The Halfblood's Hoard (Halfblood Legacy Book 1)

by Devin Hanson

  My phone rang and the Sanctuary’s number showed up. I picked up eagerly.

  “Lei! How are you?”

  “Good evening, Alex. I am well. I found something you will be interested in.”

  “Oh? Something about the marid?”

  “Yes. Can you come to the Sanctuary?”

  “What, now?”

  “Unless you would rather wait until morning…?”

  “No, no. Uh. Yeah, I’ll come over right away. Oh! Guess what I found out last night? Never mind, I’ll tell you when I see you.”

  “I’m curious, Alex. I’ll see you soon?”

  “Twenty minutes, max. See you!”

  I hung up and swung my legs off the bed. I stretched and sighed. The prospect of getting back on the scooter for another ride around town did not appeal. And at night, no less. Black was a sexy color for a motorcycle or scooter but was the absolute worst for riding at night. Well, I’d just have to be careful. I tugged my riding jacket on and snagged my helmet from my dresser.

  I paused on my way out and stuck my head into the living room. Elaida was still sacked out in front of the TV. “Hey, I’m heading out. If Ethan gets back before I do, let him know I’ll be home in an hour or so?”

  Elaida waved a middle finger at me.

  “Thanks, sugar.”

  The ride to Chinatown went swiftly. Rush hour traffic was over, leaving the baseline congestion that never seemed to clear in LA, and I reached the Sanctuary in less than my estimated twenty minutes. The steel shutters were up and lights were showing within the Sanctuary. I pulled my scooter up onto the sidewalk and locked it to the parking meter outside.

  Some sort of cranky string instrument music was playing from inside the Sanctuary, without a whole lot of the harmonics and rhythm you expect from Western music. I walked into the door.

  “Hello? Lei?”

  “Lei is busy.” A deep voice rumbled from behind me and I spun around. I found myself face-to-breastbone with a huge man.

  I took a step back, registered the nose creases. The man grinned and I saw the oversized canines. I swallowed. “Ah. Well, I’ll just come back, then.”

  The marid held out a hand the size of a ham steak and blocked my exit. “You have been asking questions,” he rumbled and scowled down at me. “We don’t like questions.”

  Gulp. “Oh!” I tried for bright and cheerful. “Well, that’s good to know. I’ll stop asking them, then.”

  His eyes narrowed at me. Beads clinked and another marid came through from the back room. I felt positively claustrophobic. It wasn’t a big room to begin with, and with these two walking mountains filling the space I barely had room to breathe.

  “The hostess is restrained,” the new arrival growled.

  “You didn’t hurt Lei, did you?” Threatening me was one thing, but Lei was like ninety.

  The first marid snapped out a hand and seized my upper arm, his movements snake-strike quick. I struggled briefly, but it was like trying to bend steel bar stock with my hands. I had about as much chance of breaking free as I did leaping a three-story building in a single bound. I punched the marid in the gut and yelped. It was like punching a cinderblock wall. My knuckles smarted and the tendons in my wrist ached.

  “Do not struggle,” the marid barked.

  Yeah. Fuck that. I sagged and shifted my weight, then rammed my knee up into the marid’s groin as hard as I could, using the pushing power of my leg and back to put every ounce of force behind the blow that I could. On a normal human, the blow would have pulverized testicles and sent the guy straight to the emergency room.

  The marid grunted in surprise. He didn’t flinch or cry out in pain. He just hauled back one meaty hand and smacked me upside the head. And that was that.

  Consciousness returned slowly. At first all I was aware of was the dull, throbbing pain in my head and the sharp numbness in my wrists. It took me a minute to figure out that I was sitting in a chair with my hands tied behind the chair back. I was in a cement room, fifteen feet square, with an uncovered florescent light epoxied to the ceiling. A simple steel door was set into the wall in front of me, with the doorknob missing and a metal plate spot-welded over where the hardware had been.

  And that was it. There weren’t even any electrical outlets running along the walls. There were no vents to crawl through, no windows, not even a drop ceiling. A length of steel conduit ran through the wall above the door, providing power for the light. The hole for the conduit was maybe two inches across and looked to have been bored through the wall after the concrete had set. The walls weren’t painted, and I could see the imprint left behind by the plywood when the walls had been poured.

  The chair I was sitting in was stainless steel, welded together from angle iron and expanded metal mesh. It was too large for me, and my feet would have dangled were my ankles not bound to the chair legs. The chair must have been made for a marid, solidly built to support their weight, and it was about as comfortable as you might expect.

  I was completely alone. The only thing I could hear was the faint buzz of the fluorescent light. There were no voices in the other room, no sound of traffic audible through the walls. The air was still and stale.

  “Hello?”

  My voice came out flat and echoed slightly. I grimaced at the sour taste in my mouth and tested my bonds. My hands seemed to be zip tied together with police restraints, my legs similarly fastened to the chair at my ankles and just below my knee.

  I tried shifting my weight, jerking from side to side, but I couldn’t even get the chair to scrape across the floor, let alone tip.

  “Is anyone there?” I called. “Hello?”

  Silence. The strip light over my head buzzed softly. It was a cheap one, or the ballast was old, because there was a flicker in the light that came and went periodically.

  Damn it. Now what? How long had I been unconscious? How long would I have to be missing before Ethan went to the cops? What about my scooter? I had just bought it! I was going to be seriously pissed if someone had stolen it.

  The flickering in the light was growing worse, then abruptly the room went black.

  “Just fucking great,” I muttered. Despite myself, my heart stammered in my chest and I jerked against my bonds. I wasn’t afraid of the dark. I swear it.

  The light whined overhead, and then flickered to a dim half-light. I tilted my head back and breathed a sigh of relief. The light hadn’t fully recovered, but I’d take some light over pitch blackness.

  A breath of air touched my neck and I started with a yell. I twisted around trying to look behind me, pulling against the zip ties until the pain in my wrists forced me to stop. There was nobody behind me. I was alone.

  I took a deep breath and turned back around.

  “Hello, Alexandra.”

  I bit my scream off and stared at the woman standing in front of me, my heart pounding raggedly in my chest. She was of medium height, maybe an inch shorter than me, and dressed in a form-fitting dress of finely-tooled black leather, slashed and worked with elaborate braids and knots. She wore a corset that sucked her waist in. A loose belt was slung around her hips with a sheathed knife hanging on the low side. A fur-trimmed shortcloak hung over one shoulder, leaving her other arm bare to the shoulder.

  She was stunningly beautiful, with high cheekbones and wide, green eyes with a feral tilt. Thick, luscious curls of black hair were held back from her forehead by a begemmed circlet and spilled down her back. Her lips were naturally brilliant red and she smiled, showing even, perfect teeth. Her skin was pale and flawless, like it had been airbrushed. A wide, braided platinum wire choker circled her neck, set with a single emerald the size of the last joint of my thumb that perfectly matched her eyes.

  “It has been a long time since I last laid eyes on you, child. You have grown well.”

  I looked behind her at the door, but it was closed. There was no way she could have gotten into the room without me hearing the door open and close again. The woman’s lips curved upwa
rd, showing dimples in her cheeks.

  “Who are you?” I demanded. “How did you get in here?”

  “Child, I have always been with you, in spirit at least.”

  My heart sank and I felt the first stirrings of terror run ice-cold fingers through my gut. “It’s midnight, isn’t it?” I asked. My voice was thready and weak. I felt the prick of perspiration touch the line of my scalp. Midnight, and the waking hour of October.

  “Happy birthday, daughter mine.”

  All the times I had imagined what my mother had looked like, never once had I pictured anything like the woman standing before me now. Or, I should say, demon.

  “Ahh,” she sighed. “You know. That does make things easier.” She held her perfectly toned arms wide and swayed in a slow, sinuous circle. “What do you think? You have been birthed into glory, my child, all that you see will be yours. Speak your acceptance and let us seize the world and rise to our proper role of domination!”

  I swallowed and stared despite myself. She had the body of a goddess. Or, I should say, an angel. Perfectly proportioned, with the grace and surety of strength of a hunting panther. “About that,” I said hoarsely. “I appreciate the offer and all, but I think I’m going to pass.”

  My mother dropped her arms to her sides and her lips twitched downward in the slightest of frowns. “I’m disappointed, Alexandra. All these years I’ve waited, the decades of effort and planning.” She took half a step forward and leaned toward me. The light in the room seemed to flee from her and darkness gathered behind her like a cobra spreading its hood. “You would deny me?”

  I clawed after control, and the words tumbled from my mouth, reflexive sass. “Well, you know how it is. My soul is my free pass to the eternal funpark in the clouds. Oh. Wait. No, you don’t.”

  “You think Heaven awaits?” She tilted her head back and laughed, musical peals that echoed around the close room, building on each other and twisting with an undercurrent of madness. There was no humor in the sound at all. “Oh, child. I have seen Heaven. I chose to abandon that empty future! It is forever closed to me, now. And you, my daughter, are a part of me.”

  Wait. That wasn’t a part of any lore I had heard of before. Were Nephilim barred from Heaven? I tried on a defiant smile. “You’ll excuse me if I don’t take your word on that.”

  She made a gesture as if brushing dust from her shoulder. “It matters little what you believe, daughter.”

  My mother tilted her head, the irritation fading from her face, and amusement replacing it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what this creature found amusement in. “What?”

  “You are bound. Such primitive restraints. Why don’t you break free of them? It is unfitting for any daughter of mine to be bound against her will.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Actually, I find it relaxing. I love having zip ties digging into my skin.”

  She walked behind me, her heels clicking on the floor. I twisted my head and as much of my shoulders as I could to keep her in view. It gave me the willies, having her behind me. She walked back in front of me and put her hands on her hips. One finger tapped at the jeweled pommel of her dagger, making ticking noises with her nail. “These djinn, they plan to kill you, you know.”

  “Your bedside manner is shit,” I grumbled.

  She turned her head toward the door, listening intently. “They are coming. Free yourself!”

  “I can’t, you bitch.” Did she seriously think I’d just be sitting here if I could escape on my own?

  “Accept me, child, and you will have the physical strength to overcome your bonds. The words you need speak are simple. These crude creatures will have no power over you.”

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to force my panicked thoughts into some semblance of normalcy. The marid wouldn’t be coming to kill me. If they really wanted me dead, they could have done the deed while I was unconscious. Hell, the one who had knocked me out could have killed me simply by using a fist instead of an open hand to swat me.

  Through the chair legs, I could feel the slight tremble of the heavy footsteps approaching. I opened my eyes and found my mother looking at me from a distance of a few inches. Up close, her eyes were off-putting, the green of her irises smooth and polished-looking, as if she had marbles for eyes. It made her gaze seem dead and empty.

  “I think I’ll take my chances,” I whispered. Stronger, I said, “If power is truly something you can give me, then lend me a hand. I’ll be no use to you dead.”

  There was a rattle at the door and the sound of a heavy lock turning over. My mother glanced toward the door, her face twisting into a mask of fury.

  “We are not done, daughter.”

  The door swung open and suddenly the lights were at full brightness and the demon was nowhere to be seen. The hulking form of a marid filled the doorway, and he ducked down to fit through the doorframe. I felt a hot breath on my neck and whispered words came into my ear.

  “You have the strength you asked for, daughter. Never let it be said that Mahlat does not care for her children.”

  I shivered, and the presence was gone. Just as abruptly, I was aware of the energy flowing through me, the same pulsing life that had filled me ever since my tryst with David.

  The marid was joined by a second, and they loomed over me, their heads close to brushing the ceiling. The second marid nudged the door shut and it closed with a boom. I flinched despite myself. My mouth started running, nervousness making me babble without forethought.

  “Hello, fellas. Fancy meeting you here.”

  The marid looked at me, expressionless.

  “Hey, I’ve been wondering, now that you’re here. What do you call more than one marid? Mari? Maridi? Or just marid?”

  “We have asked about you, Alexandra,” the first marid rumbled, ignoring my question. “We do not like what we have discovered.”

  “Well, I know my credit score isn’t super great, and if my apartment manager is complaining about me, it’s totally not my fault.” I flexed my hands and felt the zip ties around my wrists flex. Well, well. Turns out my mother wasn’t lying about one thing, at least. The pain from the plastic digging into my wrists was almost completely absent. I felt I could pop the heavy plastic bonds with a twist of my wrists.

  “You mock us,” the marid ground out.

  “It’s not like that,” I said quickly. “I’ve nothing against you fellas. Why don’t you just let me go, and we’ll consider this a misunderstanding? No harm done.”

  “You have helped many people in our community,” the second marid rumbled. I recognized him as the one who had slapped me upside the head in the Sanctuary. “It is rare for one such as you to aid others.”

  “Well, gotta make a living, right?” Wait, were they going good-cop, bad-cop on me? I suppressed the grin before it made it to my face. Maybe I could use that to my advantage.

  “I am Amat,” the one who had knocked me out introduced himself. “This is Savit.”

  Savit growled at me.

  “It’s a pleasure,” I said politely, eying Savit warily. “If you want something from me, just ask. I’m a strong believer in solving things with communication.”

  “You are halfblood,” Savit grunted. “You cannot be trusted.”

  Amat rolled his massive shoulders in reluctant agreement. “We cannot change who we are, Alexandra.”

  “Hey, now. That’s not necessarily true,” I said as Savit took a step toward me. “Look, all I wanted to know was who wrecked my apartment.”

  “See, she lies,” Savit growled. “You were hunting djinn, asking after newcomers to our community. You cannot fool us.”

  “Well, that too. But it’s not what you think!”

  “No more words,” Amat said sadly. “You had your chance. All you Nephilim are the same.”

  I pressed backward in my chair as Savit took another step toward me, cracking his knuckles like some Loony Toons character ready to pound me into paste. This conversation wasn’t going the way I
wanted it to at all. “Wait!” I cried.

  Savit paused, frowning. A low rumbling snarl came from his throat.

  “Just remember, you’re the one who wanted it this way.”

  The dull hunger on Savit’s face wrinkled in confusion, and then I yanked my legs upward, snapping the zip ties and kicked Savit in the chest with both feet.

  In my mind, I pictured Savit flying backward, maybe crashing straight through the concrete wall. I would throw down with Amat, box for a few rounds, then knock him out through a mixture of pluck and bravado. Escaping after that would be a cinch.

  My chair toppled over backward, instead. I felt the swooping in my gut as I lost my balance, then yanked my hands free just in time to crash to the ground. I rolled to my feet as Savit recovered his balance, surprise on his face.

  He lunged at me, lightning fast. No human could move with that kind of speed, and I was totally unprepared for it. Savit hit me hard, a sweeping blow straight to the chest, with all the hulking strength in his bulging muscles.

  I somehow got my arms in the way of the blow, but it was like getting hit by a truck. My feet left the ground and I flew backward into the cement wall. The impact knocked the wind from me despite the cushioning armor of my jacket. I fell to the ground, breathless, with dribbles of cement dust raining down around me.

  Savit was on me before I had time to bounce. He grabbed me by the back of the neck and flung me sideways across the room and into the far wall.

  I wasn’t aware of much after that. I had the combat training every kid gets growing up in foster care. I knew how to throw a sucker punch, and I knew how to roll into a ball to protect my stomach against kicks when the bullies were too strong or too many. That training did me little good. Savit pounded me dizzy before I had a chance to get my breath back and scream.

  Two days ago, I would have been killed by the first blow. By all rights, my ribs should have been caved in, my limbs shattered and my spine broken.

  Then he stopped, and I was wheezing after breath, pained sobs shaking my shoulders. I wasn’t dead, but I felt like I should be. Something had made Savit stop. I sure as hell hadn’t done anything to convince him to. I rolled onto my side and spat blood onto the floor, expecting a boot to slam into my stomach at any moment.