Cross Keys

by Ally Shields

  “Dammit! Seth, are you all right?” Rhyden crouched beside him.

  “Nicked my arm. Go after them.” Seth gripped his upper left arm with his good hand; blood seeped between his fingers. “Get out of here, Rhyden.” Seth struggled to his feet, his teeth clenched against the pain. “Don’t let them get away.”

  Rhyden stared at him. “Aren’t you coming? The portal will close.”

  Seth met his cousin’s eyes. It had been a split second decision, the moment he realized Kam wasn’t going to make it back. “I’m not leaving her here alone. If she gets here in time, we’ll follow you. Otherwise, it’s all up to you.”

  “But, Seth…”

  “Just go.”

  Rhyden still hesitated.

  “Go,” Seth urged. “Now. Someone’s got to stop them. Looks like you’re elected.”

  Rhyden scowled but nodded and turned toward the portal.

  “Your gun,” Seth reminded him. “You can leave it with me.”

  Rhyden looked back, his eyes dark with anger. “I saw a semi-automatic rifle go through there. No way I’m leaving my pistol behind.” He stopped with one foot in the shimmering portal. “I’ll be back to get you. Somehow.”

  And then he was gone. Less than two minutes later, the energy faded as the portal closed.

  * * *

  Kam wasn’t wearing a watch, and she’d dropped her cell phone between the barrels, so she didn’t know the exact moment she was stranded, but she knew the deadline had passed. The van had bounced over the uneven streets of the old parts of the city and been on better pavement for twenty-five or thirty minutes. The loosely packed barrels shifted with every turn, and she’d finally given up. She sat hunched over, frozen with despair. She couldn’t even get out of a damned truck. How would she ever survive Cityside on her own? Seth was gone. Rhyden was gone. She was stranded. Alone.

  Tears threatened. Finally spilled over.

  She hadn’t even kept her promise to Agent Crain, who was still waiting for her call. Kam suddenly raised her head, wiped her cheeks with the back of one hand. Maybe there was a way out of this prison on wheels. She crawled around the barrels, finally spotted her cell phone near the back door. If she could lower one shoulder between the barrels and the door, she might reach the phone. She glanced at the front cab, wishing she could see the route. If the barrels shifted while she was in such a precarious position, she’d be crushed.

  She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and leaned over the barrel. Her fingers touched the phone, walked up the surface until she flipped it on edge. Yes! She closed her fingers and yanked. The truck turned a corner, but Kam was safely back on top. She gulped down a mouthful of air, turned on the phone and confirmed the time—11:37.

  She stared at it for a long moment, fighting back despair. She’d known it was too late, but… She closed her eyes, shoved the horrible truth to the back of her mind, and punched Crain’s number.

  He answered on the first ring. “I’d about given up on you.” He sounded relieved.

  “There was a hitch in plans. I can’t give you the exact directions, but you’re looking for a dark blue van and this cell phone will be inside. Just follow the GPS signal.”

  “Where will you be?”

  “That wasn’t part of the deal. There are three men in the cab, probably armed. You’re on your own now.”

  She set the phone down close to the rear door and sat on the nearest container to wait. It wasn’t long. One of the men upfront shouted, the van accelerated, then the sirens started and finally the gun fire. When the vehicle screeched to a halt, she drew herself into a ball to keep her legs from being crushed by the shifting cargo. She waited for the back door to open, and finally the latch clicked.

  “The containers are here, Agent Crain. Don’t see anyone back here or a cell phone. Wait, here it is.”

  Kam watched him dig it out from between two barrels.

  “You want to open one of these containers?”

  “God, no!” Crain peered into the van. “Let’s get these to a containment area.”

  The men stepped back; the officer reached for the door handle. Kam sprang between them, narrowly missing Crain’s shoulder as he turned away. She bolted down the street. At the first opportunity, she leaped onto a rooftop, and then she just ran.

  * * *

  It was mid-afternoon by the time she circled around and arrived at the Ryndel guild. She pried open the back door, slipped inside and made her way toward the manager’s office. Her footsteps echoed hollowly in the abandoned building, and yet she felt a certain sense of calm in a familiar place. Maybe it was the scent of the wooden oak crates.

  Kam released her death grip on the amulet, became visible again, and flexed her stiff fingers. She unwound the chain from her left wrist and slipped it over her head. Then she dropped into Thom Barrott’s desk chair.

  Letting out a long sigh, she lowered her head into both hands.

  The haphazard running around the city’s rooftops over the last two or three hours had worn off much of the shock, leaving her exhausted. She had to get a grip on herself soon, begin making plans for her future. Hadn’t she always wanted independence? Another example of “be careful what you wish for.”

  After a while, she lifted her head and looked dully across Barrott’s office at the glass windows that looked over the first floor below. The empty floor. No familiar faces, no faces at all. She supposed she’d run through all the stages of grief and finally arrived at acceptance.

  A small sound escaped her throat, somewhere between a derisive chuckle and a groan. What choice did she have other than acceptance? Hadn’t she spent long enough feeling sorry for herself? Maybe someday she’d find a way back to Elvenrude, but she couldn’t count on it. For now she had to create a life for herself within the human world.

  She rose from the chair and began to pace. So, what did she have to help her? A crossbow, her two magic items, and a gun. She had clothes in the Lormarc apartment, and more in her own apartment, if she could ever go there. She had a bank account with a few hundred dollars, but no hope of anyone depositing more. She’d have to make it last until she found some way to support herself.

  Kam stopped at the glass partition and looked down on the warehouse floor. A few crates were stacked against the wall. Maybe there were goods inside she could sell, but eventually she’d need a job. Doing what? Who would hire someone with no experience or credentials? Well, she’d just have to start at the bottom and work her way up. Maybe she could work in a museum. She’d find a way. She had no other choice.

  Footsteps sounded from somewhere below. Kam stiffened in alarm. What now? Had Crain found her? A vagrant? Had thieves already discovered the building was abandoned?

  She crouched below the windows and duck-waddled to the door, easing through it on hands and knees to look over the railing. A hooded figure walked toward the second floor stairs.

  * * *

  Seth stared at the empty space where Rhyden had been just moments before. His shoulder muscles stiffened as the enormity of what he’d done settled in. The portal was gone. Elvenrude was closed.

  He struggled with the truth another moment, then shook off the paralyzing fears. His arm throbbed, and he needed to do something about it. He slipped out the door and walked the two blocks to the abandoned Lormarc guild house. Once inside, he fumbled around, a bit lightheaded, until he found the medical box they kept on site.

  He ripped his shirt sleeve. A fairly clean wound, a little deep, might have nicked the bone. It should have stitches but that wasn’t going to happen. He washed it with soap, smeared on disinfectant, and applied two gauze pads, holding them in place until the bleeding slowed. He discarded the blood-soaked gauze and taped a new bandage in place.

  Seth looked for a safe place where he could rest, just for a while. Take time to think this through. Remembering a small storage room, he went inside and leaned against the closed door. His legs grew heavy, and he finally slid down to a sitting position. He should fi
nd Kam, but the aftermath of an adrenaline rush, coupled with blood loss and shock, had finally hit him. His head drooped against the door.

  When Seth woke he was lying on the hard floor; his watch read 1:27 p.m. His arm ached, and the bandage was soaked, but blood wasn’t running down his arm. He redressed the wound, satisfied that the bleeding was under control.

  He stood and fought off a moment of dizziness. The hour of sleep had helped. He was even hungry. But first he wanted to find Kam. She must be feeling as unfocused as he was. Or worse, believing he and Rhyden had abandoned her. He uttered a curse for sleeping so long.

  Where would she go? There were only four places he could think of: her apartment, her office, their recent joint apartment, or the Ryndel Guild. If he had to, he’d check them all, but he’d start with the one most likely.

  He found a forgotten sweatshirt in the guild master’s office, pulled it on, and headed toward the side door. A vending machine that hadn’t yet been picked up by the company and a bit of change from his pocket yielded a can of orange soda. The sugar helped clear his head. Pulling the shirt’s hood up to hide his face if anyone was lurking outside, he opened the door, then paused, spun around and walked straight to the portal. The routes into Elvenrude were closed, but those on this side should still work. He reached out his hand with its small keyholder tattoo, and the portal activated.

  A smile curled his lips. At least something had gone right.

  He tried the coordinates for Elvenrude, but as expected, nothing happened. He’d had to try. He refocused on local coordinates, chose one, and the air shimmered; the portal opened, and he stepped inside. Instantly he was deposited on the first floor of the Ryndel Guild. If he remembered correctly, the manager’s office was on the second floor.

  * * *

  Kam scrambled across the balcony and hid behind the door in the office. She fingered the gun in her pocket. Should she step out and shoot the intruder or hope that he or they went away? She listened carefully but only heard one set of footsteps. The intruder reached the top of the stairs and paused. She pulled out the gun and quieted her rapid breathing. He started forward again. As soon as he entered the room…

  “Kam? Are you here?”

  She sprang from behind the door, dropped the gun, and flung herself into Seth’s arms. “Oh, Seth.” She clung to him. “I can’t believe it’s you,” she whispered against his neck.

  He held her tightly for several long heartbeats, relaxing his arms only when she pulled away.

  Kam stepped back, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sorry. But I’m just so glad to see you. I thought you were… What are you doing here?”

  His green eyes flickered and instead of answering, he grabbed her arms, his lips descending firmly on hers. With only an instant of hesitation, Kam returned his kiss. His tongue moved across her lips, and she met his invitation to deepen the embrace. As she molded her body against his, their mouths played a wicked dance. Finally lifting his head, Seth continued to hold her, his chin resting against her hair. Both of them were breathless.

  “I needed that,” he whispered huskily.

  “So did I.”

  And that’s all there was to it, she told herself. A momentary need after a hard day. She indulged herself another few moments, then reluctantly pulled away. “Are we really stranded here? What about Rhyden?”

  “The half-breeds made it into the portal. I sent him after them.”

  “Why didn’t you go?” She frowned at him. “Tell me you didn’t stay because of me.”

  “I didn’t stay because of you.”

  “Liar.”

  “Not entirely.” His eyes gleamed. “I couldn’t leave the CIA and the terrorists at your mercy. Besides, I haven’t finished your shooting lessons.” He looked at the gun at their feet. “And lesson number two: we never toss our weapons on the floor.” He reached down and picked it up. “Were you going to shoot me?”

  “I’d thought about it.” She noticed he held one arm against his body when he bent over. “Have you been hurt? Is it bad?”

  “Just a minor wound.”

  “What kind of wound?” She motioned him toward the manager’s chair. “Sit down and tell me everything while I look at it.” She was already tugging on his sweatshirt.

  “I didn’t realize you were so eager to get me out of my clothes. I already treated it.” He continued to protest, but shrugged out of the hoodie. “It’s nothing.”

  “I’ll decide that. My godmother did more than give me her trinkets. She taught me a lot about healing. Sit down.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Kam glanced away from his penetrating eyes. His joke about the clothes had been too damn close to the truth. She had to keep things in perspective. The kiss was a natural reaction. Just pent up fear and stress. It meant nothing, and they should leave it there. And yet her lips still tingled, and she wanted to run her fingers through his tousled hair.

  Seth unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off so she could get at the bandage.

  Her eyes slid to his muscular chest, imagining her fingers… She jerked her gaze away. She had to stop this. Concentrating on his arm, she steeled herself, removed the gauze, and sucked in her breath at the sight. “What caused this?”

  By the time she was rewrapping his injury, he had told her about the gun fight and everything he’d done since she got into the smugglers’ van.

  “You came by portal? Then maybe I can get my clothes.”

  “I don’t see why not, but before you start worrying about what to wear, tell me what kept you from getting back to us.”

  “I got trapped in the van.” She handed him his shirt and started her story from the beginning, quickly relating the events that led to the arrival of the CIA. “I almost knocked Crain down getting out of the van.” She grinned ruefully. “I can’t imagine what he would have thought, getting hit by some invisible force.”

  Seth slipped his injured arm into what was left of the shirt sleeve. Kam stole a last glance at his exposed chest and turned away when his lips began to twitch.

  “What do you think Rhyden’s doing?” she asked before he could comment. “You think he caught the crossbreeds?” She whipped her head toward him. “Hey, I almost forgot. Did you see the keyholder? Was it Trevain?”

  “I don’t know. The portal was controlled from the other end, and I only saw the crossbreeds.” He ran a hand across the back of his neck, causing his shirt to gape open. “I hope Rhyden didn’t walk into an ambush.”

  He started buttoning his shirt, more slowly than Kam thought was strictly necessary, even with his injury, and she averted her eyes again. Was he deliberately provoking her?

  “Rhyden’s resourceful.” To get her mind off Seth’s activities, she focused on a picture of Elvenrude on the office wall. The green hills of her homeland brought a tug of wistfulness. “If he catches them, maybe the king will open the portal so we can go home.” She heard the click of his belt buckle and pictured him tucking in his shirt tail.

  “Maybe. Rhyden will try to get us out. He said he would. But I think we should proceed as if that won’t happen.”

  She turned to look at him. “Because you don’t think it will?”

  “Because I don’t know. “ He started toward the door. “Are you coming? I thought you wanted your clothes.”

  “I do.” She hurried after him, and they descended to the first floor, stopping at the entrance to the portal.

  “Well?” he said after a moment. “You’ll have to get us there. I don’t have the coordinates for your apartment. Not yet.” A smile curled his lips.

  “Oh, sure.” What did the “not yet” mean? Did it mean anything? She wasn’t sure she understood much of what had happened during the last half hour. She still couldn’t believe Seth was here. Why had he stayed?

  She activated the portal and stepped into the familiarity of her apartment.

  * * *

  Seth looked around her home. Just what he would have expected—a mixture of contradictions. Land
scapes of Elvenrude and portraits of her family on an end table, but few other decorations in the efficiently furnished apartment. The drapes and sheers at the windows were ivory white; decorative pillows of red and black were tossed on the black and white couch. He peeked in the open bedroom door and stifled a laugh at the stuffed kitten on her bed. Just like the woman, Kam’s apartment was both hard and soft.

  He watched her for a moment, enjoying the chance to study her while she folded clothes and filled a travel bag. He hadn’t intended to kiss her at the guild, but her warm body hugging his had been irresistible. They were moving toward an inevitable conclusion if one of them didn’t call a halt. He studied her delicate profile, her absorption in her task. Would she back off? Could he?

  He’d said they should move on as if rescue wouldn’t happen, but what if it did? What then? If they made it back to Elvenrude, would either of them regret it if they carried this further?

  He stuck his head in the bedroom door. “Can I help?”

  “No, I’m not taking much. We can always come back. My rent’s paid for a full year.”

  “Do you have other funds?”

  She told him about the bank account and her idea of selling the goods stored at her family’s guild. “I’ll have to get a job after that, but I’m not sure what I can do.”

  “Don’t worry about it now. We’ve got resources. My family invested heavily in the stock market, and luckily my name is on much of it. We can liquidate as necessary.”

  Kam frowned. “You don’t need to support me, Seth. It was enough—way more than enough—that you stayed.” For a moment she seemed lost for words. “I can never repay you for that. I don’t need to take your money too.”

  “We’re in this together,” he murmured, but he didn’t push the point. “I’m going to check your kitchen and see if there’s anything we should take.”