Betrayed (6 page)

Hysteria bubbled inside of me. She was lecturing me about some stupid link when Gavyn was already possessed by a demon and Bran could be next.

“Mrs. D, I want to help,” I said.

“No, honey. You’ve done enough.” Her voice gentled as she continued. “Go back to school. We’l let you know what’s happening once we send off the let you know what’s happening once we send off the trainees.”

“I can’t leave. I won’t be able to concentrate without knowing Bran is okay.”

Mrs. D pursed her lips then waved toward the visitor’s lounge. “Then take a seat and stay out of the way.”

“What is going on here?” A sharp voice asked from the doorway.

Master Haziel. Maybe he could help. I turned to explain, but he wasn’t looking at me. He pinned poor Mrs. D with his sharp onyx eyes.

“Get ready while we wait for the others,” he ordered and waved me over when she finished explaining.

I blinked, not sure I heard right. “You want me to go too?”

“Yes. You keep claiming that you are ready to hunt. Now is the time to prove it. Your friends wil need your help with the Lazari.”

Mrs. D’s eyes narrowed at the trainer’s words. She and Leather Face glared at each other then she humphed and went to work with Celeste. I sighed with relief.

Mrs. D and Haziel had never gotten along from day one. I didn’t know whether it was simply due to rivalry over who was the superior trainer or something more. Mrs. D had been my psi coach before Haziel arrived in the val ey while her boyfriend,
daisensei
Kenta, taught me martial arts.

Mrs. D and Haziel’s methods of teaching were as different as night and day, yet neither ever openly criticized the other. At times, I’d catch her watching us while I trained with Haziel. Whenever she did, he’d push me beyond my limit. The few times she found me close to tears after a brutal session, she offered kind words, a hug or an encouraging smile.

“Hurry up, Lil!” Haziel snapped.

Racing out of the room, I headed along the east hal way. The weapons room was hidden down a short passage with no visible doors. I stopped and pressed my palms against the east wal . It dissolved with a gust of cold air to reveal a doorway. Stepping inside the room, I laughed and did a quick dance.

I’m back…I’m back…I’m really, really back.

The timing sucked, but I was once more a hunter.

Yel ow fluorescent crystals il uminated the myriad of weapons—ninja stars and knives, gloves with retractable blades, bows and arrows, cross-bows, daggers and swords of different sizes, styles, and period. Taking up half a wal were replicas of the Kris Dagger, their signature wavy blades with ancient texts written in green glowing under the light.

Hidden among them was the real Kris, the Guardian’s most powerful weapon. My dagger. It was impossible to tel it apart from the others and no one would dare steal it because it didn’t respond to anyone but me.

A row of closets lined the back room—the Cardinals’ then the trainees’ section. Humming under my breath, I pushed open the door with my name and entered. Even the mundane task of pul ing on a pair of black pants, a matching tee, and a trench coat was exciting. I pul ed my hair back in a ponytail then reached for the calf-length boots. Last was the special black leather belt for the Kris. The ancient writings on the sheath glowed under the luminous light.

Back in the main room, I raised my hand toward the wal with the daggers.
Come.

The Kris drifted from the wal and floated down to me. Lifting one side of my coat, I let the dagger slide into its sheath. I doubted that I’d need other weapons, but it never hurt to be prepared. A wave of my hand and a shurikens belt lifted from a hook and snaked around my waist. I added the ninja stars and pushed a couple of throwing knives into the special pockets inside my boots.

The door opened with a gentle whoosh and in walked my friends.

“Hey, little sis.” Izzy sashayed over to give me a hug. Her curly black hair was up in a high ponytail, her smooth, gorgeous chocolate brown skin glowing as she smiled. “Nice to have you back,” she added before disappearing into her changing room.

Kim didn’t say anything, but she gave me a thumbs-up sign, the white tips of her manicured nails catching the light, blonde hair bouncing.

“Perfect timing, Red. We’re about to face the peskiest of al demons,” Sykes added in a sing-song voice and did some fancy footwork while he punched the air. He tugged at my ponytail as he walked past.

“Did you get some holy water?”

“She doesn’t need it. And quit cal ing it holy water.” Remy paused long enough to ask, “How are you holding up, kiddo?”

you holding up, kiddo?”

“Good,” I lied. He’d taken to cal ing me kiddo despite being only two years older than me. I had no idea why. “Are we using holy water now?”

“No. He means
piacol.
Go on to the office and see if you can get us a point of entry.” I shook my head at Sykes’ twisted sense of humor. Humans performed exorcism by using water sanctified by their religious leaders. We used
piacol,
special juice from a sacred tree grown in Xenith. It contained a concentrated amount of jadeite, the same special element used in our weapons and the Kris Dagger. The two liquids were completely different, yet they had the same effect on demons—

forcing them out of a person.

Back in the office, a smal group of Civilians gathered around the holographic image of the building I saw in Celeste’s vision.

“It’s Westlake Plaza in downtown Seattle,” Mrs. D explained when I joined them. “We believe the Cardinal and his brother are somewhere between the twenty-fifth and the top floor. Damien Corporation leased these floors three months ago.” She pointed at the upper stories as I moved closer for a better look.

Damien Corporation was one of the companies owned by Damien, a powerful dark Lord the Cardinals had never been able to corner and vanquish. He always managed to slip away just as they closed in on him. I could see Gavyn associating with Damien. He hadn’t stopped his evil ways. But Bran’s presence there made no sense. The darkened windows made it impossible to see inside despite the image being clearer than the one from Celeste’s memories. The building kept shifting to show different angles and sides.

“Is this a live feed?” I asked, already looking for a way in.

Mrs. D nodded. “From West Coast CP team.

The other floors are empty except the lower four. The fourth floor has a gym,” Mrs. D pointed at a few men and women on treadmil s, “a few conference rooms, and a terrace.”

It was the same terrace from Celeste’s memory. People were seated around the tables eating lunch, making it an unsuitable point of entry.

The garage underneath seemed equal y crowded. A bunch of children were visible through the glass wal s on the second floor.

The thought of a horde of Lazarus demons so close to children sent a shiver up my spine. Demons possessing children was against the law set forth in the beginning of time. But from what the trainees and Bran had told me, there was a breed of Lazari out there that didn’t seem to care.

I squinted at the first floor, studied the layout. It was busy with the lunch crowd in and around a restaurant. Mistral Kitchen, a sign read. Teleporting to the first floor was also out of the question. The garages, which the building appeared to have underground, might work, but chances of bumping into a car or ending up inside one packed with a family were high. Been there, done that. It wasn’t fun dealing with spooked people.

“Can you zoom in on the twenty-fourth floor?” I asked.

The image enlarged until I could see inside the rooms. It was empty and closer to the action.

We’d also bypass the heavy security in the lobby.

“It’s perfect.”

The other trainees joined us, packing more black metal spray bottles of
piacol
than heavy-duty hunting weapons.

“Let’s rol ,” Remy said. “You know the dril . Lil fol ows me. Sykes, you take the rear.”

***

As usual, my landing was as graceful as a hippo doing a pirouette. But the utter silence of the twenty-fourth floor was odd and eerie for a demon’s den. The sulphur scent of the Lazari in smoke form was barely there, yet the jadeite core of my amulet lit up like a Christmas tree, indicating the presence of demons. The Kris Dagger vibrated in its sheath, eager for action. I assumed a fighting stance and braced myself. Clasping the hilt, I pul ed it out.

Intense and exhilarating power surged through me. Pain fol owed as inky ancient scripts appeared under my skin, starting from the hand with the dagger and spreading throughout my body. I ground my teeth and bit back a sharp cry. The writings faded as the connection between me and the dagger solidified. The pain disappeared a little faster than our last blending. I shook my head to clear it and looked up.

The others had arrived and were watching The others had arrived and were watching me. I hated it when they did that.

“You okay?” Remy asked.

I nodded. The blending of my energy and the dagger’s wasn’t as painful as the first time I held it.

Then I thought the pain would kil me. Ignoring the others, I started searching for Bran’s psi energy.

“Am I the only one bothered by the silence?” Remy added.

“Glamour, dude,” Sykes said.

“I don’t care how powerful Llyr is. He can’t cast glamour this strong. I mean, despite the glowing jadeite,” he extended his arm to indicate the six-pointed amulets he and Sykes wore around their wrists, “we can’t hear a thing from upstairs.

Something isn’t right.”

I ignored the banter between the two and zeroed in on Bran’s location. Found him. I send a smal burst of energy to his psi. No response. No biggie. I increased the magnitude of the ping.

Nothing. I closed my eyes and searched for his energy. It was invisible, which meant his shield just went up.

“Locate them, Lil,” Remy said in a near-whisper.

“I just did. They’re somewhere upstairs. Bran is unharmed, but Gavyn…I can’t tel .”

“Tel him we’re here,” Remy added.

“His shield is up.”

“That’s not good,” Sykes mumbled. “But then again, we didn’t expect him to welcome a rescue with open arms.”

Remy pointed at the doorway. “Let’s go.” Hands gripping weapons, bodies coiled and eyes alert, we headed along a short hal way; one at a time. The mandatory five seconds between us in case of an ambush. The clear glass windows had no blinds and light poured into the empty rooms and hal ways. It was a perfect day for walking bare feet on the beach, not sneaking into a demon’s lair to save someone who obviously didn’t want to be saved.

I couldn’t believe Bran hid from me. He’d never done that before. On the other hand, we’d never faced Lazarus demons together either.

On the next floor, lights blazed on. The acrid scent grew as did my gag reflex. A door to our right ha d
Damien Technologies
written in bold letters and a lightning insignia above it. Through the glass, computer desks separated by partitions stretched between corner offices. Black blinds covered tinted windows, stopping light from seeping inside.

No Lazari. No Bran or Gavyn either.

Dread curled my stomach into a tight knot as we continued up the next set of stairs.

Communication between us was limited to hand and head gestures, which was just as wel . The pungent stench made it impossible to breathe, let alone speak.

At the next landing I froze, my eyes widening.

There was a huge melted hole in the middle of the glass door. A woman’s lifeless body jammed between the door and the frame, propping it open.

Remy hurried forward, pressed his finger to her throat then lifted her eyelids. “Human. She’s barely alive.”

“She might make it if I teleport her to safety and take care of her wounds,” Izzy added.

“There are more. Look.” Kim indicated the inside of the office.

More bodies slumped over desks and glass partitions like rag dol s. Glass wal s and computer screens had burned holes, and desks were charred.

Wal s and ceiling smashed in like someone played ping-pong with a demolition bal . But bloody smears around the holes, and the tel -tale bloodied knuckles and fingers of the unconscious people told a different story.

“Why would the demons possess these people and force them to ransack the place?” Even before I finished the question, my heightened senses picked up unease in the air. I turned to look at the others, but they were busy moving from body to body, checking for signs of life. Maybe I was imagining discomfort from my friends. If they knew why Bran was here, they would have said so by now.

“They were probably searching for something only the employees knew about,” Remy answered.

Izzy winked at me. “But your man sure kicked some serious demon butt. Most of these people are alive, and their injuries are superficial. Kim, let’s teleport them to our entry point.”

Kim made a face. “Do we have to? They stink.”

Remy shot her a look. “The stench is in the air too, Larson. Help Izzy. And if one of them moves—” too, Larson. Help Izzy. And if one of them moves—”

“Knock him or her out,” Kim finished Remy’s sentence with an eye rol . “If stil possessed, squirt the dew in their eyes to expel the demon and protect the host…yada…yada…yada…. We know the dril .

Humans bring this upon themselves, you know.

Demons don’t go where they’re not welcome.

Sometimes I wonder if we’re doing people favors by running to their rescue then making them forget the experience.”

“Real y, Larson? You want to start that rant now?” Remy snapped.

Kim made a face. “I’m just saying.”

Kim’s gripe with humans was nothing new.

She, like the rest of the Guardians, put her life on the line every time she faced demons and was entitled to her own opinion. Sometimes I wish she would fal in love with a human. That would shut her up.

Remy nodded at me, then Sykes. “Let’s do a quick walk-through to see if they’re among the unconscious.”

Moving from body to body, I searched until I was at the other end of the room. Bran and Gavyn weren’t among them. Bran’s anger trickled to me.