Chapter 23
Vergis rushed down the ladder and the stairs like a graceful shadow, and I made clunky noises as my feet hit the rungs and then clapped down the stairs.
I was trying to follow Vergis outside, but Lueris intercepted me. He’d been in the living room but now he jumped in front of me, arms out wide like one of those sports people who played ball games and tried to keep other players from passing them. Gosh, but I didn’t know sports.
“You cannot go out there, Rory. It might not be safe.”
Lueris wore protector black, but much like Lissir, he didn’t come across as someone who was into physical altercations. Then again, I’d seen Lissir and Inkiri spar. Lissir was all for physical altercations, if his fighting style was any indication.
“I need to go check what happened.” I tried getting past him.
I might’ve even managed that if I’d been good at all the sports I couldn’t even name, but snacking in the hammock really was more my speed.
I sighed. “You can come with me. Make sure nothing hits me in the face or whatever you need to do.”
Lueris tilted his head. “Has your mate taught you the basics of the knife at all?”
“What? No. Why would he hand me a knife? Knives are scary. It’s bad enough Vergis makes me touch his knife sometimes. Fudge, that wasn’t an innuendo. I meant his actual knife. Which he makes me touch. For magical purposes.” I wasn’t making it sound any better. Damn Vergis and his knife.
Lueris frowned. “I do not understand all that. We can go, but you must stay behind me and run when I tell you to. Agreed?”
“Fine, whatever.”
Lueris pulled a weapon from some fold of his clothing. It was smaller than a dagger and looked for all the world like a very, very sharp pencil. He had a good grip on the thing, and the pointy tip looked very sturdy for something so small.
We made our way toward the mudroom, but before we even got outside, the door was flung open, hard. Inkiri, Fellisse, and Nokim came in carrying Zeddira.
Vergis was running ahead. “Out of the way!”
Zeddira was bleeding, but I didn’t even really see it at first. He’d changed into clothes that were a darker gray than what he’d first worn, and the color hid the spreading stain.
For a moment, I thought it was just water, thought maybe he’d been dragged into a lake by Kinnek, much like Vergis had dragged me into a lake.
But Zeddira’s face was ashen with pain, his yellow eyes wild, and he was frantically talking, looking at Inkiri.
They brushed past us. I stood there, pressed against the wall of the hallway. There were drops of blood on the hardwood floor at my feet.
Lueris ran outside, and I heard him say something, presumably giving orders to the bagua out there.
My head turned left. Zeddira was screaming again, and for once, I wasn’t frozen with fear or shock, but actually managed to follow the sound.
There was a basement door at the end of the hallway, and it stood open. The noises came from down there. I lost all memory of going down the steps, but the next thing I knew, I was down there.
Zeddira was on a table. There were medical supplies in here.
In fact, it looked a lot like a treatment room, complete with excellent lighting.
The blood stood out, bright red in the harsh illumination.
When Fellisse cut away Zeddira’s clothes, I saw the gash in his abdomen, deep and oozing.
He was so pale, his breathing so shallow.
Over the frantic movement of the guys, I caught Vergis’s eye, and something passed between us. I could tell he knew, had seen with the uncanny death gaze the Lady had given him that Zeddiara wouldn’t survive this.
Are you there? I need you.
I am always here, Rory. The land never moves, even if the people do.
Help him. Please. Like you helped Nokim.
That one is your knight. This man is not your knight. He might take the gift of life and squander it. Or worse, he might take it and use it to harm you.
The scenery shifted rapidly, and I was back in the foggy landscape. It was the scene I’d witnessed already, the two girls running, the men on horses after them.
No! I pushed the vision away, and the basement was back. He’ll… He totally sakkired men like that. You must’ve noticed. Plus, he’s Ink’s brother. Help him!
The presence seemed to consider that. I felt it examine Zeddira idly, almost like you might examine an apple you were considering buying to see if it had brown spots; or worse, a worm living inside.
I will not heal him fully like I would your knights. That would put more strain on you since it is much harder to do with someone who is not your knight. If he is kept here on Earth, I will help his injuries mend.
Fine. Please help him now?
Even as I thought it, I felt the flow of power go through me.
It was far more than it took to boil some water or freeze it, far more than it took to slip through the veils around the homestead with Vergis.
This one I felt. It was like hyperventilating or almost passing out after you’d run for your life with a monster at your heels.
Vergis’s eyes widened, and then he looked at me. “You did that,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
I totally had, but I needed some time out. My knees gave way, and I sat on the ground. I’d have fainted if I hadn’t.
Vergis stepped forward to the table, looking at Zeddira’s still-pale face. Fellisse was giving orders in Lugarra as he worked on his patient, and Nokim and Inkiri were assisting him.
“Sadir. Sadir!”
I looked at Inkiri dazedly. “Huh?”
“I said, are you well?”
I nodded. “I just need a moment. He’ll heal better if we don’t move him back to Aer.”
“You did that?” Fellisse asked. I couldn’t look at what he was doing.
There was too much blood involved, and watching any doctor or surgeon work on piecing a person back together felt too much like a mechanic popping a car’s hood and digging around in there with grease up to their elbows.
I couldn’t handle it, not if I wanted to keep the pretzels down.
“I tried. Sorry. Couldn’t do more.”
Vergis spoke to Zeddira in rapid Lugarra. Zeddira only had the strength to mumble back.
I heard footsteps on the stairs and managed to turn, though there was a pinch in my temples like a low-grade migraine.
Charles’s face was like a mask. “What’s happening?”
Vergis was already running toward the stairs, then taking them two at a time. He rushed past Charles, but slowed to glance back at him.
“They took Dad. The Koa Esher took Dad.”
Inkiri growled. “Vergis, wait!” He said something in Lugarra, and Fellisse nodded, then Inkiri dashed after Vergis.
I knew what Vergis was going to do. I knew he was going to hop to where Zeddira had been, and when he got where he was going, he would do something stupid. Everything would go even more wrong if Vergis did something stupid.
I was not a runner, and sports weren’t my thing, but I begged the presence to give me running legs, just for a minute or so.
Longer if you are barefoot. Much, much longer, it told me.
That was good to know, but I wasn’t going to pull my shoes off just to marathon places. All I wanted to do was catch up to Vergis. I got in tackling range—overtaking Inkiri by about two bagu lengths—and then I made the actual tackle.
Except, since I couldn’t do sporty things, I ended up just sort of clinging to Vergis without actually knocking him off his feet. It still worked though. It slowed him down.
“Get off me, you little shit!”
“No! You can’t go there by yourself.”
“Stop!” Inkiri’s voice boomed, and I totally froze, clinging to Vergis all the tighter. I hadn’t known he’d be that good at giving orders.
Vergis stopped too. “They have my fucking father! Do you even know—”
“Yes, Vergis, and we will go after them, but we will do it together.”
A loud whistling got us to turn toward the house. I was still half hanging on to Vergis, but I wasn’t going to relinquish that hold just yet. There was still a big risk of him doing something very unwise.
Charles jumped down the back stairs. “I’m coming with.
” Made sense. The man was effing Rambo, after all.
He was carrying two of those long guns and a duffel that looked pretty hefty.
“We leave in three. Everyone, get your gear.” He strode right up to Vergis and me, peeled me off his son by the lapel, then handed Vergis a gun.
“What did I fucking tell you about being a fucking hothead? It’s not going to help us get your father back, so pull yourself together and act like the smart killer I know you can be. ”
Well, okay then. At least someone in this family was good at pep talks.
You know where Kinnek is? I asked the presence as frantic activity broke out all around us.
Lissir met Inkiri on his way to the house and handed my mate his three swords.
Lueris jogged up with a curved sword at his side, four of the bulky Raikengana who’d been so interested in catching Vergis’s eye with him.
Yes, I know where he is. They’re not moving to take him back to your mate’s world yet, but they are taking him back to where they have made a settlement. They will put him with the other slaves there.
“Slaves, just perfect,” I mumbled, but Vergis heard, and he stared at me. “I know where Kinnek is. Where they’re taking him.” I checked back in with the presence. “We can get close.”
Inkiri walked right up to me, still fastening his swords to his side. I saw him open his mouth, but I lifted my finger in a silencing gesture.
“No. You’re not telling me to stay back.
Kinnek is…well, like family. We’re not leaving him to those…
those inbred motherfuckers with the twisted horns.
We’re getting him back, and I’m helping.
” I was feeling plenty of drama queen energy all of a sudden.
With any luck, it would translate well into rescue mission energy.
Inkiri smiled at me as if he were proud. “I was about to tell you to be vigilant and to stay behind me, my sweet mate.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
Charles clapped his hands. “Is everyone who’s going ready?
” Lueris translated. There were mostly grunts, but some actual words of agreement all around.
“Then let’s go and bring my husband home.
Maybe put some bullets and a few knives in those assholes that took him.
” He added something in Lugarra—the word “sakkir” was in there—and the Raikengana cheered.
We all headed to the gazebo and lined up inside the ko circle.
Vergis and I held hands, just like we had practiced.
“Ready, Princess?”
“Yeah. Do your best magic and treat the cola assholes like they’re pigeons.”
Vergis grinned the murderous kind of grin that I was sure could make even the most hardened fighters lose a few drops of pee.
“Sure thing,” he said, and off we went.
Can’t get enough of the guys? Get a short scene of when the guys moved into the house with Kinnek and Charlie.
The story will continue in Book 4.