by Meg Anne
“Nothing new,” she lied. “It can wait.”
Lucian’s hand tightened around hers. “You sure?”
She nodded, knowing she would make a point to tell him about it as soon as they were alone. “Yes. We should finish dealing with . . .” she trailed off, suddenly realizing who was missing. “Where’s Kieran?”
Kael and Ronan glanced around, clearly surprised to find he had vanished.
“He stormed off while you two were indisposed,” Reyna informed them, her eyes glittering with amusement.
As soon as they were alone Reyna was going to grill her. Effie knew it as certainly as she knew her name.
“And you didn’t think to stop him?” Ronan gritted out.
Reyna shrugged. “Why bother? How far is he going to get?”
Kael let out a low groan. “As far as he wants. He took my Kaelpas stone with him.”
Chapter 10
Tension permeated the cave as the implications of Kieran’s selfishness took hold. The glower on Lucian’s face told her that Kieran would receive an earful once he was found. As for the rest of them, with Lucian’s stone low on charge, only two people would be able to return to the citadel as planned. The others would have to stay behind and wait for someone to return with a fresh stone.
Assuming of course there was a stone available.
As far as Effie knew, the Guardians were the only ones at the citadel who regularly had access to the stones. If anyone else used them, she wasn’t aware of it. Since time or powerful magic was required to recharge a stone, most Keepers relied on more traditional means of travel.
Effie glanced at Ronan. “Do you still have your stone?”
Ronan scowled. “Not on me. Not that it would do us any good if I did. I left it at the citadel to be refilled.”
“Oh!” Effie said, causing the others to snap their attention back to her. “I have the stone Helena gave me. It’s in my room at the citadel. Whoever goes back can use it to return for the rest.”
She was guessing that Kael and Lucian would return first, since they would need to report their findings to the Triumvirate. Afterward, they could come back for her, Ronan, and Reyna.
Some of the tension in the cave ebbed as the others realized they would not be stuck idle or having to face weeks of travel to return to Bael.
“Alright, that problem is resolved for now. What are we going to do about Tinka?” Ronan asked.
Tinka let out a low growl at the sound of her name.
“Can she understand us?” Effie asked.
Khouman shrugged. “I hope not. I can’t bear to believe anything of her is still trapped inside that thing.”
Effie’s mind was racing. If Tinka was still in there somewhere, perhaps they could find a way to save her. Her eyes marked her as a Shadow, but which version? The mindless fanatic that was little more than an animal, or the sentient one still capable of accessing its power? Tinka was the only Shadow Effie knew about that hadn’t been created by Rowena, so it was possible she was something else entirely.
Maybe there was a way to find out . . .
“Lucian?” Effie asked.
Her Guardian shifted to face her. “What are you thinking?”
“Does Tinka’s essence match the Shadows we came across in the jungle?”
Khouman flinched, his eyes dropping to the ground.
The bronze flecks in Lucian’s eyes seemed alight with inner fire as he considered her question. “Similar, not identical,” he answered thoughtfully, scrubbing his free hand along his jaw.
“Different source?” Kael asked, picking up on the direction of Lucian’s thoughts.
Ronan and Effie exchanged confused looks. They were having a bit more trouble connecting the dots.
“It’s possible,” Lucian said. “But I don’t think that’s the reason.”
“Speak plainly,” Ronan demanded, arms crossed over his chest.
“The corruption appears like a black stain blotting out life’s natural light. In reality, it is far more than just a stain. It is a parasite, consuming its host until it perverts it entirely. In this way, the corruption is the same everywhere we have found it,” Lucian explained.
“So, if the corruption acts the same regardless of the source, how are Tinka and the Shadows different?” Reyna asked.
Lucian’s lips pulled down in a frown. “Not an easy answer, I’m afraid.”
“Try,” Ronan said, his tone making it clear this was not a suggestion.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed, obviously not appreciating being given orders by someone he still considered an outsider. He remained silent as he considered how to respond to Ronan’s question. With a shake of his head, Lucian finally answered. “It is almost impossible to explain the essence of life to one who cannot experience it.”
Effie gave his hand an encouraging squeeze.
Closing his eyes, Lucian returned her gesture. His lips lifted slightly as she stared up at him. Letting out a long sigh, Lucian began talking.
“When I peel back the layers of a living thing to look into its essence, I always see the same thing. Glowing, interwoven strands that vibrate with the force of what powers them. The stronger the being, the purer their soul, the more intense the glow and the more powerful the vibration. This is true no matter the species. Sometimes the smallest creatures glow the brightest,” Lucian said.
Effie sucked in a breath as Lucian speared her with a look, his slight grin growing until he looked back at the others. He paused for a second, his eyes resting on each of them to ensure they were still following. After a few nods, he continued.
“These vibrations are unique, although the more similar the beings, the more alike the vibrations.”
“Sort of like a song, right? We are all different instruments but the notes are the same?” Effie asked.
Kael grinned at her, his dimples flashing. “Exactly. Using your metaphor, humans would all be drums but a tree might be a wind instrument.”
Ronan and Reyna nodded to show they understood. Khouman’s expression was distant as he stared with furrowed brows down into the cavern below.
“Despite the differences in their vibrations,” Lucian said, picking up his explanation, “every living being is in harmony. The corruption is a break in the harmony. A dissonance, if you will.”
“Someone’s singing off-key,” Ronan muttered.
Kael snickered. “That’s one way to put it.”
Reyna shushed them. “Let him finish.”
Despite the levity of the others, Lucian looked somber as he said, “The dissonance I sense in the woman, is not the same as when I looked within the Shadows . . . yet.”
Effie’s heart sank at his assessment.
Lucian continued, “My assumption is the difference between them is only temporary. I would have to look at her again once her transformation was complete to know for sure.”
Silence filled the cave. Not even Tinka, who had been snarling and shuffling below during the entire exchange, made a sound.
Effie was the first to speak. She tried to phrase her next question carefully, still clinging to what was left of her mostly shredded theory, but not wanting to give Khouman false hope. “But, if Tinka is different, is it possible that she will not become like the rest of them? That we can reverse this?”
“It is more likely that she is still in the midst of transition,” Kael said, giving Effie an apologetic frown.
“So there’s nothing you can do for her?” Khouman asked.
“We do not yet have a way to undo the corruption. It is unlikely we will be able to help her in time,” Lucian said.
His expression was unreadable and his voice firm, but Effie could feel the tension rolling off of him. Lucian was used to having all the answers and always being in control. For both to elude him now . . . it was wearing on him.
“Then I have one final request before you go,” Khouman said, his gruff voice thick with emotion.
“Anything,” Ronan promised.
�
�Kill her. Please.”
“Khouman—” Effie started.
“Please, I beg you. I cannot bear to let her suffer this way. She would never have wanted to become this. I would do it myself, but—”
Tears brimmed in Effie’s eyes, her heart breaking for the man.
“Are you sure?” Lucian asked, his deep voice softer than Effie had heard him use it with anyone but her.
Khouman nodded, a lone tear leaving a dusty trail down his cheek. “We’ve already said our goodbyes.”
“It will be done,” Reyna promised, moving closer and dropping to her knee beside the Caederan man.
Khouman released a shaky breath. “My thanks, lady. I-I think I’ll wait outside, if you don’t mind. I’ll see you to town once it’s . . . over.” He didn’t wait for them to reply, turning and walking back down the torch-lit pathway.
“Reyna, you can’t really mean that,” Effie sputtered once he was gone.
She raised a dark brow. “Why wouldn’t I? She is an abomination, a threat to all of us. I eliminate threats.”
“Sure, but—” Effie protested.
“But this monster has a name?” Reyna asked, her voice gentle.
Effie’s chest hurt as she turned to the men, hoping one of them might agree with her. Not even Lucian, whose dark eyes burned when they met hers, was on her side.
“It’s murder,” she insisted.
“There is mercy in death,” Reyna replied. “As well as peace. Does she not deserve both?”
“Of course she does—”
“This is a kindness, Effie, I promise,” Reyna said.
Even if a more rational part of Effie agreed with her, it still felt wrong. “But what if we find a way to save her a week from now? Couldn’t we just take her back with us? Wait for Helena to get back . . . or maybe the Triumvirate know of a way . . .”
“Effie.”
It was Lucian’s voice that finally broke through her rambling pleas. She shook her head, not wanting to hear what he was about to say.
“You know that she would only be a danger to us. We cannot risk it,” he said.
“We have to at least try,” she said, her voice raw.
“It’s too late, little warrior,” Kael said, lifting his hand to place it on her shoulder.
Effie flinched away.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
This time when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder Effie let him.
It was one thing to put down a creature that was trying to kill her. It was something else when it was someone she knew, even if they’d only crossed paths a handful of times.
Reyna and Ronan moved back to the edge, peering down into the depths. They spoke in low voices, but the cave amplified their words so it was as if they were speaking right next to her.
“Without the ladders to climb down, we will need to bring her to us,” Reyna said.
“Thanks to the vines, we couldn’t risk it even with the ladders,” Ronan reminded her. Sighing, he added, “I don’t have enough ability in Air to fly her up.”
“A rope would do,” Reyna murmured, her eyes calculating.
Ronan speared her with a dry look. “I must have left my spare rope in my other pants.”
“I can help with that,” Lucian said, joining them.
Ronan lifted a brow. “How’s that?”
Lucian answered by pulling his cloak off his shoulders. His hands blurred as his eyes began to glow with bronze light. Effie’s eyes could barely track the movement of his fingers as he transformed the cloak into a long strand of rope.
When he was done, Lucian held the rope out to Ronan.
Ronan grunted. “Well, that’s just fucking useful.”
Her Guardian shrugged, and Reyna snagged the rope from his hands before Ronan even reached for it.
Effie might have also been impressed by the display of Lucian’s power, but her stomach was tied in knots. “Are you sure this is the only way?”
She was speaking to Kael, and her voice was barely more than a whisper, but Lucian whipped his head around to face her. He looked torn. Effie could see the war raging in his eyes. His duty was demanding he take care of the threat, but it also pushed him to ensure she was alright.
Kael squeezed her, dipping his head down. “You know it is. He would never agree to this otherwise. Lucian wouldn’t kill someone he could save.”
Lucian’s gaze still boring into hers, Effie swallowed and gave a small nod. It seemed to be all he needed. He turned away, refocusing on Reyna who had begun looping the rope and was preparing to toss it down.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Ronan asked.
Reyna glared at him. “Do you think this is the first time a Night Stalker has had to raise something from the ground?”
Since her people lived amongst the trees, Effie supposed Reyna probably was the most qualified for the task of bringing Tinka up.
“My aim is perfect,” Reyna continued, as she began to twirl the lasso she’d created above her head.
Ronan smirked. “Don’t I know it.”
Wholly focused on her task, Reyna didn’t bother replying. She released the lasso in her right hand, her arm swinging across her body while still holding the rest of the coiled rope in her left hand.
There was an enraged shriek and the rope began to buck in Reyna’s hand. Ronan moved quickly, stepping behind Reyna to help pull it in.
Effie didn’t have a clear view of what was happening in the cavern, but the sound of unfurling vines was unmistakable. “Watch out!” she cried, seeing the tip of one begin to writhe in the air.
Lucian’s sword was in his hand before she was finished speaking. Swinging the blade, he cleaved the vine in two, the squirming tip falling back into the pit as silver liquid began spewing out of the other half.
The top of Tinka’s head cleared the edge of their platform as more vines began to snake upwards, stretching toward them. They were growing fast, swelling in size as they reached for their next meal.
Tinka was tearing at the rope around her waist, squirming frantically as she tried to break free, her shrieks bouncing off the walls.
The foul liquid began to pool on the ground as Lucian dispatched more of the vines.
“Don’t let it touch you!” Effie called out.
A part of her itched to join the fight against the vines, but Lucian was moving so fast she knew she’d only be in his way. Besides, her dagger wasn’t exactly an ideal weapon as it would force her into close proximity to those razor-sharp thorns.
Eyes bouncing between the two separate fights, she sucked in a breath as Tinka lunged at Reyna, her hands outstretched as she tried to claw the woman holding onto the other end of her lead.
Letting go of the rope, Reyna launched three daggers in rapid succession. Two landed in Tinka’s chest, the third in her throat. Tinka dropped to her knees, her tiny body sagging as blood spurted from her mouth. It wasn’t quite the black ichor the rest of the Shadows had, but it was darker than anything Effie had ever seen come from a human.
Swallowing, her eyes fell closed.
“You don’t have to watch this,” Kael said in her ear.
“Yes, I do. If I’m going to stand here and agree to this, I at least owe it to Tinka to see it through.”
“Why?”
“Because if it was me in her place, I would want to know that I had someone there who cared at the end.”
She could feel Kael’s dark green eyes on her, but she didn’t look at him. Instead, when her eyes opened, she watched as Reyna unsheathed the long blade at her back and swung it in one fluid move, completing the kill. With a sick thud, Tinka’s head landed on the ground beside the rest of her spasming body.
Effie swallowed hard, her hands balling into fists. It was the only physical reaction she allowed herself. “May the Mother carry you home,” she whispered, turning away.
Lucian began moving away from the edge. “We should get out of here before these things get big enough to climb over the edge,” h
e said.
Effie couldn’t agree more. She wanted to get as far away from what happened here as she could. Without another word, she started running. Footsteps echoed around her as the others followed suit.
Khouman looked relieved as they spilled out of the cave. “It’s done, then?”
Lucian nodded.
Khouman’s eyes fell closed, and his lips began to move with silent words.
“Your people should stay out of the cave until we learn how to deal with the vines permanently,” Lucian said once he was done.
Khouman nodded. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Alright, then,” Lucian said, “we should get back to the citadel. It will probably be a couple of hours before I make it back to collect the others. I don’t want to impose on your hospitality, but I know they haven’t had a chance to eat today.”
Effie’s stomach rolled. Food was the last thing on her mind, but it was sweet of him to think to ask.
“Of course. It’s the least I can do.”
Lucian turned to her expectantly. “You ready?”
“Me?” Effie asked, her eyes shooting to Kael, whose lips were pressed together like he was fighting a smile.
Lucian crossed his arms, brow quirking with challenge. “You spent the better part of the last month bitching at me every time I so much as hinted at leaving the citadel without you, now you want me to leave you behind?”
Effie was about to protest, especially since she just explained to him about her premonitions, when she caught on to what he was doing.
Lucian didn’t let his guard down around anyone, which made him a hard man to get to know. On the surface he was a broody bastard, and he knew how to play up that persona. It kept others at arm’s length and prevented them from looking too closely.
To them, the Guardian was just being the same jackass he always was, but Effie knew him better now. She had seen past his mask. He was offering her a distraction, trying to cheer her up after what had gone down inside the cave by making himself a scapegoat so she had somewhere to channel her churning emotions.