The Last Guardian Page 3

  Slowly shapes began to form, at first just shadowy silhouettes, then more light, and the trees separated from the darkness. Finally, she blinked, and the night was clear and fresh, the stars above sparkling in velvet blackness, the half-moon just dipping below the mountaintop.

  She looked around the clearing. There was no sign of the Soul Eater. She couldn’t even feel it. There was also no sign of the other.

  “What happened?” she whispered, her voice ragged and harsh in the quiet night.

  “I don’t know.” Gehan stood and helped her to her feet.

  “Was that…? Do you think that was…?”

  “Me.” The voice was musical and quiet, a gentle caress on Neeka’s damaged ears. She felt the soothing flood of warmth again. She blinked, and before her stood the newly born goddess.

  The goddess had the body of a human-sized cat covered in lavender fur that glinted with sparkling light. Her face was a young girl’s with pale blue skin and long pink hair hanging around her in intricate plaits. She stared at the surrounding woods with wide, midnight blue eyes glinting with silver and gold specks like stars.

  The goddess sat and her tail curled around her feet as she turned her white-less eyes on Neeka and Gehan.

  “This is an interesting world,” she said, a slight smile on her heart-shaped mouth. “I think I shall like it. You will be My first worshipers?”

  There was both question and command in the goddess’s new voice, as if she wanted to demand their following but wasn’t sure if she should.

  “We bear witness to your birth and will remember you always,” Neeka said with deference and diplomacy. It wasn’t a good idea to anger a new goddess. Whether they would honor her or not would depend on her actions as she took up her place in the pantheon.

  A sudden, joyful smile lit the little girl face and her body changed to the shape of a horse—a purple spotted horse.

  “That is good. You shall be rewarded. For your part in guarding Me. And for your worship.” She glanced up suddenly, as if something had caught her attention.

  Gehan reached out and took Neeka’s hand, squeezing. She held tight, grateful for his support. It wasn’t every day you faced a new goddess, and she wasn’t sure what to do. The goddess was Baudowa’s daughter. She deserved respect. And her birth had somehow banished the Soul Eater, saving Neeka and Gehan’s lives.

  Though whether the goddess had banished the monster on purpose or not, Neeka couldn’t be sure. She was afraid to ask and tempt the new deity’s wrath. The goddess wielded a dangerous power and this was a precarious time for her.

  “Thank you, my lady,” she said as a way to answer the goddess’s generous offer of a reward without actually committing to worship her. “By what name will you be known?”

  A laugh like the tinkling of bells came from the goddess and her body shifted again, this time to the shape of a dragon, though a small dragon, with iridescent wings.

  “A name, a name,” she chanted. “I will have a Name. You shall name Me Alee’an, and I will grant you whatever you like, My first acolytes.”

  Neeka swallowed, not sure what to say. Gehan saved her the effort.

  “I would ask but one thing of you, Alee’an.”

  “Ask, My mage, and you shall have.” The goddess grinned.

  Gehan smiled back, and the expression took Neeka’s breath away. He looked happy, relaxed. It was the first time she’d seen him look so carefree. Her own sense of peace seemed to spread, making her feel lighter, happier than she’d been in months. Maybe years. She felt a laugh bubbling up from deep inside and struggled to hold the laughter in.

  “What would you have of Me, My mage?” Alee’an asked again, her head tilted to one side on top her dragon’s body.

  “I want to spend the rest of my life with Neeka, my lady. However long that life is to be.”

  The goddess nodded, her smile growing. “You were the Trickster’s. You are Mine now. He will have to come to Me if He disagrees. The Trickster gave you a long life. Which would you choose, both of you—long life together or one mortal life? I give you whichever you want.”

  Neeka’s eyes widened. Was Alee’an saying what she thought she was saying? Would she extend Neeka’s life to the near immortality of Gehan’s if that were their choice?

  She turned to Gehan, wondering if he would want to live another several centuries, or would he prefer just one lifetime? She wanted longer. She would take forever with him if she could have it. But she hadn’t already lived for three centuries. What did she know about forever?

  “Would you consider being with me for longer than a mortal lifetime?” he asked, his voice quiet.

  She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. “I will be with you for as many lifetimes as you’ll have me.” She turned back to the goddess. “Could I still have children, if we live so long?”

  Alee’an laughed. “I would insist you did have children. I will need more acolytes. Your children will be blessed in My eyes.”

  Neeka’s heart pounded as a joy she’d never imagined washed through her. She looked into Gehan’s eyes, saw an echoing joy, and knew this new goddess would have not only her respect but her love if she gave them this future together.

  “I shall give you very long lives,” Alee’an said, her body shifting to that of a human woman but with butterfly wings, large and iridescent in pinks, blues and purples. “My mage and My guardian. I charge you in return to remember Me. To speak My name to your children. To spread My name to those you meet. To give Me honor. In return, I shall bless you, and you shall be above all others to Me.”

  Alee’an looked up suddenly, again as if something had caught her attention. “Hello, Father,” she said, and disappeared.

  Neeka and Gehan were left alone in the dark, peaceful night, staring at the place the new goddess had been.

  “Do you suppose she’ll be true to her word?” Neeka asked, leaning in close to him.

  “I don’t know. And I don’t care. We’re alive. We’re together. And we have at least one lifetime. I say we take advantage of every second.” He pulled her close, kissed her deeply. When he lifted his head, his eyes sparkled. “Maybe we should get started on those children now.”

  Neeka’s laughter rang through the trees, filling the remains of the circle.

  Books by Isabo Kelly

  Fire and Tears series

  Brightarrow Burning

  The Darkness of Glengowyn

  Warrior’s Dawn

  The Naravan Chronicles

  The Promise of Kierna’Rhoan

  Interface

  The Secret of Narava

  Flight of the Ebisu (COMING SOON)

  The Last Guardian

  Kellyn’s Sacrifice

  The Heron’s Call

  Going All In

  Christmas Present

  Tales from Lachmuirghan: Hali’s Rescue

  About the Author

  Isabo Kelly is the multi-published award-winning author of fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal romances. The latest book in her Fire and Tears fantasy romance series, WARRIOR’S DAWN, is out now. For more on Isabo and her books, visit her at http://www.isabokelly.com, follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/IsaboKelly, or friend her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/IsaboKelly.