Queen of Shadow and Ash, page 20
Hope gloated, telling her she was weak as she lifted her head and turned to look up at Azazil. He sat on a glass chair in front of a barren fireplace.
Casting a quick glance around, Ari found herself in a small chamber. There was little furniture or decoration, just cold stone walls that glittered with emeralds and flagstone floors beneath her. Her eyes narrowed with hatred as Asmodeus stepped out of the shadows to stand by Azazil’s side. “Why?” she asked him bitterly.
“He is your trigger.” Asmodeus was a bored school boy again as he shrugged at her. “I needed to unleash the seal to see if I was correct about something.”
“So Jai is okay?” Ari’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.
“Jai is fine. Still imprisoned, but unharmed.”
Disbelief and betrayal wrenched her from the ground and she stumbled inelegantly to her feet to gaze up at the sultan, desperately fighting her rage and the seal. That last time had been terrifying. The seal had truly taken control of her body, and she’d known what the seal was. Whom it was. She gasped, her anger at finding out Jai was still imprisoned, dissipating as she turned to gaze wide-eyed at Asmodeus. “Lilif,” she whispered.
Asmodeus gave her a mocking smile of congratulations.
“I don’t understand.”
Azazil lifted a bejeweled hand to draw her attention. “When Lilif dared to take the essence of Asmodeus from him—the one being she loved above all others—I knew I could no longer sit idly by. The problem, my dear seal, is that Lilif—like myself, my sons and Asmodeus—is part of the balance. I feared killing her would tear too deeply at the seams, so I separated her essence from her body and hid them where no one could find them. It meant she was gone without really being gone. The only son who realized I hadn’t destroyed her essence was White. I am grateful for the distrust between him and his brothers. It has kept it a secret from all else. It has kept White silent. Silent but persistent.
"Centuries passed. I grew weary. A little bored, I suppose.” He shrugged carelessly. “And along came King Solomon, whom I knew was destined to take his place in history. Something about him reminded me of Lilif in her youth. She had been so eager for more, so eager for power. So eager to be extraordinary. Sometimes I would return to the place I had kept her essence just to feel her around me, and one day I had a thought. Jinn can take another jinn’s essence and trap them within a jinn body, but the essence is never truly gone unless it is in another body. I didn’t want that at the time—for someone to have her power inside them. But it was a shame to waste the power, so I took her essence and I trapped it in the seal. The ring was cast with my magic, the only thing powerful enough to trap her essence in metals, and I divided that essence into light and dark so that Solomon could command good jinn with the brass side of the seal and command the evil with the iron side. It was so beautifully poetic, Ari. My Lilif’s power out in the world again, but reined in by me as I had always wanted. The brass and iron stamps were merely for my enjoyment. The concept of good and evil has always intrigued me.
But Solomon failed, just as Lilif had. He could not live up to the ideal of the ring. He abused it.” His features hardened. “So I sent him into the desert to die and replaced him with Asmodeus, who fulfilled his destiny for him. After that, I asked Asmodeus whether he would like me to return her essence to its hiding place or whether he would like to guard it as it was.”
“You already know what I chose,” Asmodeus interrupted quietly.
“Why?” Ari felt like crying at the knowledge of what had been placed inside of her by her father. “And does the White King know what it is he has done to me?”
“No,” Asmodeus replied. “He doesn’t realize that what he’s looking for is the actual seal. He thinks the seal will procure what he’s looking for. As for your former question… my reasons are my own.”
“No one knows that Lilif’s essence existed within the seal. Although, I expect my clever sleuth of a son, Red, has surmised the truth by now after learning of your dreams and paying a visit to an old friend of mine.” Azazil seemed to take in Ari’s searching, burning gaze with little feeling as he continued his story. “I admit to being intrigued when I discovered White’s plans to steal the seal and use it to conceive a child who would carry its properties within her or him. He thought he was merely creating a conduit for his scheme to find Lilif’s body and essence, whereas I was curious if Lilif’s essence, so naturally placed within a jinn, would bring her back into the balance without the danger of her madness. So I ordered Asmodeus to let your mother seduce him for the seal.”
“Oh my God.” Ari felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach. “It was all you. All this time, it was all you.”
“I wanted you for myself. I wanted to see if, through you, I could have a Lilif the way my sultana was always meant to be. She was supposed to be light and dark. True, she was always heavier on the dark and Asmodeus always heavier on the light, but there was a balance. Until she let the darkness destroy her. But through you there was hope that at least her power could exist as it should have.” He dropped his head, seeming almost sad. “But Asmodeus, unaware of my hopes, grew suspicious of what the seal was really doing to you. When you argued, your eyes changed to black like Lilif’s and your whole being reminded him so greatly of her he decided today to trigger the seal and see once and for all if his suspicions were correct.”
“What suspicions?” she asked, but the fear in her gut told her she already knew.
“That Lilif’s essence is escaping the seal and fighting to take control of you.”
“How is that even possible?” Ari whispered. “I thought the essence was just the power?”
“Lilif is no ordinary jinn, Ari. She is almost as old as I. No jinn was ever meant to carry her essence within them. I see that now.”
“So I’m what? An experiment gone wrong?” She spat.
He shrugged. “Succinctly put. Now I think we should take the seal back before Lilif causes any more damage.”
Back? Back would mean killing her. Right? Oh God, she despised them! Ari wanted to destroy Azazil, she wanted to command the damn son-of-a-bitch to his knees… and Lilif was in there, ready to help her do it.
As if sensing the danger within her, Asmodeus moved a hand and Ari felt the gathering of his power in the air. She retreated using her newly found speed and held up a hand. “Stop!” she commanded, and both Azazil and Asmodeus’s expressions darkened, like thunder clouds rolling over a sky that had only moments ago been calm.
To all their surprise, Asmodeus took a menacing step forward, the seal’s command seeming to have no effect on him.
“Stop, Asmodeus!” she cried out in desperation, her hand flying up as if to pulse the power of the seal out.
He kept coming.
“Stop,” Azazil commanded quietly, and Asmodeus immediately turned to give him a quizzical look of frustration. “The seal does not work against you. Did you know this?”
Asmodeus shook his head, a bewildered, feral look in his eyes. “No, your majesty, I did not.”
Azazil stood up. "Well, this changes things slightly. Not for you.” He flicked Ari a careless look. “But for Asmodeus. I was going to destroy the seal and place Lilif’s essence back in hiding. But…” he smiled as if amused. “The seal is almost mythical in its existence. It excites my people. It challenged my son to draw up a quite brilliant plan, even though it backfired on us all. And here is Asmodeus, immune to the seal. The perfect protector. Why not allow it to remain here with you, Asmodeus? It’s only fitting since it is your sister. The seal was safe with you, my friend, for centuries, and clearly for a reason. So what will it be, my friend? Ari as a pet? Or the ring back around your neck?”
Considering his options with a penetrating run of his eyes over Ari’s body, the lieutenant finally shook his head and Ari wasn’t sure if that was regret she read in his eyes. “I think I’d prefer the ring around my neck. This one is too dangerous.”
Azazil nodded, seeming to understand Asmodeus’s enigmatic comment. “Oh, don’t worry, Ari. Recovering the seal may or may not kill you. We have no way of knowing. Your destiny is very—for lack of a better word—blurry at the moment.”
Okay. She couldn’t live with Lilif inside her. She knew that. She did.
A momentary shot of terror gripped her heart as she realized she might die either way. But as she fought to control her breathing and relax the way Jai had taught her, Ari let herself think about it. Sacrificing herself meant Lilif would remain imprisoned. Surely that was worth the sacrifice?
But if she offered to sacrifice herself and she actually made it out on the other side, she wanted something. A favor.
“Come any closer and I’ll command Azazil to kill you before you even make a move,” Ari told Asmodeus.
The room darkened as Azazil’s energy thickened with what Ari assumed was anger. “What do you want?” he asked shrewdly.
Ari drew in a shuddering breath. “If I die, you save Jai and let him return unharmed to his tribe.”
“Done.” He nodded, his expression one of utter boredom.
Ari narrowed her eyes. “And—”
“And?” Azazil sat forward now, his eyebrow raised in haughty enquiry.
“If I do this willingly, and I live, then I get to call in a favor.”
“I thought that was your favor.”
“No, that was just a gesture of good will.”
He smirked. “If your favor, then, is for the sorcerer, I cannot save him if he kills the labartu. I am sorry. That is out of my hands.”
Dammit. Ari forced down her helpless tears. They were of no use to her here. “Fine. But I still want a favor if I survive. And I want your oath that you’ll give me whatever it is I ask of you.”
She flicked a gaze at Asmodeus to see his eyes gleaming at her, as if he almost respected her. As she turned to find Azazil’s answer, he smiled, as if enjoying himself immensely. “You have my oath that if you survive, I will grant you a favor—if it is within my power to do so.”
“Done.”
Asmodeus was a blur, his glowing fist crashing into her chest before Ari blinked. Shocked agony tore through Ari as his dark eyes bored into her. I am sorry, his voice whispered inside her head. Or had she just imagined it?
It was with relief that his fist withdrew from her, light pulsing between the cracks in his fingers. They uncurled slowly, and the throbbing ball of ember in his palm was the last thing Ari saw before the sweet relief of dying swept her away on its tides.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Take My Shield When You March Into Battle
For two years, the labartu, Akasha, who had killed Mikey and left the Creagh family to drown in their own devastation, had not left the United States. Ari’s vibrant aura of power when she’d turned sixteen and broken the protection magic Sala had placed around her had drawn Akasha to Sandford Ridge. But after killing Mikey, and hungry for fresh victims and new places, she’d quickly moved on.
According to the Glass King, Akasha had been hopping from state to state for several years, although there were three months when she’d disappeared (his guess to Mount Qaf), leaving the Guild who had been tracking her to scramble to find her upon her return.
Her hunger, her vile and wicked evil, led Charlie to this moment—to this motel room in Alief, southwest Houston. The motel was situated just off of the Southwest Freeway. The constant flow of traffic buzzed in the near distance, the only thing to break the silence of Charlie’s despair.
When Glass informed Charlie he’d found Akasha, Charlie lied to Fallon. He’d promised her he wouldn't go anywhere until he knew Ari was okay. Before Red had given him the emerald, that probably would have been true. He would have waited for word of her. He even might have attempted some stupid-ass rescue mission.
But not now.
Whatever fear he’d felt after using the emerald had receded with its proximity. It had receded when Glass came to him with news of Akasha’s whereabouts. He was on the cusp of his revenge and consumed with the need to use the emerald again; the lingering taste of its incredible power was provocative, beckoning.
With Fallon convinced he'd stay put, Charlie approached Glass and asked him to take him to the labartu. They’d traveled using the dizzying rush that was the peripatos to a small, dark room off of Route 59 in Houston.
Then the Red King showed up to destroy everything, Charlie thought bitterly.
No need for words of explanation, his face a grim mask as he’d looked upon Glass, Red simply said, “We’ve done what Father wished of us. No more. We’re done.”
“But… what?” Charlie asked in a rush, in a panic. “We’re in Houston, Texas. Houston! How the hell am I supposed to find Akasha in a city this huge by myself?”
That was the point, Charlie had suddenly realized, taking in Red’s blank expression with absolute disbelief and bitter disappointment. Without their help, Charlie couldn’t find Akasha in time.
Red was attempting to keep his word to Ari.
Before Charlie could try to argue his corner, the two jinn kings disappeared into the flames.
He would always just be a human kid, granted some power from those guys. He'd never matter beyond being a pawn in their games. Charlie couldn’t feel out jinn yet from great distances. All he had was an emerald and what Glass had taught him.
It would have to be enough.
Damning the consequences, Charlie conjured a credit card to pay for the room at the motel. He conjured food that didn’t belong to him after spending day in and day out trolling the streets for Akasha, hoping that if he got close enough, he’d feel her. It was quite the task, annoying and frustrating. Seemingly pointless.There was no sign of her.
Nothing.
But he couldn’t give up.
He couldn’t leave.
An impatient knock broke through Charlie’s miserable stupor, his heart pounding as he stared at the motel room door. Wary and clasping the emerald in his pocket, Charlie took slow steps toward to the door, peering through the peephole to see who was there.
Shock and anger mingled with a strange sense of relief shot through him as he ripped the door open.
Fallon glared up at him in the dim light.
“How did you find me?”
Pushing past him with a familiar huff, Fallon threw her bag onto one of the twin beds and whirled around to face him, her spiky, short hair flying around her pretty face. “Glass told me. He’s still watching over my guild and Trey.”
Chin jutting out stubbornly, Charlie shook his head. “I’m not leaving until I find her.”
Still glowering, Fallon nodded as she sank down onto the bed. “I knew you’d say that, that’s why I brought snacks and enough talismans and stones to conjure more, and whatever else we need.”
What? Charlie raised a questioning eyebrow.
She huffed again. “I know you’re just trying to protect me by running off without a word and pissing me off, but I’m just trying to protect you, too. I’m not going anywhere. If you’re going to find and take down this bitch, then I’m going to help you do it.”
Attempting to ignore the ache in his chest and the way it seemed to constrict with way too much feeling, Charlie merely nodded. A little dumbstruck, he closed the motel door and the rest of the world out, and successfully closed himself in with this girl, who had come out of nowhere to make him feel less alone.
“You said you would protect her.”
Red spun around, torn from his disbelief, his musings, to face Sala. She stood in the entrance to his bedchamber, seeming uncaring that any shaitan who passed might see her. With a furious flick of his hand, the door slammed shut behind her. Before he could admonish her, the fear in her expression finally registered along with her accusation.
He’d done everything he could to protect Ari: skirting around his father’s orders, keeping things from him, investigating him, discovering the truth…
In no mood for a passionate argument, Red shrugged wearily. “I left Charlie to his own devices and I imagine Akasha will be long gone before he ever finds her. As for Jai, yes, I cannot find him, but I am assured by my brother and father that he has come to no harm. Nor will he.”
Sala’s eyes blazed, and Red almost flinched from the hurt he saw within them. “And what of Ari? You said you’d protect her!”
Scowling, Red nodded. “I am protecting her. She is safer here on Mount Qaf with my father than she is anywhere else. The seal, its properties, they are important to him. Azazil will protect her.”
“Then why do I feel like something is wrong?” she hissed angrily. “I think she is dying, Red. I’ve always felt her here.” She beat a fist against her chest. “But I feel the rope that tethers me to her is fraying.”
Shaking his head as dread settled over him, Red denied, “No. Ari cannot be harmed. I know she can’t.”
“A mother knows, Red.” Sala shook her head and a tear fell down her cheek.
Mind racing, he tried to think what to do. What could have happened? Was it White? It couldn’t be Azazil?
Asmodeus?
Cursing, Red gave up guessing and strode determinedly toward Sala. He wiped the tears affectionately from her face and whispered, “Get back in the cloak where I know you’ll be safe. I’ll call on you once I confirm Ari is well.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Grab my healer, just in case, and go to my father’s palace.”
Chapter
Twenty-Four
The Night is Immune to the Day but Addicted to the Light
“You really love what you do, don’t you?” Ari commented, sitting across from Jai in Michael’s small gymnasium. Fallon had disappeared, and Jai finally called their training day to an end.
But instead of departing upstairs to shower before dinner like they always did, they both lingered, enjoying this rare moment alone. Jai sat down, leaning against the wall by the French doors, his hands dangling over his bent knees. He seemed relaxed for once. He'd been working Ari pretty hard these last few weeks and she knew it was because he wanted her to take care of herself, in case he couldn’t be there to protect her. Ari didn’t even want to dwell on that. It didn’t bear thinking about. But taking pleasure in being able to study him uninterrupted, Ari wished Jai would worry a little more about himself and less about her. His eyes were tired, he looked a little leaner, and he hadn’t shaved in a few days. Bristly, sexy fuzz covered his cheeks, making him appear older.
