The Phoenix Illusion

by Lisa Shearin

  That was the extent of my knowledge of how this thing worked, and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to receive enlightenment on what went on in between. Rake had mentioned that last year there’d been a bit of a giant spider infestation in the Void, which was what the space between mirrors was called.

  Nope and nope.

  I didn’t need to know anything else, since Satan would be serving snow cones in Hell before I’d ever step through one.

  Rake’s portal mage stood about five feet in front of the mirror, one arm extended, palm out, fingers spread wide, his stance one of casual readiness.

  “My lord, Chancellor Nathrach’s mage has activated the mirror on their end and is ready when we are.”

  Rake nodded once. “Bring him through.”

  The mage straightened his stance, facing the mirror, now with both arms extended toward a surface that began to ripple, then swirl, picking up speed.

  I quickly looked down at my feet. There wasn’t enough Dramamine in the world for me to be able to look at an activated mirror and not lose lunch. I’d seen one before and had looked at the pretty, swirly colors a little too long. A pulsing light reflected on the polished floor, and then thankfully, the light show stopped.

  I looked up at the new arrival.

  Chancellor Tamnais Nathrach wore black, and he wore it well. Rake’s cousin was leather armored from his torso down to the toes of his over-the-knee boots. He was wearing blades everywhere there was room. He also had what looked like a dark canvas gym bag slung over one shoulder.

  Yes, the view was nice; but I think what dropped my jaw was that Tam Nathrach could have been Rake’s nearly twin brother. The only big difference was that Rake’s hair was shoulder length, and Tam wore his to the middle of his back.

  Rake gave his cousin a quick up-and-down glance and grinned. “Expecting trouble?”

  Tam responded with a crooked grin of his own. “Forever and always.”

  The two men hugged, Rake being careful to maneuver around his cousin’s portable arsenal.

  No, this wasn’t gonna be awkward in any way, shape, or form.

  Rake handled the introductions.

  When Tam took my hand, I noticed the ring on the hand clasping mine.

  A ring set with a stone that had tiny, flickering flames inside.

  The band was the twisted, golden body of a dragon. Its four claws gripped the stone, with its mouth open as if breathing fire into it.

  Yikes.

  Tam released my hand and held up his to display the ring. “Is this what you’ve found?”

  “Times two and both bigger.” Rake indicated the door. “Why don’t we make ourselves comfortable while you tell us just how much trouble we’re in.”

  *

  Once we were back in the living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows, Tam stopped and gazed out over the expansive view of Central Park. No wide eyes, no tenseness, no signs of an impending freak-out at being dozens of stories above the ground. This was not the reaction of a man who had never seen any building over four stories high.

  I stepped up beside him. “I take it you’ve been here before.”

  Tam’s dark eyes never left the view. “More than once, and it never ceases to mesmerize, especially at night.”

  “It’s going to be a long day,” Rake told his cousin. “And we have a dead Khrynsani to interrogate. Have you eaten?”

  “It’s been a few hours.”

  Rake nodded. “I’ll have Saralle put together a light lunch.”

  “And I should probably change into something more appropriate for where we’re going.”

  Rake gestured down the hall toward the bedrooms. “As always, everything is ready for you.”

  Tam gave Ms. Sagadraco and me a little bow. “If you will excuse me, I won’t be long.” With that, he strode down the hall, disappearing from view.

  We all waited until the bedroom door had closed behind him.

  Ms. Sagadraco was wearing an amused little smile. “A remarkable resemblance, Lord Danescu.”

  “Good, it’s not just me,” Ian muttered. “Did you know he’d be wearing one of those rocks like a mood ring?”

  “That took me by surprise,” Rake admitted. “Perhaps they’re only dangerous under certain conditions, or at a specific size.”

  Tam reemerged about ten minutes later in a dark, perfectly tailored suit, similar to the many bespoke suits in Rake’s closet. His hair was still loose, though now tucked behind his pointed ears. “Looks like Rake took you shopping on a previous visit here,” I noted.

  Tam smiled. “I’ve found it takes a lot to attract undue attention in this city, but it’s better to err on the side of caution.”

  Rake’s staff served their idea of a light lunch on the large coffee table. The trays of sandwiches would’ve fed an army—or at least one of our commando units. Rake was right; we needed to eat while we could, and eating gave my hands something to do while my eyes kept darting to Tam’s ring. I couldn’t help but think of it as an itty-bitty nuclear warhead.

  Tam noticed. “I promise, the ring is harmless.”

  Ian set his empty plate aside. Coming from a military and then police background, Ian not only ate when he could, he could eat quickly. “I wish I could say the same for the two in our lab. What are they?”

  Rake pulled out his phone and showed Tam the photos Gethen had taken at the site of the fire. “Is it one of the Nidaar crystals?”

  Tam looked and scowled. “Undoubtedly. How large are they?”

  I started to say “softball” and “golf ball,” but stopped myself. Tam’s Earth education might not have extended that far.

  Rake used his hands to show the approximate sizes.

  “And a crystal that small somehow brought your house in Regor here?” Tam asked incredulously.

  Ms. Sagadraco set her teacup and saucer aside. “Exactly what are we dealing with, Chancellor Nathrach?”

  “Until last year, we believed the Heart of Nidaar to be a legend.” Tam was a fast eater, too. He set his now empty plate on the coffee table. “It’s a harsh environment, so only the coasts of Aquas—that’s the name of the continent—have ever been explored. In ancient times, it was said to have been inhabited by our distant cousins. We have silver skin and black hair, whereas the Cha’Nidaar were golden-skinned and white-haired. They were said to live in a great city beneath a mountain with a stone that could command the power of the land and seas.” Tam settled back on the sofa. “We found out it’s not a legend. The stone, the city, the people—they’re all real. Nine hundred years ago, a group of Khrynsani found the city. They used black magic to defeat the city’s guards and reach the Heart of Nidaar, the motherstone. The Khrynsani’s clumsy attempts to activate and test the stone’s capabilities caused a series of earthquakes that destroyed thousands of miles of Aquas’s eastern coast, drained every lake and river, and turned a green paradise into a barren wasteland.”

  Tam leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Subsequent expeditions searched for the city, but couldn’t find any trace of Nidaar or its people. It was believed that they perished in the quakes. Then last year, a Khrynsani expedition again found the mountain range containing the city and its people. They had intentionally hidden themselves to protect the Heart of Nidaar and prevent what had happened from ever happening again. For the safety of the Seven Kingdoms, this time we had to reach the Heart of Nidaar first.”

  “And two pieces of that thing is what we have in our lab?” Ian asked.

  Tam nodded. “Two exceedingly small pieces. The actual Heart of Nidaar fills an entire cavern in the center of a mountain. Veins of the crystals run deep, which explains how it can cause earthquakes.”

  “It’s a long way from earthquakes to plucking a building off the face of the earth,” Ian said. “Or dropping one from your world onto a vacant lot here.”

  “The Cha’Nidaar have guarded the Heart of Nidaar for thousands of years and know everything it�
��s capable of,” Tam said. “That ability isn’t one of them.”

  “Then how?”

  “I can’t explain.”

  Gethen spoke for the first time in quite a while. “What did the Khrynsani want it for?”

  “To power portals and gates to take the Khrynsani and their Sythsaurian invader allies anywhere in the Seven Kingdoms. They could put assassins into palaces, armies inside cities—and we would be powerless to predict where and when they would strike. We thought the crystals would be rare, but the city and mountain were filled with them. Since the Khrynsani arrived before we did, they had ample opportunity to gather as many as they wanted.”

  “Back up, cousin,” Rake said. “Sythsaurian invaders?”

  “I forget you haven’t been home in a while.” Tam barked a humorless laugh. “A lot has happened.”

  “Obviously. Care to bring me up to speed?”

  “The Khrynsani have allied themselves with an alien race to conquer our world. Though ‘conquer’ is a misnomer. The Sythsaurians want to enslave or consume every living creature and resource they can use, and when our world is a lifeless shell, they’ll move on to the next world suitable for feeding.”

  Rake was aghast. “How the hell could you forget to tell me that?”

  Tam gave his cousin a flat stare. “I’ve been a little busy.”

  Ms. Sagadraco spoke. “Please continue, Chancellor Nathrach.”

  “We encountered Sythsaurians in Nidaar, but they have yet to put in an appearance in the Seven Kingdoms. Six of the seven kingdoms recently signed an alliance to share any intelligence and combine our armies to meet the Sythsaurians and the Khrynsani when, or if, an invasion comes to pass.”

  “Who’s the holdout?” Rake asked.

  “Nebia.”

  Rake snorted derisively. “Figures.”

  “We’re better off without them,” Tam said. “Though there’ll be the annoyance of having to watch our backs.”

  “The Khrynsani know about our world,” Ian said. “If these Sythsaurians invade your world with their help, what is to stop them from invading ours?”

  “Us, Agent Byrne.” Ms. Sagadraco poured herself another cup of tea. “We will do everything in our power to stop them. If this does happen, it would become necessary to tell the appropriate agencies on this world what we are facing. In fact, I have contacts in those agencies, and would very much like to brief them on the potential threat.” She looked to Tam. “I will gather my senior staff this afternoon. Chancellor Nathrach, once you view the crystals at headquarters, I would very much appreciate you telling us all that you know.”

  Tam inclined his head. “I will gladly do so, madam.”

  The boss glanced around at us. “First, we must eliminate the threat we presently face. Chancellor Nathrach, it is obvious that you survived the expedition to Nidaar. How did you dispose of this cavern-sized crystal?”

  “The ruler of the Cha’Nidaar acknowledged that it had become too great a risk to allow anyone access to the Heart of Nidaar. Since it couldn’t be destroyed, she ordered the city evacuated, and we worked with her engineers to destroy the city and the mountain above it. The Heart of Nidaar is buried under them both.”

  “That’s some demolition,” Ian said with something akin to admiration.

  Tam flashed a crooked grin. “We had a lot of talented and enthusiastic help.” He turned to Gethen. “I understand you have the lifestone from the Khrynsani agent.”

  “I do.”

  “May I see it, please? There’s a chance I may know him personally.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You might know him? Aren’t the Khrynsani…evil?”

  “They are. But until recently, the Khrynsani all but ruled our land, and their leader was nearly crowned king.” Tam’s dark eyes glittered. “I’m a firm believer in knowing my enemies very well.”

  Gethen held the pendant by its chain, and Tam carefully took it from him, raising the pendant to dangle mere inches away from his eyes. He smiled slowly, exposing the tips of his fangs. “Khent Mendiu, Sandrina Ghalfari’s favorite errand boy. Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to get some answers.”

  “Who’s Sandrina Ghalfari?” I asked.

  “Her son was the head of the Khrynsani until his supposed death,” Tam replied. “Then she took over.”

  “Supposed death?”

  Tam grinned in a flash of fangs. “Turns out being carried off screaming by a giant demon into the Lower Hells isn’t as fatal as one would think. I was very disappointed. I went to a lot of trouble to conjure that demon.”

  9

  We’d managed to sneak into Rake’s building, but to leave, we’d have to walk out the front door.

  Through a gauntlet of press and paparazzi.

  The local newshounds hadn’t given up on Rake. A notorious billionaire had carried a man out of a burning building on his previously vacant lot, and then disappeared with the victim.

  It went beyond irresistible. Reporters had to find out what happened, and the social media addicts had to know. That neither group was getting any information just increased the frenzy to get their hands on it.

  The only SUV available at headquarters hadn’t had a full tank of gas. While we were inside, our driver had gone to fill up. When he returned, the street outside the underground garage entrance was blocked by a broken-down garbage truck.

  Time for some disguises.

  Ms. Sagadraco wore her usual human form. The press knew her as a wealthy socialite and generous philanthropist who lived in the building. Fortunately, Ian and I still had our amulets from this morning, and with Rake’s help, we activated them again. Rake, Gethen, and Tam came up with their own glamours.

  Ian and Gethen looked like bodyguards, so they went with that. Ms. Sagadraco’s bodyguards. I tagged along behind like a personal assistant.

  In their suits, Tam and Rake looked like a pair of Wall Streeters on their way to work with duffel bags to hit the gym after. Gorgeous Wall Streeters. I had no idea who the press thought they were, in relation to Ms. Sagadraco. Stockbroker boy toys?

  Rake’s usual glamour merely altered the aspects of his appearance that would be most alarming to our average human on the street. Fangs were blunted, ear tips rounded, and gray skin changed to a heathy human tan. That’s what the press would be looking for, so Rake had to do a little more work this time. Tam pretty much copied what Rake had done, so they ended up looking like brothers.

  In hindsight, they probably should have altered their hair.

  Our SPI driver was waiting in front of the building. It was late afternoon and traffic was gearing up for the evening rush. Foot traffic had picked up, too. It was also a breezy day, so when Rake and Tam set foot outside, a gust of wind swept their hair to the side and collisions occurred, on and off the street. Tam looked like he was starring in a Pantene commercial.

  Cameras started clicking. I don’t think the paparazzi could help themselves.

  Ian helped Ms. Sagadraco into the back of the SUV, and the rest of us piled in as quickly as we could.

  Ian took the front passenger seat. He always had shotgun when we went out, because more than once, an actual shotgun had been needed. Yasha kept one under the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat. I didn’t know if that was a Yasha thing or agency policy, because I rarely rode with anyone except Yasha.

  I missed him. Not the hair-raising, near-suicidal dashes through New York’s streets, but our big, lovable werewolf partner. I hoped he and Kitty could wrap things up in Colorado and come home soon.

  Ms. Sagadraco’s driver pulled smoothly out into traffic without any of us having a near-death experience. I had to admit it was nice.

  Tam looked out the window as we made our way down Central Park West toward SPI headquarters.

  I had to ask. “Even though you’ve been here before, how strange is this to you?”

  “I think of automobiles as horseless carriages, which is what I believe they were on
ce called, though these are much more comfortable and quiet. You can actually carry on a conversation, and the ride is infinitely smoother.”

  I could see Ian in profile from the front seat. He was grinning. “That depends on who’s driving.”

  Looked like I wasn’t the only one to miss Yasha, but not his driving.

  Then the grin vanished, and my partner was all business. “How much experience have you had with these crystals?”

  “More than I would like, but less than I believe you’ll need.”

  Ian’s frown deepened. “Is it going to be enough?”

  “There are two undisputed experts,” Tam said. “One is unable to travel due to her age and health. The other is out of reach, though I have people trying to try to contact her. She is our world’s top gem mage.”

  Tam proceeded to tell us about Baeseria, the queen of the Cha’Nidaar, and Agata Azul, the aforementioned best gem mage his world had to offer.

  “Agata wears a shard of the Heart of Nidaar similar to mine, except hers is in a pendant. Her bond with it guided us to the city of Nidaar. She and Baeseria calmed the Heart of Nidaar itself, preventing it from destroying our world.”

  “What does your ring do?” Ian asked.

  “It would be capable of the same as Agata’s pendant, if I had her gift, which I don’t.” As Tam regarded the ring, it flickered almost cheerfully. “Both were given to my ancestor by the Cha’Nidaar queen. I wear it to remind me of what he suffered at the hands of the Khrynsani.”

  The best we had was Ben Sadler, who’d said this morning that we were way out of our league.

  “You’re trying really hard to find Agata, right?” I asked.

  “I am, but she’s on what I believe you would call a top-secret mission, and we have been unable to contact her, or my two friends who are with her.”

  “Who?” Rake asked.

  “Raine and Mychael. I’ve spoken with Justinius Valerian. He’s attempting to reach them as well. But for now, I’m afraid we’re on our own.”

  *