Gold: A Bandia Novel Part 27

"Oh."

Braden tucks his cell phone in the waist of his jeans. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm here for you."

Joe puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it lightly. I smile at him in the darkness. I don't miss that he scans my collarbone for the necklace.

"I tried."

Joe nods then looks back up at the abbey. "Let's go."

Braden and I fall in behind the three giolla. They march up to the front door and ring the bell. I feel silly, clutching the sword like I'm ready for battle, but I'm not leaving it behind.

A heavyset woman in a gray uniform pushes the door open a few inches and peeks at us through the crack. "We're closed. Tours are on Tuesdays." Her words are clipped, but her voice has a tinge of desperation to it.

Mikel waves a hand in front of her face. "We're here for the boy. You want to help us."

She steps aside and opens the door the rest of the way. "Poor thing."

Mikel looks back at the rest of us. "He's in the tower. In pretty bad shape if her memories are accurate."

I push past Samuel, but Joe stops me before I can run ahead. "Easy. It's a long way between here and there. We'll get him."

As we turn down a hallway, a man runs up to us. "You can't be here now."

Samuel holds out his hand, and the man immediately steps back without saying another word.

"Show off," Mikel says.

Joe takes a cigarette out of his pocket and sticks it in his mouth. He gestures toward an alcove in the corner. We fall in step behind him, moving single file to the winding stairway.

We climb up and up and up. Every fifty steps or so there's an opening onto another level, but we climb higher. After we pa.s.s the sixth opening, I start to wonder how much higher we'll have to go. My wet jeans chafe against my skin, and my quads are screaming at me with every step.

I stop on the eighth landing. Braden looks over his shoulder. "You coming?"

I wave him forward. The giolla are already half a flight ahead. "I just need to catch my breath. "I'll be right there."

He shakes his head and calls up the stairs. "Sam, hold up."

I lean back against the wall, and suck in a breath. I really wish I'd focused less on trying to access my powers and more on cardio.

At first, I barely feel the shift in the stones behind me. I stand up straight, thinking I'm dizzy from being out of breath. Then a hand grabs my arm and yanks me back. Hard.

I expect to slam against the wall, but there's nothing by darkness. Then the wall closes back into place in front of me and everything is black.

FORTY-SIX.

One arm is around my waist, another is clamped down on my neck, choking the air out of my lungs. I slash the air with my sword, but the threat is behind me.

"You bandia are so predictable." Liam's thick accent cuts through the darkness. "I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away."

He jerks my wrist and the sword falls to the ground with a clatter. I'm dragged down a winding pathway that seems to go down forever before it finally levels off. Liam keeps his arm tight around my throat. Just when I think I will pa.s.s out, he leans back against a wall and a crack of light appears behind us, as a doorway opens against his weight. He lets me go, and I stumble into a candlelit room.

I move away, gulping in the incense-infused air. We're inside a small church, with rows of empty pews and a huge stone crucifix carved into the back wall. Sherri stands at the altar, her dark hair piled on her head in an elaborate arrangement of loose curls. She wears a long red dress that flows to the floor, the same one she wore the night Sasha died. She holds a small dagger in her right hand, waving it in the air as she mumbles a series of Gaelic words I can't understand.

She sees me and stops, holding the knife suspended in the air. "I was getting worried you weren't going to make it in time." Her smile is terrifying.

"Be quick about it," Liam says, pushing me forward. Sherri pins a loose strand of hair into the ma.s.s of curls. "It will take them hours to search the abbey. No one saw us move him here."

Him. Austin. "Where is he?" I move forward without any prompting from Liam.

Sherri points the knife at the altar. A white blanket covers a lumpy form.

I run forward, grabbing the blanket and throwing it to the side. Austin lays on his side, curled in a fetal position. He's stripped down to his boxer briefs, his face swollen and dotted with angry bruises. Blood runs from his lip to his chin. His eyes are closed, but I can see his chest rise and fall with his breath.

Sherri runs her free hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. "Such a shame," she says. "He really is beautiful."

My gaze follows the knife in her other hand. "What are you doing to him?"

She lowers the knife to her side. "As it turns out, nothing."

I feel Liam's hand on my hair, gathering it behind my neck. "The spell will be stronger coming from you."

I jerk away, breaking his hold. Austin stirs on the table. He moans, and tries to lift his head without success, letting it fall back onto the marble with a thud. He opens his left eye, but his right eye is swollen shut. "About b.l.o.o.d.y time," he says.

I brush a finger on his puffy cheek, pulling my hand away when I see him flinch. "I'll get you out of here."

Austin swallows. "Save yourself."

Liam grabs my wrist. "Don't worry. You'll put him out of his misery in just a minute. But you can't perform the ritual looking like that." He nods at Sherri.

Sherri looks me up and down, taking in my still wet hair and clothes. "Jesus, Paxton. Did you swim here?" She bends over and pulls a white gauzy cloth from a bag at her feet. She throws it at my chest. I clutch it out of instinct. "Change into that. And do something with your hair."

Sherri still holds the knife in her hand. There's no way I can get to her before she could hurt Austin. Not to mention that she's got all the powers of a Seventh Daughter, and I've got no weapons and no plan. My best hope is to stall them until Joe and Braden find us.

I place a hand on Austin's shoulder and give him what I hope is a rea.s.suring squeeze. Then I walk behind a screen on the left side of the altar and change into the dress Sherri gave me. It's too big, hanging low across my chest. The skirt brushes the stone floor. There are no pockets, so I take the little packet of broomstraw from my jeans and tuck it into my bra. I plate my hair into a thick braid that stretches to the middle of my back, taking as long as I can.

Liam steps around the screen. "Enough. This will have to do." He grabs my arm, his fingers pressing so hard that I'm sure I'll have a bruise. Sherri points to a huge book open on the pulpit. "She'll need to learn the words."

"There's no time. The ritual must be done at least 48 hours before the Gathering or it will be of no use." Liam pulls me until I stand directly in front of Austin. "She can repeat after you." He takes the knife from Sherri and forces it into my hands. He covers my hands with his own, applying so much pressure, that it's a wonder my fingers don't break. He holds the knife above Austin.

I kick and thrash against his hold. I can't get any leverage. Liam is too strong for me to do any real damage.

"Don't worry bandia. Your affection for Arawn will not be wasted. A blood sacrifice is only as powerful as the bond that is severed. The higher the price, the greater the reward."

"For the love of all that is sacred," Sherri says.

I twist and try again to break free of Liam's hold, but he pulls me hard against his chest.

Austin rolls onto his back. "Did you go to the ruin?"

I shake my head.

"Good," he whispers. "You will live." He closes his eyes again.

"You will too," I say, but Liam has moved my hand so the knife is directly above Austin's heart.

Austin grins up at me through his split lip. "Let him do it, Brianna."

What? Has Austin lost his mind? I am not going to let Liam force me to kill him.

Liam laughs. "Even Arawn recognizes that he is worth more to the cause dead."

Austin winks the eye that isn't swollen. "A thousand years of otherworldly night." He quotes the spell I used to banish him to the underworld for a thousand years. He thinks that Liam's role in his death will lead to Liam's banishment? Austin might be right, but I'm not about to let Austin die.

"No." We'll find another way. I can get Liam to the gateway. If I can get the necklace back, I can use the banishment spell on Liam.

"For the love of all that is sacred," Sherri says again, more emphatic this time.

"Say it," Liam growls in my ear. "You'll be doing him a favor. If he dies as a tribute he will be given a special place in Avalon. Will you leave his soul to fade with the ma.s.ses?"

I can't fight Liam off. So I go with the truth. "I can't do it. I don't have magic."

Liam laughs. "That has been painfully obvious for some time. This is your chance to make yourself useful. The blood of the deity that once ruled the G.o.ds will be a powerful sacrifice in itself, but your loss will be personal. Blood magic doesn't require anything more. It thrives on suffering."

Sherri steps forward. Wind whips around her skirts. Another curl of hair falls into her face. "We're running out of time."

Austin raises an eyebrow, then winches at the pain. "You did say this would end badly."

"I never said that. You did."

"Shut up!" Sherri sends a blast of wind so powerful Austin flies off the altar, straight at Liam and me.

Liam lets go of me to get out of the way. I can't do anything but put my arms out and toss the knife away as Austin crashes into me and we fall to the floor in a heap.

My elbow hits first, slamming against the stone. My back hits next. Austin lands on top of me. He barely gets his arms out to break his fall, but he rolls to the side when we hit, doing his best to minimize the impact.

I struggle for breath. Pain shoots from the center of my shoulder blades. I scream out before I realize I'm breathing again.

Sherri stands over me, her hands lit with blue fire. "You are such a disappointment."

Austin rolls onto his stomach and stretches toward the dagger. I try to distract Sherri. "A disappointment? To you?"

Sherri sends a ball of flame at the dagger just as Austin reaches it. He pulls his hand back with a gasp. "To every Seventh Daughter that came before. You are a pathetic girl who lets stupid crushes take precedence over everything else. When the G.o.ds are back you can have any boy you want, but for now you must do what you were born for."

I clutch at my chest, fumbling for the little packet of broom straw. It's not a weapon, but it is a shield. Once I have it, I clench my teeth against the pain in my shoulder and crawl until I'm directly in front of Austin, between him and Sherri. It takes all my concentration to plant my feet and pull myself up off the ground. I stand to face her. "I'm the only one who gets to decide what I was born for."

Sherri's smile is hideously beautiful. She raises a fiery hand in my direction. "Then I guess I get to decide what you die for."

The ball of fire comes at me so fast, I barely register the blue blur before it slams against my chest and explodes in a burst of purple and indigo. The force of the blast sends me backwards. I hit the ground hard but my chest feels okay. No burning and no pain. Not even a hint of smoke or flame on the white dress. I push myself up on my elbows. "Or not."

Her smile falters. "What the ... How did you do that?"

Liam roars from behind Sherri. "Stop!" He moves past me and grabs Sherri by the neck. "Her fate is not yours to decide."

Nice of him to step in after Sherri landed her fireball.

Sherry's eyes are huge as Liam throws her against the altar. "I alone decide whose blood will spill." Apparently, I'm worth something now that I've survived a shot to the heart.

Liam spins around, abruptly letting his hands fall from Sherri. I stand up, doing my best to deflect Liam's attention away from where Austin still lays.

Liam's eyes are wild. "I've underestimated you."

I hear Austin moving behind me, but I keep my gaze on Liam. "Not my problem."

He narrows his eyes at me. "You have magic."

The doors to the church swing open. Braden, Joe, Samuel and Mikel come through all at once.

I smile. "I have something better. I have friends."

FORTY-SEVEN.

Liam takes in the trio of giolla walking calmly up the aisle. He grabs Sherri by the waist and drags her in front of him like a shield.

Joe lifts his chin slightly. "Liam."

Liam shrinks back, even though Joe hasn't done anything remotely aggressive. Liam catches himself, thrusting his chest out to try and cover. His eyes flit from Sam to Mikel. "Only three of you left?"

Joe takes a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his coat and taps it against his palm. "It's no concern of yours."

"Isn't it? You have failed so badly that nearly all the demiG.o.ds are extinct."

Failed? At what?

"Not all." Joe tears at the plastic wrapper around the pack.

Liam stands straighter. "Three bandia. And of those, only one is worth anything. The others fell prey to that d.a.m.n bonding curse. But we will bring back the G.o.ds and restore balance to the earth."

Austin struggles to his feet behind me. Once he gets upright, his arms wrap around my waist. It's not clear if he's holding me, or if I'm holding him up. Either way, it's a relief to feel his warmth.

Joe stuffs the plastic wrapper in his pocket. "It is not your place to question our methods. We have prevented chaos. And we will continue to do so." He walks around Liam, toward Austin and me. He places his hand on Austin's forehead and whispers something in Gaelic. "Now, there are more."

Austin stands up straighter behind me.

Joe looks from Austin to Liam. "You tread very close to the line."

Liam curls his upper lip into a sneer. "I am well of aware of my limitations. I haven't killed anyone."

Joe takes out a cigarette and puts the pack back in the front pocket of his long coat. "Killing is not the only sin that leads to banishment. I suggest you watch yourself." Joe nods to Austin.