Twiceborn (20 page)

The trunk came nearly to her chin, but she vaulted lightly over and looked back expectantly. There were no streetlights out here, and with her dark hair she was barely visible in the gloom on the other side. The rest of us stood outlined in the car’s headlights.

I looked at Ben and he shrugged.

“I think it’s another couple of kilometres from here.” He boosted me over, his big hands warm on my waist, just as the headlights switched themselves off, plunging us into darkness. Garth still hadn’t moved.

“Hurry
up
, Garth,” Luce said.

But instead of joining us he hauled his T-shirt over his head and started unbuckling his belt.

“What are you doing? No! Stay human.”

“This is bullshit,” he said, kicking off his shoes. “Two kilometres? By the time you walk there and stand around arguing with the guards it’ll all be over. And that’s assuming they don’t kill you on sight. I’m going to find Valeria.”

“Garth!” Luce’s tone was icy. “Stick with the plan.”

“There
is
no plan,” he spat, but the last word came out half-strangled as his body hunched forward. Again I heard that awful crunching as his bones shifted and reformed. I reached for Ben’s hand in the dark, the sound bringing the terror of that experience in the kitchen rushing back.

But he didn’t even look at us. The wolf bounded into the trees at the side of the road and disappeared.

After a moment of stunned silence Ben cleared his throat. “Is he always so …”

“So impulsive? So pigheaded?” Luce bit each word off with precision. Then she sighed. “He used to be my most reliable man. He hasn’t been himself since Leandra died.”

Well, there were a few of us in that boat.

“I’ve never seen a shift before.” Ben’s voice held a note of wonder.

“Lucky you,” I said.

“Look sharp,” Luce said. “Let’s try and get there before he gets himself killed.”

We followed her down the road, dark now but still radiating the day’s heat up at us. Now that my eyes had adjusted, I could see well enough to dodge the pot holes, though I could make out nothing in the darkness under the trees on either side. I looked around anxiously as we walked, wondering where the tree-loppers were now. My back crawled with that horrible feeling of being watched, but the only movement was a light wind stirring the scrubby undergrowth and rattling dry leaves. We were all on edge: it showed in Luce’s tense shoulders and the way Ben moved protectively closer to my side.

The road wasn’t wide, and the gums met over the top, leaning toward each other with a whisper of leaves. We walked through a black leafy tunnel, though the clean scent of eucalyptus was overwhelmed by a smoky taint to the air. The road turned to dirt under our feet, and I wondered if we’d entered the national park by mistake till a high stone wall appeared on our right. It was old, all its sharp edges softened by years of weather, but it meant business: broken glass embedded all along its top glinted in the faint light from the other side. I guess good fences make good neighbours, but it didn’t say much for dragon society that their homes all featured drastic security measures. Not the friendliest bunch. I tried to remember if there’d been such a wall around Leandra’s place, but came up with the usual blank where those memories should have been.

After more than a kilometre of wall, we finally found a gate. A whole gatehouse, in fact, brightly lit, with a bored-looking man sitting in it. The set-up was more like something you’d find at a big commercial site than a private home. This Alicia must be serious about security. The guard came to life when we appeared out of the darkness, stepping out with suspicion written all over him.

“Move along, please,” he said. “This is private property.”

“We’re here to see Alicia,” said Luce. “Tell her Lucinda Chan is at her gates, requesting an audience.”

“What is your business with my lady?”

Luce fixed him with an arctic stare. “I’ll tell her myself when I see her.”

He stepped back into the gatehouse and spoke into a phone, watching us through the glass the whole time as if afraid we’d storm the fortress if he turned his back. Personally, I wasn’t up for anything more strenuous than a cup of tea and a good lie-down. The excitements of the last couple of days and the lack of sleep were starting to tell, and fortress-storming was no longer an option without Garth, if it ever had been. I wondered where he’d got to—hopefully he was still in one piece.

The guard put the phone down. “Wait one moment, please.”

I actually yawned while we waited … for one moment, then another and another. The dragon Armageddon might be about to hit, but I couldn’t stay on high alert any longer—my adrenal glands just weren’t up to the strain. My need for the stone had pushed me this far, but if someone didn’t wave it under my nose soon I’d be out on my feet. I tried to sense its position, as I had at Valeria’s house, but either it was too far away or I was too tired; all I could get was a vague yearning.

Ben looked even worse than I felt, with dark shadows under his eyes and a scruff of stubble. He couldn’t have gotten much sleep last night either. I leaned against him and he kissed me, soft and sweet. Something inside sat up and took notice. Maybe some things were worth staying awake for.

“I can smell the smoke now,” he said.

I nodded, uneasy. It could be nothing, of course. Often Sydneysiders smell smoke when the fires are a hundred kilometres away—it depends which way the wind is blowing. On the other hand … again I thought of Garth, out in the bush somewhere. Had he found Valeria’s people? Not that I should care if he ran into trouble or got caught in a fire. Stupid dog.

A car came down the driveway from the house—another four-wheel drive. Seemed to be the car of choice among the supernatural set. This one didn’t look as if it spent any time off-road, given the gleaming shine of its hubcaps in the glare of the gatehouse lights.

The guy who got out looked equally well-cared for, tall and slim in a tailored suit which flattered his slenderness without making him look like a drainpipe. If it hadn’t been for the bright green hair he could have been a model for Young Businessman of the Year. His aura glowed a greenish brown, like khaki.

“Lucinda,” he said, “how lovely to see you again.”

He made no move to open the gate, despite his welcoming tone.

“Hello, Adam. Aren’t you going to invite us in?”

“I’m not sure that would be in my lady’s best interests.”

“Why?” Her gesture took in the three of us. “Do we look so threatening?”

“Your reputation precedes you, my dear, even if we hadn’t had … ah … previous experience. Lady Alicia is not in the habit of entertaining the intimates of her rivals.”

Luce folded her arms. “Perhaps Lady Alicia isn’t aware my patron is dead.”

“We did hear a rumour to that effect,” he admitted. “One wonders what your purpose could be, if so, for coming here.”

“Perhaps if one opened the gate one might find out.”

Ben stepped forward and indicated the two of us. “We’re heralds. We claim right of entry.”

Adam arched one green eyebrow. “Show me your heraldic insignia.”

I lifted my charm out of my shirt and held it out. Ben did the same. He squinted at them for a long moment. What did he see, apart from a simple silver charm?

“They appear to be genuine.” His voice betrayed a hint of surprise. I suppose we did look a suspicious bunch.

“Let us in, Adam,” Luce coaxed. “We’re unarmed, and we’re on your side.”

“One moment, please.” He turned away and spoke into his phone, explaining the situation to someone on the other end. Alicia, perhaps? I couldn’t hear the reply.

“The heralds may enter,” he said when he hung up, “if they have a letter or geas to deliver. Unfortunately Lady Alicia is not able to offer hospitality at this time to Ms Chan.”

“Lady Alicia won’t be offering anything to anyone if she doesn’t see me
right now
,” said Luce.

“Threats will make no difference,” he said.

“It’s not a threat. You don’t know what’s coming, Adam. I’m trying to help you.”

He ignored her and turned to Ben. “Do you have a letter?”

Ben threw Luce a look that said
I told you so
plainer than words. “No. The message is verbal.”

Adam spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. “Then I’m afraid I can’t admit any of you. I must ask you to leave the area immediately.”

The gate guard stepped forward, his hand resting on the gun holstered at his side. His meaning was plain.

Luce ignored him, her attention focused on the green-haired man. “Adam, if you value your Lady’s life, you have to let us in.”

He shifted uneasily, unnerved by her intensity. “Tell me what you know and I’ll speak to her.”

“No. I have to speak to her myself.”

“My lady won’t allow that. How can she be sure this isn’t some trick to gain access? We only have your word Leandra is dead.”

“Is Alicia so craven a lone wyvern terrifies her?”

“
Lady
Alicia sees no point in taking unnecessary risks.”

Luce held his gaze with hers. “Trust me, Adam, this one’s necessary.”

He shrugged. “Then there’s only one thing to be done. You’ll have to swear to Lady Alicia.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“What kind of creature is Adam?” I asked a short time later. Was the green hair natural? I was prepared to believe almost anything at this point.

He’d left us in a room with one wall floor-to-ceiling glass, overlooking a cleared, park-like area at the side of the house full of flowering shrubs and fruit trees. It was lit by powerful floodlights, making the scene almost as bright as day. Inside two leather lounges faced each other in front of a massive fireplace that probably saw heavy use in the colder months. At the moment it boasted an artful arrangement of pine cones and native blooms.

The short ride up the driveway had passed in tense silence. No one had spoken since Luce agreed to his terms, and the silence was making me twitchy.

“A leshy,” Luce said. She gazed out at the floodlit gardens, her back to the room. “A kind of forest spirit. Alicia has several in her employ. They like it up here in the bush.”

“I’ve never met one before.” Ben joined Luce at the window. “Are they always so tall?”

She shrugged. “Unlike the rest of us, they can take any size or shape they please. In Europe they used to run with wolf packs a lot, or hang out with bears. They’re sociable creatures. But yes, their natural humanoid form is long and lean.”

Rather like Ben himself. Next to Luce he looked like a giant. She barely came up to his armpit and looked more like a kid standing next to her dad than a grown woman.

He looked down at her. “What’s involved in this swearing business? She’s not going to make you a thrall, is she?”

“No. Only humans can be enthralled.”

“But?”

I’d sensed a “but” there too. The look of shock on Adam’s face when she’d agreed to his terms of entry told me he’d only offered because he was sure she’d refuse. And then the shock had changed to triumph, and I knew Luce had let herself in for something bad. Her face now was expressionless, as usual, but something in the way she stood, a certain sag to the shoulders, hinted at her unease.

“But by swearing to Alicia I bind myself to her and her cause for life.”

That didn’t sound
so
bad. I mean, betrayal seemed to be in fashion among shifters. Loyalty for life only meant as long as you wanted it to.

“Can’t you cross your fingers while you swear or something?”

She frowned at my flippancy. “Dragons aren’t stupid enough to rely on your
word
. The swearing involves a binding magic that will kill me if I go against her. It’s an old ceremony seldom used any more. Most people won’t agree to give up such power to anyone.”

“Then why would you?” Ben looked horrified. “You don’t even
like
her. Why didn’t you tell Adam about Valeria and leave it to them to deal with? You don’t have to get involved.”

She turned. Her face was its usual mask, but her spine was rigid. “I’m already involved. This is personal now. Alicia’s been hiding up here since the proving started, waiting for the others to kill each other off. She’s got no idea what Valeria’s capable of. They’re not prepared. Valeria will chew them up and spit them out, and
I can’t let that happen.
”

“You’d spend the rest of your life tied to Alicia just to stop Valeria winning the proving?”

“Not to stop her winning.” Her face twisted into a feral grin. “To destroy her. To get that stone back and avenge Leandra.”

“But Leandra’s dead. She doesn’t care if you avenge her or not.” I couldn’t see why it mattered so much to her that she’d take such a drastic step. Unless something was forcing her? “You’re not doing this because you were bound to Leandra first, are you?”

She shot me a contemptuous look. “Of course not. No one but Alicia would dream of asking such a thing. Besides, even if I
had
been bound to Leandra, bindings are severed by death.”

Adam returned with a drink tray, ending the conversation. Ice clinked in tall glasses of water flavoured with lemon slices. About to take a sip, I slammed the glass down on a handy table instead, seized by a sudden unreasoning terror. I sank on to the nearest lounge, lost in a memory of terrible pain. I saw a glass, and Jason’s smiling face. Last time I’d drunk something like that … last time I’d
died
. My stomach cramped in sympathy.

“Are you all right?” Ben sat next to me, a worried look in his dark eyes. “You’re shaking.”

Adam and Luce stared at me in surprise. Heat rose into my cheeks.

“I’m fine.” A half-hearted smile didn’t seem to reassure him, funnily enough.
You’re not dead, you idiot. Snap out of it.

Several other people entered, creating a welcome diversion. Three of the men looked as though they could have belonged to the same basketball team as Adam and had the same khaki-coloured aura, so I figured them for leshies too, though none sported Adam’s outrageous hair colour. One carried a tray with an odd assortment of objects—a white cloth, an ugly, malformed bowl and a small knife. The others were human, as far as I could tell—no glowing auras, at least. They were built along the same muscular lines as Garth, probably bodyguards for the woman who followed them.