Kiss of the Betrayer (A Bringer and the Bane Novel) (19 page)

Jade repressed a smile. There was no doubt that the woman had blossomed since retiring from her less than savory profession. When they’d first met, Jade had thought the whore to be near forty. Now scrubbed up and no longer bearing the burdens of a harsh life, she looked no more than thirty.

In a sorry attempt to disguise a laugh, Luc coughed, the sound quickly transitioning to him clearing his throat. “I’m grateful as well, Father.”

Behind her, Jacob gripped Luc by the shoulder. “I’m just pleased you had the foresight to ask, son.” Jacob’s voice softened. “Unfortunately, from what you’ve told me, I fear Le Daun Manor won’t be enough.”

“I’m afraid not,” Luc agreed.

The mood grew heavy as everybody seemed to contemplate the future. Nobody commented, but Jade noticed the guarded glances cast toward the children. The clatter of wooden soldiers and Hayden’s quiet commands filled the silence. After a moment, Delphina leaned forward in her chair.

“Serena?” The young girl glanced up from the table, where she sat sketching on a small sheet of parchment. “Would you please take Hayden and Jenna to your room and get them settled?”

The girl set aside her thin piece of chalk and stood without question. “Of course, Mama.”

Delphina shifted the sleeping baby from the crook of her arm and handed her to the girl before standing. Soft grunts issued from the child, but she didn’t wake up. Chubby, limp legs dangled over Serena’s skinny arms, and with the ease that came from hours of cradling a child, the older girl tucked her baby sister safely against her nearly flat chest.

Delphina brushed the hair from her eldest daughter’s eyes and softly cupped Serena’s head with both hands. She kissed the girl’s forehead, lingering as if to drink in the moment. The girl didn’t pull away, but instead leaned into her mother.

The exchange between the two caused a knot to form in Jade’s throat. She swallowed and blinked several times, looking away in a feeble effort to give them privacy. On a small level she understood what it must be like to finally be able to send your children to bed, knowing they would be safe.

“Thank you, my sweet. I’ll come check on you in a bit.” She released her daughter and turned to the boy at her feet. “Take your toys and go with your sister.”

Without argument, Hayden followed his mother’s instructions. In one hand he clutched the wooden soldiers, and with the other, he twined his fingers with Serena’s and let her lead him away. This family worked together, which was probably one of the reasons they had survived their harsh life.

Once gone, Delphina turned to the group and smiled. “Now,” she said, settling back into the chair. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what’s going on?”

Jade raised her eyebrows and looked around. To her knowledge they hadn’t revealed much to the woman. Of course she was smart enough to realize how very different things were among this group. For the love of the Sainted Ones, she had witnessed Luc’s annihilation of two men and a forest. Though his fire could have been mistaken for simple earth magic, Delphina didn’t seem the type to accept things at face value.

Jade ran her hands up and down her thighs, wondering who would explain. Certainly not her. She was the newest member of the group and least capable of putting into words what the Bringers were about.

“I suppose an explanation is in order,” Ravyn said. She looked around. “After all, the only way to stand united is to understand who and what we’re fighting for.”

“I agree.” Rhys leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Delphina, have you ever heard of the Bringers?”

Delphina’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She glanced around, taking each one of their measure. Warmth stole through Jade. It was odd to be assumed part of this amazing group. Something akin to pride made her meet Delphina’s gaze.

“Yes,” the woman finally said. “I’ve heard of the Bringers.” She mirrored Rhys’s bent posture. “And I’ve also heard of the Bane.” Her gaze narrowed. “Are you telling me all of you are Bringers?”

“More or less,” Jacob chimed in.

“What do you mean, ‘More or less’? You either are or aren’t, yes?”

“We are all Bringers,” Ravyn said. “But some of us are not yet at full power.” She pointed to Rhys. “Rhys and Luc are full-powered Shields.”

Delphina gave a quick shake of her head, indicating she didn’t recognize the term.

“We protect,” Rhys said. “Our powers allow us to fight with fire and…” He glanced around the room. “Change into dragons.” He pointed to Ravyn. “She is also a Shield, but changes to a phoenix.”

Shock registered on Delphina’s face, her mouth dropping open. A smile tugged at one corner of Jade’s mouth, thinking that it probably took a lot to awe a woman like Delphina.

“But I have other powers as well,” Ravyn continued. She held up her palms to show the sun tattoos. “I’m a Redeemer. As is Jade. Which means we can heal others.” She pointed to the blue-black line on her chin. “But I’m also a Tell, which so far means I know when something is false or true. My Shield powers seem to be the strongest, then Redeemer, then Tell.”

Delphina’s gaze narrowed. “Are there others like you? Who have all three powers?”

“Not that we’ve discovered,” Rhys said. “But we’re looking and hoping.”

“And the Bane?” Her question echoed the dread they all felt about their foe.

“Real,” Jade said. This part of their situation she knew very well. “And deadly.”

Luc gave her a sympathetic smile. Maybe he understood more about her turmoil than she had originally thought.

“Vile, the Demon King, has assassinated all the original Bringers as far as we can tell. Only Rhys and I survived,” Ravyn said. She glanced at him. “As he is much older than I am, we believe there may still be full-powered Bringers among us.”

Delphina cocked her head. “How much older?”

Uncomfortable shifting and evasive gazes rippled around the group.

Luc covered his mouth with a fist and coughed. “Three hundred years.”

“I’m sorry.” Delphina leveled her gaze on him. “Did you say three hundred years?”

“Is that what it sounded like?” he said innocently.

“Yes, I’m three hundred years older than everybody here, give or take a decade or two.” Rhys settled against the back of his chair. “My parents were some of the last to be killed by Vile, the last of the full-blooded Bringers—besides me. By the good graces of the Saints, I survived.”

Ravyn placed her hand on his knee and rubbed. “And now we’re building the Bringer army again, albeit slowly.”

“How?” Delphina asked.

This was the very question Jade had wished to ask.

“We can’t reveal that right now,” Rhys said. “The Bane are too unpredictable and it’s the only edge we have against them.”

A twinge of disappointment poked at Jade. She understood why they didn’t reveal the process to her. After all, she had lived with a demon and had tried to kill Luc. Still, the fact that she hadn’t yet gained the level of trust she desired made her feel like a bit of an outsider.

“Understood.” Delphina leaned back in the chair and stared at them as if resigning herself to the idea. “I knew there was something odd about this group. I just never imagined…” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “So what’s the plan?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Rhys.” Jacob stood and walked to the hearth. “But we need to turn our focus to Vile.”

“You’re not wrong, Jacob.” Rhys shook his head. “But it won’t be easy.”

Jacob placed his hand on the mantel and stared into the flames. “Indeed. While the Bane grow stronger, the Bringers fight among themselves. We’ve lost our history, our weapons.” He curled his fist and lightly thumped the wood. “And now our own people.”

Jade eased to the left, taking the spot he’d vacated. No longer crammed against Luc, she was able to cross her legs at the ankle and relax.

“What do you mean, ‘You’ve lost your people’?” Delphina asked.

Jade refocused on the conversation.
Yes, what did he mean?
During the years of hunting Luc, she’d come across Jacob, but only from a distance. Always he seemed jovial and flamboyant. Tonight she was seeing a different side of him.

“There is a place a few miles from here called Illuma Grand. Have you heard of it?” Ravyn asked.

The woman contemplated her question. “The big estate, kind of secretive?”

“Yes, it’s run by mixed-blooded Bringers. Those who have descended many generations from the original Bringers and have very little power.”

Again, Delphina looked properly impressed.

“Some of the Bringers from Illuma Grand are missing,” Rhys supplied. “We fear the Bane have taken them.”

“What else could it be,” Jacob growled. “They’ve no need to run away. Everything they could want is provided for them at Illuma Grand.”

“Except freedom.” Luc mumbled the statement loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Jacob turned and faced the group. “I will be the first to admit that Fromme Bagitta has made things difficult over the last few years, but not bad enough for these Bringers to disappear without a trace.” He shook his head. “No, something far more sinister than Fromme’s quest for power is behind this.”

“Well, we can’t sit idly by and wait for the Council to do something,” Luc said.

Jade studied him from her periphery. Annoyance laced his words and the steady drumming of his fingers emphasized his opinion on the matter. “What
is
the Council?” she asked.

“The governing body at Illuma Grand,” Jacob said.

“A bunch of bureaucratic ignoramuses,” Luc added.

“Watch your tongue, boy. I’m a Council member.” Jacob’s stern tone held a hint of humor.

“Right.” Luc smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Father.”

Heaviness pressed against Jade’s chest. As their discussion progressed, the reality of her own situation with Rell became more oppressive. She uncrossed her legs and sat straight, as if good posture would push away the pain of her sister’s lies.

This was not the time to lament her family situation. The one conclusion she’d come to since healing Luc was that she’d been given a gift. No matter what that meant for her and Rell’s relationship, Jade knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if she didn’t hold true to her destiny of being a Redeemer.

“You’re right, Luc,” Rhys said. “The Council is not the answer. They are unwilling to help. But neither Siban nor I have been able to discover anything about the Bringers’ disappearances.” He looked at Ravyn. “I think we need to go to Illuma Grand and see if we can find anything that might help us locate the Bringers.”

“Search the entire compound?” Ravyn said.

Rhys nodded.

“But Siban has left to fetch Willa,” Ravyn said. “Won’t we need his Tell powers to help?”

A thrill raced through Jade at the mention of her mother’s name.

Rhys twined his fingers with Ravyn’s. “Not when we have you. I’d like you to explore the Council chamber. Look for secret doors, weapons, anything you wouldn’t normally think out of place.”

The color drained from her face. “You know what happened the last time I was in there.”

“What happened?” Jade blurted out the question, wanting to fill in the empty spaces between the time she’d left Ravyn at the ship until a few days ago.

Luc snorted. “Ravyn erupted in flames and blew up Fromme Bagitta’s atrocious portrait.”

It was Jacob’s turn to cover his laughter with a well-disguised cough.

“It wasn’t my fault.” Ravyn slumped back against her chair, reminding Jade of a pouting child. “There’s something off about that room.”

“That’s why we need to search it.” Rhys twisted to look at her. “Without Siban, you’re the only one with Tell powers.”

She glowered at him. “Take Luc.”

“I’m not a Tell.” Luc tapped his chin, indicating the blue-black tattoo that ran under Ravyn’s lower lip. “Sorry.”

The sound she made was a cross between a groan and a whine. “You have no idea how much that hurt and I’ve handled a lot of pain in my life. But that…” She waved her hand in the air but didn’t finish her statement.

“At least your sister isn’t a demon,” Jade tossed at her. She cocked a brow at Ravyn, daring her to retaliate with a more grievous burden. “Well, it’s true.”

Ravyn grunted and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re a dirty fighter. Fine, I’ll do it, but I won’t like it.” She pointed a finger at Jade. “And don’t think you can keep tossing that card on the table every time.”

Jade smiled, oddly comforted by their friendly banter.

“Your sister?” Delphina’s question reverberated around the room. “A Demon Bane?”

After she and Luc had returned from their incident with Rell and Icarus, Jade had told the Bringer group everything about growing up inside the Shadow World. Until now, she’d forgotten that Delphina hadn’t been included in the discussion.

Her smile tightened, uncomfortable with being the center of focus. “Uh, yes. It happened when I was six.”

“Quite remarkable really,” Jacob added. “Her sister raised and protected Jade from the other Bane.”

Jade appreciated his attempt to lessen what must sound like a horrific childhood. Unfortunately, it was too much to hope that they would turn the conversation to a different topic.

Delphina’s eyes gleamed with unasked questions. “Bless the Sainted Ones, I thought I’d lived a dangerous life.”

She’d never considered her life that dangerous. Mostly it was lonely and burdened by her sister’s demands, but not really dangerous. “I would choose living among the Bane over what you’ve survived.” She held Delphina’s gaze. “You are a far braver woman than I am.”

“Having children will do strange things to a person. It makes us braver than we really are.” She folded her hands in her lap. “It looks like you and I have something in common.”

Jade’s eyes widened in question. “And what would that be?”

“Only by the grace of the Sainted Ones are we both still alive.”

“I think that goes for everybody in this room,” Rhys said.

Jacob lifted his goblet of wine. “Hear, hear.”

The sensation of somebody staring at her poked at Jade. She turned to look at Luc. His blue eyes searched her face, and though not completely sure, she thought he was silently asking if she was all right. She smiled to let him know she was fine, and then added a teasing quirk to her lip to lessen the serious mood between them. It was probably best to keep Luc Le Daun guessing about her state of mind. That way he’d never take her good nature for granted.