The Sacrifice (34 page)

“
Why would he come with guards and not Protectors?”

“
I don’
t think they were around when I called. He said something about
going back to get them.”

Iggy,
Cy
’
s in trouble. I need you to call my father. If
you can
’
t reach him you
’
ll need to call my mother or my friend Elle. They can find the
Protectors. But, I have to be sure Cy
’
s all right
first. Can you come inside and try to find him? Then, come to my room so I can
write the numbers down for you. While you
’
re waiting to
get inside, try listening to the guards and see if they mention Cygan. And
Iggy, please be careful.”

“Not
to worry, Riana. I can do this in my sleep.”
Iggy launched
himself off the window sill.

Iggy
perched on a branch near the gatehouse entrance. Vind
’
s
men were moving around the grounds, searching for someone. The only ones
stationary were two at the gate and two at the front door.

One of the feeders at the door
clutched his side and grimaced. Iggy flew to the roof and sat directly above
them to listen.

“You need to go upstairs and let the
doctor take a look at those ribs,” one of them said.

The
injured guy groaned. “I think they
’
re just bruised. If I
feed, they
’
ll be okay in a couple of hours. Then I
’
m
going down there and break every bone in that asshole
’
s
body.”

“You
don
’
t have to expend the energy,” the other guy
replied. “Soren is down there working him over right now. He
’
ll
be in a coma when Soren gets through.”

 Iggy
remained on the roof listening for Cy
’
s name, but it never
came. Before long the vibration of heavy footsteps headed toward the door. Iggy
shifted into fly form and got ready to go through when it opened.

He froze in mid-air when the bald
feeder stepped outside and closed the door behind him. He could have gutted a
deer and been less bloody. If it belonged to Cy, he was in big trouble.

Stupid—Stupid—Stupid,
he chanted, peeved for missing his chance to get inside.
I have to get down there and see whose blood
that is.

He flew up to the gables of the
castle, searching for a crack between the mortar and stone. He found a small
chink leading into the attic. Once inside, he shifted into a rat to chew his
way into a heating duct. Iggy chewed, then followed and chewed some more, until
he reached the elevator shaft. He changed back into a fly and flew down the
shaft until the scent of blood saturated the air.

Iggy
followed the odor through the cells. He came to an abrupt halt when a limp,
bloody body hung from manacles attached to the wall. He sniffed at the
unrecognizable form, detecting Cy
’
s scent through the sharp metallic odor.

“
Cy, Cy, Cy,”
he screamed, telepathically. No
response. He was unconscious.

What
am I going to tell Riana? If I tell her how bad he is, she
’
ll lose it for sure. I have to try and help him.

Iggy
left his body and dissolved into a fine mist. He needed to enter Cy
’
s
body and mend the worst of the wounds. But he
’
d never tried to heal
someone with wounds this severe. Once when his brother
’
s
leg was injured in a bear trap, and he
’
d been motivated by
the fear of losing the only person who
’
d ever shown him
kindness. But Cy
’
s case was much worse.

The
largest amount of blood oozed from a deep wound in Cy
’
s
abdomen. Iggy started the tedious process of knitting the tissue together.
After what seemed like hours, exhaustion began to inhibit his ability to
maintain his current form. He left Cy
’
s body and reformed
into his natural state. Although the bullet needed to be pushed from Cy
’
s
leg, Iggy had to reserve enough energy to fly back to town and call for help.
Afterward, he would come back and repair more injuries.

He
changed and flew back through the elevator shaft, then followed the vent system
to Riana
’
s room.
“
Riana
.”

“Iggy, where are you?”

“
Up here, in the vent. Will you get me something to cover up with and
put it in your bathroom?”

After Riana left the bathroom, Iggy
flew inside and changed to his natural form. A pink satin robe lay on the
vanity. He slipped it on, and then grabbed a tissue to spit into.

“What
’
s
wrong, are you sick?” Riana asked as he entered the bedroom.

“No, I have insulation in my teeth.
That stuff makes my tongue itch.”

“Did you find Cy?”

Iggy
hesitated. What good would it do to tell her the extent of Cy
’
s
wounds. “I found him. He
’
s in a cell in the dungeon.”

“Do you think you can get him out of
there?”

“I
can
’
t do it alone. He
’
s unconscious, and
there are two guards.”

Riana paled at his news. “What have
they done to him?”

“It
looked like he
’
d been beaten.”

If
I wasn
’
t such a weakling, I could
’
ve helped him more. The same way I couldn
’
t help my brother when he died, Iggy thought.

“It
’
s
okay, Iggy.” She shoved a piece of paper in his hand. “I need you to take these
numbers and make the calls. We can
’
t do this without help.
When you reach someone, tell them to hurry before Vind kills Cy.”

Sadness
consumed Riana, as if someone covered her with a veil of despair. “I
’
m
sorry I couldn
’
t get him out,” Iggy said. “I promise to find the
Protectors. Please don
’
t be sad.”

“I
’
m just
worried about him. You have
nothing
to be sorry for, Iggy. None of this
is your fault.” She took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. “I want
you to know how thankful I am to you for helping Lily. For that alone, I will
never
be able to repay you.”

Iggy
looked at the floor, hiding behind a mass of curls covering his eyes. “You
never have to. I care about you both. No longer than I
’
ve
known you and Lily, you
’
ve treated me more like family than my real family
ever did. That means more than any amount of money.”

Tears
magnified Riana
’
s eyes and she drew him into a tight hug. A lump
formed in Iggy
’
s throat. No one had ever held him like that. No
one.

“We care about you too,” she
whispered. “You
are
part of our family now. And I promise you, that will never
change.” She pulled back and wiped her eyes. Do you still have money stashed to
make the calls?”

Iggy nodded.

“Okay,
be careful going in and out of here, but keep trying the numbers until you
reach someone. Make sure to explain everything that
’
s
happened and where we
’
re located.”

“I
will, Riana.” Iggy headed back into the bathroom. “Don
’
t
worry, I
’
ll be back soon.”

***

Vind
transported to a coastal town seventy miles from his castle. Before leaving
home, his generals had all reported in with good news. The body count of
Protectors was rapidly climbing. With Cy already in custody, Vind could almost
taste victory. He only had a few stops before proceeding with tonight
’s plans.

He walked to the edge of town where an
old house sat on a heavily wooded hillside. A young woman with dark hair sat in
a swing on the large, wrap-around porch. As she noticed him coming up the walk,
her movements stopped. To her credit, she stayed seated.

“Henley,” Vind greeted. “I have need
of your services.”

She
hesitated before speaking, her large brown eyes searching his. “I told you the
last time you forced me to help with one of your causes, I
’
m
not yours to use any time you like.”

It
would be so much easier if he could control her mind. But Sivadians couldn
’
t
enter someone
’
s mind with preternatural abilities. “Oh, my dear,
you are wrong. You are mine to use as I see fit.” Vind turned a threatening eye
on the house, but kept his tone pleasant. “Where is your lovely little sister?”

Her
dark eyes cut toward him and her chin raised a fraction. “I sent her away,
someplace you
’
ll never find her. When she returns, her powers
will be as strong as mine. You
’
ll not be able to touch her.”

“Henley,”
he said in a chiding tone. “
I
don’
t have to touch
 
either
of you in order to cause harm.”

Her face reddened. “What is it you
want?”

“Only
a light spell to make someone believe that I
’
m another. They must
also take whatever I say as truth. If you value the lives of everyone around
you, it will be an infallible spell, one with no mistakes.”

She regarded him with distrusting
eyes. “If I do this, your kind must leave this town and everyone in it alone.”

“I
didn
’
t break my word last time, did I? The citizens of
this town will remain off limits to my people. But only if you succeed.”

Henley
released a long sigh. “I
’
ll need an hour to get the necessary ingredients.”

“Perfect,” Vind replied. “I have a
couple of thing to do in town. I’ll return for you in an hour.”

The woman disappeared inside the
house.

Vind
left to find a barber shop in town. He went inside and planted an image of Cy
’
s
hair in the barber
’
s mind. Vind removed the band from his shoulder
length hair, and the barber started cutting.

Twenty
minutes later, Vind looked in the mirror. Except for the dark color of his
eyes, he favored his twin more than he realized. He
’
d
worn his hair longer since they were kids. When he
’
d
had enough of being compared to Cy to last a lifetime. Cutting it now was only
putting him one step closer to his ultimate goal. Vind paid the barber and left
a substantial tip for a job well done.

As Vind strolled down the street, he
turned his face to the darkening sky and smiled. All his plans were falling in
place. He only had one thing left to do before retrieving the witch. Find some
blue contacts.