Darkness Splintered

Chapter 7

“You know,” I said as the hounds stared up at us, their red eyes glowing with malevolence and their thick bodies little more than shadowed outlines in the fading glow of Valdis’s flames, “I’m getting a little sick of being attacked by hell’s creatures every time we take a step forward on this damn quest.”

“It is the price we pay for tracking a dark sorceress. Stay here —”

I snorted. “Like fuck —”

“Risa,” he said, cutting me off with a fierceness that surprised me. “There is no need for you to place yourself in danger. Not in this case. For once let me do what I was sent here to do without argument.”

Let me take care of you. Please. He didn’t say the words out loud, but they echoed through me nonetheless. I met his gaze, saw the annoyance and the caring there, and reached out, cupping his cheek lightly as I leaned forward and kissed him. “Just this once,” I murmured.

“Thank you.” His voice was dry but amusement tugged at his warm lips. “So generous of you.”

And with that, he jumped into the hole, Valdis aflame and spitting in fury. I watched, heart in my mouth, as the hellhounds attacked and he briefly disappeared under the force of their onslaught. He emerged seconds later, Valdis a blur as he hacked right and left, dispatching the hounds with quick efficiency. When the last of them was dead, he looked up, his blue eyes glowing as fiercely as the sword in his hand.

“Now you may come down.”

I sheathed Amaya, then gripped the edges of the hole and carefully lowered myself into the darkness. It seemed an awful long way down to the bottom, even at full arm’s length.

“I’ll catch you.” He sheathed his sword, though her brightness still provided enough light to see by.

“You’d better, or I’ll be pissed.”

“Which scares me not. It’s not like I haven’t been subjected to your ire before.”

I snorted softly, then released my grip on the edge and plummeted down. Two heartbeats later Azriel caught me, as promised.

“You,” he said, voice severe as he stood me upright, “have lost far too much weight since this quest began.”

And the opposite should be happening given I was now pregnant. “Yeah, well, tell that to the bad guys who are either interrupting my meals or making me lose my lunch.” I swung around. “Is there anything here besides a black hole and hellhound bits?”

“There are no cuneiform stones, if that is what you are looking for.”

Meaning our sorcerer and sorceress weren’t using it as a jumping off point to get to their ley-line intersection chamber. I swore softly. “Is there anything else here?”

“Nothing living.”

Flames flared down Valdis’s sides again, lifting the shadows and lending the rough-hewn walls a blue glow. The cavern was on the small side, though there were two tunnels leading off it. A few small tables had been hacked out of the soil and stone, but there was little on them other than clean spots in the grime – indications that things had sat there not so long ago.

I drew Amaya and marched toward the first of the two tunnels. It was small and narrow, and cut so roughly that the sharp edges tore at my dress and skin. Thankfully, it wasn’t all that long, and I soon found myself standing in another chamber. This also held empty shelves and tables hewn out of the earth, but there was one major difference here. A very elaborate protection circle had been etched into the stone floor, and the melted remains of black candles sat on each of the four cardinal points.

The twin scents of frankincense and cedar still lingered in the air, which was odd. I knew from Ilianna that frankincense was used as protection against evil, and I had no doubt that Lauren used this circle to summon evil. But maybe she used it for personal protection – it wouldn’t be surprising given what she was summoning. It was what ran under those scents, however – a sharper, almost caustic aroma – that made my skin crawl.

“That is the scent of hell,” Azriel said grimly. “This is certainly where she summoned her demons.”

“Then we’d better destroy it.”

“It will not be the only place from which she could summon.”

“No, but one less place has got to be a good thing for us, right?”

Not waiting for his answer, I stepped forward, swung Amaya, and slashed her across the nearest part of the circle. The sharp point of her steel scored the stone, cutting the etched lines in two, thereby destroying whatever magic lingered within the circle. To use it again she’d have to redo the entire thing, and that would take time in stone this hard. I smiled grimly. It wasn’t much but, if nothing else, it would annoy the bitch.

“Now all we have to do is find whatever other circles she is using.” Azriel touched my back, his fingers warm against my spine. “Shall we inspect the other tunnel?”

“Might as well since we’re here.”

I squeezed back through the rough-hewn tunnel, gaining yet more scratches – though, thankfully, none were deep enough to bleed. The second tunnel was wide enough to walk normally down, and led into a chamber as large as the main one. I scanned the floor, but there was little more than dirt here. But there were more tables and shelves hacked out of the stone and earth, and this time, not all of them were empty. I walked across to a row of six shelves, inspecting the items stacked neatly along them, but not touching. I didn’t know enough about the accoutrements of a witch to do so; what I did know was the fact they could be damn dangerous if you didn’t know what you were doing.

There were old jars of varying sizes, and they seemed to hold little more than herbs, though there were a few that had dried up bits of animals and one that held what looked suspiciously like strands of hair. Hair that was the color of silver.

My hair, I very much suspected.

Maybe this is where Lucian had brewed the geas he’d placed on me that had made me unable to resist him sexually. Meaning, this place might not be Lauren’s bolt-hole, but rather Lucian’s.

“It’s possible they both use it,” Azriel commented. He stood on the opposite side of the cavern, inspecting several bags. “Lucian was certainly on Earth long enough to have become proficient in magic.”

“Why would he need the help of dark sorcerers, if that is the case?” I peered closer at the jar containing the hair to see if there was any sort of visible trap or alarm, then cautiously lifted it. There was no way in hell I was leaving this stuff here for the sorceress to use and abuse. The last thing I needed was another spell or geas placed on me.

I unscrewed the lid, inserted Amaya’s tip, and watched as she crisped the silken strands until nothing – not even ash – remained. That done, I placed the jar back on the shelf and walked across to a table that held a mix of candles, bells, a chalice, and several incense sticks. There was absolutely nothing that even remotely resembled any of the weapons that had been stolen from the Military Fair.

Frustrated, I walked over to Azriel, my shoulder brushing his as I stopped beside him. “Anything interesting?”

“In the first one, no. This one, however —” He upended the sack, and half a dozen old weapons tumbled out. There were daggers, short swords, several old-fashioned guns, and even a polished silver bayonet. I had no doubt they were part of the haul the dark sorcerer had taken from the Military Fair, because there was little other reason for these types of weapons to be here.

I raised a hand and skimmed it across them. There was no response from the Dušan on my arm, and I couldn’t feel any sort of pull toward them.

“You know,” I muttered, thrusting my hands on my hips as I glared at the weapons, “I’m getting pissed not only about having hell’s minions constantly thrown at us, but also continually being runner-up when it comes to these damn keys.”

Azriel tossed the sack back onto the table and swung around, his gaze searching the rest of the cavern. “We might not have found the key, but finding some of the stolen items in this cavern confirms that the dark sorcerer – if indeed there are two sorcerers involved, and not just a hermaphrodite shifter – is in fact working with Lauren. Up until this point, it was little more than conjecture.”

“Forgive me if I don’t get overly joyous about that bit of news.” I turned and leaned my butt against the stone table. “With the sort of luck we’ve been having, I fully expect the Raziq to make an encore appearance sometime in the near future.”

“It would not matter if they did.”

I blinked and stared at him for several heartbeats, wondering if I’d heard him right. “What?”

He glanced at me, eyes once again gleaming brighter than his sword. But this time its source was not the fierceness of battle, but rather the desire for vengeance. And that scared me, because as good a warrior as he was, there was still only one of him, and many more of them.

“It would not matter how many there were, because I am no longer one, but two.”

“Which is just about the most confusing statement you’ve ever uttered,” I said. “And you’ve uttered a few.”

He smiled. “Our life forces have been leashed. That means it’s harder for each of us to be killed, because we can draw strength from the other.”

I frowned. “So I’m drawing from you now? I mean, I’m not exactly in tip-top shape at present.”

“No, because it will only ever happen when whatever form we are wearing is in danger of complete failure.”

“But that doesn’t stop them from weakening you to the point where neither of us can fight,” I commented. “And it doesn’t stop them from kidnapping me again.”

“Yes, but the other benefit of our energies being leashed is the fact that there is nowhere they can take you – not even deep underground – that I will not be able to find you.”

“That still won’t stop them from snatching me.” Or trying to tear me apart yet again.

“That is something they can no longer do. You have the life force of a reaper within you, and while they may be able to kill you, they can no longer render you to particles.” He caught my hands, and squeezed them lightly. “You have nothing to fear from them. You are not what you once were. You are stronger. We are stronger.”

“Forgive my pessimism, but I’m thinking we still need to fear them. They’ll find a way to make us do what they want.”

And it would be easy enough – all they have to do is echo my father’s methods and threaten one of my friends.

“But they are impervious neither to attack nor death,” he said. “And if we remove the brains of the beast, the beast itself will not function.”

A shiver ran through me, despite the warmth of his touch. Though it was cold down here, and I had only a light dress on, neither of those factors played a part in the chills assailing me. Rather, it was the notion that I’d be confronting the brains of the beast – Malin – sooner rather than later. Clairvoyance, I thought, sucked big time.

“Great theory, but I’m guessing it’s going to be a trifle difficult to put into practice. Malin doesn’t always show up when they kidnap me.”

He shrugged. “We can always hope.”

I half smiled. “I think hanging around me has made you a little bloodthirsty, reaper.”

“It has nothing to do with a thirst for blood,” he replied, voice flat. “And everything to do with revenge. As you well know.”

“It was revenge that made you a Mijai in the first place,” I reminded him.

“And if I had not become Mijai, I would have not met you.” He stepped to one side, and motioned toward the tunnel. “But even so, I do not regret the actions that made me Mijai, and I certainly would not regret seeking revenge now for what the Raziq have done – not just for what they did to you, but for making the keys that have the potential to cause so much destruction across two worlds. Shall we go?”

There was little I could say to that. Revenge might be a dangerous desire, but it was one I could totally understand.

The main cavern was still empty of everything but hellhound blood and gore. I stopped underneath the hole in the concrete, and looked up. What I was looking for I had no idea. It wasn’t like Lauren would suddenly appear, thereby making our hunt a whole lot easier.

“What do we do now?” I asked, after a moment.

“You need to rest —”

“I haven’t got the time, Azriel. Mirri’s life —”

“May well depend on you being strong enough to complete the task ahead.” His voice held an edge that was an odd mix of concern and frustration. “You run yourself into the ground, Risa, and that is not good for anyone.”

Not for the hunt, not for those you seek to save, and not for our son. The words echoed through me and made me smile. And yet a vague sense of irritation stirred. He wasn’t telling me what I didn’t already know.

Wasn’t saying what I really wanted to hear.

“I know, and I will rest, I promise, when Mirri is safe.”

“Then at least let us return to your apartment so you can get something to eat.”

“That I can do.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, then, as his arms came around my waist and drew me even closer, added, “Home please, James.”

“Another ridiculous Earth saying, given my name is hardly James,” he said, as his energy snapped us home in no time flat. As we reappeared in the stinking blackened ruins of the living room, he added, “Nor do I actually think I look like a James.”

I grinned. “Agreed. You need a name more befitting of your bright and sunny nature.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I believe that is what you would term sarcasm.”

“I believe you could be right.”

My phone rang, the tone telling me it was Ilianna. The noise was sharp in the dark and smoky silence. Tao, I realized suddenly, wasn’t here.

Concern surged. I swung around, noting the front door was wide open as I dug the vid-phone out of my bag and hit the Answer button.

“Is everything okay?” I said, the minute Ilianna’s image appeared on the screen. “Is Mirri okay?”

“For the moment, yes.” Her voice was calm but worry had etched fine lines around her eyes. “Both Mom and Kiandra are currently studying all the different threads of magic woven into the energy collar, in the hope it will give them some idea how to dismantle it.”

It was a long shot, but right now, I guess it was the only one we had. “Tell them to be careful, because it’s Aedh magic they’re dealing with.”

“They know, trust me.” She hesitated. “Have you got any idea where Tao is? I’ve been trying to contact him, as we need some fresh clothes. We’re going to stay here for the next day or so.”

I frowned. “He hasn’t called you?”

“Not recently, no.” Meaning he’d disappeared not long after Hunter’s phone call to me. I scrubbed a hand across my eyes and tried to ignore the growing sense of loss. Tao wasn’t lost, not yet, no matter what my inner voice might be saying.

I said, “As to where he is, I don’t know. He was supposed to be home keeping an eye on the place, but the door is wide open and he’s gone.”

“Nor is he in the near vicinity,” Azriel said.

Damn, this is all we needed. Not that it was Tao’s fault. He was trying his best not to succumb to the elemental, but the desperation in his eyes haunted me. He was losing the battle, and he knew it. “Have you tried the café?”

“Of course. And I rang Stane, but he’s not there.”

“God,” I muttered. “I hope the fucking elemental hasn’t gotten hold of him again.”

“How was he when you last saw him?” Ilianna said.

“Jittery.” Scared.

But wherever Tao was, whatever he was doing, I just had to pray he was in control rather than the thing inside of him. Because as much as it tore at me, he couldn’t be my priority. That honor belonged to finding the keys and saving Mirri. “I’m sure Stane will keep an eye out for him.”

“He is,” she said. “He’s aware of the elemental problem, Ris. Tao must have mentioned it.”

He might be aware, but he was as helpless as the rest of us.

“Then there’s nothing else we can do. I’ve got keys to find and the clock is ticking.”

“I know.” She hesitated, her expression suddenly holding a touch of fear. “How is the search going? As badly as I fear?”

“Yes and no. We’ve uncovered a few clues, but they’ve led to dead ends.”

“Well, you are dealing with a dark sorceress. They don’t make things easy for anyone, including themselves.”

I frowned. “Meaning what?”

“Meaning dark magic is usually based on the strength and the blood of the practitioner. To summon as she does would take a toll on her physically and mentally.”

“Meaning if she summoned enough demons to protect two different places, she’d have to lie low for a few days and recover?”

“Definitely.”

Which was more than likely why the second key hadn’t yet been used. It wasn’t just that they hadn’t found the correct one yet, but one or both of them hadn’t the strength to actually get onto the fields. And that meant how much time we had left very much depended on when they’d summoned the demons. Lucian had died three days ago, and Lauren had been packing before then. The days I’d spent trying to drown my sorrows might have given her all the time she needed to recover.

“Does that sort of rule apply when you’re creating something like a protection circle?”

“Not really. It’s a different type of magic to summon.”

“But what if you’re trying to protect and hide something large? Something like a gateway onto the gray fields powered by the ley-line intersection?”

“It’s still the same magic, just a larger scale.” Her expression was a little bemused. “As I’ve already told you, the amount of magic needed should produce a magical ‘hot spot’ that would enable us to pinpoint its location.”

And the sorcerer would know that, I suddenly realized. “And have you?”

“Well, no. But I did ask Kiandra about it —”

“And she said they haven’t noticed any such hot spots,” I cut in.

She frowned. “Yes. How did you guess?”

“Because it suddenly occurred to me that any sorcerer worth his salt is going to know just how trackable his magic is. So either the magic concealing and protecting the ley-line gateway is Aedh based and therefore untraceable via human means or —”

“Or,” she cut in, “he’s not using magic. Not to protect the intersection, anyway.”

“Exactly.” I began to pace. “There was a small protection circle around the cuneiform-etched stones Jak and I found in the tunnels under that warehouse near Stane’s. Maybe we should be looking for something along those lines on or near the intersection.”

There was also the other tunnel, Azriel commented. You did not examine that.

No, I hadn’t, mainly because I’d sensed something evil down there. I’d been right, too, because that was where the hellhounds had come from.

But why have the hounds down a completely different tunnel from the one that held the cuneiform transport stones? Had they been protecting something else entirely – like a gateway onto the gray fields? Had the hellhounds only been unleashed when we’d sprung the trap by falling through the floor?

And was that trap – as well as the cuneiform stones – the only way into those tunnels? Given how tight the tunnels were, I couldn’t imagine someone Lucian’s size actually using them with any sort of regularity. Not without doing himself major harm, anyway. And while it was easy enough to get into the warehouse via the broken loading-bay door, the building was surrounded by a barrier that prevented energy forms from entering – and he had been energy, even if he’d been forced to remain in flesh. Still, how hard would it have been for someone – be it Lucian himself or Lauren – to have woven exceptions into the spell? Not very, I’d imagine.

And that meant that maybe there was another entrance into that other tunnel somewhere inside that building.

All that is more than true, Azriel commented. But if that barrier is still active, neither of us may get back in.

I frowned. Why would the barrier prevent me from entering again?

Because we now share a life force and it altered your genetic makeup, Azriel commented. You may technically be flesh-based, but my life force now runs within you. That fact may make the shield react.

There’s only way we can test that theory.

Yes. But not before you eat.

Don’t nag me, Azriel.

Someone has to. His mental tones were grim.

“I’m gathering,” Ilianna said, her voice dry, “that given the silence and your sudden, somewhat annoyed expression, you and Azriel are having a telepathic spat.”

“Sorry, Ilianna,” I said immediately. “And yeah, we were.”

She smiled. “Tell him I’m on his side.”

“Hey,” I said, feigning hurt, “you’re my friend, not his.”

“Yeah, but if he’s telling you off, it probably has something to do with you not eating or looking after yourself. And that’s good, because you don’t.”

“Thanks, friend,” I muttered.

“No problem at all.” Her smile faded. “You’ll keep me updated on any progress?”

“As much as I can, Ilianna.”

She nodded and hung up. I rang the local pizza place, ordered a large with everything, then shoved my phone away and said, “Happy?”

“When you actually eat it, yes I will be.”

I got out some cash and handed it to him. “I’m going for a shower. If the delivery guy gets here before I’m done, give him this.”

He accepted the cash with a nod, then walked over to one of the broken windows and assumed his “soldier on guard” position – hands behind his back and feet slightly apart. The occasional ripple of blue running down Valdis’s length showed she was as alert as her master.

I headed for my bathroom, stripping off my dress and kicking off my shoes along the way. The light came on as I entered, and the black slate was warm under my feet, meaning neither the fire nor the water had damaged any of the electrical or heating circuits in this part of the house. Tao’s insistence on having separate circuits for the various sections of the warehouse had finally paid off. I dumped the dress into the laundry chute, then stepped into the shower. The water came on automatically at just the right temperature, the sharp spray like needles against my skin. For several moments I did nothing more than stand there, lifting my face to the spray and allowing the water to run down my body. And wished it could wash away the grief and tiredness as easily as it washed away the grime.

After several minutes, I sighed and got down to the business of washing. I didn’t have time to waste, and as much as I would have liked to stay there, letting the jets of hot water massage and soothe, there was too much to be done.

Once dry and dressed – this time in more sensible jeans, a sweater, socks, and boots – I headed for the living room, only to stop when I saw an envelope sitting near the end of my bed.

Trepidation raced through me. In the past, an envelope or parcel arriving on my bed had generally heralded a change of events or circumstances, and not always for the better.

But standing here staring at it wasn’t going to make it go away. Nor would it uncover what delights it had in store for me this time.

Azriel appeared as I somewhat tentatively picked it up, his shoulder lightly touching mine. Warmth flowed between us, but it failed to ease the rising sense of dread. Obviously, my psychic senses had already decided this note held nothing good.

But this time it wasn’t from my father. Not only was the paper quality more everyday than upmarket, but the writing on the front was very different. It simply said Urgent in what I’d term bold and masculine handwriting.

Mouth dry, not knowing what to expect or who it was from, I slid a fingernail under the flap and opened it up. Inside was a single white sheet of paper. The message was short – It is imperative we meet, but we can only do so on the astral plane. I will be where we first met at one. Markel. 12:05 a.m.

I glanced at my watch. One o’clock was only twelve minutes away. I folded the note and glanced at Azriel. “What do you think?”

“My immediate thought is that Tao must have been here at the time this was delivered. Markel is a vampire, and he could not have left this note on your bed due to the fact he has not been invited into your home.”

I blinked. I hadn’t even thought of that. “I’m not sure it’s much of a comfort.” Especially given an awful lot could happen in a forty-minute time frame. I waved the note. “Could this be a trap?”

“It is always a possibility.” Azriel’s expression gave little away – as usual – but his tension flowed through me, a river of energy that tingled across my skin, making it twitch. “And I can neither follow nor protect you on the fields. He may well be aware of that.”

“Yes.” I glanced down at the note again, and wished I had the capability to read between the lines. But other than the tension flowing through me – both mine and Azriel’s – my psychic senses were giving me squat.

“The mere fact he wishes to meet on the astral plane suggests he has no desire for anyone to witness it.” Azriel’s voice was grim. “And that could mean this meeting would displease Hunter greatly.”

And Markel was canny enough not to displease Hunter – which only made this request all the more ominous.

“I should go. Just in case.”

Azriel raised an eyebrow. “In case of what? You have enough to deal with as it is, Risa. There is no need to be seeking more trouble.”

“What if it’s not trouble? What if it’s something vital about the keys or our sorcerers?”

“If it was something vital to our quest, it would have come to us via Hunter.” He crossed his arms. “But I can see there is no dissuading you.”

“No. Although I don’t know if I’ve got enough time left to get onto the plane.” I was still very much a novice when it came to astral traveling, after all, and it took me longer to find the right frame of mind to astrally step out of my flesh.

“Then you had best start now.” His words rang with disapproval, but it wasn’t like I hadn’t felt that before.

I crawled onto the bed and got myself comfortable, then closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing, slowing it down, drawing it deep. As my heartbeat became more measured, a sense of peace enveloped me and the tension in my limbs began to slip away. Then, as Adeline had taught me, I pictured a rope hanging above my head and reached up with imaginary hands to grasp it. It felt thick and real against those fingers, and as strong as steel… I pulled myself upward along it. Dizziness briefly swept over me, seeming to come from the center of my chest, but I ignored it and kept climbing that rope. The pressure grew and every inch of me began to vibrate. Then, suddenly, I was free and floating above my prone form.

I didn’t hang about, simply imagined the gigantic shed that was the Central Pier function center on Melbourne’s docklands district – the place where I’d not only first met Markel, but had interviewed the ghost of Frank Logan. In an instant I was there.

And so was Markel. He was tall, with regal features and a body that was as lean as a whip. He bowed as my gaze met his, his expression giving little away but his brown eyes showing a touch of relief.

It is good of you to come. His mind voice was cool, without inflection, but not unpleasant. I wasn’t sure that you would.

I did think about not coming. My reply, like his, was thought rather than spoken. You couldn’t actually talk here on the astral plane, just as you couldn’t physically move. Everything had to be done on a subconscious rather than conscious level – although that didn’t restrict you from fighting or even dying on the fields. And if you died on the astral plane, then you died in real time, too. But curiosity got the better of me. Of course, curiosity has also gotten the better of many a dead cat.

He smiled, although it held little humor or warmth. I did not arrange this meeting in order to harm you.

Then why did you arrange it?

He hesitated, and that in itself was enough to send trepidation skittering through me. Markel was a Cazador. They never hesitated. They just did whatever needed to be done, in the most efficient way possible.

Because someone wishes to speak to you. Someone neither of us should be seen with.

And with that, he moved to one side and a second man stepped forward out of the ghostly surrounds.

It was Harry Stanford, the manager of Hallowed Ground and the vampire who wanted me to kill Hunter.