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“Yep.”
“And Havily has him.”
Marcus nodded.
“Well, if he wanted to make a statement, taking out my second-in-command would have done it. Thank f**k he failed.”
“You noticed Greaves looking around?”
Endelle nodded. “I saw.”
“Do you think he meant anything more by it than wondering where Thorne and Havily were?”
She sighed and shook her head. “Greaves is no fool. We both know Havily’s powers are emerging. He must have information about her from the future streams.” A soft stream of obscenities left her mouth. “And now he sure as hell knows about her darkening abilities. Goddammit.”
“I think I should get her back to the villa.”
Endelle nodded but frowned. “What about all this?” She waved a hand toward the line of ambassadors. Everyone was staring at Endelle, waiting, distressed.
Marcus had already thought this through. “Havily trained her teams well, and you need to continue honoring those ambassadors who have had the courage to show up for this reception and for the Festival tomorrow night.”
He glanced around. “As for this mess, Jeannie can do cleanup. If she does it in small increments, the flashes won’t do any damage.”
“Get it done, Warrior,” Endelle said.
Marcus drew his phone from his pant pocket then touched the screen.
“Good evening, Warrior Marcus. How can I help?”
“Hey, Jeannie. We need cleanup at the Bredstone at my location. Small doses. Just give me a minute to get this organized.” He lowered his arm and called out, “Eyes closed.” He repeated the command and waited until all necessary translations had been made. He brought his phone back up to his ear and gave Jeannie the command.
“You got it.”
Marcus closed his eyes as well. A series of small flashes of light ensued. He opened his eyes and poof, death vampire and attending debris gone.
Endelle met his gaze. “Good job,” she said quietly.
Marcus felt his future crowding him. His warrior instincts were firing off one after the other. He still held his bloodied sword in hand.
Something needed to be done about how this war was being managed, but what?
* * *
So far, by making use of his most powerful mist, Crace had been able to disguise his presence from the august gathering. He knew he didn’t have much time to figure out what had happened. There were too many powerful entities present who would eventually see his mist for what it was: a projected image of a palm tree.
He’d been watching the show with great pleasure, right up until the moment that Parisa had shown up with Warrior Medichi in full guardian mode. From that split second forward, his plans fell to shit.
Before the assassin could complete his assignment, both Havily and Thorne had disappeared simultaneously; then Warrior Marcus, having caught the death vampire in the act, had struck him down. He didn’t give a toad’s ass about the death vamp, only that his plan had f**king failed … again.
But where had Havily gone? Where was Thorne?
Once again, Crace hunted for Havily’s trace as well as Thorne’s but found nothing, which meant Greaves was right, the bitch had the ability to go into the darkening. She also had the capacity to take others with her. In this case, she’d just saved the life of the f**king leader of the Warriors of the Blood.
His first instinct was to report to Greaves, to tell the Commander what he believed had happened, but he belayed that impulse. The Commander wasn’t high on his list of must-grovel-to right now. He was still pissed at having been humiliated in the peach orchard and he despised that Greaves actually favored Rith-the-weasel. So, the Commander could go f**k himself.
He was also intrigued that the mortal-with-wings had somehow learned of the impending attack and had informed Havily of it. So the women were working together? There was that convergence theory again.
Whatever.
He just couldn’t work up a fly’s armpit of interest in the mortal-with-wings. He wanted his blood donor and he wanted her now.
His pecs swelled and flexed in anticipation. Yep, Havily was what he needed, but shit, darkening capabilities.
In quick stages, he became aware that if he intended to hold his blood donor for any length of time he would have to deal with her ability to disappear into the darkening. He knew next to nothing about this power, since it was primarily a Third Earth ability, but if she could remain indefinitely in the darkening—or worse, leave from one location into nether-space then move to another—he would have to find some way to immobilize her.
The next step in the process led him to consider the use of drugs. The mind guided every power. If Havily’s brain were melted down into a useless soup, she’d stay put. Besides, he didn’t really need her thinking.
Already his mind whirred as a new plan began to form, one he could execute in tandem with his fireworks display at the Festival tomorrow night. He smiled. Damn, he loved it when a plan came together.
As for the botched assassination attempt, he knew Greaves would be disappointed but right now he didn’t give a f**k. He thought about returning to his forge and getting started on what he’d need in order to contain Havily but he really wanted to see his suspicions confirmed. He wanted to see her bring Thorne back from the darkening.
He settled in for the wait until he felt a sliver of energy pierce him, a little zing that burned like hell. His whole carefully constructed shield of mist started to disintegrate, and now he stood exposed in his leather kilt and battle sandals for all to see.
He turned and sought the author of his shield’s disintegration. Just in time, he caught Endelle’s hostile glare and her upraised hand, palm aimed at him.
Aw f**k, the bitch was about to throw a hand-blast.
He lifted his arm and got the hell out of there. However, when he arrived back in his forge, a portion of his side was burned all to hell. Shit, she’d hit him.
He started to shake. That was a close one. If he hadn’t escaped when he did, he would be a collection of charred carbon all over the wall of the Bredstone. Shit.
Expanding awareness,
Opens the universe.
—Collected Proverbs, Beatrice of Fourth
Chapter 20
Havily went with her instincts and waited to be recalled. Both Endelle and Marcus were present, and she knew that either ascender was powerful enough to communicate with her in the darkening. They’d certainly done so before.
“Havily,” Endelle barked within nether-space. “Please return with Thorne.”
Havily glanced at him and dipped her chin. “You ready?” she asked.
