Demon Bones: A SoulTracker Novel #6: A DarkWorld Series (DarkWorld: SoulTracker)

by T. G. Ayer

  It must have been timing—or fate if I wanted to put a more epic spin on things—but Saleem’s power hit me from behind, the force so strong that I almost bit my tongue. Instinct saved me as I acted on autopilot, channeling his energy through my body and into my own palms, adding to the power that I sent at the witch.

  The overabundance of power was a bonus as I split the blast to deal with both the ball of energy hurtling at us, as well as the witch who I knew would high-tail it out of the room—the palace and the realm—if we gave her half a chance.

  Such was the power infused into my blast that on collision with the mage’s magic it sent a force through the room so explosive that it threw everything and everyone against the far wall. Except for Saleem, myself and our witch-bitch.

  She’d landed on the ground, and no surprise, was soon trying to get back to her feet. Why do the assholes always try to get up even when they know they’ve lost?

  Saleem and I began to approach her, to stop her from rising, maybe to even subdue her. But we both froze in our tracks, giving her an invaluable few seconds to gather her magic and de-materialize.

  My shock had been understandable, something so real and tangible that it felt like a fist tightening its grip on my heart. I could barely breathe when I’d recognized who we’d been facing all along, who I’d been fighting without even knowing who she was.

  The witch-bitch was my sister.

  Chapter 43

  The sun was streaming into the window of my bedroom, bathing Saleem’s face in golden light. His eyes were shut, breathing low and regular, olive skin a patchwork of colorful bruises.

  I blinked away tears, but none were for this beautiful man lying in my bed. My mind was a maelstrom of emotions all entwined with thoughts of Arianne. The witch-bitch.

  How was it even possible that my little sister was capable of such horrible acts? Had she known all along who I was? Had she deliberately, knowingly, used her powers to hurt me?

  The very concept felt like a hot knife being stabbed straight into my heart and twisted repeatedly. And though the team, as well as Aisha and Fathima—who’d been shocked at the identity of the witch—had attempted to offer moral support, I’d kept my internal turmoil to myself.

  There was so much turmoil and secrets and mayhem and betrayal going on that I figured we’d had enough this time around. I still had a few things that needed wrapping up that had to go on the to-do list of the millennia. Like Kai’s bling; she’d taken a raincheck on divulging details on. Like Darcy’s unfulfilled promise to reveal the identity of the person who was the reason Ward was still alive.

  Like figuring out where Samuel had been while Ari had performed her witchy magic in Mithras. Like revealing to Kai that Ari was alive, that my very own baby sister was the witch-mage who had almost killed me on numerous occasions and that I’m going to need her help more than ever once we were done dealing with Lyandr’s rebel issue.

  And let’s not forget, the reason for Ward blocking off my memories. What knowledge did I possess that was so dangerous that someone had gone to such lengths to hide them? And, speaking of blocks, there were also details regarding Saleem’s powers and why they were bound in the first place that were still a little too sketchy. How powerful, how dangerous was the hunk of sunlit manliness currently lying on my bed? And what did it mean for Mithras and the DarkWorld now that his powers were freed?

  But for now, I tried to think of something good, like that very hunk of sunlit manliness sprawled beside me. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get enough of watching him sleep or eat, whether I’d ever be able to live a day without waking up beside him.

  As though he’d heard my thoughts, he smiled, and the light glinted on the stubble that now darkened his face. “C’mere,” he mumbled, eyes still shut against the light.

  I obeyed and climbed under the covers with him, cuddling close and resting my head on his heart. He felt good. Warm, and safe, and alive.

  Then, my head was bouncing on his chest as rumbling laughter rolled within his torso, and I lifted myself up. I folded my hands over his chest and propped my chin up so I could watch him laugh.

  Yeah, I’m weird like that.

  “What’s funny?” I asked, eyes narrowing now.

  He cracked an eye open and squinted at me. “My mother.”

  “Aisha, queen of the djinn, is the furthest from funny anyone in all the DarkWorld could ever be,” I said dryly.

  Aisha’s son now snorted. “If you’d seen her when she met ‘the commander’ for the first time, you woulda thought she was funny.” Saleem cracked up as he drew quotes in the air as he spoke the words ‘the commander.’

  I slapped his chest. “Now that’s not fair. How could she have known he was her husband when he hid from her every chance he got? If anything, he was funnier. Looked like he’d swallowed a dead rat every time she was in the room. Disappeared so fast you had to wonder if you’d imagine seeing him there in the first place.”

  Saleem laughed. “Is that so?” I nodded and grinned. It was funny now, but when we’d returned to the rebel’s HQ—with Ward and Rizwan along for the ride—to report the mission a success, and of course the commander had greeted Saleem with a bear hug that I wondered may have been a little too familiar. Until I saw the pair of them side by side.

  You coulda knocked me over with a pixie’s wing.

  “Like father, like son? Fathima said those words when we’d first met. That was her only slip. I have to hand it to her, she did keep secrets really well.”

  “Yes, honorary big sis Fats is the best secret keeper in Mithras.”

  I laughed at that. Seeing Saleem and his cousin together had made me feel a little better, as their camaraderie would have alleviated some of Saleem’s sadness at Rizwan’s betrayal. At least he still had a sister-figure who remained loyal and caring. Saleem deserved that.

  “So, Crown Prince Saleem, care to tell me what’s the deal with you and your responsibilities in Mithras? What’s your next move? Where do you go from here? Are you taking up the mantle of ruler of all Mithras or will you return with us to Drakys to help out your BFF with his little rebellion problem?” I asked, my voice filled with laughter though I acknowledged the little flutter of apprehension in my belly.

  The Crown Prince laughed again. “It will be a long while yet before I’m required to report for duty. My parents are both fully capable of running things for a few decades to come. You have me at your side, whether you want me or not.”

  I let out a relieved breath. “How are they taking Rizwan’s...behavior?” I’d been about to say betrayal but caught myself in time.

  Saleem sighed and shifted his head to look at me. “They’ll need time to get over that. They plan to talk it through with him. His weakness paved the way for his betrayal, which isn’t at all an excuse, though it does explain his behavior. But an explanation isn’t sufficient for what he allowed the people to endure on his watch. He claims he knew nothing about the power plants or the destruction of the cities across Mithras, and frankly that’s what I suspected was the case. Still ignorance doesn’t absolve him of his crimes. He won’t go unpunished.”

  “What will they do to him?” I asked, almost worried now. “No off-with-his-head or anything, I hope.”

  “No, thankfully not. Rizwan will most likely be exiled to the Southern Reaches. Not the worst of punishments but bad enough that he will be excluded from everything and everyone.”

  “I suppose that’s acceptable enough. Although, if it were up to me...”

  “Please don’t tell me you’ll resort to Darcy’s particular brand of punishment.”

  I blew out a breath. “Pfft. Busted. Though it may not be an appropriate punishment.”

  “Yeah, I was brought up to speed on the team’s position on Rizwan’s possession of...certain...attributes. Or rather, lack thereof.”

  We both burst out laughing, though Saleem’s amusement was somewhat subdued. Understandable. “His future is bleaker than most but who knows, perhaps
he will join the priests in the mountains, divest himself of all material possessions,” Saleem said before chuckling and shaking his head, expression clear that such a choice was impossible for his selfish traitor of a brother. Then he asked, “So how long do we have before we head off to the land of dragons and ancient AI-eggs?” Logan had given Saleem the full briefing on our next mission to Drakys before we left Mithras and the djinn prince, despite his post-torture appearance, had clapped his hands and grinned before asking when we were leaving.

  My stomach twisted. “Logan’s ready to leave tomorrow morning. We’re all keen to get gone as soon as possible especially after the treatment Sentinel received at the hands of Fathima’s warriors.”

  “Oh? What happened?” Saleem’s brow furrowed.

  I smirked. “So we gave Fathima the update on our suspicions regarding Gilfillan’s reluctance to help, and our theory that they could have been in Mithras just biding their time to take over after we got rid of Division 7. As a result, Gilfillan and his team were sequestered in a secure location until our final showdown with Ward and the witch-bitch.”

  Saleem cleared his throat, though a smile began to curl his lip. “Where did they put them?”

  “A network of ancient caves that someone mentioned was once used to imprison a rebel army. The irony was not lost on me, that I can assure you.”

  Saleem let out a guffaw, then slapped a hand on the mattress at his side, eyes sparkling. “I can just imagine the director’s face. I take it they were released?”

  I nodded slowly. “Yes. But only moments before we were about to leave ourselves. Apparently, Fathima didn’t trust their assurances of their good intentions. I had to vouch for them in person before the team was released.”

  “Ugh. I offer my sympathies. Gilfillan isn’t going to be easy to deal with. Not until he has time to get over that experience.”

  I chuckled at the memory of the man’s face, purple with fury as he glared at me from behind iron bars. He’d thanked me for vouching for them, but I could tell he didn’t entirely trust me. Guess only the future would tell if there would be consequences for me.

  I shook my head. “Um, sorry, but last I checked you were the Prince dude, and the rebels were your peeps. Don’t go making me responsible for the actions of your subjects.” I raised my hands then giggled as Saleem poked me in the armpit.

  Then his face grew shadowed. “About the witch-mage,” he said slowly, watching my face. “How are you dealing with that?”

  I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. Though tempted to evade the question, I found I couldn’t. Evasion used to come easy, hiding my feelings used to be instinctive, but oddly enough, I didn’t feel the need now. “I’m not sure. It was a shock on so many levels I think I’m still processing this new reality.” I sighed and sat upright, then crossed my legs in a yoga-sit. “I spent a decade looking for her but all along she was playing wicked witch of the ether? And farming out her skills to Division 7 and Omega? I’m not sure I believe it even though I know firsthand. Still, at least it explains what Samuel was up to all this while.”

  Saleem must have heard the bitterness in my voice because he grunted. “He did what he had to do in order to protect you, Mel.”

  I glared at him. “And despite that, Ari still ended up almost killing me? She still ended up messing with her powers willy-nilly without even understanding what she was doing or what the ramifications of her action were? The astral plane isn’t some kid’s playground.” My voice shook as I spoke and Saleem reached out and took my hand.

  “However you plan on dealing with this, please do not blame yourself.”

  I laughed bitterly. “Don’t worry. I’m not blaming me. I’ve got better things to do with my blame than placing it at my own feet.”

  “Cryptic much,” replied Saleem, raising one eyebrow.

  I took a breath. “Samuel was murdered. Injected with some sort of poison. Ash is looking into it for me so hopefully we’ll have a lead soon.”

  “That sounds promising. So why do you sound like you’re about to rip off the killer’s head?” I narrowed my eyes, staring at him for a long moment. Then he inhaled and nodded. “I see. You think Ari eliminated Samuel’s physical form in order to trap him in the ethereal plane so he’s forced to remain at her side.”

  “Yup.”

  Silence filled the space between us until Saleem said, “You’re not alone in this, Mel. You have me and Kai and the rest of the team. We’ll help you find Samuel’s killer, and we’ll help track Ari down and figure out what she’s up to. Don’t forget, I have previous experience in the errant younger sibling department.”

  I let out a slow breath. “Your errant younger sibling was a weakling filled with jealousy and the desire to rule. Mine? She’s a powerful witch-SoulTracker-mage and possibly a stone-cold murderer. If anything, Ari is the darker one of our two kid siblings.”

  Even as I spoke, I felt a chill as the words “Darker one” rang through my mind. The Dark One, the prophesied evil opponent that the Ni’amh was destined to destroy.

  My inner turmoil must not have shown on my face because Saleem gripped my forefinger and tugged, a playful smile on his face. “I know you’re raring to go track down Samuel’s killer, so do you want to give the dragon’s rebellion a miss altogether? He’ll understand.”

  I snorted. “Not a chance, buddy. Logan deserves our help and I owe him big-time.”

  Saleem nodded slowly though his forehead was still creased with concern. “Okay, tracker. I’m not stopping you. And since the dragon is ready, when are we going to get moving?”

  “Once we’ve all had some sleep and recovered from the transition through the portal. And we’re going to have to tread lightly especially since we don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with in terms of the price the Sharaita will ask of us.”

  Saleem stiffened, his eyes going dark, embers sparking in their depths. He hadn’t been happy to discover the choice we’d made, but he’d said nothing. Whether it was the expression on his mother’s face or the insistence of Logan and the team, or the end-of-discussion look I’d given him, I wouldn’t know.

  Or I was likely to know at some future date when the sexy djinn was able to control his emotions and yell at me at the same time.

  What I did know was Saleem was both grateful and angry, but he wasn’t planning on leaving us to deal with the Nahra ourselves.

  The guy’s a real keeper.

  My heart tightened at the thought of the Nahra. Who would it choose to take? Which one of my friends would have to sacrifice their life for the use of the Sharaita?

  I knew one thing though—I’d do everything in my power to avoid any one of my friends having to give up their life.

  I’d sacrifice my own first.

  But not before I dealt with Ari. The clock was counting down now, to the moment when I’d face her head on, hold her accountable for her actions, and most importantly, bring Samuel’s spirit home.

  I’d die before I let Ari get away with the horrible things she’d done.

  ~ To Be Continued ~

  With everything that happened to Saleem in Mithras

  in

  Soul Bound SoulTracker 7

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