Whirl (Ondine Quartet Book 1) (31 page)

I took the
same abandoned trail out of Haverleau that Aubrey used the night we
went to Axis. The Lexus was a dream, managing the turns well at
high speed. As soon as I passed Haverleau's wards, I turned on the
GPS to locate the streets I'd seen in my vision.

As I drove, I tried to recall every detail.
The dream had been clouded in colors of blue and white. The white
fog was the same as the one I'd seen in the Axis dream. At our last
lesson, Nexa mentioned that an Empath often dealt with the past,
present, and future. What if the colors were indications of
time?

The Axis vision, shrouded in white fog, took
place a few days before the actual event. Cassandra and Kevin had
died the night before the Ball, the same night I had the vision
about them. Golden swirls had fringed that dream. The vision of
Ryder's abduction was in dark blue because it had taken place last
night. It seemed logical to assume that blue indicated the past,
gold was for the present, and white was for the future.

A half hour later, I parked on the corner of
Belford Road. The abandoned warehouse stood before me, every detail
exactly as I'd seen it. I stepped out of the car and stood still,
taking in my surroundings. The industrial area was quiet at this
time of night. It was located in a run-down part of the city, and
the sharp smell of rotting trash and chemical solvent saturated the
air. The bulbs of several street lamps were broken and the
remaining light cast an eerie patchwork over the area.

I unblocked my Virtue and reached out,
extending it over several blocks. No humans. The only presence I
could sense was within the warehouse.

Focusing my magical energy on the building, I
sensed a solid wall in the front area. Ryder. But I couldn't find
the empty void of the Aquidae. I swept through the entire
warehouse, but only sensed Ryder's elemental wall.

They had to be in there somewhere. It was an
old concrete structure and my dream had shown a large, open-spaced
interior with only one floor. But I'd seen the Aquidae leave
through a back door. Maybe it opened to a staircase that led to a
room or basement below.

Concentrating, I harnessed my Virtue's
energy, directing it at the land beneath the warehouse. I'd never
done this before. I encountered resistance as I forced my senses
below the ground. My magic had a harder time getting through the
earth. Light beads of sweat formed on my forehead and I pushed
harder. The cool fluidity of my Virtue sharpened and intensified in
my veins, turning into an icy chill.

With one last strenuous shove, my energy
broke through the earth. Two empty voids moved back and forth
within a contained area under the warehouse. I checked carefully,
but couldn't sense any other Aquidae. It didn't mean much. More of
them could show up while I was in there.

Staying in the shadows, I moved down the
uneven, cracked street. I kept my Virtue engaged, never taking my
focus off the two Aquidae below. My heart hammered and I lightly
fingered the dagger at my back for reassurance.

Rust had corroded the edges of the iron
sliding doors at the front of the warehouse. It would make too much
noise for me to enter undetected. The only other option was to go
in through the side. Slipping around the corner, I studied the four
large broken windows. The second window had enough space for me to
slide through. Glass fragments littered the windowsill, but I
didn't bother removing them.

Stepping around the shards on the ground, I
gripped the ledge and pulled myself up. Slivers of glass dug into
my skin, embedding into my hands, and I gritted my teeth against
the pain. As I wiggled my body through the opening, a large pointed
piece of glass caught on my shirt and ripped it.

I froze, but the Aquidae didn't seem to hear
anything.

My breaths came faster as fear and adrenaline
raced through me. Shimmying through the rest of the way, I dropped
soundlessly to the ground and my eyes slowly adjusted to the gloomy
interior.

The warehouse floor was littered with broken
glass, trash, and scraps of metal. Abandoned, rusty equipment
crowded against one wall. Metal chains hung from the ceiling and
everything was covered with a fine coat of dust, indicating no one
had been here for years. The moon provided the only source of
light, filtering in through the dirty windows.

Ryder was tied to a chair in the center of
the space. Thick rope bound his ankles together and each wrist was
restrained to a chair arm. He was unconscious and his head dropped
forward onto his chest.

I removed my dagger from its sheath and
quickly made my way over to him. If I could free Ryder and get us
out of here before the Aquidae noticed, we might have a chance.

I crouched in front of him and began sawing
through the ropes around his ankles, trying to ignore the specks of
dried blood on his shirt. My blade was razor-sharp, but the ropes
were thick and it took a few seconds for me to cut through them.
His left ankle was swollen. It looked like a bad sprain. Once I cut
through the ropes on his wrists, I tucked a finger under his chin
and tilted his head up.

His face was a mess. An ugly bruise covered
his right eye, the blotchy purple extending down from his brow to
his cheekbone. Dried blood streaked the area under his nose and
around his mouth. His nose was broken and he had a split lip.

My throat closed up.

"Ry." My voice came out in a low rasp. "Ry.
Wake up."

I had to get him out of here. Back to
Haverleau and a Healer.

"Ryder," I whispered a little louder. The
Aquidae stopped moving down below. Did they hear me? I waited a few
seconds, the fine hairs on my skin lifted in electric fear. But
they didn't move toward us.

I shook Ryder, willing him to wake up.

His eyelids slowly opened. Disoriented smoky
eyes gazed back at me and he blinked.

"Ken…Kendra?" His voice was thick with
bewilderment.

I smiled. It was meant to be reassuring, but
given the circumstances, it probably looked ferocious.

An expression of panic crossed his face.

"No!" His voice got louder. "What are you
doing here? You shouldn't have come!"

"Shhh!" I hissed. "I'm here to save your ass,
you idiot."

"You have to get out of here," he argued.
"You're the one they want." His voice was still way too loud, and
now my Virtue sensed the empty spots beneath us move. "They were —
"

"Shut up. I know," I whispered. Ignoring his
protests, I threw my arm around his back.

"We have to go. Now." I stared at him hard.
He needed to get it together. "Can you stand?"

A mixture of emotions flashed through his
eyes. Confusion. Worry. Anger. And finally, resignation. He nodded
and I supported him as he stood and staggered against me.

The two black vacuums were moving closer.

Get your ass in gear, Kendra.

Ryder was still groggy and his injured ankle
didn't help. He could stand, but had a difficult time walking. We
were still halfway to the iron doors.

My Virtue twitched and the sensations of the
Aquidae grew stronger. They were almost here. Fear made my skin
clammy and my heart was racing so fast I thought it would leap out
of my chest.

Using every bit of my strength, I
half-dragged Ryder toward the entrance. He was starting to fully
wake up. Leaning less on me, he supported himself on his good leg
and we began moving faster.

"What are you doing?" Underneath the girly
high-pitched voice was a cold inhumanity that sent a chill down my
spine.

We were so close.

Ryder froze and turned, stepping behind my
back to protect me.

I moved to his side.
Don't lose focus. Get
him back to Haverleau
.

The little girl I'd seen in my dream stood in
the center of the warehouse. Her blonde, curly hair was neatly tied
back into a ponytail and she wore a simple jade green t-shirt and
shorts. Her face was a mask of eerie perfection, its innocence at
such odds with the dark blood coursing through her.

A horrified disgust filled me. Why would they
turn a child into an Aquidae? But then I recognized the sick
ingeniousness of it. With that innocent look, she could infiltrate
places without arousing suspicion. A perfect bait to attract
victims Aquidae wanted to target.

The girl slowly tilted her head in a gesture
that really creeped me out. She was like one of those homicidal
kids in a scary horror movie.

"Ah, I see we have a visitor." The rasping
voice of the old man came from the back doorway. He was the one
who'd tortured and killed Cassandra and Kevin. The one who'd
tortured Ryder. My hands clenched into tight fists.

I blinked and he was suddenly a few feet in
front of us. Shit. His dark blood had to be strong for him to move
like that. He was much faster than any Aquidae I'd seen.

He wore a red plaid shirt and beige khakis
pulled high up on his waist. Wispy white hair floated gently around
his wrinkled face. He looked like someone's grandfather, the kind
of man who walked around the neighborhood saying hi to everyone he
passed.

"You must be the elusive Kendra Irisavie. The
sondaleur
." His eyes were a pale light blue. They fixated on
me in a way that made my skin crawl. "My boss has been waiting for
you for quite some time. Looking for you has cost me a few of my
men."

Given his strength, he must be one of the
higher-ups in the Aquidae organization. Maybe even the ranking
commander in Lyondale. Which meant his "boss" was probably the
Shadow.

"And you're the one who sent them after me."
I poured all my hatred and fury into my eyes. "Are you the Lyondale
lieutenant?"

"Why, yes. I am." He actually looked pleased
by my deduction.

I bared my teeth. "You must not be a very
good one. Because you fucked up."

He frowned. "Children your age shouldn't use
such language. But you're right," he sighed. "I underestimated the
protection you'd have around you."

Gather information. Once Ryder got out of
here, he could report everything to Tristan and the others.

"So you decided to get a whole bunch of cells
together and nab me at the Governor's Ball." My voice was scornful.
"Not the greatest move, considering all the gardinels and
chevaliers that were there."

He shrugged. "I thought our numbers would be
enough of a surprise to get to you. Our primary objective may have
failed, but at least it wasn't a complete waste."

My blood boiled at the insinuation. A nasty
smile spread on his face, revealing a row of sharp, yellow teeth.
The little girl giggled.

Ryder tensed. "You asshole."

"Miriam Moreaux gave you the identity of the
North Warden Pair and they lifted the ward so your men could get
in. Did she also give you information on the ball?"

I kept my eyes on the demons, but felt Ryder
jerk in shock at the news of Miriam's betrayal.

The Aquidae's strange eyes glittered. "Very
good,
sondaleur
. Yes, Miriam has proven to be very useful
with all sorts of information. Like your relationship with this
young man here. And that you're a friend of her daughter. And that
you would be present at the ball that evening."

Even though he'd just confirmed everything,
something inside me still ached at the thought of Chloe's mother
becoming Aquidae.

"How'd you get to her?" I asked flatly. "Did
you turn her?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "The boss
sent her to aid me in my efforts."

I tried not to show my surprise. The boss
sent her? Did that mean Miriam was in contact with the Shadow?

"Why all the effort, anyway?"

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Why is your
boss
," I emphasized,
"going through all this trouble to get me?"

He seemed shocked for a moment. Then he burst
out laughing and the little girl joined in. Ryder and I winced as
the demonic sound echoed through the warehouse, ripping through me
like a thousand cuts.

"Why?" he finally said. "Because you are the
sondaleur
, my dear. He will never stop until he can make you
his own. You will become his greatest asset."

Something inside me curdled at his words.
Tristan said they'd turned his brother because he was a great
warrior and a powerful asset. For whatever reason, the Shadow
thought I'd be the same.

I would rather die than let them turn me. But
if the Shadow wanted me that badly, I could use that to work out
Ryder's release.

"Well, now you have me." I took a step
forward.

"What are you doing?" Ryder growled. I
ignored him.

"Let him go." I nodded at Ryder. "You wanted
me and I'm here. You don't need him."

"Arthur, I don't want him to go." The girl
pouted, as though I was about to take away her favorite toy.

"We only needed the boy to get her, Gina."
Arthur said the words softly, as though speaking to his grandchild.
It was like watching some diabolical sitcom.

"I'll go quietly with you if you release
him," I repeated.

"No!" Ryder grabbed my shoulder. "Don't do
this!"

My eyes remained locked on Arthur. He gazed
at me speculatively for a moment before giving a slight nod. I
didn't trust the bastard for one second. Gina eyed Ryder in the
same way a predator does when it spots fleeing prey.

I passed Ryder the car keys. "It's all
right," I told him. "Go back to Haverleau. Aubrey's car is
outside."

Once he got to the car, he could use the cell
phone I'd left on the front seat. One call and a mass of gardinels
and chevaliers would be here. Maybe even before I left with Arthur
and Gina.

Ryder stared at me and I tried to communicate
silently.
Trust me. You have to get out of here. I'll be
okay
.

"No." He refused to take the keys.