We’ll never find our sorceress if I give in to the urge to run, I replied, perhaps more tartly than I should have. Besides, whatever is waiting here, I’m sure it would be better faced with two swords rather than one.
He didn’t comment, but his displeasure echoed through me. We edged farther into the room. Again light flickered, and I realized—with more than a little trepidation—that it was coming from the floor. Or rather, from the etched markings on the floor. I paused, watching an oddly dirty beam of light slip through the various markings and race toward the stones. Nothing happened when it reached them. It just disappeared into the middle of them. The stones weren’t active, so the light could hardly have traveled anywhere, but that didn’t stop the crawling sense of unease from getting stronger.
Azriel stopped so abruptly I ran into him. He reached back to steady me, but his concentration was on a spot several feet ahead of us.
What’s wrong? I frowned at the spot, but whatever it was he was seeing or feeling, I wasn’t.
That foul energy I mentioned? It lies within arm’s length of us.
What is it doing?
Nothing. It simply sits there. He took one step sideways, his eyes narrowed. It could be some sort of barrier, given it forms a protective semicircle around the standing stones.
Air stirred, and the hairs along the back of my neck rose. I shot a glance over my shoulder, but I couldn’t see anything or anyone. But that seemed to be a running theme in this place, at least for me. Amaya, is there anyone behind us?
Not. She paused. Not live, anyway.
Meaning there’s something dead behind us? My grip on her tightened.
Not dead. Not flesh.
Magic? Demon?
Not certain.
Great. If my demon sword didn’t know what the hell was approaching, what chance did I have? I glanced back at Azriel. Maybe you were right. Maybe we should get the hell out—
I broke off as the cuneiform stones came to life. Light flared between them, warm and soft, shimmering softly in the candlelit darkness.
Someone is using the stones.
And that someone is undoubtedly our sorceress, Azriel said. There are no Razan left.
That we know of. But she was using blood magic to create her own twisted version, remember?
They were little more than programmable killing machines, he bit back. The warm light was getting stronger and sent slivers of light swirling across the darkness, lifting it, revealing more of the barren concrete space. It was bigger than it had seemed.
It doesn’t matter who it is, I said. We can’t get to them thanks to the goddamn barrier!
Then perhaps we should see if we can remove the barrier. As the light between the stones grew brighter, he raised Valdis to shoulder height, then glanced at me. Step back.
As I did, he drew Valdis back, then plunged her into the middle of the barrier. For an instant, nothing happened.
Then Valdis screamed, the invisible barrier abruptly came to life, and the room exploded.
Chapter 11
The force of the explosion picked me up and threw me backward. Amaya’s flames flared around me, cushioning my fall somewhat and protecting me from the concrete and heat that spewed all around us.
Azriel? I screamed mentally. Are you okay?
There was no reply. Panic surged, but there was little I could do until the shrapnel and whatever else was flying around the room had stopped. If there was one thing I did know, it was that he’d be madder than hell if I put myself in harm’s way just to see if he was okay.
And surely to god he had to be. He was a reaper, an energy being, and no easy kill.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be killed, and he’d been a lot closer to the explosion than I had.
I took a deep, shuddery breath, but it didn’t do a whole lot to ease the fear-based churning in my gut. As the noise, the heat, and the shards of metal and concrete calmed, I ordered Amaya to lower the shield and carefully rose. Dust, thick and heavy, swirled through the large room, making it difficult to breathe, let alone see.