“The cat has seemed familiar with this place since we got here,” Lucian said. “And she’s very connected with Vincent, isn’t she? Yet she doesn’t seem rattled in the least.”
“She’s a stupidcat,” I barked. I wanted to hit something. Cut my knuckles on the sharp rock and relieve some of this frustration.
“After we’ve rested and had a bit of blood, I say we rouse her to see if she can lead us to him.”
“We’ll rouse her now,” I roared.
Lucian grabbed my arm and held it. “I was worried you’d make me resort to this.” I felt the hot prick of a needle in the meat of my shoulder. I spun around and made a grab for him, but he ducked easily out of my clumsy grasp.
“Lucian,” I slurred, overcome by betrayal.
“You need this more than I do.” He lowered me to my knees while his form turned wavy like a mirage in the hot desert sun.
“Gods damn you,” I protested weakly, already slipping into unconsciousness.
“We can continue this argument in a few hours when we’re both fresh. For now, rest easy, big brother.”
I lunged at him from on my knees, trying to grapple with a phantom, then succumbed to a black and dreamless sleep.
29
VINCENT
The first thing I noticed was a low flame burning inside a sooty glass lantern. The flame—the only source of light in the room—licked the wick like a forked tongue. In my stupor I deduced that I must still be in the Shade Vale because fire didn’t move like that in the natural world.
The second thing I noticed was the iron cuff around my left ankle, fastened with a thick, metal pin. The cuff was attached to a chain which was bolted to a boulder and prevented me from moving more than a few feet in any direction. I tugged at the pin, but it was wedged in tightly and didn’t budge. Same with the bolt.
My miner’s helmet was gone, along with the blade you’d given me. My cross was still around my neck, so I kissed it and said a prayer. Beneath me was a thick rug of animal fur—I didn’t know what kind. The ground beneath it was bare rock, but smoother than the cave floor, as though it had been worn down over the years by foot traffic.
I sniffed the air. It was the same scent that had overwhelmed me right before I’d been snatched up by God knows what. Something with a strong grip. Or someone. A cloth had been forced over my nose and mouth to knock me out and keep me quiet. But there was something else in the air now too—a sweet, smoky incense. Another drug? I ran a hand along my arm and shivered. Every nerve ending tingled with sensation. Definitely a drug.
I heard a noise then. And breathing so heavy it sounded like a snore. Weighty footfalls that meant something large was approaching. I dove back onto the furs and pretended to be asleep.
The beast crouched beside me, hot breath on my face, and ran his hand along my neck, searching for my pulse. His touch was cautious as his callused fingers pushed away the hair at my forehead, maybe to see if I was awake. I tried not to give myself away, but there was another scent in the air—savory and mineral-rich. Human blood. He traced my lips with it, luring me out of my pretend slumber. The smell crept into my nostrils and triggered my hunger. My upper lip curled involuntarily. I felt him move again, and when I opened my eyes, he was kneeling a few feet away.
I saw his thighs first, powerfully muscled under a faded leather loincloth. My eyes lifted to his hairy chest. It was a man, wasn’t it? It had the body of a man but with bullish features and black, curved horns that protruded from just above his temple. Despite knowing they were spiritual in nature, they looked strong and very sharp. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of those horns.
His hands were human hands, but rougher. His nails were thick and black and textured like hooves. I recalled one of Mater’s stories—a half-man, half-bull creature trapped in a labyrinth and feasting on the blood of Athenian virgins. Myths I’d once discounted as fiction suddenly seemed very real.
“Ashur,” I said.
He snorted in acknowledgement and pointed to the clay cup filled to the brim with blood. Whose was it?
“Is it drugged?” I had no idea if he’d answer honestly, but I didn’t want my senses dulled anymore.
The beastborn shook his head slowly. His dark eyes had not left my face, and his wet black nostrils pulsed as though drinking in my scent. I put the cup to my lips. It felt wrong not knowing whether the host had been willing or forced, but with blood, I’d be stronger and more able to fight back. Better at seduction too if he was at all susceptible to it. But Seneser had said Ashur had been conditioned against it. Even mine? I didn’t like my odds against this creature.
All of this I pondered as I drank down his offering. I even licked the rim. I didn’t know when I’d get fed again.
I offered him my hand. “I’m Vincent.”
The beast’s wide forehead dipped, acknowledging my gesture, but he did not take my hand. I stroked the fur rug, soft in some places and matted in others. “Is this your home?” I asked.
The beast snorted. After a thoughtful pause, he presented his forearm where there was a brand of two diamonds interlocking. The skin there was paler than the rest, like the belly of a fish. I traced the shape of it with my finger, and the design glowed as though some radioactive fluid were flowing just beneath its surface.
“Your prison,” I concluded, and he grunted again. Another slave to Azrael’s Imperium. “Can you speak? Are my friends okay?”
He huffed with indifference. Not a friendly noise. But he couldn’t have made off with meandfought you without signs of injury, right? I assessed him again. He seemed sympathetic, so I pointed to the metal band around my ankle. “Will you take this off?”
