Ghost Phoenix

by Corrina Lawson

  “What the hell happened with Rasputin, Richard? What’s this about a meeting tomorrow? Why was he willing to negotiate? Why not just try to kill all three of us? Why take Daz?”

  “Those are all questions I’ve been pondering.” He walked to the window, which overlooked the street. Not much activity for the damage in the museum. Ah, wait, now there was another police vehicle pulling up next to the first.

  “Tell me what happened after we were separated and what Rasputin said to you,” she demanded.

  He offered my Queen her life, if I cooperate with him against the Phoenix Institute.

  God help him, he was considering it, even if it meant Daz’s life. Was he not under more obligation to the Queen than any living soul? And Daz was an uneasy ally.

  “Richard?”

  No, it felt wrong. It was wrong. But it was a choice he must consider.

  “What happened, Angel? I punched my way into their secret tunnel and followed the monks who had taken Daz. When I stumbled upon them, we fought.”

  “I figured that part out. Were you the one who killed the monk I found?”

  “The one with the knife wound? No, I assume Daz fought with him.”

  “No, the one with the crushed skull.”

  “I tossed him aside, yes.” He glared. “Are you questioning my tactics?”

  She frowned. “What? No! Why would you think that? Obviously, he’d have killed you.”

  “Ah.” She understood defending himself in a fight. The rest, the deep debt he owed the Queen and Marshal, she wouldn’t understand.

  Marian sat down on the bed. “Richard, I just want to know what happened, and you’re scaring me with all this silence. Is Daz alive?”

  “I believe so.”

  “So what happened after you pulled that door off the hinges? What did you find in the church when you came through the hidden door?”

  “They were gone from the Church when I reached it. There was no sign of the monks or Daz. I sat in a pew to hide the knife I took from the monk I killed. Only a few seconds later, Rasputin sat behind me. I wish I knew how he managed to hide himself until then.”

  “What did he want?”

  Richard stared out the window, unwilling to meet her gaze.

  “He said if I moved against him, his people would kill Daz. That’s why I didn’t pursue him.” Richard pulled the paper Rasputin had given him and handed it to her. “This is where he wants to meet me tomorrow to discuss terms.”

  Marian picked up the note. “That’s the farming cottage we visited this morning!”

  “Is it? Well, at least we know we were on the right track. You were right; I was wrong. We should’ve broken into it this morning instead of going to the museum.”

  “None of us could anticipate they’d have a secret entrance in the museum.”

  “I was outflanked.”

  “What does Rasputin want from this meeting?”

  “He wants allies in his war with the fire demon.” He sat next to her on the bed. Yes, truth was the way. “There’s something I need to tell you that’s I’ve been keeping from you.”

  She lay back on the bed. “Dammit. Daz said you were hiding something from us.”

  “Daz is perceptive.” He sat at the foot of the bed. “I told you I wanted Rasputin’s DNA to study his healing ability. That’s true as far as it went. But the reason the Court needs a healer is because our Queen is dying. If this quest fails, we lose her and the entire court collapses.”

  “That’s why your brother went to such lengths to create a child with healing abilities?”

  “That’s why. He loved the Queen. He’d have done anything for her.”

  “What about you? What would you do for her?” Marian grasped his hand. “What would you do for her, Richard?”

  “Rasputin offered to heal the Queen if I let him keep Daz and ally the Court with him against the Phoenix Institute. For some reason, Rasputin’s terrified of Alec Farley.”

  She released his hand, horror dawning on her face. “And you’re considering that?”

  He stood and put his back to her. He wouldn’t look at the disappointment in her face. “I’m considering it. But before you condemn me, I’m also thinking this is a trick and we can’t trust him.”

  “And what happens to Daz in the meantime?”

  “I said I wouldn’t negotiate unless I knew Daz was safe and would be brought to our meeting tomorrow.” At least, something similar to that.

  She sat up. “They’re not going to release him?”

  “No, I believe they wish to keep him as leverage against Farley.”

  She stood and rounded on him. “And you agreed he’d stay a prisoner?”

  He stood, so they were face to face. “I agreed to meet him. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  “But you’re thinking about it.” She walked past him to look out the window, much as he had earlier. “You’re thinking about giving this guy what he wants.”

  “I have to think about it. Saving my Queen was the reason I undertook this journey.”

  “Richard, that’s wrong,” she whispered.

  I have obligations.” He set his jaw. Could she not understand that, at least?

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Rasputin or whoever he is, is crazy. And Daz saved your life. You can’t abandon him. I can’t believe you’d do this.”

  She judged him? “You’ve no true understanding of the stakes here.”

  “I understand completely. You’d let them have Daz to save your Queen. Never mind that you owe Daz your life and you promised to protect him. No wonder why you wouldn’t let me go after Daz. You were already thinking about sacrificing him.”

  “I owe my life and service to the Queen.” Richard stalked over to her. She didn’t give ground. “Do not presume to lecture me about what I owe and to whom.”

  “Presume? Lecture? Screw you, Richard. I’ve had enough of people belittling me. I thought you were different, but obviously, deep down, you’re just like my damn grandfather. Family obligations above all, no matter who gets hurt.”

  “This is the whole court at stake! If I don’t succeed, it all crumbles.”

  “You mean the family you ran away from for years so you could play surfer boy? So much for not wanting to follow their methods. You might be ready to go along with this. I’m not.”

  He clenched his hand into a fist. Edward would have backhanded anyone who spoke to him thus.

  “Pretty words but you’re here because your grandfather ordered you,” he said through clenched teeth. “And if your father’s or grandfather’s life were at stake, would you trade him for Daz?”

  “My father wouldn’t want me to save his life that way!”

  “What of your sister or your new nephew?”

  She glared.

  “See. Now you consider it.”

  “It’s wrong.” She walked closer to him, her voice low and angry. “I quit the family firm for just this reason.”

  “You didn’t quit. You took this job. What about your obligation to me?”

  “You said Daz’s oath to you as man-at-arms meant something. What about that? And your brother was willing to sacrifice an innocent woman to steal her child and heal the Queen. You said you wouldn’t do that. It seems like you’re just. Like. Him.”

  He slammed his palm down on the bureau. The wood cracked and split.

  “I am a prince of the Court. I have to do what I must.”

  “And I’m human and a free agent. I’m going to do what’s right.”

  It wasn’t her anger that quenched his rage. It was her disappointment in him.

  “You don’t understand.”

  “You’re right, I don’t. You do this, you do it without me.”

  “I’m not Edward.” No. He refused to accept that reasoning. She wasn’t righ
t. “You are naïve, Angel. If I were the one captive and Daz had to choose between me and Alec Farley, he would choose Farley. Do not doubt it. He’d save his people over you and me, and you know it.”

  “Daz wouldn’t,” she rasped out.

  “Daz has obligations beyond us.”

  “You’re trying to twist my head around. No. If Daz did it, it’d still be wrong. Just like you are.”

  “Angel, please, I need you to—”

  A fist pounded at the door, accompanied by a voice asking for entry. She flinched and she stared around the room, looking for escape.

  “Police.” God’s bloody eyes, their timing was terrible. “I can take care of them. We’ll run to the car, escape and regroup.”

  “No. We do this my way now.” Damn the risk. She ran to him, wrapped her arms around him and pulled them through the wall.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Not only was Marian able to pull Richard through one wall to the next room, she also managed to get him to the room beyond that. Whoa. That was way past the limits suggested by Great-Aunt Eunice. Maybe she was more powerful than her aunt. Or maybe her cautious aunt hadn’t wanted to teach her anything that was remotely dangerous.

  She let go of Richard the second they were through the last wall and stumbled, catching her breath.

  “I thought doing that was too dangerous,” Richard said.

  “Yeah, so did I.” Huh. Maybe being so angry had focused her, given her an edge.

  She blinked and looked around. To all appearances, this room was unoccupied. She rushed to the bathroom and closet to check for signs of occupancy.

  Nothing. The soaps were still wrapped, no suitcases or clothes in the closet or chest of drawers.

  “We should be safe here for a few minutes,” she said. “Maybe longer if we’re quiet and they don’t hear us.”

  “Clever,” he whispered.

  “Yeah, I’m human like that.”

  “So am I.”

  “I doubt it.”

  She turned her back to him and pulled the note from Rasputin out of her pants pocket. “I’ll go to this meeting with you. But only if we go to rescue Daz. Otherwise, you’re on your own.”

  “I can tell when you’re lying. You’d come anyway, in phantom form, to rescue Daz, whether I agree or not.”

  “Damn straight.”

  “You realize if I rescue Daz, I might be condemning everyone else I care about?” Richard said.

  “You realize by condemning Daz, you’re destroying everything good in yourself? There has to be another way. You left the Court because it compromised what you believed. Find a new way to handle this.”

  She tossed the note on the empty bed. “I could grab Rasputin and turn him ghost. We could take him captive. And then we rescue Daz and save your Queen and court.”

  “Even if I could take Rasputin, how would I force him to heal my Queen against his will?”

  Argh. “I don’t know.” She sat on the bed. “There’s Beth Nakamora, the telepath at the Phoenix Institute. Maybe she could help? Daz said he wanted to bring Alec in on this. We need that kind of firepower.”

  “They’re not my allies.”

  “You don’t know that. You either take a chance and trust people or Rasputin wins.” She paused. “Trust me. Richard, trust me.”

  Richard turned away. She closed her eyes and tried to understand his point of view. What was his mind like after six hundred years? For all she knew, he’d faced this choice a thousand times and sacrificed normal humans a thousand times. What the hell made her think she could get through to him?

  It didn’t matter. She could still rescue Daz herself. And then Daz would be able to call in help in deal with Rasputin.

  Yes, that was right. Her own path.

  “You could be killed if we attempt to rescue Daz,” he finally said.

  “Don’t you fucking dare use me as an excuse, Richard.”

  He turned and grabbed her shoulders, his eyes wild, his voice a raspy whisper. “I can’t risk you.”

  No. Enough of people pulling guilt trips on her. Enough of people deciding for her. “Sorry, but apparently running away isn’t my style, unlike some people.”

  He let her go. “And it’s mine?”

  “Only you can answer that.”

  He held out his hands before him, pleading. He’d never looked less like an immortal prince and so much like a human.

  “Would that we could run away together, Angel.”

  Oh, God. She nodded, her voice caught in her throat. “I know. But if Daz can’t run, neither can we.”

  The tenderness faded. His shoulders straightened and he drew himself to full height.

  “So be it. This is where I make my stand, and God help any who stand in the way.”

  “I could explore the church tonight, in the dark, find out where they’re hiding Daz. I could rescue him when they’re not expecting it.”

  “You just said we needed to face this together. And we will.”

  “How?”

  “They don’t know about you. That will provide the edge.”

  “How?”

  “Give me time to ponder tactics.”

  “Meantime, they could be torturing Daz.”

  “You said I ran away. That’s an old insult to me, Angel. We won’t run. But neither will we enter the field without a plan. If you don’t trust me, go.”

  She hugged herself, cold. “I’m good at being sneaky,” she offered in a small voice.

  “We need to be sneaky in an unexpected way.” He looked away from her, not to shut her out, but thinking. “Rasputin must want allies badly. He’s convinced that the fire demon will kill him. That’s his weakness. He could have attacked Daz and myself and done some damage, maybe killed us. Instead he kept us alive. He wants something. That’s our edge.”

  “Why is he so convinced Alec Farley is his enemy?”

  “Rasputin was known, among other things, as a prophet who could predict the future. He told me that he’s seen this future and must prevent it.”

  “Is that a real psychic ability or part of Rasputin’s madness?”

  “Foreknowledge is a real psychic ability. It’s like seeing through time. There was a foreseer with our court, long ago. She warned us to move out of Europe before we were discovered. But the ability is unreliable and difficult for the one who possesses it. She died young.”

  “So Rasputin won’t, um, foresee what will happen at the meeting tomorrow?”

  “No. Even if his ability is real, it’s unreliable. A better question is how he knew so much of my court.”

  “You’ve got a mole.”

  “Obviously.” He closed his eyes. “Leave off. Let me think a moment. But I know this. Our victory depends on you.”

  After that, Richard remained still, sleeping or thinking, she didn’t know.

  Marian also didn’t know if she’d reached him or if he was snowing her to get her to cooperate.

  I hate not trusting him.

  She put her ear to the door, listening for sounds in the hallway. Nothing. She walked through the wall into the next room. All quiet. She went to the opposite wall and put her ear to that, listening to see if the police were done in their room yet.

  No noise.

  She stuck her face through the wall so she could see. No one apparently there. She rushed through the wall, grabbed her laptop and her phone, and back out again.

  Once in the empty room between their own and the one Richard had taken refuge in, she went solid and stopped to think for a moment. The police had left her laptop. Did that mean they didn’t suspect her and Richard? Or did it mean something more ominous?

  If the authorities were under Rasputin’s influence, the crazed monk might have told them to leave Richard alone, at least until this meeting tomorrow.

  She h
oped that getting to their car tomorrow morning to drive to the meeting wouldn’t be a problem.

  When she returned to the empty room where she’d left Richard, he was talking on his cell phone, in a low voice in French but it was a French she didn’t understand. Ancient French?

  All she caught was “do your part”, “my way”, and the name “Marshal”.

  He looked over at her and smiled.

  Could he be selling her and Daz out?

  That only made what she did next more important. She went to work on her laptop. Sure, she could walk through walls. But she was also a damned good snoop, or else little Tantor would’ve remained buried in the ruins of that ancient Grecian mansion.

  After a few hours, she closed her laptop, got up and collapsed facedown on the bed. So damn tired. But she had what she needed.

  “When do we have to meet Rasputin?” It was more of a question to herself than to Richard. She’d lost track of time.

  Hands gripped her shoulder. She tensed, ready to disappear out of Richard’s hold if needed. One of them had to be free to save Daz.

  “We meet Rasputin and his people at midmorning tomorrow.” A pause as he kneaded the knots out of her shoulder. She exhaled, so glad not to have to flee. “That feels great.”

  “What did you discover?”

  “What did you?”

  He leaned over, his breath now against her neck. “Still doubt me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll prove you wrong, Angel. You’re right. We do it your way. We save Daz. Now, what did you discover?”

  “You’re admitting you’re wrong? Immortal Prince Richard is wrong?” She rolled over to face him. “Just like that?”

  “Not just like that. A lifetime’s worth of pondering, nicely summarized by your tirade at me. I’ve needed that push to go over the edge for a long time. You gave it to me.”

  He kissed her lips, gently, and stared at her. She felt as immaterial as when she went phantom. She swallowed hard. “I didn’t find anything definitive about that farmhouse. But I did uncover a lot about the local mines and tunnels from years past. I bet that house sits on top of one of the forgotten tunnels.”

  He nodded. “You’d win that bet. Rasputin obviously has most of his organization in the hidden spaces of this country.” He took her hand. “And likely some hidden in my court too.”