by Ravyn Fyre
“Less than a mile. Why do you ask?”
“I wasn’t able to reach Adira’s gift,” I answered with a frown on my face.
“She’s probably in her lab, which would be beyond your reach from here. We can visit her, but it will have to wait a bit. Tanen is insisting we return to the dungeons. Something about ‘we need to see it for ourselves to believe it,’” Kalen replied with a scowl.
Chapter Thirty-Three
My gaze swept the room the second we materialized in the dungeon, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Not wanting to add more fuel for my nightmares, I skipped over Anolla’s cell and noticed only Castice remained captive, cowering in the corner. I did a double-take as I scoured Cynosis’s empty chamber. I would never have pegged her as an enemy. My mind started spiraling as I tried to establish her role in the plot against us. Swinging my attention to Tanen, I was surprised to find him calm, cool, and collected. Which only had me second-guessing the reason behind her absence. Opening my mouth to voice my concerns, he stopped me with a finger in the air and a shake of his head. Without saying another word, he pointed behind us with enthusiasm.
I turned slowly, bracing myself for the worst, and couldn’t stop myself from jumping back in fright. Nothing could have prepared me for the scene playing out in front of me. Blinking in hopes something else might appear, I forced myself to acknowledge the grotesque-looking starfish sucking face with the glass wall of Anolla’s cell. Covered in hundreds of needle-like spikes in varying lengths, some as long as my arm. It appeared to double in size as the barrier between us started disintegrating before my eyes.
My hand flew to my chest as I took a step back and stammered, “What the hell is that thing?”
Tanen answered, “Never seen one before, but I have a hunch Castice does.” He tilted his head toward Castice, who, at the mention of his name, stood up and rushed the glass wall in front of me. He must have forgotten Kalen’s warning by the surprised look on his face when he touched the glass enclosure and flew three feet back from the jolt of electricity. He landed on his ass several feet back and shook his head as he stared up at us. He regained his footing quickly when the creature let out a high pitched squeal.
Keeping his hands in the air, he spoke quicked as he approached us again, desperation evident in his voice, “You have to get me out of here.”
“And why would we do that?” Kalen responded with a growl.
“I thought you brought me here to save my life! Or was that just a lie?” Castice retorted.
“We did originally, but your silence made me change my mind. As far as I’m concerned, if you are not with us, you are against us. Furthermore, harboring secrets that could harm the Allegiance could be considered treason. Should I go on?” Kalen answered.
“But you can just leave me here! That thing eats organic matter and continues to grow until death! Your enclosure is nothing but a snack,” Castice cried out.
“What else can you tell us about it?” I ventured.
“Are you serious right now?” Castice shot back.
“Deadly,” I replied with a smirk, raising an eyebrow, daring him to question me. Little did he know I had every confidence Kalen or I could squash that thing like a bug.
After a short pause, he dropped his shoulders and replied, “Fine, but I’m going to need protection from . . .”
“From what?” I prompted when he stopped abruptly. When he continued to stare at me like a lost boy, I looked over my shoulder at Kalen and shrugged in question. He nodded his head toward Castice in response.
Seeming to come out of it, he shuttered and said, “I guess there are some things I can’t say no matter how much I know my life depends on it. It’s as if the memories are gone until I stop trying, and they all come flooding back.
“Well, what can you tell us?” I demanded.
“It’s a diabolitum,” Castice quickly answered.
“Where did it come from?” I asked.
Castice opened his mouth to tell us, and when nothing came out, he shook his head and said with frustration evident in his voice, “Guess I can’t tell you that.”
“Alright, let’s try another approach. Um. How about. Uh. What is it?” I hedged.
Castice let out a sigh of relief and answered, “A silicate based lifeform.”
“Seeing as you can’t tell me where it comes from, I doubt you’d be able to confirm who sent it?” I asked half-jokingly.
He shook his head no slowly and lowered his head. I looked at Tanen and tilted my head to the side. Tanen’s attention was directed at Castice with such intensity and focus that the veins in his face and neck were bulging. When he heard my thoughts, he turned to me in defeat and said, “I can’t get into his mind no matter how hard I try. I’ve got nothing.”
I nodded and said, “I got in before. I’ll try again.”
I closed my eyes and used Tanen’s gift, accessing Castice's mind with ease. I found myself in the same room as last time, but this time his thoughts were blank. Opening my eyes to look at Castice, I asked, “What are you thinking about right now?”
“I’m thinking about who’s responsible and all the shit I can’t seem to say. Why?” Castice answered, approaching the glass wall with caution.
“Huh. Try thinking about something else,” I prompted as I breached Castice’s thoughts again to hear him say, She must be crazy! A diabolitum is feet away from us, and she’s acting like we have all the time in the world for a quid pro quo session. Gods, I need to get out of here before. His thoughts went blank again as his mind entered a no go zone I couldn’t see or hear. Someone or something must have put a mental block on him.
“What do you want me to think about? How quickly death will come for me?” Castice asked angrily.
Not paying him any attention, I turned to Kalen and Tanen and said, “He’s got some kind of mental block on him. I can hear his thoughts easily until he starts thinking about the person or people responsible for the thing.” Hooking a finger over my shoulder at the diabolitum in question.
I turned when the creature made another one of it’s high pitched squeals and watched it latch onto the glass wall separating the cells as it attacked the barrier voraciously. Castice cried out in fear, drawing my attention. He plastered himself against the opposite wall and looked beyond terrified. It made me feel bad for torturing him needlessly. Taking pity on the half-phoenix half-gryphon, I used Kalen’s gift to envelope the diabolitum in a bubble. I maneuvered the creature into the center of its cell and returned my gaze to Castice before I said, “As you can see, that thing is not a threat to you anymore. One final question, and we’ll relocate you. Did that thing come from a Sixer?” His inability to respond was all the answer I needed.
Returning my attention to the squirming starfish, I found myself thankful I couldn’t hear its screams as I compressed the field around him. I felt a slight resistance like the being was somehow capable of pushing back. Doubling my efforts, I startled when Kalen shoved me behind him, breaking my concentration as General Jaleal flashed into the room carrying Adira, who bellowed, “Stop! What are you doing? I need that thing to identify the causative agent and possibly develop a cure for it.”
“How did you know about the creature Adira?” Kalen growled maliciously.
Placing my hand on his back, I peeked around my growly mate to see Tanen take a step forward before he said, “I advised Jaleal of the creature the moment I arrived here. Upon my return, I suggested grabbing Adira to help us identify it.”
“Return? Why did you leave in the first place? Better yet, why wasn’t I the first person notified?” Kalen barked.
Tanen stood tall as he addressed Kalen, “I meant no disrespect, just trying to be efficient. I was literally gone and back in a flash. I shouldn’t have to explain to you why I needed a moment. You of all people should understand my need to keep Cynosis safe.”
“I see,” Kalen replied, steepling his fingers as he turned to address Adira. “As an alchemist, how do you think y
ou would help this investigation. We already know what it is, a silicate-based lifeform, not a toxin or poison.”
Adira swallowed loudly before she replied, “It might not be a poison or a toxin, but it could produce one. Maybe I could isolate it and make some kind of antidote.”
I felt Kalen tense under my fingertips before he stalked forward and placed his hand on Castice’s cell wall. Both the glass wall and metal bars slid into the floor. Kalen captured Castice with his power and brought him forward. When they were eye to eye, my mate removed the field around Castice and let him drop to the floor before he said, “Is an antidote possible?”
Castice raised his head and replied, “Not that I’m aware of, but I highly doubt you’ll be able to get close enough to study it. I doubt you have anything that can contain it. It eats organic matter.”
“I know fire kills it. You could contain it that way,” I interjected.
“Perfect, my assistant’s sister is a fire elemental. I’ll have her meet us there. I know there has to be something I can do. Maybe it paralyzes its victims, and I can develop a serum to prevent that from happening. Please. Help me bring it to my lab so we can at least study its dynamics,” pushed Adira, clasping her hands in front of her in desperation.
I couldn’t understand why she was so insistent about studying it. It gave me the creeps and reminded me of the movie Alien, where the AI unit took an interest in the killer xenophobes. If she started spouting off shit about how fascinating and precious it was, I don’t think I’d be able to trust her. Kalen must not have felt the same way when he nodded in approval and barked out orders, “Tanen, take Castice to my bunker. He’ll be safe there until this is over.” He was about to say something else when Castice interrupted him, “That’s not a good idea. My gift is telling me you shouldn’t keep it. Destroy the damn thing before something bad happens!”
Castice outburst surprised me. I was just about ready to tap into his power to make sense of his ramblings when Rom flashed into the room and announced, “Bastion and his men have found the doppelganger. He’s mounting an insurgence on the infirmary. My brother needs back-up immediately.”
I looked up at Kalen and wondered how he appeared so at ease when I felt anything but calm. My nerves were a bundle of tangled firecrackers, where at any minute I might give up and just light the whole wad. Kalen pulled me forward and tucked me into his side before he said, “Jaleal, gather your squadron and attack them from behind. Tanen, after you drop off the kid, grab Paine and Parthyn and meet us in the lab. I’ll transport the girls to the lab so that Adira can begin her research, and we’ll attack from the west.” Looking down at me, he held my gaze for a second before he spoke, “You can’t let the flash disrupt your control. Do you think you can do that Jade?”
I nodded once and said a little silent prayer that I could deliver on that declaration as Kalen approached the diabolitum’s cell to disengage the metal bars. I brought it as close to us as I dared before I grabbed onto Kalen’s offered hand. He held out his other hand at the alchemist and barked, “Adira, hurry; we have no time to waste.”
I crossed my fingers and took a deep breath focusing all of my power on controlling the force field around the monster behind me. Kalen squeezed my hand as my only warning before he flashed us away.
Chapter Thirty-Four
When I detected our arrival, I flipped around to make sure the diabolitum was still in my control and let out a deep sigh when it was precisely where it was supposed to be. I assumed the two girls approaching were Adira’s assistant and her sister. I don’t remember seeing either of them the last time I was in here, but I was ready to release the monster in my grasp the second the blond fire elemental gave me the green light. She erected a cage weaved in fire around the diabolitum and gave me a thumbs up. The second I released my control, I heard a loud thud behind me and turned just as Kalen dropped to the floor, convulsing in pain.
I rushed to his side and reached for his gift of flashing, only to find my power unavailable. Raising my head to ask Adira what was going on, I found myself face to face with my nemesis, Onyx. “You! What did you do to him?” I screamed, scrambling to my feet.
“Me,” Onyx replied, placing a hand over her chest innocently. “I didn’t stab the king with a neurotoxin that paralyzes and acts as a memory eraser. No, that was our local alchemist’s job. Along with bringing me the blond! With that statement, she faced Adira and demanded, “I thought I told you to bring me, Jade!”
When I laughed out loud at her statement, she spun on her heel and said, “You won’t be laughing for long once I hand you over to the Mengh! I’m sure they wouldn’t mind the extra snack for their long journey. I won’t even charge them.” Turning back to Adira with her hands on her hips, she said, “Well! Where is she?”
Adira pointed at me and said, “That’s Jade. I brought her here like you asked.”
“Are you sure?” Onyx questioned, raising an eyebrow in question.
“Yes, I’m sure. Kalen called her Jade by name. Now give me back my sister.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, my dear. You see, your sister is already aboard their ship. Unless, of course, you wish to trade your life for hers,” Onyx said in a higher than thou voice, pausing for a brief moment. When Adira’s eyes filled with tears, she continued, “I didn’t think so. Pity you MIGHT have had a chance at being recruited in their army with your expertise. I doubt your sister, who’s only ability is contortionism, will stand a chance of surviving.”
Adira deflated as her tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “Bu . . . but you promised me,” she stammered, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
“Well, I lied!” Onyx snapped, showing her true colors before she straightened her outfit and did a Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde switch before my eyes. Her whole demeanor changed as she turned to face Adira head-on. When she finally spoke, it was in that sickly sweet tone I despised, “Is this going to be a problem between us in the future? Because when I’m queen, I won’t hesitate to end your life if I feel for a second you’ve betrayed my family or me!”
Adira made eye contact with me for a brief moment before she averted her eyes to the floor in a sign of submission and said, “No problem, my Queen. M..May I be excused? I’m not feeling very well at the moment.”
“I don’t think so. In fact, I think you should be present to witness my triumphant moment. After all, this wouldn’t have been possible without your help,” Onyx replied, cackling like a witch when Adira paled in response.
Onyx flipped around, whipping her long braid dramatically over her shoulder as she faced me once again. She stroked her hair as she eyed me up and down before she finally spoke, “I don’t see what all the fuss is about, but apparently, you are a very wanted Sixer. You’re going to make me a wealthy woman. Tell me, do you have a magic vagina or something? Is that how you deceived my mate into having sex with you?”
The woman was delusional. I couldn’t help the smirk that crossed my face. I needed to stall so our reinforcements could arrive in time to assist us. At the minimum, I needed to figure out why my powers were inaccessible. My only hope revolved around antagonizing the bitch enough so she’d confess her sins without even realizing it. Giving her my best evil eye, I finally answered her haughtily, “My pussy is so magical Kalen couldn’t keep his hands off me. Although he wasn’t wearing a ring in my defense and didn’t tell me he was attached, I thought he was fair game. My mistake.” I shrugged innocently and gave her a small, demure smile before I added, “Will you ever forgive me.”
I bit my cheek to keep myself from laughing uncontrollably when her mouth dropped open in response for a moment before she composed herself and said in a low voice, “You’re lying!”
I shrugged again but didn’t offer her another answer.
“What is your gift?” Onyx demanded in a voice I think she believed authoritative, but in truth only made her sound like a whiny bitch.
“I’m surprised you don’t know. Makes sense, though,�
� I said casually, looking down at my nails like I didn’t have a care in the world. Taking the time to take a quick peek at Kalen to ensure he lived. He no longer looked like he was in pain, but his eyes implored me to quit while I was ahead. They begged me to save myself. I gave him a defiant but barely perceptible shake of my head and went back to inspecting my cuticles.
“What makes sense?” Onyx snarled. Although I could tell the statement had her second-guessing her position in the grand scheme of things.
“Your lack of knowledge, of course. It means you’re disposable if you didn’t know,” I replied flippantly.
“Why, you little bitch!” Onyx roared, turning her arm into an onyx blade as she took a step in my direction.
I glanced around the room for something I could use as a weapon and came up short. I doubt I’d have enough time to grab anything before Onyx started getting stabby anyway. Why did I have to antagonize her when I’m powerless? Because my brain was the only tool, I had left. Standing as tall as I could, I used her greed against her and prayed it bought me more time. “Being a wanted Sixer and all, do you get half price if you deliver me dead or injured?”
My statement stopped her dead in her tracks. Her blade arm dropped to her side and morphed back into her regular hand while she struggled for a moment to pull herself together. It gave me the impression Onyx wasn’t used to curbing her anger. She tried to play it off by laughing like she found my statement funny. She flattened her dress methodically before she answered, “It doesn’t matter what you can do. I mean, it’s not like you can use it now. In your time of need.”