Page 75 of Dead Wrong

Azrael stepped in front of me, but I pushed him aside, facing my mother head-on. “Release him at once, Mother. This is over.”

“Over?” she repeated, her voice resonating against the walls till she came from every direction. “Has your death robbed you of your senses, boy? There is none who can stand against me. Not even an army of thesemongrels—”she snaps with fingers, a shower of golden sparks falling to the ground as a pulse of magic rolls over me like a wave. To my left, near where the Unseen lay unconscious, two of Azrael’s companions became visible as the magic collided with them, knocking them against the wall. A third by the cage door appeared blasted backward as well. Renata lunged to hold a blade to his chest, moving him away from the cage. “It was a noble effort to resist, but ultimately pointless.”

She moved the knife from Bastien’s throat to the side of his face, running the tip of the blade along his cheek, carving a thin line of crimson. “I will give you one last chance. Where is my daughter?”

Bastien’s eyes were on me as he gritted his teeth but gave no answer.

“Speak.”

The force of Mother’s magic sucked the air from my lungs. Azrael clawed at his throat beside me, Cirian slapped a hand over his mouth, and even Renata began to babble incoherently. Only the Cardinal and Lorelei seemed unaffected by the strength of Mother’s Command.

“She was with me… during the attack,” seethed Bastien, his eyes bulging as he spoke. “Couldn’t… see where she went. I don’t know… where she is now.”

Mother looked over at Lorelei, who gave her a curt nod.

Bastien was telling the truth.

“Then you’re of no further use to me,” said Mother plainly, any passion in her voice drying up as she straightened herself. With a flourish, she maneuvered the knife till the blade faced downward, then plunged it into Bastien’s chest.

A sickening cracking sound filled the room as he let out a wet gasp.

“No!” I cried, lunging for Bastien.

“Now!” Azrael shouted. Kaine burst into existence beside him.

Chaos erupted around me as I reached Bastien, kneeling down and grabbing his shoulders to steady him. His body was limp, though his eyes still found me, something sparking behind them, even as blood began to spill over his bottom lip.

“Stay with me,” I told him, working on the knots that held him in place. “Bastien, stay with me.”

From the corner of my eye, the two Unseen reached the body of the prisoner, hefting him onto his feet. On the other side of me, Azrael was trading blows with Mother, showers of golden sparks firing in every direction as his claws made contact with the wards around her body. She cackled like a madwoman when she landed a blow, knocking Azrael back a few feet in the process.

“You can’t best me, mongrel!”

Cirian was at my side by the time I unfastened the ropes, catching Bastien before he was able to fall to the floor. The wound in his chest seeped blood, and it smeared across my clothing as I pushed him back into the chair.

“Help him,” I begged Cirian, my voice hoarse.

Cirian nodded, placing a hand around the hilt of the knife and muttering a string of words as his skin began to glow. Swearing, he pulled back to reveal his palms covered in blood and the wound just as deep. “Damnation. It’s a Sanguine blade. It’s leaching my magic away. We need to remove it.”

One of the Unseen crashed into the table beside us, tumbling to the floor. From the far side of the room, I could see Azrael and Mother locked in step while Renata and Kaine were having a standoff of their own. Lorelei had somehow disappeared in the chaos.

“Hold on,” said Cirian, taking my hands and placing them around the hilt once more. “Keep pressure on it. I need to convince Sancha to intervene here.”

“But he’s Reviled,” I argued. What was he thinking? The Cardinal would never agree to help him.

Cirian stood, his gaze drifting from Bastien to me. “Put your trust in me.”

I nodded, and Cirian was gone.

Bastien let out a groan, his weight shifting forward, and I leaned my shoulder against him to keep him in place. He tried to speak, but more blood poured from his mouth, dripping down onto my arms and slicking my skin through my clothes.

“Shh,” I coaxed him, my eyes burning as I looked at his bloodied face. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

His hands wrapped around mine, his grip weak but there. His lips moved again, but there was no sound, only the pleading in his eyes that twisted a blade of its own into my chest.

“Azrael!” one of the Unseen shouted as Azrael fell back from a second blow. But he picked himself up with ease, engaging Mother once more. Taking a moment to watch him, his attacks seemed…reserved. As if he were merely wanting to occupy her rather than inflict damage.

Kaine had made it to the cage now, one of the other Unseen holding off Renata’s assault as he worked on the lock.

---