Spikes pierced Dillon’s nape, stinging as he turned. Someone could be out there. Watching. Straining his senses, he picked up weak pulses of energy skittering across the sands like a frantic heartbeat. A desperate priest armed with the grimoire was the last person they should confront.
“Dillon?”
He grimaced. “Other priests can do that invisible trick too, I take it.”
“Yes.”
“In that case—” he waved Lindsay over, “—we’re getting out of here.”
Lindsay tossed him Roland’s signet ring. Proof for Queen Nesvia. “What’s wrong?”
“Isabeau will explain along the way.” He crawled into the driver’s seat. “Let’s move out.”
Scowling all the while, Lindsay settled in beside Isabeau. She cast one last sour glance at the mess they had left and said, “This is going to bite us on the ass. You do realize that, don’t you?”
“Every-damn-thing else does,” he agreed, “so why not this too?”
Pissed as Lindsay was about deviating from their plan, she got real quiet when Isabeau told her there was a good chance Roland’s invisible friend was skulking about armed with her lethal grimoire. By now he’d have their names and descriptions to pass along to Roland’s mother, with an eyewitness account of her son’s passing. All of those things added up to one ticked-off queen.
Dillon had no intentions of being here when she arrived armed to the teeth and ready to take a bite out of their collective asses. Much as he hated to disappoint, his days of playing chew toy to any queen were long over. She’d have to find someone else to gnash and gnaw on in her fury.
Days faded into nights then blazed into mornings. Relief at holding my daughter twisted into panic as she failed to wake. Whatever herb Roland used to lull her to sleep kept her unconscious. I prayed she hadn’t been this way for long. Now her stomach gurgled feeble protests for food I had no way of feeding her, which made me sick with worry over how long it had been since her last meal. Water helped, but I feared he’d hedged his bets by giving her a slow-acting poison or some other lethal alternative.
Brielle is fine. I exhaled slowly. You’re letting your fear rule you yet again.
Roland had meant to keep us both as leverage against Dillon. Or he had intended to keep her while he continued to blackmail me. Either way, Brielle would have been worthless to him dead. I simply had to wake her. Who better for the job than a priestess trained by Roland’s own hands?
“How’s she holding up?” Dillon called over his shoulder.
“The same.” Muscles aching, I shifted to a more comfortable position. “How much farther?”
“It depends.” Our horse slowed as the sled crested a steep dune. “Where are we going?”
Below us, colorful tents accented the cityscape. Spiced air ruffled my hair and familiar noise rose from the bustling merchant stalls that heralded our return to the city. In the distance sat the consulate, and I would have given almost anything to return there. Or so I thought until Brielle’s soft snores made my arms tighten around her. The consulate had been home, but she was my life.
“Not the consulate.” Lindsay’s tone left no room for argument.
I frowned at her.
She returned the favor.
I asked in all seriousness, “You’d rather we returned to the colony?”
“If you want to visit more disaster on the colony, be my guest.” She snorted. “I’m certain the fact Askara’s queen was kidnapped then found in Feriana’s mine has been forgotten. It was, after all, several months ago. That’s practically ancient history, isn’t it? And it’s not as if the queen’s hold on her throne is precarious, due in no small part to her support of the colonists and freedom. I’m sure, all things considered, that if the son of a neighboring queen is murdered and his killers seek refuge in that same freeman colony, no one will fit Harper’s or Nesvia’s necks for nooses.”
“You’ve made your point,” Dillon growled.
“No, she’s right.” I’d merely been curious as to her loyalties. “We can’t return to the colony or the consulate. There are too many lives at stake if Sere’s queen retaliates.” I leaned my head back. “Our best bet is reaching a safe house.” I spoke over Lindsay’s complaint. “There’s one nearby Emma marked as compromised after she and Harper used it. As far as I know, it’s still secure. Delisting it was more of a precaution. It’s outside of Feriana’s city limits. So it’s close.”
“Safe house it is.” Dillon urged the horse forward. “Besides, until we figure out what Roland used on Brielle, I’d feel better knowing we’re close enough for Aldrich to pay a house call.”
I laid my hand on his back. He reached behind him and squeezed my fingers.
“I have an idea of what Roland used and how to counteract it.” He was generous with spells and shared his knowledge with me. In hindsight, I think he’d meant to impress me rather than educate me, but I’d been so eager to earn his approval at the time, I hadn’t noticed the difference.
“Make a list. I’ll go.” Lindsay stared at Brielle. “In case she wakes up.”
“Thank you.” I touched her arm.
She smiled, but it was strained.
Rather than ask her questions I was certain I’d soon learn the answers to, I confided the safe house location to Dillon, and we began our careful descent. Despite the sun, I shivered restlessly.
This escape was not the one I had planned. Instead of liberated elation, dread stifled me.
Rather than being a simple thief, I’d earned the title of murderess. Salt had been stolen. Injuries accrued. Lives had been taken. Even my hopes of beginning a new life with Brielle were slim. As much as I wanted to flee, I wouldn’t ask that of Dillon or expect the same of Lindsay. They had lives before theirs were entangled with mine. I owed them for helping me save Brielle.
For all the damage I’d done, I had debts to pay and consequences to face.
I had Emma to face.
Chapter Nineteen
Dry coughs made my lungs seize. Dillon raised his head. His eyes were red-rimmed as they met mine. Waving aside dust motes, I gave him a brittle smile and resumed pacing. I may as well have spun in a circle for what good it did me. Forget safe house, this was a cramped cubbyhole.
My gaze darted from the door, to the sofa where Dillon sat, to the bedroom and the tiny body covered by worn quilts. I paused, holding my breath until I saw the covers rise and heard snores. Exhaling, I tore my sight from her and began my circuit again. Step, look, step, look, step, look.
“Sit down.” Dillon patted the cushion beside him without opening his eyes.
“I can’t.” Nibbling my fingernail, I sought distraction. “Would you like something to eat?”
“I can wait.” He sighed. “Lindsay can’t be much longer.”
“You’re right. We should wait for her. No reason to deplete our stores when fresh supplies are on the way.” I skirted the table and backed until the bends of my knees hit the spot by him.
I sat. He cracked open one eye and glared at my knees…which bounced with coiled energy.
“Sorry,” I said. “Should I…?”
Wood grated. Metal hinges groaned. A gust of fresh air stirred dust into my eyes.
I was still blinking when Lindsay descended the stairs. Followed by Emma and Harper.
Dread balled tighter in my stomach when Aldrich shuffled behind them, bags in hand.
I leapt to my feet and retreated until my spine cracked against the casing of the bedroom door. Heat singed my palms, and I made fists to crush the foul magic burning up the back of my throat.
“Emma.” I breathed her name.
“You were expecting someone else?” Her eyes narrowed when Dillon stood.
Harper glided between them, and Dillon dropped Roland’s signet ring onto his palm. “Nesvia and Rideal will want to see that.” Behind Harper, Emma paled as he crushed the ring in his hand. “It’s all we had time to salvage before we left.” Turning his back on Harper, Dillon strode
to my side. His arm brushed mine as he widened his stance and blocked the doorway to the bedroom.
My heart swelled as I whispered, “Stubborn demon.”
“Your demon,” he corrected, taking my hand.
Nudging Harper aside, Aldrich said, “I’ve come for the child.”
“No.” Heat flared again, and this time I let it burn and swallowed my disgust.
“What he means,” Harper said, narrowing his gaze on Aldrich, “is he’s come to tend her.”
“That’s what I said.” The old priest’s grin bared blackened teeth.
“No, it isn’t.” Harper and I spoke over one another.
Grumbling, the priest patted his bags. “I’ve brought the proper herbs, yes? There’s little that Roland could do to your daughter I can’t undo.” He scowled. “His knowledge is my knowledge.”
“You mean you taught…” Well that explained much.
“Rideal was my pupil. Not his brother.” Aldrich huffed. “Where is the child?”
I gestured toward the bedroom, and Dillon gave the old priest room to scuffle past him.
“Dillon.” Harper stepped fully into the room. “This is a tight spot you’ve gotten us into.”
One hard, remorseful look from Dillon silenced his friend.
I left the males to their silent stares and turned to Emma. “I thought you two were—”
“On Earth?” she supplied. “We were.”
“Then how—?” I glanced between them as Lindsay cleared her throat.
“I sent a message through the gateway between realms before following you to the colony.”
“How is that possible?” Even I didn’t know its location. I demanded, “Who are you?”
She shared a look with Emma. It didn’t comfort me.
“Lindsay is my name,” she finally said. Another look from Emma made her sit on the sofa.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to be asking questions, Isabeau.” Emma’s foot tapped.
“You’re right.” I had no right to feel betrayed. “I—I have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Lindsay filled in the blanks on our way here.” Emma’s foot picked up speed. “What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me? I was…I am your friend, but this? You compromised the consulate’s work, you endangered the lives of our boarders, and you endangered Harper’s life.”
Pressure on my hand fortified me. I accepted Dillon’s reassurance and endeavored one day to deserve it. “I never told Roland anything he could use against you. I never said anything a courier might not overhear and relay to his mistress. I did steal from you. I did break your trust. I didn’t tell Roland anything he could use to harm you.” I glanced at Harper. “Or hurt your mate.”
Emma’s low growl made me sweat. Harper rubbed her shoulders, but she shrugged him off.
“Make no mistake,” she said. “If you had directly endangered Harper’s life, and I had proof of it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” Harper grabbed her by the hip and pulled her against him. Her glare cut his way. “What? I’m not going to attack her. I’m stating the obvious.”
A distant rumble from Dillon ratcheted tension in the room.
“Stop it with the possessive-male crap. We get it. Don’t threaten your mate. You don’t have a leg to stand on.” Emma smirked at Dillon’s leg. “Or should I say you only have one— Ouch.”
Harper tapped her side where he’d pinched her. “Behave, Emma.”
“You always take his side,” she groused. “Did you not hear him growling at me?”
“I did.” Harper’s fingers dipped beneath the edge of her shirt. “Ignore him. We’re here to discuss Isabeau.” He offered me a tight smile. “Lindsay mentioned you’re mated. Is that right?”
“Yes.” Dillon answered for me. “We are. Is that a problem?”
Wrinkling her nose, Emma said, “No. It might actually play into our solution.”
“Which is?” he demanded.
“Let’s back up a step.” Emma pegged me with a sharp look. “Is this it? Or is there more you haven’t told us? Now is the time to come clean. This is the one and only chance I’ll give you.”
I cleared my throat. “How much do you know?”
“We pieced together that you’ve been stealing embolite core samples for the past year.” She shrugged. “I assume since Roland likes getting his hands dirty, he’s the one Lindsay saw meeting you in the market. She tried tailing him afterwards, but that vanishing trick made it impossible.”
“She didn’t follow him.” My brow crinkled. “We went straight home after…”
Lindsay broke her silence. “She doesn’t mean this time. I’ve followed you for months.” I stared at her as if I’d never seen her before now. “I eavesdropped on all your conversations too.”
I kept from gaping at her, but barely. How had she slipped past my notice? “And?”
“And, because of that, I was able to tell Emma how much he enjoyed knocking you around.” She cut Dillon a bored look. “It also got me curious about those envelopes he kept trading you.”
“You knew about my daughter.” I reached for my locket for the first time in days.
“We knew he was holding something—someone—over your head, but we didn’t know who until Aldrich filled in the blanks.” Lindsay was unrepentant. “I saw you two talking that night. It was an odd thing for anyone to do. Approaching a priest, I mean. So it made me curious. I heard him explain how Song tracked people.” She said, “The rest took more digging, but yeah. I did.”
“You suspected Isabeau and you never mentioned it to me?” Dillon asked Harper.
“Emma confided in me a few weeks ago, after we’d mated and realized her living in Feriana wasn’t going to work. By that time, you were recovering from major surgery and didn’t need the extra stress. So I handled it.” His glare dared Dillon to disagree. “Until we were ready to move, I saw no reason to involve you in a matter outside our jurisdiction. If I’d been here and saw you’d changed your mind about pursuing Isabeau, then I would have told you. You deserved to know.”
Unhappy being left in the dark, Dillon settled his expression in familiar lines of annoyance.
“What made you…? Was it the missing samples?” Something must have alerted them.
“You’d gotten good at covering your tracks,” Emma answered. “At first, I was stumped. We had several long-term boarders, so I assumed one of them must be to blame. I mean, it had to be someone with access to the storeroom, but that still left me with several candidates. That’s when I brought in Lindsay. She usually does legion work in the outlands, but this job was a good fit for her skill set.” She winked at her mate. “Besides, Harper didn’t mind, and her unit didn’t miss her.”
“Uh, yeah, I did mind.” Harper glared at her. “You used the fact we weren’t speaking at the time to get what you wanted. Big difference. If you’d asked, I wouldn’t have said no. I would—”
“—have said hell no and we both know it.” She patted his cheek. “The point is that Lindsay adopted a sympathetic cover and came to work for me.” To me, she said, “You had us going for a while. I never considered you a suspect. Lindsay was more objective. Good thing too, because it wasn’t until after we escaped from Rihos that you finally tripped up.” Emma jerked her chin toward Dillon. “You were strung out after he got hurt.” Her gaze slid down his leg, then away. “You were in a hurry to get back to Dillon and you made a mistake. Lindsay saw you pocket the sample. Then she followed you to the market. There, she was a witness to your exchange with Roland, not that she knew it was him.” She waved her hand. “The rest snowballed from there.”
“What are we missing, Emma?” Dillon leaned against the doorframe. “You’re acting mighty calm about all this. It’s not like you to ask questions first and rip out spleens later. What gives?”
Harper coughed into his fist. It sounded a lot like laughter. “Dust. Sorry.”
“I’ll bet it was,” she grumbled. “I’ll level with
you, Isabeau.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve been where you are. Trust me. My little sister…there’s nothing I wouldn’t have done to protect Maddie. She was my whole life. I know we’re talking about your daughter, but I raised Maddie. I know what it’s like to lie, cheat and steal to protect someone you love. Even now, looking back, I know I did terrible things, but I’d do them again in a heartbeat. I bet you’d do the same. So I’m not going to ask you to lie and repent when we both know you won’t mean a word of it. What I am going to ask you to do is come clean with me. Then, maybe I can help you out.”
Sounds of resignation drifted over my shoulder. “Tell her,” Dillon said. “Tell her all of it.”
And I did.
Hours. Dillon ground his palm in his eye. Emma and Harper alternated questioning Isabeau while Aldrich huddled over Brielle. Packed like sardines with males capable of harming his mate had his protective instincts ramped up and his temper simmering. This had gone on long enough.
“Enough,” he snapped. “You’ve both asked her the same damn questions ten different ways. If she hasn’t changed her story yet, then she won’t.” He pointed at Lindsay. “Even your spy has verified everything she’s said.” Glamour rippled across his skin. He gritted his teeth and held tight to his illusion. “Give it to us straight.” He growled. “What resolution have you cooked up?”
“There’s a secondary reason we brought Aldrich along.” Emma met his stare coolly. “Part of our proposed solution means tying Isabeau’s hands so the grimoire issue won’t happen again. It’s her call to make. As I understand it, her powers can be unbound in the future. Significant damage might have been done to her spell-crafting ability by that time, but she’s proven herself unable to handle the level of power she has access to. So…she has a choice. Either she’s exiled as is in the outlands, which is the safest place to hide her and her daughter from Sereians retaliation. Or…”
“Or?” He ground between his teeth.
Eversworn: Daughters of Askara, Book 3 Page 22