“That is not entirely true,” he said. “Yes, I am a Raziq, and yes, we were working on keys that could be used to close the portals, but that is not my purpose now.”
“Then what is your purpose?” I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall. Although the pose appeared casual, every muscle quivered, ready to launch into fight mode should the need arise.
Not that I really expected to be able to prevail against a full Aedh.
“I plan to stop them.”
“So you spent all that time with the Raziq making the keys, and now you’re hell-bent on stopping them? That doesn’t sound very logical to me.”
The heat of him was closer now. It spun around me—a warm, nonthreatening presence that nevertheless made my skin crawl because of the power behind it. Because there was no underlying sense of humanity. This was a being who wore flesh rarely and who had no love or understanding for those who possessed it full-time.
Which made me wonder why he was now trying to stop the Raziq.
“Magic alone works the portals, and it is because that magic can be corrupted that the keys were made. If magic wasn’t as intrinsic in the opening of the portals, then neither those on this plane nor anyone on the other could affect them.”
Which made basic sense, but it also meant the power of the gates lay in those keys rather than magic. And that seemed ultimately more dangerous to me.
“So why not simply destroy the keys yourself? If you helped make them, then you must know how to unmake them.”
“I do. The trouble is, the keys are on this plane, and I no longer can interact with this world.”
My eyes widened. “But aren’t you interacting with it now?”
“Not on a flesh level. That ability was torn from me when they discovered the part I played in the keys’ disappearance.”
“Meaning there’s more than one of you trying to destroy these keys?”
“No, but all Raziq have Razan, and mine hid the keys while I created a diversion.”
“So why not just ask them where they put the keys?”
“Because they are dead. They were under orders to destroy themselves should I not return by a certain time.”
Charming. But then, why would an Aedh care whether one of his servants lived or died? He could undoubtedly create more as needed. “And you couldn’t return because you were captive?”
“Precisely.”
“This plan of yours wasn’t really that well thought out, was it?” I said, slightly sarcastically.
“In any venture of worth, there is always an element of risk.”
The jury was still out on whether this venture was worth the risk. I wasn’t about to trust that he was telling the truth rather than twisting facts.
“So did all your Razan die?”
“No, I still have some who aid me, but they have no knowledge of the theft or the location of the keys.”
The odd emphasis on the word aid had my intuition tingling. “I hope it isn’t your Razan who have been attacking me and my friends.”
“No. I would not order that when I need your assistance.”
Which didn’t actually imply he would never do it. I contemplated the shadows for a moment, wishing he was visible, yet half glad he wasn’t. If I couldn’t see, I couldn’t be disappointed. And I couldn’t read the lies.
Why did I think there were lies?
Maybe it was just the whisper inside my head telling me it couldn’t be so simple. That there was more to his quest than what he was saying.
“Then why didn’t they destroy you when they discovered your part in the theft?”
“Because without me, they have no hope of finding the keys. So they imprisoned me, but not quite as successfully as they thought. I am free, but powerless to do anything more than conduct events.”
“Then why pull me into it if you have the Razan?”
“Because I used my blood to alter the form of the keys, and only one of my blood can find and destroy them. You are my only offspring, so the task must fall to you.”
“What happens if the keys are destroyed?”
He didn’t answer straightaway, and I had a sudden inkling that this was the crux. That he didn’t know what would happen.
“The Dušan’s book will tell you what form the keys are now in and where I sent each of the Razan,” he said, eventually. “You will know when you are near them. You—and you alone—will feel it.”
“I tried reading the book. It was gibberish.”
“That is because you were not reading it as you should.”
Which made a whole lot of sense. Not. “Never mind finding them. How about telling me what will happen if I destroy them? And how the hell am I supposed to do that anyway?”
Again he didn’t answer, and frustration skidded through me. Why couldn’t someone just be fucking honest for a change?
Then the sense of him changed. The warmth fled, becoming a hostile iciness that scorched my skin and made my soul quiver.
“I told you to come alone,” he said, the words low and vibrating with fury.
I frowned, my nose twitching, searching for any hint that someone was approaching. The air remained free and there was little in the way of sound other than the wind and the loose roofing. “I did come alone. Why?”
Again he was silent, then, “It is them. Run. Now.”
And with that, he disappeared.
For a heartbeat I was too shocked to react, then I shifted my butt into gear and ran for the kitchen door. Only to slide to a halt as the warm rush of another presence hit me.
I’d expected more half-Aedh. What was coming at me was full Aedh.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I ran for the windows. But as I launched myself into the air, something wound around my legs and yanked me backward. I hit the floor with a grunt, but reached for the Aedh within me. Felt her surge, felt the power rush through my body, eager to fling me from one form to another.
Then another force hit me and suddenly the power was gone, leaving me fully fleshed and gasping in pain. And all too aware of the danger I was in.
I twisted, grabbed at the bolas wrapped around my legs, and quickly untangled them. Even as I did, the kitchen doors crashed open and two men entered. Both of them smelled human, and both of them obviously weren’t. Their eyes held the luminosity of the Aedh.
So much for Lucian saying it was rare for half-Aedh to become Razan.
I jumped to my feet and twisted around, kicking the first hard in the gut and knocking him back into the second. Then I bolted for the window again.
I was midair when it hit me. I have no idea what it actually was, but it was hot and it was heavy and it crushed me back to the floor, all but smothering me with its fierce, blanketing heat.
Aedh, I thought.
It was the last thing I did think for a very long time.
WAKING WAS AN EXPERIENCE IN PAIN.
Everything hurt. My head, my body, my soul.
Even groaning hurt—and I was aware enough to realize the sound seemed oddly flat, as if something was stifling it. I forced my eyes open.
To be greeted by darkness. Complete and utter blackness.
The air was warm but slightly stale, and it smelled of damp earth. There was little in the way of noise—no rain, no creak of roofing, no wind. I was lying on what felt like ice but was more than likely concrete, and my feet were bare. Which was odd given they’d left the rest of my clothes on.
I pushed upright, but the movement was too quick and my stomach and head rebelled in unison, leaving me dry-retching and dizzy.
I sat there for several minutes, breathing deep and waiting for everything to settle down. Eventually it did, and I took stock of what I actually had on me. Although they’d taken my shoes, they’d left both my keys and my phone in my pockets. I swept my hands across the surrounding concrete but failed to find my jacket—although given its somewhat tattered state, it wasn’t a huge loss. The boots, however, had been new.
I reached
into my pocket and drew out my phone. Not surprisingly, there was no reception, but it did at least give me some usable light.
I flipped it open and discovered I was in a cell. The floor might have been concrete, but the walls had been hewn out of the earth and were full of rocks and old tree roots. To the left was a rusting metal door, and while it didn’t appear to have much in the way of locks, I resisted the urge to jump up and attempt an escape. I very much doubted it would be as easy as it looked. After all, they’d dragged me here for a reason, and it was unlikely they’d be so careless in making sure I was secure.
I shifted my legs and slowly stood up. The dizziness threatened to drop me again, but my stomach remained steady. I continued to breathe deep and, after a moment, felt a little steadier. In the cell phone’s light, I saw the reason for the lack of boots and socks.
I was standing in a sea of broken glass.
My little square of concrete was about three feet wide. The rest—and there was a good eight feet between me and the walls—had the jagged remains of bottles and glasses cemented into it.
Any wolf—even us half-breeds—could jump eight feet without a decent run-up, and it showed both arrogance and overconfidence to make this the only barrier. But then, they didn’t actually think like the rest of us.
Unless, of course, there was something else here and I just couldn’t see it.
I frowned, my gaze sweeping the darkness again before coming back to the door. It might be unlocked, but it was sturdily built. If I didn’t hit it with enough force to crash it open, I’d risk dropping down onto the glass.
But I didn’t actually have to use my flesh form. I had another option.
I reached for the Aedh, but the minute I did, there was a sudden buzzing and the air above the glass shimmered briefly—a rainbow of color that was oddly threatening. Then the pain hit—pain so deep and dark it felt as if the jagged edge of a heated blade had been shoved into my flesh, spearing my soul and burning her alive.
I dropped to my knees, doubled over in agony, sweat breaking out over my body as I struggled to breathe. The buzzing continued, burning into my brain, intensifying the pain and rendering me all but helpless.
Then it stopped. Suddenly and without reason, leaving me shaking in shock and agony.
For several minutes I couldn’t do anything more than sit there, my arms crossed over my stomach as I rocked back and forth. Sweat dripped from my nose, staining the concrete beneath me and oddly resembling blood. I hoped like hell it wasn’t an omen.
Gradually, the pain ebbed enough to allow me to take a deep, shuddering breath. As I did so, an oddly dark surge of electricity ran my skin, making the little hairs at the back of my neck stand on end and my soul shiver away in fear.
There was another Aedh near.
“Why don’t you show yourself,” I said, “or are all Aedh cowards?”
“I have no desire and no need to show myself,” the disembodied voice whispered out of the darkness from near the door. “And I do not understand this term cowards.”
I shifted the phone, pointing it toward the corner where the voice seemed to be coming from, but its light failed to pick up anything in the shadows.
“It means you’re spineless.” Which was pretty much a given when I was talking to a being who was little more than energy. “Afraid.”
“It is not I who needs to be afraid,” he said.
As if to prove the point, the sense of him briefly amplified, burning my skin and making my head hurt again. My breath hissed between clenched teeth, but I resisted the urge to curl up into a defensive ball. I had a vague feeling that any sign of weakness would just make the situation worse. That these people—these beings—would respect courage more than fear.
Whether that would actually save me remained to be seen.
“Why have you dragged me here?” I hesitated, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice and not entirely succeeding as I added, “Or is that a stupid question?”
“You are here because you need to answer questions. Whether you do that willingly or unwillingly is your choice.”
He obviously hadn’t caught the sarcasm. No surprise there, given Azriel apparently didn’t, either, and they were basically two sides of the same coin.
I blinked. Azriel. Maybe he could get me out of this hellhole. I closed my eyes and ran his name through my mind. He’d stated he would hear me, anywhere, anytime, and although he apparently couldn’t follow me while I was Aedh, I wasn’t wearing that form now.
But there was magic here, and a powerful Aedh. I didn’t know if he could—or would—get through, either.
“Look, as I keep telling everyone else who is hunting down my father, I have no fucking idea where the bastard is.”
“And yet you were talking to him in that building. We felt his presence.”
“Then you’ll know he disappeared long before you got there. And he didn’t tell me squat.”
“You lie,” the presence said. “That is unwise.”
“That is the truth,” I bit back. “You bastards turned up before he could tell me anything useful.”
“Another lie,” he said. “It would appear you prefer not to cooperate. We shall try other means.”
“Wait!” I said, almost frantically.
But he didn’t.
This time the pain came as a sledgehammer rather than a knife, and it knocked me not only sideways but damn near senseless. I lay on the concrete and battled to breathe as my body quivered under the assault and my brain felt like it was on fire.
But this wasn’t just a psychic attack. It went far deeper than that. It felt like they were pulling me apart, atom by atom. It felt like every part of me was screaming—every part except my mouth, because the sound seemed to be stuck somewhere inside my throat.
I have no idea how long I lay there, writhing and twisting and silently—endlessly—screaming, but it seemed like hours. Days even.
Eventually, it stopped, leaving me tenuously holding on to consciousness as my whole body ached with a ferocity I couldn’t even begin to describe.
“She is very resistant,” a distant voice said.
Or maybe it wasn’t distant. Maybe it just seemed that way.
“Unusually so,” the original voice said. “But she has been in contact with Hieu. There is a text we must seek—it may aid our search.”
Oh God, some distant, still-functioning part of my brain thought. I had to warn Ilianna. I had to warn her mom. They might only have a copy of the text, but I’d put both of them in danger by asking them to translate it.
Yet I couldn’t move. I could barely even manage to breathe.
“Anything else?”
“No. But you may wish to try yourself while her defenses are weak.”
No, no, NO!
But again, no one was listening. The pain this time was razor-sharp, and it flayed me inside and out, tearing me apart as they looked for answers. I quivered and shook and pleaded for them to stop, but no one heard my words—voiced or unvoiced.
It went on and on, until I felt raw and battered and bruised, and my skin ran with rivers of blood that pooled underneath my body—a warm halo that gradually grew bigger. Just as instinct had seen earlier.
Eventually—mercifully—I blacked out.
When I came to, I was alone. My muscles had stopped quivering, but just about everything else felt like it still burned—my head, my body, my soul.
I carefully rolled onto my back. It was sticky with dried blood, but, oddly enough, the pain I felt came from the energy that had lashed the inner me, not the outer. If my flesh had been cut, then it had healed.
The cell was still wrapped in darkness, and I couldn’t see the rough-cut ceiling high above me. But the rainbow shimmer was still present, which meant the magical barrier was still in place. No surprise there, I guess.
I tilted my head back a little and looked at the door. It, too, was closed. I had no sense of any other presence in the room. I was alone. At least for the time b
eing.
I scrubbed a shaking hand across my face, and wondered just how successful they’d been in getting the information they wanted. Surely the fact that I was still alive meant I’d managed to hold on to at least some secrets. Not that I had a great many, because I really didn’t know much.
Maybe that was the reason I still lived. Maybe they simply didn’t believe I knew so little.
But they would be back. I had to get out before then, because I very much doubted I’d survive another onslaught.
I forced myself up onto my hands and knees. The room spun around me and my stomach leapt up my throat. I swallowed the bitter taste and closed my eyes, pushing the pain and the sickness away. I couldn’t acknowledge it—couldn’t deal with it—until I was out of here.
After a few more minutes, I crawled to the edge of my safe circle and studied the door. The catch was old and heavy, and looked like something you’d find in a medieval castle rather than anything made in recent—or not so recent—years. And there was definitely no lock.
Which meant I could get out—if I could get past the glass.
I gently placed my hand on the nearest peaks. The jagged edges sat against my palm, ready to pierce it should I exert the slightest bit of pressure. I looked across the width of it. Eight feet had never seemed so far.
But I really didn’t have much in the way of options. It was either walk across this barrier or take another round of Aedh questioning. At least with the first option, it was only my feet that would be cut up.
And I could do something about that.
I sat back on my heels and undid my jeans, slipping them down my hips before shifting onto my butt and pulling them off my legs. Tearing them in half wasn’t so easy—not when my whole body felt as if it had been torn apart. Hell, right now I wasn’t entirely sure that parts of me weren’t going to start unraveling.
Eventually the seams gave way, tearing in half along the crotch. I carefully wrapped each foot in one jean leg, tucking in the ends to stop them unraveling as I walked.