“I assure you I am using no magic.”
Oh, hell. His normal voice was like smooth whiskey and I really wanted a drink. I pinched the top of my nose.
Concentrate, Gillian.
I opened my eyes to see Arath with a curious glint in his eyes. “Does your head pain you?”
“No. Look, I don’t like asking for your help, but I have to get the portals closed immediately. Is there any way you can help me? I know your magic is strong, and hell, I friggin’ hate this but could you please tell me if there is something we can do together?”
The demon king cocked his head as if he were contemplating an entirely different scenario.
The scary part was I liked the look in his eyes even though I should have been totally repulsed.
Jeez, get it together. You’re tired. Just get this done and go home.
I turned away from the look that made my lower belly heat with fire and faced the ocean. “Please.” I squeaked out the word.
“I did not explain to the clans because they would panic. The portal you opened to come here has already collapsed, tainted by the evil magic that pervades our universe. It is fortunate that it happened after you exited, or you would have been crushed.”
He didn’t sound happy about the idea, which was comforting in a way. “I believe we can combine our powers to solve several problems at once.”
Something in his tone made me think he knew more than he said. “Did you do something? Is that why your people keep stealing things from Earth? I need to know.”
His eyes flashed a fiery orange. “I am an honorable being. I only want peace. I do not use my power to harm. I have many riches and have no need to steal.”
“My apologies, King Arath.” I bowed my head. “I know that you are powerful. I can feel it rolling off of you.”
“You have no idea what I can do.” His hand thrust into the air. “I can close the portals here, but I can also help you to keep all the portals going to Earth, from every world, locked.”
I coughed. “What?”
“Guardian, you waste my time and yours. We must do this quickly. I would do most anything to keep war from happening between worlds right now, as I am trying to establish peace on my planet. You came for help. I am giving you more than you ask. We must do this now. There is no more time.” There was a sense of urgency in his voice.
Something in his tone made me stop. If he was worried, much like my mother, then things were bad.
You must shut everything down.
He demanded this without speaking. I realized I could hear him in my mind. He took my hands in his and his touch sent a zinging sensation through my nerves.
Jeez.
“Arath, I don’t have enough power to shut them all at once and bind them. I have to do it one at a time.” I tried to pull my hands away, but he held tight.
“You will use my power. Guide it as you need, but this must be done.” I couldn’t keep from staring at his face. His eyes glowed a deep fiery orange.
He wasn’t telling me the truth—not all of it, anyway.
His frown deepened as if he knew why I hesitated. “Just do as I ask, and I will tell you what you need to know.”
My lawyer instincts kicked in with the phrase “need to know.” This time I yanked my hands from his. “I want the truth now!” I bit out the words and backed to the door, prepared to draw my weapons if necessary.
“I am King Arath, and you will make no demands, Guardian Key.” He roared, using his lion’s voice.
“You can growl all you want, Arath. You aren’t using me unless I know why it’s so important to you.”
He paced back and forth. “I’m sworn to protect my people, and I cannot tell you.”
“Then I can’t help you.” I tried to open the door but it was locked. “Open the door, Arath.”
“I will not. You must see reason.” He sighed. “This is best for both our worlds. Is that not enough? Why must you protest?”
Because I’m stubborn and I don’t like being lied to. And something weird is going on here.
“Why can’t you just tell me the truth and solve both our problems?”
He shook his head. “You are a fierce woman. I do not wish to battle with you.”
My right eyebrow shot up. It does that when I’m amused. “Yeah, can’t say I’m excited about fighting you to the death either.” I had an icky feeling about how that might end. “So we need a compromise. You tell me why it’s so important and I’ll help you.”
That made him laugh, but it wasn’t a happy sound like before.
“Very well,” he grumbled. “I will tell you this. There are those in my world who wish to do great harm to your people. You call it revenge. While I am not fond of the humans, I do not wish them dead. Hence, I shall close the portals.”
“That’s not really news. The demons have hated humans for centuries.”
“Yes, but unfortunately for you, now they have the power to do something about it. Please, Guardian, trust me. We must do this quickly, before any more can cross over.”
I had a feeling he still wasn’t telling me everything, but technically it was my job to keep his kind out of my world.
“Fine. Do we do it here?”
He moved to the door. “Follow me.”
We went back out into the hall and through the door to the left. The light was dim, but I could make out an ornate marble altar filled with candles. I noticed several piles of jewelry. Some looked like papal rings. There was artwork, and weapons. It looked like a large pile of gifts.
I cleared my throat.
Arath followed my line of sight. “I will explain later.”
There was no use arguing with him. “Okay, now what?”
With a wave of his hand the door shut. “You must remove your weapons. The magic will make metal extremely hot.”
A guardian never laid down her weapons, especially when visiting another world.
“You will come to no harm in my company.” It really was as if he could read my mind.
That is a scary thought.
I sighed as I took out my sword, knives, and gun and laid them on the counter behind me.
“Take my hands in yours.” He reached out to me.
I did what he asked. The energy sizzled when we touched. His hands were rough, like they were used to hard labor. Not surprising, since before he was a king, he’d been a great warrior. Still his grip was gentle.
“You must close your eyes before we begin and keep them so. The magic could blind you, if you open them. You must trust me.”
I liked being able to see so I did what he said. Weird doesn’t begin to explain how it felt holding hands with my eyes closed as if we were playing a game of some sort. Only this time the fate of many worlds depended on just how well we played.
“Lak, nak to dol amp storn de ku.”
He repeated the phrase over and over again and the power built within us both. It began in my core, a deep warmth, and shot out through my hands.
I’d taken out my translator so it wouldn’t burn my ear. I had no idea what the chant meant, but I could feel its power—his power. The louder his voice became the stronger the bond between us. I no longer knew where my hands ended and his began.
Even with my eyes closed I could see the bright light coming from his body. As tempted as I was to look, I remembered his warning. He hadn’t exaggerated.
“You must concentrate, Guardian.” Embarrassed that I’d been so easily distracted, I focused my mind on the glow I felt around me.
The energy pulled in every direction and suddenly I saw from Arath’s eyes. They were focused on several dark swirling holes in a great expanse of the universe. As many times as I’d traveled through portals, I’d never actually seen one from space. The mass, which looked like several dark tornadoes, twirled so fast it made me feel unsteady to watch it.
“I am with you. Guide my power as you need.” Arath’s voice seemed to come from a great distance.
For a moment I didn’t know what to do.
“Follow your instincts,” he encouraged. “You have the power.”
I took the golden glow I felt and mentally wrapped each of the portals I could see, then locked them with a large golden key I had imagined. I’d done this before with my sisters’ help, but it was much easier this time around. In fact, rather than feeling tired after I closed the portals, my body became more energized with each one.
“Good.” Arath’s energy never wavered. If anything, he, too, grew stronger as each one slammed down.
As I locked the last one, I felt something dark and menacing reach out to me. This was the black magic the demon king had spoken of, and he hadn’t overstated it. It was more powerful than anything I’d ever felt.
“No!” Arath’s roar made me jump and my eyes opened for a split second. The shimmering gold light temporarily blinded me, and I squeezed them shut again, praying I hadn’t just seared my retinas. For a moment it had looked as though my hands were holding the sun.
The demon king chanted again, never loosening his grip on my hands. The darkness I’d felt before dissipated. He let go of me, and I fell back against the counter where I’d left my weapons, my breath coming in gasps. The light was so bright I put my arm in front of my eyes to protect them. The energy surrounded me as if it might swallow me whole, then the room went dark.
Once I’d adjusted to the candlelight I watched as Arath moved toward the altar and knelt. He whispered as if repeating a prayer. A demon who prayed? The universe wasn’t the only thing that had shifted. I felt like I’d just stepped into Surreal World.
As he rose and turned to me, I noticed he didn’t seem tired at all. Quite the contrary. He seemed even stronger somehow. I’d never seen anything like it.
My hand slid behind me to my sword.
“What are you?”
CHAPTER 12
Before he could answer, pain seared through my
head. “What the—” It was the last thing I said before I slid to the floor.
The next thing I knew, Arath held me in his strong, muscled arms.
I managed to open one eye. “What happened?”
“Your human form isn’t made to channel the kind of energy you pulled from me. You had a temporary collapse, but you are fine now.”
That reminded me of my earlier question, but this time we were interrupted by a pounding on the door.
“Yes,” Arath bellowed.
“Master, the court awaits your arrival. The traitor has been brought to the center.”
The crease in his brow told me Arath didn’t look forward to whatever was about to happen.
“Traitor?”
“Yes. I must go.” He sat me up on the counter. “I may be gone for a while, but I will return. Please do not leave this room. It is not safe for you to wander the castle.”
His words were meant to be protective but they irked me more than anything.
“No disrespect, King Arath, but I can hold my own in a demon court and have done so many times in the past. I prefer not to hide away in a corner. It makes me look weak, and that’s never a good thing for a Guardian.”
It surprised me that he actually listened. “You must be careful. My people are anxious and they want a fight. It is difficult for them to understand what is happening with the shift. Many of them live by trading with other worlds, and now their means of travel have been closed off. You protect those portals, and they will see you as an enemy.”
Pulling my shoulders back, I smiled. “It won’t be the first time.”
I followed behind Arath at a respectful distance
until we arrived in the main hall. They had moved out his throne, a garish thing with a fur-lined seat.
PETA would have a
field day with that one.
Funny how he seemed to make the monstrosity work. He’d turned his magic on full force and it was easy to see his people were enthralled. This king had something none of the others had—charisma and real power.
I didn’t know exactly what he was, but it wasn’t demon. Oh, that was part of his makeup, but Aunt Juliet’s magic was clearly strong within him. He had melded our powers into one, and only an incredibly skillful mage could have done something like that.
Moving through the throng without touching anyone proved difficult. I didn’t want to push my luck. I finally found a space where I could have my back to a wall and ready access to my weapons.
As he sat, his demon hordes knelt. I’d seen them bow before, but never had I seen them on their knees. At least what might have been knees. There were four-legged creatures, and flying ones, but they all showed a deep respect for the man.
The crowd stood and backed away. A nasty-looking monster with three dog-looking heads was shoved into the open area before Arath’s throne.
“My lord.” The demon behind the dog bowed. “I am Comdar and I have brought you the scum Santra. He is responsible for organizing the raids on the Earth planet.”
The ugly dog howled. “It is a lie.”
“Silence!” Arath bellowed at the creature. It cowered and made itself as small as possible. The king’s power shot out in waves around the room. I could feel the tension.
“Santra, when you stole from my camp during the Loring War, what did I tell you?” The scowl on his face made Arath look very much like a demon. “Answer me.”
The dog monster kept its heads down. “King Arath, I beseech you, please. I am a thief. I admit this. But I did not do this thing they say. I would not betray you, my lord.”
“Your sniveling will not save your hide this time.” The king walked down to the monster, which still had not looked up. He put his hand on the center head, and there was a hush in the crowd.
Arath’s scowl never changed. “Santra, you are a liar. You did not plan this alone, but you were one of the conspirators.”
The crowd grew excited. The anticipation of what might happen next had them salivating. They weren’t so very different from humans in that respect.
The creature seemed to fold into itself in defeat.
“Clede, bring me my staff,” Arath ordered his second in command.
The demon closest to him handed the king a long wooden pole with intricate carvings.
Arath seemed to grow taller, his chest wider, and his entire body turned red. Fangs shot out from his mouth and his eyes burned a bright orange. The staff became a stick of flames in his hand. “I sentence you to death, traitor.” The fire engulfed the creature, and it became nothing more than a pile of ashes in less than five seconds.