Thrall (8 page)

We came down the stairs and saw Gretchen and Derek still talking quietly in the living room. Now that I knew about her and Eric, I saw Gretchen differently. She was leaning close to talk with Derek, and she looked almost gentle. I thought about how long she and Eric had been engaged, and then - just as they were starting their life together - how she lost him. That hard-as-nails exterior she projected... it must be hiding a devastating grief.

Lucas led me through the foyer to the dining room. Like our house, the dining room opened into the kitchen. But this kitchen was colder than ours, less welcoming. Lucas opened the refrigerator and pulled out a few cans of generic soda.

“Gretchen must have done the shopping,” Lucas said with a sigh. “She’s got this personal crusade going against sugar.”

“Sugar and demons,” I murmured.

Lucas smiled. “So what’s he like as a dad? Murphy?”

“You keep saying his name like he’s some kind of legend,” I said.

“He is,” Lucas replied. “At least in the Guard he is. And not just because he caught more Lilitu than guys with careers twice as long as his. Most guys join up because they lost someone. Like Gretchen and me. Like Hale. But Murphy... your dad... They say he had a dream about the Guard and volunteered the next day.”

I shook my head, mystified. “It’s just been the two of us forever. I thought we knew everything about each other. Now... I feel like I don’t know him at all.”

“That’s not true,” Lucas said. “You know what makes him laugh, what makes him proud. You know the man he is now. The guy that made the decision to leave the Guard behind so he could raise a little girl on his own.”

I felt a lump rise in my throat and nodded.

Lucas seemed to war with himself for a moment before coming to a decision. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

“What?”

“You want to know about the Guard?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Then you have to see this.”

Lucas led me back to the foyer. Trying not to draw Gretchen’s attention, we slipped quietly along the side of the stairs and stopped in front of a door. It was in roughly the same place as the crawlspace under the stairs at my house. But when Lucas opened this door, he revealed another set of stairs leading down to some kind of basement. A light glowed beneath us, warm and inviting.

“What is this?” I whispered, eyeing the narrow staircase.

“The heart of any Guard outpost,” Lucas answered. He flashed a smile full of mischievous anticipation. “The armory.” He led the way down the steps.

At the base of the staircase I stopped to take it all in. The basement was much larger than I expected. It must have covered most of the property. Support posts dotted the cavernous space, keeping the high cement wall from crashing down. One wall was lined with weapon racks. A large collection of swords and daggers gleamed under spotlights. I could pick out a few stranger weapons among them as well. There was something that looked like a spear, something else that looked like a machete, and several quivers full of different kinds of arrows.

I moved forward, curious. Lucas watched as I picked up a dagger. The metal of the blade was shot through with strange waving lines that shifted colors as I turned the dagger in the light. It reminded me of an oil spill on water, a kind of shimmering dark rainbow of colors swirling together. I moved to touch the blade with my thumb, but Lucas caught my hand, stopping me.

“Careful,” he said. “It’s sharper than it looks. And cuts from these things take a long time to heal. Trust me.”

I held the dagger more carefully. “What kind of metal is this?”

“It’s not the metal that’s special,” he said. “It’s the forging process that makes it different from other blades.”

“Different how?”

“Well, for one thing, these are the only weapons we know of that can actually hurt a Lilitu. I mean, you can shoot a Lilitu with a gun, but you’ll just piss her off.”

“You make it sound like all Lilitu are girls,” I said.

“Not all of them,” Lucas said. “Just most of them. Male Lilitu are incredibly rare. I mean, I’ve never met anyone who’s ever met anyone who’s even seen one. Thane swears they exist, but I’ve only ever seen female Lilitu.”

It was the second time he’d said that name. “Thane?”

“He’s an archivist. And a bitter old grouch.” Lucas shrugged, smiling. “But he knows his stuff.”

I turned my attention back to the dagger in my hand. “Have you ever killed one?”

Lucas got quiet for a moment. “No. I’ve never killed anything. The truth is, when I think about it, when I picture actually doing it...” He stopped, unable to finish the sentence. “If Eric was still alive, I wouldn’t even know they existed. But because that Lilitu was free to hunt, my brother is gone. Every one of them we kill means lives saved. If I don’t fight, who will?”

I looked at the weapons again, wondering what I would do if I ever had to use one of them in a fight. I gripped the dagger tighter and sliced an imaginary line through the air slowly. Lucas was watching me with a strange look on his face.

“What?” I asked.

“What I said in gym class was true,” he said. “I’ve never been able to talk about this with someone my own age. I know your world was just turned upside down. But... I’m glad you know. Does that make me a terrible person?”

I met his eyes. They were full of empathy. The basement was cool, and standing this close to him I could feel the subtle heat radiating from his body. “Yes,” I said. “A truly horrible, grotesque, mockery of a human being. I can’t believe I’m even breathing the same air as you.” A sheepish smile spread over Lucas’ face. I punched him lightly in the shoulder with my free hand, grinning.

“All right,” he said, gesturing for the dagger. “Hand it over. I want to show you something.” He exerted pressure and the dagger sprang apart into two interlocking blades. I hadn’t detected any seam in the metal when I’d held it a moment ago.

“Fancy knives,” I said, impressed.

“Shh.” Lucas walked into the empty space in the middle of the armory, one dagger in each hand. One moment he was standing still, and the next he was in motion, daggers flashing in his hands. It was some kind of martial arts form, aggressive and powerful. Suddenly I understood how he’d managed to take on five guys at lunch and walk away. His movements were precise and quick. When he finished, I burst into applause.

“That was awesome. What is it, some kind of kung-fu?”

“It’s an old Mesopotamian fighting style,” Lucas said. “I’ve been studying with Hale.”

“Looks complicated.”

“Here.” He transferred the daggers to my hands and moved close behind me, curling his hands around mine over the daggers. “This is the basic form.” He guided my hands, moving us through the form in a slow, deliberate rhythm. After a moment, he released my left hand. “All movement comes from your center. Focus here.” He placed his left hand on my stomach. I felt a flutter of sensation at his touch. Pressed against him, I was aware of every movement of his body. We swept across the floor in unison. The rest of my world seemed to fall away; only the warmth of his touch and the gentle pressure of his hands remained. I turned my head toward his, brushing his cheek with mine. I heard his quick intake of breath, felt his arm tighten around my body. We finished the form and for a moment, neither of us moved. Then Lucas stepped back, releasing me.

“A natural,” he said. His voice sounded almost hoarse.

“No. Just following your lead.” I handed him the daggers. He snapped them together and returned them to their shelf. I brushed the hair back from my face, recovering.

“I’m serious,” he said, turning back to me. “You could have a bright future in demon hunting. All it would take is a decade of dedicated combat training and the end of your social life.”

I laughed. “Mm. Tempting as that sounds, I’m going to have to pass.”

Lucas shrugged, faking disappointment. “It’s a shame. We’ve got all this equipment to train with, just languishing, unused.”

“Well, teach me something else,” I said. “Something useful, that won’t require carrying a huge knife everywhere I go.”

“Fine. You want boring, we can do something boring.” Lucas considered me for a moment, and then walked behind me again. “Let’s say someone grabs you.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “You can’t run away if they’re holding you, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay. I’ll show you how to get away. You grab me.” He turned his back to me. I put my hand on his shoulder. Lucas’ head turned slightly at my touch. “No,
grab
me. Like you mean business. Summon your inner warrior princess.” I giggled and tightened my grip. Lucas moved. He gripped my wrist and twisted it while turning to face me. The movement forced my elbow to point up at the ceiling and I had to spin away from him; it was that or let my elbow snap. Lucas put a slight pressure on the back of my hand, pushing it toward my wrist as my arm locked straight. With a gasp of surprise, I was on my tiptoes, pin-wheeling for balance. Lucas’ voice wasn’t even strained. “From here you could turn and run. It’d buy you a few seconds, at least.” He released me.

“Show me how you did that!”

Lucas worked with me for half an hour until I felt comfortable with the move. It all depended on gripping the wrist correctly, controlling the elbow twist, and not letting up on the pressure. After I’d successfully repelled him ten times in a row he stepped back, rubbing his shoulder.

“Nice. I think you’ve got it.”

“What’s next?” I asked.

“I thought you were a pacifist.”

“This is self-defense, right?” I turned my back to him. “So?”

He came up behind me and caught me in a bear hug. “I can show you how to get out of this, too, but if we’re going to start doing throws we should really put some mats down.”

“Where do you keep the mats?” I turned to face him, and suddenly the bear hug became an embrace. Lucas looked into my eyes, startled. My hands were resting lightly on his chest. When I didn’t pull back, Lucas adjusted his arms, pulling me a little closer. His gaze moved to my lips. I tipped my head up as he leaned forward.

I think it would have been a perfect kiss.

Above us, the door to the basement burst open and footsteps pounded down the stairs. We turned, startled, as Dad appeared at the bottom of the basement stairs.

“Braedyn?”

Hale and Gretchen entered the basement behind Dad. Every one of them looked grim.

Lucas released me. “I was just showing her the--”

“Out,” Dad growled. Lucas glanced at me, bewildered, and left the basement. Gretchen’s eyes burned with unmistakable hatred.

“You,” she hissed. “Never touch him again.”

I was baffled by her anger. “What did I do?”

“Braedyn.” Dad took a step toward me. “I love you. Nothing’s ever going to change that.” Gretchen grabbed Dad’s arm and jerked him around to face her.

“You knew. You knew and you raised her anyway. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Hale spoke up. “We need her, Gretchen.” When she turned her rage on Hale, he didn’t flinch. “This is the assignment. Are you in or out?”

Gretchen glanced at me, incredulous. “You can’t be serious...?”

All of a sudden I felt cold, like ice water had flooded into my veins. “Someone tell me what’s going on.” Gretchen faced me, her eyes full of venom.

“Gretchen,” Dad warned. But she shrugged past him to get in my face.

“The demon that killed your father was your mother,” Gretchen said. “That makes you a Lilitu, just like her.” Dad grabbed Gretchen by the shoulder and spun her around to face him.

“That’s my daughter,” he growled.

“She’s the enemy,” Gretchen hissed back. “And if you were half the Guardsman you’re supposed to be...”

“
Enough.
” Hale’s voice rang with authority, cutting Gretchen off. “Gretchen. Wait upstairs. And Gretchen, Lucas stays in the dark. Are we clear?”

For a moment, it seemed like Gretchen might refuse. Hale just watched her calmly, waiting for her to make a move. Gretchen finally nodded sourly. She turned and marched back up the stairs. I heard the door at the top of the stairs slam shut.

I shook my head. “That’s insane. I can’t be what she said.” I turned to Dad, pleading. “Tell him.”

“Honey...” Dad’s gaze didn’t waver. In his eyes I could read the truth. I turned away from him abruptly.

“I want to go home.”

Hale pulled two chairs out from under a worktable. He sat in one and gestured at the other, offering me a seat. I didn’t move. “Braedyn,” he said. “You’re going to be very powerful very soon.”

“Powerful? Look at me. I... I’m getting a C in phys ed.”

Hale gave me a brief smile. “Lilitu powers present at sixteen. If you haven’t felt them yet, you will.”

I looked him in the eye. “What do you want from me?”

Hale sat back in his chair, watching me levelly. “Murphy says you could be a powerful ally. Most of the Guard won’t see it that way. If they knew you existed, they’d want to eliminate you before you grew any stronger.” He said this so casually it took a moment for me to realize what he meant.

With great effort, I kept my voice steady. “And what do you think?”

Hale considered this. After a moment, he spoke. “In your DNA, you are the enemy. But Murphy raised you. He taught you empathy and love.” Hale leaned back in his chair. “The plain truth is, we need your help, Braedyn.”

I glanced around at the weapons surrounding us. “How can I help you? You’re the ones with the arsenal of demon-killing crap.”

“We’re losing ground against the Lilitu. We know they’re planning something big for Winter Solstice. We need your help to figure out what.”

“Sure,” I said, keeping my voice level. “Just let me grab my special demon decoder ring and I’ll get right on that.”

“Braedyn.” Dad spoke quietly, but I saw fear in his eyes.

Hale stood. “It’s okay, Murphy. Let’s give her some time. This is a lot to digest.” He turned back to face me. “You want to know what I think? I think you have a choice to make. You can take lives or you can save them. So I’m reserving judgment until you let me know whether Murphy was right about you.” Hale studied my face almost gently. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.” With that, Hale stood and walked up the basement stairs, closing the door on his way out.