The Mountain Ch. 10

The humans entered the church in packs. They were not Sylphen. They did not answer to an Alpha. But they knew the concept of safety in numbers. There were theories among his own people about the connection between the humans and the Sylphen. The appearance of the human alphas made it inevitable. Some swore that they came into being spontaneously, an answer to the power of the Alphas spun out of thin air and light. Others said that the portal must have opened before, that some of their own kind must have come through in ancient history and left their genetic mark hidden among the human population. Very few considered the option that the humans had, independently, developed a version of the Sylphen dynamic. It was important to the Sylphen to see themselves as superior.

Warder had never paid the theories much heed. It was one of a few regrets he had allowed himself lately, now that he had taken a human to mate. It did not truly matter to him where Lucy had come from, but it bothered him that he did not fully understand her. After last night, he was reassured that he could help her to be content. Given the opportunity, she had chosen him. It would not be easy, but she would come to understand her role. In time, she might learn that she truly had much more power than she imagined. He would tear down the world to make her keep choosing him. More challenging, he would seek peace with the humans to make her safe.

The humans smelled of fear. It was disquieting for the others in the delegation. It had been a strategic error for Hadren to keep their people so completely separate from the humans. They were unused to their habits and emotions. Now, when it mattered, they struggled to maintain the calm he had ordered. The Sylphen delegation could not afford an outburst.

A soft cough sounded to his left. When it persisted, Warder looked to one side without bothering to turn his head. The mayor was standing there, staring at him so hard that his eyes seemed likely to pop out of his head. The coughing became a pained clearing of the throat. Suppressing a sigh, Warder turned his head.

"Sir," the mayor said, poorly disguised relief in his voice. "May I speak with you?"

Warder inclined his head.

"Uh--well. I wanted to ask. That is, I feel things took a turn yesterday. I am concerned that our negotiations will not progress if your people continue to advance wild fictions."

Warder waited to make any kind of reply until the man broke into a visible sweat. "Fictions?"

"Ah, yes. Well, the stories of the outside. I imagine it is a tactic to keep us here. To make us agree. But it is unpalatable. The very idea that the whole world could be different outside. Filled with creatures--ah, people, like you. It does not encourage the trust that is necessary for our negotiations."

"My people do not lie," said Warder. "I suggest you do what is necessary to encourage your own people to revise their opinion of what is possible."

Things would be easier if he could challenge the man to a swordfight in answer to the charge that he would allow his delegation to dissemble. It was so frustrating to be tied to the gentle customs of humans, respecting their barbed words and slower minds. Was it truly so impossible to imagine that the humans outside had been bested when the island itself had been conquered so easily? Warder noted that Rader was glaring at the mayor with murderous intent. He let loose a low growl to remind him to be calm. The mayor, hearing it, gave a small sort of yelp and retreated to his seat.

"This is not working," said Rader. "We should impose order and soothe any hurt feelings later."

"Our plan is strengthened by their cooperation," said Warder. "Do not condemn them because you cannot practice patience."

"Sir, I would also like to register my concern," said Pryor. Warder had invited him to join the delegation because he was not afraid to speak his opinion and Warder valued his counsel. But at this moment, it was not welcome.

"We have some time yet," said Warder. "If the situation with Ysabel changes, we will shift tactics accordingly. Until then, if anyone steps out of line, they will find themself subject to an Alpha's justice."

A chorus of, "yes, sir" and "yes, Alpha," answered the threat. The latter term was used as a form of address only to the reigning Alpha. Warder wished that it felt strange, but the recognition he had rejected for so long felt almost as welcome as his mate. Of course, it had never been the leadership he had rejected. It had been the ways in which his father wished to twist him into a caricature of his own image.

The clock above the church struck the hour. Most of the islanders were prompt. If nothing else, Cenia's revelation yesterday had piqued their interest. Now, the task was to encourage them to believe it.

Warder watched the doorway, waiting for Lucy to enter. He scanned the crowd already inside, but it would have been difficult for his mate to enter unnoticed. Even if her presence didn't lead to stares and whispers from the islanders, he felt an undeniable charge at her closeness.

The clock stopped chiming. She was late.

Warder silently counted to ten. Then, he nodded to his men near the doors. They had been briefed on the situation and part of their role was to ensure Lucy's safety while Warder was stuck at the front of the building. They ducked outside and returned within moments. A gesture, without meaning to the humans, but clear as day to him. At another nod, one man left to begin a search while the other planted himself at the door, alert for any trouble. Rader slipped out of his seat, ready to receive a report.

"Take your seats, please." This in the chiming voice of Mrs. Monroe, his erstwhile host. Warder clenched his teeth.

The mayor walked to the front of the room once more, carefully avoiding the warriors' gaze. "We should begin by parsing the strange allegations we heard yesterday from them," he said.

Warder stood, his chair scraping across the wood floor. The crowd hushed at the sight of him. He had taken care to stoop when he entered the room, to stay seated after to avoid panic. At his full height, in his armor, it was clear he was not exactly human. Given an opportunity, the fragility of humans caused them to overlook that reality. But now he gave them no room to deny his presence.

The mayor turned, well aware that something behind him had stolen focus. His mouth dropped when he saw the towering warrior, but he slowly recovered himself. "Did you--have something to say?"

Rader returned. Shook his head. Warder sniffed the air, scenting again the human fear, but nothing of Lucy. Something fierce rose within him.

The mayor seemed to take courage from Warder's silence. "You ought to sit down and give us the courtesy of listening to our concerns."

Warder roared in displeasure, a roar that wormed its way into the floor and the walls and the very air in the high-ceiling church. A roar that shook the bones of human and Sylphen alike. Then, he stormed down the aisle in search of his mate.

#

How many times had she walked the rocky path to Ioanni's house? Back when the island was normal, it had been one of her favorite places to go because of the solitude. The house was set on a rocky outcropping above the ocean. The land around it was unstable, the coastline eroding slowly from yearly storms. No one else could build and the few houses that had been nearby were abandoned, one storm away from crumbling into the sea. Ioanni's house was sheltered by natural formations that helped stave off the worst of the erosion. The house was three stories tall so that the top often disappeared into the ever-present fog.

Now that the island was cut off from everything outside, the quiet of this little piece of the island felt isolating and frightening. Lucy hadn't realized it until Sheera pointed out that she was always finding excuses not to visit. Then, a few years ago, Sheera had moved into one of the empty summer residences closer to town and Ioanni had been truly alone.

The eccentric man seemed to prefer it. He no longer had to leave his workshop for dinner and there was no one to scold him for spreading his projects throughout every spare inch of the house. When they reached the path to his workshop--an old garage a few yards from the main house--Lucy had to wind her way delicately through ruthlessly organized piles of different kinds of scrap metal.

When Ioanni led her inside the weathered structure, she found herself staring at something that looked like a cross between a kitchen table and a catapult.

"What is it?" asked Lucy.

"Something I'm tinkering with," said Ioanni, looking at the strange contraption as if it might reveal its secrets to him. He noticed a hammer lying halfway off the worktable underneath and nudged it more firmly into place. He seemed not to notice when the effort upset a nearby socket wrench that fell off the table and clattered to the concrete floor, narrowly missing his foot. "Would you like to see it operate?"

"I can't stay long," said Lucy. "I'm supposed to be at the church." She thought of Warder's anger when he realized she was gone. "Can we try to contact the mainland?"

"Of course," said Ioanni. "Come. Come sit." He cleared a sheaf of papers off of an old wooden chair, gesturing for Lucy to sit down.

"Look at this," said Ioanni. "This is what we will use to contact help from the outside."

The shop was full of electric appliances in various states of repair, despite the fact that the island had been without electricity for years. Lucy observed some of the more intricate pieces, wondering which one held the possibility of contact with the outside world. Ionni lifted something so simple she would have overlooked it entirely.

"A transistor radio," he said, patting the faded red plastic casing of the small contraption. "Runs on batteries. I used to use it to talk to passing ships. It should be enough to contact the mainland, assuming your antenna works."

"I installed it high up, like you said. But it might be too obstructed. I didn't have a lot of choices."

"Of course not," said Ioanni. He fiddled with the dials.

"What do you need to know about the location?" asked Lucy. "It was high up, on a sort of ledge. They have levels inside the mountain where they live. I'm not sure how high we really were, but I know there were at least three levels below us."

"Yes?" said Ioanni. "Good. Good. Would you like to see the car I've been working on? Not much fuel on the island, as you know, but I think I've found a workaround."

"I can't stay long," Lucy repeated. It wasn't unusual for Ioanni to be easily distracted. But after all that she and Sheera had risked for the antenna, it was frustrating that he couldn't focus on the issue at hand for more than a few seconds.

"Of course. One moment, darling girl. Just a moment more." Ionni continued to mess with the plastic radio. His hands were shaking. Had they always been like that? Ioanni was getting old. He was much older than Lucy's father despite how close in age she and Sheera were. She should ask Gino to assess his health. Discreetly. The old man was proud.

"Are you okay, Ioanni?" she asked. She placed one hand over his.

"It isn't going to work."

"Did you try?" asked Lucy, her heart plummeting in her chest. "Warder. The mountain people, I mean. One of them said something about a barrier. Some kind of energy blocking signals from the island. Can you account for that?"

"It won't be long before the shield falls," said Ioanni. "Not long now."

"You--you know about it?"

"No signals in, no signals out. The Alpha has something to hide."

"How do you--"

Footsteps sounded on the gravel path outside. Lucy whirled around, expecting Warder.

Grace walked into the workshop. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at the cluttered space. "You live like this?"

"What are you doing here?" Lucy backed away, her eyes darting around. The workshop was full of potential weapons. As if reading her mind, Grace picked up a heavy piece of scrap metal and started tapping it menacingly against her palm.

"Warder forgets that I am an Alpha, too. I always have another plan. Another game to play." She tossed the metal piece aside, and Ioanni winced as it clattered against one of his many inventions.

Lucy still had her hands over Ioanni's. She squeezed to get his attention. "She's dangerous," Lucy said quietly once he looked at her. "You have to run."

"I didn't think they would keep you," Ioanni whispered back. "I thought it would be Sheera."

"Ioanni--" Lucy jumped at a crashing sound from the other side of the garage. Grace, brushing another of Ioanni's inventions onto the concrete floor.

"Restrain her, old man."

At her words, Ioanni looked away, but when she tried to pull her hands from his, he gripped them tightly.

"Ioanni--"

"He doesn't take orders from you," said Grace. "Only from his Alpha."

"He'll come looking for her," said Ioanni. "You promised you would protect us!"

"You were very brave, sending your daughter and her friend into the mountain," said Grace. "Yet when it comes to saving yourself, you beg for your Alpha's strength to shield you."

Horror growing as the conversation began to make a sick kind of sense, Lucy looked for an escape route. Ioanni was blocking the door that led towards the house and Grace was standing between her and the open door of the garage. A shadow moved behind her and Lucy saw that someone else was standing in the doorway, too.

"Miles?"

The slim young man stepped into the light, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. The islanders had all assumed he was among the dead. He hadn't returned to town. Now here he was, looking tired and pale, but otherwise unharmed. "Miles, are you okay?"

"Ioanni!" Grace snapped.

Lucy felt Ioanni's hands dragging her back into the chair. He began to thread a length of rope around her wrists. His skin was soft with age, but his grip was strong. Lucy struggled, trying to scratch and kick, but Ioanni leaned his weight into her to keep her in the chair, easily overpowering her.

"Ioanni, no. What are you doing?" He cinched the rope painfully tight.

"It has to be done," said Ioanni. "We are all in danger."

"Once Ysabel dies, this place will be completely vulnerable," Grace said in agreement. "We must make contact with the outside before Warder does so they will know whose side we are on."

Lucy shook her head as if to clear it. "Which side? From what I've heard, you side only with yourself." She willed Ioanni to hear the truth in it, to reconsider.

"I side with power," Grace said. "And everyone on the island is about to lose it. You're here to keep Warder off our backs."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy's head was spinning. Ioanni and Grace. She had called herself his Alpha. But Ioanni was human.

Like Ysabel had been human? Like she was?

"Ioanni," she whispered. "Are you an omega?"

Across the garage, Grace laughed. "Nothing so rare," she said. "A useless beta who had the misfortune to be hiding out on this island long before it became a hiding place for those who are stronger and smarter. It didn't take much to convince him to send you and the other girl on a fool's errand to get inside the mountain."

A fool's errand. Weeks of captivity. Her life changed. Her own body something she did not recognize. She had endured it because she believed she was being brave. Because she thought, somehow, she might be able to help. Had it all been a lie? Not just Warder--everything? "What are you talking about?"

"The antenna. It was never going to work. Not with Ysabel's power intact," said Grace dismissively. "It doesn't matter now. I hadn't planned that you would be the one to kill her. But sometimes puppets escape their strings," she looked at Lucy, her eyes cold. "Temporarily."

"What do you want, Grace?"

Grace had to know that if Lucy died, Warder would, too. Did she care? Was she truly obsessed with Warder, or only with power itself?

"Don't worry, pet," said Grace, noting the panic on Lucy's face. "We'll still contact the outside as soon as Ysabel dies. I'm preparing for that very eventuality. You think our kind are monsters. But there are real monsters outside waiting to find us." She gestured gracefully beyond the house, towards where the sea crashed against the cliff. Ioanni was shaking again, but his grip didn't falter. Ignoring him, Lucy focused on Grace.

"You tricked me with the antenna. I killed Ysabel. What else do you want?"

Grace picked her way further into the garage, Miles hovering behind her like a ghost. She gestured Ioanni out of the way and leaned over Lucy, searching her face with a look of mild distaste. "You did so many things differently than I expected," she said, bringing her hands up to Lucy's chin and turning her head side to side, as if she could read something useful in her features. "I only intended to bait my stupid husband with an innocent. I would have killed Ysabel myself. And I never intended for Warder to become your mate."

Lucy flinched at the possessiveness in her voice when she spoke of Warder. "I didn't intend it, either."

Grace laughed. A cold, humorless sound. "Luckily, you are still useful to me. You must simply be brought to heel."

A burst of static sounded and both women snapped their attention to Ioanni. He was fiddling with one of the endless devices in his shop, a different one than the little plastic radio he had used to distract Lucy.

"Are you getting through?" snapped Grace.

"Not yet," said Ioanni. "But the barrier continues to weaken. It won't be long."

Lucy thought of what Cenia had said in the church. About what might be out there beyond Ysabel's barrier.

"Why contact the outside?" asked Lucy. "The other Sylphen seem afraid of what's out there."

"Ah, you call us by our name now, do you? No doubt my daughter told you pretty stories about our people. About how special you are. I am not afraid of what is out there. I am afraid of staying any longer on this island. Of growing weak like my husband and daughter. Like Warder."

"He isn't weak," said Lucy.

"Not of body," said Grace. "But when the barrier falls and they come--and they will come--it will be made clear who is truly Alpha. If Warder has an opportunity, he will tell tales about my conduct on the island to the others. But not if I control his mate. And if I control Warder, when the others come, I will meet them as the strongest Alpha. Did you know, little human, that your mate can feel when you are hurt? I am not equal to a seasoned warrior like Warder in combat, but I can make him hurt. Through you."

"You're crazy," Lucy said, struggling to loosen the rope and escape her grasp.

"You're being difficult," said Grace. She grasped Lucy's tied hands, still firmly tied, and slammed her wrists into the counter in front of her. Lucy heard the snap of bone before she even registered the pain.

#

Warder did not know where his mate was. In time, he would feel the bond clearly enough to locate her across some distance. But Lucy was unfamiliar with the power of their union and, moreover, she continued to resist it. Unless she felt some strong emotion, he was unlikely to sense her. And it appeared that her feelings about defying him so soon after she had lain fierce and sweet in his arms were not particularly strong.

Warder wanted to be angry, but he reserved his disdain for the petty diplomats among the islanders. He had failed to make his mate content. Even now, when he could still scent their lovemaking on his skin, she would run from him. Either she was afraid of him or, perhaps more telling, she was unaware of what their connection meant. If something had waylaid her or if she had chosen to walk away from the censure of the humans in the church...well, if she had asked him, he might have given her leave to avoid the meeting. Assuming she stayed nearby and was guarded. He could not compromise on keeping her safe.