THE BAZAAR (The Devany Miller Series) (27 page)

Marantha came, panting, her face haggard. "My dear. How many times did it bite you?"

"Just the one." My words slurred. I couldn't swallow around the dryness in my throat. "She wants me dead." The absurdity made me chuckle, though no real sound came from my mouth. "All I want to do is go home."

"She doesn't want to kill you," Tytan said, kneeling down beside me. He studied Marantha as if wondering whether she could keep a secret. "It's a challenge."

"What kind of challenge?" I poked at my thigh with my finger. It was my leg, but I couldn't feel it. Reminded me of the epidural I'd had with Liam. The doctor made me stay on my left side and the medicine numbed me from hip to toe. It felt the same way now. Left leg nothing but a lump of dead flesh attached to my body. "Did I win?"

Grimly he reached for the fastener of my pants. "It depends, I suppose, on how you define winning."

"Great." I looked down at him tugging at my jeans. Maybe I should stop him, but my brain couldn't figure out exactly why that was necessary. "Let me guess. It bit me and now I'm going to be a werereptile. Eh?" The material rasped over my wound and I balled up my fist as I passed out.

When I woke, I saw Tytan still looking grim with a swell to his eyelid I hadn't noticed before. I was lying on my right side, propped with pillows from the gutted couch. "What happened to you?"

"You slugged him, dear." Marantha was smiling as she held a small bottle of liquid to my lips. "Drink. It will help."

I drank, expecting it to taste nasty. Instead, it tasted of blueberries and maple syrup. "Mmm. What's that?"

She didn't answer. Tytan swam in and out of view. He prodded my hip and I cussed. After the sixth time I snapped, "What are you doing?"

"Getting you ready for your challenge."

Oh. Another crazy thing I knew nothing about. "I want to go home. I want to see my kids." My words slurred and I dropped off. When I woke the next time, the room was in focus. My hip wasn't ablaze, though my shoulder still ached. "What did you guys do?"

Only Marantha was there. She had covered my naked lower half with a sheet. "The Skriven ground up the remains of the syntarsus. Seems to be a cure he knew well."

"Where'd Ty go? Wash up?" I hadn't moved yet and wasn't sure I wanted to tempt the gods of pain. 

"He's finding you a weapon." She tucked in my blanket, fussed with the pillow, and then scooted away to straighten the knocked over side table.

A weapon. "Oh no. I'm not doing any damn thing else. I'm done. I'm going home."

She stooped to pick up a shimmering flower that floated above the table when she let go. "You can't.” She gave the flower a spin with her finger then sunk down onto the chair, her face haggard. “This thing will not leave you alone. Each time you try to open a hook you will release a syntarsus. You can't go home until you answer the challenge. At least, that's what your Skriven says."

"He's not mine." I covered my face. "I can't. I cannot do this anymore. Please, let me go home."

Her hand pressed gently against my hair. "I'm sorry."

I didn't look up or uncover my face. I knew she meant well and I knew she cared but I was telling the truth. I couldn't do it anymore. The killing, the magic, the threats to my life and to the lives of my children. It was over. I was over.

A door opened somewhere behind me. Tytan asked, "Is she awake?"

"Yes." Marantha's voice throbbed with sorrow.

I wanted to plug my ears. "Leave me alone. Let me die. Do you hear me?" I didn't hear him until his foot kicked a fallen vase and sent it skittering. His touch soothed me but I fought it. It was a false calm, a mockery of the peace I felt in the presence of my children. I didn't want to be calm. I wanted to scream hysterically and have someone rescue me. Someone that would scoop me up and take care of me. "I can't," I whispered, ashamed but unable to stop myself. What route would he choose, I wondered idly, to coerce me into this battle? Would he threaten me? Insult me? Pet me and tell me I was strong, that I could defeat any foe? Or would he feign sadness, pretend that he accepted I would give up. After all, it wouldn't harm him if I quit, would it? He'd still be in a mess, still fallen. 

"I know if I give up, then I'm giving up my children," I said, even though he hadn't spoken. "I know I can be strong, that I can face my troubles even though it means I might lose them forever. If I don't try I've already given up, right? Right?" Still neither had spoken and I finally looked at them. "Why me? Huh? Why is it I have to do this all on my own? Heroes in the books get minions but let me guess," I said bitterly, gauging the expression on Tytan's face. "I get to face this alone, like everything else."

He nodded.

I wanted to punch him again. Instead I sat up, my head ringing as my inner critic harangued me with all that was wrong. I was ignorant. Inadequate. Too slow, too human. I didn't know anything about fighting. I would surely die. Look at what a lousy wife I was. What a lousy mother, I couldn't even keep my kids safe.

"Enough," I told myself then realized I'd shouted aloud. I shook my head. "Enough. I'll do it. I can't live like this but I sure as hell can't lie down and give in, either." I eased to my feet, testing my leg to see if it would hold me. Then I drew the sheet tighter around me. "Unless I have to fight naked, I need pants." Tytan's gaze caressed me, and I could feel his thoughts as if they were his hands. I had to distract him. "Marantha said you fetched me a weapon. Where is it?"

Tytan's grin made me wary. He stepped out of the house for a moment. When he came back in, he had a wild-eyed woman by the hair. Dreadlocks, the bitch from the fair.

He gave her a hard shake and she stopped struggling, standing there shivering like a wet Chihuahua. "Yarnell used her to take your kids. She volunteered to help, wanted to be at the top of the list of those who got body parts."

Rage left me cold. Had to count to fifty before I could speak without spitting in the woman's face. "What good will she do me?"

"You have to take a soul into battle. I didn't think you'd mind if this one got used up."

No. I didn't think I would mind, either.

THIRTY-TWO

"I
look silly." Right. As if how I looked had anything to do with my upcoming battle. A battle in which I would probably die, according to Tytan. And just when I was sorta not hating him. I was wearing a pair of Marantha's pants. I could slip another me inside them with room to spare and they sat two inches above my ankles. "I can't face Ravana wearing these."

Tytan had the same look on his face Tom would get when I fussed over what to wear. I jabbed a finger into his chest. "I need all the confidence I can get and these do not inspire anything but laughter." I pulled the sides away from my body and heard Marantha giggle. I nodded as if she'd proved my point.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll get you something different." He held out his hand to Marantha, who sniffed then crossed the room to a jar on the table. She plucked out a few coins and slapped them into his hand. 

"Thank you." He winked at me as he left and I almost called him back. If he didn't leave, I reasoned, then I could put off this ridiculous battle I was sure to lose. But no. The sooner I challenged the bitch the sooner I'd be done. Dead or with my kids. My stomach cramped and I bent over, unable to breathe. "Oh god."

"It'll be all right."

I laughed. "How can you say that? You don't know that. There is no certainty. That's what's so damned scary about life. All the well-wishing in the world won't help change anything. I'm alone and I'm scared. I don't have anyone to lean on and I have the sneaking suspicion I'm going to fail." My cheeks were wet with tears. "I want to be with my kids and I want them to be okay. Is that so much to ask?"

She didn't answer. There wasn't an answer and she knew it. Anything else would be empty platitudes. I sat on the couch and tucked my knees up under my chin. My eyes burned and my nose ran but I ignored it the best I could and concentrated on victory. I doubted that positive thinking could do anything besides make me feel better but I figured I had nothing else to lose. I could walk into the Slip thinking I'd win or believing I'd fail. At least thoughts of winning might make me more proactive; if I believed I actually could unmake the inviolable, maybe my puny human brain would come up with the solution.

My gaze flicked to the woman Tytan had gagged and tied to a chair. She'd tried tears first, muffled begging, and when that didn't work, curses. They were garbled because of the rag in her mouth but I could still make them out. "You would've participated in the murder of my children?" Why was I surprised? She'd told me she planned to have my head, after all.

She glared, her face flushing red. More curses.

"You're disgusting. Worse than disgusting. And you're unlucky to have met me now. A few weeks ago I might have been a tiny bit forgiving." I cocked my head for a moment. "On second thought, not even then would I have forgiven something so heinous. You deserve what you're going to get in the Slip."

She shook her head and then began thrashing in her bindings. Fat chance she'd get out of them. I'd pushed a little magic into the ropes as Tytan had tied her. She wouldn't be going anywhere until I was ready to leave.

Marantha brought me a cup of tea spiced, she said, with herbs to help my physical stamina and bolster my courage. 

"I might need a few dozen more cups, then." I took the cup with a word of thanks.

"Strangely, I can picture you saying, 'Excuse me evil woman, but I have to break for the bathroom. Hold on.'"

The corner of my mouth tipped up into a grin then faded. "How on earth am I going to kill this thing?"

Sighing, Marantha sat across from me on a small hard backed chair. "What do you know of her? Of these creatures?"

I ticked off what I knew on my fingers. "Soulless. Unkillable. Ruthless. Powerful. You? Know any helpful lore?"

She lifted her own cup of tea to her lips, and sipped. "It has always been said here that the first Skriven were Midians who died committing acts of cruelty. Murder, rape, torture, practicing evil magic. They somehow managed to kill their souls and trap their physical bodies in the spaces between worlds so that they would be immortal."

Great. "Not allergic to garlic, wooden stakes, sunlight, or silver by any chance?"

She looked puzzled, and then smiled. "Ah, the human superstitions of the vampire. I'm sorry, I don't believe so. Then again, I've never encountered a Skriven until yours."

I clunked the teacup on the small side table. "He's not mine."

Her smile was mild. "He sure seems to be."

After more conversation that stayed safely in neutral areas, Tytan returned, sack in hand. He dumped the bag on my lap and handed the remainder of the change to Marantha. 

I stood with the bag in hand. "Thank you both. I'm going to change and then I'm ready." To fight, to spar, perchance to die. I shut myself in the bedroom and tipped the contents of the bag onto the bed. All the clothes were red. I'd kinda been hoping for black leather. I could feel kick ass in black leather. But no. 

Underwear too. I glared over my shoulder at the door, as if Tytan were leering at me on the other side. I dressed, a fleeting celebration at the sizes pushed its way into my morbid mindset. I didn't have time to be happy about my appearance for heaven's sake. I was headed to my probable doom. 

Downstairs, I gestured to my outfit. "Why red?"

"She hates the color."

Psychological warfare. Goody. "What else does she hate?"

"You." 

Great.

His hand grasped my arm, flooding me with calm. "You are strong. The heart makes you so, taking two Skriven as your Draws make you so." 

I let the feelings of tranquility wash over me for a moment before pulling away. "I hope you're right." I smoothed my hands down the front of my red pants. "I'm ready." I paused. "Okay, what do I do? I don't want another one of those things popping out at me."

He steered me through the door to Marantha's backyard. In the midst of purple and blue flowering trees and a myriad of brightly colored herbs Tytan led me through a formal recitation of the challenge acceptance. My tongue tripped over the words but he said they were mere formality and not anything that needed precision. A gateway appeared out of the air, similar to a hook but darker and meaner. 

I don't want to do this, I moaned in my head, not even willing to say it aloud. Tytan left me to get the woman and I trembled.

I'll be there for you.

'In the Slip?' Doubt flavored my thoughts.

Yes. This time I won't hide. If you have the courage to face her, then so do I.

And I. We will defeat her and eat her flesh in victory.

Go team.

He dragged the woman to me. I called on Neutria's strength to hold her. "Wish me luck."

"You won't need it." His eyes were steady and certain. I almost believed I could win, looking at him. 

"I'll need all the help I can get." I stepped through the spinning archway of ugly light and left Tytan, Marantha, my entire life behind.