The Wild Rites Saga Omnibus 01 to 04

by Anna McIlwraith

  He felt sorry for her. She’d shot him, and he felt sorry for her. Emma didn’t want Ifrah dead, but she wasn’t that good inside, to feel sorry for the maiden and the rest of the Brotherhood, not when all those other maidens were dead. Not when she couldn’t touch Red’s mind to know he was safe. She couldn’t help reaching out to him, trying to find him, dread pounding through her with every beat of her heart and every pump of her exhausted legs, but there was nothing —

  Until Ivan’s fury and despair slammed into her. Her feet stopped working and she almost went down, but Fern caught her and shouted for the others to stop. She took none of it in — there was only Ivan roaring through the pledge bond, berserker rage leashed tight, mind cold and calculating even as he reached for her mind to mind.

  They have Red Sun and the jaguar. You must get out. Shadi and I — suddenly Ivan’s shields crashed down.

  Emma clung to Fern, trying to get her feet under her. “Ivan?” He was still there, she could feel the bond, would have felt his pain if he’d been injured, but there was nothing — nothing but a massive mental wall.

  He was protecting her.

  The air went out of her lungs. “Please no.”

  Pain — Red Sun’s pain — bloomed inside her like a thousand fists trying to hammer their way out of her body. Fern yelled in shock. Emma let her legs go and closed her eyes and grabbed hold of the pain and followed it, followed him, going after him through the pledge bond and the telepathic link forged by his curse, and there was more pain, great crushing waves of it and a sense of falling. Yet more impact, and Emma tasted blood. And then Fern pulled her back and she was in his arms and sobbing.

  Devotchka.

  HELP HIM IVAN

  Shadi went after him. I think it was too late. You must run, I’m keeping them occupied but I’m low on firepower until I can get to the other packs —

  He said something else but Emma didn’t catch it — her ears were ringing. She was stuck at too late. Something like bile rose in her throat. She curled away from Fern, unable to catch her breath, the pressure in her chest building, her mind gone blank — she knew this was shock but she couldn’t do anything about it — and suddenly there was fire in her chest. Roaring. Blazing. Consuming everything inside and filling her up with rage, white-hot and pure and clean, and when it had burned her hollow of everything but madness, it bloomed through the merge to fill Fern and torched him too.

  The pledge had healed Ivan of the berserker rage by giving it to Emma.

  35

  Emma blinked and the passageway came into focus, like wearing night vision goggles.

  Except everything was red.

  Her own breath was loud in her ears but not as loud as the heartbeats of everyone around her, all of them faster than her own, none faster than the vampire. Beside her, Fern thrummed with anticipation, burning with purpose. She met his eyes, knew he could see her now.

  They shared a moment of primal understanding, almost all conscious thought charring away in the heat of the berserker rage.

  Leah’s voice came from very far away. “What’s wrong with them?”

  Nothing was wrong — except Red Sun was gone. Emma roared and launched herself back the way they’d come, vision pulsing red, Fern matching her stride for stride. They sprinted down the passageway, faster than Emma was humanly capable of running, and shot down the forked passageway that Summer had steered them away from. Emma’s head pounded, her mind churning red and black with fury, lips peeled back off her teeth and heart thundering so loud it seemed to echo off the passageway walls.

  They swung to the right, perfectly synced, pulses matched. The tunnel was wider and longer, and they stretched, arms pumping, rage building into an almost ecstatic insanity that drove everything away except the craving for violence, for vengeance, for death. There would be death, and it would be good, clean and pure and so so good —

  Dimly Emma was aware of Ivan’s mind trying to penetrate hers, take some control, but it was pointless. She was untouchable, invincible, a bullet that simply hadn’t yet hit its mark. She and Fern were following Ivan down the pledge bond, sensing his location somehow, their feet falling unerringly on the right path, but the hunger wasn’t directed at him. It was aimed at whoever had taken Red Sun.

  Emma roared again and Fern echoed her. She felt her fangs elongate. Saliva flooded her mouth; single-minded purpose flooded every single cell of her being so that she pulsed with the need for blood, to feel death in her hands. They were boundless energy, boundless rage. They swung around a corner and the red scrim across their vision lightened to crimson, and Emma’s pulse accelerated — there was light up ahead. Light and the scent of gunfire and steel; heartbeats, and the scent of blood and betrayal.

  Emma heard shouts behind them. She pushed harder.

  A second later, she and Fern exploded into the huge main chamber they’d first come to when they entered the monastery.

  Red Sun wasn’t there.

  Neither was Horne.

  But Keti and the blind twins were, and so were the rest of the maidens, and Emma’s mind was so thick with bloodlust that they were all she saw until Ivan shouted. Keti had him on his knees, one huge fist in Ivan’s hair, a sword at his throat. A real, honest-to-God sword. Several maidens had their small fists tangled in Ivan’s clothes, helping to hold him down; the others were in cat form — cats so small and tawny they almost looked like housecats, except their ears were too low and wideset — and they fanned out, stalking low to the ground, whipping their tails in agitation. The twins stood together to Keti’s right, unmoving and unblinking.

  Emma and Fern stopped, breathing hard. The berserker rage beat beneath their skin like fists, pulsed their vision red, and Emma heard a thin keening sound trickle out from behind her bared teeth.

  “It’s over,” Keti said. “Surrender, and we will let your wolf and all the others go free. Don’t, and we kill him. Then we kill you.”

  “But either way they kill you,” Ivan said. “Don’t —”

  Keti jerked back on Ivan’s hair. The sword’s blade kissed Ivan’s long white throat. “That’s right, don’t.” Keti shook his head. “Don’t fight this. It is over .” His expression was almost sympathetic, although it wasn’t human, not anymore — his eyes were too far apart, his nose too wide and thick, the beast rising in him like a silver tide.

  Emma heard the others coming up the passageway behind her. Summer and Leah in the lead. Fatima behind them, with Ifrah. Their guns would do them no good, Emma could think clearly enough to assess that — the risk of hitting Ivan was too great. But beyond that there was nothing but the red haze in her head and the roaring in her ears, and the echo of Fern within the merge, within her, amplifying the rage.

  Keti glanced past them and they knew without being able to sense her that Summer was there.

  “Traitor,” the blind twins hissed in unison.

  When Leah and Fatima burst out of the passageway and into the cavern, the twins turned their faces toward the sound, and Leah and Fatima dropped like stones, as unconscious as Ifrah was. Keti’s eyes widened when he saw the maiden, then narrowed, and harsh relief filled his face before anger wiped it away.

  “You were never meant to live, Caller of the Blood. The Great Creatrix made a mistake.”

  I can’t take them out, Summer’s voice pressed against Emma’s mind. The Brotherhood binds us. It must be you.

  With a supreme effort, Emma unclenched her teeth, focused on Keti’s face, and found her voice. “Where are the others.”

  Keti brought the sword higher, until it dimpled the flesh just beneath Ivan’s jaw, where his vocal chords wouldn’t get in the way of a killing stroke. “You can’t save them, but if you follow them, I swear I will let the others go.”

  Darkness woke in Emma, the berserker rage opening its black jaws. “Follow them ?”

  Keti dared not look away from her or let his focus waver from Ivan, but he tipped his head toward the front of the cavern, the huge opening that led to not
hing but sheer cliff face and empty air, to black night beyond the firelight. “They might have survived the drop, but I am not cruel. I slit their throats first.”

  Emma remembered pain, Red’s pain through the bond.

  The sense of falling.

  Keti was saying something else, but Emma couldn’t hear him. There was only the hollow, underwater rush of power boiling through her, through Fern. She went blind and he with her — colors and lights exploding behind their eyes, a thousand shades of red as the rage detonated between them.

  Their fingers tangled together, their minds and hearts already fused.

  Fern called the power of his beast, and Emma caught it, and in perfect union they did what they’d done only once before out of panic and desperation.

  They gathered the combined power of Emma’s Call and Fern’s change, twisted them, and hurled the magic at Keti.

  There was a terrible sucking sound. Keti screamed. One moment he stood with his sword to Ivan’s throat, face contorted in agony; the next, he changed, but not with the good white light of a shapechanger, not the change of his beast.

  Instead he disappeared in a shower of blood and thicker things, so fast it looked as though something wet and heavy simply blossomed like awful alien fruit where he’d been, something red and purple and white, but mostly red, liquid and red.

  For a handful of heartbeats time hung suspended — the twins were motionless, the maidens silent and staring and covered with gore. Ivan’s right side was red all the way down. The smell hit Emma, and that was how she knew the berserker rage still had her, because Keti’s remains smelled rich and sweet and good .

  Then the maidens screamed and all hell broke loose.

  Jonin and Nadir rushed Emma and Fern. Emma roared and charged to meet them, Summer’s shout of warning lost in the screams of the maidens and the ringing in Emma’s ears. Then the vampire’s voice was in her head — It won’t work on them, they are different! And I can’t raise a hand against any of them! You must get out of here!

  Emma flung the power of the dark change at the brothers, but nothing happened, so she opened her marked hand and let the power there come to life, her gaze fixed on Nadir —

  Ivan slammed into the brothers, sending them sprawling. In an instant white light flashed and snarls filled the cavern, Ivan’s beast a gray blur of teeth and fur and wild slashing blue eyes. They knocked over a brazier and red-hot coals flew; Fern grabbed Emma around the waist and yanked her back.

  Ivan let out a gut-wrenching canine scream, but before Emma and Fern could wade into the fight, maidens were all over them, fists and claws tearing into them, white light flashing and burning and then there were teeth in Emma’s leg and Fern’s shoulder. Without a word Emma and Fern covered each other’s heads and gathered the magic of the change to them, twisting it, readying it on an inhale —

  Ifrah screamed. She was awake. The maidens hesitated. And suddenly, the berserker rage drained away like a receding tide.

  Emma sagged beneath the maidens, arms wrapped around Fern. Fern, we’re screwed, I can’t kill all these maidens the way we did Keti I can’t I just can’t —

  Hang onto me, he sent, mental voice dark with his beast, and didn’t wait for her reply before calling the change.

  White light strobed outward, magic burned Emma’s hands and arms, and flesh turned coarse and expanded in her grip as she was borne up, up, maidens falling away. Emma’s feet swung wild before she hooked an ankle on a section of one of Fern’s massive jointed legs and managed to anchor herself, suspended on his first and second left side legs as though hanging from gymnastic bars, and gymnastics was really not her best thing.

  Ivan! Emma caught a glimpse of the Russian wolf as Nadir threw him at the cavern wall. Fern wheeled, batting the blind twin into the opposite wall, and all Emma could do was hold on with every last ounce of strength she had. Fern wheeled again, rearing this time, but Jonin was faster. And he was heading for Ifrah — where Leah and Fatima also still lay unconscious.

  Emma squeezed her eyes shut and screamed through the pledge bond for Kahotep. Instantly the smell of incense boiled off Emma’s skin, golden light burst behind her eyes, and Fatima exploded to her feet with a harsh cry of confusion. The jackal priestess wasted no time; her roundhouse kick took Jonin in the jaw and he spun. Then a gun went off, and Fatima jerked backwards. Ifrah was on her feet with Fatima’s gun in her hands.

  Time seemed to slow down as the barrel swung towards Emma and Fern.

  GET OUT OF HERE. Summer’s psychic command boomed in Emma’s head. The vampire had thrown herself over Leah, covering the unconscious jaguar guard with her body. Go back the way you came through the mountain, I can try to hold them off — maybe the others can guard your back — I will try to get this one out alive but I don’t know —

  Ifrah squeezed a shot off, the sound huge in the cavern, but Fern feinted left, then right as the maiden took aim again.

  I’m not leaving them . Emma shoved the vampire out of her head. Leah, Fatima, Ivan — she couldn’t leave them. No fucking way. She couldn’t think about the others, but she sure as hell wasn’t letting anyone else out of her sight. She heaved a leg up over Fern’s back as he turned, striking out with his front legs over and over, keeping Jonin at bay. Somehow she scrambled all the way up and grabbed hold of the hard ridge of his back carapace like it was a pommel. There had to be something they could do —

  Devotchka, it’s not just your life at risk. What happens to the princess if you die? To everyone else?

  Emma went cold. I won’t die then.

  Ivan streaked past, still in wolf shape, driving Nadir away from Summer and Leah. Ifrah took a shot at Ivan and missed and Emma’s heart leapt into her throat.

  Ivan’s fear pulsed through the pledge bond — fear for her. Jonin and Nadir are different, Emma. Enhanced somehow. The most we can hope is to hold them off long enough for you to escape. Then I can change, get to the detonator, and blow this fucking place up.

  Detonator? Had she heard him right?

  I laid charges throughout the tunnel system while Shadi and I were searching the tunnels. The detonator is behind those rocks over there.

  Emma barely took in the location his mind supplied. Why would you do that?

  For a moment he didn’t answer, feinting and then charging forward to snap at Ifrah, even as Nadir crept up on his right. Because I found something in those tunnels I didn’t like and if I live through the blast I will tell you of it but YOU HAVE TO GO.

  Before Emma could protest, gunfire boomed and she was hit by what felt like a truck and flung back against Fern’s carapace. Somehow she hung on with one hand, but her other arm wouldn’t work, and she couldn’t make herself move.

  I think it’s just a flesh wound, but I can’t make my hand work, she sent.

  We’re getting out of here, Fern sent back, mental voice thick with the strangeness of his beast’s mind, but his grim determination was unmistakable. He turned, churning up dust and knocking braziers over, and galloped for the other side of the chamber — but the entrance they’d come through was gone. There was no way to back get out into the mountain tunnels.

  Fern wheeled back around. There’s only one way left out, he sent. And we’re not leaving them. Tell Ivan to get to the detonator.

  Emma sent the command to Ivan and he immediately fell back, zigzagging across the chamber, leaving Fatima to fight Jonin and Nadir alone. The warrior priestess lived up to her name. Fern?

  His response wasn’t aimed at her. Summer, you’ll have to carry Leah. Instruct the others to be ready.

  Emma didn’t have to ask what for — she could read it through the merge. She tightened her hold around the edge of Fern’s carapace with her right hand. I can’t use my left, she sent, mouth going dry. I’ll never be able to hold on.

  The others will have to anchor you. They’re stronger.

  She closed her eyes. What about you?

  He was nothing but focus. It’ll be rough. I’m heavy, I’ll b
e heavier with all of you, but I’ve done something similar once before. He didn’t bother trying to reassure her further; they were out of options. And he didn’t remind her of what Keti had said, he didn’t need to.

  They might have survived the drop if I hadn’t slit their throats.

  Emma couldn’t breathe. We’re doing this.

  There was no preparation, no warning; Fern had eight legs and could reach top speed in seconds. He trusted Summer because they had no other choice. He didn’t need to tell Emma to signal Ivan, because he was in her mind, sensing the pledge bond.

  He ran, and everything happened at once.

  Ivan’s flying leap was an arc of white light as he changed midair, landing hard next to Emma, naked and slipping in the blood from the bullet wound in her left arm. Only preternatural reflexes stopped his fall. Then Summer swung onto Fern’s back and rolled with Leah held against her body with one arm, gripping Fern’s carapace with the other hand. Fatima followed a second later. The warrior priestess buried one fist in Fern’s thick hairs and clamped a hand around Emma’s left wrist, and before them loomed the opening in the cliff face, darkness and empty night. Behind them, Ifrah roared.

  Fern leapt into the void with all eight of his massive legs spreading out to catch air. Emma’s stomach pitched and the world slowed down. Fern’s mind was breathless and blank with determination, a total refusal to consider the possibility of failure, while Emma had never been more terrified in all her life.

  Then Fern jerked and spun and pain crashed into them both. The sound of the shot seemed to reach Emma’s ears a second later. They were freefalling, spinning, and Emma never had a chance of holding on; she lost her grip on Fern, and Fatima’s hand tightened before Emma’s bloodslicked wrist slipped through her fingers altogether. Fern’s panic blasted through the merge and his scream tore from Emma’s throat.

  She would never survive the fall, and she didn’t know what would happen to the others when she died, their lives bound to hers — Fern, Katenka, Ivan, Kahotep. Red Sun, if he was somehow still alive.