In Darkness Reborn (17 page)

Barak ignored the comment, shoving open the door to the gym. “We're here to spar. Let's get to it.”

“Gladly, Other.”

Inside, Barak stripped off his shirt and kicked his shoes into the corner. Penn followed his example, then assumed a position close to Barak, but slightly behind him. The stretching routine that the Other used felt surprisingly good once he'd gotten the initial moves down. Slowly, he was mastering more and more of the dance, as Barak called it.

When they'd both worked up a good sweat, it was time for blades. Already, after only a few workouts, Penn's proficiency with his left hand had greatly improved. His right, though, had made little progress. Only time would tell if becoming a left-handed fighter would be a help or a hindrance to those who fought along beside him to defend the barrier.

Barak swung his practice sword a few times, its blade catching the light like an arc of lightning cutting through the air. Rather than wait for formalities, Penn charged in from the side, giving the Other no warning.

The dance began.

A
n hour later the two of them sat against the gym wall, panting and exhausted. Barak had won the match, but it had taken more effort this time.

That's where Devlin found them. “How did it go?” he asked as he tossed each of them a towel. “I don't see any blood. A few pretty spectacular bruises, though.”

“Go to hell, Bane.” Penn pushed himself up from the floor. “Even my bruises have bruises. I'm out of here.”

Before speaking, Barak waited until Penn had gathered up his stuff and left. Devlin would expect Barak's honest opinion, but Barak didn't want Penn to hear what he had to say. “His left hand is adequate; there was definite improvement. The right is better.”

“But not good.”

Barak might not like Penn, but he respected the man's desire to be the warrior he was born to be. “No, not good.”

“Son of a bitch, I was afraid of that. Laurel had warned me, but I was hoping you'd see something she didn't.”

“I am willing to continue his training. He may surprise us both.” Barak carefully cleaned his practice blade before returning it to the rack. “So if you don't need me, I think a long hot bath is in order.”

“I'll drive you home. We need to talk.”

The Paladin leader obviously still had something he wanted to say. Barak didn't particularly want to hear it, but he knew it would do no good to try to avoid him.

“Fine, but you're buying the pizza and beer.”

“I've already ordered an extra-large veggie for you and a real pizza for myself. Trahern will be meeting us at your place with the beer.” Devlin shot him a wry look. “He gets to share your pizza.”

Barak doubted that Blake Trahern ever ate anything purely veggie in his life, the man had carnivore written all over him. But even more interesting, it would be Trahern's first time inside Barak's home. Devlin hadn't bothered to ask if Barak had plans or if it was all right if Trahern joined them. It was just as well that Lacey had another commitment, or else he would've had to find a way to warn her away from his place.

Barak picked up his jacket. “Let's get this over with.”

The drive to his apartment was a quiet one. He was still recuperating from his day spent with the two Sebastians, each of whom had given him quite a workout. His Lacey was an energetic lover, one of many things he liked about her. Penn lacked his sister's charm, but he'd also contributed to Barak's current good mood.

Which would last only until Devlin finally spilled whatever had him holding the steering wheel with a death grip.

“You're tense,” Barak decided to say. “Whatever you have to say, just spit it out. I have no choice but to be at your command.” And he hated that and let it show in his voice.

“This time you have a choice.” All hint of teasing was gone. “Going in, you have a choice. Once you're in, though, there's no going back.”

Barak stared out the car window, wondering if the death he'd escaped was about to catch up with him.

Trahern came out of the shadows as soon as Devlin pulled into the parking lot. Another Paladin stood farther back, making it difficult for Barak to identify him, but judging by his height it had to be Cullen. Each of them carried a twelve-pack of beer.

As Barak climbed out of the truck, he nodded in the others' direction. “It looks as if you should have ordered more pizza.”

Devlin was already reaching for his phone to order a second delivery. When he flipped it shut a couple of minutes later, he met Barak's gaze over the roof of the truck. “I apologize for having a party at your place without clearing it with you first. I thought it was the safest place to meet.”

“Because I rarely have guests.” Except on the few occasions when Devlin dropped by or the one night that Lacey had shared his bed.

“It sucks, I know. But yeah, that's why.”

Barak led the parade up to his apartment. Inside, he turned the lights on and returned his sword to its place of honor over the fireplace. Normally his living room felt spacious, but not with three Paladins sprawled on the sofa and chairs.

At least they'd left his favorite chair free for him. Just as he sat down, there was a knock at the door. He checked through the peephole. Seeing it was D.J., Barak arched an eyebrow in Devlin's direction. “Did you forget how many invitations you sent out?”

D.J. came cruising in, balancing two large pizza cartons on his hand. “Who owes me for these?”

Trahern snickered. “D.J., do you really think we're going to fork out the money when you've already generously paid for them?”

“Hell, I knew I should've let that kid deliver them himself.” The disgruntled Paladin set the boxes on the coffee table and dropped down to sit on the carpet within arm's reach of the pizza. “So where are the plates and napkins?”

Every eye turned toward Barak. “Fine, I'll get them,” he shot back. “Forks, too, for those of you who aren't complete barbarians.”

That remark earned him a laugh from all but Trahern, but even he was smiling. Despite the inconvenience, it felt good to have these guests, unexpected and uninvited as they were.

As Barak set out plates, forks, and napkins, he noticed the light blinking on his answering machine. The only people who routinely called him were Devlin and Laurel. Was Laurel trying to reach Devlin? No, she would have tried his cell phone.

His hand hesitated over the play button. He didn't want to listen to the message where Devlin and the others could overhear. But the thought that it might be Lacey warmed him. He'd listen to the call when he was alone to savor the sound of her voice.

“Hey, Barak, the pizza is getting cold!”

“Keep your fingers out of my veggie pizza. I'm sure Devlin will be delighted to share his real pizza with you.”

“Like hell I will! Trahern can have a piece, but you other two will have to wait for the second delivery.”

D.J. looked much abused. “Fine, but I'm not paying for that bunch, too.”

Devlin took a big bite out of a slice, exaggerating his enjoyment of it. When he swallowed he said, “You're right, D.J., that wouldn't be fair. Cullen can pay for yours.”

The good-natured bantering continued as they ate. After D.J. and Trahern divided the last piece of Barak's pizza, the mood changed, with Devlin looking especially tense. If Barak was reading him correctly, the Paladin leader was feeling both determination and regret.

Both were aimed directly at him.

He started clearing away the empty beer cans and gathering up the trash. “Now that you've plied me with beer and pizza, Bane, it's time to tell me whatever has you looking so grim.”

“He always looks grim. It's just a matter of degree.” Cullen's small joke did little to lighten the dark shadows that had settled over the group.

Devlin wiped his mouth with a napkin, then tossed the wadded-up paper into an empty pizza box. “We're not getting anywhere in our efforts to stop the blue stones crossing over from your world.”

Trahern joined in the conversation. “I've been following Ben Jackson from IT, and D.J. has been monitoring his computer contacts. So far, there's nothing concrete we can pin on him.”

Barak dumped a load of trash into a bag. “But I knew he'd been in the geology lab and down in the tunnels.”

Devlin's head snapped up. “I believed you, Barak. We all did.”

Surprise warred with the pleasure of being trusted. “But then why are you here?”

“The trail on our side of the barrier is cold. We need to know if someone on the other side has any information we can use to track the bastards down.”

Suddenly he knew what they were asking. To give himself a few more seconds before answering, he sat down and reached for another beer. It did little to wash away the sour taste of fear in his mouth.

“When are you sending me back? Or is that the part where I have some say in the matter?” Please not tonight. If he was going to die, he needed a chance to say good-bye to Lacey. And to Laurel. Or would it be kinder to simply disappear from their lives? He wished he knew the hearts of women in this world.

Devlin leaned forward. “Barak, none of us know what drives your people to leave your world for ours, and you haven't chosen to share that bit of information with us. We didn't ask, because in the long run, it doesn't matter. They invade. We fight. It's that simple.”

It wasn't simple, and they all knew it.

“What exactly are you asking me to do, Devlin? Even if I go back, that won't do you any good, because I'll be there and you'll still be on this side.” The irony was that he'd expected to die on this side of the barrier, but not in his home.

“We're not asking you to stay there, Barak. I need to know if you can make contact with someone on their side without getting trapped over there. If you can't, then say so and we'll think of something else.” Devlin sat back in his chair and waited.

They weren't sending him back to stay?

“There is someone. She may be able to help.” If she would. Knowing his sister, she wasn't about to lift a finger to help him or the humans, but she hated the insanity that drove their kind to cross the barrier. If stopping the illegal trade of the blue light would slow the exodus, her conscience would force her to help.

“She?” Cullen asked, his attention now focused solely on Barak. “What does this woman look like?”

Why would he care? “She's about Lacey's size, long hair similar in color to mine, and she could dance circles around you with a sword.”

D.J. snorted in disbelief, but Cullen only nodded as if Barak had just confirmed something he already knew. Had the Paladin encountered his sister? She policed the barrier on the other side; there was no logical way these men had actually seen her. But judging from the odd looks he was getting from both Cullen and Devlin, he might just be wrong about that.

“How can you get in touch with her?”

Barak gave the matter some thought. “When the barrier goes down again, I'll slip across long enough to transmit a message to her to set up a meeting.”

“How will you know if it will stay down long enough for you to send the message and get back?” This from Trahern, his eyes narrow slits, his mouth a grim lash.

“It's a risk I'll have to take. I know some Paladins can repair the barrier. Tell them not to hurry.”

“Son of a bitch, that's a helluva plan, Barak. The longer the barrier is down, the more on both sides die.”

“You asked, Devlin. That's the best I can do.”

“What are you going to do? Stand down in the tunnels and wait for the barrier to collapse? It could take hours, or even weeks.”

“So give me alternatives.”

The silence dragged on for an eternity. Finally, Barak tossed out one last suggestion. “If I were to send a letter across, just toss it when the barrier blinks, there's a good chance she would get it. Her men patrol certain areas regularly. If I made several copies, more of us could wait for a chance to throw the message across. No one gets trapped, no one person has to stand at the barrier for days on end.”

After a bit Devlin nodded. “All right. It's getting late. Why don't you draft a note, then run it by me in the morning?”

“Don't trust me to write a simple letter?” Anger seethed in his stomach. They'd come to his home uninvited, asking him for the impossible, and then wouldn't accept his word that he'd do the job.

Cullen, always the calm one, answered. “When we work as a team, Barak, we work as a team. We don't leave one of our own hanging in the wind.” He stood up and stretched. “It's been a long one, gentlemen. I'm going home. Come on, D.J., I'll give you a ride.”

D.J. jumped to his feet, the only one of the group who didn't look as if he was overdue for a good night's sleep. “Okay, we're out of here. Nice place, Barak.”

“Thank you.” Did D.J. ever run out of energy? Just watching him made Barak tired.

As D.J. charged out the door after Cullen, Devlin said, “You need a ride, Blake?”

“No, I'll walk. 'Night, Barak. Thanks for sharing the veggie.” The tall Paladin disappeared, leaving just Barak and Devlin.

“I'll draft a letter and drop it off in your office first thing in the morning,” Barak said. He had no idea what he could say that would breach the rift between him and those he'd left behind, but he couldn't live with himself if he didn't try. “If the letter works, we can set up a place to meet even if we can't specify a time.”

Devlin clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks.”

The phone wasn't broken. Lacey knew because she'd checked three times in the last hour. She had to get to bed, or tomorrow would be tough. It was going to be bad enough to face Dr. Louis in the morning over her latest budget requests without having big circles under her eyes.

Maybe she could squeeze in an extra few minutes of sleep by making her lunch before going to bed and setting the coffeepot to start perking before she had to get up. She'd already picked out an outfit to wear, one she normally didn't wear to work. But the way the dress draped emphasized her good points and played down a few that weren't quite so perfect.