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Morio glanced at Jareth, who gestured the go-ahead. Morio grasped the diamond with both hands and inhaled sharply. Once again, the crystal began to glow with a shimmer so white it almost burnt my eyes. The beam shot out to kiss the ruby.
"By wind and gale, sanctify and protect this space," Morio said, his voice trembling ever so slightly.
Jareth nodded to the robed man standing near the ruby. There was something familiar about him but I couldn't pinpoint what. He reached up and once again, a light shot forth, this one crimson as blood.
"By flame and sun, sanctify and protect this space."
"A moment," Jareth said, holding his hand up to stop Camille. "Come, Menolly." He led me through the opening between the west and north gates to the center of the pentagram, then turned back to Camille. "Close the wards," he said.
Camille took hold of the sapphire and the beam shot forth, touching the emerald. "By water and ice, sanctify and protect this space." As she spoke, a rumbling from the floor sounded, from the very center point of the pentacle, and a platform rose from the tile, upon which sat a huge crystal ball.
"And now," Jareth said, looking at me. "It's time for us to find out where Dredge is. And to sever your ties."
I knelt by the dais and took hold of the crystal ball. This was it. And I sincerely hoped that Dredge wouldn't notice and go on a killing spree before we could make it home.
CHAPTER 15
The crystal ball began to glow as a ripple tickled my fingers.
"Look into the ball. Think of Dredge, remember that night." Jareth stood behind me, hands on my shoulders, letting me source his energy.
"Dredge, where the fuck are you?" I whispered. A swirl began to form within the crystal. Jareth steadied me, and I managed to keep my hands on the orb. We were still connected. If Dredge realized I was spying on him, he'd have the advantage. Which meant I had to slide into his mind, then out again before he knew I was there.
The mist in the crystal swirled, a phantasmagoria of red and bronze threads. I found myself sucked deep into the scintillating colors. They dipped and circled like snakes coiled in a mating dance.
The room darkened and I found myself spiraling through the ether, headed toward a brilliant crimson figure up ahead. As I drew near, the presence of my sire loomed large and deadly and then he was there, Dredge, in the center of the brilliant bloody light. Seen from this perspective, I understood why he commanded so much authority. Dredge was pure power trapped in an undying body by the greed and lust that had grown within him over the years. The chaos around him took aim like a hundred wanton arrows, firing at anyone or anything that drew near.
Nearby a deep laughter startled me and I twisted, trying to see who was there. A giant wolf rose above Dredge's shoulder, but this was no Were, no lycanthrope or native spirit. No, I knew who this was. Loki, lord of tricksters, lord of the giants, lord of mischief. And Loki held Dredge's soul firmly in his palm. So he'd traded a god of vice for the hand of chaos and madness.
I could see the cord of fire and frost that connected Dredge to the demigod. No wonder the vampire had grown so powerful over the years. Loki owned his soul, and Dredge was feeding the havoc monger. Which meant… oh great gods! Loki was Dredge's sire. No wonder Jareth hadn't been able to free Dredge. And Dredge had absorbed some of Loki's power.
Shaking my head, I focused on the task at hand. So far, the demigod hadn't noticed me and I wanted to keep it that way. I might be able to handle Dredge, but Loki? No mortal challenged the gods and lived. No vampire either, which was why Dredge was still bound to him.
I slipped around front to stare at him. Dredge didn't even blink. Jareth had promised me that he wouldn't be able to detect me unless he was deliberately focusing on the astral, and it appeared that his attention was wandering elsewhere. Even if I draped my arm around his shoulders, he wouldn't sense me, since he was my sire and we shared blood.
Now comes the hard part…
Jareth's thoughts merged with mine and I realized that he was hanging out in my head. Somehow he'd managed to tap into my mind. Normally that would piss the hell out of me but right now I was grateful that I wasn't alone.
What next? I focused the question toward Jareth, apparently doing too good of a job because I felt him jump.
Try to turn down the volume, would you?
I blinked. Oops. I'm sorry, I thought, but he shook it off.
Listen to me carefully. You need to walk into him. Look out from his eyes and see what he's seeing. Try to figure out where he is, from what he's looking at. You don't have much time, though. As soon as you find something to gauge a location, then get out and we'll sever your cord to him. I can see where it is now. Don't play hero—you can't stay inside of him long before he notices you're there. Got it?
Yep. I didn't want it, but I got it.
My stomach knotting, I made my way over to his side. Even here on the astral, I could smell him and that smell took me back. I spiraled back to his touch, to his laughter, to him filling me deep with his sex that froze me to the core of my heart. And then his wrist pressed against my lips, forcing me to drink and I understood what it meant to die alone, in pain, in anger…
Get moving. Don't get bogged down in memories. Jareth's thoughts were urgent. I licked my lips, still tasting Dredge's blood in my mouth.
Sorry. I'm going. I shook my head. The past was the past. It was time to move forward. And moving forward meant killing the motherfucker who'd dragged me down into this nightmare.
I jumped. Playing walk-in didn't thrill me, but if I had to infiltrate the devil, then infiltrate I would. As I entered his body, a surge of power ran through me. The thought of killing off his soul and taking over his form raced through my thoughts. Kyoka had done it, and with Dredge, I'd have power beyond my wildest dreams. But then I remembered the cord tying Dredge to Loki and quickly disposed of that idea. Trade a degenerate sire for a master who was ten times worse? No thanks.
I quickly sorted out my bearings and, after a moment, managed to get myself turned around so that I was staring out of Dredge's eyes.
