Kiss of the Betrayer (A Bringer and the Bane Novel) (31 page)

He shook his head and continued to stare at the ceiling, trying to wrestle the pain back into submission.

A shadow on the far side of the ceiling caught his attention. He watched the dark stain move along the edge of the wall and disappear. His eyes narrowed, trying to bring the area into view. Another shadow appeared, skittering along the ceiling to the other side of the chamber. A glint reflected off the black circle but disappeared.

“Do you see that?” He lowered his chin but kept his eyes trained on the corner, his pain finally abating to a tolerable level.

Jade looked in the direction he was staring and scanned the area. He watched her gaze skate across the ceiling and stop. She had the natural skills of a warrior, with patience to seek out her quarry before asking questions. He looked back at the shadow.

“I see it,” she said.

A second shape slithered along the top of the entrance from the outer corridor and moved across the chamber. Then like the other, it suddenly vanished.

“What is that?” Jade whispered.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.”

She squinted. “Imps, maybe.”

“Are they magical?” He rested his head against the wall, making it easier to peer at the farthest corner. “Do they have the ability to appear and vanish?”

Jade shook her head. “I don’t think so. I only saw two or three when I was growing up. They’re like giant bats with big, black eyes.”

That would explain the glint that caught the light of the blue flame. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“From what Rell told me, they usually stay close to Vile, but she might have been wrong.”

“Watch.” He flicked his head at one of the shadows inching its way toward the far side of the chamber.

The shape hovered near another dark spot, and then scooted around it to the very edge of the wall and disappeared.

Jade’s mouth opened in surprise. She looked at him. “Where did it go?”

“If they’re not magic, then I think there must be a doorway.” He paused. “Maybe a way out.”

Her mouth rounded and she glanced back in the direction the imp had disappeared. She raised her right hand and swept the chain out of the way, climbing to all fours. “Maybe I can get a better look.”

She crept forward. The clink of metal hitting the stone wall tinged. Jade stopped and spread her hands on the ground, systematically searching the area in front of her. Her chain pulled tight but she gave a whispered whoop of triumph, obviously finding what she had been looking for. Bracing her hand against the wall, she stood. Dark shapes darted away from her and disappeared.

“What is it?” Luc squinted, trying to see what she held in her hand.

“My lock pin, and maybe the answer to our problems. I thought I’d lost it.” She braced her hand against the wall and stood. “I think you’re right.” She looked over her shoulder. “There’s definitely a passage, or at the very least, an alcove.” She turned and shuffled toward him. “If we can get these chains off, maybe we can hide.”

He loved her optimism, but the possibility of breaking the chains was nil, especially in his weakened state. “A good plan, but how?”

She held up the straight piece of metal. “With this, but first I want to try and heal you again. Then we’ll concentrate on escaping.”

Luc didn’t have the strength to ask questions. She knelt as close as she could and laid her hand on his knee. Without explanation, she closed her eyes and began to chant. Warmth flooded his leg and moved through his body.

Jade’s whispered words cloaked him in a dull white light. The protector in him wanted to stop her. From the dimness of her healing, he could tell she was exhausted, but the determined set of her jaw let him know that arguing would be pointless.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall, opening himself up to the healing and trying to aid her. He’d been too weak after Icarus’s brutal treatment, but perhaps now he had regained enough strength to be of some help.

Like a gentle wave, Jade’s light ebbed and flowed, gradually burning its way through his body. Luc concentrated on her words, committing the chant to memory. The mantra took form in his mind, transforming into a living entity.

He began to speak. Without force, the healing light sparked inside his chest and spread up his neck. Cool tingles, like the bite of the yucamint plant, snapped along his jaw and across his tongue. Through slitted lids, he watched his whispered words flow from his lips and turn to vapor.

A thin mist formed around him and Jade, thickening with each line he spoke. Jade’s golden light brightened and connected with his faint blue glow. The intensity of the link would have buckled his knees if he’d been standing. His back arched away from the wall, his breath lodging in his throat. Thick mist spewed from him as the healing chant took control.

Golden light poured from Jade’s hands, illuminating the chamber and casting a yellow glow onto the figures hovering on the ceiling. Large, black eyes stared at them through the ever-solidifying mist.

Feeling returned to his feet and the ache at his shoulders and wrists dissipated with each word Jade spoke. Energy filled him and clarity returned to his mind. The need to exhale pushed against his chest. He raised his head and blew, releasing the last of the icy breath in his lungs and filled the chamber with fog.

The warmth inside him faded, but he could still feel Jade’s hand pressed against his leg. Mist swirled around them, obscuring his vision. What had happened?

“Jade?” His words sounded muffled. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She paused, her breathing labored. “How did you do that?”

He shook his head even though he knew she couldn’t see him. “It just…happened.”

A gentle push against his leg told him she was sitting up. “This would have come in handy before.”

Luc could think of a lot of times the ability to cause mist would have come in handy. Fleeing an angry husband, fleeing an angry tavern owner, fleeing the magistrate’s men when he had been a boy poaching deer. Perhaps it was better that he hadn’t had this ability before now.

“I wonder what other useful talents I have that I’m not utilizing.”

Jade’s chains rattled and then her hand pressed against his calf. “Can you bring your ankle closer to me?”

He shifted to lean against his left hip and bent his right knee, drawing his leg as close to her as the chain would allow. Her fingers slid down his calf to settle near the shackle around his ankle.

“What are you doing?”

“Putting my years on the street to good use.” Her fingers fumbled along the edges of the metal. “If this lock hasn’t been infused with magic, I might be able to pick it.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise. “You’re a woman of many talents.”

She gave a little snort. “You have no idea.”

He could just imagine. Perhaps when he was better he’d test her skill. As it were, he had neither the energy nor the stamina for witty banter. He let the onslaught of inappropriate remarks remain unspoken. Now was not the time.

“Damn.” Her curse hissed through the mist.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need both hands.”

The links of her chain clanked and she scooted away from him. Several minutes passed, which were punctuated with a plethora of colorful expressions, until the sound of iron hitting the ground echoed through the chamber. Luc leaned forward, hoping she’d just accomplished the impossible. Suddenly she was before him, a wide smile spreading across her face. She held up her arm and shook it.

“I never doubted you,” he whispered.

She scowled at the lie and moved down his leg to the shackle. After a few silent minutes, the band opened and dropped to the ground. With single-minded determination, Jade crawled to his right hand and freed his wrist. He pressed his back against the wall, surprised when she threw her right leg over him to straddle his lap. The intensity on her face made him want to kiss her. She was so stubborn even iron shackles couldn’t best her when she put her mind to it.

In an effort to get a better angle, Jade leaned into him, pressing her chest to his and rolling her hips forward. Surely he would burn in the Abyss for the thoughts racing through his mind. All blood and reasonable thought raced to his groin. His penis stiffened. He pressed his knees together and leaned slightly forward, trying to reposition her.

“Uh, Jade.”

She shoved against him. “Shhttt.”

Her command cut him off. He closed his eyes and relaxed against the wall.
His father
,
cats giving birth
,
mistakenly walking in on his old nanny bathing herself.
He tried to visualize anything unpleasant and shivered at the image of his nursemaid.

The last shackle fell away and Jade grinned down at him. He returned a strained smile and shifted again. Apparently, she was oblivious to the havoc she was causing him. After a few seconds, she climbed off and stood.

It took a minute for Luc to regain his composure, but the urgency of their situation extinguished all evidence of his condition. He rubbed his wrists while flexing his leg, eventually rolling to his hands and knees. Dizziness threw him off balance and he caught himself against the wall. Jade crouched and shored him up with her shoulder. He silently cursed his weakness. She’d already done so much and was in no state to carry the burden of their escape.

“I’m fine.” He stood and leaned against the wall, removing his weight from her. “Give me a minute.”

She blocked his path, her body tense, as if she was ready to catch him if he fell. Pride surged through him. He’d be damned if he would be the cause of them getting recaptured. He straightened away from the wall. The dizziness had abated and much of the pain had been extinguished by Jade’s healing.

He grabbed her hand and took a step toward the passage doorway. Though not completely sure of the way out, he was confident between the two of them they could find the path back to the hot pool caverns and out of this nightmare.

The sharp edge of the table materialized out of the mist. He gripped the edge and followed it around until he stood where Icarus had stood while torturing him.

“What are you doing?” Jade tugged on his hand. “We need to leave.”

Pulsing energy thumped against him. Maybe it was part of being a Shield, but it was as if the weapons called to him. “Patience.”

He could almost hear her grinding her teeth in frustration, but this was too important to leave. Cold metal grazed his fingertips and he smiled. He dropped Jade’s hand, searching for the handle of the weapon. Smooth wood caressed his palm and he clutched at it, lifting what he could now see was an axe.

Wings of a dragon cradled the blade against the black, polished handle. Two deadly hooks that resembled the spikes on a dragon’s back curved from the opposite side. The blade arched like a talon and ended in a point. Every aspect of the weapon was created for killing. Low vibrations hummed through his hand, causing the beast inside him to stir, returning the weapon’s greeting. As he suspected. Another immortal weapon.

He shoved the handle into the waist of his pants, making sure to hook the point on the outside of the material, and continued to search the table. Again his hand brushed cold metal, his fingers coasting along the filigree hilt of his dagger. He snatched it up and shoved it in his boot, then froze.

The sound of footsteps crunched from somewhere beyond the room. With only one way out, whoever approached blocked their escape. He turned and moved along the wall, dragging Jade behind him. She didn’t resist. Never had he been so grateful for her survival instincts—or her silence.

Perhaps they should have stayed and fought, but with neither of them being at peak strength and not knowing how many demons drew near, they were better off waiting for their chance to escape. Too many unknowns put a warrior at a distinct disadvantage.

His hand fumbled over the rough, icy stone, searching for what he hoped would be another passage or at the very least, a hiding place. As the footsteps drew closer, the beat of his heart quickened. The wall seemed to go on forever. He pushed forward as quietly as he could, trying not to alert the forthcoming demon of their existence.

One minute his hand pressed against solid rock and the next he was falling sideways into a passage. Relief washed through him. In order to slide into the narrow entrance, Luc had to turn sideways. Jade gripped his hand, stumbling over his heels behind him. Once inside, their vision cleared. The mist hung over the opening like a blanket, but it didn’t penetrate the passage. Luc followed the curve of the wall until he was certain they couldn’t be seen by anybody in the chamber.

He stopped and signaled for Jade to do the same. It was difficult to hear what was happening beyond the passage. The thick walls of their hiding place muffled much of the sound and light.

They waited, neither moving nor saying a word. The sound of their chains being picked up and most probably examined jangled. Jade looked at him, her eyes wide. The clatter of the shackles being dropped and a stifled curse was followed by the stomp of angry footsteps, which exited the chamber and faded down the corridor.

Luc looked at Jade and pressed a finger to his lips. He didn’t completely trust that the demon was gone. She nodded but released a breath, her shoulders relaxing slightly. He made a motion for her to follow him. Now that their escape had been discovered, their original exit was not an option.

He ventured deeper into the passage. The air grew even colder. Jade rubbed her arms and shivered, letting him know the drop in temperature wasn’t his imagination. The passage widened and a dull blue light glowed up ahead. It appeared that the conduit made a sharp right.

Luc stopped at the bend and pressed his back against the wall. The telltale bite of the Banes’ presence didn’t increase, but it was difficult to differentiate one demon from two or three. Zero was the only acceptable number of demons he wished to encounter.

There was no guarantee the path beyond the turn was an exit and from the feel of the air, they were probably traveling deeper into the Shadow World instead of out. He didn’t voice his concerns to Jade, but she was smart and more than likely had already formed her own opinion.