by Lisa Shearin
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind. “Don’t you think I know that?”
“Sarad is patient. He could have left you alone until he needed to exploit the bond.”
“If I had a soul bond with Sarad Nukpana, I would know it.”
“You might know it, but would you admit it?”
“Not only would I admit it, I would do everything in my power, yours, A’Zahra’s, Mychael’s, and Justinius Valerian’s to rid myself of it. I do have pride, occasionally too much, but I am no longer too proud to ask for help when I need it.”
Kesyn didn’t respond. I glanced over at him.
My teacher was smiling. “Again, I knew that. I was just checking.”
“I wish you would stop doing that.”
“Maybe one day I will.” His eyes searched my face. “You’ll have to bear with me, son. I only recently got you back. I’m just assuring myself we’re not going to lose you again.”
“We?”
“Me, your family, A’Zahra.” He paused. “Imala.”
“Are those the members of the Tam intervention team?”
“Those are the people who care about you and don’t want to see you fall again.”
I clenched my jaw against a swell of emotion. I didn’t have time for that now. “Thank you, sir. If that’s the case, then I suppose I can give you permission to continue being annoying.”
Kesyn grinned. “That’s good, because I wasn’t going to ask your permission. Why should I start now?” His grin vanished. “Think back over the dream, Tam. Are you sure it was on Aquas?”
I thought back over the dream.
“I was on an outcropping, almost a cliff,” I said. “I’d never seen it or anything around me ever before.”
“A cliff? Not a good choice for a dream that includes Sarad Nukpana.”
“He pointed that out. I didn’t pick the location or recognize it, but I have a feeling it was Aquas, or what my subconscious thinks Aquas will look like.” I described it to him.
Kesyn nodded slowly. “Sounds about right.”
“He said he was in my dream because Raine’s dreamscape had been locked against him.”
“Perhaps we should think about doing the same to yours.”
“No, I want him there.” I explained why—Sarad was lonely, bored, and had information that we needed. “If I can keep him talking, I’m counting on getting some of that information. He did tell me that the location of the Heart of Nidaar is in Rudra’s book. Sarad said it’s hidden, but it’s there. So as little as I like going to sleep knowing that Sarad is lurking in my subconscious, I need to keep myself unwarded.”
“I’m sure he threw that in just to keep you on the hook.”
“I’m certain of it, but I’m equally certain that he’s not lying. The next time he visits, I’ve thought of something I’d like to try.”
“Such as?”
I told him.
Kesyn chuckled. “Got room for a third in that dream of yours? I’d like to watch that.”
“If it works, I’ll tell you all about it.” I paused, remembering something. “Is the name Bricarda familiar to you?”
“No. Should it be?”
“That’s the name of the mage you took on in the street the night before we left.”
“The demon zombie queen.”
“That’s her. Sarad said that’s the name she’s using now. He said when you’ve lived as long as she has, you become bored using the same name. If you haven’t heard of her, I thought I’d contact Mychael about it. Perhaps Sora Niabi, the chairman of the college’s demonology department, might be able to enlighten us about her.”
“Good idea.”
“And if he is to be believed, Sarad did more than ask Agata to help him find the Saghred. He claimed he courted her, and in his words, ‘expended some of my best seduction techniques on that young lady, promising her riches and sensual delights beyond her imagination.’ Did you know anything about this?”
Kesyn’s eyes hardened. “Not one word. Aggie always considered her personal life her own business. She kept her nose buried in her books, so I never worried about her that much. I believe that time has now passed. If Sarad is bored and looking to disrupt this expedition, Aggie as our gem mage would make an irresistible target. Raine didn’t read the book and Sarad made an attempt to contact her. He could very well try the same with Aggie. The bastard could be infesting her sleep as we speak.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. He found me, and he knows Agata is here.” I hesitated. “Since you know her better, you go first and I’ll back you up. Be careful of the rocks. She has a pile beside her bed.”
Kesyn grinned, fully showing his fangs. “Who do you think chipped this fang?”
Chapter 30
Once below, we were met with the sight of Talon picking the lock on Agata Azul’s cabin door.
“Talon!” I shout-whispered.
He yelped and jumped straight up.
Kesyn caught him by the scruff of the neck before he landed in a heap on the floor. “What the hell are you doing?”
“She’s having a nightmare,” Talon said. “A bad one.”
I swore and gripped the latch, intending to unlock it by magic, and if that didn’t work…
The latch turned.
“It’s not locked,” I said.
Talon flashed a grin in the darkness, holding up a picklock. “I’d just finished picking it.”
From inside the cabin, came the sounds of a struggle. Agata called out.
I flung the door open and ran inside.
The next thing I knew I was picked up and thrown out the door, across the passageway, and slammed into the far wall.
I dimly heard Kesyn say, “What happened to you letting me go first?” At least I think that was what he was saying. I had ringing ears to go with the spots in front of my eyes.
“Aggie, it’s me!” he shouted.
The next instant, a glowing crystal the size of my fist hit the wall where my head had just been.
“Sir, I don’t think she cares that it’s you,” Talon noted.
Agata Azul was sitting up on her cot, mostly fully dressed, covers on the floor, hair in disarray to put it mildly, clutching a blazingly bright crystal in each fist.
She was furious.
“Son of a bitch!” she shrieked.
Kesyn nodded. “Yep, that’s Sarad, all right.”
*
When Sarad didn’t find me asleep, he went looking elsewhere for company.
I don’t think he got what he expected.
Agata Azul’s dream had taken her to the same place I had been.
A barren, desolate landscape.
With rocks.
Lots and lots of rocks that Agata made good use of.
Sarad Nukpana had not had a nice time.
I really would have liked to have been there.
“You think you brought enough crystals?” Kesyn was asking her. “It’s a damned miracle you haven’t sunk the ship.”
The small cabin was filled with angrily pulsing crystals. They were on the floor, arranged around her cot, and filling what few shelves the cabin had.
Agata glared at him. In fact, that’s about the only expression she had right now. Her crystals seemed to share their mistress’s mood. Agata was sitting crosslegged on her cot, covers pulled up around her waist, seemingly as angry with us as she had been with Sarad.
Beneath that anger I detected fear.
“What did he say?” I asked quietly.
“He was most interested in the pendant,” Agata said. The slice of the Heart of Nidaar was now hanging on its chain outside of her shirt, its sharp flickers indicating it liked seeing Sarad about as much as Agata had. I was glad I’d quickly turned my ring away from his view when we’d met in my dream.
Agata went on. “When I refused to give it to him, he attempted to take it.” Her mouth curled in a smug and gratified little smile. “He paid for that—immediately and dearly.”
A low growl came from the corner of the cabin.
Talon.
“That was when the three of you barged in,” she said.
“That was it?” I asked.
Her color heightened slightly. “Yes, other than I think it’s been a while since he’s seen a woman. However, I could be mistaken, since that was usually how he behaved around me.”
Talon growled again.
Kesyn rolled his eyes. “Boy, do you have something caught in your throat?”
Talon ignored him. “Isn’t there anything we can do to stop him from coming after her again?”
“Yes,” I told him. “And we will.” I glanced around at the crystals. “Can any of these be used for reinforcing wards?”
“What do you think I was using them for?” Agata shot back.
“Were you warding your sleep?”
“And my body. He got through both. Why do you think I’m so pissed off?”
“We can fix that so it doesn’t happen again.”
“Would those be the same wards you used for yourself? I hear I wasn’t the only one Sarad visited.”
“I didn’t ward my sleep,” I told her. “And I don’t plan to for the foreseeable future.”
Talon was incredulous. “You want him in your head?”
“No, but I need information. Information that Sarad has.”
“Well, if he gets grabby,” Agata said, “don’t be shy about using rocks. It worked for me. I hit him right in the eye.” Her dark eyes shone with a wicked glint. “And other places.”
*
Agata’s wasn’t the only sleep we would be warding. I didn’t want Sarad Nukpana in Talon’s head, either.
“Are you sure you haven’t had any dream with Sarad Nukpana in it?” I asked him.
“I think that would qualify as a nightmare,” Talon retorted, “and yes, I’m sure. I think I would have remembered that.”
We were back in the captain’s cabin while Kesyn helped Agata give her crystals an extra surprise for the next time Sarad came knocking. I knew he would; it was simply a matter of when.
“Then have you had any nightmares?” I asked.
“No.”
“You’re not dreaming at all? That means you’re not sleeping well. You’re going to need all the rest you can get before we get to—”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t dreaming,” Talon snapped, color rising in his face. “I just that none of my dreams have had Sarad Nukpana in them.”
“You don’t have to get—”
Talon took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…”
I waited—and while I waited, I realized.
I’d already known that Talon liked Agata. That much had been obvious from the moment they’d met. Less than half an hour ago, he’d growled whenever she’d mentioned Sarad trying to lay hands on her. I might not be correct in my assessment, but then again, I thought the chances were pretty high that I was. So I did what I thought a father should do, and—pressing my lips together against a smile—waited some more, until it became painfully obvious that Talon was experiencing something else besides love for the first time.
A loss for words.
If one of us didn’t speak up soon, we were going to be here all night.
It appeared that if any speaking was to be done, it would have to be by me. “You like Agata, don’t you?”
“Yes…I think so.”
“For someone who only thinks so, you’ve been rather obvious.”
Talon groaned and dropped his face into his hands. “Am I making an idiot out of myself?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Quite sure.”
“But not absolutely.”
“Talon.”
He dropped his hands to his sides and slouched in the chair, head thrown back, eyes to the ceiling.
Oh, the drama.
“Do you think I stand a chance with her?” he asked, eyes still on the ceiling. “She’s not that much older than I am, but she seems that way.”
Honesty would be best here, at least I thought so. Talon had probably had as much experience falling in love as I had being a father. We were both treading deep, unfamiliar waters here.
“I met Agata less than two weeks ago,” I told him. “Kesyn used to be her teacher, so he’s known her for at least a few years. He might be able to give you a better answer than I could. Or maybe not. He just told me that she was the one who chipped his left fang.”
Talon sat up and looked at me. “With one of those crystals of hers?”
I shrugged. “Or a rock that was close to hand. At the very least, he might be able to tell you what would make her throw a rock at you. If so, you should avoid doing that.”
“Do you know anything about crystal magic?”
“Next to nothing.”
Talon slouched again. “Damn.”
“Sorry.”
We grew some silence between us.
“I do know one thing,” I said.
“Which is?”
“Stop trying to impress her and just be yourself—or at least a non-arrogant and less-impetuous version of yourself.”
“In other words, it’s past time for me to grow the hell up.”
I glanced over to see my son grinning. I joined him.
“I don’t even believe I’m grown up yet,” I told him. “I think your grandmother is still awaiting that blessed event—for me and your uncle Nath. If you grow up before we do, your grandmother won’t be able to withstand the shock—and neither will I.”
Chapter 31
The Lastani Islands were rocky and barren, and the only source of food was the seabird population, extremely large turtles, and the eggs they both laid. That being said, the birds’ cliff-side nesting locations, and the turtles’ poisonous spit and bile, ensured their continued survival. Few were desperate enough to expend that much strength on so meager a return, or take that much risk on a creature whose meat, depending on your poison tolerance, might or might not cause you to die in agony.
As a result, the seabirds and turtles thrived.
But the main island had two things that made it popular with vessels that ventured this far west—a harbor offering protection from storms and an easily accessible fresh water supply from natural cisterns that dotted the main island’s interior. We planned to take full advantage of both for the next twenty-four hours.
Two ships would be on guard at the harbor mouth at all times while the third replenished its water supply and the crews had a little time on shore. The Nebians had fallen farther behind, but they were still there. We weren’t about to let our guard down.
Talon squinted at the cloudless blue sky through his sunglasses. “Is there a chance we’re going to get rained on anytime soon?”
“Maybe, but most likely not,” I said.
“Damn.”
“We’ve got enough water.”
“Yeah, for drinking.”
“I warned you that bath would probably be your last.”
“You said probably, not definitely.”
“Your nose is too sensitive, boy,” Kesyn said, lowering himself to sit on one of the island’s many flat rocks. “Soon enough we’ll all stink so bad your nose will stop smelling it.”
“From traumatic overload.”
Kesyn shrugged. “Works just as well either way.”
Talon stood and swayed on his feet. “What the hell? Okay, I’m on dry land. Why can’t I walk straight?”
“It’s called sea legs,” Kesyn told him. “You finally have some. So now you’re having trouble walking on something that’s not moving.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Would I do that?”
“All the time.” Talon looked to me.
“He’s telling the truth,” I said. “At least this time. In fact, you might want to get back on the ship as soon as you can. If you get too used to being on land, you might get sick again once we’re back at sea.”
&
nbsp; Talon swore, creatively and extensively.
“Your choice, boy,” Kesyn pointed to where Agata Azul was disembarking from a ship’s launch. She had an empty sack over one shoulder. “Though if you want to stay off the ship for a while longer, Aggie said she was going to add to her rock collection. Why don’t you go play pack mule for her?”
I don’t think Talon heard the “pack mule” part of the sentence. He was off and running at “why don’t you go play.”
“Are you sure that was a good idea?” I asked him.
Kesyn lay back on the rock with a contented sigh. “Sure. He’s a good kid. Basically. And Aggie has one hell of a throwing arm—and a right cross. At least she’ll be fine. Whether he’ll be fine is up to him.” He sighed again. “You know, the sun isn’t all that bad. In fact, I kind of like it.”
I glanced up and squinted. Even with the darkest lenses in my glasses, the sun was still uncomfortably bright for me. If Aquas’s wasteland was anything like my dream, I was going to be only slightly less than miserable. Those who would be going on to Nidaar with me had goggles for the trek across the desert to the mountains to keep both light and sand out of our eyes.
Our twelve firedrakes swooped and played near the cliffs, having been released to feed. Unlike the sentry dragons, firedrakes preferred a more diverse diet. Goblin sentry dragons—at least those native to the coastal regions—ate mostly seafood. The expedition’s three sentry dragons were enjoying time out of the ships’ holds and were presently basking on the rocks much like Kesyn was doing. Meanwhile, their stalls were being cleaned. The crews had drawn lots for that duty. Those who had drawn the short straws would be paid a substantial bonus.
The sentry dragons were sunbathing.
Not the firedrakes.
They were happily hunting.
They’d earned it.
At the beginning of each watch since we’d left Regor, a firedrake had been released every hour to check the surrounding seas for pursuit or intercepting ships—in addition to checking the position of the two Nebian vessels. Each drake wore a harness equipped with a spy crystal that would send real-time images back to the ship it had been released from. With four firedrakes per ship and a dozen total, each drake would be released twice a day, perfect for exercise and their feeding schedule. We had food for them on board, but if a drake spotted prey, they would take it. If something under the water spotted them and determined them to be prey, the drakes were more than capable of convincing them otherwise. They’d also quickly cleaned the ships of rats.