Free Embrace the Mystery [03] Blood Rose Series by Caris Roane Page B

especially from the time she’d moved to Lebanon, so she wasn’t exactly used to this kind of flight. But Quinlan had muscles on muscles and held both women securely against his side, maneuvering them swiftly up the stairs to a side window.
    Releasing them for a moment, he jerked the large double sash out of the molding, then dove into the air. He returned swiftly to pull Batya from the building, then Lorelei.
    “Margetta!” Batya shouted. The woman’s gold light bloomed suddenly and her wind frequency struck hard, pressing them back against the brick just to the side of the window.
    Batya pathed to Quinlan. We’ve got to get out of here.
    * * * * * * * * *
    Quinlan closed his eyes. He focused on his essential physical prowess and battling vibration. Gathering his warrior strength, he shunted Margetta’s wind aside, but only for a few seconds. The wind returned stronger than ever, despite the fact that he pressed back with all his might. She’d created a formidable wind, something he’d never experienced before and it felt inexhaustible, the way Batya’s shield felt, as though the ancient fae could sustain the hurricane indefinitely.
    Batya, I can’t hold against her. Can you add your own abilities? Your battle frequency? Most realm-folk carried all the known frequencies, to lesser or greater degrees.
    I’m not sure. I’m not trained like you.
    He met Batya’s gaze and saw her fear, the untried nature of her latent abilities. You can do this. I’ve felt your power. Just connect your battle frequency with mine. It’s there. You know it is.
    She stared back, searching his gaze. His power shook now, barely holding against Margetta.
    His voice rumbled once more through her mind. You can do this.
    He felt her invitation to search her power and directed his frequency to dive within her.
    She groaned as though his invasion hurt and maybe it did. She’d never opened her battle-frequency before. But when he found it, and tapped in, he felt a rush of energy flow out of her.
    I don’t know if the shield will hold now.
    We’ll soon find out.
    Power flowed through him as never before. He let it engage his levitation abilities, and like a rocket he flew straight up, through the wind, angling to fly faster than ever toward Grochaire.
    “Don’t let up,” He called to Batya. But she’d slumped against him, only half-conscious. Damn, he’d hurt her. He could feel it now, that she was in pain. But her battle-frequency flowed like a quick-running river.
    Once at the access point, he called to the Guardsmen on duty, but nothing returned. Two seconds later, he saw why. Both men were dead, split apart, blood everywhere.
    There was nothing to do but press on, knowing as he did that Margetta would follow after them.
    The moment he crossed the plane-border to Grochaire, he turned in a northeasterly direction and added even more speed.
    He felt Batya’s growing exhaustion yet at the same time, he sensed Lorelei’s excitement, like a dog kept in a kennel and suddenly allowed set free.
    “Grochaire,” she murmured. He heard awe in her voice.
    He felt the same way. Love for his homeland pulsed within him, maybe enhanced by the ferocity of Batya’s battle frequency, he didn’t know. But he loved his land, his realm, his world.
    Can’t hold on, Batya’s voice sounded faint.
    I have you.
    My satchel.
    Lift it to my hand.
    She raised her arm and with just a little shuffling, he grabbed the handle, while still holding her tight against him.
    I can’t sustain both frequencies, Quinlan. Which do you want me to keep going? Battle or enthrallment?
    He thought for a moment, then decided it would better to have the increased flight speed so he chose to let her drop her shield. They were far enough into Grochaire that he knew their trail would have already grown cold to Margetta. It would be no simple thing for her to find them now.
    When he told Batya that she could release her enthrallment, he felt her shield fade then vanish, but