Rise of the Gryphon

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  But he'd broken enough vows today. He wouldn't add admitting to that love when there was no way for them to be together. "What can I do for you, Kizira?"

  She stared at him, the love in her eyes fading. "Nothing."

  The words gutted him. He ran his hand through his hair, pacing to and fro, but never more than two steps from her image. He stopped in front of her, torn between doing his job and caring for her. "What do you want me to do then?"

  Her face altered into fierce determination, but her shoulders trembled, starting to lose shape. "Leave North America. Now."

  That wouldn't bloody happen. "Why?"

  Sweating, she implored him with her eyes. "Think, Quinn."

  Right. He'd asked a direct question. How was he supposed to know what to ask? He searched his mind, going back over Kizira's last statement to leave this country. "Does Flaevynn value North America?"

  "Sometimes."

  "Would she value it over Treoir?"

  The weary arch of her eyebrow said that was a stupid question. Her form wavered again, jamming Quinn's pulse into overdrive.

  Her next words seeped out weary and strained. "Too slow."

  He'd heard about a game once where one person had a hidden word and tried to get another team player to guess the word by giving suggestions. "I've got an idea. I'll say something and you say the first thing that comes to mind. Okay?"

  "Yes."

  "Beladors."

  "Enemy."

  He had to fine-tune this better or they'd need two days to share information. "Treoir."

  Her eyes stared off for a moment as she thought, then her gaze returned to him. "Immortality."

  Now he was getting somewhere. Flaevynn must be after immortality, which would make sense. But what made her think she could gain it by capturing Treoir? He thought she couldn't leave TAmr Medb. He wouldn't get the answer he needed this way, but Tzader might know, so Quinn moved to specifics. When would Flaevynn make her next move? "Deadline."

  "Three days."

  "For what?" he snapped.

  She just sighed.

  "Sorry," he muttered and concentrated. So she was talking about . . . "Tuesday?"

  "Funeral."

  Who was going to die? He countered with, "Funeral."

  "Flaevynn."

  The Medb queen would die in three days for some reason? Now all the attacks made sense. She had a deadline for gaining immortality and couldn't afford to lose.

  What happened if Flaevynn lost? "Missed deadline."

  "Retribution."

  What type of vengeance would the crazy queen seek? He tossed back, "Retribution."

  "Annihilation."

  "Location."

  "North America."

  How would a dead queen accomplish that? She'd need an army, which meant . . . "Warriors."

  "Alterants."

  He had the next word before the question fully formed in his mind. "Leader."

  "Evalle."

  Quinn couldn't accept that. The Medb queen really thought she could send Evalle and other Alterants to destroy North America if she died? Impossible.

  Kizira gasped. "More."

  He couldn't watch this any longer. "Tell me how I can bloody get to you, Kizira."

  She wrenched her neck, struggling as if she was being dragged backward. "Should have told you . . ." Gasping, she said, "Save . . ."

  "Who?"

  Kizira vanished, a whip of smoky image sucked out of the room.

  Dropping his shield, he reached out to touch her mind.

  And slammed into a wall. Had Kizira thrown up a barrier powerful enough to keep him out? Or had someone else entered her mind and caught her talking to him?

  His hands shook. What should she have told him?

  Who had she been telling him to save?

  Kizira, Evalle . . . or someone else?

  TEN

  Don't attack Macha. Evalle kept repeating that in her head, hoping she'd survive this meeting with the goddess.

  Storm had good reason to question whether she could do this.

  She'd lost patience while brushing her hair. A tangle had caught in the bristles.

  She'd yanked.

  The tangle hadn't loosened.

  Note to self: buy new brush.

  Showered and dressed, she rode the elevator from her underground apartment back up to ground level the minute sundown was official. Food and sleep had gone a long way toward rejuvenating her. She'd even had an hour to play with Feenix, her pet gargoyle.

  Glancing at the freaky armband on her wrist, she muttered, "Mess with me while I'm meeting with Macha and we'll both end up in the spare parts yard."

  Great. Now she was talking to inanimate objects.

  Most anyone who witnessed that would call her mentally unstable.

  Anyone, that is, except Storm. He'd understand. He always understood. The man had more patience than any other human being or preternatural she'd ever met.

  Last night she'd tried to peel his clothes off and swallow his tongue, then she'd attacked him.

  Foreplay with an Alterant.

  And the ultimate humiliation for her.

  But even now she wanted him. Wanted to feel the taut muscles flex across his chest like they had when she'd reached inside his jeans and grabbed him.

  Heat washed across her face, but in spite of how embarrassing that had been, she'd thought about nothing else since then except being with him. Her breasts ached, missing the way he'd brushed his fingers across her nipples and--

  Whoa! Were those her thoughts or the blasted armband's influence?

  Panting as if she'd been in a dead heat race, she sucked in a couple of calming breaths when her elevator reached the top floor. Then she took the stairs up to the ten-foot-square structure that jutted above the roof.

  Wind carried a drizzling rain across the roof in gusts. Very little light from the streets below reached over the thigh-high parapet wall that enclosed this rooftop, but neither she nor Macha needed light to see up here.

  Macha generally popped in to see Evalle whenever the mood struck, but she'd told Evalle how to call her if necessary.

  That meant, don't call her for anything less than the apocalypse.

  In Evalle's opinion, if the Medb took control of Alterants and turned some of them into immortal warriors, they'd have the ability to cause an apocalyptic event.

  Leaning out a little but staying under the protection of the short overhang, Evalle called out, "I request Macha, goddess over the Beladors, to please grant me a visit. Your humble servant, Evalle."

  She actually managed to get all of that out without gagging. That proved she had some control over her mouth.

  A cloud of glittering light pooled ten feet away, in front of where she stood. It swirled, reminding Evalle of iridescent ice cream. When the glitter suddenly burst away, a woman not quite as tall as Evalle glowed into form.

  Rain stopped falling on the roof.

  The last time Evalle had seen Macha, the goddess had auburn hair flowing to her waist. Today she'd gone with blond curls falling around her stunning face and the rest of it piled into some kind of deity 'do.

  Must be nice to be a goddess.

  No demolished hairbrushes.

  Thankfully, Macha normally shielded her luminous image from humans. Even if someone happened to look down at this rooftop from a higher building, they'd be hard-pressed to figure out that Evalle was speaking to anyone, and would likely not even see her or the goddess in this light. "Hello, Macha."

  Disgust molded Macha's hazel-green gaze and Hollywood-gorgeous face into a dazzling picture of threat. "You're working under the false impression that these are social visits."

  In other words, get to the point. "I've located Alterants."

  Interest lit Macha's eyes, shoving the disgust away for now. "Where are they?"

  "That's why I asked to meet. The Medb are offering them a deal--"

  "They dare to take that over my offer?"

  The building shook with
the force of an earthquake. Thunder pounding all around had nothing on Macha in a snit.

  "No, that's not the case," Evalle hurried to assure the female A-bomb before she leveled the building. If not for Quinn's guarantee that the renovated basement she leased from him could withstand anything, she'd be worried about having left Feenix down there. "I need a minute to explain."

  "Your seconds are ticking."

  Muscles constricted in Evalle's chest. Don't snap at her. No attacking the goddess. She took another stab, starting out by explaining about the Beast Club. Evalle finished with, "If I'd gone to VIPER before entering to meet Imogenia, I wouldn't have found out about the Achilles Beast Championship. The Medb are clearly using this to bring the Alterants together in one spot."

  "Clever. Surprising, considering the source." Macha floated inches above the roof as if afraid she'd touch something mortal and not be able to get the grime off later. She shot a pointed look at Evalle. "Why didn't you think of that?"

  Grinding her back teeth, Evalle counted to five, since Macha would never wait for a ten count. "To begin with, the games are illegal. Number two, I doubt you want to offer Alterants immortality."

  "That's a phony offer. The Medb have not had an immortal queen since Maeve was killed. Even if they did, they can't just offer immortality to anyone. It's not like being knighted."

  Evalle guided the conversation back to her goal--getting Macha's help in delivering this Volonte bone to VIPER without having to admit to them how she came to wear it. "Supposedly, the person hosting this ultimate event has a way of vetting out a lie. Word is the Medb's sponsorship is backed by a blood debt and they'll send a female Medb to face a truth test in front of everyone the night of the games. If this Medb representative lies, she'll die on the spot."

  Macha moved around, floating just above the ripped-up roofing material, and circled around to face Evalle again. "What's your plan?"

  The goddess very likely had a plan of her own, but gods and goddesses were a sneaky bunch. Why make a decision if someone else could carry the responsibility for anything that went wrong?

  But Evalle had dealt with Macha several times already and came prepared. "I can't walk into VIPER and tell them how I got this Volonte without causing a lot of problems, like them asking me why I had to go meet with Imogenia." Insinuating she'd been there for Macha was much safer than pointing it out specifically. "I was thinking you could send me to VIPER with a message that this armband is a gift from you that VIPER can use as buy-in to the beast championship for an undercover op. No one would question how this came into your possession."

  Use some of that goddess mojo.

  When Macha didn't comment, Evalle continued. "Everyone expects the Medb to trade Noirre majik for the final five Alterants. We could bust the Medb and take custody of all the Alterants. I think they'll come with us voluntarily once the Medb on site are neutralized and if the Alterants are offered amnesty for surrendering without a fight."

  Macha lifted her finger to her neck, tapping a lengthy gold fingernail--very likely solid gold--against her cheek. "Is the land owned by someone with immunity?"

  "We don't know yet, but it's possible."

  "More than possible," she snapped. "Highly probable, since no one would dare hold illegal beast fights in VIPER's jurisdiction. If the landowner has immunity, VIPER has no say over that."

  "What if Noirre majik is being traded?"

  "Do you have proof?"

  Evalle bit down to keep from shouting that she'd just explained all that. "No, but with Imogenia and other witches--"

  Macha dismissed it with a flick of her shiny nails. "There's nothing illegal about offering a chance to negotiate a trade."

  "But we know dark witch sponsors won't trade for anything less than a Noirre spell and the Medb are hosting this event for the Alterants. The trade seems obvious."

  "VIPER will not move on an assumption of illegal activity if the property has immunity. To do so would set a precedent that would undermine the coalition agreement that prevents misuse of power." Macha's hair spun with the energy she stirred up. All at once, the blond strands settled back into a happy pile of flowing curls. "But now that we know where all the Alterants are going to be, you need a plan for bringing them in."

  Me? "You just said VIPER can't do anything."

  "True, but this isn't really a VIPER issue. You're the one who has to deliver Alterants to me in two days. Which reminds me, will Tristan be there?"

  She would ask about him. "I heard he would be."

  "I've waited long enough for Alterants. If the Medb want five, then so do I. Bring me Tristan and three more."

  Was the goddess paying attention to anything Evalle said? "You expect me to get four Alterants, and myself, out of that place without anyone noticing and no help from VIPER?"

  "I expect you to fulfill your part of our agreement. Have you changed your mind?"

  "No, but I could use some help on this."

  In a rare show of drawing a line on her smooth face, Macha scowled. "Must I do everything?"

  The rage bubbling up through Evalle's chest would explode if she took that bait. She had a simple choice. Open mouth and die or stay quiet.

  But her temper pushed at her control. Sweat drizzled down her back. She was heating up, just like the last time the armband pushed at her to do what she wanted.

  Macha didn't seem to notice the internal war Evalle fought. She asked, "Tristan teleports, right?"

  "Yes." Evalle squeezed that out between tight jaws.

  "You've constantly asserted that he is imprisoned by the Medb, that he can control his beast, and that he has the origins of Alterants. You have the buy-in for this event. Get inside, find him and convince Tristan that it's in his best interest to come with you. He can use his teleporting to get out. If he doesn't come out with you, I will mark him as a declared rogue and have the Tribunal order VIPER to hunt him down."

  How had this gone from Plan A to rid herself of the armband and gain VIPER's help to rescue Tristan and other Alterants to Plan B, where any hope for Tristan's freedom was destroyed if this didn't go well?

  Oh, and Evalle would enter a beast championship illegally without VIPER knowing.

  Stellar negotiation skills, Kincaid.

  In her supreme goddess voice, Macha ordered, "Get to those Alterants, but I do not want Beladors involved in this."

  "None? Tzader should be informed."

  "Absolutely not. Tzader and our warriors have enough to do with reinforcing the wards around Treoir now that the Medb know the location. I can't afford for him or any of the others to be involved in these beast battles. If something happened to him in particular, I would be most displeased." She paused, pinning Evalle with the sharp point of her gaze. "You don't want to face my displeasure. I'm not as merciful as the Tribunal."

  Evalle would never use merciful in the same sentence with Tribunal, three entities who perfomed the duty of judge and jury over agents in conflict with VIPER.

  Been there. Done that. Got the scars.

  Evalle still needed Macha's help with VIPER. "If I could show up with this armband as a buy-in, VIPER might go along with sending in a covert team of just two of us who could scout for Noirre. If a trade went down, I could call out for more teams that would be close by, and I'd still have a chance to bring back the Alterants."

  "You want me to implicate myself in the theft of a rare artifact with unknown powers?"

  Why did it sound so wrong when she put it that way? So much for goddess mojo. "That wasn't what I meant."

  "That's exactly how it sounds. Once again, you bring me problems with no plan. I'm beginning to wonder what I saw in you."

  Evalle wanted to strike out with kinetics and knock the smug goddess on her ass.

  And she could. Just like when she'd told Storm she'd kick his ass.

  Heat wrapped her arm, forcing her to look down.

  The bone. She had to get a grip and calm down. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I still think my best
chance is with VIPER support. If not, I'll go in on my own."

  There had to be a way out of this mess. Tzader would understand her predicament, especially if Macha supported her and . . .

  Macha snapped her fingers. "For someone with your training, I'd expect better survival skills than to daydream while in a meeting with me." Before Evalle could comment, the goddess asked, "What is your plan for explaining to VIPER if you're discovered in this event?"

  She keeps asking that as if I have a notebook full of plans. "I figured you'd explain that I went in for you."

  Macha laughed cynically. "For me? You're the one who believes Alterants deserve to be recognized as a viable race."

  "True." Evalle would not stop believing that, no matter the cost.

  "I'm the only one offering Alterants the chance to belong to a pantheon. Our agreement did not involve the entire Belador tribe or VIPER, only the two of us. You're the one who claimed you could deliver Tristan, who supposedly knows the origins of Alterants. I have yet to see him or any other Alterant, even though I've already offered amnesty if they prove control of their beasts and swear fealty to me."

  "I know, and I'm working on--"

  "I am still holding up my end of the bargain, and in a show of appreciation for what you did in the battle with the trolls at Treoir, I've extended your deadline, which will not happen again in this millennium. I suggest you come up with an adequate plan that does not involve everyone else, and do it soon."

  Evalle had only thought she understood. She couldn't walk away without losing her freedom along with Tristan's and that of all other Alterants. But neither would she insert into the ABC with her hands tied. Shoving a determined look back at Macha, Evalle nodded. "Fine. I'll get inside those games on one agreement."

  A puzzled look came over Macha's face. "What?"

  "I understand that you will disavow any knowledge of my actions with VIPER or the Tribunal. I'll bring back Tristan and any other Alterants I can convince to return with me, but I want autonomy over all my decisions without threat of penalty." She had no idea what she might have to do, but she was done with playing these games on Macha's rules alone.

  Macha took her time answering. "You are free to act as you see fit without threat of repercussion from me as long as you do not place my pantheon in conflict with VIPER and you put the best interest of the Beladors first above all."