She had used her last silver throwing star on Eve. Fortunately, there was plenty of silver chain scattered around the room.
Scooping up a broken link, she coated the silver with crystal. Rearing back, she aimed and cursed. Hell’s bells, she didn’t have a clean shot. Clara’s body essentially shielded Maynard. A smile creased her face. The councilor would never forsake his mate.
“Mac!” she mentally shouted an instant before she threw the silver link at Clara.
They had practiced a similar maneuver, but had never had the opportunity to use it.
He grinned. Anticipation lighting his eyes, he hit the silver link with a blast of white-fire, melting the metal in mid-air.
With a flicker of thought, Sarah forced the crystal into several sharp darts, blending them with the molten silver. Another mental order and she sent the silver-crystal darts flying toward Clara. The tiny projectiles hit the female dragon in the shoulder and upper chest, penetrating deep into her body.
Going at Sídhí speed, the entire process took less time than it took to take a deep breath.
“No!” Maynard bellowed. Understanding flashed across his face as he realized the dozens of tiny darts sinking into his mate was as effective as a silver collar. His mate could not port to safety.
Picking Clara up like a child, Maynard turned and ran from the room.
Mac surged forward.
“Stop!” Sarah snapped at him, knowing the two dragons couldn’t go far.
“Sarah,” Mac said, growling her name between clenched teeth.
“First, take me In Between.”
____________
For hours, Nick followed the brawny creature through a maze of tunnels that connected the jail to a widespread network of caverns.
He glanced around the rectangle-shaped space. There was no way the large cave was natural. The floor and ceiling were smooth, not dotted with spikes of rock. Patterns swirled across both surfaces. He followed the umbra, passing beside a wall dotted with holes. Half-eaten trolls covered a small portion of the floor.
He’d been unconscious so he didn’t recognize the room, but from Jared’s description, Nick was in the honeycomb, his cousin’s term for the mite’s food storage area.
Walking toward the far end of the chamber, the umbra ignored the looming wall and dead trolls. The creature turned into a large hallway. The stone entry was carved with blocky script and fighting umbra. Piles of dust and debris marked the passage of time; a thousand years of neglect had destroyed everything within the umbra’s stronghold.
At least, Nick assumed that’s what the string of interconnected rooms and passageways must’ve been, one of the last safe havens for the nightmare race.
Turning down a side passage, they walked deeper under the earth. Glow moss covered the uneven rock walls, but the Sídhí version of a natural flashlight did not spark to life. The wild moss never noticed their passage.
The dull gray of the In Between never flickered, remaining a slice of two worlds frozen in time, neither here nor there.
The tunnel widened into a small room, before ending abruptly. Blocking the opposite end of the odd room was a wall of synth crystal. The umbra turned right and entered a second tunnel that had been carved from the bedrock surrounding the massive chunk of crystal.
“Seems like a lot of work to create a path around a chunk of synth crystal,” Nick said scornfully, hoping to irritate the creature into talking to him. If he could figure out where the creature was taking him, he might have a chance to escape and contact the guardians.
The umbra patted the smooth, white wall. “Perhaps to your small mind it seems a work of futility, but not to my people. My great-grandfather was the first one to reach the outer barrier.”
Nick didn’t comment. Silence might keep the creature’s tongue waging faster than anything else would.
Black, beady eyes glanced at him. “You are hearing history that no other non-umbra has ever heard. That should concern you.”
Unable to stop, Nick asked the obvious, “Why?”
“You are nothing but leverage against the Earth-born Chi’Kehra. Once we kill her, you’ll be next.”
“In other words, you want to gloat and my silence is assured?” Nick snorted. “You seem awful sure of yourself.
“Of course, I am. We are brilliant tacticians. Umbra were created to fight, to kill. The old Chi’Kehra didn’t realize he was creating the perfect race to rule all others,” he said, with a negligent shrug of wide shoulders. “Don’t let the Khr'Vurr antics fool you. Whether the umbra’s empire is on Sídhí or Earth is not a concern.”
“You don’t answer to the Khr'Vurr?”
Fur rippled, and Nick knew his question struck a nerve. “We’ve had more than enough of pretending to be docile, while the Sídhí-born Chi’Kehra keeps a watchful eye on us.”
As the creature’s words sunk in, Nick clenched his teeth and cursed to himself. A gateway to Sídhí and a full blood elvish Chi’Kehra, that’s all they needed.
The creature didn’t notice Nick’s jaw-clenching reaction as he turned into an opening along the smooth wall. Embedded scrollwork glowed against the white surface.
“Soon, we will be on Earth, and we will be beyond his reach. Your little girlfriend will be no more than a bump along the road to our glory,” the umbra stated, turning down a wide tunnel within the ancient ruins.
Doorways began appearing. Through each door lay a different scene, a mountain range, a schoolyard, an office building… no two gateways were the same. Well, except one overwhelming feature, gray painted each scene.
The tunnel split, and then split again. The doorways disappeared and they walked down a long flight of stairs. The bottom two steps lay submerged in liquid crystal. He stepped down, but didn’t encounter the water. Walking through the In Between, his feet remained dry.
Various sized holes appeared along the bottom of the walls. Liquid crystal poured from a few of them, others acted as drains. Through some of the larger holes, he could see different tunnels.
Nick jerked to a stop, frozen in place. Two holes, side-by-side, showed two vastly different tunnels.
The umbra’s dark chuckle made the hair on his scalp rise in warning. “I see you noticed the secret of the ancient ruins. Each hole is actually a gateway. Thankfully, the energy of so much synth crystal in one place masks the energy the gateways throw off. If it didn’t, your little girlfriend would’ve spoiled all of our plans long before now, because every Sídhí Valley has a set of ruins, some small, some large. Most of the ruins are interconnected, creating a massive maze of power runners.” A black, furred leg kicked at the water that lay just out of reach. “We started filling the isolated ruins years ago. Once the connected tunnels are filled, all of the valley ruins will be fully charged, forcing the dimensional barrier around each valley to recognize the energy source and complete its destination.”
“Destination?” Nick murmured uneasily.
“Yes,” sharp teeth flashed as the umbra answered him, “the Khr'Vurr believe filling the tunnels will return everyone to Sídhí. Fools follow orders better when they think they’re getting what they want.”
“They’re wrong?” Nick asked. With each word the creature spoke, Nick’s sense of trepidation grew. The umbra was a vicious adversary, but their true weapon was an ability to create unbeatable strategies. If the creature’s smug words were anything to go by, the Sídhí valleys were in deep crap and didn’t even know it.
“Four thousand years ago, the old Chi’Kehra connected the ruins, filled them, and then commanded the synth crystal to transport his people to earth. As you know, the power didn’t stop with his people. It sucked people, plants, and whatever else into the void. Stupid fool misjudged the amount of power needed and the power cells ran dry before they could reach their destination.”
Nick connected the dots. “Re-fill the ruins and the valleys will have the energy to reach their original destination.” Valleys would appear all over earth, creating mass ch
aos among Sídhí and mundane humans. The death toll would be horrendous.
The creature watched him with devilish enjoyment. Without another word, the umbra walked away.
The world was about to collapse around everyone’s ears and there was nothing he could do about it. With a snarl of frustration, Nick followed. He hadn’t walked three feet when his foot hit an invisible barrier. He lurched forward, a tingle of power rushed around him as he unknowingly passed through a floating gateway.
“What the…,” his words spluttered to a halt as he fell forward, plunging face first into liquid crystal. The liquid soaked him from head-to-toe.
The umbra threw back its head and laughed. “One of a kind, the portal is a passage between the real world and the In Between.”
Hope flared through Nick. No longer was he stuck in a gray void without hope of escape. He snorted. Right, all he had to do was kill an umbra without the help of his claws. Between the silver and all the gateways, he knew his super strength was also blocked.
They walked up a second flight of stairs. Doorways appeared on either side, displaying colorful scenes that equaled freedom.
Knowing there was no time like the present he sucked in a fortifying breath and swung the dangling chain toward the creature. The links snapped around the umbra’s neck. With his entire strength, Nick jerked backward. The sound of cracking bones clashed with the sound of the umbra’s body hitting the ground.
Nick surged forward and grabbed the smooth head. He twisted it, jerking the umbra’s head from side-to-side. Thick muscles and tendons refused to rip apart. No matter how hard he tugged, the head wouldn’t come loose. Yeah, his strength was gone the way of the dodo birds, non-existent.
After several minutes of wrangling with the slick, wet fur, he grunted in disgust and let the umbra’s head bounce against the crystal floor. Without removing the umbra’s head from its body, the creature would not die. Depending upon its age, healing from a broken neck could take a few hours to a few days.
Cursing under his breath, he looked around the empty tunnel for inspiration. Vivid blue water, the color of Sarah’s eyes, appeared through one doorway. Glancing through, he saw the gateway hovered a good twenty feet above a deserted beach.
Grunting with effort, he shoved the umbra through the doorway.
With the creature taken care of, he picked-up his chains and hesitated. If he walked through one of the gateways, he could get his bearings and port home. It would be the quickest way to warn the world about the umbra. It also meant turning his back on Sarah.
He knew, without a single doubt, she would be searching for him, and the first place she’d start would be with Mac’s location.
Turning, he ignored his chance at freedom and quickly retraced his steps, returning to the gray In Between.
Chapter - The Color of Death
Mac touched Sarah’s shoulder, and she tensed. She hated the In Between. With that thought uppermost in her mind, Mac shifted them across the dimensional barrier, and they appeared in the lead-colored world of nothingness.
Instinct screamed she wasn’t alone. Turning, she swiftly swung her crystal sword. Death sung through the air.
Her eyes snapped around, following her blade. She expected to see a black furred monster.
An arm length away, Nick jumped backward. He wasn’t fast enough.
She jerked her blade to a stop. Sweat popped-out, dampening her forehead. Blood beaded on the sharp edge of her sword. A drip of gray blood slid down Nick’s neck. As if frozen in time, air choked her. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think.
Nick surged forward, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m fine. It’s okay.”
Her fingers convulsed, dropping her cherished sword to the ground. Sucking in a lungful of air, she rubbed her hand down his neck. It was only a scratch. “Oh, my God,” her voice cracked, “I nearly killed you.”
“But you didn’t. I’m fine,” he said, tightening his arms around her. “I never picked Shelby over you, never!”
It took her a second to remember the conversation she had with Maynard. She shuddered, choking on a weak laugh. “I know you didn’t. I was just trying to make him think I didn’t care.”
“Sarah,” Mac grumbled, “you have your boy toy. Can we please leave?”
Refusing to release him, she turned in Nick’s arms. “I peppered her with silver and crystal. Even if they escape, we can track them.”
“Those two are the least of our problems,” Nick said, gently rubbing his hands down her arms. It didn’t seem to help. Another second and she would’ve killed him. She felt frozen to the bone. His next words snapped her back into focus. “The umbra are behind everything. They’re using the Khr'Vurr as a distraction.”
Mac snarled at him, before saying, “That distraction nearly killed you, Sarah, and everyone in your cabin.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t effective, but the bigger plan will kill millions, if not billions.”
Mac snorted. “If you combined all the valleys together, there aren’t a billion Sídhí.”
“No, but there are that many mundane humans,” Nick said grimly.
“Explain,” she ordered in a tone that allowed no disagreement.
Nick chuckled. “Who’s being bossy?”
“Sorry,” she said softly. “One of my guards foresaw Earth bathed in blood. He never sees detail, just a lot of destruction and death.”
Nick cursed. “The umbra plan to finish what the dead Chi’Kehra started thousands of years ago. They plan to merge the valleys with Earth.”
“I don’t suppose you know the details?” Mac said between clenched teeth.
Obviously, the two would never be best of friends.
“No,” Nick said, “but I broke the neck of an umbra. It’s only been a few hours, so if it hasn’t healed…”
“We can get the details straight from the source,” Sarah said, smoothly finishing Nick’s words with a feeling satisfaction.
“We can’t forget the dragons,” Mac argued, holding up a hand when Sarah started to speak. “I’m not saying that bringing the umbra in for questioning isn’t important, but the minute those dragons heal, they will retaliate. And without either of you around, they will target Emily and the other teens in your cabin.”
Nick growled.
Sarah nodded her agreement. Curiosity was eating her alive, but she didn’t have time to question her friend’s preoccupation toward Emily. Yes, he’d only mentioned her twice, but for Mac, it was two times more than he ever talked about any female.
“Nick and I will go after the umbra. You go after the dragons. When you finish, come back and pick us up,” she paused as Nick shook his head.
“He won’t need to port us out of here,” Nick said.
“Phoenix cannot teleport from location to location,” Mac said slowly, as if speaking to someone too dense to understand Sídhí abilities, “but we can shift between dimensional layers, including the In Between. When we shift, we disappear then re-appear in the same, exact location, just in a different dimension. If I shift dimensions while on a boat in the Caribbean, I stay in the Caribbean. I can’t go to Africa.”
Mac plowed ahead without pausing. “If I enter the In Between on Earth, I see the mirror image of Earth. That’s why you currently see the mirror image of this valley, not Earth or another valley. The In Between is built of shadows, not reality.”
“My point,” Nick said through gritted teeth, “is we won’t need you.”
“Nick,” Sarah said softly, hating to disagree with him, “only umbra and phoenix can shift into the In Between. There’s one dragon clan that can see into the In Between, but they can’t go In Between.”
His hand curled around her hip, long fingers applied gentle pressure to the sensitive skin of her waist. “Yeah, I get that, but the umbra took us through a gateway that exited the In Between. He said it was one-of-a-kind. Once we go through the gateway, we can port wherever.”
Appearing a bit stunned, Mac clamped his m
outh shut on whatever retort he was about to give.
She eyed the phoenix. She trusted him without reservation. Well, except for one thing. “If, for some reason the dragons manage to escape do not spend days hunting them. Go immediately to the campgrounds and keep an eye on the others.”
“And don’t spy on them from In Between,” Nick grumbled, glaring at Mac.
Before Mac could argue, Sarah threw her weight behind Nick’s words. “I agree. No, watching the teens from the In Between. They know about you, and you, my feathered friend, need to become comfortable with working alongside other races. Join whatever activity Emily and the others are doing and keep them safe.”
Mac opened his mouth to argue.
“It wasn’t a request,” she said softly, dangerously.
Mac’s lip curled up, revealing pointed canines. “It that all, Liege?”
Sarah snorted her agreement.
Mac turned. A moment later, Sarah could no longer hear his running steps.
She pulled away from Nick’s embrace. “How about I cut all that silver off of you?”
“Please,” Nick said, quickly raising his manacled hands.
Glaring at her fallen sword, she froze. How was she going to explain a solid crystal sword? Anytime she needed the sword, she pulled synth crystal from her body and created it. She didn’t even have a sheath for it.
“Sarah?” Nick said gently. He glanced at the sword and back at her. She knew the instant he understood her silence.
His reaction stunned her speechless.
He chuckled. Reaching down, he picked-up the discarded sword and handed it to her hilt first. “I think this is yours, my Lady Chi’Kehra.”
Air hissed from her lungs and her teeth snapped shut with a bone-jarring crunch. “What?”
Leaning toward her, his lips caressed her cheek in a brief, gentle kiss. “Chi’Kehra, exile, halfling… none of it matters. I want you as my mate so don’t even go there,” he said emphatically, wrapping his fingers around her neck. “I will never let you go, vampire boogieman or not.”
Exile: Sídhí Summer Camp #3 Page 16
