My smile widened. I poured a glass of wine for myself and settled into one of the big comfortable chairs.
“He comes,” Mzatal said, face shifting with unnerving speed into a cold, hard mask. Radiating a feral potency, he turned to look out over the rail, hands clasped behind his back. I composed my own face and held my glass of wine.
I felt Vahl’s approach before I saw him. He stopped in the balcony doorway, dark eyes on Mzatal’s back. He still had that “dangerously appealing” feel about him, which was certainly helped by the snug black shirt and pants he wore. Due to the angle, he didn’t appear to see me, and since I’d fogged myself, he couldn’t pick me up through reading.
He spoke in demon to Mzatal, and with the grove power I got the gist of “meetings are complete” or something to that effect. I remained quiet and still, only moving to take a sip of wine.
Mzatal answered in English. “And what have you come to tell me?”
Vahl blinked, clearly wondering why the hell Mzatal spoke in English. He glanced around and a quick flash of surprise lit his eyes as he saw me. He’d surely been expecting me to be here in Mzatal’s realm, but probably not here by his side sipping wine.
Vahl barely missed a beat, though he was obviously taken aback. He looked from me to Mzatal and continued in English. “The rotations were agreed upon, with yours remaining allocated to the threes and elevens with general oversight in the eleventh month. Much time was spent in negotiations brought forward by Rayst and Seretis concerning—” Vahl stopped abruptly as Mzatal dropped his hands to his sides.
I took a very casual sip, watching Vahl. The lord obviously took that simple movement of Mzatal’s hands as a potential threat. He barely breathed, eyes intent on Mzatal’s back.
“You are in Rhyzkahl’s debt,” Mzatal said, slowly opening his right hand. “What is your true purpose for being here?”
Vahl took a half step back, apprehension flickering in his eyes. “Mzatal…”
“I will speak for you since you cannot find the fortitude to do it yourself,” Mzatal said in the silky and oh-so-scary tone I knew far too well and which seemed to have an effect even on Vahl. “You have come to see what you can determine on the status of Kara Gillian so that you can report to the one who holds your tether.”
I suppressed a shiver with effort and made certain to maintain contact with the grove.
Vahl shrank back just a hair, eyes on Mzatal’s right hand as if he watched a revolver cocked, loaded, and aimed at his head. But then he pulled himself up to full height and drew a breath, clearly determined not to go down cringing. “Yes.” He glanced to me and back to the hand. I had a feeling Mzatal could call and cast power before Vahl could even blink. “He wants to know,” Vahl added.
“What did he tell you of how she came to be with me?” Mzatal asked, still with the silky deathly voice. My grip tightened on my glass as I willed my hand not to shake. This would not be a good time for me to go into any sort of meltdown.
Vahl’s brow furrowed at the question. “He said he was in the midst of working with her in a ritual, and that you activated a recall you had implanted.” A brief flicker of admiration touched his face, likely for the skill required to accomplish such a difficult feat. Tension knotted my back at the “with her” bit, and I had to fight the urge to bare my teeth.
Mzatal pivoted to face Vahl. Without taking his eyes from the other lord, Mzatal held a hand out to me, extending with his presence as well. “Kara.”
I set my glass down, then stood and took his hand, calming at the comfort of both the physical and mental touch. “Lord Mzatal,” I murmured.
Vahl’s eyes flicked over me, no doubt noting everything from my collarless state, to my unreadability, to my comfort with Mzatal. Mzatal drew me to him and looked down at me with a very obvious gentling of his features and a smile that I knew was for Vahl’s benefit as much as mine. He was sending a clear message to Rhyzkahl via Vahl: Kara is here with me. He pulled me to stand in front of him with my back against his chest, then slid a hand down my left arm and lifted it, showing Vahl the long scar.
“Did he tell you he excised his mark with Xhan?” Mzatal asked, eyes on Vahl.
Vahl’s eyes dropped to my arm. I watched as his lips parted in reaction. Surely he knew what arcane agony the act had held. Vahl tore his gaze away and looked directly at Mzatal, an odd combination of repulsion, horror, and fascination on his face. “Why torture himself—and the girl—thus, severing a mark physically?” he asked, voice incredulous.
Oh, Rhyzkahl suffered? Poor fucking baby. I glanced back at Mzatal with an “it’s okay” look, then locked my gaze with Vahl’s. I tugged my blouse open at the top so that he could clearly see the intricate tracing of scars on my upper chest. “No, Lord Vahl, this is torture. These were carved with that same blade.”
He took another half-step back, clearly shocked. His eyes rested on the sigils, revulsion whispering across his face as if they spoke to him in crazed murmurs.
I closed my blouse, readjusted my clothing. “There was more,” I told him. “Much more.” A tremble went through me as I echoed Rhyzkahl’s words. Mzatal set a hand very gently on my shoulder, calming me, letting me know he was there for me.
“Vahl,” Mzatal said, “tell me what you know of this ritual.”
The other lord visibly suppressed a shudder, eyes remaining on me. “On the morning of the ritual, Jesral and Rhyzkahl cloistered themselves in a room near the summoning chamber for hours.” He shook his head. “I do not know with certainty, but I believe it was related. There were also ties to Amkir and Kadir.”
Mzatal leaned forward ever so slightly, increasing the contact with me. I kept my expression as controlled as possible, feeling him at my back in more ways than one and grateful for the support.
Vahl ran a hand over his head. “Something went horribly wrong with the ritual and—”
“No! It didn’t go wrong!” I cut him off, voice cracking. “It went exactly as intended. As Rhyzkahl intended.” I swallowed hard. “He bound me in potency, carved my flesh, and tortured me to charge the sigils and diagram. It was only when he sliced the mark from my arm that Mzatal was able to retrieve me.” Potency flared from Mzatal, backing my words.
Vahl didn’t argue, obviously disturbed. “When Kara was recalled, the patterns imploded.” His mouth drew into a flat line. “Everybody was aware that something had happened. The entire palace shook.” He lifted his gaze to Mzatal. “Rhyzkahl went down, but no one knew for sure at first because he had sealed the doors such that no one could open them. And none of the syraza would touch it.”
I had to smile. I was the one who’d sealed the damn chamber with the grove power. “He tried to follow me through the conduit,” I told Vahl, sneering. “I threw him back.”