Darkness Splintered (Dark Angels 6)

“None.” His voice was grim. “You had better contact your father quickly, as the sorceress might already be on the fields with the four items.”

I spun around and headed for my bedroom to retrieve the communication ward my father had given me. Azriel appeared, a knife he’d found who knows where held in one hand, as I sat cross-legged on the floor and placed the ward in front of me. The rainbow colors within it seemed to run faster, as if it knew what was coming.

“Thanks,” I said, accepting the knife. With little ceremony, I jabbed the point into my finger, then, as blood began to well, turned my finger upside down and let the blood drip onto the communication ward. As the droplet hit, the rainbow stopped moving, and everything was still. Silent.

Then light erupted from the center of the stone and briefly blinded me. When I was able to see again, I was encased in a cylinder of white.

“Father, are you out there?”

There was a pause, and then he said, “You have found the second key?”

“Yes, but I need your help to retrieve it.”

“I cannot interact with your world – it is the reason you were bred.”

I snorted softly. Nice to know the only reason I existed was because my father had a feeling he’d need an extra pair of hands here on Earth. “The problem isn’t here on Earth. It’s on the gray fields.”

“Explain.”

“We suspect the sorceress has two gateways onto the fields. The Raziq currently guard one. The other, however, is in your rooms —”

“Impossible. No one can get into my temple residences without the proper —”

“Lucian could,” I cut in. “And he was working with the sorcerers.”

“He would not —”

“You keep saying that,” I interrupted again. “Trouble is, time and again he was doing exactly what you said he shouldn’t or wouldn’t be.”

Annoyance swirled around me, thick and heavy. But all he said was, “What is it that you want?”

“The location of the gate the Raziq guard is -37.7925000, 144.98635. We need you to provide some sort of distraction.”

“Such as?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t particularly care. Hell, you can take the bastards out for all I care. You keep saying you’re far more powerful than either Malin or her people will ever be, so how about proving it?”

“That is a truth not even she would deny.”

There was no conceit in my father’s voice, no hint of boasting in his words. He merely stated a fact as he saw it. I dare say Malin held the exact same opinion about her prowess. Aedh, from what I’d seen, certainly weren’t backward about admitting their strengths. Their weaknesses were a different matter entirely – in fact, most seemed to think they didn’t actually have any.

“Whatever you decide to do, I just need them kept occupied while we go to the second gate and try to capture the sorceress.”

“And the key.”

“That goes without saying.” Whether he got it was another matter entirely. I’d sure as hell be making sure Mirri was safe before I handed the key over to anyone.

“When do you wish this to happen?”

“Now.”

“I shall see what I can do.”

It was on my tongue to snap, “You’d better do your best,” but I restrained the urge. There was no point in antagonizing him when Mirri’s life still lay in his hands.

“I’d appreciate you hurrying. The Raziq are going to know the minute I step onto the fields.”

“They will be too busy saving their puny lives to worry about your presence.”