The Surien Series Blood Guardian (20 page)

“How sweet, you think your true love will break through those doors and save you, but by then it will be too late. He will be just in time to see your broken body lying on the sidewalk in a pool of blood.”

Symarah opened her eyes and glared at Vaiden. “He will save me, and even if he doesn't, I can die in peace, knowing he avenged my death by ripping your worthless head off.”

“You are braver than most mortals, I'll give you that, but look around you human; bravery won't get you out of this.”

Symarah closed her eyes again, refusing to look down.

“You think that if you don't look down you won't see how far it is, and then you won't be scared? Let's see if this helps,” Vaiden said, as he swung her back and forth over the two hundred and ninety foot drop.

Symarah felt her right shoe fall, but it was several seconds before she just barely heard it hit the ground. She could feel the panic rising, as she felt Vaiden's grip on her wrist loosen. Finally, she heard someone banging on the balcony doors.

“HELP ME!” she screamed.

“Your time is up, princess,” Vaiden sneered, letting go of her wrist.

Symarah could see the ground coming closer, she knew that she was going to die; there was no way out of it. She could feel the sharp pain in her chest, as it began to tighten. She only hoped that Vaiden was right about her heart giving out before she hit the ground. She knew she was screaming, but all she could hear was the pounding of her heart and the wind rushing past her. She knew she would hit the ground any second, she could see the tops of the trees rising above her.

Daire came crashing through the door, just in time to see Vaiden let go of Symarah.

“DACIAN!” Daire screamed, as he tackled Vaiden.

Dacian immediately appeared on the balcony. He waved his hand over the railing, and in an instant Symarah was standing next to him, screaming.

“It's okay, you're safe now,” Dacian said, as he sat her down in a nearby chair.

“What took you so long, I was a foot from the ground,” Symarah said, as she landed a barrage of punches on his broad shoulder.

“I'm sorry, I was just flashing demmic up to the 20
th
floor, erasing all the photographs and videos of the incident, and altering the minds of hundreds of mortals so as not to expose ourselves to the human world; I'll try to be quicker next time,” Dacian said calmly, with a sly, sarcastic smirk.

Symarah couldn't help but laugh at his laid back sarcasm.

“Thank you for saving my life Dacian.”

“It was my pleasure; besides, if I had let you die, Sybris probably would have eaten me,” he smiled, and then waved his hand in Vaiden's direction and made him disappear.

“Where did you send him?” Kassie asked, as she sat down in a chair next to Symarah.

“To the 20
th
floor, with the rest of the demmic,” Dacian replied.

“What's stopping them from escaping?” Kassie questioned.

“They can't escape, they're in a large, silver cage. Our powers don't work through silver,” Lucien answered.

“Then how did they get there?” Symarah asked.

“I flashed them there,” Dacian answered.

“But, if your powers don't work through silver, then how did you get them into the cage in the first place?” Kassie was confused.

“My brother, the Ph.D., pointed out that since I am not surrounded by silver, I could flash them up through the floor, into the cage, as long as the cage didn't have a silver floor.”

“So we had the floor of the cage made out of white gold,” Jaysien said, interrupting Dacian's explanation. “They think it’s silver, and luckily they are too stupid to even wonder how we got them in there.”

“Wait, you have a Ph.D. too? When did you get that?” Kassie asked.

“In another life,” Jaysien said, with a mischievous smile.

“So if they do figure out that it is not really silver, they can flash themselves out through the floor?” Symarah asked.

“Yes, and that is why we should probably get upstairs and figure out what to do with the demmic, just in case one of them does actually put two and two together,” Lucien suggested.

“How many are up there?” Symarah asked.

“Only Vaiden and Farkas are left,” Lucien said. “The rest are dead.”

“How is that possible, there were dozens of them?” Symarah was shocked.

“Well, Jaysien took out three or four of them, Duncan and I took out a few, and Kassie got two of them too,” Conner said.

“Yeah, and Jareth and Dacian took out quite a few of them as well,” Jaysien added.

“Me and the misses took out about seven of them,” Lucien told her.

“Your wife killed demmic, is she a goddess too?” Kassie asked.

“No, Natalia is a day walker,” Lucien replied.

“I hate to interrupt this episode of celebrity stalker, but we really should get up there and figure out what to do with those two,” Conner reminded them.

“I think I'm just gonna go home and soak in a nice relaxing bubble bath,” Symarah said.

“I'll go with you,” Kassie offered.

“No, that's okay, I don't want you to miss the rest of the party; I know how much you love these things.”

“I'm not going to let you go alone,” Kassie insisted.

“I'm just going to go to bed after my bath anyway, and since all the demmic are either dead or locked in an inescapable cage, I think I'm safe,” Symarah assured her. “I'll just have my driver take me home; I saw him downstairs as we were getting on the elevator.”

“I don't like you going alone,” Daire told her.

“I'll go with her, I'm pretty tired too,” Conner said.

“Daire, we've talked about this. I'm a grown woman, I don't need a babysitter, especially now that Vaiden and his minions are no longer a threat,” Symarah scolded.

“I'm not babysitting,” Conner assured her, “I'm just tired, and I want to get out of this monkey suit.”

“You two take the limo,” Daire pointed at Symarah and Conner, “Kassie, you and Duncan go have a good time, and we will go up and deal with Vaiden and Farkas.”

“I'll be up in a few, I still have some loose ends to tie up, some memories yet to alter,” Dacian said, as he headed off toward the elevators.

“Let's go mingle,” Kassie said, as she took Duncan's hand and headed off toward the center of the ballroom.

Daire, Jareth, and Lucien started off toward the elevators.

“Are you coming?” Lucien asked, as Jaysien stopped to adjust his tie in a mirror.

“Yeah, just fixing my tie.”

“Would you like to be alone with yourself?” Daire joked.

“Just because you look like shit, doesn't mean I have to,” was Jaysien's smart ass reply.

When they entered the suite on the 20
th
floor, they relieved the guards of their duty and sent them on their way.

The living room was a large, open area, with two large cages on either side of the room. Vaiden was in the one to the left, and Farkas was to the right. Daire decided to start with Farkas.

“Where is the dagger, Farkas?” Daire demanded.

“Fuck off, Daire, I'm not telling you anything.”

“I miss the good old days, when we tortured the bad guys for information,” Lucien said, with an evil grin.

“Too bad your powers don't work through these bars any more than mine do, lap dog.”

“Did he just call me a dog?” Lucien was far too amused to be offended.

“You're all lap dogs, Athena's little bitches,” Farkas sneered.

“Well, let's just call Athena down here, and we'll see who the little bitch is,” Jaysien smirked.

That threat seemed to be the only thing that could wipe the nasty little sneer from Farkas’ face, but it still didn't make him give up the location of the dagger.

“I'll only ask you one more time Farkas,” Daire warned, “where is the dagger?”

“I don't have it.”

“Then who does?” Jareth was growing impatient with this little cat and mouse game.

Farkas didn't answer, he just kept pacing in his cage.

“I bet Athena knows,” Jaysien said, taunting him.

“Alright! Alright, Vaiden has it,” Farkas finally confessed.

“We figured that out already, where is he hiding it?” Lucien demanded.

“I swear, I don't know,” Farkas answered.

“How is the interrogation going?” Dacian asked, as he stepped off the private elevator into the large living room.

“This one says Vaiden has the dagger, but he doesn't know where he's hiding it,” Daire replied.

“I think you should take over, while we interrogate the other one,” Jaysien suggested.

“Let's do this,” Dacian agreed, as the others walked across the room to question Vaiden.

“Where is the dagger, Vaiden?” Daire asked.

“I don't have it,” was his only reply.

“That's funny, because Farkas says you do.”

“He is mistaken.”

“No, he is telling the truth; they both are,” Dacian said as he approached Vaiden's silver cage, eying him suspiciously.

“Farkas says Vaiden has it, but he says he doesn't; they can't both be telling the truth,” Jareth argued.

“Vaiden does have the dagger, I have no doubt about that. But this isn't Vaiden.”

“This is a great party, I wish Symarah would have stayed. Do you think we should go home and check on her?” Kassie asked.

“No, I'm sure she's fine. She and Conner are probably halfway home by now,” Duncan assured her.

“You're right, I know you're right; I just worry about her ya know, she's my best friend.”

“I know you do love, and that's what makes you such a great friend, but I think she just needs to rest right now. She had a really rough day and I think a bubble bath and a soft warm bed are just exactly what she needs.”

“Kassie, hi, it's great to see you again; I'm glad you could make it.”

“Hey, Julia. It's great to see you too. This is Duncan. Duncan, this is Symarah's publisher, Julia,” Kassie introduced them, as they shook hands.

“Speaking of Symarah, do you know where she is? I've been looking for her.”

“She left a few minutes ago. She was really tired, you know how she gets when she drinks champagne. She had the driver take her home.”

“She has a driver? I think we might be paying her too much,” Julia joked.

“No, it's the driver that you always provide for her, every time she has a book release party, or a premiere party,” Kassie reminded her.

“We've never provided her with a driver, we've never provided anyone with a driver,” Julia shook her head.

“Oh my God, it's ….” Kassie said, as a terrified look spread across her face.

“Vaiden!” Duncan finished her sentence.

“Very impressive. You must be Dacian.”

“And you must be Allias.”

The second Dacian said his name, the man's appearance began to change.

“Allias has spent centuries perfecting his ability to shape shift,” Dacian explained.

“No one does it better; I could fool your own mother. I've never been found out,” Allias bragged.

“Until now. How did you know?” Lucien asked.

“It's just one of his many skills. Don't bother asking how he does it, he'll never reveal his secrets; not even to his own brother,” Jaysien groused.

“If that's not Vaiden, then that means he's still out there and Symarah isn't safe; I have to go to her,” Daire said. As he headed for the door, though, Kassie and Duncan came bursting through it, yelling that Vaiden was still out there.

“We know,” Daire told them, “we have to go find her.

“You're too late, surien. He's already taken her,” Farkas grinned.

“Where, where has he taken her?” Kassie demanded.

“Beyond the sea of demons am I, below the earth and above the sky,” Farkas began reciting the riddle.

“You tell me where she is, or I'll rip your fucking head off, with my bare hands,” Daire growled, as he rushed the cage, and grabbed the silver bars.

“I love the smell of burning lap dog in the evening,” Farkas chuckled, as the smoke rose from Daire's hands.

“You're no good to her if you’re injured,” Dacian pulled him away from the cage.

“See, that's the thing about these little cages of yours, my powers may not be able to get out, but yours can't get in either.”

“No, but mine sure as hell can,” Kassie said, as she began chanting. “Ignis sine morte, sine urente dolore. Ignis sine morte, sine urente dolore.” Fire shot out of her hands, and through the bars of the steel cage, engulfing Farkas in flames. Although he seemed to be in a great deal of pain, his flesh didn't seem to be burning at all. She put her hands down to her sides and the flames disappeared. “Where is she?”

“I swear, I don't know...”

“Ignis sine morte, sine.....”

“No, I'll tell you what I know. Please don't set me on fire again,” Farkas begged.

“I'm listening,” Kassie said.

“I know he has her in a hell realm, but I really don't know where it is,” Farkas told her.

“He's telling the truth,” Dacian said. “The only way to find her is to solve the riddle.”

“What about Conner, he was with her when they left,” Kassie turned on Farkas again.

“He wouldn't have taken him, but he didn't have enough time to kill him, so you can probably save him, if you hurry,” Farkas offered.

“I'll go, I've already read the riddle a hundred times, and I have no idea what it means,” Jareth said.

“Kassie and I are coming with you,” Duncan informed him, as they all headed for the elevator.

“I'll get Natalia, she's great with riddles,” Lucien said as he followed them out.

They gathered around a table in the middle of the room. Daire placed the riddle in the center of the table and read it out loud.

“Beyond the sea of demons am I, below the earth and above the sky. Heed these words if you so wish to seek me out if you dare try. Once you see clearly what cannot be, then you will know what you once did not see. Be one with yourself, only then are you able to save truest love from thine dread enemy.”

“We know that he has a hell realm, sealed with blood magic. Only Vaiden, Symarah, and I can enter. What we don't know is what object he used to enter the portal, and where it is located.”

“So, the lines we need to decipher are -
Beyond the sea of demons am I, Once you see clearly what cannot be, then you will know what you once did not see, and Be one with yourself
,” Dacian pointed out.

“Wait,
Be one with yourself
,” Jaysien recited the line; “it's a mirror, the portal is a mirror. Remember earlier, when I was looking in the mirror, and you asked if I would like to be alone with myself? You have to step through the mirror, causing your physical self and the mirror image of yourself to become one.”

“Genius, big brother, total genius,” Dacian praised.

“Who's a genius?” Lucien asked, as he and his wife stepped off the elevator.

“My brother is a genius, he just figured out what the portal is, now all we have to do is figure out where it is,” Dacian explained.

“Great, what's left then?” Lucien asked.

“All that's left is,
Beyond the sea of demons am I
, and
Once you see clearly what cannot be, then you will know what you once did not see
,” Jaysien offered.

Lucien took the piece of paper containing the riddle, turned it over, and wrote something in another language on the back.

“What are you doing?” Daire questioned.

“I'm translating; Natalia only speaks Spanish,” Lucien replied.

“Más allá del mar de los demonios soy yo,” Natalia read the first line.

“Did she say Del Mar?” Daire interrupted.

“Yes, del mar de los demonios means the sea of demons,” Lucien explained.

“The house in Del Mar, I should have known. There is an old abandoned house in Delmar that Vaiden has been using as his headquarters and in his throne room there is a mirror that takes up an entire wall,” Daire explained.

“Well, I guess we know who the real genius is, don't we?” Lucien said, as he proudly kissed Natalia on the cheek.

“Dacian, I need you to help Duncan find his brother; take Lucien and Jaysien with you,” Daire said, as he headed for the elevators.

“Jaysien and Lucien can handle that, I'm going with you.”

“There's no reason for you to go, only I can get in,” Daire reminded him.

“I will wait just outside the portal, in case he tries to flee. Besides, you're not thinking straight right now.”

“The hell I'm not, I'm going to finish this once and for all,” Daire said, as he started toward the elevators again.

“Wait,” Dacian grabbed his arm.

“No, this ends tonight, Vaiden dies tonight,” Daire growled, as he wrenched his arm from Dacian's grasp.

“Daire!” Dacian said his name with such force that the windows actually rattled.

“What!” Daire said, just as forcefully.

“It's faster to flash yourself there,” Dacian answered, in a much softer tone. Dacian waved his hand, and the two men immediately disappeared.