Dying Wish: A Novel of the Sentinel Wars

by Shannon K. Butcher

  “I want to save you.”

  He stroked her face, his touch so gentle she couldn’t believe there was any violence in him at all. “I know. I wish you could. But this is the way it has to be. Promise me you’ll save him when I’m gone.”

  She couldn’t. She couldn’t even face the idea of a world without Iain in it.

  “Don’t push her,” said Cain. “You ask too much.”

  “I can’t let you die,” said Iain.

  Jackie couldn’t listen. She had to get out of here—get some air.

  She stumbled out the door, dragging the cold air into her lungs. Ribbons of tears cooled on her cheeks.

  There wasn’t time for this. A little girl was out there right now, alone and terrified. Someone had to find her. Someone had to save her.

  Jackie hated that the job fell to her, even as she thanked God that the power to do so was in her grasp.

  For two years she’d been caged and abused, starved and fed on. For two years she’d watched countless children die. She’d been powerless to stop any of it, but that time was over. Magic coursed through her body, trembling in anticipation of being summoned to do her bidding. She was going to find Autumn, and when she did, every evil creature that had ever even laid eyes on the girl was going to suffer. Jackie was going to see to it personally.

  Ronan picked up the trail on his way to meet Drake and Helen. He wasn’t as skilled at bloodhunting as some, but he was better at tracking than most. He knew this area. He knew the nests littered throughout the landscape—small, hidden dens and huge, gaping caverns alike. While he didn’t spend much time cleaning them out the way the Theronai did, he kept tabs on his enemy in the hopes of locating the heavily blooded humans before the Synestryn did.

  The demon that had been with the pregnant woman had left its scent behind, near a house where a strongly blooded newborn had just been brought home. It hadn’t done more than sniff around, but it would.

  Ronan was going to have to convince this family to move. Again. It was the only way to keep them safe.

  He would deal with that later. For now, his focus was on the malignant scent of demon leading away, toward a nearby nest.

  “Did you find something?” asked Helen. She sat in the open door of Drake’s vehicle, watching him work.

  “South,” he said, pulling the scent deep into his lungs. It was sweet and rancid, like a stew of fruit juice and rotten meat. Now that he’d smelled it, he would not soon forget.

  He got back into their vehicle and gave Drake instructions as to where to go.

  They didn’t have to go far. There was a narrow entrance underground, and it stank of demon. He couldn’t smell the woman, but he wasn’t sure if that was because she hadn’t come this way, or if it was simply the stench of demon overpowering her lighter fragrance.

  The three of them donned protective clothing and weapons and headed inside.

  Chapter 28

  Jackie had no idea how she found Autumn. It was as if she could see a trail of fear leading to the girl—a trail no one else could see. There was no proof that this was the place, and yet, somehow, she knew it was true.

  “Are you sure she’s here?” asked Iain.

  “I am.” She’d never been here before, but the faint flickering trail, glowing like sunlight on a wisp of mist, led right into a narrow, rocky opening.

  Cain’s headlights bobbed behind them as he pulled his truck to a stop. Both vehicles shut off, plunging the remote area into darkness. Jackie instinctively let a trickle of power flow to her eyes, letting her see through the thick, stifling dark.

  Wind rocked their car. Iain put his hand on her knee, and the warmth of his touch sank through her clothes, making her shiver and long for more.

  “You don’t have to go in with us,” he said. “Cain and I can find her. He’ll bring her out.”

  “I can’t let you go in alone.” The way she knew she’d walk out alone.

  “You’ve already been through so much pain.”

  “As if you care. You’re forcing me to endure even more pain by killing yourself.”

  “I’m saving you. You can’t see that yet, but I hope in time you will…when you’re happy again.”

  Jackie couldn’t imagine finding happiness while Iain lay cold in the ground. She’d grown to care for him too deeply.

  No, it was more than that. She loved him.

  She hadn’t wanted to. She hadn’t meant to. Loving him was going to ruin her, and yet she couldn’t seem to stop. As cold as he could be, she’d seen the noble, selfless side of him no one else seemed to care about. He’d given her gentleness and passion. And now, he was freeing her in the only way possible by killing himself.

  She didn’t care what they said. His soul wasn’t dead. No man who was willing to lay down his life for another could be called soulless.

  Holding back her tears made her throat ache. “I don’t want you to save me. I want you to save yourself.”

  Iain stroked her cheek, his black eyes steady as they looked into hers. “This is saving myself. If I end it before I do anything unforgivable, then my memory will live on, untarnished, my honor intact. If I try to defy the natural order of things any longer, I’ll die in disgrace. I have too much to lose now. Please, let me do what I need to do.”

  He wasn’t going to bend. She knew him and his honor well enough now to realize that. He’d decided that this was the safest course for her, and she could feel his steely resolve stabbing at her through the luceria. He was doing this. If she truly loved him, she would make his passing as easy on him as possible, rather than throwing a fit like a child.

  If she spoke, she knew she’d break down, so instead, she simply nodded and got out of the car.

  Cain slipped silently to her side. His expression was grim, but his watchful eyes were filled with a glint of hope.

  Iain’s death—his dying wish—was to be Cain’s salvation.

  Cain settled a clear face shield over her head and adjusted it into place.

  She didn’t want his touch or his attention. As kind as he was to see to her protection, it seemed…wrong, like some kind of betrayal.

  She wanted to scream that Iain was still alive and standing right there, watching them, but if she let out even the smallest cry of outrage, her control would break and she’d fall into a sobbing heap.

  Her grief was already hovering around her, slowing her steps and crushing her chest so that it was hard to breathe. In a few minutes, or a few hours, Iain would be dead, and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it. If she tried to save his life, he’d only find another way. And what if he did something he regretted because she tried to take his freedom of choice away?

  He was still a good man. He’d worked incredibly hard to stay that way. What right of hers was it to ruin him, just because she selfishly wanted him to stay in her life?

  A warm wave of comfort swept through her, like a long, hard hug. She could almost feel Iain’s arms around her again.

  He was the one going off to die and yet his thoughts were of her comfort.

  She couldn’t betray that goodness in him. She couldn’t defy his wish to die. She had to let him go.

  Jackie blinked away her tears, squared her shoulders, and gathered her strength. She was going to follow Iain’s example and do the honorable thing, no matter how much of her it would destroy.

  Beth huddled against the wall, shivering with cold and regret.

  She’d nearly been free. After years of being here, trapped and tortured, she’d nearly escaped. If only she’d been stronger, maybe she would have made it over that fence.

  Your blood is the key….

  She turned the words over in her head, trying to figure out what that man had meant. It seemed like he’d been trying to help her, but if he was, it did her no good. No matter how long she spent reaching for an answer to that riddle, none came.

  Beth was never going to get out of here if she couldn’t figure out what he’d meant. She was going to die in the dark
, alone and afraid.

  Her head pounded. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten. Days ago? Weeks? There was no way to be sure. She was too weak to think straight. Whatever reserves she might have had, she’d used them all up trying to get up that fence.

  Still, she couldn’t accept her fate. Inside, she was a fighter. Sure, she was a starved, wimpy fighter, but that person she’d once been was still alive inside of her somewhere. Wasn’t it?

  She didn’t want to think about that now. She needed to sleep and escape this place for a while. Maybe she’d even dream of the sky again. Daylight. Sunshine.

  Beth curled up on the cold ground and tried to remember what they looked like.

  Iain split his focus between comforting Jackie, the path ahead, and keeping a tight rein on his monster. The beast was roaring in defiance, pounding and beating at its cage in an effort to escape. If he let the monster out, it would fight for its life. It wouldn’t care who it had to kill to survive.

  The cave seemed empty as they moved through it. Synestryn demons had left for the night to hunt and feed, returning here only once the sun forced them into hiding. They had until sunrise to find the girl and get out, or they’d have to fight their way free.

  While Iain was content with dying, he wanted everyone else out safely.

  Without effort, he slipped inside Jackie’s thoughts, keeping tabs on the ethereal trail she saw that led to Autumn. That trail wasn’t of Jackie’s construction—it belonged to another. If Iain’s guess was right, Jackie was somehow seeing Andra’s magic and her ability to find lost children. He didn’t understand how it worked, but a fleeting thought made him wonder if Jackie wasn’t somehow connected to Andra. Maybe that was how she learned to wield magic with so much ease—she was learning to do so from the women who’d already figured out how.

  The longer he was in her thoughts, the more sense that theory made.

  He wasn’t going to be able to be with her like this for much longer, so he wanted to soak up every second of it, reveling in her inner beauty and strength. Just being connected to her like this made it easier to control his beast, as if her presence somehow soothed and quieted it.

  The trail wound to the left, through a cavern filled with bones and bits of fur and refuse. As they entered, the stench of rotting meat and dung was nearly overpowering. Jackie made a gagging noise, and a second later, cool, clean air filled his nose and mouth.

  “Wow,” said Cain. “That’s one hell of a trick. Thanks.”

  “I don’t know how I stood that smell for so long.”

  Even as she spoke, he could see the horrible memories that smell brought back. Pain and death filled her thoughts, so vivid and frightening he actually flinched away from them for a moment.

  His magic was extremely limited; he couldn’t access any of the power he housed. He could only gather up what energy was around—hovering in the ground and dancing in the air—for immediate use. And that’s what he did now, collecting tiny scraps of power that he used to shove those bleak memories away, warding them off. She’d lived that horror. It wasn’t right that she should have to relive it again.

  Jackie’s hand settled on his shoulder in thanks, a brief, fluttering touch that ended far too soon.

  Of all the things in this world, it was her company, her touch, he’d miss the most.

  Their trail led west, thickening as it went. They were getting close. He could hear noises now—the skittering of claws over stone, the low, gurgling, wet sounds of demons feeding on whatever prey they’d found.

  He hoped that the fact that the trail was still there, hovering in the air, meant that Autumn was still alive, and that the demons were feeding on something else.

  Iain held up his hand, silently calling a halt. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he whispered directly to Jackie’s mind that he was going to scout ahead. She should stay here. He felt her agreement and slid forward, moving quietly over the loose debris on the ground.

  The pathway widened into an alcove about the size of a large living room. The ceiling here sloped upward, and rock formations draped down in limestone curtains. Water dripped from the tips, making the air damp and thick.

  On the farthest side of the area, he could see bars set into the stone. Between him and those bars were more than a dozen demons feeding on human remains. One of the bigger Synestryn crouched over a severed human arm, growling at anything that got close. Its skin was black, slick, and hairless, looking like it was coated in some kind of oil. The smaller demons were covered in fur, with oversized heads and jaws filled with serrated teeth. Their limbs were heavily muscled, all tipped in thick, black claws. Their eyes flared a bright green as they fed, ripping meat from other human bones.

  A white shoe bobbed on the end of a man’s severed leg, splattered with red blood. Two demons fought over the prize, snarling and hissing at each other as they tried to drag it in opposite directions.

  Iain’s first thought was that he didn’t want Jackie to see this. It was too horrific, and would serve only to remind her of what she’d suffered. His second thought was of the girl and the trail leading directly through the writhing mass of demons toward those bars.

  They were going to have to cut their way through the group. There was no way around that he could see.

  He went back to the others and told them what he’d found.

  “I don’t like it,” said Cain, “but we don’t have a choice.”

  “I’ll go in first,” said Iain. “Jackie, you hang back and lend a hand from a distance.”

  She nodded, but her skin had gone pale, her pupils constricted to tiny dots, and a line of sweat had broken out across her forehead. He hated seeing her afraid. He hated that the last time he was going to spend with her would be filled with fear and death.

  Iain felt her gather her courage and watched as she squared her shoulders. A rush of power funneled out of him, and her game face was firmly in place beneath the clear face shield.

  He gave her an admiring nod and moved in.

  They stayed silent until the last second, before Cain and Iain charged the closest demons. The smaller ones were in front, and they hissed in surprise before springing to attack. Iain cut down two with one heavy blow. Their furry bodies hit the wall, where other demons scurried to consume them.

  Ignoring those for now, Iain waded deeper into combat, fending off one attack after another, moving on animal instinct and centuries of practice.

  Cain held his own beside Iain, protecting his flank and mopping up the wounded demons as they fell from Iain’s blade.

  A distant vibration of power rumbled through him. He could feel something building, but didn’t dare pay it any attention right now. One single distraction and he could go down before they’d found the girl. He didn’t doubt for one second that Jackie would charge ahead, with or without him, if he failed to complete their mission.

  He heard a whisper in his mind, urging him to move left. It was Jackie’s voice, her presence within him, so he obeyed, shifting his body a bit more with every step forward.

  Seconds later, a wash of golden fire spilled out past his right side, so close it singed his sleeve. Every creature in its path was consumed by flames, screaming in agony as their hair and skin burned away.

  The big demon in back jumped out of the line of fire, finally abandoning its meal. The thing was easily eight feet tall, even hunched over like it was. It lumbered forward, heedless of the creatures it crushed under its wide paws.

  Its jaws dropped open, revealing chunks of bloody skin and ragged swatches of blue jeans between its teeth. A huge, hot roar blasted out of its cavernous mouth—large enough to swallow Iain in two bites. Spittle sprayed out, splattering against Iain’s face shield.

  Cain shifted, his blade cutting through a smaller demon that was only inches from Iain’s shin.

  He could feel Jackie pulling on his power, drawing it into herself for another attack. All he had to do was buy her some time—a few precious seconds.
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br />   Iain showed her what he was going to do, thrusting the image through their link even as he propelled his body forward. He shoved his blade deep into the thing’s thick arm and used that to vault himself onto its back.

  It screamed in pain and reared up, trying to knock Iain off.

  He stabbed the thing at the base of the neck, but all he hit was a heavy lump of fat.

  The demon staggered back, racing toward the cave wall. Iain didn’t have time to move. He was going to be crushed. If he dropped off, the huge paws would smash him just as dead.

  That couldn’t happen yet. The girl was still trapped.

  Iain’s mind raced to find a solution as he scrambled up the slippery body, reaching to cling to the thing’s head. The demon slammed backward. It was too late. Iain hadn’t moved enough. He held his breath, bracing himself for the pain.

  Blue sparks spewed out from the wall, but there was no pain. Not even the chill of the stone touched him.

  Jackie. She’d protected him.

  Not that it would do much good. The burning sting of poison began sinking into his hands where he’d come in contact with the demon’s oily skin secretions.

  Let go! he heard Jackie shout in his head. Trusting her, he did as she asked, releasing his grip.

  She caught his body, and he swore he could feel the warmth of her hands lowering him to the ground. Not that that was possible, since she was across the room.

  His body rolled in the bottom of a faintly glowing bubble. He didn’t try to fight his way free, because he could already feel her drawing in more power for another task.

  Golden fire spilled from her fingertips, lashing out at the giant demon. The licks of flame wrapped around its body, setting its oily skin ablaze. It hissed in pain and fury.

  Iain hit the ground hard, rolling over bones and filth to break his fall. His hands burned, and the tips of his fingers had started to go numb. He landed at Jackie’s feet, and his world hadn’t even had time to stop spinning before she locked her hand around his wrist and began pouring power into his arm.

  Hot, tingling lightning erupted over his skin, burning away all traces of the poison. He felt something wet seep out of his palms, and then saw smoke rising as it evaporated.