Sacrifice (14 page)

“Oh, Braedyn.” Dad clasped my hand. Mirrored in his eyes, I saw the same helplessness I felt.

“He’s back, huh?” Karayan leaned against my doorjamb, lost in thought. “So what’s that little weasel planning?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

“Too many coincidences.” Dad looked haunted.

“You think he could be involved with the cult?” I stared at Dad, trying to see how the pieces fit together.

“I’d be willing to bet the answer to that question is ‘yes,’” said Karayan.

Dad stood abruptly, pacing out his frustration. “We have to get someone inside that cult. Maybe we can recruit this Carrie.” He looked at me. “You know her. What would she need to hear to convince her to help us?”

I shook my head slowly. “She left college to follow Idris,” I said. “I think she’s pretty committed to whatever it is she thinks they’re doing.”

“We have to try.” Dad ran a hand through his hair.

I bit my lip. Karayan, watching from across the room, saw the gesture. She stared at me, as if she knew I was hiding something. I sighed.

“There might be another way,” I said.

It was settled at a meeting of the Guard leadership the next morning. Cassie—until we found a better alternative—would be our mole. Hale told me to bring her around after school. If she was going to be spying for us, he wanted to make sure she had at least some basic self-defense training.

“Yes!” Cassie cheered when I told her Hale’s plan. “So awesome.”

“This does not make me think you’re taking the whole life-threatening-situation thing seriously.” I crossed my arms, frowning.

Cassie tilted her head to one side and gave me a smile. “I’m just excited you’re letting me help, that’s all.”

While Cassie was eager to begin her new duties for the Guard, I was less than enthusiastic about starting mine.

Hale had finally put Karayan and me on the rotation for guard duty at the mission. Friday night was my first shift. Dad had argued that if I were going to take a night shift, it had to be at the beginning of the weekend so I’d have time to recover before school on Monday. So, when Friday rolled around, I found myself driving out of town, blasting the Firebird’s radio in an effort to give myself the energy I’d need for the long night ahead.

Only, when I pulled up to the mission, Rhea was standing at the doors, arms crossed, fighting with Hale. Hale looked up as I got out of my car. I thought I saw him wince. Rhea glared at me, but turned back to Hale, defiant.

“No way, Hale. Find someone else.”

“It’s not up for discussion,” growled Hale. “This is your shift. I am your commanding officer.”

“What are you going to do? Place me under house arrest?” Rhea’s eyes flashed. “You need me, Hale.”

Hale grit his teeth. I got the distinct impression he was battling the urge to throttle her. “Yes. I need you. Just like I need Braedyn. And I need you to learn to work together.”

Rhea cast her eyes my way again, her lips peeling back in a thin sneer. “I can’t make this any clearer, Hale. I don’t trust them. No matter what you or the others say. She is a demon. You want her help so bad? Let’s see how she does guarding the Seal on her own.”

Rhea pushed past Hale and stormed toward a little two-seater parked in front of the mission.

“Rhea!” Hale turned—which is when he spotted the Guardsmen, edging out of the mission to watch the fight.

The soldiers looked more than a little uneasy. More than one of them glanced at me with suspicion. Matt, standing among them, wore an expression of alarm. Hale saw it, and seemed to reevaluate the situation. Instead of fighting Rhea, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

“Murphy? No, she’s fine, she just got here.” Hale caught my eye and gave me a small smile. “I’m calling about Karayan. Could you send her over? I’m having… personnel issues with the spotters. I think it might make more sense to keep Karayan and Braedyn together on shifts, instead of trying to mix things up. At least for a little while.” Hale nodded, then sighed. “Thanks, Murphy. We’ll be waiting.”

Rhea’s car peeled out of the mission, kicking up a shower of gravel and dust. I threw up a hand to block my eyes, and in a few moments the sound of her engine gunning receded into the distance.

Hale turned back to the other Guardsmen. “We’re fine. Replacement’s on her way.”

“Okay guys, let’s get back to our posts,” Matt said. As the Guardsmen turned back to the mission, Matt met my eyes and gave me a small nod—a gesture of solidarity. I smiled, warmed.

Though some of the Guardsmen looked like they wanted to argue—and still others threw me one last suspicious look—they all melted back into the Sanctuary.

Hale gestured me forward. “Sorry about that. I knew Rhea was hotheaded, but I didn’t think she’d risk a mission over this.”

“It’s okay.” I shrugged. What else could I say? It wasn’t like we could fire her or kick her out of the club.

He studied me closely, then dropped a hand onto my shoulder. “Don’t let her into your head, Braedyn. You just keep being you. No one can serve beside you for long without seeing the goodness in your heart. You’re one of us. No question.”

“Thanks.” I gave him a genuine smile, touched. Hale clapped me on the shoulder once more, then gestured to the mission.

“We should get in there. Can’t leave the gate to hell unguarded.”

“Right.” I hurried inside the mission.

The evening was about as thrilling as you might imagine sitting and staring at a big rock would be.

Karayan joined us about 30 minutes after I’d arrived. She and I took up our posts, facing the Seal. It was quiet, tedious work. Hale came by a few hours later to join us while the majority of the other Guardsmen left to do a quick patrol of the surrounding area.

“Thane just called. He’s suggesting we station one of you in the balcony to keep a bird’s eye view on the Seal.” Hale shrugged. “Not a bad idea. Any takers?”

“I’ll do it,” I said. I liked it up there. Lucas and I had stumbled onto the secret balcony this past fall. It was cramped, but kind of cozy. Anyway, it’d be a nice change after the last few hours of sitting and staring at the Seal from ground level.

When the others returned, I headed up to the balcony. From here, I had a perfect view of the Seal. Of course. The monks who’d built this sanctuary on top of the Seal must have planned a variety of ways to watch and defend against Lilitu attempting to cross over. I let my mind wander, picturing what it must have been like all those long centuries ago. Who were the monks who’d stood guard where I am right now? Would they ever have guessed a Lilitu would one day take up their fight?

The hours stretched slowly out. I found myself starting to nod and jerked to my feet. No way was I going to fall asleep on the job.

I heard something below, a soft sound, almost like a giggle. I looked down. Hale and Karayan stood directly below, leaning against a column—the column that concealed the staircase to get up here, actually—and staring at the Seal.

I couldn’t see much more than the tops of their heads, but I could hear them very clearly.

“Tell me more,” Karayan whispered, her voice warm with amusement. “I’m picturing you line dancing in some bar in Texas.”

“Don’t knock the line dancing,” Hale murmured in response. “I charmed many a lady with those fancy boots.”

Karayan giggled softly again. I stared, feeling a prickle of alarm trickling down my arms.

“I don’t suppose
you
ever had to take any jobs you’re too ashamed to mention in the light of day?” Hale asked.

Karayan cocked her head to one side. “Well, there was this one thing. My first job, actually, after I left—” but then her voice faltered. She cleared her throat and continued. “I got this gig serving drinks for a high-end caterer. They did all these crazy themed parties, stuck us in costumes, sent us out with trays of booze to get drunk old men even drunker. So gross.”

“No way.”

“Oh yeah. I drew the line when they wanted to stuff me in a micro-mini baby doll costume for some corporate Christmas party. Like I was some fantasy toy. No thanks. I didn’t want to risk getting unwrapped.”

Hale glanced at Karayan. “You didn’t…?”

“What, prey on those drunk bankers? Eww.” Karayan laughed, but this time it was tinged with that old bitterness. “Believe it or not, I actually tried the avoid-temptation school of thought for years after I left the Guard. Guess Thane beat that lesson into my subconscious pretty good. Whatever. I never even kissed a guy until I was 23-years old. Once I had a taste, though—” Karayan shrugged. “It seemed a whole lot easier to just charm and disarm the guys when I needed something to eat or a place to stay.”

“Oh.” Hale’s voice hardened and he turned back to the Seal.

Karayan glanced at him quickly, then her shoulders seemed to slump. “I had a code you know,” she said. From where I sat, she sounded almost wistful. “Never sleep with a guy more than once. I knew it’d hurt them, but I also knew they’d recover.”

Hale turned back to Karayan. “But you broke your code.”

“Once.”

I stared, stunned. Derek? Derek was the only Thrall she’d ever turned? Doubt rolled through my thoughts. It seemed so incredibly unlikely. Was this just some angle she was playing?

Hale seemed to share my doubts. “So you’re just a little bad, is that what you’re saying?” he asked, almost gently.

Karayan shook her head, meeting Hale’s gaze. “No. What I did to Derek, that was awful. But it’s not the worst thing I’ve done. Just the worst
Lilitu
thing I’ve done.”

“I don’t understand.”

Karayan sighed. “I know.”

Before Hale could ask what she meant, another Guardsman approached him. “Hale. Time for rounds.”

“Right.” Hale turned and looked up toward the balcony. I jerked back, trying to hide the fact that I’d totally been eavesdropping on them. “Braedyn, why don’t you come down, watch the Seal with Karayan while we do rounds.”

I hurried down the hidden staircase, taking care with my steps. It’d be a nasty fall if I tripped over my feet in the tight spiral. When I reached the bottom of the staircase, Hale and the others were already leaving the mission.

I spotted Karayan, who was staring at the Seal with a faraway look in her eyes.

“What are you doing?” I asked, when I was sure none of the remaining Guardsmen were close enough to hear us.

“What do you mean?”

“You and Hale. What was that, a date?”

Karayan’s cheeks flushed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Come on,” I said. “You’re going to tell me you two weren’t flirting with each other?”

“What? No.” Karayan shrugged, blowing this off. “We were just talking.”

“Really? ‘Cause from where I was sitting, it sounded more like a Class A over share.”

Karayan faced me, suddenly defensive. “Okay, Little Miss Bit, what exactly are you saying?”

“I just want you to be careful,” I said, trying to soften my tone. “I’m worried. It’s been a long time since you’ve had any real connection with a guy and Hale—” I looked over my shoulder, double checking that we were alone. “I don’t want you to get carried away and hurt him.”

“Wow.” Karayan shook her head, turning back to watch the Seal. “I find it particularly choice that
you’re
lecturing
me,
given you’re the one with the boyfriend.”

“Karayan—” I started.

“Seriously? You’ve made your point.”

“No, Karayan, look!” I pointed at the Seal. Something was happening. The twining ribbons of shadow I’d seen the night the Seal opened seemed to shimmer over the Seal, rotating around one another with greater power than before.

“Do you feel that?” Karayan took two steps closer to the Seal.

“Careful!” I grabbed Karayan’s arm as her foot contacted with the Seal. The power of the invisible vortex pulled Karayan’s foot out from under her. If she hadn’t been holding my hand, she might have been swept into the heart of the Seal.

As it was, she clawed onto my arm and screamed bloody murder. Guardsmen came running, weapons at the ready.

Hale and the others burst through the mission’s doors as I dragged Karayan back from the Seal. We stared at the stone, but the twining shadows were already subsiding.