Kailen eyed Vallen’s lynx form with admiration. Its stubby tail, long, powerful legs, triangular ears with tufted black wisps, and green eyes made for a stunning feline species. It also weighed a ton. More than he could lift, and he was no weakling.
Mindful of the creature’s injured rear paw, Kailen struggled to slide the large cat to the edge of the seat. After a loud huff of exertion, he decided to go no further. The lynx glanced at him with those mysterious upswept eyes and curled on its side.
I hurt, leave me. The message was clear.
“I’ll be right back,” he said to the shifter, then grabbed Talaith’s hand. “Let’s get you settled first.”
“But what about Vallen?”
“I’ll fetch him some clothes.” He led her out of the garage. “Once he phases, I’ll help him walk to the house. In his lynx form, he’s extraordinarily heavy.”
“And the wound?”
“I don’t think it’s too bad. I can also examine him better in human form. I’m sure he’ll heal in minutes.”
Once Talaith was seated before the fire, Kailen went straight to his closet, where Vallen had left him several garments. He chose a set of field pants and a gray Henley similar to the set Kailen borrowed. By the time he returned to the garage, the lynx had already phased to human. He stood on his left leg. His right foot was certainly hurt, a burn from a daemon weapon, most likely.
Setting his pants before him, Vallen leaned his butt on the truck’s back seat to keep his balance. He slipped the injured leg into his pants last, careful not to rub the burn, then straightened to speak. “They were up to no good. I’m still trying to understand what I saw.”
The garage lightbulb directly above the shifter’s head illuminated his chest. A sparkle caught Kailen’s attention, and he inhaled a sharp breath.
“Where the…where did you find this?” He lifted the ankh to look at it more closely. The flawless diamond centered between the sunset and sunrise ends of the cross gleamed in a strange personal way, as if it teased him with a wink. “Talaith is not going to be happy. Let’s go inside.”
“Don’t you want to know what happened?” Vallen asked, perplexed.
“I do.” Kailen dipped a shoulder under the shifter’s armpit and trudged forward. “I’d rather hear it behind closed doors. I have to say, the way events are developing, I don’t know if anywhere is private or safe anymore.”
Khnurn without his pendant presented the kind of disaster that required alerting the High Council and smaller supernatural species without representation in the ruling body. Creatures that would be affected by said problem. Hell, if not for the strict bans, he’d warn the human governments. This mess touched everyone.
“How can I help you?” Talaith met them at the front door.
“Take his other arm and help me guide him to the kitchen.”
The ankh swung into view and Kailen winced. Second time he’d messed up. Maybe he should retire from the hunt. Forgetting to tuck the pendant away until he broached the sensitive topic showed carelessness. In the next minute or so, she’d see it, and the inevitable freak-out would ensue.
Vallen huffed. “I’m not an invalid, you two. Shifters heal quickly.”
“Just in case you trip or something,” Kailen grumbled, staring at the damned ankh.
They made it to the kitchen table. Holding on to Kailen’s hand, Vallen turned to sit…
“Khnurn. No!”
It wasn’t a scream, but a piercing sound of disbelief and terror. He fortified himself as her pained confusion sought refuge within his heart. Grief had to go somewhere. Her magic short-circuited, and her aura darkened. Sparks began flying and zapping. Lightning shot out of her fingertips. At this rate, she’d self-ignite unintentionally.
“Talaith, look at me.” He grasped her shoulders, braving the electrical burn that threatened to cook his internal organs, and pushed her down on a chair. “Stop, a stór. We don’t know for sure.” He uttered the lie, hoping it would find its target.
Her lavender eyes opened wide.
“We don’t know for sure,” he insisted in a softer tone, then sat at her side.
She sniffed and nodded. “You think there’s hope?”
“I do. Always. Vallen hasn’t told us how or where he picked up the pendant. None of us know the circumstances of how Khnurn lost it. Let’s hear him first.”
Vallen removed the ankh from around his neck and placed it on the table. He glanced at her with sad eyes. “I had no idea this would bring so much grief to you. I’m sorry.”
“Tell us,” Kailen said.
“I hid within the bushes first. I had to be sure no one saw me approach. After a moment of silence and inactivity, I jumped through the closest window and landed in one of the classrooms. I was surprised to see a blackboard on the wall and several old-fashioned desks, the kind with a raised top where kids stored books and things. Cobwebs and a thick layer of dust covered everything.
“As I moved on, a profound sense of sadness grabbed my soul. I could hear echoes of young, happy voices asking questions and laughing. Time… No, people had given up on this place. No one had walked through these rooms in ages.”
Vallen rubbed his jaw with the back of his hand, and settled against the chair. He tried to hide it, but Kailen caught a slight tremor. Fear?
“The main hallway was empty,” he went on. “I continued down the corridor, until I reached the main staircase. I paused to sniff the ether for supernaturals. I didn’t have to strain. Soft voices engaged in conversation came up from the basement.
“The lynx half of my brain was curious and wanted to take its time exploring, but the human half reminded me you were waiting in the truck and to hurry it up. I descended to the basement level. Ten feet ahead, bright light from inside a room washed the corridor. The conversation was louder. I knew this had to be it.” Vallen’s voice cracked.
“And?” Kailen had come close to the end of his patience. Get to the point, fought to come out.
“Crouching low, I slipped to the door and peeked around the frame. Judging by the abandoned equipment, such as service pedestals, holders with empty test tubes, and sinks, this room once served as a lab. The elegant dark-haired lady I’d seen about town, and the mage you’ve mentioned, plus two lieutenants gathered near the center of the room, watching something. At first, I didn’t understand the scene. An elongated blurry form gyrated on a point that hovered, to my utter amazement, about an inch from the floor. As the mage tossed nondescript pieces into the spinning shape, he directed the beam shooting out of the ankh’s diamond into the mass. I got the feeling he was shoring up the final product with the ankh’s magic. Soon, the mass took shape.”
Vallen stared at Kailen as his skin lost all color.
“Please, go on,” Kailen said.
“It was a female, sort of. And because she was naked, the lines and seams where body parts had attached were defined. The grotesque entity reminded me of the monster in old Frankenstein movies, but smoother, less choppy. One thing, the smell…” He puckered his nose. “It was just awful.”
“Okay…but how did you get this?” Talaith grabbed the ankh, then abruptly dropped it.
“What happened?” Kailen asked.
She rubbed her hand and wrist. “The mage has defiled Khnurn’s talisman with his touch. Death and evil blasted out, and my insides got singed. I’ll have to take serious precautions before attempting a memory search.”
Vallen wiped an invisible crumb from the table, his expression uncertain. “Well, I was going to explain how I got that piece.”
“Sorry, please continue,” she said.
“When the form reached a shape that satisfied the mage, the spinning ceased and the gyrating point settled on the floor. The mage draped the pendant on a nearby pedestal, then focused on the abomination. He waved his palms over the creature. After each pass, the features improved, the joint lines disappeared, and the putrid smell faded. I was dumbfounded. I thought if I snatched the pendant and brought it back, you and Talaith might figure things out. My opportunity came when the mage and the woman fussed over the entity’s perfection and congratulated each other for their outstanding work.” He drew a long breath.
“I pounced on the pedestal, tucked my head in, and the chain hooked onto my neck as I jumped down. One lieutenant was faster than sound. He saw me jump and fired at me. I was lucky he only hit my back leg. By the way, thanks for the glamour. The rest you know.”
Kailen asked, “Besides the new creation and the four creatures in the room, did you see anyone else?”
“No.”
“Perhaps strewn clothing, or an older man pushed in a corner,” Talaith pressed.
“Hey, anything is possible. I’ve never seen death magic or any magic create an entity before. To say I was stupefied is an understatement. I honestly don’t remember anyone else or clothing, or any signs of struggle. I’ll swear on a million holy books, I saw four supernaturals, no more.”
“Can you describe the magic in the room?” Kailen asked. At his side, Talaith stiffened.
“The magic? How?”
“Magic takes many forms: vibrant, clear, hazy, scented, to name a few,” Kailen said.
Vallen frowned. “Well, I’ll be damned… Now that you mention it, I didn’t register any magic.”
“My guess is Dubtach spell locked the lab as a precaution. In essence, you could’ve stepped on or jumped over one or several beings and not remembered.”
“Damn, that’s frightening.”
“It is,” Kailen said. “The mage we’re dealing with is top of his class. Outgunned only by the owner of the pendant in certain situations.”
“Thus, the importance of learning his whereabouts or fate,” Vallen murmured.
“Yes.” Kailen turned to Talaith, posing a question in silence.
She answered immediately. “We have to go there. Now that we know, we need to check the school for ourselves, especially me. There must be intention trails.”
“Gods, this conversation is so far above me,” Vallen moaned, leaning his head on his palm.
“Sounds complicated, but it’s not. This is Talaith’s expertise,” Kailen said. “Her magic works like…is an enhanced radar. Conspirators, daemons, dark mages, and the like usually have an agenda, an intention, if you will. When they touch anything, a trace of their intention attaches to that surface, similar to germ contamination. The rest of us never see it, but to her, it’s a 3-D map that can tell us where Khnurn’s being held.”
“I just hope he’s not out of world,” she muttered.
“How about we deal with one difficulty at a time?”
“Yes.” She sighed. “I’m jumping way ahead.”
“May I steal a water?” Kailen asked Vallen as he stood.
“You know where,” Vallen answered.
He twisted the cap open and guzzled the liquid down. “First things first. I’m calling Soren, the Westerbergs need to know about Khnurn. What they do with the information is up to them. Later, we can plan tomorrow’s expedition.”
“Aren’t we going tonight?”
Frowning, Kailen shook his head. “No. That’s exactly what they’re expecting and hoping we do. I want to search the premises on a bright sunny morning. Enough of this darkness. He already has enough of an advantage over us. I don’t want to give him more. And another thing—the talisman stays here.” He pulled out his phone. “Be right back.”
Kailen strode to the living room as he tapped the call on the phone. Soren answered in two rings.
“Talk to me.”
“Khnurn’s MIA. His pendant was stolen, but we recovered it.”
On the other side, there was a sharp intake of breath.
“Soren?”
“Fuck. I’m thinking. I’m thinking. Gustaf and Fritiof must know.”
“Agreed.”
“What are you guys doing next?”
“Dubtach’s using an abandoned school as center of operations. I want to check it in the morning, but I’m not sure about taking Talaith. This is affecting her deeply.”
“Dubtach? I’d tell you guys to teleport home now, but I know I’m wasting my breath. Leave the overprotective, macho crap aside and take Talaith with you. She’s a fierce combatant.”
“I’m not being protective. I know how tough she is. This is different and personal because Khnurn’s involved.”
“All the more reason to take her. She’ll catch every clue. You hear me?”
“Got it.”
“Call me tomorrow. I’ll let you know what we’re doing at this end.”
“Later.”
Kailen ended the call and returned to the kitchen. Talaith’s and Vallen’s questioning faces waited for him. He riffled his hair, sifting through choices and possibilities, and at the end of the list, he sighed. Erring on the side of caution and considering Soren’s advice, he made up his mind.
“We’re all exhausted, especially you, a stór.” He held her soft hand, thinking of the tremendous power she wielded. “You came directly from dealing with a cosmic event to this problem with no break. We’ll go late morning, when the sun is high enough to illuminate every damned nook and cranny. Any questions, comments, objections?”
“I just checked my weather app.” Vallen grinned, turning his phone screen toward them. “Clear and sunny tomorrow, temps in the low eighties, fifty percent chance of rain in the evening. Call me your friendly weatherperson.”
Talaith’s gaze remained fixed on the table. He squeezed her fingers. “Thoughts?”
When she lifted her face, his stomach clenched. Her gorgeous lavender eyes glistened. That was as far as she would allow her emotions to show.
“I’m so scared. I can’t imagine the earthly plane without my mentor and guardian, the only father I’ve ever known.” She scowled. “If Dubtach has hurt him in any way, even the tiniest hair on his head, he will pay. I vow before you both. I will destroy him.”
“And I’ll be there to witness your justice, if I don’t get to him first.” Kailen brought her hand to his lips and kissed the tips of her fingers. “Okay, let’s get some sleep.”
“All right.” She pushed her chair back.
“If you don’t need us, Vallen, we’re retiring,” he said.
“I’m good, guys. I’ll lock up as soon as you leave.”
He guided her down the short corridor to the guest bedroom and waved her in. She moved around the simple furnishings, touching every surface, then swept her hand over the bedspread.
“Mmm. I feel you here, sleeping,” she murmured, then gazed at him from under hooded lids.
He ignored the spark of electricity her glance elicited. Kailen exhaled a sharp breath. Talaith needed rest and care, right away. Her usually perfect posture bent under the weight of exhaustion worried him.
“I’ve missed you, and I can’t wait to love you. I also see the strain. You’ve been running on empty. I’d be a selfish lover if I pushed you that far. Tomorrow is going to be a challenging day. You need sleep, so that’s what we’ll do.”
He plumped pillows for her and pulled the bedspread to the foot of the bed, slipped back the sheets, then moved to the dresser. Among the pieces that Vallen had placed for his use, he was certain he’d seen a large T-shirt. He rummaged through the drawer, pulled one out that would work, and turned to show her. A wave of tenderness filled his heart. Eyes closed, she sat at the edge of the bed, suppressing a yawn.
“Let me help you, a stór.” He lifted her long-sleeve knit top over her head and down her arms. His movements were slow, borderline caresses. When she sighed, he undid her bra, hurrying a little as he attempted to recapture some detachment. Lingering on her beautiful breasts would be his undoing. Once he finished undressing her, then putting a T-shirt on her, he settled her under the sheets and stepped around to strip.
“Are you leaving me?” Her voice was as sweet and childlike as he remembered from ages ago.
“Never,” he murmured as he removed everything except his briefs. He turned off the night table lamp and slipped next to her. Exhaling a deep breath, he brought her into his arms. Making a contented sound, she wiggled even closer. He repressed a groan.
Maybe in an hour or so, he’d fall asleep.
The portal dropped Kailen and Talaith on an undeveloped field at the rear of the abandoned school, yet close enough to several groupings of trees and bushes they could use as hideouts. The morning had turned out as bright as the shifter had prognosticated. Hurrying in a half crouch, Kailen pulled Talaith behind the nearest thicket.
“Let’s wait a moment,” he whispered, scanning everything around him.
Talaith nodded, her eyes darting in all directions. She was as wary about this mission as he was. Recon could go south without a warning, and they both knew it.
Minutes passed with no discernible activity. He patted his side pocket, feeling for the reassuring presence of his laser sword, then stepped out, flicking his fingers in a forward motion. She followed close behind, skittering from behind the bushes to a cement yard that spanned the width of the building. A line of holes splitting the bare cement in halves spoke of poles used to hold tennis nets up.
A solitary black door stood in the middle of the distressed cement wall. The only way in and out of the building to the yard. He approached and tested the knob. It turned so smoothly, his skin crawled and his heart fluttered. The first alarm bell rang in his mind. By rights, he should have needed Talaith’s magic to open a rusty, rarely used, ancient doorknob.
“I don’t like it.” He frowned. “This was too easy. I have no idea what we’ll find in there. Keep your eyes open. I’m going to push the door open very slowly. You stand on the other side and look in. Be prepared to jump back and run if you don’t like what you see.”
“Got it.” She pursed her lips.
Other than a soft squeal of hinges, nothing unusual happened. Talaith gave a thumbs-up and walked in. His instinct was to yank her back out. Remembering Soren’s admonition, he took a deep breath following her.
They had entered through the eastern doorway. A cavernous hallway—lined with rows of classroom doors and tall sets of lockers interspersed in between—yawned before them. As Kailen had hoped, flashlights weren’t necessary. Sunlight poured in through the windows inside each room. Signaling for silence, he took the lead. Talaith’s soft footsteps continued behind him.
As he passed from door to door, he paused briefly and glanced in through the glass inset. He found the abandoned disarray Vallen had described. The odd juxtaposition was the cleanliness in the main hallway versus years of accumulated dust and debris in the classrooms. About thirty yards ahead, the central staircase’s landing marked a crossroads of sorts. Straight on, the corridor led to the western wing of the building, to the left the southern main entrance faced the street, and down the stairs, the lab where the action had taken place yesterday afternoon.
Kailen sent Talaith a silent question. She shook her head and shrugged. Evidently, the choice was his. He grasped the banister to head down when Talaith clutched his arm with a fierce grip. Eyes wide and her skin starkly pale, she pointed up to the second floor.
“What?” he whispered.
“Voices. Khnurn’s.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well…” She frowned, biting her lower lip. “Sounded like him.”
“Hold a moment. Could be a trap.”
She nodded.
A minute passed. Suddenly, she gasped. “It’s him.” Using her supernatural speed, she bolted up the stairs.
“Talaith, wait!” he shouted, precautions forgotten. But she turned right at the top and disappeared from view.
Kailen took the steps in twos, reached the upper corridor, and glanced in both directions. Empty. Not a trace of Talaith anywhere. Calling her name, he strode in the direction she’d taken priming the laser sword for action. Halfway down, a fleeting blur, a cross between a human shape and shadow, swept past the corner of his eyes. He entered that room just as the shadow fled through an open connecting door.
The blur had an eerie familiar quality. He frowned, struggling to remember… A woman’s twinkling laughter floated in the ether. He stiffened in recognition.
“Nadrine?” The laughter echoed, distant, farther ahead. “Nadrine?” Kailen repeated, chasing her. As he reached the threshold the door slammed in his face. He reared, blinked, and reached for the doorknob. His hand hit an invisible barrier. Squinting, Kailen studied the door. Now he saw the faint magical glimmer he’d initially missed.
Holding his sword at chest level, he stepped back a pace, aimed, and fired. The laser beam exploded against the magic protecting the door. The recoil threw him to the back wall.
Dazed, his ears ringing, Kailen took a minute to gather his wits. The second warning bell rang. Now he was furious at his lack of attention. This had been Dubtach’s doing. The mage had lured him on a futile chase, manipulating what he knew about his past, and like an inexperienced idiot, he’d fallen for it. Shaking the dust off his clothing, he stood to reevaluate the situation. Dubtach had placed magical booby traps along the way. Usually, Kailen would have sensed each one, but not when he was a fool running headlong into a room.
Nadrine was gone. That was the inescapable truth. Hopefully, she was resting in the realm of eternal peace and happiness. Anything else was a mirage.
But Dubtach’s objective had been accomplished. Kailen had been distracted from Talaith. With new awareness and keeping an eye open for magical traps, he resumed the search, calling out her name.
The echo of his voice mocked him. He passed a long line of empty rooms, made it to the end, and jogged back to the central stairs. No Talaith, not a trace or an answer to his calls. Raw fear filled his soul. He pivoted full circle. Where could she be? He was getting desperate, when sounds reached him from the basement. Skipping down the steps, he dashed to the main level, jumped over the landing, and a solid surface hit his chest and forehead.
The blocking spell teased him with glimpses and sounds: Talaith speaking and arguing, hands gesticulating wildly, platinum hair swaying, a dreadful rushing noise filling the space. A voice taunted: You’ll never reach her. She’s mine now.
He had to try again. Standing at an angle to avoid a direct hit, he fired the laser sword. The magic was solid and the results were the same as before. The beam recoiled and smashed a hole in the plaster.
“Talaith. Up here, up here!” he screamed. Desperation ruled his thoughts. His healing magic would never penetrate a barrier erected with evil. Yet, he deployed it anyway, only to watch it crumble at his feet. He groaned in frustration. She was so, so close…almost within reach. Thinking of options, he climbed back to the main level. If he exited through the building’s main entrance, he might come to her from the east. He pushed down on the door’s metal bar. A sharp blow struck his head. An explosion of light blinded his sight, he tumbled to the floor, and darkness embraced him.
A brutal, merciless hammer pounded Kailen’s temples. Slowly, one careful inch at a time, he allowed his brain to surface from the void. He blinked and regretted it. The tiny movement doubled the hammer’s torturing blows.
He closed his eyes, waited a long minute before opening them again. This time, the hammer eased. His vision returned, offering a close-up view of the school’s wooden floor and a minute insect burrowing into a crack. His cheek felt numb, which meant he’d spent a long time unconscious. Judging by the length of the shadows, it had been hours.
Talaith. The urgent thought fired up his struggling brain and the need to sit up. With both hands, he pushed on the floor and managed to bring up a knee. Which did nothing to alleviate the relentless headache. Pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead, he grimaced as the pain returned with a vengeance.
Get up, his mind coaxed.
Exhaling a large breath, he leaned forward, set his weight on his knee, and stood. Once on his feet, the school’s entry foyer made more sense. Images realigned, even though a wave of nausea washed through him.
Damn.
For some mysterious reason, or perhaps a large amount of hubris, whoever struck the blow had intended to delay him or hurt him enough to discourage his pursuit. He glanced at the spot where he’d fallen and sighed with relief at the absence of blood. A huge headache was all he’d have to contend with, and that would pass soon. As he pressed his back against the wall, a strange sensation of emptiness caught his attention. Confused, he sent out his feelers throughout the building.
At first, he didn’t quite grasp what it was, but as his feelers returned without clues, he understood. The heavy weight of death magic had departed with its wielder. The building had gone cold, and every booby trap, shield, and dimensional barrier Dubtach had created specifically to block him had disintegrated.
Where’s Talaith?
Ignoring pain, discomfort, and weakness, Kailen searched through every room and floor calling out her name. Only the jeering silence answered him.
An hour later, after all possibilities had been exhausted, he grudgingly accepted she wasn’t in the building. Had she left on her own? Had they taken her? With a heavy heart and promising endless deadly retribution to those who would hurt her, he summoned the portal.