Guardian

One hundred heartbeats.

Darken dove as he released the transformation spell, Cara at his side. Both landed with knees bent, Darken somewhat lighter on his feet than Cara as smoke swirled around them, feathers shed for their true forms. They slid effortlessly back to back, Cara's Agiels already in her hands, Darken wielding an Agiel with one hand and Wizard's Fire with the other.

Richard plummeted from the sky, through some lucky accident or skill landing astride Sepina's back behind Kahlan. The unicorn immediately began to buck, its flying hooves keeping the Fenrisulfr at bay. Richard grappled with Kahlan, his arms pinning hers to her sides as she struggled to free a hand to confess him. His lips moved in a steady stream of talk as he strived to get through to her, but only he would ever know what he said.

There was a yelp as Darken used one of the wolf's snouts as a springboard, throwing himself high enough to aim a blast of Wizard's Fire over Richard's head, burning alive a monk who had been creeping close to the pair on the unicorn, a dagger in his hands.

Teeth caught him as he fell to earth once more, the momentum of the leaping beast driving him to the ground, the wolf slavering over him.

Then it was listing to the side, an arrow through its eye, shot from the tower at an impossible angle.

Cara protected him as he pulled himself to his feet, fire streaming from his hands. He feared to call lightning. Though it would give him greater advantage, it was a wilder force than fire, as likely to harm his allies as his enemies.

There was a moaning creak, then an enormous splintering boom as the tower door at last gave way, wolves already streaming into the temple, heedless of the sharp wedges of cracked wood that cut their feet.

An enormous she-wolf with eyes of jet black charged at Cara, mouth opened wide, a gaping maw of red and white. Cara held steady, Agiels in front of her. From the corner of her eye she could see a monk walking up to Darken's exposed back, awkwardly holding a sword. Whether expertly wielded or clumsily swung, the steel would cut her soon-to-be-husband and leave him just as dead.

Pitching her voice to be heard above the howl of wolves and the screech of Agiels, Cara called, "Stop!"

The monk did, startled. He was no warrior.

The she-wolf that had been intent on feasting on Cara's flesh pulled up short, ears against her skull. Helhati remembered that voice, instinctively wanted to obey it. This female was her mistress, her alpha.

Wasn't she?

The wolf shook her head, confused memories where she walked on two feet clouding her mind.

Darken threw a ball of fire at the monk who had sought to stab him in the back, not even giving the man a second glance as his flesh shrunk and melted, ignoring the shrieks of agony that echoed in the night.

Cara doubled over, the smell of burning flesh too much to bear, violently bringing up all she had eaten in the past day, continuing to dry heave even when there was nothing left in her stomach. Darken protected her back, forcing his worries for Cara to the back of his mind, all of his focus needed to control his han and keep the pack of wolves from tearing him apart.

With Darken occupied with the wolves at their back and Cara herself unable to see as her eyes streamed with tears and her throat burned, her front was left exposed to attack. The world spun as her gut clenched.

Skull's mate saw the weak woman, and went in for the kill, only to be stopped by Helhati.

Helhati knew the strange two-legged female was her Alpha. She did not know how it could be, but she recognized her all the same from an old life that lived in the bottom of a black pit in her mind. She protected Mistress Cara, a giant barrier of claws and teeth, a guardian forged from sinew and black magic.

The Virgin Mother had not counted upon the conditioning, the loyalty, the devotion of the Mord'Sith. Among the Sisters of the Agiel there were two unspoken rules.

Unity against outsiders.

Might makes right.

Those rules, that devotion, was not lost; they were too much a part of Bronwyn to become lost when Mother made her into Helhati.

Though her collar squeezed and burned her throat, Helhati protected her true mistress, the woman who had once saved her from the wrath of Darken Rahl, the blood of Skull's mate staining her muzzle red and flowing warmly and deliciously down her throat.

Cara straightened, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, blinking rapidly to clear her vision.

"Where's Richard?" she shouted to Darken, scanning the battle field for tell tale spots of white.

"There!" Darken pointed.

Sepina ran in the distance, Kahlan clinging to her neck as Richard clung desperately to Kahlan, his legs dragging along the side of the unicorn.

Darken set a ring of fire around them to keep the wolves back while Cara recovered. Sweat rolled down his face and his jaw clenched tight as he used all of his not inconsiderable will to keep the flames in check. He was the master of his han, the master of his fire. He could use it, refused to be consumed by it.

He could do anything to keep the family he had only just found.

He had only just discovered how much they mattered.

The wolf that Darken recognized as Skull skidded to a halt just beyond his circle of fire. Darken flared his flames higher, ready to defend his life and Cara's.

She was his strength.

"Brother!"

Darken blinked, allowing the circle of fire to grow lower, the better to find the source of Jennsen's voice.

She sat with Haden, riding the wolf.

"We know who their leader is," Jennsen called, voice shrill.

Jennsen eyed the she-wolf that quietly feasted on one of her own canine brethren though her collar squeezed and smoked.

The she-wolf looked up, staring into Jennsen's eyes. As it had happened before with Skull, Jennsen saw two creatures occupying the same space at once.

"A Mord'Sith," she whispered to herself. Then louder, "That wolf used to be a Mord'Sith!"

Shocked, Darken and Cara looked to the wolf that had inexplicably come to their aid.

Helhati bowed her head.

Sliding from Skull's back, her shredded dress affording her little modesty, Jennsen fearlessly approached the horse-sized predator.

She touched the blood-soaked muzzle, then grasped something only she could see, giving a mighty yank.

A cruel metal collar appeared in her hands.

"I think it's how the monks control them," Jennsen said, smiling then wincing.

Her face was such a mass of blood and bruises that Darken would not have recognized her without the sound of her voice and her distinctive red hair.

"Jennsen knows what their leader looks like, my lord," Haden said, still atop Skull's large back. Her voice cut like a blade.

Looking at Jennsen's face once more, Darken could guess why.

"We have to help Richard," Cara asserted, her voice hoarse.

Helhati knelt, offering her back to Darken and Cara.

"We will do both," he said, hoisting himself onto the beast's back, Cara clambering up behind him. "Let us cut the head from this serpent."

Jennsen took her place on Skulls back and they were off, the powerful hind legs of their unusual mounts kicking up clods of dirt and ash.