She frowned. The feel of synth energy, as it flowed through the valleys, seemed different yet eerily the same. She shook off the odd feeling and arrowed in on a single source, a tiny speck of living crystal, no larger than a grain of sand.
She smiled. That tiny speck of crystal was her own version of tracker ID.
____________
With every beat of his heart, pain throbbed through Nick’s skull. Cotton filled his mouth. Phantom stabs of pain lingered through his body, none too gently suggesting he’d received another dose of powerful mite poison. He hated the stuff.
Cracking his eyes open, he surveyed his surroundings. On the opposite wall, Shelby hung in tarnished manacles. Mac lay sprawled in the far corner. Nick supposed the man’s large wings made chaining him to the wall difficult. Instead, several chains crossed over his body, pinning him to the stone floor.
Tugging on his own silver restraints, he tested their strength. They didn’t budge. His growl rumbled through the open space of the cell.
His ex-girlfriend lifted her head, looking at him in desperation. Before she could speak, voices appeared, echoing down the outer passageway.
“Why bring the girl?” a woman snarled.
“She’s a work in process,” said a high-pitched voice that sounded like she had her nose pinched shut.
Shelby’s eyes grew big. No doubt, it was due to recognizing the voice of Eve, her cabin mother. She opened her mouth then quickly snapped it shut. Her skin flushed deep red. If steam could have rolled from her ears, it would have.
“Work?” demanded a gruff voice, adding a male to the group approaching the bright cell of whitewashed stone.
They stopped a few feet from the entrance. A curvaceous blonde-haired woman stood ramrod straight, focused on someone just out of Nick’s line of sight. “Eve is from the Dyrst’Lye Clan.”
“I am aware of that,” the male grunted.
“She’s been manipulating the girl’s synth crystal.”
“Not her synth, her lifeBud. The girl is unique. Her lifeBud was already coming to life when I touched her. The organ must have been sending out signals to her real mate for days, if not weeks. As sensitive as it was, I’d bet she had mate dreams with her destined mate and didn’t even realize it,” Eve said enthusiastically.
“Kill her,” the male ordered.
“No!” Eve shrieked. “Don’t you understand what this means? Her synth was primed to sing for her true mate and I forced it to sing for Nick. That is a huge break through. If I can learn to cut the bond between two mates, I can control anyone,” Eve said excitedly.
“Not anyone,” the male said. His ominous chuckle echoed against the walls. “You answer to us, and we are beyond your control. Now, kill the girl. Clara, write a note for Chi’Kehra. Tell her our demands.”
A snarl filled the hallway. “And how am I supposed to deliver the note without getting killed. It’s obvious she still has feelings for the boy.”
“If she is anything like her predecessor, she’ll be able to track her missing guard. Kill the phoenix. Leave the note on his body,” he paused. A dull thump of something hitting flesh sounded an instant before Eve’s body slammed into the bars of the cell. “Do not ever look at me with insolence in your eyes or I’ll dig them from your skull while you scream for mercy.”
“Yes, sire,” Eve said with a touch of sullen fear.
“I’ll take the boy to a more secure location,” the man said.
As footsteps approached softly, Eve scuttled away from the cell’s entrance.
Nick’s skin prickled in warning.
A midnight colored hand opened the door. Nick’s gaze snapped up, taking in a creature that should never have existed. Fine, black fur, like that of an otter, covered the man from head-to-toe. Hands, tipped with sharp, poisonous claws, curled around the dull bar of silver.
“Umbra,” Nick hissed. A harsh growl of warning ripped from his throat.
The umbra, a creature believed to be extinct, turned to the woman with big boobs. “Clara, when you’re finished here go home and stay there. You and your bumbling attempts to bring down the dragon council have endangered our ultimate goal.”
Clara’s face distorted in fury; showing flat, human teeth, she growled. “Respectfully, sire, I am the one whose original thinking brought all of this about.”
The umbra snorted. “Original thinking? You’re a delusional egomaniac. I remember the day we captured you. Screams of your terror live in my memory. As does the disbelief, you showed, when we told you our plan to return the valleys to Sídhí. Your memory is faulty.”
“I helped,” she insisted, fire burning in the pit of her eyes. “I filled the ancient ruins of the first valley with synth crystal.”
“Yes, but only after you were told how,” he agreed. A flash of devious intelligence flashed through the umbra’s solid black eyes. “You have the brains of a flea. It is good you were not privileged to know what the true outcome of your years of service provided.”
“True? What do you mean true?” she squawked.
Lightning fast, the umbra backhanded the woman. Ignoring her wail, the umbra’s sharp, bat-like ears swiveled toward Nick. The man, born of a race of sadistic creatures - a race created to destroy and conquer all adversaries - smiled, baring white, razor-sharp teeth.
“Having a Chi’Kehra suddenly appear on Earth has put a certain kink in our plans,” the creature said, snapping the two long chains that secured Nick to the wall in half. Wrapping one end of the chain around its fist, the umbra tugged Nick forward like a dog on a leash.
The colors in the room disappeared, turning soft gray and washed-out. As if passing through water, he heard Shelby’s muffled cry of alarm.
“Welcome to In Between,” the umbra said sarcastically. He dropped the heavy chain and walked straight through Eve and Clara as they argued with each other. Neither woman reacted to the umbra’s presence. “Follow.”
Nick watched the creature leave, and turned to Shelby as she struggled against the restraining silver. “Shelby.”
His ex-girlfriend didn’t respond, not even when he walked closer. He touched her shoulder. At least, he tried. His gray-tinged fingers slid through the girl’s body.
A growl, not his, filled the chamber. “I said to follow me.”
Nick glared at the creature. “What have you done to me?”
The umbra’s smile flickered with delight. “I’ve brought you In Between. It is the barrier between Earth and the Sídhí valleys, where there is no escape. The bickering dragons are like shadows you can see and walk through, but they cannot see or hear you.” He chuckled evilly. “I am your only way out, follow or die.”
Unease raced through him, not for his life, but the lives of everyone else.
If there was one of the sadistic creatures, there could be hundreds more, perhaps thousands. Umbra could attack any valley, at any time, and no one would be able to retaliate. Knowing the location of the creature’s hidden lair would be critical in stopping them.
Unwilling to let the umbra out of his sight, Nick stalked forward. With every step, the snarl twisting his face turned darker. Over his shoulder, his glance slid from Shelby to the unconscious phoenix crumpled in the corner.
Clara disappeared, no doubt porting to retrieve a pen and paper to write Sarah’s note. The remaining dragon shifter stalked down the middle of the cell, muttering about lost chances.
___________
Sarah didn’t waste any more time. Focusing on the chip of crystal embedded at the base of Mac’s skull, she ported into a sterile-looking cell.
A single glance told her everything she needed to know.
Her friend was spread eagle on the floor. Chains crisscrossed over his sooty-black wings, crushing the vivid burgundy edges under the tight links.
On the left side of the room, Shelby hung by her wrists in a dead faint.
Nick was nowhere to be seen. She assumed he had been held captive on the wall opposite of Shelby. She didn’t know. All th
at remained of the restraints were broken bits of stone scattered across the pristine floor.
“Filthy vampire! You’ve ruined everything!” Eve screamed at the girl, slapping the girl’s swollen face.
Right, as if additional pain would wake her up.
Moving silently, she called her sword to hand and sliced the thick silver links binding Mac’s wings.
The dragon shifter remained focused on Shelby. If she hadn’t been so self-absorbed, she would’ve heard the chain hitting the floor.
Sheathing her hand in crystal, Sarah squatted next to the phoenix and placed a single finger on her friend’s forehead. She hated to do it, but she needed him up and moving. She pushed a teeny-tiny drop of pure power into Mac’s unconscious body.
Eve hadn’t heard Sarah arrive, but there could be no overlooking Mac’s roar as a jolt of pure energy rushed through his body. Surging to his feet, his wings snapped open. White-fire enveloped him, turning the wine and gold of his wings into multi-hued lightning.
Turning, she flung a silver throwing star at Eve. The carefully thrown star, flung with just the right amount of Sídhí strength, hit the woman’s stomach. Slicing through flesh, it lodged in the woman’s body, effectively keeping the dragon from teleporting to safety.
Eve barely had time to scream in pain before Sarah tossed a small chain-like device at the dragon. The crystal links wrapped around the woman’s raised arm, creating the perfect way to track the woman down if she escaped.
The thought had barely flickered through her mind when the woman screeched like a banshee and ran out of the cell.
Mac turned, ready to race after the fleeing dragon.
Sarah grabbed his glowing arm. As the sharp sting of lightning pricked her palm, she thickened the crystal around her hand, cushioning the deadly surge of white-fire.
Fangs flashing, Mac snarled at her.
“Are you insane?” he demanded, trying to shake her hand off his arm. “Don’t touch me!”
Shoving her face into his, she ignored his panicked words. “Where is Nick?”
The phoenix paused. Glancing around the room, he snarled. “There was an umbra.”
“What?” she demanded. The single word emerged in a deadly hiss of fury.
“I was In Between, keeping tabs on your boyfriend, when a dart struck me. As I went down, I smelled one.”
“You’re certain?” she asked, adding quickly, “Haven Valley has phoenix. One of them could have shot you with a tranquilizer.”
It was Mac’s turn to demand an explanation. “They have a group phoenix? How could our spies have missed that?”
“There isn’t time to explain, but the girl with Beth isn’t a shifter, she’s phoenix. She smells very unusual so she might be a halfling of some sort.”
Mac cursed. “It wasn’t a phoenix that knocked me out. The sharp smell of brine hit me as the umbra slapped a silver collar on me.”
And everyone knew, an umbra’s chameleon ability wasn’t simply a visual attribute, it covered all of the senses. They had very little odor, mostly a faint smell of salt or more aptly, the sea, except when the creature was In Between, then the wet, brackish smell intensified.
Sarah slashed Mac’s necklet with her sword. The thick chunk of silver slipped off his neck, hitting the floor with a dull thump.
Shelby groaned. The girl looked up just as Sarah turned toward her.
Their eyes met. The instant the young vampire saw the synth sword she uttered a heartfelt screech of terror, one much louder than the dragon’s cry had been. “Chi’Kehra!”
Crossing the cell, Sarah stopped immediately in front of the struggling girl. Blood dripped from several cuts and her face was turning colors from where the dragon had hit her. Her wrists, discolored and swollen from her struggle, jerked against the thick restraints.
“Where’s Nick?” Sarah asked in a calm voice laced with menace.
The girl’s wild-eyed struggle increased.
Sarah grabbed her hair, pinning her in place. “I am not Eve, I won’t settle for love taps. You will answer me or you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
She watched the internal struggle going on behind the girl’s eyes. She hated torture, but she didn’t have time to be gentle, not with Nick’s life hanging in the balance. Clenching her teeth, she reached a single finger toward the girl’s forehead.
The girl bared her teeth and hissed, before asking in a defiant tone, “Are you really his mate?”
“Yes,” Sarah said emphatically.
Shelby uttered a harsh sound, something between a growl and a hoarse cry of pain. Tears filled her eyes. “The dragon made my synth sing for him. My lifeBud was blooming for another when she forced it to sing for Nick.”
Sarah didn’t know how something like that was possible, but she didn’t want to interrupt the girl. Holding her words behind clenched teeth, she silently promised to destroy the dragon, possibly the entire Dyrst’Lye clan. No one should have that kind of ability.
“The umbra told Eve and Clara to kill me,” she paused, nodded toward Mac. “They were going to kill him and leave a note, a ransom or warning or something. Clara left hours ago to get pen and paper. Eve stayed behind to question me.”
“Nick?” Sarah urged.
“The umbra took him. They just disappeared, chains and all. How could he port silver chains?”
“Umbra slide between dimensions. It’s not the same,” Sarah said softly. Her mind was not on her words, but working on a plan to find Nick.
“Sarah,” Mac said amid a growl. Glancing toward the doorway, he swayed forward in eager anticipation. “She’s getting away.”
Sarah nodded her agreement. “Yes, I know, but don’t go after her. Wait for me,” she said to Mac.
Not waiting for an agreement, Sarah sliced the restraining manacles off the girl’s damaged wrists. Clamping her hand around Shelby’s arm, she ported the girl to Trellick Valley, directly into her cousin’s bedchamber at Hot Springs Castle.
It was the middle of the night so she hoped Aaron would be in bed and not on night watch, or have company, she added to herself with a soft snort.
The vast castle, that was Aaron’s home, guarded one of the primary gates between Trellick Valley and the Dhark Empire. In an attempt to keep unknown vampires from teleporting into the stronghold, fairy-made wards layered the ancient walls. The wards hummed around Sarah, but couldn’t keep her out. Rather impossible to stop someone filled with synth energy when using synth as the barrier.
At Shelby’s startled cry, Aaron jumped from the bed, sword in hand. Next time she saw him, she needed to remember to acknowledge his quick reaction. “Aaron.”
“Sarah?” he demanded. “What in the blue blazes are you doing here?”
“That’s a long story, and I don’t have time to tell it. This is Shelby. Unfortunately, she found out who I am. She hasn’t done anything wrong, but as of this minute, she is under secluded house arrest. If she tries to escape, send her to Phoenix Valley.”
“Okay, but…”
She ported away, appearing beside an aggravated fairy. Her winged friend glared at her.
“She’s getting away,” he said in a frustrated grumble. His eyes flashed silver, reflecting his high emotions.
“Yes, she is, but Nick is In Between with an umbra,” she said coldly.
Clara picked that instant to appear. The dragon yanked a long knife from her belt and swung the deadly edge as Sarah.
Sarah had to admit, the dragon’s reflexes were fast.
Sarah ducked under the attack and felt the slight breeze the sharp steel made as it passed above her head.
Mac bellowed and surged forward, putting himself between the dragon and Sarah.
Sarah knew how the game would play out. The dragon would fight until cornered then she would port to safety. It had already happened twice, Sarah wasn’t letting the dragon get away with a third time.
She threw a crystal chain at Clara. The chain wrapped around the woman’s upraised wrist.
Tracker ID attached.
Another dragon appeared at Clara’s side. Recognition was instant. Councilman Maynard was one of the eldest members of the dragon council. No wonder the Khr'Vurr escaped every trap the dragon guardians and council set up. They had a mole, a very powerful mole.
Her sword clashed with his. His face twisted in hatred. “Drop the sword or your mate will be killed.”
A flush of fury filled her, instantly settling into a cold pit of rage in her chest. With a flicker of thought, she concentrated on the crystal links around Clara’s wrist, shaving an unnoticeable splinter off the chain. She shoved the tiny shard into Clara’s wrist.
Her lips curved into a callous smile, revealing the cold killer behind her ice princess mask. “Nick chose another girl. Why should I care if he is alive or dead?” she asked, frost coating each word. “I have the person I came for. He’s about to fry your mate into ash.”
Trading blows, one after another, the dragon sneered at her. “Then you have no problem with me giving a mental order to kill him?”
She planned to deliver Maynard to the dragon council in exchange for information, which meant she couldn’t kill him, not yet. Distraction needed.
Without glancing at the female dragon, Sarah forced the smooth links of crystal, surrounding the dragon’s wrist, into sharp spikes. Without a shred of remorse, she mentally yanked the crystal bracelet tight, sinking half-inch barbs through the muscle and bone of Clara’s wrist.
The dragon shrieked in agony, dropping her weapon as she frantically tried to remove the band that rapidly tightened around her wrist.
Maynard roared. His bellow reverberated off the cell’s walls. Slashing outward, he overextended as he attacked her, exposing his belly.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Sarah ducked and slashed upward, slicing a thin line from his crotch to neck.
He disappeared and just as quickly reappeared directly behind Clara.
Oh, no, Sarah had a tracker on Clara, but she was not letting them pull their little disappearing stunt again.
Exile: Sídhí Summer Camp #3 Page 15
