When they moved away from the edge, Haley shifted back to her human form.
“Dante, thank God you’re back. It’s been awful here. Tarik is making these immortals disappear. I think he’s killing them.” She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. “We have to leave this place.”
“What happened?” Dante put his arm around her. He should never have left her alone. He thought she’d be safe here.
“Tarik put three under a machine in his chamber. A woman named Felicia and two of Gwyllain’s bodyguards.”
“Reassimilated,” Valdon corrected. “It’s necessary.”
“It’s all right, Haley,” Dante said. “Tarik only reassimilates Drones if they disobey or threaten our existence.”
Valdon glanced at Dante, smiling and giving him a look of approval for lying to his woman. In the past that was what all Drones believed, but now, Dante didn’t think Tarik ever killed a Drone. Not intentionally.
Haley looked at him as if he was crazy? “Reassimilating? Whatever you want to call it. It looks like he was killing them. How is that necessary? He puts them under these huge glowing crystals. They yell right before they vanish. It’s awful.” She shook her head as if trying to shake the image out of her mind.
“Do you know who the guards were?” Dante asked.
“I think Natesa called one Rylus. Both were large men.”
“Probably Joren and Rylus,” Valdon said. “The demoness caught them having a threesome. Wasting valuable chi is a crime. Where’s Natesa?” he asked Haley.
Her eyes teared up. “I’m sorry, Valdon.”
“What do you mean, you’re sorry. Where the hell is she?”
“Tarik, did that reassimilating thing to her too.” Haley’s voice cracked. “I tried to stop him. But he had some kind of control over her. She didn’t even fight him.”
A long wail emanated from Valdon. “Gwyllain lied to me. Natesa was to be a chosen one. I’ll kill Tarik when we get to Prygos.”
Dante hadn’t realized how much Valdon cared for the woman. And he didn’t know of Tarik’s plans. He almost considered telling him he actually saw them on Earth, but after the action at the cliff, and until he figured out what was going on, he thought better not to trust him. “I’m sorry.”
“The bitch wants complete devotion without any competition.” Valdon scrunched up his face and shouted curses across the sea of Anartia, his wails full of pain and despair. “Fuck!” Valdon turned and marched down the ragged coastline.
“Natesa warned me to stay away from him,” Haley said, leaning against Dante.
“She’s right.” He pulled her to him a little harder. He needed the close feel of her. A surge of possession gathered in his gut, primal and dangerous. He vowed to protect her but could he? He kissed her, stroked her hair. “Something strange is going on here and I’m going to find out what it is before Anartia departs.”
She nodded, then stepped back out of his embrace. “I trust you, and I love you, Dante. But I can’t get the image of those people being tortured and killed out of my mind. If Prygos is like this where people are sacrificed like a savage ritual, then I can’t go with you.”
“It’s not what it seems.” Dante held her close, noticing for the first time the eerie stillness on Anartia. The sea was too calm. No ripples appeared on the clear surface, no waves crashed on the jagged rocks. The few clouds posed motionless against a gray-blue sky and there wasn’t the slightest breeze to flicker a blade of grass. The calm before the storm?
“It looked pretty awful,” she argued.
“Reassimilation does not kill a being only transforms them from immortal to mortal. It is a death sentence because all mortals die. Yes, the process is somewhat painful, but Tarik sends those Drones to Earth to live out a normal mortal life. Gwyllain doesn’t know that. She believes they’re wiped out of existence and wouldn’t stand for mortals living on Earth who know about Anartia.
“There were a few deaths in Tarik’s machine—evil Drones and a couple accidents. If you find I’m wrong, or just don’t want to go, then I’ll give up my immortality and return to Earth with you. Either way I’m not letting you out of my sight. I will spend my life with you. It’s your choice.”
Haley sighed, the tension and lines leaving her face. “Okay. No world is perfect.” She kissed him. “Let’s find out what Tarik is really doing.”
Dante led Haley into the temple. Zorian greeted them at the door. “This way, unless you want to spend the journey to Prygos in the demoness’s chamber. She keeps asking for you and Valdon.” The disciplinarian directed them to his training area away from the great hall.
“Where is she?” Dante asked.
“In her chamber right now occupied with several of the most ruthless Drones. She has plans for them when we arrive in Prygos. All the loyal, trustworthy Drones are on Earth, except you and Haley.”
“We’re heading to Tarik’s chamber,” Dante said in a low whisper.
Zorian raised an eyebrow. “Have you decided to stay or leave?” he asked Haley.
“Staying, but I still don’t like Tarik,” Haley said.
“The adjustment has been rough on her,” Zorian said to Dante. “Perhaps she needs a bit of training.”
“She’ll be fine,” Dante said, taking Haley’s hand. “Why haven’t you left with the others and gone to Earth?” he asked Zorian.
“A mortal life didn’t appeal to me. Prygos is my home world. I’ve never been to Earth. At first, it will be trying, but if I speak to Cragen right away, life will be quite pleasant.”
“About what?”
“About his wife’s plan to assassinate him. She specifically chose the most coldblooded and powerful Drones to return with her to carry out this plan.”
“I wouldn’t assassinate a ruler,” Dante said.
“She knows how much you want your revenge on Reilly.” Zorian’s smile glimmered with malevolence. “The demoness is sure she can manipulate you. You’re a powerful Drone. So is Haley.”
“Go talk to Tarik,” Zorian urged. The compassionate tone in his voice startled Dante more than any of his tools of torture and pleasure. His skin crawled as the floor beneath their feet began to vibrate. “I doubt Gwyllain will succeed. I doubt she’ll survive. She will attempt to draw you into her manipulating scheme. Be prepared for the war after you arrive.”
Various objects that Zorian used during his training sessions—floggers, chains, boltsticks, clamps, dildos, leather straps—shook on the metal table and inched closer to the edge. Zorian pushed each item toward the center. “Don’t waste time. He says we’ll leave in a matter of hours. It might be sooner.”
Zorian picked up a flogger and tested the weight in his hand, swinging the lashes in a figure eight fashion. “Need a distraction during the journey?” he asked Haley.
She shook her head.
“I’m sure you could easily find a willing participant.” Dante tilted his head toward the pool where several Drones were lounging.
Zorian shrugged then scanned the group by the pool. “Perhaps you’re right.”
Lightning flashed in through windows and skylights, glittering through the crystals mounted in the ceiling and walls.
Zorian watched the light show as he wrapped the thongs from the flogger around his hand in tangled knots. The Drones, who were partying and having their orgy, grew quiet and froze into place, also gazed up at the strange storm. Dante gently gripped Haley’s arm. “After we find Tarik, we decide if we stay or go.”
Chapter Thirteen
Dante entered Tarik’s laboratory with Haley at his side. He wasn’t going anywhere without her now. He’d had his suspicions about who John Reilly was for weeks. But he’d been so wrapped up in his own trouble with his ranch, his horses, his duties as a Drone and his feeling for Haley, that he hadn’t pursued that hunch. Dante figured if he didn’t murder the bastard on Earth, he’d catch up with him on Prygos. If they decide not to go to Prygos, he’d have to act now to bring Reilly to justice.
“Why aren’t you two celebrating like all the other Drones?” Tarik asked as he rushed around adjusting instruments, moving equipment, jotting notes on a portable electronic pad.
Dante raised one eyebrow and glanced at Haley. She rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding? The world’s about to end,” she sputtered.
He inclined his head toward her. “You have any other plans?” Maybe his teasing would ease her concern.
“No.” She smiled, and for a brief moment a flash of lust filled her gaze. Near death or not, demons couldn’t resist the natural sex drive. He squeezed her hand.
“Don’t you need help in here during the passage?” Dante asked Tarik.
“Thanks but no.” Tarik moved over to the three large crystals that were glowing but not pulsing. Haley gripped Dante’s hand.
While Tarik adjusted the position of the crystals, Haley pointed to a sack lying on the floor beneath a corner table. It was partially opened. Clothes, books and various items, including small equipment and tools hung out of it. “Is he going somewhere?” Haley whispered so Tarik couldn’t hear.
Dante shrugged. Tarik wore jeans, a gray T-shirt—not the lightweight tunic the men of Anartia usually wore—and of all things, sneakers.
“The difficult part is completed,” Tarik said. “It’s all timed to the rotation of the moon and Earth. In twelve hours the fun begins.”
“Fun,” Haley squeaked.
“Don’t worry, my dear. You’ll be more comfortable in your chamber though. It’ll get quite noisy down here.”
“And what about the Drones and Natesa on Earth? What will they be doing inside Otera?” Dante braced himself for the demon master’s wrath.
Tarik’s mouth dropped opened. His eyes glowed yellow-green like a reptile. Usually only Gwyllain would get that angry. “What do you intend to do with that information? Tell the demoness?”
“I’m not so foolish,” Dante said. “But I do have a decision to make.”
Tarik pressed his mouth tight, then spoke through clenched teeth. “Do not interfere, Drone, or I’ll squeeze the last spark of chi from you and your mate.”
“But that’s not like you, Tarik,” Dante said firmly. “You’ve never meant to destroy Drones with this machine.”
He nodded sharply. “I’ve been planning this for a thousand years. My last chance to escape her. I’ll destroy anyone, including Anartia itself if I have to.”
“I’m not your enemy, Tarik. But there is one who could be a risk to you,” Dante continued. “A Drone you assimilated about the time I became a Drone. His name was John Reilly. He altered his appearance so I wouldn’t be able to identify him. He’s a traitor, a murderer. He’s evil and will do anything to elevate his own position. I believe this Drone is Valdon. The demoness knows who he is but she would never tell me. You know who he is too. You don’t want this immortal on Prygos. He’ll murder anyone to get what he wants.”
Tarik stared at Dante for a long time as if the master demon considered revealing the truth. Then Tarik ambled over to his sack of belongings, closed it up and placed it beneath the crystals. “Now that I’m leaving, I can tell you. I’ve always liked you. Like Haley, you were a Sha Warrior, a mortal with excess energy. But that excess energy prevented complete assimilation. You’ve kept more of your mortal traits than your demon ones.”
Dante considered that. If Haley was a Sha Warrior then she wasn’t completely assimilated either? “It’s been so long. I don’t know if that’s true. Will that cause problems on Prygos?”
Tarik raised his eyes as if calculating a mathematical problem. “Hard to tell. You’ll always remember your mortal life. It may take time to adjust. Or you may never adjust.”
“We’ll be together.” He gave Haley a reassuring smile but he didn’t feel completely confident.
“I’ve always known about Reilly,” Tarik continued. “I know he tried to murder you.”
Dante took a step toward Tarik then stopped. A fight with a master demon was a fight he could never win. He had Haley’s safety to consider. “You knew he was evil and yet you assimilated him?”
“He was perfect for Gwyllain’s plans against Cragen.” Tarik’s smile widened into a self-satisfied grin. “I had my reasons too.”
“Wasn’t the first assassination attempt what got her exiled?” Dante asked.
“The affair and poorly executed plan with careless and disloyal subjects.”
“This time will be different?” Dante asked with an edge of sarcasm. What was he getting Haley into? A political war?
“Power and greed are the downfall of all great civilizations,” Tarik said sadly.
“And what’s your reason?” Dante asked. Tarik cranked up the instrument and the crystals brightened and the machinery began to hum.
“To have Valdon destroy Gwyllain, then have Cragen’s men destroy him,” Tarik said in a hushed tone. Dante figured Gwyllain still had her spies. “Valdon has his own plan and the Drones are following him. Destroy Gwyllain, Cragen and her consort. Valdon will be their new leader.”
“You don’t think Valdon will be successful?” Dante asked. He had to shout over the hum of the machine.
“No. The Drones will go straight to Cragen. Valdon and Gwyllain’s hours are numbered.”
“If Anartia makes it back,” Haley added.
“Will it?” Dante asked.
“There’s an eighty-three percent chance Anartia will return to Prygos safely. It’s all timed. As long as these settings are not changed.” Tarik studied the dials on the control panel.
“Then you’re not returning. You’re staying on Earth with Natesa and the others in Otera,” Dante stated. “What is that place?”
Pride shown in Tarik’s eyes. “My creation. A miniature universe similar to Anartia.”
“Why not get rid of Valdon, and kill Gwyllain yourself? Or let her husband know of her plans when you return?” Haley asked. “Then you could go home.”
Tarik laughed. “Because Cragen would execute me the moment I arrived. Even though Gwyllain ordered me to do her bidding, I would still be a traitor.”
“I thought you and the demoness were trapped on Anartia,” Dante said.
“We are. That’s why I couldn’t leave until Otera was completed and Anartia began to break free of this dimension. Otera is connected to Anartia. Once I enter, no one can follow me including Gwyllain. The portal will close as Anartia departs. Soon.”
“So we won’t be able to leave either.” Haley gave Dante a worried look.
Was she getting second thoughts? His body tightened as red flags shot up inside his brain. What the fuck was he going to do? “How soon until it closes?” Dante asked as he spotted Haley’s hands clenched into fists. The muscles in her jaw and neck flexed.
“An hour or two, maybe less,” Tarik replied. “You have time to decide. If you return to Prygos, make your way to Cragen quickly. Tell him of Gwyllain’s and Valdon’s plans. He’s a stern but fair man. He’ll reward you for your loyalty and bravery.” Tarik made a final adjustment on the control panel, then picked up his sack of tools, instruments and personal items and stepped beneath the pulsating glow of the crystals.
After removing his clothes, he set them neatly on top of his sack. Dante heard Tarik mention once that the electrical energy formed by the crystals needed direct contact with skin or the electrostatic field surrounding the body would be weakened. Nonorganic items in close proximity would be reassimilated too. Now, Dante knew it was another portal.
“Guard this room, Dante. Do not let anyone change those dials even a fraction or you’ll never reach Prygos.”
Dante glanced at the control panel and a chill raced up his spine. Anartia’s future was determined by a turn of a dial? “I will.”
“Do you still dream, demon?” Tarik asked Dante as the crystals brightened and the demon master became aroused.
“Yes, always, why?” Dante thought that was an odd question.
“Immortals don’t dream. Maybe you’re more human than you think.” Tarik cried out and vanished.
The crystals brightened to a blinding light and the machine whined louder. Seconds later the crystals cracked and shattered. Purple shards crashed to the floor. Dante and Haley jumped back, covering their faces from the spray of fine stone.
Haley cried out. “This is all a bit hard to get used to. It freaks me out a little. What did he mean by you’re more human than you think? Of course you’re human. Don’t immortals have dreams? Will I stop dreaming? Will I stop caring?” Her voice cracked and tears filled her eyes. She covered her face with her hands.
Taking her into his arms, Dante held her close while his own heart split apart. This was why he didn’t want to take her. But now he couldn’t bear to be without her. “No, I hadn’t stopped dreaming. We’ll always have an element of human nature within us.” He stroked her hair.
“What about centuries from now?” Her words were stiff. Dante realized eternity was a concept she hadn’t tried to conceive. “Will life and love stop being precious to us? Will we stop dreaming eventually?” She gazed up into his eyes asking questions he had no answers for.
Dante sighed.
I can’t do this to her. I can’t do this to us.
He had only one solution.
He cupped her cheek and kissed her tenderly on the lips, lingering there for a moment. “Haley, do you want to return together to Earth? Become mortal again?”
Her eyes brightened. “Really? We can do that?”
He nodded, smiling. “If you want to. I couldn’t stand the thought of being without you.”
Tears streamed down her face. She swallowed, stood straighter and blinked, stopping the tears. “Yes, let’s go back, but we need to get D.A. first.”
He laughed.
Brave girl
. “I have one other thing to do.” He walked over to the control panel.
“Yes, Dante, do it. Prygos does not need these murdering demons invading their land.”
Dante spun all the dials into various directions. There was no way Anartia was returning to Prygos. There was no way Anartia would survive the next few hours.
* * * * *
Running down the corridor, Dante and Haley had to hold onto the walls as quakes shook the floor and rocked the temple. Cracks split the tiled walkway and dust drifted down from the ceiling. “Hurry, I don’t want to be down here longer than we have to,” Dante said. They entered the room that held D.A.’s stall.
“Dammit, someone turned the lights completely out,” Haley said, searching for the light switch. “Here.” Finally, she flipped it on. The room was empty. D.A. was gone. She gasped. “I left him here.”
“We’ll find him.” Dante grabbed her arm and led her out.
On the main level of the temple, they raced through the great hall, searching for the horse. Then they heard the whinnying from outside.
Dante was out of the temple steps ahead of Haley. Valdon rode D.A. inches from the edge of the cliff. Was he out of his mind? How was Valdon able to ride him? The Drone must be controlling the him, perhaps by draining some of his chi. Loose stone or a soft tuff of grass and both of them could tumble over the ledge. Valdon and D.A. were several yards from the portal entrance. A fall would mean a painful landing with severe injuries for Valdon. Certain death for D.A.
Dante’s blood and adrenalin boiled in his veins, thinking about what he’d do when he got his hands on the Drone. He whistled for the horse, not wanting to startle him as he approached. Somehow he had to draw the horse away from the edge. What a fool. Bill Sike’s words became a haunting taunt in his mind. Dante was so focused on D.A. and Valdon that he barely noticed the flash of white as it passed him.
Then he heard the growl.
“God, no Haley!” She’d shifted into her snow leopard form. Leopard feet pounded against the ground, kicking up grass and dirt as she charged straight for Valdon and D.A. “Stop, Haley. You’ll spook D.A. over the edge.”
The leopard accelerated a second more, then stumbled over her large paws, stopping, head held high. She turned, glancing at Dante and shifted back. Her chest rose and fell as she sucked in air, tears streaming down her face. “What can we do?”
God, he loved her. Then Valdon spun around and charged D.A. straight for her. “Look out,” Dante shouted. Before she turned around, Valdon reached down and ripped her nebula stone off her neck. He trotted to the edge and tossed the stone far out into the sea.
Haley shrieked and chased after them.
“Haley, no. Stay away from the edge. If you fall over the cliff even near the portal, you’ll be killed. Without the nebula stone, you’ll be lost in the portal.”
Nodding, she stepped back.
“Wait here. I’ll get D.A.” Dante raced toward Valdon. The Drone was an excellent horseman. Dante didn’t remember ever seeing him ride. Just as Dante was about to grab the reins, Valdon reached down and ripped Dante’s nebula stone off. At first it looked as if he was going to toss his pendant out to sea too, but then he smashed it on the ground and had D.A.’s hooves crush it into fine powder.