The Royal Hunter Read online

  She turned off the ignition and turned to face both of them. “I appreciate all you’ve told me, but there is one thing you still haven’t covered.”

  Archer could see she was striving to sound cool and in control and most people probably would think she was. He knew her well enough to realize she was hanging on by a thread. He reached over to take her hand and found it cold and lifeless to the touch.

  “You are worried about what you will be expected to do for the queen,” Baleweg said calmly.

  Talia nodded. “I realize I can’t stay here, that I have to go and at least try. But what will happen to me if I can’t … do anything?”

  Archer wasn’t sure how to answer her. If Catriona and the baby died and Chamberlain—and, via him, the Dark One, Emrys—took over … He stopped there. He’d been so arrogant, certain they would find a way, he’d never honestly asked himself what would happen if they failed. He looked to Baleweg. “Surely if her skills proved inadequate Chamberlain would see that and have no use for her. Emrys would surely move on to other amusements if Chamberlain took over the throne.”

  Talia slowly slid her hand from his. It was as if a piece of that unswerving trust she’d had in him had dimmed slightly. Dammit, he never failed. And he wouldn’t fail in this. Not if it meant failing her.

  Baleweg looked to Talia, then Archer. “Don’t give up on her so quickly, young Archer. Fate will open paths we cannot see as yet.”

  “Meaning what?” Archer all but shouted. He was only slightly mollified when he felt Talia slide her hand back in his. He held on tightly, suddenly uncertain about his role in all this. “I’m not about to go thrusting her off into Dalwyn’s court for them to do with as they please. I want some reassurances she’ll be released safely if she can’t help.”

  “Fate offers no such reassurances.” He lifted a finger when Archer began to argue further. “I can assure you that not going back will certainly put her in more danger.” He opened his door and climbed out. Ringer, a black cat now, hopped out beside him. “Come now, it is time.”

  “Wait just a damn minute!”

  “Waiting time is over. I sense that things are deteriorating rapidly at home and we must go if you hope to have any edge over Chamberlain.”

  Archer swore under his breath and turned to Talia. “Come on.” She looked a little hollow, so he instinctively shot her a grin and a wink. “Now I get to show you my town.”

  Talia swallowed hard, but a smile made a tentative appearance. “Can’t wait.”

  He got out, but his smile faded as he came face-to-face with Baleweg. “If I say she comes back, she comes back. No questions. I want your promise that you’ll bring her back here if either one of us gives the word.”

  Baleweg held his steady gaze with infuriating calm. “It will all go as it must, young Archer.” He lifted a hand to stall Archer’s outburst. “Now you must trust me.”

  Archer grated his teeth as he pushed past him and went to open Talia’s door.

  She was already standing beside the truck, crushing her ugly bonnet in her hands. She looked vulnerable and frail, although he knew her to be anything but. As her paid protector, he had to project confidence, to make this seem a harmless little adventure. But when he looked into her huge gray eyes, he realized it was a daunting task.

  Then she smiled, as if reading his tension, and perhaps she had. It should bother him, that she understood him so easily. And it did, but in a not-so-unpleasant way. He’d never had anyone look at him as she did. Not ever. They were both misfits. Maybe that was all it was, one outcast bonding to another.

  But he didn’t think so.

  Baleweg rounded the vehicle and came to stand beside them. He looked to Talia. “I will create a door. You must hold Archer’s hand and step through at the same time.”

  Talia nodded, then looked to Archer. He squeezed her hand and held on tightly. With his free hand he slapped his thigh. “Come on, Ringer.” The cat leaped into his arms. He looked at Baleweg. “Let’s do it.”

  Baleweg nodded, then turned his back to them. Rather than watch the old man do his thing, Archer kept his eyes on Talia. If he hadn’t been so worried about her, he’d have smiled when her eyes bugged at the sight of the triangle.

  Her grip tightened painfully, but he didn’t mind. When Baleweg motioned to them, she looked up at him and he dropped an impulsive hard kiss on her lips. “Hold tight to me, Tali.”

  “I will.”

  And just like that, they stepped into the future. Together.

  Talia blinked, then swung around to look at the rapidly closing spot of wavering air. She fought the urge to yank free and dive back through it. But Archer squeezed her hand, diverting her attention. Then it was too late. The door, or window or whatever the hell it was, was gone.

  She was still standing on top of a building, but this one wasn’t a parking garage. It was heavily vegetated with tropical growth, lush and beautiful. The sky above was a blinding blue and the air amazingly fresh for what appeared to be a sprawling city. But she had no time to process the endless vista of shimmery buildings with cloud-high spires, the spaces between and around them dotted with air traffic that looked a little like airplanes and a lot like flying minivans with no wheels.

  “Thank God,” Archer said, drawing her attention to him. He let go of her hand and knelt to gather up an astonishing array of Star Wars–like weaponry. It all disappeared into unseen places and pockets sewn into his clothes. It should have frightened her, how much more relaxed he seemed now that he was loaded down with enough armament to defend a small country. He wore it well, almost casually. He is a mercenary, Talia. She hadn’t forgotten, really. She’d just never had such a … visual reminder of what and who he really was. It should have put her off, or at least made her feel somewhat more alone, being faced with the fact that the one person she thought she knew well in this time was also still a stranger to her.

  But if she had to know only one person in this strange new world, better the guy with all the ammo and a working knowledge of how to use it, right?

  “Pretty good aim, mate,” Archer said to Baleweg. “We didn’t even have to catch a transport this time.”

  Baleweg stepped in then, looking a bit weary, his eyes not so vivid, his skin a bit pale. “Home is always easiest to find,” he said, fatigue clear in his resonant voice. “I trust your vehicle is still secured down below. You will see Talia safely to the queen.”

  “You really won’t be going with us?” Talia asked.

  Baleweg shook his head. “My place is not in court, Talia. Too many vultures. There is little or nothing I can do for the queen in any case. And you and I have done all we can together.”

  “But what if we need you? Your … other skills?”

  “I will know it, never fear that. But the less attention drawn to your already remarkable return, the better. Archer will be in the best position to protect you.”

  “But—”

  He shushed her gently. “Talia, were I to attend you with the queen, it is likely Emrys will find the combination irresistible. It will only make what you have to do harder, and he would rather enjoy that, as well.”

  “Then you mean he’ll be at court? Directly? But what if—?”

  Baleweg silenced her with a brief touch. “I will be here,” he said, brushing her head. “And here,” he added, motioning to her heart. “And you will be with me always. Trust in Archer. More importantly, trust in yourself.”

  Before she could respond, he turned to Archer. “There is one offer I would like to make, however. Allow me to watch over your other companion while you escort Talia and watch over her.”

  Ringer, who was now a small brown rabbit, seemed to understand the offer and quickly changed into a cat again and wove his way around Baleweg’s ankles.

  Talia didn’t miss the surprise and hurt on Archer’s face, even though he quickly masked it.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said. “Last place I need him getting into trouble is at court.”

 
Talia took Archer’s hand and rubbed his arm. He looked so surprised at the gesture that she almost dropped her hands away, but he quickly covered her hand with his.

  “He’ll be okay here,” Talia told him, knowing it was true because Ringer had decided to transmit his comfort to her. “But it doesn’t mean he’s leaving you.”

  Archer rolled his eyes as if that were not remotely what he’d been worried about, but Talia swallowed a smile, because she knew that was exactly what he’d feared. He was used to thinking himself fully independent. It would take some time to get used to the fact that maybe he’d changed a little during his stay with her.

  As if making a huge concession, Ringer deigned to waltz over and rub against Archer’s legs. He leaned down and scooped the cat up. “Listen, mate, don’t give him a hard time. He could send you off to God knows where and I’m not about to chase you across the centuries.” Ringer purred and butted his head against Archer’s chin, earning a scratch between the ears and a grin.

  Talia felt a momentary pang at the connection, the bond they shared. She’d never been able to do that, to reach out at such a personal level, to give her whole heart like that. She gave little pieces of it to all the animals she’d helped, to the people in her life, too. But never all of it to one. She envied Archer that he could, even though he’d probably deny it.

  Ringer leaped down and wandered off to explore the rooftop. Archer stared after him for a moment, then turned back to Baleweg. “Thank you for what you’ve done. For Ringer. For Talia. For me.”

  The old man shook his head. “I’ve done what I could. You will know where to find me when the time comes.” He looked to them both. “If that is what you wish.”

  Baleweg took Talia’s hand and she felt that odd energy again, only far, far stronger than before. Perhaps he’d also regained some of his “armament” now that he was back in his own time.

  “You will feel things far more acutely now that you are home,” he said, as if reading her mind. And perhaps he could. Indeed, now that she’d seen, with the triangle door, just how far-reaching his level of skill truly was, she wouldn’t doubt it. “You have the skills to channel it effectively,” he went on. “Respond only to what you must. Follow your heart. And welcome home.”

  Home. She didn’t feel as if she were home. She didn’t know what she felt. But she wanted to reassure Baleweg. He’d done so much for her, given her the knowledge of her mother that she’d longed for ever since she could remember. “I’ll do my best.” On impulse, she leaned in and hugged him. “Thank you for helping me, teaching me. And for being a friend to my mother. And me.”

  He gave her an awkward pat on the back before quickly breaking apart. Talia wasn’t insulted, more curious. The hug seemed to have startled the old man. He looked at her differently, although she couldn’t explain how. It was as if he knew something now that he’d not known before.

  She found herself automatically reaching out in her mind for some connection to his feelings, only to pull back immediately, shocked by how naturally she’d attempted it. Never once in all the time with him had she even considered trying, and if she had, it would have certainly been a very deliberate thing. Not that it mattered. Baleweg’s mind was completely his to control and she’d never get in no matter how skilled she was.

  Archer extended a hand to Baleweg. “Thanks, mate. We’ll be back.”

  Baleweg took Archer’s hand, held it in both of his, then let go, looking more relaxed. “I will see you when the time is right.”

  Archer looked at his hand, then shook it a bit before nodding. “Right.”

  Talia hid a smile, glad to know she wasn’t the only one who felt that tingly sensation when touched by Baleweg.

  “We’re off,” Archer said, then stopped. “Wait a minute. What day is this?”

  “As many days have passed here as have passed while we were gone. I cannot move back in the life you have lived.”

  Talia swallowed hard, suddenly wishing she could stay in Baleweg’s rooftop paradise a bit longer. Say good-bye to Ringer or have a muffin and some tea or something. “Yeah. Okay.” She lifted her hand in a little wave. “Bye.”

  Baleweg nodded, an almost secret smile on his face. Then Archer was pulling her with him. She gave one last fleeting glance, then followed Archer to the small door that led inside, pausing a moment when she passed an opening in the foliage. She could see the entire city that lay below. The city she’d been conceived in, that her mother had been born in. She trembled as she saw buildings made out of materials that shimmered with an almost ethereal glow in the sunlight. They were built in shapes and sizes that seemed to defy science and the laws of structure and balance. Nevertheless, there was an ancient feel to the city. Interspersed with the shimmery and futuristic were stone buildings that likely had been ancient during her real lifetime. It was oddly reassuring, to realize that some things lasted seemingly forever. She relaxed a bit, feeling as if she still had one foot in the past, while stepping into the future. She felt a stirring of excitement at the thought of exploring this new, strange land.

  That was the ticket, she thought suddenly. She’d pretend she was on a trip abroad. A visit to her homeland. She was merely in a different country, seeing where her mother had been born, searching for her roots. So what if it happened to also be, oh, a hundred and fifty, two hundred years in the future?

  She trembled. Yeah. Right. She looked down to the street a number of stories below. The people bustled along just as they did at home. Their clothing didn’t look all that different to her; the people looked normal, too. No Klingons or Ewoks meandering about. Boy, that was huge relief. This was still Earth, her home, where she was on holiday in Wales. She could handle this.

  She took a deep breath and wondered again at how fresh the air was despite the heavy traffic and the density of buildings and people. Maybe that was why she felt so dizzy. The air was too good. Either that or it was jet lag. Could you get jet lag traveling through time? And just how many time zones had she passed through anyway?

  Archer tugged on her hand just then and she followed him, feeling more than a little dazed. One thing was certain. “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” she murmured.

  “Oh, good,” Archer said, “it’s been fixed.”

  Before she could ask, they were inside what she thought was an elevator, but it shot them to the ground in a tube similar to the ones that zipped from the drive-in window to the bank teller and back. Only people-sized. She popped out on a loud city street, head still spinning.

  “Hey, it’s still here and in one piece.”

  “Great,” she said, having no idea what he was talking about. She was goggling at just how tall the buildings looked from here on the ground.

  “Hop in. No entry hatches on this model, sorry.”

  She looked back to him. He was standing by his car, or whatever you called it. Sleek and some sort of translucent green color, it was a sporty little … thing. And it just sat there. About two feet off the ground. She looked under it. Nothing but air.

  She stood upright and told herself that after everything else she’d already dealt with, why not? She held on to the side of the … whatever, and it dipped and rocked, sort of like a boat. Or a waterbed.

  Archer scooped her up and dropped her gently into the passenger seat. “It takes some getting used to. But you’ll like it a hell of a lot better than those bone-rattling contraptions you pilot.”

  And then he was inside and the thing hummed to life, and before she could catch her breath, they were moving.

  Really, really fast.

  Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

  She clung to the sides as the wind whipped her hair straight out behind her head. Her stomach hovered somewhere in the vicinity of her throat.

  The city streets passed in a blur. And then they shot out the other side, away from the crowded streets and buildings into a startlingly green countryside.

  And before her sprawled the most magnificent castle she’d ever seen. “Welco
me to Emerald City, Dorothy,” she murmured beneath her breath. It wasn’t Oz, but it was every bit the magical fairy tale that any little girl could have ever dreamed of.

  Only she was fairly certain she wasn’t dreaming.

  And she wasn’t a little girl anymore, although she had an increasingly strengthening desire to curl up into a little ball and cry for her mummy.

  A mummy who had once lived in yonder glistening castle, she realized faintly.

  And had fled it in fear for her life.

  Just what in the hell had she gotten herself into?

  Chapter 16

  Archer said a prayer of thanks beneath his breath. He’d tempted every Transport Agent in the monarchy with his warp-speed drive here, but he had no idea who might know of Talia’s presence and felt it was best to get her under castle guard as quickly as possible.

  As he sped toward the large gate in the outer wall that surrounded the castle he only hoped he wasn’t delivering her to a worse fate. He chanced a quick glance in her direction, wishing the trip had allowed them to talk, but all his concentration had been on maneuvering them out of the city undetected. She looked pale and more than a little anxious. His fingers twitched on the controls as he debated swinging them around and heading straight back to Baleweg. But then the castle gate was opening and he knew there would be no turning back now.

  He was guided by the royal guard toward what looked like a solid wall. An invisible seam opened in the middle as he closed in, sliding soundlessly shut behind them after his transport had passed through. They were in a dimly lit tunnel that extended into darkness ahead. He’d come this route before, but last time there hadn’t been a solid wall of guards lining the edges of the platform. He was relieved to see Catriona was well prepared for his return with her precious cargo, but as a guard stepped quickly forward, he nonetheless kept the security field up around his vehicle.

  “I wish a direct audience with the queen,” he said. Not that he doubted they knew exactly why he was here, and with whom.

  The guard nodded. “We will escort Ms. Trahaern inside.”