An Apocalyptic Need (10 page)

Spidery fingers working rapidly to re-braid the hair he’d just unbraided, the gnome smiled. “It is on the beach, south of the volcano.”

Cari nodded. “Okay, fine. Thanks.” She looked around for a door. There wasn’t one. The lair was circular, its rough wood walls unbroken except by windows. “How do I get out of here?”

Grimm grabbed her arm and pulled her toward a large, spherical enclosure in the center of the space. He stopped beside the low wall and looked at her. Cari jerked her arm away and glanced down.

Dizziness swelled. She swayed dangerously toward the opening.

Grimm grabbed her and pulled her back against his body, wrapping his arms around her waist as her gaze locked on the roiling red and orange flames far below.

At first she didn’t know what she was seeing. It looked like fire but its surface boiled and rolled, spitting upward and flowing over the edges of the round space containing it. Then her mind cleared and she looked beyond the flame, to the area around it.

“A volcano?” Her gaze snapped up to Grimm’s. “We’re above a volcano?”

He lifted an eyebrow.

Cari leaned into the hole, causing Grimm to tighten his hold around her waist. She tried to ignore the way his flesh hardened against her backside. Reaching downward, Cari realized that what she’d suspected appeared to be true. There was no bottom to the enclosure in the gnome’s lair. “Is there a ladder or something?”

Grimm chuckled and then sucked in a breath as she pushed against him to straighten up. “You’d climb onto a ladder and descend three miles down to a volcano?”

She pushed his hands away. Cari wasn’t at all comfortable with the way his long, hard body felt against hers. She didn’t need the distraction he caused. She was already dizzy enough. “If that’s the only way out of here, yes.”

Slap, slap, slap.
The gnome was on the move. The conical hat appeared at Cari’s elbow and she watched him climb agilely onto the short stone wall enclosing the hole in his floor. He walked around the edge, his big feet curving around the stone like a bird’s claw surrounds a branch. He didn’t waver or tilt. In fact Cari was disconcerted to see that he barely even looked down. He stopped in front of Grimm. “Glowbug is concerned for you.”

Grimm looked surprised. “You’ve spoken to Yeira?”

“While you slept, yes.”

“Did you tell her I was here?”

“I did.”

“Is she coming?”

The little gnome shook his head. “Nay. She wishes you to meet her in the dead lands. Apparently, there is much to discuss.”

The gnome’s pebble black gaze slid to Cari and she bristled. “What? They’re discussing me? Why?”

“Yeira leads the reborn. She is naturally concerned about the
Stellam
.” Grimm clarified.

Before she could school her expression Cari blinked in surprise. Knowing it was too late to cover up her mistake, she never-the-less tried. Shrugging, she looked away. “Reborn? What’s that?”

The hunter and the gnome shared a look.

“You should not lie to me, child.” The Healer shook his head. “We were getting along so well too.”

“You gave me toad grease!” The exclamation came out way too much like a shriek for Cari’s taste. She had to struggle to reign in her outrage.

Grimm chuckled and she glared at him. “Toad grease, huh? You still using that old trick? Yeira told me you used to punish her with it as a child.”

The gnome’s face split in a wide grin. “A spoon full of toad grease makes the medicine go down.”

Cari shook her head, feeling like she’d been had. “I’m not lying.”

“The
Stellam
is a rogue ship, Cari. Are you going to pretend you didn’t know that either?”

“No. I’m well aware of that. I was embedded there for a reason.”

“Tell me.”

“I can’t.” She crossed her arms and met his stony anger with an unmovable aspect of her own.”

The gnome grinned. “She reminds me of glowbug, this one.”

Ignoring him, Grimm stepped closer, his gaze narrowing. “You can’t go back there.”

“I can and I will.”

The gnome sighed, his feet slapping across the rock as he moved to stand close. “Children. You mustn’t fight. I will help you.”

Cari glanced hopefully in his direction. “You’ll get me out of here?”

The gnome cocked his head, one spidery hand landing on her shoulder. He squeezed lightly. “I will.”

Cari nodded, relief flooding her breast. She sent Grimm a dark look. “I’m sorry, hunter. I promise I will repay you for the healing.”

The Healer dropped a hand on Grimm’s shoulder and the hunter’s sexy lips curved upward in a smile.

The first niggling of doubt swirled through Cari’s mind. “Wait. Where are you sending
him
?”

The world swung wildly and softened. The light from the many windows streaked and flared and the floor disappeared from underneath her feet.

Cari’s pulse pounded in fear as she found herself dangling, feet first over the fiery mouth of the distant volcano. A horrific, blistering death yawned beneath her. But her bigger fear was that Grimm dangled there with her.

She opened her mouth to demand he be left behind but words wouldn’t come. She was struck silent as the softly swirling light lurched and began to spin faster and faster in a mesmerizing funnel that pulled thoughts from her brain and words from her mouth. As she hung there helpless and mute, the whirlwind dragged her slowly downward.

Sparks emerged from the vortex, dancing around them but not settling. Grimm’s sparks were a soft blue, alive with energy. Cari’s were a vibrant, dynamic silver.

The sparks suddenly stopped spinning and shot toward them, hitting Cari’s skin with the force of a lightning bolt. Just before the first spark burrowed beneath her skin, infusing her awareness with agony, Cari heard the Healer’s voice in her head.
No more questions, child. Unless you are willing to pay the price for your knowledge.

Then they shot earthward and pain kept all other thoughts from her mind.

There were no trees. No vegetation of any sort. The ground was black and parched, like something malignant had scoured all life from it. Any trees that might have once provided much-needed shade were dead, their bent and broken branches like gnarled skeletons baking in the bright sun.

Grimm wiped his brow with his arm. “Could it get any hotter? I hate this place.”

Cari stood with her back to him, her slim shoulders squared and her fists clenched. He could tell she was really pissed.

“Look, captain,” Grimm touched her arm and she jerked it away. “I’m sorry to have dragged you here. My friends need to talk to you…to find out what you know about the mess we left in 2180. I promise I’ll take you where you want to go once we’re done here.”

She didn’t look at him, her gaze fixed on the rounded hills in the distance. “You’ll take me to the
Stellam
?”

He hesitated, knowing he couldn’t return her to almost certain death. Not alone, anyway. “I will.” What he didn’t say was that he was going with her if it came to that.

Her muscles softened a bit and she flashed him a look. “Where are we, this place is horrible.” She wrinkled her pert nose. “And it stinks.”

“The dead lands. They were ground zero during the great wars. He handed her a large square of cloth. “Here, tie this around your face until we get inside. The air is still saturated with poisonous gas from the wars.”

She took the cloth from him and, though her frown deepened, she didn’t argue. A moment later he touched her back. “Ready?”

She nodded mutely and fell in beside him as he headed toward the hills. “This used to be a reborn lair. Edwige sent her familiar to kill them.”

Cari nodded. “I’ve heard the tale.” She glanced around. “How did they survive here?”

“Magics.” They reached the base of the rocky hillside and Grimm started up, reaching down to help Cari along. She glared at his hand and started climbing alone.

“Zombies have magics?”

Grimm chuckled. “Don’t let Yeira hear you call them that.” His glance slid upward, to the black hole in the face of the rock. “Or Audie for that matter. He’s gotten very protective of her.”

Cari stopped, straightening away from the hill. “A hunter protective of a reborn?”

Grimm didn’t like the hostility in her gaze. In fact it filled him with rage and uncertainty. “I’m saying you should try not to say disparaging things about the reborn in front of her. She considers them her people and she’s fighting to save them.” He frowned, realizing he’d said way too much. It wasn’t his place to tell Yeira’s story. She’d earned the right to do that herself. “Come on. Just keep an open mind. I think you’ll like my
friends
.” He emphasized the last word to let her know he would be just as offended as them if she showed her obvious bias.

Grimm halted as they reached the cave’s opening. His last memory of the place was one of gore and a stomach-wrenching stench. The reborn in that lair hadn’t just been executed, they’d been eviscerated. Torn into pieces. Then the pieces had been ripped into smaller pieces.

It was a wonder Yeira had survived the discovery with her mind still intact. Grimm hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said Yeira considered the reborn her people. She also called many of them her friends.

But the passageway inside the opening was clear, the air free of the stench of violent death, so Grimm stepped through, feeling the tingle of magic against his skin as he did. Half witch and half powerful Sorceri, Yeira was discovering more and more magical ability every day. A reality that was good for the reborn but maybe not so comforting to those of her friends who’d met her mother.

A truly terrifying black witch named Edwige.

Cari rubbed her arms and looked around, her pretty hazel gaze wide.

“That tingle you’re feeling, it’s a ward. Just a precaution. Their enemies search for them throughout epochs and geographies. Yeira has learned to be careful.”

Cari frowned. “And yet they had me brought here?”

Grimm threw her a dark look. “I’m vouching for you, captain. Don’t make me regret it.”

“Grimm!”

He glanced up at the familiar voice and smiled at Audie. His friend stepped forward, arms like small tree trunks spread to welcome him.

“How’ve you been, Kord?”

The hunter embraced Grimm in a quick, manly hug that involved dislocating Grimm’s shoulders with a couple of well-armed fist thumps. “I’m glad to see you safe and whole.” Audie turned his gaze to Cari, his navy blue eyes widening.

A jolt of unexpected jealousy flared as the two gave each other a wary but intrigued once over. Grimm couldn’t stop himself from stepping closer to Cari, draping an arm around her waist. “Kord, this is Cari. Cari, my friend Audie Kord…”

“Sorceri hunter,” she finished for him. Cari offered Kord her hand, smiling warmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Audie.”

The ribbon of jealousy thickened, making Grimm’s stomach churn. “Where’s Yeira?”

“I’m right here,” a soft, firm voice said.

Audie stepped aside with a smile, opening out an arm for the pretty redhead to step into. Yeira smiled at Grimm, offering him a hand. When he took her hand she squeezed his gently. “I’ve missed you. Where did you take yourself off to?”

Grimm held her fiery blue gaze a moment longer, trying to send a silent message that they would speak later, in private.

Yeira’s lips curved slightly. “This must be Cari.” Yeira turned her questioning gaze toward the woman standing at Grimm’s side. “Hello. Welcome to the dead lands.” Laughter filled her voice and Grimm was happy to hear it. She looked happy.

In fact, as Kord drew her close and kissed the top of her head, Grimm realized they both looked like they’d found what they needed and wanted out of life.

The ribbon of jealousy speared him anew. He’d long ago given up believing he could ever have what his friends shared. Frowning under the thought, Grimm jerked his chin toward the interior of the cave. “I’d kill for a brew.”

Audie’s massive fist fell to the hilt of his sword. “I’d defend my right to offer one.”

The men shared a laugh and Grimm stepped forward as Audie motioned for him to follow. “I finally talked Yeira into installing a refrigerator in this hell hole. It makes the place barely tolerable.”

“That’s the best news I’ve gotten all day,” Grimm responded before following his friend into the cavern, leaving Cari and Yeira behind.

~AN~

Pisney Alcott strode across the marble-floored room and stopped a respectable distance from the man staring out the window. He bowed slightly, though the man’s back was turned.

Shoulders rounded, like a bird perched on a dead tree branch, the man was small, delicate looking, with bright blond hair and piercing black eyes. Alcott had heard from others who’d known the wizard before he’d undergone his transformation that he’d once had blue eyes. And that he’d been almost too pretty for a man.

The man turned, black eyes flashing with pique.