Death Bringer (Soul Justice) (22 page)

Could he create his own obstacles for the sect? He tried a quick spell, but nothing happened. Things were definitely weighted against him. Dammit, he hated being so out in the open. He ran for cover. Another blast followed the first, and he dodged that one too.

“
He’s not as confident as the other three
,
Morosov.
He fears you.
Get in his face.
”

Ella was obviously intent on giving him an in-depth analysis of his enemy’s thoughts. Not that he was complaining. From her position at the other end of the hall, sometimes she could see his opponents even more clearly than he could. And he was man enough to realize that in this situation, he needed all the help he could get. Instead of backing off, he ran straight toward the male, leaping the crater where the rock had stood and blasting magic from both hands. The bald one started to retreat, his terrified gaze on Vadim, his thoughts shouting out to his comrades for help.

He’d forgotten he had Ella’s empath talents. They might come in handy for tracking when his opponents intended to attack. Vadim kept going, then brought the man down beneath him. He kicked out wildly, screaming like a stuck pig. Vadim forced his head back, baring his throat.

“Tell me how to get my mate’s face back.”

“No!”

“Tell me.”

“
Morosov
,
Red’s almost on you.
”

Vadim sent a surge of power through his captive and the man went limp. He wasn’t dead yet, but he was definitely out of the fight for a while. He dropped the body to the ground and went to stand, only to be sent crashing to his knees again by the force of a magical blow. His left shoulder hurt like fuck, and his feathers were smoldering, never a good smell at the best of times.

And now he was pissed.

He gathered himself and ran for the next-largest obstacle, a three-foot-high wall, and threw himself over the top of it. Unfortunately, Adam wasn’t on the other side, which would’ve made things nice and easy. Vadim took a second to check out the condition of his shoulder, where a tunnel of flesh had been gouged out. There was very little bleeding. For some reason, his thumb was far worse. He sucked it into his mouth and healed it. Because of his opponent’s power, his shoulder would have to wait for some more serious magical healing. It was a nuisance, but any major wounds he inflicted on the sect would have the same longevity.

“
Dude
,
where are you?
”

Behind the laconic question, Ella’s voice was tinged with a hint of anxiety.

“
I’m fine.
The bald one is out cold.
” He hesitated. “
Why do you care?
”

“
Of course I care!
”

“
After that performance yesterday?
”

“
Oh
,
for God’s sake
,
Morosov
,
lighten up!
I’m trying to save your ass here!
”

“
And why is that?
”

The silence seemed to go on forever.

“
Because after that comment
,
I
want to be the one to kill you myself?
”

“
I’m up for that.
”

“
Awesome.
By the way
,
Red’s devious
,
Blondie is worse
,
and impatient with it
,
and you already know Adam will do anything to win.
I
don’t think they’re strong enough to take you individually
,
although I’m not sure what will happen if they work in pairs.
”

“
Thanks.
”

She sounded pissed but remarkably professional. At this point, he’d take it. He took a peep around the edge of the wall. There was no sign of anyone among the ruins, only the acrid scent of burning. Where had the bald guy’s body gone? He should’ve tried to secure it in some way.

“
You should’ve killed him outright.
” Her voice was hard. “
None of them will give you a break
,
remember that.
”

“
You said he was the weakest.
I
thought to keep him alive and make him talk.
”

“
If you insist on having a confession
,
it’ll have to come from Adam.
No one else will be believed.
”

“
At this point
,
I’ll take whatever I can get.
”

He opened all his senses and caught a hint of movement and heat to his right. A flame flicked out from among the rubble, followed by an unearthly growl. As the elongated form of a black dragon slithered around the corner, Vadim’s hand closed around a large chunk of fallen stone. Glistening red eyes fastened on his, and the dragon took off, heading straight for his face. Bringing back his arm, Vadim launched his missile, imbuing it with deathly magic that made it glow like burning sulphur.

With a horrific screech the dragon fell backward, his wing and chest caved in by the force of the blow. Vadim didn’t stop to watch the creature come to ground. It was still capable of damaging him with its sharp teeth. He doubted anyone was going to bind up his hurts as they’d done for Ella. He sized up a half-fallen tower about forty feet away and ran toward that, aware of Ella in his mind, sharing his ordeal and lending her aid.

As magic crackled around him, setting the air on fire, he leaped the last few feet into the tower and hurriedly climbed the stairs to the top. It didn’t give him much advantage, but at least he’d have a wider view of the field.

“
Why do they keep saving me?
”

Ella’s voice was in his head. He leaned against the curved wall, breathing hard, and surveyed his surroundings. Down below, the dragon lay unmoving, a blackened shape draped over a low marble base.

“
Does it really matter right now?
”

“
If I’m dead
,
you’d stop fighting.
”

“
Like hell I would.
” He registered the glint of a sword tip behind the pillar directly in front of the tower. “
Can we talk about this afterward?
I’m rather busy.
”

“
But I have a feeling it’s important.
”

“
Well
,
let me know how that goes for you.
Can you see anyone near the half-ruined leaning tower?
”

“
Only you at the top
.
Wait.
Red’s opposite you at ground level.
”

“
Where’s everyone else?
”

“
Baldy’s still out cold
,
and Blondie is advancing toward the opposite side of the tower.
”

Vadim shifted his stance and looked backward. There was no sign of the blond male, but he didn’t doubt Ella’s words. “
And Adam?
”

“
Just hanging back
,
waiting to see if the others can kill you
,
I
guess.
”

“
Reassuring as ever.
”

“
Hey
,
I’m doing my best!
”

He didn’t reply, as Red had broken cover and was moving steadily in a zigzag pattern toward the bottom of the tower. Vadim waited for as long as he dared and then sent off a bolt of magic, bringing a teetering column down, hopefully on the male’s head. Unfortunately, when the dust cleared, Red was still advancing. A flash of blond hair behind him made Vadim aim a similar strike at his other opponent, who was also creeping closer.

“
Be careful
,
Morosov
,
they’re psychically linked.
”

“
I
got that.
”

“
That means they can join their magical power together
,
right?
”

“
Right.
”

Vadim drew his sword. Should he descend or stay put? He’d be in a far better position if they came up individually, but he didn’t believe they were going to make it that easy for him. Malevolent magic enfolded the tower from either side and closed over his head, the two powers merging and pressing down on him like an enormous weight.

With a roar, he channeled his powers into resisting the invaders, aware even as he fought them off that the stones beneath his feet were growing warmer by the second.

“
They’ve set the tower on fire!
”

He didn’t bother to reply as he sheathed his sword, raised both hands over his head and punched his way through the shield like a diver launching himself from the high board. Inside his head, the two men screamed as if he’d physically assaulted them while they tried to gather the shreds of their powers and re-form the trap. But it was too late. Vadim opened his wings and flew low over the burning tower, spied Red and sent another lash of power into the man’s body.

Behind him, the tower disappeared below the surface of the checkerboard; the flames extinguished. Only a cloud of smoke was left marring the perfection of the painted ceiling. He alighted on a large rock and looked back at where the tower had been. There was movement in the rubble. Neither of the males was dead yet, but he had significantly reduced their powers.

“
Dammit
,
Baldy’s awake again.
That’s what Adam was doing.
”

Vadim rubbed a hand over his smoke-rimmed eyes and spotted the gleam of a domed head running toward the spot where he’d located the other two males.

“
If two didn’t work
,
he’s going to want to try three.
”

“
Agreed.
”

There was a pause. “
Do you think you can handle it?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
You don’t need me?
”

“
Not yet.
”

“
I
wonder if that’s why they kept me alive
,
because they know I can’t do anything to affect the outcome and can only distract you.
”

“
You’re not distracting me.
”

“
Sure I am.
”

“
You’re helping me
,
Soul Sucker.
” He took the opportunity to breathe deeply before the next assault came. “
Your ability to read their minds and predict their movements is invaluable.
And I might still need your magical power.
”

“
Don’t they suspect I can help you?
”

“
I
doubt they ever imagined that their Death Bringer would be mated to an empath.
Who the hell knows what will happen?
”

An arrow sizzled past his ear, and he ducked just in time, crouching low on the exposed surface of the rock. This wasn’t a good place to defend himself. His gaze fastened on a series of ruins farther up the hall, and he took off, his wings opening to help him glide across the vast space. Ella would have a clearer view of him now, which would also be useful. He had a sense that he was being driven toward the end of the arena where the spectators were sitting. It would be just like Adam to want a big finale in front of those who hated and loved Death Bringer the most. His overconfidence astounded Vadim. What weapon did Adam think he had that could match his and Ella’s combined power? Whatever it was, he would soon find out.

* * *

Ella stared as Vadim swooped low over the arena, alighted near a ruined templelike structure and promptly disappeared. Considering Adam had designed a series of structures that were all of pale stone or rock, Vadim was doing an amazing job of not standing out. The golds and silvers of his opponents blended in far better.

“
Duh.
” Ella muttered to herself.

“What, my dear?”

The queen mother, who was seated on Ella’s left, looked up.

“It’s okay, I was just marveling at Adam’s ability to manipulate the odds in his favor.”

“He has good reason.”

“Because he’s afraid that if he doesn’t, Morosov will beat him in a heartbeat.”

“You care for my grandson, don’t you?”

“He’s okay.” Ella kept her gaze on the arena, where the three sect members were slowly advancing toward Vadim’s hiding place. “He’s my SBLE partner. We take care of our own.”

“He’s also your mate.”

“I know. That was your fault, wasn’t it?” She turned slowly to look at the old queen’s composed face. “Did you know all this would happen?”

“I had some inkling.”

“Do you think I can save him?”

“I have no idea, Soul Sucker. That is entirely up to you.”

“Great. Thanks for your input.” She strained to catch a glimpse of Vadim. “If I’m so important to him, why aren’t I already dead?”

“Because they need you. Don’t you know that?”

Ella thought about the unpleasant little dagger buried deep in her backpack. Should she get it out and put it in her pocket just in case? Would Vadim prefer to die at her hand or to be captured and killed slowly? She really should’ve asked him before all this began. It wasn’t the easiest topic to bring up. A flicker of movement below startled her. Another attack was building, and this time Vadim would be at the mercy of three of the sect members. She focused her empath powers on the minds of the attackers and started to relay her opinions to her mate.

* * *

There were three of them now. They were testing him. Did they sense he was reluctant to kill any of them—that for the first time in his long existence, he craved answers rather than destruction? Maybe Ella was right. She had changed him. Did he have the stomach for slaughter anymore? In the seats at the end of the arena, his father’s familiar laughter rang out. Yes, he would kill. That’s what he’d been trained to do. The reason he was in this precarious position today was because he’d executed his father’s favorite son.