Mate for Life

"It'll make them good and nervous when they deal with Cain," Mendel grinned at the thought. "He trusts no one, might even kill them out of hand, if he had further plans for Graphon."

"We should be so lucky," muttered Daegon.

"Leaves you in a sticky situation, though," Mendel said apologetically to Mordan. "You'll have to play along with it."

"I'll be fine," Mordan grimaced in what Emily kindly deemed a smile. "It's not like Cain thinks I'm wildly loyal."

Once everyone was ready, the party set off, Emmy bound and gagged and set on a horse with Mordan. He had played his part beautifully, snapping at the others that this was his assignment, and no one would be handling the cleric but him. Without the wizard to teleport them, it took almost two days to reach their destination. Emmy's eyes were wide as she looked at the tall menacing structure that fairly radiated magic. It was almost a parody of a dark wizard's keep.

Ambitious, but not terribly imaginative, she thought as Mordan lifted her from the horse. She shivered as they passed through the magical barriers. But powerful.

Suddenly, she wished she hadn't volunteered to take Glenna's place.

She heard the dogs before they entered the building, and she worked hard to scale back her instinct to calm them. Her lessons with Daegon had helped her immensely; she now consciously recognized the changes in her own pheromones that attracted animals, and could now -- mostly -- control it. It was more difficult than she had imagined it would be, but now, fighting for her life and Mordan's family, she breathed slow and easy, willing herself to manage it without it being obvious. The dogs didn't stop barking, so she supposed it was working.

Mordan took her elbow and lead her through the entrance, and she peered around at the eerily lit rooms. Most of the light came from fireplaces, which seemed to be in every room. It was very warm, and she felt a trickle of sweat between her shoulder blades. She was thankful Mordan had insisted her hands be tied in front of her and not wrenched behind. He had removed the gag as well. The sounds of the dogs grew louder, and they entered a large reception room. Huge fireplaces flanked each end, big enough to roast an ox in, blazing with almost bonfire brilliance. There were tapestries on the walls, scenes of magic and power, the most deadly creatures in the Realms depicted in bright colorful threads. The only chair was set precisely between the fireplaces. Not quite a throne, it was lavishly cushioned in crushed purple velvet, high-backed and quite comfortable looking. The dogs were arrayed in front of this, five large and menacing bundles of teeth and fur, part wolf, every one of them. The collective noise made Emmy wince, every fiber of her being wanting to reach out to them. Abruptly, they stopped, falling so silent it was deafening.

Emmy felt herself grow cold.

Cain didn't look scary. He was tall, taller than Daegon even, and slender as a blade. His hair was an ordinary medium brown, cropped short, possibly because it had a tendency to curl as hers did. He was handsome, if thin, hawk's nose only making his profile more distinguished, bright piercing gray eyes intelligent and even humorous. He had a pleasant smile, white even teeth, and a dimple on one cheek. But the dogs fell silent, not out of worshipful adoration, but fear and recognition of one stronger and more ruthless than they. Emily felt that as surely as she knew that the sun rose in the east, the moon hid the secrets of the universe, and that he would see right through their foolish ruse. She suddenly wished for her long hair back, the curtain to hide behind, because he saw too much.

Oh, Selune, please let us live.

"Who in the Realms are you?" Cain asked, one brow raised. His tone was perfectly reasonable, as if commenting on the weather.

"Good to see you Cain, been a while," Emmy channeled her cousin's most sarcastic tone effortlessly. "I'm flattered you thought it would take five warriors and a mage to take me."

"Glenna had a cousin, same age...." Cain mused aloud, ignoring her. He looked around and frowned. "Who killed Graphon?"

Mordan shrugged and tossed a thumb over his shoulder at the other kidnappers. "Graphon got greedy, they got pissed."

Cain's eyes narrowed. "And you didn't stop them why...?"

"Not my problem. I want to see Meg and Isabel." Mordan demanded.

"In time." Cain sat on his grand chair, looking Emmy over clinically. "Mordan, this attempt to trick me is rather pathetic."

Emily gathered her courage and looked Cain in the eye. "How did you know Graphon is dead?" she demanded.

Cain shrugged. "He's not here."

"He could have run," Emmy challenged.

Cain laughed. "Not likely." His eyes narrowed. "You have quite the same spirit of Glenna. Cousin, then. Accounts for the looks." His gaze flicked to Mordan. "Graphon grabbed the wrong girl." It wasn't a question. "And you knew." His tone was quiet, but edged in steel.

Mordan started to reply -- what, Emmy had no idea -- but she cut him off before he could speak. "I know where the stone is."

"Emmy..." Mordan began, but she glared at him to shut up. The other thugs were looking warily at Cain, and daggers at Mordan. Cain looked over the group coolly.

"You four," he said, waving a hand. "Go guard something."

"My Lord," the biggest of the brigands spoke, "Graphon..." He trailed off at the stony glance of the wizard.

"I don't care," Cain said softly. "Get out of my sight."

The man gulped and nodded, bustling the other three out the door.

"Now," the cold gray eyes settled on Emily. "Where is the stone?"

Daegon slunk through the trees, stopping just before the clearing where Cain's tower loomed like a prophet of doom. He had refused to stay with the rest of the party, trusting Bran and Mendel to carry out that part of the plan. Taris had wanted to come with him, but Daegon had pointed out that a wolf had a much better chance of not being spotted. Taris reluctantly agreed.

"I won't leave Emily," Daegon insisted, and no one had bothered to try to talk him out of it. Glenna had hugged him hard.

"Mordan won't let her be hurt," she said softly, eyes wide and anxious. "I'm sure of that. But I feel better having you close by. Just in case."

"The less distance I have to teleport us, the better," Mendel commented, not looking up from his study of the scroll.

"The less distance I need to teleport us," Balthar corrected, not unkindly. "You're talented, Mendel, one of the best I ever trained. But it will be far too draining for you to transport all of us, even with a scroll. I considered copying the spell to two more scrolls," he added thoughtfully.

"Guild Master, that would be disastrous," Mendel protested, and Balthar gave him a sharp look.

"Of course it would," he said simply. "We have no real idea where it leads, and modifying it could be suicide."

"Why?" Bran demanded. "Couldn't we get more people in that way?"

"This scroll is meant to transport no more than seven," Mendel explained. "To a specific spot, probably within whatever structure Cain lives in. If it's a small room, any more than the number intended might end up materialized in a wall, or the same space occupied by another object."

"Or person," Balthar added grimly. "I'm sorry Mendel, but I can do this much more easily than you."

"Understood, Sir," Mendel nodded reluctantly. "So we transport my party, and yourself. That's seven. Daegon will be following them ahead of us, and Taris can get us close, by tracking them no more than a half day behind."

"And then we kill them all," Dehn grinned savagely.

Balthar regarded him coolly. "That's the plan."

"Fine by me," Daegon said, and set off after his mate.

He waited now, blending with the shadows, every instinct wanting to race in and find Emily. Only Mendel and Balthar's warning that Cain had certainly set wards to at least warn of an intruder, if not kill one outright, made him stay put. Mordan had kept his word, getting Emmy in unharmed; Daegon had risked drawing closer and watched the brigands enter the tower with her. He had not dared change back to human in the two days it had taken to arrive, and had been careful not to allow the horses to catch his scent. Waiting was the worst. He wished now that he was teleporting in to the coming battle.

He smelled Taris before he heard him, and chuffed softly to acknowledge the ranger's presence.

"Impressive," Taris murmured, spotting the tower. "We're ready."

Daegon growled low. Taris looked at him and patted his shoulder. "Balthar said he can manage to transport another. Come on back."

Daegon whined eagerly, and followed Taris.

He was changed and clothed before he noticed they were lacking two party members. "Where's Fizzy and Taris?" Daegon demanded sharply. The ranger must have slipped away when he was dressing.

"They volunteered to go in the front door," Dehn growled. He didn't look happy with this idea.

"What? But..." Daegon looked around at the sober faces of his companions. "We don't even know if they can get in," he protested. "I thought you could manage eight," Daeg looked at Balthar accusingly.

"I could, but it might disrupt the spell," Balthar said stiffly.

"Fizzy wouldn't let you be left outside, possibly unable to reach Emily," Glenna said quietly. "Dehn wanted to stay with her, but Taris said he was a better choice, being stealthier than a fighter."

"If Fitz can't get through, no one can," Bran added with a confident nod.

Daeg nodded soberly. "Let's do this."

"I don't have it on me," Emily said, looking Cain in the eye.

"Obviously," Cain agreed mildly, but his gaze was cold. "Graphon grabbed the wrong girl. Mordan," he chided, turning to the fighter. "Such a clumsy attempt to bluff." He looked between Emily and Mordan, one finger tapping his chin. "You told her what I'm looking for."

"She's no use to me empty handed," Mordan growled. "I want my family back, Cain. Use her as a hostage, but let them go."

"That wasn't the bargain, and you can't be trusted," Cain said, his voice silky. "Kill him," he said, with a sharp gesture to his dogs.

With a snarling leap, the dogs attacked.

They materialized in a smallish room, almost perfectly round with stone walls. It was utterly empty and unadorned, and the oak door was closed. Balthar and Mendel put up their hands in warning, and appeared to be listening.

"Wards," Balthar uttered a filthy word and gestured violently at the door, indicating the rest of the party to hurry. "We set off an alert just by arriving. Stupid," he snarled to himself. "I should have seen that coming. Go!"

Fortunately, the door was not booby-trapped, and Bran wrenched it open easily. He and Dehn went out first, weapons at the ready. Daegon burst through between them, having paused only long enough to shimmer into his wolf form, shreds of his clothing flying off his fur as he bolted down the corridor, howling.

"Follow the wolf," Bran ordered, swiftly taking a head count and covering the rear. "Protect the mages!"

Daegon sped full bore through the tower, the scent of fear strong in his nostrils. He could detect five dogs nearby, and Emily. Her scent was like a clear bell through fog, muffled but unmistakably ringing true. And she was frightened. Or someone was.

He found the stairs, almost flying down the curving passage, paws hardly touching the risers. He almost skidded across what seemed to be a foyer, the stone floor slick under his feet, and was halfway across when he heard the baying of the pack Emmy had attracted just outside the door. Whipping around, he bounded to the enormous oak door. Daegon managed to wrench the door open with his teeth, and lead the pack to Emily as they streamed in.

Mordan was sprawled on the floor, clutching his right arm, which was bleeding between his fingers. Emily was in front of him, fiercely staring down a huge half-wolf, who was whining, head down and tail drooping, surrounded by his pack. The pack seemed confused, poised to attack but unsure what to do. With a snarl, Daegon leaped between his mate and the dog, hackles bristling. The dog's head raised, teeth bared to the intruder, but Daeg stood his ground, forcing the smaller animal slowly back as he advanced menacingly.

"Daeg, no!" Emmy's voice cut through his instinct. Daegon got nose to nose with the pack master, growling low, the scent of a true alpha pouring over the dog, causing him to roll and bare his belly before Daeg would retreat to Emmy's side. The dog whined and rolled again, nose to paws, watching Daegon. Emmy's wolves swarmed the pack, sniffing and growling, Daegon presiding over the blending of the two packs. In less than two minutes, seven wolves and five half-breeds were circled protectively around Emmy and Daegon.

Without warning, Emily crumpled at his feet.

Seeing Emmy down, the dogs howled, springing to attack. Spotting a tall man in mage's robes, Daegon hurled himself across the room, twelve furious bodies flowing behind, but just as his muzzle closed around the man's neck, there was a thunderclap of noise and he simply wasn't there. Daeg hit the stone flagons at speed, rolled, and shook himself off, the pack snarling with frustration. Daeg changed to half-wolf, howling the pain as he whirled to find the mage, and stopped cold.

Cain -- it must be him, Daeg thought, heart in his throat - had Emmy by the hair and a dagger at her neck. Damned dangerous to teleport in the middle of a fight, but he'd done it, and with pinpoint accuracy. Daegon knew enough about magic to know that this man was very, very dangerous.

Emmy was coming around, her green eyes blinking and fuzzy, and he saw the moment she understood the danger. She froze, barely breathing, as Cain dug the blade a little closer. He was speaking, arcane syllables flowing from his mouth like molten metal, and Em locked eyes, not with Daegon, but the alpha of her wolves. He smelled the copper ozone before she spoke, and howled, having no words but fear.

"Kill him."

Twelve canines rose as one, and in two bounds, blasted the mage off his feet. Blood sprayed in great arcs, and Emmy was thrown bodily away from the fray, a bright red ribbon trailing from her neck before slamming into the marble fireplace mantle. She lay like a broken doll, arms and legs splayed grotesquely, robes crumpled and stained with red. Daegon scooped her into his arms, having no clue he'd even moved.

"GLENNA!" he roared, his large paw like hand clapped to his mate's throat, frantically trying to stem the flow from her neck. Then she was there, white-faced with tears pouring down her cheeks, but chanting feverently, her hands glowing as she gently pushed aside Daegon's paws and traced the wound with her fingers. Glenn tenderly cradled her cousin's head, magic flowing so strongly Daegon could smell it, acrid and crackling in the air. That's when he realized Emily wasn't breathing.

His own magic rose, flowing through him until he was human, the pain a dim stab in the background, his heart squeezed tight with panic, and shifting his hands, he desperately bent to breathe into her mouth, frantic to give her life, ignoring the babble of voices above him until someone dragged him bodily away, pinning his arms behind him as Glenna worked and Daeg struggled to get free. Two more pairs of hands trapped him, all but bore him to the floor, and still Daeg howled and tried to get to Emily.

"She'll be okay, brother," Bran's voice had been speaking for some time before the words registered. "Look, Glenn's got her, she'll be okay."

Daegon stopped struggling, breathing heavily as he finally saw Emmy's chest rising and falling in sweet regular rhythm, and realized with no embarrassment at all he'd been sobbing aloud.

"Let me go."

The words were quiet, and Bran saw that sanity had returned to the ranger. He, Dehn and -- surprisingly -- Mendel released him and he was holding Emily an instant later, hugging Glenna with one arm and kissing her cheek.

"Thank you," he said simply, and held Emily as he cried his relief.

She stirred a few minutes later, blinking up at him. "You're alive," she whispered, and winced as he shook her gently.

"Idiot woman, he almost killed you. Your wolves almost killed you getting to him," Daegon growled, kissing her and scolding all at once. "Don't do that again!"

"He had to die," she said simply, struggling to sit. Daeg refrained from snarling at her again and helped her rise. She looked around. "What happened, anyway?"

Daegon gazed around, blinking. "I don't have a single clue," he admitted. Somehow that seemed funny, and he chuckled, the rest of the party joining in rather shakily.

"I do." Mordan nodded his thanks to Glenna, who had transferred the last of her healing spell to his arm, and looked at Emily seriously. "Cain sicced his dogs on me," he explained, getting to his feet and looking directly at Emmy. "You....I don't know what you did, but it was like when you charmed the wolves before, in the forest. But they were angry and wanting a kill, and it looked like you might not get through. The big one bit me, tore the hell out of my arm, but he...just let go, when you touched him." He looked almost awed. "I swear, you were talking to him, and then Daegon came in, and those wolves, and just like that, they were all one pack, and..." he paused, furrowing his brow. "I was trying to get to my feet, and stop the bleeding, and get my sword, when Cain....he pointed at you, and you just....fell."

"Power stun," Mendel said gruffly. "Basic, but effective. Doesn't affect non-humans." Balthar nodded grimly.

"He saw Emily was controlling the wolves," Daeg snarled. "Didn't realize that it didn't matter if she was unconscious. Once she has them, they're hers...until she releases them."

"I guess," Mordan didn't sound doubtful so much as overwhelmed. "Then Daegon saw Cain, attacked, and Cain just...disappeared, popped up next to Emily, held a dagger to her throat, and started chanting. And Emily..." his blue eyes were wide and shining with admiration. "I've never seen a braver act than that, Lady," he said quietly. "She told the dogs to attack."

"Stupid, stupid, woman!" Daegon growled, but without heat. Emily hugged him.

"They wouldn't have hurt me," she said softly. "Cain needed to die, and he was going to take me, I know it. We had that one shot to get him."

"Just don't ever do that again," Daeg repeated, both hands cupping her head and kissing her swift and hard.

Emmy just smiled and wrapped her arms around her mate.

"Hey, Mordan, we've found something....ewwwwwwwww!" Fizzy stopped in her tracks. There was a slight dark-haired woman carrying a bundle standing between her and Taris. "What's that?" Fitz demanded, pointing to the swarm of dogs feasting on bloody chunks.

"What's left of Cain," Glenna said, looking a bit green. "Emmy killed him."

"Glad she's on our side," Fitz said faintly.

"Meg!" Mordan sprinted to the woman, scooping her into his arms and kissing every inch of her face. "Is Isabel all right?" He took the bundle from her, unwrapping the blankets and counting fingers and toes. "All here, and Daddy's here, such a good girl," he babbled, kissing his daughter and pulling his wife close. She clung to him, crying in relief and happiness, and the rest of the party looked on, smiling. Glenna sniffed audibly, and Emily simply burst into tears, the wolves anxiously gathering around her, whining at her distress.

"Um, Daeg...did you know you're naked?" Fitz chuckled.

Daegon looked down and shrugged. "Thought I'd start a new fashion."

"Just keep a couple of those dogs around you until we find you some clothes," Dehn said jovially. "I don't need the show."