Master of None

by Sonya Bateman

  How much worse could our refuge options get? At this rate, we’d end up hiding from Trevor in a sewage pipe.

  Sensation returned to me reluctantly. I pushed up and sat on the edge of the ancient icebox, pointedly not looking at the multitude of bites—centipede and wolf—that scored my flesh. Ian huddled on the ground next to me. Tory and Lark slumped on oversized wooden spools to my right. I’d seen more cheerful expressions on prisoners headed for their executions.

  I decided to discuss less urgent concerns first. “Anybody got a spare shirt?”

  Ian stood slowly. “I will heal you, if you wish.”

  “No. Really, I’m fine. Just a little chilly.” Knowing exactly how much it hurt him to use power made me reluctant to ask for anything. “I’ll survive.”

  “Very well.” He slipped his jacket off and held it out to me, leaving him in only a vest.

  “I can’t take that.”

  Ian frowned. “You are cold. I am not.”

  “Fine.” Instinct told me there was no sense arguing. “Thank you.”

  I had to stand to put it on. The material, some kind of leather, felt warm and pliable and not nearly as heavy as I expected. It seemed to mold to my shape. After a moment, I realized the jacket really had changed. With the difference in height between us, the lower edge should have dragged on the ground. It didn’t—it was a perfect fit. “What’s this made from?”

  “Human skin.”

  “Ergh.” I had one arm halfway out before I noticed the smirk on Ian’s face. “You know, you could’ve just said ‘none of your business’ if you didn’t want to talk about it. Is this another one of those things my pathetic brain can’t understand?”

  “No. It is leather. Which comes from cows. You did know that, did you not?” The smirk grew. “I simply thought you might enjoy a more colorful explanation.”

  “Since when does cow leather adjust itself to whoever’s wearing it?”

  Ian shrugged. “I may have made a few modifications.”

  “Great. I’m wearing an enchanted coat. Do I get glass slippers, too?”

  “If you wish.”

  I laughed. “Thought you said I didn’t get any wishes.”

  “Donatti.”

  Lark’s strained interruption let reality leach all the calm out of me. “What?”

  “If you two are done fucking around, maybe you could give us a hand figuring out how we’re going to survive until dawn.”

  “Right.” I sat back down. “Who’s got a plan?”

  No one replied. I figured that meant we were screwed.

  “I must contact Akila,” Ian said. “Stay here. I will return in a few moments.”

  As if we had the choice to go out and catch a movie while he was gone.

  I watched Ian head down between rows of smashed cars and then slumped in place. Three days of fragmented sleep, combined with expending energy I didn’t even know I possessed, had managed to turn everything inside me to mush. “Okay. What happened while I was out?” I said. “You all look half dead.”

  Tory shrugged. “That car was too hot. We had to leave it, so Ian and I flew part of the way.”

  “You’re kidding. We were airborne, and I didn’t wake up?”

  Lark shuddered. “Yeah. Lucky bastard.”

  I let my head drop and indulged in closing my eyes for a moment. “Well,” I said without looking up. “First thing we have to do is figure a ride out of here. How close are we to civilization? Maybe I can boost another car somewhere.”

  Silence. I lifted my gaze to find Lark glaring daggers.

  “What’d I do now?”

  Lark spat on the ground. “You and your pal Ian are on your own from here, Donatti. There is no we.”

  “Lark, wait,” Tory said. “I think we should talk about—”

  “No, we shouldn’t!” Lark stalked a few paces away from the djinn and turned his inferno gaze back to me. “Breaking my spine wasn’t enough for you? Thanks for showing up and ruining my life again.”

  “You’re welcome.” I didn’t bother reminding him that I’d healed him, too.

  “God damn it.” He closed the distance between us and stopped half a foot from my face. “I should beat you into the ground, right now.”

  I shrugged. “Go ahead.”

  “What?”

  “If it’d make you feel better, go for it. I won’t stop you.” I managed to stay calm on the outside. To have half a chance at making this clusterfuck work, we needed everyone focused. Including Lark. Even if he had to take a few swings at me to get there.

  Couldn’t blame him, really. I’d do the same.

  His eye twitched. “You smug bastard. How can you do this? You sic Trevor on me, get my place burned down, force me underground, and now you think you’re gonna take the only thing that matters to me anymore.”

  “All right, Lark. You lost me. What am I taking?”

  He sent a helpless glance at Tory, who seemed to have decided that Lark and I needed some one-to-one time and kept his distance. “This isn’t his war. Can’t you leave him out of it?”

  “Whoa.” I stood and tried to think calm thoughts. “Nobody’s making him do anything.”

  “You haven’t left him much of a choice. You brought the djinn who ditched him four hundred years ago back into his life and dumped his problems in our laps. What’s he supposed to do now?”

  “Come on. I came to ask you for information.” My calm was disappearing fast. Contrary to Quaid the bounty hunter’s belief, there were some people you just couldn’t reason with. “I didn’t know you’d hooked up with him, and I sure as hell didn’t mean to bring the cops down on you. Or Trevor.”

  “Well, you did. And now he’ll end up —”

  “Adjo. What’s going on?”

  Lark flinched when Tory came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Nothing,” he muttered. “Just championing a hopeless cause.”

  Tory smiled. “You’re good at that. But I think we should talk about what we’re going to do now.”

  “Can’t we just leave?” The slight tremor in Lark’s voice didn’t stem from anger. “I don’t owe Donatti anything, and you don’t owe Ian. They can sort this out themselves.”

  “Lark, you know why I have to help him.”

  I got the impression I’d been left out of something and the distinct feeling I wouldn’t be brought in.

  “Yeah, I do. I’ve heard plenty about the great Gahiji-an, haven’t I?” Lark jerked away from his touch and turned his back. “You’re going to get killed because of his war. And if you do survive, you’ll go back with him.”

  Tory’s face fell. He stepped toward Lark, hesitated. “I may be killed,” he said quietly. “But if I’m not, I won’t leave you.”

  “That’s a big fucking if !” Lark whirled. His gaze skated past Tory and landed on me. “You don’t need us. You’re a descendant, so you and Mr. Amazing can handle this alone. I can’t—” He drew a sharp breath and finally met Tory’s eyes. “I can’t lose you.”

  “Gods,” Tory whispered. “Why would you do this to me? We’ve talked about this. I don’t like it, but I have to help. Do you really think I want to die for the realm?”

  “What about what you’re doing to me?”

  “Lark, cut the crap.” I moved toward him, intent on shutting him up for a minute. I still didn’t know exactly what they’d discussed, but I understood enough to figure out which one was the jackass. “Don’t you think you’re being a little selfish here?”

  Something solid slammed my jaw. After the stars cleared, I realized it was Lark’s fist.

  I shook my head and decided to give him a free pass for the blow. Had that one coming for years. “Happy now?” I said.

  “Fuck you.” He drew back with a snarl. “This is all just fine with you, isn’t it? You have nothing to lose.”

  Screw calm. I couldn’t let that one slide.

  “Lark. I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to think real hard before you shoot your mo
uth off again. You listening?”

  “If I have to.”

  “You do.” I came close to slugging him anyway. Instead, I clenched my fists hard enough to feel my nails dig in. “Remember when Ian said he has another descendant besides me, who’s still alive?”

  “Yeah. Got a point?”

  “The other one’s two years old. Cute kid, lots of curls, big blue eyes. And right now, he’s with his mother. I think you’ve met her. She’s about four-eleven and a breath. Likes wearing shades and kicking people’s asses.”

  Lark appeared to deflate. “You mean . . . you and Jazz?”

  I chose not to dignify that with a response. “Yesterday, they walked through a mirror in a hotel room, into the djinn realm. And according to Ian’s father-in-law—big pissed-off guy, leader of the djinn, doesn’t like humans—they aren’t coming back unless we stop these Morai bastards, who by the way are planning to take over the world after they overthrow the djinn realm. Oh, and Trevor wants the kid, too. So he can kill him while I watch.” I forced my jaw to relax a bit, before I seriously damaged my teeth. “But I’ve got nothing to lose. Right? So go ahead and beat me into the ground. Just keep in mind that when you’re finished, it’s my turn.”

  It took him a minute to respond. “Well. Shit.”

  “That’s the short version.”

  Lark shook his head and backed down. “Donatti, you have lousy—”

  “Don’t say it. I know.” I was getting pretty tired of hearing the L-word. “So can we call a truce, or do I have to let you kick my ass?”

  “All right. Truce.” He looked over my shoulder with a frown. “What the hell is he doing?”

  Tory and I followed his gaze. Down the corridor, beneath a security light, Ian knelt on the hood of a rusted pickup with one hand against the edge of the roof and the other through the intact windshield. He drew his arm back with someone else’s attached. A slender golden-brown arm that was familiar enough by itself, before the rest of Jazz followed.

  CHAPTER 25

  I bolted toward them, not caring whether Tory and Lark came along. The fact that she appeared unharmed didn’t make me feel much better. She wouldn’t have been here if something hadn’t gone wrong. Right now, she was probably furious.

  When I got there, she seemed less than concerned. In fact, she was hugging Ian.

  I couldn’t stop the scowl that formed on my face. “Do you two want a room?”

  Jazz drew back and leaned on the pickup. “Donatti, this is no time to turn green.”

  “Relax, thief,” Ian said. “I was simply assisting her down.”

  I ignored him and rushed to Jazz. “Why are you here? Where’s Cyrus?”

  “Nice to see you, too.” She tucked a strand of hair behind an ear and shivered. “Damn, that’s cold.”

  “You’re not answering me.”

  She glared. “Do you really think I’d leave him if I didn’t know he was safe? He’s with Akila. And I’m fine, thanks.”

  “Jesus Christ, Jazz. It’s not like I’m running into you at the grocery store here.” I forced myself to step back, breathe, think. Had to be an explanation for this. “Okay. It’s good to see you, but why are you here?”

  Something dark flashed in her eyes. With an obvious effort to keep from screaming, she said, “I got kicked out.”

  “What?”

  “Kemo Sabe, or whatever the fuck his name is—”

  “Kemosiri.”

  “That’s it. He said Cy could stay because he has djinn blood, but I couldn’t.”

  “Son of a bitch.” I whirled on Ian. “I thought you said this would work. Can’t you do something? Make him change his mind!”

  Ian’s jaw hardened. “Kemosiri’s mind cannot be changed.”

  “It’s all right.” Jazz offered a heavy sigh. “I’ll just—”

  “No, it’s not. You can’t be here,” I blurted. For the first time since I’d met her, some other emotion overruled the concern that she might kick my ass for contradicting her, and my mouth took off on a kamikaze mission. “You were safe there. Ian, send her back. Please.”

  “Don’t you dare patronize me.” Jazz straightened with ice in her gaze. “Let’s get something settled, Donatti. I didn’t need you when Cy was born, and I don’t need you now. I’m going to handle this. Understand?”

  She couldn’t have hurt me more if she’d sandblasted my skin and rolled me around in salt. I tried to nod, but my head refused to cooperate. At last, I managed to speak. “Fine. What are you going to do, then?”

  “Kill Trevor.” She smirked. “Can’t let you have all the fun.”

  A chill stole through me. “Didn’t you hear the part about the evil djinn he’s working with? You can’t . . . you’ve got to hide out somewhere. A motel, maybe. Bed and breakfast. Fucking KOA, even. Another country would be great. I’ll buy you a plane ticket.” Jesus. I was gibbering like a moron, and I couldn’t stop. “Just get as far away from Trevor as you can.”

  “No. Damn it, I’m not going to hide.”

  Her tone said she was two seconds from slugging me. I swallowed my immediate protest. “Can you at least tell me why you won’t go somewhere safe?”

  “Because Trevor is trying to murder my son.” The raw edge in her voice was painful to hear. “And if he succeeds because I didn’t do anything, I’m as good as dead anyway. I would’ve stayed with Cy, but since I can’t—and I know he’s safe—I’m going after the bastard.”

  Damn it. How could I tell her that everything she felt for Cyrus I felt for her? It’d be a hell of a lot easier to keep her alive if she wasn’t here to get shot. Or tortured. Still, I knew there was no changing her mind once she’d made it up. I’d just have to make damned sure she survived. “Okay,” I said. “But you’re not handling Trevor alone, so don’t try. We stick together.”

  She smiled. “I was counting on that.”

  Ian cleared his throat. “If you are finished, perhaps we should attempt to determine a mode of transportation.” He nodded back down the corridor, where Tory and Lark waited with almost identical frowns. “We cannot remain in one place for long. They will find us.”

  “Wait a minute,” Jazz said. “How’s he going to find us here? We’re a county away, in the middle of nowhere. Aren’t we?”

  I gave her a puzzled look before I remembered that she’d missed the whole tether-tracing thing. “Long story,” I said. “Ian’s right. We need to move. Any ideas?”

  By unspoken consent, the three of us walked toward Tory and Lark. Jazz scrutinized wrecked cars as we passed them. “Guess we’re probably a long walk from civilization,” she said. “But we’ll have to hoof it, anyway. I doubt there’s a salvageable ride anywhere in here—and even if there was, I don’t have my tools.”

  My brief hope of hotwiring a wreck guttered. If anyone could make that statement, it was Jazz. She’d forgotten more about cars than I’d ever figured out.

  But she didn’t know much about djinn magic.

  I grinned. “Maybe you won’t need them.”

  “Are you nuts? I can’t hand-tool an engine. I’m not Superwoman.”

  “No.” I jerked a thumb in Ian’s direction. “But he is.”

  “Did you just call me a woman, thief ?”

  “Relax. It’s a metaphor.” I shook my head and reset my train of thought. “Jazz, remember what he did to your van?”

  Her expression brightened a bit. “Yes . . .”

  “With your skills and his mojo, I think we can rig something.”

  She nodded. “I’ll find a likely candidate.” With that, she turned and headed back toward the pickup.

  “Yeah,” I muttered after her retreating form. “Why don’t you do that?” Sighing, I pivoted to find Lark right in front of me.

  “Well?” he said. “What’s going on? Isn’t that Jazz?”

  “Brilliant observation,” I said. “Yes, that’s her. She . . . didn’t want to be left out of the vengeance party.”

  Lark nodded, but sympathy was reflect
ed in his face. “Guess we’re both stuck in this.”

  “You could say that.” I turned to Ian. “Any idea how long we have until they find your tether again?”

  “Not long. Perhaps two days and then the time it takes for his closest minions to reach us.” He grimaced. “They will not wait for Shamil to regain full strength.”

  Not as long as I’d hoped. “All right, so what are our options? We keep moving, or . . .” I hesitated. The thought forming in my head had the hallmarks of a made-for-television B-movie sequel. Stupid Donatti Strikes Again. Still, it was just nuts enough to work. Maybe. If I could manage to stave off my lousy luck for what would come down to the most important gig of my life.

  “Okay. What if we break into Trevor’s place and steal his surveillance system?”

  Lark snorted. “You can’t steal a system, Donatti. And even if you could, you’d have to presteal it so you wouldn’t get busted.”

  “I meant Shamil.”

  Three pairs of eyes tried to burn holes through me.

  “Let me explain,” I said. “We’re never going to get anywhere if we stay on the defensive. If he’s using Shamil to track us, we can take that away from him—and a few other little things. I mean, he asked you to free him, didn’t he?” I looked at Ian, hoping for a little support.

  Ian winced. “That is not what he meant. He wanted me to . . . destroy his tether.”

  “No.” Tory stood fast, almost knocking Lark over. “Ian, you can’t. We’ve got to get him out of there.”

  “Taregan, you’ve not seen what they have done to him.”

  A shiver shot through me with Ian’s strained words. I had.

  “Well, you two can heal him. Can’t you? I mean, you did it for Lark.”

  “I do not know if that is possible. It may take more power than we are able to produce.”

  “We can try! You can’t just kill him.”

  “It is what he wants.”

  Tory glared daggers. “Always the general, Gahiji-an. Sacrifice the one for the good of the many, right? Let me ask you something. If it was you in there, would you rather we murdered you than try to save you?”

  “If it would mean sparing the realm, saving the others, then yes. I would.”