He pulled in a deep breath and braced for impact. “Yeah. I agree.”
Chapter 28
Snow sparkled beneath Reese’s airborne form, the rich purple, blue, and red of the mountain rock pulsing up through the blanket of white. Bitter wind whipped around him, the mask hiding him from the dilapidated structures below no protection from the fierce gusts.
No way was the mess below him Maxis’ hub. Rock walls were all that remained, wood beams broken and strewn in haphazard patterns.
He breathed into the high neck of his full-length coat. His warm breath ricocheted off the lambskin lining to heat his checks. He’d known the region was treacherous, but damned if he’d expected this. Not one footprint marred the snow’s surface, no scent or sign of smoke and no activity. No noise beyond the wind’s steady whir.
There had to be something. Evanora’s place had been in perfect condition when he’d been there less than a week ago, only a trace of stagnant air beneath some kind of citrusy cleanser.
He squinted against the glaring overcast skies. Every gust vibrated through his thick coat and to his bones.
Wait a minute.
He closed his eyes and focused on the steady thrum, a constant tremor beneath him that went against the wind’s surge and fall.
The tunnels from Maxis’ hideout came to mind, crude but efficient and nearly undetectable if one didn’t know where to look. Reese cast his energy out in a wide arc. One ping, one pattern out of context was all he needed.
Wind whistled around him, the quiet of the barren region almost suffocating.
A steady rumble sounded on his right.
Reese drifted toward it, feeling along the tall ridges with mental sweeps. His brow burned from the chill and his shoulders ached from the constant clench of his muscles, one hour too long in this forsaken ice cube. Probably closer to two by now.
A scrape of stone on stone sounded.
He spun and froze, gritting his teeth at the knee-jerk reaction. The weather and the need to prove himself were making him sloppy. His blood had all but turned to liquid steel when Eryx had agreed to his plan, but he’d never prove himself worthy if he ended up dead. If he didn’t get a grip and act smart, he wouldn’t make it another thirty minutes.
He flew toward the sound. His fingertips pulsed and prickled despite his deep pockets, and his nose grew numb.
A rock jutted out by an opening on the top of the ridge, almost identical to the ones at Maxis’ Asshur hideout.
Adrenaline rushed his sluggish bloodstream. No men were visible, and the place was void of detectable energy. Odd, he’d keep the place unguarded. Then again, Eryx had decimated a good chunk of rebellion men in their last battle.
He pushed the cover aside, and slipped inside.
Bingo. Just like Maxis’ cave, complete with slow burning torches at regular intervals.
Less than twenty feet in, a buzz registered against his senses, the same thrum he’d felt from above, only more so. It took at least a few hundred bodies to stir that kind of energy, or maybe double that. Pinpointing the origin was next to impossible, though, with so much rock between him and the source.
If you’d forged links with your men the way Ramsay does, you’d have found the new camp in a blink. Then again, they could have tracked him as well. And didn’t that put a whole new light on how much trust Ramsay put in his men? The exposure his old friend faced everyday, knowing any one of his warriors could find and double-cross him, showed how much faith Ramsay put in those who served.
No wonder he hadn’t been able to ignore Reese’s secrets.
He wound down the shadowed tunnel and pumped his fists to urge more blood to his tingling fingertips. Every step clicked in his head. Fifty feet he’d traveled, north to northeast, assuming the thick mountain hadn’t muddled his connection to the sun. It had sure thrown his tracking skills.
Ten more feet he traveled, the rock’s bland surface blending with the darkness to create the sensation of blindness. At this point he couldn’t even see the warm puffs of air from his mouth.
A draft rushed his right side and lightness registered on his left. He paused and strained to see through the darkness. An intersecting tunnel, this one wider than the one behind him. The scent of fire and roasting game wafted from the light.
He glanced from right to left, and gauged the long-winding path behind him to the outside. Closing his eyes, he visualized the energy around him, his tracker sense more heightened with the flush of adrenaline. A path of energy sparked from the light on his left to the exit tube behind him. Only recent and frequent use would leave such a bright, vibrant residue.
He crept toward the darker corridor on his right. It was stagnant in comparison to the others, though not void of energy. Another step in and his senses tripped, feminine energy, light and colorful catching his attention.
Serena.
Checking his position against the sun, he mentally mapped his location. Evanora’s estate lay just over two miles away. Maxis loved his escape plans. To mine an elaborate labyrinth between his troops and Evanora’s castle made sense.
Three paths to choose from, two toward danger, and one toward safety. He’d taken the safe road before with Ramsay and look where it got him.
A new intersection.
Funny how the spiritu’s words had proven to be so literal, or maybe she’d known all along. He stepped toward the light and halted. Maxis hadn’t once marched or trained with his men in the time Reese led them. Why would he start now?
He turned toward the darkness instead and crept forward. His heartbeat thickened and with every step, its tempo built. Sweat lined his chest and back, his fur coat stifling.
Time eked by and his doubts raged. Fatigue and the constant mask he held along the two-mile stretch drained his energy until he could barely stand. Every second, the sun slipped closer to the Earth’s horizon. Half a mile more to Evanora’s estate if his internal map calculated right. And then what?
He shook his head and tried to release the thought. He’d get the answers when he needed them. And if he didn’t, well, at least he’d die with a free heart, a clear conscience, and Galena.
His heart stuttered. Galena would be safe, her and the rest of their race if his plans actually worked.
Up and on the left, a darker pocket of color covered the tunnel wall. No, not color, but a door, inset and well scarred.
Reese scanned for energy behind the gray planks and came back with nothing. Relying on touch over telekinesis, he eased the door’s iron latch free and prayed for well-oiled hinges. A high-pitched, grated squeak sounded for a second, then silence.
He pulled the door wide. Smoke and the scent of sweet cloves assailed him as he stepped into an aristocratic studio apartment, a king size bed to one side with ornate carved posters on each corner, and an elaborate desk on the other. A cozy hearth nestled in the middle with barely glowing coals in the grate and wingbacks on either side. Every inch was decorated like something from the 1800s complete with dark colors and gold embellishments.
Just like Evanora’s castle.
He hustled to the desk and touched the map spread across the top. Energy echoes rushed up his forearm. Fresh, four hours ago at most, but probably closer to two. He pulled the journal from the inside of his coat and thumbed to the page he’d bookmarked, the one his mother had penned the first night she’d spent without Maxis. Wedged in the crease was the note he’d written for Maxis before he’d left.
Trust me enough to read it. It’s never too late to do the right thing. Never.
Not the most prolific guidance, but all he’d been able to come up with. His hand shook as he situated the note, fatigue making his movements short and clumsy. He had thirty minutes, forty-five at best, to get outside and drop his mask before he blacked out.
He set the book in place and re-checked his location. Definitely at Evanora’s castle. If he could find another way out he had a much better shot at making it, but he could jus
t as easily burn what little time he had looking. He’d give himself five minutes to find an out, and then he’d have to take his chances in the tunnel.
He felt along the open wall near the bed, fingers pressed to the gold filigree accents.
Serena’s harpy voice chirped from the rock corridor.
Reese froze.
The door opened and Serena swooshed inside, all drama and tittering laughter. She grinned over one shoulder as Maxis entered behind her, and tossed her coat over the back of one wingback. “We should celebrate. Have a little pre-event, one on one. You’re back to full strength after all.”
Reese edged toward the still open door and prayed his steps fell soundless. He didn’t dare levitate with his energy stores this low. Better to risk his shaking legs than clipping Maxis’ interest with a shift of air or energy.
Maxis shrugged out of his own coat. “Getting ahead of yourself aren’t you, my devious mate?” Staring at the desk, Maxis tossed his coat over Serena’s.
The journal.
Fuck, he’d wanted Maxis to find it, but after he’d hightailed it home would’ve been nice, or at least with a fighting bit of energy left in him. He managed another few steps toward the opening.
Maxis sidled closer to the desk.
A draft from the tunnel tickled the back of Reese’s neck. Almost there.
Leather hissed against wood as Maxis dragged the book across the desktop.
Serena crept up behind him and laid a tentative hand on his shoulder. “What’s that?”
Reese backed through the doorway.
Maxis snapped the book closed and flicked his hand toward the entrance. “Nothing.”
The door skimmed no more than three inches from Reese’s nose and slammed shut just as Reese’s vision wavered.
* * * *
Galena paced the castle parlor. The center window arched high and wide before her, but her mind was somewhere else. Four hours since Reese had left, three and half since his voice had floated through her thoughts with a sweet, “I love you.” Then he’d crippled her heart and extracted a vow she wouldn’t check in or leave the castle. Too much risk, he’d said. He’d need all of his focus to keep his presence masked and wouldn’t want to stir unnecessary energy.
She stopped at the window and glared at the crescent moon. A bold purple lined its edges and a cheerful silver streak sparkled beneath it. She’d rip them both from the sky if she could, the image far too happy for her anger to abide.
Watching Eryx and Lexi had been worse. She’d holed up here just to avoid them. The way they ogled each other and the way their hands stayed intertwined all the way home from the warrior’s compound.
She grumbled and fisted the window ledge. Her whole life she’d stood behind her brothers, her whole damned life and they sent her mate in unprotected. For what? So they’d have a better chance at killing Maxis? It was a perfect deal for them really. The troublesome sister potentially loses her tainted/traitorous mate and they get the madman in the end. A total win-win.
A low click sounded behind her.
She watched the parlor door open in the window’s reflection, the night’s black backdrop making the image nearly mirror perfect.
Ah, the happy couple. Galena sucked in a slow, fortifying breath. “I picked this room because no one uses it.”
“And I’m here because we need to talk.” The bantering, placating tone from dinner was gone, replaced with a sharp edge.
Galena faced them, smoldering beneath the angry tirade she barely held in check.
Lexi’s mouth was screwed up as tight as Galena felt and red colored her cheeks. She didn’t know her new shalla all that well, but she certainly knew a pissed-off woman when she saw one.
At least Lexi had her fireann here to fight with. Hers was off The Great One knew where. Alone. Galena gave them both her back and scowled at the moon. “Now’s not a good time.”
Eryx’s heavy footfalls stopped behind her and Lexi slid up on his right. “You don’t have a choice in this one. Turn around.”
Galena knew that tone. This was her malran behind her, resigned and formal.
Prickles spread along her neck and spine. Goose bumps rose on her forearms and a chill shot through her heart. “Reese.” The whisper slipped out as she reached for Reese through their link. To histus with her promises, she needed contact. She needed—
“He won’t answer.” Eryx gripped her shoulder and urged her to turn.
“No.” Galena jerked from his touch and staggered toward the parlor door, part run, part stumble.
Eryx shot between her and the door. “He’s fine.” He gave her a subtle shake. “Look at me.”
“He’s fine, Galena.” Lexi came up beside her. If her brusque delivery didn’t spell out how pissed she was, the set of daggers she aimed at her mate did the trick. “Eryx is a secretive dick, but he’s got news you need to hear.”
Galena sucked in a deep breath and focused on her link to Reese. Somehow Lexi’s anger strengthened Galena’s spine and helped fortify her focus. She nodded, but kept her gaze rooted on Eryx’s sternum. “Talk.”
“He made it in and out, then flashed out five minutes from some tunnels that lead to the rebellion warrior camp.”
Galena tried to duck out of his grip. If Reese was out in that kind of weather, especially in Brasia, he’d be dead in no time.
Eryx gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and forced her gaze to his. “Ramsay and Ludan were close by.”
Her brain sputtered. “What?”
A sound that crossed between a vile curse and a scoff tripped passed Lexi’s lips. “Yeah, that’s what I said.”
Lexi pushed Eryx’s hands off Galena’s shoulders and guided her over to the wide, crimson couch. “Turns out our boys might not have gone with him, but they lined out some contingency plans.” She glowered back at Eryx. “Without telling the little womenfolk.”
Relief blasted through Galena. She should focus on her breath and keep an even head so she’d be ready to help him. Reese’s link pulsed in her mind, there but too fragile to gauge the distance. “How far out are they?”
“Ramsay said another twenty minutes,” Eryx said. “He’s unconscious, but alive. Took them fifteen minutes before they could get to him without detection, but Ramsay doesn’t think he sustained any injuries. Nothing visible anyway.”
Twenty minutes and no visible damage was good. Something to hang onto.
Wait a minute. She looked to Lexi then Eryx. “Ramsay?”
Eryx sat in an overlarge gold chair on her left and a sardonic grin twisted his lips. “Ramsay offered Reese his link just before he left. He told Reese it was to make sure Reese was on the up and up, but about five minutes later, he cornered Ludan and the two of them followed.”
Galena braced her elbows on her knees and white-knuckled her hands together. “Twenty minutes.” If she could make it that long she’d take care of him herself. “And then what?”
Eryx covered her clasped hands and squeezed. “We get your man healed and hope his efforts pay off. If not, we go out and kick some rebellion ass.”
Chapter 29
Maxis adjusted the ugly maroon baseball cap low over his brow and shifted on the ass-numbing metal bleachers. The jeans Uther had talked him into wearing didn’t do much to help his blood flow either.
The baseball stadium was nearly filled to capacity.
“I’ll give you credit,” he said to Uther beside him. “You picked a popular team.”
Elbows rested on his knees and eyes trained on the field, his strategos looked like he’d been to a million high school championships. “You did say you wanted a crowd.” He glared over one shoulder. “I delivered.”
Delivered indeed, and picked a decent climate as well. It wasn’t Havilah by any stretch, but Texas in late April was tolerable.
Maxis fidgeted with his hat again. He hated the damned things, the bulk of his hair tucked underneath making the discomf
ort worse.
Uther’s voice trawled through Maxis head. “You’re awful jumpy.”
Maxis blanked his expression and shifted to check the scoreboard. “I’m trusting a man I’ve known ten days not to overestimate his skills and fry me to a crisp. Call me cautious.”
Uther stood and lifted his chin in the direction of the parking lot. “Time to get in position. You throw your hands up and I’ll try not to hit any sensitive spots.”
Maxis held his tongue and let him pass. Ever since the healing Uther had been different. More familiar, like family. A low grumble rattled free and the couple in front of him glanced back with uncertain looks.
Uther was right. He was jumpy, out of sorts and disoriented to the point he couldn’t contain his thoughts or actions. It was that damned book. His mother’s journal. He’d done more than read the passage Reese had marked, he’d read the whole thing, a few parts multiple times. All this time he’d thought his mother had abandoned him. Left him in favor of a child sired by a human. But she’d wanted him. Missed him.
It’s never too late to do the right thing. Never.
“And that’s the game folks.” The announcer’s tinny, distorted voice blared through the sound system. “Let’s hear it for this year’s 5A high school champions.”
Maxis stood with the crowd and ambled with the rest of the human herd toward the parking lot. His men would be waiting, seven chosen for their noticeable stature and sure to draw the malran’s notice as soon as they came together.
All this time he’d thought himself alone. If he’d known how his mother felt, he’d have killed his father sooner and found her on his own. He tucked his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and clenched is fists. Seventy years without family. His life could’ve been different.
The visiting team’s bus sat parked along a building adjacent to the field, a parking lot and a steady stream of humans all that stood between him and his fate. He aimed toward the bronze wildcat statue centered at the main entrance and tugged off his ball cap, tossing it in a trash bin near the corner.
Healing Eden Page 26
