Page 14 of Queen Takes Sunfires 2
Something dark slammed into the sundog and snatched it away. Or tried to. It refused to let me go, jerking me up so hard I heard the shirt ripping. Pain sliced through my ankle as my body dragged upward. I cried out, twisting my upper body so the shirt pulled over my head and I slipped free. My head bounced off the ground, dazing me.
Blackness filled my vision. But it had shape. Huge and wide, very much like Helayna’s gargoyle statue, with sweeping wings and gigantic talons. But it was completely black and inky in the sunlight. It threw the first sundog aside like it was a child’s toy and came after the second one dragging me by the leg.
I rolled hard, twisting my ankle free though I felt the sear in my skin. Teeth, fire, I wasn’t sure which. It hurt like hell, though.
Rather than arms, the black shape had long pointed spears. It jabbed and swept at the sundogs, and by the yelps, those tips were as sharp as they looked. Then it swept me up and ran back toward the house.
One of the other Blood still in human form threw open the door, and we raced inside, down a stairwell off the kitchen into complete darkness. Not a single window. No light.
An unbelievable luxury that I’d not known since I was a child.
“Thank you,” I whispered, blinking back tears. They didn’t know me. I wasn’t part of their family or house. I was a stranger who’d been dumped on their front doorstep. It would have been easier to let the sundogs drag me out of their nest and their responsibility.
Because now, this cabin was under siege by all the forces of Heliopolis.
“You’re welcome, Your Majesty,” he replied as he set me down on something soft. “My queen would never forgive us if we allowed harm to come to anyone under her protection.”
A glowing ball appeared, illuminating Helayna’s face. “I feel your pain, Mryk. Where are you injured?”
She stepped closer, the ball growing in intensity, though it was a soft, gentle white light. My ankle throbbed, but I didn’t think the sundog had bitten me too badly. Had it ripped into her Blood when he saved me?
“Something burns.”
He shifted slightly, turning more toward me, and I saw dark red droplets glittering like jewels against the inky blackness of his arm. She cradled his hand, leaning down to examine the wounds. Unobtrusively, I studied him. She’d called her Blood dark alfar. Of all their shapes I’d seen so far, this was definitely the most intimidating. Darkness seemed to ooze out of his skin, absorbing the soft light from her glowing ball. Even my borrowed clothes were stained from where he’d touched me, as if his skin really was coated in oil.
“It’s blood,” Helayna said, slowly lifting her head. “But it’s Karmen’s, and I’m honestly not sure how best to fix it.”
I jerked my gaze up to hers. “Mine? My blood is hurting him?”
“It feels like liquid fire, not blood,” Mryk offered. “Like it’s eating through my arm. It’s no small feat to get through my essence, either. I’ve never seen or felt anything like it.”
The other two Blood stepped closer, maybe out of interest and concern for their fellow injured Blood. Or maybe they wanted to be closer to their queen—to protect her from me. Maybe it was my imagination, but even Helayna seemed to regard me with more wariness now. It was hard to read dark alfar facial expressions, but I felt the weight of their attention. Their distrust.
“I didn’t know such a thing was possible,” I finally said. “I’m sorry, Mryk. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Nonsense.” Helayna’s tone was brisk and light, but her eyes were still tight, betraying her concern. “You’re injured. We need to get you healed too. But I’m not sure how best to remove the blood without smearing it and causing more damage. My power is mostly with water and trees. I’m not much of a healer. Have you been injured before?”
“Too many times to count,” I said, wincing slightly. “Though my blood was never a cause for concern in Heliopolis. Ra’s sun burned everything away. Maybe that’s why it’s burning you, Mryk. I did pull in some of his energy from the soldiers before. That solar energy is probably burning in my blood.”
“See if you can call it back to yourself,” Helayna suggested. “You’ll need all your blood and magic to protect yourself against those creatures outside.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I didn’t want to appear even more ignorant. I’d never found magic in bleeding. Bleeding meant pain. Punishment. Never power, unless it was Ra’s to gloat over me.
I stared at the glowing drops on Mryk’s arm, trying to relax and focus. So pretty, like rubies against black velvet. They glowed from within as if a fire burned in the center. The longer I stared at them, the more I saw the flickering flames. Dancing, glowing brighter. Hotter.
Mryk inhaled sharply, reminding me that he was in pain.
:Call your blood to you, Your Majesty.:
I leaped to my feet, staggering on my sore ankle. Dörr whisked Helayna behind him with a casual sweep of his arm, while the other Blood stepped forward, a fierce scowl on his face.
“Did you hear him?” I asked, shaking.
“No.” Helayna peeked around the big man. “Who?”
“I think it was one of the soldiers from outside. I just heard him.”
She stepped out more fully, though she stayed under Dörr’s arm against his side. “I hear my Blood inside my head, and they hear me. It’s because of the blood bond we share.”
