“What does it matter who I have following me around? This is between you and me.”
“Oh, the end battle will be, for sure, but that does not dampen my wish to see just what your guardian can do.”
Markel couldn’t do half of what Azriel could, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous. Not that Markel would actually be getting involved—not unless it was absolutely necessary. Especially when Azriel could project any human form he desired.
“So,” I said in a flat voice, “you wish to challenge us. How do you plan to do that this time?”
“Oh, the game hasn’t changed; the stakes are just a little higher.”
The stakes being Rhoan’s life. I closed my eyes again and tried to control the rush of panic. I could do this. I had to do this.
“Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“This time it is easy. I give you an address; you and your guardian go to it.”
“And?” I asked, when he didn’t go on.
“Inside, you will find Rhoan Jenson. You will lie down beside him and take astral form. From that point on, you and I will begin a battle from which only one will return.”
It was too simple, too easy. For a man who claimed to love his games, there had to be more than this. My grip on the phone had become so tight my hand was beginning to ache. I flipped it over to my left hand, then flexed my fingers. It helped with the ache, but not the overall tension.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’m shocked that you don’t trust me, huntress.”
I very much doubted it. “If that’s all you want me to do, why do you want my guardian along?”
“Well, there are one or two things I forgot to mention.” His voice was still jovial, but this time it held a darker edge that had horror crawling down my spine. “The first being the fact that your uncle has been injected with hemlock. So far, it has done little more than rob him of speech and movement. However, the suppression of movement will soon spread to his respiratory function, and death will result.”
Oh fuck, oh fuck. I gulped down air and tried to keep calm. But my heart was racing and there was sweat dribbling down my spine and all I wanted to do was run into the bathroom and throw up. Only sheer force of will—and fear of what might happen to Rhoan—kept me on the spot and on the phone. “That still doesn’t tell me why you want my guardian there.”
“Your guardian is there because you have a choice to make. He can keep your body safe, or he can save Rhoan Jenson. He will not be able to do both.”
“Why not?”
“Because if you wish your uncle to live, he has to be taken to hospital. But doing so will leave your physical form unprotected.”
Trepidation crawled across my skin, but I had no intention of worrying about what he’d planned in the event I was left unprotected. I wouldn’t be, as simple as that, even if it meant calling in not only Markel but the whole damn Directorate.
“And do not think to call in aid from the Directorate,” Taylor said, seemingly reading my thoughts. “Because the place you walk into has been wired with explosives. The minute my people see anything out of the ordinary, they will detonate. And that, dear huntress, would be an inglorious end for one such as you.”
And it sure as hell wasn’t the way I wanted to go, either. I shivered, feeling colder and more helpless than I ever had before.dn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. I could read his thoughts as clearly as if they were mine. Anger surged, so fierce and bright that Valdis’s flames flared in reaction.
“They will not be casualties in this cause, Azriel. I’d rather give the keys to my father than let either of them die.”
“The fate of our worlds rests—”
“I don’t fucking care!” My grip on the glass tightened. How it remained intact I have no idea. “This isn’t negotiable, Azriel. If what my father says is true, then you won’t be getting the keys. End of story.”
Red flickered through the tips of Valdis’s flames. It was an indication of her master’s emotions—emotions he was otherwise very carefully controlling.
“Then I had better check the legitimacy of his comments as quickly as possible,” was all he said.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “You’d better. And while you’re at it, ask what can be done if the keys can’t be destroyed.”
“If they cannot be destroyed, we are all in trouble. Neither the Raziq nor your father will rest until they possess them.” He eyed me critically. “Ilianna’s and Tao’s fates hang in the balance no matter what option you choose, Risa.”
I knew that. I’d always known that.