Darkness Splintered

She waved the comment away and rose. “Stop these idiots, and that will be thanks enough.”

“That we can do.”

She nodded. “Let’s go, then. I suspect we don’t have much time, given she appeared to be packing up.”

I took off my shoes and padded after her. The room on the opposite side of the hall smelled faintly of lavender and chamomile, and my feet sank into a thick layer of mats and silk that covered the entire floor area.

“Lie down and make yourself comfortable,” Adeline said. “Do you need guidance?”

“No, I’ve stepped onto the plane a few times since I was last here.”

“Then I shall simply monitor.” She sat cross-legged near the door, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

I glanced at Azriel, who stood guard near the closed door – more for reassurance than anything else – then released a long, slow breath and imagined the tension within flowing out with it. Then I followed the routine Adeline had taught me. Within minutes I was not only on the astral plane but in the place we’d seen in the crystal. The woman was still in the study, although all four items from the safe were now neatly bubble wrapped and packed in the second case. Part of me wanted to move closer to the items, just to see if I was able to pick up any sort of vibration that would tell me which one was the actual key, but I resisted the temptation. I had no idea whether this woman would sense my astral presence or, if the key did react, whether she’d be able to sense that.

The last thing I needed right now was to give her any more of a head start than she already had.

Instead, I imagined myself standing outside the building that housed this room, but just as I did, the woman abruptly straightened. I hoped like hell she hadn’t sensed me – that she’d just finished her packing – but I couldn’t be certain, because the astral plane whisked me outside. The study was housed in a two-story brown brick warehouse that had been converted to a living accommodation. Unlike ours, however, this one – if the buzzers near the entrance were anything to go by – had more than one apartment within its four walls. Which wasn’t a whole lot of help given we could hardly go knocking on every door to find the right one.

I tried again, this time imagining myself standing outside the front door of the apartment that housed that study and, with very little sense of movement, I was suddenly in front of a very upmarket wooden and glass door. HARRIET MONTERREY, APARTMENT 1B, the little sign under the buzzer read.

Which was all I needed.

I imagined myself back in my body, and scrambled to my feet the minute I was. The room spun abruptly around me, and if not for the fact that Azriel grabbed my arm to steady me, I would have fallen.

“Whoa,” I muttered. “Did that way too fast, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Adeline said, voice dry. “But were you successful?”

“Yes, and I’m sorry, but we have to run. Thanks for the help and the coffee.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome to both, but perhaps when this is all over, you can actually stay and chat.”

“When this is all over, consider it a date.” It was the least I could do, after all. I glanced at Azriel. “You know where we’re going?”

“I have picked the necessary information from your memories, yes.”

I smiled. At least mind sharing sometimes saved the necessity of words. “She’s on the move, and she may have sensed me.”

“Then we go in ready to fight. Draw your sword.”

I did so, then stepped into his embrace. A second later we were in the study we’d seen in the crystal.

The woman and the cases were gone.

She had, however, left something behind for us – demons.

There were half a dozen in all, insubstantial wisps that were all teeth and claws. The bigger brothers and sisters of the Ania, I suspected.

Two of them came straight at me. I backpedaled fast and raised Amaya, sweeping her from left to right. She hissed, her flames splattering across the floorboards as her sharp point tore through one of the approaching creatures. The demon moaned – a sound abruptly cut off as its remaining fragments were swept up in Amaya’s trailing fire and burned to a crisp.

The second creature swept around to my right, attempting to attack from behind. I spun, and was confronted by the sight of a fistful of wickedly barbed teeth coming straight at my face. I swore and dropped. The demon whooshed over my head, the breeze of its passing strong enough that my hair was tugged after it. I twisted around, saw the creature’s wispy form spreading like a sail as it tried to break and turn, and I thrust upward with Amaya, twisting her steel into the creature’s tail. It screamed, the sound one of fury, then swung and bit her blade. There was enough force in the attack that her steel vibrated, and I’m not sure who was more surprised – me or Amaya. Then she made a sound suspiciously like a chuckle and her flames flared, wrapping around the creature, capturing it tight as she slowly – almost lovingly – consumed it.

I shuddered – although you’d think I’d be used to my sword’s bloodthirsty bent by now – and looked past her. Azriel stabbed Valdis through the heart of a creature, literally exploding it, then swung around. His fierce expression became one of relief as his gaze met mine. Then he turned and ran, leaving me flatfooted with surprise. I swore and galloped after him, catching a brief glimpse of his disappearing butt as he dived through a doorway farther down the hall.

I was three steps away from repeating the procedure when the goddamn room exploded.

Chapter 12

Air hit with the force of a hammer and sent me tumbling backward. Wood, plaster, and dust rained all around me, and I threw my hands over my head in an effort to protect myself.

Amaya screamed in fury as her flames erupted to form a protective cocoon around my body. And none too soon, because it wasn’t just wood and plaster coming down, but concrete tiles. The fucking roof had collapsed.

Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered right now, except the reaper who had gone into that room a heartbeat before it exploded.

Azriel! Desperation filled my mental scream. Are you okay?

For several seconds there was no reply, and my fear skyrocketed. Then he said, his mind voice somewhat groggy, Yes. Valdis shielded me from the worst of it.

What the hell were you trying to do? I pushed into a sitting position. Several large sections of wood rolled off Amaya’s shield and dropped onto the top of the mess that surrounded us. There wasn’t much left of the hallway – just several skeletal wooden frames bereft of plaster. Wires dangled from the ceiling, and I fervently hoped they were not going to attack me the minute I moved. Water was spraying from broken fire sprinklers, dampening down the worst of the dust, and somewhere in the distance alarms were ringing. The fire brigade and police would undoubtedly be here soon.

I was attempting to catch that sorcerer before she escaped. His voice was clipped. Angry at himself for not succeeding, I suspected.

So why didn’t you zap yourself to that room instead of running?

Because, as I have said, I cannot zap myself into unknown places without having at least some point of reference. When I was a reaper, it was the resonance of the soul, but in this case, I could not get a fix on her.

I frowned and rose. Amaya’s shield pulsated around me, moving as I did. Why couldn’t you get a grip on her resonance?

Because it was shifting.

Meaning she was?

I suspect so.

At the far end of the hall, a pile of timber and tiles began to move, sliding away as flames began to pulsate