Slip Song (Devany Miller Series) (34 page)

Nephele had an amused look on her face like she remembered―which was impossible. Then again, time travel and breathing underwater was impossible too, so what did I know?

Two of the fleshcrawlers brought out the
rashn
and once again its concentrated power lured me in. I didn’t shut my eyes or give myself over this time and managed not to stun them with unrestrained magic.

“
Our pact with your predecessor allowed us to live in peace, hidden away from the prying eyes of the world. The essence of the magic made our swamp unremarkable, unmemorable. This is what we would like from you in return for keeping your Skriven souls safe.”

“
I will do my best to fulfill my part.”

Nephele inclined her head. They began a slow, sonorous chant that beat their normal screeching speech. I went down into my control room and sat in the power center. Didn’t have the energy to look for the right controls so I decided I would just have to find what I was looking for where I sat. I had no idea how to go about making this place unforgettable and decided I would put together a collage of forgettable things in my head and push power into them. The brute force approach worked when all else failed, right?

Forgettable. The color grey. Not like Jasper’s eyes but the grey of cloudy skies and nondescript clothes. The boring presenter who read from her slides. The teacher who did the same with the textbook. Flat land. White cars. Anniversary dates? I snickered then told myself to shut up and grow up. It didn’t quite work. Geezus, as if I needed to have a mental break down now.

Concentrate. It took me a few moments to get over the brain fart and then I began putting energy into my thoughts. I pictured Skriven getting bored just thinking about the swamp, humans getting chills and walking away, witch-folk forgetting the swamp as soon as they were distracted, a certain invisibility that was unremarkable or uninteresting.

I pushed from the core of the heart, drawing from the Source of the Slip, the swamp, and the
rashn
itself. ‘Forget. Those who do not live here. Forget.’

The control room began to light up as the power grew. Dials flashed, metal parts vibrated and pulsed. Some toggle switches began clicking maniacally back and forth. Steam whistled out of one of the remaining cracks in the main housing. “Forget!” I let go of the built up power. A huge clap of noise and light exploded around us. The
rashn
burst like a overfilled balloon, the superheated Source scouring every one of us who stood in the circle.

I opened my eyes. Blood oozed from each one where the
rashn
had pummeled them. I supposed I looked the same and decided I’d had enough of the swamp. If I could help it, I would never come back here again.

“
Did it work?”

Nephele looked positively orgasmic. “So much power.” Her black eyes landed on me and I felt a rush of fear.

“Yeah. Lots of power. And more where that came from.”

She licked her lips. Another of the fleshcrawlers swam toward me and I pushed back in the water best I could trying to avoid the grasping hands.

“I’ll take it all back. I’ll invite every witch, every Wydling, every duallie, every human, every Skriven--”

“
Stop. We won’t hurt you.” She didn’t look like she was convinced of it herself. “Come, I’ll take you back to the surface now.” When I didn’t move toward her outstretched hand, she said, “I promise I will not harm you this day.”

This day. That was gratitude for you. I took her hand and mentally prepared to launch World War Three on her ass. She tugged me through the water, traveling fast enough to make my ears pop over and over again. Since they were still sore from being ruptured it wasn’t too pleasant a journey. I almost cried in relief when we hit the surface and didn’t even flinch when she came up behind me and Heimliched the water out of my lungs. Yeah, I puked again. Still better than being below.

I wiped my mouth but couldn’t bring myself to say thank you. Instead I said, “Key?”

She had a sly look on her face. “You aren’t supposed to have it yet.”

My stomach did a swoop. “What?” I thought back to our last encounter. Had she been wearing something around her neck that time? I couldn’t remember seeing it but then again, I had no idea it existed then.

“
The Originator who gave this to me told me you would be here for it. You do know she looks to have you killed? She is afraid because you know how to kill them.” Nephele’s black eyes shone in the gloom of the swamp. “She took one of my sisters. As insurance.” Her teeth flashed and she lifted the key over her head. “She doesn’t understand our people if she thinks that will stop me from betraying her.”

I took the key, feeling sick to my stomach. “What about your sister? Amara isn’t nice.”

She hissed. “Neither is my sister. They can be not-nice together. Now that Anyang is gone, I have a chance at power and I intend to take it.” She swam a few feet away then turned back. “Don’t expect a warm welcome if you come again. All debts are balanced. If you need favors you’ll pay for them dearly.” She went ass over head in the water and disappeared before I could think of anything appropriately sarcastic to say in return.

-TWENTY-FOUR-

“What the hell happened?” Tytan asked as I dragged myself out of the muck and collapsed on the mushy ground.

“
Everything that could go wrong. I did get the fading part right though.” I shut my eyes for a moment. Swallowed. How would Nex take the death of his queen? I opened my mouth to tell him and my stomach protested its contents once more.

Jasper knelt by me and I could feel the healing magic working its way into me. Like Jasper, it was gentle and warm. Tytan squatted down beside me too and I felt his fingers moving aside my shirt. His curse pleased me. “Not as bad as you, though,” I said.

“Which one of them tried to chew your head off?” The violence in his voice pleased me too. I was one sick puppy.

“
The queen. She didn’t believe my story.” Of course. Duh. “So she dragged me down to the bottom to kill me. Nex? I’m sorry. Nephele killed Anyang.” I tried to put sympathy in my voice but I really wasn’t that sorry.

“
I understand. My queen was always a vicious creature and would rather kill than negotiate. It is one of the things that first attracted me to her.”

I thanked my lucky stars I wasn’t a fleshcrawler. Then I realized Nephele had never said what the poison was though I believed she’d worked to get it out of me. “What’s the fleshcrawler poison do? Please tell me it won’t change me. I’d rather die. No offense, Nex.”

“None taken,” he said, as unperturbed as ever. “She poisoned you?”

I nodded. The bite didn’t hurt, felt more numb and rubbery than painful.

“I doubt that’s true. You wouldn’t be alive otherwise.”

Someone―Tytan—touched my thigh. “Do you ever shave?”

“Excuse me?” I tried to sit up and Jasper held me gently prone. “Stop gaping at my legs.”

“
You’re white enough to be a vampire,” he said, his fingers brushing the wound there.

Jasper glared at him. “She almost died.”

He shrugged then winced. His wounds still hurt. “So did I. Nex?”

Nex floated toward my hairy legs and I made a weak attempt to kick Tytan. He just caught my leg under his arm and grinned at me. “They drained you?”

“I don’t know. They said they pushed the poison out. Now let go and stop staring.” My face was getting hot and I cursed myself for being embarrassed.

“
Devany, sweet. If they drained you, what on earth did they fill you up with?”

“
I don’t know.” I pushed Jasper away and sat up, curling my legs toward my body. Well, one, anyway. Tytan still held the other. “Give me my leg.”

Nex looked thoughtful but didn’t say anymore. Surprise. He’d probably tell me months down the road that, ‘Oh yeah, you’re going to turn into a worm. I would’ve told you sooner but you would’ve just worried.’

“We need to meet up with the Carnicus and do the next thing.” I tugged again and Ty finally set me free, letting his fingers slide along my flesh as I pulled away. I shivered and not from cold. “Where can you be that’s safe?”

“
She won’t set foot on Earth or Midia.”

“
You sure? I mean, she was here.”

He raised his eyebrows. I showed him the key. “Nephele said Amara gave it to her and said I’d be coming for it. We’re getting played.”

He cursed again. “We need to find where she keeps her souls. Set them free. That would keep her busy.”

I pictured a bunch of beautiful innocents being hunted and killed by savage Skriven and had to press my hand to my stomach and breathe to keep from puking again. “No. We can’t.”

“Devany, she plans to do the same to you.”

“
It’s wrong. I know I’ve done bad things but I’ve tried to cause the least harm. A bloodbath of my own making would be wrong, no matter how advantageous it would be right now. No.”

He looked away from me, the muscles under his jaw jumping.

“Tytan. I want to kill her and I’ve been wracking my brain to figure out how. Because she hurt you and she will do it again given the chance. But I don’t want to become her. I don’t want to be someone who can condemn souls to die because it suits my purposes.” I touched his arm and waited until he could look at me again. “We can grab Vasili too. He’s in danger, especially if Amara knows I was shot back in time. Then we can work a fade spell around my house. It’ll keep them from finding any of you. Combined with protection spells and your offensive strength, you all ought to be able to withstand an army.”

“
One determined Originator can do a lot of damage.”

“
Yes I can.” I smiled at him and after a moment, he returned it. God those dimples.

We grabbed Vasili and convened at my house. Arsinua wasn’t happy to have two Skriven in the same place as she but agreed they would help power any spells she wove, especially if I allowed them to pull as much Source through me as they needed to defend the place. I also asked her to work the fade spell on the house and every person/thing in the house. Together we fueled Arsinua’s working and the spell settled into place with a resonant boom that sounded bigger than the world.

With everyone as protected and hidden as I could make them, Jasper, Nex, and I hooked to Banishwinds to put destiny into motion. A strange elation filled me as we got closer to the Carnicus and the Wilds. Elation and anticipation. I tried to tell myself it was because I could fix the things I fucked up last time. I tried to tell myself it was just because this time I might be able to save Sharps from her asshole brother. I tried to tell myself that I couldn’t be so shallow that I was excited to meet Kroshtuka all over again and maybe, just maybe, take him up on his offer of making love without the need for a contest.

Then we got to the place where, last time, the Carnicus of Nightflowers had camped, to find a big empty lot with trampled grass and garbage. “They’re gone,” I said, staring in disbelief at the trash pile at the far end of the camp. “What the hell?”

“She had a hand in this, the Originator,” Nex said. He was disappointed too, I heard it in his voice. Would he have taken Quorra up on her offer to cuddle the first time she asked? I thought he would have. If the damn fucking wagon train had been where it was supposed to be.

“
I guess we follow them,” I said, disappointment riding me.

“
We’ll be lost in the Anwar,” Jasper said. “Magic doesn’t work the same there as it does near the witch towns.”

“
I know.” Jasper and I hadn’t shared a kiss, as far as this Jasper knew, anyway. I felt sad that I would miss that too and then castigated myself for being a selfish person. “Still, we have to find Cyres before the bitch does. Can you imagine what Amara would do to your sister?” Tytan’s soul deserved safety and peace. Not torture at the hands of a monster. “Maybe we can find a guide at the tavern.” We hadn’t stopped this time because I knew the answers, or thought I did.

The tavern was fuller than last time we’d visited, though it was also later in the day. The bartender was busy filling drinks and arguing with a hairy guy about that day’s sales. Right. The slave market. I glanced at Jasper and he looked pale. I put my arm around him and gave him a squeeze. “Never again.”

I was tempting fate, saying never so many times but damn it, what was the point of having lots of power if I couldn’t use any of it for good?

“
I hope not.”

Hope was a good thing. We sat at the crazy bar again where the little things inside were flying around like crazy. Or were they swimming? My stomach lurched at the thought. I decided I wasn’t swimming again for a long time. I hadn’t been that turned off by water since watching Jaws as a kid when my Girl Scout troop had a movie night.