Alterant

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  “Maybe the Tribunal won’t allow anyone to contact you.”

  “Nothing would stop Tzader or Quinn from trying to find me, and Trey has been trying to reach me nonstop. He’s so powerful that his telepathy thumps against my shields. Trey’s like a supernova of telepaths. If he can’t get through, no one can.”

  Tristan had that sick kicked-in-the-balls expression again, but it was his own fault this time. He should have discussed this with her earlier.

  She cocked her head, arms crossed. “Here’s my plan. I say we rescue the hostages and get out of here using your teleportation once we make it back to the access wall. If you can find the right spot again.”

  His body practically vibrated with the need to head toward the hostages. “I’m sure I can find one of the places to teleport out if the ghosts don’t block us.”

  “Sounds like they’ll help us if it means Kizira goes, too.”

  “The question is what you intend to do when we land on the other side?”

  “You give me the three Alterants—”

  “Here we go again.”

  “Let me finish. I will have Storm go to Tzader, since I can’t be seen, and Tzader will contact Brina about the Alterants. She’s already agreed to guarantee their safety and a chance to speak to the Tribunal. I can’t tell you all that transpired at the Tribunal meeting, but Brina will help if it means me showing up with three Alterants.” Evalle had worded that carefully, because Tristan had it in for Brina. He didn’t need to know the Tribunal would punish Brina if Evalle failed.

  “What about me and my sister?”

  If the Tribunal wanted to pin the responsibility for his escape on Evalle, she would argue that they failed to forbid her from helping him escape.

  Use their own twisted logic on them.

  And hope Brina could make it stick.

  She told Tristan, “I won’t say a word about you or your sister, but in return I want your help with finding out more about Alterants.” Something pinched her arm. She jumped, spinning around to find nothing there.

  A hollow laugh bounced around her.

  Why couldn’t these things have been demons? She could kill those. “Think it through, Tristan. There’s already a neutralize order out on all of us. With the massive Alterant problem across the country right now, VIPER will probably bring in Dakkar. He’s a mage that runs bounty hunters. He’ll find out you have a sister. You’ll never be safe, and neither will she.”

  “There’s not going to be anything to discuss if we lose those hostages.”

  She didn’t say a word.

  “Fine. If you can get those three hostages to the other side of the wall in the train tunnel safely—without VIPER killing them—I’ll go along with you.”

  She was running tight on time, but she had to believe that Storm would be there to help her with this. He wouldn’t let anyone from VIPER draw down on them. “Agreed. Get moving.”

  Tristan took off as fast as a gunshot, with her right behind. The lanterns the soldier had promised appeared along the way.

  When a glow filtered out through a garage-door-sized opening in the wall on her left ten steps ahead, Tristan slowed and crept up to the opening.

  Evalle tucked her back close to the wall of rock and sidestepped until she was next to his shoulder. She couldn’t call out to Tzader from here, but she should be able to speak telepathically with Tristan, since it had worked in the jungle. You know I won’t shift into my beast state, but you can, which will give us an edge.

  He told her, No, I can’t either. If I shift it might trigger the other four to lose control and change.

  Evalle angled her head to the left to see his face. Four?

  Chagrin over having to share something significant bathed his face. My sister is an Alterant, too.

  Two in one family? What—

  Can we discuss genetics and heritage later, Evalle? Tell you what. If we get out of here alive and I can put my sister somewhere safe, I’ll explain how I think Alterants are connected. We aren’t anomalies. You’re right. We should be a recognized race, and I think I know enough to prove it. Satisfied for now?

  I’m good. More than good. Her heart raced from adrenaline and hope. She’d face an army of Medb for the chance to get that information from Tristan. How do you want to work this?

  Stay here until I need you, and follow my lead. Tristan stepped away from the wall and entered the room.

  Tristan! she hissed at him.

  Don’t distract me right now.

  Evalle slid to the edge of the entrance, taking in the open space that soared thirty feet high. The hollowed-out chamber stretched as wide and long as a concert hall, but the only music playing here tonight would be death throes if their half-assed plan went bad. Torches blazed around the room and on each corner of a stone slab twenty feet across. Three knee-high, round bands of flames positioned on the ground in front of the platform provided half the light in the room.

  Three men in ragged and dirty clothes had each been imprisoned in three fire circles.

  Those had to be the escaped Alterants.

  They all looked to be around mid- to late twenties. One had dark brown hair that mopped around his shoulders and could have been a center in basketball with his height. The next guy had frizzy, carrot-red hair, a medium build and skin so white it almost glowed. The shortest guy wore a dangly little earring in one ear. He had curly black hair and a Haitian face.

  And none of them had green eyes, but they did have one thing in common. Terror.

  Tristan stopped in the center of the room.

  The three men started shouting for him to free them.

  Kizira appeared out of thin air, floating inches above the stone slab. Flames shot up in front of the stone, then spread out until it formed a wide moat of fire surrounding her.

  Evalle suffered her first real doubts about escaping the Maze of Death alive.

  The Medb priestess waved a hand at the three men, silencing them and setting the bar for her witch powers.

  Tristan addressed Kizira. “I’m here. Release the Alterants and my sister.”

  “Nice to see you again, Tristan. I missed you.” Kizira had a debutante’s voice that scraped across Evalle’s nerves.

  “Can’t say the feeling’s mutual, Kizira. Where’s my sister if you want to deal?”

  “Our last bargain did not end successfully. You still owe me for that one.”

  Evalle fingered her dagger at the sour note in Kizira’s accusation. That priestess had tried to use Tristan a week ago in a fanatical plan to kill all the Beladors.

  The scary part was that it had almost worked.

  But Kizira had abandoned the Kujoo and Tristan the minute things had gotten dicey.

  Tristan countered, “I fulfilled my part of the agreement and got shipped back to South America when you disappeared on us. The failure was not on my end. Release these Alterants and I’ll come to you willingly. You don’t want to cross me.”

  The pale blue robe and hood gave Kizira a saintly look, but any sweet image ended there. She had the heart of a snake, too small to be anything but deadly. “I agreed to exchange these three Rías for you. Your sister’s not part of that deal.”

  Evalle cocked her head. Rías? What did she mean by that distinction?

  Tristan replied, “Then make it part of this deal. My sister is of no use now that I’m here.”

  “But I want something else in trade for her.”

  “I have nothing else to offer you but me,” Tristan said as though it was obvious.

  Kizira laughed, a tinkling sound of delight. “Oh, that’s not true. You have something lurking nearby that I want as much as you want your sister.”

  “What?”

  “Evalle Kincaid.”

  TWENTY-NINE

  Evalle froze. Kizira wants to trade Tristan’s sister for me? Is Kizira bluffing about knowing I’m here?

  Tristan hadn’t given Kizira an answer yet.

  He might be willing to exchange his life f
or those other three Alterants, but he had no reason to risk anyone to save Evalle.

  Especially not his sister.

  Kizira called to Tristan, “I have made you a fair offer, Tristan. Evalle for your sister.”

  He said, “Show me my sister.” Then he came into Evalle’s mind. I can only shield my mind from Kizira and talk to you at the same time for seconds. If I can get my hands on my sister, you take her and find your way back to the subway wall. When you run late, Storm will figure a way to get someone to you.

  Evalle blinked. He wasn’t throwing her to the Medb?

  Evalle! We have a deal?

  She nodded even though he couldn’t see her. Yes, but what about you and the other three?

  I’ll try to get them out, but if you and my sister can escape, that’ll have to be good enough. Just promise me you won’t hand her over to the Tribunal no matter what.

  Like she could do that to Tristan at this point? I promise. Do you think Kizira knows I’m here in the maze?

  I don’t know. I didn’t tell her.

  Evalle believed him.

  Kizira said, “I’m tired of waiting, Tristan. Hand over Evalle. I know she’s close by. Call her in here.”

  Guess that answered my question. Evalle gripped her dagger.

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s not here,” Tristan bluffed.

  Evalle peeked again. Kizira rose high in the air. “Don’t waste time trying to fool me. Her friend told me I would find her with you.”

  Evalle almost snorted at that. Stupid witch. Evalle could count her friends on one hand, and none of them would help Kizira find her.

  “Who told you we’d be together?” Tristan asked.

  “Vladimir Quinn.”

  Evalle swung around, slamming her back to the wall. Her heart cramped. Quinn would never betray her. How would he even know she was here with Tristan?

  Because word was out that she’d helped Tristan escape.

  Quinn wouldn’t believe that I intentionally released Tristan. He wouldn’t.

  “You’re lying, Kizira,” Tristan argued. “Evalle’s thick as thieves with Tzader and Quinn. You know that. Why would those Beladors hand her over to a Medb?”

  “Because VIPER is hunting all the Alterants with a kill-on-sight order, even Evalle. I owe Quinn from a past debt and offered to keep her safe. He also knows that I’m her best chance at freedom.”

  Evalle didn’t buy that. Why would Quinn think she’d be safe with Kizira?

  “And Evalle?” Kizira called out. “If you want proof that I spoke to Quinn privately today, he was in the Ritz on Peachtree in downtown Atlanta in a room the same number as today’s date. I was curing Quinn of a severe headache. Even with my soothing skills, he was in no shape to come after you himself, and he didn’t want Tzader caught between loyalties.”

  Air backed up in Evalle’s lungs.

  Quinn had a system of hotels he stayed in, and on Thursdays he stayed in a room based on the date. He changed to a different hotel every day as a safety precaution, but he’d told her and Tzader yesterday he’d be at the downtown Ritz today.

  He’d said no one knew his system except Tzader and Evalle.

  Kizira had been in Quinn’s hotel room. Soothing him.

  Evalle understood that reference with no problem. She couldn’t believe Quinn had slept with this murdering witch. The first time Evalle had met Quinn she’d found out he’d had history with Kizira, but never had she questioned his loyalty to the Beladors.

  Or to her.

  Did he really think she’d walk into the Medb camp for any reason? If so, he didn’t know her as well as she’d thought. Even if she believed Kizira, Evalle knew Tzader wouldn’t agree.

  A soft female voice whispered next to Evalle’s ear. “Believe who you trust and trust who you believe.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath at the bodyless voice. The same voice that Evalle had heard earlier tonight in her apartment and for the first time this past week. If Tristan had been standing here she could have asked him if he’d heard it, but Evalle had a feeling he wouldn’t have.

  Who kept trying to reach her?

  Evalle whispered, “Who are you?”

  No one answered.

  Kizira called out again, “If you don’t come with me, Evalle, the fog will grow across North America until it covers everything in a week. Do you want all those deaths on your shoulders? Or to lose Tzader and Quinn? Because you know they’ll be on the front lines. Come willingly and I’ll clear the air. Literally.”

  The beast stirred inside Evalle.

  She should have known that wacked-out witch was behind the fog. But would Kizira really spare mere humans or anyone who mattered to Evalle? Even Quinn?

  “I’m through waiting, Tristan. Tell Evalle to come forward or I’ll have to hurt one of your friends.”

  Tristan warned in a deadly tone, “Hurt one of them and expect to pay a price. Make this easy on everyone. Let these three and my sister leave. I’ll stay.”

  Evalle tensed at his challenge. She peeked around the corner.

  The witch flicked her fingers and a bolt of lightning shot toward the redheaded Alterant.

  Tristan whipped his hands across his body, throwing a kinetic field of power to block the lightning bolt.

  The block worked like a champ.

  Kinetic energy hadn’t bounced back at Tristan. The maze spirits wanted Kizira out of here. They must have cleared this area from any backlash.

  But the witch had used the strike of lightning to divert Tristan’s powers.

  She waved a hand and snarled out a hairy-sounding chant.

  Two creatures rose from the moat of fire around Kizira. The scaly creatures had heads the size of fifty-gallon barrels, with teeth and jaws that looked as if they could crush cars. Fire raced up their red-orange scales and crawled along four arms that grew from each of their undulating serpent bodies.

  Six long tentacle-like claws curled in and out at the end of each arm. The creatures continued to rise and coil into shape. When their tails came into view, the last ten feet curled up and over with a scorpion pincher.

  “Last chance, Tristan,” Kizira warned.

  “What good am I to you dead?”

  “You’d be surprised what I could do with a dead Alterant, like, oh, bring Evalle to me and I’ll show you.” She called out another chant and flames roared to life around the tallest of the three Alterants.

  Tristan charged the flaming circle, but one of the serpents lunged at him. He twisted around to throw up a field of energy to hold the thing off.

  The other two Alterants lunged, but their fire circles flamed up, stopping them. They roared, shifting into beasts.

  Evalle stepped from cover and raced into the room.

  No one was dying to protect her.

  The fire must have broken Kizira’s silence spell over the tall Alterant. Amidst his screams of pain he cried out, “Petrina . . . not . . . here.”

  The smell of charred flesh gagged Evalle. She shoved a blast of kinetic energy to knock the burning Alterant from his circle. The flames went with him.

  He stopped struggling, dead.

  Tristan yelled in Evalle’s head, Kizira lied. My sister’s not here. Run!

  Evalle said, No way. She made a decision she hoped she wouldn’t regret. Link with me and we’ll kick her scrawny butt.

  But when she opened her mind to link with all the Alterants, she only connected with Tristan. His beast power raged through her body, but he had his shift under control.

  That allowed her to keep her beast in check.

  Kizira screeched and flew across the top of her creatures at Evalle.

  “I really hate the sound that witch makes,” Evalle muttered. She’d seen Tristan throw a lightning bolt back when he’d been with the Kujoo. Drawing on his powers, she whipped her hand at Kizira.

  Their combined powers created a shaft of energy that blasted the witch as if she’d been shot from a fireman’s hose, knocking her b
ack fifty feet into a wall of rock.

  The second creature had gone after the other two Alterants, who had shifted into nasty-looking beast forms. Those two fought the creature from where they were caught in the circles.

  Evalle threw a blast at the creature to back it off.

  One of the Alterants charged out of the fire circle, howling as he rolled to put out the flames streaking up his body. The other Alterant did the same while Evalle kept the creature pushed off of them, but she couldn’t keep doing this and help Tristan.

  She screamed at the two Alterants, “Run!”

  They tried, but the creature whipped between them and the exit. The Alterants attacked it as a team. One latched onto the serpent’s arm. When the serpent dove his head down to bite the offender, the other Alterant jumped and dug his fangs into the serpent’s neck.

  Stomping her boots to release the hidden blades, Evalle turned to help Tristan.

  The first serpent had Tristan pinned down on his knees, caught between the ground and the field of kinetic energy he used as a shield. He’d be crushed in seconds. The thing’s tentacles had latched onto the power and lengthened, snaking around to find an opening.

  Evalle blasted a wave of power at the beast. It whipped its head around toward her. Eyes of hell blazed with yellow centers. Foam poured around his fangs. He snarled and turned back to Tristan.

  That hadn’t worked. Tristan needed more power on his side of the energy. Evalle took a step toward him.

  The ground beneath her feet started swirling and sucking her down into a sand pit.

  She searched for Kizira.

  The Medb priestess hovered again, chanting, head back in a trance state. Lightning crackled and fingered away from her body. She was feeding power to her creatures.

  Evalle pushed and kicked at the funneling sand, but it kept dragging her down. She started gaining and broke a boot free to step away from the sand when she felt a hard draw on her energy from Tristan.

  She lost her footing and was back to pedaling against being swallowed by the swirling sand. She looked to Tristan, needing his power.

  He roared and shoved up against the serpent, knocking the creature back. Then Tristan whipped out a length of power that sparked and glowed. When the serpent roared back to life and dove at Tristan, he swung his six feet of sparking power across the serpent, cutting off its head.