Thrall (34 page)

“Why? Because he’s not Lucas?”

My heart stopped beating for a moment.

Karayan smiled. “I got it wrong the first time, but I’ve been watching you. And as for Lucas - I think that ship has sailed, sweetie.” She watched my reaction calmly. “Yeah, I know all about your little kiss this afternoon. The Guard is hunting you, your guy hates you... Basically, the life you knew is over. So why not drown your sorrows? He makes a cute consolation prize, don’t you agree? I guarantee you’ll feel better afterwards.” She turned to the boy, including him in our conversation. “Her boyfriend just dumped her. Are you any good at cheering girls up?”

“I can try,” he smiled at me and offered his hand. “I’m Jesse. You like to dance?”

I pulled him close, hissing into his ear. “Jesse,
run.
You’re not safe here.”

Without waiting to see if he’d take my advice, I retreated up the side of the grassy amphitheater. At the top of the slope, I glanced back. Karayan was talking with three muscular guys. She flung out her hand, pointing at me. The men started forward. I ran. I found the alley between the buildings and darted inside, risking a look over my shoulder. I could just make out three large silhouettes cresting the hill behind me. They were coming fast.

I reached the end of the alley and was about to step into the Plaza when I saw Gretchen, searching faces in the crowd. I turned and darted back into the shelter between the buildings, my heart leaping into my throat. When I was halfway back down the alley, the three strangers Karayan had sent after me appeared ahead. I saw an opening along one wall of the alley and ran into it. I realized my mistake instantly. It was a blind alley with a trash bin and a pair of metal doors. I tried both doors, but they were locked. No way out.

Panic surged inside me and I turned back to the mouth of the alley, but the men were there, blocking the exit. The first moved forward, and what I saw in his eyes terrified me. I glanced at the others; all shared the same vacant stare. Karayan had sent three Thrall after me.

“
Stop,
” I said, filling my voice with the power of
the call
. I felt the connection, heard the chimes, and the first Thrall stopped. But the other two simply stepped around him. “
Stop!
” I tried to include the others in my command, but as I tried to spread the power, it weakened and snapped, freeing the first Thrall. I panicked, and stumbled up against the back of the alley.

The first Thrall reached for me. He snaked a hand inside my jacket and pulled me close. “A gift from Karayan,” he said. His free hand cupped my chin and he forced my face up, leaning in to kiss me. I knew then why they were here. Karayan, trying to help me ‘feed,’ had sent these men to be my victims. She’d sent them to die, and they were eager. Revulsion coursed through my veins and I shoved him back, instinctively settling into a fighting stance.

The men ringed me loosely. When they lunged, I moved. It was reflex more than anything else. I sidestepped the first and tried to run, but the second caught me by the shoulder. I grabbed his hand and twisted, running him into the alley wall like Lucas had taught me all those long weeks ago. But the third man kicked my feet out from under me and I fell, hard. As he dropped to pin me, I rolled away. Except Cassie’s gorgeous coat gave him something to grab onto. He jerked me back and caught me in a bear hug.

“Let me go!” I cracked my head back into his face and his hold weakened. I ducked out of his arms and sprang to my feet. The second two were flanking me. Terror rose in me, so strong it was suffocating. The man I had driven into the wall was favoring his shoulder. I turned to the other one and attacked. It was different than sparring with Gretchen. Fear and adrenaline lent me an extra boost of speed, but the men were strong, and there were too many of them. All I wanted was to get around them and flee, but they kept moving to block the alleyway. I kicked out, hoping to catch one in the stomach, but my leg got tangled in the coat. It was a fatal mistake. The second man knocked me off balance. I fell and scrambled back, too winded from the fall to stand. They stood, like an impenetrable wall blocking my way to freedom. Fear and rage shot through my scrambled thoughts. But when the first man reached for my ankle to pull me away from the wall, I felt a surge of emotion and a ripping sensation along my spine. I screamed.

The men froze, uncertain. But it wasn’t my scream that had stopped them in their tracks. I realized, as a shimmering cape clamped tightly around me, that they could no longer see me. Slowly, aching, I drew my knees close and got to my feet. The shimmering cape moved with me, stretching to allow me movement but keeping me tightly veiled. Dim realization glimmered in the back of my mind. I reached out and touched my wings. I felt the sensation in my fingers, and an echo of sensation in the wings. They were sensitive, like skin, but tougher.

I faced my attackers, still blocking the alley. I tried to slip between two of them, but brushed one. He struck out, sending me crashing back. My wings snapped open as I struggled to regain my balance. They saw me and moved. I briefly feared the wings would make fighting impossible, but they were insubstantial. I might be able to feel them, but they brushed through my attackers as though they didn’t exist. I didn’t have time to consider this as I dodged the first man. My attention was divided between trying to figure out how to keep myself cloaked, and fighting the Thralls.

In the end, the wings gave me just enough of an advantage. Half-cloaked, I managed to disorient my attackers. I fought my way free of the alley and ran. When I made it to the Plaza, my body started shaking uncontrollably. I managed to collapse in the alcove in front of a darkened storefront. The trauma of the attack flooded through me, blocking out everything else. I hugged my knees to my chest, kept my wings tightly wrapped around me, and choked out a few ragged sobs before I managed to get my breathing back under control. I sat in the dark alcove for a long time. People walked past me, unseeing, unaware. As my heartbeat slowed and my mind cleared, I was left with one clear thought – I had to warn the Guard before they got on that plane.

Ais was here.

A grizzled old stranger in a worn trench coat stepped into the alcove. I held my breath, wondering if he hoped to hole up here for the night like I had. He stood next to me, and then turned to stare out at the Plaza. I watched him for a long time, but he didn’t move. Finally, I eased to my feet, as quietly as possible. I had only taken one step forward when he spoke.

“Who do you fight for, Daughter of Lilith?” he asked.

I turned back. He was staring directly at me, through the cloaking effect of my wings, as though he knew who I was. He must have been some kind of spotter. The recent trauma was still too fresh. I had no fear left in me.

“I’m Murphy’s daughter,” I said. “Not Lilith’s.”

He studied me for a long moment, and then drew a sword out of his coat. That was enough to awaken my survival instincts. I tensed, waiting for him to make a move. He handed the sword to me, pommel up. “Take this.”

I hesitated, but as I took it, our hands brushed. In that moment, I saw the being beneath this human shell. Or, rather, I saw a blinding figure that gleamed in silhouette against an even brighter light. There was nothing grizzled or old about him; he was ageless and powerful. I squinted against the glare, but as soon as our hands broke contact, he was merely the grizzled stranger again, watching me with inscrutable eyes.

“Who are you?” I breathed.

“That is not important. What is important is that you defeat Ais.”

“Defeat? She’s...” I shuddered, remembering her from the rave, remembering her touch on my forehead. “She’s too strong.”

“That is why she must be stopped.”

“Stopped...?” I had a sinking feeling inside.

“A legion of Lilitu has amassed. Even now, they are preparing to cross into this world. Ais is their doorway. You must prevent her from granting them access to the Earth.”

It was then that I realized what he was. “You’re one of the Three.” I didn’t need him to confirm it to know I was right. “You’re one of the angels who hunted Lilith.”

He faced me, as if considering what to do with me. After a long moment, he answered. “We are Sansenoy.”

“Sansenoy. They’re going to flip out when they see you. Hale, Dad, everyone. They need you. Badly.”

“We are required elsewhere.”

“But... you just said a legion of Lilitu are going to come crashing through the gates!”

He faced me directly, his eyes glinting, as bright and hard as steel. “You must stop them or this world will be lost.”

“You stop them,” I said. “This is what you do, isn’t it? Fight the Lilitu? So fight them!”

He gave me a look tinged with pity. “Did you think your Earth was the only battleground in this war?”

It took me a moment to process this. “You’re not going to help us?”

“We have already helped you.” His eyes dropped to the sword in my hands. It became clear that this was the only answer I would get. As he started to turn away, I felt my panic rising.

“Wait. Can’t you take this to the Guard? They don’t exactly want me around right now.”

His face was impossible to read. “It is in your hands, Murphy’s daughter. We can do nothing more in this contest. Be strong, and you will prevail.”

“That’s great for a bumper sticker,” I said, snapping a little. “But I’m telling you, they might not even listen to me long enough to...” I stopped, frustrated. “I just wish...” But again, the thoughts crowded into my head, too many wishes vying for attention. I wished I hadn’t messed with Parker. I wished I’d told Lucas my secret. I wished I’d never been born. No. What I wanted, more than everything else, was to be human. To be a normal girl. To grow up and fall in love and get married and maybe someday have kids - and not kill the love of my life doing it. What I wanted was impossible.

“What do you wish?”

“Never mind,” I sighed, resigned. “It doesn’t matter anyway, unless you’re in the business of granting miracles.”

Sansenoy studied me for a long moment. “We are not... in the business... of granting miracles,” he finally said. The words sounded odd coming from his mouth.

“Then I guess I’ll never be a real girl.” I smiled humorlessly.

A strange compassion softened Sansenoy’s eyes. “If God’s favorite angel could be cast down for his acts of evil, perhaps a demon child might be granted humanity for her acts of good.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. It felt oddly formal. “All things are possible to those who believe.” And then he stepped into the flow of the passersby, and was lost in the crowd.

I stood in the alcove for a long moment, the sword strangely light in my hands. Moments ago I’d been exhausted, desolate. Now, for the first time since the day I’d found out what I was, I felt a swelling hope lifting my heart.

All things are possible.

I knew exactly what I needed to do. I would go back to the Guard, tell them about Ais and the travelling raves where the Lilitu were hunting, and hand over the sword. But first, I’d have to get the sword back home. It was a little conspicuous, and I doubted any bus driver in the city would let me carry a weapon like this on board. I glanced down at the full skirt of my coat. It was dirty from the fight, but otherwise not too badly damaged. I tucked the sword under one arm and let the skirt of the coat hide it. Once I had satisfied myself that I could carry the sword like this, I stepped out of the alcove.

“Hey, over here.” It sounded like someone was calling to me. I turned and saw a young man leaning against the storefront, like he’d been waiting for me. There was something familiar about him.

“Do I know you?” I walked toward him before I had placed his face. Matt. Gretchen’s Matt. The Guard soldier who had driven Gretchen home and kissed her on the front lawn. He tensed, preparing to move. “Wait,” I said urgently. “I’m Braedyn.” No recognition flickered across his face. Of course. Gretchen would have been forbidden to tell anyone about me.

I didn’t see the others coming up behind me. Two of them grabbed my arms. I heard the sword clang to the ground as they hustled me back to the sheltered pathway.

“Stop... the sword!” I shouted. “Someone, please... Grab the sword!” I craned my head around and saw someone pick it up.

“Damn it, Keats, hurry!”

Someone pried my jaws open and forced a cloth into my mouth, gagging me. Then we were in the pathway between buildings, out of sight of the passing crowd. Someone dropped a hood over my head. Blinded, I panicked and started to struggle. I couldn’t see the punch. It took me hard across the cheek, stunning me. I stopped struggling, but another fist drove into my stomach, expelling the air from my lungs. I doubled over in their arms and was only vaguely aware of them dragging me, running now, through the pathway. I heard an engine idling, and the unmistakable sound of a van door sliding open. They threw me into the back. I curled my hands over my head, but before I could pull the hood off, people were piling in around me and someone wrenched my hands behind my back. I felt someone else lean over me, then felt a sturdy band of plastic being slipped over my wrists and tightened.

“Go, go!” The van lurched into motion. I heard someone howl in triumph. “Got one! Not bad for the new kids in town, huh, Matt?”

“Not bad,” Matt said. He was sitting next to me. I felt him lean in close to my ear. “Bet you had a different kind of party in mind for tonight. Surprise.” The group laughed, giddy with their success. They thought they’d caught a hunting Lilitu. I felt tears of frustration forming in the corners of my eyes. I tried to speak, but the gag reduced me to unintelligible sounds.

Someone else spoke. “Talkative, that’s good. But you should save it for the colonel. He’s going to have a lot of questions for you.” That inspired another round of laughter, but this laughter was darker, knowing.

After that, I was too scared to do anything other than listen. I gleaned they’d only arrived in town a few hours ago, expecting to be on a plane tonight. Gretchen must have told Matt about me, sent him to find me. For nearly twenty minutes I was adrift in an ocean of fear. Then the van stopped. I heard the doors open.