Which would be based on Macha's subjective opinion.
In other words, fail and face the brunt of Macha's anger. The chances of improving on this agreement were nil, and the harder Evalle pushed this, the more she risked getting tangled even deeper in one of Macha's sly, one-sided deals. "Understood."
Surprisingly, Macha appeared content. "I'll make this simple for you."
Evalle deserved credit for not rolling her eyes as she held quiet to hear Macha out.
"Stop the Medb from creating an army of immortal Alterant warriors, return with Tristan and three others, and I'll clear you of any complications with VIPER, plus I'll decree every Alterant protected under my pantheon. Do that and you may have all the time you need to determine the origins."
Now that was an offer. "You're on."
Raising her arms, Macha turned into a swirl of glittering lights again and disappeared.
Rain!
Evalle dove for the stairwell, wet, but not as bad as it could have been. She made the trek back downstairs, dialing Storm on the way. His voice mail picked up, so she left him a message to call her. She'd just reached the elevator to her apartment when she got a group text from Tzader, which seemed odd, when he could just call out telepathically to his warriors.
She punched up the message that read, All Belador agents receiving this come to headquarters immediately. Do not use telepathy for ANY reason in the meantime.
What in the world had happened?
ELEVEN
On his way through TAmr Medb, Cathbad whistled a sad Irish tune older than the original Cathbad the Druid, his namesake. TAmr Medb held all the pleasures one person could want in a hidden realm, but after six hundred years here, a prison was a prison no matter how grand the architecture and the trimmings.
In three days, he'd be free of this place forever.
And free of Queen Flaevynn if things went his way.
But the time had come to save his child.
He silently ordered the tall gold-and-silver doors carved with images of sexual acts to swing open ahead of him before he entered Flaevynn's chamber.
Inside, two virile males dressed only with belts of gold medallions draped around their waists lounged on thick white fur rugs that floated near the arms of her throne. A dragon-shaped throne that curved around her protectively. Positioned right above her, green eyes in the dragon's head stirred with menace when it stared at Cathbad.
He ignored the throne and her boy toys.
After six hundred years of Flaevynn's antics, Cathbad couldn't muster the energy to care what his wife did to amuse herself, but with mere days left to fulfill the prophecy, it was time she got down to business. "Get rid of them, Flaevynn."
She stroked her long nails over the back of one male and sighed. "They're soothing me. Don't be a bore, Cathbad."
"Take your time. All three days of it."
With a look of loathing, she snapped her fingers and both men disappeared. Midnight-black, waist-length hair coiled around her shoulders, slithering like asps searching for a victim. No siren of the deep had ever drawn a man the way Flaevynn's beauty had sucked in hundreds of foolish men.
Maybe a thousand, considering how often she indulged.
All within these walls.
Cathbad had been cured of her seductive draw a long time ago. He was plenty attractive to gain all the women he wanted. "We agreed upon releasin' Kizira."
"We discussed that."
" 'Tis no the time ta let your anger rule ya, woman."
"She betrayed me."
He sighed. "I'll no spend my time arguin'. We either work together or lose this battle." If he could take control of TAmr Medb from her, he would not need this witch, but any attempt to overpower her would result in a deadly battle that she might just win.
After all, she'd trapped him in the dungeon until recently.
Flaevynn's lips twisted with a pout. "How can I trust her when she tried to invade Treoir without my knowledge last time?"
Pointing out that Kizira was also Flaevynn's daughter would not work in Kizira's favor. "I told ya she had your best interest at heart. If ya do no live, Kizira does no either." Unless his cunning daughter had figured out how to reach the river beneath Treoir Castle and knew the spell needed to draw immortality from it.
Flaevynn should have passed that spell along to her daughter with the words that allowed Kizira to take the throne upon Flaevynn's death. But the queen bitch, er, witch refused to allow anyone to live unless she did. She cared not if all of TAmr Medb crashed down with her demise.
Fortunately for the rest of the Medb, Cathbad had unlocked much about the prophecy, or the curse, as Flaevynn called it, and quite possibly the spell that would ensure that he live forever once he swam in Treoir's hidden river.
Oh, yes, he would do that. If all went as he planned, he would teleport away before Flaevynn realized she was free of TAmr Medb.
But he had not told her any of this. She still believed neither one of them could leave TAmr Medb physically until the curse was broken.
Cathbad was sure he had found a loophole, no thanks to the original Medb queen, known as Maeve, and the original Cathbad the Druid. That pair had put the entire Medb race in this situation over two thousand years ago. Every queen after Maeve lived six hundred and sixty-six years. A druid of Cathbad descent was chosen as the mate for each subsequent queen and was the only person privy to that queen's actual birth date. He'd received Flaevynn's during a dream the night of his eighteenth birthday.
The idea had been to prevent anyone from altering the destiny of the curse.
But each new queen had proven far more powerful than the one before, just as each Cathbad grew in power. Unfortunately, men would always be men when it came to women.
Flaevynn had manipulated him in the throes of passion, learning her real birth date, which was in three days.
That would be the date of her death as well if she did not gain immortality from the water beneath Treoir Castle, a place currently ruled by the Beladors.
Cathbad was not sure what would come of altering the prophecy, er . . . curse . . . time line, but he had an investment, too, since his death would follow shortly after Flaevynn's if he did not become immortal.
Flaevynn levitated from her throne and floated over to a two-story wall of red candles, where she descended to stand in front of her scrying wall. The tower of red candles burst to life, sending a shower of light across her gown that shimmered pale blue and yellow. The dress managed to appear ethereal and electrical at the same time.
Power fed her words. "We don't need Kizira's help now that we have a brilliant plan for capturing the Alterants."
We? That would be the queen's "we," since he had come up with the idea of the Achilles Beast Championship. A plan to fix another mess Flaevynn created. His voice rumbled with anger. "Had you no sent word out ta witches ta capture Alterants, we could ha' waited for the Alterants ta find Evalle, then captured the whole lot of them at one time. Did I no tell ya the beasts would be drawn ta her?"
"Yes, but did you consider what would happen if those beasts just started showing up in an area protected by VIPER? The coalition agents would kill any they thought were a threat to humans. Then where would we be?" Flaevynn lifted her smug chin at him. "You can thank me now."
Do no lose your temper. The witches had already captured many of the Alterants. "You can no stir this pot anymore, Flaevynn. Interfere with the beast championship and you'll be dealin' with Kol D'Alimonte. He's no one to cross and far worse than his brother."
"I have no intention of crossing him."
" 'Tis why Kizira must be freed. Ya need her ta be your representative at the beast championship ta deal with D'Alimonte and ta convince the Alterants they want what we offer."
"I have taken control of Tristan and can compel him to act on our behalf."
"Trust someone who is no a Medb? No." Cathbad kept his arms at his sides, where he would not start a battle by trying to choke the crazy woman. "Besid
es, 'tis you who should be wantin' Kizira ta compel the five Alterants we hunt for."
"Why?"
"They carry powerful majik that we must harness, but if there's a problem the majik may backlash through the connection. We can no risk somethin' happenin' ta ya."
Flaevynn spun around, eyes thinned with suspicion. "Then she would suffer the backlash."
He had to answer with plenty of arrogance and make this believable. "Aye."
"Why would you risk that with your darling child?" She sneered the word child.
"For one thing, I believe either of ya can handle the backlash." Then he chuckled in a cunning way to sell his next comment. "But let's be honest. This is about survival. If we do no fulfill the prophecy--"
"Curse," she corrected.
Semantics. "If we do no fulfill the curse, you vanish first, Kizira dies next, then I disappear a day later. If it comes down ta you or her, who do ya think I'll be choosin'?"
He waited as his logic pecked at Flaevynn's resistance, but he had given an argument she could not dispute. There had been many times over the centuries that he sided with Flaevynn against Kizira, all for this moment when he had to convince the shrew they were partners in this.
She lifted her hands in the air, her eyes glowing as if on fire. Sure signs she'd capitulated.
Flaevynn held out her hand and pointed at a spot between the two of them.
In the next moment, Kizira materialized on her knees, looking as if she'd been dragged through a field of jagged glass--a beautiful girl with raven hair and soft green eyes who would make a powerful queen if Flaevynn had not denied her the right to succession. Clothes torn, skin flayed open in places with blood seeping out and face haggard from the ordeal.
Cathbad bit down on the urge to snarl at Flaevynn, who had clearly done this to Kizira to strike back at him, and called her forth in this condition to see if he really would sacrifice his daughter.
Kizira held her head up, a proud and defiant gaze turned to Flaevynn.
Ah, child, do no be makin' this more difficult. To keep her from speaking up and setting Flaevynn off, Cathbad asked Kizira, "Ha' you learned your lesson, child?"
She twisted to him, eyes shocked for a moment until what light had been there dimmed. He'd suffer her disappointment for any hope of saving her.
Looking to Flaevynn, he asked, "Did ya take away her tongue?"
"No, she did not," Kizira answered. "What do you two want now?" She pushed to her feet, wobbly but proud, and swung back to Flaevynn. "Because you wouldn't call me back unless you needed me for something."
Flaevynn's face brightened, a sure indication of a cruel thought. "Cathbad claims you're bright, although going against me undermines that claim."
Kizira didn't respond, which only encouraged Flaevynn to fill the void. "We've come up with a way to locate Alterants quickly, something far more efficient and foolproof than your ideas. Cathbad can fill you in on the details. He pointed out a risk to me I hadn't considered. A witch must link to the Alterants we're capturing and take control of the beasts in order to compel them. Five will be extremely powerful, the kind of power that could rival ours, which means there's a chance they could drive that energy back through the link to their master."
Kizira perked up. "Afraid of your new toys?"
"Fear has nothing to do with it," Flaevynn answered with chilling softness. "This is about winning. I will compel you, then you will form a link with the Alterants and compel them. As Cathbad pointed out, of the three of us I am the most valuable and you are the most expendable."
Turning slowly, Kizira faced Cathbad.
He had expected hurt and accusation of betrayal to line her gaze, but a cold wash of anger swept aside any other emotion. That worked best for now. He would explain to Kizira later.
"But be forewarned, Kizira," Flaevynn said, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "If I so much as suspect you trying to usurp me in any way, you will die slowly and painfully. Your value to me has run its course. Your choice. Do you return to the dungeon to finish out what time you have left, or will you perform your duty as a Medb priestess?"
"Tough choice. I may have to phone a friend."
Tiny blue-and-yellow lightning bolts flashed with energy, snapping around Flaevynn. "Do you think I'm joking?"
Cathbad shook his head. Spare him from sharp-tongued women in his next lifetime. "Stop it, you two. Ya want the same thing we do, Kizira. Freedom from this." He hoped his last comment broke through his daughter's haze of anger to remind her of their last conversation.
Kizira's condescension disappeared. Her shoulders softened. She nodded. "You're right. I want to be free of this tower forever." Directing her words at Flaevynn, she said, "For that, I'm willing to do anything you want."
"We shall see." Flaevynn floated inches above the shining marble floor for several seconds. "This time, I will not be so careless in how I compel you."
What was the witch up to now?
Cathbad frowned but didn't question her on it. He was more interested in getting Kizira alone, and the quickest way to do that was by reminding Flaevynn she was the girl's ma. "Now that we're all together for once, let's share a meal ta catch up and talk business later, shall we?"
Disgust brought out the evil in Flaevynn's eyes. "Indulge your revolting paternal needs on your own time. Had I known who you were the first time I lay with you, I would have been able to prevent the pregnancy."
And if he had not cast a spell of destiny on her during their mating, the witch would have aborted Kizira. "Ya ought ta be thankin' me for makin' sure ya continued ta fulfill the prophecy."
"Curse." She huffed at him. Her hair started twisting and whipping around her, a sign of her rising impatience. "You can explain what we're doing to your daughter. I need to finish what you interrupted. Don't bother me unless it's important." With that, Flaevynn waved her hand in front of her and disappeared.
Kizira rounded on Cathbad with threat in her voice. "So I'm expendable, am I?"
"Keep your voice down." He stepped toward her.
She lifted a hand, finger opening to point at him.
"Do no do that if ya want my help."
Her hand shook as she clearly battled to decide if she should strike at him or not.
She had power, but not so much as his. "Ah, child. You're no match for me."
"Don't start acting like you care now." Her finger shook with the indecision warring in her gaze. "And my powers might not equal yours, but I can do serious damage."
This was not going as well as he'd hoped.
TWELVE
Kizira didn't want to die.
Not yet.
But frustration and anger balled in her gut, demanding an outlet, and Cathbad presented an easy target. A deserving target.
Just not an easy kill.
Her attractive father had changed not at all since reaching thirty-five. Same wavy black hair and firm physical build that didn't quite reach six feet. Same powerful presence Kizira had benefited by on occasion. Same piercing green eyes that reflected more knowledge than anyone else in this tower.
Including Flaevynn.
Truth was Kizira couldn't bring herself to strike Cathbad down even after all the things he'd done to her.
Even if she'd held that much power.
He'd been her only true parent at times, and he had granted the request she'd made at the age of nineteen for one year to herself before she had to accept her role as priestess. A year spent . . .
Never think about that while inside this place.
Pathetic for a Medb priestess to hunger for a parent's love, but there it was in cold reality. Her whole body shook, as much from her painful time in the dungeon as from fury. Every part of her body hurt.
Cathbad implored her, "Put your hand down, child, and let me heal ya."
She lowered her arm, neither accepting his offer nor refusing him. Just standing there took all the effort she could expend.
He raised a hand over her head, finger
s spread wide, and chanted, "Blood of my blood, I share my strength, to heal . . ." He continued in a soothing voice, one that also drew out her bitterness along with her pain while healing her injuries.
Did he think she'd give up her resentment and overlook her time in the dungeon just because he'd quieted her inner turmoil for the moment?
She wouldn't thank him.
He'd paved part of Kizira's hard road himself.
"May Flaevynn burn someday for how she treats her own child," he said as he lowered his hand.
Kizira's body glowed with renewed health.
He smiled at her. "I hope those are the clothes you were wantin'."
She took in her attire. He'd outfitted her in her favorite mortal wear of jeans and a pullover sweater, aqua blue. His favorite color. So he'd been thoughtful in his choice.
That didn't mean she'd trust him. To do so would be foolish.
A platter of fresh fruit, her favorite yogurt and granola appeared, plus a polished wood table and two comfortable chairs.
Now he made her feel like a shrew in the face of this consideration and his healing.
He sat down and opened his hands out like What are ya waitin' for?
That brought on a wave of guilt no one else in this place seemed afflicted with, but she ended up muttering, "Thanks."
"My pleasure. Eat while we talk."
Now with their father-daughter moment out of the way, she took a seat and demanded, "What did Flaevynn want you to fill me in on?"
"The Medb are financin' a special event where Alterants will battle."
Her eyebrows drew tight. "Why would we do that?"
While she ate a banana and stirred granola into her yogurt, he explained a plan for something called the Achilles Beast Championship and how it would function, adding that the Medb had offered trades for all Alterants entered to battle and their sponsors. Rubbing his hands together, Cathbad got to the key point. "But the most important element will be gainin' the five Alterants that win the final Elite matches."
"What of the ones who don't win their last match?"
He shrugged. "The matches are ta the death unless someone is allowed to beg for relief and granted such, which means many will likely no survive. The curse calls for the five most powerful Alterants."
"Thought it was a prophecy." Flaevynn refused to call it anything but a curse, which was all the more reason for Kizira to use prophecy.