Thief of Lies (20 page)

“Don’t try to fill your lungs all at once,” instructed Kale. “Do you remember where you are?”

“Of course I remember where I am. What happened?”

“I released my globe,” Lei said nervously.

“What were you thinking? The ceiling fell down on us.” Kale aided Arik to his feet. “You can’t set off lightning in this small a space.”

“I panicked. And so what? I stopped those Writhes.” Lei walked over to the kitchen window that overlooked the fire escape. She pushed the curtain aside and peered outside. “The street is quiet. We should go.”

“Wait a minute,” Kale said. “What are Sentinels doing with Writhes?”

“Before one of the fried Writhes died, I got him to talk.” Lei kept her gaze on the window. “The Writhes have joined Conemar in Esteril.”

Conemar?
I gasped. “Oh, no. Merl said he was sending help to the Writhes.”

Arik stared at me until he realized what I was getting at. “It’s an ambush. We must contact Merl.” He reached into his breast pocket, dragged out the window rod, and pulled the rods apart. Static ran across the blue glow, and it suddenly went black. “Bloody hell. It’s damaged.”

Lei turned from her patrol at the window. “I’ll try mine.” She retrieved hers from her pocket and opened it. The space between the rods kindled. She put her mouth close to the screen and spoke Merl’s name. Her screen blinked out. “No blooming connection.”

“All right, then,” Arik said with resignation. “We have to get to the others. We’ll come up with a plan once we’re in the library.” He thumped out of the kitchen. Gone was his smooth stride. He was obviously struggling to rebound from the attack.

Lei hurried past Kale, her small hand brushing his arm. When Kale glanced around to see if anyone noticed the exchange, I looked away in Sinead’s direction.

“Deidre is fine,” I told her.

Sinead smiled. “Thank you.”

“Did any of you see my cat?” I gasped and glanced around. “Cleo!” I called.

“When the fight broke out, she darted out the window,” Sinead said. “I’m sorry. You’ll have to leave her.”

“As long as she didn’t get fried, she’ll be fine.” I sighed. “She’ll stay with Mr. Navarro. He likes to feed her tuna.” I crossed the kitchen, stopping to lift a chair and push it up against the table. It was silly, I knew. Everything was destroyed so why do that? I was doubtful the apartment could be returned to normal even with the Cleaners. I wasn’t sure anything would feel normal to me again. After giving the destruction one last look, I huffed out a breath and trailed Arik down the stairwell and out the front door.

A bright light flashed across the gray sky, and thunder cracked a moment later. Rain plastered my ponytail to the back of my neck. I ducked under a canopy.

“I’m sorry about your flat.”

“Thanks.” Hopefully, our insurance had battle coverage.

Arik pressed up to my side to avoid the torrent as we waited for everyone else. The scent of smoke clung to his clothes. With him that close, my blood rushed so fast through my body blood swished in my ears. “I can hardly stand you being mixed up in all this,” he whispered while tucking a stray ribbon of my hair behind my ear. He suddenly backed away from me. It was as if he was warring with himself. “If you were to get hurt because of me—”

“None of this is your fault.”

“It is. Veronique came to Asile to make amends. To be friends—” A sarcastic laugh cut off his words. “I guess I wanted to believe she’d changed. I trusted her. She gathered yours and the others’ information from my mission recorder. I left it unattended. Because of me, Asile is in danger.”

Trust no one, Gia
, he’d said. He was so right. I placed a shaky hand on his arm. “Oh, Arik, I’m sorry.”

“No. It’s I who should be sorry, not you. I’m lead Sentinel for our group. I shouldn’t have taken such liberties and should have worked harder to keep your secrets.” He swiped his fingers through his wet hair. “With the recent goings-on, it’s best we keep our wits about us.”

“Friends, right?” The words tasted like metal and regret in my mouth. I wanted to be his everything. But what I wanted more was to make things easier for him.

His sad eyes locked with mine. “Right, then.”

The longing for him to hold me sliced my heart into pieces. The door to my apartment complex opened and Kale stumbled out with Lei and Sinead following. I turned to face the street, the pieces of my torn heart jumbled in my chest. For Arik’s sake, I had to let go of the hope of us ever being anything other than friends.

Arik stepped away from me, dragging my mess of a heart with him. “What took you so long?”

“I had to bandage Lei’s arm,” Kale said. “She has a nasty cut.”

“We’d best be on our way,” Arik said and headed up the street.

I lagged behind the rest as we rushed to the Athenæum. Every few minutes Arik ran his fingers through his wet hair to get it out of his face. Sinead kept looking back at me, giving me a reassuring smile from under the bucket hat that covered her pointed ears, which I returned with a forced one.

The nearer we got to the library, the sadder I grew about Arik saying he was sorry for taking liberties with me—for getting closer. With his sexy Irish accent, he called out instructions to the other Sentinels, leading the way along Boston’s busy streets with his swagger and panther prowess. My heart squeezed at the sight of him.

Am I falling for him
? We turned on to Park Street
. If I were, I’d know it, right?
I was so confused. By the time we darted up the steps of the Athenæum, I decided to stay as far away from Arik as possible. It was the only way to protect my heart.

Chapter Twenty

A
rik and Sinead sprang up the steps to the Athenæum’s door. The rest of us loitered on the sidewalk below. Sinead turned toward the street, fanning the air with her hand, as if she was waving to someone across the way.

Kale came to my side. “It’s glamour.”

“What?”

“Sinead is cloaking our illegal entry into the library
,
” he clarified.

“Oh,” I muttered.

The clouds parted over the State House and glinted over the building’s golden dome. The Boston Common was just beyond the State House. Pop and I used to picnic there, watching the blue tower light on the old Hancock building.
Steady blue, clear view.
Flashing blue, clouds due.
Pop would recite the rhyme that helped everyone remember what the lights stood for. If the light was red, we stayed home. On the Saturdays it was blue, we’d sit on the grass, filling each other in on how our week had gone, before life got too busy. He’d hid his disappointment well when each time he’d invite me, I’d make an excuse. I never realized I missed those lazy Saturdays until now. I guess pending doom pulls on a person’s heartstrings.

Arik slid a gold rod between the cracks of the heavy, ornate doors that were only closed and locked after library hours. When he was done, he pulled them apart, revealing the red leather doors hidden behind them. He held one open as the others passed through. When I went by, he gave me his usual crooked grin. My stomach twisted.

Sinead raised her arms and twisted her hands. The lights flicked on across the room.

My heart sailed when I spotted Pop in the lobby. I ran over and flung my arms around him. He held me tight as we rocked in our silent embrace. An embrace that said what words couldn’t, that though he wasn’t my birth father, he was my pop, the one who mattered most.

“Did you have any problems getting here?” Arik asked Jaran.

“We ditched a hunter and then had to wait awhile for the street to clear, but other than that, no problems,” Jaran answered. “The library is as quiet as a tomb.”

Pop and I let go of each other. I noticed Nick stood off to the side by himself, and I sprung for him next. He wrapped his arms around me.

“Man, am I glad to see you,” he said. “The other Gia is driving me crazy.”

I giggled and released him. “Glad to see you, too. How are things going with Afton?”

“I’m over her.”

“What do you mean,
you’re over her
?”

Nick shrugged. “I like someone else–-you know.”

“No. I don’t
know
. I’ve been gone. Who exactly do you like?”

“Deidre.”

“But you just said she drives you crazy?”

His lips pulled into a mischievous grin. “Yeah, I guess it’s a good kind of insanity. It was weird at first, since she’s identical to you, but your personalities are
way
different.”

Really weird. “Wow. Thanks, I guess.”

“Excuse me, I have boyfriend duties.” He moseyed over to Deidre and Sinead, who were still holding each other. Deidre released Sinead and introduced Nick when he reached them. Sinead smiled as Nick slid his arm over Deidre’s shoulders. Pop shuffled over and introduced himself to Sinead.

Arik, grouped with Kale and Lei, tried to get a connection on a window rod.

Jaran came to my side. “It was quite brave of you to go with Kale to help Arik and the others.”

“Thanks for taking care of my friend.”

“It’s my duty.” Jaran’s eyes found Nick. “You know the way he dresses—I mean—well, I thought he preferred boys.”

I chuckled. “Most people think that about Nick at first because he’s into fashion, but he’s totally into the ladies.”

A flash of disappointment crossed Jaran’s face. “Well, should you need of anything, please feel free to ask,” he said.

Interesting. Is he attracted to Nick?

“Thanks, I will,” I said.

“Splendid. Excuse me,” he said and headed over to Arik’s huddle.

Afton cut across the room and gave me a tight hug. “Were you in a cat fight or what?” She snorted, pulling a piece of plaster from my hair. “You look like hell.”

“Thanks, just give it to me as it is. I hate when people sugarcoat things.”

Arik stood in the middle of the lobby. “All right, everyone. We’ll be leaving shortly. I haven’t been able to reach Asile. Sentinels, you know what that means.”

“Yep.” Demos carried in a large duffel bag and started handing out our helmets.

I stepped forward. “I’m a Sentinel, and I haven’t any idea what not hearing from Asile means.”

“You aren’t part of this, Gia,” Arik said. “You haven’t finished your training.”

I moved closer to him and frowned. “I’ve had enough training.”

“I’m in command,” Arik said, “and I say you stay behind.”

“My globe can help. It shields,” I argued.

“May we speak alone?” he asked.

“Sure. Whatever.” I stomped after him to the nearest room.

Pop barged into the room after us.

“I must talk to Gia alone,” Arik said to him.

Pop folded his arms across his chest. “She’s my daughter. Her welfare’s my concern.”

Arik yielded. “If you stay, I must ask you to keep this between us. I don’t want to scare the others.”

Pop came over to me and held my hand. “I won’t say a word.”

Arik studied our linked hands for a moment then he looked up at us. “I’m afraid Asile is lost. We can only pray for survivors.”

I gasped, dropping my helmet. “Nana?”

Pop’s face twisted with concern. “She’s there?”

“I’m afraid so,” Arik answered for me. “If Merl was able to get her out–-if anyone escaped, they’ll be at the shelter.”

“Where’s the shelter?” Pop moved into his hospital emergency mode, unwavering under pressure.

“It’s a charmed chateau hidden in the countryside somewhere in France,” Arik said. “We have to summon escorts from the French Haven to take us there.”

I snatched my helmet from the floor. “We should just go and not risk alerting anyone.”

“Only Couve’s High Wizard and his Sentinels know the whereabouts of the shelter.”

“How do we know they’re on our side?” I said. “Veronique’s from there.”

“Her actions do not make them all guilty.” Arik’s face held both concern and strength at the same time.

“He’s right,” Pop said.

“The French Haven is in as much danger as us. Their council exiled Conemar to Esteril.” Arik paced around a small reading table. “Conemar must have something big planned to feel confident enough to start a war. It would end badly if he acquired all the Chiavi and gained control of the Tetrad. It’s going to get hot and too dangerous for you to be in the heat of it.”

“Why didn’t you guys put him in prison when you had him?”

“Just as the human world struggles to convict criminals, so do the havens. It’s called justice.”

“Well, justice sucks.” I banged my helmet against my leg, ignoring the pain. “And now our world is in as much danger as yours.”

“Have you forgotten? Mystik is your world, as well.”

Pop came up behind me and dropped his hands onto my shoulders. “Calm down. We have to keep our heads straight.”

“Don’t misunderstand me, Gia.” Arik let out an exasperated breath. “The human world is part of our world. Wizards and Sentinels are partly human. We’ll fight to the end to protect both worlds.” He turned his back and mumbled, “We’re not monsters.”

“Son, no one thinks you’re a monster.” Pop squeezed my shoulders, egging me on to agree with him.

“No, Arik. I don’t think you’re one,” I said, faintly. The last thing I wanted to do was to make him feel like a monster. “But I can’t stand by and not be in the heat of it. My birth started all of this. I’m a Sentinel just like you.”

Pop removed his hands from my shoulders. “Can you give me a weapon?”

Arik turned around, startled. “I can’t have you risking your life.”

“I’m guessing it’s already in danger.” Pop’s red unkempt eyebrows knitted together. “Don’t you think I should be able to defend myself?”

Arik bent over, pulled a long dagger from his boot, and handed it to Pop.

Pop took the dagger. “What, no guns?”

Arik shook his head. “We don’t use guns. The laws established at the Mystik Summits forbid their use in the libraries. Only hand-to-hand combat and magic abilities are legal. There are enchantments over the libraries that disable the propellants of bullets.”

“What are the Mystik Summits?” Pop asked.

“It’s an annual gathering of the Wizard Council and the Mystik League,” Arik said. “They discuss matters to keep the Mystik world hidden from humans—”

“Wait,” I cut in. “I read about this in a book called
The Invisible Places
.”

Arik smirked.

“I don’t see what’s so funny,” I said.

“The book’s author is Professor Gian Bianchi. He was to be the next High Wizard of Mantello, the Italian Haven, before he died.”

I blinked at him.

“You don’t see the similarity of your names? Your mother’s name is Marietta
Bianchi
. They have the same last name.” He paused to see if I caught on. “He was your great-grandfather. You’re named after him.”

“I see.” My mind wrapped around the importance of this revelation. I felt a little stupid for not noticing the name similarity before. “So I have a wizard gene–that’s good, right?”

“Not really. We all have wizards in our lineage. Having more Sentinel blood than any Sentinel alive is, though.” He studied my face. “I just wish you were better trained. You could have all the talents in the world, but without training, they’re worthless.”

I stiffened. “I could beat you any day.”

“All right, you needn’t get upset. I just meant as far as your magical powers are concerned. I’ve heard you have good sword skills.”

“You think you know everything, don’t you?” I said.

He smirked again. “I’m not so pretentious to think I know everything.”

“Arik, we have guests,” Lei said from the doorway. “The Sentinels from France are here, and guess what?”

Arik frowned at her.

“I gather you’re not in a guessing mood, eh?” She grinned at him. “Bastien’s with them.”

“Why did
he
come?” Arik growled and then stormed off for the doorway.

“Who’s Bastien?” I asked Lei as we followed Arik.

“Bastien Renard is the son of the French High Wizard, Gareth.” Lei laced her arm through mine. “He’s simply gorgeous, and kind, and is like a rock star around the Mystik world.”

Afton joined Lei and me as we walked into the room. “Hot warrior boys are here,” she purred. “And. They. Are.
French
.”

In the other room, two girls and three guys dressed in Sentinel garb stood behind a gorgeous guy of about eighteen or nineteen. His blue eyes sparked under the lights. A sloped nose ran in a straight line down his face, ending at a confident smile on his beautiful lips. Sweeping dark strands of hair framed his face. He wore black pants and a tight gray T-shirt, which hugged each chest and arm muscle perfectly. I got the whole rock star status Lei mentioned. The guy was so hot, it felt like the room temperature rose with him in it.

Arik walked up to Bastien. “Why are you here?” he asked stonily. “You’re not a Sentinel.”

“My father thought it best for me to assist you,” answered Bastien. “These are dangerous times, wouldn’t you say? A wizard can come in handy.”

“I see you’re missing a Sentinel.” Arik’s jaw tightened. “Do you miss your sweetheart, you Judas?”

“What are you talking about?”

Arik snatched the collar of Bastien’s shirt. “Veronique. She told me she was dating you. She attacked our haven. You had to have known what she was up to.”

The five Sentinels behind Bastien moved toward Arik. Jaran, Kale, and Demos cut them off.

“Tell them to back off,” Arik ordered through locked teeth.

“Do as he says,” Bastien choked out as Arik tightened his hold. “Listen Arik, I’m not with Veronique.”

“She said she was dating a Renard.”

“It wasn’t me.” Bastien clutched Arik’s hands and tried to tear them away. “It was probably my brother, Odil.”

“Arik, let him go.” Kale grabbed his shoulder. “This won’t solve anything.”

Arik released his grasp on Bastien’s shirt. “Odil? I forgot about him. Has he been acting strangely?”

“He always acts strange.”

“All right, then,” Arik said. “You need to prove it. Will you let one of mine perform a truth globe on you and your Sentinels?”

I warmed with pride when Arik called me one of his.

Bastien seemed puzzled. “No one has been able to perform a truth globe in over three hundred years. I didn’t know your haven possessed one.” His gaze touched each Asile Sentinel. “Are they twins?” His eyes drifted from Deidre to me, and I drew in a shaky breath. “Hold on, now, is one a changeling?”

“Yes.” Arik gestured to me. “This is our missing Sentinel, Gianna”—his hand shifted toward Deidre—“and her changeling, Deidre.”

Bastien’s smile faded, and he stepped over to me. “It can’t be. They told me you died at birth.”

“Well, I didn’t.” I placed a shaky hand on the hilt of my sword. His silvery blue eyes were unsettling. “Wait. Why would they tell you?”

He took a step forward. “Because you’re my betrothed.”

I took two steps back. “I’m your
what
?”