Salvation: Saving Setora Book Seven

by Dark, Raven

  “Get your attention, Sheriff?” T-Man said from beside him.

  “Fuck, T-Man.” Sheriff grabbed him in a hug. “It’s good to see you, Brother.”

  Hawk and Pretty Boy rushed out on my heels, and it was back thump-hugs and handshakes all around.

  “T-Man, how you holding up out there? Ah shit, Cherry’s here too?” Pretty Boy asked, making a face at the red-head woman behind T-Man.

  We laughed, all of us well aware of the almost brother and sister rivalry between the two hotheads.

  “Missed you, too, Blondie,” Cherry cooed.

  T-Man laughed. “I’m holding, PB. Lots to tell you, Brother.”

  “I bet.” Pretty Boy clasped Beast by the hand in a brotherly shake. “How you doin’ Beast.”

  Beast clapped him on the back, giving a growl of pleasure at seeing him, seeing us.

  I turned to say hello to whoever else they’d brought and saw Reaper. Standing next to him was Savage, Sin’s twin, who was shaking Sheriff’s shoulders in greeting. In lieu of not being able to speak, he touched Sheriff’s face, and then pointed to Sheriff’s eyes.

  “You heard then. Yeah, I was blind, but I got my sight back. You guys missed a lot.”

  Savage signed something, watching Sheriff’s mouth move when he responded.

  “How?” Sheriff rubbed his hand down his face. “It’s a long story, man. Tell you all later. I can’t believe you made it all the way out here.”

  “Yeah, Sin, hell of an entrance, man,” I said, nodding to the heads on the ground. “You do that just for us?”

  “Course.”

  “How sweet.”

  “Well, you know us.” Reaper shrugged. “We like to make an entrance.”

  Yeah, considering that the last time they’d showed up, they’d helped get us out of a jam with Damien’s men by killing half of the fucking J’nai he’d sent after us and Setora. They definitely had a pattern going.

  “We’ll catch up later, but we need to be on the road yesterday,” Sheriff told them all now. “Are you here to join this thing, or did you just come to make trouble?” he teased.

  “We’re here to join, if you’ll have us,” Sinister said. “From what we hear, Setora’s made enough trouble already.”

  “That she has,” Sheriff said. “That she has.”

  * * *

  Once everyone was organized and signed in, we were on the road in minutes. We rode our mounts at the same breakneck speed as we usually did. None of us were about to put off getting to Petal any more than we had to and risk this Julian fucker doing who knew what to her.

  Everyone who joined us did the same as we had, leaving their bikes or other vehicles somewhere hidden for later retrieval on the way back before lack of fuel would have become a problem. They’d bought whatever mounts they could get. Caribou, horses, and in some cases, dogsleds. For those who didn’t know how to ride horses, Hawk and Ivek’s men gave them crash courses. It was a hoot to see some of the men bouncing around and trying to stay in the saddles the same way I once had.

  We stopped at our next camp only when we didn’t have a choice, when most of us were in danger of dropping off in the saddle. Most of the time, we hadn’t bothered with the tents, as it took too long to set up and dismantle them. Tonight, we camped in deep caves in the mountains again.

  The former Brothers of Brimstone and T-Man sat with the me, PB, Hawk, and Sheriff on logs or rocks around the fire while we ate plates of fish Ivek’s men had taught us to catch in the iced-over lake a half a mile back. It was good to be with our old friends again, and meet new ones.

  One of the new members of the Devil’s Dark Legion Chapter was their new general, Tyrant. We hadn’t had time earlier to do a proper swearing in when they had first arrived, so getting that done was in the plans tonight.

  “Sheriff, you mentioned you’d be swearing in our new General of Devil’s Breath,” Sinister said, nodding to the dark-haired, heavily tatted man sitting next to him.

  I sure as fuck didn’t miss the slight growl he put on Tyrant’s title.

  Huh. That’s interesting.

  “That’s right. I know Sin swore you in by proxy months ago, Tyrant, but we got to make it official.” Sheriff took a sip from his mug.

  I wasn’t sure what to make of their new General. Tyrant was around Sheriff’s age, give or take a few years. Quiet as Hawk, but seemed a bit moody, kind of like when Pretty Boy would have his days of avoiding people. But if the guys liked him, then he was good in my book.

  “So, Ash…” Sheriff looked at each of the former Brothers of Brimstone.

  “As I told Hawk, he passed a few days after we left Mayhem’s.” Sinister’s voice lowered and his head bowed with a pause, as if in a moment of silence for the former long-time General of the Brothers of Brimstone.

  “Sorry, man,” Sheriff said. “He was a good man and one hell of a general.”

  “He was,” Tyrant chimed in “He left me with big shoes to fill.” He looked down, a slight smile on his face. “I aim to make him proud, though.”

  Sinister cleared his throat, turning his head away, his jaw tight.

  Yeah, something was festering between those two, for sure.

  “And how’s it going over there with the Iron Wolves and all that?” Hawk asked.

  “We would have been here a lot sooner, but those miscreants are still trying to make mincemeat of Devil’s Breath,” Reaper said.

  “We told you we’re send men out there, fellas,” Sheriff growled.

  “It looks like you have your hands plenty full as it is, Sheriff,” Tyrant said.

  “Well, that’ll be over soon enough.” Sheriff finished his dinner, put down his plate, and leaned against the cave wall behind him. He looked around at all his people, like a king gazing at his Court.

  His eyes rested on the Devil’s Breath’s only female. “How are you holding up, Cherry? You behaving yourself?”

  Sympathy tugged me for her at the grief that flashed in her eyes before they lowered to the fire. She still missed Crash, except I had a feeling the reason she wouldn’t look at Sheriff had nothing to do with the man she’d lost.

  Three times, she opened her mouth, then closed it. “Oh you know me, General.” She shrugged but smiled.

  “Yeah, I do.” He gave a hearty chuckle and raised a brow at our former Grotto member. “She being a pain in the ass, T-Man?”

  “Always.” He scratched his fingertips playfully on her leg. “Aren’t you, long legs?”

  Savage’s shoulders shook on a silent laugh. The other guys nodded in agreement.

  Cherry’s face went red as her namesake. She jolted as if she’d been electrocuted. The way she squeezed her thighs together spoke volumes. She wasn’t skittish around T-Man anymore, but her reaction made me curious as to what exactly was going on with them. Especially when the other four were watching her intently, glued to her every move, especially her ass.

  I shuddered. Cherry was too much like my sister to be thinking about shit like that.

  “Setora will be glad to see you,” Sheriff told her.

  Her face brightened for a second before falling. “How is she, sir?”

  “She’s upending our entire world as usual. Once we have her again, she’ll be glad to see you, though. She missed you something fierce.”

  Cherry bit her lip. Beast watched her teeth worry the plump pink flesh with astounding intensity. I could all but hear the growl trying to bubble up from his chest.

  Maker’s Tits on Fire.

  “Did I hear right?” T-Man asked, “did she actually go traipsing off to find Julian alone?”

  “She did,” I growled, turning my focus to him “Just like her.”

  “That girl, I swear.” Cherry shook her head. “We’ve been hearing about this whole Liberator thing. What’s that about?”

  “Long story, Cherry,” Sheriff said.

  “Very,” Pretty Boy said putting his mug down. “We could fill a library of books with it.”

  I snorted.
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  Hawk laughed and asked, “So how the hell did you guys know where to find us?”

  “Are you kidding?” Sinister grinned. “The stories are everywhere. Everyone knows you’re coming for Julian.”

  “We’ve been able to figure out where he is from the few Violets who’ve managed to escape him.” Tyrant took a swig of his drink. “We’re glad we’re not too late to help out. That asshole needs to be strung up by his fucking entrails.” Venom dropped from his voice that would have made me nervous had he been anyone else.

  Cherry whispered something in Tyrant’s ear and got up. Both he and Reaper watched her ass sway with a hum of appreciation before turning back to us.

  Interesting. T-Man had a thing for her, but he didn’t seem bothered by the attention she was getting from his fellow Brothers of Brimstone. There was a story there I sure as shit wanted to hear. Especially when Sheriff sat more comfortably against the wall, taking it all in with a satisfied smile.

  We finished stuffing our faces and were about to turn in for the night when another unexpected arrival showed up.

  “Rider approaching!” one of Ivek’s men shouted from the far end of the camp.

  I followed Sheriff out of the cave along with the others. Ivek brought up the rear.

  My brows shot up to my hairline when the rider drew closer in the darkness. Since the rider was dressed in a heavy fur cloak, I first thought it was another recruit, until the caribou slowed and the rider slid off its back, revealing familiar red pants that only one person I knew had ever worn.

  “Ali’san, what the hell are you doing here?” Sheriff snapped, asking the same thing I wanted to know.

  “You have another sword if you need it, General Sheriff,” she said, walking into the camp to us.

  I heard Ivek growl lividly behind me.

  “Where the fuck is Setora?” Sheriff demanded.

  “And Kash,” Ivek snarled.

  She wouldn’t look at Ivek at all. “She’s at Julian’s castle, General. She has it handled.”

  “Handled?” Pretty Boy snapped. He marched over to her, and I followed. “Tell us now, woman. What the fuck does handled mean?”

  Ali’san ignored him.

  “You left my fucking wife and those women alone with that sick fuck?” I roared.

  “Sian Ali’san, explain.” Hawk rumbled dangerously, his arms crossed.

  She tied her caribou to a tree as she talked. “She is alive and well. The other Violets are as well. High Priestess Lanaya was right, Dark Legion. The Liberator must face him alone. The others are there to help her. I am here now to guide you. You must trust in what is to come. There is no one who can destroy him except her.”

  “Woman,” Sheriff snapped. “If anything happens to her, I will have your head.”

  “You won’t have to, General.” Ivek stalked forward. This time, when he seized her by the arm, his anger wasn’t an act. ‘I will handle this. Ali’san, a word. Now.”

  She sighed. Somehow, as he stalked off with her, bitterly hissing about swords and brains, she managed to twist her arm free and glide gracefully behind the huge angry barbarian as if she could have walked off at any time. I had a feeling she could have.

  “You have no idea how much trouble you are in, woman. If anything happens to Kash...”

  “Women,” Sheriff growled, stomping off and taking my attention. “All of you, get some fucking sleep. Once we’re on the fucking road, we’re not stopping again until Setora is trussed up by my hand and Julian is dead!”

  I fully and completely agreed with him.

  Chapter 38

  Blood Thief

  Surreal. That was by far the best word for this place. The moment I walked through the front doors, a single overwhelming thought dominated my mind.

  This place was exactly as it had been in my dreams.

  White walls of opaque crystal rose up hundreds of feet, mountainous walls that glittered like tinted-pink glass and giving off a cold chill that I barely felt. The entire palace seemed to glitter, its beauty as inviting as a perfect jewel. And yet, the lifelessness of the palace didn’t escape me. In tandem with its beauty was a sense of lifelessness, cold as a grave, and utterly heartless. There was nothing human about it, nothing that would make any sane person think of home.

  Julian’s mind was now easy to find, and that tether of “other” tugged at me irresistibly. I kept the awareness of his insanity, his lack of humanity tucked in the back of my mind, honoring the pull by moving forward.

  Even before I reached the doors to the castle proper, I noticed several glaring things wrong here. For one thing, there wasn’t a single guard to greet or stop me from entering. The grounds lay deathly silent, nothing like Lord Falnar’s castle, which had been teaming with growth and life, always bustling with the activity of palace living. It took a small army to keep a castle running, and another smaller army to guard it, but there was none of that here.

  No sign of the unit of marching soldiers, no guards with prisoners. The place was empty.

  The women were right, this whole thing stank of a trap.

  As if I conjured it, a guard made his way down the hall. I wished the sight of him could have been a relief, but it wasn’t.

  The guard stopped in front of me, and my throat worked, recognizing his topknot of fake purple hair, the chiseled shape of his face.

  “Tahmi…” My heart sank horribly but also with filled with relief. If he was here, did that mean that he wasn’t near my Four?

  “Worldmaker.” He bowed his head, his face frighteningly cold.

  In my dream, Tahmi had been right there, right where we were a week ago. Shooting at my Four. I supposed he could have followed me and the other women here, but I knew he hadn’t. He’d been here the whole time, nowhere near my men, or me. The implications made me sway on my feet with nausea.

  “Come. He is waiting.” Tahmi gestured for me to follow him.

  Headed for the large double doors he’d had come through, my stomach roiled. So, I had come here for nothing. The image of my Four being shot had been a lie to get me here. I’d betrayed my men’s trust for nothing.

  No. Not for nothing. Lanaya said I had to face him alone. I was here now, ready to do just that. My Four were safe. Still, I couldn’t help feeling that my actions were a betrayal, one that ate at my soul.

  After following him down a series of hallways and through several doors, I found myself in a cavernous room as dead, cold and lifeless as the rest of this place. My heart froze in my chest.

  In the middle of the room, four—I could only call them beds—lay in a circle, but instead of wood, the frames were made from glowing panels. A Violet lay across each, eyes closed as if in sleep. Except each woman had a tube snaking from one arm, luminescent blood flowing from them. Each tube led to the figure in the middle of the circle.

  I swallowed. Sitting tall and reposed, his eyes closed, the man sat on a throne-like chair of metal, his features the serene calm of slumber. Dressed in the same white pants he’d worn in my dream, he was stripped to the waist, his broad, bare chest rising and falling slowly. With those refined aristocratic features and the copper tint to his pale purple hair, I’d have known him anywhere.

  Julian.

  It was him, the demon from my worst nightmares, the man who had killed so many that by now the death toll was catastrophic. And he was sitting there draining blood from four helpless women as if their blood was a drug. He must have been siphoning off the alien power from the blood before it somehow flowed back to the women. There was no way he could absorb the blood of four people. The sight of it filled me with abject terror, nearly as much as the sight of him.

  Tahmi left the room without a word before the doors thudded shut behind him. Julian didn’t move when I’d entered, didn’t so much as twitch. His thoughts, a knot of presence in my head, didn’t shift at all. He didn’t seem to be aware of me.

  I wanted to go to those women, to rip those tubes out of their arms right then and there. And then
I wanted to strangle Julian. I wanted to strangle him with an intensity I’d never felt for anyone in my life, not even Damien or Saketh. There were no guards here to stop me. But I couldn’t do that. Julian would have thought of that.

  “Julian.”

  Nothing. He didn’t respond, didn’t open his eyes.

  Did he even know I was here? If not for the movement of his chest, I would have thought he was dead.

  I took a step toward him, but stopped, wincing at the sudden onslaught of four minds stabbing into my own. Calling out.

  Help us, Worldmaker.

  The voices rang out in my head, a single collective mind, four voices speaking in unison.

  It hurts. Set us free. Help us.

  Maker. The women lying on those beds. They didn’t move, their mouths didn’t move, but it was them. I could feel the life force slowly being drained out of them. They were so weak as to be hovering an inch from death, kept alive only to feed Julian with the power they gave him.

  Rage made my fists clench, but I calmed myself. Gently, I reached out with mental fingers and touched the women’s minds.

  Be calm, Sisters, and hold on just a little longer. All will be well soon. I sent images of peace to each one, simultaneously gathering any information they could give me. Their breathing became even again, their minds quieting. I could feel the thread that bound them to Julian, but I ignored it. Instead, I studied it, listened, observed. If only I could…

  Julian’s eyes snapped open, a sudden flash of intense purple. His gaze was anything but unaware of me.

  The connection with the women around him vanished, a string suddenly cut. A muscle in Julian’s jaw twitched.

  I staggered backwards, almost flying toward the doors as if some huge, unseen hand had shoved me. The awareness of his power, godlike and insurmountable, slammed into me. I whimpered, grabbing my head. My knees folded, though whether from the sheer force of his mind, or from his pushing me, I wasn’t sure.

  Then the pressure pounding from his mind pulled back, like a hand lifting from my shoulders. Panting from the pain, I staggered to a stand.