Heart of Vengeance (Alice Worth #6) - Lisa Edmonds Page 0,33

of the Underworld. They tend to like human sacrifices and inspire cult-like devotion.” I turned to Valas. “So, my mission is to stop Mariela from unleashing the Furies, drag her back here, and return your scroll?”

“You must bring me the scroll and stop her from invoking the Furies,” Valas replied. “If you determine bringing Mariela back is too difficult or impractical, you may bring me proof of her death.”

“I’m not one of your henchmen, Valas. I’ll bring her back and she can get a fair trial before the Court.” I rubbed my face. “Okay, now we know what she’s trying to do and why. Why did she need your scroll, and why did she go through a mirror to use it?”

“The scroll contains dangerous arcane knowledge and hundreds of spells, incantations, and rituals. Among them are instructions for opening a door to the Underworld and traversing that realm in relative safety. Burial chambers can be used as doorways, acting as conduits between the mundane world and the Underworld.”

Malcolm and I exchanged a glance. “Did Mariela use your first mirror to get to the Underworld?” I asked.

“No,” Valas said. “In our world, the boundaries between realms are not easily traversed, even with the magic of the scroll. Someone wishing to venture into the Underworld, locate the Furies, and invoke them faces a nearly impossible task. The old gods and goddesses reside very deep within the darkest parts of the Underworld, where our voices no longer reach, and where they may more easily ignore the thrashing about of humans.” She paused. “The same is not true of all worlds, however.”

My throat went suddenly very dry. “Are you telling me you’re sending me through that mirror not just to another realm, but to another world?”

“Sending us,” Malcolm interjected.

“I call it the Broken World,” Adam told me. “But don’t let the name fool you—it’s actually pretty terrible.”

Fantastic.

6

The streets were nearly deserted at two in the morning. I headed home, where Sean waited for me.

The confrontation at Charles’s house felt like a lifetime ago. The news about my impending trip through the mirror had pushed my anger at Charles not just to the back burner, but deep into the back of a dusty cupboard.

In the passenger seat area, Malcolm flitted repeatedly. “Alice.”

I gripped the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. “Yeah?”

“This is bonkers. I don’t want to go through a mirror to the Broken World to stop a vengeance-crazed blood mage from unleashing the Furies on our world.”

“Join the club, dude.” I glanced at him. “You don’t have to go with me, you know.”

“You’re sure as hell not going without me. You’ll need all the backup you can get, so I’d better get used to the idea.” He sighed. “Hey, did you notice how tired Valas looked?”

“Yes, I did. And since when does Vlad hang around his maker like that? It’s like he’s protecting her.” I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. “I think she needs that scroll back for more than just sentimental reasons.”

“Based on what?”

“Vlad being there, and a feeling I got when she talked about the scroll. I picked up on something because of our binding. She doesn’t just want it back—she needs it.”

“If she does need it back and that’s connected to her physical condition, maybe you can use that to your advantage.”

“Maybe. I’ll have to really think on that.” I yawned. “I need to talk to Sean when I get home and then try to get a couple hours of sleep. Are you going to spend some time with Liam?”

“Yeah, I should, since I’ll be gone for a while. I’ll be back in the morning to help you figure out what to pack.” He shook his head. “I’ve never packed for a trip through a mirror to another world before. It’s not like we can check a tourism website for packing tips.”

“At least we have a little bit of information from Adam about the Broken World. That’s better than nothing.”

“I guess,” he said dubiously. “It sounds crazy there. And I thought our world was nuts.”

“Our world is nuts. Theirs is just more nuts.”

“Can you imagine a world where the boundaries between all the supernatural realms and ours are fractured?” Malcolm clearly had a difficult time wrapping his brain around the idea. “I mean, from what Adam says, all the critters and supernatural beings we don’t have to worry about here are everywhere there, and it’s basically martial law. The vamps jockey with the Light and Dark Fae for power.