Again, his words held an edge that motivated. I grabbed my Coke and gulped it down so quickly the gas rose back up my throat. I smothered the burp, then stood. Pain slipped up my legs and I grabbed at the table, swearing softly. I hadn't felt a damn thing when I was on the run in the tunnel, but maybe fear had killed all other sensations. Now, though, normal programming had resumed. And in this case, that meant feeling all the aches and pains—not just my feet, but the dull ache somewhere deep inside where the Aedh had bludgeoned and ripped.
Tao wrapped an arm around my waist and half supported me as we headed for the door. Ilianna had disappeared, but reappeared moments later with a bag. If the bits hanging out were anything to go by, it was stuffed more with an assortment of magical detritus than clothing. We locked up, ensuring all the sensors and cameras were active, just in case anyone other than the Aedh tried to get in, then walked—or in my case, hobbled—down the stairs.
Ilianna's Jeep was closer than my SUV, so we piled into her car and headed out. Azriel wasn't with us in flesh form, but the heat caressing the back of my neck suggested he was still very much present.
Once we were on the road and there was no indication that we were being followed, I grabbed my phone and called my mom.
"Risa," she said, voice heavy with relief. "Are you okay? The vibes I'm getting suggest you're hurt."
"I tore my feet up on some glass. Nothing to worry about." I hesitated, waiting for her to denounce the lie. When she didn't, I added, "How are you? Did you sort out whatever was troubling you?"
"Ris, you've got far bigger things to worry about right now than me."
"You're my mom," I retorted testily. "There is nothing—and no one—else that matters more to me."
"And, my darling girl, I feel exactly the same. Which is why you need to get to the Brindle as quickly as possible. They're out to get you."
Fear snaked through me. "Who?"
She hesitated. "I'm not sure. But it's dark and it's dangerous. Get to the Brindle, Ris. All of you."
"We could swing by the house and pick—"
"No!" she said, and the alarm in her voice had my apprehension rising. "Don't. There's no time—and no need. There are some things you can run from, Ris, and some things you can't. Yours is the former, and mine the latter. I accepted mine a long time ago, but I need to know you're safe—"
"Oh fuck. Mom, I'm coming—"
"Don't! You have one chance—one slight, slim chance—to reach the Brindle and safety. Take it, because it just might mean the difference between life and death for one of your friends. I can't see who, but someone's life really does hang in the balance. Promise me you will go there, Ris, not here."