Fields of Blood (The DeathSpeaker Codex Book 2) (8 page)

“Great.” I sighed and looked at the dark gray, cloud-choked night sky. This rain wasn’t going to let up soon. “Well, you can hang out in my van, then,” I said. “You’re officially invited.”

“Thank you. I will consider your offer.”

I smirked. “Got a lot of other offers to think about?”

“No, I suppose I do not.” He gave a faint smile. “Go on,” he said. “Taeral must know what you’ve learned of Milus Dei. I will survive the rain.”

“All right. Van’s there if you want it.”

Sadie hung back as I closed the door. “He’s really just going to stand out there?” she said.

“Apparently.” My opinion of Reun had gone up a few pegs. I still thought he was an arrogant asshole, but he was trying. I’d definitely give him that. “Think Taeral’s in his room?” I said.

“He is in the parlor,” a grinding voice answered.

I flinched. Damn, I’d forgotten about Grygg again. Considering how huge he was, not noticing him was surprisingly easy. He moved about as often as tectonic plates. “Thanks, Grygg,” I said. “Um…don’t go out there and rip Reun’s arms off, okay?”

“If you insist.”

I couldn’t tell if he was making a joke, so I decided not to laugh.

Sadie and I went in and found Taeral at the same table as before, but less conscious. Normal arm folded on the surface, head resting on it. Another full, unopened bottle in his metal hand. Unfortunately, that could just mean it was a fresh one he hadn’t started on yet.

“Taeral.” I crossed the room and shook his shoulder gently.

He was on his feet in a flash, so quickly I didn’t even realize he’d moved. And somehow, there was a knife in his hand. Then the furious expression he’d locked on me faded, and he slumped back in the chair. “You are drenched. And bleeding again,” he muttered, making the knife disappear. “What’s happened now—has your great army found us?”

“Not exactly.”

I told him about the kid.

“Taeral, they’re going after my pack. My sister.” Sadie dropped into the chair across from him and started fidgeting with her spirit bag. “I mean, I hate the rest of them. But they’re still family, you know? And Elara…she was only ten when I left. She had nothing to do with what happened.”

Taeral looked slowly from her to me. “You’ve brought Reun into this?”

“Listen, if that’s all you got out of what I just told you, you’re even more obsessed than he is,” I said. “By the way, he’s standing outside in the pouring rain right now because you threw him out, and he can’t come in without your permission.”

“Aye. That’s exactly why I cast him out.”

“He’s not that bad, you know.”

“Really.” Taeral’s eyes shone with a warning light. “You think you know him, now? Perhaps he’s convinced you that he is a kind, benevolent Seelie who’d not have harmed a soul, but for his regrettable promise. And, of course, the centuries he’s spent hunting down Unseelie and hauling them before the Summer Court, to dole out their twisted brand of justice.” He sat up straighter and glared at me. “Save for that, he is surely a beacon of noble virtue,” he said flatly.

I shuddered. “Okay, so maybe he is that bad. He never mentioned what he hunted.”

“Of course he’d not.”

“Anyway,” I said. “We were talking about Sadie’s family.”

Just then, a strange sound drifted through the air. A kind of clicking, buzzing rattle, like a penny sitting on a dashboard with the engine running.

Sadie made a choked noise, pulling the spirit bag over her head and off. It vibrated at the end of the cord. “They’re calling,” she whispered. “Oh, God. I’m too late…”

She opened the drawstring pouch and dumped the contents of the bag on the table.

It was full of bones.

The assortment of small, knobbed bone fragments was clearly human, extensively discolored with age. Knuckle bones, metatarsals and phalanges—fingers and toes—and a few that looked like teeth. Or fangs.

They vibrated briefly on the table surface like rattling dice, and then fell silent.

Sadie leaned over the bones. “
Kehwe.
I’m here,” she said. “It’s Sadie. Who is this?”

Nothing happened.

“Did you lose them?” I said uncertainly. I had no idea how magic bags worked.

“No. It takes a minute for the spirits to relay the message.”

“Spirits?”

She pointed to the bones. “Of my ancestors.”

“Oh.” Carrying the bones of your dead relatives around in a little pouch wasn’t creepy at all. “Hasn’t your family heard of cell phones?”

“Hush.”

Soon the bones rattled again. This time, the sounds somehow formed words in a toneless, dead-dry voice.

“
Sadie, it’s Marlon. We need your help. Elara is gone.
”

She clapped a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. After a long pause, she said, “Do you know what happened? Tell me everything.”

The wait was longer this time—and so was the message.

“
She was taken by a group of humans with guns. Men in suits. Sparrow was near, but they didn’t find her. She said some of the humans had the ankh and sword, the symbol of legend. They’ve never come this far.
”

Again, Sadie put a hand over her mouth and paused. When she moved it away, she said, “Know that they won’t kill her. I’ll be there soon, Marlon. Watch for me.
Onen.
”

A shorter wait, and the bones rattled again.

“
We need to talk about Mom. Onen.
”

Sadie sat motionless for a long moment. Finally, she swiped the bone collection into a hand and poured it back in her pouch. “That was my brother,” she said thickly. “I have to go and help them. They have no idea how to deal with Milus Dei.”

I nodded. “All right, then. I’m going with you.”

C
HAPTER 11

T
he hope in Sadie’s eyes died fast. “You can’t come with me,” she said. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

“The hell I can’t. You’re not going up against those bastards alone.”

“Gideon, you can’t. You’re Fae
and
human—the two things they hate most.”

“Come on,” I said. “I’m pretty sure Milus Dei is an equal opportunity hater.”

She shook her head. “I meant my pack.”

“So they’ll hate me. I don’t give a damn.” This was insane. No way was I going to let her rush off to her death, or let them capture her again, to save a bunch of people who’d spent ten years pretending she didn’t exist. I knew that much, at least. “What are they going to do, kill me?”

“They might.” She stared at me with a dead expression, then shuddered and looked away. “You don’t know werewolves. And you definitely don’t know my family.”

“Perhaps she’s a point,” Taeral said slowly, not looking at anything in particular. “Your valor is admirable, Gideon, but you’ve a tendency to disregard your own safety. As you are the DeathSpeaker, no Other should allow you to gamble with your life.”

I barely noticed that my pendant had started glowing. The moonstone reacted like that sometimes, when I got incredibly pissed off—like it wanted me to use it. “She’s
not
going to face them alone,” I said in a low, tight voice. “Play the DeathSpeaker card all you want. You can’t stop me. Sorry, Sadie, but I’m going with you.”

“I’d not intended to stop you.” Taeral reached across the table and took Sadie’s hand. “We will both accompany you,
a’ghreal
,” he said hoarsely.

Her breath caught. “Taeral, I can’t ask you to do that,” she whispered.

“You’ve no need to ask. I am offering—and it appears
he
is demanding,” he said, gesturing at me. “Gideon is right. Though you are strong, the risk is too great for you alone.” He flashed a sardonic smile. “And where my foolish brother plunges headlong into danger, I must follow.”

Great. Like I didn’t already feel bad enough for being angry. “That’s another thing we need to work on,” I said. “You never mentioned you could die if you fail to protect me.”

“No, I did not. I saw no need to—” He closed his eyes. “Who’s told you this?”

“Reun.”

“Of course he did.”

“He also said I’m the reason you’re not at full power. Because of your promise.”

Taeral looked at me. I did not like his expression, at all. “Where is that Seelie bastard?” he growled.

“He’s outside,” I said. “Taeral…”

Without another word, he stood and stalked from the room.

Sadie and I glanced at each other and rushed after him.

We got to the door just in time to see Reun fly through the air and smash into the outer brick wall of the hotel. He staggered and dropped to his knees.

Taeral stomped after him. “How
dare
you speak to my brother of promises, after what you’ve done to me?” he roared, hauling him to his feet and holding him there. “If I’d no use for you, I’d destroy you where you stand, Seelie.”

“Taeral, stop. It’s something I should have known,” I said.

He glared at me through the beating rain. “You know nothing of this matter, Gideon. This one does,” he spat, turning a sneer on Reun. “I thought you arrogant enough for pleading your innocence on the basis of a
gealdht
, when you’ve twisted that very bond against me. I’ll not have you meddling in a promise that was not made to you. I
chose
to make this vow—unlike the one you forced me into.”

Astonishment crept into Reun’s pained expression. “I’ve not forced you into anything.”

“Are you actually trying to deny it?” With a vicious snarl, Taeral swung a fist into his jaw. Reun’s head snapped aside and smashed against the brick.

“Please,” Reun gasped. “I’ve no idea what you mean.”

“Your wife’s dagger! The stone circle!” Taeral shook him. “Do you mean to tell me you’ve
forgotten
?”

“I…”

“Taeral!” I dashed outside, mindless of the rain. The first time Reun was here, Taeral had already left before he explained what happened to his wife. “Whatever you’re talking about, he honestly might not remember,” I said. “If it has to do with his wife.”

“What?”

“It is true,” Reun said. He wasn’t even trying to escape Taeral’s grip. “Aeshara cast a curse on me, so I’d not remember her. She succeeded in erasing all but the memory of the night I killed her.”

Taeral stared at him. “You remember nothing she was involved in?”

“No. Nothing.”

He let go with a frustrated snort. “Well, then I’ll not remind you,” he said. “It may give you ideas for the future.”

“Taeral, please. Tell me what I’ve done, so I can atone for my transgressions. I swear I’ve changed.”

Taeral fixed him with a blank expression. “If you’ve truly changed,
Lord
Reun, you’ll not want to know.”

“Uh, guys?” I gestured at the sky, which was still currently soaking us all. “Any chance we can take this inside? I don’t know about you, but I’ve had plenty of showering today. And it’s getting cold.”

“Fine. I’d planned to allow the Seelie in,” Taeral said. “You may as well come now. Reun, you are welcome to enter my father’s house.”

Reun gave a bare nod. “I accept with thanks.”

“I’d not be thankful, if I were you.” He turned and headed for the entrance.

I had to wonder what Taeral was going for here. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good for Reun.

C
HAPTER 12