walker saga 06 - dronish (19 page)

Her face was ravaged … haggard, and for the first time she looked like a woman in her thirties. “I don’t deserve him. I couldn’t stand by him when he needed me most.”

Shit, she had to pull herself together.

“Stop!” I shouted at her. “Stop blaming yourself and let’s just figure out how to get him back.” I felt terrible, but I didn’t know what else to do to snap her out of this downward spiral of depression.

Surprisingly enough, my outburst worked. She visibly calmed. Her wide green eyes met mine. I gentled my tone.

“You were hurt; you reacted as anyone would who had received such a shock.” I took a deep breath. “And we know you were blaming yourself just as much. You projected that guilt into extra doses of anger toward Dad.” I reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tight. “But now we have to pull ourselves together. We have one shot at getting him back. Just one. We have to go to the dark mountain, and we have to lock the lalunas away.”

Her long lashes fanned across high cheek bones as she fought for composure. Finally she lifted her eyes and met my gaze, determination shaping her features now. Here was my strong mother, the one who had made difficult decisions and was mated to an imposing red-head Walker. Momma bear was back.

“How do we lock them away?” she asked as she straightened her clothes.

“Some sort of energy exchange with the fifth Seventine. Grantham knows the exact wording and ritual.” Well, I hoped he did by now. “We need the Seventine to agree. They have to clear the path to their brother. The lalunas power will strengthen the prison and tethers of the mountain, which is something we have to conceal from the Seventine. We have to make this deal appealing; we need their help.”

Lallielle flicked her eyes to the right. I knew who had caught her attention; I’d already felt him coming. That distinct heating of my blood and flittering of energy was all Brace. I could feel his power as it blasted around us. The last of the Abernath group moved aside to let their princeps stride through.

I couldn’t stop myself from moving toward him; his pull was magnetic. “The lalunas secured?”

He brushed his hand along my cheek, a smile curling up the corners of his lips. “Yes, they’re being held in the dark mountain. At the prison. Grantham is there. He has the ritual, so all we need now is the Seventines’ cooperation.”

Easier said than done. “And once we send in the thirteen stones, the fourteenth – Tenni – will be pulled in?” I hoped this was the case, because there was no way for us to get into Josian’s world. It would be locked down.

Brace’s features tightened. “That’s the plan. We just have to hope it’ll work. Imprisoning lalunas has never happened before, so we’ve had to guess and adapt some of the ritual to suit this situation.”

Lallielle stood taller. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go now.”

The last of the army was moving through the doorways, so we decided to just follow along. Easier than trying to figure out a safe place to trace. There would be too many groups situated in the dark zone at that moment. I paused about ten feet from the doorway. Something on the edge of the field caught my attention. White hair glittered in the sunlight. Fury. She was dashing in our direction, Dune by her side. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the gods they were okay.

Strands of silver flashed in her hair as she neared us, her footsteps slowing. I lifted a hand in the air and waved to attract her attention. It took a few minutes but finally she noticed me. Her hands linked with her mate as she dragged him across the space that separated us.

“Supes … Badass … Momma-bear,” she greeted us when she was in speaking distance. “What’s happening?”

“We really need to find a nickname for you.” I shook my head at her.

“Already have one. I’m the bitch.”

I snorted. “Yeah, but we don’t call you that to your face.”

Dune and Brace exchanged one of those manly grins. I don’t care what anyone says, these men enjoyed our banter.

Fury winked in my direction, her prickliness only surface deep as always. Her attention was drawn to the remaining groups of our army entering the doorways. “So, I’m guessing this evacuation is something to do with the Seventine.”

I worried at my bottom lip. “Yes, apparently there’re a plethora of creatures arising around the dark mountains. The Seventine are trying to weaken the area and the prison, so that when they free their last brothers, we’ll never be able to imprison them again.”

We started walking again, catching up to the end of our group. We were almost at one of the large doorways.

“But we plan on locking the lalunas into the prison walls. It’ll free us from Josian’s crazy little faeries, and it’ll strengthen the prison. But we can’t let the Seventine know; they have to assist us. We’ll exchange one of them for the stones.”

Fury snorted. “That’s a shitty plan, Supes. Let’s hope the Seventine forgot their commonsense and brains today. Because I can’t imagine why they’d agree to this.”

Brace reached out and took my hand just before we stepped into the doorway. “They’ve no choice. If they don’t start freeing their brothers, time will run out. Right now, we’re their best bet for the fifth.”

Thank the gods we had stopped them from stealing the sun’s energy. We’d backed them into a corner. Our conversation was cut off as we stepped into the vacuum. Traversing through to the other side was quick. The mountain was not far from the war council fields. The doorways exited us right near the entrance to the dark mountain. The various groups looked to have spread out across the black and deadened plains. I craned my neck to try to see beyond our people toward the forest. Where were these dark creatures that we were fighting against?

I sensed the Seventines’ energy moments before the first’s voice entered my head.

Hello, my ancient friend. I’ve been waiting for you.

This was the very reason I’d asked Brace to withdraw from my mind. I’d hoped that once we reached this area and were close to the imprisoned brothers that the first would find me. He always did.

Are you ready to make a deal?
I didn’t bother with small-talk, there was no time. I needed this done now so I could get my father back.

We will agree to the exchange, but we want something else from you.

My skin crawled at those words, which I took as a bad sign.

The last time I made a deal with you, you conveniently forgot to tell me everything I was creating. You’re evil. I don’t negotiate with you anymore.

I could feel his emotions now: anger, sadness, and a sort of respect which it had never shown me before.

If you do not agree, we will not aid you. Without our guidance you won’t find the path to the fifth of our brothers.

I snorted.
And without us, you’ll never gather enough energy to free the last three. We’ve thwarted you on Crais, and such a short amount of time remains.
They had two months left at most now.
There’s no tether left with enough energy. You can’t take another world’s sun because you’ll destroy that planet. And the mother of all will right your wrongs if you throw off the balance too much.

That was why they needed to wait until the convergence to sever major tethers. If they tried to strip the energy of the worlds too quickly, the balance would step in. Crais had worked because it had two suns. Taking one would not destroy the planet.

The pause was extended between us, but the Seventine’s presence was still there. I didn’t push. There was no way I could let on how much we needed this. But I did have every finger crossed and even some toes.

Meet us at the prison.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the presence disappeared. I leaned in closer to my family.

“The Seventine are in.” I kept my voice low.

I could tell by the widening of eyes and clenching of fists that I wasn’t the only one excited. Lallielle especially had a look of determination that, frankly, scared me a little.

“We need to get inside to the prison,” I said.

Brace started moving.

The rest of us fell in with him.

“Grantham is already in there. He has the lalunas,” Brace said.

Something was bothering me. “Why are the lalunas okay with this?” I scratched at my side. This stupid shirt was itchy. “I understand that my particular one is helping us, and Josian’s one is crazy – freaking crazy – but what about the other twelve? Surely they don’t want to be locked away.”

Darkness descended around us as we crossed into the entrance.

Brace sent out an energy ball of light at the same time as he answered me. “For the most part the lalunas are not sentient. I know it’s confusing – especially after seeing Tenni – but the stones are really just stones. They contain
original
powers, but unless they decided to become sentient, they’re only stones.”

Fury nodded like that made perfect sense. “So that’s how Supes’ stone is keeping the rest of the lalunas under control. They’re unaware of what’s going on around them.”

Brace nodded. “Yes, the first step to sentient thought is to find a Walker to bond with. Which is beyond rare. If their bonded one is destroyed they’ll revert back to their previous inanimate state.”

Fury laughed. “Well, sounds like we should just off Josian. All our problems would drift away in the breeze …” Her words trailed off as Lallielle and I leveled our very best glares in her direction. Fury’s hands flew up, and Dune sort of sidled his way between us and his half-Walker mate. “Just kidding, don’t blow me up or anything.”  

I forced myself not to roll my eyes, or smile. She really was funny, when she wasn’t being a bitch-face. The path toward the prison was familiar now. We never hesitated or broke formation. Grantham’s figure came into our line of sight. He was just outside the round room which housed the remaining Seventine.

He gave me a hug. “Are we ready to go?” he asked, pulling back. “Where’s Jos?”

I blinked a few times. His gruff but jovial manner reminded me so much of my father, and I really missed him right then. “The lalunas have him, so this has to work.”

Grantham’s green eyes flashed and his features tightened, but his voice was calm as he replied. “Don’t worry, I’ve spoken with Nos and he’s confirmed the exchange ritual.”

Swirls of energy filtered in around us and Brace stepped closer to me. Even without that I still knew the Seventine were now present.

What do you need us to do?

The first was in my head again. I lifted my chin and turned my face to the left, meeting Grantham’s gaze.

“I need to know the ritual now.”

The Relli princeps led our group into the round room. The white light was glowing from the many stones littering the walls of the prison. Twice I’d bled my life-force into those walls. The first time I’d unknowingly released the third, the second we’d tried the ritual of the fourth. And failed. Thanks to Tenni. But this time I was determined to win; third time lucky, right?

“Do we need the other half-Walkers?” I asked, my voice low. This room was always eerie.

Grantham shook out his mass of hair. “No, anyone could perform this, as long as a Seventine is present.” His pause was extended. “First step, one of them will have to possess one of us.”

The silence that descended after Grantham’s statement hung heavy in the air. I could feel the dark direction of many thoughts.

I decided to break the quiet. “Does it matter which Seventine?” Somehow I knew it was going to matter.

“It has to be the first. He’s the strongest, and he has more control over the other six.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, before lifting them again. “I’ll do it. He won’t destroy me.”

He was still in my head.
You won’t destroy me and you will leave the moment this ritual is complete.

My mental voice lowered without thought. There was a darkness inside me now. It filled a place that hadn’t existed until I’d broken the melding bond with Brace.

Sometimes this crept out through my tone.

Everything that had happened to me over the last year had changed me, and now, on occasion, the blackness deep in my soul seeped out.

As long as the ritual doesn’t take more than an hour, you will suffer no ill effects. And as a show of good faith, I will leave your vessel the moment you finish the ritual.

This is going to tie us together even more, isn’t it?
He was far too happy about what was going down.

On a level that you will never escape.

My heart raced, that bitter flood of fear inserting itself into my blood. Brace’s low tone caught my attention.

“Red will never be possessed by that creature. Never!” In my distracted state I’d missed him positioning himself between me and the rest of the room. His bulk hiding the others from my sight. “It’s beyond evil, the very presence corrupting. I’ll be the one it possesses, no one else.”

Oh, my beautiful, perfect, protective warrior. I reached up and placed a hand on his right bicep. In an instant I had his full attention. His hard features softened as they met my gaze. We stared at each other for many moments, and as he read something in my face his lips thinned.

“It can’t possess me, can it?” The hard bite was still there, but it wasn’t directed at me.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, but I made it promise to never possess you again and, as an original power, it can’t break those promises.”

Brace dropped his head, the black hair reflecting the lights of the room. His fists were clenched and I knew he fought for control.

“It can’t be you,” he finally bit out. “I don’t care who else has to step in, but it can’t be you.”

Lallielle moved closer to me. “I’ll do it. It’s my responsibility. Josian, and I, don’t want you to take this on, baby girl. You’ve already had to shoulder more responsibility than any young woman should have to.”

You! Only you!

Get out!
I shouted at the Seventine.

I called on a little of Brace’s strength and expelled its presence. Even with Brace mostly out of my head, we were still strong.

I faced all of the concerned family and friends that were watching us. “It has to be me.” My soft words were, for the most part, directed to Brace and Lallielle. “The first will accept no other, and after Brace I’m the strongest. Also –” I cut my mate off before he could object, “I have your strength now. We’re one and the same. This will work.”

“No!” Brace didn’t bother to say anything else.

“Yes.” I inserted force into that word. “I can also call on my half-Walker girls, and we’ve been able to dispel the Seventine’s presence before.”

“Don’t make me watch this, Red. I can’t … I have to fight this.” He was struggling against the helplessness that this situation had forced him into.

I shifted my body forward and wrapped my arms around him. I held on tightly, sensing he needed my strength and touch.

“I’m sorry, baby, but there’s no other way.” I was whispering against his hard chest.

A few shudders ran through him. The power inside was warring; I could feel it. Brace wanted to lose control. Only sheer strength of will kept him from capturing me and stealing me away somewhere where no one would find us.

“It’s the same as when I broke the melding bond. Our love doesn’t trump the millions of people in the seven worlds. We must think of the greater good.”

He pulled back from me and before I could blink he held my chin in his gentle grip. “And I will tell you again, Abigail, that nothing trumps our love. Nothing.” He sighed in a long exhalation of breath. “But I need to man up to the words I said to Colton so long ago. I didn’t fall in love with all of your strength to try and change you now.” His breathing was a little ragged. “It’s just that my fear is so strong. If I let it have free rein, this worry churning inside me could very well strip away everything that makes you tough enough to be a warrior and savior.” He dropped soft lips down, and I met him halfway. Our kiss was brief; we had an audience. “I don’t want to do that.”

“Hey, peeps, who threw a party and didn’t invite us?” I spun my head to find Lucy and Colton storming into the room. My pixie friend’s light-hearted words dispelled some of the tension.

Lucy dashed straight up to me and wedged her way between Brace and me. She snuggled straight in for a hug, and I could tell that she’d missed me. I tightened my arms around her. I’d missed her too. So much.

I pulled away. “What are you doing in here? Weren’t you with the pixies?”

She nodded more than once, her long blond curls bouncing. “Yes, there seems to be a standoff out there. Nothing is attacking yet. Plus Brace called for Colt’s help, so my man used his instant transmission to get us into this mountain.” 

I’d forgotten that Colton could shift himself around within the same world. I met Brace’s eyes over the top of Lucy’s head.

He shrugged. “If you’re going to be possessed by the Seventine, I need someone to stop me losing my shit. I’d hate to kill everyone in here right when we’re trying to save them all.”

I flicked my eyes across to Colton, who’d paused at his best friend’s shoulder. They were stunning together. Dark and light. Strength and power oozed from every pore.

“Can Colt do it on his own?” I was still worried.

The wolf-Walker groaned and raised a hand to rest on his chest. “You wound me. Doubting my kickassness like that.”

Brace grinned. “He’s been wrangling me in for hundreds of years. He knows what he’s doing.”

I raised my eyebrows. “We’ll see.”

Lucy snorted, and met my gaze. We cracked up then. It was our job to keep the guys in check.

Grantham broke the moment by stepping forward. “We need to hurry. Every moment that Josian is stuck with Tenni … well, who knows what’s happening.”

Those words sobered me immediately. My eyes darted around, and I found Lallielle. She was small, standing back with her arms wrapped around herself.

I crossed over and pulled her tightly against me. “I will get him back, Mom. We’ll lock away the lalunas.”

Then all we’d have to worry about was the Seventine and the convergence. No big deal.

“Please don’t do this, Aribella. Your father wouldn’t want you to risk your life … or your soul.”

I could see that she knew about the risks. Letting the first possess me gave him another part of me, another part of my soul. I should be creating distance between us. Letting the Seventine closer was definitely not a great thing.

“We need Dad,” I whispered. “I’ll sacrifice many things for these worlds. But I have to draw the line somewhere. I have to take a stand. I won’t sacrifice Dad.”

She jerked me in tightly again, her soft hair surrounding us like a cloud of silk. “I love you. Do you hear me?” Her voice went all fierce. “I love you more than anything in every world. Your only job is to survive. I dreamed of all the years I would have with you when I finally got you back.” Her green eyes flashed at me. “You don’t have permission to mess with my dreams.”

I grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

Got to love it when her inner warrior-mama perked up. I turned back to the room. Lucy looked much graver than when she had first entered the cave. I could see Brace talking to her and Colton, most probably filling them in on what was going to happen.

I raised my voice. “Let’s do this, Grantham.”

I didn’t want to risk the chance I’d freak out, or that the Seventine would change their minds. They still seemed to be oblivious to the fact that by allowing the lalunas to bond to the walls it would strengthen this prison enough that there was no way for them to destroy it.

Or maybe they knew and didn’t care. Maybe they weren’t worried about this and felt that freeing their brother was worth the risk. Just as the first couldn’t see into my thoughts, I also had no access to his. Most probably, like us, they’d weighed the pros and cons and decided it was worth it. I just wished our part didn’t involve freeing a Seventine.

“I’m not cool with this, Abigail Swish.” Lucy full-named me, her hands firmly on her hips. “Surely there’s a better choice.”

“There is no other choice.”

She wrinkled her nose, pursing her lips for extra measure. “Remember what happened last time you got into bed with these cretins. Think about what you’re risking. They never tell you the truth. What the hell is the catch this time?”

I already knew the catch.

For most decisions I made I used the line I had drawn in the sand. Everything on this side I would do; the other side was where my moral compass would never let me cross. The last time with the Seventine they had manipulated me when I was in an emotional state.

Did I need to take responsibility for my actions? Most definitely; I should have been stronger. But I knew I’d never have made the decision to free the third had I known everything. That decision was on the other side of my sand line. This time I knew what the catch was: strengthening of ties between me and the Seventine, which was unpleasant but not over my moral line. My hope was that once they were imprisoned any and all ties between me and the first would be severed.

“Supes is strong enough.” Fury stepped up to my side. We weren’t exactly squared off against Lucy and Brace, but it sort of looked that way. “This entire task fell on her shoulders because she was the one who had the strength for the burden. You all need to have some faith in her.”

Lucy growled. Crapity crap. Shit was going to get real in five, four, three, two –

“What the eff, Fury? I have all the faith in the world in Abby. I’ve known her my entire life, but sure, your two and a half seconds of friendship trumps my knowledge.” She sniffled a few times and I could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “It’s not faith I lack, it’s the knowledge that I can’t exist in a world without Abbs. We’re blood-bonded. Best friends. Pixie guide and Walker. Our path has been intrinsically linked since the day we were born.”

Her words ran out as her chest heaved; she finished by flipping off the Crais half-Walker. I raised a shaking hand and pressed it to my chest, trying to contain the emotions flooding me.

“I love you too, Lucy. And I promise I have no intention of leaving this world. You and I are together forever, girl.”

I blew her a kiss. She glared at me for a moment before sighing and returning the gesture. I couldn’t stop from lifting my chin to meet Brace’s gaze. He was still tense, fists still clenched at his sides, but he gave me a single nod of acceptance. I felt better having his blessing … sure, that thought probably just set the feminist movement back a few centuries, but he was my partner. When we disagreed it was as if I fought with myself, the other half of my soul. And it was damn hard to fight with yourself. I let the first back into my head.

Let’s do this, and if you touch one thing that you aren’t supposed to, I will hurt you.

The first’s laughter, maniacal and cold, flittered through my head.

Hold on to your sanity. With me inside, you’ll forget who you are.

I wasn’t naïve enough to miss the double meaning of his words. I was surprised, though. They seemed sort of sexless, androgynous even, so to have it make a suggestive comment seemed wrong on more levels than just the regular.

Grantham handed the bundle of stones to me. “You’ll need to hold the lalunas.”

Their heavy weight dropped into my hands, and despite the masses of power flooding the stones, their energy was contained. The cage around them must be masking their power. As I examined it, I finally realized something: my blue stone formed the barrier. It had melted and shaped itself into a box-like container. A container with translucent sides so I could see through to the other stones resting within.

As I thought this, something brushed against my body. The Seventine had started to possess me.

The world stopped spinning for more than one heartbeat. The stones remained clutched tightly in my hands as I dropped to my knees, my body screaming and my brain frozen. It was as if I knew something devastating had just happened, but the rest of me had not caught up yet.

And then the power flooded, slammed, engulfed, and destroyed. Paving a path through my body and reforming and reshaping my cells. It felt as if I should be able to burst apart and be remade into something else.

No!

My scream reverberated through my head. The Seventine was taking me over, squishing its power into all of my nooks and crannies, and I was not okay with that. I would not lose myself.