“Why would I be inclined to take this deal?”
His eyes went to Rohtt. Damned fearlessly bold Rohtt, who worked on Geisinger’s word alone. Cade was never in true control. The moment he’d signed on that dotted line in the room in Geisinger’s hospital, he’d given his own freedom away.
It had only grown worse, when Rohtt arrived in the hospital that night, and began the painful work that led towards shaping Cade into their man for the job.
But it was worth it.
It had to be, once he recovered Karr.
“Because if you don’t take it… you will never see your brother again,” the woman said. “You are dealing with no ordinary enemy. You knownotwhat monster you face.”
Cade could still see the dried blood and the helmet on the ground, the spot where she’d slammed Karr over the head with her blade. He angled his body ever-so slightly away, trying not to think about Karr shivering in the darkness somewhere, suffocating slowly beneath the weight of the planet’s poisonous atmosphere.
How long, exactly, would it take until it killed him?
No, this job had not gone cleanly.
And once Cade found Karr’s captors, the mess would only get worse. He would kill them. And he would make sure he did it slowly.
The Queen glanced at the screen still held in Cade’s hands. “A Shadowblood.” She hissed the word like a curse. “An enemy of Dohrsar, and one with mighty powers that come from the depths of darkness. Some say they have found a way to break open Hell’s very gates and breed with the demons that have sprung forth from there. If it’s a Shadowblood you’re facing, it is not likely that you will ever see your brother again.”
Panic raced through Cade, but the queen was not done explaining.
“I caught a glimpse of her at the Gathering. And though I did not believe it at the time… what I have seen is indeed true. It is her, in the recording. I recognize the face, and I recognize the stolen blade she carries.” Her eyes narrowed in what looked like fury, before she lifted her chin ever higher, the mite’s legs stretching against the back of her neck. “I give you a final offering of peace between my kingdom and yours.” Her voice was diplomatic.But her eyes were as cold as steel. “The girl is someone I regret to know well. A demon that should not walk this Earth. There are a great many outlaws across Dohrsar, and for years, there has been a tale about a Devil ravaging the Deadlands. A Devil that stood against your very ally, the king. You can keep the prisoners from the White Wastes, but you must setmypeople free. You’ll still have enough to complete the job.”
She nodded to Rohtt, as if he were not the man holding her captive, but her servant, set to do her bidding.
Rohtt snapped his fingers, and out of the doors behind him came another set of guards, hauling in a shackled man.
This one was tall and lean and made of muscle. Though he was wounded, a filthy bandage over his arm, Cade had the faintest feeling that should he come too close to the prisoner, he might need to call upon the power of the mite. His dark eyes met Cade’s without bitterness. Only a calculating glance that went first to the dried blood on the loading dock. A slight tilt of his head, before he glanced back to Cade and the Queen.
“Jaxon of Wildeweb, confirmed by the king as the man who walks with the Devil,” the queen said with a smile, inclining her head towards the imprisoned man. “Threaten to kill him… and it is my belief that the girl will do anything you ask.”
Part Three
Bone
Chapter 25
Sonara
Sonara knelt in the darkness.
The ancient door before her was heavy, rounded at the top as if it belonged in an ornate castle, instead of buried deep inside the recesses of a cave in the Bloodhorns. It was made of deep red stone, with strange, ancient symbols carved into its surface.
The door had no handle, no hinges, no visible way of entrance.
Her curse, nestled inside its cage, blinked weary eyes at the door. Curious, but not quite ready to test its aura.
The one time I need you to do something, you remain passive,Sonara thought to her curse.
It only blinked wearily, then backed away from the bars of its cage.
“Markam?” Sonara glanced over her shoulder as he approached, blood on his stubbled chin, his duster filthy. “You try. You’re good at breaking and entering.”
Markam approached the door, though Sonara doubted he’d find any way past it.
The Wanderer’s power was immense.
