Chapter Forty-One

Kal

 

It had been hard to keep still the last ten minutes, but now it was even harder. I'd thought feigning unconsciousness might be my best bet, especially since Iris had decided to hitch along. But now, with her voice in my mind, it was all I could do to keep still.

How? I asked and took a deep breath. Also, your scent, why is it a bit different? Spicier.

Are you smelling me at a time like this? Iris chastised, and her thoughts in my mind were like leaping rays of light. It was hard not to be mesmerized. Focus.

There was a shudder that went through the air, and Iris pitched forward, then back, landing on top of me. I groaned, the cut on my side opening more, and the sprained ribs cracking under her weight. Iris was cursing and scrambled off of me, yanking at the inhibitor bands.

“Are you okay?” she asked, hair whipping into her face.

“Yeah. New plan, though,” I coughed out. “Improvise.”

“You got a knife?” Iris asked as the wind picked up.

“Can’t cut ’em off—just undo ’em. Yeah, there.” My eyes went beyond her, and I let out a slow, controlled breath. “Hey, Iris.”

She’d gotten the damn bonds off, finally. “Yeah?”

“Sorry about this.”

I seized her around the waist and tossed her out of the way, shifting as a Greyclaw wolf ran me down. He was snarling and snapping, eyes wild. Almost panicked. I slammed him off of me and then knocked him towards the water.

He reared up again, jaws aiming for my throat, and I heard Iris shout, No!

The wolf froze mid-stride, and gold symbols etched in the sand. I watched in amazement as the wolf’s eyes closed, and he sighed, shifting back. Versk. Looking at his hands, he lifted his head, and his look was one of utter gratitude. Thank you, he mouthed before collapsing onto the sand.

“What the hell just happened?” I asked as Iris ran up and punched me on the arm. “Ow!”

“That’s for throwing me,” she said. “And I think that was me—Versk was in trouble.” Her hair had escaped her bun, and she had a wild, untamed look to her. “We’ll have to figure it out later.”

“You been holding out on me?” I asked, and the wind screeched more loudly.

Across from us, Lind had subdued the Greyclaws who’d tried to take her down. The wolves were arrayed at her back, and she nodded, then crooked her finger at Iris.

“Give it back, Lisay,” Lind called. “I like you, but I’ll gut you if you screw this up again.”

“What?” I asked, and Iris held out the book. “How’d you get that back?”

“I’m not sure,” Iris said. “I mean, it’s hard to explain. It was like, I needed you, and the book gave me the right words.” Her fingers smoothed over the cover, and I watched as black peeled away, lifting like ash into the sky. “It’s loyal to me; it’s waking up.”

“Isn’t that what happened to Orion?” I asked, giving the book a nervous look. “He changed?”

“He did, but that’s because he corrupted this book,” Iris said. “Wrote over it. I wonder…” She hugged it to her chest and glared at Lind. “Do you have Tiani?”

Lind smirked. "Shouldn't have shown me your party trick, Lisay."

“Let me get this straight,” I said. “From what you two were talking about, sounds like you know when someone is lying.” Iris nodded. “Great, that should keep things interesting.”

“You’re not so much a liar as a hider, Kal. I wouldn’t worry,” Iris replied.

Suddenly, another augris appeared, and this one was holding the hand of a small, slight form. Almost like a child. Lind took a step back as it looked up at her and over at us.

I flinched at the dark gaze in the small, gray face and its row of sharp teeth. “Give it back.” The voice was both childlike and guttural, raking through the air, and we both cringed. "Give it back—you’re ruining it!”

“Give us Tiani!” Iris shouted. “Or I burn it!” The small creature flung out its hand and twisted it in. I saw the book go flying, but Iris snatched it back and tossed her hair. “No. Where is Tiani?”

“Tiani?” the creature said. “What is that?”

“What the hell is with all these new Excris?” I muttered as I grabbed Iris’s shoulders as she slid forward, feet digging in the sand. “And damn, I already hate that one.”

“Kal, I think you should shift,” Iris murmured. I did so, standing at her back and glaring at Lind. Stay close. I think I can get us back to Winfyre.

What about Tiani?

She isn’t here. There’s something Lind isn’t telling me. I sensed the sharp panic fluttering under her breastbone, and the ache, too. She might be gone.

Oh, Iris, I’m sorry.

Another shudder, and we both looked up. Out over the ocean, the clouds were both peeling apart and feeding into a seam in the sky. A horrible jolt of recognition went through me. There were forms in it, and I wondered if this had been Orion’s plan, to rend open the Rift and let all manner of hell and Excris through. If he was waiting in the wings for his grand finale.

“Pistris,” Lind said. “Take the page you need.”

The creature’s face twisted, and again its sharp hand flew out. Before Iris could stop it, a page snapped through the air and into its hands. Inky letters spilled out, nothing like the bright golden ones that had surrounded Versk. These oozed, making me think of blind things deep underwater.

“Release, summoning, opening,” Iris muttered, and the book in her arms flapped open, pages rifling until they fell open to a page I was pretty sure hadn’t been there a minute ago. “Kal, I can stop it. We can lock him back in. But it requires a shifter to ground me. Stay close.”

Where else would I be?

Iris raced forward and stopped short of the water’s edge, her hair whipping around her face. I flanked her, keeping an eye on Lind and the Pistris creature. Hands and claws were reaching out of the seam in the sky, and the dark colors ran together, drenching everything in shadow.

What’s happening?

Have you heard of yin and yang? Iris asked, and I nodded impatiently. To grossly simplify it, the energy of the first Rift was the positive; this is the negative.

She flung out a hand, and gold letters skipped across the water, then died. “Dammit.”

You can do this, I growled. Come on, Iris.

With a slow breath, Iris released the book, letting it hover in midair as her hand pressed into my fur, and the other was flung out towards the sky. This time, the letters were gold and silver-blue, twirls of fire and ice that spiraled up. The symbols fanned out, encircling the dark ink of Pistris and the seam. It buckled, and the wind began to die down.

I heard a shout down the beach and glanced left, seeing several of the wolves coming toward us. But I couldn’t break the connection; I had to stay with Iris.

You go! Hold them off!

Turned out I didn't have to. There was a rush of air and then a burst of light. Several figures appeared on the beach, the one in the center hooded, and with a flick of her fingers, she sent the wolves flying back. Then a bear, a wolf, and a tiger took off after them, snarling and flying. A moment later, Reagan was by our side and seized Iris's hand.

“Whoa!” Iris yelled, and we all closed our eyes against the burst of light from the symbols.

It’s not closing, Iris yelled. Kal. Any ideas?

Freeze the bastard?

Sounds good.

There was a crack, and the air went icy cold, stealing the breath from our lungs. Then the light faded, and I looked up in time to see a thick pattern of ice and crystals in the sky. I blinked, and it was gone, the storm clouds pulling away and patches of blue appearing.

“Iris.”

Reagan’s alarm jerked me awake, and I shifted back, reaching for her. The brunette holding up the blonde, her hand finally slipping off me and the book falling to the ground. It was now splotched with white and glittered like a lost pearl on the shore.

I ignored that, however, for Iris, who was a bit unsteady, and her eyes were closed. But she was still breathing as Reagan and I steadied her. “Oh, sorry, I’m okay. Feel a bit weird.” She blinked open her eyes, and I pulled in a breath. “What? What’s wrong?”

"Your eyes," I said. "They're different colors."

Reagan came around to look at her. “Heterochromia. One is blue, and one is gold.”

“What?” Iris said and touched her face. “Why?” She blinked rapidly, and the brown came back, then switched again. “Ouch.”

“Easy, Iris,” Beylore’s laughing voice called, and we turned. “It’s normal. Sometimes a powerful Riftborn has their powers show up in strange ways. It’ll probably go away.”

“You still look good, honeycomb,” I said and rested my hand on her curls. “Lor, is it over?”

“Well, Lind and that little demon got away with the augris, but we rounded up the rest. And, you'll be happy to know, you did it, Iris."

“I did what?”

Beylore gestured to the wolf who was sitting up. Versk. This time, Versk gave Iris a look of adoration and gratitude that made me think I should have words with him again.

“Easy, Ice Bear,” Beylore said. Her green eyes were dancing, and she was bubbling over with glee. “He is the first shifter to be cured of the Bloodlust by a Riftborn.”

“That’s what it was,” Iris said and slumped against me. “So many spells. For a moment, it was like I could see all of them. And then when Reagan touched me…”

"Yeah, still having trouble seeing. Thanks for that flash," Luke said as he came up, and Reagan threw herself at him. "Sorry, you didn't get to deck Lind this time."

“I’ll get over it,” Reagan said and kissed him.

“Wait,” I said. “They got away? What about—”

"They don't have Tiani," Iris said. "Not anymore. She got away." Her lips pulled up in a smile. "She's a wily one. I think she's all right."

Relief poured through me, and I hugged Iris closer. “You saved the day.”

“Mm-hm.”

“That’s all you have to say…?” I trailed off as Iris slumped against me, fast asleep.

“Yeah, she’s gonna be out for a while,” Beylore said. “That was a hell of a lot of work.”

“Was it Orion trying to get through?” I asked as I swung her up into my arms, and her head lolled against my shoulder. “And how did you find us?”

“Iris,” Beylore said. “Somehow, she tapped Xander through you. Closed that Rift pocket.”

“Pocket?” Tristan echoed.

“Yeah, the real Rift is a lot bigger,” Beylore said. “And oh boy, it was a whole mess of nasties trying to get through. As well as Orion. He’s stuck for now, though—maybe forever.”

“Good enough for me,” I said. “Let’s clean up and get the hell home.”