She nodded to something over my shoulder and the door slammed shut behind me.
I shuddered a little and she smiled thinly.
“Good trip?”
“Sure. If you like traveling through black clouds and evil crows,” I said.
“Ah, yes. The crows. I love the crows,” she said dreamily. “Always so helpful.”
“What room is this?” I asked.
“My Sanctuary.” Lisabelle spread her arms wide.
“Oh.” I swallowed hard.
Lisabelle Verlans rolled her shoulders and glared at me. When I didn’t look as terrified as I should have, she let out a long sigh.
“I’ve tried to become more accommodating,” she murmured. Sadly, she peered around at the hundreds of knives that surrounded her.
I cleared my throat. “I don’t think you need help with accommodating.”
She perked up. “Do you feel accommodated?”
“Maybe?” I said.
Her shoulders sagged again and she cleared her throat.
“I started reading a hospitality book, but then it told me to be hospitable, so I burned it,” she ruminated.
“Wherever did you find fire?” I said.
She must have given up trying to be hospitable and stopped having visitors.
“What do you think of my new digs? I wanted a place near Golden Falls for when I smash it to bits. At least pay them a visit,” she added.
“It’s very . . . you. Why are you going to smash Golden Falls?” I asked.
“Golden Falls, the Pixie Forest, those are places harboring the opposition to the Quest Government,” said Lisabelle. She said it as if Sip was still president and President Yeast didn’t exist.
“What about Hunters?” I asked.
She laughed. “I have a plan for them. It’s the Nocturns I’m really worried about.”
“Nocturns are darkness. Aren’t you also darkness?” I asked.
“Enemies don’t change,” she said.
“That makes no sense,” I told her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Hunters are for hire. They’re searching for artifacts to give what’s left of the Nocturns power. They know perfectly well that I’m never going to destroy the paranormals.”
“But you have the hellhounds and the darkness holes,” I said. “You have all the power.”
“I have power,” she said, picking up a knife. A long and vicious blade. For gutting if she wished.
“What are you going to Golden Falls for?”
“Answers. The only thing that matters is what happened to Sip. I thought I had everything under control. I mean, not really. Controlling everything the way I could would require me to care about everything, which I obviously don’t,” she explained.
She looked duller than I had ever seen her. Her hair was stringy and her skin was sallow. As if Sip was truly gone.
Maybe she really did need some visitors.
My heart constricted, and I pushed the thought away. Sip wasn’t gone. Some stupid woman like Ms. Cernal wouldn’t have gotten to Sip Quest that easily.
I just had to ask Lough. Wherever he was. Whatever he was doing. Shouldn’t Lisabelle?
The darkness premier’s eyes continued to be distant. The knife spun faster in her hand. The tension in the air thickened. She was remembering something else. Something unpleasant. Something that caused her pain. Something started to boil in her face.
Lisabelle’s fury was coated in steel. The hardness of her anger made me breathless with fear. Was Dobrov right to have asked me to come here? Winter semester would begin soon, and I wouldn’t be able to make the trip after that, because then I would have another assignment: to find the objects on the Counter Wheel before it was too late.
It couldn’t be too late already. If the Hunters had found them all, attacks would have begun on Public, on paranormals, even on Lisabelle herself.
“Come see my knife collection,” she said.
It was the most enthusiastic I’d heard her sound about anything since I arrived in her room. Her voice still scraped, but there was at least a shred of life to it. She got up and strode away down a black hall. Reluctantly I followed after her.
She didn’t turn around to see if I was there. At the end of the hall she disappeared behind a black curtain. Wisps of smoke and curls of black mist covered the floor and fear took hold of my heart and squeezed. Try as I might, I could think of no way to convince myself that there was nothing in the mist at my feet.
Something was floating just below the surface. Lurking. Ready to attack at the least provocation. At the snap of Lisabelle’s fingers, a monster that only Nocturns could dream up would spring from the darkness and kill me.
Sweat broke out on my brow.
I nearly fell through the curtain behind which Lisabelle had disappeared.
Here was another long hallway. Black ebony and marble, black statues with red eyes. Burning death all around.
It was a seat of power more terrifying than words could describe.
Lisabelle should invite all of her detractors here.
She wouldn’t have to kill them. Seeing this place would give them all heart attacks.
But now she had disappeared again.
In front of me was an arched doorway, crying figures etched into the molding. On either side of the door were two huge hellhounds. Burning red eyes followed my every movement.
I glanced down at my ring. It was mostly black, but there was a dull green tint to it, as if it too was going to be ill.
I forced one foot in front of the other. Lisabelle wouldn’t let harm come to me.
At least the old Lisabelle wouldn’t.
This new Lisabelle, more despair than sarcasm, I wasn’t so certain about.
Through the arched doorway, with the hellhounds watching, I stepped.
Now we stood in a domed room. Lisabelle stood in the center at a glass table, examining knives.
On the walls were more knives. In fact, the walls were entirely covered in sharp blades. With varying lengths and different colored handles, the one thing all the knives had in common was that they appeared to be impossibly sharp.
Lisabelle didn’t look up when I entered.
I thought she should. I felt as if I should get a reward for making it this far.
“What is this room?” I asked. My throat suddenly felt dry.
“My knife collection. I started when I became darkness. Slowly at first, but I pick up a knife pretty frequently now. Throw them often enough as well,” she added.
On the far side of the room I could see what looked like a target draped in black. There were no knives currently stuck to it. Lisabelle was holding one, though, one with a jeweled handle and a long blade. She was turning it over in her tattooed hands.
“I started practicing when . . . after . . .” She didn’t finish.
“Right. What do you plan to do with the knives?” I asked.
Now she looked up at me.
“I plan on making so many paranormals pay.”
Chapter Three
“Do you want to stay the night?” Lisabelle asked. Her castle was large enough that I felt certain I could have an entire wing to myself and not even know Lisabelle was there. Then again, who I’d be sharing that wing with might be even more terrifying.
“It’s getting late. I don’t think they’re expecting me at Public for a couple of days,” I said.
“That’s when winter semester starts,” she said. “You can spend the next two days with me. I have a busy schedule, so you won’t be bored.” She sounded downright cheery. Almost.
“Here, let me show you to your room,” she said, standing up.
Before I could move to follow her, she whirled around and threw the knife. The blade hissed, spun through the air, and buried itself in the black fabric. Right in the middle.
“Not bad,” she said, almost to herself.
We were out of the room with the hellhounds surrounding us when she said, “Sorry. I s
hould have let you try.”
I cleared my throat. “Another time.”
Lisabelle showed me to a dark chamber with rich midnight drapes, carpeting, and bedspread. There were no windows, which was just as well. I imagined the grounds would terrify me.
“I thought you should have the bright room,” said Lisabelle. “See you in the morning. Oh, and Ricky? It would be best if you didn’t leave this room until someone comes to get you.”
And she was gone in a sweep of inky black.
I expelled a breath. I was pretty certain it was the first one I had fully taken in since I arrived.
A lilt had entered her voice since I last spoke with her. Since before she lost Sip.
From the first time I ever met Lisabelle Verlans, I had known she was dangerous.
Then I’d been told that she was the most dangerous paranormal in the world.
After tonight I realized that when pushed, she was even more dangerous than that.
At midnight I was still awake. I crept out of my room, maybe the dumbest thing I’d ever done. Creeping around the seat of darkness power: hellhounds, ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, and other gruesome creatures were all likely here. Lisabelle had dragons as well, wherever those were.
But I couldn’t sleep.
I had a feeling that Lisabelle couldn’t either.
Quietly I made my way down the stairs. To my surprise, my door wasn’t guarded by hellhounds, or any other creatures. Why should it be? This was the last place the Hunters would come looking for me. I didn’t think any price on my head could get them to come here.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs I saw a long corridor. At one end a light flickered. at the other, empty darkness. I chose to go toward the light.
Slowly I made my way down the black hallway, my heart hammering so loudly I could scarcely breathe. I’d have to get back at Dobrov for asking me to come here. Some favors were too big.
There was a sort of heat to the air. The coals that had burned away still held a warmth. The hallway was like a black velvet curtain in motion.
Silence met my every step. Air rattled into my lungs. What was I doing?
Just then red eyes glowed in front of me.
I stopped dead.
Three sets of hellhounds were coming toward me.
They were larger than the usual variety, which was saying something. The black beasts came on, not moving quickly, but also not moving slowly.
I thought about stopping, but I couldn’t. Instead I just kept going.
When I came even with the hellhounds, they paid me no heed, they simply padded past me.
I released one gasp of air from my lungs.
In front of me was the light I had seen: nothing but a closet light left on. Sighing, I looked around. The hair on my arms was standing on end and I half expected a swarm of bats to come racing around the corner and attack me.
The castle was huge. As I should have anticipated, I didn’t know where to go next, so I made for what I thought was the way back to Lisabelle’s “Sanctuary,” thinking she might be nearby.
Suddenly there was a rumbling next to me. I paused.
The next instant I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand.
Quickly I spun around, and my heart stopped.
An Oggle was emerging from the shadows behind me, but this was no ordinary Oggle. This one was larger than most of them, and his skin was the color of midnight.
His eyes were large and trained on me.
“Um,” I whispered.
The Oggle came closer and bent down. From his nose dripped snot the color of slime. He sniffed me.
Every fiber in my body was telling me to run away and not look back.
Danger ripped through me as the Oggle came even closer, bending down further to examine the little speck in front of him.
I swallowed hard.
Then the creature’s eyes went to my ring.
His shoulders, big beefy things that stretched into his neck, lowered.
My throat loosened slightly as the Oggle stepped backward. I decided it was safe to move myself. When I got back to my room, I’d need a shower to wash off the sweat.
Edging past the Oggle, I passed Lisabelle’s favorite room, then saw a light shining down the hall, dim and flickering. A fire burned in a room nearby; voices carried down the hall at a low hum.
Both of them were voices I recognized.
“I wanted to see how you were doing,” said Rake.
“You could have just sent a message,” said Lisabelle, her voice more relaxed than I usually heard it.
“Do you want an update on the artifacts?” asked Rake.
“Not really,” said Lisabelle.
“Why not?” Rake asked.
“All the relevant artifacts are either at Public, in the hands of the Hunters already, or here,” she said.
“Do you have some of the artifacts still categorized as missing?” said Rake.
“Probably,” said Lisabelle.
“You seem better than the last time I saw you,” said Rake.
“I’m a very even-keeled individual,” Lisabelle explained.
“Right,” said Rake, a dry note entering his voice.
“I’m going on a mission tomorrow. Since I made the decision, I’ve felt better about things,” Lisabelle said.
“Do you have any news?” asked Rake. I wished I could see his face, because it was hard to read what was in his tone.
“About what?” An edge had entered Lisabelle’s voice.
“Anything! Who killed Sip. How Charlotte’s doing, what’s happening with Queen Lanca! How President Yeast is moving against you,” Rake cried.
“Relax,” said Lisabelle. It was an order more than anything else.
I heard a rustling in the room and imagined a line of hellhounds’ heads rising. Then I heard feet scrape on the floor as Rake got more comfortable.
“What do you know of the Hunters?” she asked.
“Plenty,” Rake growled.
“Don’t be temperamental,” she chided. “Ricky. You’re getting adept at listening at doors you shouldn’t even be near. Why don’t you join us?”
“I wouldn’t have to listen in if you just invited me to the meeting,” I pointed out.
“I told you to stay put. How am I to be universally feared if I’m not listened to?” she demanded.
“I promise I won’t tell anyone,” I said.
“I already know,” said Rake unhelpfully.
“Did the Oggle tear your head off? No, I think not,” said Lisabelle.
“Hey,” said Rake, giving Lisabelle one last long look before greeting me.
“Hey. What brings you here?” I said.
“Safest for me to travel. The government isn’t keeping tabs on me. I insisted that they not do that in case there were spies among them, as there surely are,” said Rake.
“Spies reporting back to the Hunters?” I said.
He nodded. “President Yeast isn’t paying as much attention as I expected her to. Are you sure he should be here for this?” Rake asked, pointing at me but looking at Lisabelle.
I had already taken a seat in the room, and I bristled at the dismissal.
“He should. As he pointed out, it’s better if he gets a seat at the table. At least until I use the table for kindling,” said Lisabelle.
“Fine. President Yeast is preoccupied with the elementals. I’m not yet certain what her idea about it all is, but she wants Charlotte to come in and speak with her. Thinks it would be safer for her,” said Rake.
“You don’t agree?” I asked.
“President Yeast only cares about elementals to the extent that it increases her own power base,” said Rake. “It isn’t good.”
“You don’t think she’d hurt Charlotte, though,” I said.
Rake looked troubled. “I mean, not yet, but I wouldn’t put anything past her,” he said.
“Charlotte isn’t going anywhere. She’s especially not going to meet with President Yeast,�
�� said Lisabelle, her nose wrinkling in distaste. “And one way or another, President Yeast is not going to hurt Charlotte.” She said the word “President” viciously.
“I thought not,” said Rake.
“Now, what of the Hunters?” Lisabelle asked.
“There are more of them than we thought,” said Rake, now in his element. He was a soldier first and loved to issue a report.
“How many more?” Lisabelle asked.
“A lot. They’re congregating at Duke Dorman’s castle on the Mirror Lake up in the Kiddiack Mountains. How often and how many remain to be seen, but the place is a fortress. They’re probably storing a lot of the missing artifacts there as well,” he said.
“And some of the missing paranormals?” I asked.
“Could be that, too. I’m certain they need labor for some of their nefarious purposes,” Rake said, stretching as if he needed to loosen his muscles. “I’m not too worried. There are still a lot fewer of them than there are of us, but having a stronghold is always bad news for someone else.”
“You don’t say,” said Lisabelle.
Rake looked around at Lisabelle’s stronghold. “You’re the Premier of All Darkness. You’re entitled to all of this. Besides, even if a lot of the paranormals don’t realize it, you’re keeping darkness at bay and away from them.”
“At least you’ve noticed,” said Lisabelle.
“Who is Duke Dorman?” I asked.
Rake shrugged. “Haven’t been able to figure that out yet. That’s just the name that’s been whispered at the bigger black markets. He’s buying up a lot of artifacts.”
“What are the Hunters working on? Now that Sip’s out of the way, I mean,” said Lisabelle.
Rake licked his lips and looked into the fire. When he didn’t speak right away, several hellhounds glanced in his direction as if encouraging him not to waste their mistress’s time.
“Publicly they’re after artifacts in a big way. Privately I think they’re trying to set you up. If the paranormals are fighting darkness, then they can slip in and cause all kinds of damage,” he said.
“Everyone is trying to set me up, Rake. Haven’t you noticed? Everyone thought I would become emotionally unstable without Sip, so they targeted her.” Pain was clear on every line of her face.
Elemental Unity Page 2