I fell to my knees, staring at the floor in shock. Was I making this up so I could pretend to be a hero? “But—Tika and Uqra,” I said. I’d been so certain before. “They speak on behalf of the gods. And we talked to Qachmy, Deejanara… Quilla spoke through me, you heard her. I didn’t fake that!”
“The High Priestess herself said it was a trick.” Nexita shook her head. “You fooled me for a little while, but then Rennu showed me how you used magic to create illusions. It hurt to realize how deep your lies went.”
She rose from the bed and lifted her left arm, rolling back her sleeve to reveal the awful glowing red stone that powered it. “I’ve got more power than all of you combined. The only goddess who matters is on my side. Chysa.”
I could sense the energy coming from that stone like a wave of sickness. I tried to crab-crawl backwards away from it, my stomach churning and threatening to reject the rich dinner. Even if I didn’t suspect where that power had come from, I would know how wrong that stone was. But when I searched Nexita’s face to see if she understood what she was doing, I saw the red light creeping into her eyes.
“Nex, you need to be careful using that,” I warned. “I think it’s trying to control you. You don’t sound like yourself.”
Nexita’s lips curled up into an unsettling smile. “You just can’t stand the idea that I won’t listen to you anymore. Believe me, I’m in control, and I feel more like myself than I have in all the years you bossed me around.”
The glow was growing stronger from the bloodstone, and it twisted around her, filling her eyes and taking over. I held up my hands to shield myself from that horrible light, but I had no way to defend myself.
Nexita took a step forward, looming over me. “Are you getting scared, sister? You should be. I’m the one with the power now, and I’ll make you pay for all you put me through!”
Her left hand pointed at me, and I had a sudden image of the grenade explosions which had rocked our airship. I wouldn’t be able to take even one of those hits. And if she was willing to use violence, when I was helpless before her, then my friend was gone. I’d made a terrible mistake.
“Please,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. Begging her would not help when she was filled with rage and twisted magic. I raised my voice. “Please, if any god is listening, help me! Qachmy, Sawycha, Quilla—”
“Silence!” Nexita slapped me across the face with her right hand, the weaker one, but it stilled knocked me flat onto my back. “I’ve warned you not to use that name! That traitorous goddess can’t help you, anyway.”
I struggled back up to my knees and stared at her. “If you think your goddess is so much more powerful than mine, why would it matter if I said Quilla’s name?”
She bent forward and grabbed my right arm with her mechanical left hand, wrenching it until I could no longer feel my hand. “You’re already going to be punished for what you’ve done. Don’t make it any worse for yourself.”
I gasped with the shooting pain, but I would not back down. “What will you do to me? Taking my arm won’t make us equal, and it won’t change what I believe. You’ll never stop me unless you kill me, Nex. And if I’m going to die, I’ll die praying to Quilla.”
The third time I spoke the moon goddess’s name, a thunderclap echoed. Nexita cried out as if she’d been struck and dropped my arm, pressing her hands against her ears.
A new light flashed, piercing through the red haze. I turned my head toward an opening in the wall where there hadn’t been one before. It was glowing so bright that it was hard to look at, filled with a rich green light, but I could just glimpse a figure with long, flowing hair. The perfume of flowers was like a breath of fresh air after the stink of Nexita’s corrupted magic.
“Qachmy?” I squinted at the figure. Had a goddess come to help me?
The figure leaned into the room, holding the doorway with light from her hands, and my eyes adjusted enough to make out Amena’s crooked grin. “Just her champion,” she said with a wink. “She said you called for help. Ready to go?”
I struggled to my feet, but Nexita had recovered. She stepped in between me and the doorway, lifting her mechanical arm, which was glowing brighter again.
“Your pitiful gods have no power here,” she snarled. “Chysa is the only true goddess, and she will punish you for your blasphemy!”
“No!” I cried out, lurching forward to knock her legs out, but I was too late to stop the attack.
The sickening red light flashed and a bolt of energy shot toward Amena.
A metal shield slid into the doorway, reflecting the attack. Nexita stumbled with my arms around her legs and fell to the floor, out of harm’s way. The bolt of energy exploded against the wall behind us, causing a shower of wood splinters.
Janera darted into the room, holding the shield, and beckoned to me. “C’mon, let’s go while she’s down.” She grabbed my injured right arm and pulled.
Fire burned where she touched me. I screamed. “Not—that one—” I gasped out.
Nexita was getting back up. “You won’t get away that easy.” She punched the wall where her attack had weakened it, opening up a hole into the hallway. “Father, the rest of the stupid girls showed up, just like you wanted!”
The bedroom door swung open and Pomavar rushed into the room, his own bloodstone glowing through his shirt. “Oh, good, I was afraid it would be a long wait,” he said with a smirk.
Kyra jumped through the magical doorway and shot an arrow at his head, forcing him to duck. Amena threw one of her daggers at Nexita before she could charge up another attack. Bolts of energy began to fly back and forth across the room, too fast for me to track.
Janera hunched over me, holding her shield up to protect us from the crossfire. “Sorry, can you move? I don’t think we can hold out long!”
I gave her my left hand and let her pull me up. The two of us crept low across the floor while the others covered our retreat.
Just before we reached the glowing threshold, Rennu shouted from the hallway. “Hold them there! Don’t let them escape!”
Kyra turned her bow toward the sound of his voice. “Try to stop us, you old creep!”
Janera pushed me through. I stumbled into sudden darkness, unable to see where we were heading except for somewhere outside at night.
She turned back and reached for Kyra. “We gotta go!”
“I can take him!” I heard Kyra protesting, but Janera grabbed hold of her and pull her back through the doorway.
Amena jumped back from the opening and her hands stopped glowing, sealing the portal behind her.
10
A New Plan
I squinted in the darkness, my feet stumbling on uneven ground. Janera’s hold on my good arm kept me from falling.
Headlights switched on before us. I raised my other arm to shield my eyes from the bright light. The pain increased when I moved, making me gasp.
Janera lifted her shield, blocking some light. “Here, take it easy,” she said, guiding me forward. “We’ll take care of that arm, right after we get on the ship. This way.”
Kyra rushed to my side but stopped short. “Are you hurt? I can’t believe that jerk. I should have taken her down while we had the chance.”
I shook my head, curling the injured arm against my chest. “This is nothing. But how did you guys—”
“There’s no time,” Amena snapped as she brushed past us. She reached the airship before us and yanked open the door. “Hurry!”
The engines started up their thrumming. I looked up and saw the envelope filled with gas. With my eyes adjusting to the brightness, I could make out that the airship was resting in a jungle clearing, although I couldn’t tell if it was the same one. I looked back over my shoulder, but there was no sign of the magical doorway or Nexita. Somehow, we’d left all of Lyndamon City behind in an instant.
Janera led me inside Quilla’s Revenge and helped me strap into my seat. Then she took the copilot’s chair. Deryt was already in the pilot�
�s, readying for take-off. Kyra grabbed the seat next to me. Amena closed the door, buckled in, and banged on the wall.
My stomach lurched as the airship launched into the air. As soon as we’d cleared the trees, Deryt switched off the headlights, plunging us into darkness. Only the faint glow of the instrument panels lit the cockpit.
I blinked, unable to see again. “What did you do that for?”
“To keep us hidden,” Amena said with a hint of annoyance. “The enemy might sense our location when we use magic, and we just used a lot. We’ve got to get out of this area before they send a patrol.”
Rennu could track us when we used magic? Better safe than sorry, I guess. But flying at night with no lights made me nervous. “But aren’t there, like, mountains around here?” I squinted into the darkness. “How’re you going to keep us from running into them?”
“Carefully,” Deryt muttered over his shoulder. “So try not to distract me.”
I took a shuddering breath and closed my eyes. It was worse looking out the windows and seeing only black, imagining some jagged rock would jump out any moment and kill us all. I started to pray, but Amena had warned us not to use magic. Did praying count?
The sound of a striking match broke the silence. I opened my eyes and saw Kyra lighting a lantern. She hung it from a hook near my head and reached toward me. “Let me see that arm.”
Gingerly, I uncurled my right arm until it reached the spot where the pain grew worse. Bruises were already forming on the skin in the shape of Nexita’s mechanical fingers. “It might just be a—a sprain?”
Kyra snorted. “If this were worse, I’d tear her other arm off.” She reached for a bag of stolen medical supplies.
Hard to believe our grand theft was only last night. Wow, I’d screwed up so much in twenty-four hours. I hung my head.
Amena unbuckled her safety harness and knelt beside Kyra. “If you think it’s broken, we need to immobilize the arm,” she said, digging through the bag. Her tone was much more gentle to Kyra, and they bent together over the supplies so their shoulders were touching.
My stomach was already in knots, but seeing them so close was like another punch to the gut. Kyra respected Amena as a leader like she’d never respected me, and now she’d replaced our fragile friendship, too. Why did they bother to rescue me if they didn’t even want me here?
Amena’s hands were on Kyra’s as they found a splint and bound it to my arm. Kyra took an extra length of cloth and made a sling while Amena ground up healing herbs with water for me to drink. The herbs were bitter, but they took the edge off the pain. If only there was something I could take for emotional turmoil.
“Try not to move that arm at all for at least two weeks,” Amena said when they were finished. “We should get a healer to examine it. If you let it rest, you might keep it from getting any worse.”
I don’t think she meant that as an insult to me. But it was my fault I didn’t have any magic to heal myself. Without my arm, I would be even more helpless. I was nothing but dead weight.
“Thanks,” I mumbled. “I’m grateful, but you guys didn’t have to come for me. They could have killed you.”
Janera flashed a smile over her shoulder. “Hey, friends look out for each other. We couldn’t just leave you.”
Amena folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. I could feel her eyes on me. “We would have gotten to you sooner, but had to change plans when they took you back to the city. How did they identify you so fast?”
I cleared my throat. “I, uh, told them to contact the minister. I turned myself in.”
“You idiot!” Kyra burst out, throwing her hands up in the air. “You went back there so that monster could hurt you again?”
“I thought maybe if they had me, they’d stop chasing all of you…” I trailed off. I’d never pull off a lie. They all knew how badly I wanted to see Nexita. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I know it was stupid, but I had to try.”
Kyra gestured to my injured arm. “You’re not the only one who gets hurt by your mistakes!” She waved at the birds. “Uqra and Amena busted their butts to track you down and make a doorway. Then we all risked our necks pulling you out. Whatever tiny chance you think there is for Nexita, it’s not worth sacrificing everyone!”
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Kyra opened her mouth, but Amena raised her hand. “What’s done is done,” she said. “Leave it for now.”
Kyra sank back in her chair and turned her face away.
Amena shrugged. “Besides, it was pretty cool to open a magical doorway.”
I looked up with a start. “Do you mean the portal thing you pulled me through? I’ve never seen anything like that!”
Tika, perched on the back of Amena’s chair, shook her head at me. “Uqra has a powerful gift, but Amena isn’t ready to wield it. Qachmy gave a lot of her own strength to the portal, so you won’t be able to use it again for a long time.”
“Uqra can open portals?” Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised me that a talking bird who served as the messenger to a goddess would have other magical powers, but that was one more secret they hadn’t shared.
Amena glanced back at Tika. “Uqra used her powers to save me once, too. And we’re not blaming Riwenne for getting captured. We should have protected her better.”
“It’s okay. Tell me more about this magic you’ve never mentioned before.” I leaned forward to look at the sandpiper. “Do you have any powers that can help us?”
Tika fluttered her wings. “We’re both, shall we say, not quite at the level of proper gods. Demigoddess of doors and openings—that’s what they called Uqra back in the old days.” She shook her head. “A lot has changed since then, and we’ve been forgotten. I’ll tell you what my gift is if we need it.”
I bowed toward Tika. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were divine.”
“Maybe you’ll listen to my advice now,” Tika said, but she winked at me. Was she making a joke?
I played up the bow, raising and lowering my head and left arm several times in obeisance. “Of course, oh great old demigoddess. You have the wisdom of many years to guide you.”
“Okay, give it a rest,” Tika said. “The important thing is you’re back, and we need to plan our next steps.”
Amena leaned forward. “Did you learn anything about the enemy? Did Rennu tell you what he’s planning next?”
Had I learned anything new? I hadn’t even thought about prying for info. My mind raced over my brief trip—the underground train, the strange contraptions that ran Rennu’s household, the luxuries he’d offered me to charm me into staying… but did any of that help us? I had the sinking feeling there was one important thing I’d learned, but I didn’t want to say it out loud.
“The… power Nexita has now.” I swallowed hard, tasting bile under the lingering bitterness of the medicine. “And it’s not just her. I met a man, too, Pomavar. They both have mechanical limbs—her left arm and both of his legs. They’re powered by these red stones which have Chysa’s power but darker.” I took a deep breath and blurted it out: “I think it comes from human sacrifice.”
Tika glided and landed on my good arm. “Be very careful about what you’re saying. What makes you think they’re using blood magic?”
I looked at the others. “Did you see the stones they were using? That sickening red light, the way their magic smelled like death…”
Amena and Kyra exchanged a wary look. “Something seemed off about their power,” Amena said.
Janera turned around in her seat. “It gave me the creeps just gettin’ close to Nexita. But even if she is working for the bad guys, I don’t think she’d go so far as to—to sacrifice someone.”
I chewed on my lower lip. I looked at Kyra. “Do you remember the priestesses told us Chysa used to demand human sacrifices?”
Kyra frowned. “They stopped that a long time ago.”
“Yes, but if she needed more power…” I took a deep breath a
nd forced myself to say the rest. “And I saw it in a dream. Nexita, in the temple with the minister and the head priestess. She—she killed someone in a ritual and made a blood stone.”
Kyra stared into my eyes. “Are you sure that wasn’t just a dream?”
I nodded. “I mean, I wasn’t sure when I first had it. But when I saw her, that confirmed it.” I buried my face in my hands. “I didn’t want to believe she was so far gone.”
No one spoke for a long moment.
“Well,” Amena said, breaking the tension so abruptly that I jumped. “We knew that our enemies have hurt innocent people to get what they want, so this isn’t impossible to believe. We still have to stop them. That hasn’t changed.”
Janera grunted. “I’m more than ready to take ‘em down.”
“But we also need to be more careful,” Kyra warned. “We don’t know everything that Nexita’s capable of, and you said she isn’t the only one with a blood stone. What was the name of the other person you met?”
I raised my head. “Um, Pomavar? He said he was Minister Rennu’s assistant. He had an R&D uniform.”
“Pomavar Tanaja,” Deryt said. He locked the airship’s controls and turned around. “I think we’re far enough away to be safe for now. But I’ve met this Pomavar—an engineer leading the prosthetic limbs project at R&D. The last prototypes I saw him testing were nowhere near as powerful as what you’ve described.”
I shivered. “Then these bloodstones must be new.”
Tika brushed my cheek with her wing. “You can tell us more about it tomorrow. For now, let’s get some rest.”
I wasn’t going to argue with that, although I didn’t know how well I’d be able to sleep. I struggled with the safety harness on my seat one-handed until Kyra unbuckled it. Janera helped me back to the bunks. I noticed that Kyra and Amena lingered behind in the galley, leaning together and whispering.
Riwenne & the Bionic Witches Page 8