I gritted my teeth, biting back the string of expletives that threatened to spill from my tongue. "What do you want, Numir? You better be here to let us out."
"Oh, I want many things," he replied silkily. "Power, respect, a world safe for our kind. But first of all, I want you and your new little bedmate to suffer for your insolence."
Rissa tensed beside me.
"If you're not here to free us, then get the hell out. We've got better things to do than listen to your megalomaniacal bullshit."
"Careful," he warned, his tone turning icy. "You're not exactly in a position to be making demands. And I'd hate for something...unfortunate to happen to you or your tart while you're imprisoned. Bottles are made to hold liquids. And I can think of some unpleasant ones to add."
I could practically hear the smirk in his voice, the smug satisfaction of a man who thought he held all the cards. But I knew better. Numir was a snake, a manipulator who would say anything to get what he wanted. And right now, he wanted us scared and compliant.
A smarter man would try to pretend. But I knew Numir wouldn’t buy it coming from me. We had too much of a history.
"Up yours," I growled, letting a hint of my own power bleed into my words. "Know this. When we break free, and we will, there won't be a corner of this world or any other where you can hide. You’re done, Numir."
Silence. A low, mocking chuckle rolled through the bottle. "Bold words from a man in a cage. We'll see how long that bravado lasts. In the meantime, I’ll share some excellent news with you. Since it’s been made obvious that both of you are terribly terribly concerned with the fate of humanity and monsters, I was moved to bend my abilities to find a way to protect humanity and the monsters from the formless ones. Happily, it's doable! All it requires is both your life forces and all of your magic. A burden I know you’ll be happy to lay down for these masses of people. You love humanitysomuch. I and the rest of the Council knew you'd jump at the chance to save all the innocents in the world. We just needed to have you both in the same place at the same time to hear the plan.” The sarcasm of his words was thick enough you could use it as a spread.
Me, willing to die to save the world?
Not on his word alone. “I want to see the magic formulae you’ve put together, complete with the calculations showing that it would actually protect humanity from the formless ones. And that our life forces and powers would be needed specifically. I want the detailed spell, Numir. Trusting you isn’t happening. You’re so crooked you could hide in the shadow of a corkscrew.”
Numir gasped theatrically."I'm wounded. After all, you’re the person who taught me how to hide in that twisted shadow.” With that, the feeling of his presence vanished, leaving us alone once more.
"He's lying," I muttered. "I don't know what portions are true, but whatever the result, it won’t be healthy for us."
Rissa nodded grimly. "Agreed."
I paced the length of the room, analyzing the conversation. "We now know Numir needs our life forces and powers for something. Chances are it’s not to save the world. The question is, what?"
Rissa leaned back against the curved wall, her arms crossed over her chest. "Well, he mentioned protecting humanity and monsters from the formless ones. But that's nonsense. Numir doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself."
"Exactly," I agreed. "Which means there's got to be another reason he wants us out of the way. Something bigger than just killing a couple thorns in his side."
We fell into contemplative silence for a moment, the only sound the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. Then Rissa spoke up, a musing tone in her voice.
"Maybe he's planning a surprise party for us. You know, as a thank you for all our hard work and dedication to the cause."
I laughed. She’d had me going for the first few words. "I can see it. A big banner he can put up that says, 'Congratulations on being captured and having your life forces drained!' all ready to go."
We both laughed.
What was Numir’s endgame? I kept pacing as Rissa stretched out on the couch and took a nap.
8
RISSA
"I might…possibly…maybehave like one thing I can try to help us out," I said, not opening my eyes. The couch was comfy, and a little relaxation had helped my mood. Listening to Luce pace was actually soothing.
Luce stopped next to me. "Well, would you kindly move on with it? I'd like us to be out of here."
His tone was crisp enough to remind me of apples. I snuggled back into the couch and opened my eyes. "Yes, it's just, it's going to take me a little while."
Luce crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest, staring down at me. "The sooner you get started, the sooner we leave."
I bit back an irritable reply. As much as his current attitude grated on me, he had a point. We were under a time crunch, what with Numir’s noxious fluids threat. Ugh, he had a nasty mind.
I moved into a cross-legged position on the couch and tried to clear my mind. Luce's presence was solidly there even without sight.
