Chapter 28
“You sure you can do this, Tristan?” Evalle asked as she stepped out into the opening between the narrow strip of woods and the camp with the tomb.
Tristan’s idea was to walk in offering a trade to the kidnappers to release Kit and the boys. Once those three were out of sight, Evalle would pretend to use her powers to open the tomb.
At that point, Tristan would teleport away with Evalle and the tomb. If he couldn’t move the tomb, he’d just get the two of them out of there.
He’d said it was a simple plan and she couldn’t argue with that. Plus, now they had Isak with his demon blaster and Adrianna with Witchlock backing them up.
Why did she feel like she was breaking Storm’s trust?
Because I am. She’d ended up in this position unintentionally and couldn’t walk away with one of the boys facing death, but knowing all of that didn’t erase the sick feeling she had in her chest.
Tristan said, “To answer you, I’m as sure about this plan as you are about doing your part.”
Wrong answer. Her stomach hit her feet. She had no idea if she could bluff her way through this.
Six men converged on them with their hands raised to use kinetic power. She murmured, “Those are the bad Beladors.”
“Bad Beladors?”
“That’s my name for them to differentiate the Beladors I know from this pack of traitors.”
He asked, “You don’t recognize any of them?”
“No.”
Tristan called out, “Who’s in charge?”
The bad Beladors opened a path for a man who stepped out from between the tents. He was an easy six feet tall and had a build that could put a hurt on anyone who crossed him. Short black hair, harsh eyes, a narrow nose and pursed lips had been arranged in a decent way, almost attractive.
But not to Evalle. This man was evil incarnate to drag Kit and the boys into this.
He said, “I am Lorwerth.”
Tristan acknowledged him. “Then you’re the man I’m looking for. We got a call from Isak Nyght that you’re holding hostages to trade for a gryphon who can open a sealed tomb. We’re here to trade.”
“Did one of you seal this tomb?”
“No.” Evalle brought all the arrogance she could dig up. “But this is your lucky day. That tomb was sealed by a friend of mine and I happen to have the secret to cracking it open.” When they’d gotten back to Atlanta from the Treoir meeting, Quinn said he meant to show her and Tzader how to open it, but that never happened. This Lorwerth didn’t know that.
Lorwerth asked, “Why are there two of you?”
Tristan answered, “Because we don’t trust you. No one would in our shoes. I’m here to make sure everything goes down nice and smooth.”
“Have the woman open the tomb.”
What century had this piece of work come from?
Evalle crossed her arms. “I’m not opening anything until you hand over the hostages and explain why it had to be a gryphon.”
“Doesn’t work that way,” Lorwerth countered. “You give me what I want first.”
“Let me make this simple for you,” Evalle said, loading condescension in her voice. “There are only three people who know how to open that tomb. Vladimir Quinn and his two best friends. I’m one of them. Quinn and our other friend who can open it are in a different realm. I have no idea when they’ll be back so I’m it or nothing. I came in good faith because Isak Nyght is a friend of mine, but I’m not lifting a finger until I see the hostages walk out of here under their own power.”
She’d given them Quinn’s name for the simple reason that calling Quinn in meant calling in an army of Beladors. Quinn would expect no less of her in this situation.
Lorwerth turned to one of his men and whispered something. The guy ran into the camp.
Evalle tried to look confident in spite of her anxiety spiking into the ozone. If any of the bad Beladors had empathic ability, she was screwed.
The runner came back leading three hostages.
Relief swamped her for a lightheaded moment then she added, “I want your word they’ll be safe once they leave here.”
Lorwerth smiled. “You have my word.”
Like I’d trust you.
Isak and Adrianna had Evalle and Tristan’s back. They would get Kit and the boys to safety.
The twins emerged first, with Kit right behind them. Kit kept her eyes on the twins as if she’d tackle anyone who tried to touch them. But when she lifted her gaze to see who had come for her, Evalle’s throat tightened at the vulnerability she’d never before seen in that woman’s face.
She hated that anyone had proven Kit’s strength could be shaken.
Evalle shifted her stance as Kit and the boys approached her and Tristan. She needed to be able to see the trio all the way until they were out of sight, where Isak and Adrianna would take over.
Just as the three of them reached Evalle, Kellman slowed his step. His face had been changing into more of a man’s recently. For all that he was the conservative one of the pair, he wouldn’t hesitate to step into trouble with her.
She gave a tiny shake of her head without looking at him, hoping he understood that she needed them safely out of her way.
He kept moving, which meant Kardos would, too.
Message received.
She waited through a tense twenty seconds until the woods swallowed the trio.
Lorwerth lifted his hand.
More bad Beladors emerged from the woods, bringing the total standing with Lorwerth to twenty.
Evalle and Tristan were surrounded immediately.
Unwilling to stretch this out any longer, Evalle demanded, “Show me the tomb and let’s get this done.”
“So you agree to open it, gryphon?”
Tristan asked, “Why did you ask for a gryphon if you didn’t know she could open it?”
Lorwerth seemed amused at the question. “I know that Quinn sealed the tomb. Nightstalkers in Oakland Cemetery are full of information and my men had plenty of power to trade through handshakes. The Nightstalkers observed Quinn sealing the tomb, then Queen Maeve and Cathbad trying to figure out how it opened after Quinn was gone. They couldn’t do it. My superior saw an opportunity when Queen Maeve demanded that a Tribunal force Quinn to return Kizira’s body. He handed me an army to do what the rogue units had failed to accomplish. Acquiring a gryphon for my army from all of this was my idea. Kizira’s body is so important to Queen Maeve that she’ll be happy to include compelling a gryphon to follow my orders as part of the trade.”
Evalle wanted to get one answer before Tristan teleported them away. “Where’d these Beladors come from, Lorwerth?”
He cocked his head in amusement, then looked at his men. “These aren’t Beladors. They weary of pretending to be. Well, that’s not entirely true. They were given equivalent powers at the same time as the original Beladors thousands of year ago. But when Belatucadros endowed Belador warriors with powers, he kept a contingent to do his bidding. These are some of his Laochra Fola. Now that you know, don’t insult them again by calling them mere Beladors.”
The Laochra Fola opened a path that led to the tomb. The humming shifted into the weird buzzing like what they’d experienced in Midtown.
Not good.
Afraid to risk telepathy so close to this bunch, Evalle strolled forward slowly and whispered to Tristan, “I’ve got a bad feeling. Forget the tomb. Let’s go with plan B and get the hell out of here. You ready?”
“Yep. Link with me.”
She opened up her energy to link with him ... but she couldn’t push the energy out from her body to connect.
He murmured a concerned, “Evalle?”
She fought a growing sense of panic. “I’m trying. Can you force a link with me?”
The muscles in his jaws flexed from obvious strain. He couldn’t do it.
She said, “Get out of here, Tristan.”
“Not leaving you.”
“You have to go for help. Bring Storm, Quinn, everyone you can find while I stall them.”
“Shit.”
Tristan said that so loudly she jerked around to him. He shook his head. “Screwed.”
He couldn’t teleport himself.
Lorwerth didn’t even turn around when he said, “Are you two having difficulties? We’ve activated our dome of energy. It allows only our powers to function.” He continued to the tomb and stopped, turning to her. “I kept my word and released the humans, now it’s time for you to keep yours. I warn you not to attempt to play me, Evalle, because while I won’t harm you, my army will make life extremely painful for Tristan.”
This guy knew exactly who—and what—they were, which meant he wasn’t bluffing about what he could do.