29. Caliel

29

Caliel

My link to Bree faded with every passing moment.

She was barely detectable as I wove my way to the gateway through Murkan's damp streets. But I sensed her horror at my message about Mykal, and it more than matched what churned through me.

Mykal's presence here changed everything. I had been totally focused on getting the proof and then departing. I should have been minutes from freedom.

Such as it was, anyway. Truth be told, I was not sure how much longer I was going to be able to keep existing in Slade's body. I was using my healing talent just to keep everything functioning. When I stopped doing so, things started to shut down.

I was not a walking zombie by any means. Slade's body lived and breathed, but only because I forced it to. It was not a part of me, and I doubted, now, if it ever would be. I had essentially stitched things together in a haphazard way, and nothing was working as it should. I told myself that a Watcher might be able to help connect my life essence to all the myriad bits and pieces that kept a body functioning.

But now that Victor had Mykal—I could be that boy's only chance at rescue.

It meant I had to stay.

Perhaps it was for the best that I was losing the link to Bree. I did not want her to bear witness to me slowly falling apart. Because I knew her. If she had any idea just how desperate my situation was becoming, she would rush back here.

My worries paled in comparison to what I carried in my inner pocket—the proof everyone so desperately needed. After pressing copious buttons on the camera, I had managed to print off three copies of the best photos. I placed two sets of them in envelopes and carried them in separate pockets.

One was addressed to Cara at the academy. The other, to Marcus. It was the only way I could be sure they would get where they needed to go. I was handing the third off in person.

I felt far more conspicuous than I really was—no one challenged me as I left the stronghold. Slade's reputation was enough to satisfy the guards.

It was now morning, but the perpetual gloom and the cover provided by the drizzle meant the predators here never slept. As I made my way through the streets, I sensed eyes on me, and moments later, two cloaked forms closed in. One in front, one behind.

I lowered my hood, exposing my face, and glared at them. "Yes?"

The one in front backpedaled. "Sorry, Sir. Didn't recognize you."

They vanished swiftly into the shadows, and I kept my hood down as I finished my journey to the gate. I was not surprised that they had not recognized the man who had been enforcing his will on them. It was all I could do to get this body to walk. There was no way my struggle resembled Slade's usual lethal stalk.

The gatekeeper barely glanced at me as I requested my destination. It was a testament to Slade's ruthlessness that I was able to negotiate the streets unquestioned. How long would it take for me to destroy the hard-won respect that Slade had beaten into everyone that knew him? Respect earned via fear crumbled the instant weakness was sensed, and weak was how I felt.

I stepped through the gate to a sunny morning in Richin. Shaking the moisture off my cloak, I moved away from the gate and headed for the market.

The atmosphere here was a distinct relief. There were predators, but they did not often operate in daylight. I would have to be really stupid to fall foul of them.

I was many things, but stupid was not one of them. I stayed to the well-lit main streets as I made my way to the market. Although I sensed assessing eyes on me a few times, I arrived with my skin intact.

My first destination was the general deliveries booth—most markets had them. Mail service across the realms was spotty at best, but there were a handful of enterprising businesses that offered it. For a price, of course.

I had discovered Slade's substantial stash in his quarters, and I could think of no better use for a hefty chunk of it. Which, as it turned out, was even weightier than I expected.

I paid the vendor and handed the envelopes over with fingers that trembled. She had no idea of the importance of what they contained. Those images would topple an entire regime.

I swallowed, wound through the booths, and found myself hesitating at one—a baker. The smells drifting from it were pure ambrosia.

I told myself that it was necessary to eat something, although the three sugary confections I ended up with were not my usual thing at all. It seemed Slade's body had more control over my decision-making than I had assumed.

I managed to consume all of them by the time I got to the weaponsmith's. The last package contained not only a set of the images, but the camera itself, as well as the recorder. That I was bringing them to Emmanuel was a testament to the trust that Cara had in him.

The Centaur was not alone. The female with him had hair a rather startling bright red, and bits of metal sparkled within it. She stood at the edge of the booth as I entered, and I had little doubt she was scanning the crowds for potential trouble.

Emmanuel waited within, and he led us behind the counter at the back. He turned, and his brows dropped as he scanned my face. "I met Slade a couple of times. Hard to believe you are inside him."

I withdrew the package from my pocket. "What is in here is worse than what we expected."

His front hooves shifted, and then stilled. "Will the pictures prove what we need them to?"

I met his steady, deep-brown gaze. And opened the envelope to pull them out.

The only obvious physical reaction was a slight widening of his eyes. But when he exhaled sharply, I realized he had been holding his breath.

"Mykal…"

My heart constricted. "Daize will pay for this." The rage in my voice had him meeting my gaze, and I saw an answering emotion in his. "But now that they have Mykal, I am staying."

I handed him the package, which included the recorder. He placed the pictures into it and resealed the flap.

There was resignation in his expression as he looked at me. "Do you have a plan for getting him out?"

"No. But I am in a unique position to help."

Again, the measuring stare. "I'll take this to Cara. And we won't rest until the council understands its role in bringing you both home."

The conviction in his voice warmed something within me, although I personally doubted there was much the council could do. "Thank you," I said, and turned to meet the gaze of the female. I had not even heard her move up behind us.

Her eyes were suspiciously liquid as she whispered, "Good luck, Caliel."

With my pulse pounding, it was all I could do to offer a brisk nod. Because I knew the enormity of the task ahead of me.

And I would need every bit of luck I could scrounge up.