Bewitched & Betrayed

We were near the edge of Sirens’ roof. Banan had nothing at his back but a three-story drop and at least twenty feet of air between him and the roof of the next building. I didn’t sense any warded Nightshade reinforcements. Banan was up here all by his lonesome. I didn’t like it, trust it, or really believe it, but I didn’t have time to go hunting for what probably wasn’t there. Banan first; look for invisible bogeymen later.

Vegard kept up the fireballs, coin-sized and blazing white, and maneuvered to get around Banan and his shield.

In a flash of sizzling green light, Banan’s shield wrapped him in a protective bubble, no seams, no openings, no way in.

Dammit.

Impressive work. Too impressive for Banan; he didn’t have that kind of power.

He laughed and looked at me—with eyes of red flame.

Oh hell.

Banan Ryce had a guest; and unlike the possessed naked guy, Banan had invited the specter in.

Hellfire and damnation.

Banan chuckled. “Surprise.” He shifted and I could see the specter, floating like a glowing reflection beneath his skin. Banan’s shield glowed brighter. I felt Tam’s power building behind me; he was going to hit Banan once with everything he had. Normally that’d make Banan a greasy spot on Tam’s roof, but I wasn’t so sure about now. Neither was Tam, but he was going to try anyway.

“I’d like you all to meet my new partner, Alastair Kratos.”

Tam spat a single curse in Goblin.

Banan smirked. “Magus Kratos feels much the same way about you, goblin.”

The son of a bitch was reading our minds.

“Quite right, Raine, with a little assistance from Magus Kratos. He knows all about you.”

I didn’t know who the hell Alastair Kratos was, but Tam obviously did. And an instant later, he’d shared the sickening knowledge with me mind-to-mind. With goblins and elves, the hatred and the resulting atrocities went both ways. During yet another war between the two races, Alastair Kratos thought that simply killing goblin captives was a wasted opportunity. He was the chief healer in the elven army. He called himself a healer; history called him a monster. He considered the acts he performed on goblin captives, mostly children, medical experiments. It was torture, gleefully sadistic torture.

“And he looks forward to continuing his work,” Banan told us. He glanced at Talon. “A half-breed so uniquely gifted would provide weeks of study—if he lives that long. Magus Kratos despises goblins, but necessity creates alliances where there would only be animosity. Sarad Nukpana didn’t choose Magus Kratos as an ally inside the Saghred because of his sparkling personality; he chose those who were the most powerful, those who, when the opportunity came, stood the best chance of escaping the Saghred. Now that he is no longer imprisoned, Magus Kratos is free to form partnerships more to his liking.”

“A sadistic monster and a murderer for hire,” I noted. “A match made in Hell.”

“Let’s just say we share many of the same goals. My men and I didn’t come here tonight to kill you or your hopeful goblin lover. Seeing his young spawn at play was an added bonus. Others have plans for you, and for the moment we’ve been asked not to interfere. For now. I’m here tonight to eliminate one goblin bitch.”

As if in response, Imala Kalis’s enraged shouts carried up to us from the street. I’d always said that if you needed to do any quality swearing, Goblin was the way to go. Imala Kalis was most creative in her use of her native language.

“An impressive display.” Banan admitted. “Apparently her guards were equally impressive. Oh well, we’re prepared to make more than one attempt.” He flashed a grin. “Time for Plan B.”

And he stepped off the roof.

We ran to the edge in time to see Banan land catlike on the street and disappear into the dark of an alley.

Three stories below.

A jump like that should have killed him; apparently being possessed gives you more than just an invisible friend.

Tam spat the same word again.

I couldn’t have agreed more.

On the street in front of Sirens were two sentry dragons, and a gratifying number of city watchmen. Chief Watcher Sedge Rinker had his hands full with an infuriated Imala Kalis.

“We come here in peace to speak with our countryman, only to be attacked by elves on neutral ground.” Imala Kalis was toe-to-toe with Sedge Rinker. Sedge wasn’t the type to back off, but he looked rather taken aback at her cold fury.

Sedge wasn’t just Mid’s chief watcher; he was also good people. He didn’t get to be chief by sitting behind a desk all day. He was a consummate professional, knew his business, and cared about the safety of his citizens.

Tam saw and swore. One of Imala Kalis’s guards thought to stop him, then he saw the expression on Tam’s face and stepped aside. Sedge spotted Tam and made a quick half bow and murmured a few words to a stunned Imala Kalis. I guess the lady didn’t have much experience being cut off in mid-rant.

Sedge met Tam in the middle of the street, looking like a man with bad news. I heard the chief watcher’s words. We all did.

“Tamnais Nathrach, you’re under arrest for the kidnapping and murder of General Daman Aratus.”

Chapter 8

“Sedge, he’s innocent and you know it.” It took every bit of self-control I had not to scream those words. I wouldn’t help Tam if I did something dumb and got myself locked up in the cell next to his.

I had enough trouble on my hands with Talon.

Naturally, he’d insisted on coming with us, and now Vegard was faced with the challenge of keeping both me and Talon out of jail. I didn’t want Talon to hear what I was saying and possibly do something even more impulsive and arrestworthy than what I knew he was already thinking. Vegard agreed with me, so he and Talon were in Sedge’s conference room next to his office. Vegard had the door cracked so he could see and hear everything going on in the watchers’ squad room.

My Guardian bodyguard was getting his eyes and ears full.

Sedge Rinker blew out his breath. “Raine, I’ve had multiple witnesses report that they saw Tam force General Aratus into a coach. An hour later the general’s body was tossed into the street. As chief watcher, I can’t ignore that.”

I glanced at Tam. He was leaning against the back wall of a cell crackling with wards; the same cell that had held three demons just weeks before. He was leaning back, arms crossed, one ankle crossed over the other, looking completely relaxed. Tam’s leisurely pose might have been an act—or it might have been confidence. I’d seen Tam tear through stronger wards before, with a lot nastier magical manpower waiting outside the cell. Tam went in because he was being a law-abiding citizen. For now. But if anyone came near his son, I knew all bets were off and it would be ugly.

And two of those so-called witnesses were standing in the squad room right now.

I couldn’t speak to Tam with my voice or mind-to-mind with our bond. The wards prevented both. Tam was doing the cool, confident, and cocky act because he had the men responsible for putting him behind those wards in sight, and a couple rips of those wards would put them within reach. Tam’s slight smile told me he was probably entertaining himself with the thoughts of what he was going to do to Carnades Silvanus and Taltek Balmorlan when he got his hands on them. And since Carnades and Balmorlan had waited until Tam was safely locked away before making their grand entrance, the elf bastards knew that fact only too well.

I was in Sedge Rinker’s office. It was in the corner of the squad room, and the two walls facing the room were glass. It let Sedge keep an eye on things, but tonight it was also letting people keep an eye on us. I didn’t give a damn. I hadn’t been arrested, but I’d been asked politely, yet firmly, to come to watcher headquarters to give a statement. Oh boy, was I giving Sedge a statement. The walls may have been glass, but the door was closed and I was taking full advantage.

“Raine, my instincts agree with you; unfortunately, the proof and witnesses say otherwise.”

“Proof,” I spat. “Some elves saying they saw a goblin shove the general into a coach? One of them even said, ‘All goblins look alike.’ The moron. Sarad Nukpana is a goblin, and he killed the general.”

“Raine, I need proof.”

“I saw him driving that coach last night, and I heard his voice through General Aratus’s corpse.” My voice turned bitter. “But my word is worthless, isn’t it? You can’t take the word of a Benares and Saghred bond servant, can you?”

“I believe you, Raine.”

“Then let Tam go!” I managed between clenched teeth.

“I can’t do that, and you know why.”

I knew why all right. A handful of elven witnesses under compulsion by a certain high-ranking elven mage. Carnades Silvanus was the golden boy of the Seat of Twelve, the mages governing the Conclave, and he was one step away from being the next archmagus. He’d had the job for a few days recently, acquired a taste for self- righteous retribution, and had been well on his way to becoming a one-man inquisition.

And he had an expert at inquisition and intimidation standing right next to him. Taltek Balmorlan hadn’t taken his eyes off of me since he and Carnades had slithered through the front doors.

You could see Taltek Balmorlan in a room and look right past him—which was exactly what the elven inquisitor wanted. The word that described him best was average. His hair and eyes were an unremarkable shade of dull brown. He was of average height with average looks. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about his appearance.

It was perfect camouflage for the predator he was.

One of Carnades’s “witnesses” was an elven shopkeeper who said he had seen Tam force the general into a coach. When questioned as to why he hadn’t come forward until now, the elf had claimed goblin intimidation. If Tam’s life hadn’t been at stake, that statement would have been laughable. Unless the elven ambassador had personally delivered an announcement to the goblin embassy—which would happen as soon as flavored ices were being served in the lower hells—there weren’t any goblins other than Sarad Nukpana and his accomplice who had even known that the general was dead. ns class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">