Blue Abyss: Timewalker Chronicles, Book 3 (The Timewalker Chronicles) (26 page)

Mari couldn’t stop her hand from trembling as she slowly placed her palm flat against the cold black metal of the wall and caressed Raiden’s Mark with her left thumb. She tried to keep her other hand and the weapon it contained battle ready, but found it nearly impossible to concentrate. The pull of the stone behind this wall blinded her to everything else. She knew it was wrong, knew it was dangerous, but it barely registered. The Triscani would not kill her until she held the stone in her hand. For some unknown reason, the thought of holding it made her feel invulnerable, as if she would no longer be part of this world and therefore no longer susceptible to its threats.

The pressure built within her until she felt like a water balloon about to burst. She could not contain the energy and it ran along her skin like a thousand fire ants. She gritted her teeth and bit back a sob as she depressed the small mark with her thumb. A small compartment slid into view. It was about a foot deep and just barely wide enough for her hand and forearm. She had no idea how in the world Raiden had managed to fit his much more muscular arm through the small space, but he must have, because she could see the stone now glowing with the strange triangle of light. It was the same three colors she had seen in her dream.

Hypnotized by the lights, she completely forgot the danger surrounding her. Nothing mattered but holding the stone in her hand. Touching it. Bringing it home.

Fearless now, filled with the absolute certainty that what she was about to do was right, Mari reached into the space and wrapped her hand around the stone. Heat rushed through her in a wave like the aftershock from a small explosion. It seared her insides, healing places that she hadn’t realized were broken.

Her knees buckled and she sagged against the wall, her arm remained lodged in the wall and was the only thing keeping her standing. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the cool metal as wave after wave of energy poured through her, filling her up like a glass of Champagne. She heard Raiden calling to her through the effervescent feeling, but he sounded different, as if his voice were an echo inside her. She could not only hear his thoughts, his thoughts were her own.

There was another voice, deeper, like the growling rumble of a souped-up street bike cruising by just outside her bedroom window. Powerful and loud, she knew if she listened closely the noise would hurt.

Her hot breath fogged the wall before her and she leaned fully against it. Her arm was soothed by the press of the smooth metal against her skin. Her other fist was still closed around the stone. She pulled it slowly out of its hiding place in the wall, stopping an inch or two from the opening. Her sluggish mind, so wrapped up, so mesmerized by the presence of the stone, suddenly came back to life. She wondered if the stone acted like a defibrillator for her brain, shocking her back to her senses. Scenarios played out in her mind almost faster than she could track.

Where were the Tristani hiding now? Had they moved? Should she drop to her knees and fire? Turn and run? Would they be standing behind her, or hiding like rats in the shadows?

Mother of God, this was insane. What was she anyway, the ball in a game of alien pong? Some kind of warrior goddess in the biggest mmo ever. Was that the big joke for the human race? Was it all a freaking massive multi-player game to these Immortal bastards? Was she just a plaything? A gaming character led around on quests by some gorgeous, angelic woman who pretended to be her friend, but really was just yanking her chain? Go here. Save him. Find the stone. Fry the cave. Kill the bad guys. Travel through time. Breathe some water and do it all again…

And Raiden. God, Raiden. She couldn’t breathe if he was near. Couldn't breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t remember who she was, or who she had once so desperately wanted to be. Around him, everything faded away, everything but the need to feel his hands caress her skin, his lips on hers, his body pressed against her, the soft glide of his hair as she ran her fingers through it and pulled him closer.

Even he pushed her away. To him, she was another pawn, an expendable player in the game. A weapon. An asset to be weighed, measured, traded and left behind. Oh, yes, she’d read that intention clearly. He intended to take the stone from her and walk away.

Damn him. Damn him straight to hell.

The glow in her hand intensified with her pain and anger. They may have created her character, given her superpowers and sent her on a quest, but she wasn’t hooked up to some stupid controller like Mario. She wouldn’t jump just because they said jump. Not anymore. She was awake now. And angry.

She removed the stone from the wall and opened her fist to examine it. It was nothing now but a rock. Black. Dark. Cold. Empty. The lights no longer floated within and its spellbinding allure was no more.

It was dead. Reset. Ready to be used again by a powerful healer. By her.

“I was afraid of that, my dear.” The voice sounded pleasant, patient, and not at all surprised to find her here, at the bottom of the ocean on a deserted alien spaceship.

Mari turned at the sound of the voice to find a man flanked by a Triscani on either shoulder. Her hand blazed to life at her side and she pressed her back to the wall, stone clenched in her human hand like a talisman. Whatever power it held dwelled within her now. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.

The man was regal, like a Greek statue of the ancient gods. Smooth face without a hint of stress or concern for the two creatures with him. He held out his hands, palms up. “Marina, thank you for finding the stone. I had hoped to acquire it before you could absorb the Remnant’s power, but alas, I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me now.”

“No.” Mari’s hand flared even hotter. How quickly could she fire? Could she create one massive explosion and blow all three of them to hell with one shot. And he looked so human, so perfect and serene. Could she murder a human in cold blood? No. Damn it, no. She couldn’t do it. He looked too normal. Too beautiful.

But was he human? Her gut twisted and screamed that he was not.

“Now, dear, there’s no need for that.” The man took one step toward her, voice smooth and cool as a pond at dawn, but calculating gaze darted to her hand with wide-eyed shock and, if she weren’t mistaken, a hint of fear. “I give you my word no harm will come to you if you simply come with me. I can explain many things to you, things those arrogant fools who sent you here didn’t bother to tell you.”

Despite herself, Mari’s curiosity was piqued. Was he reading her dissatisfaction? Her yearning for the truth? “Like what? Tell me now and you might convince me.”

“All right. But first, a show of good faith on your part. Please, put the Angel’s Fire away. I have no desire to lose my soul this day.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. The Triscani were so still behind him they could have been shadows.

“Not while they’re here.” Mari kept her hand glowing and nodded at the Triscani on either side of him. “Start talking.”

The man waved his hand and a strange oval light appeared to float about a foot off the floor behind him. “Gentlemen.” The Triscani stepped through it and disappeared. They were gone and the cold, discordant energy that surrounded them faded to tolerable levels. “Now, dear. Please, come with me.”

“Not yet. I need to know who you are, who all of you people are. I’m tired of being the hamster on the wheel.” Mari dimmed the glow in her hand, but kept it humming on the brink should she need it in a fat hurry. The man was smooth, cool, and she was sure, after seeing that strange portal open, that he was like Celestina’s big warrior, Bran. Except Bran was warrior-god hot, and this guy gave her the creeps.

“Yes, Marina. Understandable. First, I’d like to know who sent you here? How did you know to look for Raiden’s stasis pod? I can’t tell you about the people you’re dealing with unless I know who they are.” He steepled his hands under his chin like a professor just starting a three-hour lecture, like he had all the time in the world.

He didn’t. Raiden was getting close. She could feel him coming like an inferno riding dry tinder. He’d never felt like that before, not to her. Something had changed, something inside her. Warning bells sounded loud and clear in her head as she thought about the Immortal’s question. He’d known that she would come here. He knew she’d been the one in the cave, the one to awaken Raiden. He’d been waiting for her to arrive and find the stone.

He wanted the stone. Or did he? Could it be that he hunted, but wasn’t sure who to go after? He wanted her to hand Celestina to him on a silver platter. “Who are you?”

He grinned and shook his head. “I am no one of consequence, my dear. I work closely with the Immortals exiled on Earth. I am simply an ambassador sent to keep the peace. The Immortal who created the stone you hold wanted to start a war, I’m afraid. A war that will cost billions of human lives. I will do anything to prevent that. Anything. I’d prefer not to kill you, dearest. It’s my duty to protect Earth, the Triads, and humanity. I needed the stone. Unfortunately, you have now been poisoned by it. I can save you, but only if we hurry. It won’t take the Remnant long to drain you dry.”

Mari’s fought to maintain control of her fear, but the Angel’s Fire sputtered and died in her mind and her flesh. Drain her dry? That was the line that caught her attention because she could already feel the stone’s effect. The man appeared to be so beautiful in the faint light supplied by the hovering portal. How romantic the scene if he weren’t talking about death and war, if he weren’t a lying, evil bastard. “What are you talking about?”

The regret in his eyes was tinged with something else, anger perhaps? Or spite? It was impossible to tell behind his mask of iron-willed control. “I see. He didn’t tell you, did he?” He shook his head. “The soul stone creates a Remnant, dear. The stronger the soul, the more powerful its pull, the more energy it requires to sustain it away from the body until it can return to its physical form.”

“What is it with you people? Whose soul? ” Mari remembered the feeling of Champagne bubbles pouring through her bloodstream, the giddy burst of power that had filled her up. “I absorbed someone’s soul?”

“A piece. Not all. And not just someone’s soul, Marina, the soul of an Immortal, an enemy of the human race. A very powerful soul, indeed. He was imprisoned in that stone. We can’t have him wandering around inside your head, draining you dry, now, can we? You won’t survive the week, I’m afraid.” He tsked, and the sound made her want to cry and throw something at his head. Good or evil, friend or foe, he was telling her the truth. The absolute truth. The knowing inside of her, the
being
inside her, purred in agreement with the truth. Her nervous system was now a finely calibrated lie-detector system?

“Shit.” Why hadn’t Raiden told her, warned her of the danger? The backs of her eye sockets pinched and an instant migraine threatened to take her down and let loose the river of tears she knew were building. Why hadn’t Celestina told her? Why the hell hadn’t anyone told her the truth? Sure, Raiden had shouted at her to stop. He’d told her not to touch anything, that it would be dangerous. But he hadn’t told her why. It was a big freaking why. She’d been stupid, and stubborn, and Raiden had been determined to keep his secrets. Now she was screwed. Red-shirt ensign, after all.

“Come with me and I can help you. I can save you. I can extract the Remnant’s soul and break his connection to you. I will lock him in another stone.” He held his hand out to her like a noble gentleman, waiting to help her step into a Regency-era carriage. “Let me help you, Marina. Come with me. Talk to me. Tell me what fool led you here without warning. I promise no harm will come to you while you are with me. I will personally guarantee your safety.”

God help her, she was tempted.

“Touch her, Immortal, and I will end you.” Raiden stood in the doorway, dripping wet and furious.

The man raised one eyebrow and shrugged, but he didn’t lower his hand or rescind his offer. “The decision is hers, Raiden. I believe she is intelligent enough to choose survival over lust. Facts over fiction. You are a fine specimen, but this healer is not bound to you. You’ve told too many lies, kept too many secrets. I’m sorry to say, but the beautiful, young Timewalker doesn’t trust you.” The Immortal’s eyes locked on her like laser beams. “Do you, Marina?”

The truth lay trapped in her throat, but all three of them knew the answer. The Immortal looked at her, his gaze patronizing and filled with pity, as if she were a stupid two-year-old who just didn’t know better than to drink bleach straight from the bottle.

Or to resist walking sex on a stick…

Raiden stepped forward and his eyes roamed her quickly, efficiently, checking for injury. He was all business and his eyes were cold, determined. His shoulders straightened and his jaw clenched when he saw the stone in her hand, but he didn’t say a word to her. Not one word. Instead, he stepped closer to her, partially blocking the Immortal from her view. He raised both of his hands and spoke to her visitor. “I don’t need her trust to kill you.”

“Nor to join me.” The Immortal waved his hand again and a Triscani materialized in the room, right in front of Raiden. Mari screamed a warning, but Raiden went down beneath a cloak of darkness and silence.

Mari raised her hand at the Immortal, at the Triscani, ready to fire. The man looked mildly disappointed, but held up both hands, palms out to show he meant no harm, and walked backward, away from her and the struggle taking place on the floor at his feet. His voice rumbled inside her mind like a waterfall roaring behind her ears.
Until we meet again, Marina. When you are ready for the absolute truth, when you need my aid, call to me in your mind. I am Droghan. Call my name and I will find you. Do not die for this arrogant fool. I can help you, heal you, all you have to do is ask.