Guerani Hills

The cold air had quickly lost its chill when the volcano had exploded two days ago. Trynity hoped that the lava flow would deter their progress, but it had headed in a direction further south. Their trek up the side of the mountain continued unhindered. Quatre, or whatever he had become, didn't seem to notice that the people who were following him were drifting away. He seemed to be of a single purpose now, and that was to continue on his way up a mountain that was seething with volcanic activity. They traveled in the day and camped during the night.

He did not allow Trynity to leave his sight, and he usually kept her at his side, but his treatment of her changed from moment to moment, one being tender and loving, the next cruel and merciless. In the last few days, the only thing that kept her going was the possibility that she could reach Duo. And that thought infuriated Quatre who seemed to have gained the ability to read her mind.

Now Trynity was stirring soup when Quatre stepped into the tent. He looked at her with disgust, then his lip curled into that sadistic smile that warned her that he needed his daily dose of inhumanity. She turned her attention back to the soup.

"I hope that is edible."

"Since I am also eating it, I have gone to the trouble of making it so."

Quatre grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked her up. Trynity flinched, but she didn't cry out from the pain that he was inflicting upon her. He stared down into her eyes for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his lips. "That is what I like about you, Trynity. You have such spirit!" He threw her aside and Trynity stumbled before she caught her balance. Quatre had turned his attention back to the soup. He filled a small bowl and set it aside for her as if she were his pet, then he proceeded to eat.

Trynity cautiously approached the bowl, and when he didn't look up from his meal, she took it and tried not to eat too quickly. Quatre hadn't let her eat much in the last week, just enough to keep her strong enough to travel and wait on him. She finished her bowl and set it aside, then watched Quatre warily.

He glanced at her after a moment. Trynity didn't see any feeling in his eyes, but then she knew Quatre had none. He enjoyed killing, had done so several times when men dared to question him. Macayl, her father and a handful of his men remained to follow him, but Trynity wondered how long it would be before they also abandoned him. The ignorant Calabrians thought he was a god!

By now they must have noticed her absence and set out to find her. Trynity hoped she could hold out until they found her.

"You are hoping that you will be rescued," commented Quatre. "Not a foolish hope, yet doomed to failure. I suspect that your knight in shining armor will arrive soon enough, and then I will kill him."

"Why are you doing this?" she dared to ask him.

Quatre set aside the now empty pot. "I am too tired to speak. Warm my bed for me."

"It is warm enough," she pointed out.

Quatre laughed. "Don't be obtuse, my dear. I enjoy how our bodies fit together."

Before Trynity could retort, the tent flap was swept aside and Macayl entered. "I am sorry to bother you, my lord, but…"

She had no chance to finish when she was rudely shoved aside and Trynity was shocked to recognize Ryana of Bayman. She looked first at Trynity, then Quatre. "My lord, you will be pleased by what I have to report."

Quatre glanced at Macayl. "You may leave us."

Macayl scurried out. Trynity could see that the young woman was frightened, so she assumed that Quatre had sunk his claws into her as well. Ryana on the other hand had no compunction against crawling onto Quatre's lap and sliding her arms around his neck. They shared a kiss that made Trynity squirm in disgust. Perhaps Ryana would divert Quatre's attention from her for at least this night.

But Quatre jerked his head away after a moment, then glanced at Trynity. "I gave you an order."

"Are you enjoying your little toy?" asked Ryana with amusement.

Trynity tried to ignore her as she approached the fur-covered bed. Maybe she could kill him when he was his most vulnerable.

"How amusing," commented Quatre. "She's making plans to kill me."

"I would enjoy watching what you have planned for her," commented the princess with a smack of her lips.

"You told me that you have information. Must I torture it from you?"

"If only you would!" Ryana rubbed herself against him. "I wish you would beat me like you do your slave."

Trynity settled into the bed. She wouldn't mind watching Ryana beaten, but not for the same reason.

"Why does that woman interest you?" whined Ryana.

"Because she is a human with strong spirit. I have yet to break her." Quatre glanced at her, but she didn't look away from him. Trynity guessed she was playing into his hands, but then again, she knew that he disliked weak females to the point of disposing of them. That was why Macayl did not stay in his sight for too long.

"I hope you enjoy trying to break her." Ryana turned her attention away from Trynity. "I will be able to bring that imperial bastard to you tomorrow. Also, the sacred shield is headed to the ancient city as we speak. They left with a dozen of the best men to be found at the Guerani palace."

"Just as I suspected." He glanced at Trynity for a moment, then back to Ryana. "Bring Lord Duo here. Once we have him, we should be able to render Taeron ineffective. He would not wish any harm to come to his lord father."

"May I play with him before we kill him?" asked Ryana hopefully.

Quatre snorted. "Which one?"

Ryana laughed. "I intend to play with Lord Duo tonight. I also want the young and strong Taeron. He could last several days."

Quatre shoved Ryana toward the tent opening. "Get going now."

She tossed her hair, then smirked at Trynity before leaving.

Quatre soon joined her in the bed. He had only one thing in mind and it was quickly achieved. When he was finished, he rolled onto his back, and she heard him sigh. "This is no longer as amusing as it once was."

"Your plan concerning Taeron will not work," Trynity pointed out. She forced back her disgust of him and what had just happened. "He will not leave his duty to the princess to save his father. That would bring shame on their house."

Quatre glanced at her. "As if there isn't enough shame already on that house? Do you not realize that Duo's marriage to you has disgraced him in the eyes of the emperor? What respect would remain once it became known how I have used you?"

"You aren't going to let me live," she said dispassionately. Trynity wasn't foolish enough to cling to that hope.

"I am going to let you live long enough to see how Maxwell reacts to you when he finds out about our little love nest here." Quatre chuckled. "I have come to realize that humans can be quite possessive of their women. I will enjoy fighting him again." He reached out to twirl a lock of her hair around his finger. "Did you ever tell Maxwell what Dax did to you?"

Trynity held her breath and looked at him. How could he possibly know? She had never told anyone how Imperial Guard Dax had tortured her.

Quatre was smiling and she realized that he knew. "You don't know what you are dealing with, Miss Stryfe. At the time I was very amused to control Dax, to push him beyond the limits of his sensibilities."

"Who…what are you?" Trynity knew now that this man was not really Quatre. She wondered if Quatre were still even inside of the shell that was his body.

"Does it matter?"

"You are Camrin," she guessed. Although she had come to the conclusion, Trynity could find no logical way for such a being to exist.

He nodded. "You are very clever, Dr. Nelson, but you have the name wrong. I am Camridaeus. All those years I was able to hide myself from you foolish humans in this body. As for Dax, he was too much a fool for me to control anymore."

"You mean that you could no longer control him," Trynity dared to correct him.

Quatre/Camrin frowned. "I suppose you do have a point. After he failed to kill his progeny, Arora and Apolo, I realized he would be of no help to me. I was amused to completely destroy him before I finally left him. If it weren't for his beloved Valerya…"

"You couldn't control her either," Trynity interrupted him. For a god, he was certainly lacking in simple powers.

Quatre grabbed her neck in his strong hand, and for a moment he kept her from breathing, and when she almost lost consciousness, he let her go. She gasped as she breathed in air. "I am not amused by your ridicule. You have no idea how difficult it can be to control the Guerani. Valerya knew he was losing the battle when she poured herself into him. She actually thought that she could keep me at bay without the help of Ulfynaeus." Quatre's lip curled in scorn. "Trust me when I say that Valerya paid the price for her miscalculation."

"In the end," said Trynity hoarsely, rubbing her neck to soothe the pain, "you still failed."

He raised his hand to strike her, then thought better of it. "None of it matters. Soon I will be united with my father."

"That day will never come," predicted Trynity. His insanity further fed her disbelief in gods. Whatever being he was, he certainly was not an all-powerful deity and she did not care if he could read her thoughts or not.

Camrin only seemed to be amused by her. "Perhaps that is what I like best about you, Trynity. You are so stubborn in your contempt for gods that at least you have no illusions about the powers of Ulfynaeus and Dagmaeus. Their followers will be the first to die when I begin my reign."

"I'm not about to worship a fool like you."

"I don't want your worship, Trynity." He caressed her cheek and his eyes met hers. What he wanted or needed, she could never give.

Trynity turned away from him and closed her eyes. None of it mattered anymore. Camrin was some type of parasitic being that used others to maintain his existence. He was certainly no more than that. The question was how could he be destroyed?

"You don't have the power," he said out loud with a deep sigh, pulling her into his intimate embrace.

Someone out there must, she thought. Trynity wouldn't pray. There were no gods.

The ash from the volcano stung his eyes and made breathing difficult, but Duo had made the commitment to spend this time alone with the gods to reflect on his life. Remembering Trey's reaction to his announcement of his plans that morning three days ago when he had decided to leave, Duo winced. Trey was his friend, and Duo could do no less than to tell him the truth this time, especially about what Trynity had told him. Trey wanted to be supportive, but he thought Duo had lost his mind in leaving behind his responsibilities so that he could consider his future with Trynity. When Duo wouldn't listen to Trey's logical reasons to postpone his retreat, the emperor became furious, and Duo wondered what Trey would have done had Arora not calmed him.

The volcano eruption on the second day was a poor omen that Duo found difficult to ignore. Although he knew he should return, Duo needed time to think. He wouldn't be of any use to Trey anyway until he sorted out his feelings. That morning he had left Trynity, her confession and their subsequent cruel words to each other had distracted him from his duties. He had thought that he put his jealousy aside, but when Trynity asked him if he would have forgiven her, it erupted just as abruptly as the volcano had. He hadn't really forgiven her for spending her life with Lars Nelson, and hearing about her affair with Quatre Winner poured salt on that wound. He needed the direction of the gods to heal him.

But they weren't talking to him as he sat in the forested hillside near a stream from which steam now rose. When he had come out here as an imperial guard, he had found guidance or at least peace of mind in realizing after many hours of quiet reflection that he had to make his life on Calabria. Now with thoughts cramming his head of Trynity with other men, he couldn't think straight. Since the first time he had seen Trynity and Quatre together, he had guessed they shared some kind of intimacy that she did not want to admit to. He hadn't dreamed that she would have cheated on Lars. Would he have forgiven her as Lars had? Duo didn't think he could leave the mountain until he could answer that question.

And he didn't have the answer. She had broken his trust by not telling him about her pregnancy and she had broken Lars' trust in her by her affair with Quatre. Could Trynity ever be trusted? He couldn't help but wonder if she ever would have told him about Stryfe and Quynn if Stryfe hadn't tried to rig the blood test to Duo's favor. She had plenty of opportunities, and yet she hadn't spoken up, even to give her children a father when the only one they had ever known was taken from them by her lover. In a way, she had failed her children as well. Duo had tried to understand her social ineptitude, knowing that she had grown up isolated, far from any kind of society. She hadn't the opportunity to interact with people except in the most platonic way, even with her father. Her mistakes in understanding people and their reactions were only natural, but Duo had hoped that she had grown in that facet of her life. But Trynity still seemed incapable of trusting people to take care of her, and in doing so, she made it difficult for others to trust her.

On Calabria, she was his wife now, but he knew she wouldn't stay, and Duo wondered if he even wanted her to stay. The girl he had fallen in love with was gone. Duo felt responsible for her disappearance although he knew she shared in the fault. He couldn't help now but to consider what their life would have been like together had he followed his gut instinct to stay on that ship and forget the plan to leave in the escape pod. He wondered if he would have badgered her into taking the fellowship then had to watch her suffer doing something that she now clearly did not enjoy. Would he have understood had she announced that she wanted to enroll in medical school? Could he have supported her and two babies or would he have had to take jobs like Lars that would take him away from her? How would she have handled that? He didn't want to imagine her turning to a man like Lars to ease her loneliness, and yet he couldn't help it.

That brought him back to the question of forgiveness. Duo knew she wanted his forgiveness. That is why she asked what he would have done. Just like Lars, Duo had no choice. He had to forgive her, because he loved her. He wanted to hate her, but he couldn't. Maybe he was a fool like Trey had accused him of being, but he couldn't imagine his life anymore without her, whether she hurt him or not. He didn't really believe that she would hurt him any more than he could believe that she would have betrayed them had they not been separated. They would have made their life together work with the magic of their love.

Duo snorted with laughter as he imagined Trynity's face if he told her that. Well, Trynity needed to lighten up anyway. She had her past with Lars, but her future was with him. The rest of their lives was too short to dwell on the past. He would come to know the woman she had become instead of expecting the girl she had been. He was already proud of what she had made of her life although it was far different from what he had expecting when they were young. He couldn't have imagined her helping people as she had on Mars Colony, and yet she did so with no thought to the cost to herself. Duo would return to the Wasteland Palace where he would convince Trynity that she need to stay with him. There was no question in his mind that she would. Trynity didn't want to admit that she loved him because she was afraid he would reject her. Would she ever get over that fear?

Although he was distracted by his thoughts, Duo's training had been so thorough that he heard the soft footfalls, long before he saw a woman approaching. Far away, at first she looked as though she had dark hair but he thought he must have been fooled by the setting second sun because as she came closer, he realized it was Trynity. His first thought was that he was glad she came to him because he wanted to talk to her openly about his feelings.

His second thought was that she had no idea where he had gone. How had she found him? Duo believed in the gods, but he didn't believe in coincidence.

When she saw him, she seemed relieved and quickly closed the distance between them. Duo rose in time to take her into his arms when she threw herself at him. "I didn't think I would find you!" she cried breathlessly.

He used all his willpower not to react to the strong odor that he had associated with the boreworm that now enveloped him. Duo didn't want to believe that she had been with Quatre, but too much evidence worked against her. Trynity hadn't told him that Quatre had come into her room even after she told him of their affair. What was Duo supposed to think of that? Now she came to him reeking of Quatre's officious scent. Was he supposed to believe anything she said? Was he that gullible? Although he knew he was a fool, Duo had to give her another chance. He couldn't look into her chartreuse eyes without remembering everything they had shared.

"How did you find me?" he asked, knowing he had covered his tracks well. A skilled tracker wouldn't have been able to find his makeshift camp in the Guerani Hills, even if she could find one brave enough to defy not only the spirits of the long dead Guerani, but also the volcano.

"Taeron told me where to find you." She slid her hands up his chest and her clasped them behind his head. Duo was unpleasantly reminded of snakes. Trynity was lying to him. Duo had told Taeron that he was not to be disturbed and that he was to keep Trynity safe. Taeron had agreed, so Duo knew that Taeron had not brought her to the mountainside.

"Where is Taeron now?" asked Duo with a lift to his brow.

She pushed herself against him. "He is waiting for me just down the path."

"I would like to speak to him." Duo tried to step out of her embrace, but she held him tighter.

"Please don't punish him, my lord. I didn't really give him a choice, and he is just as concerned about you as I am." She smiled up at him, but Duo found that her winsome smile had no effect on him. And since when did Trynity call him 'my lord?' Hearing it almost made him laugh and tease her, but her lies drove off his sense of humor.

Not knowing what else to do, Duo decided to play her game. Slipping one arm around her waist, he slipped his fingers through her hair and tilted her head up. "I'm glad you are here, babe. There are some things I want to talk about with you."

"Must we talk?" Her pouting lips were definitely worth kissing.

Giving in to temptation, Duo bent forward to kiss her, but he changed his mind and pulled her arms from around his neck. Trynity made a sound that mingled irritation and disappointment. Perhaps after they had discussed what he wanted, he could give her what she wanted - what he wanted - but for now they had to talk through their problems.

Taking her hand, he drew her down on the grass beside him, and when she would have crawled onto his lap, he pushed her back to arm's length. "We can't go on as we have, Trynity."

She stared at him without speaking, but he knew she wanted to be doing something other than discuss their relationship.

Duo ran a hand through his hair, then reached out to take her hand. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Trynity. I thought I was doing you a favor."

"You did," she said with a shrug. "I really can't imagine what my life with you would have been like."

Duo raised a brow. How was he supposed to interpret that? He forged on anyway. "I even understand why you didn't tell me that you were pregnant."

"It has taken you long enough to realize that you really couldn't have been a good father," she said with a nod.

"What do you mean by that?" Duo dropped her hand.

Trynity shrugged. "You know what I mean, my lord. Even if I had an iota of guilt over leaving you in the dark, seeing you with Taeron would have taken care of that!"

"I realize that I made mistakes with Taeron."

"I'm quite sure you would have screwed up the lives of my children." Trynity sighed. "That is all in the past, my lord. I am your wife now, so we have to look towards the future."

At least she had come to the same realization that he had. But her words stung him. "I think we may have traveled a bumpy path together..."

She laughed derisively. "Bumpy path? Is that what you would call it? I think we did the right thing by separating for a while, because I had the opportunity to experience so much more than if I remained trapped with you."

"Trapped with me?" It seemed as if Trynity were choosing the words to cause him the most pain. Was she avenging herself by driving the knife in his heart?

She seemed oblivious to the effect that her words had on him. "I should think that you would appreciate the knowledge that my experience has given me." Reaching out, she put her hand on his thigh. "We could put that knowledge to work right now, my lord."

Duo shoved her hand away. The thought of being with her now made his gut wrench painfully. Why did he think the gods had given him some insight when they could see the woman that had been hidden from him? "I think we should find Taeron so that he can escort you back to the palace."

When he tried to rise, she threw her arms around him and knocked him on his back. "I'm not ready to go back yet." Trynity straddled him, then leaned forward so that she was pressed intimately against him. "You are my husband. I think you have some duty to me. I didn't come out here to listen to you whine about what could have been. I want something now."

Duo used all his willpower not to beat her senseless. He did throw her off, then stood over her. "We are going to find Taeron now. We will discuss my duties to you when I return from my duties to Trey." As she stood and brushed off her clothing, Duo considered the colossal mistake marrying her had been. If Trey had seen her behavior and heard what she had said to him, he wouldn't lose any sleep in disposing of her. What would Duo do if Trynity did not return to the Cinq Kingdom?

She stood glaring at him for a moment, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. For just a split second he thought her eyes had become brown, but it must have been a trick of the fading light because they were soon again green with yellow flecks. "I suppose I will have to obey you in this. Very well, then let's go find Taeron. Maybe while you are sitting around out here eating berries and communicating with your gods, he can keep me company. If not, Lord Quatre would be more than happy to take your place in my bed."

Duo grabbed her arm and yanked her to him. "You can do with Lord Quatre whatever you damn well please, but keep your filthy hands off my son."

"Don't you trust Taeron?" she goaded him, sidling up to him, obviously making another attempt to get what she had come for.

Seizing a handful of her hair, he tilted her head up and covered her lips with his. He knew Trynity well, how she felt in his arms, how she reacted to his touch, how she tasted. The woman he kissed now who seemed to be attempting to devour his mouth, was not Trynity. What she had said should have warned him that she was an impostor, but Duo was vulnerable and unsure of Trynity's feelings. He couldn't imagine how a woman could look so much like Trynity, and yet he knew that she wasn't the woman he loved.

He put most of his energies into distracting her with his kiss, and as he let her hands go where she pleased, Duo managed to tear strips from her clothing. She must have thought that he was tearing off her clothing because she didn't protest until he yanked her hands behind her back and tied them tightly.

"What are you doing?" she gasped, her tone a mixture of fear and excitement.

Duo chuckled. "Don't you remember me telling you how Larya likes it? You spoke of experience earlier, babe, so now I'm going to show you what I have gained in experience."

She licked her lips in anticipation. "What does this involve?" Thinking she was going to be excited by this new development, she didn't even fight him when he tore another strip from her clothing and tied her ankles together. She didn't even question him until he was standing over her, hands on his hips. "What...what are we going to do now?"

"Certainly not what you are expecting." Duo pulled out a dagger and tested the sharpness before kneeling and putting the tip to the pulse at her throat.

She sucked in her breath. "You would kill your own wife?"

"Whoever or whatever you are, you are not my wife." Duo pricked her skin, and as he suspected, she recoiled and her shape changed before his eyes. "Ryana of Bayman!"

"Let me go, you stupid human!" She struggled against the ties, but he had tied them so well she would only tighten them if she continued to struggle. Ryana seemed to realize it, because she stopped. "You will regret this!"

Duo snorted. "You never give up, Ryana. Is this another of your attempts to get close to Trey? I thought your proposal to marry me on one of my trips to Bayman was ridiculous enough. How long do you think your little ploy now would work once we returned and people began to wonder why there were two of the same woman?" That she could change her shape should have surprised Duo, but knowing what he did of Dagan's powers, he knew that Ryana had her own special talents.

A slow smile spread upon her lips. "What makes you think there would be two?"

Her confidence sent a shiver of apprehension down his spine. "Where is my wife?"

"For all you know, she may have returned to Earth. Then again, she may be enjoying the hospitality of Lord Quatre, and I do mean literally enjoying."

Duo cut deeper so that blood surged out of the wound at her neck. "Where is she?"

There was real fear in her dark eyes. "I would be a fool to tell you when I know you will kill me anyway."

"You have my word as an imperial guard that I will not kill you." He pulled back the tip of the dagger. "Where is Taeron and where is my wife?"

She licked her lips nervously before speaking. "I imagine Taeron is back at the Wasteland Palace, punishing himself for allowing your precious Trynity to escape. As for her, she's been serving the needs of Lord Camridaeus since you left."

"Lord Camridaeus? I thought you said..."

"Fool! Camridaeus has come into his powers! He no longer needs the identity of Quatre Winner."

Duo could only draw the conclusion that Quatre Winner was the lunatic stirring up the followers of Camridaeus and he had become deranged enough to believe that he was the dark god reincarnated. "Where are they?"

"Do you actually think she would want to return to you when she has known the touch of a god?"

"I'm losing my patience. Where are they?" To prove that he was serious, Duo cut her again.

Ryana tried to struggle again, then stopped when the bindings became too tight. "Let me go and I will tell you."

"We have already made a deal, Ryana, and I'm beginning to think you aren't going to keep your end of the bargain." He raised a brow. "I'm a pretty good tracker, princess. I would rather you save me the time by telling me, but if you do not, I think I will find them on my own."

She took a moment to weigh her options and came to realize that he would take her life without any qualm. "The camp is on the next ridge."

Duo turned in the direction she indicated and he saw a thin line of smoke in the distance betraying the presence of a campfire.

"You aren't going to leave me here?" she asked when he started to walk away. "Some wild animal could come alone and devour me."

Duo turned back to look at her. "I suppose that would be breaking my part of the bargain." He strode back, then hefted her over his shoulder.

"Where are you taking me?" she shrieked fearfully.

He grabbed a high tree limb and pulled himself up. He climbed up the tree as efficiently as he could with her struggling to escape, and when he thought he was high enough, he settled her amongst the branches, tying her securely with another strip from her clothing. "That should keep you safe enough. The worst that can happen will be that canyon buzzards peck out your eyes."

"You bastard!" Ryana dared not struggle because if she did, she would probably break the branch and fall to her death.

Duo scrambled down the tree, then looked back up at her. She glared down at him. "I'll be back after I finish with Quatre Winner."

Ryana laughed coolly. "Then I will say good-bye to you now, Duo Maxwell, because Lord Camridaeus will not let you live to see the first sun rise."