He deserved something better, something more!
The room dimmed. He felt an odd pressure inside his skull. No, that pressure was in the abyss, near the level of his Sapphire strength, surrounding his Self and pulling it down slowly, gently, past his Sapphire web.
*Something better?* a deep voice crooned. *Something more? A place you truly deserve? I know exactly where you should be.*
Claws hooked into his Self, pulling him down down down into the abyss, far too deep for his mind to withstand. He fought, trying to escape, but he could no longer sense his body, could feel nothing but crushing pressure.
And then he felt nothing at all.
Falonar opened his eyes and stared at the night sky. How did he get outside? The unbearable pressure was gone, but his head felt stuffy, his body ached, and he couldn’t seem to reach the power that always flowed within him.
He tried drawing from the reservoir of Sapphire strength stored in his Jewel—and found nothing. He reached for the reservoir in his Birthright Opal.
Nothing. Nothing! Terror filled him as he realized he hadn’t been drained; he’d been broken back to the limited power needed for basic Craft. How? Why? He remembered fighting against something that had caught him and tried to pull him too deep into the abyss, but . . .
“You’re awake,” a deep voice said. “How delightful.”
Falonar turned his head and stared at the man watching him. “Sadi?”
Daemon smiled a cold, cruel smile. “Everything has a price, Falonar. It’s time for you to pay the debt.”
Falonar struggled to roll over and get to his feet. Something was wrong with his left wing, something bad, but it was too dark for him to see the extent of the damage. “What did you do to me?” he snarled.
“Nothing you didn’t deserve.”
“You can’t blame me for Lucivar being challenged by those Warlords.”
“Yes, I can,” Daemon said pleasantly. “But this isn’t about Lucivar. This is about Rainier.”
“Rainier?” He took a step back, then jumped forward when something tried to curl around his calf. “What about Rainier?”
“Let’s start with you using a warm-up as an excuse to push an injured man so that his damaged leg would go out from under him, ripping the muscles that were just beginning to heal. Let’s continue with using that man’s pain and his vulnerability in that moment to force open his inner barriers and see if he knew anything you could use against Lucivar—or, more to the point, if there was any information you could give someone else to use against Lucivar. And Rainier did know something about Lucivar. He knew about a weak left ankle, a spot that would be more vulnerable to a blow that in turn, might be enough to hobble even the best warrior when he was fighting against so many trained adversaries.”
“Anyone could have told them about Yaslana’s ankle!”
“Why would they?” Daemon sounded surprised. “The information about Lucivar’s ankle was a lie Rainier let you find.”
Falonar stared at Sadi.
“Rainier was Second Circle in the Dark Court at Ebon Askavi,” Daemon purred. “He was well trained.”
“That son of a whoring bitch.” He’d thought Rainier was in too much pain to sense the intrusion, let alone try to deceive him.
“Rainier serves me, and I do take care of my own,” Daemon said. “Which brings us to your new, if temporary, place of residence.”
Falonar took a step toward Daemon. He would demand that Sadi take him back to that damn village, would demand that Sadi answer to a tribunal of Queens for breaking another Warlord Prince.
A vine whipped around Falonar’s lower left leg, its curved thorns digging into his skin, chaining him to that spot.
“It doesn’t have a quaint name like Little Weeble,” Daemon purred, “but I think the place, and its name, suits you better. Welcome to the bowels of Hell, Prince Falonar.” He turned and walked away.
“Sadi!” Falonar shouted, as another vine wrapped around his right leg. “Sadi!”
Ignoring Falonar’s increasingly shrill screams, Daemon glided along a path in this forever-twilight Realm. One moment he was alone; the next a dozen males with glowing red eyes stood in front of him. Since a couple of them had been Eyriens, judging by what was left of their wings, he knew their eyes hadn’t started out red. Did these males use an illusion spell to look more terrifying or did some physical change take place because of this particular location?
That was an interesting question for another day. For now, he bared his teeth and snarled, a soft sound that rolled through the land like thunder. And with that sound, he sent a whisper of his power.
“It’s him,” one of them said, shuddering.
“But . . . I thought he would be older,” another said.
“Did you?” Daemon asked too softly. He raised his right hand and rubbed a finger against his chin, giving them a good look at the long, black-tinted nails and the Black Jewel in his ring.
They stepped aside, making sure they gave him enough room to avoid accidentally touching him.
As he passed them, Daemon said, “There is fresh meat at the end of the path—if the plants don’t consume it all first.”
They bowed, and one of them said hesitantly, “Thank you, High Lord.” Then they rushed to get their share of the feast.
Daemon walked a few minutes more, observing the flora and fauna that moved toward him, drawn by the scent of the hot, fresh blood running through his veins, and then withdrew when they brushed against the feel of his power and the cold depth of his temper. Satisfied that he’d seen enough for the moment, he caught the Black Wind and rode to the Keep. He slipped in and out, staying only long enough to tuck a folded piece of paper between two of the books his father was sorting. A courtesy, really, to inform the current ruler of Hell about the delivery of meat.
Then Daemon caught the Black Winds again and rode to the Hall, where his wife, and Queen, waited for him.
SIXTEEN
Surreal studied the room that would be her home for the next few weeks. The furniture was basic but in good condition, and gleamed from a fresh cleaning. Everything felt a bit rustic, but this was Dea al Mon. Could any furnishing be considered rustic when there was a tree growing through the room?
Chaosti had told her there were a dozen homes within sight of the meadow that served as a play area for the children. She hadn’t been able to spot one of them—and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to find this one again on her own.
Nervous butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she put her clothes away. Her mother had lived nearby in a house like this. The people who lived in the houses around this meadow came from the same clan, were kin. Even now in the heart of winter there was a sharp beauty to this place. She could picture her mother playing beneath these trees, watching the stars. Such a long way from the slums in Terreille where Titian had tried to raise a daughter and survive.
She was looking over the selection of books she’d bought during a two-day shopping spree in Amdarh, and pondering which to read first, when Chaosti knocked on her door.
“You’re settled in?” he asked. “Is there anything you need?”
“Yes, I’m settled in, and no, there is nothing I need.” But you’re not settled, she added silently. “Something wrong?”
“You’re safe here, Surreal,” he said. “Nothing will enter our land and harm you. I give you my word.”
Mother Night. “All right. Although I will point out that I’m pretty good with a knife.”