Shadow Reign (Shadow Puppeteer Book 2) (10 page)

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he rattling instruments went still, leaving the hall in silence. The robed creatures stopped and turned to face the wall so I was forced to walk the rest of the way with their backs to me. Utan kept walking and though my heart raced in my chest, I followed.

I didn’t need to look at the rock formation for this hallway in order to recognize it. The energy that buzzed along my skin caused my teeth to chatter. We were entering the alcove with the obsidian mirrors.

My skin didn’t forget the last run-in and was ready to separate from my muscle. My temples pounded and my mouth went dry. What really bothered me was the fact that my shadow heart responded. The pounding in my chest was rapid like dueling drums.

My feet went heavy as I dragged myself the last couple of steps to stand in the entrance. I thought Zephyr’s room was extensive, but this was far worse. The inactive obsidian mirrors didn’t ease my nerves. The mirror was resting and the fact that I knew that disturbed me.

There were headless chickens hanging from the ceiling along with more incense burning from cylinders. The room sparkled with candlelight and the circle in the center of the room gleamed with congealing blood.

Rose drew my attention when she threw something into the circle that clicked against the stone. When it settled, I noticed it was Amber’s school ring. The connotation wasn’t lost on me.

Anger sent me over the threshold but only for a second, I was aware that something scattered across the floor crunched under my feet. Rose was waiting with her knives drawn. I’d plunge myself against those blades if it meant a clear shot for her throat.

Rose swung away from me and metal slammed hard against metal as our blades met. The force sent me skidding on the slick floor, but I righted myself quickly and came for her again. My blood was pounding in my ears.

“Someone stop her!”

Rose swung her blades and I rushed at her, this time feeling her blade slide against my torso. The pain was immediate, but I had a clear shot of her throat. My blade was seconds from contact when my wrists were grabbed and I was yanked back. Heavy weight pressed me into the stone and the tiny crunchy particles on the floor dug into my skin. Pain shot through me as my attacker put extra weight on my injured torso.

I bit back the desire to scream. My anger was far more willful, even with blackness hedging the edges of my mind. My brain wanted to black out.

“She’s dangerous and uncontrollable. Look at her, she’s hissing,” Utan said.

I should’ve known he’d get involved. After all, it was obvious that he had something going with Rose.

Rose stood on the other side of the circle, looking exhausted. Her blades were as she wiped blood from her cut lips. I snarled at her, unable to contain the entity that thumped in my chest. It was wild and hungry for blood. I could smell the room, Amber’s blood on the floor was hours old, but the blood that oozed from Rose was fresh and exciting.

Utan was bleeding too. I looked up at him, catching the way the skin tightened around the edges of his eyes. Yes, even the Callicantzaros was afraid of me.

“If you let her go, you won’t be able to control her. She’ll have the ability to come back and kill you,” Utan said.

Despite his words, I knew he was more afraid that I’d come back and kill him. After all, he wanted Kelaino dead so Rose could rule the roost. The thought was crystal clear, almost as if he whispered it in my head.

“If she returns, it’ll prove she’s the one,” Kelaino said.

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Nothing about the situation was funny, but energy bubbled through my chest and up my spine. I felt drunk and high. Utan shoved his elbow into my cut and pain radiated in a sticky heat. I grunted, tasting blood.

“Bring him in,” Kelaino said.

I stilled and Utan shoved his elbow further into my gut. The pain was blinding and I tightened, ready to shove him off when he stood. I wasn’t fast enough to block the kick that connected with my hip. It directed a little of the pain, sharpening my mind. I was stuck riding the white haze, though the voice in my head ordered me to stand. It was my own voice, ready to take the world on.

“Belen?”

Rex’s voice brought instant warmth. He brought me to summer days, the smell of grass and the heat of his body pressing against his clothes. His golden eyes and soft, brown hair drove home the comfort I craved for so long now. We were a long way from Ardent, but he was home.

“Rex!”

I pulled myself off the floor and guards blocked me before I could approach him. The Callicantzaros’ had their blades on him. He was beaten, but fire burned in his eyes. He was a survivor like me. They weren’t going to tear him down like they did to Amber. I wish I could take away her pain and ease her spirit.

The medieval collar around his neck was bulky enough without the chain. He looked like a leashed wolf. His hair was a mess, his eyes were bruised and the sith left their mark on his neck. I bristled at the thought of them touching him.

Kelaino stood in front of me. “As heartwarming as this is, I have a job for you. You complete it and I let your wolf go. You become difficult; I throw your wolf to World Congress.”

Rex growled and yanked on his chain forcing the guard to lose his balance. The guards that surrounded him were just as quick. The scuffle was a blur of movement ending in Rex yelping.

“Down, Belen,” Kelaino warned.

My dagger was out before I even realized I moved. It was scary how quickly instinct took over. Rex quieted down, but he didn’t look ready to give up. His eyes caught mine. He looked horrible. What did he fear about World Congress that was worse than the Reincarta leaving him a bloodless corpse?

“I want him released.”

“You don’t give orders here,” she warned. “I think your wolf would agree that it’s in his best interest that you play my game.”

Rex wasn’t agreeing one way or the other and unless I lowered my metaphysical shield, I couldn’t guess what he wanted. I stuck the blade back in its sheath, but everything inside me roiled with sickness. Utan stayed close, and though it escaped Kelaino’s attention, it didn’t escape mine that his blade was out and pressed against his thigh ready for action.

“Fine, what do you want?” I said.

Kelaino’s eyes brightened. She wanted this so badly that she didn’t see the trouble brewing. In the silence that followed, chains dragging along the stone floor, echoing long before the sniffling and crying. Everything tightened in me. I wasn’t ready for more surprises. Rex stood like a statue, waiting. He had to be in pain, but it didn’t show in his face.

The first of the chained girls entered the room. They brought the scent of their cages with them and my eyes watered in response. Their suffering billowed into the room, making it difficult to breath. My metaphysical shields were tight, yet it still reached me. The sadness attached to my aura like rain drops on skin. I couldn’t shake it.

Following directly behind the girls was a woman dressed from head to toe in black with a veil that covered her face. Her stench immediately clouded the despair the captives brought in. The warm stench of rotting meat burned my nose and the back of my throat. My head started thudding and the discomfort made me acutely aware of my injuries.

“This has gone on too long. Start the ritual,” Kelaino said.

The woman’s breath raised the veil ever so slightly and the room grew drastically cold despite the number of bodies pressed into the room. What came from behind that thin piece of material was high in pitch, like a kettle of the stove whistling. It didn’t sound human.

Kelaino turned, drawing my attention to the mirrors. A purple fog swirled behind the glass. I’d recognize it anywhere, a death door. I hugged myself, but it didn’t stop my skin from crawling. A warmer energy drew my attention to Rex. He gave a very small, curt nod and I had no idea what that was supposed to mean. I brushed my fingers against the hilt of my blade and his lip curled up in a growl.

I wasn’t one of his wolves. I didn’t understand the message he was giving me. Luckily, everyone was too consumed by the mirror to notice the small exchange.

The veiled woman stuck her hand in the cup she held and tossed dust up into the air. I felt it, the minute the dust touched the ground. Their shadows were small and shapeless, hungry for life like the bigger shadows were. This was dangerous, though I didn’t know enough about the spirits to know why.

The sith rattled their instruments in the hallway again. All this stirred other things within the room. The candles flickered and some went out. Kelaino was pleased.

Kelaino picked up a golden goblet that sat in front of the obsidian mirrors and Rose stepped up first, kneeling in front of her. Kelaino dipped two fingers into the mug, and turned to Rose, dotting her forehead and cheeks. It left inky black marks on her face. Rose took the goblet and tilted it to her mouth. It could be a trick of the light, but the liquid looked like it slid into her mouth with its own spine.

Rex watched me. His eyes were browner than their usual gold, which meant he was in a bad mood. He had no right judging me, when I did this to protect him.

Rose screamed and jerked with the liquid inside her. Her eyes rolled back and it was inky saliva that drooled down her chin. It lasted a few seconds too long. I didn’t want to be in that same situation.

“Rise, Rose, you are now blessed with the energy to cross over,” Kelaino said.

Rose stood, her eyes dilated, but looking unchanged. There was something unearthly in the way she moved, like she was boneless and gliding. Kelaino turned to me and I dug my heels into the ground, refusing to back up. My thoughts were as rapid as my heartbeats, fluttering so hard looking for an escape or at least a quick solution.

Kelaino’s eyes said it all; do this for your wolf. She thought I could be manipulated and in some ways, she was right. I wasn’t going to do anything to put Rex in immediate danger, but eventually she’d let her guard down. I’d have to kill Rose and Utan first, then come back for her.

I took the mug, refusing to let her feed me the liquid. To my surprise, she let me have it. The stem was warm from her hands.

“Don’t do it, Belen. I’m already dead. The minute you leave, she’ll kill me,” Rex yelled until his collar was yanked so hard it left him gagging.

He thought he could order me around too. I didn’t glance over, even when I heard them scuffle. Something swam in the cup, showing its spine before it went back into the liquid.

“Don’t do it!” Rex yelled. His words were bubbly with blood.

I didn’t want him to go through so much to try and stop me. It was my decision. I brought the goblet to my lips, feeling how chilled the cup was. The liquid that slid over my tongue had the consistency of mud. Something among that liquid wiggled straight down my throat, its spine digging into my skin as it went.

The minute it hit my stomach, my skin tingled. Even with my shields up, I felt the room’s vibration. I could practically taste every individual pulse. It beat within my chest, filling my every thought. I wanted to control them. I wanted to kill them.

“Belen?” Rex’s voice pulled me from that dark place.

I stared down at my hands gripping the floor for balance. There was no pain in me. I stood, opening and closing my left hand. My broken fingers were healed. My stomach where Utan cut me was also healed. I wasn’t so sure it was a good tradeoff. What was inside me was urging me into violence.

Rex pressed against his captors, trying to get to me. When I glanced over at him, he stopped.

I didn’t like the look he gave me, so I quickly turned away. “I’m okay.”

“You are now blessed with the energy to cross over,” Kelaino said to me.

The blood circle glowed with energy and purple fog whirled over the ceiling. This time, my skin didn’t crawl when the death door took root. The veiled woman spoke a language I couldn’t understand.

Kelaino translated. “She wants to know what you see.”

I wish people would stop asking me that.

“I see our exit out of here,” I said.

My attention flicked over to Rex. His eyes hardened.

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he room waited for me to move. Rose already stood in the middle of the circle and the thought of crossing Amber’s blood made me want to vomit. I didn’t like the fear that settled in my stomach. If I left, the next time I saw Rex could be when his spirit responded to my call.

I met Kelaino’s glare. “I want reassurance that when I leave here, you won’t kill him.”

She smiled. “You know how this game works. You’re not at all like your dad. He wasn’t as strategic as you.”

My hands curled at the mention of my possible father. The scar over my chest itched at the very thought of him, but I wouldn’t let her drag me into her world. There was no reason to believe I was related to her. The only test I believed in was a DNA test.

“Answer my question. Before I do anything for you, I want to know he’s safe,” I said.

She started towards me and Utan raised a hand to stop her. She hissed and he quickly lowered his hand.

“Give me your wrist,” she ordered.

She wasn’t going to injure her star player, so I put my arm out. She slapped a heavy metal bracelet onto my wrist and it clicked into place. A line pulsed on the watch face. I saw the same machine in a hospital. It was Rex’s heartbeat and right now it was beating rather fast.

“Now, we’re settled,” she said.

Nothing about this made me confident. I glanced over at him, noticing the same contraption on his wrist. I prayed this was real. Kelaino didn’t have a reason to keep Rex alive once I was gone, unless she really thought I had the ability to wipe her out.

I moved to the circle and on a whim, bent down to exam it. The blood belonged to Amber. If Zephyr was correct, I could open death doors anywhere. A death door was already swirling overhead, though it wasn’t open just yet. As disgusted as I was by this, I stuck my finger in the blood and drew a line over my cheeks like Kelaino did to Rose. The room gasped and I didn’t look over my shoulder to see how Rex responded. I could care little what anyone else thought.