“Phillip. Please don’t.” She could barely get the words out.
Purple faded until it was the barest sheen, and some of her stolen energy rushed back into her. Could she reach him? The boy she’d first met? The one who had flaws but who joked and teased with his friends? Was there any of him left?
She clenched her fingers around his. “Hey. You still in there?” Her voice was growing weaker. Forrest edged closer on her left, while Trev, on the right, was mere feet away. Levi struggled to get the crystal from a now convulsing Etu.
Phillip’s head started to turn. “Phillip. Hey. Keep your eyes on me.”
Forrest edged closer to her. “Blue.” At his harsh whisper, Phillip’s head twisted sharply, and the purple glow grew brighter again.
“Hush.” She tried to block out everything but Phillip. “Phillip. Hey, look at me.”
His head swung back to her. “Blue.”
“That’s right, it’s me.”
He pulled on her hand, and she stumbled. “Come closer. Closer, closer. Come closer, little Blue.”
She swallowed. The purple was back. He didn’t drain her this time, though, just kept her hand in an iron grip. All of this counted on Phi’s fixation of her.
Forrest reached her side and grabbed her forearm, trying to pull her away. Blue froze. Stupid, stupid boy.
“Ah, ah, ah.” Phillip’s voice, overlaid with that deeper sound, was chiding. “You know better than that, Fo. She’s mine.” Purple light swirled from him, placing a glancing touch on Forrest’s head. “But for old time’s sake, I’ll let you live. You just need to”—Forrest slowly sank to the ground, and his grip slackened—“let her go. There.”
She couldn’t see Forrest’s chest moving. What if…?
“He’s fine.” Phillip tugged on her hand again, his other hand reaching for her face. “Now, come here.” His voice became coaxing, soft.
She let him pull her in. She just needed to buy time for Levi to get the crystal locked away. What was taking so long? Maybe he’d already done it and it hadn’t worked? Maybe the bond had been completed and the crystal truly didn’t matter anymore.
Time slowed. Just as Phillip’s fingers brushed her cheek, a new voice rang out.
“Fuck this shit.” A large body, piercings flashing, slammed into Phi, tearing him away from her. Trev.
Purple shot from Phillip just as Trev closed the circlet around his neck. The cubs shot out of the underbrush, Felix and Mo’ata charging after them.
Garfield slashed at Phillip’s head as Vivi crouched in front of Forrest, growling that high-pitched baby growl. Felix yanked Trev’s now limp body from Phillip and flipped him onto his back. Jason appeared next to Levi, grabbed the box from him, and bent over it, his fingers moving in short jerky movements as he played with the controls for the electric current.
Vivi darted forward and latched onto Phillip’s ear just as something clicked in the box and a low hum filled the clearing. Phillip went limp.
Blue stood in shock, surveying the aftermath. Slowly, she knelt beside Vivi and pried her off her new chew toy. Not because she cared if Phillip had a mangled ear, but because if Forrest really was still alive, he needed the cub right now.
She awkwardly crawled to his side and placed the cub on his chest. She felt for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt it, slow and faint, but there. A low purr reached her, and she saw Mo’ata doing the same with Trev, Garfield on the hooligan’s chest. Their eyes met, and Mo’ata nodded.
Trev was still alive. Forrest was alive. Mo’ata, Felix, Levi, and Jason surrounded them. Etu lay still outside their circle. And there must be one more in the bushes.
She cleared her throat. “Who was it? Earlier?”
Felix glanced at the stand of bushes. “Killian. Zeynar’s man.”
“And Etu?”
Felix shook his head.
The traitor was dead. She couldn’t muster up any remorse, even if he had helped them in the end. Closing her eyes, she took a breath. Okay, next steps. Get everyone off this semi-mountain and to a healer.
“Blue?” A small voice, bewildered and lost. She looked over to see Phillip struggling to sit up. “What happened? What—” He swallowed, his gaze sliding to Forrest. “Will he be okay?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” His face took on a tinge of green. “I don’t feel so good.” Then he rolled over and puked, heaving until nothing but bile came up.
She held her hand out to Mo’ata. “Get us off this mountain.”
“Yes, shopa,” he said and pulled her to her feet.
Chapter 19
MO’ATA
Mo’ata flung his comm at the wall. It hit with a satisfying thud that still did nothing to alleviate his frustration.
“I take it your contact had no better luck?” Zeynar said from where he sat at the low table tucked in a corner of the room, his voice tight and the constant smug assurance wiped away.
A low snarl was Mo’ata’s reply. From one of the beds, Garfield let out an answering growl. It had been four days since they’d captured Phillip, and Mo’ata had been this way for the last two, ever since the talks with the Padilra deteriorated.
They were insisting on three things:
That the crystal be returned to them. Fine.
That Phillip be given over to the Elders of the Prizzoli for the remainder of his life, even after he and the crystal were cleansed. This one went against Mo’ata’s own instincts. The boy was getting off too lightly for the crimes he’d committed, but Mo’ata understood the reasoning.
The third was the one that had him calling on every contact he had. He’d put pressure on his mother, as the Mamanna and a member of Karran’s Council, as well as his contacts in the guards and the Order. Felix, Trevon, and even Jason had done the same with their own not inconsiderable connections. Levi… well, Levi was another matter. He was holding back information still, and it had to do with the third item. Number three—Blue had to go the Prizzoli as well. And stay.
There was no reasoning given. No negotiation, no leniency. If those three things were not delivered, Padilra would withdraw from the Alliance. Refusing to hand over “the girl” would be seen as an act of aggression, and Padilra was willing to start a damned war over it.
Every single person he’d spoken to said the same thing: “Give them the girl.” Even Demil, his mentor in the Order. It was as if they didn’t care.
They don’t.
The door swung in, and Felix entered, Vivi on his shoulder, followed closely by Levi.
The tension rose another notch, and Vivi’s growl joined Garfield’s. The cubs were becoming more and more on edge the longer they stayed away from Blue and Forrest. Unfortunately, they also did not react well to Phillip’s presence, and the safest thing had been to keep them separated as much as possible. Now, they were feeding on the emotions flying about in the confined space with no outlet.
None of them had a damned outlet.
Mo’ata took a breath and got himself under control. He felt like a piquet guarding its territory, ready to tear into anything that threatened. Except in this instance it was the entire Alliance that threatened, and not a particular person he could slash.
There’s always Levi.
He pushed the thought away. With the recovery of the crystal, his life debt was technically paid. He did not owe Levi one single thing, but the man had become his friend. Plus, Mo’ata understood torn loyalties and secrets needing to be kept.
But these secrets threatened his shopa, and enough was enough.
He pinned Levi with a glare. “You will tell us the whole of this. Now. Why do your people insist that Blue stay there even after Phillip is under control?”
Levi, still standing just behind Felix, dropped his gaze, and his shoulders hunched in. Vivi snarled louder and swiped at the Prizzoli from her stance on Felix’s shoulder, though she didn’t connect. Garfield growled again as well, but he seemed almost… protective of the Prizzoli.
Whet
her anyone else realized it, the cubs’ reactions were a very clear indicator not only of the room’s emotions, but Blue’s and Forrest’s as well. It was something to ponder, but later.
Felix stepped away from the Prizzoli and joined Mo’ata in confronting the other man. The mercenary crossed his arms and waited. They all waited.
“We can’t deal with this unless we know what’s really going on.” Zeynar’s low voice sliced through the room. “Your government and your Elders are asking for something they have no right to, and they are willing to risk a lot for one woman. Well, I am willing to risk a lot for her as well. So. Start. Talking.”
A twinge of resentment, like a small worm, worked its way through Mo’ata. Trevon spoke as if none of the others in this room cared about Blue when he was the interloper. He and Jason, late to the game and whose motives were unknown. Mo’ata had begun to think of their small group, the original five, as a family, though nothing formal had been spoken. The bonds, while weak, were there.
Except they weren’t a family, a real prida, and Levi’s silence reinforced that. The only person in the room he was sure would ultimately put Blue first was himself. He could count on Forrest, but the boy was with Blue and Phillip doing what he could to ensure her safety.
He stepped forward and grabbed Levi’s arm, pulling the man to a seat beside Trevon. “My debt to you is paid. You now have a choice. You will speak and tell us what you know, or you will leave and return to your people. They can send someone else to liaise.” It was harsh, but he did not care.
Levi’s eyes slid closed, and he nodded. He stayed silent for one moment more, then nodded again. He rolled his shoulders back, sitting up straight, and fixed his golden gaze on Mo’ata. “It is not a short explanation. Nor is it straightforward. I need you to know that I never expected them to make this demand. Because of Phillip’s fixation, we knew she would need to accompany him there, but afterward… no, it still is no excuse.”
Mo’ata did not reply, but he moved away, finding a spot against the wall near Jason, and waited. The Prizzoli was going to talk, and for now he would listen.
“And you were mad at me for withholding information,” Jason mumbled.
Mo’ata clenched his arms to his sides, curbing his impulse to hit the other man. It will not help Blue; it will not help Blue.
Felix, it seemed, had no such compunction. As he settled into place on the other side of Jason, his hand shot out, catching the Ministry agent’s shoulder. “Shut up and listen.”
Levi, who had remained stiff in his seat through all of this, studied each man in turn. Finally, he took a breath and started. “As I said, it is long and it is convoluted. I… I will start with a story of my people.”
Blue would probably love to hear this story.
“It is a legend of my people. The Prizzoli have always been nomadic. We make our homes on the plains of Padilra. To the north of us is a mountain range, and in the middle is a peak that towers over the rest. For ages it was a place forbidden by the elders. One young man decided he would flaunt their will, and he entered the mountains and explored that peak. When he returned, he brought with him a large violet crystal. He took it to the Council of Elders, claiming it had healed him when he became injured and fell into a cave.
“The elders were wary but intrigued. The young man demonstrated the power of the crystal, curing a boy who had become ill and was almost dead. He healed all who wished it, but soon the crystal would not work, failing again and again. The last time he sought to heal someone, an elder, the crystal reversed its powers, and instead of healing, it absorbed the life of the elder, or what was left of it.
“Thus they discovered the secret of the crystal. It can only give what it has, and when it runs out, it must take.”
Levi’s words took on a cadence, one used by storytellers and showmen, and Mo’ata could imagine this place he described. But it still did not tell him what he needed to know. Biting back the impatience, he listened as Levi continued.
“The young man changed after that day. He went back into the mountains and returned with more crystals. Instead of using them to heal, though, he sought out the sick and elderly so the crystals could absorb their life, their energy, and in return, the young man used it to heal and energize those who came to him, who supported his actions.”
"Like Phillip did, and my father before him," Trevon murmured.
Levi paused, nodding, and continued. "The young man's name was Shardon. He built a following until almost all the elders were either overthrown or cowed in fear that he would absorb their own lives as well.
“Soon, his followers noticed another change. He started spending more and more time alone with the stone. His eyes and voice altered, and though he still went by Shardon, he was not the same man. His decision and emotions became erratic, and he grew ever more ruthless.
“One elder refused to back down or give up and sought a way to defeat Shardon. He stole one of the crystals that had been collected. He studied it and discovered that the crystals would absorb energy naturally, small amounts from surrounding animals and trees. He also noticed that the more he held it, the more tired he felt. The crystal was gradually taking from him as well, though nothing like the horrors he’d seen Shardon commit. The more time he spent with the crystal, the more… aware of it he became, and then he understood. The properties of the crystals were influenced by what surrounded them. Shardon’s crystal had become a thing twisted and greedy. The one the elder held was at peace, almost benign, but it still took. In order to use it, to reverse the flow of energy, you had to be attuned to the crystal.
“After a while, the Elder noticed something else. The stone was beginning to answer him, his thoughts. He would wonder something, and the stone would send him a reply. The answers weren’t in words, but ideas. This crystal was now alive."
Mo’ata shifted, growing impatient. They knew all of this already. Oh, not the backstory, but they knew the crystals were alive. The others showed signs of restlessness as well: Trevon’s fingers drummed on the table, Felix fingered the knife at his belt, and Jason tapped his foot quietly.
Levi ignored it all. It was as if once the man had made his decision to share what he knew, he was going to share it all. "This crystal was gentle, its thoughts of peace and rest. It only ever took as much as it needed at the moment and was always willing to share what it had. The elder couldn't conceive how a being with such generosity would willingly take the lives of others.
"All this time, Shardon grew ever more powerful. Soon, he didn't need to be holding the crystal to take life; he could do it at will. He had bonded with the original crystal, just as the elder had bonded with his, but in a completely different way."
"The crystals took in the properties of those who used them," Trevon said.
"Yes, but not just that. They exaggerated the traits of what they were used for. Shardon started out wanting to help his fellow Prizzoli, but ended up killing thousands. How? He was ambitious. The crystal picked up on that and soon had his ambition twined with greed and a ruthlessness that drowned out the young man's desire to help his fellows.”
"Ambition, stripped of compassion, a monster does make." Trevon’s words were mocking, and a wry smile twisted his lips.
Felix let out a small grunt but otherwise didn’t comment.
“Tell us the rest. How the hell does Blue even factor into this?” Mo’ata asked, getting things back to what mattered.
Levi raised a brow as if to say “when you are done interrupting” and continued his story. "The elder confronted Shardon and insisted that the man give up the crystal. The elder had brought his own—kinder—crystal, and for a moment, the young man's mind cleared. He handed his over and turned himself into what was left of the elder council. However, as soon as the influence of the benign crystal wore off, the young man reverted to what he had been. But now he was more. He had… absorbed the crystal, or it had absorbed him. The being, the consciousness that had formed from all that energy, was now in him.
And he was able to kill or give life with just a thought.”
“Phillip is not there yet,” Jason said.
“No, Phillip is not quite there yet, and that is the only reason we are even alive at all.” Levi drew in a breath and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Shardon escaped and massacred the elders and over half the Prizzoli. In his own words, he'd become a god, for what else would you call something that has the power to grant or take life?”
"Not a god," murmured Mo’ata. "He couldn't create, could he?"
A corner of Levi’s mouth ticked up. "Good point. No, he could not create. And he seldom gave, only took. These were very dark times for my people. And because he could absorb and use for himself the powers of the crystal..."
"He never aged."
"He did not."
"How—" Mo’ata swallowed. "How was he stopped?"
Levi looked away. "And here we come to why the elders want Blue. It was a woman who stopped him. Shardon had grown lonely." Levi let out a huffing laugh devoid of humor. Vivi growled, but it seemed to be more of a reaction to the emotion of the room than to Levi. Felix reached up and patted her, and she settled a little.
"Her name was Brika. She'd grown up in a tribe farther removed and to the south, where they had not been quite as devastated by the rule of this demi-god of destruction. She was sent in tribute one year, and instead of killing her, Shardon kept her alive and kept her for himself. He married her and raised her to the status of queen. According to legend, she convinced him to give her a crystal so they would be together forever."
"Why wouldn't he just heal her over and over?" Jason asked.
Good question.
"I do not know. These are the stories we’re brought up with. They may not even be true.” Levi shrugged. “Shardon gave her a crystal, but instead of using it to kill others, she sent herself—her… consciousness—into it somehow. It became known as Brika's Sacrifice.”
Beyond Blue Frontiers (The Adventures of Blue Faust Book 3) Page 22