Darkest Nyte Read online

  As Nyte extended himself into the ether, reaching as far as he could, trying to grasp any hint of Lucinda’s whereabouts, a deep emptiness pounded through him.

  "I can’t feel her presence anywhere." He gripped his hands into tight fists at his sides.

  The pain of losing the connection he’d so recently formed with her during their lovemaking--the joining of their psychic energies as well as physical bodies--ached like a hole torn through the center of his heart. The feelings he’d had toward her before the actual bond had formed had been significant, but nothing had prepared him for the intensity of emotions he felt now.

  The desperation to protect her from danger. The urgency to find her and feel her energy mingle with his. The longing to hold her securely in the circle of his arms. The frustration at not being able to do any of these things.

  He leaned against a large maple tree and allowed its peaceful energy to seep into him. The delicate babble of a nearby brook helped calm his nerves.

  A blue jay glided from one of the trees to perch on the edge of a stone well which stood across the clearing. Stone seats circled the wall of the well and a wooden bench stood nearby. It would be a tranquil place to sit and think.

  Randalph stepped toward him and his jagged gaze tore across Nyte’s face. "While you had Lucinda locked away, did you... His jaw twitched slightly and he seemed to search for words. "Did you seduce her?"

  Irritation sliced through him. "No, I didn’t."

  The twist of Randalph’s mouth showed his skepticism. "Really?"

  "I made love with her, thus realizing our bond, but I did not seduce her. It was her decision."

  Randalph scowled.

  "Come now, Randalph. The kiss you shared with Lucinda must have convinced you that Lucinda is meant to be my partner, not yours."

  Randalph’s eyebrows arched upwards. "You know about that?"

  "Of course, and I don’t appreciate you going after my woman."

  "She deserves better than you."

  "That may be true, but she’s stuck with me. And I plan to make the best of it." By making her as happy as he could.

  Randalph’s fists clenched and he stared at Nyte as though he’d like to throttle him.

  "Maybe Lucinda and I are meant to be no more than friends, but we are very close friends." He glared at Nyte. "If you ever hurt her--"

  With so many combustible emotions swirling within him, Nyte’s anger flared. "You’ll do what? Kill me again?"

  The color drained from Rand’s face and his eyes faded to an almost translucent blue. His reaction doused Nyte’s anger like water thrown on a flame and he instantly regretted the comment.

  He held out his hand, palm upward. "Randalph...."

  He didn’t know what words to say, but it didn’t matter. Randalph turned away and started pacing.

  "Since you have completed the bond with her, it should be impossible for anyone to block the connection and hide Lucinda from you."

  "That’s true with the limited magic you know, but there are greater forces in the universe than you have experienced."

  Randalph’s sharp gaze met Nyte’s. "Damn it, why won’t you tell me what and whom we are dealing with here?"

  He didn’t have time to explain everything to Randalph, but he had to give him an idea of the force working against them. "You know my power is greater than any other wizard on Earth."

  "Yes." Rand nodded absently, the look of melancholy on his face leaving his features drawn and tired-looking. He slumped onto the wide trunk of a fallen oak. "I had thought I, too, would approach your abilities, in time. That you would teach me. But once you were gone...."

  Nyte stepped to his side and placed a hand on Randalph’s shoulder, the first real physical contact they had shared in centuries. He wanted to offer assurances, to point out that Randalph had not failed the other wizards of Earth, but until Nyte understood what had driven Randalph to do what he had done, the words would be empty.

  But Nyte couldn’t bear seeing the agony in his eyes.

  He squeezed Randalph’s shoulder, shocked at the fragility of the flesh and bones within his grip, forgetting what he’d been about to say. Not wanting to invade Randalph’s privacy, but drawn by the hint of a maelstrom of misaligned energy, he prodded a little to sense Randalph’s life force, and found a wound that burrowed deep into his soul.

  Anger. Fear. Pain. Each emotion welled up like dark, poisonous bubbles from a rift in the ocean floor, but Nyte knew they only hinted at the intense feelings hidden in the greater depths.

  Nyte wanted to reach out, to delve deep into Randalph’s psyche and help him heal the damage, but Randalph surged to his feet, at the same time, shuttering his expression with a scowl.

  "We have no time for this meditative nonsense. Lucinda is lost and we must find her. You of all people should keep that your highest priority."

  A moment ago, Nyte would have snapped that it had been Randalph who had wandered down that path, but the view of Randalph’s turmoil helped him divert the sharp response to thoughts of the more pressing problem of finding Lucinda.

  "I believe she has been abducted by another wizard whose powers match my own. Unfortunately, he has a long history of misusing his power."

  A look of worry crossed Randalph’s face. "Do you believe Lucinda is in serious danger?"

  Would Remlin hurt Lucinda? Nyte wasn’t certain. The Remlin he’d grown up with had been known for finding trouble and performing mischievous pranks, but nothing that would hurt anyone. As he’d grown to adulthood, however, and found himself passed over for responsible positions in the hierarchy, his rebellious nature had taken on an edge of anger. That anger had led to the destruction of Nyte’s family.

  "I think it’s possible."

  "Then we must find her quickly."

  "Agreed, but I don’t even know where to start looking. He has masked Lucinda’s presence and his own."

  "You must have some idea."

  The searching hope in Randalph’s eyes triggered a poignant memory of the younger Randalph, during one of their deep discussions of the nature of magic and the universe. He used to watch Nyte with such intense interest, a look bordering on adoration. Nyte had always cherished the respect and admiration given him by Randalph. A deep longing stirred in him to recapture that closeness.

  How had they wound up with so many barriers between them?

  "The only way I can think of is to attempt to find what is not there. He is shielding himself from magical sensing, but like a rock in a moving river, when the magic hits him, it must flow around him, causing an eddy in the current."

  "But you said you have no idea where he might be. Are you going to fling energy in all directions and hope for the best?" Randalph asked.

  "Do you have a better idea?"

  Randalph sat on a fallen tree and rested his chin on his palm. Nyte leaned against an old, oak tree, the bark rough against his hand. He liked trees. Solid. Strong. Full of pure, uncomplicated energy.

  "I don’t know if this is related," Randalph said, "but I have been monitoring an increase of energy at the Oracle. Could that have something to do with this other wizard?"

  Nyte turned to him with interest. "Delphi? He must be drawing energy from there. That will make him much more difficult to defeat."

  Randalph’s white, bushy eyebrow tilted upward. "We should go to Delphi then?"

  "No. He wouldn’t need to be near the Oracle to boost his power from it. He could be anywhere."

  "Can you trace where the energy is going?"

  Nyte reached out with his magical senses and touched the Oracle. He felt for any threads of energy flowing from it. He detected several, but as he traced them away from the source, they faded into obscurity before he could perceive more than a general direction. And they all went in different directions. All part of Remlin’s plan to elude them, Nyte was certain.

  "He has masked the energy trail," Nyte told Randalph.

  Randalph thumped his fist on the tree truck. "There must
be something we can do."

  "Until we think of something better, we’ll have to work with what we have. If the two of us work together, sending out waves of energy to see what disturbances we can detect, we might just be able to track them down."

  Not likely, but it was the only chance they had.

  * * * *

  Lucinda’s captor picked up a crystal ball from the bookshelf and set it on the table in front of the couch where she could see into it.

  She sat with the blanket wrapped around her. Despite the fact that a fire blazed less than two meters away and she wore a warm, turtleneck sweater, the thought of the frigid weather outside made her shiver constantly. Or could it be because she had so little energy?

  She stared at the pattern of internal flecks in the clear quartz sphere and realized they looked suspiciously like the ones inside her own crystal ball, the one that should be sitting on the pewter stand in her den.

  "I thought we might watch this drama unfold together." Remlin sat down in an ornately carved wooden chair at the end of the rectangular table and waved his hands over the crystal sphere. The inside of the ball clouded, then the mists swirled into recognizable images.

  First, Rand sitting on a fallen tree. Next, she could see a tall, dark shape a few meters away. The shape clarified and she saw it was Nyte.

  She wanted to reach out and touch the image of his face, to feel a little closer to him, but all she would feel would be smooth, cold crystal. A deep longing ached through her for Nyte and his wonderful, loving touch.

  "Good, I see they’re together," Remlin observed.

  She glanced at Remlin. The intensity with which he stared into the ball disturbed her. Her heart started to race. Why did Remlin want to watch Rand and Nyte? And why did he care if they were together? Did he mean to harm them?

  She shifted her focus back to the images of Nyte and Rand. They stood in what appeared to be--from the glimpse of an ancient stone well in the background--the small woods behind Rand’s house.

  Remlin’s keen gaze shifted to hers. "They have decided to pair up to look for you, Lucinda."

  At least some good would come of this. If they could work together, they might be able to sort out their differences.

  The two of them. Together. Not at each others’ throats. The thought warmed her heart.

  In fact, as she watched, Nyte moved to Rand’s side and placed his hand on Rand’s shoulder. At the sight, she felt a little misty. The two men cared enough about her to put aside their differences and work together to rescue her.

  "This looks good." Remlin leaned closer to the ball.

  The close moment Nyte and Rand seemed to be sharing was shattered when Rand lurched to his feet, a thunderous glare in his eyes. A moment later, his expression turned to one of concern.

  She wished she could understand what they were saying. She switched her attention to Remlin, who watched the two figures in the mist with great interest.

  What plan had he concocted and what did it have to do with Nyte and Rand?

  Remlin chuckled. "He thinks his powers rival mine."

  Was he reading their lips? Or maybe, if he was as powerful as she feared, he could hear as well as see through the crystal.

  He drummed his fingers on the table top. "I may have to set him straight on that."

  The words, said so casually, sent a shiver the length of her spine. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

  Who thought he rivaled Remlin? Of course, it must be Nyte. Both Nyte and Remlin were mysterious wizards she had never heard of before. Rand had told her Nyte was far more powerful than any wizard they’d ever known. That fact alone meant that, unless Remlin’s magic were on par with Nyte’s, Nyte would have no problem finding them. Yet if Nyte knew where she was, she was sure he’d be here right now. He had expressed his excessive desire to protect her on many occasions.

  A tremor traveled the length of her spine. Remlin meant to harm Nyte. The certainty drove through her like a power drill.

  They continued to watch Nyte and Rand talk. She couldn’t quite decide if they were cooperating or fighting--or both. She wished she could understand what they were saying, then she’d have some idea what was going on.

  She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes, fatigue insisting she lay down and have a nap. She insisted right back that it was a very bad idea.

  "Tired?"

  She opened her eyes to see Remlin’s green ones staring back at her.

  "I’m all right." Except for being quite frustrated at once again being trapped somewhere she didn’t want to be, and scared to death for Nyte and Rand.

  "You really should rest. This may take a while."

  She glanced at the crystal ball and saw Nyte and Rand standing back to back, their arms outstretched. What were they doing?

  Remlin’s gaze shifted from her face to the image in the ball. "They’re searching for you. Sending out energy hoping to find turbulence in the flow. The odds of them finding you with that method are astronomically low, especially since I’ve streamlined the shape of this dwelling so the energy will slip around the barrier with a minimum of disruption."

  He drummed his fingertips on his knee.

  "It may take a while for them to come up with another plan, but somehow I don’t think their fragile partnership will survive this futile method."

  He sat back, his gaze returning to her, and smiled.

  "I think I need to offer them another challenge."

  Chapter 17

  Nyte felt Rand’s back shift against his own.

  "This is getting us nowhere." Randalph’s voice sounded frustrated, and tired.

  They’d been standing back to back, sending out energy in a circle for about an hour. So far they’d found nothing. The strain of expending so much energy would be a severe drain on Randalph, especially in his current aged form.

  Nyte gestured toward the fallen tree. "Let’s take a break." He sat down and watched Randalph slump down beside him, looking extremely weary.

  He himself would prefer to stand and move around, but he knew Randalph’s pride would not allow him to sit unless Nyte did, too.

  Seeing Randalph--whom Nyte had always known as young and vital--as a white-haired elder disconcerted him. Randalph was far too young to look old and decrepit.

  A yearning to help him exorcise the inner demons that drained his youthful vigor gnawed at his gut. If only he could get past Randalph’s barriers. There were so many things he and Randalph had to discuss, so many things they had to put right.

  But now was not the time. First, they had to find Lucinda.

  For Lucinda’s sake. For his own.

  And for Randalph’s.

  Nyte knew his own heart would be shredded beyond repair if anything happened to Lucinda, but he also recognized Randalph’s condition would worsen exponentially. He had already lost one important woman in his life. Nyte knew that Lucinda had taken Clarissa’s place in Randalph’s heart, at least as confidant and friend, and losing her would deepen his internal scars.

  Damn Clarissa! He still couldn’t understand how she had allowed herself to walk away from Randalph so callously. Her selfish act was all the more despicable because, in the end, it had left Randalph completely alone.

  "Have you thought of another way we might search for Lucinda?" Randalph asked.

  "Not yet."

  Frustration tormented him as a grey mist swirled through his brain where ideas should bloom.

  Sifting through ancient memories, he’d reviewed the places Remlin liked to go and focused on those locations as he sent out his energy sweep, but it hadn’t helped. Remlin liked mountains, and water. And trees.

  He glanced around at the trees surrounding the clearing. Huge oaks, willowy birch, red maple. Birds twittered from the hidden depths of the foliage and a light breeze murmured through the leaves, ruffling them in a playful pattern of brilliant sunshine and shadows.

  Remlin would like it here.

  Nyte’s gaze drifted to the
old stone well which stood at the edge of the clearing, near the heavily worn path. The well was an inconvenient distance from the house and Nyte suspected that Randalph did not use it for his daily supply. He would have no need, with the more convenient methods today’s world had to offer. Randalph probably came to this place to clear his energy. To find tranquility. To think.

  Memories of walking through the woods with Randalph, deep in discussion, shimmered through his mind. They had talked about science, philosophy, the cosmos. They had always ended up at a little church with a well just like Randalph’s where they would rest for a bit before they journeyed back.

  His heart compressed as he remembered that Clarissa used to walk with Randalph to that place, also. Damn her for hurting Randalph.

  He imagined Randalph sitting alone on the wooden bench by the well, remembering those same times. Perhaps Lucinda had filled some of Randalph’s lonely hours sitting with him by the well. He could imagine her smiling at Randalph with affection lighting her eyes and jealousy warred with relief at the thought Randalph had found someone to help him through his pain.

  "Nyte."

  He glanced around and noticed Randalph sat with his back rigid.

  "What is it?"

  Randalph shifted his weight, the fingers of one hand tightening around a small branch angling upward from the trunk they sat upon. Nyte knew he had something to say but for some reason he hesitated.

  "If you have an idea that might help Lucinda--"

  "A few moments ago I ... had a thought."

  At his pause, Nyte prompted, "Go on."

  Randalph stared levelly at Nyte. "It wasn’t my thought."

  Not his thought?

  "You think someone projected it into your head?"

  Randalph nodded. The stiffness of his posture and the strained expression on his face told Nyte that Randalph was extremely uncomfortable with the invasion.

  "Randalph," he said in a reassuring tone, "Tell me what it was."