by T. A. White
“Here we go.”
A rip in space appeared beneath their feet, swallowing them before anyone could react.
This wasn’t the first time Tate had found herself thrust impossibly across time and distance. When she’d done this before, the starting point and destination were already linked. A simple path from point A to point B.
Peter’s warp stone broke that chain. There wasn’t an already established route, instead relying on Roslyn’s image to find their way. If Tate had let herself consider, she would have held considerably more anxiety since such a method could only be described as reckless. There was a chance they wouldn’t arrive at their destination at all. An equal chance they’d arrive and materialize in a space already occupied by something else.
The disorienting, twisting sensation of having her insides pulled to her outsides and then reassembled back in place was over in seconds as the warp stone spat them out again.
Tate swallowed hard, resisting the temptation to puke.
I never want to do that again. Night’s mental voice sounded about as good as Tate felt.
The Veles in his bearcat form crouched miserably on the deck.
Ilith chirped in excitement and pleasure. We should get one of those for our own.
Not a chance in hell. She never wanted to experience that again for as long as she lived. Unfortunately, depending on how things went, she might not have a choice.
Putting such thoughts aside so she could get her bearings, Tate examined her surroundings.
Roslyn had chosen their destination wisely. They’d landed at the bottom floor. Above was a wide platform with railings around it and stairs leading up.
Spotting Nathan, Tate ducked behind a glowing archway, dragging the other two with her.
She held still, a part of her already anticipating the shouts of discovery. Peter clenched the stone with a tense expression on his face, looking seconds from bolting.
Night put one paw on his hand and sent him a warning glare. Without a word, Night’s paw changed to a hand that he held out to Peter in a gesture that said give me.
Unable to argue, and knowing Night would end him if he didn’t, Peter handed the stone over to Night, who tucked it away in his mouth.
“You’d better not swallow that,” Peter mouthed.
Night’s tail swished.
Noticing their arrival hadn’t drawn any attention, Tate relaxed slightly and chanced a glance around the room, careful not to be seen by those standing on the platform.
Once known as Aurelia’s brain, the platform was empty except for a single round console in its center.
Tate flinched as she caught sight of Ai hovering in the air above that console. For a moment Tate thought their plan had already failed and it was a matter of seconds before Ai alerted Nathan to their presence.
When nothing happened for several seconds, Tate realized her original assumption was wrong. The Ai hovering there was different than either of the ones she knew. Not the teen nor the emotionless ice queen, this Ai was fully developed. Her hair reached her feet and there was a peaceful expression on her face. Her eyes were unseeing as if her mind wasn’t really there.
Most importantly, there was a two-inch-wide collar around her neck with a ruby stone dangling from its front. It nestled in the hollow of her collar bone.
The sight of the collar whispered through her memories. She had been intimately familiar with it at one point. The Ijiri used them on their strongest slaves to subsume their will.
That must be how Jax bound her to her domain. This must be her true body. Nathan probably figured out a way to overwrite his controls and exert his will. Remove that and maybe there was a chance of her Ai coming back.
Or someone entirely different. Someone extremely upset about being enslaved to this place for a thousand or so years.
Tate’s gaze strayed to Nathan’s left. Her heart stopped.
Ryu’s bloody body was strung up between two posts, his head slumped forward, countless lashes across his chest, legs and back.
Tate’s head swam as she fought to remain upright. Prickles of heat danced up and down her neck, immediately followed by an icy cold sensation.
Being told that Ryu was being hurt was different than seeing it in person.
Her mind wanted to reject the awful scene in front of her, even as guilt stole through her for all the times she’d put Ryu through a similar situation, only reversed.
So, this was what he felt when he saw her in pain or tortured. It was definitely not pleasant, that was for sure.
She could see why Ryu became such a terrifying entity when pushed past his breaking point. The need to rip and destroy beat at her, threatening to rip away the saner side of Tate.
Only the knowledge he was still alive kept her from giving into her dragon. If he’d been dead, Tate very much feared what she would have done.
It would have made her actions at Haven look like a nursery game.
Holding onto her rationality by the slenderest of margins, Tate scanned the room in search of the rest of their people. Beings who were obviously once sleepers stood guard next to several cages located on the same level as Tate and the rest.
Inside one, the emperor stood, glaring at the platform and the example being made of Ryu. His face was bruised, and he had a busted lip. His royal robes were in tatters around him and there were slashes where it looked like he’d been whipped.
Tyne lay on the floor next to him, his hands clasped behind his head and his eyes closed in sleep.
In the cage next to them, Roslyn glanced in Tate’s direction before quickly looking away. She was seated, the Duke of Spiritly’s head on her lap. Archie hovered in front of them, glaring at the sleepers taunting them from outside. Bruises mottled his jaw and cheek and the way he held his arm told Tate it was probably broken.
Despite that, there was a resilience and stubborn determination in the way he watched his surroundings. As if he was just waiting for his moment to act.
Not bad, Archie, Tate thought silently. After this I may have to start calling you by your full name.
Tala, Gabriella and the Shodun were in the cage next to Archie’s. Blood marked their clothes and bruises dotted their faces and bodies. The Shodun’s once pristine robes were now ripped and disorganized. Tala and Gabriella were in no better state as they watched their surroundings with fierce concentration.
In the very last cage, Ben sat with a figure cradled in his arms and another prone beside him. There was rage on his face as he fixed a gaze on his captors.
If Nathan wasn’t the enemy, Tate might have admired his strategic brilliance. In one fell swoop he’d captured the leaders of almost every major political party in the empire. Their deaths would lead to chaos, making way for Nathan’s rise to power.
Tate pulled back as Rath stirred in her arms, showing alertness for the first time in hours. His head perked up and he yawned before making a silent trilling sound.
He jumped out of Tate’s arms and shook himself all over, his wings rustling as his tail swished side to side in an adorable manner. Finished, he made his way over to Night, scaling the Veles’s haunch to perch on his back.
Guess Rath was going with Night.
Before Tate could signal for them to get started there was a commotion from the exit as several sleepers, led by the man still wearing William’s face, marched inside dragging a struggling Dewdrop.
“We’ve returned with the banshee, my lord,” the Lord Provost lookalike said.
Nathan made a summoning motion. “Bring him here.”
Tate’s hands clenched reflexively in the ruff of Night’s fur to prevent him from racing out of their hiding spot. The sleepers towed Dewdrop up the stairs and in front of Nathan where they forced him to his knees.
Her friend’s face was bruised but that didn’t dim the rebelliousness in his expression as he glared up at the ancient. There was no sign of defeat or hopelessness in his bearing. Only a determination and will to resist.
“
The device you wanted wasn’t on his person,” the fake William said.
Nathan’s jaw flexed. “I see you’re as stubborn and willful as Tatum.”
“I’ll take that as a complement.”
“You shouldn’t. Those traits will only lead to pain.” Nathan circled Dewdrop. “I’m only going to ask you this one. Where is the Apportens Mortis?”
Dewdrop spat at Nathan.
The ancient looked at the glob of bodily fluid on his boot and smiled gently. “Very well. You can suffer the same fate as her dragon.” He flicked a finger at the sleepers. “String him up.”
“Peter, you take the sleepers guarding the prisoners.” Tate moved her eyes away from the happenings on the platform. “Night, you’ve got Ryu and Dewdrop.”
Night slunk away, moving from shadow to shadow, not leaving any sign of his presence.
Peter nudged Tate and held out a weapon. One she recognized from her time on Aurelia. Oblong with a short barrel, it would sever limbs and tear apart bodies if the projectile inside hit.
“I thought you could use it,” he said with a shrug. “Dad left me a few things for when I woke.”
For the first time Tate sent him a real smile. “Thanks, but I’ve got my own weapon.”
My turn? Ilith asked with excitement.
Tate’s grin was bloodthirsty. “Your turn.”
Tate embraced the dragon.
* * *
Ilith looked down at a wide-eyed Peter and sniffed.
When would her Savior learn? This small one was definitely of Kenneth’s line. Their energy was too similar for it to be anything else. Ilith sniffed again. Hmm. That was interesting. Although he was Silva it wasn’t the same breed as the others Tate and Ilith knew.
More secrets of this world rising to the surface.
Putting aside such thoughts, Ilith dug her claws into the ground and fixed her attention on Nathan. The armor from Tate’s relic bubbled to the surface, encasing her scales in a protective coating.
Ilith paid no attention. She studied her enemy as he picked up a cylinder that hummed at his touch. A rope of scarlet extended from it, barbs dotting its length.
Ilith showed her teeth in an instinctive snarl. She had a history with that abomination, had felt the pain of its touch on her scales.
The fact it had inflicted the same agony on her mate’s bonded nearly drove her insane with rage.
Make it hurt, Tate instructed.
Ilith crouched, her sharp eyes picking up Night’s shadow as he worked his way to the ceiling above Ryu. She would inflict a hundred times the misery on Nathan as he had on her mate.
She exploded forward, her wings creating gusts of wind, allowing her to cover the short distance in a flash.
Nathan looked up at the last minute, alarm filling his expression as screams sounded from the sleepers below. Even taken off guard, he didn’t hesitate, flicking his whip toward Ilith.
Agony seared her side as she barreled into the ancient.
Ha, Ilith thought in satisfaction at Nathan’s roar. Black armor crawled over his body, offsetting the worst of Ilith’s blow.
Behind her, a weapon barked several times as Peter started his attack.
Nathan hit the ground and rolled, putting distance between Ilith and him in a split second.
Ilith pouted. Stupid ancient and his petty tricks. They wouldn’t be enough to keep him alive.
Nathan held the whip in one hand as a blade formed in his other. Resembling the pillar over the Rift, it swallowed all light that got near it.
Ilith sent him a mocking look. Did he really think having a weapon in both hands was going to save him?
Wait a minute. Why does that blade look almost exactly like George’s?
Not the same. His is bigger.
Son of a bitch, Tate spat. How did a fragment of his blade land in the empire’s hands? George probably never had a chance if he was influencing her the last few months.
Ilith didn’t have time to pay attention to her savior’s musing as she concentrated on her enemy, dodging another flick of the whip.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of Night dropping silently to the ground before slinking toward her mate’s bonded and the young one.
Ilith opened her mouth, belching flame.
Nathan dodged to the side, rolling out of the way to the sound of Ilith’s rumbling chuckles.
He came to his feet in a flash, his face a mask of rage.
“Loathsome lizard. This is the last time you get in my way.”
The foul little man was absolutely right. This was their last showdown. After today, Nathan would have a new home—inside Ilith’s stomach.
How many times must we go over this? Sentient creatures should not be eaten!
Ilith’s legs bunched, propelling her in Nathan’s direction. He charged his blade, a black aura seeping off it in waves of energy.
Finish this quick, Tate advised. Our main mission is disabling Ai.
Not a problem.
Nathan swung his blade, black energy exploding from it.
Golden glyphs formed in front of Ilith. The energy hit it. The first glyph popped, wiped out of existence in an instance. The second one held longer, black eating through the glyph.
Ilith leapt, her wings helping her as the energy hit the last glyph. Ilith sailed over the blast, feeling the outpouring of a cold so deep it was absolute.
Her body barreled into Nathan’s. She landed on him, snickering as something crunched under her giving away under her majestic weight.
Forget him. Ai is coming!
Ilith dug her claws into Nathan’s body. His armor popped and crackled before finally giving way.
A scream left him as her back claws tasted blood. She used his body as a spring board, bounding toward the suspended Ai.
Change back. You’ll need my hands to get the collar off.
Ilith complied, the dragon folding back.
* * *
Tate scrambled onto the console, not waiting until the change had finished. Still partly dragon, she reached for Ai’s collar. Her fingers touched metal.
Ai’s eyes opened, deep pools of black staring into Tate’s. “Intruder detected.”
Tate sucked in a breath. This was probably going to hurt.
She sank every ounce of her will into the collar, hoping against hope that whatever made her the Apportens Mortis would do something. Anything. To save her.
Spiderweb cracks formed in the red stone.
A great shockwave blew Tate off the console before she could do more. Her flight lasted only seconds before she crashed into the deck hard.
Pain blazed along her entire right side and her cheek where it had hit.
Tate lay stunned, her brain screaming at her to move. Her body was slow to respond as her head pounded from the blow it had taken.
Possible concussion, some part of her said.
Ilith sent a wave of warmth, some of the pain dissipating.
“You stupid woman. You’re like a cockroach who never dies.” Nathan staggered to his feet. There were large tearing rends in his armor where blood seeped through, ruining its previous matte black finish.
His grin was the thing of nightmares as he limped toward Tate. “That’s alright. If you want to live so bad. I’ll let you. I’ll stick you in a stasis pod and let you sleep. Every century I’ll wake you and wait until your memories come back just so I can see your face when you realize everyone you love is dead.”
Gravity pressed down on Tate, forcing her into the ground. She crawled, drawing out every ounce of will to force her way forward even if it was only by an inch.
Ilith panted inside Tate as hopelessness threatened to wash her away.
Nathan’s footsteps came to a stop as he reached Tate’s head. He grabbed her shoulder and yanked her up.
“How does it feel to know you’re about to lose everything for the second time?” His head tilted. “Or is this the third? It’s so hard to keep track sometimes.”
Tat
e rolled her eyes at the image of Ai standing over Nathan’s shoulder, her face as blank as ever.
“Ai, you can fight this. You’re more than a program that Jax created. I’ve seen it. We’re friends, remember?” Tate said, trying to get through to the woman she knew.
There was a flicker in Ai’s gaze. So brief and small Tate thought she might have imagined it.
Nathan chuckled as he drew her close to whisper in her ear. “You should save your breath. Jax neutered their self-will. As long as I hold the collar codes, she’s mine.”
He lifted his head, giving her a soft smile. That smile said he’d won. He’d emerged victorious and Tate hadn’t.
I want to wipe that smile off his face, Ilith said in a vicious tone.
For once, Tate couldn’t have agreed more.
“Hey Nathan, anyone ever tell you it’s not nice to gloat,” Tate said as furtive movement came from behind him.
Dewdrop crept closer to the pair of them, stopping abruptly as Ai turned her attention to him.
“It is inadvisable to continue on this line,” Ai said.
Nathan’s head turned as he sneered dismissively. “What a useless last-ditch attempt. I’m disappointed in you, Tate.”
“You know me. I always have to try.”
“Ai, kill her dragon man,” Nathan instructed passionlessly.
Tate sucked in a sharp breath. No.
Before Ai could move, Night leapt out of the shadows toward Ryu. Ai’s gaze shifted and Night froze in midair. Energy built in Ai as her emotionless eyes turned toward the two.
Nathan’s smile was vicious as pleasure glinted in his eyes. “Actually, after you’re done with him, do the same to the other two.”
Tate’s mind started to splinter. The dragon’s rage detonated inside Tate, the urgent need to be in two places sending white noise cascading through her vision.
A tearing sensation came inside, matched only by the blistering heat where Ilith’s tattoo was located on Tate’s body. An agonized scream tore from Tate as Ilith’s tattoo separated, the dragon gaining three dimensions as if she’d pulled herself from Tate’s skin.
Tate panted as shock registered on Nathan’s face.