“It is doubtful she would have attempted drawing souls from the light path, if only because they would not have the level of corruption she seems to require. But the dark path has always allowed access to those with enough power and strength of will.”
“But why? I mean, the gates were created to prevent souls and demons escaping, weren’t they?”
“Yes, but any barrier can be breached. The portals have never been totally impervious. They cannot be, when souls must constantly traverse them.”
“We really do have to catch this bitch,” I muttered, and glanced back at our shifter. “He seemed a whole lot more rational than some of the others we’ve come across.”
“Perhaps Lauren has finally refined her technique.”
I snorted softly. Nothing like refining the way you destroyed someone’s present and future lives. “What about those stones I came across inside? Could you find anything about those?”
He nodded. “It is a minor protection circle, as you have already guessed. It hides stairs that lead down into the basement.”
“I wonder if the basement leads into the tunnels the pit falls into?”
“I don’t know. His memories seemed to imply the magic merely protects storage areas, but that does not mean that is all there is to be found down there.”
It would be typical of the sort of luck we’d been getting, though. “If it’s only minor magic, Ilianna will be able to unpick it for us.”
“Shall I go retrieve her?”
I hesitated. “I don’t think the witches would react too favorably to your presence in the Brindle.”
He frowned. “Perhaps not, but it would drain too much of your strength to transport her here in Aedh form.”
And it would take longer than we probably had to drive here. The shifter had been sent here for a reason, after all, and sooner or later someone was going to miss him. I blew out a breath. “Okay, you fetch her. I’ll wait here and knock our friend out again if he shows signs of waking.”
“No need.” Azriel briefly pressed two fingers against the shifter’s forehead, and energy caressed the air. “He will not waken until I will it.”
I frowned. “How come you could do that, and yet not access his mind telepathically?”
“Different sections of the brain. I have also adjusted his memories. He now believes he came out here to investigate a sound, and was knocked unconscious and subsequently robbed. I suggest you claim his wallet.” He touched my hand, his fingers warm against my skin. “Stay alert. I won’t be long.”
“Even I can’t get into trouble in the two minutes you’ll be gone,” I said, voice wry. But I was talking to air.
And tempting fate.
Because the words were barely out of my mouth when an odd glimmer caught my eye. It was little more than a wisp of silvery smoke that was quickly shredded as it passed under the glow of the streetlight, but my stomach nevertheless dropped.>He strode past the pit trap, seemingly headed toward the shadowed corner. He wasn’t the sorcerer – his build was far too short and stocky – but if he was going to use whatever lay hidden by those stones, then he was someone we needed to talk to.
Do it fast, Azriel commented. He may be shorter than you, but he’ll be stronger.
Like I didn’t realize that. The shifter drew closer and tension wound through my limbs, until my legs were quivering with the need to move, to attack. I waited until he’d passed the office in which I’d hidden, then rose and ran after him, as quickly and as silently as I could.
He sensed me and pivoted, lashing out with a booted foot. The blow was so fast it was little more than a blur. I twisted away, and his heel scraped across my hip rather than burying itself in my stomach. I flipped Amaya so that I was holding blade rather than hilt, and swung her hard. The blow caught him high in the forearm and knocked him sideways. He swore, the sound guttural, almost incoherent, but caught his balance all too swiftly and launched at me. I caught a brief glimpse of his features as I spun away, and realized with a sinking sensation exactly what I was dealing with. He wasn’t a shifter, or even a Razan, but rather another of those beings who’d been twisted by magic. He just didn’t feel as wrong as his brethren. Maybe our sorcerer was getting the hang of perverting the souls of others.
I ducked under another leap but this time he anticipated the move, somehow twisting in midair to crash body-first into me. I landed on my back with a grunt, briefly winded, my arms and legs tangled in his. I swore, pulled an arm free, and chopped down with Amaya. Her hilt smashed into his shoulder and something cracked. He howled, the sound one of fury and pain combined, and lashed out with an elbow. The blow struck my chin hard enough to rattle teeth, and for a moment I saw stars.
Amaya hissed in fury, a sound I could only echo. I bucked, trying to get him off me, but I might as well have tried moving a ton of bricks. He laughed and grabbed at my arms, managing to pin one to the grimy concrete, his breath thick and fetid as it washed across my face. He may not have smelled bad on the outside, but he was definitely rotting inside.
I bucked again, this time lifting him high enough to get my knees under him. I thrust him up and over my head, then scrambled to my feet and lunged toward him. Though still on the ground, he spun, one leg sweeping out, trying to hook mine. I leapt over it and landed, knees first, in the middle of his gut. As air exploded from his lungs, I smashed my fist into his chin with as much force as I could muster. His head snapped sideways and his body went limp. He was out cold.
I blew out a relieved breath, but didn’t immediately climb to my feet. Azriel, can you read him from a distance?
Normally yes, but this creature’s soul and mind have been twisted by magic. I need contact.
Meaning I have to carry him out? Bummer.
It’s not far.