Warrior Rising - By Pamela Palmer Page 0,67

But he was the one who needed it now to open the gate.

Harrison, now dressed as the others, put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder as if he sensed the battle raging inside her. And maybe he did.

Findris lifted the draggon stone over his head, then moved away, laying the six pale green stones of Orisis on the cement, equally spaced around the base of the fountain. As he placed the last of the stones, Findris began to chant. In moments, if this worked, the gate would open. She'd be leaving. If things went poorly, she might never return.

She turned to Harrison at the same moment he turned to her. His hands caressed her shoulders, his eyes filling with the grief that tore at her heart.

"I'm going to miss you." His words low and husky, he bent toward her even as she lifted her face for his kiss, hungry to taste him one last time. In the blowing snow he gave her a kiss of such tenderness, such sweetness, that she felt tears burn behind her eyes and it was all she could do to hold them back.

"Be careful, Harrison." I love you. The words sang only in her head for they served no purpose but to strengthen a bond that should never have been created in the first place. Her heart might recognize him as her mate, but they were from two worlds, two different races. One immortal, one all too mortal. They'd never had a future and they both knew it.

Findris's chanting carried low and steady over the odd stillness of the inner park. The promise of magic fluttered over her skin. Harrison pulled her into his arms and she clung to him, feeling his warmth wrap around her.

A minute passed, then another as she waited for the blast of power that told her the gates had opened.

Another minute passed.

Ilaria straightened, pulling out of Harrison's embrace to turn to Findris. Her old friend looked up at her, his mouth a thin line, misery in his eyes.

"It's not working. I don't have the power."

Ilaria started toward him. "Perhaps if I - "

"Esri!" The shout sounded from outside the ring of trucks.

Her heart leaped into her throat, her pulse pounding. Not yet, not yet, not yet. She grabbed her skirts and ran toward Findris.

A crack of thunder exploded, the ground shaking violently beneath her as power rushed over her flesh, a foul energy that stung and stank of dark decay.

On the ground, lights began to glow like tiny suns. No, not lights...the stones of Orisis. As one, they shot into the air and began to chase one another in a circle high above the fountain. Faster and faster they flew until they appeared to be little more than a single ring of light.

The grim look on Findris's face told her this wasn't his doing. "King Rith has commandeered the power."

Maybe not all of it. Her hand shot out as she reached him. "Give me the draggon stone."

Findris yanked the stone from around his neck and placed it over hers. The moment the weight of the stone settled against her chest, the royal energy rushed through her, sinking deep into her blood. Then just as suddenly, the power turned on her, seizing her mind in a painful grip.

A grip she knew to be Rith's.

"Ilaria!" Harrison's voice came at her from an unnatural distance.

A roaring filled her ears, then rushed away, sweeping her feet out from under her and pulling her into its dangerous current. She struggled to hold on, to fight the pull, but the power aligned against her was too strong. Rith's power. In a blazing rush of pain, she tumbled into darkness.
Chapter 14
Harrison fell to his knees in the snow beside Ilaria. Frantically, he searched for her pulse and found it strong and steady. His own heart started to beat again.

"Ilaria?" He patted her face, looking up at Findris. "What happened?"

The Esri looked as confused as Harrison felt. "I don't know. The draggon stone should never turn against its queen. This has to be Rith's doing."

The hair on Harrison's nape rose, the taste in his mouth turning odd. "What...?"

An invisible hand lifted him off his feet and flung him backward to crash onto the hard, snowy ground. The wind slammed out of his lungs on a whoosh and for a startled moment he couldn't breathe. When he could, he pushed to his feet to find the others rising as well, even Findris, as if they'd all been