Raoul, on the other hand. Not so cuddly. In fact, I thought he resembled a pissed-off timber wolf as he towered over me, his crew-cut practically shooting sparks as he said, “You asked for this meeting. You would not believe what I had to do to be here. You know” — he put a fist on his hip and ran the other across his head in a gesture so much like my dad’s I had to stifle a laugh — “I don’t just sit around waiting for you to call! I am trying to find out what the Magistrate wants with you. You do remember him, don’t you? Tall, blond demonic type? Likes to tear the skin off people with his whip?”
“Yeah, Raoul, your description rings a bell.”
Okay, Jaz, drop the sarcasm. Right. Now. As far as you know, this guy is the only one who can save David. For once in your life, do not piss off your last chance. Even if he did foul up Dave’s transition and let the Wizard . . . No, you’re not even sure of that. Quit judging, keep an open mind, and don’t screw this up.
I sighed. “I’m really sorry. It’s . . . this mission is just insane. Things keep happening and I honestly couldn’t fall asleep when I wanted to. I tried. I really did.”
Raoul’s expression softened. “Let’s go somewhere else to talk,” he said. “Your bathroom makes me feel as if I’m buried alive.”
Gee, thanks. Now I’m going to have that lovely image playing in my head every time I have to pee
. But I didn’t say a word. Just followed Raoul out the door and into my living room.
He didn’t complain about its size, but he should’ve. It wasn’t even cozy. I just . . . I don’t really know how to make a place seem like home. We moved so much when I was a kid, and now I spend so much time in rented rooms. I guess I feel more comfortable in a hotel atmosphere.
The white walls were bare. The brown suede couch and chairs matched; they just didn’t look like anyone had sat in them in the past five years. I use an ottoman for a coffee table. It was empty. The only redeeming feature of the whole room was the fancy maple rack behind the couch that held my prized possession. In her will, Granny May had specifically stated that I should receive her Amish quilt, a gorgeous black, red, and green creation that played on your eye like a classic piece of art. Someday I’d display it that way. But only when I’d found someplace permanent.
Raoul settled on the couch. I sat beside him. “Have you thought about what I said before?” I asked. “Give it to me straight. Does Dave have any chance at all? I mean, I can’t let the Wizard control him much longer. When we pull the plug, so to speak, what will happen?”
Raoul sat forward, his hands clasped between his legs. “He may have a chance. But before you start the party, let me explain.” Deep lines appeared between his brows. “No. Let me apologize.” He met my eyes squarely, because that was how he’d been trained to face things. “I am forced to follow certain rules that strictly govern how much I may” — he grimaced — “interfere. Which is why I could not warn you. Couldn’t immediately send you to his aide. Even now I must be careful what to say.”
I stifled the urge to shake him. To get in his face and yell, “This is my brother we’re talking about! Tell me everything you know, dammit!”
Raoul went on. “When a person is murdered at the order of a necromancer, great powers are stirred in order to strap the soul into the body and bind it into service. One with the strength of your brother cannot be completely restrained. A part of him, almost what you would call a shadow, escaped. That was what came to me. Ever since then I have been trying to find a way to free him.”
Okay, so Dave
was
the second kind of zombie. The kind necromancers rarely messed with. The kind Hilda the expert had died trying to find out more about.
“But . . . this assignment. I thought it was engineered by the Wizard.”
Raoul nodded. “And yet, even seeds need nourishment to grow. So if I made a few suggestions as he dreamed . . . ” He shrugged. “You’re here. And yet we still walk a thin line. David’s soul is incredibly vulnerable. Freeing it could be the worst possible scenario. Because we believe —”
“Wait a minute. We? Who’s we? Does that include Asha Vasta? I mean, is he part of the we?” Because if he was, maybe he could help Dave if I crapped out on Raoul.
Raoul sat back, his eyes troubled. “What was the Amanha Szeya doing when you met him?”
“Talking me out of killing reavers.”
Raoul shook his head. “And so it goes.” He sighed. “Asha is not part of my — how would you understand it? — my regiment. The ‘we’ to which I was referring are the Eldhayr. Like you, we once lived as human beings. And now we fight to protect our kind. Asha was never human.”
“So how many of you Eldhayr are there?”
Raoul shook his head. “Some details are better left unknown.”
I recognized that face. That was the you-might-get-tortured-so-remain-ignorant-please expression Pete always got when he sent us into anti-American territories. “Okay. Fine. So did you tell your Eldhayr buddies what an excellent recruit Dave would make? He already thinks he’s working for you, so obviously he’s cool with the idea. Plus —”
Raoul held up a hand. “Jasmine, there is no need for the sales pitch. Of course we’ll invite your brother to join us if he can. But it won’t be as easy for him as it was for you.”
I gulped. When your Spirit Guide compares your neck-breaking experience to anything and calls it easy, his next news ain’t gonna be pretty.
“Why not?” I asked, clearing my throat to hide the quiver in my voice.
“We believe the problem is directly related to your last experience with the Magistrate. The fact that the scene was a concert was no coincidence.” He stopped. Said, almost to himself, “How to explain this so you’ll understand?”
So suddenly that it startled me, he jerked around to face me fully. “Since we’re in your dream, this shouldn’t hurt. Here.” He held his large, broad-fingered hands out to me. They made mine look like a little girl’s when I slid
