And he hadn't been the first.
9
"Rydstrom isn't here. He's always where he says he'll be."
They'd pulled over to the side of the gas station parking lot twenty minutes ago. Cade called Rydstrom's cell phone again, but got an out-of-area message.
"Maybe he got caught in traffic," Holly offered.
"No way." Cade rubbed a palm over one of his horns, then got out to pace in front of the headlights. Ten more minutes passed. Something's definitely wrong.
His brother had told him just tonight that Omort would be dispatching everything he had to stop them. Had Rydstrom somehow fallen victim to the bastard's powers?
Cade couldn't continue this job without Rydstrom—he didn't know where the first checkpoint was and hadn't been in contact with Groot himself. I need Rydstrom for the directions.
I need him to keep me in line with the asset.
Half an hour had dragged by when a red Bentley pulled up behind them, hopping the curb in an alignment-wrecking jounce.
"Well, if it isn't Nucking Futs Nïx," he muttered to himself as she parked the wheezing car. Never had Cade seen such an abused Bentley.
There were dings in the body, mud all over the tires, smoke tendrils rising from the hood, and at least two bullet holes. A Garfield doll was stuck to the rear window.
Surely Rydstrom had sent her to tell Cade about a change of plans. But this was a problem. Cade couldn't let Nïx near Holly without the chance of getting caught in his lie about reversing her transition.
He hastened to the car—and found the soothsayer shutting down the engine and the blaring music. "Where the fuck is my brother?" Cade demanded as soon as she opened the door. Sand poured from the floorboard.
Nïx gracefully stood, immediately strapping a sword over her back. She wore a T-shirt that read: Keep Me Separated. "Rydstrom's a bit tied up at the moment."
"What the hell does that mean?" he asked, studying Nïx's exotic eyes for lucidity. He'd seen them go blank with confusion many times and couldn't afford that now. "Nïx, did he send you to meet me?"
"No. I thought I'd drop by to see my niece." She peered past him in Holly's direction, and he stepped in front of her.
"Nothing is more important than this to Rydstrom. If you know where he is, then you must tell me."
Her tone casual, Nïx said, "Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, tricked him, capturing him."
Dread settled like a brick in Cade's stomach. "She's Omort and Groot's half sister." And rumored to be a hundred times more evil. "What does she want with Rydstrom?"
"I'm guessing she wants to be impregnated by him," she said blithely, while Cade's jaw slackened. "The last of the holdout rebels in your kingdom would be forced to recognize Rydstrom's heir—under any circumstances."
"But Rydstrom can't get her pregnant. Not unless she's his female."
"I'm sure with Sabine's powers, she could work something out."
"Is she in league with Omort? Is Rydstrom being held in Tornin?" No one escapes the dungeons of Tornin.
"I don't know if Sabine works with Omort or if she has her own agenda. And I can't see exactly where Rydstrom is imprisoned. All I know is that it's a shadowy cell."
"I need that sword even more now." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know how to contact Groot or even where the first checkpoint is."
"I know where it is, but I don't see any further than that."
"What? That's all I need! Tell me."
"You just assume I'm going to allow you to ransom my niece to an evil sorcerer?"
"You're the one who set up this deal!" he snapped.
"But I hadn't seen that the Vessel would be one of our kind."
"You know what's at stake."
"What's at stake for you," she said. "This is my kin."
"Then why are we even discussing this?"
She blinked at him. "Because I'm mischievous?"
Nïx started toward Holly, and short of violence, there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop her. Cade was a lowlife mercenary, but he drew the line at hurting females.
Immediately, he thought of that vampire's Bride he'd killed. Or rather, Cade didn't hurt them purposely. Block it out….
At the car, Nïx said, "Come, dearling."
Holly opened the door, pulling Cade's jacket tighter as she got out. She met Nïx eye to eye, almost exactly the same height as the Valkyrie soothsayer.
"Welcome to the family." Nïx kissed both of Holly's cheeks with loud mwah sounds, seeming not to notice Holly's startled expression. "I'm your aunt Nïx, the Ever-Knowing. I'm also the Proto-Valkyrie and Soothsayer without Equal."
"You're a Valkyrie?" Holly asked, her gaze on one of Nïx's uncovered ears.
"Only the oldest and greatest," Nïx answered.
Cade said, "She's a powerful prognosticator."
Nïx's eyes grew silvery with emotion. "And you are the spitting image of your mother. Strawberry blond hair and violet eyes."
"You were related to my mother?"
"Greta was my half sister."
"Greta," Holly said slowly, as if stunned to finally know her mother's name.
"She was a famous warrior. She died two decades ago, a glorious death in battle."
"Warrior? Battle? I thought Valkyrie were docile."
Nïx laughed. "Did the demon tell you that?" She made a tsking sound. "Cadeon Woede! For shame."
"Just having a bit of fun with that."
"What was Greta like?" Holly asked.
"She was part Fury—"
Cade made a strangled sound but covered it with a cough. "No way." The most fierce race of females in existence. Valkyrie were violent. Furies were…incomprehensible.
Hell, if Cade turned her over to Groot, Holly might off the sorcerer herself.
"Look at Holly's violet eyes, with the dark ring around the iris. A Fury's eyes."
"Why did she give me away?" Holly asked. "I know there must have been a good reason."
And there was Holly's signature confidence. She expressed no bitterness or self-doubt over the fact that she'd been given over.
"I've put together a welcome package with a letter that will explain more. But for now, you need to leave. It's dangerous for you here."
"Where am I going?" Holly demanded.
Nïx nodded in answer.
"Um, that wasn't a yes-or-no question."
"Indeed."
"I thought we were supposed to meet Cadeon's brother here."
"You were," Nïx said. "But he's not here."
Exhaling impatiently, Holly said, "Just tell me, how did I become like this."
"You make it sound like it's a tragedy."
"I…no, I didn't mean to, but I just want to go back to my old life. I'm a single code away from getting my doctorate, and I have classes to teach—"
"Yes, well, if I had students like your delicious football players, I'd be eager to return, too. Re-rowr."
Cade prompted Nïx, "Again, how'd she get like this?"
Nïx looked confused as if she didn't understand the question, then finally answered, "The seed was always there but was given water and sun with the lightning bolt." She turned to Holly. "And now you'll grow into the Valkyrie you were always meant to be."
"Cade told me that it's reversible?" she said in a tone tinged with disbelief.
"Did he, then?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose, prepared to be busted.
"He's right," Nïx said, shocking him, going along with his lie. "Only one man can reverse this. His name is Groot the Metallurgist. He's a powerful sorcerer. If you get to him before you become fully immortal, he can change you back," she said, though Cade knew that she knew that wasn't true.