Veiled (Rapture's Edge 2)

Rachel lifted her chin. “I wasn’t shielding either Merl or Duncan when we went into the grid. I only intended to use the power if wreckers approached. As soon as Duncan was taken, I shielded Merl, but it was never the plan to go in shielded.”

“Fuck.” Luken pulled his hands into a pair of powerful fists. “All right, I want to go over this point by point. Spare no detail. Let’s see if we can figure this out, how to do better for the next mission, though it seems clear we go in shielded from now on.”

~

Yolanthe levitated, holding her skirts against her body as she moved past the dead wrecker. She breathed through her mouth since the stench of ruptured intestines filled the darkening grid. It had been a long time since she’d involved herself in a war zone.

She took her time returning to her private portal. Now that she was inside the darkening, she wanted to stay for a few minutes, to enjoy the quiet nether-space region she rarely entered as well as the images moving quickly by like a silent movie.

She couldn’t pierce the darkening on her own; she didn’t have that kind of power. But the development of the comprehensive grid, with portals, had made travel possible for anyone wealthy enough to pay for access. She’d created a portal to Merl’s home just in case she ever needed to pull him out of Second, but to her knowledge he’d never used it.

However, the thought went through her head: How did Duncan get into the Third grid?

Was it possible Merl had a connection to Duncan?

She continued levitating forward. She’d been trying for a month now to reacquire the one man who would have sufficient power in the near future to locate Rapture’s Edge. For her, nothing was more important than gaining access to the mythical place since it would provide sufficient power to conquer Second Earth. More importantly, she would be able to lay the valuable resource at her father’s feet and prove herself worthy in his eyes. Even his three beloved sons had failed to deliver the most significant weapon possible to their father, the noble Chustaffus of Chicago Three.

But she’d lost Duncan again and all because of Rachel, his shield. Once Rachel had covered Duncan in her power, Yolanthe had been unable to either see Duncan or sense him in any other way. She’d also lost him on her wrist scanner.

But how had either of them gotten into the grid?

When she reached her portal, she used the small scanning band on her left wrist and programmed the grid for her villa in Mexico City Three. The moment the portal synced with her home, she simply touched the arched glowing door, the panel opened, and she stepped into her villa living room.

Her snow leopard lifted his head, ears up, then jumped from the chaise-longue, padding toward her. He nuzzled her extended palm and she took her time rubbing his ears and scratching his face.

Instead of moving into the room, however, she found her mind stuck on Merl. Until this very moment, she hadn’t considered the possibility of her spy being in any way involved with Duncan. She knew of his liaison with Endelle, of his attempts to seduce the leader of Second Earth, but he’d never said a word about Duncan when he’d reported back to her.

To be fair, neither had she. Merl didn’t know of her plans to use Duncan to find Rapture’s Edge. But had Merl inadvertently heard things because of his interest in Endelle?

By Duncan’s presence in the darkening grid, Yolanthe knew Duncan had made plans of his own. But what a Second ascender hoped to accomplish on Third she couldn’t imagine.

On the other hand, when she’d been in the Grid Operations Center and had locked onto Duncan, she’d noticed two other entities with him. Her only interest at the time, however, had been to separate Duncan from the others in order to renew her mind-link.

She divined one of the two had been Rachel since Duncan’s supposed breh had rescued him with her bizarre Fourth Earth shielding power. But who was the other individual and why had all three been in the grid?

Yolanthe now wished she’d taken some time to investigate the others when she’d first come across Duncan’s signature. But she’d been so excited to have located him, she’d folded him away then hurried through her own portal to secure him in the darkening.

A chill went through her as though someone treaded on her grave. She actually turned in a circle, wondering if someone was there. But she saw only the rust-and-cream marble pillars of her Mexico City Three home, her extensive sculpted gardens, and the usual guards on duty.

She took a moment and focused inwardly, reaching telepathically for Merl to see if he might know anything about Duncan or his recent activities. Though Merl was in a separate dimension, she had the power to contact him.

How may I serve, Merl sent. At the sound of his deep resonant voice, a tendril of desire worked through her. She’d tried many times to coax Merl into her bed, but the former and very stubborn Warrior of the Blood had refused.

Do you know anything about Duncan Wallace being in the Third Earth grid? I found him there tonight.

Because the telepathic link had been created, she took a moment to explore Merl’s emotions. But all that returned, the only thing she’d ever felt from him, was a profound sense of boredom. Sorry, Your Highness, but I don’t know anything about what that asshole is doing or not doing. I don’t run in his circles. For some reason, he and his pals don’t like me much.

Merl was too much of a flirt to gain many friendships. Even through your recent pursuit of Endelle, you didn’t come across Duncan or hear mention of his activities?

Only the breh-hedden shit. Besides, Wallace was always too caught up in his own drama to pay any attention to me. She felt him sigh. Yolanthe, why don’t you let me come home? There’s nothing here for me on Second and I’m bored out of my skull.

Merl had become a rather hopeless creature, pursuing only his lusts. He was less than useful to her now, especially since Darian Greaves had been sent to Fourth Earth. Before Greaves’s defeat in a battle against Endelle, Merl had provided her with substantial, ongoing reports on Greaves’s attacks against the Second Earth government. And for a while, Yolanthe had actually toyed with the idea of offering to serve as Darian’s queen once he conquered Second Earth. Alas, the man had failed miserably to fulfill his ambitions.

Now that Greaves was gone, her conversations with Merl had dwindled. But she thought it possible he could make himself useful once more. I need information about Duncan. I want you to get close to him and use any means you can. Track his movements, and report back.

When he remained silent, a soft alarm went off in the back of her head. Do you understand what I’m asking of you?

You want me to infiltrate and gather information.