I grimaced. “I don't want to put them in danger.”
“All right. Then just a walk in the woods. You know, stretch our legs together. All that friend shit.”
“That would work.” I glanced at the position of the sun. “We can take some lunch with us.”
“A picnic?” Gray grinned. “How romantic. You're not trying to seduce me, are you? You slut!”
“Fuck off! I'm committed to the men I love.”
“Yeah all five thousand of them.”
“Allfiveof them,” I corrected. “And it's my divinely sanctioned duty. A sacrifice, if you will.” I lifted my chin and sniffed importantly. “I do it for the world.”
“You do it for the orgasms, just like the rest of us.” Gray snorted and punched my arm. “Come on, Slut of the Goddess. Let's get that lunch.”
We went down the curving stairs that spiraled along the tower wall, following the arrow slits, and came out into the armory. Through there, we went into the main living quarters. Another set of stairs led to the bedrooms upstairs but the bottom floor housed a small kitchen and dining space as well as a communal room for relaxing. There were no windows in the tower beyond those arrow slits made for defense. It wasn't a place to take a vacation. The tower was built to serve as a lookout and to protect those inside.
After packing some food and a bottle of brandy in Gray's satchel, we let the others know what we were doing. A couple of them went to take our places on watch while the rest prepared—mainly to summon the Wraith Lords. Then Gray and I slapped on some grins and ventured out of the tower.
Just before we left the protection of the ward, I stopped him. “If the Corrupter shows up, I'll fade us back to this side of the ward. So, don't leave my side.”
“Got it,” Gray said.
“And if we do get separated, don't try to fight him. Just run.”
“Hey, I'm not an idiot. I know what I can handle and it's not the fucking Corrupter. I'll run.”
“And we are watching over you,” Air added.
“Good. Thank you.” I let out a sigh, then stepped past the ward.
I felt a shimmer of magic, but I doubted Gray felt anything. The ward had been cast by the Emperor himself—one of his many gifts to the people of Fress for all they had endured for him. And for producing his beloved Sally. And me. So, the ward was powerful and subtle. Someone without magic wouldn't notice it. But those it kept out would notice. It would be impossible for them to not notice the invisible wall that they couldn't get past.
We found a secluded spot in the woods with a nice mossy log to sit on and unpacked our lunch, setting the simple fare of bread, cheese, apples, and cold roasted chicken out on a linen napkin. In addition to the brandy, I'd brought a jug of water, and I took a swig from it before anything else.
“So, tell me about the new guy,” Gray said.
“Vexen.” I grinned. “You know about him. He's the one who wrote me love letters.”
“Right. The one who got you captured.”
“He didn't get me captured. That was my fault. I fell for Death's lies.”
“Incoming!” Fire shouted.
I grabbed Graysen's hand, but he was already reaching for me, having heard Fire too. I assumed Death hadn't heard her though, because a second later, Aranren—no, the Corrupter—stood before us. He reached for me. I immediately faded Graybehind the ward. But not inside the tower. I didn't want Death to leave, after all.
I let go of Gray and faced the Corrupter through the invisible barrier. “Ara,” I said. “I know you're in there. Fight him.”
This was all an act, of course. I knew Aranren was already fighting Death as much as he could. And I knew that only I could free him. But only if I managed to make Death believe I wasn't going anywhere. That I was staying for Ara. Alone.
Meanwhile, Gray ran into the tower to summon the Wraith Lords—if they hadn't already been summoned by the watch. The first summoning would bring my lovers to the tower, so I could use their power to trap the Corrupter. The second would bring the rest of the lords, but only after the Corrupter was caught. We didn't want Death retreating before I caged him.
The Corrupter cocked his head. He was Aranren but not. Not a shell exactly, but a twisted version of the man I loved, his mind infected by Death. Death controlled Ara, but not in the way that the Corrupter controlled the Corrupted. At least, not usually.
From personal experience, I knew there were levels of influence. Death could twist your thoughts or take complete control of them. I wasn't sure what level he was at with Ara currently. But I wanted to force him to take full control. It would mean more of Death in Ara and would make it easier for me to pull the rest of him into Aranren's body.
This would be a complicated and delicate dance. I had to hold Aranren here while not using my full power. Just enough to make Death think he needed to put more of himself intoAranren, but not so much that Death would know he was in danger.
