Chapter 71
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
PHOENIX
I rush down the stairs to the first floor of Daegel’s estate.
Ssso, how about that sssoul? Lorca’s hiss inside my mind and the sound of its snakelike voice throws me off for a heartbeat.
We need to set some ground rules here, I snap at Lorca.
My breathing is labored, and my heart is racing.
This is such a mess.
You promised me ssssouls, Lorca says.
I know. And I will deliver on my promise, I reason. I have no time for this shit right now.
I don’t want any sssoul, the trickster god whispers into my ear. I whirl on my heel, but there is nobody next to me. I shiver. I want the dark one’s ssssoul.
Fine. Fine. You can have Daegel’s soul, I say to it in my mind. Later. Now, don’t bother me unless you’re ready to help.
Lorca chuckles and its presence fades from my mind.
Motherfucker.
I look around the first floor, trying to find the stairs that will lead me to the basement. I can’t find any. I pause and listen for any Ezkai voices coming from somewhere in the building, but everything is quiet.
Finally, when I’m about to give up and go seek out the Ezkai by the gates outside the estate, I notice a narrow door at the very back of the corridor that I missed before.
I twist the door handle and it opens with ease.
No lock. Obviously, when you have an army of Ezkai at your disposal, who needs locks?
There is a narrow staircase leading into the basement. I hear no voices downstairs either. Without wasting any more time, I rush down the stairs and straight into the dimly lit corridor at the bottom.
At the end of the short corridor is another door. Two large Ezkai stand in front of it. The moment their surprised eyes meet mine, I spring to action.
Before the Ezkai react, I throw the blade I hold in my hand, the same one that still has Daegel’s blood on it, at one of the soldiers. It sinks right into the middle of his throat. Blood pours down his neck and chest, and the man chokes on his own blood as he falls to his knees.
I’m not that lucky with the second Ezkai.
The largest man I’ve seen has time to stifle the surprise at seeing me and attacks, fists swinging. I dodge one fist, but the second collides with my jaw and I grunt. I fly sideways into the wall next to me. Something cracks, right next to my ear. I’m not sure if it’s my skull, or the wall.
Before the Ezkai can crush me against the wall with his sheer size, I push myself off and away from him. The taste of copper fills my mouth. I spit the blood on the floor and roll my shoulders. Then I pull out my second blade from my boot.
The Ezkai’s nostrils flare as he watches me. I don’t see weapons on him. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. But something in my gut tells me this soldier fights with brutal force alone. The way he looks at me reminds me of a wild, untamed animal.
I hear the faint sound of the door opening, but I don’t have the time to see which door it is. Maybe more Ezkai are coming to aid their comrades. Shit.
I try to dodge, but the Ezkai is fast.
He grabs for my throat and his grip is ironclad. I gasp when my back hits the wall so hard my bones rattle. My air supply is cut off; I can’t breathe. With a roar, I bury the dagger in his side. He barely fucking acknowledges it.
Bewildered, I blink.
He sneers at me. I push the blade deeper and twist it. Black spots appear at the edges of my vision. Strength abandons me quicker than I expect. I can’t push the blade any deeper, I’m too weak.
My head is light.
I close my eyes, desperate for air.
Suddenly, the pressure on my throat is gone and I can breathe. I inhale and my eyes snap open. My knees are too weak to hold me upright and I sink to the floor. The soldier is on the floor next to me, with Jax on top of him. Not for long, though.
Another Ezkai’s fist collides with Jax’s jaw and he rolls to his side. Before Jax can recover, the soldier is on top of him, strangling Jax with his bare hands. I scramble to my feet quickly. From the bleeding corpse of the first Ezkai, I pull out my other blade and quickly rush towards the fight.
With ruthless precision, I grab the hair at the back of the soldier’s head and yank his head backwards before I slit his throat. He chokes, and blood pours down his torso onto Jax.
I push the soldier to the side and let the lifeless body fall onto the hard floor. For a moment, I just stand there, panting and looking at Jax while he lies on the stone, panting and looking back at me in disbelief.
“You’re lucky I got here just in time,” I say finally. “Can you stand up and walk?”
For the first time since I met Jax, he’s speechless. He nods and I help him to his feet. I can barely recognize the man, he’s so battered. I try to ignore the way he stares at me with wide eyes, as if I’m the eighth wonder of the world.
“Did they cut your tongue out?” Before I get an answer, I shove my fingers into his mouth to check. It’s still there, all intact. “Or did somebody finally beat your wits out of you?”
Finally, Jax chuckles. Then coughs and winces from pain.
“It’s you, Phoenix darling. It’s you,” he says, voice rough. I arch an eyebrow in question. “You’re the only one who manages to knock the wind out of me with your presence alone.”
I snort and he flashes me a crooked, bloody smile.
He’s just fine.
The relief I feel is unmatched.
Quickly, I inspect the damage. His body is riddled with cuts. Some are deep while others are surface level. None are life-threatening. At least not for now. The bruises on his ribs and abdomen worry me, though. But I bite my tongue and say nothing. We’ll get him help.
“We have to get out of here quickly. Daegel can wake up anytime,” I say in a hushed voice. “Will you be able to climb a wall?”
Jax hesitates. But then, he presses his lips into a thin line and gives me a curt nod.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s go.”
The floor beneath us is slippery from all the blood. We climb the stairs slower than I’d like, but we make it to the top and then outside into the back gardens.
“Where are we?” Jax asks, limping next to me.
I can’t believe he doesn’t know. How did they bring him in here? I push the dark images that rise in my mind away.
“It’s Daegel’s estate,” I say.
Jax follows me through the garden towards the back wall in silence. It’s a loaded silence, I can tell. But neither of us speak as we rush to put as much distance between Daegel and us.
Jax stumbles. I can tell he’s in a lot of pain without having to open up my senses. I drop his arm over my shoulder and allow him to lean on me.
“You’re so lean, yet so heavy,” I say. “That’s unexpected.”
Jax chuckles and then coughs terribly. When he pulls his hand away from his mouth, there is no blood in his palm. Thank the gods. Even if his ribs are broken, at least they haven’t punctured his lungs.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he says in a rough voice. It’s like stone on stone. “Always keep them expecting something else than you can offer. That’s the secret, Phoenix darling.”
He must have screamed so much when they tortured him that he ripped his vocal cords. And to think that all of it was happening while I was upstairs in the bedroom with Daegel…I push the guilt away.
I huff a laugh. “And he’s back, ladies and gentlemen.”
Finally, we reach the back of the estate’s gardens where the stone fence I always climb is. It’s twice as tall as me. I have no clue how Jax will make the climb when he can barely walk. Jax is thinking the same thing—it’s written all over his face.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I curse. “Wait for me here. I’m going to check something quickly. Lay low.”
I leave Jax leaning against the stone wall while I rush to see if there is a gate. There must be. The front entrance gate can’t be the only way in. I bet his staff isn’t arriving every day to work through the main gate.
I follow the stone wall in the direction I haven’t been. I already know there isn’t any gate on the other side. I almost miss it, it’s so overgrown with ivy and bushes. But the little wooden door is there. I rip the overgrown greenery from it with my bare hands.
It stings, but I don’t care.
The door is locked. Of course it is. I almost roar from frustration. Glancing around, I try to find a place where the key might be hidden. There is a large rock. I try to move it, but it doesn’t budge. The key is definitely not there.
I venture farther away from the door, inspecting everything around the gardens.
Finally, I come across a little clay frog nestled between the lush flowers that line the gravel pathways all over.
I pick it up and the metal inside the frog clinks.
I smash the frog onto the gravel and it breaks.
I pick up the bronze key and rush back to the wooden door.
At first I think the key is not for this door, because the key doesn’t go in. When it finally does, it doesn’t twist. I ram my shoulder into the door and tug on the handle. After a little struggle, the rusty lock clicks and the key twists to the side.
The door to our freedom is open.
Barely keeping up with breathing, I rush back to where I left Jax. My heart pounds, and I’m terrified that he’s not there. But he is. Exactly where I left him. His eyes light up when he sees me and it breaks my heart. Did he think I would leave him?
“Let’s go. There is a small gate right there,” I say, jerking my chin.
I once again take his arm and he leans on me. We slowly make our way towards the door. I hate that it’s the middle of the day. If anyone looks out the window from Daegel’s estate, they will see us. Daegel might spot us any moment now.
When we reach the wooden gate door, I open it.
Jax halts.
I turn to face him. “What’s the matter?”
“Thank you.”
Those two simple words are loaded with so much meaning, so many emotions, I can’t breathe. I swallow, trying very hard to keep my emotions in check. I can’t break down. Not yet.
I clear my throat and say, “Don’t thank me just yet. We might still not end this day alive.”
Jax’s voice cracks at the end. “You came for me. That’s all that matters.”
The backs of my eyes burn. I blink the tears away and nod. “Always.” I laugh a little, remembering the Starless Night celebration. “We’re the Cursed Trio after all, right?”
Jax’s smile is lopsided. “Emphasis on Cursed.”
“The gods be damned if that stops us,” I say. “Come on now. Daegel said Vera is in danger, too. We need to get to her and make things right before he does any more harm than he already has.”