Slip Song (Devany Miller Series) (30 page)

Maybe that was who I should hunt down next.

I hooked to the stadium, which was empty but for the Originator that stood tree-like near the stands. Most of his eyes rolled to watch me approach. “I have some questions,” I said without preamble.

“
I may have answers.”

My insides did a slow flip then vibrated wildly for a moment before settling down. Tom. I hadn’t felt him for a while. I wondered if being near the place where the Originators purged their collected souls had woken him. I put a hand on my belly. “What can I do about another Originator taking one of my spawn?”

“Take him back.”

Yeah, no duh. “There aren’t any rules saying she can’t do that?”

“No.”

“
So there’s nothing stopping me from taking another of her spawn?”

“
If you are strong enough to do it, you can take them all. I doubt they would care one way or the other but you’d better have a place to hold them.”

Would they all fit in my basement at home? I clamped down on the laughter that threatened to make me sound like a crazy person. “Do I own any place that would work?”

“If you haven’t explored all your properties, I cannot help you.”

I didn’t even know where to begin to look for my properties but I left it as one of those things I’d figure out later. “Can I challenge her directly?”

I had the attention of all his eyes now. Getting somewhere, finally. “There are no rules against it, though I don’t know why you would do such a thing.”

“
Why not? Don’t you guys get pissy with each other? I can’t imagine you all hanging around in peace and harmony.”

“
There’s balance to be considered. Another Originator would have to be called. Why upset the status quo?”

Why indeed? It was the only reason I was an Originator, because I’d killed Ravana and left a void that they insisted must be filled. As soon as I could figure a way out I would. “What happens to the souls that are Purged?”

“They rejoin the Source, where all souls are born and where they all return.”

He wasn’t going to give me anything I could use. I wasn’t sure why I was trying. I started to say thank you then thought of another question. “Where is Amara? Is there an easy way to find my fellow Originators?”

Would there be a time in my life when I didn’t have to ask a million questions to get a single answer?

“
I do not keep track of my brothers and sisters.”

Figures. “Thanks. You know, as a teacher you suck.”

There was a sound like wind through leaves. A laugh? A disapproving sigh?

I got to the entrance of the stadium when it hit me what I could do. “Neutria? Can you help me smell her out?”

All ready there. Use.

I sucked in air. All sorts of odors assaulted me, to the point where it became a “Where’s Waldo” of the sniffer world.

Stupid human.

Fine. I’d figure it out myself. I sunk down into the heart and looked around the room for a clue. A small fan with green lights around the edge was working double time. It had a dial at its base and right now the arrow sat in an area marked ‘High.’

Got it. I sucked in a deep breath and then sorted, searching for Tytan’s smell. I didn’t expect it to be easy and I wasn’t disappointed. I wandered through the Slip with my nose in the air, searching. When I found nothing, I hooked to Ty’s house. “Nex? I need help.” He didn’t answer. I searched the house, slowing when a waft of odors assaulted my nose. In my mental control room I dialed the scent fan down. It worked, the smells dulled until all I could pick out was a particularly virulent case of B.O.. 

The living room was packed full of Skriven. Nex floated in the middle, his entrails dangling on Ty’s coffee table. I stopped in the doorway. “What’s going on  here?”

“Master.” One by one they said that word. Some bowed, some knelt. I protested but that didn’t do any good. They made their obeisance whether I liked it or not. Or believed it or not for that matter. Most of them would kill their souls and challenge me to be Originator if they could. I couldn’t trust any of them.

“
Not that I’m not happy to meet you, but—” I looked at Nex. Mouthed, “What are they doing here?”

“
You have not asked us for tribute nor have you responded to our requests for power. We came to find out why.” This from a night black Skriven with gold hair and eight arms. Kali?

I so didn’t have time for this. “I’ve been busy.”

“And we are not, because you have blocked our access to the Source.”

“
We cannot collect souls if we are trapped here,” said another.

Oh good lord. “Let’s get one thing straight right now. It’s forbidden to collect souls unless the person is already dying.” An evil thought came to me. “Or they are Theleoni. But even then, no torture. Ever.”

Grumbles started around the room.

I put a hand on my hip. “I could just let you all rot up here.”

“I could find my soul and replace you.” There was more protest at this. Most of them thought they should be the one to kill me and take my place. Nice to know I was loved.

“
Listen. Listen!” When they shut up, I said, “I know what Ravana was like. I’m guessing most of you wear scars from her ideas of fun. Am I right?” I watched them and several touched spots on their bodies or looked to one another as if to confirm their thoughts. “I won’t do that to you. Ever. And I will work hard to make sure none of the other Originators touch you either.” I wasn’t sure how I could do it unless I killed them all. I did know how to do that.

More noise. “What about Tytan?” Kali shouted over the others.

“Do you know where he is?”

Her eyes shifted. “The Rend.”

That didn’t sound good. “Can you show me where it is?”

“
What will you do?” Derision dripped off every word.

“
And why do you care?” asked another.

“
Ty’s my friend.” Sorta. If I could trust him more and if I lusted after his body less, he’d be a great friend. “I don’t want to see him hurt. I’m going to kick Amara’s ass and get him out of there.” Or just sneak him out and avoid a fight all together.

Kali laughed. “You don’t stand a chance against her.”

“I killed Ravana, didn’t I?” Crossed my arms over my chest and smiled. One point to me. “She wouldn’t stand a chance against us all,” I said, throwing that out and expecting it to get shot all to hell.

They looked by measure appalled, amused, bored. One snake-armed Skriven left the room entirely. Rather rude walking out but whatever. They were demons. Right? You couldn’t expect them to make Miss Manners proud.

Kali folded one set of arms over her chest. Another set went to her hips. “You want us to help you storm the Rend?”

“
Sure, why not?”

“
What would we get in return?”

“
Access to power. Within the conditions I already outlined.”

She frowned. “You don’t want souls in payment?”

“I’ll take in souls from the dying or the Theleoni. Otherwise, no.”

“
But. That would unbalance things.”

“
How? How will waiting until someone is dying to take their soul going to unbalance things? I would think that interfering with someone’s destiny would be more unbalancing than letting nature take its course.” I knew they weren’t ready to be liberated from Ravana’s shadow just yet. Heck, they were steeped in a culture of death and destruction. I’d be an idiot to think I could change anything. Though I think Tytan was different now because of me. I couldn’t be certain of it, of course, but I thought so. He’d protected me. Helped me. That wasn’t all for his own self-interest, was it?

“
You are a strange one, Master.”

I nodded. “No doubt. And if things don’t change for the better, hunt for your souls and challenge me. There’s nothing fun about the status quo.”

Nex flashed his teeth at me. Then his eyes spilled black. The room fell silent. “Balance is a lie steeped in truth. For there is no balance when there are those above and those below. It’s only together that the Skriven can be truly alive and know true freedom.” His head began spinning, giving each one in the room a good look at his eyes. Or maybe his teeth. Whyever he was doing it, it mesmerized them. Then he stopped, his gaze on me, the liquid drained as if a plug had been pulled.

It took all of two seconds for the room to erupt in noise. The most popular theory was that Nex was a shill, made to spout nonsense to get them to help me. To that, I said, “Did we hear the same thing? Seriously. I don’t give a fuck if you help me or not. I’m just telling you all what the new rules are and making sure you know that I’m not Ravana and never will be.” I stepped away from the doorway and gestured toward the hall. “Out. I have work to do and a Skriven to save.” Assholes.

They left, every one of them. At least I had gotten one useful thing from them. “Do you have any clue what the Rend is or where it is?”

Nex shook his head. Already his healthy flush was fading back to grey. It made me sad and I vowed to make sure he got back to Quorra soon.

“I need to find Vasili, I guess.” I opened my Eye and searched for his strand then grasped it. “Where are you?”

There was silence, then a whisper of emotion. Terror. Shit. Had he gotten himself caught by Amara? If she had him, though, wouldn’t she have blocked him from me as she had Tytan? Unless … unless she couldn’t because he was my trog.

I called him, yanking on the thread with all of my strength and some of Neutria’s. Nothing happened the first time, but the second time he came tumbling into Ty’s manse. He was back to his old self: snake hair, smoke filled eyes, and an air of smarmy desperation. He was also on fire.

“
Shit!” I rolled him over and over on the carpet, beating at the flames with my hands and cursing when it burned. Duh. I rolled him up in the rug and managed to smother the fire. He was howling as I unrolled and continued to holler as I surveyed his body. His legs were blackened, his feet a melted mess that made my stomach roll. His hands weren’t much better.  “What did she try to do, cook you?”

He blubbered.

I laid my hands on him and went down into the heart. I’d healed Ty once. He’d insisted a kiss would help and it did, but somehow I suspected there had been something behind that kiss that actually did the job. I had no idea where, in the millions of buttons, levers, and switches the healing would be. Since the smell had been a fan and the mental connection had been a microphone I decided the healing would look like a crash cart. Sure enough, the moment I pictured it I found it which led me to wonder which came first: the cart or my thought of the cart.

“
Doesn’t matter. Just get it done,” I said to myself. I flipped switches until the cart hummed with energy. Electricity flowed through the machine, down my arms, and into his body. His ruined heels drummed on the floor as the current passed through him. I worried that I might be doing more harm than good but he stopped howling, either because I’d killed him or he was feeling better.

When his feet started reconstructing themselves I flushed with pride. It worked. Hot damn. If I could do this, surely I could figure out some offensive magic so that I could kick Amara’s ass as I’d promised my Skriven I would do.

When new skin had grown back over the parts of him the fire had blackened, I removed my hands and sat on my butt beside him, waiting.

“
Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse. From the smoke? Or screaming?

“
Of course. I’m sorry she hurt you and that I put you into harm’s way.”

He choked, coughing and sputtering.

“I’ll get you some water.”

“
No.” He cleared his throat when the word came out frog-like. “No. You just. I can’t.” His voice was pained. “You said sorry?”

“
Uh, yeah.”

He shut his eyes.

“How’s Ty?”

“
I didn’t see him. She grabbed me the second time I asked her for permission to hunt for your spawns’ souls. Didn’t think I would be one to go a’hunting. Foolish of me to use that excuse to bug her.”

“
That’s all right. You did what you could.”

“
I found something.” He pulled a chain with a flat disc attached to it. “A key.”

“
To Tytan’s cell?”

He laughed though it wasn’t happy and it set off another coughing bout. When he could talk again he said, “No. Not to anything I know about. Which means souls, in my mind.”

Oh. Wow. I had the key to the place where she’d hidden her spawns’ souls? Holy shit. She’d go nuclear when she figured out it was gone. As if he read my mind, Vasili said, “She will notice its absence soon. I thought you might use it to bargain for your spawn.”

I rubbed my thumb over the etched surface of the disc. I could. I doubted there was anything she wouldn’t give to get this back. Of course, without knowing where she’d hidden them it was worthless. Unless I could piece together that puzzle. Maybe the wild goose chase I’d sent Ellison on would turn out to be more productive than I’d thought. If he snagged one of her spawn and we chased the thread to its soul, we’d have a huge advantage.