Last Chance (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 3) (22 page)

Illyria glanced at her men, then back at me. Then she cleared her throat. “In Wrythiin, we have such things as portal reloops. They are like a normal inter-plane portal, only they loop onto each other, like a circle of sorts. It works only between two places and can be generated only by a Wraith with sufficient power.” Illyria cleared her throat, the skin at her eyes tight with anger. “This is the way we communicate with our mole. I do believe our own methods are being used against us.”

I sighed. “Perhaps you need to test your mole to see if you can trust him. And also your men.”

She lifted her chin, eyes gazing at me with curiosity. “What do you suggest?”

I glanced at all three of the generals, including Anjelo, and said, “Perhaps you and I should have a private word?”

For a moment she hesitated, then looked back at her generals. “No offense to any of you, but I think I will discuss this with the Walker in private.”

She began to walk toward me with Anjelo in tow, when Wren said, “The Walker did ask for a private word, did she not?”

We turned around to see him glaring pointedly at Anjelo, whose cheeks went a tiny bit pink, whether with anger or embarrassment I couldn’t tell. He looked at me and I gave a slight nod.

At first his expression filled with hurt, but then he looked at both Illyria and me, then back at her three generals who stood waiting for his response, and he nodded and stepped toward them.

The general’s features tightened for a moment, and I wondered if Anjelo had disappointed him by not putting up a fight.

Too bad.

Then Illyria and I turned and headed inside the tunnels, leaving Cassandra, Anjelo, and the three generals to their own devices.

***

Seated now in Illyria’s office, I removed my fur cloak and partook of the glass of wine she’d poured. Something stiff and strong that had no effect on my senses, but which I drank because I was thirsty.

“So tell me what is this plan of yours.”

“I’m afraid it’s not all that ingenious.” I laughed and set the glass back on the table. “Tell your mole one piece of information, tell your men another, and you should soon find your traitor.”

Illyria sat back and smiled. She’d been about to sip her wine when I’d spoken and now seemed to have forgotten the drink in her hand. “Now, that is a brilliant idea.”

I shrugged. “You would have come up with it sooner or later.”

She frowned at my words, which were true. They would have figured on this very idea soon enough. She gave a slight nod, then said, “Perhaps. But at this time, it is your suggestion and I will do it.”

She opened her mouth to say more, and I held up my hand. “Oh, and I don’t want to know.”

Illyria frowned and stared at me, an undecipherable expression on her face. I just met her gaze and said, “It’s best to ensure my word isn’t compromised in the matter either.”

She nodded again. “You have thought of everything.”

To that I shook my head. “I don’t believe so. Had I thought of everything, I would now have my mother sitting beside me.”

Before Illyria could answer, a knock sounded at the door and Lily entered the room.

“Oh, Kai, I’m so glad you’re back,” she said, throwing her arms around me even while I still remained seated.

I patted her arm and returned the squeeze. “Yeah, I’m back and still in one piece.”

Then she gasped. “Yes, Anjelo told me you almost drowned in that lake. And your mom? I’m so sorry, Kai.”

I smiled reassuringly at her. “It’s okay, Lily. We just have to keep looking.”

When I looked back at the Rebel leader, I wondered if she would be annoyed at Lily’s barging into the room uninvited. Instead, I found her smiling at the lynx Walker, who said, “Thanks for sending for me.” She smiled shyly at Illyria before turning to me. “I’ll wait outside. Sorry for crashing in here like that.”

“No, we’re done. I think?” I glanced back at Illyria, giving her a questioning glance.

A smile curved at her lips and she got to her feet and said, “I will walk you out. I need to get this business moving. And, Kailin, I want you to know I have sent out all my feelers, probed all my contacts to try and discover where your mother has been taken. If she is in Wrythiin, we will head out the moment we hear of her location.”

She held her hand out in the more human handshake, and I took it. I smiled at her, grateful for whatever she could do for me. Finding my mother was the most important thing right now.

And as I walked with Lily, listening to her chattering away, I realized why I’d been so upset with myself for failing to find Mom. Because finding her was my job. It was up to me and only me. I couldn’t put the responsibility on anyone else’s shoulders, nor would I want to.

I was the only one capable, the only one with the necessary skills and abilities, and one of the few people with something to lose. And I believed that was a deadly combination.

And a combination that could have no other result but success.

I’d find my mom or die trying

***

I went to the room we’d been assigned and threw down my satchel and my cloaks. Despite Illyria’s assurances that she was looking for Mom, I sank back into a state of sadness. But it didn’t last long.

The room was cold and I dove under the covers fully clothed and tried to get some warmth back into my icy body. A little while later, Anjelo and Lily arrived with food, the same unappealing mush as the last time, but now I knew it actually tasted a lot better than it looked.

“Thanks,” I said as I sat up. I was so hungry I just about breathed in the food, and too soon the bowl was empty and all the bread gone. I sighed, although I wasn’t fully sated. “That was good. Thanks for thinking of me, you guys.”

“We suspected you wouldn’t be in the mood for company,” said Anjelo with a shrug. He tried to appear calm, but I could see the concern in his face. Concern for me.

I studied his face for any sign that he was hurt by what I’d done earlier. Finding nothing, I said, “I’m sorry about before.”

“Before?” He stared at me, frowning. Then his expression cleared. “Oh, you mean the thing with Illyria and the generals.” When I nodded, he said, “I totally understood why you did that. So what was your idea?”

“I told her I thought she should try to trick the mole or informant into passing the wrong information.”

“Brilliant idea.” He nodded, pursing his lips in approval of my plan. “So what is she planning on saying?”

“I told her not to tell me. She’s meant to tell her mole something and also tell the regiment here something different. That way she can find out where her traitor is.”

“It won’t be easy, though. How many people is she going to tell different things?”

“I don’t think she assumed it was going to be an easy task. I’d guess she’d start with testing her mole in Widd’en’s army and her generals, then work down from there.”

Anjelo nodded and Lily frowned as she contemplated the idea.

“Hey, Lily, how was it here without us? Everything okay?”

Lily looked up and smiled. “Yeah, it was fine. Better than I thought it would be. I admit I was pretty scared when you guys left, but Illyria was very nice and kept me with her all the time. I didn’t even need to insist on staying with her. She seemed impressed when I said I wanted something to do that would make me feel useful. She showed me how to read the maps and identify which one is which. She even showed me how she sent her messages to her mole in Widd’en’s army—”

“She showed you that?” I asked, my mouth hanging open.

Lily nodded and gave me a sly smile. “I suspect she did that thinking I would reveal how Cassandra called Sentinel for help, but I pretended there was nothing for me to tell. She never asked outright, so I guess she was hoping I would offer the information in good faith.”

“She must have been disappointed.”

Lily tilted her head as if it would help her recall the Rebel leader’s behavior. “If she was, she certainly didn’t show it. She just continued as if nothing had happened. Kept teaching me stuff, even arranged for one of her guards to start sparring with me. She said I should be well trained just in case.”

“Okay,” I said, curious as to why Illyria had kept Lily so close. I had assumed she’d be after Sentinel’s communication method, but she hadn’t even asked Lily for it. “Maybe Illyria wasn’t up to anything, then.”

“Disappointed?” asked Anjelo almost triumphantly. He’d backed the Rebel leader’s honesty all along, and now it seemed her actions proved she was as trustworthy as he’d thought.

“No. Of course not. I wasn’t sitting around waiting for her to prove she was up to no good. In fact, I quite like her, so I have to admit I am happy.”

A knock on the door disturbed our discussion, and Anjelo rose to open it. A Wraith guard poked his head inside the room and said, “The commander would like to see you. She has urgent news.” He withdrew his head and was gone before we could ask any further questions.

I threw off the furs and got my boots back on before grabbing my bow. I felt like I needed to be prepared just in case, and the feel of the weapon slung over my shoulder was comforting. We hurried to Illyria’s office and entered through the open door. She waved us to be seated and didn’t close the door. Someone else entered and glanced over my shoulder to see Cassandra. She gave me a small wave and stood just behind me.

“I have information. It is from my mole, so be aware that I myself am taking this with my eyes open in case he turns out to be a traitor.” Illyria spoke and I could tell she didn’t like the idea of doubting her information, but she knew in this case it was the prudent thing to do. None of us replied, so she continued. “The intel we have suggests your mother was taken back into the Earth world.”

“How can we be sure?” I asked, leaning forward, surprised at this turn of events.

“I’m afraid we cannot be certain. All I can say is we need to follow the lead to your world and try to pick it up there.”

I nodded, feeling a tiny lilt of excitement run through me. We could get out of this place and go home to look for Mom. I did prefer home to Wrythiin in terms of territory in which to search.

I glanced at my two friends, then behind me at Cassandra, who were all looking at me and waiting for a response. “Well, what are you all waiting for?” I asked. “Let’s go home.”

***

After farewell-ing Illyria, we headed to our rooms to grab our gear.

At my door, Cassandra paused. “I just wanted to let you know you are all welcome to use our transport to get out of Wrythiin.”

I hesitated for a moment, unsure if that was a wise choice. Using Sentinel’s transporter would undoubtedly mean we would be indebted to the organization, and I didn’t trust corporations.

“I thought you would prefer the transporter instead of your portal key considering it’s approximately midday in Chicago.”

I scrunched up my face. “Broad daylight. Not a good time to appear out of thin air in a public place,” I said with a wry smile. Cassandra had a good head on her shoulders. No wonder Grams respected her. “Thanks, Cassandra, I believe we will take you up on that offer.” I didn’t ask what Sentinel would expect in return, though I wasn’t going to kid myself it would be nothing. Besides, none of us were in any mood to spend another eight hours in Wrythiin. It would be a waste of time.

“Very well, then, I shall only be a wee while.” Then she headed off down the hall to her room.

Lily had packed quickly. And I was thankful we hadn’t brought much in the first place. I left the cloak and fur on my bed, feeling a bit bad that I hadn’t thanked Illyria for her hospitality.

Cassandra and Anjelo returned together and we followed the shape-changer down through the tunnels. I paid little attention to the turns, as I had no intention of ever returning to Wrythiin. At last Cassandra entered what looked like a dead-end passage. We all walked to the shadowed, unlit end and paused, waiting for Cassandra’s next move.

“What now?” I asked, trying not to sound impatient.

She glanced at her watch and said, “A few minutes, maybe five or ten. He’s usually on time.”

I frowned at her watch, knowing full well mine didn’t work down here. “Does Sentinel have some super technology they aren’t sharing?” I asked, taking the chance.

She did a small double take, concern filling her expression. “What do you mean?”

I gave her watch a glance and a nod. “Our timepieces don’t work here.”

Then she laughed, relief coloring her face a pale pink. “Oh, no, these are old world timepieces. They work with tumblers and cogs so aren’t affected by plane transfers and electricity fields.”

“Oh yes, mechanical watches, as opposed to our digital or electronic ones?” I said, and she nodded. “Interesting. I’m going to have to steal that idea.”

She grinned. “Steal away.”

Before I could say anything else, the air before us began to shimmer, as if losing its nothingness and transforming into some sort of liquid version of the ether. A man stepped out of the mercurial portal and stopped in front of Cassandra, his blue eyes bright with curiosity at the gathered group.