Emblaze (12 page)

„He insisted," Griffin said.

„Oh."

The door opened and Dapper stood aside to let us in. He wasn"t alone. Kaitlin and Samuel were settled on one sofa, while Archer and Beth were sitting on stools at the minibar.

I felt a pang of guilt that even with company he"d still felt the need for locks.

He looked incredible. I mean, he looked like he"d been hit by a bus, with bruises over his face and sunken cheeks, but it was a more than significant improvement.

„I"m so glad you"re okay," I said, holding back the tears that caught me by surprise. With everything else going on, I"d had little time to think of the others who had been hurt, but Dapper and I had become friends. He"d never admit it, but it was true.

„Might not have been if you hadn"t got here so quickly. Griffin told me you were the one to figure it out and led „em all here. Wouldn"t have lasted much longer with that belt wrapped around my neck."

„Lincoln took it off," I said, needing him to understand I hadn"t done anything good, hadn"t helped anyone. It was my fault in the first place.

He shrugged. „Even so. I owe you one."

It looked like a big thing for him to say. Almost as if some kind of promise had passed between us. I looked at the others, settling on the free sofa and none the wiser.

„Should I ask?" I responded.

„Not unless you wanna collect," Dapper said, closing and bolting the door with his new security precautions. I didn"t bother telling him those locks would hold off an exile for a total of zero seconds. I figured he knew it already.

„So," Dapper said, walking back into the living area with me on his tail. We both took a seat. „How you suggesting to get that girl back?"

No one answered. Obviously, the day of planning hadn"t resulted in any bright ideas.

„I"m going to give Phoenix the Exile Scripture as a trade," I said, a flat resolve in my tone.

„No," Lincoln said, from his seat across the room. „She is not."

„Actually, I am," I said, not wanting to have this discussion in front of everyone but willing to if necessary.

„I"m not letting you go in there on your own. He"s too strong and he"ll have exiles everywhere. You aren"t strong enough to fight him. And he has too much power over you."

„Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said, holding onto my anger. It was the only thing that would stop me absorbing all the put-downs he"d loaded into that one sentence.

„That"s not what this is about," he said, still calm, but not looking at me. He knew what he was saying was cruel but he was playing to the room destabilising me and making everyone doubt I was the right person to do this. By the looks on some faces, it was working.

Fine. Two can play at this.

I controlled my breathing, took a moment, and then got to work. „You told me yourself, Lincoln, that Phoenix won"t hurt Steph as long as he needs the Scripture. It wouldn"t serve his purposes to ambush me. I think you"re forgetting he has been popping up around me for the past six weeks and hasn"t tried to hurt me."

„But all that changes once he has the Scripture in his hands."

Lincoln looked at me now. The man has determination in spades.

„True, but he"d know Grigori would be close. If he killed me in the café he"d be fair game.

He"d know you"d be out there and that you"d return him in an instant. I can"t see him risking facing you one-on-one."

Ta da!
He"d struck me with cruel criticism and I"d struck him with bitter compliments.

And now I have the room.

„She"s right," Griffin said and I knew it hurt him to go against Lincoln like this.

Lincoln stood up and dropped his head. „Fine. But I want to be in her ear the whole time."

„What? What does that mean?" I asked, worried he was going to possess me or something.

„That"s understandable," Griffin said to Lincoln, motioning to Samuel, who opened a large case that was resting on the minibar. He handed something small to Lincoln and then something else t me. I looked down. It was a tiny earpiece and a small silver pin.

„They"re hard to spot but, just in case, they glamoured so there"s no chance. Put the pin on your clothes and the earpiece in - well, you get the drift," Samuel said, cocking a smile.

Great, me and Phoenix in a conversation and Lincoln listening in. This is going to go
really well.

„We"ll have eight Grigori around the perimeter plus myself and Lincoln in close range,"

Griffin continued. „If you see something that makes you think it"s an ambush or setup of any description you call us in. if, for whatever reason, you can"t speak directly to us but you need us, say the word “cherry”."

„Christ," said Dapper, echoing my thoughts. „You people like to make things complicated.

Just give her the damn thing - her bloodcurdling screams will let you know if she needs you."

I couldn"t hide the smile. Dapper and I had turned a corner. Lincoln, on the other hand, didn"t share our amusement.

Everyone gradually got themselves together, arming themselves with their daggers and anything else they felt appropriate. Samuel was like a walking armoury. I wondered why he bothered since Grigori daggers were the only weapon that really worked. I must have been gawking because he winked at me and pulled out his blade, angling it to the light. Running down one side were delicate grooves, like engravings.

„Our blades are very powerful - even the smallest splinter, melted down and blended with plain silver can have a result." He shrugged. „Having this certainly doesn"t hurt. Shavings from my Grigori blade have contributed to a good number of my weapons."

I also spied a few grenades on the inside of his coat. Guess they could come in handy in a pickle, too.

I really do need a book on this stuff
.

„But the stronger the exile," Griffin interjected, "the more likely that they would be immune to anything other than the pure force of a Grigori blade."

I nodded, my mouth now dry. Griffin didn"t think Samuel"s specialist blades would work on Phoenix. Samuel shrugged again, unfazed.

Dapper surprised me by sheathing an impressive-looking sword and slinging it over his shoulder before heading out. Two thoughts came to mind when I saw it.
Kill Bill
- and -
I"m
going to have to broaden my weapon range.

I guess I could understand Dapper not wanting to be left behind again, but he didn"t seem like the fighting type. He gave me a semi-smile, sensing my concern.

„Girl"s got some of my books to return," he said.

It was a lie. Steph had grown on him.

I pushed the thought aside quickly. I couldn"t think about Steph. Not until I had her back.

-

Lincoln walked me to
Dough to Bread,
the late-night café Phoenix referred to as „ours".

I"d told him he didn"t need to. He"d been completely mature and ignored me.

„You can"t go in there with me," I said after we"d walked most of the way in silence.

„I know," he said, sounding both resigned and worried.

„You think I"m doing the wrong thing, don"t you?"

He was silent for a while. His breathing deepened. „On one side yes, very much. On the other, no."

„Care to elaborate?"

„Not really. Only that - I believe the choice is right. The trade. I just wish you weren"t making it so impossible to keep you safe." He stopped walking. „We"re here."

I stopped beside him. „I"d do anything for someone I love," I said, quietly, not sure exactly what I was trying to say, or what I wanted him to hear.

„I know you would," he said sadly. „That"s just my point." He looked towards the café across the road. „How many can you sense?"

I concentrated for a moment. „Four." Then I decided to investigate further. „Hang on …" I delved into the well of my power, deep in my core, and connected to the senses.

I was still there, standing in front of Lincoln, looking right at him. But I was aware of a lot more, too, and able to take that awareness wherever I willed it. I felt a surge of power -

more than I was sure I could control if I ever let go fully. I moved my sense up so I had a bird"s-eye view and took in the immediate area.

The exiles stuck out like pulsing hot spots. Three. One hidden in the alley behind the café, one on the rooftop, one at the back entrance. I could also see the Grigori, glowing in various shades, dotted around, in pairs. I recognised Spence somehow. I wasn"t actually seeing him clearly - I just knew it was him. He was blue. I sensed Griffin, too, a kind of fuchsia, and near him something else I didn"t recognise. Neither Grigori nor exile.

I moved my sentience inside the café through the ceiling. Phoenix was at the back. He didn"t glow as red as the other exiles, he was something else - soft orange, almost golden.

A presence was beside him, but I couldn"t see what it was. An illusion, maybe.

Phoenix"s attention turned to the ceiling, as if he could see me watching from above. His gaze seemed to zero in on me.

Startled, I pulled back into myself and stumbled on the pavement.

Lincoln held my arm as I bent over and fought back the feeling that was somewhere between a killer flu and car sickness. I wanted to get down on the ground and rest, catch my breath. But I didn"t. I forced myself upright and swallowed back the bile rising in my throat."

Get a grip! If I fall apart now, Linc will probably start yelling, „Cherry, cherry!" for Christ"s
sake!

„Are you okay?" he asked, his worry showing.

I nodded, somehow remaining upright. „Just dizzy."

He felt my forehead. „More than dizzy. Where"d you go?"

He was watching me closely. Looking for lies. Or maybe to see if I would self-combust.

„I … It"s hard to explain." I concentrated on slowing my breathing, each breath grounding me further.

„Try."

I swallowed and wiped at the sweat on the back of my neck. „It"s like I can … I don"t know -
use
the senses to see things far away. Go places, sort of …"

Lincoln"s eyes went wide. „How long have you been able to do this?"

„Since the attack at Hades, but I didn"t know how I did it then. It"s happened a few more times since. It"s how I knew exiles were at the airport, how I found you with Nahilius. This is the first time I"ve controlled it so much, though, pushed it out so far."

And now I"m paying the price.

He grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. „Listen to me. Don"t do it again. Not for any reason. Not until … until we know what it is." Fear was rolling off him.

I nodded, alarmed by his fierceness.

He dropped one of his hands, running it through his hair. "We should get you back to Hades," he said, starting to look around and digging into his pocket.

„Don"t you dare pull out your phone. I"m going in there, whether you like it or not," I said, pulling arm out of his hold, almost losing my footing as I did.

We stared at each other. He knew I wasn"t about to walk away from our one chance to get Steph back. Eventually, he sighed and I knew it was the only concession I"d get. But then he shook his head.

„You should"ve told me." He pulled his hand out of his pocket. Empty.

„I know. I"m sorry. But there has been so much, too much, that has happened, and I just didn"t want to admit there was another thing about me that I couldn"t explain." And that was the truth.

„Does anyone else know?"

Kill me
.

I considered making something up, denying it, but I couldn"t so continued with my stupid honesty streak.

„I think Phoenix figured it out. He called it a “Sight”. And when I was using it just now, I went into the café. I think he sensed me there."

Lincoln clenched his jaw and gave a nod. He put his earpiece in and clipped the mic pin to me. I followed suit and checked my watch. 9 p.m.

„I"d better go."

He nodded, which translated to
We"ll talk about it later.

I hitched my backpack, which didn"t actually hold the Scripture but was a good decoy.

The real Scripture was tucked inside my jacket.

„When you get across the road, talk into the mic, just so I know I have reception. Then wait to hear me respond."

„Okay."

I waited for a few cars and jogged across the road.

„Got me?" I asked.

„Got you." Lincoln"s voice came through loud and clear as if he was right beside me.

These things were good.

„I"m sorry," he blurted, catching me by surprise. „The things I said back at Dapper"s. I was lying. You
are
strong enough to face Phoenix."

I bit down on my lip. He was regrouping, wanting me to believe in myself now in case it all when belly up.

I half smiled, not knowing if he could save me.

„You weren"t lying Linc, you were trying and … I can live with that,"

He didn"t say anything else so I made for the entrance to Dough to Bread after a quick brush of my fingertips over my dagger.

„Be careful," he whispered, just as I stepped inside.

„
Temptation is like a knife, that may either cut the meat or the
throat of a man; it may be his food or his poison, his exercise
or his destruction."

John Owen

Phoenix appeared relaxed; leaning back, legs extended and crossed at the ankle as if he didn"t have a worry in the world. It looked as if he was the only person at the table, but I knew there was something else there from when I"d scanned the café earlier.

I walked slowly but confidently, scoping out the other customers, getting a good look at the staff. Tonight, I didn"t want any surprises.

Phoenix watched me draw closer, an amused look on his face that had me clenching my fists. I squeezed between a few chairs and finally reached his table at the very back. He"d already taken the seat with the best vantage point. I didn"t sit.

„Good evening, lover," he said, smirking. His hair seemed almost alive, like black and purple flames with embers of silver. I wondered if normal people saw it the way I did and if they were as distracted by it.

„It"s nice to see you," his smile widened. "In the flesh."