Lure of Lightning, page 18
I nod in agreement. We shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to leave the palace. At least it was warm there.
“You want to go on a scouting mission?” Thorne asks, peering out towards the border.
“Not while it’s dark. Let’s go check out the hut. There may be a fire we can light.”
Inside, we find a fireplace and a kettle with a few old tin supplies – none of which look appetizing. I light the fire with my magic and Thorne brews us both a strong coffee. An old bunk with moldy-looking covers runs along one wall, but even if we wanted to brave bed bugs and whatever other infestation the bed must be crawling with, neither of us feels like sleeping. Not with Briony out there in the sky, not with the anticipation and the adrenaline pumping through our blood.
Instead, we perch on low wooden stools, hunched by the fire, sipping our drinks.
“Want to explain about the sword?” Thorne asks me.
We both stare down at the weapon spread before our feet. I pick it up by the hilt and spin it on its point, the metal so sharp it carves a mark into the old wooden floor.
“You know how Briony told us that story about how the firestone called to her, pulled her towards it?”
“Yeah, it’s hard to forget a story like that.”
“This sword did the same to me.” He’s quiet, considering my face. I’m not sure he believes me. “It sounds like nonsense, but it did.”
“Just now or–”
“I took Henny to the room. That was the thing she wanted. Her trade for information.”
“That was it!”
“Yeah,” I say. “I can’t quite believe I got off so lightly myself. Anyway, that’s when it happened. The sword is called Thunderstrike. You ever heard of it?” Thorne shakes his head. “The Empress used to use it in battle. It slays demons. I thought that might be handy considering where we’re going.”
Thorne’s dark gaze slides down the blade. “Very useful. I’m assuming you didn’t have permission to take it?”
“No, not exactly,” I confess.
Thorne sips his coffee and I lay the sword down carefully on the floor.
Even now I hear it singing to me, willing me to pick it up again and hold it in my hands.
“Are you angry at me for taking it?” If the Empress punishes me for this, she’s likely to punish Dray and Thorne too.
“No,” he says, “we’re going to need all the help we can get.”
We drink another four cups of coffee as the hours pass and finally a weak light penetrates through the windows and the barren landscape becomes more clear. I stand and walk to the doorway, opening it wide and once again searching beyond the border for any signs of demons. There are none and yet I find it hard to believe we could creep into their lands undetected.
I jog down the hut steps, Thorne behind me, and scan the landscape next, searching for the elite team. They’re due to arrive in the next half an hour and there should be signs of them soon. So far, though, there is nothing.
Thorne prizes open one of the ancient tins with his shadows and cooks the concoction of beans and sausage over the fire. We pass it between us, all the time watching the horizon, waiting for the team to displace into the landscape.
The rendezvous time comes and goes. An hour passes and I finally spot something. A movement right where the sky meets the earth – out towards the west. But soon it’s clear it’s no vehicle. No team of soldiers. It’s a giant creature flapping through the heavens.
Briony.
I look at my watch. Right on time.
“Where the hell are those soldiers?” I mutter, unease in my belly.
“Maybe something happened,” Thorne says, “maybe they didn’t get the order.”
I shake my head, plunging my hands into my pockets as the dragon nears.
“No,” I say, “they’re not coming.”
“Why?”
“Something must have happened. Another demon attack perhaps,” I say, feeling the blood plunge to my feet and for the first time I consider that Fly and Dray’s mother might be correct.
Without that team of soldiers, this mission is a death trap.
One we’re going to have to walk right into because there is no way Briony is going to agree to wait any longer.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Fox
It’s been three days since I’ve eaten and my hollow stomach moans in agony, desperate for the tiniest drop of blood. My fangs tingle desperately with the need to sink them into warm flesh. And my mouth is bone dry, my lips beginning to chap as I slide my rough tongue over them.
My arms are numb with pain, my back sore, the ground bitterly cold beneath me and the wounds slicing over my battered body still raw and weeping.
Above me, Veronica leans against the far wall, silently surveying me, neither of us talking.
We’re out somewhere in the lands inhabited by the demons, beyond the safety of our realm’s border. No human could survive out here – they’d be ripped to pieces by the hordes of demons that haunt here – and I wonder how Veronica is feeding. She must be because her cheeks are rosy, her stomach ever so slightly rounded and clearly full.
I close my eyes, trying to think of anything but how desperate I am to eat.
“Remember the first time we hunted together, darling?” she says above the ghoulish squawks from above us, as if she’s seen inside my mind. She laughs. “You were so eager. So ravenous. We stalked that man together, remember? Through the shadows. He didn’t see us coming. He put up a good enough fight, though, gave us our evening’s entertainment, and when I offered you up his throat, you ripped it out completely.” She laughs again and the memory of that evening floats hauntingly into my mind.
Blood, so much blood. Veronica’s chin caked in it, our fingers sticky with it, our mouths full of it. She’d smeared it over her skin and I’d licked it off her ravenously.
We were monsters.
Veronica still is.
“What do you hope to achieve by keeping me here, Veronica?” I say, my throat as dry as my mouth and my voice cracking as I speak.
“For you to realize the error of your ways, darling, and come back to me.”
“Even if I did, it would never be the same. I am no longer the boy you fooled, that you seduced, that you abused.”
“Abused you, darling? How did I abuse you? I saved you from that slum Quarter. I gave you powers and opportunities. Stars, Fox, I gave you immortality. I gave you everything anyone could wish for.”
“You took advantage of me,” I say. “You showed me a glimpse of what you were, but never the full picture. You never said how lonely it would be, how cold and how cruel.”
“After a decade or two, you get used to it.”
“I never will. I will never be like you. And I don’t want to live forever.” I couldn’t bear to be without Briony. I’d rather die.
Veronica steps closer to me. “You know, Fox darling, you never once asked me how I was turned. Do you realize that? Not once! Did you just assume I was born like this?”
My gaze flicks up to hers and her eyes glow in the gloom.
“How were you turned, Veronica?” I ask her.
“By a man who promised me the world. Who promised me everything. He took advantage of me, Fox. And then when he grew bored, he left me. Just like that. As if everything that had passed between us, meant nothing at all. I won’t leave you, Fox, and I won’t let you leave me.”
“What happened to him? The man?”
“Why, I killed him of course.” She smiles at me but it’s false and I swear I see something flicker across her eyes.
I should have killed Veronica when I had the chance, when I found out about what she’d done to Briony. I should have taken my opportunity then and be damned with the consequences.
My stomach growls again, betraying how ravenous I am.
“Are you hungry, darling? Would you like me to bring you some food? Something young and fresh, pretty maybe? We know you like pretty.”
“I’m not hungry. Not for that.”
“How long do you think a vampire can last without feeding?” she asks me, making out like she’s going to count on her fingers. I scowl at her. “The last one lasted five days. By the fourth he was begging and wailing and clawing his eyes out in desperation. It was such fun to watch. Some last a little longer. Some, not so long.” She stares at me. “How long do you think you’ll last, Fox, before you’re begging me to drag a warm body in here and you suck until your teeth ache?”
“Not going to happen,” I croak, unable to stop myself from running my tongue over my lip.
Veronica spots the action and smiles widely. “Always so noble. Maybe I’ll bring you the limp body of that girl. You wouldn’t be able to resist her.”
I lunge my body forward growling at her, struggling against the constraints. It’s no use. I’m too tightly bound and my body even weaker than it was before.
“Well, if you aren’t going to eat, I’ll let them feed instead.”
“No!” I cry out. “Veronica, no!”
But she’s deaf to my pleas, her shadows arcing through the air and calling to the demons that lurk above us. I yank at my constraints all the more frantically, desperately calling to my magic as the demons come swooping towards me, cawing in delight.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Briony
“Where are the soldiers?” Dray asks, sliding from Blaze’s back and landing on the hard icy ground.
I swing my gaze across the barren landscape, dazzled by all the snow, stained golden by the rising sun. There is no one here but Beaufort and Thorne.
“I don’t know,” Beaufort says, “but I don’t think they’re coming.”
“Not coming?” Dray says, eyes flicking to me before he walks close to his bond mates and lowers his voice. “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure,” Beaufort says.
“We should send a message and–”
“No! No more waiting!” I say resolutely, hooking my leg over Blaze’s broad back and follow Dray down to the ground.
Blaze folds in his wings, and tucks in his head, his large golden eyes closing. He’s flown through the night for two days running and I take it he’s grabbing his chance for a cat nap.
“I agree,” Beaufort says, surprising me. “I don’t think there is any point. If the elite team isn’t here, there’ll be a very good reason for it. And that reason could hold them up for days, if not indefinitely.”
We’re all silent for a moment, considering the consequences of this.
“Will the Empress still want us to complete this mission without the other soldiers?” I ask.
“Yes,” Beaufort says, swallowing. “I suspect she’s given us this mission as a challenge,” he hesitates, “and as a punishment.”
“Punishment?” I say, confused.
“You attacked her son–”
“Your brother,” I mutter.
“–and we kept the dragon and your powers hidden from her. But like I said, I also think this is a challenge. She wants to see what we’re capable of.”
“The Empress hasn’t announced her successor yet, Kitten,” Dray explains. “She’s set several of her children these challenges to find a,” he grins, “worthy heir.”
“Has she set Aaron a challenge?” I ask next.
“No,” Beaufort answers.
“She’s probably worked out, he’s more than a lost cause.” Beaufort snorts in agreement.
I’m gathering the politics of the court are complex and confusing. There is no black and white here. Everyone, including the Empress, is playing games. And it looks like I’m caught up in that game!
“What’s that?” I ask Beaufort, pointing to the sword hanging off his belt, one I’ve never seen him wear before and one he definitely didn’t have when I left him at the palace.
“A demon-slaying sword,” he explains.
“Cool!” Dray drawls. “Can I hold it?”
“No,” Beaufort snaps, resting his hand securely on the hilt. Dray pouts at him and I realize I don’t have any patience for arguments, especially involving boys and their toys.
“What are we waiting for?” I say, wanting to leave before my nerves get the better of me, “Let’s go.”
“After you’ve eaten,” Thorne insists.
I let out a frustrated huff, but I am ravenous so I don’t put up a fight, letting him lead me into a small hut, where there is a meal of beans and sausage. Both Dray and I stuff the food down quickly, pleased to fill our bellies, letting Beaufort lecture us with his plan.
“I’ve been watching the border. I haven’t seen any demons out there. I think we will be able to pass into their realm undetected. We need to make as much progress as we can before we’re spotted. Which is why I think we should leave the dragon behind.” He pauses, waiting for me to argue with him. However, Dray beats me to it.
“Have you lost your freaking mind? The dragon is our secret weapon. We don’t stand a chance out there without him.”
“We don’t stand much of a chance with or without the dragon,” Beaufort says, which has cold sweat trickling down my spine. Beaufort is always sure of himself, confident, arrogantly so. To hear him speak this way makes me realize our chances of success are low. “Our best bet is to cross unnoticed,” Beaufort continues, “and make as much progress as we can. Sneaking into the demon realm with a hulking great dragon will be nigh impossible. Once one of the demons spots us, all of them will follow.
“If that happens – when it happens – we’re going to need to stick together,” Beaufort continues, “and work together and be prepared to get the hell out of there if things become too tough. That might be the moment to call in your dragon.”
“Are you confident facing the demons, Nini?” Thorne asks me, concern written all over his face.
“Yes,” I say, lifting my chin, even though I feel less confident than I did. “Their undersides are vulnerable to my magic. I just have to aim straight.”
“Good,” Beaufort says, sounding a lot like he’s trying to convince himself. “That’s good that you know what you’re doing.”
“Okay,” I hesitate and then ask, “do we even know where to go? I mean, this landscape is vast. Where does our realm end and theirs even begin?”
“Out there,” Thorne says, pointing out to the east, where the sun is climbing into the murky sky. “See that slight shimmer in the air. That’s where our realm ends.”
I strain my eyes, searching for the phenomenon he’s describing and seeing something in the air – a slight ruffle, like a disturbance across the surface of water. Beyond that the land falls away, racing towards the horizon and it looks endless.
“What is that?” I ask.
“It’s the magical barrier our ancestors erected to keep the demons from entering our realm,” Beaufort explains.
“It doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job.”
“It’s weakened over the years,” Beaufort says, “or the demons have strengthened.”
“I don’t know a lot about the demon realm. I don’t even know how big it is,” I confess, “do you have any idea where the Madame may have gone? Where she may have taken the professor?”
“I believe there’s one place she’s most likely to be. An old fort.”
“A fort?” I say, in astonishment. “Did the demons build it?”
“No, Briony, this land used to belong to our realm until the demons emerged and took it over. We still have the old maps from those times. I’ve studied them and the fort is the place I think a person would most likely go if they escaped to the demon wastelands.”
“What?!” I gasp. It hadn’t even occurred to me that there was a time before the demons. I’d always assumed they’d existed for as long as we have.
“Would Bardin risk hiding out so close to the border?” Thorne says. “She must know the Empress will be sending men to arrest her.”
“We try there first and if we’re unsuccessful, we move on.” He rakes his gaze up and down my form. “Have you eaten enough?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Then let’s move out,” he says in that authoritative tone I’ve always found slightly infuriating and damn hot. Now I understand it’s a tone suited to command.
Blaze is sleeping, puffs of smoke floating from his nostrils as he snoozes, but I nudge him awake and he yawns, showing off his newly grown row of sharp teeth.
“Blaze, you have to stay here and wait for me. You can’t come with us.”
The dragon snorts, obviously not liking that idea and nudges me with the tip of his nose. I slide my hand up and down his snout and lean into his warm body.
“I’ll call you if I need you. Go back to sleep now.” I kiss him, expecting him to snuggle back up and fall asleep. Instead, he whines dramatically and scrapes the earth with his claws, giving big dopey eyes. “I’m sorry, boy. But it’s just not safe. Stay here, okay.”
I give him one last kiss and then I nod to the others, letting them know I’m ready to go. The three of them each swing back packs onto their shoulders and then we start walking towards the border.
We’ve only gone a few feet, when Dray points behind us and says, “Errr, Kitten …”
I peer over my shoulder and find Blaze is creeping after us.
I sigh. “Seriously, Blaze. You can’t come with us. You have to stay here.” The dragon whines pathetically, practically breaking my heart and my will. “Not going to work. Stay!”
He creeps forward, head hung low to the ground, continuing to whine.
“Please, boy, don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”
He stares at me with those big golden eyes, then gallops forward.
“Blaze, stop!” He comes to a skidding halt. I point my finger right at him. “Blaze, stay!” He tips his head to one side but remains where he is. I take a step backward, testing him and he takes a step toward me.
“Blaze!” I shout out in frustration. “Bad dragon! You have to stay!”
He drops down to his belly, whining some more.
