Tested by the Night (16 page)

Chapter Eleven

Talon followed Mia with a heavy heart. What was he going to do? No one, not anyone in the history of Albrath had ever captured a live Bane Bear of any age, let alone contained one of their cubs. There was no doubt about it, Mia was destined to fail, and on her very first quest to boot.

The thought should’ve made him happy. His task would be done and behind him. His promise to Zander fulfilled. He could go back to the way his life had been before Mia. Back to standing at Zander’s side and cracking heads and flaying torsos for sport. And back to long nights of debauchery with women whose names he didn’t even care to ask, let alone remember.

But for some reason, the thought didn’t make him happy.

God Draka help him, but a big part of him had secretly wanted to see Mia succeed. He shook his head. When had that happened? When had he begun believing in her, rooting for her, standing firmly in her corner even? Was he really so blinded by his passion for the tiny barbarian princess that he’d let his emotions affect his common sense?

Probably.

The last few weeks with Mia had been magical. Days filled with laughter even during self-defense classes when he was busy flipping her over his shoulder and onto her pretty little ass without so much as a smidgen of mercy and during long lust-filled nights overflowing with love such as he’d never known could exist.

The sound of her soft sighs from the night before still rang in his ears while the essence of her unique scent, something fresh and sultry, innocent yet exotic invaded his nostrils, consumed his soul. Mia Hammerstrike might be tiny for a barbarian female, and she might not yet be competent at hand-to-hand combat, but there was no doubt about it, the woman knew how to fuck with a vengeance.

His cock hardened, and Talon quickened his pace. Perhaps if they packed quickly enough, there’d be time for one last hard and fast tumble upon her big soft bed before they needed to leave.

His mind screamed.

Mia and her VoT quest. She couldn’t do it. There was no way. But another part of his subconscious whispered,
what if?
What if somehow she could, and what if somehow she did? What then?

His task from the very beginning had been to keep Princess Mia Hammerstrike safe while she tried and failed. But what if she didn’t fail? He wouldn’t sabotage her, not even for Zander, not even for the promise.

He shook his head. She would fail. There was no doubt. No one had ever captured a live Bane Bear. Pretty little Princess Mia Hammerstrike certainly wasn’t equipped to be the first. So then, what would she have to do if she did fail? She’d have to marry some other appropriate barbarian, that’s what she’d be forced to do.

Alistair Daggertoss, his long ago nemesis, came to mind, and Talon cringed. He’d seen the way the duke’s son looked at Mia, winked at her even. And he’d also seen the way Mia had looked back at him. They weren’t strangers, there was history there. And where there was history, there could always be a new chapter to the story.

Talon clenched his fists and wondered how far their history had gone.

Did it really matter? It would be to his advantage if they’d once been lovers. After all, wasn’t the second part of his task to keep an eye out for a barbarian male worthy of ruling in Mia’s place if and when she did happen to fail? A barbarian male he could gently guide in her direction and she in his? A man the entire barbarian kingdom would eagerly accept and follow?

Alistair Von Daggertoss, heir of Duke Algen Daggertoss certainly had the right pedigree for the job, and there was no doubt he looked the part.

Talon’s stomach rolled.

Of all the barbarians on Albrath, why did it have to be Alistair who’d shown up? Why the VoT was it the very same person who’d put him in the position of there being a promise to keep in the first place? Why the same perfect smiling, not a blonde hair out of place, sparkling blue-eyed boy who, after Zander and he had become friends, had not only apologized for the mischief he’d caused, but also gone to the headmaster and confessed his transgression? Why the very same Alistair Von Daggertoss who’d been nothing but nice and perfect and polite for the remainder of Zander’s time at the Madra Academy?

No, please God Draka, let it be anyone but him.

Bile rose in Talon’s throat, and he forced it down. If Alistair and Mia did end up together wouldn’t they make the most perfect royal pair with the most perfect set of royal children? A delicate little daughter with Alistair’s golden locks mixed in among Mia’s rich cinnamon tresses instead of Talon’s own common brown? A big strapping son with Alistair’s blue eyes adding even more depth to Mia’s soft gray ones instead of Talon’s plain brown. Children with pure aristocratic blood the entire kingdom would be proud of. Children without the taint of ancestors they’d rather forget.

His heart broke into a million tiny shards. He loved her even though that love was doomed and even though he’d tried his best not to. But though he could never have her as his own, could he really stand by and watch Alistair Daggertoss, of all people, take Mia as wife? No, he couldn’t, he wouldn’t. But then again, how could he not?

At the same time, it wasn’t in him to simply roll over and play dead. What did the duke have up his sleeve, sending his own son to watch every step Mia made? Would Alistair interfere with her quest? Would he sabotage her efforts?

A new determination filled Talon. As God Draka was his witness, Mia would not fail in her quest no matter how impossible that goal may seem at the moment. Not with this first quest and not with the next two quests to come after it. No, she would not fail as long as he had even one more breath and one more heartbeat left in his body. At least he’d do his utmost to see her succeed. That was, at least, until he could assure himself Alistair Von Daggertoss or his father would not callously take from Mia what she desired the most in all of Albrath, her right to rule.

Oh, yes, Alistair with his perfect pedigree, his pretty blue eyes, and girly golden curls, along with every single bear on Bane’s massive tundra, could just go to VoT. For today, anyway, Mia was still his.

He threw open the door to her chambers with a flourish and stomped inside. He might not be able to declare his love with words, but with his lips, his tongue, his hands, his body, and his cock, he could certainly show her how he felt.

It was on the very tip of his tongue to shout her name and declare his intention to fuck her brains out this very moment when he noticed the three women staring up at him, as if he’d somehow grown two heads in the last few minutes and turned blue with yellow polka-dots.

Queen Lizbeth Hammerstrike, Mia’s mother, along with Lady Briarlarn Dragonheart, and Mia’s aunt, Lady Lark Sunwalker sat sipping tea upon a couch in Mia’s sitting room, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

He clamped his mouth shut and did the only thing in his power to do. He bent a knee to his queen, and humbly greeted their guests. Fucking Mia’s brains out before they left on the quest, unfortunately, was going to have to wait.

****

What on Albrath were they doing here today of all days?

Mia sat on the edge of her bed and pondered the predicament of how to gently get rid of her unexpected company without hurting their feelings. And knowing the excuse that she really had to pee wasn’t going to buy her much time to come up with a solution.

Not that she wasn’t happy to see her mother and her aunts, because she was. It was just that she hadn’t wanted to see them today of all days. Today she needed to stay focused. Today she needed to wipe every single crumb of emotion from her plate and be the strong barbarian who would one day be queen.

After all, hadn’t today already started off traumatic enough without having to add an argument with Mother to it? And that’s exactly what would happen if Lizbeth Hammerstrike had gotten even a small inkling of what this first quest entailed. And as if confronting her mother wasn’t bad enough, the queen had brought Aunts Briar and Lark along with her for reinforcements.

Three against one simply wasn’t fair.

Mia rubbed her temples where a dull ache had begun. The day started with Talon’s deception about a stupid hunting trip and had only gotten worse. Then there had been the declaration of the first quest and the sudden reappearance of Alistair Daggertoss into her life. And now Mother?

Mia shuddered. Though Lizbeth Hammerstrike loved her daughter and wanted only the best for her, of that there was no doubt, she’d also made it abundantly clear, she didn’t really believe in Mia’s chances of completing Queen Adrina’s Challenge successfully.

Though their goodbyes had been peaceful with smiles and hugs, their last full day together at the castle in Alaria had been filled with Mother crying and pleading for Mia to change her mind. Telling her over and over there was no disgrace in simply choosing a barbarian male to rule in her stead. Guilting her, even, with the idea of how it would devastate her parents if she were somehow to become hurt or worse.

She couldn’t do this, not today. She couldn’t fight with Mother and Aunts Briar and Lark and then simply go on her merry way and quest as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She didn’t have the energy for it. She didn’t have the heart.

She shook her head and rose. God Draka help her, if she couldn’t even face her own mother, how in the VoT was she going to face a Bane Bear? She didn’t wish to disagree with her family, but if a fight was what they wanted, then a fight was what they would get. This quest meant too much to back down now. And what kind of a queen would she make if she did?

Mia straightened her spine and headed toward the door. Hiding in her bedroom wasn’t going to accomplish a thing, and it sure as VoT wasn’t going to get this quest under way. She plastered a smile on her face and opened the door.

The sight that met her eyes turned the smile almost genuine. There sat great big, barbarian Talon Starkweather upon a chair two sizes too small for his substantial frame, sipping tea from a delicate rose embossed teacup with her mother and aunts, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

He glanced up at her as if pleading for help. Some of the tension of the day slipped off her shoulders, and she giggled. It felt good.

“Daughter, would you like tea?”

Her mother smiled and patted the seat beside her. “Do come and sit. Talon has been filling us in on the details of your first quest.”

Mia gulped. “It’s not as bad as you think, Mother. Really it isn’t.”

Queen Lizbeth Hammerstrike continued to smile. “Relax, Mia, dear. I didn’t come here today to try and talk you out of the course you have set. You’ve made your decision, and for better or worse, your father and I stand by you and it. Anyway, I’ve had my snit, and more than one good cry. It didn’t work, and I’m over it.”

The queen took a deep breath while Mia held hers.

“Your aunts and I have come bearing gifts.” She held up a hand. “And before you say anything, yes, we do realize you are not allowed to accept outside help from anyone. If you could, your father would be here to fight your battles. But our gifts are not direct help, I checked to make certain we weren’t breaking any rules.”

Mia allowed herself to breathe, but just barely.

Her mother held out a jeweled dagger, its hilt layered with blood red gemstones and its blade sparkling like crystals in the room’s soft candle light. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful weapon Mia had ever seen.

“I hope you like it,” her mother said as she laid the dagger in the palm of Mia’s hand. “I enchanted the gems with perseverance and imbued the blade with the power of ice.”

Mia gasped as warmth from the blade’s hilt sunk deep into the tendons and muscles of her hand while tendrils of icy cold air swept across her fingertips. Tears filled her eyes. “I—I don’t know what to say, Mother. It’s beautiful. It’s…it’s wonderful.”

Aunt Lark stood. “And I brought you something to offset the cold of the dagger.”

She sprinkled a small amount of bright red powder from a leather pouch into her hand and flicked her wrist. A ball of fire immediately formed, first burning red, then yellow, then blue as flames leapt up and encircled her wrist. “It’s from your Uncle Sarco’s private stash of dragon’s breath. I simply added my own version of spiritmaster magic to it, and there’s no substance hotter in all of Albrath. Though it does not harm the one who wields it, it will burn a fire hot enough to keep you warm no matter the temperature around you.”

Mia took the small leather pouch and tucked it into her tunic pocket. “Aunt Lark, I don’t know what to say, except for thank you. It’s perfect.”

Larksong Sunwalker, wife to the elfin leader Sarco Sunwalker and sister to Mia’s father, smiled. “You just go and complete your quests and earn the right to rule someday. That’s thanks enough.

Mia wiped a pesky tear from her eye.

Lady Briarlarn Hammerstrike stood and held out a small clear vial with a smoky looking substance swirling inside. “I know this isn’t much, and to tell you the truth, I’m not even sure it will work or, if it does, exactly what will happen or how long it will last. This is my very first attempt at making a brand new never seen before potion in a very long time, and I didn’t have time to do proper testing. But I can tell you, no matter what the potion may ultimately do, it will for certain increase your knowledge in one way or another, and it was crafted with all my love. Though you may not truly be a niece of my blood, Mia, you’ve always been Kit’s very best friend and a child of my heart.”

Mia was mesmerized as Lady Briarlarn handed her the vial. Ribbons of gray and blue smoke danced back and forth hypnotically.

“What’s in it,” she asked.

Briar beamed. “I call it the Potion of Extraordinary Knowledge. It’s one drop of a mother’s tears, two drops of woe, three drops of laughter, stirred four times in a row. Five drops of sunlight, six drops of dew, seven drops of moonbeams, in eight different hues. Nine drops of whirlwinds, ten drops of fire, and eleven drops of summer rain, all kissed with desire. I mixed them all together with magic, love, and lore, and formed a potion just for you of a knowledge that will soar
.
” She took a deep breath. “The moonbeams were especially hard to capture, but with Laura’s and Tawny’s help, we did it.”