World Weaver (The Devany Miller Series Book 4) (15 page)

“Yes and yes.” He stepped through the hook before I could reply.

***

I didn’t think the Wydlings would approve of me leading not one, but two Skriven directly to their sacred space, so I dropped Ty off in the Slip, wanting to ask Lizzie permission to bring them through. Maybe the Elders wouldn’t care. Maybe Fisli’s head would explode. That idea almost made me hook back and grab both Kali and Ty without asking.

I found Lizzie in the meeting room. Unfortunately, Caterpillar Eyebrows was there, too, and he didn’t like the idea. “You cannot give any more monsters access,” Fisli said, glaring at me.

I was a monster? Great.

“Hush,” Lizzie said, sounding tired. “They cannot come here without her. We are still safe. Besides, they are her people and we are not witches to be scared of things we do not understand.” She stared down Fisli, dismissing me with a wave of her hand.

I hiked down to the village and found Kroshtuka with a small group of Wydlings gearing up for our trip. He introduced them all and I worked hard to commit their names to memory: Lorath, Jolla, Dyss, Silvano, Ozmun, and Quill. Four of them had come with us when we went looking for Ellison in the Basin. Two, Jolla and Dyss, were new to me.

Krosh said, “Jolla and Dyss both travel throughout the Wilds, gathering stories. They wished to come if there was a chance to meet the Spider Queen.”

Jolla lifted a necklace free from the front of her shirt. “The legends say you can use an aventurine to call the Queen to you on Solstice.”

It was a pretty green stone that glowed with the warmth from Jolla’s body. “Is it almost Solstice?”

“In a few days.” Jolla tucked the necklace away and said, “Your son is a very quick learner. And he taught us all how to play soccer.”

I grinned. Sounded just like Liam. To Krosh, I said, “Is he busy? I wanted to say goodbye.”

“He is in sweat. It is almost time for him to enter into the great silence. He will have to learn how to anchor himself in his human body. That will take all his concentration.”

The first time I’d ever come to Odd Silver, there had been folks who smiled but hadn’t said a word to me. Some stayed in their silence only a little while, some half a year or more.

He must have known I was disappointed, because Krosh put his arm around me and squeezed. “Come. I will take you to him. They have only just begun.”

“No. No, that’s okay.” I hoped I wouldn’t regret leaving without seeing him. He was in safe hands though. If anyone was going to get hurt, it would be me. I wished my Dad were here to hug me and tell me it would be all right. Instead, I had to worry about him, too. Though surely he could hold his own against the Anforsa. I prayed that he would be able to protect Bethy until I rescued them both.

“We are ready as soon as you are. Are you bringing your Skriven?”

“Not my Skriven.” The protest was automatic and this time felt a little like betrayal. “I asked Lizzie if it was all right for me to bring them through and she said yes. I’ll go get them now and meet you at the gates?”

Krosh nodded, and I leaned in to kiss him before hooking back to the Slip, my thoughts on ‘my’ Skriven. When I’d first been made an Originator, I was warned that I needed to take my duties as Originator seriously. I ignored that advice and had vowed not to return. Of course fate had other plans. My refusal to accept my status as Originator had probably led to some of my stupid mistakes. It was an uncomfortable revelation.

Kali and Ty were in his manse, waiting for me. Kali wore what looked like black leather pants, though the leather was scaled and the black so dark, it looked like she was absent legs. Her skin had darkened until the only color on her face was the flash of her fanged teeth when she spoke. She’d turned her eyes black, and try as I might, I could not make out her expression.

Her shirt was made from the same black material as her pants, sleeveless so that her arms could move freely. Her body bristled with knives and short swords. Two curved blades crossed her back, and silver stakes adorned her hair. At least, I assumed they were weapons and not just decorations. Maybe she liked to look pretty and deadly at the same time. What did I know?

What did I know about her, or any of them, at all?

Dear lord. My refusal to spend any time here was disrespectful. I thought tossing them some freedom would solve the problem, but it hadn’t. Ravana had tortured and abused them, and then I’d abandoned them, refusing to acknowledge my place or my role in their lives.

I was a fricking asshole.

‘I can’t be Originator. I’m a mom. I’m a human
,’
part of me insisted. But that argument rang hollow anymore. For one, I’d pretty much gotten used to the idea that I wasn’t human. And it wasn’t like spending time in the Slip would cost me time down below.

I was just a fricking asshole.

“Damn it,” I said out loud.

Ty’s eyes were on me. My throat felt tight and I wanted to apologize to him—to all of them—right then. Instead, I said, “I will. Let me find my daughter and I will.”

His eyes brightened.

‘I didn’t mean that I’d sleep with you
,’
I said in my head.

A small grin played on his lips. ‘I know what you meant. And thank you
.’

TWELVE

We were a strange group: Kali, with her multiple arms and assassin clothing. Tytan, debonair in business casual. Then the Wydlings, with their leather and packs, looking more at home than the rest of us. Lorath, Dryss, and Jolla all were They each carried a weapon, too, including Krosh, who carried a sword at his hip. I felt naked without a weapon and had to remind myself that I could access my magic or change into a giant, murderous spider.

Before we’d left Odd Silver, Mina found me and pressed a buff-colored leather pack into my hands. The sides were embroidered with spiders. It was gorgeous. Neutria approved. “Thank you. Someday you’re going to have to let me do something nice for you.”

She hugged me tightly. “Bring my brother home safe.”

Lizzie came down from the Dream Caves to bless us, her arms raised in the air. Magic glittered over my skin as she spoke. When she was finished, Krosh walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She said, “May your arrows fly true and your sword bite deep.”

“May hearth and home remain safely in your keep.” He kissed her cheek and then one by one, each Wydling exchanged the same greeting with her. Ty, Kali, and I stood back, watching. Just when I thought I fit into this life, something came along to remind me I didn’t quite belong.

I could, though, something Lizzie reminded me as she took my hands in hers and said, “We will care for your son as our own.”

“Thank you.”

She moved to Ty and murmured something to him, her eyes bright and a broad grin on her face. He looked bemused until she leaned in to whisper in his ear. His laughter was surprised but delighted. I eyed him suspiciously, wishing I could read his mind as easily as he read mine.

To my surprise, when Lizzie held out her hands to Kali, the Skriven didn’t hesitate to take them. As they spoke, I leaned closer to Ty.

“What did she say that was so funny?”

“She told me I was welcome to come back and share her bed if I wished.”

My mouth dropped open and Ty laughed again.

After Lizzie was finished, we set on our way. Kroshtuka had told me when I first arrived that his messengers had finally gotten a response from Daniel Luresh. Our plan was to take the backroads to the border near Null where the man lived and meet with him at the barrier at dawn the day before Solstice.

Krosh and I walked together, close but not touching. I was entirely too aware of Tytan on my other side, not talking but most assuredly listening to my thoughts.

‘Is there a way to block him out?’ I asked Neutria.

Let me see.

She fiddled around a bit and then an icy wave drenched the inside of my skull. ‘What the hell was that?’

Talk to him.

Ty had a curious expression on his face.

‘Can you hear me?’ I asked him. No answer, just puzzlement. Excitement filled me. It would be so wonderful not to have him always in my head. ‘Are you sure you can’t hear me? Hello! I want to kiss you …’

“What?” he asked, noticing me staring.

“Nothing.”

He leaned in, his voice barely a whisper. “You’re awfully quiet.”

Yes. Yes I am. “Just getting in the game,” I said out loud, while inside I rejoiced. ‘Thank you, Neutria.’

She chittered and retreated in my mind.

“The first backroad is coming up.” Kroshtuka passed over a couple necklaces, one for Kali and Ty. “They will keep us together while we travel the shortcuts.”

“Thank you, Hyena Man,” Ty murmured and slipped the jewelry over his head. Kali took hers and promptly stuffed it into one of the many pockets in her pants. Her answer was a sharp nod of her head.

Kroshtuka led us through scrub and gorse, and around small hillocks of grass and razorweed. The ground under us was sand rather than dirt and a thousand tiny bugs scattered every time I put down my boot. They weren’t any kind of bug I’d ever seen, either. These looked like Skittles, reminding me of the spiders that showed up when we found Ellison. They glittered, too, their little sparkling bodies shimmering under the afternoon sun.

“I need to explore this place,” I said to Kroshtuka.

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”

“Technically, I suppose. But I meant explore as in take in the wonders. Not explore as in find what I need, kick ass, don’t die, save the world.” I laughed a little. “Not that I’m saving the world. Just little pieces of it.”

“You haven’t seen anything of the Slip either,” Tytan said, not the least bit put out by the walking pace Krosh had established. I wasn’t going to show it, but I was a little out of breath already.

“Yeah, I’m figuring that out, thanks.”

Behind us, a couple of the Wydlings chatted, though I only caught snatches of their conversation. I concentrated for a while on the crunch my boots made when the bugs didn’t run fast enough and then Kroshtuka spoke.

“Backroad ahead,” Krosh said, breaking through my reverie. “I will hold it open while we all step in.”

I didn’t understand how the backroads worked, even though I’d used them several times now. They were shortcuts that allowed us to walk at super speed through the Wilds. I didn’t know if they were elongated hooks or what, but it wasn’t the time to ask. We’d all need to concentrate to stay together.

At dusk, after entering and leaving three backroads, we set up camp near a lake gilded in pink, orange, and gold. The view was magical … hell, this was Midia. For all I knew, the lake was literally magical. I leaned against Krosh when he came over with our packs. “I want to dip my feet in,” I said, the gently rippling surface calling to me. Of course, I knew better than to trust the beauty. “What lives in it? Flesh-eating mermaids? Spider-worms? Electric man-eels?”

Kroshtuka laughed. “It isn’t what lives in the water that we want protection from, but what comes to drink.”

That didn’t make me feel any better.

Krosh’s people tamped stakes into the ground around us. Each one had a small crystal wired to the top. The carnicus had a similar setup, though their poles had been larger. These were made to be carried in a pack and I wondered out loud if they would be strong enough.

“They should be if you lend us your power,” Krosh said. “Come, help us light them up.”

At his direction, I touched one of the crystals and fed it energy, spooling it through me from the Slip. Did drawing from that magic cause any ripples I’d live to regret? Probably. There was that video game Tom had talked me into playing, the vampire one where you could buy all sorts of goodies from a demon who showed up oh-so-handily whenever things got dire. I told Tom I didn’t trust him—hello! Demon!—but Tom urged me to buy anyway. “What real harm could it do, Dev?” Famous last words. Buying too much stuff put me in debt to the demon and to pay off that debt, I had to fight him. Fighting him took a lot of health and supplies. And all that meant you were weak and short on everything when time came to fight the Big Boss.

A lesson I apparently didn’t learn: don’t trust demons.

Tytan snorted behind me and I glared at him. To Neutria, I said, ‘I thought you blocked him.’

I did. Then you used magic.

Oh. I mentally rolled my eyes and asked her to block him again. That cool wash flowed over me, making me shiver. His sharp glance told me he knew what I’d done that time. Too bad. I stuck my tongue out at him before turning my back, intent on clearing the ground of rocks and other hard, poky things. Kroshtuka brushed the space clear with a branch and we laid out our sleeping furs.

In the Slip, Krosh had slept next to me while I was healing. Ty had brought him there and dropped him beside me. Now though I wasn’t out of my head with grief and pain and the idea of sleeping with Krosh where Ty could see me made me feel weird.