Blood Heir

by Ilona Andrews

  “You will be safe?”

  “I’ll call for your aid if I need it.”

  Ascanio snapped his chains with a guttural snarl. Namtur rolled his eyes, ran up to the porch, swept Marten into his arms, and disappeared into the house. The door clanged shut.

  The chains vanished. Shapeshifters stumbled and a couple fell, suddenly free.

  Ascanio’s face was pure rage. Things just weren’t going his way. He started forward. I moved between him and Derek.

  “No.”

  “Step aside.” The menace in his voice shot alarms through me.

  “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll move you.” Ascanio looked at Derek over my shoulder. “Hiding behind a human?”

  Derek smiled. “Idiot.”

  A shiver dashed through Ascanio. He was a hair from shifting.

  “Well, that was very informative,” a familiar voice said. “But playtime is over.”

  I turned my head. Robert Lonesco crouched on top of the debris pile blocking the side street. Lean, dark-haired, with eyes like chocolate and bronze skin, Robert looked almost pretty. Until he switched to his warrior form, and then he looked like your worst nightmare.

  Zahar gaped at him. Apparently, like everyone else, he hadn’t heard or smelled Robert, and having him materialize twenty feet away was probably extremely upsetting. That’s why Robert was the alpha of the Rats and the Pack’s Chief of Security.

  Marten and Namtur popped their heads out the door.

  Ascanio kept walking toward us. Behind him the boudas started forward.

  Robert shook his head.

  Three dozen shapeshifters rose from nearby roofs.

  “When I said the party was over, kids, I meant it.”

  Ascanio halted. His people stopped too. The wolves moved closer to Derek.

  “We had an understanding,” Ascanio said to Robert.

  “Our understanding hinged on you being discreet.” Robert waved his hand to indicate the scene. “This is not discreet. The venerable gentleman was correct. This is unseemly.”

  “I’m handling this. My people will clean it up,” Ascanio said.

  “No need. This is done.”

  “No.”

  “Beta Ferara.” Robert’s voice turned ice-cold. “Do you know where Abigail Lewis is?”

  Ascanio glanced at me, as if looking for someone. “No. Not at the moment.”

  “I do. She’s being transported to the Keep from the safehouse on Durham Street. She inhaled a pound of silver dust. She should be dead.”

  Ascanio’s face blanched.

  “Instead, she is in stable condition. They were able to wake her up with an adrenaline shot and she stayed conscious long enough to tell everyone in the safehouse that a pretty human knight and a magic werewolf with scars on his face saved her life. The man who dropped her off told them that Derek Gaunt said ‘hi.’ Doolittle is standing by in the Keep’s clinic. He says it’s a miracle and can’t wait to examine her.”

  All the fight went out of Ascanio. They called it into the Keep. The cat was out of the bag, and now Robert would do things by the book.

  Robert looked at Derek. “You have some choices to make. Are you here as Gaunt or are you here as Argent? Think carefully before you answer.”

  A brilliant move. Robert had just solved the dilemma of Derek’s identity by pushing the burden onto Derek’s shoulders. Most of Derek’s people were right here with him. If he said he was Gaunt, Robert would let him walk away. If he said he was Argent, he would be given an invitation to the Keep he couldn’t refuse. His people would go to the Keep regardless. He had the immunity that belonging to Curran provided. They did not. He wouldn’t abandon them.

  Derek opened his mouth. “Greetings to the alpha of Clan Rat. Thank you for your hospitality.”

  “Greetings to the beta of Ice Fury,” Robert replied.

  Ascanio looked like somebody had slapped him with a fish.

  “The Beast Lord is eager to meet with you,” Robert said.

  “Why make him wait any longer?” Derek said.

  Robert smiled. “Excellent answer. You were always good at thinking on your feet.” He looked to Ascanio. “The Beast Lord will see you as well. When the call came into the Keep, the Beast Lord was in a meeting with your alpha and the alpha of Clan Wolf.”

  Oh no. Nick told Desandra. The two of them knew about Ascanio and Derek’s incident, realized that a confrontation was inevitable, and so Desandra must’ve positioned herself in the Keep waiting for Ascanio to fuck up.

  Robert’s face softened. “If I were you, I’d use this time to think of answers to some pressing questions. Such as why you assigned a bouda to follow a Knight of the Order without authorization. Why you inserted yourself into the investigation of Pastor Haywood’s murder. Why you failed to report the presence of foreign shapeshifters in the Pack’s territory. Most important of all, why you picked a fight with the beta of the largest shapeshifter pack on the continent. Bear in mind that ignorance won’t be an effective defense.”

  Ascanio’s expression went blank. Derek’s status had set the situation on its ears, and now he was rapidly recalculating. Judging by the look on his face, his brain had to be shifting through the possibilities so fast, I half expected smoke to come out of his ears.

  Robert turned to me. “Our apologies to the Order for any inconvenience.”

  “No need. As you said, this is done.”

  Robert nodded and looked at Ascanio and Derek. “Gentlemen, shall we?”

  “Wait for me,” Derek murmured under his breath.

  “I will,” I promised. I didn’t have a choice.

  He walked to join Robert. Ascanio did the same. The two groups formed two columns behind their leaders. The rats fanned out around them, and they walked away. In a few breaths the street lay empty.

  I sighed and headed into the house.

  Marten was curled up on the divan, hugging a pillow. I’d covered her with a soft throw, and from my spot at the table, she looked like a little lump.

  I poured more wine for Namtur. He sipped it from a small cup. The old man loved sangria and, given a chance, drank it like water, but today he was pacing himself. The assassin was expecting a fight.

  I sipped my tea. Wine and I didn’t agree. It made me sad and gave me nightmares.

  Three hours had passed since the shapeshifter standoff. Three hours for the ma’avirim to do whatever they wanted.

  I wanted to pace around like a caged tiger. Instead, I made myself be calm.

  Sophia showed up at my door minutes after the shapeshifters left. She apologized profusely. I told her that I had Marten and there was no further need to guard her. It wasn’t strictly true. Rudolph’s death eliminated most of the risk to Marten, but the ma’avirim could still come for her to get to me. However, I had thought of a more permanent solution to her safety.

  Despite my best assurances that she wasn’t fired, Sophia seemed crestfallen. According to her, if I ever needed anything done in Atlanta, there would be a teenage weremongoose on standby. I had her call the Methodist hospital for me because I couldn’t get a dial tone. Douglas had survived. He was still in ICU. He would likely live, but they couldn’t tell us how much of his mobility or brain function he would regain. I’d thanked Sophia and she left.

  Then I’d packed my bag with weapons, so I’d be ready to go the moment Derek showed up. Then I made a big meal, which Namtur and Marten devoured. Then Namtur told her stories of his exploits until finally she fell asleep. Then I poured him wine and made tea.

  No word from Derek. Just waiting.

  Every minute we delayed ate at me. I felt like a woman trying to run a race with my feet tied together.

  “Smart child,” Namtur murmured, looking over Marten. “She eats when there is food. She sleeps when she’s safe.”

  “She’s a survivor. I paid some strong shapeshifters to keep an eye on her, but she keeps escaping.”

  Namtur smiled, then his expression turned serious. “That sh
apeshifter who shrugged off my chains, what is your connection to him?”

  “We’re working together.”

  He shook his head. “Ah, the arrogance of youth. You seek to avoid the question, and you think I won’t notice. Tell me about this scarred man.”

  “He’s someone I used to know.”

  “Ah.” Namtur smiled without showing his teeth. “A person from your childhood.”

  “Sort of. What do you think of him?”

  “I have known many warriors among the People of the Fur. Their kind seeks to intimidate. They snarl and flaunt their strength and speed. In this way they seek to avoid unnecessary combat. It is the way of animals—make yourself larger, make yourself scarier, puff out your fur, and show your teeth.” Namtur took a swallow of his wine. “This man is different. He could have broken my chains at any time, yet he waited to see what I would do. He thinks. He has patience. And that makes him dangerous. If I had to kill him, surprise would be best.”

  On that we could agree. Fighting Derek one-on-one would be a monumental challenge.

  The old man nodded. “Were you friends in your old life?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you friends still?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Many things have changed.”

  “That they have.”

  Namtur fell silent. His eyes clouded with memories. I finished my cup and still he didn’t speak.

  “Why are you here, Great Uncle?” I asked gently.

  He looked into the distance. “This is the place she chose to die.”

  When Roland woke up in the new age, he was filled with hope and possibilities. When Erra came to, she awoke to despair and pain. Something she cherished most in the world had been torn from her. She saw no point in living.

  By that point Roland must have begun to suspect that his daughter was in Atlanta, and he had decided to send Erra to the city to draw Kate out. Grandmother had recognized Kate instantly. The two of them looked so alike, nobody could deny the resemblance.

  They had fought, and Erra let Kate kill her. Oh, she’d made Kate work for it. It was one of the hardest fights of Kate’s life. But in the end Grandmother let go and let herself slip into oblivion. Except with our family, nothing was ever that simple.

  “I wanted to see it for myself. To think that this is the place where she had drowned in despair beyond all hope…”

  Namtur let it drop and wiped the moisture from his eyes. “I’ve known her since she was fifteen years old. She was so strong, so full of life, a glittering jewel suffused with light. How could we let her become a listless shadow of herself? How could we have failed her so completely? Her own brother…”

  He clenched his fist, his voice choked up.

  “Her own brother.” Rage bubbled in his voice. “He should have waited patiently by her resting place. He should have built a residence, he should’ve trained retainers for her, and when she awoke, he should have gently ushered her into this new world. Instead he sent his servants to fetch her like some freight. Because of him, she thought that precious gift had been lost. He let her think that. And then…”

  Namtur’s face turned savage. If Namtur ever got his hands on Roland, my grandfather would die. His great cosmic powers wouldn’t matter.

  I reached out and touched his hand with my fingers to bring him back to reality. “What he did was unforgivable. I understand it better than anyone. I’ve heard his explanations. They rang hollow because I’ve seen what he has done to my uncle.”

  Of all the people besides Kate and Erra, I was closest to my uncle. He understood me in a way nobody else could. We both had stared into the burning void left behind when the binding shattered. We’d both overcome it. We’d both pledged to never be bound again.

  “It wasn’t just Nimrod.” Namtur’s face turned dark. “We all used her. The entire kingdom stood by as she became the Plague Maker. She sacrificed herself for us in the worst way possible. We all allowed it. I allowed it.”

  I laughed.

  He glanced at me, startled.

  “How brazen of you. My grandmother is the Queen of Shinar. Nobody allows her to do anything. She did what she did because she judged it necessary.”

  “There were times when I could have pulled her back. Instead, I urged her on.” Namtur shook his head. “I will not make the same mistake again. I have aged, but I will not die until I am sure she will not succumb to darkness. She deserves all the happiness.”

  Erra’s death must have shaken him to his core. The raw emotion in his voice and the naked regret in his eyes made me want to turn away. I was witnessing his grief. It felt intensely private, and I was intruding.

  I had to bring him out of it. “So, does my grandmother know you love her?”

  He blinked, taken aback. “Of course I love her. We all love her.”

  “I’m not talking about the love of a friend or a loyal subject.”

  Namtur stared at me for a second, grabbed a newspaper from the desk, squeezed it into a tube, and hit my head with it. “Evil child!”

  Wap!

  “Shameful!”

  Wap!

  “How do such ideas even enter your mind? Must your mouth speak every stray thought that flitters through your head?”

  I laughed and leaned out of the way. “You protest too much, Great Uncle.”

  “Your grandmother is my sworn sister!”

  “But not blood sister.”

  Namtur waved his newspaper. “Not another word!”

  I held up my hands. “I’ll stop if you do me a favor.”

  “You dare? After the inanity you blabbered?” He tossed the newspaper onto the table. “What is it?”

  “When you go back to the new kingdom, will you take the child with you?”

  Namtur pivoted in his chair and looked at Marten.

  “She has no future here,” I said. “She will die in the streets.”

  “You can stop pretending,” Namtur called.

  Marten opened one eye.

  “The princess asks me to take you with me.”

  Marten opened both eyes. “Is she a real princess? Like in fairy tales?”

  “Yes,” Namtur said with great gravity. “If you are willing, I will take you with me to her kingdom. It is a land of food and wonders. I will give you food.”

  Good.

  “I will give you clothes and teach you to read ancient books.”

  Also good.

  “I will make you my apprentice.”

  Good… Wait, what?

  “Umm… That’s not what I asked,” I said.

  Namtur ignored me. “Do you understand what that means?”

  Marten sat up. “There will be no thief in this world equal to me?”

  “Great Uncle, let’s talk about his…”

  Namtur’s eyes shone. “Yes. And so much more. It won’t be easy. You will weep, you will fail often, and you will want to quit. Your body will have to endure great hardship to grow strong, and your mind will do the same.”

  “I won’t fail,” Marten said. “And I won’t cry.”

  Namtur rose. “Come here, child.”

  Marten hopped off the couch and approached.

  “Do you have a name?” he asked.

  “This is a terrible idea,” I said.

  “Deira. Nobody calls me that, though.”

  “It’s a good name,” Namtur said. “Kneel.”

  Marten knelt. Namtur reached out and put his hand on her head.

  “Deira of Atlanta, do you accept me as your master?” the Royal Assassin asked.

  “Think very carefully,” I warned.

  “Yes,” Deira said. “I accept.”

  Magic punched them, surging from Namtur’s hand. In my mind’s eye, they glowed with brilliant intense blue, Namtur darker, closer to indigo, and Deira, a light cerulean shade. The two blues collided, mixed, and flowed back, binding the old man and the little girl.

  Well, that hadn’t gone the way I wanted.

  “Yo
u can get up now.”

  “Thank you, master.”

  Deira jumped up.

  “Why?”

  Namtur spared me a look. “I am old and tired.”

  Yeah right.

  “Who will take care of you when I’m gone?”

  “She’s a little girl.”

  “She named herself Marten after a small vicious killer. She didn’t name herself after a meek rabbit.”

  Magic pulsed through me. Someone was at my front door. I dissolved the outer ward. A moment later Derek walked into the inner chamber. Finally.

  I grabbed Dakkan, my bag, and my bow and quiver.

  “I will raise the Enki shield,” I told Namtur. “Should the ma’avirim arrive, use the tunnel. Everything here can be replaced except you and Deira.”

  “Should they break through, I will bring this place down on their heads. It shall become their tomb. If that happens, the child and I will wait for you where your grandmother gave up her life. Make your kingdom proud.”

  “I will, Great Uncle.”

  “I’ll keep her safe, old man,” Derek said.

  Namtur fixed Derek with his stare. It was cold and dark, and it promised death. “Pah. Keep yourself safe, Shepherd of the Wolves. And if the danger is too great, hide behind her. Dananu Edes-Shinar has no need of your puny protection.”

  Derek’s eyes shone with gold. He looked like he wanted to say something. The last thing I needed right now was the two of them getting into it.

  “Let’s go.” I marched to the door.

  Derek followed me. We exited into the hallway, crossed the house, and went out the front door.

  Six shapeshifters waited by my porch, four men and two women. Zahar I already knew. The rest I had seen on the street when Derek and Ascanio had almost had their idiotic showdown, but aside from that, none of them looked familiar.

  I turned around and strained. Magic broke free of me, pulsing through the wall of my house and sparking on the tappum, the clay tablets with ancient cuneiform I had affixed around the inner chamber. The Enki shield snapped into being with an audible thrum, and for a second the translucent dome towered over the house. It faded almost instantly, an invisible, impenetrable barrier.

  “Cool alarm system,” Zahar said. “Where can I buy one?”