Warrior Rising - By Pamela Palmer Page 0,60

is to destroy the stones of Orisis so they can never be used against either of our peoples again."

"King Rith already has three of them."

"We may be able to get them back."

"Then you'll steal the others from us."

Her temper flared. "They're not yours! They were never yours."

"And you'd kill us to do it."

She stared at him, her slender shoulders sagging as if crushed by the weight of his words. Tears began to glisten in her eyes, tearing a hole in his heart. "I don't want to hurt anyone, Harrison. Especially not you. But I have to stop Rith and I need the stones to do it. Over and over I've demanded and pleaded with the Sitheen to return the stones to me. But you've refused. We both know you'll continue to refuse. You'll never give them back to me."

"You could have told me the truth."

"No! I couldn't have. Just this morning you still had me chained. You brought me here to seal the gates and nothing more. But I can't do that. Neither world can survive if they're cut off from one another. One of my ancestors tried to seal the gates once, the two gates. The attempt killed her and spawned tempests and storms in both worlds that destroyed vast stretches of land and took untold lives. When it was over, the two gates had become twelve."

He stared at her. What would twelve become? A hundred?

There had to be a way! "Then seal all but one, like you did the last time."

She shook her head. "The draggon stone is, and has always been, the key to unlocking all the gates. Any time it passes through one of the gates, they all open. And the gates can only be sealed from this side. Since I must take the draggon stone into Esria in order to raise the magic to destroy the others, sealing the gates is impossible."

She lifted her hands to dash at the tears beginning to run down her cheeks even as her mouth tightened in anger. "I alone can stop Rith, but the humans won't let me near the stones...my stones! Everyone looks after his own needs and we're all going to fail unless we work together. But I'm the only one who sees that!"

Her tears were falling now in a steady stream, but her voice remained strong and passionate. His anger began to dissipate as her words slowly sank in. The gates couldn't be closed. Ever. The only way to stop Rith was by destroying the six green stones.

He met her gaze. Through that cord of connection, he saw that bright light inside her, felt its answering warmth inside himself. And knew she was telling the truth. A truth he didn't want to hear, but the truth all the same.

Hell and damn.

"I'm sorry, Ilaria. We never asked for your opinion, did we? We never wanted it. All we've wanted since the day Baleris arrived was to seal those gates again. To end this invasion once and for all." He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, struggling to reorder his tumultuous thoughts. The goal now was...to not seal the gates. Instead, it was to give the stones to Ilaria and help her escape with them. Give them to an Esri...

His teeth ground together. No. Not an Esri. Ilaria.

"I believe you, Ilaria," he said quietly, dropping his hand and meeting her vibrant gaze. "I trust you."

She watched him with eyes that glistened with equal parts hope and determination. A warrior injured but not down. Never down.

For the first time, he realized how isolated she'd been. Enemies on all sides. She alone had known what must be done to stop King Rith. But she couldn't do it alone. And she hadn't been able to trust those who could help her.

He saw the aching loneliness in her eyes and felt it in his heart. With a move born of instinct, he opened his arms to her. She hesitated for only a second before walking into them. Her arms slid around his waist as she buried her tear-streaked face against his shoulder.

For one perfect moment, the terrible tension inside him drained away to be replaced by a feeling of utter rightness. Not even the death of his dreams had the crushing effect it should have had. The gates could never be sealed. The humans would never again be safe from the Esri. Then again, if Ilaria succeeded in claiming the throne, the Esri would be ruled by