I kept a wary eye on the tahruyt as I said, “The last time I checked, Vayl was the one having trouble with reality.”
“That’s exactly my point.” She came to stand on the same tread as me. I moved toward the wal , glad that we’d rented a place where even the stairs were wide enough to grab personal space.
I said, “What, that I’m crazy because Vayl can’t figure out what year it is?”
She shook her head. “I’m standing here looking at you, thinking you’re nuts for stil hanging around. I mean, you and Vayl have been together as a couple for what, two weeks?”
“More like eleven days,” I mumbled.
Her mouth drooped, like I’d just rescinded al her vacation time. “You don’t have that much invested in this relationship. And you’re looking at eternity with a man who can’t remember one single moment of the time you spent together as a couple. Why aren’t you and Cole on a plane to Cleveland right now? I mean, there’s a guy who knows your real name.” She raised her fingers to tick off the advantages as she listed them. “He loves you; I’ve heard him say so. He’s not a vampire, so you could have children.
He’s funny. He’s sweet. Where’s the downside?” She forgot to say he’s yummy. It was my Inner Bimbo, staying home for once. It must’ve been Monday in my mind.
Which made a lot of sense, considering. She lounged in a black negligee and transparent robe on a round bed covered with a faux tiger-skin spread. I’m imagining Cole in a pair of skimpy black shorts, all oiled up like one of those calendar models. Yup. He’d be way more fun than
—
Shut up, I told her. Anyone who’d do it in the back of a
’79 Pinto doesn’t get a vote.
But Kyphas sure thought she had a say. “Vayl is only going to become a bigger burden to you. Cut him loose before his enemies realize he’s become vulnerable and you spend what’s left of your life fighting for a brief interlude that wil never happen again.”
I leaned in to the wal , feeling the knife in my pocket slide back as my balance changed. “I could have Cole anytime I wanted. I don’t need your help, if it comes to that.
So why are you real y here?”
She nodded, giving me a good-on-you look that reminded me of al the times I’d passed Vayl’s little tests.
The bitch. “I knew you were a quick study. Of course, if you real y wanted Cole, I could smooth the road for the rest of your lives. But you and I both know he’s not your true desire.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “You want Vayl back? I could give him to you. Along with your job. Just like it was before your boss went and got his throat slashed.”
“Who did it?” I demanded.
She wagged a finger in front of my face, which I had a juvenile desire to bite. “Information is expensive, Jasmine.
Are you wil ing to pay for the name of Pete’s kil er?” I realized I’d pushed forward, letting her know how eager I was for any facts I could gather related to his case. I let my shoulder blades fal against the wal .
“Al right, then,” said Kyphas. “For Vayl? What would you give to have your greatest love back? How much do you miss Vayl right this minute? Or Matt? I could give you either one, just like this.” She snapped her fingers. Was it just me, or did I see a spark light the air along with the sound? I felt something move inside my chest. Vayl. Matt.
The two best things that had ever happened to me. Both lost by the age of twenty-six. Boy, could I pick ’em, or what?
I peered toward the lounge, where Cole’s laughter, Bergman’s staccato comments, and Monique’s soft tones offset the rumble of Vayl’s voice. Even from here his presence made me feel a little less like feeding Kyphas a couple of bul ets. So what if I could have him back? Or Matt? What if I could close my eyes, turn around, and see him standing there, smiling, just like he’d been the morning before he died. Saying, “I love you, Jazzer. After we get married, let’s dump this gig, build a big house, and fil it with dogs and kids and bowls of fruit salad!” And I’d laugh and throw a pil ow at him, and maybe we wouldn’t leave the bedroom right away after al .
I slid my hand into my pocket, said, “So this is how you do it, huh?”
“Do what?”
“Corrupt decent people. You start talking to them about the gravel-road stuff they’re pondering. Because everybody has thoughts like that. It’s just part of the shit your brain churns up every day. Demons, though, they take that shit and make it seem like a newly sealed interstate.”
“It’s not?”
“Not when you factor in the price.”
“But you’re tempted.”
“ I am human.” I’m human. After all this time and all that’s happened, I’m still… I began to smile.
“You’ve got no reason to show your teeth,” Kyphas snapped. “You’re more miserable than you’ve been in nearly two years.”
“Nope. Maybe you have to strip the meat off a relationship to understand what its bindings are made of.
And that’s why Vayl could never tel me ful out what it meant to be the avhar to his sverhamin. He just had to slip his ring on my finger and hope someday I’d figure it out for myself.” I held Cirilai up to the light coming from the hal . The red facets reflecting on Kyphas’s face made her look diseased.
“Oh, right,” she scoffed. “Your lover thinks you’re a fat old lady and suddenly you understand why you can’t leave him?”
I shrugged. “Ten days. Ten years. Time stops counting when you’ve found somebody you can’t live without for the second time in your life. He’s mine, Kyphas. I’m not leaving him. And I’m going to bring him back. He deserves that from me.”
I didn’t react when I caught the movement of her hand out of the corner of my eye. She’d banged the tahruyt against her thigh hard enough to transform it into a sword whose shape I recognized immediately. Straight at the top, curved and tapered at its razor-sharp bottom, the flyssa was a local creation, especial y beautiful because of the brass design inlaid along its spine. The pommel of Kyphas’s blade, shaped like a bird of prey, flashed its ruby eye at me as she raised her hand.
“I can alter your prediction,” she said. “See what I know?” she drawled as I watched the blade approach my throat. “You can die now, even if you are Eldhayr. One short stroke and I can send you straight to hel .”
“Yeah, I’ve only got one life left. But neither of us believes you could Pit me. Besides, I’ve already escaped once. Don’t think you could keep me there, even if you tricked me into dropping in temporarily.” My smile widened as I saw her eyes flash toward my white curl, winding among its red neighbors along the right side of my face, providing evidence that I hadn’t just fil ed her ful of crap. Not that hel gets much in-and-out traffic, but those of us who do go in and then receive the touch of a family member come back with a memento that no brand of hair dye can disguise.