by Jami Gray
Shit shit shit.
There was so much power slithering across the floor that I was clearly lying in an Arcane circle. This was not good. Neither was the silence that suddenly replaced the indistinct murmurs that I hadn’t noticed until they fell silent. Feet moved across the floor and came closer. Trussed up like I was, there wasn’t much I could do but wait for whoever it was to make the first move. It didn’t take long.
“I’m glad you’re awake,” Kerri said, her voice unnaturally cheerful, none of the annoying nerves from our previous interactions in evidence.
My hands were bound behind me, and I lay in a magical cage in the middle of the floor, making sitting up difficult but not impossible. It took longer than I wanted, but once upright, I didn’t bother trying to stand. Not only was my body one big aching bruise, but my head was spinning badly enough that me getting to my feet would just end with a face-plant.
On the other side of the circle, Kerri watched me. Under the bright fluorescent lights, it was easy to see the bruise coming up along her neck and a cheek. Her pants were torn, revealing a white bandage wrapped partway up her calf. I got some minor satisfaction in knowing she hadn’t escaped the crash unscathed. Too damn bad it hadn’t knocked her out like it had Zev and me.
Thinking of Zev sent my pulse racing, but with Kerri watching, I tamped down my panic. Once I got out of whatever the hell this was, I could deal with Zev and all the rest. Heart rate back under control, I aimed a glare at Kerri. “What the hell is going on?”
Her expression remained coolly clinical. “What’s most important for you to know is that you are going to help us finalize the Delphi serum.”
Choking back a bubble of hysterical laughter, as I was sure that wouldn’t be appreciated, I managed to croak, “Us?”
“Us.” This time, a man’s voice answered. It belonged to a man who stopped at Kerri’s side and folded his arms.
For a killer, he looked fairly normal if not a bit ragged on the edges. His hair was a lank mess. Bags big enough to hide a body in hung under his bloodshot eyes, and with the way he was clenching and unclenching his hands, I felt safe assuming his nerves were shot to hell. That would be completely understandable for someone who’d spent the last couple of weeks killing people, herding mutant scientific experiments, trying to dodge pursuing Arbiters, and most likely serving as patient zero for an unstable serum. The deep, bloody gouges on his arm made me happy, but it wasn’t enough to stop my rising apprehension when I put a name to the scowling face.
“Neil, you’re a hard man to track down.”
A glint of crazy stared back, signally that his veneer of normalcy was on the verge of shattering, but none of that leaked into his voice. “I’ve been busy.”
Yeah, that’s the goddess’s own truth. Kerri’s familiarity with him as they stood close to each other, staring at me with matching reptilian gazes, slammed the final piece into place. Say hello to Team Mad Scientists.
I looked from Neil to Kerri. “You were never Neil’s next target.”
Her pleasant expression didn’t waver, but the cold gleam in her eyes grew sharper. “No, I wasn’t.” Neil gave an uncontrolled jerk as if to lunge toward me, but Kerri put a hand on his arm, effectively holding him back. She continued to lightly brush her fingers against his quivering skin. That simple touch revealed that they were more than just partners in crime. “Neil would never hurt me, but we needed Origin to believe it was a possibility.”
Great, so not just working together but sleeping together too. Lovely. A spot of warmth flared just under the neckline of my T-shirt. My gaze shifted to the magical lines caging me, and I tried to figure out what Kerri was up to, but they remained steady. When the burst of warmth came again, I realized it was from Sabella’s necklace, not Kerri.
A flicker of hope rose. If I was being tracked, I needed to buy time, which meant keeping these two talking. “Why is that important?”
Kerri gave me a puzzled frown, clearly not expecting that question. “Excuse me?”
I wasn’t sure what she didn’t understand. It was a legit question, but clearly I was missing something. “You two managed to kill off your research teams and get control of the serum, so why not disappear and wait it out? Why risk getting the Trasks’ attention, much less the council’s, by setting the serum loose on the streets? And then killing an Arbiter? That guarantees you’ll spend your lives looking over your shoulders. Why not just take the serum and wait it out?”
“Wait it out?” Kerri sounded like an amused parrot as she dropped her hand from Neil’s arm.
“Yeah, wait it out.” With exaggerated patience, I said, “Neil hunkers down with the serum, you wait for the dust to settle with Trask and Origin, then you quietly slip away into obscurity. You and Neil rendezvous later and do your evil-villain routine, probably selling it to the highest bidder, and then retire to some remote island where they serve fluorescent fruity drinks with little paper umbrellas.” Of course, that was the most stereotypical scenario ever devised, but there was a reason such plans were the gold standard. “What’s that saying? ‘The simplest solution is generally the easiest’?”
“You think you have us all figured out, don’t you?” Her amusement was clear.
Not even the tiniest bit. There was no way to unravel the depth of crazy these two were swimming in, but I had a feeling I’d be treading those waters soon enough.
As if to emphasize that point, Kerri shared a chuckle with Neil before turning back to me and shaking her head. “Nothing is ever that simple, Ms. Costas.”
That spot of warmth just under my shirt remained steady, and I clung to the hope it offered, praying that whoever was on the other end got here quickly. In the meantime, I’d keep playing twenty questions.
“So tell me, what am I missing?”
Neil shot Kerri a look, and when he turned back to me, he wore a smirk. “Let me guess—science was not your best subject.”
If he wanted to sling insults, I was all for it. “Like interpersonal communication wasn’t yours.”
My insult wiped away his smirk, and he glowered at me, a hint of red there and gone in his eyes. Kerri murmured his name and gave him a warning headshake, reining him in yet again. His jaw flexed, and his hands fisted, and I had a moment to worry that he was about to slip Kerri’s leash, but then he spun and stalked back to the table strewn with lab equipment.
Kerri watched him go, and only when he rummaged through the glass tubes, held them up for scrutiny, then typed something into the computer did she turn back and focus on me. “Are you familiar with the research world?”
I shook my head.
“There are two major sources of funding for research—private funds and public funds.” She settled into lecturer mode with unsurprising ease. “The Delphi project was privately funded and initially had massive support, mainly because Dr. Kaspar was lead researcher and had stellar credentials. Then she was killed, and her questionable behavior came to light. This did not go over well with the initial investors. In fact, they were quick to distance themselves from the whole embarrassing dilemma, and suddenly, their pockets weren’t so deep. That was a blow, especially as we were on the cusp of a breakthrough, but then, when her research was taken by the Cordovas and restricted…” Anger darkened Kerri’s face. “We couldn’t let the project get mothballed. It was too important.”
More like your ego couldn’t handle the blow. But saying that out loud wasn’t in my best interests. It was fairly clear where she was so eagerly going, so I nudged her along. “So you decided to find an alternate form of funding?”
The anger drifted away, replaced by a calculating satisfaction. “Someone once said, ‘Action precedes funding. Planning precedes action.’ I not only planned, but I acted, and in return, I secured the funding necessary to make the Delphi project a reality.”
That didn’t sound good at all. I could think of one group that had deeper pockets than the Arcane Families. But as the argument between Leander Clarke and Stephen Trask ha
d proven, their existence was up for debate.
Wanting confirmation, I asked, “From whom?”
Her smile was sly, but she ignored my question and headed to where Neil was working. From my position on the floor, it was hard to see much other than that they were studying something. She asked him a question I couldn’t make out. He nodded and handed her something, which she pocketed.
Kerri looked up to find me watching. “Do you know the most rewarding part about research?” She didn’t wait for my response as she moved around the table. “It’s discovering all the unexpected turns that your work can take, which then leads to the most opportune doors. For example, when your current formula creates terminal results, it’s vital to have an antidote before you present a finished product. And to create that antidote, you need a nullifying agent.”
Ugly suspicions crawled closer, and the second half of her initial statement came back to me: “You’re going to help us finalized the Delphi serum.”
A glimmer of understanding sparked a panicked mental litany of curses. My voice was tight as I repeated, “A nullifying agent.”
She made a quiet hum of agreement as she grabbed a syringe from a white container on the table and held it up where I couldn’t miss it. “It was the last and most difficult piece to identify, a component that could counteract the magical trigger in the serum. We were working on the solution just before LanTech closed its doors. We would’ve moved the research quietly over to my lab at Origin, but then Neil had to disappear when his coworker ended up being mugged, and questions started being asked.”
“Mugged?” There was no stopping my disbelieving snort or the look I shot to Neil. “Try murdered, right, Neil?”
Neil’s face flushed red, but Kerri wasn’t looking at him—she was still looking at me. Her eyes narrowed, and she set the syringe down before turning to a guilty-looking Neil. “What is she talking about?”
Neil kept his focus on the work in front of him, his color high, as he avoided Kerri’s eyes. “I have no idea.”
At that, I laughed outright, deliberately widening the fracture between the mad couple. “Please tell me you don’t believe his bullshit.”
An animalistic snarl broke from Neil, his attention snapping to me with murderous intent. For a brief second, the monster under his skin peeked out, the underlying threat so clear I was happy to be inside the dubious protection of the circle. Refusing to reveal how his reaction rattled me, I continued to poke. “What happened, Neil? Did you think Chloe was going to share her concerns about the project? Did you jump the gun to make sure she stayed quiet?”
At his side, Kerri shot him a dark look. “Tell me you didn’t kill that girl.”
In a flash of violence, Neil threw a test tube against the wall. Before the jangle of broken glass faded, he was in Kerri’s face. “She had a report on the computer, predated with her last day and ready to be delivered to Clarke. I erased it but knew it wouldn’t be enough. We needed more time, so I made sure we got it.”
Instead of quailing under his looming threat, Kerri stared at him for a drawn-out moment, tension creeping higher with each second. Finally, she said, “Clean that up, and get the vector ready.”
He held her gaze for another heart-stopping moment then dragged his hands through his hair and spun away to follow her orders.
Interesting.
Kerri took something I couldn’t see from the drawer, picked up the syringe, and headed toward me. She stopped just outside the reddish-purple glow of the circle and took a seat on the ground. “To return to our earlier conversation on nullifying agents, Ms. Costas, you are nothing short of miraculous.”
The emphasis on “you” made my stomach bottom out with dread. The warmth from Sabella’s necklace remained unchanged, and I desperately wished my hands were free because holding it would make me feel tons better. It was a pathetic security blanket, but still…
Instead, I cleared my throat and managed what I hoped was a nonchalant tone. “Not sure why you think that, as I can’t see how a Transporter can help with a magical steroid serum.”
That earned me a quick reproving glance. “Let’s not play games. It’s such a waste of time.” Reprimand delivered, she touched a spot to the right of her knee. Magic flared and spilled into a smaller circle I hadn’t noticed earlier. “Your performance with the illusion mage—Bryan, wasn’t it?—was impressive. At least, according to Imogen’s call with Mr. Trask.” She gave the barest sneer when she said Trask’s name.
Kerri ignited a series of runes inside the smaller circle she sat in. From my position, it was difficult to see them or the spell she was casting. Casting circles were meant to magically contain another mage, and a well-trained caster could also use the circle to boost their magic. Unfortunately, I had no idea what the deal was with two circles, but whatever she was up to, it was clear I was running out of time and on my own.
“I don’t know what Imogen said, but I think you have the wrong idea about me.”
Kerri just smiled. “Well, we’ll find out, won’t we?” She pulled an uncut crystal from her pocket. Holding it in one hand, she bent forward and touched one of the glowing sigils on the outer ring of the circle, then she looked at me. “As trite as this sounds, I must warn you that this may hurt.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kerri muttered something, and the reddish-purple lines flared to a deep orange as power raced through the circle. With nowhere to go, I poured more strength into my shield and braced for an attack. Instead, a crushing wave of magic rose and slammed into my Prism with bruising force. Considering the smothering weight of power bearing down on me, I could tell that Kerri was well trained. The fact that I wasn’t currently imitating a human candle, drowning in a room with no water source, or being torn apart by vicious winds or some creature’s claws and teeth meant that the magic she commanded did not belong to an offensive element.
Despite the heavy weight of pressing power, my shield held fast because at its heart, magic was based on will, and I could be a stubborn bitch when necessary. If surviving was simply a matter of who could outlast whom, I had faith that I could walk away from this. But simply outlasting Kerri wasn’t an option because, well… Neil. I snuck a look at the table and found him watching, lips stretched in a malicious grin. Yeah, he was going to be a problem.
Focus on the immediate threat.
Heeding the reminder, I decided to start evening the odds. First up, I needed to pinpoint what kind of mage Kerri was so I could revert her magic and shatter the circle. Considering that my knowledge of offensive magical abilities was sorely limited, identifying her magic was going to be a challenge. Granted, if I dropped my shield, I might be able to figure it out, just maybe not before I stopped breathing. My brain raced, considering and discarding various options. There was something about her magic, about this circle, that eluded me. So I started over at the basics.
For me, rebounding magic was instinctive, or at least, it had been up until that moment. I needed to figure out the trigger, but it was difficult to concentrate with the annoying unintelligible whispers and pitiless painful pressure clawing at my mind. Her attack wasn’t physical in the traditional sense. Yes, it felt like needles were piercing my skin, but the unrelenting grip on my skull was even more worrisome. My headache had returned with a vengeance and brought along extra help, making it hard to think. Whispers, like a badly tuned radio, ate at the edges of my mind.
Hard as it was, I forced myself to concentrate. I blinked through the haze of pain and found Kerri sitting cross-legged on the other side of the circle, her palms pressed into two sigils, both burning orange. The same flaming orange filled her unblinking stare, which she aimed at me as her lips moved with words I couldn’t hear.
Disconcerted, I closed my eyes and sank deeper into my magic, belatedly wishing I’d researched offensive spells for Prisms first instead of the defensive stuff. I tried to figure out what Kerri was actually doing. I lost track of time and of my body as I swam through those metaphysical d
epths. It was like pushing through a deafening storm of wild, unpredictable winds and currents. Trying to pick my way through was a chancy tactic, but my only other choice was to go down and stay down.
Yeah, that isn’t really an option.
I kept fighting, but it was getting harder and harder. Holding her back wasn’t working, I needed a closer look at her magic. Desperate, I took a risk and let a tiny crack emerge on my shield. Kerri’s magic wasted no time sniffing it out, then it begin seeping through my shield. The whispery noise increased, fracturing my concentration, and something sank sharp teeth into my brain, like a barbed hook. My shield squeezed around the thin crack, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it to close all the way. Hissing, I lifted weighted lids, opening my eyes, and was surprised to find Kerri kneeling right next to me. I tried to move, but my body didn’t respond.
She touched my face. I could barely feel it, but I sure as hell heard her murmur, “Stay.”
I tried to jerk away from her touch, but again, my body didn’t respond.
She lifted an uncut crystal, positioned it just above the center of my chest, and whispered, “Quaerite, et invenietis reditus.”
Seek, find, and return what? Before I could figure out the answer, light erupted from the crystal, and a sharp pain tore through my chest, centered where she held that damn crystal. My spine bowed, and I couldn’t hold back a whimper. Damn that hurts.
“Still.” She set down a now glowing crystal and lifted a syringe.