The Azar Omnibus: The Complete Azar Trilogy (The Azar Trilogy Book 0)

by Grace McGinty

  "I'm a firefighter," she said simply. Well, at least she was once, in a simpler time. Luiz gave her a skeptical look, and she wondered if he would continue to go up and down the river, to collect Jack, Cy and Vivian.

  She got Luiz to drop them off at the post office, and thanked the man. She scrawled a letter for the rest of their group and left it in the care of the postmaster. She called the airport to harangue the operator for the soonest possible flight to Porto Vehlo. The tired sounding man on the other end of the phone said he could call up some dude called Marc, and if he wasn't drunk in the bar, they could fly out at dusk. But she couldn't book a flight from Porto Velho without a significant complication.

  The kid doesn’t have a passport, and there’s no one at the compound to forge one, Azar explained to Bast, the frustration of being a continent away really grinding her down.

  It’s okay. I know a few people in the Sao Paolo compound that owe me a favor or two. Enough to get us a private plane back to NYC and I can take care of customs. But we'll have to keep the kid out of sight. If any of the Adel come upon a Fae, it'll be shoot first and ask questions later, regardless of their age.

  Azar gave Marc the last of her cash as she got out of the sardine can he called a plane. There was rust showing through some of the peeling paint, and she had never been so happy to alight a vehicle, ever. She wasn't the best flier, but landing in that squeaking tin tube had been a harrowing experience she hoped never to repeat. She'd rather fly herself transatlantic than do that again.

  Azar hoped Bast’s contacts came through, because she had no more funds left to get them out of Porto Vehlo. She stepped out on the tarmac in the private aircraft section of the airport. Bast had left her before they'd boarded in Lábrea, to call in his favors. She thought perhaps he didn't want to board the death trap, even in his incorporeal form.

  She sent out her mind to the familiar thread that was Bast. The freaky Vulcan mind-meld thing they had was becoming more and more natural to her, as if she could feel around inside her brain like a map.

  Did your guy put up the goods? Azar asked, and wondered if he was in hearing distance. A light zephyr swirled around her, dipping inside her shirt. She laughed out loud. Definitely in hearing distance then.

  I forgot the perks that came with being incorporeal, he giggled like a high-school boy, before he sobered. Yeah, he said it was in hanger twelve. Apparently it’s his private plane. He reminded me not to drink all the champagne.

  You didn't tell him about... our problem? What was the politically correct term for the fact that a man couldn't take a physical form? Male projectile dysfunction?

  No, when I got there, the whole compound was in lock down. It took some serious fast talking to even get inside. The place is like a madhouse. The Jann Councilor hasn't returned from the States. None of the Councilors are able to be contacted. Killian is MIA also. They are in serious panic mode. I don't think they would have listened or cared about my problem, except for the fact that we had gathered another Great Weapon. It wouldn't be a priority. There was bitterness in him now, an acceptance that this was the way he would always be.

  You know me, I stubbornly stick at something until it yields. We will fix this. You're a priority to me, she told Bast. A soft wind touched her face, and she could almost feel his lips touch her skin

  Azar's stomach dropped when she thought of Killian and her father trapped or dead below the rubble. She'd only just gotten to know them, care for them. She wasn't ready to lose them again. Not to mention Mira and Danian, who had become her friends, and even Joia. The leaden weight of despair settled around her heart. She wasn't ready to acknowledge they were dead yet.

  She carried both packs and walked towards the hangar Bast had indicated, Neyvn trailing along closely. A stewardess stood at the top of a set of silver stairs, a welcoming smile on her face. She ushered them into the plush interior of the plane.

  Boy, how the other half lived. The seats were all buttery leather recliners, a polished mahogany side table between each set of two. A long matching mahogany sideboard ran up one side of the plane's interior. Little TV screens flipped out from the walls, and top of the line headphones hung on hooks next to them. It was all very lush to say the least.

  "Please take a seat," the hostess crooned. "Can I get you anything to drink before we take off? The Captain has informed me that we'll be in the air in fifteen minutes now that you have boarded." Both Azar and Neyvn ordered a coke, and she made sure Neyvn was properly secured into his belt. By the way the boy was looking around in wide eyed wonder, she was going to assume this was his first time flying. Though, this level of comfort was new, even to her.

  That was quite a favor you were owed, Azar commented to Bast, sensing his presence close to her.

  I saved his life once. It’s how I got the scar on my face. Her hands ached to stroke that pink line that ran from his eyebrow to his jawline, as she had done hundreds of times before. She shook off the melancholy like a too tight coat.

  In that case, you should have gotten him to throw in some caviar, she joked, but even to her own ears, there was a sense of loss in her voice.

  A part of her couldn't wait to return home, to abandon all the turmoil that had happened in the Amazon to the past. But she had a feeling that it was only just the beginning and the worst was yet to come.

  Chapter 22

  Azar knew she should have gone straight to Sterling Forest, to beg them to take Neyvn, and to double check that they had followed her advice to leave the forest. But when she hopped into the taxi, she found herself giving the driver directions to the compound. She had to see the damage for herself. She wanted to know if it was as bad as her premonitions from Danu. It was something she both feared and hoped. If the premonitions were true, then she had a chance to stop them. If they weren't, then they were all going to be flailing around blindly in the dark. It would be a horrible blessing.

  No matter what, she was glad to be out of the jungle and back in NYC. Azar cast a look at Neyvn, and could see that he wasn't faring so well with all the concrete and iron.

  “Are you okay?” She asked as she patted his arm.

  From what she knew, the rumors about the Fae not being able to tolerate iron were fairly over-exaggerated. They found it uncomfortable, and if cut with it, they would heal mortal slow, but it didn't cause them excruciating pain or mean instant death. Still, at Neyvn's tense nod, Azar felt guilty about going to the Compound first. She should have gotten him back into the forest, amongst nature, where his kind was happier. She pushed the guilt down. She just had to see. Then she would take him where he needed to go.

  The traffic congested as they got closer to the compound, and every moment dragged on like an hour. She didn't try and make conversation; she just sat in silence and prayed to whatever deity would listen. She prayed they'd made progress in the rescue attempt, that her father and Killian, and her friends, had all been rescued from the wreckage.

  She knew when they had reached the blocks around the compound because there was police tape blocking the area off. Azar paid the cabbie, and grabbed their packs from the trunk of the cab. Neyvn was half hiding behind her, but his gaze roamed around in awe at the towering pillars of glass and concrete. She couldn’t see the compound yet, but her heart had started to beat like a bass drum in her chest.

  Azar was in two minds about what to do with Neyvn. Should she hide him, and hope none of the Djinn came across him while she was gone? Or should she keep him with her, so she could defend him if need be. She rubbed her temples. Having a kid was all hard work and constant worry.

  In the end, she decided to keep him with her, but got her cap out of the pocket of her pack and put it on his head. It covered his slightly pointed ears and the crazy big eyes that marked him as one of the Fae.

  “Keep your eyes down and don't look at anyone, okay? They aren’t going to be particularly overjoyed to see any of the Fae right now, and their usual code of moral conduct is going to fly out the window. So try to b
e as unobtrusive as possible. And stay close.” Azar squeezed his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

  She walked around the corner, with Neyvn so close on her heels that he banged into her back when she stopped dead.

  The old sandstone building that housed the public part of the Compound was now just a pile of steel and rubble. There were dozens of people walking around, and she could see Donovan amongst the Djinn she didn't know. She could also see Keenan Riley with Danian. Azar let out a little sigh of relief. Three friends safe.

  All of a sudden, something ploughed into her side, two strong arms wrapping around her middle.

  “Goddamn, it’s good to see you,” Oliver sighed next to her ear, taking a big breath to draw in her scent as his arms crushed the breath out of her. She squirmed until he put her down, and she could finally draw in enough oxygen to speak. She turned in his arms and he hugged her close. “I know I was talking to you, but I didn’t stop worrying until right now, where I can see you for myself.” His voice was thick and he gave her one more squeeze and moved away.

  “I'm fine, Oliver. But this...” she waved her arm in the direction of the rubble. If she didn't look too closely, it was just like any other demolition site. But if she really stared, she could see the outlines of faces beneath the dust covered glass. People who were crushed against the doors and windows as they tried to escape.

  Oliver let out an exhausted sigh and walked toward a shelter someone had erected, where they were running the rescue operation by the looks of it. “The Pack sent as many of us as it could. There were a lot more of us yesterday before you sent your warning. Now, most of us have gone home to help with the evac. We weren't doing any good anyway. We couldn’t smell anything, or move anything. No one can hear even the faintest sound from beneath the surface. It’s as if someone has put the site on mute and welded the debris together, and no matter how we lifted, or what machinery we had brought in, nothing could shift it.”

  Keeley saw them arrive at the tent, and she raced over, throwing her arms around Azar. She couldn’t even imagine what Keeley was going through, having her twin missing, presumed to be beneath the rubble. By her red rimmed eyes and bright red nose, it was obvious that she had been crying quite steadily. Azar hugged her sister back tightly.

  “I'm so glad you’re here. Oliver said you were fine, but I couldn’t take it if another one of my family was stuck down there, in pain or…” Keeley swallowed hard, “dead. I can't feel Killian at all. I know I'd feel if he died, or if he was alive, but I feel nothing.”

  Azar patted her on the back, genuinely wanting to soothe her. She had only known her family a few months, but Keeley had spent centuries with her father, and shared the womb with Killian. The not knowing would be enough to break a weaker woman.

  “We will find a way to get them out. Don't worry,” she said. It might have been a lie, but Keeley looked like she needed a few false platitudes before she broke.

  “We've tried everything. Digging. Using our powers. Danian even tried his incorporeal form to get in. It’s blocked to us all.” Tears dripped onto Azar's shoulder. She didn’t have any new ideas. She wondered if Bast was close by.

  Have you tried to get in? There might have been a silver lining to his incorporeal form.

  A light breeze ruffled her hair. She speaks the truth. I couldn’t even enter through the obvious gaps in the debris.

  She ground her teeth in frustration. There has to be some way to get in there; maybe if they dug underneath, and then came back up through the bottom?

  Someone tugged on the bottom of her tank top. “They have bound the wreckage to the earth. I believe I might be able to be of assistance.” Dread washed over her, as Neyvn's little voice piped up from behind her, and every set of eyes whipped towards him.

  Azar's hands lit up in case of attack, and Oliver went into a defensive stance in response. Bless his kitty cat heart, he didn't know what she was fighting against, but he had her back.

  Neyvn was looking directly at Keeley, his big Fae eyes a blinking neon sign espousing his heritage.

  “Ah, Az, why do you have a little Fae kid with you?” Oliver stage whispered. He still faced off against the entire group of Djinn, and seemed more interested than accusing.

  “It's a long story. But he's under my protection,” Azar said loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “You have a lot of nerve half-blood,” someone growled from the back, “bringing the enemy onto our territory. Is he here to witness the destruction his lying people have caused?” There were mutters of agreement, and the group took a collective step forward.

  “Maybe we should have an eye for an eye. Send him back to his people in pieces,” someone else said, and she prepared herself for a fight she couldn’t possibly win.

  Damn the kid, why couldn’t he have just kept his mouth shut and head down like she'd asked? On the heels of that thought was guilt, and forgiveness. He was only offering to do something good.

  Donovan came and stood on her other side, ready to fight with her. She threw him a quick, grateful look. Keeley was still standing in front of her, but she hadn’t taken her eyes off Neyvn. The group tightened around them, like a noose.

  She could really use Bast in his corporeal form right now. He had a little bit of authority. He may have been able to defuse the situation.

  This is bad, she sent out to him. I just want you to know that I love you. Even though I've been nothing but trouble, you've been a rock to me. If there were no other reasons, I'd love you for that.

  A wind picked up, like a tornado, under the awning. It's not over yet, Jaanaman. Plus, I'm not completely useless in this form. Have a little faith.

  She had faith alright, faith that this mob would tear her apart to get to Neyvn, to exact revenge on whatever scapegoat they could find.

  Keeley looked away from Neyvn, and gave a single nod to Azar before turning to the crowd. “Will you lot stop behaving like Neanderthals? If this Fae has offered to help, who are we to turn it down? Would you rather our loved ones, our kinspeople, rot beneath the rubble so you could have a little revenge? The boy is just that, a child. The enemy destroys one building, and we are resorting to mob mentality, like we are nothing but humans.” She flicked a sheepish smile to her and Donovan. “No offense.”

  Sure, that wasn't offensive at all, she remarked to Bast, but outwardly she just waved a hand dismissively. “None taken.”

  Keeley didn't hear her response as she continued. “I'm sure Azar has a very good reason for having the child, but right now that doesn’t matter. If the boy says he can help, then let him help. Let him rectify some of the sins of his people.” Azar resisted the urge to applaud. Apparently, grandstanding was in their blood.

  She rested a now flameless hand on Neyvn's shoulder reassuringly. She still didn’t trust the crowd, but they'd stopped their ominous advancing.

  “The boy lost his entire family to this Fae war. To kill him would be doing the enemy a favor,” Azar added. The Djinn weren't generally known for their compassion, but they were known for their spitefulness.

  There was some more muttering, and everyone stepped back out of the menacing ranks they’d instinctively formed.

  Keeley peered down at Neyvn. “What do you need to unbind the wreck from the earth?” she asked seriously. Apparently when she was having her stare off with the Nevyn, she'd decided to treat him like a very small adult rather than a child. Azar understood, there was a world of pain in the kid’s eyes, the kind of pain that couldn’t co-habitate with childish innocence.

  “I just need everyone to move back, and I need a circle drawn in a clear bit of earth. And I need Azar.” There wasn't a hint of nervousness in the boy’s tone. From his strong, clear voice, you wouldn’t think that only a moment before, a group of supernatural creatures had wanted to tear him limb from limb. Royal stoicism ran in his veins after all. Steadfastness in the face of adversity.

  The Weres who were mingling around the site cleared away a spot for Neyvn, pul
ling up concrete so he could reach the dirt beneath. Neyvn went to the reddish clay ground, and stood on it, letting out a sigh of relief. It was probably the first natural surface he'd touched since they'd landed in NYC. He'd been a real trooper.

  Neyvn beckoned her over, and then drew a circle around them both. “I'm hoping that the Mother will help, otherwise I'm unsure if I have enough strength to do this, even if I borrowed some of yours. But I felt I had to try,” he whispered so softly that even Azar had to strain to hear.

  Azar wasn’t exactly eager for a repeat of the last time she was in a Tuatha Dé Danann circle, but he was right. They had to try. Neyvn sat cross legged in the almost perfect circle he had drawn around them. Azar followed suit and sat. Neyvn took her hands in his tiny ones, an almost comical reflection of her and Jack only days ago.

  He pressed her hands to the earth, his over the top, and they connected to the earth like they had been struck by lightning. It definitely wasn't as smooth as her connection with Jack. That had been like falling into a bath of molasses. This was like she'd been strapped to the electric chair.

  Azar's body went rigid, as the time slowed and things became hazy. As she looked around, she could see the black film lying over the top of the demolished building next to them. That must be the binding. She looked at Neyvn and could see him glow luminous. Not quite the eye searing brightness of Jack, and nowhere near the ethereal light of Danu, but his Tuatha blood shone through nonetheless.

  Neyvn's little brow creased, and sweat dripped off his nose onto the ground in front of him as he started chanting. His face was red with exertion, and Azar wished she knew how to help, to ease some of the burden. He was so strong, but looked so fragile in that moment.

  Another hand cupped over hers, and she looked up to see Danu, one hand on each of theirs. Joy swept through Azar like a wave, as Danu's thoughts started running through her head. First, she was happy to be able to touch two of her children, two that had been lost to her. Then, deep disapproval at what had been done on this spot, though Azar couldn't work out if she meant the City of New York, or the binding on the destroyed building. Both would be abominations to the nature loving Danu.