The Rise of Fortune and Fury (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 5)

We all move into the living area, and I speak to Zora with urgency. “I need you to go into your room and stay there until I tell you it’s safe to come out. Someone’s on their way up who can’t know I have a twin.”

She doesn’t hesitate or argue, merely grabs her book and scurries off.

I hear the elevator whir as it approaches, and I brace. Echo is unpredictable. A homeless daemon junkie with a tarlike black aura around her. She’s incredibly strong with sharp teeth, and she has an acute dislike of me in particular.

It’s Maddox she likes and trusts, although, rest assured, if she’s here with information, she’ll want to get paid.

The elevator doors slide open. Echo stands there in her threadbare clothes and dirt on her gray-colored face. I see her true daemon self, of course, but if Zora was in here, she’d only see a young girl in her early twenties. We’ve tried to get Zora to see past auras—using Zaid for practice—but she just can’t tap her magic in that way either. It’s the feeling of darkness welling up when she tries that scares her away. As such, she’s stuck with pulling forth wings and speaking to me telepathically, not that those aren’t impressive in and of themselves.

“Where’s Maddox?” Echo asks as she glances around. She’s comfortable enough in assuming he’s here that she steps off the elevator. When the doors close, Boral moves in front of them.

As a Dark Fae, he’s far stronger than Echo and can keep her contained if necessary. He can also stop her if she tries to attack.

“Maddox isn’t here.” My tone is gentle, but firm. “Do you have information for him? Because you can tell me, and I’ll pay you.”

The minute I say Maddox isn’t here, Echo starts backing up. She turns toward the elevator as I offer to pay her, but freezes when she sees Boral there. She may not have noticed him before, but the way she stiffens, I can tell she understands that he’s not letting her out of here.

“Echo,” I call, and she turns slowly to face me. “We are not going to hurt you. But I have to assume you know something we might be interested in. I’m sorry Maddox isn’t here, but if you have something, tell me what it is and I’ll hand the cash over to you.”

She considers this a moment, her eyes darting over to Zaid before coming back to me. She lifts her chin, not in defiance, but to show she’s not afraid. “I have good information. Two thousand dollars.”

Carrick has ten times that amount just sitting in a desk drawer for these impromptu visits from Echo. I don’t feel like dickering with her on the price today. Besides, her last piece of information was to tell us it was Kymaris who overtook Fallon’s body.

“Deal,” I tell her. “Now give up the info.”

Echo tucks her hands into the pockets of her coat. I notice there’s a hole in the corner when her finger pokes though.

“You know that art gallery your sister had?” she asks.

Of course, I fucking do, I want to snarl, but I merely nod with a smile.

“She’s holding a human hostage there. Word on the street is that it’s some sort of sacrifice.”

My gaze moves from Zaid to Boral and back to Echo. The prophecy stated that she’d need twelve like creatures, which we determined were the original Fallen, and one unlike. I had thought that might mean me, but, in all honesty, it could mean any human.

We’d have to launch a mission to save this person, of course, but they are probably safe until the ritual.

Probably.

We need more information than that.

“How long has this human been held there?” I ask.

Her lips curl up, and her eyes sparkle with what might be malicious mischief. “Months. Soon after Kymaris came here.”

“And you’re just now telling us?” I grit out.

“I didn’t find out until about two weeks ago.”

“And why didn’t you come then?” I ask, wishing I had the physical strength to smack her around a little.

Echo shrugs. “Didn’t need the money then.”

I can’t help the sigh of frustration that comes out. “Tell me everything you know. Where in the gallery is this person being held and how many are guarding them? Are they just daemons or Dark Fae or both?”

“I’ll give you all of it,” she says smugly. “Even draw you a map. But aren’t you curious who they’re hiding?”

It’s at this moment I understand why Echo is emanating a gleeful vibe. She doesn’t like me at all, and something about her information is going to cause me some distress. She knows it, and now I know it.

“Who?” I whisper because my throat finally went dry. My mind races to all the human friends I have that Kymaris may have taken. It could be my manager at One Bean, Lisa, or maybe even Duane, my MMA instructor.