Darkness Falls

by Keri Arthur

  The corridor led to a series of other rooms containing beds, some of them occupied, some of them not. I frowned, confusion growing, and moved on. I came to a lobby, saw a directory on the wall above the call button, and felt like swearing.

  I was at the Directorate.

  Which made sense, I guess. It was the safest place to conduct such journeys, given it would take an army to break into this building.

  I wasn’t an army, but break in I would have to. I imagined myself back in my body and shuddered, gasping in pain, as the force of my return hit like a club.

  I took several gulps of coffee, which hit my stomach and threatened to come right back up again, then swung around to face Azriel.

  That area of the Directorate is unlikely to be shielded against astral travelers given that is its purpose, he said, so it is unlikely they would be guarded against your Aedh form.

  It’s unlikely they’d be warded against Aedh anyway. Before all this crap started, no one was even really aware such protection was necessary.

  Yes, but the Directorate are now aware, and no doubt will be working to solve the problem. How do you wish to play this?

  I glanced at the time, thinking fast. Dawn would soon be upon us, and with it came the countdown to Hunter’s deadline. But there was another deadline approaching, one we could use to our advantage. “You need to go report to Aunt Riley. The last thing I need is for her to come out of hiding and present the perfect target to Hunter.”

  “Your aunt is cannier than that.”

  “I know, but I still don’t want to take the risk.”

  “And you? What will you do while I am gone?”

  I hesitated. “I might go to Stane’s and see if there’s any way he can hack into the security of the remaining properties. If we can use their camera systems to look around, it might stop us wasting so much time.”

  “If that were possible, I think he would have done it.”

  I shrugged. “It’s still worth a shot. Shall I meet you there?”

  “Do.” Silently, he added, Not. If you are unable to subdue Myer, then we have a brief window of opportunity in which to grab the key and take it to safety.

  Then where will we meet? The first place she’ll look is back here.

  He hesitated. It will take you too long to travel in Aedh form to the key’s location, so meet me at the Aedh’s apartment building and we shall go from there.

  I raised my eyebrows. Why there?

  Because it is close, and also a place they will not immediately think of. Aloud, he added, “Be safe.”

  I nodded, finished my coffee, then called to the Aedh. In particle form, I sped from the café and arrowed not toward the Directorate but to a hardware store, where I bought rope and duct tape. Only then did I continue on toward the Directorate. And every bit of me was crossed that we’d guessed right, that the Directorate hadn’t yet had the time to form any sort of defense against energy beings.

  The green glass building came into sight. I slipped down to the pavement level but didn’t immediately enter, waiting impatiently for someone else to do so. As they walked through the bristling array of scanners, I went in with them.

  No alarms went off.

  Relief slithered through me, but it was tempered by the fact that I hadn’t reached my destination just yet. I continued on to the stairwell, slipping in under the door, then swirling down the stairs until I reached the floor that held the astral traveling room. I retraced my steps, flowed over the guard, and entered the room where Myer slept. It was still otherwise empty.

  I moved across to where she lay, then imagined Amaya in one hand, the tape and the rope in the other, and called to the Aedh.

  The minute my feet hit the floor, alarms went off.

  Chapter 14

  There were fucking sensors in the floor.

  The moment I’d regained flesh, I set the damn things off. And as soon as they went off, Myer began to wake. I flipped Amaya and swung her as hard as I could. Even half-groggy and still suffering the aftereffects of her swift return to her body, Myer was fast. She threw herself sideways, and the blow that should have smacked her across the jaw and knocked her out hit her temple instead. She came up fast, murder in her gray eyes.

  Amaya, flame and contain, I yelped, even as I reached for the Aedh magic.

  A ball of lilac erupted from the sword’s side and shot toward Myer. She swore and dove away, but there was no escaping Amaya’s cage. As the door behind me began to beep, Amaya’s flames flashed around Myer and pinned her to the spot. In half-flesh, half-Aedh form, I moved over.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, “but it was either this or kill you, and I really don’t want to do the latter.”

  And with that, I raised Amaya and knocked Myer out. As she dropped limply to the floor, the door crashed open and the security guard all but fell into the room. I became full Aedh and flowed past him as he ran for the unconscious Myer.

  I made my way through the halls of the Directorate and up the stairwell to the lobby. Once I was out in the street, I shot down Collins Street, heading for Lucian’s grand old apartment building. Thankfully, there still weren’t any workmen on the site, but I guess that was not surprising given he’d only recently died and it was doubtful his will had even been read yet.

  Azriel was waiting inside the almost finished lobby, out of sight from those walking by on the pavement. I became flesh, tugged my clothing back into some sort of order, and said, “We haven’t got much time. I knocked Myer unconscious but I have no idea if she managed to get a message off to Hunter or not.”

  “Then we need to go.”

  He caught my hand, and a second later we were standing on the rooftop of the pale green building that held the key. I pulled my fingers from his and ran to the raised edge. The coat of arms was positioned in what looked like a circle that had had its top section lopped off. Sitting on top of this flatter bit was a rising sun, but it was easy enough to lean past this bit of ornamentation to get to the shield. Energy flickered across the shield as I reached for it, as if acknowledging my presence. It was dark and unclean in its feel, snapping at my fingers.

  The Dušan crawled from my flesh, leaving just its tail wrapped around my wrist, gripped the bottom of the shield with tiny claws, and pulled it free. It swung around and crawled back, the shield seeming to shrink in its grip.

  I grabbed it from the Dušan before she reached my flesh, suddenly fearful she was going to leach it into my skin. The last thing I needed was the key to hell sitting right alongside the two charms that had become permanent tattoos on my wrists thanks to the Dušan. She hissed, looking annoyed as she returned to her usual position on my left wrist.

  The shield was little more than palm sized, but oddly heavy. I heaved it over my head, brought it down on the concrete edge, and smashed it into four uneven chunks.

  I tossed one to Azriel. “You keep that one safe. I’ll give one to Tao up in the sacred site, then take the third bit to the remnants.”

  He didn’t look happy. “And the fourth?”

  “I’ll need something to offer Hunter. Once we kill her, we’ll decide where it should go.”

  He nodded, half disappeared, then hesitated and said, “Be careful. It is likely Hunter now knows of your attack on Myer, and she will not react well.”

  “I know—which is why I won’t be going back to the café or anywhere else familiar.”

  “Good. I’ll come to you, so wait for me before you do anything Hunter related.” He disappeared.

  I glanced down at the three remaining pieces of key. I couldn’t hold them all, simply because I needed to keep one hand free in case I had to draw Amaya. And while concrete should change with me, the key was actually metal. The concrete was just a disguise it wore in this world. And that meant it might have to touch skin. I bit my lip, debating the merits of bra versus tucking them into the back of my jeans, and went for the latter simply because my bras had a tendency to be shredded by the Aedh shift.

  I called to th
e Aedh and, in particle form, took to the sky. With as much speed as I could muster, I headed for Mount Macedon and the old sacred site that was now Tao’s home—at least for the evenings.

  Dawn was beginning to creep pink fingers through the night sky as I arrived. I swept down to ground level and changed form but landed rather ungainly and half fell onto one knee. I grunted in pain but thrust upright, ignoring the dizziness threatening to topple me again as I ran for the old wrought-iron gates that guarded this place. As before, they were padlocked, the lock ancient and heavy, and the chain as thick as my arm. I swerved left and headed for the old chain fence that disappeared into the darkness to either side of the main gate. I leapt up, grabbed the top of the fence, and dropped, somewhat inelegantly, to the ground on the other side. My fingers brushed the dirt as I steadied myself and scanned the shadow-filled landscape around.

  “Tao?” I said. “I need to talk to you.”

  There was no reply. But then, if he was still in elemental form, he wouldn’t be able to. I bit my lip for a moment, tension slithering through me, aware that time was slipping from my grasp and the longer I stood here, the more time Hunter had to bait her traps.

  I swore and forced my feet forward, following the faint path through the trees and the darkness. Shapes loomed through the shadows—small buildings that smelled of smoke and ancient magic, as well as various lichen- and moss-covered stony figures that, even at night, seemed to cast long shadows. I shivered, shoved my imagination back in its box, and strode on.

  The path meandered its way through the trees, sometimes widening into broader clearings but generally remaining little more than a goat track. The wind lifted my hair from the nape of my neck and smelled faintly of decomposing forest matter, eucalyptus, and the musk of kangaroo.

  But the farther I walked into the mountain’s heart, the stronger another scent became—wolf and magic and fire, all weirdly combined.

  “Tao?”

  My voice seemed abnormally loud in the silence. An odd sort of tension began to slither through the trees, and the forest somehow seemed more alert.

  I slowed my steps and proceeded more cautiously. Ahead, through the trees, light danced, a fierce orange glow that sent sparks cascading into the air and filled the rising dawn with the raw aroma of burning green wood.

  It was the witch fire—the fire from which the elemental had come, and what Tao now had to help protect.

  The glow of the fire grew stronger, until its warmth and electricity rode the air. The flames moved and danced in a manner that almost seemed to suggest awareness—as if there were still beings inside of it, ready to come out given the right incantation. And maybe there were—maybe that was why the elemental was so determined to protect this place and this fire. He had kin within the flames.

  I paused on the edge of the clearing and looked around. The clearing appeared empty of everything but the fire.

  “Tao, I really need your help. If you’re here, please come talk to me. Or even just listen, if you’re in elemental form.”

  My words seemed to echo softly in the still morning air. After a moment, one edge of the fire seemed to pull away from the other; then it rose. The elemental swung around, its faceless form seeming to contemplate me for several seconds. Then its fiery form began to contract in on itself, until what stood before me was flesh and blood, not fire.

  I heaved a sigh of relief and walked toward him, but he held out a hand, stopping me. “Wait. Don’t approach the fire, because the elemental is not trusting of anyone being near it and might just attack to protect it.”

  I stopped immediately and waited for him to come to me. Then I threw my arms around him and gave him a fierce hug. “I’m so glad you and the elemental appear to have worked things out.”

  “Yeah, so am I.” He returned the hug briefly, then stepped back, his gaze scanning mine. “What’s this about you needing help?”

  I produced one of the small, ragged pieces of concrete. This bit had the anchor on it, though one edge had been snapped off. “I want you and the elemental to guard this.”

  He frowned and took it from me, turning it over for several minutes before meeting my gaze again. “And why would you want this broken bit of concrete guarded?”

  “Because it may be concrete here on Earth, but on the gray fields it’s actually one-quarter of the final key to the gates of heaven and hell.”

  “Oh fuck, you found it?”

  “Yeah, and we beat every other bastard to it, too. Of course, now the trick is going to be keeping it safe.”

  “And one part of that is hiding the bits in different locations. Good idea.” He ran a finger over the raised anchor part of the shield, then added softly, “I can feel the magic in it, you know. It feels like the fire, but sharper, almost cleaner.”

  And yet it had felt foul to me. But then, the elemental owed its existence to dark magic, so it was logical he would be sensitive to its presence—even if the source of that dark magic was Aedh rather than human.

  “Can you keep it safe? We can’t allow anyone to access it, Tao, not ever.”

  “Then I have the perfect place.” He spun on his heel and walked back to the fire. The closer he got, the more the fire responded, until it seemed to be dancing in eager anticipation. He stopped and held out the small section of shield. Fingers of flame reached out from the body of the flame and wrapped lovingly around both the key and his arms. An odd sort of smile creased his features, and just for a moment, flames rolled across his flesh. Then the fingers retreated, taking the key with them. Tao spun around and walked back. The fires still glowed in eyes.

  “No one will take it from the flames,” he said. “And if they destroy the fire, they destroy any hope they have of accessing it.”

  “Thank you.” I hesitated, then added, “Both of you.”

  He smiled. “The elemental says it is happy we both have a reason to keep the flames going. What is your next move?”

  “I’ve got to hide the rest of the key.”

  “And Hunter?”

  I grimaced. “Will be murderous, to say the least, when she discovers what I’ve done. It might be wise for you to hang around here today, just to be safe.”

  “I doubt—”

  “Tao, it’s not just Hunter we have to worry about right now. The council attacked Stane; I don’t want to chance them having a go at you, too.”

  Alarm spread across his features. “He’s okay?”

  “Yes, and he’s added extra security that he assured me a gnat couldn’t get through. But you’re a juicier target, so please, stay here. It’s just for one day. It’s all going to be over with, one way or another, by tomorrow.”

  His expression, if anything, grew more alarmed. “Fuck, Risa, if you need help—”

  I squeezed his arm. “I know, and I appreciate it, but this is my fight.”

  “And Azriel’s, I would hope.”

  “Considering he’s basically glued to my side, that goes without saying.” I rose on my toes and kissed him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I fucking hope so.”

  I did, too. Resolutely, I turned around and retraced my steps. Once I was back over the fence, I walked over to the gate and sat cross-legged on the ground, pressing my back against the sturdy metal structure. The magic that protected both the gate and this place ran up my spine and seemed to cocoon me. Hopefully, it would also protect me, because I was about to step onto the gray fields, and that meant leaving my body totally without protection. If Hunter had any suspicion that I might have come here, then I could be in big trouble.

  Of course, I could—and probably should—have asked Tao to guard me. But he and the elemental’s truce was still relatively new, and I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. Asking him to walk away from the fire the elemental was desperate to protect might just throw their truce into turmoil. I’d rather risk my own safety than do that.

  I took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to calm the tension running through m
e. I might as well have tried damming a river with a feather. The Dušan stirred to life as I fought for calm; then her tail flicked out and wrapped itself around the small chunks of concrete I held in my hand. Ensuring, I realized, that the key was transported to the gray fields with us.

  Awareness of everything around me began to fade. Ilianna’s charm flared to life, and a heartbeat later, my psyche pulled free from my body and stepped onto the gray fields. The key was in my hand, and this time it was a key—an old-fashioned metal latchkey, or the broken end parts of it, anyway.

  The Dušan unraveled her tail from my hand, then exploded into being, her energy flowing through me as her serpentine form gained flesh and shape. She swirled around me, the wind of her body buffeting mine as her sharp ebony gaze scanned the fields around us. There was no sign of concern in her movements, however, no sense that danger was near. The Raziq were gone, and while I had no doubt there were other dangers in this place that I knew nothing about, right now they were not my concern.

  I headed for the temple grounds, moving as fast as I could in this place, and yet aware that it wasn’t fast enough, that time was passing. And I had a horrible feeling that back in my own world, events were beginning to escalate.

  It was tempting—so damn tempting—to exit out of here. But we’d fought long and hard—had shared blood and tears and lost friends—to gain this key, and I couldn’t walk away from the chance of keeping it safe.

  No matter what the cost.

  I hit the temple grounds but didn’t stop, moving on to the section that held the living quarters. The Dušan peeled away from my side as I did so, unable to enter this particular area. The ethereal and surreal buildings disappeared, replaced by a honeycombed tunnel along which ran various oddly shaped doors. Some glowed; some did not. I ran along the corridor until I reached the odd-shaped door that led into the rooms that had been both my father’s and Lucian’s. I pressed my palm into the middle of the door and it reacted instantly, emitting a warm, nonthreatening light that briefly scanned my hand.

  The door clicked open. The room beyond was large and circular in shape, with ghostly honeycombed walls defining its area. There was no furniture or adornments—or nothing that I recognized as such. It felt empty, and yet there was an odd sense of expectation.