Shadow Reign (Shadow Puppeteer Book 2) (11 page)

Now I was blessed to move over the circle and I was going to try and call for Amber. The inner circle was large and Rose kept her distance. I blew her a kiss and she growled. My inner calm surprised me. Utan wasn’t happy and Kelaino was unreadable.

“Put the girls in and close the circle,” Kelaino ordered.

The chain holders dragged the girls towards the circle, screaming and dragging their feet. Their fear was so thick, I was drowning in it.

“Stop.”

Everyone turned at my outburst. Good thing I was getting used to being the center of so much attention or I’d find this awkward.

“You have something to say,” Kelaino said.

“You have me, you don’t need these girls,” I argued.

“You’re either very brave or very stupid, going into a world you know nothing about without the extra hands,” Kelaino said.

“I’d bank on stupid,” Rose murmured.

I wasn’t going to let this go. “What good are frightened girls going to be in a fight? They aren’t trained and they don’t have weapons.”

“They aren’t going to fight, they’re going to serve as bait for the locals,” Rose said.

Kelaino gave the slightest nod and motioned for the crew to push the girls towards the circle. They didn’t go willingly over the line, smearing the blood circle. Once inside, they huddled together, still chained at the ankles. I couldn’t fight this decision. I had nothing to bargain with. There were too many lives on the line and I had nothing to sway the argument.

The veiled woman said something and Kelaino looked down to study the circle. I knew what was coming, but Utan was far faster. He grabbed the one remaining girl outside the circle by the hair. She cried out and struggled as he dragged her to the circle and yanked her head back, exposing the length of her neck.

Amber flashed in my mind. Her spirit was closer now, and just for the brief second, I saw her struggling like this girl with the blade against her throat. It was Rose who cut her. I dug my fingernails into my palms, and the pain cleared the vision.

“You want blood? I’ll give you blood. How much do you need to close this circle?”

I felt numb towards my offering. What was a little more blood loss when it would save a life?

“No blood is needed if you can open the portal without closing the circle. The focus is set, you just need to open the door,” Kelaino said. The veiled woman’s voice went higher in pitch and Kelaino raised a hand to stop her. “The passage has been opened many times in this very circle. She can’t screw this up.”

I was with the veiled woman on this. I didn’t actually want to go through the doorway. I almost did once and it literally pulled the skin from my body. It was a feeling I never wanted to experience again, but for Rex and this girl, I didn’t have a choice.

I felt the slightest spiritual nudge from the doorway and bumps grew along my arms. Amber was near again. I wanted Katrina. I trusted Katrina’s wisdom. She was one of the few women I’ve met that I actually liked. Strong and in control, Katrina was someone to take into battle. Though she couldn’t tell me anything directly, she gave me more confidence.

The blade slid deeper against the female’s neck and blood dotted her skin. My heart pounded as the vampires slid closer. They weren’t even attempting to contain themselves. Their eyes went completely black, ready to strike. I had to try this or she was going to die.

“Okay, I’ll open the doorway,” I said.

Three robed females started walking the circle with burning sage and candlelight, but the smell never reached inside. In fact, the air within the circle smelt sweet like summer roses.

“Give her the package,” Kelaino ordered.

A sith tossed a backpack into the circle and I caught it. The girls shifted when I bent down to examine the contents, clearly afraid something would jump from it. I couldn’t imagine living in the world they did, seeing the things they’ve witnessed while stuck here.

The only thing I cared about was ammo for my guns and I wasn’t disappointed. There was enough ammo here for me to take out an army. We were going somewhere serious if she thought I needed to be this loaded.

“When you get to the Realm of the Gods, look for the mountain. The Prism of Shadow will be in the graveyard,” Kelaino said.

That was a lot to remember. I was looking for a Prism of Shadow in exchange for Rex. That’s all I needed to know. How difficult could it be to locate?

“There isn’t a map in here,” I said.

“No one’s returned from the realm to draw a map,” Rose said. She wore her hatred like a mask. It twisted her features. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”

“I like a challenge,” I retorted. I’d have to watch my back. We were both loaded with weapons.

“Let the best girl win,” she said.

I pushed the last of the ammo into my second gun and smiled at her. “I think the luck is already with me.”

Rose’s face flared with anger. “I’ve waited a long time for her to send me. That’s a lot of time to learn how to fight. You have no idea what you’re up against.”

I feigned indifference and shrugged, though inwardly, she struck a nerve. I felt very uneasy with my abilities.

“That’s enough girls. Take your anger to the realm where you’ll need it,” Kelaino said.

I couldn’t read the look Utan gave Rose, but I didn’t need to. He wasn’t coming with us. I didn’t have another person I needed to worry about until I returned without her. I had to hope anger would cloud his judgment when he was clearly the better fighter. That was another thought I needed to push down and worry about later. Too much stress would cloud my ability to think.

“Open it,” Kelaino said.

The girl squealed when Utan dug the blade into her neck. Crimson dewed around the blade edge and dribbled down her pale neck. I couldn’t stand this, but I refused to give him the pleasure of making me upset.

I turned back to Kelaino. “I need utter silence for this.”

She raised a hand and Utan withdrew the knife from the sobbing girl’s throat and thrust her towards another Callicantzaros that promptly took her out of the room. The music ended and all that remained was the sound of fire licking at the air. My senses were so acute that I was aware of the energy brewing overhead.

Children’s souls lingered close to the ground where their dust was thrown. My sympathy went out to them, but I had to keep those feelings guarded. If I permitted my sympathy to run my emotions, I’d suck their fear and anger into my body and mirror their reactions. I had to keep a clear head.

I needed a death door. What was that supposed to feel like? The darkness in my chest thumped. If that was a sign to follow, I heeded it. I didn’t want another spiritual attack, but Rex and the female captives depended on me.

The last time the doorway opened, my shields were down. It wasn’t as easy as it used to be. Sweat broke out against my skin as I shoved force into the action to get the light shields to slip away. The minute they were gone, I felt the residue from the many times the realm was opened below us. The spirits were delicately interwoven like a spider web, cold and sticky as it attached to my bare legs and arms.

I tried to picture those webs, lacing them between my fingers. The visual was weak, so I started moving my fingers as I physically caught the thin, silvery lines and wrapped them around my skin. I called to the four corners, not sure if that would close the circle and protect me, or close the circle, but open the doorway. My anxiety made me falter.

“Is she doing anything?” Rose asked.

I forced her words from my thoughts and focused on the webs. They began to glow in my mind’s eye. They felt so much colder now, like ice was cutting through my skin where they touched. A strong gust of wind blew down from the ceiling and the girls gasped, whimpering. It broke my concentration, but it was too late.

The doorway burst open and if anyone answered, it was lost in the shrilling scream of the rushing wind. I barely grabbed the backpack as I was yanked off my feet. The pain was overwhelming. The hole was colder than the wind outside the mountain, burning bone deep. It knocked the wind from my lungs.

I
was traveling too fast through the tunnel. Purple and black streaked the sides of my vision. The rush pulled at the veins in my temples, threatening to rip my mind apart the way it ripped my skin. The air was so thin that I couldn’t pull it into my lungs to breath. Just when it began to hurt, the rush bottomed out and for a moment, I hung weightless before plummeting downward.

Wet earth met my fall, softening the blow. Luckily, there wasn’t damage. I pulled myself from the ground and brushed the leaves from my body. The air was thick and sweat immediately dewed on my skin.

Knowing that Rose was somewhere near, I fought the desire to yell out. Right now, she was my biggest threat. It bothered me that the girls I traveled with weren’t around, either.

The place felt so far removed from anything I’ve ever experienced. The energy here buzzed like insect wings, but there were no insects in the air. The trees were prehistoric. They were taller than any building I’d ever seen and their leaves were such a deep shade of forest green that they almost looked black. I felt tiny, which made me anxious. What other huge things resided here?

It was easier lowering my shields here. My metaphysical light strands lifted away and the wave of buzzing environment grew stronger. I searched for life, but nothing stood out. If there was anything remotely intelligent near, I’d feel their energy. So what happened to the girls that traveled through the hole? What happened to Rose?

My muscles were stiff again. I needed another potion from Zephyr, but she didn’t add one to the pouch. There was only pain when I stretched. I needed to rest, but World Congress wouldn’t allow it and at this rate, the Reincarta probably wouldn’t either. As long as they were both in commission, they’d come after me until I was dead. Those weren’t good odds for me and I had to think about Rex and D too.

So where did I start searching when there wasn’t a map?

The quietness was broken by the steady hum of drums and then someone screamed. I pulled my gun, though Utan really didn’t train me with one, and pushed through the brush. My mind screamed to run in the other direction. The energy that buzzed in the forest changed and despite the heat, bumps rose on my flesh. Fear chilled me to the core as I pushed through thick leaves with razor edges. I welcomed the pain. It was so familiar now.

I slowed at the rancid scent of burning hair and took careful steps through the brush. The smoky air burned my eyes and stung the back of my throat. I pulled a group of leaves down, long enough to catch a glimpse of the cleared field with its open fire pits and spears poking from the ground. That’s all I needed to take it all in. I let the leaves go and they bounced back into place, covering the gruesome sight. The girls were gone. They didn’t have a chance, though I did notice that Rose wasn’t among them.

The creatures that hung by their deadly catch were skeletal. Gray skin hugged their unusual bodies. Torso and up, they appeared human. Thighs downward their legs bent like goats. They were twice my height, and I was tall for a girl. Due to their thin forms, they couldn’t possibly eat much, but I couldn’t wait and find out.

The heart monitor on my wrist beeped, startling me from my dark thoughts. I wouldn’t risk dying here, not for dead girls. Rex was still alive and I had to hope the same for D. Rex needed me now and D always needed someone. I wouldn’t let either of them down.

I pulled a second gun as I backtracked from the camp. My heart beat so hard that I could taste my pulse. With the way I hurt, I wasn’t strong enough to fight one of those giant monsters. I’d be on a pole just as quickly as the bait. I had to play it safe, though it was really starting to piss me off.

Anger lead me back in the direction I came. I didn’t have a plan. Open the doorway, get to the realm, find the Prism of Shadow and save Rex. I didn’t think about what I was going to do with the bait once we got here and that left me fuming. I felt responsible for them and I failed to keep them safe.

A cold breeze urged me out of the thick foliage and to a muddy bank. The water looked clean and I was so thirsty. I bent down to cup water into my hand when something solid slammed into the back of my head. Stars burst in front of my eyes as the pain rode the length of my skull. I stumbled, meaning to grab my gun, but my wet fingers slid off the handle.

Rose leaned over me, blocking some of the sun’s glare through weaved branches overhead. That’s when I realized I was laying on my back with water and mud seeping into my clothes. I lost my battle stance.

“I don’t care that you made it this far. I haven’t survived in Kelaino’s cave this long just for you to step in and try to dethrone me. That prism is mine.”

I tried to move and felt the blade at my throat. She could easily slit my throat while I was down, but she didn’t. Her eyes dilated as she stared me down.

“Why the games?” My tongue felt heavy, but I got my point across.

“Don’t you know the answer to that by now? The Reincarta are all about games. Death games are our favorite.”

I could see it in her eyes; that moment of doubt that kept her from pressing the blade into my throat. She really believed that I was Kelaino’s rightful heir. If I was Kelaino’s daughter, that would mean I had the spirit of a god. With my shields down, I could feel her uncertainty and it overpowered her anger. I was growing less afraid when fear was the one thing I needed most. This was a dangerous game and I didn’t like who I was becoming.

A much lighter wind brushed my face, instantly cooling my sweat. It fluttered against me in warning and I could feel Amber’s tension. As much as I wanted to finish this with Rose, it would have to wait.

“Something’s coming,” I said. It was stupid being vague when I knew exactly what it was heading our way.

Rose shoved her blade hard into my torso and it burned ripping its way into my flesh. Screeching echoed through the trees. I couldn’t tell if it was ground level or high in the branches. I gripped the blade with muddy hands, determined not to die like this.