Cross Keys: Unity

by Ally Shields

  Murielle lifted her shoulders, grabbing her shawl as it slipped off. “We’re speaking theory only. To my knowledge, it’s never been attempted.” She reached for the teapot, but her hands shook, and Rhyden refilled her cup. “It would require research and testing to discover the right ritual. And of course, a powerful mage. A million and one things could go wrong.”

  Rhyden sucked in a breath. “But it could be done.”

  Murielle hesitated. “Yes, I believe it could be done.”

  They didn’t linger long. Rhyden was anxious to share Murielle’s terrifying insight with the others. Why hadn’t the king’s mystics warned them?

  As soon as they were mounted, Rhyden reined his horse around to look at Murielle standing in the doorway. “Take care. Jermon may not yet have a mage to do his dirty work. Few people know the extent of your powers, but I’m not sure you’re safe out here by yourself. You should come with us to the village.”

  “My dear boy, I’m not alone, but I will be careful. Things happen as they are intended.” She lifted her hand in a wave, smiled, and closed the door.

  Rhyden urged his horse into a ground-eating canter. Murielle’s information had heightened his awareness of the dangers in Elvenrude, and he hadn’t forgotten the rider who’d followed them earlier. Esty should be returned to the safety of her home or New Orleans as soon as possible.

  “Are you going to see the king?” Esty asked, keeping pace alongside.

  “Eventually, but I want to talk with Seth and Kam first.” Rhyden’s gaze caught a flicker of movement to the left. The rider was back, staying just behind the first row of trees. He reined his stallion away from the tree line, then straightened his course when he spotted a second rider on the right.

  Rhyden clenched his jaw and kept his voice down. “Don’t look either way, but we’re being followed. One on the left, another on the right.” He reached inside his shirt and pulled out a Smith & Wesson, his preferred handgun.

  “Rhyden.” Esty’s breathless voice sounded shocked. “You brought a gun into Elvenrude? How?”

  “Never mind how. You don’t need to know.”

  “I bet you used the portal safe. Other things have been smuggled in that way.”

  “By the gods, Esty. How do you know that? Never mind.” He gave her an impatient look. “In this case I felt it was necessary. I’d rather be under arrest than dead. These guys are proven killers. I’m not going to give them a chance at us, but I won’t use the gun unless I have to. Now, stay with me. We’ll try to outrun them.”

  “Wait. I know these woods. Remember how I got away the night of the forest meeting? I jumped the waterfall. There’s a clear landing on the other side, if you know where it is. Just follow me.”

  He glanced at the riders who were gradually closing in from each side. “OK, but try not to break my neck. Go.”

  They kicked their horses into greater speed and stretched into a flat run. Esty took the lead as they cut a sharp left several yards ahead of their nearest pursuer and plunged into the forest. She took them on a twisting path. Despite their efforts, the sounds of pursuit stayed close behind. As they neared the stream, Esty took her mare straight at the cascading water, leaped, and disappeared.

  Not giving himself time to think about it, Rhyden sailed into the waterfall’s mist, and his sure-footed stallion slid to a halt on the far side. After exchanging a grin, Esty and Rhyden raced toward town.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Dark had fallen by the time Kam and Seth met Rhyden and Esty at the Wharf pub that evening. Kam’s earlier plans for Hawaiian pizza had been discarded in favor of her favorite pub and its soft background of jazz music. She sipped her wine and waited for Rhyden or Esty to begin.

  “You sounded uptight on the phone.” Seth eyed his cousin with speculation. “What’s the bad news?”

  “If Murielle’s right, Jermon’s crazier than we thought. And by the way, Murielle told us the secret about black obsidian. We kind of needed to know for the rest of this to make sense.” After that surprise beginning, Rhyden, with Esty adding a few details, repeated what they’d heard from the wise woman. “Our great-uncle is messing with world-ending stuff.”

  “Anti-magic.” The word sent a chill over Kam’s arms.

  Jermon wasn’t crazy, but she knew exactly what he was. The night she’d exposed his plot against the king, Jermon’s face had twisted with unbridled hatred. If she hadn’t been so angry herself, so appalled by the cold-blooded murder she’d witnessed, she might have recoiled from the pure evil in his eyes.

  “There’s still time to stop him,” Seth said. “He’s gathering obsidian randomly, so he hasn’t yet realized only the ancient forms carry the magic. He’s smart enough to notice it soon, but he can’t do the ritual himself. He needs a skilled mage from Elvenrude or Cyrilia. Either way, he’ll have to breach a heavily guarded portal.”

  “That’s why he wanted the guns,” Kam said quietly. “The cartel mercenaries and their high-powered weapons.”

  Rhyden stared at her, stunned again by this new twist. “She’s right. A machine gun or a couple of assault rifles could cut down everyone in the guild within seconds, and Jermon’s cross key would activate the portal. They’d be in Elvenrude within minutes.” Rhyden swore softly and downed a gulp of beer.

  “Well, it’s not going to happen. There must be ways to stop them.” Kam pursed her lips in thought. “Bulletproof doors and windows on the guilds would be a good start.”

  “And sprinkling the exterior with citerin dust to keep the elves from using invisibility to sneak through the doors,” Seth added. “If Jermon or the Cyrilians got inside, they’d let the Mexicans in. The dust will stop that.”

  “Shouldn’t the king hide the mystics?” Esty asked.

  “Sure. Those at the palace,” Seth said. “But others like Murielle are scattered throughout the countryside in both Elvenrude and Cyrilia—mystics who are little known but have the latent ability to wield such power if given the right spell and ingredients.”

  “That’s a sobering thought,” Rhyden said darkly. “I tried to get Murielle to come to town, but she wouldn’t. I just hope we didn’t lead Jermon’s people to her door. We were followed.”

  “By whom?” Seth demanded sharply.

  “Two riders. I didn’t get a good look at their faces, did you?” Rhyden looked at Esty, and she shook her head no. “I saw one on the way out, two coming back. On the trip home, they tried to cut us off, but Esty took us over this harrowing waterfall leap, and we lost them.”

  Kam couldn’t help smiling. That jump was damned scary the first time you took it. Seeing Rhyden’s face would have been worth a lot.

  “Do you really think Murielle’s in danger?” Esty asked her sister. “They were chasing us, not her. Can she even do their spell? She’s the plant healer.”

  “I’m not sure,” Kam said. “I suspect Murielle’s skills go beyond anything we’ve seen. Maybe she’s not at risk, but I’m going to ask father to have someone check on her.”

  Rhyden shoved away the bottle of beer. “This whole situation sucks. I may go to Elvenrude to do some serious ale drinking.”

  Seth barked a grim half-laugh. “I’d go with you if I thought it would help.”

  “Well, it won’t.” Kam set down her wine as their food arrived. As soon as the waiter left, she pushed her untouched plate away. The conversation had ruined her appetite. “We have to warn King Seliwyn and Prince Trystan about this new risk, but our best chance at saving Elvenrude is to stop Jermon before he has the power.”

  “Isn’t that what we’ve been trying to do?” Rhyden grumbled.

  “Of course, but the stakes have changed,” she said dryly. “We need to drop everything else. World apocalypse is rather motivating.”

  His eyes suddenly widened. “We’ve seen increased rebel activity in Elvenrude. What if that means the rebels think they’re getting close?”

  Kam lifted a brow. “As I said…motivating.”

  * * *

&
nbsp; Kam strolled through the Quarter shortly before nine the next morning, ignoring the foot traffic around her. While the men were spreading Murielle’s warning—Seth in Elvenrude, Rhyden in Cyrilia—she and Esty had worked at the office for two hours already. In truth, Kam had toyed with an idea most of the time. Fighting fire with fire. But could she pull it off? CIA agent Noah Crain might help her to locate the right people, but how could she station armed paramilitary units inside the guilds yet keep the portals and Elvenrude a secret? She wanted to run the possibility past her guild master before saying anything to Seth or several other people who would have to approve such a drastic measure. It would be a last ditch effort, to be used only if they didn’t find Jermon soon, but she wanted to be ready.

  The Ryndel Guild was busy as usual with workers shifting goods back and forth between the portal and the shipping docks on the first floor. She climbed the stairs to Barrott’s balcony office. Ten minutes later, his mouth dropped open and he popped out of his chair when Kam mentioned the possibility of a surprise attack from armed human mercenaries. “Surely you’re exaggerating the danger.”

  “I wish I was. Jermon and Dreysel have taken over a cartel of Mexican desperadoes. They’re armed with enough machine guns and semi-automatic weapons to wipe out our entire guild.”

  He dropped back into his desk chair. “What can we do?”

  “With enough warning, we could pull everyone back to Elvenrude and close the portals, although it’d be only a temporary solution. I’m more concerned they’ll catch us unprepared, before we realize they’ve gotten that far in their plans. There are steps we can take to prevent that. I made a list of them—building modifications, citerin dust, increased monitoring of the outside cameras.” She handed him the paper. “But if it comes down to a fight, I have another idea. It’s pretty extreme.” She explained, and Barrott’s face grew pale.

  “Several months ago the king refused to arm our guards,” she reminded him. “And it’s too late now. They’d be amateurs going against pros. We need someone used to handling this type of weapon. But I don’t want to create another problem by exposing our existence and the portal to human scrutiny.” She studied his face. “What do you think? Is there a way to make this work?”

  “Let me think about it.” He spoke slowly as if still taking in what she’d said. “It won’t be easy. That’s for sure.”

  She left him to mull it over and dispatched the request for her father to check on Murielle. When she returned to her office, Esty and Rhyden had their heads together over the piles of messages.

  “How’d it go in Cyrilia?” she asked.

  Rhyden looked up and frowned. “Tad was with Trystan. How he can trust that little weasel…but I guess that’s his business. Tryst was shocked about the anti-magic. His brother wasn’t, thought it was something Jermon would try. But I kept wondering if Tad already knew. Anyway, Tryst is warning their mystics, and he’s closing the swamp portal. The only way in or out of Cyrilia will be through the two portals in our New Orleans’ guilds.”

  “He’s doing it now? So soon?” Kam blinked in surprise.

  “He thought Cyrilia was too vulnerable to wait, and he wanted to spend his time hunting for obsidian rather than guarding Cyrilia. So, yes, immediately. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already happened. He sent a message to King Seliwyn before I left, even though he plans to be in Elvenrude tonight.” Rhyden’s expression lightened. “I think Princess Theanne is visiting her father again.”

  Kam gave a knowing smile and shook her head. Love flourished even in hard times. Trystan’s attraction to King Seliwyn’s only daughter was the worst-kept secret in the kingdom. Partly because Theanne had refused to play hard to get. Young and impetuous at times, despite her essentially steady nature, she’d talked about the handsome Cyrilian prince since the first day they’d met. Her normal residence was with her mother, the king’s estranged wife, at the royal summer home, but Theanne’s visits to the palace had been frequent the past six months…whenever Trystan was in town.

  Kam settled at her desk, noticed the blinking lights on the landline, and checked on her missed messages. All routine business. She picked up a pen to jot down some responses. Then she set it down again, thinking about Rhyden’s visit to Cyrilia.

  Surely Trystan wasn’t being fooled by Tad again. The younger prince had betrayed him—betrayed them all—by secretly joining Dreysel’s band of dissidents. Whether by his own designs or those of his friends, he’d become part of a New Orleans’ gang war, at least two murders, and an invasion of Elvenrude to break Jermon out of jail. How could Tryst ever trust him again? Should she say something? Would Tryst heed her warning?

  Kam glanced at Esty. If it were her sister who’d committed such a betrayal, would she want someone to remind her? No way. Tryst should know his brother by now.

  * * *

  “Gods preserve us.” Brunic stared at Seth. His complexion turned gray, the veins at his temples bulging, and he shot to his feet. “If Murielle’s right, I must interrupt the king’s breakfast and warn him.” He rushed from the room, cutting the meeting short before Seth even mentioned Rhyden and Esty.

  That was a relief. He rose and made his escape before Brunic returned with more questions. At the palace gate, he turned toward the Healers’ Temple. When he’d come through the portal, he’d learned Merik Trevain was conscious. Most of his physical wounds had already healed, and he would soon be released. Seth thought it was time they talked.

  When he walked into the infirmary room, the duchaen leader was out of bed seated in apparent comfort in a wooden chair and talking with a young woman. From Esty’s description, Seth assumed the visitor was Ellyn, judging by her chestnut curls and lively brown eyes.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting. If so, I can come back. I’m Seth—”

  “I know who you are.” Trevain stood and faced him. “Have you come to chastise me for endangering your cousin and Estelle Ryndel?”

  Although taken aback by Trevain’s defensive posture, Seth didn’t react to it. “To the contrary, I’ve come to ask for your help.”

  “My help?” Trevain repeated.

  “Why so surprised? If my cousin and Esty trust you, I don’t see why I shouldn’t. They’re convinced you have the best interests of Elvenrude at heart. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable if we sat down to talk?”

  “Yes, of course.” Trevain hesitated and looked at Ellyn. “Do you mind?”

  “I was leaving anyway,” she stood immediately.

  “No need on my account.” Seth smiled at her. “Am I correct in thinking you’re Esty’s friend Ellyn?”

  “I am. Is she well?”

  “Yes, very much so. I’ll tell her you asked about her.”

  “Thank you. I’d love to stay, but I’ve used up my thirty minutes. I’ll see you tomorrow, Merik.”

  “Come early, or I’ll be at home.”

  Ellyn smiled. “I’ll find you.”

  “I didn’t realize the temple limited visits to half an hour,” Seth said as they seated themselves after her departure.

  Merik flashed a grin. “They don’t. But her father does. It was the only way he’d let her stay in Brierwood.”

  “Um, yes, I’ve noticed fathers have a habit of over-reacting. You suppose we’ll be that way someday?”

  “Undoubtedly. So how can I help you?”

  “By putting Elvenrude first and your cause second. By accepting what I’m about to tell you without asking questions. I can’t answer them. And by keeping secret the parts I am about to tell you.” He paused, giving Trevain a change to react.

  Merik raised a brow. “You have me intrigued. Go on.”

  “I need to know who and how the Everins group is contacting Jermon Lormarc and cut off that access. On his orders our Cityside portals may soon be attacked by humans armed with high-powered rifles. If they fall, Jermon will invade Elvenrude, abduct a mystic or a group of mystics, and complete a ritual that can topple our government or destroy the physical fabri
c of Elvenrude.”

  Merik Trevain apparently had nerves of steel. Other than a deepening frown, he showed little reaction. “How certain are you?”

  “I’m very certain of Jermon’s ambitions. The rest is based on knowledge—facts—of his current actions.”

  “I see. It’s an ugly picture you’ve drawn.” Merik heaved a sigh, shook his head, and met Seth’s gaze. “What do you expect of me?”

  “Turn in all of Jermon’s rebel contacts. Tell us what you know and what you suspect. We can’t wait to do this the nice way.”

  Merik flexed his shoulders. “I knew this was coming. I promised Rhyden I’d cooperate when the time came, but I thought there’d be another day or two. But if you say we’re out of time, I’ll deal with it. I can’t stop you, and I’m not even sure I should. So, I’ll give you everything I have. In return, I want to be included in bringing them in.”

  “Are you able?” Seth gestured to his bandages.

  “You bet.” Merik grinned. “If I can’t keep up, I’ll take myself home. But don’t count on that being necessary.”

  “Then you’re in.”

  When Seth left a few minutes later, he had a paper with four names tucked in his pocket and an address where Merik could always be reached. A grim smile flickered across his lips. Rhyden and Esty had found a good ally.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “Have you seen today’s paper?” Seth asked a half-hour later.

  Kam made a face at her phone. She didn’t read the paper unless she had to. He knew that. It was always depressing news. “Not yet. Should I?” She filled her coffee mug from the pot across the hall and returned to her desk at the Ryndel corporate headquarters.

  Paper rustled on the other end of the line. The financial page was normally the first thing he read upon reaching his office, but he’d been delayed this morning by carrying Murielle’s warning to Elvenrude. Since he was calling her, however, she suspected it wasn’t the economy that had caught his eye.