Her eyes faded in and out of focus as her head rolled from side to side. “He knows I’m broken; there is no going back. He wants a replacement.”
“Replace…?” His eyes snapped back to her body barely hidden by his shirt and his breath quickened in fear as she met his eyes.
“It is the only way to ensure an equal quality.”
Tears burned his eyes. “Eylsa, I can’t—I won’t.”
She closed her eyes. “It will not be long before we do not have a choice. I can see the fight on your face; you will not be able to handle another dose.”
He tangled his fists in his hair and slammed his head back into the wall behind him. His head dropped back to his knees. “If it is inevitable, I would save you this pain. If there is no way to fight it, I don’t want you to suffer.”
“No, Brendan.”
“But—”
“It is important to me that it be against my will. I cannot willingly subject another to this.”
He crawled across the floor, ignoring her protests as he pulled her into his arms. He kissed her forehead as he fought his body’s reaction to her. “You are the bravest person I’ve ever met.”
The scent of his skin made her head swim despite the burning agony of her body. It was a clean musk she had never noticed before. “Not brave. Just what…must do.”
He laid his hand to her cheek and forced her head to the floor. “I still have enough will of my own. You just rest.”
* * *
Her body dropped so fast into sleep he was positive she had to have passed out. He kept his arms perfectly still on her body as he held her. Even the slight movement of their breathing was a distraction.
Eyes closed, he bit his lip and pulled her tighter to his chest. He might not last another dose but he was afraid she wouldn’t survive one.
* * *
Trey trotted down the stairs raking a hand back through his hair. “They aren’t up there either.”
Cade growled as he kicked open the swinging door and returned from the living room. “They are not here. Brendan wouldn’t have let them leave.”
Darius stared into a glass sitting on the counter. “Maybe he didn’t have a choice.”
“You think someone drugged him?”
Darius pointed toward an open cabinet. “The herbs that are out can be used to make many things, including a strong sleeping draught that would keep a man under no matter what is going on around him.”
“But who? And how did they find them?”
Cade shook his head. “You cannot home into this house, and the door was not forced. Who would they have let in?”
Trey turned his back on them. “You don’t think…Eylsa would have…?”
Darius wouldn’t let that thought in and laced his reply with the force of his conviction. “No. She wouldn’t have turned on Brendan. If she had just wanted to leave, he would still be here.” Darius sniffed the liquid in the glass. “Cade, we are going to need your notes.”
Cade pulled a small case from his pocket and laid it on the counter. He traced a finger around its edges and the case shook and rattled as it expanded, flopping open to reveal sheaves of handwritten paper. “What are you hoping to find?”
“A clue.”
Trey darted from the room but Cade and Darius were already absorbed in the notes. He ducked into a room, grabbing a shirt and pulling out his homing device. He waited for the library to solidify around him before he ran for a stack near the far corner. A finger trailed along the tomes and he snatched one before returning to the street outside the safe house.
Cade glared at him as he rushed inside. “Where did you go?”
He slammed the book down hard on the table. “Getting a shortcut. Cade, I need some paper.” Trey tossed the cover open and skimmed through the pages. “I came across this while searching for information on those murders.” A triumphant smile spread across his face as he spun the book around to Darius. “I made note of it because I wanted to be able to find Eylsa if she…well, killed you.”
Darius cocked an eyebrow. “Well, I guess I’m glad you were paying attention. Why didn’t you mention this when she disappeared?”
He pulled the book back toward him. “Well, it has its limitations. It only works if you have something that belongs to who you are looking for.”
Cade pointed at the shirt in his fist. “Like clothes.”
Trey smiled and waggled his fingers. “Paper.” Cade handed him a blank sheet. Trey cut a chunk from the shirt as he read the book. “Okay.” He set the cloth into the center of the paper. “Arena endro nictae.” He hissed and pulled his hand back, blowing on his palm. “Could have said it got hot.”
Sparks trailed out from the cloth leaving lines and patterns across the paper. The cloth itself flashed orange before it vanished and flared up near the edge of the map that sketched out before them. They leaned into the map and stared at the pulsing orange dot.
“Where the hell is that?”
Darius turned from them, hand hovering over his mouth. “That is a ghetto in the Yagrecian capitol of Tetano.”
Trey waved his hand at the map. “So what are we waiting for?”
Darius sighed. “We need to proceed carefully gentlemen. This is no ordinary ghetto. That is the Rhennon.”
Cade swallowed as Trey pulled out his homing device. “Don’t see how that changes anything.”
Darius spun in a whirl of robes. “It changes everything. If Brendan is in trouble, we will be no good to him dead.” He shook his head. “We know where he is; we have to prepare before we attempt a trip to the Rhennon. Bring the map. We are going to the Tribunal.”
* * *
Cade’s eyes grew wider with every second that passed as he watched the wild-haired man dart around his small office. His bloodshot eyes never stopped on anything for more than a heartbeat as he dug into drawers and cabinets, pulling out random items and tossing them onto his desk.
Darius stepped back as the man rushed past him. “Aaranor, I really need you to focus now.”
Aaranor mumbled under his breath and tossed a pile of papers over his shoulder. “No, no, not the Rhennon.” He tossed his head. “Taking these boys…it would be suicide.”
Trey crossed his arms. “You think you would fare better?”
He waved his finger at the air as he made yet another pass. “Experience is what you need. Experience and raw, brazen courage. Seen men make it on luck and stupidity. Who are you going against?”
“The Trinity.”
He chuckled. “Not in the Rhennon, you are not.”
Cade jumped back as Aaranor spun to face him. “Well, that’s who’s been after Eylsa. Who else would have taken them?”
“Is that all they teach you nowadays?” He jerked a map from behind a stack of books, sending them toppling to the floor. He spread the map out along the wall. “The Tribunal would have you think that the only danger out there is the Trinity.” He slammed his palm down over the dot that indicated the Tribunal. “But they are wrong.” He waved his hand around the map. “The world is divided up into many unsavory factions and each is pretty territorial. So I say again, you will not likely find the Trinity in the Rhennon.”
Trey rolled his eyes. “Okay, then who would we likely encounter there?”
Aaranor tore the map from the wall. “The Rhennon lies in the territory of those who call themselves the Union. Right nasty bunch to go against. They say he who runs them could ice the blood in your veins with just a look.”
“The Union? Why have we never heard about them?” Trey’s voice was veined with suspicion.
Aaranor eyed him sideways. “Because they are like mist. They stay hidden from those who walk the straight and narrow. Even to learn about the Union, you have to enter the scummy pits of vermin.”
Cade dropped the small box he had picked up as it rattled and popped in his grip. “Then how do you know about it? This Union?”
Aaranor shoved him back from the pile, eyes wild and unreadable. “How ol
d are you, boy?”
“Twenty.”
“Twenty. When I was your age, I had already been inducted into a program for double agents. I had already been placed into what is known today as the Pride, the sickest and most violent group of murderers and monsters I have ever had the misfortune to associate with. They never even cared what the Tribunal did because there was no way it could even slow them down. The only thing they feared was the Union.”
Darius drew a deep breath. “Aaranor, can you get us to Brendan?”
He froze, his expression coherent. “Can is not the same as will, Darius.”
Trey grabbed his shirt and jerked him forward. “We are going after Brendan, and you are going to help us whether you like it or not.”
Darius laid a hand on Trey’s shoulder. “We need your help. We can’t leave him there.”
“The most you can do is die with him. Save yourself the suffering and hope he is already dead.”
Trey shoved him away. “Come on Darius, this coward isn’t going to help us.”
“Why don’t you and Cade wait for me outside.”
* * *
Darius kept his eyes on Aaranor as Trey pulled the door shut behind them. “Aaranor, we are going in after Brendan. I would truly appreciate your help on this.”
“You will get them all killed.”
“They will go whether I let them or not. I cannot let them go alone. That young man risked his life to save countless others; I cannot abandon him.”
Aaranor’s face remained blank as he turned to Darius, a book clutched to his chest. “This contains everything I was able to learn about the Union. It won’t do you much good.”
Darius clapped a hand to his shoulder. “Thank you, Aaranor.” He opened the book and shuffled through several portraits and sketches. His finger traced along a portrait before turning it to face Aaranor. “Who is this?”
Aaranor’s eyes grew wide as he shook his head. “No one you want to deal with, I assure you.”
“Humor me.”
Aaranor sighed. “Darius, you are in way over your head here.”
Darius again pointed at the portrait in the journal.
“Not much is known about him, but he is important—very important. You see that face, it will be the last thing you ever see.”
“I’ve already seen him. He’s been in my house.”
Aaranor raked a hand back through his hair. “I was wrong, Darius: You are already dead. And so are they.”
Darius tucked the book under his arm. “Then we have nothing to lose.”
* * *
Brendan screamed awake as his arm was jerked behind him. His body was bombarded with kicks. He coughed and sputtered as the draught was poured down his throat. His belt was jerked loose and his pants pulled from his legs, leaving him panting and naked on the floor.
Eylsa didn’t even struggle as a man kneeled at her side and poured the draught into her mouth. He dropped her back to the ground and poured something across her nude form. His hand waved over her body. “Protito.”
Her back arched off the floor, eyes wide as she gasped for breath. Brendan clawed his way toward her as the men cleared the room. He cringed as a scream tore from her lungs and crashed over him. Hands over his ears, he rolled onto his back, eyes fluttering closed. His heart and breath raced as his senses raged. His mind was lost but Eylsa’s screams pulled at him. He rolled onto his side and clawed at the legs that barred him from the object of his obsession.
“Truly, I expected more fight from you, boy.” Gregor tangled a fist in Brendan’s hair and jerked his head up. “I am starting to have second thoughts about you. I do hope this weakness does not dilute Eylsa’s excellence.”
Brendan blinked, clearing his eyes with agonizing slowness. He tried to speak but only succeeded in producing a pitiful whine.
Gregor’s face fell. “How disappointing.” He released Brendan’s hair and let him drop to the floor. “It is a shame she is too far gone to see how pathetic you are. Had she known this, perhaps she would not have been so eager to run to you.”
Gregor ran his fingertips along her neck, intensifying her screams. “I did try to warn you. I told you he couldn’t protect you. Now you see what this foolishness has brought?”
“Get away…from her.”
Gregor chuckled. “And what would you do, boy?”
Brendan tried to focus his mind. “If I ever get out of here…I will kill you.”
Gregor chuckled. “Don’t be silly. You are never getting out of here.” He glanced at the man on the floor behind him. “And even if by some insane miracle you did, you lack both the strength and the temperament to do so.”
He laid a finger to Eylsa’s forehead.
“Areno.”
Her body slumped back to the floor, her cries cutting off as if they had never existed.
Her head lolled. “Please stop hurting him,” she gasped. “It was never his fault.”
“Oh, well do enlighten me.”
“Just let him go and I will stay.”
“No!” Brendan struggled to pull himself across the floor with his arms.
“He owes me an assassin.”
“No, I do.”
“Eylsa, stop!”
Gregor glanced back at him. “I can’t let him go now; I’ve grown quite fond of his screams. Even in your current state, you must be aware of how close to breaking he is. I will stop hurting him after I get what I want.”
Brendan’s fingers snatched feebly at his shoes but Gregor ignored him.
“You are the only one that can spare him this torment. Just give in and the draught will loosen its grip on both your minds.” He swept from the room, leaving Brendan growling after him.
“I will not leave you.”
Her head rolled toward him. “You are in no shape to fight it.”
He crawled the rest of the way toward her and collapsed. “I am not so bad off as you both seem to think. I am still lucid.”
Her hand reached for his. “I fear I may no longer be.”
He caressed her face. “Just hold on, for me.”
Her laugh was forced. “Why?”
His eyes narrowed as he watched her.
“We are not getting out of here, Brendan. He will win eventually; we cannot fight forever.” Her eyes slid shut as her hand moved to his chest. “Your scent, it intoxicates me.”
His body shook as he pulled her hand from his skin. “Just stay calm, Ellie. Please don’t leave me.”
Her lips trailed along his neck. “So hard…to think.” A tear slid from her eye.
His hand moved to her neck, his fingers tracing down her chest to run around to her back. Arm tightening, he pulled her roughly to his chest, tearing a cry from her lips.
He shook his head. His hand returned to her face as she continued to kiss along his neck and shoulder. He shoved her back to the floor and slapped her cheeks gently. “Come on, Eylsa. All that time you spent driving us crazy with how stubborn you are, you’re going to give in now?”
Her eyes remained unfocused but her fighting stilled.
“Ribs.” The word was soft, barely audible.
“What?”
“Ribs…broken.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” His hand hovered over her chest as he struggled to figure out how to help ease her suffering.
Her head lolled. “Pain…” She swallowed with effort. “Pain helps.”
He shook his head and pulled away. “I can’t…I can’t, not to you.”
She took his hand and moved it to her side as she forced a smile. “Won’t take much…still irritating.”
He forced a laugh as he laid his hand against her side. “I’m sorry.”
“Do it.”
Face buried in her neck, he squeezed his hand, cringing as she cried out. She clapped her hand over his and gasped. “Harder.”
“I don’t want to hurt you!”
“Brendan!”
With bated breath he tightened his grip and swallowed the bile tha
t rose as he felt something shift beneath his palm.
No scream followed.
He pulled her limp body to his chest and rolled onto his back. He kissed her forehead.
“Just hold on, Ellie.”
* * *
Cade kept his head high as he strutted purposefully down the alley. Several eyes watched him from the doorways of the buildings, weighing every step he took. He hoped they didn’t test his bravado; he didn’t wish to find out how good he was. Trey nodded from across the Rhennon and Cade mirrored his slouching pose as they scanned the open market between them.
The building the map had led them to looked like little more than an abandoned warehouse. They had circled it several times but hadn’t caught sight of anyone entering or leaving. The streets cleared around them as the sun sank toward the horizon.
Act purposeful, as if you belong here.
It felt like he walked a mile before he made the corner edge of the building and turned down another alley. There was a small entrance toward the end of the alley—that was their point of entrance. He prayed the footsteps echoing his own were Trey’s.
He ran his eyes over the door. Darius had gone in first. He turned the knob his heart pounding like thunder in his ears. The room inside was small and already cramped when he took up position beside Darius.
Trey stepped inside and secured the door behind him.
“Not much security.”
Darius pulled the map from his sleeve. “Maybe no one else is dumb enough to break in.” He tucked the map away again.
Cade nodded then pressed his palm flat to the door. He pulsed power into it and stood silent but no one appeared to his mind. He nodded.
Darius pointed toward the door. “Third floor. We go right; there are stairs at the end of the hallway.”
Trey nodded. “Let’s do this.”
* * *
Darius pushed the door open and stepped out into the dim hall. He resisted the urge to look around. If Cade had missed anyone, the gesture would draw attention immediately. Cade moved past him, his pace confident and purposeful. Trey would follow behind. The doors to either side had no markings at all, no way to differentiate them. One on the right stood open, the smell of stale blood and sweat within churning his stomach. He kept his eyes stubbornly forward.
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