Elven Blood (Imp Book 3) (13 page)

“Thank you for your time,” I told her, as I turned and strode out of the room. Her anxiety filled the space behind me.

His Lordship was downstairs. Waiting.

“What’s the human’s name? The one she says she killed.”

He frowned. “I’ll get it to you. Why? There wouldn’t be any records on your side beyond his childhood ones.”

“I’m curious. He was killed on the other side of the gates, so maybe he was buried near where the exchange was made.” Hopefully he wasn’t buried as a John Doe, although even that might be a place to start. There couldn’t be that many John Does in the area I’d be searching.

He shrugged and led me down toward the courtyard, where Diablo awaited me. “I’ll get you the name. We keep records of these things, so it should be readily available.”

“How easy is it for a human to cross a gate?” I asked, curious. “I know they can’t activate them. Are the gates guarded? Do the humans need written permission or are they entrusted with some kind of activation device?”

“Those with trusted humans can send them to and fro as they wish. They are given an activation key. They own their humans, so any misdeeds would reflect on the owner. It would be a terrible waste of resources to have a continuous guard on our gates. Instead, they have a triggering mechanism that alerts area scouts to come collect any visitors.”

“Do those scouts keep records of who comes through the gates? New humans? Currently owned humans who are returning from an errand?”

“Yes.”

“If you could also find out when this human of Tlia–Myea’s went through the gate to do the changeling swap, that would narrow down my window of time considerably.”

He nodded then stopped abruptly and handed me a small, round object. “I have a transport button for you. When you find the demon spawn, you can use it to return here.”

I appreciated the gift. I could hardly keep trespassing on Wythyn land, and the other gates would be watched by demons who were just waiting to hand me over to Haagenti. Clearly Taullian knew this and wanted to ensure I wasn’t waylaid while delivering on his request.

If Tlia–Myea was telling the truth and there was a dead hybrid baby, and if I could narrow down the window of time, and perhaps tighten the search radius to where the human was killed, success would be a possibility. I’d probably only have five or six graves to search. I could bang that out in a couple of evenings with Boomer’s help.

But if Taullian’s hunch was right and there was a live hybrid roaming among the humans, then a lot would hinge on whether the human servant was dead or not. Dead servant—I’d be in Haagenti’s hands before I managed to sort through tens of thousands of young females. A live servant would be better. I needed to find the human, get him to give up the info on the hybrid and find the young woman and drag her back dead or alive to collect my reward.

I was really, really hoping it was the former. The idea of having to grab a hybrid that had grown up considering herself a human girl wasn’t appealing.

“I can’t believe an elf was actually seduced by a demon. Seems totally out of character for you guys,” I commented casually.

His shoulders tightened. “We have moments of weakness,” he said, echoing the woman in the tower.

“And to carry the baby to term, only to kill it?” I shook my head. “Also seems out of character. How could she bring herself to kill a baby after a long pregnancy and holding the infant in her arms? I know how crazy you guys are about babies of all kinds. You’re all like a fucking Disney movie.”

“It was demon spawn,” he said, his voice a little too offhand. “Killing it wouldn’t involve an ethical dilemma. No more so than killing a rat that was soiling your grain.”

Diablo awaited me in the courtyard, casting longing glances back at the stable. He wouldn’t be thrilled to be back in the company of Piper and Vegas after hanging with such exalted equines. A groom held him while I climbed into the saddle.

“I would avoid that narrow strip of demon land,” the lord cautioned. “I’ve been told it is wall to wall with assassins after last night.”

Great. I’d need to go around which would put me through a kingdom I didn’t know and through Wythyn with the lord who kept losing his sorcerers. Luckily I was on good terms with him.

“What’s the scoop on the kingdom adjacent to you?” I asked. I hoped they were friendly.

“Tonlielle. Lady Moria’s kingdom. We’ll escort you to the border and she should allow you passage. You’ll be on your own after you leave our lands though. You’ll need to go through a short stretch of her kingdom, and then a really long stretch of Wythyn to get to the gate where you came in. We’re not on good terms right now with them, so you might get a rather rude reception.”

“Where is your gate?” I asked hopefully.

“Argentina.” Shit. That was just too damned far. “The Tonlielle gate is currently in Indonesia.”

Fuck. Even further. I guess it was the Wythyn gate then. I wished for a moment I could just cut through demon lands and use the gate not far from here. So close, but there was no way I could hack my way through a forest of assassins to get there. I nodded to his lordship and set out with my band of escorts.

9

I
could feel them behind me, all around me. In the trees, hidden by deadfall, blending into the foliage like only elves could. Diablo’s ears swiveled, quickly shifting between nervous and excited. There had been a river to cross on the Tonlielle and Wythyn border that had required I journey north, even further out of my way. I had a huge section of Wythyn land to traverse before I reached the gate; and they were watching. I was a demon, a trespasser, and I wasn’t sure my past relationship with their lord would keep them from trying to haul me in. They might not even recognize me.

I bided my time, poised for action. Diablo felt my tension, and his mood weighed heavier on the nervous side. I hoped they’d call out, confront me so I could beg passage. It would cost me a favor, but I’d grant it. Instead, the forest was silent, the air still. Maybe they just intended to follow me, to make sure I didn’t cause any problem and left their kingdom peacefully. I tried to look harmless. It wasn’t easy for a demon.

I heard a faint sound, like a note on a guitar, and managed to duck as an arrow whispered by my head to thunk into a tree trunk. My heart raced at the near miss, and I dropped low over the horse’s neck to try and present a smaller target. Diablo took off like a shot. I didn’t discourage him. In fact, I dug my heels high into his flanks to drive him forward and held on tight.

With no more need for stealth, the woods erupted around me, elves materializing from everywhere. The elves on foot shot arrow after arrow. The air was thick with lethal barbs and I hugged close to Diablo’s neck, no fucking idea where he was running. One arrow tore a groove on the edge of my shoulder, and another grazed my leg. My eyes blurred with pain, my shoulder burning and dripping blood down my arm, my leg feeling strangely numb. They were shooting enhanced arrows. A few more and I’d fall right off the horse. I held on as best I could with the numbness spreading up my leg and urged Diablo onward.

Elves are fast, but Diablo was faster. We outpaced the ones on foot and I glanced behind to see what I was up against. I counted seven, moving at speed on their finest horses. The few with bows were able to use them while tearing full–tilt through the forest on a horse. I was barely able to hold on at this point, my leg useless and my shoulder screaming in pain. I turned to face forward, hoping to guide Diablo back onto a path toward the gate. It was gamble, but as a demon hybrid, he had stamina and there was a chance he could outlast them: unless they continued to shoot me. A solid shot with those enhanced arrows would more than knock me off my horse. It would drop me into unconsciousness for a few seconds, which would be long enough for one of them to put a more substantial restraint on me.

Branches raked at my skin as Diablo went off the trail and plowed through thick brush and clusters of trees. I smacked my numb knee on a sapling and heard an unpleasant crack. Good thing I was a demon and could fix it on the fly.

“Hit the horse,” I heard one shout.

“No! Spare the horse. He’s demon spawn,” another shouted back.

Another arrow seared my shoulder and I slumped, numb, over Diablo’s neck. Somehow I managed to stay on and shake off the effects. Another arrow whizzed past my ear. Even with Diablo’s speed, they were closing in. Their knowledge of the forest allowed them to accelerate where Diablo needed to look ahead and plan his path. Another arrow shot by. I wasn’t going to make it. I could easily take them out with a burst of energy, but then it would be war. Even though they were shooting at me, I was a trespasser on their land and their attack was far from lethal. They were clearly trying to capture me without harm, and without harm to Diablo.

I glanced up and saw the tree trunk right before my face hit. Everything went black for a second. It was long enough. Flying off the back of Diablo, I slid along the rocks and branches, hooves dangerously close to my face. The elves couldn’t slow in time. They yelled as they tried to weave their horses around my tumbling form. I managed to not get kicked, but hitting a tree at top speed had done plenty of damage. Two arrows thudded into my leg, and then I felt a net holding me immobile as the elves in the lead turned their horses back and dismounted.

“Grab her horse,” one said.

“He’s gone. By the Lady above, I’ve never seen an animal move that fast. He vanished right before my eyes.”

“He teleports!” another elf said, in admiration.

“We’ll get him later, once he calms down. We’ll bring out a couple of mares to help bring him in.”

I felt myself dragged along the forest floor, like a deer carcass, and through a gate to a cool marble floor. Restrained and blind, I was unable to use my stored energy. I knew from experience that anything I tried to shoot would just bounce off the net and back to me or dissipate.

“You could have let her fix herself first,” a voice complained.

The elves released me from their net, and I stood. I was seriously fucked up. I’d fixed the knee earlier, only to have it smashed again from my tree impact. That wasn’t all. Dislocated shoulder, abrasions on my chest and arm, and bruises forming all down my leg combined with the arrow wounds. The whole left side of my body was battered. My face was worse—having taken the primary impact, and my nose and cheekbone were full of jagged bits of bone. My forehead throbbed with what I’m sure was a hideous purple lump and concussion. I wondered how bad the tree looked.

“I’m sorry, Lord Feille. We didn’t want to risk allowing her to use her magic. She can fix herself now,” one of the scouts said.

Instead I spat a mouthful of blood and teeth onto the floor. “I’m sorry for the trespass, your lordship. I was trying to get to your gate and was in a bit of a hurry.”

He nodded, looking completely uninterested in my apology or my excuse. “You planned to use our gate twice, ride two times through our kingdom without even a by–your–leave? That’s beyond trespass, that’s rudeness.”

“As I said, I’m in a hurry. I’m not able go through our lands right at the moment, and your gate is the closest to my earth home. I didn’t intend to be rude. Is there something I can do to make up for my lack of manners?”

Because it all boiled down to favors. I’d owe him one, and he’d let me go. That’s the way it worked. That’s the way it had always worked.

He smiled. “Actually, there is a small service you could perform for me.”

I waited patiently, my shoulder screaming, and the lump on my head beginning to take on a life of its own. I truly expected my skull to erupt at any moment and another being to spring forth—kind of like Athena. My mind wandered for a while, envisioning a Xena–looking warrior woman popping out of my head, scantily clad in leather armor and grasping a sword. I was startled from my daydreams of a choreographed fight scene by the high lord’s voice.

“A sorcerer, one we call Gareth, has left without permission, taking valuable texts and objects with him. His apprentice has been foolish enough to accompany him. I would be very grateful if you retrieved them for me.”

I could have guessed that one. “It seems an awful high value you place on two uses of your gate and passage through your lands. And capturing a sorcerer, especially one that is not alone, is a very difficult task.”

I hoped he hadn’t recognized me. Maybe he and the other elves thought I was just some random demon they could press into service. We changed forms constantly, and it was very difficult to identify us. Without a way to read our energy we kind of all looked the same. Of course, the elves had special skills.

Feille smiled. “You have proven yourself capable in the past, Az. I am sure this sorcerer will not be beyond your abilities. I’m prepared to offer you permission to use our gate to travel through our lands for an extended period of time. Given the bounty on your head, that should be of great value to you.”

It was of great value to me. Normally I’d jump at it, especially since I didn’t know how long it would take to find this darned baby, but my schedule was getting full. I still wanted to hear the details though, just in case this was a better offer.

“So where do you think this sorcerer is?”

“We have been told he is in Eresh.”

Crap, that was way north of the elf lands, beyond the mountains. This wasn’t a quick job.

“His human apprentice met with demons in Dis and is alleged to have paid one for gate passage. We suspect he has left and is gathering information and supplies for his master. It would be a perfect time to capture Gareth while he waits in Eresh for his apprentice’s return.”

Why the heck were they so far apart? Eresh was north, in between two mountain ranges. Dis was due south. They were separated by several Elven kingdoms and tough terrain. They could have been at opposite ends of the world and they wouldn’t have been farther apart. Why? It would be an easier job with them both in one place. Time and distance weren’t the only issues though. Eresh was demon land and Dis was Haagenti’s homeland. I wasn’t about to stroll around in demon territory given my current circumstances, even if I did have time for it.