We flew through the air to the open doorway in the side of the chamber, landing on a narrow ledge overhanging the abyss.
Shoving back my desire, I looked over the ledge. Dark tentacles writhed in the mist below. Then the chamber went black as the little lights drifted out of sight through the walls.
“You can let go now,” Damian said.
Right. I was still clinging to him like a horny koala. Releasing him, I stepped back, mortified at how my body was reacting. “Thanks. I wasn’t fond of being a canary.”
Finally, I felt some control over my body. I glanced at Damian’s bloody shirt. “Your wounds.”
“I’ll be fine once my magic starts working again.” He poked at his side. “I didn’t need my spleen, anyway.”
A huff escaped me. “A fallen angel with a sense of humor?”
I was actually getting used to it. And truth be told, I liked it.
“When you’ve been kicked out of heaven, everything seems to be a bit of a cruel joke.” He turned, clearly unwilling to say more.
I hadn’t thought of it that way.
“Come on.” He gestured me forward, and I followed.
We entered a small antechamber, apparently where the guards had been lurking. The air buzzed as we crossed the boundary of the anti-magic field. My spine tingled, and my powers came rushing back. I breathed in deeply, as if I could draw the magic straight out of the air. I called a light breeze to dance around me, just to feel its presence again.
Damian’s wounds slowly knit together. The process was probably painful, but he didn’t show it.
“Can you feel the djinn or Rhiannon?” I asked.
“I can’t sense the djinn at the moment—he keeps going in and out of range. Perhaps only part of the palace is shielded from detection.” His eyes focused on the opal necklace around my neck—the one Rhia had given me. “I can sense Rhiannon again though. She’s not far off.”
Rhiannon. My pulse quickened. I couldn’t wait to see her. I was going to hug her and never let go. “Are we inside the palace, then?”
He nodded. “I think so—the dungeons.”
Better than the maze.
Damian led us down the corridor, holding his black, smoking blade in case we encountered more of the hawk-headed soldiers. But the palace was empty. In fact, it was a little too empty, considering all the guards we’d spotted outside.
I shifted, wariness prickling at the nape of my neck.
Damian knew exactly which stairs to take and which corner to turn, almost like he was being pulled forward by an invisible force. I still didn’t quite understand how he did that. He paused by a door. “She’s not far now.”
He quietly swung the door open, and sunlight flooded over us. I shielded my eyes, blinking until my vision cleared. We stood at the edge of a vast, open-air garden in the middle of the palace. Beds of blue and white flowers ringed pomegranate trees bursting with fruit. A large, ornately tiled fountain burbled in the middle of the garden, feeding small ponds full of waterlilies and bright red fish.
In a different circumstance, I would have lingered for hours.
“I can feel Rhiannon just across the way, on the other side of the garden,” Damian said. I stepped forward, but he restrained me, pointing to the sky. Though there were few guards in the halls, they were still patrolling overhead.
We crept around the edge of the garden, moving stealthily along the path bordering the green space. We slipped through a pair of oak doors, then entered a vast room surrounded by an arched colonnade. It reminded me of the ornate Islamic palaces around Cordoba, with pink marble floors and carved geometric designs decorating the space.
“Is it just me, or does it seem quiet in here?” I whispered.
“Too quiet.” Damian’s muscles tensed, and his eyes narrowed on the door at the far end of the room. “Rhiannon’s in there.”
My pulse skipped at the thought of Rhiannon so close. “Let’s go.”
We moved quietly along the perimeter of the room. The columns weren’t thick enough to hide behind and did little to obscure our movement, but the rest of the room seemed still. This was getting creepy. Where were the palace guards?
Damian crossed to the pair of doors and undid the lock while I guarded his back. We cautiously slipped into a room filled with fragrant steam that smelled of cinnamon and peppermint. I could only make out amorphous shadows and was beginning to develop a strong distaste for steam, fog, clouds, and mist—really, any form of diffuse airborne water. With an impatient wave of my hand, I blew it away.
The ornate walls of what appeared to be a bathhouse rose around us. Steam wafted from a raised octagonal pool in the middle of the room.
But the room was empty.
Where was Rhiannon?
24
Damian took a moment to magically lock the door behind us, and we quietly explored the chamber, tiptoeing over the wet tile. Sneaking had become habit rather than intentional.
“Look.” I pointed to the wall. A silver chain ran from the ceiling and into a nearby alcove. “Rhiannon?” I whispered.
She poked her head around the corner.
Her jaw dropped. “Neve? What are you doing here? Are you insane?” She paused. “You look like hell.”
I crossed the room and hugged her with all my might.
“Ouch,” she squeaked.
Oops. Too tight.
She pulled a leaf from my hair. “Seriously, you look a little worse for wear.”
“I got into a fight with a hedge. Someone put a stupid labyrinth outside. Remember the state fair? Worse.”
“Oh, fates. I am a-mazed you made it through.”
I grinned at her, grateful to find her spirits intact.
Damian dropped to his knees and began breaking the magical locks on her magicuffs.
Rhiannon squeezed my hand. “Neve, in all seriousness—I’m infinitely thankful, but you shouldn’t have come.”
“No way I wouldn’t.”
“This whole place is a trap. After you left, the djinn went into a rage and rebuilt it to catch you.” She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Neve, I’m bait. There is no way he doesn’t know you’re here.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve got a trap of our own. Are you up for helping us catch a djinn?”
Rhiannon beamed. “Do burgers love bacon?”
Man, I’d missed her.
In moments, Damian had the magicuffs off and started working on Rhiannon’s collar. She stood stock still, but impatience glinted in her eyes. The door to the bathhouse started rattling.
“Oh, shit, hurry up,” I muttered, clutching my khanjar and positioning myself between them and the door.
Damian finally broke the enchantment on the collar, and it parted with a clack. Rhiannon sucked in a full breath. “Thank fates. And thank you, Mr. Big Hunk. It’s good to breathe again.”
“Name’s Damian. Let’s get out of here.”
“The servants’ passage. That’ll be our best bet. We might be able to free some of the others along the way.” Rhiannon dashed over to a small door in the alcove and opened it. “This way!”
I followed her into the narrow corridor, while Damian locked the door behind us and brought up the rear.
She led us down the labyrinthian servants’ passages. After Cappadocia, the maze, and this, I was pretty damn sick of endless winding corridors, but in this case, they worked to our advantage. Rhiannon knew where the other captives were working. We could pop out, grab them, and break their bonds in the safety of the corridor.
Our first stop was the kitchen, where a shifter was preparing some delicate pastries. I scarfed two down while Damian broke her bonds, grateful for the sugar rush. I’d need all the energy I could get. We then fled back down the hidden passages to a workroom where a young alchemist was brewing potions. Finally, we grabbed two others who were sleeping in the servants’ quarters.
Rhiannon gestured to the group. “That’s everyone. The rest are all his minions or collaborators.”
I huddled up with Damian and Rhiannon. “We need a new plan. If we take these folks into battle, we’re going to spend all our time keeping them alive.”
Damian nodded. “I agree.”
Rhiannon pointed down the hall. “These passages are as safe as anywhere in the palace. The servants know them far better than the guards do.”
Damian motioned to Rhiannon. “You should stay with them. Keep them safe.”
“Screw that. I’m going with you and keeping you guys safe. I plan on pouring this shitty djinn right back in the bottle.”
Damian turned to the uncertain group of slaves. “Stay here unless there is immediate danger. You’re free now, and that’s something. We’ll come back and get you once we have the djinn.”
They nodded, and we departed, the three of us running back down the passage.
“Follow me. I can sense the djinn again.” Damian looked to Rhiannon. “Neve and I will ambush him. Can you keep him distracted while I cast the spell to trap him?”
She grinned and nodded. “This sounds dangerous. I’m all in.”
“Do you have a weapon?” he asked as we ran.
Rhiannon materialized Hercules in her hand. “I have my bolas.” She looked down at her hand. “Good to see you, Herc.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be effective on a djinn. Take my bow.” He pulled the glowing weapon from the ether and handed it to her. “Just point and shoot. It manifests its own arrows. Doesn’t matter if it hits, we just need to keep him moving.”
“Kick-ass.” Rhia loved weapons, and I knew she was immediately infatuated with the bow.
Trepidation curled around my spine, but Rhiannon was here, and that made all the difference. With her and Damian at my side, we could do anything.
After a moment, we reached a small door, and Damian motioned for us to stop. “He’s nearby. Do you know where we are?”
“Right back where we started,” Rhiannon said. “Almost. This door leads to the colonnaded room in front of the baths.”
“Then we’ll charge out, distract him, and put him in the box. Ready?” Damian said.
My trepidation suddenly turned to a low, throbbing terror, vibrating along with the beat of my heart. My palms were damp. This was it. Go time. Live or die.
Turning to Rhiannon, I gave a concerted nod. At least we were doing it together.
Damian opened the door, and we burst through.
The djinn wasn’t there. There were, however, two blue devils lurking in the center of the room, each with cobalt skin and frost-coated wings, but we had the drop on them. Rhiannon threw her bolas, and it wrapped around the legs of the closest devil, which lurched forward and dropped to its knees. I dashed toward it, slicing its throat with my khanjar. The creature’s eyes bulged, and its body crumpled.
Damian crossed the distance to the other devil, his blade ringing as it arced through the air. The devil jumped back. It wielded a large glaive—a wicked metal blade mounted on the end of a long pole. The devil struck out, whirling the weapon like the wind.
Damian ducked and rolled, swiping out to cut its ankle, but the devil was too quick and leapt into the air. It swung its glaive again, sparking the floor where Damian had been.
Damian jumped up and slashed through its wing. The devil’s flight faltered, and I dove underneath its talons, trying to flank it.
The injured devil turned but had one of us on either side. It spun the glaive back and forth to protect its flanks, but I hit it with a burst of air. That gave Damian an opening, and he ran it through the chest.
That was f-ing teamwork.
Rumbling filled the air, and smoke swirled into the room. It wound around the colonnades, and the air grew hazy and pungent. Like incense burning in reverse, the smoke shot to the floor, and the djinn took form. An ornate orange and red tunic draped over his broad shoulders. Smoke poured off his sky-blue skin, pooling both on the ceiling and floor. His eyes burned with an unidentifiable emotion—perhaps rage, amusement, or desire.
“It is delightful to watch you dance with my soldiers,” he roared. “You are talented. Perhaps I should make you fight each other for my entertainment.”
“Go ahead and try.” My skin itched, and I fought back the strange feeling that formed in my gut, drawing me toward him.
“Fools,” he rumbled. “Do you not understand? You are playthings. I am not bound by the rules of your world.”
I had prepared a really good taunt for this moment. I was not prepared, however, for the world to turn upside down.
Literally.
I fell upward and crashed face-first into the ceiling. Rhiannon landed beside me. The bow fell from her hand, vanishing in a puff of smoke.
I tried to fly down but collapsed on the ceiling, completely nauseated. I tumbled downhill to the top of the domed room.
Up was down. Down was up. The djinn had inverted gravity.
Damian and Rhiannon staggered to their feet.
“Same plan,” I said, through clenched teeth, “just upside down.”
I staggered upright and leapt into the air, flying upward toward the djinn, which was simultaneously downward toward the floor.
He casually turned his open palm over, and gravity reversed again.
Now being pulled down, I accelerated and flew headfirst into the floor. Pain exploded in my forehead, and I gasped.
Half a second later, Damian and Rhiannon crashed beside me.
The djinn flipped his hand. We slammed into the ceiling.
Rhiannon cried out as she landed awkwardly. I barely managed to stop myself in midair.
The djinn was toying with us. He laughed in delight and flipped his hand again. We plummeted—and then everything slowed. The smoke rose off the djinn’s body like a stream of molasses.
Rhiannon had slowed time.
“It only lasts a second!” she shouted. “Prepare to land right.”
We flipped over, and time resumed. Though we landed hard, we managed to maintain our footing. Damian pulled his bow from the ether and prepared to shoot—but gravity flipped.
Time slowed again.
“I can’t do this much more!” Rhiannon yelled. “We have to get out of here.”
I flew to her and grabbed her around the waist, heading for the open hallway. “Damian, let’s go. We can’t win here.”
He followed.
Time resumed, and we crashed to the floor as we left the djinn’s gravity bubble.
Damian pulled Rhiannon and me to our feet, and we ran for our lives.
25
Laughter followed us down the corridor, and then a roar of wind.
I looked back. “Holy shit!”
A massive dust storm raged behind us, rendering columns into flying bits of stone and ripping decorations and torches from the walls.
Rhiannon screamed.
Damian turned back and dropped to one knee, then fired an arrow at the oncoming storm. The arrow exploded in a glowing bubble that filled the corridor, and the storm collided with the force field, dust and smoke roiling against an impenetrable transparent wall.
“Hell, yeah!” Rhia shouted.
Then the djinn was there, all-powerful and motionless in the midst of the raging storm. He reached out to touch the bubble, which sizzled as it started to dissolve.
“Run!” Damian barked, then turned and sped toward us.
We charged down the hall, driven by terror and the mad whistling of the wind as it leaked through the dissolving force field. Overwhelmed with panic, we rounded the corner and burst forth into bright sunlight, racing across a stone-arched walkway that led into another open-air garden.
The djinn blew through the archway in a rush of wind that knocked me off my feet. Rhiannon tumbled alongside me. I rolled and took cover behind the lip of the central pool. Rhiannon and Damian crouched behind a bush across the wa
y. Damian pulled the brass box out of his backpack. His eyes met mine, and I nodded.
The air swirled into a small tornado, and the djinn manifested into his humanoid form.
It was go time.
I would need to distract the djinn while Damian cast the binding spell. Matthias had said it would take at least thirty seconds. Or was it a minute? Shit, that was a long time.
Heart pounding, I stood on shaky legs and slammed him with a gust of wind. It barely affected him, like a gentle midsummer breeze.
The djinn’s kohl-lined eyes narrowed, and an evil smile stretched across his face. “Nevaeh.”
The way he said my name, slowly and emphatically, made my skin prickle.
I shot a side glance at Damian. He had begun the spell.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. It was a stupid question, but I needed to stall and keep the djinn focused on me.
“Because I was a captive. And now, I will have vengeance. You will all bow before me, in chains.”
“It sounds like you’re just an asshole.”
He growled and whipped a gust of wind back at me.
I leapt into the air and darted down behind a low wall.
“You brought this fate on yourself, Nevaeh,” he continued. “You raided my palace. You stole from me. And yet, I would have ignored you, as I owe Damian a great debt for releasing me. But now you have returned to trap me again.”
Shock raced through me, chilling me from my skin to my bones.
Damian freed him.
No. It couldn’t be.
I spun toward Damian. His face, racked by guilt, told me everything I needed to know. Of course. This was why he’d risked everything. He was the one responsible for letting the monster loose. He was the one responsible for the consequences—for the missing supes, for Rhiannon’s abduction. All of it.
Rage boiled within me.
This was all his fault.
“You didn’t know, did you?” The djinn laughed—a terrible sound, like the roar of an avalanche. “Of course you didn’t know. He has been using you all along. You need to learn that, to them, our kind will always be a thing to be used, to be exploited—even a weak little half-breed like yourself.”
Wicked Wish (Dragon's Gift: The Storm Book 1) Page 19