Chapter 44
Iwas half asleep, curled around Zorander, Tavion's arm thrown over my waist when the shout of alarm went up.
The screams were muffled from the thick stone walls, but I heard them, then the ripple of silence that raced through the fortress like a killing wave.
I was through the door before I even knew I was moving, racing to keep up with Tavion, who was so much faster than me. Down and down and down the stairs and through the front doors to where Raziel lay in a crumpled heap on the front steps.
"Help me," I shouted, but Tavion was already slinging his arm beneath Raz's, lifting his limp form up off the snow, leaving a…leaving a…
A pool of blood as big as his body stained the dirty snow.
"Hurry," I told Tavion, skimming my hand down Raziel's pale face. Frozen. He was fucking frozen. How had he flown like this?
We were barely inside the doors when I ordered, "Put him down. Here." I pointed at the floor.
Tavion's eyes shot to the stairs. "It's warmer upstairs. He'll be more comfortable there while we figure out where he's hurt." But all I saw was the blood trail leading inside, and all I heard was his labored, wet breaths.
"Now." My roar rang off the unforgiving stone like a lightning crack as I ran my hands over him. They came away red. Soaking. "Find Bella. Or Vesper. Or Morgana. Fucking find?—"
"I'm here, I'm here," Bella called in that grave, unshakable tone. "Move out of the way so I can see him, Anaria. You're not helping."
No, no, no. She wouldn't have hurt Raz, she wouldn't have.
I'd gambled everything on the fact that the Oracle still harbored feelings for Gattica…for Raziel, and wouldn't lay a finger on him. How could I have been so fucking wrong?
I tore away his blood-soaked leather armor, fumbling through the buckles and trying to claw my way to bare skin. Raziel was hurt, somewhere he was bleeding and there was so much blood. He'd been hurt before, been hurt so badly, but this looked so much worse. I shredded through layers of fabric with my bare hands, desperation beating through me like a drum.
"By the Three Mothers." Bella rocked back on her heels as we took in what the Oracle—because that was the only possibility—had done to him.
A shard of black metal, as black as night, and as cold as the Great Beyond from the frost rimming the wound, pierced Raziel's chest. Red blood gushed out so steadily, I knew exactly how fast his heart was beating.
"We have to stop the bleeding," Tavion said gravely, his blue eyes somber. "But we can't remove the shard or he'll bleed out."
"Let's lift him enough for me to get a look at his back," Bella ordered, and I wrapped my hands around his shoulder and pulled enough to roll him toward me. Bella's face turned whiter.
"The blade goes all the way through but missed his heart," Bella said quickly. "I don't know how Raziel flew all the way here."
"He couldn't," I whispered, weighing the possibilities. "There is no way Raz got himself here in this condition."
"That means he didn't bring himself here."
"The Oracle did. This is a trap, Bella." I curled myself over Raziel's limp form, scanning the room crowded with gawkers. "We need to get these people out of here. Fast."
Bella was already on her feet. "Everyone get outside to their positions. If the Oracle is coming, we have to?—"
"Oh, it's much too late for that."
With her red lips curved into one of the most wicked smiles I'd ever seen, the Oracle stepped out of nowhere, like she'd opened up a doorway in time, setting her bare feet on the stone symbol carved into the floor.
"You destroyed something that belonged to me." Her gaze dipped to Raz. "So I decided to take something of yours. An eye for an eye, as they say."
Her beautiful face was carved to cruel perfection, sloped, dark onyx eyes glinting with malice. And vengeance. She wore only shadows—black, writhing shadows crafted from the deepest darkness—to hide her curves.
She'd hurt Raziel.
The entire room disappeared into a smear of rage.
"You fucking bitch," I growled, Tavion shooting to his feet beside me.
"Now, now, that's no way to talk to your betters, Anaria of Varitus. Or is it Caladrius? Or the High Barrens? I always get so confused. No matter. Did you really think I'd buy your foolish attempt to distract me? What are you up to, you wicked little thing?" That evil, arrogant smile consumed her entire face.
My fingers curled with the need to tear it off.
The smile and her face.
Around me, the witches remained on their knees trembling, heads bowed. The Oracle noted my pause of confusion with a sly smile. "Isn't it lovely? The bargain I struck with Vireena. Total, absolute obedience for as long as this coven exists. An eternity of submission from what used to be my greatest enemy. Beautiful, really, the irony."
"You are a monster," I said, then I reminded myself that my only purpose right now was to keep every single person here alive. "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing much. Just a shard of dragon glass from Darkhold. He caused such a scene there, releasing my prisoner, I decided turnaround was fair play. A bit of his own medicine, as it were. Then, of course, you made everything worse. I've kept Gattica's skull all these years, as a reminder of…well, I'm sure you understand the nostalgia of old lovers." The bitch winked at me and all that roaring fury just…stopped.
"What do you want?"
"I'd ask for Cosimo and the dragon back, along with the leverage they gave me over the seer, but I know I'd be wasting my breath." Her gaze landed on Raz again. Lingered.
"You know what I want. Go to Solarys and kill the king. Raise the magic and give me the power I am due like the measly little worms you are. Or I'll end him, right in front of you."
No…no, something about this wasn't right.
My anger winked out, replaced by some sixth sense warning me to look closer, to see what I'd missed. I'd bet everything on her not hurting Raziel.
And I wasn't wrong. Not about this.
I tilted my head, scanning the grinning goddess up and down. "All in good time. I have shite to do before I go to Solarys." I put every ounce of my hatred into my cold smile. "You can fucking wait, Gelvira."
"You will do my bidding, half blood, or I will kill you off one by one."
"No," I said slowly. "You won't, not until we're done. I need Raziel to get close to the king. I need Zor to get us into the Keep. Tavion has contacts with the royals, and…" My smile dripped ice. "Well, hopefully you're smart enough to get the idea. Touch one hair on anyone's head and I will ensure you and your pile of shite brother will be starting all over again."
"You cannot thwart my plan."
"I am your entire plan, and that's where you fucked up. Everything you have desired for so long rests with me and only with me." I flexed my fingers again, wondering if her immortal neck would snap.
"A bad plan, I suppose, putting all your eggs in one basket, since you're all about bandying clichés around tonight."
Magic surged through me, a reminder I'd forgotten the iron bands upstairs. From Tavion's sideways glance, he'd felt that pulse of power as well, and in that moment the entire world flickered.
Like what was right in front of me…wasn't.
There was something very wrong here, with the grinning, smug Oracle, with all this blood—Raziel's blood—and yet…I took a subtle sniff. No hint of the scent of blood in the air.
And Raziel didn't even give off…Raziel vibes. There was no pain telegraphed from him to me. I couldn't sense what he was feeling. How fast his heart beat. He was a void.
Nothing about this felt right, and every time I glanced to Raziel, the sense of wrongness grew stronger. Like…this was another vision, like I was seeing…what she wanted me to see.
The truth hit me then. This wasn't real.
Because this was an illusion.
But…if the Oracle was here when Tristan and the others arrived with the pendant—even if they hadn't succeeded—gods knew what would happen then. She might not kill me, but I had a feeling she wouldn't hesitate to wipe Torin and her males from this world out of simple spite.
"You've made your point," I told her stiffly, clenching my hands. "We were planning to leave for Solarys at dawn, although our departure will now be delayed until Raziel is recovered enough to travel. Again, bad planning. On your part."
"I want what is my due."
"Believe me, you'll get it one day," I muttered and a dark wind whipped through the fortress, whining around the stones and sending the torches flickering.
"You'll leave tomorrow as planned. One week. You have one week to kill Serpens, drop that ward, and give me what I want. Deny me and you all die. Starting with the wolf." She cocked her head as if she was hearing something the rest of us couldn't.
She hissed then was gone.
Raziel groaned, lurching onto his side, vomiting all over the glossy floor. "The blade vanished." Bella peered at his back in confusion. "Wounds are healed, not so much as a mark."
There was no blood trail into the fortress, and I doubted there was a pool of blood outside, either.
"It's a miracle." I rolled my eyes as Raziel flopped back onto the floor, pale and sweaty. "She created an illusion to show us what she could do to us if she wanted." I knelt down and cradled Raz's clammy face in my hands. "Are you alright?" I asked softly.
"Great." He swallowed hard, and I shifted to the side so he didn't vomit all over me.
"How did the Oracle snare you?"
"I was almost to Darkhold when something shadowy just…caught me out of midair. That's the last thing I remember. Now I'm here." He pressed his lips together. "Fuck. I'm going to be sick again."
"Outside. Come on." Tavion heaved him up off the floor. "You can puke to your heart's content."
"Great. Exactly how I wanted to spend my godsdamned day."
Bella watched them leave. "We thought the wards kept her out, but she got through like they didn't exist. Not so much as a warning. If she comes back…we can't fight her." Her gaze darkened to the color of honey. "Not with these marks binding us."
"They'll find the pendant, Bella. Once they get Cosimo out and he deciphers that language, we'll know more. If Cosimo can't break this hold she has over you, then we'll find someone who can."
I paused. "You're sure this isn't…blood magic or…what did you call it? A blood pact?"
"Can't be. Both those oaths would have been rendered void when Vireena died." Bella chewed on her lip. "This is something else."
"If blood magic worked as a weapon against your ancient enemies, then it should work on the Oracle since they are one and the same. That could be the real reason Vireena boarded up the library. Search the books, use the answers you find to protect yourselves." I gripped her hand.
"After tomorrow, she won't be looking at Stormfall." My eyes flipped to Tavion, half dragging a pale Raziel back inside.
"After tomorrow, she'll be watching us, and I'll make sure she doesn't have a reason to come back."
"I will speak with Vesper and the council. Perhaps a blood circle would keep her out if we could craft a big enough one," she mused, her eyes back to their normal color. "But before that, I'll make a tonic for Raziel. Whatever the Oracle did to create that illusion, her magic had a bad effect on your friend."
"Thank you. Tavion and I will get Raz into bed and wait for that tonic. Then, I think, I want to spend one more night in your library. I have an idea. And some questions."