t know.” A pained expression settled on Andris’s face. “At least, I don’t think your father ever learned. He grew more and more withdrawn. Slipping out, leaving for days. He stopped telling me anything, saying it was for Rita’s and my protection. If Istvan found out what he knew...” Andris choked over the last few words. “All he made me promise was to keep you safe. Make sure Istvan never learned what we suspected.”

  “By putting him as my guardian?” I tossed my arms out.

  “I was supposed to be your guardian.” Andris tipped his head. “But it could not be. I talked your father into making Istvan your caretaker.”

  “Why? Then I’d be right under Istvan’s nose.”

  “Exactly.” Andris’s gaze snapped to mine.

  “Keep your enemies so close they become family,” Warwick stated, nodding in understanding. “Blind them to suspicion.”

  “It worked too.” Andris folded his hand on his lap. “For the last five years, you have been hidden right in the open. Your father and I knew that the closer you were to the Markos family, the safer you were. Until…” He shook his head at me.

  Until I landed my ass in Halálház.

  “Baszd meg.” I swiped the liquor off the table and slammed it back, the pungent taste burning my throat. I banged the glass back down on the table and glared at Andris. He filled all three cups without hesitation, watching me down the second.

  “You have grown up so much, Brexley. The pictures of you don’t do you justice.”

  “Pictures of me?” I tapped my glass for another. I hated the taste of Unicum, but the burn grounded me. “You’ve been watching me this whole time?”

  “Of course.”

  “You owe me answers. What is this place? Why are you hiding here, and why did you fake your own death? Also, how do you know each other?” I motioned between the two men.

  “My ‘death’ was necessary. I knew too much… had seen too much. I could no longer carry out Markos’s orders. It was only me who was supposed to die the night of that battle, slip away into the night. Your father would have never left you. Ever. But things went wrong. I don’t even know what exactly; everything was going to plan. But we got separated. It was too late by the time I found him.” Grief flashed over Andris’s face. “I failed him…”

  My head bowed, clearing my throat. “Why was your death necessary?”

  “We’ll get to that.” Andris stood up, finishing his second drink. “As for this place, it is one of the hideouts for the Resistance…”

  “Resistance?” My mouth parted in shock, another puzzle piece clicking in. I knew of only one Resistance party in this area. “Y-you’re part of Sarkis’s Army?”

  “Dragam.” He smirked, his arms behind his back. “I am Sarkis.”

  I blinked at him. “Oh, my gods…”

  It was like I was hit with a bat, and memories and pieces all fell into place. The stuffed puppy he had given me was named Sarkis. It didn’t click until now. The signs were right under my nose.

  Sarkis was an Armenian word meaning protector, shepherd. He had named his army the same as the toy that kept me feeling safe and protected as a child when they left on missions, like a clue. I may have stopped cuddling with the toy so long ago I had almost forgotten him, but my shepherd never stopped protecting, guiding, and watching over me.

  Chapter 17

  I gripped my head and plunked down in the chair, my head spinning.

  Andris Takacs, the man I thought was dead, was not only alive, but leading the Resistance army.

  “Breathe,” Warwick’s husky voice slithered up my spine, the feel of him at my side, even though I knew
he still leaned against the other wall, sipping Unicum.

  I inhaled, letting out a slow breath, not fighting his instruction and the soothing effect his voice had on me.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in.” Andris stood stiffly behind his desk, watching me. I didn’t sense any emotion in his voice, but deep in his eyes, I saw his love.

  “A lot to take in?” I huffed. “I can barely handle the fact you are still alive and that you could leave Rita like you did.”

  “It was her idea.”

  “What?” I jolted.

  “She knew my time was running out.” He licked his lips nervously. “Brexley, Rita and I loved each other, but not the way you thought. We weren’t in love with each other. She was a wonderful woman. She meant everything to me. But she knew I was in love with another.”

  “What?” I bolted up. “You were cheating on Rita?”

  “She knew and was fine with it. Our marriage was never one of romantic love. It grew into deep respect and friendship. When I heard of her passing, part of me died with her. She knew her life was better where it was, and that mine was here.”

  “How did you fake your own death? Why did you?” I exclaimed. “What made you leave… her? Me?”

  He flinched at the last part, sorrow wrinkling his brow. “I had to leave.”

  “Why?”

  “I fell in love with a fae.”

  I choked, sensing a hand I knew wasn’t actually there rubbing my back. “Fae?”

  “We met on one of your father’s quests, many, many years ago, in China.” A smile I had never seen before hinted on his face. “She halted me in my steps. She overwhelmed me. I tried to fight it, deny it. I hated myself, accused her of glamouring me. But no, it was just her.” He chuckled lightly. “Benet used those trips as cover, telling Istvan we were gathering information on our enemy while trying to find any information he could about you. Those months traveling, we saw the worst and best of humanity. And I realized HDF’s teachings were wrong. There was kindness, family, beauty, compassion, and love among the fae. They laughed like us, teased like us, loved like us. They were not the monsters we were told they were. We were.

  “While Istvan’s path was set on greed and hate, my path, your father’s path, changed. I fell in love with a beautiful soul. A shape-shifter. She showed me the injustice out there. Opened my eyes to the inequality and prejudice on both sides. Once my eyes were open, I could no longer be the soldier Istvan demanded. He wanted me to kill without question, slaughter fae children and women, while I wanted to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.” He let his arms drop. “Istvan knew something was wrong and that I was changing allegiances. He started to have me followed. I knew it wouldn’t be long before they found out my secret. If they found her, they would have tortured and killed her. And me. Possibly Rita.”

  My chin hit my chest thinking of how quickly Istvan had turned on me. Killing a traitor’s fae lover would not even be a blip on his radar.

  “Rita was the one to come up with the plan, fearing at any moment Istvan would find me out. It was me who was supposed to ‘die’ on the battlefield. But like I said that night, everything went wrong.” Andris’s jaw twitched with emotion. “I am so sorry, dragam, that I couldn’t save your father. I was never able to tell you that. I miss him every day too. He was a wonderful man. And he loved you more than life.”

  I peered down at my hands, fighting back tears.

  “I’ve been trying to watch you as best I could to follow his wishes. I had hoped you would live a safe and comfortable within the walls of Leopold, never knowing the difference.”

  My head shot up. “You think living in ignorance and hate is better? To be stifled and miserable? Married to an abusive man who would beat me for fun, my days spent learning how to cover my bruises for parties? Being no more than a doll? You think that’s the life I wanted?”

  Andris dropped his head. “But at least it would have been safe.”

  “Safe?” I stood. “That’s not safe. And it’s not the life I want. My eyes are opened now as well. I felt it the moment I came back to HDF. I no longer fit—if I ever did. I can never go back.” I rolled my shoulders back. “People have tried to control me my whole life, out of love or power. No more. I’m in this fight now.”

  Andris watched me for a moment, his eyes softening. “You are so much like your father.”

  “Thank you.” My chin lifted.

  “I see danger and violence still surround you.” A quiet but strong woman’s voice spoke behind me. I hadn’t even heard the door slide open.

  I recognized the tone, one I never thought I’d hear again. Especially here.

  I whirled around, my eyes taking in the figure, but my brain struggled to understand.

  The tiny girl I’d been forced to whip in Halálház, the girl who saved my ass and protected me, stood before me.

  “Ly-Lynx?” My brain could not understand her presence.

  A gentle smile pulled up her pretty round face, which was framed by long, shiny straight hair hanging down loosely. Out of the prison uniform, in tighter fitting clothes, she appeared a little older but still young and sweet. She strolled past me to Andris. My mouth dropped as she rose on her toes, kissing him.

  What. The. Fuck?

  “Szerelmem.” My love. Andris grinned blissfully down at her, wrapping his arm around her waist, kissing her softly again. “Everything proceeding as planned?”

  “There are some complications.” She lowered back down, handing him a file.

  “What the hell is happening right now?” I pressed my palm to my head, my mind twisting and turning, trying to keep up.

  Lynx was the woman he fell in love with so long ago? She looked barely more than sixteen, but being fae, she could be centuries older.

  “I’m so confused.”

  “I can imagine.” Andris dropped his arm from Lynx. “Istvan thought you were dead, and Killian didn’t have a clue who he had captured until that little comrade had to share it with everyone. But I always knew where you were the whole time. Had eyes everywhere. Tried to watch out for you in any way I could.”

  “Oh, gods…” My mind flashed back to the times Lynx helped me. Protected me.

  “But she was in there before me… how?”

  “She was caught on another mission, but through a guard, I was able to stay in contact. I got a message to Ling to watch over you.” He nodded down to the girl I knew as Lynx. Of course, she wouldn’t use her real name in there. His gaze flicked to the corner. “I acquired alliances I never thought I’d find.”

  “Enemy of your enemy hardly makes us allies,” Warwick muttered.

  “It does in this world.” Andris moved away from Ling, dropping the file on his desk.

  I jerked to face Warwick.

  “You knew who I was the whole time?”

  “Not the whole time, but soon after.” He smirked, his cerulean eyes focusing on me.

  I felt tricked. Stupid. As if I was the only one not let in on a joke.

  “My plan to get Ling and you out had to be bumped up when your identity was discovered and you went into the Games.” Andris scanned some papers. “We blew up Halálház, freed you, helped Warwick bomb Lord Killian’s to help you escape… and now I’m guessing from HDF as well.”

  “I had some left over.” Warwick shrugged.

  I barked a derisive laugh before downing the rest of the herb liquor. My head spun like a carousel with all the revelations.

  “This isn’t enough to go on.” Andris shut the folder, looking over at Ling. She was so pretty, tiny and delicate, but something told me not to underestimate her.

  Ling shook her head. “I’ll keep trying, but we are fighting against an exceptionally complicated magic firewall.”

  “Magic firewall?” I repeated.

  “Metaphorically.” Andris leaned back on his heels, staring at her with pride. “Ling is what you call a hacker.”

  “Hacker? What the hell is that?”

  “Be
fore you were born, our entire world was run on computers. All information could be found online. Money was handled and transferred digitally, as well. But when the wall fell, magic destroyed technology as we knew it. The King in the Unified Nations has established a new internet that’s even more powerful. But here, only the elite can even afford a computer. The problem is this new system is even harder to break into. It’s protected by magic. Ling is a Kitsune, a fox-shifter who can deceive and trick magic spells. Sneak in and out of places, virtual or real. Her father was one of the top hackers in her homeland, and he taught her everything. She helped break down the spells guarding Halálház so you all could escape. She is the best out there.”

  Ling kept her expression even, not responding to his praise.

  “A Kitsune who calls herself Lynx?” I lifted an eyebrow.

  “Ling-ks.” Andris grinned. “The KS stands for Kitsune.”

  “My brain hurts.” A laugh barked up my throat. So many puzzle pieces to try to put together.

  “I will try another backdoor in.” Ling leaned in, kissing Andris again. She nodded at me before turning for the door. I watched the woman who took a whipping from me. Now I understood why she helped me, protected me. Why she was so nice to me.

  Because she was asked to.

  The moment her footsteps retreated down the stairs, Warwick strode to the desk.

  “Can we get to why we’re here since she’s all caught up?” Warwick tossed down the folded sheets of paper.

  “What the hell?” I grappled inside my coat, where I had kept the documents, finding the inside pocket empty. “How did you do that?”

  He curved his face, his mouth only a few inches from mine. “You’re not the only one who can move without being seen.”

  Air caught in my throat at his proximity. I couldn’t seem to acclimate to him. To not respond to the carnal intensity he carried.

  Andris’s finger pinched the papers and picked them up, his pupils tracking over the documents, the color draining from his face. “Where did you get this?” His gaze darted to Warwick, then me. “How did you come by this? Is this real?”