Incubus (83 page)

clanging together. It gave me the creeps. Max glanced down the hallway leading to the basement, then

back at Lucas. “You might want to crash at Murphy’s tonight, too.”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Gretchen?” Lucas started, trying to push into the house. “Where’s Gretchen?!”

“She’s fine. But we’re all a little busy right now.” Max turned to the two guards with a stern look.

“Just get them out of here.” Without another word to us, he disappeared down the basement stairs.

“Something’s wrong.” I strained to see past the guards. “Is someone hurt?”

“Not yet,” one of the guards said. The other one smirked.

I felt my blood run cold. “What does that mean?”

The guards exchanged a glance. “Sorry,” the taller one said. “Orders are to send you to Murphy’s.”

“This is my house,” Lucas snapped. “You can’t send me away.”

“Lucas, do as they ask.” Dad entered from the living room, looking haggard. His eyes found mine.

Something
was
going on—something he didn’t want me to see. “You shouldn’t be here for this. I’ll

come home as soon as I can.”

Lucas looked consumed by curiosity, but he couldn’t say no to my dad. Seth, Lucas, and I left

together, walking across the yard into my house in silence.

When we reached my living room, Seth voiced the question I was thinking. “Do you think they

caught the incubus?”

“No way,” Lucas said. “They’d have said something. Whatever they’ve got in the basement, they

don’t want us to know about it.” He looked at me askance.

“Lucas,” I breathed. With a sickening twist of fear, I pictured Karayan, broken and bleeding on the

basement floor, ringed around by Guardsmen. “What if it’s Karayan?”

Lucas’s lips tightened. He didn’t like Karayan, but she’d saved all our lives the night Ais had died.

And whatever he might feel for her, he didn’t like the thought of her at the mercy of the Guardsmen

any more than I did.

“Who’s Karayan?” Seth asked.

Lucas and I looked at one another, searching for the right answer. After a moment, I turned to

Seth. “A friend.” I glanced back at Lucas. He nodded. “I have to know, Lucas.”

Lucas blanched. “You can’t go over there.”

“If I cloaked myself—?”

“No,” Lucas said, catching my hand. “Even if they don’t have a spotter over there—” He

swallowed, looking sick. “You’re not going to be able to get her out. You’ll just get yourself—” He

stopped. But I didn’t need to hear the words to know what he was thinking.

“You guys think—you think they’re going to kill someone?” Seth asked.

“We don’t even know if it’s her they’ve got,” Lucas said.

“I’m going to find out.” I turned my thoughts to Karayan, composing my mind.

I could feel the barrier between physical reality and dream reality like a shifting curtain. I closed

my eyes and pictured pushing against it, meaning to step into the dream to find her. Instead, I felt

myself divide into a physical Braedyn and a dream Braedyn, both tied together by my consciousness.

It was a uniquely disorienting feeling - I felt like I was halfway between realities. I could sense my

body, even as I watched it from outside. And - from this
in-between
perspective - I could also see the

vast darkness of the universal dream, swirling with the pinpoints of billions of minds, some awake,

some asleep.

I sensed Karayan in my conscious mind, and
felt
her notice me. Suddenly we were together in this

in-between space.

Braedyn?

Karayan? Is that you?

You called me,
I felt her exasperation through our connection.
I wasn’t aware you could drunk dial

via telepathy.

I breathed out in a rush, my body giving voice to my amazement. Seth and Lucas looked at me.

“What? What is it?” Lucas asked.

“I’m talking to her right now,” I said.

“Talking?” Lucas gaped at me. I held up a finger. It took all my concentration to maintain the

connection.

Are you okay?
I asked Karayan.

Yeah... are you okay?
There was a slightly mocking tone to her voice, but I didn’t care.

“She’s okay,” I told the guys. Lucas’s face eased, and I felt a surge of warmth toward him.

Is there a point to this little tête-à-tête?
Karayan’s impatience was almost palpable.

The Guardsmen captured someone,
I explained.
We were afraid it was you.

You’re checking up on me?
I felt Karayan’s surprise through our link. And, more than that, I could

feel that she was moved by my concern.

Not that it makes us BFFs or anything,
I said. And through our link, I could feel Karayan’s soft

chuckle.
But if they don’t have you,
I asked,
who could it be? Are there any other Lilitu here?

I felt a hesitation, sensed that Karayan knew something and was debating whether or not she

wanted to tell me. Finally, I felt her give a resigned sigh.
Not yet.

That sounds ominous,
I replied.

The Lilitu know the final battle is coming sooner rather than later. Like, a lot sooner. And Puerto

Escondido is ground zero. In fact, now might be a good time to pack up all your little Guard friends

and get the hell out of town.

Nice try, but we’ve got some unfinished business here.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

How many are coming?

I don’t know,
Karayan replied. A lot.

When you say a lot, what are we talking? 10? 50?

You’re not ready for this,
Karayan answered grimly.
Almost all of the Lilitu in this world are

gearing up for war. That’s got to be over 200.

200?
I felt my breath rush out of my lungs sharply. Lucas and Seth watched me with concern, but I

shook my head. I needed to finish this conversation.

200 on this side of the seal,
Karayan corrected.
There could be thousands on the other side, lining

up for the moment that thing pops open.
For a long moment, my mind was too numb to form a

response. I felt Karayan’s worry.
Braedyn? You still there?

We can’t fight that many,
I told her, feeling faint.

Yeah.
I felt her smile humorlessly.
I believe I’ve already said something to that effect.

I closed my eyes, steeling myself against the panic that threatened to overwhelm me.
Be careful,
I

urged.
The Guard is coming here, too. They’ll be stepping up patrols. If you don’t want to end up in

their basement, you need to stay out of sight.

What about you?
she asked. For once, there was no snarky edge to her voice.
What are you going

to do when those spotters get to town? Because, if memory serves, keeping a pet Lilitu is kind of one of

the Guard’s big no-nos. And you’re not going to be able to hide from them, living right next door.

I trust Hale,
I said.

I can’t say I share your faith in the Guard.
But then she added, grudgingly,
Though, if they’re

smart, they’ll recognize what a powerful ally they have in you.

Karayan, you could join us,
I started.

No.

So you’re on their side?
I couldn’t keep the judgment out of my thoughts, but if Karayan sensed it,

she didn’t seem to care.

I’m on my side,
she said.
Perfectly content with my seat on this fence.

So what’s the plan? Just wait the battle out, see who wins?

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

You’re going to have to pick a side eventually.

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree about that,
she said.
Take care of yourself, Braedyn.

I released the connection, letting my consciousness flood back into physical reality. Karayan’s

presence faded from my mind. Lucas and Seth waited on pins and needles. I wished I had better news

for them.

Dad came home the next morning to find us slumped on the couch, asleep. We’d tried to wait up for

him, finally passing out sometime after two o’clock. I’d fallen into a dreamless sleep. It was rare, but

it gave my mind a chance to rest.

Dad didn’t look like he’d had any sleep. He gathered us into the dining room. We sat around the

table, rubbing our eyes.

“They caught the Thrall,” Dad said.

Lucas and I traded a look, suddenly awake.

“What—what did she say?” Seth asked. “Did she tell you who the incubus is?”

“She was a Thrall,” Dad said gently. “She didn’t say much.”

“What about Gretchen? Could she sense any kind of connection between the Thrall and whoever

turned her?” Lucas asked.

Dad shook his head, solemn. “It seems like Thane was right. Incubi seem to operate on a

different...
frequency
than regular Lilitu.”

“But—you were gone all night,” I said, stunned. “Didn’t you learn anything from her at all?”

“Yes. We learned two things.” Dad took a moment to compose himself. “Seth, the first thing we

managed to get out of her—this Thrall was the one who killed your mom. There’s no doubt in our

minds now, the incubus was behind Angela’s death.”

Seth stared at Dad. It didn’t come as a surprise to us, but hearing the confirmation of our

suspicions still hurt. He cleared his throat. “Did she say why?”

“Yeah. That’s the second thing we learned.” Dad folded his hands. It almost looked like he was

getting ready to pray. “For the last several years, Angela’s been researching rumors of a mythical

weapon. That research led her to the story about the incubus who attacked the mission all those

centuries ago.”

Seth’s hands tightened on the edge of the couch with every word Dad spoke. “Yeah, that weird

knife. She was obsessed with it for a while. But, I don’t understand. What does that have to do with

—?”

“We think the incubus is here for that weapon. We think he believes it is the one way to secure

victory for the Lilitu. And Angela was the only human alive who knew where it was hidden.”

Five days left until the solstice, and we were no closer to finding the incubus than we’d been the day

Angela had first told us about him.

That afternoon, after they’d recovered from their grueling night, I told Dad, Hale, and Gretchen

about the conversation I’d had with Karayan. They listened to me carefully, sitting around our dining

room table. I could see the fear gripping each of them as I related what Karayan had told me. 200

Lilitu on this side of the seal, untold numbers on the other side. All waiting for someone to open the

seal so they could flood into this world and reclaim what they saw as their birthright. And yet, even

after I’d explained everything, the Guard still wouldn’t agree that the ritual—our only known chance

of keeping that seal closed—was the right move.

“We have to wait for Clay,” Dad insisted.

“For how much longer?” I asked, exasperated.

“The solstice isn’t for another five days. We can wait a little while longer,” Dad said.