Oath Bound

by T. G. Ayer

  Logan and I mostly stayed out of it as Mel spoke to the team, handing out tasks to those members who were remaining behind. The kids didn’t challenge her though, which surprised me. And I had to assume it was more to do with the fact that they weren’t the only ones to be benched so close to departure.

  *

  After they’d all left, I dug out a special bottle of alcohol that I’d been keeping for important occasions when I wanted to drown my sorrows. Today seemed a good a time as any.

  “I see you also ensured that the queen left as well?” Logan noted with a half-smile.

  “They’re well aware that this is going to complicate the situation,” Mel replied, her smile lukewarm. “But the rebels want to ensure that the queen is left out of any altercations or fighting. No harm is to come to the queen...at all costs.”

  “That makes sense,” I said with a nod. “And it’s probably a good sign that this particular rebel group wants to reinstate the queen as opposed to ousting her in favor of new leadership.”

  Mel’s words had me looking over at Logan involuntarily. His situation wasn’t all that different to Aisha’s then. And Logan’s dark expression confirmed he wasn’t blind to it either.

  Then Mel withdrew a folder from her satchel and set it next to the bottle of fae brandy. “This is all the information she’s given us, and I had a quick look through. It’s pretty detailed and it looks like the rebel group knows what they’re doing.”

  “I’m assuming they had help from Saleem?” Logan’s brow furrowed.

  “Yes, she did confirm that she’s been in touch with him, so at least that’s a little bit of a relief. I spoke to the queen this morning and she explained that the stone beneath the castle has a dampening effect which was why I wasn’t able to follow his life-thread.”

  Taking the folder, Logan spent a few minutes looking it over, before he looked back at Mel and said, “Do you want me to deal with the director?”

  “No. I need to know what his reaction is. Not that I don’t trust you, but I just have a sense about him that I want to be sure.”

  “Of course, I understand,” Logan nodded, giving Mel an encouraging nod. But I was sure he hadn’t missed her hesitation when he’d made the offer. Still, Mel was stronger now, more sure of herself. He said, “I just want to make sure that the director doesn’t think you can be pushed around. I’ve dealt with him on a number of occasions and I know full well that he can be a complete asshole.”

  “Here’s to saving the prince and all the people,” I offered.

  Mel’s reply was simply, “Here’s to hoping after all is said and done the queen won’t kill us,”

  I couldn’t agree more.

  35

  After the meeting with Mel, Logan and I headed back home. The ride in the car to the mansion was filled with silence, with my thoughts partly on my waning energy, and partly on the Sharaita.

  The relic was still on my mind an hour later after Logan had administered a dose of fire-healing. I was relaxing on the bed, ready to fall asleep when I began to think about the Sharaita again. “I’m not sure how I feel about using the relic,” I said softly.

  Logan who’d lain down beside me, glance over, lips twisting. “Looks like we’d been pushed into a corner and left with limited choices.” He shook his head, clearly unhappy with the lack of choice.

  “Have you heard of this Sharaita?” I asked him, still feeling like we didn’t have enough information on this thing we were about to stake our lives on. Not to mention potentially sacrifice a life for.

  Logan shook his head, paused and then nodded. “Kinda. I didn’t think I’d even heard of it but it seems like I received some of the details during the initiation ceremony that Sienna and I went through.”

  I frowned. “How would that work exactly?”

  Logan shrugged. “I’m not all that sure, to be honest. But the egg itself is ancient. Sienna and I think the egg is a fossil of some sort, but it certainly does have power. The Rebirth Ceremony is called, the Sirin ’a Drysht, and it’s meant to be a process of sharing information from the previous rulers with the newly instated royal pair. I thought it was a load of bull until the ‘download’ —for want of a better word—happened. The fossil egg got a little creepy then, with an impressive lightshow as well, but even if we ignore the rest of it, neither Sienna or I can deny that we both know a heckuva lot more now than we ever did. And the Sharaita is one of those pieces of information I’ve found stuck somewhere in the recesses of my mind.”

  I smiled and gave Logan a nod. “Well, do enlighten me,” I said, smirking.

  He rolled his eyes. “So the Sharaita was created like Barry said, using the blood and the lives of a group of extremely powerful demons. Part of the ceremony entailed stealing a portion of the Veil and trapping it within the key. The records say that there was considerable damage to the Veil and it took thousands of years to recover, but that the essence that remains within the relic constantly craves release. It wants to go home more than anything, but the key itself is powered by the essence of the Veil, so anyone who uses it is then is tied to it until the final Nahra is taken.”

  “The Nahra meaning the payment for its use?”

  “Yes. The only problem is that the Sharaita is fickle. Nobody ever knows what she will ask for. It’s told that once a long time ago, the payment was the life of one of the children of the user. Also, it’s not common that the Sharaita is used by a group of people, though it has been known to happen every now and again.”

  “But what does that mean for us when we use it?” I asked softly. “I can’t deny that I am scared. What if is asks for your life, or mine? Or Mel’s? The death of a Ni’amh isn’t something I could even contemplate. That could ultimately result in the death of all of the DarkWorld, so this is a huge ask.”

  Logan sighed. “I know. It’s scary, but Mel seems to be taking it in her stride.”

  I made a face. “I have to wonder if Aisha has something up her sleeve.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  I shrugged. “Not sure. Just something about her expression when we were talking about the potential life sacrifice.”

  Logan took a breath and said, “Well, enough talking for you. Have a small nap at least. I know you don’t feel tired, but even few minutes would be good just in case.”

  “Just in case of what?” I asked, pouting.

  He didn’t reply, though nobody insisted on sedating me either, so I gave in and found myself falling asleep almost instantly. But, almost seconds later, Logan was shaking me gently. “Hey, we have to go. Mel just called to say Horner is going over to her place to perform the consecration. She needs us all there before midnight.”

  I rubbed my eyes and yawned, a little surprised I’d slept so quickly.

  As we left the house with Logan doing the honours of flying me to Mel’s hose, he managed to get in an “I told you so.”

  My only response was silence.

  *

  When we got to Mel’s place, Nerina was present, though she wasn’t meant to be going with us. Though curious, I didn’t ask any questions while we awaited the arrival of High Councilman Horner. He took a full twenty minutes to make his appearance, and he did so bearing an old carved wooden box with spindly little legs.

  We all, including the tracker, watched as Horner appeared to have the run of the place, setting the box on Mel’s coffee table then disappearing into the hall before returning with a marble bowl and a sharp knife.

  Horner looked around at the gathered group, then smiled, a little too cheery for anyone’s liking. “As you should know by now, this is not a normal portal key.”

  Drake’s curt response was, “Then what is it exactly?”

  “It’s from ancient times, to my knowledge the Sharaita was one of the first keys capable of transitioning a larger group through the Veil at the same time. Still, even back then the use of this artifact was considered dangerous and only to be used as a last resort.” Then Horner smiled again, swirling
the blade around at the team. “I’m sure you all know the routine, as the process to initiate the key is similar to that of the portal keys coding ceremony performed by the DeathTalkers.”

  He took a moment to look over at Nerina who was watching the process with her arms folded over her chest. She’d been quiet since we’d arrived and I was all too aware that I hadn’t had much of an opportunity to talk to her.

  Then Horner address her directly. “My Lady, would you like to preside over the ceremony. I believe I could do with your experience.”

  I blinked when Horner addressed Nerina as ‘My Lady’ but I didn’t want to reveal more than in that moment of surprise. It appeared there was more going on with our death talker friend than she’d been telling us. Seems we were all adept at keeping secrets.

  With the team all having had previous experience with the blood sacrifice required for initiating a portal key, we each went to Nerina without instruction as Horner continued, “For the ceremony, the blood sacrifice must arise from the lifeline, the heart power,” He took Mel’s hand and pointed at her lifeline. “This is where the most powerful energy in our blood rises. A willing blood sacrifice sourced from this particular point on the body will enhance the power of the key.”

  In silence we followed the line, watching Nerina make the incisions, then coax out sufficient blood, all until the marble bowl was more than half filled. It was a gory sight, the coppery scent filling the air and making my panther senses go a little crazy.

  I ignored the baser instincts of my animal half, and tried to fight against the wave of exhaustion filling me. A touch from Logan’s hand on my hip moments later drew me from my almost-sleep state. I’d barely registered his announcement that we were leaving, or the journey home.

  This time, the fire healing was definitely taking more out of me than it had in the past. What that meant, I didn’t want to find out until we had Saleem home safe.

  One problem at a time.

  36

  Logan and Dad were quite satisfied with themselves when they discovered that I’d slept all the way up until dawn when we’d planned to head back to Mel’s place. Dad did a quick medical assessment before he allowed me to leave, while Logan checked our bags three times over, Darcy’s included. She’d stayed at the mansion with us on the last night before the mission and met us in the kitchen to find Logan going through her bag as well.

  Quirking an eyebrow, she said nothing, just poured coffee and sipped while he did his thing. I rolled my eyes at her, making it clear I was simply tolerating his need to keep himself busy.

  We flew off a few minutes later, Darcy riding atop the dragon beside me, her expression a little wilder. I couldn’t remember how she got home the previous night and had to wonder if this was her first time riding a dragon.

  Later, in Mel’s living room, we discovered that Lily and Baz had left the house before us and made their way to the tracker’s home in spite of having been benched the previous night. Mel appeared unaffected by the defiance of the younger members of our team as she said, “Before we begin, I think I need to take a moment to check out the condition of the Veil. Just to make sure everything is in order.”

  Darcy though, asked quickly, “Do you think that’s wise? What if by checking the Veil, your presence is detected?”

  But the djinn queen shook her head in response. “Even if they do detect a presence, they wouldn’t have enough time to summon the magic and focus it on us. The ward they have already erected is filled with power—not something you can whip up in a second.”

  I shifted from one foot to the other, more than eager to depart, yet suddenly worried about what would happen when I did move through the Veil with this new power currently living in my mind. Would I explode the Veil, taking everyone with me?

  Worse still, what if we really had to use the Sharaita? How would the relic be affected by my latent power?

  When Mel spoke, I had to force myself to focus. “But, just in case they have a super powerful demon-witch on speed dial,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact, “it’s probably best we’re overly cautious. The only way we could achieve this is if we were ready to go when I check the status of the Veil. If we do set off any alarms, it won’t matter. We’ll cross into Mithras and get our asses to the safehouse before they have a chance to twirl a finger.”

  Drake finally voiced his opinion. “You do realize this could be a one-way mission?”

  “That’s a possibility,” Mel replied, her voice even, neutral as she took her best friend on. “But we have to believe we’re going to succeed. The whole realm is hanging in the balance right now. I know you’re concerned about us being able to leave if things get hot. And I’m sure we’ll be able to, if that time comes.”

  Mel glanced over at Steph, as though about to remind her that she wasn’t coming along, the hacker shook her head. “No way, Mel. You’re not doing this to me now.”

  I took that moment to slip out of the room, heading to the kitchen to allow Mel and Steph a moment to discuss the issue. Footsteps followed in my wake and as I reached the kettle, I glanced over to find Lily watching me from the doorway, her eyes feisty, and not that much different from Steph. Baz though, met my eyes with only sympathy.

  “Don’t even think about trying to change my mind, Lil’s.”

  “But Kai, this isn’t fair,” Lily said, her voice rising and making Baz wince and send her a warning glare.

  I lifted a hand, not wanting to pull alpha rank on Lily, but damn well willing to if she pushed me too far. “Look, Lily, you have to understand that the consecration is completed. Even if I wanted to take you with us, I couldn’t do anything about it now.”

  Voices filtered to us from the living room. Poor Mel. I knew exactly what she was going through.

  Lily replied angrily cutting into my thoughts, “I won’t forgive you for this.”

  I studied her face. “For keeping you and Baz safe? For making sure someone is left behind to come save us in case shit hits the fan? Not every mission is about being on the frontlines, Lily. Some of the most crucial agents are left behind to help deal with the fallout. Why is that so hard for you to understand? At the end of the day it isn’t even my call. And Mel explained, we don’t need so many people since the rebel army is large enough to do most of the hard work.”

  My tone had changed to one a frustrated mother would use on a kid who just refused to listen. And something in my voice or my words made Lily tense and shake her head ever so slightly. Then she sighed and looked over at Baz. “Guess we’d better go back to the mansion. I think Corin’s going to need some help with rebuilding the house.”

  She began to walk away, and though I wanted to call her back, all too aware that any one of us could possibly not return alive, I didn’t say a word. Lily and Baz headed out to the front door, then left with Steph, taking her to the mansion while we did the finale departure.

  Mel went to perform a quick check on the Veil, saying “I won’t be long. Be ready to move because either way, we’re doing this.”

  Though I crossed my fingers in the hopes that we could simply jump through the Veil, Mel’s face when she returned pretty much dashed all my hopes.

  “What happened?” I asked, though I knew already.

  The tracker looked over at Saleem’s mom. “At first, I thought it must’ve been something done recently to support the power, but I’m wondering if maybe they had detected my presence after all.” Mel look so dejected I felt like she needed a hug or something.

  I looked at Logan and he too appeared to be feeling awful for her.

  Aisha tapped on her lips with one long finger, then replied, “No, it doesn’t sound like something they would do. It’s quite likely power has been running through the Veil around the realm all along. It’s likely what contributed to the catastrophe that happened when we tried to use the portal key the last time.”

  “So they were twice as careful, pushing additional energy into the Veil as well as creating a magical ward as an additional pr
otection.” With a roll of her shoulder, Mel appeared determined

  Darcy spoke then, glancing back and forth between Mel and Aisha. “So what do we do now?”

  “This is why I asked for the alternate portal access,” said Aisha, looking around the room at the gathered team. “Part of how the Sharaita works is it will borrow energy from every single one of you. It’s not going to be an easy experience. Think electrical shock if you want a comparison. And recovery, unfortunately, will not be quick. The only good part is there won’t be any physical or mental damage as a result.”

  I listened to the conversation, suddenly worried now as I looked over at Mel. I forced myself to give the tracker a smile of encouragement and hide my worry as quickly as I could. But from her expression I knew I’d failed to hide how I felt.

  She’d have seen my fear, but what she wouldn’t know is how complicated the source of that fear was. Then, both Mel and I had to refocus on the Queen who was waving us closer.

  “Mel will release the Sharaita and on my mark, we will all jump together. Link hands please, and do not let go no matter what. It’s crucial that—I can’t stress enough how important it is because if our bond breaks, it’s quite likely that many of us, possibly even all of us, may be killed in the process.”

  Mel’s face revealed her horror at the Queen’s words but Logan merely replied, “I’m in, eyes wide-open to the consequences. I think everyone here feels the same way.”

  I knew what Logan was doing, leading the way, as a good leader should. I was so glad then that he’d come to help, well aware of how much we needed his strength. And, as I’d expected, everyone followed suit, gathering together and holding hands as Aisha began to speak the words of her protection spell.

  It was all or nothing time.

  37

  Heart beating in time with the djinn queen’s chanting, I watched as Mel grabbed a hold of the Sharaita, fingers gripping tightly, expression sober as she scanned the faces of the people standing with her in the circle.