Fury Rising (Fury Unbound Book 1) (33 page)

Oh hell, that meant somebody was coming for whomever was inside and I had a feeling I knew whom. I jumped over the rocks, hiding behind them. The last thing I needed was an encounter with another god of the Crossroads. Especially if it was—

A movement cut my thoughts short.

A tall—incredibly tall—man strode into the center. He was dark skinned, but his skin was almost translucent, and his long black hair, a swirl of tiny braids, fell to his shoulders. His eyes gleamed sparkling yellow, and he was wearing a black suit with a white shirt, and black and white shoes. Atop his head he wore a tall black top hat with a brilliant red rose on one side. His skull glistened from beneath the skin of his face.

Papa Legba. One of the Crossroads guardians.

As I watched, he squatted by the coffin and pocketed the coins that had been placed atop it. Slowly, he lifted the lid and waited. Another moment, and a vaporous form appeared from inside the coffin. Papa Legba stood, then laughed a deep belly laugh full of danger and delight, and held out one finger. He touched the spirit and it wound itself around him in a misty shroud.

The crowd of people fell to their knees, bowing their heads. Papa Legba tipped his hat to them, laughed again, and turned back to the mists out of which he had stepped. As he entered the cloud, I thought I heard a faint shriek—probably the spirit attached to him—and then they were both gone. The mourners picked up the coffin and began to make their way back the way they had come. This time, they were quiet and somber. As they passed the rocks behind which I was hiding, I couldn’t help but wonder who the spirit was whom they had delivered, and what was going to happen to it. Another moment, and the mourners vanished.

I was about to step out from behind the rocks when a familiar voice echoed from behind me.

“I see you were watching the delivery of one of Papa Legba’s priests?”

“Hecate!” A wave of gratitude sweeping over me, I turned. There she stood, in full robes and with a faint smile on her face. I held out the Thunderstrike. “I got it back. But I was separated from Tam and Jason. I’m worried about them.”

She smiled. “One thing at a time, child. Jason and Tam are waiting for you. But first, please explain to me why you set off an earthquake in Seattle.”

And right then, I realized that I hadn’t managed to shift over fast enough to stop the quake from happening. I could only hope it hadn’t been too strong.

Chapter 25

“I didn’t mean to.
Really.
I grabbed the disk from Lyon. I was trying to get away from his damned fireballs, and I decided the only way to escape with the Thunderstrike was to jump over to the Crossroads. The quake happened just as I shifted. I figure Lyon must have—” I stopped as she held up her hand, her smile crinkling into laughter.

“I shouldn’t tease you. I know what happened, Fury. I was just attempting a little levity.”

Irritated, I scuffed my foot. Her idea of a joke had thrown me into a panic. “Ha-ha. Very funny.”

She sobered. “You’re right, it’s not. But we need any break we can get from the damage and destruction that this device has wrought. You must take it to the Greenlings. They will destroy it. All artifacts from the Weather Wars must go through them first. They log it in, and then consign it into history.”

I stared at her. “
All
the artifacts? There are more like this?”

Hecate gave me a faint nod. “Many. The magicians were skilled, the nations rich and wanting to grow more so. They poured their money into their magical weapons because they had grown far more powerful than the technological ones.”

“Are they all weather related?” I really didn’t want to go through this again.

“Some. Others not. Some are worse—magical weapons of death and destruction. Gaia destroyed a number of them in her wrath during the World Shift, but there are still quite a few unaccounted for, buried deep below the shifting sands.” Hecate let out a long sigh. “We do what we can. I will take you to the ferry so you can take this over to the Greenlings immediately. I am forbidden from setting foot on the Arbortariam, as are any of the gods.”

“I don’t want to go over there alone! And what about Jason and Tam? I have no idea if they’re okay.” I seldom put up a fuss, but right now, I needed to hear that they were alive and unhurt. Or at least, relatively unscathed.

Hecate let out an exasperated sigh. “Fury, we have to get this device under guard. If I transport you to go look for your friends, there’s always the chance that Lyon will manage to steal it back from you.”

“What if you take it for me? Let me go help them, and then I’ll meet you at the temple and you can whisk me away to the Arbortariam.” I held it out to her, pleading.

“Think with your brain rather than your heart, girl. If you go back to the Tunnels, there’s the chance Lyon will be waiting. I can’t afford to risk your life at this stage of the game.” Hecate was starting to look put out and I recognized the fine line between her “
Will you please listen to reason”
and her “
Get the hell in line and do what I say”
mode.

“Can you bring them over to the Crossroads for me?” I finally asked.

“No.” The finality in her voice put an end to the conversation.

I paused, then decided to tell her what I suspected. The gods needed to know. “Hecate, I think Lyon’s a Theosian. I can’t be positive but—”

She looked to one side, as though she didn’t want to answer. Finally, she gave me an abrupt nod. “I know. We know. He’s rogue, Fury. He’s gone off-leash.”

“But who was he pledged to?” For a Theosian to go off-leash was almost unheard of, but when it happened, punishment always followed. That Lyon was running around free didn’t bode well.

“I can’t tell you more, not right now. But yes, he is Theosian. Which means, we aren’t done with him yet. But that will have to be for another day. And don’t tell anyone—not even Jason or Tam—until I give you leave.”

I wanted to press her for more information but she had that look on her face that said, “Don’t push it,” and I didn’t. Abruptly, she vanished without another word.

Queet misted up by my side. “Did you make her angry?”

“Maybe. No. Yes, a little, I guess. I’m good at that, I think. I don’t want her angry with me—it never pays to have one of the Elder Gods pissed at you, especially if they hold your leash. But I don’t know what to do about Jason and Tam—”

Before I could finish my sentence, I felt myself fading from the Crossroads. A dizzying rush hit me as the fog rushed in waves and swallowed me up.

I blinked as I once again staggered, then fell to my knees. I was off the Crossroads and in Hecate’s office in the temple. She was sitting behind her desk, dressed in a black leather pencil skirt and a green V-neck sweater.

“Call your friends. See if they’re okay.”

I pulled out my phone as soon as I dragged myself onto the sofa. Leaning back, my body ached from both the fight and the jump to and from the Crossroads. Luckily, I hadn’t fought an Abom over there, or I’d be passed out on Hecate’s floor by now.

Dialing Jason’s number, I waited, hoping for an answer. If he was still below ground, chances were reception would be spotty. If not, then… But the call went to his messages. Feeling defeated and scared for him, I tried Tam. Same thing.

Hecate was eyeing me soberly. “They’ll be all right, Fury. Trust them. They’re both strong and capable. Now, really, you have to get that disk back to Jerako. I can’t travel over to the island with you, so I’m assigning a couple of my servants to go along. They’ll drive you to the ferry and travel with you. When you get there, they’ll wait until you return to the ferry.”

And with that, I was hustled out the door with a couple of muscle-bound men guarding me, heading back to the Arbortariam.

I was surprised to see that it was early morning when I exited the temple. Not yet dawn, but close. We had been up all night. The second quake, the one I caused, had been a minor tremor, but the city looked far too damaged and wounded from the first for comfort. While it wasn’t leveled, not by any means, and the infrastructure was still standing, everywhere there were signs of debris and damage. It would take a long time cleaning up after this.

The entire trip to the ferry and over the water to the island had me tense and afraid. I was carrying the disk in a plain drawstring sack hung over my shoulder. Nobody would know I had it unless they happened to either grab the satchel and run or it was Lyon or his cronies. But my Trace showed no sign of any Aboms, and Hecate had supplied me with a short-term anti-tracking device so nobody could follow my footsteps.

My thoughts remained firmly with Jason and Tam. I wanted to run off and return to the Tunnels to find them. With a sigh, I gave up and leaned back, closing my eyes. Sometimes, not having control over my own life sucked. Granted, everybody had limitations, but some days, the realization that my life wasn’t my own hit me harder than others. I chafed at the restrictions, but then again, if Hecate were to suddenly free me, I’d have to find a different job. And then I’d just be shackled to somebody else’s whims. Nobody was truly free, when I thought about it.

At the edge of the island, I left my escorts and headed toward the force field. There, I saw Zhan, waiting for me. He bowed low and bade me follow him.

Once past the veil, he glanced over to me. “Your heart is sore and your spirit weary. I can sense these things.”

“I’m worried over Tam and Jason. I haven’t heard from them since I escaped from the Tunnels last night. I’m worried Lyon might have killed them.” I was so tired that I felt tears well up. I groaned. The last thing I needed was to be crying right now—it really didn’t fit my image, but that didn’t seem to matter as the tears spilled over and trickled down my cheeks.

“Poor, beautiful Fury. Let me ease your heart?” The hedgemite drew close and I recognized the same look as Tam had sported on his face when he kissed away the swelling in my hand. I didn’t need any more entanglements, especially not with someone I didn’t know.

I held up my hand. “That’s all right. Thank you, though. I’m just tired. Please tell me I won’t have to wait long for Jerako.”

“We are going to him now. It’s a short walk. Might I suggest you breathe in the fresh air and let it clear your head?”

The snow had hit even here, and the air was bracing. I did as he suggested, breathing out my stress. The very air in the Arbortariam seemed to be healing, and my headache lifted, though I was still exhausted. The sound of the birds echoed faintly around me, and the sky—a pale silvery sheen with blue peeking out—promised a hint of sun. While it was still cold, the temperature felt above freezing and the snow was beginning to melt.

We wound through a short meadow, and then Zhan pointed ahead. There, in the middle of the clearing, stood Jerako. I hurried over to him, wanting to get this over with.

“Hello, young Theosian. You bring me a deadly gift, Hecate says.” Jerako’s cheeks crinkled, the leaves and branches making up his face moving in a most peculiar way. He sounded more gentle than last time. Almost…
caring.

I held out the bag. “The Thunderstrike. I don’t want to be rude, but my friends are missing and I’d like to get back so I can try to find them.”