In The Beginning Gail Daley (best books to read all time TXT) 📖

"Who?" Andre demanded, catching her by the shoulders. "Who will kill who?"

"Grandpa," she gasped. "Three men with crossbows. Coming back from the Trade Station."

"Open the Gate," Andre ordered, re-mounting Blackfeather. "Owen, come with me."

While Selene ran to the mouth of the tunnel and thrust her hand into the control niche, Andre and Owen thundered down the tunnel toward the gates, which swung open as they raced through them.

Inside the house, Rebecca sensed a tremor in the house wards as they responded to Selene's distress. Setting down her list of canned goods, she followed an urgent pull out the front door.

Selene was standing rigidly by the tunnel mouth with her hand in the control niche. The girl's posture alarmed Rebecca, and she ran over to her. Selene turned to her and Rebecca gasped. The girl's eyes were almost filmed over with silver.

"Selene," she whispered, "what do you SEE?"

"Grandpa is hurt," the girl responded. "Andre and Owen—"

"NO!" screamed Rebecca's mind and heart. She couldn't lose Andre too! The wards respond to her need like a creaking old machine before snapping down to shield her loved ones.

Andre's battle honed senses had immediately recognized what he saw when he and Owen thundered out of the gates. Drawing his sword, he spurred Blackfeather toward the two fleeing men, who, terrified at seeing their comrade set on fire, had run toward Ironlyn. Andre's sword sliced down, sweeping clean through the nearest man, whose head bounced as it was separated from his body. A great gush of blood shot out from his severed neck. Blackfeather trampled the other under his ironshod hooves, crushing his skull.

Owen had rushed to his grandfather who was slumped over Sunrise's neck. "He's been hit!" he called to Andre.

"How badly?" he asked, his eyes scanning for more attackers. The wards clamped down like a massive fist as they responded to Rebecca's fear, and he could see a faint shimmer thicken and rise just beyond Lewys.

"I don't know," Owen said. "He's passed out."

"Get him inside," Andre said, his attention drawn to Gordon Trebottom who was rushing toward them, accompanied by several others.

"Stop!" Andre yelled. "The Dracon has been wounded and the wards are active!"

In response to Andre's shout, Trebottom and his men slid to a halt. "What should we do, Drake?

"Wait here," Andre ordered them. "I'll be back as soon as I make sure the Dracon has been tended. We need to clean up these bodies. Do you have a cart?"

"It will be ready," Trebottom assured him.

Inside Ironlyn, Selene collapsed into Rebecca's arms, the silvery film clearing from her eyes as she fainted.

Owen had stopped when he saw his sisters just outside the mouth of the tunnel. "What happened?" he cried.

"I'll tell you later. How badly are Andre and Grandpa hurt?"

"Andre's fine," Owen told her. "Grandpa has a crossbow bolt in his shoulder. What's wrong with Selene?"

Dismounting from Blackfeather to kneel beside Rebecca, Andre said, "Yes, I'm fine. I need the house wards to ease back so I can dispose of the attacker's bodies though."

Catrin too had sensed the same pull as Rebecca, and she rushed out of her dispensary and over to her sisters to see what was wrong. Now she ordered, "That can wait. Andre, get Grandpa down off his unicorn and bring him to the infirmary, Owen, help Rebecca with Selene. Move everyone."

In the infirmary, Owen laid Selene down on a bed where she was immediately joined by all three cats who crowded around her, purring.

"Put Grandpa here, Andre, where I can work on him." Catrin gestured to a table raised in a semi-reclining position. "Rebecca, there are some smelling salts in the cabinet. Unless I'm mistaken, Selene has just fainted."

"Did you lower the wards?" Andre asked Rebecca.

She nodded. The urge to ask him not to go back out into danger was great. Looking at his face, she knew such a plea would be useless. Andre would always do whatever it took to keep them safe.

"Be careful," she said instead.

"I'm always careful," he retorted, dropping a hard kiss on her mouth. "C'mon Owen, we need to go and clean up the bodies."

Owen turned a little green, but he followed gamely.

When they returned from their burial detail, Andre found Lewys still in the infirmary, arguing with Catrin about getting out of bed. The older man's shoulder had been bound, and his arm was in a sling.

"I'm not an invalid, girl," he told his middle granddaughter irritably. "I don't need bed rest. What I need is—There you are. What happened?"

"How much do you remember?" Andre countered.

Lewys sat back against the headboard. "I remember those three outlaws jumping me. I think I burned one with Fire Magic and one of them shot me. I don't remember much afterwards. Are any of them alive?"

"No," Andre said calmly. After a sidelong glance at Selene's wide eyes, he said "I think you are right. Let's continue this conversation elsewhere."

Nothing loath, Lewys immediately swung his legs over the bed and discovered Catrin had taken all his clothes. "Where are my pants?" he demanded.

"They were all bloody," she answered. "I sent them to the laundry. If you must disregard my advice wrap a sheet around you."

He glared at her. "You get more like your grandmother every day."

"Thank you," Catrin retorted smartly.

"Wasn't exactly a compliment," Lewys grumbled to himself. After a moment, he smiled, telling himself Catrin was coming into her own.

Ignoring the by-play, Andre had gone over to where Selene still sat with the cats piled around her. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"I'm fine, too," she said. "Catrin can I get up?"

"Go ahead," her sister said. "If you feel dizzy though, you need to sit down. You could hurt yourself if you fall."

Gingerly, Selene slid to the floor. Andre put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug. "You did great today. If you hadn't warned us, Owen and I might not have gotten there in time."

"What happened? How could I See Grandpa being attacked?" Selene asked, troubled.

"I think your talent is manifesting," Catrin said, smiling.