Chapter 523: Betrayal
What was she thinking? There was no way Meira was acting under Dad's orders. When the tall and attractive demon woman I already suspected of playing both sides joined her, I found out who was pulling her strings.
"Mother?" Sassafras and Avenesequoia both cried out in tandem as Theridialis's face flushed deeper red. Sekaniphestat put her hand on my sister's shoulder, a bit of a reach for her now that Meira had evolved so far, a tight smile on her face as she ignored her children and focused on Henemordonin.
"Did you really think I would ever betray my Ruler?" Her voice purred delight. "He will be most pleased when we deliver his only enemy-his own father-in chains." She moved forward at a sway, hips sending her divided skirt into ripples of motion. "The capture of this ridiculous rebellion's beloved Leader will cement Haralthazar's leadership. Not to mention my position as his mate."
Oh hell no. While I had nothing against being related to Sassafras, there was no way it was happening like this.
"It was you," Ram said, vibrating next to me with so much fury I thought he might attack her physically. "You were the one who sent the Guards after us at every turn. You had Leader's ear and knew we were following."
She smiled, flicked her fingers at him. "Silly boy," she said. "The both of you were so easy to track."
I reached for my sister's mind, found it clouded with nectar, but hyper-focused on Henemordonin. Not me. Maybe I could use that to our advantage. Because as things stood, this whole mess was going downhill in a hurry as a handful of Guard vessels floated in for a landing, the remainder still blocking our way.
I had nothing to do with this, I sent to my grandfather.
I am aware, he sent back, deep mental voice heavy in my head. It would seem my trusting nature has brought this on myself. Yeah, right.
He didn't seem too concerned. I take it you have a plan? And that I was going to hate it.
I've had one all along. You really think me so foolish as to come unprepared?
Oh boy.
Syd. Sassy's voice reached me, desperate, aching with anxiety. Meira! She's hooked on outer plane nectar. And something else.
Figured that out, I sent back, a little harshly. Not his fault, but I was staring at his mother at the time so the blowback to him was inevitable.
Meira's mind and power will be struggling with her evolution, he sent. This is how she will look, in a few hundred years of development. But she can't handle it yet, Syd.
She's going to have to, I sent as I reached for Meira and drove my power into her mind.
Wake up, Meems. I flooded her mind with spirit magic, letting my vampire absorb the nectar in her system, a little giddy as the power flowed out of my sister and into me.
She fought me, struggling against the draw on her magic while Henemordonin smiled at Sassy's mom.
"How delightful to finally uncover your true nature, Sekaniphestat," he said at his most genial.
"I've been working to have you destroyed since our beloved Ruler broke your mating," Sekaniphestat said in voice throbbing with emotion. Fake emotion. Went without saying, but... yeah.
"Our beloved Ruler." Henemordonin laughed softly. "You hated Ahbi, and everyone knew it."
Theridialis, caught between the pair, seemed about ready to explode himself, though not at my grandfather, not with his eyes locked on the demon who helped him create his children. If looks could kill, she'd have died about a million times already in varying degrees of agony.
"Mother with an agenda?" Sassafras's sharp voice cut through my focus on Meira as we silently fought over the nectar's hold on her. She glared at me, teeth clenched, fists too, unable to attack or risk losing control while I couldn't break my concentration or risk losing her entirely. I had to trust the others to keep it together for a little while.
Just a little while.
Sekaniphestat's eyes drifted over Sassafras, catching her daughter's gaze before she turned up her nose at her own children and looked away. "My Guards will escort you back to Ostrogotho," she said, "where my future mate will strip you himself before he ends your pathetic lives."
Her Guards? "I think you're getting ahead of yourself, Mother," Sass said, so I didn't have to. Bless him. "You're not Ruler's mate yet."
I know I would have won against my sister. I'm sure of it. I just needed more time. But I realized I'd run out of it as the waterfall exploded in toward us. Ram slammed into me, carrying me to the floor as Belkni did the same to Henemordonin, the two of us landing with echoing grunts under our protectors while rebel ships burst through behind the Guard vessels and opened fire.
Meira shook free of me, power surging again, though weaker this time. But instead of making things better, of clearing her head, I seemed to have turned her to the worse. Shrieking like a banshee over the explosions of fire and demon magic bursting over our heads, she pointed at our grandfather.
"KILL HIM!" Her gaze swept over me, Sassafras, his sister. Ram and Belkni. "KILL THEM ALL!"
Whoa. I rolled aside just as a flaming orb of searing fire crashed into the place I'd vacated, Ram now under me as I fought my way to my feet. My shielding already in place, the edge of the flames instead rippled back toward my sister and Sekaniphestat.
Theridialis scrambled to my side with a speed and agility that shocked me just as a second volley of fire came toward me, absorbed by my shields as I struggled to control my demon's fury. She knew Meira was my sister, but she had a temper.
Yup, yup.
Sydlynn. Theridialis's mind touched mine in a tight beam, wrapping around my thoughts and trapping me so I couldn't escape. You must pay attention.
I fought at first, knowing every second counted. But he refused to let me go. I was forced to stand there and take it as my shields were bombarded, Ram quivering next to me, his magic trying to help , but only getting in the way as my earth magic anchored us from sliding along the floor from the pressure of the attack. This better be good, I finally snarled at Theridialis.
It is. He opened his own mind then, snapped off a fragment of his power and shoved it deep into my heart. I felt my entire body pulse once, suddenly as heavy as the entire world and as light as air. My head spun, shields wavering as the shock of the magical recoil from his gift rocked me to the core of my being.
Ram was there to fill in the gap. Lucky, Syd. Lucky.
I couldn't tell you where the Node was, Theridialis sent. Because I don't know. It's not anywhere. Do you understand?
No. I pounded my fists against my thighs as the Guards began their approach even as a hail of fire rained down on me from the fight above, a chunk of transport hull bouncing from my shields.
Just let Ahbi's power feel it, Theridialis sent. She'll understand. And she'll know what to do.
Whatever that meant. But wait a second. Hang on. What...?
Ahbi's power snapped my control away, snuffling like a bloodhound on a scent, focusing my attention on Sekaniphestat even through the shields. She tasted like-
And my sister. Meira felt like...
Ameline.
The bitch.
But Ahbi's power wasn't done, the pull of our quarry even stronger than before, ignoring all risk, all danger. I turned without will of my own, heading deeper into the cavern while Ram yelled my name and tried to snap me out of it. But I couldn't, wouldn't, not with Ahbi's magic, the soul energy of her geas finally calling me on.
I still heard Meira screaming for our deaths, vaguely registered the battle going on around me, the crashing, burning, violence I was immune to, protected from by the very focus of Ahbi's magic.
And I wasn't alone. I felt others following as I neared the back of the cave. Registered the touch of the stone under my hands as my shields opened to allow me contact with bare rock, slick with moisture, allowed them to enter with me as I reached for the veil and tore it open, slicing through the very rock.
Because I now knew the Node wasn't anywhere on Demonicon. It was Demonicon. And only the veil through the earth itself could get me there.
***
