|
Scene #85
Awakening
-------- He would have to kill her. Ryn
rubbed a hand over his jaw, scraping against a day's worth of
bristles. The image on the security monitor rolled and fixed.
Amanda Vaughn still sat in her car with her arm outstretched and
pressing the intercom. Her finger had glued itself to the bloody
button. She wasn't going anywhere. He let out a slow breath
and straightened. Absent fingers tightened the knot on his tie and
he pressed it smooth against his shirt. “Let her in, Mark.”
“Mr Pendaran?” Ryn didn't answer, but stood back and fixed
his gaze on the black-and-white screen. The gates juddered and
slowly swung inwards. A smile tugged at Ryn's mouth. He could
imagine the surprise of the obstinate woman sitting in the car at
the sudden grate of metal hinges and the scrape of wrought iron
over the gravel driveway. Her arm pulled in and the battered
Renault chugged forward. “Have security bring her to my office.”
“Yes, sir.” Ryn ran a hand through his hair and strode
out of the dim room lined with gleaming monitors. What did she
want? The Vaughns had fulfilled their role. It was time to
relinquish their hold on the Unwoken Hill. His mouth thinned. With
Amanda being the last in her line, had she become reluctant to let
go of the power that came with her custodianship of the Blackwoods?
His footsteps echoed around the marble lined room. The soft
lap of the pool eased the tightness from his chest and he breathed
in the warm, damp air. Ryn wanted nothing more than to strip out
of his suit and dive in into the clear water. But he couldn't.
Time, something that stretched and slowed for him, was now a wild
rush, propelling them all towards one event. He pressed his hand
against a white, marble pillar, letting its chill work its way
through him. He blew out a slow sigh and rested his forehead
against the cool stone. It all should have been so easy. The
time was at hand, but the bloody woman had contested everything.
At sunset, the final finger of light would streak through the
opened mound of the Unwoken Hill and touch the tomb of the dark
lords, the Falinn Brir. The three lords would wake after centuries
of sleep. A knot in Ryn's gut twisted tight. The Vaughn
woman blocked him. Even after he'd used his influence and ordered
the compulsory purchase of her land, she'd fought him. And now she
was at his bloody door. Ryn pushed himself away from the
pillar. He ran both hands over his cooled face and flattened his
hair. Stretching his shoulders, he straightened his jacket. He
would not fail, not now, not when the Beast was so close.
“Amanda Vaughn will not stand in the way.” His voice beat out with
his footsteps. Ryn fastened his jacket, catching his dark
reflection in the shining glass doors that cut across the end of
the pool room. His image shifted and Ryn's pulse spiked. A
woman's sleek face replaced his own in the glass, her slender body
flowing down over his reflection. “Talking to yourself, Corryn?”
Her voice had a flattened quality that had him wincing.
“I'm allowed. I'm at home.” “Tetchy.” Ryn sucked in a
tight breath. “I don't have time for this now, Melia.” “The
Falinn Brir aren't the only ones I need.” The shadowy reflection
of the woman in the glass grinned at him, her bright eyes crinkling
at the corners. “And I told you you'd have to meet with the Vaughn
custodian.” “Yes, the Var think know all, see all.” Her
grin faded and lines creased her smooth forehead. “Everything I,
we worked for is coming, Corryn. Remember that. Your anger won't
deny me this.” Melia's image faded and Ryn's hand pressed
against the cool glass, pushing against its weight. They had work
to do and a simple custodian wouldn't stand in their way. “I will
see the end of the rift. She won't deny me that.” A muscle
jumped in his cheek. To hell with Melia. Yes, he would have to
kill Amanda Vaughn. He doubted she would take the
alternative.
| 
