“Impossible.”
Rath’s form peeled back, leaving Ryu crouched in his place as they spoke. On first glance, it would seem he’d made the shift in the hopes of reducing the pressure being exerted on his dragon’s body, but judging by the furtive movements he made, only visible from where she knelt, Tate suspected that wasn’t the case.
Ryu’s collar moved as a tiny version of his dragon nosed out of it, blinking gem-like eyes at the surroundings. His movements were furtive as he freed himself from Ryu’s clothing, careful not to draw attention to himself.
Smart.
Ai’s ability must be selective. She had to choose who it applied to. Otherwise, Nathan and his traitors would face the same constraints. Since she didn’t know about Rath’s tiny form, she hadn’t accounted for him, leaving him free to move.
“I warned you how perceptive she was. You should have listened.”
“Where is it?” the man demanded, looking at Tate.
“She won’t answer. It’s not in her nature to make things easy for others.” Nathan waved a dismissive hand. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She’ll have given it to one of her companions. She’s predictable that way.”
The man frowned as he looked at those trapped by the gravity. “One is missing.”
“Then that’s the one who likely has the Apportens Mortis.”
“I’ll send people to recover it.”
“Good, because if you don’t, you can forget joining my new world order. I’ll have your head,” Nathan said in an airy tone. “I need the Apportens Mortis for my plan. The ship can’t move without it.”
Nathan didn’t realize the cube was nothing but a message box, Tate realized. How ironic. The thing he wanted was kneeling right in front of him and he didn’t even realize.
“What about her?”
Nathan flicked her a glance, silent for a moment. “Kill her.”
A snarl came from Night as he shoved off the ground, forcing his way forward with sheer determination. The mini Rath took flight as he arrowed in Tate’s direction as the man reached for the sword in her chest.
Arms closed around Tate as the smell of a forest filled her nose. “I’ve got you.”
Peter held onto her as a sucking sensation similar to when she stepped through the Rift swallowed her. The last thing she saw was Night’s focused expression as he leapt toward her, front paws outstretched, Rath inches behind him.
Night’s paws touched Tate as Rath landed on her chest just as blackness rose all around her. Tate’s consciousness slipped away.
TWENTY ONE
Tate found herself on a rocky outcrop, a chasm riddled with sharp spires stretching below her feet. Everything around her was lit with a reddish tinge—as if the light spectrum was on the wrong wavelength. Great arches hovered upside down in midair. Their surfaces were cracked, allowing glimpses of a red-hot glow of a fire so intense it melted rock, to seep through.
“I know this place.”
She should since it hadn’t been that long since she’d stood on this same outcrop in a battle against Nathan. She’d won that battle but it looked like she hadn’t won the war.
“He did say you’d be back,” a feminine voice came from behind her.
Suze’s shoulder brushed Tate’s as she stopped beside her to take in the view. Tate examined the familiar face of her one-time friend as she gazed out at the chasm and strange structures Tate didn’t understand even now.
Suze was older than the last time Tate had seen her, during the confrontation where Suze and the others had forced her into sleep.
Something clicked in Tate’s mind. Memories that were mostly hidden bubbled to the surface. Here, she felt complete. The two sides of herself, the ones from pre- and post-sleep, at long last, melding together to form a comprehensive whole.
“Am I dead?” Tate touched the center of her chest where the blade had pierced, her gaze searching her surroundings as if they held the answer to that question.
“Not quite. At least not yet.”
Tate’s hand dropped as she sent Suze a wondering look. “Why are you here?”
