* * *
Tessa clenched her new focus stone between tense fingers. Faith had created it only this morning, and there hadn’t been time to mount it in any jewelry. The clear quartz was a little bigger than her old focus stone, which she had used mainly for absorbing energy from the sun. She’d charged this one the same way this morning before they’d left for the temple. Even now she could feel its vibrations in her mind.
She hadn’t told Adrian what she intended to do. She didn’t want him to count on it as part of his plan. That way, if it didn’t work, no harm done. But if it did work, it provided an unexpected advantage.
She closed her eyes and reached for the mate link through the crystal. The silver river symbolizing her bond with Adrian seemed clearer and brighter through the crystal, like a person putting on prescription glasses for the first time. She reached for Adrian, guided her power along the bond to him.
And hoped it wouldn’t get him killed.
* * *
Adrian knocked out one of the three Warriors following them. Rafe was fighting off the other two, and doing a decent job. How long would it take for the temple to send others?
Five minutes. The knowledge dropped into his head.
Good guess, he decided, and went after one of the two Warriors ganging up on Rafe. He yanked one guy off Rafe’s back. It was Lormak. They’d trained together. He spun his old training mate around. Flash! A quick image in his mind of Lormak swiping his face with a hidden blade. He jumped back. A second later, Lormak swiped with that hidden blade. Missed him. But if he’d stayed where he was …
The images kept coming, each only a few seconds before his opponents actually struck. Maybe a few seconds wasn’t a long amount of time, but it was just enough for him to defend against an otherwise sneaky move. He systematically took out two of the three who’d been following them, then moved on to the two outside the door to the treasury corridor. The helpful hints kept coming, enabling him to anticipate and block against the guards’ attacks. The rumble of many running feet thundered from the hall. More troops headed in.
As soon as he disabled the two men guarding the door, he turned back to help Rafe. You’re on, Faith.
Faith darted forward from the hiding spot where she’d kept out of the way and applied herself to opening the door. She swiped an override card Darius had given her, hit some numbers on the keypad, and a moment later the door latch clicked. It’s open! Let’s go!
Adrian and Rafe each gave their opponents a hard shove away, then turned and sped through the door Faith held open. Adrian was the last through it and slammed it in the face of their pursuers.
“We only have a few minutes before they get someone with access to open that door,” he said.
“Then let’s get going,” Faith said. Rafe nodded, and the three of them shot down the corridor.
The second door took a little longer than the other, because Faith first had to deal with the keypad, and then she had to override the eye scanner. Darius was feeding her the back door access codes telepathically, and she managed to finally get the second door open, just as dozens of Warriors burst through the first door at the end of the corridor. The three darted into the treasury and slammed the door behind them.
Running feet and shouts sounded from the corridor. Someone rattled the doorknob. Heavy fists pounded on the reinforced steel.
“Faith, where’s the stone?” Adrian asked.
Faith closed her eyes. Focused. “Over here first.” She walked to a steel cabinet with a fat padlock hanging from it. “In here. How are you with locks, Adrian?”
He grabbed the padlock and twisted it. The shackle popped out, and he unhooked it and flipped open the hasp, then yanked open the door.
“That Warrior super strength comes in handy.” Faith grinned and pulled out a wooden box. She opened it to reveal the large chunk of stunning blue kyanite that the Warriors used to create members of the Leyala. With a touch, she put the stone to sleep. Now it would not function until she told it to. She set that box down and took down a second from the top shelf. She didn’t have to open the lid to know the stone was inside it. She could sense it. She handed that one to Rafe and picked up the blue kyanite she’d set aside.
Ready. Darius, you’re on.
“Open the door,” she said to Adrian, and scooped the kyanite out of its box.
Warriors crowded through the door. Faith held up the Ascension Stone and reached out to every available mind within range. I am the last Stone Singer. I have put your Ascension Stone to sleep. It will stay that way unless you allow us to leave immediately. That means no more Leyala, ever, unless I allow it.
A babble of voices exploded in the tiny room and the corridor beyond.
Now, Darius, she said to her mate.
Amping up fear and panic, Darius replied, and used his empathy to turn up the intensity on the more negative emotions presented, flooding the Warriors with terror and anxiety and whatever else was bubbling in their minds.
The voices rose in volume. There were tears. Begging. Some Warriors fell to their knees, pleading with her to revive their stone. Others leaned against the walls, pale and shaken, their eyes wide with horror.
Through them all came Ezares, his dark eyes damp.
“What have you done?” he whispered.
“What I have done can be undone,” Faith said, “but only if we are allowed to leave with our stone.”
“You know I cannot do that. We cannot take the chance. Jain Criten cannot get his hands on that stone. It would be the end for all of us.”
“We have no intention of letting him get the stone,” Rafe said. “But we’re not going to let Azotay kill our parents, or my fiancée, either.”
“Azotay.” Ezares pinned Adrian with a laser glare. “This is your fault, Atlas. Had you killed Azotay a week ago, none of this would be happening.”
“Back off, Ezares,” Rafe said. “We’re leaving, and if you want your precious Ascension Stone back in working order, you’re going to let us.”
“Already there is chaos!” Ezares cried. “Look at this! Proud Warriors reduced to tears, trembling like little girls. And poor Evenor collapsed moments ago from a heart attack. He’s elderly and cannot handle so much emotion.”
“You should have let us have our stone back,” Rafe said. “Now, we’re coming through. If you allow us to leave with our stone, Faith will restore your Ascension Stone and hand it to the last guard at the door as we leave.”
“No! You cannot!” Ezares blocked the door.
Adrian came forward and stood before his father. “Let us pass,” he said. “I will make certain the Mendukati do not get the stone.”
“You will make certain? You? The way you made certain Azotay would not obtain the last stone, the one discovered in Belize just last week?” Ezares threw back his head and laughed. “You’re going nowhere, Atlas. You failed to defeat Azotay. You let him escape with the stone. You helped these people break into the sacred treasury room. You are done!” Ezares looked at Rafe. “You and the Stone Singer may leave.”
“With the stone?” Rafe clarified.
“Yes!”
“What about Adrian?” Faith asked.
“No, my son must stay and answer for his offenses. You will restore the Ascension Stone, and my son stays here. That is my offer. Take it or leave it.”
Take the stone and go, Adrian said to all of them. I’ll find a way to catch up.
We can’t leave you, Rafe said.
You have no choice. Go.
“We have a deal,” Rafe said. “We walk with our stone, and Adrian stays here with yours.”
“Done.”
* * *
Tessa gasped at the deal that had just been struck. She’d been connected to Adrian this whole time, feeding him power through their link. Just like in the restaurant, Adrian had foreseen certain events through her—in this case, his opponents’ next moves—and was able to triumph easily. When she’d wondered about their powers merging, she’d never imagine
d this.
But Rafe leaving him behind? That was just wrong.
She reached out to Adrian. What are you doing? Why did you tell Rafe to leave you there?
It’s okay, Tessa, Adrian answered. I need Rafe and Faith to be free to negotiate for your family’s release. Don’t worry about me. I’ll join you soon.
I don’t want to leave you there. What is your father talking about? What offenses?
The Council was already upset with me because of Belize. And now I helped you all break into the temple. I need to face disciplinary action. It will be fine.
Belize? Because Azotay stole the stone from us?
That, and because I couldn’t kill him.
Why couldn’t you kill him? He’s a murderer! I don’t understand— She fell silent as something slipped through his careful defenses, a weakness she hadn’t known existed. An omission she hadn’t expected. The reason Adrian hadn’t killed Azotay.
Azotay was his brother.
Her breath froze in her lungs. Why hadn’t he told her?
Adrian was still talking, reassuring her everything would be all right. She cut him off. We’re leaving now. Good-bye, Adrian.
She broke the connection, tucked her focus stone in her jeans pocket, then rested her face in her hands. How could he not tell her? How? She thought back to their dinner conversation. He’d mentioned his brother, and that would have been the perfect time to let her know that, oh, by the way, his twin was the right hand man of the leader of the Mendukati.
She struggled for breath, unable to believe this. She’d given Faith such a hard time when Faith had first arrived because of her connection to the Mendukati. But Tessa had slept with Adrian over and over again and never sensed for a moment that he was hiding something so monumental.
It was Luke all over again.
“Tessa, what’s wrong?” Darius asked, his eyes on the road as he raced to the airport. Rafe and Faith were taking the chopper there.
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Are you worried about Adrian? Don’t worry. He’ll be okay.”
“I know he will.” She sat back in her seat and stared straight ahead. But would she be okay? That remained to be seen.
We need to reevaluate the plan, Rafe sent to both of them. Our entire operation hinged on Gray being with us. He said he would try to get there, but we can’t afford to wait too long. Clock is ticking.
Mendez is already at the terminal, Darius said. We’ll call him, have him bring in some more members of the Team to pick up the slack.
To fill in for Gray? Yeah, about ten guys should do it. On our way.
See you there. Darius glanced at Tessa, who had already pulled her cell phone out of her purse. “Make the call.”
* * *
After Rafe and Faith left the temple with the stone, Adrian was escorted back to the Hall of Judgment by armed guards. Only Ezares and Jasan sat on the dais.
His father scowled down at him. “Atlas Itzal, you stand accused of failing to perform your duties in protecting the Seers and the Stone of Ekhia in their possession. Because of your failure to defeat Azotay in battle, he acquired one of the Stones of Ekhia. And because of your actions today, he might acquire the last one and bring about great harm to this world and all the people in it. Did you do these things? True or false. State your position.”
“True, but—”
“There is no ‘but,’” Ezares said. “Either you did these things or you did not.”
“I did, but for good reasons.”
“Let the record show that the accused has stated the allegations are true,” Ezares said.
The usually genial Jasan looked grave. “Atlas, because you brought the empath who overloaded all of our emotions into our sanctuary, Councillor Evenor has fallen gravely ill and is unable to attend these proceedings. Since we cannot enact Judgment without the full Council of three elders, it is our decision that your powers shall be bound and you imprisoned until such time as the full Council can hear your case.”
“What!” Adrian looked around as the guards closed in.
“Hold him,” Ezares said.
“This is madness!” Adrian shouted as Ezares and Jasan descended from the dais. Three guards on each side grabbed his arms and held him fast. “Father, listen to me!”
“You should have listened to me, Atlas. I tried to warn you.” Ezares and Jasan stood on either side of Adrian, raised their hands, and began the rite of binding.
* * *
Darius and Tessa arrived at the private airport. Rafe and Faith were already there in the lounge with Rigo Mendez and three members of John’s private troubleshooters, known affectionately as the Team.
“We’re waiting on a couple more guys,” Rafe said, as Darius and Tessa came in. “Still, I hope Gray shows up. If we’re going to take on Criten on his home turf, I’d rather have a Warrior in our corner.”
“We’ll wait as long as we can,” Mendez said. “But if he isn’t here in the next two hours, we have no choice but to go wheels up without him.”
“I’m sure he’ll be here,” Rafe said. “You know Gray. He’ll come riding in like the cavalry.”
Darius barked a laugh. “Yeah, doesn’t he always? Okay, like Rigo said, we’ll wait as long as we can, and then we’re out of here. Time is not our friend right now.”
“Darius.” Faith sat down next to him, the box with the third stone on her lap. “I need to bond you to this thing, or the plan might not work when we get to Santutegi.”
“Fine with me.” Darius caught Rigo’s eye and jerked his head toward the door.
“We’ll go check on the plane,” Rigo said. “One more sweep so we don’t have any surprises.”
“Sounds good,” Darius said. Faith waited for the security team to leave the lounge before lifting the lid of the box. The Stone of Igarle, one of the three Stones of Ekhia, shone like a bloodred pyramid against black satin lining. Faith picked up the stone, and the red swirled away, becoming clear with ribbons of red flowing through it, almost like a lava lamp. She placed the stone in Darius’s palm.
Immediately all red whished away, leaving a clear, shining crystal. Faith took Darius’s other hand and began to sing the connection into being. When she sang stones, the sound was more like a humming coming from the back of her throat than actual words. Tessa felt the stone’s power awakening, crackling along her skin like static electricity. She locked gazes with Rafe.
I feel it, too, he confirmed.
Darius closed his eyes and bowed his head. For long minutes, he stayed that way as Faith’s song grew louder and stronger. Then she fell silent. Darius opened his eyes. “Faith—”
“It’s done. Let me put this thing away.” She scooped the stone from his palm and tucked it back in the box, where it settled back into its previous crimson color.
“Oh, no, you don’t. Not after that.” Darius went after Faith as she hurried to the other side of the room. “We have to talk … now.”
* * *
Imprisoned. His powers bound. Treated like some kind of traitor.
Locked in his small cell, Adrian reached for the mating bond in his mind, the one thing that no power or binding had ever been able to block. He saw the bond, but it had shrunk from a raging river to a trickling stream. He could see Tessa, a pillar of gold-and-violet light, far, far away. He tried to call her, to reach her. Nothing. Maybe it was the binding, or maybe it was just the distance. If she was on her way to Santutegi, the link might be too weak to connect with her on the other side of the continent, especially since he had no access to his own powers.
No powers. What did that make him now? All his life he’d had the strength and speed of the Warrior at his command and, later, the additional power of the Leyala. With his powers bound, now he was just a man.
At least the binding was temporary, unlike the permanent Judgment he’d invoked on other Warriors as Leyala. There was still a chance the binding could be reversed, that he could be restored to what he was. It was all at
the whim of the Council. Of his father.
If he’d had any questions about his importance to Ezares, they’d just been answered. Ezares hadn’t wanted a son so much as a pawn. Gadeiros had always been too self-centered to be controlled by another. But Adrian? No, he was the soft touch, the easily manipulated one. No wonder Ezares had taken him and left Gadeiros behind. He’d always thought it was because he’d passed the test to become Leyala and Gadeiros hadn’t. But now he was starting to believe it was because he was more easily manipulated.
Well, he was done with all that—the temple, the lifestyle, all of it. He’d always lived his life according to orders, blindly handling whatever task he’d been assigned. He’d trusted his father, the Council, the integrity of the Warriors. He’d felt at home there, part of something. No longer. Not after this. His focus had shifted. To Tessa, to being part of a family, part of something better. To be accepted for himself. His father had always used him as a tool to drive his own agenda, formed him and trained him his entire life to be that tool. Those days were over. Now he would start living for himself and by his own rules.
Somehow he had to get out of here, to get to Tessa. The Montanas needed him if they were going to take on Azotay and Criten. The idea that they might all be walking into a trap ate at him.
He glanced at the cell door. At full strength, he could have torn it off the hinges. Now, he could only pace and wait for an opportunity. Or create one. He sent a mental message to the one person who might listen to his side of the story.
It was way past lunch by the time Larina finally came to see him. With his fall from grace, she was being examined about her conduct as well, though not imprisoned.
“A, are you crazy? Why did you buck the Council?” She stood outside his cell, her dark eyes sad. “Look where it’s gotten you.”
“I bucked the Council because I was trying to do what’s right.” Adrian stood and came to the door. “John and Maria Montana have been kidnapped by Azotay and Criten. Cara, too. They’re being held in Santutegi. The ransom is the last Stone of Ekhia.”
“Damn.” Larina shook her head. “I liked that Cara girl. But I have to agree with the Council on this one. No way we can let Criten anywhere near that stone. Then he’d have all three.”
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