by Mari LaRoche
17
The energy pulsed again, then dissipated.
Amir tossed her a roll of clothing.
“Hello!” Donal’s voice called from above. “Amir?”
“We’re down a level.” Amir shouted the answer, dressing himself with quick neat movements before he fetched a comb. “His timing is as good as ever.”
Viv could feel her hair, a wild tangled mass of curls, sticking out from her head. She held her hand out for the comb.
“I’ll do it, just stand in front of me.” He poured oil on his hands from a jug and began rubbing it into her hair. “Seeing what your hair looks like, I don’t think me helping with it will seem at all odd.”
Viv was glad there were no mirrors; she had no illusions about what she looked like on a bad hair day.
A rope slapped against the floor, dangling from the rock ceiling farther down the room.
“Have I mentioned peri architecture sucks?” Nia’s voice echoed from above.
Donal’s legs appeared, followed by the rest of him as he slid down the rope. Nia joined him, then both strode down the room. Donal bled from a long cut down the side of his face and smelled of smoke. He blinked, then sheathed the naked blade in his hand.
Nia, also disheveled, tucked away a cat-like smile. Viv smelled the unpleasant odor again.
Stupid bracelet. I don’t care if it helps protect from poison, it smells nasty.
“Could you bag the bracelet? It smells really bad to me.” Viv couldn’t make the words firm; they came out apologetic.
Nia blinked, then a wry smile broke through. “I didn’t know that story was true.” She wiggled the bracelet of her wrist and dropped it in a little sandwich bag she pulled from one of the numerous pockets on her trousers. “Good to know; the other dragon we talk to here never mentioned it.”
“What happened?” Amir’s hands remained steady as he worked on tangles.
“We got word of what happened on the boat, maybe five minutes before a troop of Brigit’s goblins attacked. I knew you’d come here if trouble got to be too much, so I decided to wait for you with Nia. Imagine my surprise at finding you here.” Donal’s dry voice amused Vivian. “How long were you in Zeyaad’s realm before you had to run?”
“A few hours. Brigit or Morgan already had assassins waiting for us there.”
“How did you get into Godhome? I thought making gates here was hard?” Viv looked from Nia to Donal.
“It is. I’m powerful enough to do it.” Donal sounded tired.
“Where’s the wafers? We’ve expended a lot of energy.”
“In the basket. Since you’re here, we should probably advance to phase two.”
“And what is that?” Amir's hands tugged pleasantly at Viv’s hair, rubbing her scalp with strong fingers, holding her head still so she had to watch Nia using her peripheral vision.
“Some of us have started a movement, hoping to capture their keys. If we can get one or both, we can block either King or Queen from manifesting during the Reckoning.” His hands were gentle as he worked at another knot. “In the Reckoning before this one, when the King walked alone, a plague struck down a third of the world’s population. When they walk together, disasters happen and empires fall, and genius discoveries are made. We believe that after this last Reckoning, humanity should be allowed to recover for a cycle before letting the pair of them walk again. Perhaps multiple. So keeping seers safe and away from those who would use the Keys is paramount.”
Vivian drew a breath. “That won’t go over well with the current power structure.”
“It hasn’t. The only other living seer who’s survived multiple Reckonings is Lily Kaplan, a tiger shifter. She agrees with us, and she’ll defend herself. I hope to meet with her at some point, but she’s reclusive.”
“Morgan and our people will lose the favor of the DayKing, and many debts will come due once that clan falls from that pinnacle.” Nia shrugged. “High time. We’re mostly asses.”
One of the few self-aware daoine sidhe I’ve met. Pity I didn’t know her before.
Donal paced. “Innocents have died all around the world at the order of kins searching to kill or control seers. There’ve been a few born in the interim, fractions of that power manifesting, but their visions were unclear, and they died soon after they started dreaming potential locations. Part of the plan is to find and protect them, and for that we need more muscle. We should talk with Nunamnir while we’re here, see if he’s ready yet to travel to humanity’s dominion.”
That dinosaur? They dug him up? Stars help them if he starts moving, he has all the subtlety of an avalanche.
Munching on a cracker, Nia added chattily, “In light of recent events, Morgan’s reward for your death has risen to tremendous heights, in money and favors. When you come into your power, the NightQueen would have a true oracle, one who dreams clearly. That’s why Morgan will do everything she can to see you dead again.”
Bring it. The fierce thought disturbed her, with a flicker from Ušum as well. Too close agreement between them; they needed to leave soon.
Amir finished braiding Viv’s hair. “Nia and I will call Nunamnir to the shore; you two stay here. I don’t want any incidents; we shouldn’t be gone long. Do you mind if I carry you?”
“Not at all.”
Amir and Nia flew out, and a tentative silence fell.
“Why didn’t he want you to go?” Viv asked after a few moments.
“Nunamnir and I annoy each other. He’s neutral, but he’s not particularly trustworthy. Given everything, it’s unlikely he’d try to sell you to Morgan.” Donal’s lips set in a determined line. He shifted position, resting his hands on his thighs, balancing easily in a crouch despite the deep wound on his left calf the position revealed. "I’d like to clear the air.”
Oh, no. This is going to be difficult.
Vivian nodded and waited, uncertain what to say.
“Forgive me.” Donal rose. The small area made pacing difficult, especially given the length of his stride, but he did it anyway. “I loved Ušum. That’s part of why she died. We thought we were in a safe place, and we were…involved. Morgan’s guard burst in. I took a mace to the skull. When I recovered consciousness, she was gone, and I was shackled in my quarters.”
Viv said nothing, considering his brittle, inward-turning expression.
Ah, Donal, the only one who’s angry at you is you. Concern and a touch of sorrow colored the words.
“A day later, Amir broke into where I was held—she’d missed showing up for their monthly literature discussion.” Donal’s jaw clenched. “I had no idea where she’d been taken. Amir killed the guards on his way in. He set me free.”
Vivian could almost taste how it galled him to admit it.
Yes, he’s very proud. And he was young then.
“By the time we found her, she was barely alive.” Expression faded from his face, leaving it bitter and cold as a blooming apple tree coated in a late frost. “Many of Morgan’s supporters died that day, but not enough. Amir and I weren’t able to get to her. They gutted Amir and left him for dead. She was too far for me to reach. I surrendered and then grabbed him and ran for the peri’s dominion, to see if they could save him. It’s why I’m called Oathbreaker behind my back.”
“What happens to those who say it to your face?” The story, even in the semi-detached way he told it, upset Viv’s stomach.
Wasn’t pleasant to experience, either. The bits of memories you’ve gotten don’t really give you the whole story, thankfully.
“I kill them.” His smile should have chilled her heart.
Instead, a flicker of pride danced within it. Happiness that he’d matured to someone fierce and fine bloomed within her.
“Morgan’s people were at a disadvantage since they’d been ordered not to kill me, but they were able to mess me up, and I was years healing from it. Amir took longer, even tended by his sisters."
Peri and sidhe are hard to kill in general. It’s best to des
troy their brain if you can; while they don’t use it much, they do need it to move around. Ušum’s tone was brittle. Just in case you encounter Brigit or Morgan.
Viv shifted her attention back to Donal. It seemed strange that someone so driven and terrible had been so lenient to Donal. “Mother or not, if she’s that ruthless, why didn’t Morgan kill you?”
Donal snorted. “To make an example of me. Ušum—the relationship—was an indiscretion. We didn’t hide it. It wasn’t a slip bad enough that Morgan needed to execute someone when she came up with her plan to curry favor with the DayKing. The fact it was a punishment for me was just a bonus. I still don’t know if you’re her reincarnation or simply gifted to be the seer.”
“Does it make a difference?” Viv asked.
“Yes.” Donal did not elaborate. “I don't know for certain what Morgan told her in the process of killing her, but I'm pretty sure Morgan said that I set her up.”
True; does he think I was stupid enough to believe it?
“If you are her reincarnate, if you do remember, that isn’t true. I swear it by my name.” He spoke quickly, the words jumbled together. His gaze left the floor and met hers, fierce and sad.
The pain in his eyes and voice compelled an answer. “Donal. What happened by Morgan’s hand is Morgan’s responsibility.”
“I know. But I can see flashes of her in you now…” He broke off.
Donal walked across the room and stopped at her side. “Once Morgan had her in a safe place, she skinned Ušum. While she was still alive. Morgan finally found out the only way to kill Ušum was to drown her. Since Ušum could breathe water, that made it a challenge. But eventually, Morgan found a way.”
Her throat ached with the memory of screams. Skin prickling, Viv’s breath caught in her chest.
Will you let me use your voice?
Yes.
“Donal. There’s nothing to forgive. Don’t cling to the memory so hard. Live, be happy, sex up Nia because she looks like she really needs it.”
“Ušum?”
“A memory of her. Viv is the person, but she’s letting me talk to you for this moment. Be happy, Donal. It’s what I wanted for you.”
He threw his arms around her and squeezed.
Awkwardly, Viv patted his back. She could feel tears leaking onto her shoulder.
A raucous throat clearing from above tilted her head back. Amir carrying Nia and accompanied by a stranger, stared at her and Donal, undisguised pain and anger on his face.
He landed, letting go of Nia. “I’m going outside. Let me know when you’re done talking.”
“Amir, wait!” Viv took a step forward.
He ignored her, taking flight and leaving by an opening in the ceiling, where she couldn’t follow.
“Give him time to simmer down. It was obviously not a clinch, he’s just confusing past history.” Nia’s suggestion was quiet. She nodded to the stranger. “This is Nunamnir.”
He was big—well over six-foot—with a neatly trimmed beard and long dark hair hanging in gentle waves around his face. He gazed at her. His features were roughhewn but handsome in a stark way. His eyes were so dark that pupil melded with iris, contrasting with long, thick lashes. He wore a strip of cloth wrapped around his waist and nothing else. He folded his arms.
“I take it you think you know me?” Viv stared back.
“Yes. You have the same magical signature. And I’m not happy to have to deal with you again, to be honest.” His voice was deep and rough as if it hadn’t been used much.
Viv folded her arms. She hurt from Amir’s rejection and had no wish to deal with this stranger. “Who are you? How do you know Ušum?”
“I knew her as a nagging pain in whatever body part I wanted to use. If you want to live, rein that power in more. Anyone can spot you right now; you’re as loud as a dockside whore.”
“I’d be most interested in any input you have on how to do that.” Viv kept her tone even as she assessed the sheer size and physicality of him.
White teeth shone in a grin. “What’s the name you’re known by now? I should have known you’d find a way back from being dead.”
“Viv Rivera. And I’m a different person.”
So long as we find that mage, soon. Damn Amir for being a prima donna; it was just a hug.
“I certainly hope you are, since I wasn’t fond of her. She ran away from Godhome and got herself killed, chasing the DayKing’s offspring to her death.” He shook his head.
Donal growled.
Nunamnir flicked him a derisive glance, then returned his attention to Viv. “She always had more muscles and impulses than good sense.”
“I don’t think commentary on past choices is helpful to the present, thank you.” Viv bit out the words.
“At the very least, you’ve learned better control of your temper.”
“What do you know about reincarnation?” Since he lived in Godhome, Viv hoped he might be able to give a hint on her and Ušum staying separate.
Probably not; this is from Fate interfering.
“Not much; it’s only happened a handful of times. Death doesn’t give up harvested souls without a fight, and it’s rare for either NightQueen or DayKing to battle for them. Ušum was a special case. The power imbalance created when she died, the complete lack of seers to one aspect, led to the daoine sidhe getting both keys and releasing Marduk to walk alone.”
“You use his name?” Viv raised her brows.
“Sure, why not? It lets him know I’m thinking about him.” A grim smile curved his lips.
“Did you witness the Reckoning Ušum died during?”
“I made it my business to; Morgan is ambitious. Since I’d gone to the effort to leave Godhome, I interviewed some of the side participants in her ritual and got the details. Then, I killed them on general principle. I don’t want to even lose an enemy that way.”
“What was so terrible about it?”
“The theft of power.” His words were curt. As if a switch had flipped, his expression sharpened and he slapped a hand on his broad chest. “Are you interested in a test drive?”
The contrast between his expression and the question gave Viv whiplash. “No. I don’t appreciate the threatening undertone, either.”
The expression vanished as he again met her eyes. “Better. Ušum was easily distracted by sexiness; it’s what got her dead. You seem to have learned that lesson.”
Her fingertips prickled, and she kept the claws from appearing. It took willpower. “Why are you here? To pick a fight? I’m not interested. Sex? Not interested. Do you have anything positive to contribute to their plan?”
His intent gaze didn’t waver. “Still bold.”
Through gritted teeth, Viv snapped with unaccustomed boldness, “Something helpful. Such as how to keep the other seer live. Or leave. I am not going to try to have a further conversation with you.”
He chuckled, a warm sound that made all the underlying rage stop, replaced by startlement, which didn’t help Viv’s annoyance. “Kill them all. All your enemies.”
She glared at him.
“You’re a shapeshifter, Vivian, as soon as you remember how. Exterior age is meaningless. The aches and pains you nurse in humanity’s dominion are self-inflicted. Let them go; you can retain the appearance of age, but the reality of it shouldn’t touch you. Is that helpful?”
“Do you have any information on how I do this?”
Before he could answer, a sense of roiling chaos rolled over her. She sucked in a breath. It was outside.
“Damn it.”
“What is that?”
“Tiamat.”
Amir was outside, and he’d said Tiamat was his enemy. Viv ran for the rope.
18
Viv shinned up the rope, palms scraped raw by the scratchy fiber. Soft searing in Nia’s voice echoed just below her, and the rope pulled even more taut as Donal’s weight was added. Viv kept pace with him and Nia as they ran for the cave entrance. A night landscape met them, th
e dark trail sloping down to the sea.
Pausing, Viv looked in the direction of the chaos. It called her gaze to the stars. Something huge blotted them out. The gleaming opalescent eyes alone looked larger than Vivian.
Amir stood by the shore, clearly outlined by the phosphoresce of the waters, looking up. At this distance, she couldn’t tell his expression, but he showed no sign of moving.
Is he suicidal?
Viv ran full out down the path, skidding and stumbling on the steep slope. Nia steadied her, running surefooted as a goat next to her.
The ground shuddered, and the sound of trees snapping echoed up the path as a gigantic reptile landed some feet away from Amir, its forelegs and head on the land, the rest of it in the sea. The gust of wind from its wings wafted the smell of brine over them, intense enough to make Viv’s eyes water.
Tiamat’s colors swirled and changed, her eyes an opal’s sheen. Her huge, terrifying presence beat off her like heat off asphalt at noon—Viv never thought she’d see a dragon, and her mind pulled out all the reasons why this creature shouldn’t have been able to fly.
Tiamat. We need to get her attention, so she doesn’t focus on any of them; she’ll kill them without blinking. Flattery! Flowery language!
Viv had never been so glad for all the running she did. She poured everything she had into a burst of speed that took her ahead of Donal and Nia, reaching the beach first.
The dragon was so huge her mind boggled. Awe dried her mouth, and terror for her companions’ lives drove words out of her throat.
“NightQueen, beautiful as the starry sky, why have you come to this hovel?” Her voice squeaked at the end, a mouse noise in the vast swell of the dragon’s presence.
The dragon’s gaze fell upon Viv, and her will stripped away before the overpowering force of the purple gaze. Within it, she was a tiny insignificant mote, only created to be the tool of the greater power, and the will of that power told her she would deliver Donal to the great dragon, her forbearer and her goddess.
