I nearly refused her request, but caught myself in time. If this fallen brother told Mercedes her vampire mate was here, he obviously wanted her to see him. Refusing meant defying Smoking Mirror.
“Of course,” I said and made myself smile. “I see no harm.”
Her smile returned in full force. “Oh, thank you!”
I was grateful that she immediately headed for the door, else she would have seen the look of pity on my face. Tools of Smoking Mirror always suffered terrible fates, and this child was blissfully unaware of that. Perhaps if she knew, she would forget about the dragons.
***
Shadow
Mercedes. Hear me. Hear me, my love. Hear me.
I clutched my head, summoning every iota of will power I possessed. Ever since the two birdmen went away, I had been left to myself. No one had come to check on me, or feed me. I was weakening quickly. My insides felt like they were on fire. I could not even move my fingers without being reminded of how dry my skin was. But I would not be defeated. I did not need Blackhole to contact Mercedes. I would hear her voice again.
Another day passed. When I tried to stand up, I ended up on the floor and could not stop a groan of pain. No. Had to fight. Had to be strong. Mercedes needed me. And I would not fail her.
Footsteps down the hall. Gritting my teeth, I struggled to my feet. It took considerable effort to remain standing, but I would be damned if I showed weakness.
The footsteps grew louder. There were four of them. But one set sounded rather out of place. It was different and the sounds were rapid. Desperate, eager.
“Shadow? Shadow, are you there?”
My already cold blood froze in my veins. No, it couldn’t be…
“Shadow?”
It couldn’t be.
But it was.
“Mercedes!” I tried to shout, but my voice barely came out a pathetic rasp. I didn’t care. I didn’t need to speak. I didn’t need blood. All I needed was—
They stopped in front of my cell. The two males before and a female. But all I saw was my love. My healthy, whole, beautiful love.
I gripped the bars, lest my relief and fatigue cause me to collapse. Dimly, I heard the angel of my dreams speak.
“He’s starving. Eulathrin, he needs blood! You have to let me in!”
The bird woman, Eulathrin, nodded at Hyllus who scowled but unlocked my cell with a wave of his staff. Mercedes wrenched the door opened and caught me when I found I could stand no longer.
“Please leave us alone,” she said.
I didn’t even hear the fading footsteps of the bird people. All I heard was Mercedes’ beating heart thrumming a song of unsurpassed beauty.
She was alive. I had not failed her completely. She was alive. She was with me.
“Shadow?” She eased us both to the floor. “Shadow, listen to me. You’re very weak. You need blood.” Her hand brushed her hair away from her neck. “Please. Take what you need. I give it freely.”
Still the cheater. And as usual, she won. At the sight of her neck, my vampire nature overcame me. I bit down hard. Mercedes gasped and held me close as I fed. Strength flooded my body and the terrible fires of thirst were quenched by the life living liquid.
My love. I take you in me. You are mine for all eternity.
I stopped before I could severely weaken her. Barely a moment after I let her drink from my wrist, I dragged us both to our feet and kissed her harder than I had ever kissed her in the painfully short time we had been together.
Alive. She’s alive. Alive. Alive.
We broke apart, both gasping and desperately stroking the other’s face.
“My love.” My voice was still raspy, but this time from emotions that threatened to burst my heart. “My love, oh, my love. Are you all right? Please tell me you are all right.”
“I’m fine,” she assured me. Gazing at me with tear-filled eyes, she was more beautiful than I had ever seen her. “What did I say, Shadow? What did I tell you? Everything is going to be okay.”
Unable to bear it any longer, I pressed her to me, burying my face in her hair. “You never cease to shame me, my love. I will always have faith in you. But when I saw that creature steal you away from me…” I gritted my teeth at the memory and welcomed the murderous intent rising in me. “Where is he? Where is the one who stole you from me?”
She stiffened in my arms. I drew back and took her face in my hands. “Mercedes?”
Her expression was deeply troubled. “Shadow…there are some things you need to know. It will take awhile and it won’t be easy to hear at all. But I swear on my life that everything I say is true.”
“My love,” I said fervently. “You have my implicit trust. I know you would never lie to me. Please tell me.”
She did. When she was finished, I found myself unable to stand. She sat beside me on the cot as I struggled to deal with what I had just been told.
Lord Chaos was actually Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl’s brother.
The Evanescence were actually Quetzalcoatl’s twisted children.
Ten thousand of my people were now dead because Tezcatlipoca wanted a sacrifice in exchange for the dragons, our future slaves.
Tezcatlipoca was the creator of the vampires.
My creator.
My father.
“Shadow…” Mercedes squeezed my hand. “I don’t think Quetzalcoatl abandoned you. Tezcatlipoca drove him away somehow. At least that’s what he told me.”
I was so torn it felt as though I were being ripped in half. Tezcatlipoca was my true creator, but I had worshipped his brother for centuries. Tezcatlipoca could be the reason the second fraction did not receive aid during the jihad, but we were still his true children. Why had he not told us the truth? Why not Quetzalcoatl? Did the ancients of the first fraction know? The second fraction? Had they kept it from us? Had my maker, who was like the father I never had, known?
“Shadow?” Mercedes squeezed my hand harder. “Shadow, please, say something.”
Say something? What was there to say? What was there to do? Who could I possibly trust?
“I don’t know what you’re going through, but I do care. Please, I beg of you, let me help. I’ll do anything to help. Anything at all.”
I looked at her, at her pleading blue eyes, filled with love.
I turned away.
“There is nothing you can do,” I said, getting to my feet. I did not see her eyes go wide or I would have known how cold my voice sounded. “No one can erase a lie once it is told.”
“Maybe not.” She got up and took my hand from behind. “But at least we know they’re lies. We—”
“We know?” I looked at her incredulously. “What do we know, Mercedes? Do we know if Quetzalcoatl truly abandoned my people? Do we know if they died in vain? Perhaps he and Tezcatlipoca were working together! Do you believe Tezcatlipoca would tell you the entire truth? Do you trust his word?”
“Of course not!” she exclaimed. “I just…” She shook her head. “Someone like Tezcatlipoca would want me…and you to know what really happened. He’s like Xavier. He manipulates and waits so after you fall for his tricks, he can gloat. And I’ve heard the ancient legends. One says that he forced Quetzalcoatl to see his own reflection and he was so shamed by his appearance, he ran away. Another says that Tezcatlipoca tricked him into sleeping with his own sister. I’m not saying they’re true, but all legends are based on some truth.”
“I too have heard an ancient Aztec legend involving Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl,” I said and this time, I was fully aware of the icy chill in my voice. “Supposedly, they created the world together. There was an alliance between them.”
“And that alliance eventually broke,” Mercedes pointed out.
“But that is merely legend. Not truth.”
“Shadow, we’re not going to get anywhere debating whether or not the ancient Mesoamerican myths are true or not!”
“Then what do you propose we do?”
She
bit her lip. “Tezcatlipoca wants to twist the dragons. I can’t let that happen. I need to talk to Tarasque again.”
“Are you mad?!” I yelled. “He kidnapped you!”
“Because Tezcatlipoca blackmailed him!”
“That is no excuse. He took you from me. He must pay.”
“Shadow, did you hear what I said?” she demanded. “The dragons will share the fate of the Evanescence if I don’t do something. An entire race of people, Shadow! You would condemn them all because you’re angry at one?”
I stared hard at her. “How would you describe your relationship with this dragon king?”
“He…we…” She trailed off with a pained look on her face.
“Has he ever hurt you? Tell me the truth!”
She looked away. “…yes.”
I yanked her chin up. “You are hiding something from me. What is it?”
“Tarasque, he…it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have asked him—”
“Tell me,” I whispered and didn’t care that I was using my powers of compulsion.
“He wants to kill you, Shadow,” she confessed painfully. “To get back at me. He wants to kill you in front of me. That’s why you need to stay here for now. The sirens have a treaty with the dragons. You’ll be safer here than you would be in your dimension or mine.”
“No. I intend to get out of here right away,” I said. “And you are coming with me.”
“Shadow, I can’t—”
“This is not open for discussion.” I cut her off. “I have always admired your compassion, Mercedes, but not when it crosses into the realm of outright stupidity. The dragon king must pay for what he has done, and I will ensure that he never comes near you again.”
“It’s not up to you,” she said, face set in determination. “I can’t let the dragons be destroyed. I won’t.”
“Then you will come with me unwillingly,” I said coldly. “Either way, you will come with me.”
***************
Chapter 12
For two the truth is mindless jargon
Another makes the devil's bargain
A fourth whose guilt was predetermined
On deaf ears falls the angel's sermon
Mercedes
After over a minute of me not saying a word, Shadow turned away and began to feel the bars. I just stood there, struggling to digest the fact that he would take me back against my will if he had to. A part of me didn’t blame him. I knew how worried he was for me. After all, he had just spent several days searching for me after witnessing my kidnapping. I could easily imagine his fear, his anger, his helplessness. Not to mention I had just told him that I fully intended to open negotiations with someone who had not only kidnapped me, but hurt me, and threatened to kill Shadow right before my eyes.
I understood. But I still had to do it.
I sat down and studied Shadow as he continued to search the bars for a weak point. There was a definite change about him. A part of him was now closed off to me. I couldn’t blame him for that either. There were so many questions and so many lies about his origins. It would be enough to drive anyone insane. That wouldn’t happen to Shadow, though. I knew him. I had faith in him. His strength was boundless and I would support him through every step of the way. I would help him find the answers he sought.
But answers aren’t enough, my inner voice reprimanded me. As he said, you cannot erase a lie once it is told.
“Does that bird woman trust you?” Shadow’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Bird wo—Shadow, she’s a siren and her name is Eulathrin,” I answered reproachfully.
“That is irrelevant.” He came up to me and put his face close to mine. “Does she trust you?” He pitched his voice low, perhaps fearful of being overheard.
“To an extent,” I whispered back.
He nodded. “I have a plan. But I need your full cooperation.”
“A plan to escape?” I said incredulously. “Shadow, all I know is that we’re in the kingdom of the sirens and a separate dimension. Where would we go? Where would we hide?”
“Obviously it would be foolish to escape without such knowledge,” Shadow conceded. “And that is why you must gather it from your siren friend.”
I nodded. “Maybe she can help. She’s not on Tarasque’s side as far as I’m concerned. And she has offered to help me before. But her first priority is her own people.”
“Her people are not my concern,” Shadow said flatly. “Getting you to safety is.”
“And where is safe, Shadow? My home? Yours?”
“You are a blessed one. The royal family will spare no expense in keeping you safe.”
“’Blessed’ by Lord Chaos who is really Tezcatlipoca,” I pointed out.
“It is our best chance, Mercedes,” Shadow insisted. “You are expendable to that dragon demon and your siren friend. Or am I wrong?”
He probably wasn’t. Eulathrin may consider me a friend, but I knew the well-being of the sirens was her first priority. Tarasque wanted to kill Shadow who was now in a siren prison. If I went back home, Tarasque could easily find me again, and I wouldn’t put it past him to hurt or kill my friends and family as punishment for my defiance.
“Be logical, Mercedes,” Shadow said. “The dragon king already wishes to wipe out the vampires.”
“I know,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “But I can’t go with you. I have to warn Tarasque.”
“You already warned him and he repaid you by hurting you!” Shadow hissed. His eyes glowed that predatory pale blue. “You would be a fool to give him the opportunity to do so again!”
“And I would be heartless and selfish to run like a coward while Tezcatlipoca damns an entire race of people.”
“People,” Shadow sneered. “Those creatures have nothing to do with you, and their king wishes to see you suffer.”
I laughed bitterly. “Shadow you’re starting to sound like him. He was so surprised when I told him I wanted to save the vampires from annihilation. He said they had nothing to do with me expect for the fact that I’m in love with one.”
The low growl in the back of his throat indicated he did not appreciate the comparison at all.
“And what about your loved ones? What about the people in your life, Mercedes? Your friends, your family, me. Do you have any idea how much pain your death will cause us all? There is a worldwide manhunt for you. I saw the faces of your friends Nadine and Samuel. They are stricken with grief and worry. Everyday your parents pray that you will return home safely. And I have already told you that you are my soul. I promised you I would try, but I cannot live without you.” His hand touched my cheek. “You must consider all of the consequences before you make a decision.”
“I thought I had no choice,” I said coolly. “You told me you would take me by force.”
“If I have to. And I will. But I will do my utmost to convince you to come willingly. I know you wish to save everyone, Mercedes, but you cannot. That is the way of the universe. The sooner you accept that the better.”
You can’t save everyone.
This time it was me who moved away from him. I sat down on the cot and was grateful that Shadow began to test the bars for weakness again.
You can’t save everyone.
No one had ever said that to me. They simply praised me for helping others. It felt good to help others, but one thing had never occurred to me: for every person I helped, another would suffer. And if I directed my attention to that person, yet another would suffer in their place. Maybe even die. By helping one abused woman, the deaths screams of another would fade into oblivion. Because I made a choice.
Shadow was right. I couldn’t save everyone. It was the way of the universe and as much as it saddened me, I needed to accept it. Here I faced the same choice, only this time I was well aware of the consequences for both parties. If Tarasque killed me, I would cause my friends and family so much suffering. Shadow, too. But an entire race of people damned to be tortured and twis
ted…
People I loved.
An entire race of people.
It tore my heart in two equal halves.
***
Shadow
I let Mercedes be while testing the bars for weakness and brainstormed backup ideas to escape. More than anything, I wanted her to come with me willingly. I doubted even she would forgive me if I took her against her will. But there was no choice. That creature took her from me and harmed her. He would pay.
“How do you propose that we get home?”
A jolt of hope went through me. “Does that mean you will come with me?”
“It means I want to hear about your plan to get home.”
I resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. “As I said before, I need knowledge first. And that is where your siren friend comes is. You must question her carefully about her people’s methods of trans-dimensional travel.”
Mercedes’ eyes went wide. “You want me to trick her.”
“If you have to.” I narrowed my eyes. “Now is not the time to be overly compassionate, Mercedes. Not if we both want to survive this.”
“Even if I wanted to lie to Eulathrin, I couldn’t,” she replied sharply. “She’s too clever. She would see right through my subterfuge.”
“I have faith in you, my love,” I said.
“I won’t lie to her, Shadow.”
“Damn it, Mercedes…” With a yell, I slammed by fist against the bars and cursed again. “If only I still had my Chaos wand. Damn Blackhole!”
“Blackhole?”
“Yes,” I hissed. “I forgot to mention it was he who brought me here.”
“I know. He told me.”
I whirled around. “What!?”
“Blackhole, he…” Her gaze wavered for a moment. “He’s been visiting me and keeping me informed. At least when he’s able.”
“When he’s able.” I laughed bitterly before gripping the bars in rage. “I should have ripped the answers from his mind. I knew something was strange with him, but I told him I did not wish for him to defy the gods. I trusted him.”
“And you weren’t wrong to!” Mercedes got up and grabbed my arm. “You can’t blame him for any of this, Shadow! He hates what Tezcatlipoca is making him do! And remember you’ve been worshipping and serving Tezcatlipoca for centuries without knowing it!”
“Precisely,” I spat. “I worshipped him without knowing who I was really worshipping. Blackhole does not have that excuse.”