Descend (Awakened Fate Book 2) (13 page)

“And the Sylphaen?”

I gave an awkward shrug. “Found me when I came to Santa Lucina. I’d snuck out with a friend, and Mom and Dad–” I grimaced, hating how I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to call them, “they didn’t know till after I left. But the Sylphaen started trying to catch me by the second day I was there.” My skin crawled. “Zeke said they even drowned a few girls just to find out which one was me.”

Jirral looked away.

I watched him, trying to read his silence. “Do you know why they want to hurt me, Jirral?”

For a moment, he didn’t respond. “Well, they’re obsessed with their idea of purity.”

My gaze turned to the opening of the cave. It could just be that, except it seemed like more. From everything Marty and Colin, the EMTs who’d attacked me in the ambulance, had said… it just seemed like more than that.

“And then there’s the odd thing you do to the water.”

I glanced back at him.

“It changes,” he said. “It’s even less now than when I first saw you with Zeke and Ina. Practically nonexistent. Are you controlling it?”

I shook my head nervously. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I don’t feel anything.”

He sighed.

A moment passed. I looked to the cave opening. My face didn’t hurt as much anymore, and neither did my sides. I wasn’t back to a hundred percent – and until the neiphiandine got out of my system, I didn’t think I would be – but I was better.

And now I just wanted to go home, wherever that was.

“Will this medicine help with neiphiandine?” I asked Jirral.

He hesitated, obviously hearing the hope in my voice.

“Probably not,” he admitted. “Neiphiandine was designed to stay in someone’s system even when they’re on other medications.”

A breath escaped me. I looked back to the open water.

“Listen,” Jirral said. “I need to head into Nyciena. See if my grandkids are still alright, and if anything’s changed. I’ll be back soon.”

Alarmed, I turned to him.

“You’ll be fine,” he assured me. “No one comes this way.”

I didn’t respond, hoping he was right.

“Chloe,” he said, swimming closer. “You’ll be
fine
. But Zeke… that boy really cares about you. He would never have come with you to see me if he didn’t.”

My brow twitched down, but Jirral just continued, “If he finds out that you’re missing, though, I don’t want him to worry or do anything stupid. And I need to know that he and his siblings are safe.” He put a hand to my shoulder. “I’ll leave the torch. This’ll only take me a little bit.”

Worry bubbling up inside, I managed a nod, though the motion wasn’t anywhere near the truth. I didn’t want to be alone out here. Out where the Sylphaen might find me.

He gave me a sympathetic smile, and then handed me the torch. “It’ll just be a little bit,” he repeated.

And then he swam out of the cave.

My fingers wrapped around the torch’s base, the narrow pillar of stone cold in my hands despite the impossible blue fire flickering from its top. I drew my tail up close to my chest, my eyes locked on the cave opening.

I’d wait. Give him a little while like he asked. I needed his help to figure out which direction it was to Santa Lucina anyway.

But I wouldn’t stay here forever. No matter what Jirral and everyone else seemed to think of Zeke’s feelings – of which I’d swear he’d never shown the slightest hint that
I
could see – I was done with Nyciena and this world. The Sylphaen were here, along with Ren and who knew what other dangers.

Neiphiandine or no neiphiandine, I was going back to Santa Lucina at the first chance I got.

Chapter Eleven

Zeke

I’d swum the length of the room a thousand times before Ina returned.

And the moment she came through the door, I could tell the news wasn’t good.

“What happened?” I asked, my heart climbing my throat.

Ina sealed the fejeria behind her, not meeting my eyes. “Ren had the guards lock her in the pit. But, um…”

“
But
?” I repeated, swimming closer.

“Physician Liana took her back out. Had her blindfolded and cuffed, and said she had orders to inspect Chloe’s health before a prisoner transfer.” She hesitated. “The castle guards haven’t seen her or Chloe since. Ren’s ordered a search of the city to find them.”

A breath escaped me.

“Liana didn’t even
try
taking care of Niall,” Ina continued desperately. “She just left him lying unconscious in his bed the moment no one was watching. The guys at the pit said she had a few guards with her, but… Zeke, you don’t think Liana’s behind what happened to Dad, do you? I mean, she’s been a palace physician for years. How could she just…?”

My heart pounding, I gave Ina a dark look, knowing I couldn’t allay her fears. “Where did they last see Chloe?”

“At the pit entrance by the castle gate, but–”

I swam for the window.

“Zeke, please! If Liana’s–”

The fejeria scraped my scales as I shoved through before the opening command took full effect. I ignored it. Shooting past the guards, I raced for the veil surrounding the palace.

That bastard had her put into the pit. Down in the dark with the criminals and psychopaths awaiting transport to the prisons along the borders. And now…

Liana. Second only to Kyne. Nearly as trusted by the king as we were.

And, with Chloe as her second target, most likely a Sylphaen.

I could hear people shouting behind me, calling for me to stop.

If I got my hands on that woman…

Up ahead, a few of the guards moved to intercept me as I swam for the veil, but at the sight of the spikes on my arms, they pulled back.

My lip twitched. I sped through the barrier and magic sizzled over me as I passed.

I veered left on the other side of the veil. The castle wall fell behind me, and then half the city did too, and when I finally neared the pit, I could see Tiberion at the entrance gate.

His anger was obvious. So was the fact Chloe hadn’t been found. At his furious gesture, the other guards fanned out, clearly intending to search the city.

I pulled up fast, watching them go. I couldn’t follow them; that would only get me ‘escorted’ back to my apartment in obedience to Ren’s orders. And none of my friends in Nyciena would be any help. Their parents were too politically connected for them to want to risk their families’ positions by offending the new king.

But if this was the Sylphaen…

I kicked hard in the water, taking off for the city wall.

They’d trapped me in a cave hundreds of miles north of here, but in that cave they’d had a setup intended for sacrificing her. Their crazy leader, Kirzan, had made their plan clear. And with a place like that, they probably wouldn’t stay in the city long – especially since anyone with a brain could predict that Ren would have Nyciena searched the moment he learned Chloe was gone. So they’d go north. They’d sneak her out of the city somehow, and fast, and take her to their hideout to be killed.

Unless someone stopped them.

Houses and startled dehaians blurred as I twisted through the streets, and in only a few moments, the base of the veil came into view. Without more than a cursory glance to the sensors by the rocks to confirm that nothing human was around, I shot through the barrier.

At the edge of my senses, I could feel a single dehaian swimming toward the city. In the distance far above me, some fish drifted along in water that was nearly black from the night.

And otherwise, there was nothing.

Cursing, I raced north.

At best, they probably only had a few hours’ head start. And depending on how they were bringing Chloe with them, transporting her might slow them down.

This would work.

I fought for more speed.

And felt the other dehaian turn to follow me.

Already racing, my heart found a way to go faster. Ren’s soldiers hadn’t stopped me through the entire length of town. They’d left me alone, either because they didn’t want a fight or because they couldn’t catch me.

One lone guard wasn’t going to mess that up now.

“Zeke!”

I blinked.

“Dammit, Zeke, wait!”

I spun sharply, my momentum carrying me back through the water for several yards before I came to a stop.

Jirral swam toward me, breathing hard.

“I don’t have time for this,” I snapped. “Chloe’s been–”

“Chloe’s fine,” he panted. “She… she’s with me.”

My brow drew down. “With you where?”

“At my camp. Outside the city.” He swallowed hard. “Damn you can swim, boy.”

I ignored him. “What about the Sylphaen?”

He took another breath. “I shot the two holding her. The others escaped.”

“Was one of them a gray-haired woman with blue scales?”

He hesitated. “One who got away, yes.”

I swore. I really wanted to get my hands on Liana, though knowing she was dead would have been almost as good.

Because now she was still out there, where she could try to hurt my friends and family all over again.

“Where’s this camp?”

“This way.” He nodded toward the water behind him.

I started swimming in the direction he’d indicated. He hurried to keep up.

“What were you planning on doing if you had caught the Sylphaen?” Jirral asked.

Barely holding back a glare, I didn’t respond.

“That was really stupid, Zeke. Racing off like that.”

“What would you have preferred? Ren and his soldiers weren’t going to help.”

He paused. “You could have come looking for me.”

My gaze flicked toward him before I could pull it back to the water in front of us. He didn’t glance my way.

We swam on in silence. From the shadows, the hills started to emerge, their slopes barren of anything but the occasional pockmark of a cave.

“Up here,” he said, swimming toward an opening high on the side of a hill.

I spotted a glimmer of torchlight when we came close.

On a rough bed of seaweed, Chloe sat with her tail curled tight to her chest. Relief flashed across her face at the sight of us, followed swiftly by worry.

“Zeke.” She pushed away from the bed, one hand clutching the torch and her smile wavering as though uncertain it should be there.

I hesitated, my eyes scanning over her. Purple shadows colored her torso and face where they shouldn’t have, like the ghosts of bruises.

“Are you okay?” I demanded. “What happened? Did they hurt you?”

Her gaze went to Jirral for a heartbeat. “I’m fine.”

I looked between them, hearing something in her voice that she wasn’t saying.

“How are you?” she asked.

Annoyance hit me for the change of subject, and I gave a quick shrug. “Fine,” I replied, though really, I probably wasn’t. Everything had gone to hell in the past few hours. I didn’t know what I was anymore.

She smiled again, with that same uncertain expression like she wasn’t quite sure what to do. “And Niall and Ina?”

I didn’t want to be talking about this. “Ina’s fine too. Niall’s still unconscious. His physician, Liana, she… well, I mean, she was the one who took you out of the pit, and we think maybe–”

“That was Niall’s doctor?” she interrupted.

I nodded.

“But he’s okay? She didn’t try to–”

I shook my head. Chloe let out a breath, appearing relieved for a heartbeat before she looked back up at me.

“She was the one who poisoned your dad.”

I could hear a question in the horrified statement. “I think so.”

Chloe turned away.

I grimaced and then glanced to Jirral. “Did you see where Liana and–”

“Which way is it to Santa Lucina?”

I looked back at Chloe.

She was watching us both, her face intense.

“You can’t–” I started.

“The Sylphaen killed your dad. They’re after me. If I leave, maybe they’ll–”

“Liana’s been a palace physician for years,” I protested. “There’s nothing to say she did this because you were here.”

“Except that she went to get me two seconds after your dad was dead.”

“That still doesn’t mean–”

“I don’t want more people getting hurt, Zeke. You, Ina, your brothers…”

Her pained expression made me turn away. I didn’t want anyone getting hurt either. Obviously. But that included her. It really did. The Sylphaen wouldn’t stop, whether she was in Nyciena or Santa Lucina, and if she was here, at least I could help.

And Santa Lucina wasn’t remotely safe. They’d nearly killed her the last time she was there.

“But what about the neiphiandine?” I argued. “You can’t go on land anyway and–”

“It might have worn off. And even if it hasn’t, I’ll just stay near the coast till it does.”

“Alone?”

She blinked at me.

I grimaced, looking away again.

“They headed north,” Jirral said into the silence. “But I don’t know if they’ll continue going that way.”

Distractedly, I shook my head. “No, that’s probably right. They have a cave up there.”

“They may have other places to hide.”

I hesitated. He could be right. Their leader, Kirzan, had chains and an altar and all sorts of psychotic junk up there for killing Chloe, but he could have more of the same elsewhere.

As comforting as
that
was.

I closed my eyes.

“I need to get back to land, Zeke,” Chloe said quietly. “If I can get some distance from the ocean, the Sylphaen might have a harder time finding me. And your family… what if the Sylphaen
are
doing this because of me? Because I’m here?”

“Why kill the king just because you’re in Nyciena?” I asked without looking at her.

She didn’t respond.

“Because it’s easier to do what you want in chaos than order,” Jirral said.

I glanced to him.

“Assassins alter the status quo,” he explained. “They disrupt things so another goal can be accomplished. Torvias had Chloe under guard, but as a guest of the palace despite Ren’s assertion she was a spy. No one was going to challenge that, and finding a pretense for getting Chloe out of Nyciena…” He shrugged. “But with Torvias gone, suddenly there’s confusion, a killer in our midst, and everyone becomes preoccupied. If you’re Liana, you suddenly have the run of the place. You can do things you couldn’t otherwise.”