Thirty-Five Dianna

“This is the weirdest place to have a meeting,” I said, my nose still wrinkled against the rotten smell.

Orym had snuck food in for Savees, and he was currently sitting on the floor eating. It was guaranteed that they fed him little, if at all. I leaned against the wall with Samkiel at my side.

“Does everyone have a tail here?” I asked, glancing at Savees. His twin tails, tipped with dark fluff, bristled.

Orym shook his head, but he thrashed his tail, too. “How can we get to the upper room?”

“Why do you want to go there?” Savees asked as he ate the skin off whatever small bird they served this morning.

“I think there is a weapon there for me. It’s the only place it could be because Dianna has searched everywhere else.”

“Plus,” I added, “when we arrived, I felt . . . something up there. I can’t explain it.”

Samkiel nodded, his arm braced above my head and his body hovering protectively over mine as he leaned against the wall. I smiled to myself and wondered if his need to show everyone we came across that I was his would wane. Not that I was complaining. It was nice to be wanted so much for once and not just for what I did when we were naked.

“I felt it, too,” Samkiel said.

Savees cleaned the bone in his mouth until it shined and tossed it toward the disgusting cell.

“Good luck getting topside. Those doors won’t open unless Commander Taotl opens them. He has a chip set in his wrist to unlock all the doors.”

My face scrunched. “But the other guards and the food, all that gets here. You’re telling me it’s not delivered?”

Savees picked up another small bird leg and sucked it into his mouth. “It is through the system they have topside. It’s a bunch of tunnels that squeak all night. I can hear them through the wall.”

“And this commander? What does he look like?” Samkiel asked.

“He’s Estiine. You can’t miss him.”

Orym cast a glance toward Samkiel while I looked confused.

I held my hand up. “Okay, can you guys tell me then? Sorry, I haven’t been to this realm in, let’s say, ever, and all you’re doing is throwing one word after another like you think I know what you are talking about.”

Samkiel hid a snicker as Savees and Orym looked at me. “He’s the tall one, skin a mix of spots and a short coat. He has hooves,” Orym said finally.

“The guy that looks like a huroehe? With the long face, mane, and big ass weapon?” I asked.

“Yes, that is the one. He is a sadistic bastard,” Savees said, chewing on the words.

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll find him, kill him, and take his form. Then we grab the weapon and leave.”

They all spoke at once, and I held my hands up. “One at a time, please.”

Savees jumped in before the others could. “Don’t leave me here to rot when you leave.”

I cast a glance at him. “I’ll think about it.” Then turned to Orym. “You?”

Orym only shrugged. “I was going to say if you kill him, you need to make sure he has the key on him first. Otherwise, you are wearing a useless shell.”

I nodded before turning toward Samkiel and resting a hand on his chest. “And you?”

“I was merely going to suggest for you to be careful. Also, he only wanders the lower levels of the compound in the morning. Then he returns topside. If you are to get him, we will need a diversion to distract everyone first.”

My head reared back. “I’m actually shocked. I thought you’d suggest it was immoral or something.”

He shook his head. “Taotl is cruel. I smelled it on him the second we entered. He is unkind to the others here. I saw how they cowered.”

“He is also from the Otherworld,” Savees joined in, tossing another bone.

Samkiel and I looked at each other. I assumed the Otherworld would be the first to rebel against her, given they fought the gods for eons. Instead, she had collected the meanest and used it to her advantage.

“Why would an Otherworld being bow to a god?” I asked, patting Samkiel’s arm. “No offense, baby.”

Savees cleared his throat. “From the moment the sky opened, the Otherworld erupted into chaos. There are seven rulers, and from them to the lowest of us, we saw an opportunity to have our own, so to speak. Some rebelled and died, and others ran topside.”

“Why would beings in the Otherworld run to her? Don’t gods hate us?” I asked.

“Every being wants a home, a territory. The Otherworld is like any empire. They sit above us. Nismera offered a way to overthrow even them so . . .” Savees shrugged. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

I glanced toward Orym, who looked just as shocked as us. “What does that mean . . . Wait, are they going after The Eye?”

Savees snorted. “They’d rather be ashes than help them, not that The Eye would care. No one cares about anyone but themselves now. It is a fight for survival, and everyone is running scared. Those who do not join Nismera die, and most are just striving to survive.”

“They came for you,” Samkiel said. “That’s why you were taken prisoner, why they keep you here, starved and beaten.”

Savees refused to look at any of us. “I ran topside too. The sun does not shine in parts of the Otherworld, and I saw an opportunity for freedom.”

“Freedom from what?”

Savees’s eyes turned to me, their nocturnal shine glowing from the torches outside, and I wondered just what beast he turned into. “That’s none of your business.” He all but growled.

“Watch it,” Samkiel said from behind me, the air in this chamber stirring. Savees lowered his gaze in a sign of submission.

From the scars along his arms, I was willing to bet most of his body held them. I didn’t need to know what beast he turned into, only that whatever it was, it was powerful enough that the ones who had him in the Otherworld had forced him into submission, too.

“It’s okay. I was prying.” I tossed a smile toward Samkiel, who still glared daggers at Savees. If he even flinched wrong, Samkiel would take his head off.

“Well, I think we all make a great team,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

I only got two eye rolls, which was significantly better than earlier.

“STICK TO THE PLAN,” ORYM SAID AS WE SAT IN THE CAFETERIA THE next morning. I nodded, but my brows lifted when I saw he was looking at Samkiel, not me. “I’m talking to him.”

Samkiel opened his hands from where they had been fisted on the tabletop and growled, “I will.”

Orym clicked his tongue. “I see how you look at her. She’s strong. She will be fine. Don’t run off the second it happens.”

Samkiel glared at Orym, and I smiled. I could feel his embarrassment at being called out for his protectiveness, but I adored it.

“He will,” I said, patting Samkiel’s thigh. “And as soon as I get the weapon, I’ll be back, and we can plan our escape.”

Samkiel nodded, and we all glanced up. There, stomping through the guards, was Taotl, holding his battle ax across his shoulder. His skin was ivory and speckled with freckles. A dark mane spilled down his head and along his neck, the same texture and color as the tail swishing behind him. His hands were like ours, but his hooves clattered against the metal as he stalked along the catwalks. He was speaking to a guard draped in mostly cloth, only a couple of pieces of metal armor along his arms and calves.

I nodded at Samkiel, and he hid his hands beneath the table, placing a single ring on his finger. I saw the change in him but knew no one else would notice. His rings weren’t just for his weapons but a way to focus his powers.

Samkiel raised his pointer finger, aiming at the burly man off to the far right. A tiny spark of electricity snapped at him, quick and sharp, hitting him in the thigh. He yelped and stood up as if he had been stung, glaring at the guy closest to him. He didn’t even hesitate before throwing the first punch, and then all hell broke loose.

GUARDS PUSHED AND SHOVED, TRYING TO WRANGLE THE GROWING rise of chaos. It worked perfectly, given the fact everyone was miserable here. All they needed was a little shove, which is exactly what I did to the guard who passed by me. He landed on a table, and the prisoners dragged him off, throwing him into the tussle.

Taotl shouted, pushing more guards to join the fray. As soon as his back was turned, I attacked. My fist connected with his face, and he stumbled, dazed. He touched his jaw and smiled, but it only lasted a second. I grabbed the rail behind me and, using it for leverage, kicked him down the stairs.

He lay in a crumpled heap, groaning in pain. I jumped down after him and checked to make sure no one was behind me. My claws emerged from my fingertips, and I punctured his shoulder, dragging him into the dark bowels of the prison. His hands reached out, scrabbling for purchase, but it was too late.

I EXITED THE LOWER LEVELS SO MUCH TALLER THAN I WAS ACCUSTOMED to. I adjusted the silk garbs around my shoulder and watched the chaos as the fighting continued. Samkiel helped a prisoner off the floor, the man’s eyes swollen shut. He was leading him out of the melee when he paused and focused on me as if he sensed I’d come back into the room. I nodded once, and he returned the gesture before leading the man he was supporting toward the exit. I strode through the crowd, pushing prisoners out of my way and heading for the stairs.

A shout followed after me, and it took me a moment to remember what form I wore. “Taotl,” he called. “We need reinforcements. They have gone mad.”

“I’ll go get them,” I called.

This morning, I watched Taotl wave his wrist to unlock the door. I pulled my sleeve up and tried to look like I knew what I was doing, pressing my wrist against the metal. The door hissed open, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I stepped through, and it closed behind me. I inhaled deeply, the air so much fresher, this level less oppressive. When I looked up, I saw why. High above, a circular grate allowed in the bright morning sun and a fresh breeze.

I made my way up the stairs and to the left, working my way to the top. I glanced around a couple of times, wondering why I hadn’t seen any more rooms or cells or why I didn’t hear anything other than my hooves on the stairs. All thoughts died when I reached the room and heard a single heartbeat inside. I calmed my breathing, ready to play my part, and opened the door.

I froze, and time stopped.

“I FUCKED UP,” I SAID, MY HEART THUNDERING AS I DROPPED THE facade and returned to my natural form.

Samkiel pulled me further into their cell, and Orym closed the gate. The chaos erupting outside had forced the guards to shove everyone into their cells early. Once I returned and restored order, all the fighting had stopped. The guards gathered the wounded, and I ordered them to their chambers, making it clear that no one was allowed out until early morning.

“Slow down,” Samkiel said, grabbing my arms to ground me with his touch. “Talk to me. What happened? What did you see? Did you find the weapon?”

I nodded, hating what I was about to say. “Yes, but I don’t know how to tell you this. I ate Taotl, but my blooddreams haven’t worked since Rashearim. They didn’t return when I got my powers back. I didn’t see this, Samkiel.”

“What? Just tell me, Dianna.”

“The weapon . . .” I swallowed. “It’s not a thing. It’s a person. It’s Logan.”