by T. G. Ayer
It wasn’t that his shoulder hadn’t offered me the comfort I’d been looking for but rather Kai, was somewhat of a kindred spirit. Maybe it was the sisterhood of the Ni’amh and our shared mystery responsibility.
Or maybe it was just the sisterhood of women in the fight against the big bad paranormal world. However I wanted to defend it, I had finally come to terms with the truth: that I trusted Kai with my life and she trusted me with hers.
And that knowledge made me gloriously happy and grateful.
Chapter 28
It seemed a little unfair that our full sharing of secrets didn’t pan out the way we had intended and we didn’t get the chance to get to the second set of what I was sure would be juicy enough on Kai’s part. Mine, though, I wasn’t so certain would be juicy at all.
The arrival of Fathima and her rebel squad was a good enough reason for the interruption though and a look from Kai was enough for her to claim a rain-check.
We both left the room to arrive in the main living area of the subterranean apartment to find Drake and Logan stiff-shouldered as though they’d given themselves bodyguard duty over the fragile females of the team.
I approached and Fathima gave me a gracious smile, her beauty even more evident when her eyes sparkled. “Hello, Melisande. I see you and your team are ready and waiting for our arrival.”
I smirked and almost said, Down boys to our bodyguards, then checked the impulse. “We’re all well, and thank you for making sure we were so well taken care of. And as to arrivals, any idea how the Sentinel team fared?”
We’d expected to hear good news—that they weren’t able to cross the veil, but surprisingly, Fathima replied, “They’ve arrived as well and are at the north-west warehouse awaiting our instructions to move out.”
I pursed my lips and met Kai’s raised eyebrows with my own.
“You seem surprised?”
“We are surprised. It was no mean feat getting our team through the veil which means the Sentinel team had their own access method.”
“Which they didn’t share with us,” said Drake, the words a growl as he glanced over at Aisha who had just entered the room.
The queen waved her hand in dismissal. “I am as surprised as you are, gargoyle,” she said, a low vibration in her tone. And I wasn’t surprised when all five of the rebel squadron bowed in unison, eyes on the floor as they murmured greetings to the queen in a language I wasn’t familiar with.
“Enough with that.” Aisha clicked her tongue. “Did Sentinel know of our issues with the ward?”
“No,” I replied slowly. “At least, they didn’t know it from me.” I scowled. “So at least we can confirm they were holding out on us. Maybe they were hoping to get here and leave us stuck at home, but that didn’t happen so we can table that conversation with Gilfillan for a future date.”
Fathima huffed, then studied me, a curious expression in her eyes. But she didn’t ask for an explanation probably realizing that at this point whatever Sentinel was up to may not be relevant to their cause, or could possibly be none of their business.
But maybe this was the best time to consider it? The best time to broach the possibility with the rebels who were more likely to be affected if Sentinel’s endgame turned out to be of the nefarious variety.
We were heading into a mission that could likely result in death. The mortality of every teammate would hang in the balance especially since we were dealing with the likes of Division 7, who many people I knew had determined were a lot more ruthless than Omega.
Humans did their worst when tested by fear. And Division 7’s use of supernatural weapons, and their shoot-first-ask-questions-later tactics, only added to our concern.
I shook my head. “I’m afraid that Sentinel’s involvement could likely pose a threat to your cause. It’s possible they have a different agenda. They’ve entered Mithras with the supposed intention of helping us out, what if all they are is the cleanup service, waiting until the battle is done in order to scrape up what’s left for themselves. If Division 7 went to so much trouble to acquire your technology, who’s to say Sentinel isn’t also interested, only they’re just biding their time until you’ve done their work for them by getting rid of Division 7?”
Fathima’s nose crinkled and she began to shake her head. It was clear enough that she didn’t agree, or rather that agreeing would mean a change of plan or a delay in whatever the rebel army had already put in place.
But before the rebel djinn could speak, another voice cut in and Aisha said, “Perhaps it would be best to take into consideration this possibility. As a strategy, ignoring the likelihood of danger simply because it puts the brakes on your current plan, isn’t all that wise.” The queen’s voice was low even though it resonated with power. “Let’s get on with what we need to do. Which I suggest would be to consider protecting ourselves against the possibility of Sentinel blindsiding us while we’re focused on extracting my son and removing our realm from captivity.”
Fathima’s face colored, and I wasn’t sure if anger or embarrassment was the cause.
Aisha surprised me by sighing and patting the younger woman on the shoulder. “Come, child. No need for that. I’m assuming you are merely carrying out the orders of your commander, but no leader worth his salt would be satisfied with avoiding the possible danger of betrayal by an ally. Perhaps you’d prefer to confer with your commander first, but I have a feeling he’d agree with us.”
Fathima let out a sigh, muttering beneath her breath, “Well, at least we know she hasn’t changed.”
I grinned and Kai choked on a laugh. Behind Fathima, her subordinates displayed a range of emotions from shared amusement to shock at her disrespect.
Aisha snorted. “Neither have you, child. And for that I am most glad.”
The women smiled at each other and on the surface appeared to have smoothed ruffled feathers on both sides, though beneath their seemingly amicable standoff lurked an energy I couldn’t figure out. Was it distrust? Or even dislike?
But, we didn’t have the time to worry about relationship politics. “So, how will we proceed with the Sentinel issue? Will you confer with your superiors and let us know?”
Fathima nodded. “I will speak to him and advise of his decision. Though I believe he will agree with his…with his queen.” The djinn gave a bow of her head but I didn’t miss her hesitation. What had she intended to say?
His queen, yes, but what else? Was it possible that Aisha knew who the rebel commander was? Which wasn’t at all a surprise considering she was the queen. She’d no doubt know who all the high-ranking officials were within her armed forces.
Maybe it was more a matter of her concerns in trusting the rebel group until she knew who was running it? But it seemed important that Aisha didn’t even ask who the leader of the rebels was.
More questions which would have to wait.
I cleared my throat. “Can you confirm exactly where Sentinel and their agents are located within the city? We would need to keep a close eye on them. Do we have a headcount for their team?”
Fathima nodded and one of the other djinn rebels stepped forward to hand her a few sheets of paper. She flipped through them and said, “We have a headcount of six which we’ve assigned to remain on the walls in lookout roles. But if you feel they may abscond, or perhaps cause us trouble, perhaps we need to round them up and place them under secure protection until our mission is completed?”
I shook my head and Logan mirrored my movement and said, “I think if they are up to something, they’ll change their plans if we do that. We’d tip them off too soon.”
Logan was right. “Yeah. We need to figure out what they’re up to and who they are working for before the mission is over.”
“I agree. It’s pointless chopping off the snake’s head only to discover it’s a ten-headed snake that’ll keep on coming,” the rebel warrior said with a smirk.
I chuckled at that and met Fathima’s eyes. “Would you like me to accompany you
to meet with your commander?” I asked. What I really meant was did she need me to watch her back while she revealed a spanner in the works and possibly face the man’s wrath alone.
Fathima laughed at that. “No, but thank you for the offer. Besides, you will get to meet him soon enough.”
I nodded, appreciative of the fact that we were being given a choice. Fathima handed over a second set of papers to Logan and between him and the djinn rebel, Amed, they went over the finer details of the city and palace maps and safe routes in case of an emergency evac.
I glanced over at Drake, glad to have him here, yet still afraid of the price the Sharaita would exact. He didn’t know Saleem well enough to have to sacrifice his life for him.
Aisha’s presence felt more like a ghost on my shoulder, her station making the rebels anxious and on edge, but at least I could keep an eye on her. I still wasn’t convinced she wasn’t a loose thread. We’d need to ensure we were smart with our information and be wary of sharing too much with her.
Gilfillan’s face shimmered in my vision, a reminder of what he’d implied at O’Hagan’s—that it’s possible someone on our team was the mole.
Which also meant I needed to give Kai and Logan the head’s up regarding my concerns. Best that neither of them slip up and reveal details that would be safer if kept from the queen.
Fathima and I hovered at the edge of the discussion and I met her gaze, seeing the concern in her eyes even before I asked about Saleem. Her voice was low, only for my ears, as she said, “I’ve been unable to make contact with our prince. He’s been moved elsewhere within the palace, the dungeons I’m sure.”
“Which means we won’t have contact with him before we go in?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure. It’s also possible he’s merely spending longer down there. But, nobody gets into the dungeons—not without being granted access. And if the Veil was warded, there’s no guarantee the dungeons aren’t as well.”
Aisha chuckled. “Perhaps you will rest a little more at ease to know that Melisande here is able to track Saleem’s thread.”
Fathima’s gaze flickered to the queen, not a hint of surprise in her golden eyes.
So they’d known my value all along.
“Well, then, I guess we go ahead and I can try to track Saleem when we’re ready to enter the palace. Hoping all the while he’s not in the dungeons, of course.”
“That is pretty much it,” came Fathima’s dry reply.
I bit my lip. I didn’t want to speak out loud for fear of revealing my feelings. Sitting around, crossing my fingers and hoping he was still alive, hoping he’d be ready when we got there, just wasn’t in me. But I had to curb the desire to do something. Too much was at stake, so sitting, crossing and hoping would have to be the order of the next day for me.
I wasn’t about to go racing into the dark only to get us all killed.
Chapter 29
The trip through the shadow-filled city was uneventful, with Logan following in the wake of the jumpers of the team. The rebels appeared to be unconcerned with having their ethereal threads tracked and I made a mental note to check with Fathima about security measures.
Moving swiftly, I wasn’t able to get a good look at the city itself but I did see tall spires and domes, and buildings that harkened to the ancient cities of Morocco and Turkey. What I didn’t miss was the state of abandonment within this sector, almost as though the citizens had been evacuated in a hurry.
Drake and the rest of the team were not impressed at having to don the garments of beggars, despite a few of them able to jump themselves. The jumpers were grounded without knowledge of where they were going though they could easily have followed the djinn.
But Akbar, one of Fathima’s team, explained that it would help to get the lay of the land should we need to aid in escape without jumping.
Another question for Fathima, then.
We’d barely arrived inside the dilapidated house, which—with its damaged roof and waterlogged floors and walls—was a picture of abandonment. Perfect as a hiding place but concerning as conditions of the buildings within the city were beginning to become clearer.
The house itself was large, four floors with at least eight rooms per level, and with many of the interior rooms occupied. As safehouses went, this didn’t qualify. The place was more of a headquarters than a safe zone.
Fathima led me away from the group, leaving Aisha with Logan and Kai. Before I left the room, I gave Logan a pointed look, jerking my chin at the queen. His sober nod confirmed he understood my meaning.
As we walked along the hallway, I touched Fathima’s arm. “I’m curious about the djinn ability to travel through the ether. I noticed you didn’t seem concerned about being tracked and yet some of your people appear to prefer to avoid the ether.”
Fathima smiled and waved a hand at a door to my left. “Your questions are timely and our commander will be well able to answer those questions.”
She led me inside another sparsely decorated room where a man stood bending over to study the papers strewn across his desk. In that first moment, he struck me with features that tugged at me with their familiarity.
Perhaps it was his smile which, when he looked up, he bestowed upon me giving me the feeling of being blessed in a significant way, the way one is blessed by a loving parent or a respected elder. Which of course made sense, since he was the man in charge of the entire effort to save Mithras
It almost made me want to laugh at the insignificance of our efforts thus far. We’d worked on magic to counter the ward, acquired a dangerous relic at a price we were yet to discover, braved the ether to obtain information that was clearly not required as the rebels had everything under control.
What the heck did they need us for?
The commander’s golden eyes shimmered with the djinn flame and his smile grew broader as he straightened and waited for us to approach.
Fathima stopped at the edge of the table and gave her superior a deferential bow. “Sir. This is Melisande Morgan the SoulTracker of whom Prince Saleem has spoken so much.”
“Thank you, Fathima. I don’t believe we would have gotten this far without you, my child.” The commander now bestowed the benevolent smile upon the warrior.
Fathima blushed, her skin growing a dark pink as she looked away. “That’s what I got for being given babysitter’s duty. Had to follow the little brat around for years, which meant I knew a good amount of his secrets.”
My eyes widened as I glanced over at the woman who had admitted having been half in love with Saleem. Had she been alluding to another relationship all along?
Mel, stop creating fantasies in your head and focus.
I swallowed and bowed my head, catching my hand just in time because my first instinct had been to reach out and shake his hand—which would no doubt have been the wrong thing to do.
Fathima was affording this man almost the same amount of deference as she had to her Shahbhanu just hours ago. And she didn’t seem in the least bit afraid of him as she gave him a quick update on the possibility of Sentinel having a different agenda altogether.
But the commander—whose name I hadn’t yet been given—simply sighed and sank onto a three-legged stool. “I suspected as much, which is why I allotted them to positions as far from the palace as possible. But I fear even splitting them up would not prevent them from attaining their goal...if it were their goal.”
I stiffened. “Are you saying you believe there’s a chance Sentinel will achieve their goals? Sweep up Mithras right out from under us after we give Division 7 the boot?”
Fathima’s mouth dropped open and I wasn’t sure why she was so horrified by the question.
But the commander was frowning and looking off into the distant corner of the room. “I do believe there is a chance, my dear. It’s impossible for us to know who is loyal and who isn’t. Gilfillan has always been by the book but Divison 7 has no qualms about using and manipulating people even to the point of murde
r in order to retain control of those they deem valuable.”
I nodded and sighed then rested my palms on the table. “There is so much I wish we could have known before we came. So help me, Saleem is going to lose an ear if he knew the finer details all along.”
The commander chuckled. “No, the boy is innocent. Well, just in relation to the knowledge of these agencies’ intentions. Of other things, I’m certain I could not wager money in favor of anything but guilt.”
Those words drew a grin to my lips and laughter from Fathima who turned the sound into a choked cough. But the commander’s grin was wide, and something within his eyes told me he knew Saleem very well.
So far, Fathima and the commander both appeared to have long-standing and harmonious relationships with Saleem, which was a good sign.
Still, their affection for Saleem didn’t help us unless they were open about it. I sucked in a breath and straightened, feeling a little bereft when I moved away from the security of the table.
“I have a lot of questions and I think it’s time my team and I were given the bare truth of what’s happening. We’d originally believed we were here to save the prince’s ass, but it looks like we’ve stepped right into a hornet’s nest. Much like that bloody acid lake that almost swallowed us whole.”
Fathima’s eyes widened and I suspected her reaction had little to do with our near-death experience only hours ago. I really needed to control my mouth or I was going to end up on the wrong side of a man so respected and powerful he had his soldiers almost kowtowing to him.
But his response was all shock and no rebuke. “Gods be damned. You used the Sharaita?” When I nodded he shook his head, eyes dark. “That access to Mithras was rendered unusable over a millennia ago because of the river rerouting itself over time.”
There was a long pause and then Fathima whispered, “In Alat’s name, what possessed you to assume the Sharaita was a good way to enter Mithras?”
