Killing Land (Rune Alexander Book 8) (21 page)

He put his hand to his chest. “What
was
it?”

She glanced around,
then
beckoned
them closer.

Denim, Levi, Raze, and Ellis gathered around her.

Those who lived in the camp were scurrying about, loud,
busy, and focused on getting their camp back to whatever normal it’d been
before the Annex had half destroyed it.

Still, they had ears.

And she didn’t want her voice carrying to the wrong ones.

“It’s a Shimmer Lord. It appears that Brasque Dray has been
crossed with a…” She stopped and shook her head. “I don’t know.
Other beings.
I have to try to reach into that mess and yank
him out. I want to know what he knows. I need to know how he got here so there
might be a chance of getting back to Skyll.”

Ellis drew back. “You said you weren’t going back.”

“I don’t want to go back permanently. I want our people to
return.”

“They don’t want to return,” Levi said. “You should leave
them there.”

He was right. But she couldn’t let it go.

“I have to do this.” Her voice was steady but her eyes, when
she looked at Ellis, were not.

He knew her.

He knew.

Her words were for him. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“I swear, Ellis. If I do find a way back there, it’ll just
be to carry the information to those we lost.”

He nodded again.

“I would never stay,” she insisted.

“I will carry the information for you,” Will the assassin
said, appearing with eerie suddenness at her back. “And you won’t have to go at
all.”

She jerked away. “You can’t go to Skyll. You’re not an
Other
.”

His eyes glittered behind the mask. “I can do it.”

“No, you can’t.”

“I’m addicted to your blood. I had your bite.”

“So?”

“So I can get into Skyll.”

She put her fist to her mouth.

Was it true?

Could those with her blood or her bite get into Skyll?

“How the fuck would you know that?” she asked.

“Strad Matheson got in.”

“He’s
Other
.”

The fabric over his mouth moved. “No, he isn’t.”

She wanted to hit him.

As though sensing that, he stepped away.

And even the hurrying camp people slowed to watch.

“You don’t know anything,” she spat. “You don’t know the
berserker, and you don’t know fucking Skyll. You’re guessing.”

He shrugged. “When the time comes, I’ll prove it.”

“Even if you could do that,” Raze said, “why would you want
to?”

The assassin never took his stare off Rune.
“Because she will feed from me in return.”

But he was lying.

She felt it.

Or maybe…

Maybe she was afraid he was telling the truth.

Fuck me.

Do I
want
to go back to Skyll?

But she didn’t want to know the answer. Not really.

Was the berserker human?
A super fucking
human, but human?

He’d thought himself
Other
, surely.
When the echoes took him, when he crossed over to Skyll, hadn’t he believed
himself
Other
?

How could she love someone she didn’t even know?

“You want to find a different world to hide in,” Levi told
the assassin. “
That’s
why you brought Rune here.”

Rune rubbed her temples. “I can’t trust you to find my
people, Assassin. And I can’t trust you to lead them back here.”

“I found a shortcut to your monster,” he said, not
acknowledging her words.

“I’m not biting you again.
Especially not
for a shortcut.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You don’t do favors unless you get something in return.”

“Don’t imagine you know me.”

She’d sighed. “What do you want for it?”

“Nothing.”

“Then show us the fucking shortcut.”

Her crew—including Ellis—walked with her back to the caves.

She wanted them to see Brasque.
Needed
them to.

 The shortcut was perfect.

Will took them past the cave entrance, up the hill, and over
a ridge behind the caves. He pointed, and Rune saw it.

A small black cave mouth leading into the
cave.

“There are more of them,” Will
said
,
standing at her side. “They all lead to different parts of these caves.
And to more secrets.
Most of them not
quite as terrible as the mutant gargoyle or your shimmer lord.”

The freak’s boudoir, as she’d dubbed it, was five minutes
from the newly discovered entrance.

Denim, Levi, and Ellis peered through the gloom at the thing
that had once been Brasque Dray.

“You can’t stay here,” Ellis said, once they were outside
again. He shuddered, his face pale. “You need to put it out of its misery, Rune.”

Levi looked at her. “I agree with him. That’s not a man
anymore. It won’t be able to tell you anything.”

“I’m going to try.” She kept her voice even, though she
wanted to scream. “I’m going back to see to Jack and Roma and then I’m coming
back here. Eugene will insist that you stay in River County.”

“We’re not leaving you here alone,” Raze said.

“She won’t be alone,” Will
said
.
“I’ll stay with her.”

“That’s reassuring,” Raze growled.

“Will,” Rune said. “I need you find Gavin and Bellamy. Tell
them to get to the field at Deer Creek. A helicopter is coming to pick them
up.”

He studied her for a long moment,
then
pulled a cell from his pocket. “I’ll tell Bellamy.”

Apparently, neither the assassin nor the gargoyles agreed
with Killing Land’s disdain of technology.

Ellis closed his eyes. “How long are you staying?” he asked
her, as Will walked away to make his phone call.

“I don’t know.
A week.”

He nodded. “A week, then you kill it and come home.”

“Deal.”

“Promise me.”

She crossed her arms. “Baby—”

“A week.
Promise me, Rune.”

“I promise.” But her voice was grim and she nearly certain
that was one
promise
she might not be able to keep.

“I’ll stay with you,” Denim said, after the others had
started walking back to camp. “If you’re staying here until you get some
answers, I’ll stay with you.”

Denim was the only one who hadn’t argued with her.

“Brasque is in there somewhere,” she swore. “He’s in there.”

“Yes,” Denim said. “He has to be.”

She blinked back the sharp sting of bloody tears,
then
punched the wall, happy with the immediate pain in her
hand. She was sick of her sudden tendency to cry like a fucking baby at the
slightest provocation.

Denim just watched her. It didn’t occur to him to chastise
her over her bloody, broken knuckles.

She looked at him, her heart mush.

“What?” he asked.

But she just shook her head.
“Nothing.”
She blew out a hard breath before continuing. “You’ll stay here until we figure
shit out?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“I’ll be back in two days.
Maybe one.”

He nodded, his thick braid sliding over his shoulder. “I
won’t let anyone get to him.”

“No one knows about this.
Only the crew.
So we shouldn’t have any trouble. The people are still trying to regroup after
their visit from the Annex.”

“Only the crew knows,” he agreed, “and the assassin.”

“I have him under control. My blood is a powerful and
persuasive tool for maintaining silence. He pisses me off again and he’ll die
from withdrawals.”

“I hope he believes that.”

“I think we can slip out of Killing Land without the people
realizing we left one behind,” Rune said. “But when I return, I don’t know if I
can come back into town and up here without them seeing me.”

“We’ll handle it if it happens.”

“I’ll send Grim in to help you watch the shimmer lord.”

“Grim and the assassin,” he said.

“I trust Grim more.”

“If he’ll agree to guard duty, I won’t argue.”

“He seems to know where he’s really needed.”

“Have you seen him since he stole the gargoyle’s heart?”

“No. But I will.”

“Did you talk to Eugene?”

“Yes. I didn’t tell him about Brasque.”

“What reason did you give him for coming back?”

“I didn’t tell him that, either. When I see him, I’ll tell
him the gargoyles are giving the people some trouble and I’m going to sort it
out.”

“Will they be trouble? They have to know something is going
on here.”

She nodded.
“Maybe.
But with Gavin
and Bellamy going to River County and Gage out of the picture, they’re
disorganized and confused.”

“Is Gage dead?”

“I’m going to find out before I leave. I’m not sure Gavin
would let him die.”

“Do
they
…” He hesitated, then
shrugged and continued. “Do they still freak you out as much as they did?”

She massaged her stomach, which had started churning at the
first mention of gargoyles.
“Maybe not as much.”

“We should go. I’ll need to get a few supplies up here.”

“The assassin can help you with that. He knows this place.”
She hesitated. “Don’t give him your back, Denim.”

“I’m not an innocent.”

“I know. But…just be careful.”

“It will be an interesting couple of nights.”

“Don’t walk back down with me. It’s best if the camp doesn’t
see you coming back up.”

He nodded.

“I’ll send Will up to get a list.”

“Thanks.”

“Call Levi and work it out with him,” she said, before she
walked down the hill. “He’s not going to want to leave you here.”

His smile was small, but there. “He’ll respect any decision
I make.
Just as he did with Lex.
You need to get
going.”

When she arrived back at the camp, Levi glanced up, saw her,
then
looked around for Denim.

“Where’s—”

Rune opened her mouth, and at that moment, his cell rang.

He turned away, pulling his cell from his pocket, and
seconds later, slid his cell back into his pocket.

When he met her gaze, his face was blank.

Levi wasn’t happy with his brother staying behind, but he
wouldn’t argue.

Rune said goodbye to Jill and with a deep breath of relief,
she and her crew left the camp of Killing Land and headed back to town.

Be okay, Jack
.

When they drove through town, they saw no one. No scarred
ex-convict with a grudge standing in the street, no gargoyles flying angrily
overhead.

No one.

Killing Land was dead.

No. Not dead.

Killing Land was hiding.

Plotting.

She was not surprised when Grim, his head low, stepped out
in front of her car. She stopped the car and Raze pulled in behind her.

“I’ll be right back,” she told Levi and Ellis, and jumped
out to have a chat with the big dog.

“Take care of Denim, Grim. I’ll be back.”

He just stared at her, his eyes like dark, shiny glass.

“What?” she asked.

She thought for a second that she saw an accusation in his
stare. “Listen. You eat hearts. Don’t judge me.”

He continued to stare, his tongue lolling.

“I’ll do what I have to do to save them,” she whispered.

At last, he turned and trotted away.

He’d head for the caves.

She hoped.

She’d retrieved an extra phone from her glovebox earlier,
and as she watched Grim lope down the street, she pulled it from her pocket.

Eugene answered quickly. “Yes?”

“Are they there?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“Both are in custody. Who do you want to bargain with?”

She sighed.
“The girl.”
She’d be
easier.

“I’ll transfer you,” he said.

“Listen in.”

“Of course.”

In seconds, a confused female voice spoke. “Hello?
Gavin?”

“It’s Rune Alexander.”

“What the hell is going on? They’ve separated me and Gavin
and now—”

“Bellamy, listen carefully.”

“Talk.”

“I need to know where Gage is. Is he still alive?”

“What?”

“Where is he, Bellamy?”

“Why?”

Rune closed her eyes. “I’m not going to let my people die.
We have you. We have Gavin. I’d rather sacrifice Gage, but if I can’t find him,
the Annex is ready to take the antidote from you or Gavin.”

“You bitch. You fucking…you bitch.”

Rune nodded, though Bellamy couldn’t see her. “Make your
choice, gargoyle.”

“Fuck you,” but her voice was tiny and hopeless.

“You have five seconds.”

“Take
me,
then,” the girl hissed. “You’re the
monster. You came in and killed one of ours, and now—”

“Eugene,” Rune said.

“I’m here.”

“Take Gavin’s heart.”

“No,” Bellamy cried. “Please! Wait.”

“Where’s Gage?”

“You’re asking me to choose between my brothers.” Bellamy’s
voice broke.
“My
brothers
.”

Rune pushed her knuckles against her lips. She’d thought
Gavin was Bellamy’s boyfriend. But they were just one big screwed up family.
She cleared her throat. “Choose.
Gavin or Gage.”

“Gavin stoned Gage,” she whispered. “He’s on his porch. He’s
the one with the silver chain wrapped around his neck. When you remove it,
he’ll shift.”

Rune started to hang up,
then
hesitated. “You’d do the same for your people.”

“You betrayed the only two gargoyles willing to help you.
Neither of us will forgive you for that.”

Rune hung up, sick to death.
Sick of the
world, of the suffering, and most of all, of herself.

When she got back into the car, Ellis watched her for a long
moment before he spoke.
“Rune.”

She couldn’t look at him.
“Yeah?”

“What did you do?”

“What I had to do.”

“You can’t kill a gargoyle to save Jack.”

“Yeah.
I can.”

“I love him, too. But this is blood you won’t be able to
wash from your hands, Rune.”

“Ellie, leave me alone.” She turned the car toward Gage
Delaney’s house, Raze right behind her.

“What about Gunnar?” he asked, as though it mattered.

“I guess he’ll be here when I return.”

“If you come back, I’m coming back with you.”

Levi leaned up and put his hand on Ellis’s shoulder.
“Ellie.”

Ellis took his hand. “If she comes back, so am I.” His voice
was tight.
Resolute.
“Someone has to take care of her
as she tries to destroy herself.”

When they reached Gage’s house, no one came out to
investigate or to stop her when she picked up the statue and carried it to her
car.

She didn’t wonder where the gargoyles were.

Didn’t care.

She drove in grim silence out of Killing Land, her heart as
cold and heavy as the hard, stone sculpture of the gargoyle, Gage Delaney.

She was glad to put the town in her rearview mirror, but she
felt as though it watched her with sinister eyes as she drove away.

She knew she’d only scratched the dirty surface of the
place.

It would be waiting.

Waiting for her.

Killing Land wasn’t finished with her yet.