Rise of the Gryphon (28 page)

Maybe. She had to get through the crowd without drawing attention.

Bumping the legs of humans startled them.

Bumping the legs of someone with power was much more dangerous.

Women wore fancy clothes, like those at Cousin Quinn’s hotel. Fighters had studded chokers, belts and leg restraints that all smelled of majik.

Much money passed hands at this event.

Something else dawned on her. She had seen no one her age. Pulling her hand out to check for cloaking, she moaned at the pink flesh coming into view.

The crowd parted in front of her, finally offering a fast path.

She looked up as a man ahead of her stopped and slowly turned, his face intent as though searching for someone. He was tall, several inches over six feet, and he
had short, thick hair the color of a ripe lemon. The long black robe only made his skin look more sickly, but that wizard was not ill.

Evil had turned Grendal’s skin that color.

Lanna froze. Her mind screamed at her to run, but her knees became jelly as her cloaking gave way.

H
ow much power does it take to hide this much area at one time?” Evalle muttered. “I thought Sen was the only one capable of this much, but I have a new appreciation for centaurs.”

Storm strolled casually alongside Evalle, but his gaze moved constantly, taking in everything. “This isn’t just a shield warding. One way in and one way out. This D’Alimonte has some help, maybe multiple wizards or mages, keeping the entire area secure, even against teleporting in or out without permission.”

Which meant Tristan wouldn’t be able to teleport out. She couldn’t decide if that was a plus or not. “This looks like an inflated tent, if tents came with hundred-foot ceilings. Has to be that high up there. I see two fighting arenas . . .
theaters
,” she corrected herself, calculating the stadium seating around the two battle areas to accommodate an easy thousand. “And that wide building connecting the theaters must be what? Locker rooms?”

“Individual waiting areas to keep the fighters separated and allow them a place to be healed out of view.”

Nothing had happened the way she’d intended, starting with Storm showing up. At least he wouldn’t be fighting, but how could she battle an Alterant if she didn’t shift into beast form?

Macha had allowed Evalle to make her own decisions, free of repercussion, as long as Evalle didn’t put Macha’s pantheon in conflict with VIPER and acted in the best interest of the Beladors.

Entering the ABC put Evalle clearly in conflict with VIPER, based on what Sen had said. But if Evalle was successful in preventing Alterants from signing on with the Medb and handed VIPER evidence of Noirre majik being traded, she had bargaining power with the Tribunal.

If Macha backed Evalle at that point. Big
if.

Changing into her beast form would screw all that, since VIPER rules forbade Evalle’s changing into anything more than the Belador battle form. That amount of change strengthened a Belador’s body and amped up power, but nothing like the strength of her beast form. But it also took a toll on her energy, so she’d have to absolutely need it to use it. She might get away with fighting if she could win without shifting and walk out of here with Alterants who would testify that Noirre majik was traded, which she knew had to happen tonight.

But if she put Macha’s pantheon in conflict with VIPER, then Evalle couldn’t claim working in the Beladors’ best interest, now, could she?

Thanks for nothing, Macha.

“What’s wrong?” Storm asked, his gaze taking in everyone and everything, right down to the sunken level of the battle theater they passed. His mood hadn’t improved a bit since he’d shown up in the helicopter.

“Just thinking through my options.” She’d thought
he’d settled down after kissing her, but that had been only a momentary break from the anger surging off of him.

Storm walked along, then made a sound of utter frustration. “That’s not a straight answer. Just like the text messages you sent me, stepping around the truth is lying, Evalle. What’s bothering you?”

She could cut through stone with the edge in his voice. “You.” When someone jostled her in passing, Storm’s glare slid from her to the clueless woman digging through her oversize purse.

Storm tilted his head to indicate they should move out of the flow of traffic circling the battle rings. Once they were far enough off to the side to provide some privacy, he resumed his cool reserve, crossing his arms as if his glare had failed to communicate his aggravation with her.

Her jaw muscles locked and unlocked. “Would you just get over that I left Atlanta without you? I couldn’t face putting you at this kind of risk again.”

“
I’m
not the one at risk. You are.”

“Comes with the territory of the job I do.”

His mouth tightened and his eyes turned almost black. “Not this. You’ll have to fight some unknown creatures, and
if
you win those matches, you still have to face another Alterant who will shift into beast form when you won’t. And if that isn’t enough . . .” He rubbed the back of his neck, all of a sudden looking . . . guilty?

“What, Storm?” When he didn’t answer her, Evalle echoed, “Lying by omission is still lying.”

“That damned witch doctor I’ve been hunting for. I’m concerned about her getting close to you.”

That last sentence gave her mental whiplash. “The licorice-smelling one?”

“Yes.” He washed a hand over his face and shook his head at a silent thought. His jaw muscles moved, then he faced her again. “She should be trying to kill me, but my gut tells me she could be a threat to you, and I don’t know why.”

Like that made her feel better? “What’s her interest in me?”

“I don’t know. I would have told you sooner, but I really thought I’d had that vision because she’d learned we were partners at VIPER and that she’d figured if she found you she’d find me. When you disappeared on me today, I—” He shook his head, and this time when he looked at her his eyes were haunted. “I thought she had you. She could have taken you somewhere I might not find you.”

That explained the core of his anger. Evalle had scared Storm. Nothing frightened this man.

To know that he cared that much for her struck so deep she experienced a moment of happiness that had never been in her life before him. She would not let the witch doctor harm Storm. “The minute I get out of here, we’re going after her.”

“And that’s exactly why I never told you much about her. I may have stumbled on her up on the mountain today, but now I think she can find me if she wants to, so you going after her would probably play into her plans, whatever they are.”

Evalle wanted to get her hands on that crazy witch, but that wouldn’t happen if she didn’t walk out of here alive. Taking a deep breath, determined to say this with conviction, she told him, “You have to leave. Now. You obviously have resources. Get out of here.”

Storm lifted his hand to her face, but didn’t touch her when his glance around reminded her they had roles to play. He lowered his hand. “There’s nothing you can say to convince me to leave you.”

And that was why she wanted a chance to be with him.

He moved with the grace of a dangerous jungle cat, put Adonis to shame with his warrior body and wore honor with the same ease other men wore their favorite jeans. But he had come for her every time she’d been sure she had no one to turn to, and he would stand by her against impossible odds.

Her palms were damp. She didn’t know what to say to a man who gave so much and asked for so little in return. “I . . . you . . .”

“I know,” he said gently, a warm smile tipping the corners of his lips. “Let’s just get through this with you alive. I want to find a place to watch the matches where you can see me. I can’t use majik, but I can still coach you.”

Dame Lynn’s voice filled the room, projected from some invisible spot. “
First round opponents Varkal and Ixxkter have entered the holding areas. Our first match starts in two minutes.
”

A roar of cheers and boos went up, shaking the air.

Since Storm was more familiar with these venues than Evalle, she let him take the lead. They’d just moved through a clump of people when he took a step and leaned down, looking between bodies.

Evalle followed his moves and whispered, “What is it?”

Storm muttered a curse. “Lanna.”

“Not possible!”

He shot forward into an opening and Evalle followed as he swung in front of Lanna, who looked ghost white. “How’d you get in here?”

Lanna stared straight through him. Her voice trembled. “He’s here.”

Evalle turned to see what had terrified Lanna. She caught a glimpse of short yellow hair and sallow skin she’d seen at the Oakey Mountain Beast Club before the crowd had swallowed the creepy guy. Had he frightened Lanna? In spite of wanting to strangle the girl, Evalle leaned down in front of her. “Who’s here?”

“Grendal.”

Storm’s words floated down to them. “We need to move.”

Thankfully, the crowd was engulfing them now. Evalle told Lanna, “Cloak yourself and follow us.”

Lanna’s glazed look finally cleared. “Not possible yet. I must rest.”

Evalle stood up, asking Storm, “Can you do something?”

“Yes, but I need to limit using my powers, since I might need them to heal you.” He told Lanna, “We’re going to go over to the stands and find a place to put
you. Walk between me and Evalle. Don’t look at anyone or say anything.”

“I understand.”

At his nod, Evalle led the way through the crowd, sure that Storm kept Lanna sandwiched between them. To draw attention away from Lanna, Evalle lifted her hands from time to time, which did two things. Her sleeves caught the light, practically blinding some people, and others took a step away each time, suspicious of anyone with powers moving their hands around.

When they reached a wide opening between stadium seats, a pair of cookie-cutter young men with short silver hair, wearing identical baggy orange pants and yellow jackets with no shirt beneath, offered action for those wanting to place wagers on the first fight.

A cylindrical scoreboard hung over one of the battle zones with a glowing sign that indicated Battle Theater One. Odds flashed on the board for each opponent in the first five matches.

Evalle scooted around the patrons negotiating bets in everything from jewels to spells. She found an opening where the back of the stands met the ground. When she reached it, she found a dark cubbyhole six feet tall and four feet wide. Large enough to comfortably hold Lanna.

“How deep is it?” Storm asked from close behind.

Evalle leaned down to look. The space ran about twenty feet deep until it stopped at a solid wall.

Not ideal with only one exit, but she had to get Lanna out of sight or they’d all get ejected the minute someone realized Lanna had crashed the party.

Actually, Lanna and Storm would face punishment and ejection. Then Kol D’Alimonte would take possession of Evalle, which would end with bloodshed.

Hers and Storm’s, since he wouldn’t go quietly.

She straightened up as Lanna rushed over to the space. Evalle told Storm, “I need a minute.”

“I’ll shield you.” He swung around, and Evalle trusted him to do his majik thing to protect them.

Dame Lynn’s voice shouted, “
In Battle Theater One, Varkal, a shape-shifting rhino, entering from Gate One, and Ixxkter the Alterant entering at Gate Two. Second round opponents who will fight in Battle Theater Two are . . .
”

Stomping and shouts shook the stadium at the announcement of Ixxkter. Evalle stepped close to Lanna to be heard. “We can’t take you with us, and you can’t be seen here. You may be eighteen, but you look younger and you have no buy-in. You’re shielded from anyone seeing you as long as you stay here.”

Grunting came from Battle Theater One, probably the rhino having shifted, then a deep-chested roar of challenge followed. Had to be the Alterant shifting.

Evalle waited until the noise settled down to a rumble to continue. “What were you thinking, Lanna?”

The girl faced her, eyes bulging with regret. “I am sorry, Evalle. I did not mean to cause you trouble.”

“No, that doesn’t work. You did this with full knowledge that you had no idea where you were going,
and
you lied to me when you agreed to stay at Nicole’s.”

Evalle felt eyes on her and turned to see Storm lifting
an eyebrow at her that asked how it felt to be given the slip. How had he heard that over the crowd? She
had
lied to Storm about waiting at her apartment for him, but she’d been given the responsibility of keeping Lanna safe.

Grumbling under her breath about annoying men, Evalle ignored him and got back to dealing with Lanna. “Why did you leave Nicole’s?”

“Grendal could have found me there.”

Evalle forced her hands to remain at her sides and not grab Lanna, or she’d shake the breath out of her. “Brilliant. So instead of staying somewhere he
might
be, you go to where he is and let him see you. We can’t leave to take you home.”