“Only because I intended it, Mijai.” Amusement, and perhaps more than a little contempt, was evident in the Raziq’s voice. “You would otherwise be dead.”
“You overestimate your skill yet again.” Azriel’s voice was even despite the tension so evident in his stance and in the flow of his energy through my mind.
“I overestimate nothing, Mijai. But I am not here to harm you.” He hesitated, and though he had no physical form, it was not hard to imagine a particularly nasty smile as he added, “Not at this present time.”
Azriel didn’t reply. He didn’t need to when Valdis burned black and her desire to kill was so fierce the air was thick with it.
“Look,” I said quickly, sensing it wouldn’t take much for either being to attack the other right now. “As charming as this little catch-up moment is, the bitch with the keys might now be readying to open the second gate.”
Yeska’s attention turned to me – something I felt rather than saw. It hit like a punch in the gut, leaving me feeling a little breathless. “If the sorcerer steps onto the fields, then he or she will be stopped.”
“You have found the location of her gate?” Azriel asked, before I could.
“On the fields side, yes. We have the location under surveillance.”
Meaning she hadn’t yet tried to access the fields. We still had time to stop her. “And are you going to share the coordinates or are you intending to keep the information all to yourselves?”
“I am here, am I not?”
“Then give us the grid reference, or face the consequences,” Azriel all but growled.
Yeska snorted. “You would not overstep your precious rules, Mijai, and we both know it.”
“I would not be so sure of that —”
“Guys,” I cut in again. “How about we drop the machismo and just concentrate on the keys? You can rattle each other’s chains all you want once we catch this bitch, but let’s just first catch her.”
“Indeed, let’s.” There was amusement in his tone. For supposedly unemotional beings, the Raziq – and Aedh in general – seemed to be full of emotion.
“The location of the gate is at -37.7925000, 144.98635. And remember, if you find this sorcerer first —”
“I’ve got to give you the keys or you’ll kill my friends’ present and future lives,” I cut in wearily. “I know, and trust me, I am trying to get the key.”
“Then try harder,” he replied equably, and disappeared.
“That conversation would have been so much more pleasant had he made the slightest threat toward you,” Azriel mused, sheaving a still blazing Valdis.
“Only because it would have enabled you to kill the bastard.”
“Yes. Yeska’s time is long overdue.”
“Well, you can blame your people for his presence here. You could have done something when you first held him for questioning.”
“With the advantage of hindsight, that is obvious.” He turned. “I suspect those coordinates will take us to the warehouse near Stane’s. Let us hope Rozelle and her friends have been able to break through that shield.”
Otherwise I’d be entering that damn place alone. Again. “It’s probably better to check the location on a computer first, just so we have some idea what to expect. And while we’re home, I can fix that cut on your head.”
He smiled. “It will heal soon enough.”
“Yeah, but humor me anyway.”
His smile grew. “I have heard it said it is unwise to argue with a pregnant woman.”
“I’m betting that’ll happen only when it suits you.”
“A statement I am about to prove. We have not the time to delay. Even now the sorceress could be at the gate, invoking the magic that will lead her into the grasp of the Raziq.”
He was right, damn it. I got out my phone, typed the coordinates into Google maps, and a second later we had our result. It was the location of the warehouse near Stane’s.