Part 27 (1/2)

He tucked her in, safe and sound, and simply stared down at her.

So pretty. So perfect. His chest ached just looking at her.

He wished there was more time to linger, but there was too much work to be done. It was time to face Joseph.

Madoc strapped his old, familiar sword around his hips and had just left his suite when he nearly ran into Nicholas.

The man's face was hard to read behind the network of fine scars, but his eyes said plenty. He stared at the s.p.a.ce where Madoc's necklace had once been, his hand idly sliding over his own luceria.

”I had to see for myself,” he whispered. ”It's true.”

Madoc nodded, fighting down the odd mixture of pride, joy, and grief swelling inside him. ”Yeah, it's true.”

Nicholas clapped him on the shoulder. ”You're one h.e.l.l of a lucky b.a.s.t.a.r.d. And I expect you to buy me a beer for playing matchmaker.”

”Matchmaker?”

”Sure. I'm the one who kept opening up doors so the two of you could be together. And don't think I've forgotten what you did to my camera last year. You owe me.”

Something warm opened up inside Madoc, but it wasn't entirely comfortable. He swallowed a couple of times to free his vocal cords of whatever had locked them up. ”Thanks,” he finally managed to get out. ”You're a real friend.”

”'Bout time you finally realized that. a.s.shole.” Nicholas's face cracked around a smile. ”Come on. Joseph just got in. He's going to need a briefing. Better it comes from the horse's mouth.”

By the time they got to Joseph's office, it was already crowded with people. Drake and Helen sat quietly to one side. Gilda was huddled in the corner, crying. Angus stood near her, but hadn't offered her any sort of comfort, which was odd. He'd known those two for centuries and they could hardly keep their hands off of each other.

Angus's jaw was clenched so tight, Madoc wondered if the man's muscles wouldn't pop out of his jawline.

Joseph sat at his desk, rubbing his temples. His eyes were sunken, his shoulders slumped.

He looked up at Madoc. ”What's the emergency?”

Madoc looked at Drake. ”Didn't you tell him?”

”He just got back from delivering Chris to the Slayers. We thought we'd give him a minute,” said Drake.

”Just tell me and get it over with,” said Joseph. ”I've already had to take a friend to his death. This day can't get any worse.”

Joseph looked so tired, Madoc decided to take pity on the man and keep it short and sweet. He straightened his shoulders. ”I'm sorry, but you're going to have to kill me, too. I killed Tynan. I realize this means my life is forfeit, but I ask that you let me help Nika find another Theronai to take my place before you carry out my sentence.”

”Tynan's not dead,” said Nicholas, frowning. ”I just saw him a while ago.”

”As did I,” said Angus.

Confused, Madoc said, ”But I broke his neck. I felt it.”

Joseph's face had darkened. ”I will deal with this and you privately,” he told Madoc. ”The rest of you, out.”

”Wait,” said Drake to Joseph. ”Madoc hasn't told you the rest. About Tori.”

Madoc really wanted his sentencing to be over, but what he wanted now wasn't the issue. ”Nika's younger sister, Tori, is alive. And pregnant.”

The room fell into shocked silence.

”How do you know this?” asked Joseph. ”Andra thinks she found her remains in that cave last year.”

”Andra was wrong,” said Madoc.

”How can you be sure?”

Madoc looked right into Joseph's eyes and said, ”I saw her.”

”Where? When?”

Madoc didn't like this part. Nika had a reputation of being crazy. She believed Tori was alive, which made the idea tainted. ”Nika took me to see her. We, ah, visited her mind.”

Everyone in the room stared at him like they were expecting a punch line. When it didn't come, they all started talking at once.

Crazy. Madoc heard the word several times, though he didn't know who had said it.

”Stop it!” he shouted.

From the direction of his suite, he felt Nika wake up. His agitation had caused it and he wanted to lash out at everyone in the room for daring to disturb her rest.

Nika's soothing presence cooled his anger, allowing him to pause before he did something he'd regret. She was getting closer, and by the time she got here, he wanted to be in full control.

”You've got to admit,” said Joseph, ”it sounds a little far-fetched.”

”And killing things with magic isn't?” he demanded. ”What about Tynan living after I nearly snapped his head off his neck?”

Joseph shook his head. ”Tori was taken most of a decade ago by demons known for killing and eating children. The chances of her still being alive are next to zero. Couple that with the fact that Andra and Paul found a corpse wearing the same clothes as Tori when she was abducted, and it gets even harder to believe, even without the mind-visiting stuff.”

”Nika does it all the time. h.e.l.l, she was in Helen's mind last night, learning how to channel magic.”

Helen frowned. ”I don't think so.”

”Well, she was.”

”Do you have any kind of proof?” asked Joseph. ”If we're going to gear up for an a.s.sault, we need to be using good information, not the daydreams of a mentally challenged woman.”

Madoc felt a flash of anger explode below the surface of his skin. He forced himself to keep his hand away from his sword, though he had no idea where he'd found that kind of control. The need to make Joseph pay for the insult in blood was pounding through him. Only the cooling presence of Nika in his mind stayed his hand. ”You need to stop right there before you say something I can't ignore.”

From the doorway, Madoc heard a faint intake of breath. He was compelled to turn toward the sound and saw Nika standing there.

”No, Madoc. Let him go on. It would be nice to know what he really thinks.” She was breathing fast. Her cheeks were flushed, as if she'd run there. Her white hair was tousled from bed, and the imprint of a fold in the pillowcase creased her cheek. She came in and stood next to Madoc, and put her hands on her hips.

He could feel the hurt radiating out from her, making her tremble slightlya”not enough to see, but enough that he could feel the stirring of air between them.

”I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Nika,” said Joseph, as if talking to a child. ”Really. I just need to know what's real here, and what isn't.”

”I'll be happy to show you, but you're not going to enjoy it.”