"Yes. What their plans are beyond that, I have no idea. Nor do I have any interest, other than reminding you your allegiance must lie with me. Otherwise —"
"My friends will die," I cut in, annoyance back in my voice. "I've heard that song before. So tell me, how the hell am I going to access the temples if I can't get reaper support?"
"You are not the only half Aedh in this city, and the other is also trained as a priest. He could get you in." He paused. "However, you will not gain access into the quarters the chrání and I shared without my help."
He was talking about Uncle Quinn. And while I really didn't want to involve either him or Aunt Riley in this fucking quest any more than I already had, it was looking more and more like there was no other choice. "And the price of your help is no doubt the key."
"No," he said, voice so ominous it sent chills racing down my spine. "The price of the key is the life of your friend."
And just like that, the facade of civility snapped.
Power surged, an energy so fierce it momentarily felt like he was trying to pull me apart. Amaya screamed in response, and flames leapt from the point of her blade. But they swirled around aimlessly, as if she couldn't find anything to attack.
And she couldn't, because my father had disappeared. Completely disappeared.
A heartbeat later, Ilianna screamed.
Chapter 2
Oh fuck, no!
I spun and raced out of the kitchen. Ilianna's screams stopped as abruptly as they'd started, and the only noise in the house now was the thunder of my footsteps as I raced up the stairs. If he'd hurt Ilianna in any way —
I swallowed heavily – as much against fear as fury – and followed the tendrils of power that was my father's presence.
"Enter," he said, as I approached a door near the end of the hall. "And witness what awaits should you fail."
I flexed my fingers, my palm suddenly sweaty against Amaya's hilt, then opened the door and stepped inside. The room was a mirror image of the one I'd woken in, although lilac rather than roses seemed to be the dominant theme here. Ilianna and Mirri stood in the middle of the room and, despite my fears, both were not only alive, but apparently unhurt.
But this was my father we were talking about. He was perfectly capable of tearing one or both of them apart in an instant.