djinn wars 03 - fallen (2 page)

“The same way they ignored me as well,” Zahrias said. His brow looked positively thunderous, but his voice sounded calm enough as he continued, “From which I gathered that they did not come in peace.”

“No kidding,” I remarked. “So…what’s going on? Why aren’t they honoring the truce?”

“I don’t know.”

Just three words, the syllables ground out from between clenched teeth. I could tell from the dark red flicker in Zahrias’ eyes that he was angry, so angry that flames should have been dancing all around him — but they weren’t. That manifestation of his abilities must have been tamped down by the device as well. Too bad, as they provided a helpful bellwether for his emotions.

Not that I really needed the extra assistance at the moment. The frown he wore was fearsome enough, and I saw it mirrored in Jace’s features as well.

“So they have broken their faith with us,” he said, and Zahrias nodded.

“It would seem that way.”

“You’re awfully calm about it,” I told him, and his mouth pulled into the same flat line I’d seen a few moments earlier.

“I have no choice but to be calm,” he replied, pushing himself to his feet. He seemed to falter for a second, as if having difficulty maintaining his balance, but then he walked normally enough to the fireplace and leaned back against the mantel of carved juniper.

In doing so, he blocked a good deal of the heat from the fire as well. Then I realized he probably needed it more than I did, or even Jace. My own djinn partner had, as he’d said, far more experience managing the debilitating effects of Miles Odekirk’s device.

Zahrias went on, “For the moment, we are protected. I was not indulging in sarcasm when I thanked you for your quick thinking, Jessica, because only a moment more, and all here might have been lost. We are few, and they brought many against us. However, I doubt that any of the djinn living here wish for the current situation to continue indefinitely.” He paused, and the shadows beneath his eyes seemed to deepen. “The draining effects are bad enough, but throttled like this, we can no longer use our powers to keep the lights on, the heating systems running. It is going to be a very cold night.”

A shiver went through me that didn’t have much to do with the temperature in the room. It had been a cold day, but not freezing. But overnight, it would be back in the teens if we were lucky, and possibly colder than that. I hadn’t even stopped to think about the way the djinn had been quietly providing everyone here with heat and light…and running water, too, for all I knew. Those were issues that would need to be addressed, and soon.

“At least all the rooms here in the resort have fireplaces,” Jace said evenly. “We will not want for heat, not in the near term. As for lighting, we can look for candles and oil lamps and such in the shops in town. Luckily, the device will protect us as we move about, since the central part of the town should be mostly protected as well.”

“And in the long term?” Zahrias asked. There was very little inflection in his voice that I could detect, but a certain hardness to his jaw told me he didn’t expect we’d be able to make do for very much longer.

“We’ll figure it out,” I told him. No, I didn’t like the idea of being without central heat or electricity. However, there had to be something we could do. “I’m sure there are places around here that have generators. Houses with propane tanks for heating and cooking. We can start scavenging for what we need. It’ll be all right. There’s technology all around us — we just have to figure out how to use it.”

“And what about the other djinn? Do you think they’ll stay away forever?” Jace asked. We’d been standing next to one another, but right then I felt his hand slide into mine and grip my fingers. His own flesh was cool, and a shiver went through me. He might be managing to give a decent impression of someone coping with the loss of his powers and the associated drain on his vitality, but I knew better. Every hour, every minute, every second that the device operated meant accompanying hours of discomfort, if not outright pain.

One hand went through Zahrias’ hair in a nervous gesture I’d never seen him make before. “They will for now, as they assess the situation. For how long?” His shoulders lifted. “I’m not certain. Jessica, will that thing continue to operate once it’s been switched on?”

“Yes,” I replied. “That is, I can’t say for absolutely sure, since I’m no expert, but from what I could tell, it seemed to be pretty much a ‘set it and forget it’ kind of thing. From what we’ve been able to find out, it’s self-powered. That is, we don’t need to recharge it or anything. Beyond that, I don’t know much about how to dial it in — that’s Lindsay’s field of expertise — but I do know it’s covering the widest area possible right now. If you want it set up differently — ”

“I do not,” Zahrias cut in. “I remember you said that it becomes more powerful as the area it ‘protects’ shrinks. I doubt any of my people would appreciate having its effects intensified. Besides, even though we are gathered here at the resort for safety’s sake, it is probably better that as much area here in Taos is shielded as possible.”

True, especially if we were going to have to start looting the immediate area for any useful items. I began to nod, then stopped, my free hand going to my mouth.

Jace’s fingers tightened on mine. “What is it?” he asked.

“The hunting party,” I said. “Aidan and Clay and Martine. They went out a couple of hours ago. Have they come back?”

Zahrias and Jace exchanged a single unreadable look, and Jace shook his head.

“We’ve heard nothing of them,” Jace said quietly. “But I was speaking with Zahrias when the attack began, and so it’s possible they returned and we simply heard nothing of it.”

“It will be easy enough to find out,” Zahrias added. He cocked his head to one side, eyes narrowing, and then his lips pressed together. Something had clearly annoyed him, although I couldn’t begin to guess what.

His next statement clarified things a little.

“I cannot call her this way any longer,” he said. As my eyebrows went up, he explained, “Lauren. She is not my Chosen, but she is with my brother, and that created a close enough bond between us that in the past I could easily summon her with my mind. Now, though, with my powers suppressed….” The words trailed off, and he gave an eloquent lift of his shoulders.

She’s not your lapdog any longer,
I thought. But maybe that was a little harsh. After all, I hadn’t gotten much indication that Lauren minded being Zahrias’ executive assistant, so to speak.

“I’ll see if I can find her,” I offered. “Actually, I’m kind of surprised that she and a whole lot of other people aren’t here already, banging on the door and demanding answers.”

That remark earned me a very thin smile. “My people know better than to force their way in where they are not invited.”

Well, that was one big difference between humans and djinn. I didn’t argue the point, though, but only lifted my own shoulders.

“I’ll be back as quickly as I can,” I said, then went up on my toes to kiss Jace on the cheek before I let myself out of Zahrias’ audience chamber…that is, conference room.

The hallways appeared deserted as I headed out. Maybe no one was going to come and ask Zahrias what the hell was going on, but I knew we mere mortals tended to come together in times of crisis, which meant I had a pretty good idea of where I could find everyone.

A babble of voices echoed down the corridor when I approached the open restaurant area that the Taos group had been using as its communal dining room. Apparently, even the lush plantings there weren’t enough to muffle the noise. To my surprise, I saw Lindsay standing in the middle of a large and agitated group, her hands waving in the air as she appeared to describe what she’d seen less than an hour earlier.

As I hesitated at the edge of the crowd, she seemed to realize I was there, and stopped abruptly. “Ask Jessica,” she said. “She was at the shop with me.”

Everyone swiveled in my direction, djinn and mortal together. Right then I thought that they’d never appeared more alike, as they all seemed to be wearing similar expressions of worry and dismay. Also, the djinn were clearly struggling with the effects of Odekirk’s device — they looked pale and tragic, and more than one of them was clinging to his or her Chosen as if the other person was the only thing holding them up.

Although I felt for them, for the drain on their energy they were currently suffering, I still hated being the center of attention like this. I’d never been the sort of person who liked speaking in front of other people, or doing anything that would attract the notice of others — sexy Halloween costumes notwithstanding. Those had been my friend Elena’s idea anyway.

But now? I stood rooted in place, gaze scanning the crowd for Lauren. Damn it, where was she?

Since everyone there was staring at me, obviously expecting an answer, I knew I had to say something. After clearing my throat, I replied, “Well, I don’t think what I saw was too different from what Lindsay saw. A dark cloud of djinn. Angry-looking djinn. At least, I think they were angry. It’s kind of hard to tell when someone’s hovering a thousand feet or so above your head.”

“Where’s Zahrias?” someone else demanded, a man probably around my age or a year or so younger. He had his arm around the waist of a wan-looking djinn woman. I didn’t recognize either one of them, but I’d only been in Taos for a few days, and had spent most my time with Jace or with Lindsay in her makeshift lab. Socializing hadn’t been too high on my list of priorities.

“In his room, talking with Jasreel,” I said calmly.

“He should be out here with us,” the man shot back, blue eyes blazing.

“Maybe he should,” I said. “But I’m not his keeper. I’m just looking for Lauren.”

The man grumbled something. At the same time, to my relief, I saw Lauren step out of the crowd and come toward me, her djinn partner Dani stumbling along behind her. This was the first time I’d really had a chance to study his features, although I’d met him briefly before. There was something in the shape of his mouth and his brows that recalled Zahrias, although in a gentler, kinder-looking arrangement. This djinn would have been a lot less scary to find on your doorstep, telling you that you were his Chosen.

At the moment, though, he just looked ill, eyes shadowed, breathing labored. I hated that they all had to go through this, but, as I’d pointed out to Zahrias, death was a lot worse than discomfort. And more final.

“Zahrias needs me?” Lauren asked.

I stepped closer to her and lowered my voice, since I really didn’t want the whole crowd listening in. “Have you heard anything about the group that went out hunting earlier? Aidan and Martine and Clay? They might have been — well, I’m not sure they were close enough for the device to have protected them.”

In an echo of my own gesture from a few minutes before, Lauren’s hand went to her mouth. “Shit.
Shit.
No, I’d — well, I’d completely forgotten, what with everything that’s been happening.” She glanced back at Dani, whose shoulders went up infinitesimally. I didn’t know if that was all the comment he was willing to make on the subject, or whether he simply didn’t have the energy to give a larger shrug. “But they always check in with me when they come back, so I know they’re not here.”

“Shit” was right. Aidan was the only one of the group I knew beyond attaching a face to a name, but I liked him. And even if I didn’t, there had already been enough death, enough people lost. Even three more was too many.

“If we go to look for them — ” I began, but Lauren shook her head.

“We can’t. It’s not safe.”

And that was the worst part of it. The best we were able to figure, the device could only protect an area of about one square mile. It had to stay here in Taos where it could do the most good. For all I knew, the rogue djinn were lurking right there on the periphery of its field of effect, just waiting for someone to step over the line.

Jace would never allow me to take such a risk. Aside from that, I knew I wasn’t brave enough to attempt that kind of stunt. Anyway, sacrificing myself on a hopeless mission wouldn’t help anyone, least of all the people I was trying to save.

“So…what? We just sit here and wait?”

Dani spoke for the first time then. His voice was almost as deep as Zahrias’, but softer, not as harsh around the edges. “What else can we do? This demon device you’ve brought among us is the only thing protecting us. To leave this resort would certainly mean your death.”

I was a little startled by the compassion in his voice. True, I’d already noted a number of differences between him and his brother, but even so, I hadn’t expected him to be that concerned about a Chosen woman who wasn’t his.

“Jace would never let you risk yourself like that,” Lauren added.

As much as I wanted to argue with her, I knew she was right. Hell, he hadn’t even wanted me to put myself in harm’s way while trying to rescue
him
. So no way would he let me go running off to save a group of people I barely knew.

“I hate this,” I muttered, and to my surprise, Lauren reached out and laid a hand on my arm.

“I know. We all do. We’re all scared, and worried, and — ”

Evony’s voice cut into the conversation. “I’ll go.”

Startled, I glanced away from Lauren and Dani to see that Evony had approached us while we were talking, and was standing a foot or so away. Her face was stony, blank, and it was obvious that she had been addressing Lauren, not me.

Lauren seemed to recognize that as well, because she said, “Evony, it’s way too dangerous.”

A lift of her shoulders. “So what? It’s not like I have all that much to live for.”

I couldn’t help myself, even though I knew I should be staying out of this. “That’s not true — ”

“Isn’t it?” Evony looked back over at Lauren, effectively shutting me down. “Anyway, none of you get to tell me what to do. You’re not in charge here.”

“No, but I am,” said Zahrias, his voice cutting through our conversation. I’d been so focused on Evony that I hadn’t even seen him arrive. Jace stood next to him, equally grim-faced.