Soul Singer_Iron Souls, Book Two

by Becca Andre

  “I can handle it. Lock?”

  A tingle of static around her neck, then the little dragon was sitting on her shoulder.

  “Can you lead me to Grayson again?” she asked him. “Like you did in Columbus?”

  With a whirr of agreement, Lock scampered down her waistcoat, morphing just before he slid into her pocket.

  She reached inside and pulled out the silver compass. It looked a little different than it had the first time. The needle and the letters on the dial were now accented in gold, just like Lock’s scales. But then, the last time he was the compass had been before Grayson’s final casting.

  “A compass?” Jimmy asked, leaning in to look. “How’s that going to help?”

  “It doesn’t point north. It points at Grayson’s location. That’s how Lock led me to him when Solon captured him.”

  Jimmy stared at the compass. “That’s one amazing device.”

  “It was made from a human soul,” Eli reminded him.

  “Grayson’s own soul,” she said.

  “Not a human soul then, but still a soul.”

  “I’m not arguing with you.” She turned to the others. “I’ll go collect Grayson, the rest of you get ready to cast off.”

  “You’re going alone?” Eli asked. “What if you come upon those Scourge or that ferromancer?”

  “I’ll take Zach along.” He was the most accepting of Grayson, and if Grayson still wasn’t himself when she located him, Zach would be the least likely to get upset. “Don’t argue with me,” she added when Eli looked like he might.

  She gestured for Zach to follow and headed for the gangplank. She led him across the towpath and into the trees on the other side.

  “You’re worried about him,” Zach said, breaking the silence.

  She glanced over. “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “No, just an observation.”

  “You’re an observant guy, Zach Beaumont.”

  He smiled, but remained silent. They trampled through the damp foliage for another dozen feet before she couldn’t stand the quiet any longer.

  “Is there something you wished to add?” she asked.

  “I was wondering if you’re more worried about what trouble might find Grayson, or the trouble he might cause.”

  Briar wanted to blow off the question, but decided to answer it honestly. “Both, I guess.”

  “Me, too.”

  His agreement did nothing to help the growing flurry of nerves gripping her stomach, but she didn’t think discussing it further would help. She opted to walk in silence instead. Zach didn’t seem to mind.

  It was hard to judge within the trees, but Briar guessed they walked about half a mile before they stepped out onto a muddy road. Pulling out the compass, she found the needle pointing to the trees on the far side of the road and a little to the left. Smoke hung in the air.

  “A town?” Briar asked.

  “Looks that way,” Zach agreed.

  “Then let’s take the road. We can reevaluate as we get closer.” She slipped the compass back into her pocket. They continued along the road, the suck of the mud on their boots and the gentle patter of the light rain on the leaves their only accompaniment.

  The trees thinned on their left as they walked, and Briar glimpsed water, then she spotted the towpath along the bank. She pointed it out to Zach.

  “Maybe Grayson got disoriented and took shelter in town.” He waved a hand toward the low-hanging smoke. “Perhaps he’s at the dock waiting for us.”

  “That sounds plausible.” She hoped he was right.

  The road veered away from the canal, and in the distance, she could see a farmstead. She pulled out the compass. “Shall we continue along the road or cut across to the towpath, Lock?”

  The needle wiggled, pointing toward the road and the farmhouse in the distance.

  “The road it is,” Briar said. The muddy road must continue past the farmstead and on into the town. She was rather surprised that Grayson had traveled so far in that storm. If he was aware enough to seek shelter, why hadn’t he returned to the boat?

  “I’ll be glad when all this is over,” she confessed.

  “This? Finding Grayson, or the run to Cleveland?” Zach asked.

  “Cleveland.”

  “When Grayson goes his own way.”

  She glanced over at the almost monotone way he said that. “It’s what he wants.”

  Zach grunted.

  “You can talk now. Feel free to elaborate.”

  A slight smile twisted his lips. “I don’t think Grayson truly knows what he wants. I knew he was scared, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I saw why.”

  “The devolved ferromancer.”

  Zach nodded.

  “Grayson told you he was scared?”

  “No, his actions told me. Why else would he willingly return to the ferra?”

  It occurred to Briar that she’d never given Zach the full story. She took a deep breath, then told him about what Liam had made her do.

  “I know,” Zach said before she got very far.

  “Grayson told you?”

  “Yes. He also told me about his plan for this…amputation. Knowing your temperament, I explained to him that such action wasn’t necessary. He claimed that he trusted you, but that it still needed to be done.”

  “So what are you thinking?” she asked.

  “That there’s more to this.”

  “You suspect he’s returning to the ferra so they can lock him up again? You do realize that this is just one woman and supposedly an outcast.”

  “The ferra clearly have some power over the males of their race. Otherwise, the world would have been overrun with ferromancers a long time ago.”

  “The ferra cut out the males’ hearts when they’re little boys, then control them through their constructs.”

  Zach glanced over. “Grayson told you that?”

  “Yes. He was eight.”

  “Jesus.”

  “It makes me think that perhaps it’s not the males who are the monsters.”

  “I think they’re equal in that regard.” Zach gripped her arm, pulling her to a stop. “Look,” he whispered.

  They had reached the farmstead. Zach had stopped her where a narrower lane led off toward the barn and house. She didn’t need to ask what had captured his attention.

  A short distance up the narrow road, a body lay. Even from here, she could see the blood and the ripped open chest.

  “Another one,” she whispered.

  “Yes.”

  Heart beating more quickly, she pulled out her compass. The needle didn’t point toward the town, which the smoke indicated was now to their left. The needle pointed toward the barn.

  Chapter 5

  Briar stared at the barn. Was Grayson inside or did the compass point beyond it?

  Zach leaned in to look at the needle. “What exactly did that gun do to Grayson?” he whispered, clearly assuming that he was inside the barn.

  “Nothing that would make him do that.” Nodding toward the body, she forced a confident tone, trying not to remember Grayson’s eyes.

  “Then the other ferro could be close.”

  “True.” She prayed this was his work and not Grayson’s. “Maybe I should start carrying Liam’s gun.”

  “Seems like a good idea.”

  She walked toward the body and the barn beyond. What if the devolved ferro was still here? What if he was the reason Grayson hadn’t returned to the boat?

  They stopped beside the body, and her stomach tightened. The gore didn’t make her queasy; it was the violent nature of the death. What kind of person would do such a thing? She forced down her reaction and she studied the mess. The heart
had been removed, but the rest of the innards appeared natural.

  “I don’t see any metal,” she said.

  “That’s because he wasn’t soulless,” a new voice answered her.

  Briar spun to face the voice’s owner. Her heart leapt at being startled, but continued to pound when she saw who it was: the Scourge couple from the night before.

  “Unlike this man,” the woman continued, her gaze on Zach.

  “He isn’t soulless,” Briar spoke up. “He was injured and Grayson healed him.”

  “Grayson?”

  “My friend. The one you shot last night, remember?”

  “Your lover, you mean.”

  Briar straightened, ready to deny the accusation, but the man laid a hand on the woman’s shoulder.

  “Kali, that’s enough.”

  The woman glared at him with eyes as dark as her hair, but didn’t argue.

  “There is another body behind the house, my lady,” the man continued. “The liver is missing, but there is no evidence that the body had been soulless prior to its removal.”

  The clinical way he described it was a bit chilling. He’d clearly seen this sort of thing before. Many times before, she suspected.

  “Where’s your…friend?” the woman—Kali?—asked.

  “He didn’t do this.” Before Briar could elaborate, a loud thump came from the barn.

  The man pulled a crossbow from behind his back while Kali took out a small revolver.

  Briar stared at the shiny silver metal that made up the cylinder of the little gun. Soul iron?

  “Unfortunately, we’re out of the special bullets,” Kali said when she noticed Briar looking.

  “Special bullets?” Briar asked.

  “The ones my partner can charge.”

  Briar had no idea what she meant, but didn’t want to show her ignorance by asking. Kali’s partner didn’t offer an explanation. He was busy loading his crossbow, his movements efficient and sure. He clearly did this often.

  “Of course, it’s not as good as soul fire,” Kali continued, “but it’ll do.”

  Briar didn’t comment. Instead, she turned toward the barn. “Follow me.”

  “I don’t follow anyone,” Kali snapped. “Except maybe Perseus here—if I’m in the mood.”

  Briar glanced at the man. Perseus? Apparently, his parents expected a lot from him to have given him such a name.

  “You will both do as the lady asks,” Zach spoke up.

  Briar met his gaze, pleased that he’d picked up on her ruse.

  “Fine,” Kali relented, her tone begrudging.

  Briar gave Zach another glance, and he touched his throat. He had used his voice on them? It worked on the Scourge?

  Hiding her apprehension, she walked toward the barn. She wanted to consult the compass, but didn’t want to openly display Lock—should these Scourge get any ideas. Destroying constructs, and thus the ferromancers they were part of, was the Scourge’s special ability. Briar slipped the compass into her pocket.

  “You might want to get your stylus out,” Kali told her. “Just in case this isn’t your lover.”

  “And you should close your mouth,” Briar answered. A stylus? What the hell was that?

  “If it’s the devolved one, he probably already knows we’re here,” Kali continued.

  “He’s not the reason I’m telling you to shut up.”

  Kali glanced over, her dark eyes narrowing. “I didn’t grow up in one of your communes. I haven’t been trained to grovel.”

  “Does that account for your complete lack of manners?”

  “Kali, focus,” Perseus cut in. “What do you sense?”

  She frowned at him before turning her attention to the barn. “At the moment, nothing.”

  “Are you saying there isn’t a ferromancer in the barn?” Briar asked. She knew the Scourge could sense them, and vice versa.

  “Or I’m not close enough.” Kali tightened her grip on the gun, the metal winking even in the cloud-shrouded sunlight.

  “If he’s as severely devolved as we suspect, I would think you could sense him,” Perseus said.

  “Let’s find out.” Briar walked toward the open double doors. “I’ll go first,” Briar said softly. Hopefully, Grayson would come to her—if it was Grayson. “Do not shoot my friend.” She glanced at Kali when she added the last part.

  “It’s an automatic response. I see a ferromancer, I shoot,” Kali whispered.

  “If you’re that unstable, perhaps you should wait out here.”

  A muscle ticked in her jaw. “I won’t shoot your ferromancer.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  A final glare, and Briar stepped through the doorway, Zach behind her—though she wished he would wait outside. Kali and Perseus followed, but stepped to either side as soon as they crossed the threshold. They moved into the shadows with silent synchronization, as if they’d done this before. Did they hunt ferromancers often?

  The barn held the musty smell of old hay, packed earth, and manure. Judging by the silence, the animals must have been turned out to pasture.

  She crossed the open space, circling a hay rake as she made her way toward the far side of the barn where a ladder led to the loft. If Grayson had sought shelter here, she figured that’s where he would be.

  She had almost reached the ladder when another thump startled her. She spun toward the sound and saw an exterior stall door still moving. As she watched, it stopped, then swung the other way. The wind had caught it.

  Briar took a moment to regain her composure, then glanced behind her. She saw no sign of Perseus and Kali, but Zach had stopped beside the hay rake.

  Purple lightning suddenly lit the shadows across the barn, revealing Perseus standing near a loaded hay wagon that must have hidden him from view until now. Bizarrely, the light appeared to come from his crossbow. Flickering bolts of purple lightning danced along the shaft of the loaded quarrel. It was easy to see him lift the bow and aim it at her.

  “I wouldn’t,” a familiar, accented voice said from directly behind her.

  “Grayson,” Briar said in relief. She tried to turn toward him, but his arm slipped around her waist, holding her back against his chest.

  She gripped his arm, and her hand encountered wetness. Rain?

  Lifting her hand, she realized it wasn’t rain. It was blood.

  Perseus continued to hold the bow on them. Or on Grayson, she assumed. Would he dare to take a shot with her in the way?

  “Drop the bow,” Zach said, his voice clear and strong.

  Perseus immediately released the crossbow. It fell to the ground, and the light winked out.

  “Let it lie,” Zach added when Perseus bent to retrieve it. He stopped and straightened, giving Zach a frown.

  “Silence.” Kali emerged from the shadows on the other side of the room, her gun aimed at Zach.

  “Leave him be.” Grayson stepped around Briar moving closer to the others. “I’m the one you want.” He spread his hands, revealing that he held no weapon.

  “You killed the people on this farm?” Kali demanded.

  “No.” Grayson stopped in front of her. He was still without a shirt, and the dim light glinted off the metal embedded in his back, though Briar was the only one who could see it.

  Kali cursed as her gun suddenly flew from her hand, streaking across the intervening space to smack against Grayson’s palm. Briar expected him to turn it on Kali, but instead, it melted. Dripping from his hand, it landed on the floor as indistinct gray lumps, leaving only the soul iron cylinder in his palm.

  “That’s two guns I’ve taken from you,” Grayson told her.

  “Technically, I took the first.” Briar stepped up beside him.

 
; He glanced over with a grin, and she released a silent sigh of relief when his blue-gray eyes met hers. Human eyes.

  He closed his hand around the cylinder, and when he opened it again, he held a small silver sphere. Pinching off a bit of the silvery soul iron as if it were a ball of dough rather than a metal sphere, he rolled the smaller portion between his finger and thumb. A slender rod formed, the shape so uniform it appeared to be molded. He offered it to her.

  “A new stylus, since you lost yours,” he said.

  Briar tentatively took the rod, remembering Kali saying something about a stylus.

  Grayson leaned over, his lips brushing her cheek near her ear. “A ferra weapon used to channel soul fire,” he whispered, then blatantly kissed her cheek.

  “Thanks.” She gripped the stylus, stunned by his forwardness in front of everyone.

  Grayson straightened, and she lifted her arm to point the slender rod at Kali.

  “Step over by your friend.” Briar flicked the rod toward Perseus who stood frowning at his crossbow.

  Glaring at her the whole time, Kali did as told. “If he didn’t kill those people, then why is there blood on him?” she demanded.

  “I was retrieving this.” Grayson pulled another bloodstained envelope from his pocket.

  “He left you another message?” Briar asked. “Inside a corpse?”

  “A train ticket, actually.”

  “Who?” Kali demanded.

  “The one you seek,” Grayson answered.

  “Is he going to keep killing people until you do what Solon wants?” Briar asked.

  “Solon?” Perseus spoke up. “Solon Leon?”

  Briar saw Grayson frown. “Yes,” she answered, hesitantly. “You know him?”

  “He hasn’t been seen in years. He must be badly devolved.”

  “He’s not.”

  “Briar,” Grayson muttered, clearly not wanting her to tell so much.

  “He’s been fully cast for decades,” Perseus continued. “How could he not be devolved? Unless…”

  “Unless what?” Kali asked.

  “The rumors are true.” Perseus eyed Grayson. “It was whispered that Leon found and freed a drake.”