Rout of the Dem-Shyr (The Ascendant Series) (28 page)

“No!” she screamed. “Ty!”

It was no use. The tunnel dragged her back into the darkness.

The roar returned. The pressure amplified. Each voice sliced at her mind until she could no longer remember who she was.

Until she no longer cared.

Kyr!

The name echoed. It stood out from the others.

Kyr! Come back to us. Please!

There was so much fear in that tone. So much love.

Her mind responded, clinging to that thought like a drowning person to a lifeline. Rather than the lifeline pulling her to safety, though, she dragged him into the tunnel with her.

Shit!
the lifeline cursed.

The thundering voices subsided. Her own thoughts gradually returned to her.

Kyr!

This time, the lifeline sounded panicked. She was dragging him in too deeply. She had to let him go.

Harnessing her abilities, she gathered the energy to shove the lifeline free. The moment she did, she felt lighter, as though a burden had been shared. Her head stopped pounding. She started remembering.

Vycor. The Guardians. Sem. Gren.

Ty.

Her eyes popped open. Her pulse beat rapidly, as though she’d just run a race. For a moment, she felt like she was an observer outside her own body. Her consciousness floated, seeing her lying on a strange bed, nearly as waxen as one of the corpses she had just seen in her mind. Sem was on the ground next to the bed. Gren was beside him, trying to rouse him. Fear gave her another jolt as she pieced together what had just happened.

Sem had been the lifeline.

The part of her that hovered like an observer suddenly slammed back into Kyr. She sat up so fast the room spun. Air filled her lungs in deep drags.

Kyr!
Gren stood, pulling Sem to his feet.
Damn it…what happened?

Seeing that Sem was alive brought tears to her eyes. She wanted to scramble off the bed and pull him into a hug, but her body still felt like it was being inhabited by a stranger.

That’s okay,
Sem thought.
I appreciate the thought, though.

Her eyes widened. He had picked up on her thought without her consciously sending it to him, just like Ty used to. She studied him more closely. His face was nearly as white as hers. His eyes, usually a soft golden brown, looked a shade lighter. They burned with a peculiar light.

She had shared some of Ty’s abilities with him.

It was the only way,
he thought.
Your mind was nearly obliterated, Kyr. As strong as you are, all of these abilities originate in the brain, which can only hold so much
.

Seriously, what’s going on?
Gren asked, looking between them.

He couldn’t hear her and Sem because they weren’t projecting their thoughts. It really was just like the bond she had shared with Ty.

Ty!

She used what energy she had to scoot towards the side of the bed.
Sorry, Gren
, she thought.
Sem saved my life. I had to give him some of the
Dem-Shyr’s
abilities because I couldn’t control them. It was too much when combined with my own
.

Kyr, stop trying to get off the bed,
Gren warned her, touching her shoulder to stop her from sliding off the mattress.
You’ve dangerously exhausted yourself. You have to rest.

I can’t, Gren. Ty’s in danger. I’m going after him.

Damn it, Kyr! Keep your stubborn backside right there,
Gren ordered. Turning to Sem, he gave him an irritated look.
Don’t let her get up. In fact, you look only marginally better than she does. Sit with her.

He seems pissed,
Sem thought as Gren marched out of the room.

He’ll be fine. He’s just worried about us.

She started to disregard Gren’s order and edged towards the floor. She had to get to Ty. Where the hell were they, anyway?

One of the palace guest rooms
, Sem answered.
It was the only option to avoid Vycor. He and the other Mynders are searching the palace for the person who drugged and drained Shaya
.

He gave her a light shove that returned her right back to the middle of the bed. Before she could complain, he climbed on after her. His thoughts ran through her mind as he sat beside her. He was profoundly relieved she was still alive. He wondered if he really did look as beat up as she did. He wished the two of them were doing much more than sitting on the bed, even if she did look weird with orange hair.

Her gaze moved to him.
You’re going to have to work on controlling those kinds of thoughts until we can give Ty his abilities back.

He shrugged.
I can’t control how I feel about you, Kyr. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but it is what it is.

She wished it was otherwise, but there was nothing either of them could do about it.
Sem, thank you for doing that. I know you didn’t intend for me to funnel Ty’s abilities to you. I had no idea I was doing it. But I think this is a blessing in disguise.

They both looked at the door as Gren returned. He was carrying a tray bearing three bowls with steam rising from them. Kyr started to say that she didn’t want to take time to eat when Ty needed her, but Gren silenced her with a sharp look.

What do you mean, blessing in disguise?
Sem thought.

Gren handed each of them bowls and took his own. He sat on Kyr’s other side, stretching his long legs in front of him.

Blessing?
he prompted.

Giving up on trying to escape for the moment, Kyr sipped the broth in the bowl.
I was telling Sem that him having a portion of Ty’s abilities is a blessing in disguise. I’ve been worried about how we could go and rescue Ty and still keep an eye on what’s happening here at the palace. My ability to connect with you and Sem is limited by distance. Now that he has some of Ty’s abilities, though, he’s in part of my mind. Distance won’t matter. He can be our eyes and ears here while we’re in the Dark Lands.

You can’t possibly think to leave me behind while you guys run off to save my cousin,
Sem argued.
That’s bullshit
.

It’s perfect
, Gren countered.
Kyr’s exactly right. You’re already in a position to stick close to Vycor and the Guardians. Vycor still thinks he has a hold over you. You can help us from the inside.

Kyr felt Sem’s conflicting emotions. Part of him wanted to argue, but the rest of him knew they were right. Rather than offer him more words, she experimented with sending him reassuring thoughts. It was the right thing to do.

That was rather manipulative of you
, Sem thought, but there was no venom in it.

She felt guilty until she thought of the vision she had of Ty in that chamber. She thought of the deadly intent of the two males making their way to him. Had it been a dream? A premonition? A vision of something happening across the planet?

It was absolutely killing her not to know. Not to have any idea if he was all right.

If he was dead, it would destroy her.

I’m sorry, Kyr
, Sem conveyed, telling her he had felt what she did. And it had rocked him.
Really sorry. Shit. I didn’t know…anyway, I’ll stay here. When do you want to go?

Taking a deep breath, she looked at Gren. He frowned, but seemed to know what she was thinking. Giving her a look, he tipped back the bowl to finish his broth. Knowing it was what he wanted, she did the same thing. Then she looked at Sem.

“Right now,” she said out loud. “Let’s go get him.”

Chapter 36

Kyr’s scream woke him.

Ty’s eyes flew open at the sound. His heart rocketed in his chest, pounded in his ears. She had sounded so close. So real.

“I’m tellin’ ya, he ain’t alone. I heard a woman’s scream.”

Orran
.

Ty hauled himself to his feet. The pain that had knocked him unconscious had receded. Either his healing abilities had kicked in during his period of unconsciousness or the adrenaline spiking through his veins kept him from feeling it.

He reached for his weapon just as Orran and Barto finished their descent. By the time they turned to face him, he had his weapon leveled at chest height. Unfortunately, they both had their weapons drawn, too.

“Well, well, well,” Barto said in a tinny voice that echoed. “I wondered if ya might survive, considerin’ how ya healed after yer arrival the other day. Judgin’ by the condition of yer gear, ya made it ta the Gift.”

Ty knew then that he had been set up. He’d suspected it before he lost consciousness, but their presence and Barto’s words confirmed it.

His gaze moved to the ropes Barto and Orran had used to descend. Reider had to be at the top of the hole on the rover. Ty looked back at the two males with their weapons aimed at him and made a decision. He put his weapon away.

Look at me, he conveyed through the move. I’m no threat.

“I didn’t make it all the way to the Gift,” he lied. “I’m out of air. The poison was too potent without ventilation. But if you give me a fresh canister, I know I can get to the Gift. I can get as much as you want.”

“He’s lyin’,” Orran sneered.

“Look,” Ty said, lifting his hands in a further sign of passivity, “I don’t want to be indebted to you. I just want to go on my way. You give me the air, I get you the Gift, we call ourselves square and part ways. Reider already told me how valuable it is, so don’t pretend my offer doesn’t interest you.”

“Barto—”

“Shut up, Orran,” Barto snapped. “Go back up and get the spare air canister we keep on board.”

“But—”

“Now, damn it!”

Ty kept his gaze on Barto as Orran cursed and turned to climb back up the rope. Unlike on the climb down, he had to strap his weapon to his back so both of his hands were free. Ty registered that without breaking eye contact with Barto. He kept his hands up and away from his sides to show that he was no threat.

Then he waited.

He and Barto stared at each other in silence as Orran started up the rope. Ty knew the sickly man’s strength was questionable. He’d never make it all the way up without some kind of assistance.

Sure enough, he made it less than twenty feet up before the cursing started. Ty finally looked away from Barto, his eyes shifting up to Orran as if concerned the man was about to fall. Barto instinctively followed Ty’s gaze.

It took Ty less than two seconds to disarm Barto and knock him unconscious with his own weapon.

“Son of a—”

“You might as well come back down, Orran,” Ty said calmly as he aimed Barto’s weapon up at him. “We both know you’ll never make it to the top.”

Orran cursed repeatedly, but he eased back down the rope. When he stood at the bottom, he made a fumbling grab for his weapon.

Ty dropped him with a single blow. Thinking of Hope, he used his fist instead of his weapon.

He disarmed both males in case they regained consciousness before he climbed to the top. Then he grabbed a rope and started up.

His years of training came to his aid. The pain was starting to return, filling his lungs with waves of heated agony. Every movement felt like his joints were about to snap. It was all about mind over matter, though. He’d survived worse.

Before too long, he was at the top. He wasn’t sure what might be awaiting him, so he hauled himself out and rolled away from the grate as fast as he could, removing his weapon as he did. By the time he came to a stop, he was lying on his belly with his weapon aimed up at a stunned-looking Reider standing on the rover.

“They made me do it!” Reider declared, holding his hands high. “I swear, I didn’t want to. Barto said he’d haul me out to Marauder territory and leave me there if I didn’t go along with his plan. He would’ve done it, too.”

Ty got to his feet, but he didn’t lower his weapon. “You’re going to give me the spare air canister and then you’ll take me to the mine. What you do from there is up to you, but I’ll let you know that Barto and Orran are still alive down there.”

“B-but I can’t drive the rover,” Reider stammered.

“I can.”

“No, I mean Barto programmed it so only he can drive. I don’t know the code to operate it. If anyone but him tries to drive it, the rover will be disabled.”

Ty considered this. He didn’t know enough about mechanics to feel comfortable trying to override the security measure.

“I’ll give you what I can,” Reider insisted, filling the silence. His high pitch said that he thought Ty was debating whether or not to kill him.

“Air,” Ty repeated.

“Yes, sir.”

Suddenly feeling ancient, Ty approached the rover as Reider hurried to get the spare canister. He thought again of the several young people he had seen out here and wondered how the Guardians could possibly be okay with that. Of course, they had hardly held any affection for their own daughter. Why should they care about anyone else?

It surprised him to think of Kyr without it causing him uncontainable anguish. His mind went back to the scream he had heard. Orran had heard it, too. Had he somehow generated the sound with whatever abilities the Guardians had inadvertently left him?

Had he projected the scream that Kyr hadn’t been able to voice as he killed her?

Now, the pain hit him. He shook his head at himself as Reider walked over with the canister. He should have known better than to think about it.

“Move to the middle of the rover and put your hands up,” Ty told Reider, who shifted to do what he said.

Ty made quick work of replacing his air canister, watching Reider closely in case he needed to go for his weapon. Reider stood as still as a stature, though, making no move to try and stop him.

“I do want you to find the mine,” Reider said as though he had read Ty’s mind. “I want the people who killed my sister brought to justice.”

Considering Reider’s words, Ty adjusted his mask and reached for his weapon. He tried them out in his head.