Skin Deep (34 page)

***

This time I was roused from my pain-free bliss by the comforting voice of Grandma Ivy.

"Kailin, wake up." Her hand was warm on my shoulder.

My eyes opened a slit. What did she want now? The pain was incredibly unbearable. Easy to endure while unconscious. Now, awake, it was enough to make me want to pass out willingly. Grams lifted the arm encased in the damaged armor.

"It's taken a pretty good beating, hasn't it?"

"Eh, in case you haven't noticed, so have I." Utter pain brought out the bitchiness in me. Reduced me to a sullen, petulant mess.

She ran her finger along the dent, laying no pressure and ensuring she didn't inflict any further pain. With a slight jerk she drew her finger away to reveal a thin cut already welling with blood.

"Something's in there...very sharp. By the pain you’re in I'm assuming it's quite deep." Grams inspected the cut on her finger, a scowl crossing her face. Then, turning to me she asked, "Do you still believe the bracelet is unnecessary? That it still has nothing to do with you?"

I didn't have to think about my answer.

"No. Not anymore. I think I have it for a reason. And until I find out what the reason is, I'm keeping it." I released a long breath and stole another. "So hands off, go get your own bling, Grams."

"Good." That was all she said before she turned my arm over gently, as if she tended a newborn lamb. She undid the metal couplings on my inner arm, calm as you please. I was flabbergasted. Ever since I'd received the armor, the thing had stuck to my arm like it had suckers from Hell. A pity I'd had no idea all I had to say was 'I believed'. But even as I thought those thoughts, somewhere inside me I knew it would never have been so easy. Until today, I'd still borne my doubts about the bracelet.

Not anymore.

A cold breeze hit my arm as Grams removed the bracelet from skin which hadn't seen air or light in days. My skin looked wrinkled and on the thin side but pretty good for its extended incarceration.

Except for the three inch gash and the sliver of black glass lodged within it.

Iain and Logan leaned in for a better look, and Gram stepped back and out of the way. The agonizing pain was exceeded by my intense curiosity as Iain stood back and prepared to remove the sliver. A flurry of movement brought medical supplies to my stretcher. Iain pulled on a pair of latex gloves and grabbed a set of gleaming tweezers. He knelt beside the stretcher getting nose-to-hand with my wound. I gritted my teeth and clenched against the pain I knew would come.

And immediately regretted the movement. The flexing of the muscle caused me pain beyond anything I'd felt until this point. I shut my eyes against the tilting of my world but it didn't stop.

I chomped on my teeth and opened my eyes again, gasping for breath. Iain was inches from me, holding the tweezer between steady fingers. His eyes rounded, eyebrows curved in question. 'Are you ready for it?' I knew I wasn't ready at all. In fact I would've preferred to run as far away as possible.

But I couldn't escape. I looked at my brother's face, lined with worry. Why had I assumed it would be tough to get him to pay attention to me? Only because when the crap hit the fan he turned up to help. But I'd rather have him only when I needed him than not have him at all.

I gave him a short jerky bounce of my head which passed for a nod. He bent over my arm and gripped the paper-thin piece of obsidian sword. Over his head I saw Logan a few paces away, his face
gray and gaunt. His entire demeanor was strange, drained, and bordering on emotionless. He caught my eye and tossed me a small smile. A mere trinket compared to the great big ones I was used to, but times like these a girl had to take what she got. I returned the smile and turned to watch Iain.

He gripped the shard with the teeth of the tweezer and I waited for it to move. Waited for the agony. But it wasn't agony filling me. It was disconcerting surprise as the fine edged of the shard Iain gripped within the tweezer shattered into three vicious slivers. I gasped, as Iain swore.

"This thing is so fragile. It might splinter more if I try to remove it." Iain's brow was furrowed with worry and sweat.

"No. Keep going. It has to come out." Gram's voice again. "We have no idea what it is. What if it poisons her blood if you leave it in? She will die."

"Then it has to come out." Iain bent back to my arm and the tweezer hovered over the ominous black sliver. This time he gripped it in a thicker part of the sliver and gently, slowly pulled it from the depths of the wound. I stared at the size of the largest piece. It didn't seem to want to end as it was pulled from my flesh. Finally it was out. A quarter of an inch wide and glistening with my blood, the cause of my agony also happened to be at least two inches deep.

I had to remind myself the piece had split into three and the original shard would’ve been easily three times wider. It explained the pain I'd been in. As illogical as it sounded, I felt nothing as the sliver was slowly extracted from the deep wound. Blood seeped from the angry red lips of the wound as soon as the vicious obstruction was removed.

Iain looked up at me, waiting for the go-ahead to try for the next piece. I clenched my teeth and nodded. Twice more I was gripped within the teeth of pure agony, until all the pieces were out and Iain was satisfied the wound was clear.

Logan came over and said, "I have a message for you, Kailin." I looked up. "A Byron Teague said to say thank you."

I gasped. "They found Evan?"

Logan nodded. "Yes, a bit weak but he will recover in time," he said as he bagged the pieces of black glass to send off to the lab, while Iain cleaned and bandaged the gaping gash. The pain was still there, but at a level I could endure without embarrassing myself. I lay back, trying to relax, a haze of exhaustion blanketing me.

The news that Evan was safe made me feel so much better.

I had a moment of quiet when Iain and Logan were both off on their phones, bosses and fathers in no particular order. Grams cleared her throat next to me and I smiled and turned in the stretcher, dropping my feet over the edge and making space for her to sit next to me. She wasn't a very large woman and the stretcher could handle us both in a pinch.

"How did you know to come?" I knew I’d been unconscious for a while so I hoped she'd fill me in.

"I came home for a day and saw the apartment in a mess. Called Iain
..." she shrugged. "And he told me you were here."

"
Thanks for coming Grams. I’d never have figured out how to take the band off without you. And now that those shards are out I’m feeling a whole lot better." I nodded, turning on the stretcher and sitting up. "Now I have to find a way to get to Anjelo and Greer. And Uncle Niko. I’ll try and bring them all back."

Gram
's face darkened and her eyes glistened. "We lost Niko a long time ago, Kailin. There is a madness in him that’s changed him so much. I don’t see my son in the killer he has become."

I hugged Gram then, certain no words could make her feel better about Niko and what he’d become.
"I’ll try to bring him back. Maybe there are doctors who can help him." But Grams just nodded, a sad faraway look in her eyes.

"
Bring who back?" Iain scowled. "I hope you don’t mean you are going after them?"

"
That’s exactly what I mean."

"
Kai, are you insane? You don’t even know what you are getting yourself into. Stop being ridiculous."

"
Iain’s right, Kai. Omega can put a team together and we can go look for them." I stared from Iain to Logan and knew then that neither man would let me go. So I nodded, "Fine. But someone better come up with a plan soon or else I promise I will go alone." They both frowned and nodded and seemed to believe me.

Grams didn’t.

She turned to the guys. A moment passed, then they shared an odd glance before walking off and giving us some privacy. When she turned to me she smiled. "Didn’t know you’d mastered the art of the perfect lie." I blushed and said nothing. "Never mind them for now. I came to give you this." She held her hand out until I opened my palm. She dropped a bronze disc into my upturned hand. Grams looked around at the mayhem. Omega had cleared out Niko's thugs leaving behind their forensic team.

"What's this?" I studied the disc, turned it over in my hand. Shaped like a donut, the bronze disc was covered in tiny symbols. A quick scan confirmed a combination of various ancient languages, Gaelic and Egyptian being the ones I did recognize.

She lowered a voice to a whisper. "It's a key." She looked at me, hesitating. She quickly resolved whatever inner conflict it was that gave her reason to pause and continued. "You need it now. Although I will probably have some explaining to do once a certain person finds out what I've done."

She smiled.

I appreciated she had gotten herself in trouble for me, but it was all very strange. Grams had been keeping a bigger bunch of secrets than I'd ever known.

"So what exactly does this 'key' do?"

"It opens a portal...a pathway to the Wraith's dimension. So you can save your m- your sister and uncle." She rose, dusting off her clothes even though there was nothing to dust. Her dark jeans and jacket were immaculate. "You need to be near dark water."

I frowned. "Dark water?"

"Yes. Water that goes deeper than other standing pools. I suggest the docks. The water at the edge of the piers goes deep. The disc will open the Gate to the Wraith-World. You will see a bright light. You need to jump into the portal while it is open. Don’t waste any time. The space of the portal is dark but it is safe."

I nodded. I understood that the elements held a power beyond our simple comprehension. Gram's had given me the means to save Anjelo, Niko and Greer. But although I did want to save my uncle and sister, I wasn't sure either of them deserved it.

***

I held the bronze disc in my hand, testing its weight. It was heavy as if gravity worked twice as hard on it, in punishment for opening the Veil. Lights from the dockside buildings caught the ridges of the yellowed metal inscriptions as I tilted the donut shaped seal. Intricate runes curved around the entire surface of the relic. Ancient scripts were not my forte. I hadn't had time to think about finding a rune translator. Perhaps it would’ve helped to know what the darned thing said. Now I was putting my life in the balance and trusting that Grams knew what she was talking about. But I could trust her. With my life.

I
'd be in deep trouble with Iain and Logan when they found out I'd gone despite my promise. But how could I not go? I was the one who could fight the Wraiths. As far as I knew neither Iain or Logan or even Omega had much experience with them. I had to go and save Anjelo. And just pray it was the right decision.

I walked to the edge of the pier, shifting my messenger bag to the side. It was more convenient for pulling weapons out quickly; I’d brought my crossbow, and my trusty dagger just in case. I touched the bronze band on my arm. I'd put it back on, felt almost naked without it. Despite the little cut in the metal I felt safer with it on. I'd take my luck wherever I could get it.

Dark waves rolled and slapped against the wooden supports beneath me, while angry gusts of wind ripped at my clothes and threw hair around my face. Neither were very reassuring signs. I held the disc over the water; Grams had said to keep it horizontal.

So I did.

Later, I couldn't recall what I'd thought would happen. The last thing I'd expected to herald the opening of the Veil to the Dark-World was a pillar of light. Bright and white, it struck the empty center of the seal and passed through into the murky black waters. It took on a force of its own and was pulled from my hand to hover before me, over the water.

Looking up was of no help. The light did not originate from the Heavens. Another sign that was not so good. Some powerful energy began to pull me closer to the edge of the pier. Damn. I was
not
looking forward to a swim in the bay. Cats hate water and while I wasn’t averse to getting wet, I was
not
keen on a night-time swim in murky waters of questionable cleanliness. Sure, I loved my showers and baths like the next girl. But a cold dunking fully clothed was enough to turn a purr into a snarl anytime.

In the end, I didn't swim. I flew. I was lifted off my feet and tossed right into the center of the light and right into the middle of the seal. My mind was telling me it was not possible. But, my body was proving me wrong. I passed through the hole in the center of the seal and lost all feeling in my body. A good thing since I was sure being squeezed bodily through a hole the size of a golf ball wouldn't be a painless or enjoyable experience at all. It was over as suddenly as it began and I found myself teetering on rubber legs. My equally rubber feet were grateful for the feel of solid ground beneath them.

Blinded by the icy brightness of the Gate's light I was terrified of what might be lurking in the darkness surrounding me. One out-flung hand connected with the solid rock surface next to me.

My eyes were slow to adjust in this utterly light-less place. As my breathing normalized I found I was able to see the light reflected against the rock wall next to me. I squinted, running my fingers across it and found it was composed of a quartz-like substance with edges alternating between brutally sharp and baby-bottom smooth. Although no light shone from anywhere around me, the rock-face glowed in places, reflecting this unseen light and sparkling cheerily in the awful darkness.