“Deliver the death blow,” one soldier urged.
Another shook her head. “We are commanded to take the outsiders alive.”
Struggling to escape her assailants, Tessa kicked and screamed like a madwoman. “Stop it, you bitches! Leave him alone.”
One of the Mer gave her a hard slap. “Hold your tongue, animal! He gets no less than he deserves.”
Tessa blinked, recognition flooding her mind.
Chiara
, her mind filled in. But the woman who had greeted her and hailed her as a goddess was not the same. Outfitted in a tight leather jumpsuit and boots, she’d shaved her long blond hair. Only a Mohawklike strip remained. On one side of her scalp was a small tattoo, a symbol Tessa recognized to mean death.
Magaera’s warriors were prepared to follow the bidding of their queen. To fight and to conquer was their sole purpose. They wouldn’t stop, not even when faced with death.
Such was the true nature of the Mer.
“Are you so blind that you can’t see what your queen is doing to Ishaldi?” Tessa demanded.
The priestess laughed. “The chance to be immortal, to be a true goddess, is worth the price. Your world has the resources we need to make it so.”
Tessa’s heart sank. Nothing stood between the Mer and the human world. Nothing at all. “I wish I had never opened it.”
Chiara frowned. “Unfortunately, you didn’t. The sea-gate still blocks us.”
Shoved by rough hands, Tessa and Kenneth were hustled to the undamaged portion of the massive temple. The wide stone stairs leading up to the sea-gate were perfectly intact, as was the altar. Several of the rebel Mer and their human mates huddled at the base of the stairs. Faces pale, their eyes were rimmed with fatigue and defeat.
Tessa recognized Atheia, Cyntheris, and several others among the group. At least a few had survived. Though probably not for much longer. No doubt they’d all face the executioner.
And that was definitely something she didn’t want to contemplate.
Hands on her hips, Queen Magaera stood at the top of the altar. Arta Raisa stood on one side. Jake stood on the other.
Seeing him, Tessa frowned.
Bastard
. It wasn’t fair that he’d walk out of this disaster unscathed.
Chiara prodded her in the back. “Walk.”
Barely giving them a chance to lift a foot, the Mer soldiers practically dragged them both up the stairs. They couldn’t seem to deliver the prisoners fast enough.
Queen Magaera’s gaze raked her captives. “There you are, you silly little bitch.” She arched a brow. “Did you honestly think you were going to get away?”
Reckless bravado surged through Tessa’s veins. “Gave it my best shot.”
Ignoring her, Magaera turned to Jake. “I wonder if she knows how painful her flippancy is about to become.”
“Go ahead and get it over with,” Tessa said defiantly.
The queen chuckled. “Oh, you shall not be the one to be sacrificed. Not yet, anyway.” She snapped her fingers and pointed toward the huddled prisoners at the foot of the altar. “Bring Cyntheris. It is fitting a traitor should be first.”
Doma Chiara and another Mer guard wrestled Cyntheris to the top. Swaying a little, Cyntheris moved with concentrated effort, as if sheer force of will could help her overcome her body’s weakness. Bleeding from several wounds, she was unsteady on her feet.
Magaera pointed at the sea-gate. Its entire center blazed, roiling like a star gone nova. “Send her through.”
“My death is not the end,” Cyntheris cried out before she vanished into the swirl of energy. Her screams of terror echoed on even after she’d vanished.
No one moved. Or dared to breathe.
A heap vaguely resembling a person came spilling back. The skin on the corpse was leathery, sucked down to the bone. Cyntheris’s body had been completely drained of every last mineral.
Too shocked to think clearly, Tessa gasped, horrified. Her mouth dropped open and it was all she could do not to scream. She pressed a hand to her mouth. “By the goddess,” she breathed.
Kenneth’s eyes were equally wide with shock. “What the hell just happened?”
Jake ambled over, prodding the corpse with an expensive leather loafer. “That’s just the problem,” he said. “We don’t know yet. Every time we send someone through the gate, it spits them out. Right now we’re just testing a few theories.”
Tessa smiled sweetly. “Why don’t you give it a try?”
Jake bared his teeth right back. “Actually, sweetheart, I was saving that honor for your boyfriend. He came through the gate unscathed, so I’m thinking it might be safe to send him back.” His smiled widened. “Or not.”
Icy fingers wrapped around Tessa’s heart. Her breath caught in her lungs. She shook her head. “No.”
Jake ignored her. “How about it, partner? Are you feeling lucky today?” He pointed to the gate as if a side-show barker. “There’s a fifty percent chance you’ll get through.”
Kenneth shrugged. “Why not? I seem to be into investing in losing ventures. I took a chance on a fucker like you, and look what it got me.”
Jake tsked. “Oh, come on. It’ll be the biggest adventure of your insignificant life.” He arched a cruel brow.
Face livid with pain and rage, Kenneth stared through simmering, narrow eyes. “You’re welcome to have the honor.”
The archaeologist laughed. “No dice. That’s why they put the monkeys in space first. The theory had to be tested with big dumb animals.”
The eyes of the two men locked, each assessing the other, both refusing to back down from the path each had to pursue.
The Mer guards pushed Kenneth toward the sea-gate.
Maddened by the thought of losing him, Tessa struggled to break free from her captors. “I’ll go.”
Queen Magaera smirked. “That is the idea, my dear. Although I can’t be sure, I believe I know exactly why we cannot get through the sea-gate.”
“But it’s all speculation at this point,” Jake added. “You were first through the sea-gate. We’re thinking you might be the answer to getting back to our side. It’s a long shot, but it’s all we’ve got at this point.”
“And if it kills me?” Tessa shot back.
Jake shrugged. “Tough shit, babe. Better to be alive on this side, than fried to a crisp trying to go home.”
Tessa bared her teeth in a fierce scowl. “Your sentiment truly touches my heart, asshole.”
Thrust toward the sea-gate, Tessa stumbled. She landed on her knees, barely a foot away from the roiling mass separating Ishaldi from the human world.
Shivering from head to toe, she looked into the center of the mass.
That thing’s going to eat me alive
.
Struggling to master her fear, Tessa slowly climbed to her feet. She stepped toward the gate, held out her hand.
“Tessa, don’t!” she heard Kenneth call.
She refused to look back.
I love you
, she thought, and passed through the threshold with a single determined step.
A rush of energy came at her from all sides, snatching her off her feet. The electric tension grew, a mass of flame and heat detonating all around her.
Shaking, burning, Tessa felt as if she were about to shrivel up into ashes and blow away. She tried to scream, but the sound was locked in her frozen throat . . .
The moment Tessa stepped through the gate, Kenneth caught and held his breath. His first instinct was to turn his head away. He didn’t want to see her remains spat back like so much refuse. Despite his fear, he forced himself to watch. And wait.
One endless minute dragged by. And then another.
Magaera smiled, pleased. “She’s made it through.”
Jake smiled back, simpering. “I thought that might be part of the problem.”
The Mer queen nodded. “It would have taken only seconds to reject her. If our theory holds, we should all be able to pass through now.”
Jake paced in front of the sea-gate. “Only one way to find out.” He jerked a thumb toward Kenneth. “If he makes it through, our theory is sound. After that, I’ll go through.”
Magaera considered his proposition. “But how do I know I can trust you once you are on the other side?”
Jake’s mouth twisted briefly, cynically. A tormented look flitted across his face. Then it vanished. “I have sworn to serve you in every way. My life’s work has been devoted to the rediscovery of Ishaldi and bringing the Mer back to their rightful place in Earth’s waters. I would never betray your trust.”
Queen Magaera’s face tightened. “Yet are these not people you once called friends?” she questioned, watching the archaeologist closely.
Kenneth watched, too. He sincerely hoped Jake was one hell of an actor. It would be nice if he was helping to secure their release instead of twisting the knives he’d planted between their shoulder blades. Tessa had gotten through the sea-gate and that was a point in Jake’s favor. Whether it was by accident or design, he had yet to discover.
Jake waved a dismissive hand. “I can make new friends.”
Kenneth cursed under his breath. The SOB seemed to be driving the blades deeper.
Arta Raisa stepped up. “May I suggest chaining the prisoner? He will be more easily controlled on the other side.”
Eyeing her prisoner, Magaera nodded. “Put the heaviest shackles on him, and see that chains span his hands.”
The Mer guards quickly moved into action.
Kenneth balked, resisting the impulse to fight back against the degradation of being chained like a dog. Jake batted nary an eye. His face was schooled to impassivity, a cautious blank. If he had any thoughts on the matter, he concealed them well.
One of the Mer guards offered the archaeologist a blade. “To control him.” She handed it over.
Jake considered the dangerous weapon. For a moment he wavered, swallowing hard. “I’ll handle him.”
The Mer guard led Kenneth to the sea-gate. The energy emanating from its center was electric, raising the fine hairs on his forearms. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if something went wrong.
Refusing to be cowed, he jutted out his chin. “Let’s get this over with.”
Jake stepped up beside him, just as he had the first time they’d gone through the gate. “I fucking hope this works,” he muttered under his breath.
Kenneth arched a brow. He’d like it just fine if the sea-gate chewed Jake up and spat out his bones. “Guess we’ll find out.”
They launched through the portal in a single bound.
The light shimmered around their bodies, attacking from all sides with a heady, suffocating weight. The power came fast, like fire rushing down a tunnel. It felt as though his skin were slowly turning itself inside out. Heat shot down his spine as arcs of light burrowed through his eyes to enter his skull.
Suddenly the light winked out.
It was all over.
Kenneth emerged on the other side. Dizzy and nauseous, but safe.
He stumbled forward, clumsily trying to break his fall with chained hands. He skidded across cold stone littered with sharp pieces of glass—the remnants of the crystal orb. Though the labradorite pillars were completely drained, the sea- gate provided a dim but workable illumination.
The sound of a body hitting the floor beside his told him Jake had passed through, as well. “Shit! That hurts!”
Tessa hurried over from the far side of the chamber. “Guys?” The tone of her voice was relief mingled with delight.
Happy to see she was safe, Kenneth pushed himself up. “Are you all right?”
Eyes wide and anxious, Tessa helped him stand. “I’m fine.”
His gaze locked with hers. “You should have left.”
She shook her head. “Couldn’t do it. I had to wait for you.”
“Aw. Isn’t love grand?” Dagger in hand, Jake rolled to his feet. “I can’t believe it worked. We’re back.”
Tessa eyed the weapon in her ex-lover’s hand. “Do you think you can put that thing away?”
Jake considered the sharp-edged blade in his hand. “I—I . . . can’t.”
Head still spinning, Kenneth climbed to his feet. “Snap out of it, man. It’s over. We’re out.” His stomach squeezed, boiling with anxiety. “This is our chance to get going before those bitches get through.”
“You’re not seriously on their side,” Tessa added. “You can’t be. They’re evil.”
Jake’s mouth thinned. “As much as I want to, I can’t let you go.”
Wrong answer
, Kenneth thought.
Seeing his chance, he had to take it. His hands might be shackled, but his legs weren’t.
Acting with split-second timing, he launched a hard kick toward Jake’s legs. Caught by surprise, the archaeologist crumbled. He blindly slashed out with the blade.
Tessa’s foot came down hard across his wrist. “Let go!” She smashed down hard.
Jake howled and tried to roll away. “You’re hurting me!”
“Tough shit.” Kenneth slipped his cuffs over Jake’s head, making a garrote. “Don’t make me kill you, man.” He applied enough pressure to let Jake know he was serious. “I will if I have to.”
“We just want to get out of here,” Tessa added. “You can stay.”
Jake’s fingers scrabbled at his throat, digging at the thick chain pressing into his windpipe. “Okay, Okay!” He half coughed, spittle running down his chin. “Go. Just go.”
Kenneth eased up. “Once we’re gone, you can do whatever the hell you want.”
Tessa’s sudden yelp tore through the chamber. “Oh, God, look out!”
Half a dozen Mer soldiers swarmed around them, tackling Kenneth from all sides. Something hard and heavy knocked him soundly on the left temple.
“Back off!” one of the women ordered sharply.
Head reeling from the blow, Kenneth staggered back. Had he been on his own, there would have been no hesitation. He would have continued to fight. But Tessa . . . No, he couldn’t risk her life.
Full of bitter conflict, he ceased all movement. “I’m backing off,” he mumbled. One minute they’d been ahead. The next minute they were outnumbered.