Myths and Mortals (Numina Book 2) Read online

  Rone scanned the dark streets below them. No movement.

  “Let’s go,” he whispered, and Sandis quickly uncocked and shouldered her rifle and followed him to the stairs. She was eager to get inside the lair. Rone was eager to end this, though he felt entirely too mortal without the amarinth. His palms sweated as he clambered for rotted railing and picked his way to ground level.

  Under the thrall of the coming fight, he felt as if the street itself propelled them to the lair’s entrance. He barely noticed the two guards bleeding on the broken cobbles beside it. He wanted to step between them and Sandis, to spare her the blackish gleam of their wounds, but her focus was so trained on the rifle now raised to her shoulder she didn’t seem to notice.

  Havoc reared its ugly head inside.

  Sherig’s men were loud—Rone heard them long before he saw them. Gunshots and voices, even triumphant battle cries, echoed between the narrow walls of Kazen’s lair. He nearly tripped over a body coming down the ramp to the entrance. Another corpse lay a ways ahead; Kazen really was short on men. Sandis shied away from it and nearly collided into a grafter thrown from an adjoining hallway by two Riggers. The grafter’s face was so smashed and bloodied he was barely discernable as human.

  Sandis bolted ahead of him, gun at the ready.

  Rone froze for just a second, unsure if he should go after her or follow his gut. He chose her, but there were so many mobsmen in the hallways, already looting rooms, he lost track of her. He yelled her name, but he could barely hear his own voice.

  Gunshots up ahead. The battle wasn’t over, not yet.

  Gritting his teeth, Rone charged forward, his memory unfolding a map of the place as he went.

  The summoning room was dead ahead. He would start there.

  The vessel room was just past a dying man and the two Riggers kicking him. Sandis averted her eyes, not wanting to relish the war she had instigated. Another shot sounded far away, followed by a hoarse cry. Zelna? But Sandis could feel no pity for the woman who had so often trussed her like a turkey for Kazen’s feast.

  Sandis’s heartbeat doubled when she saw the open door to the vessels’ room, its dead bolt unlocked. Several Riggers were inside, attempting to herd the vessels out like sheep. For a moment, Sandis felt completely disoriented—the first person she saw was an unfamiliar boy of no more than thirteen years of age, wearing common clothes. But her eyes shifted to Dar, defending himself with a chair in the corner, and she remembered the newspaper article. This boy was one of the kidnapped children. Thank Celestial he was all right.

  And Dar . . . he was alive. And Kaili and Rist, who fought against the mobsmen’s manhandling. They fought, but they were uninjured. Sherig had kept her word.

  “They’re not here to hurt you!” Sandis cried, shouldering her rifle and pushing through.

  The vessels’ eyes shifted to her, shock written across their features. “Sandis?” Kaili asked.

  Relief bloomed inside her at the sight of their hale faces, except . . .

  “Where’s Alys?”

  They looked confused. The Riggers continued to push them toward the door.

  Sandis ran up to Rist. “They’re only trying to get you out of the lair so Kazen can’t use you! Go with them! Run!”

  Rist froze in his fight against the Riggers. He glanced to Kaili. Dar dropped his chair.

  Kaili reached out for the boy. He took her hand, and she shoved Rist out the door in front of her. Dar bolted after them. The Riggers followed, though there was no longer any need to usher the vessels toward the exit. Within seconds, the room was empty.

  Sandis turned around and readied her rifle once more. Alys. Where was Alys? What if Kazen had her and they had to fight Isepia? Alys had been bound to the one-winged numen when Sandis last saw her. But facing Isepia is better than fighting Kuracean or Drang.

  The sentiment did little to ease the sickness spreading through Sandis’s gut. If Alys wasn’t here, Sandis couldn’t free her. This was a one-chance deal with the Riggers. If she couldn’t save Alys—

  Solitary. She hadn’t checked solitary.

  Sandis sprinted from the door, only to stop as three mobsmen barreled past her. After they passed, she made her way down the sterile hallway that curved toward the grafters’ quarters. Solitary was the first door on the right, also locked from the outside with a long sliding bolt. It stuck when Sandis tried to move it, so she grabbed it with both hands and threw her weight into it.

  The bolt whined, metal on metal, as it slid open. She pushed her shoulder into the heavy door, its hinges creaking.

  Someone sat inside, in the middle of the cot. He flinched before lifting a hand to block the light from his eyes.

  He?

  Sandis balked for a moment, until another gunshot spurred her to life. She stepped inside the foul-smelling room, if only to protect herself from the ruckus outside. “Who are you?”

  It wasn’t until she came closer that she saw the unnatural pallor to the man’s skin. Sweat beaded on it. His fingers trembled. When he stood, he retreated back a step, then blinked rapidly. Pale-blue eyes surrounded by pale freckles. A thick rope of strawberry-blond hair hung over his shoulder.

  Her lips parted. He wasn’t Kolin. He was Godobian. She’d only ever seen Godobians in the markets near the Innerchord—merchants who came to Dresberg in the summer to sell their wares. Had Kazen even abducted foreigners? And how long had this man been here? He looked . . . awful.

  “Who are you? What’s going on?” His voice was a choppy tenor, but his words and accent were both solidly Kolin. He lowered his hand. He was a couple of inches taller than Sandis, and she guessed him to be about a year older. His eyes darted between her and the open door, and his shoulders sagged in what looked like relief.

  “No time to explain.” She rushed forward and grabbed his wrist. “You need to leave. A mob has infiltrated the place.”

  “M-Mob? But—”

  “Hurry.” She pulled him into the hallway. He didn’t resist. “Go.”

  He hesitated, wide eyes looking her up and down. “Y-You’re Sandis.”

  The declaration startled her. “How do you—”

  But the man shook his head and hurried from the room, pulling Sandis with him. A man in black came around the corner, and the Godobian teetered back with so much force he nearly pulled Sandis to the floor.

  “He’s on our side,” she assured the Godobian, grabbing his arm to steady him. The blue-eyed man paused, while the Rigger pushed past him to see what treasures could be found in the solitary room. He frowned and hurried down the hall.

  Toward Kazen’s room.

  “Go,” Sandis pleaded, and followed the Rigger. They had to get Kazen. She’d go mad if they didn’t stop him. Her freedom was so close.

  But the Godobian stuck to her side. “Kazen?”

  The name spiked fear down the center of her chest. “Is he alive?”

  When the Godobian nodded, Sandis felt both hope and fear. Hope that she could end this torment, fear that the summoner would only magnify it. Or that he’d elude them altogether.

  Sandis picked up speed, running as fast as her legs allowed. Was it too much to hope the Riggers had already cornered and captured him? Kazen was always prepared for everything, but surely he’d never considered an all-out attack from the local mob.

  Kazen’s suite was at the very end of this hallway. She’d never been inside it. She jumped over a fallen grafter. A few of the bedroom doors were open, their spaces being raided. The Rigger in front of her ran to a closed door, seemingly desperate to discover treasure of his very own.

  Sandis slammed into the door at the end of the hallway. Locked.

  The Godobian who’d followed her paused a few paces from the door and worried his hands.

  “Move.” She pushed him aside and readied her rifle, aiming it at the lock.

  The shot jarred her shoulder. The blast rang in her ears. Lowering the gun, Sandis kicked open the door.

  A panel in the wall swung sh
ut just as she did.

  Sandis stared at it for half a second. A hidden door. A hidden passageway.

  He was escaping with Alys.

  “There!” she cried to the mobsmen in the hall, running for the panel. So long as Kazen lived, she would always be waiting for him. Always looking over her shoulder. Always moving through each day in fear. Always have these nightmares . . . and Kolosos might still be summoned to destroy them all. She couldn’t let that happen.

  She dug her nails into the seam in the wall and wrenched the panel open. The tunnel was narrow and short, and she pushed her way through it. She heard the Godobian yelp behind her, but she didn’t stop to check on him. Ten feet in, the space suddenly widened into a hallway. From the light coming through the door, Sandis saw a flash of Kazen’s coat and a bag over his shoulder.

  No blonde hair. No Alys. No Isepia.

  She pulled her rifle forward, cranked it, and fired.

  The shadow ahead of her dropped, and almost instantly she heard a familiar whirring sound, faint and fairylike. The amarinth. It floated of its own volition, until its golden loops hovered above the grafter’s shoulder. Kazen’s spidery hands reached up to snatch it.

  A shout behind her grew louder as it neared. Sandis turned just as the Godobian charged ahead of her. His body collided with Kazen’s, sending the amarinth flying. It was only then that Sandis saw a second, third, and fourth glimmer of gold, all coming from the Godobian’s exposed back.

  He was a vessel, just like her.

  But Sandis didn’t have time to dwell on the discovery. Kazen was immortal for the next minute.

  As they fell to the floor, Sandis bolted toward them, following the whirring sound. Turning her rifle around, she batted at the amarinth with its butt, sending the artifact flying toward the start of the passageway. She couldn’t stop it from spinning, but she could at least get it out of Kazen’s reach.

  The two men grappled with each other. Kazen grabbed the Godobian’s braid and wrenched it back, then planted a hand on his forehead.

  He was trying to summon on him.

  “No!” Sandis shouted, and she cocked the lever on her rifle and shot again. The lighting was bad, and her fingers shaky, but the bullet pierced Kazen’s cheek, passing through without leaving a spot of blood. The amarinth’s magic still held; Kazen was the last one to touch it.

  But Sandis had four more bullets, and Kazen’s time was ticking.

  She had to end this now.

  The impact of the shot forced Kazen to relinquish his hold on the vessel. Sandis fired again as he scrambled to his feet, but this time she missed. She expected her old master to turn his relentless gaze on her. To demean her, fight her. She’d seen him fight Rone. He knew seugrat. She wouldn’t win against him if he got past her gun.

  But Kazen sprinted away, vanishing into the darkness.

  “No!” Sandis shouted at the same time a familiar voice yelled, “What’s this?” from the passageway entrance. Sherig. Celestial bless her arrival! For a moment Sandis thought she referred to the amarinth, but the mob woman climbed right past it, blocking the dim light from the room.

  “Kazen is getting away!” Sandis shouted as Sherig and her mobsmen pushed their way past the narrow neck of the passageway.

  “What?” Sherig barreled forward, nearly trampling Sandis. The Godobian was still picking himself up; Sandis grabbed him under the arm and pressed him against the wall as Rigger after Rigger poured into the tunnel, cutting off her chase with their own. Her mouth moved in silent prayer that their speed would outmatch Kazen’s. A gun fired up ahead, but whether from Sherig or from Kazen, Sandis couldn’t be sure.

  When the last man darted through, Sandis released the vessel and headed for Kazen, only to notice the Godobian didn’t follow. He leaned against the wall and trembled, though Sandis saw no injuries on him. But she didn’t have time to help him. Kazen was so close. He was on the run. They nearly had him—

  The vessel crumpled in on himself, afraid.

  Shouldering her rifle, Sandis grabbed his wrist and dragged him through the tunnel. Whatever terrified him, this passageway seemed to magnify it. Her feet slammed on the tunnel floor, but she urged her legs faster, faster.

  She and the others would never be free as long as Kazen was alive.

  The tunnel darkened to pitch. Sandis didn’t slow, but her companion mewed like a sick cat. The path turned, and Sandis clipped her shoulder on a corner and stumbled to her knees. Hissing through clenched teeth, she forced herself up and found a moldy wall. Afraid there might be stairs or other impediments ahead, she continued at a slower pace. She couldn’t hear the Riggers anymore. Releasing the Godobian, she charged ahead. Kazen was more important. The Riggers had a better chance of killing him than she did, but she couldn’t step back and leave the task to them. She had to ensure their success. And she had to find Alys.

  The heavy air grew lighter, and finally Sandis saw the passageway tilt upward toward a square of light, where a door had been thrown open. She stumbled out of a different rundown building, nearly falling onto several lines of broken barbed wire glinting in the light of an exposed moon. She stepped over the wire. Readied her gun.

  Silence.

  No! Where had they gone? Had Sandis been so slow? Or had she missed a branching of the pathway?

  She ran out into the narrow street between this building and the next. Saw a man in black. She recognized him as one of the mobsmen who guarded the Riggers’ hideout.

  “Where did they go?” she cried.

  He shook his head, even as another Rigger ran through the next intersection, as though searching for something. “He vanished!” The first mobsman spun around. “We were right on his tail . . . This place is a godforsaken maze.”

  Sandis’s heart thudded against the back of her tongue. No. No. He didn’t get away. He didn’t . . .

  She turned around, retraced her steps, and ran down another narrow street littered with broken cobbles. She nearly rolled her ankle stepping on one. Three Riggers converged ahead of her. “Nothing,” one said, and both his companions cursed.

  Nothing. Even with an army, they hadn’t caught him.

  If Sandis had only been faster. If she hadn’t stopped to see the vessels or check solitary, she would have reached him in time, surely.

  Sandis fell to her knees. Clasping her hands together, she prayed, Please, Celestial, let them stop him. I know we’re bad people, but Kazen is worse. He’ll summon Kolosos or kill more children trying. Please stop him.

  Please protect the others.

  Please let Alys be safe.

  Heat burned around her calf, as though a fiery hand grabbed her leg. Sandis jumped and fell onto her backside, kicking. Nothing was there. Only the empty alleyway. Tears pricked her eyes. “Leave me alone!” she screamed.

  Footsteps sounded behind her. Grabbing her rifle, Sandis leapt to her feet and spun around.

  The Godobian vessel from before held up his hands and stepped away from the barrel. It rose and lowered with each of Sandis’s heavy breaths. Just the vessel. Just a person. Kolosos wasn’t here.

  They stared at each other for several seconds before he said, “I-I won’t hurt you.” He swallowed. “Th-Thanks for . . . getting me out. I . . . I don’t like tight spaces.”

  Sandis lowered her gun as her wits came back to her. It was no wonder he looked so sickly, then, between the tunnel and solitary. Why he’d been so afraid.

  The vessel reached into his pocket and pulled out something. He tossed it toward her, the metal glinting in the moonlight.

  Sandis caught it in one hand and immediately recognized it. The amarinth. Did this man know what it was? Surely he wouldn’t have given it up so easily if he did. Yet all of Kazen’s vessels had heard of it at one time or another.

  A little bit of reassurance. Safety. Shoving her strapped gun behind her, she clammed it between both hands and let out a long breath. “Thank you.”

  Safety. All wasn’t lost; there was still something in that la
ir that gave her safety. Needles and ink that could fix the broken name at the base of her neck. Her citizen papers. She ached for them.

  The man turned and looked down the road. He ran his hands along his braid over and over. “Did they get him?”

  Sandis shook her head. “I don’t . . . know.” She hadn’t seen all the Riggers. Hadn’t seen Sherig. Maybe there was still hope, but Sandis couldn’t feel any. “You should go. Get a head start. Just in case.”

  She trudged back toward the hidden exit.

  “Wait!” The vessel lunged out and grabbed her arm. “You can’t go back in there. They might be your allies, but it’s chaos. They’re already fighting over the goods in Kazen’s room. I-I heard them.”

  “I have to go back.” She pulled from his grip, but his clammy fingers were like vises. A tendril of panic traced its way up her neck. “You don’t understand. I have to find Ireth.” He would know what to do, even if Sandis couldn’t understand him. If she could just feel the numen there, with her, maybe he would drive away Kolosos’s touch. He could cure her, comfort her.

  He let her go. “Ireth?”

  She stepped over the barbed wire.

  “Sandis.”

  She paused.

  “You already found him.” He clutched his braid. “Ireth is bound to me.”

  Chapter 10

  Rone broke away from his guard and pushed open the door to Grim Rig’s “throne room” himself. The Riggers had made quick work of Kazen’s lair, descending upon it like a swarm of locusts, leaving as quickly as they’d come. It was already dawn again, yet Rone had come from the grafters’ hideout with even less than he’d gone in with.

  “Where is Sandis?”

  His shout stirred the attention of half the mobsmen in the room—considerably fewer than before, but then again, Sherig’s guards hadn’t insisted Rone wait for her to assemble her small army this time.

  The mob boss sat in the chair at the head of the room, looking over a ledger. She waved a hand, and her men went back to counting out their earnings and bantering with one another. She then stood and strode across the room, dismissing Rone’s guard with another gesture. She obviously no longer considered Rone a threat, especially without his vessel in tow.