Darkness Splintered (DA 6) (17 page)

I drew Amaya and marched toward the first of the two tunnels. It was small and narrow, and cut so roughly that the sharp edges tore at my dress and skin. Thankfully, it wasn’t all that long, and I soon found myself standing in another chamber. This also held empty shelves and tables hewn out of the earth, but there was one major difference here. A very elaborate protection circle had been etched into the stone floor, and the melted remains of black candles sat on each of the four cardinal points.

The twin scents of frankincense and cedar still lingered in the air, which was odd. I knew from Ilianna that frankincense was used as protection
against
evil, and I had no doubt that Lauren used this circle to
summon
evil. But maybe she used it for personal protection – it wouldn’t be surprising given what she was summoning. It was what ran under those scents, however – a sharper, almost caustic aroma – that made my skin crawl.

“
That
is the scent of hell,” Azriel said grimly. “This is certainly where she summoned her demons.”

“Then we’d better destroy it.”

“It will not be the only place from which she could summon.”

“No, but one less place has got to be a good thing for us, right?”

Not waiting for his answer, I stepped forward, swung Amaya, and slashed her across the nearest part of the circle. The sharp point of her steel scored the stone, cutting the etched lines in two, thereby destroying whatever magic lingered within the circle. To use it again she’d have to redo the entire thing, and that would take time in stone this hard. I smiled grimly. It wasn’t much but, if nothing else, it would annoy the bitch.

“Now all we have to do is find whatever other circles she is using.” Azriel touched my back, his fingers warm against my spine. “Shall we inspect the other tunnel?”

“Might as well since we’re here.”

I squeezed back through the rough-hewn tunnel, gaining yet more scratches – though, thankfully, none were deep enough to bleed. The second tunnel was wide enough to walk normally down, and led into a chamber as large as the main one. I scanned the floor, but there was little more than dirt here. But there were more tables and shelves hacked out of the stone and earth, and this time, not all of them were empty. I walked across to a row of six shelves, inspecting the items stacked neatly along them, but not touching. I didn’t know enough about the accoutrements of a witch to do so; what I
did
know was the fact they could be damn dangerous if you didn’t know what you were doing.

There were old jars of varying sizes, and they seemed to hold little more than herbs, though there were a few that had dried up bits of animals and one that held what looked suspiciously like strands of hair. Hair that was the color of silver.

My
hair, I very much suspected.

Maybe this is where Lucian had brewed the
geas
he’d placed on me that had made me unable to resist him sexually. Meaning, this place might not be Lauren’s bolt-hole, but rather Lucian’s.

“It’s possible they both use it,” Azriel commented. He stood on the opposite side of the cavern, inspecting several bags. “Lucian was certainly on Earth long enough to have become proficient in magic.”

“Why would he need the help of dark sorcerers, if that is the case?” I peered closer at the jar containing the hair to see if there was any sort of visible trap or alarm, then cautiously lifted it. There was no way in hell I was leaving this stuff here for the sorceress to use and abuse. The last thing I needed was another spell or
geas
placed on me.

I unscrewed the lid, inserted Amaya’s tip, and watched as she crisped the silken strands until nothing – not even ash – remained. That done, I placed the jar back on the shelf and walked across to a table that held a mix of candles, bells, a chalice, and several incense sticks. There was absolutely nothing that even remotely resembled any of the weapons that had been stolen from the Military Fair.

Frustrated, I walked over to Azriel, my shoulder brushing his as I stopped beside him. “Anything interesting?”

“In the first one, no. This one, however —” He upended the sack, and half a dozen old weapons tumbled out. There were daggers, short swords, several old-fashioned guns, and even a polished silver bayonet. I had no doubt they were part of the haul the dark sorcerer had taken from the Military Fair, because there was little other reason for these types of weapons to be here.

I raised a hand and skimmed it across them. There was no response from the Dušan on my arm, and I couldn’t feel any sort of pull toward them.

“You know,” I muttered, thrusting my hands on my hips as I glared at the weapons, “I’m getting pissed not only about having hell’s minions constantly thrown at us, but also continually being runner-up when it comes to these damn keys.”

Azriel tossed the sack back onto the table and swung around, his gaze searching the rest of the cavern. “We might not have found the key, but finding some of the stolen items in this cavern confirms that the dark sorcerer – if indeed there
are
two sorcerers involved, and not just a hermaphrodite shifter – is in fact working with Lauren. Up until this point, it was little more than conjecture.”

“Forgive me if I don’t get overly joyous about
that
bit of news.” I turned and leaned my butt against the stone table. “With the sort of luck we’ve been having, I fully expect the Raziq to make an encore appearance sometime in the near future.”

“It would not matter if they did.”

I blinked and stared at him for several heartbeats, wondering if I’d heard him right. “What?”

He glanced at me, eyes once again gleaming brighter than his sword. But this time its source was not the fierceness of battle, but rather the desire for vengeance. And that scared me, because as good a warrior as he was, there was still only one of him, and many more of them.

“It would not matter how many there were, because I am no longer one, but two.”

“Which is just about the most confusing statement you’ve ever uttered,” I said. “And you’ve uttered a few.”

He smiled. “Our life forces have been leashed. That means it’s harder for each of us to be killed, because we can draw strength from the other.”

I frowned. “So I’m drawing from you now? I mean, I’m not exactly in tip-top shape at present.”

“No, because it will only ever happen when whatever form we are wearing is in danger of complete failure.”

“But that doesn’t stop them from weakening you to the point where neither of us can fight,” I commented. “And it doesn’t stop them from kidnapping me again.”

“Yes, but the other benefit of our energies being leashed is the fact that there is nowhere they can take you – not even deep underground – that I will not be able to find you.”

“That
still
won’t stop them from snatching me.” Or trying to tear me apart yet again.

“That is something they can no longer do. You have the life force of a reaper within you, and while they may be able to kill you, they can no longer render you to particles.” He caught my hands, and squeezed them lightly. “You have nothing to fear from them. You are not what you once were. You are stronger.
We
are stronger.”

“Forgive my pessimism, but I’m thinking we still need to fear them. They’ll find a way to make us do what they want.”

And it would be easy enough – all they have to do is echo my father’s methods and threaten one of my friends.

“But they are impervious neither to attack nor death,” he said. “And if we remove the brains of the beast, the beast itself will not function.”

A shiver ran through me, despite the warmth of his touch. Though it was cold down here, and I had only a light dress on, neither of those factors played a part in the chills assailing me. Rather, it was the notion that I’d be confronting the brains of the beast – Malin – sooner rather than later. Clairvoyance, I thought, sucked big time.

“Great theory, but I’m guessing it’s going to be a trifle difficult to put into practice. Malin doesn’t always show up when they kidnap me.”

He shrugged. “We can always hope.”

I half smiled. “I think hanging around me has made you a little bloodthirsty, reaper.”

“It has nothing to do with a thirst for blood,” he replied, voice flat. “And everything to do with revenge. As you well know.”

“It was revenge that made you a Mijai in the first place,” I reminded him.

“And if I had not become Mijai, I would have not met you.” He stepped to one side, and motioned toward the tunnel. “But even so, I do not regret the actions that made me Mijai, and I certainly would not regret seeking revenge now for what the Raziq have done – not just for what they did to you, but for making the keys that have the potential to cause so much destruction across two worlds. Shall we go?”

There was little I could say to that. Revenge might be a dangerous desire, but it was one I could totally understand.

The main cavern was still empty of everything but hellhound blood and gore. I stopped underneath the hole in the concrete, and looked up.
What
I was looking for I had no idea. It wasn’t like Lauren would suddenly appear, thereby making our hunt a whole lot easier.

“What do we do now?” I asked, after a moment.

“You need to rest —”

“I haven’t got the time, Azriel. Mirri’s life —”

“May well depend on you being strong enough to complete the task ahead.” His voice held an edge that was an odd mix of concern and frustration. “You run yourself into the ground, Risa, and that is not good for anyone.”

Not for the hunt, not for those you seek to save, and not for our son
. The words echoed through me and made me smile. And yet a vague sense of irritation stirred. He wasn’t telling me what I didn’t already know.

Wasn’t saying what I really wanted to hear.

“I know, and I will rest, I promise, when Mirri is safe.”

“Then at least let us return to your apartment so you can get something to eat.”

“That I can do.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, then, as his arms came around my waist and drew me even closer, added, “Home please, James.”

“Another ridiculous Earth saying, given my name is hardly James,” he said, as his energy snapped us home in no time flat. As we reappeared in the stinking blackened ruins of the living room, he added, “Nor do I actually think I look like a James.”

I grinned. “Agreed. You need a name more befitting of your bright and sunny nature.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I believe
that
is what you would term sarcasm.”

“I believe you could be right.”

My phone rang, the tone telling me it was Ilianna. The noise was sharp in the dark and smoky silence. Tao, I realized suddenly, wasn’t here.

Concern surged. I swung around, noting the front door was wide open as I dug the vid-phone out of my bag and hit the Answer button.

“Is everything okay?” I said, the minute Ilianna’s image appeared on the screen. “Is Mirri okay?”

“For the moment, yes.” Her voice was calm but worry had etched fine lines around her eyes. “Both Mom and Kiandra are currently studying all the different threads of magic woven into the energy collar, in the hope it will give them some idea how to dismantle it.”

It was a long shot, but right now, I guess it was the only one we had. “Tell them to be careful, because it’s Aedh magic they’re dealing with.”

“They know, trust me.” She hesitated. “Have you got any idea where Tao is? I’ve been trying to contact him, as we need some fresh clothes. We’re going to stay here for the next day or so.”

I frowned. “He hasn’t called you?”

“Not recently, no.” Meaning he’d disappeared not long after Hunter’s phone call to me. I scrubbed a hand across my eyes and tried to ignore the growing sense of loss. Tao wasn’t lost, not yet, no matter what my inner voice might be saying.

I said, “As to where he is, I don’t know. He was supposed to be home keeping an eye on the place, but the door is wide open and he’s gone.”

“Nor is he in the near vicinity,” Azriel said.

Damn, this is all we needed.
Not
that it was Tao’s fault. He was trying his best not to succumb to the elemental, but the desperation in his eyes haunted me. He was losing the battle, and he knew it. “Have you tried the café?”

“Of course. And I rang Stane, but he’s not there.”

“God,” I muttered. “I hope the fucking elemental hasn’t gotten hold of him again.”

“How was he when you last saw him?” Ilianna said.

“Jittery.” Scared.

But wherever Tao was, whatever he was doing, I just had to pray
he
was in control rather than the thing inside of him. Because as much as it tore at me, he couldn’t be my priority. That honor belonged to finding the keys and saving Mirri. “I’m sure Stane will keep an eye out for him.”

“He is,” she said. “He’s aware of the elemental problem, Ris. Tao must have mentioned it.”

He might be aware, but he was as helpless as the rest of us.

“Then there’s nothing else we can do. I’ve got keys to find and the clock is ticking.”

“I know.” She hesitated, her expression suddenly holding a touch of fear. “How is the search going? As badly as I fear?”

“Yes and no. We’ve uncovered a few clues, but they’ve led to dead ends.”

“Well, you
are
dealing with a dark sorceress. They don’t make things easy for anyone, including themselves.”

I frowned. “Meaning what?”

“Meaning dark magic is usually based on the strength and the blood of the practitioner. To summon as she does would take a toll on her physically
and
mentally.”

“Meaning if she summoned enough demons to protect two different places, she’d have to lie low for a few days and recover?”

“Definitely.”

Which was more than likely
why
the second key hadn’t yet been used. It wasn’t just that they hadn’t found the correct one yet, but one or both of them hadn’t the strength to actually get
onto
the fields. And that meant how much time
we
had left very much depended on
when
they’d summoned the demons. Lucian had died three days ago, and Lauren had been packing before then. The days I’d spent trying to drown my sorrows might have given her all the time she needed to recover.