Flashfire

  Balthasar lifted his head. “And the brand,” he added groggily. “He has the brand.” He tugged at his own shirt collar. “See? I’m still free.” He giggled again, lost his balance, and slumped in the booth.

  Lorenzo could make no sense of that. Maybe Balthasar was delirious.

  Lorenzo had no time to spare. He had to help Erik. Because if Dragon Bone Powder was made of dead Pyr, Chen might be able to double his supply tonight.

  Lorenzo wasn’t going to let that happen.

  He had to hope that where he found Chen, he’d find Cassie.

  He raced out of the bar, Brandt fast on his heels.

  “Consorting with the enemy . . .” Brandt began to chastise, but Lorenzo raced to the car.

  “Get your ass to the designated spot yourself.”

  “Changing teams?”

  Lorenzo spun on his heel and roared at the other Pyr. “I’m not feeling the love of the Pyr here.”

  “I knew it!” Brandt shouted. “I knew you’d take care of yourself first. I knew you were half Slayer already. . . .”

  Lorenzo seized his collar and gave him a shake. “I do whatever I have to do,” he said in a low, deadly voice. “You might want to keep that in mind.” Then he left Brandt in the lobby.

  The illusion was coming together beautifully.

  With any luck, it would be his last one.

  And he would complete it in time.

  Chapter 17

  Cassie was cold and stiff.

  She lay still for a moment, keeping her eyes closed and her breathing slow while she gathered as much information as possible. She could smell rock and felt a wind on her face. She thought maybe she was in a cave. Her hands were tied behind her back, her ankles were bound together, and she was on her side. Her left arm had gone to sleep and was all pins and needles. She could hear another person breathing in close proximity.

  That person moved. Slowly.

  Cassie jumped when she felt fingers on the bonds at her ankle. Her eyes flew open and she found Lorenzo’s friend Erik surreptitiously untying the cord. He shook his head and frowned, holding a finger to his lips.

  Cassie bit back her question.

  He tapped his ear and she understood. There were others who would overhear them. She had a thousand questions, give or take, but didn’t want to blow whatever plan he had.

  Where were they? Where was Lorenzo? What was going on? How were they going to escape?

  What Cassie could see was that they were in a cave, just the two of them. The opening showed only night sky. But there had to be someone guarding them. Erik certainly acted as if that were the case, and Cassie knew to trust keen Pyr senses.

  He retied her bonds so they looked just as tight but actually were loose. She guessed that he was waiting for a specific moment. He gave her a questioning look and she twisted her ankles, proving that she could slip free. Erik made a little flourish, like she was a great apprentice of Lorenzo. They shared a smile.

  He moved forward to do the same to her wrists. Cassie watched him, unable to read his emotions from his expression. She’d gotten him into this situation, even though she’d tried not to. She felt horrible for that.

  She caught his eye and mouthed the word “Sorry.”

  He shook his head and shrugged. “Beguiled,” was his silent reply.

  The he gave her a hard look. “Trust me?” he mouthed.

  Cassie wasn’t sure what to think of that. She shrugged and Erik leaned closer. His eyes were a very clear shade of green. He opened them wide and she knew what he was going to do.

  And she did trust him, because he was Lorenzo’s friend.

  Those flames danced, brilliant orange against the darkness of his pupils. Cassie felt his will bent upon her. She felt as if he were pushing clarity into her thoughts—and with that clarity came the fear that they could be discovered.

  “Your mind will be your own,” he said softly, his words low and melodic.

  Her own. Cassie was tempted to echo the words. They rose to her lips and she wanted to shout them, she was so glad to be thinking clearly. But Erik laid a fingertip across her lips in warning.

  She mouthed them instead. “My mind will be my own.”

  “Your mind is your own again,” he murmured.

  “My mind is my own again,” Cassie mouthed, knowing it was true.

  Erik glanced suddenly at the opening and Cassie understood that someone was coming. He leaned against the wall, suddenly looking much older and more defeated. He gave her a warning glance and she closed her eyes, as if she were still out cold. She let her mouth hang slack.

  “Help Lorenzo,” Cassie murmured, as if she were still beguiled. “Help Lorenzo . . .”

  “Don’t waste your breath, Erik,” JP said, his tone mocking. “You can’t undo a beguiling of Chen’s.”

  “You’re right,” Erik admitted, sounding weary and defeated. “But I had to try.”

  “Valiant to the end,” JP said. “Or is that—stupid to the end.” He laughed. “You won’t have to wait much longer now.”

  Erik moaned as if in pain and slumped lower on the wall.

  JP chortled to himself and left.

  When his footsteps had faded, the illusion was shattered. Cassie looked at Erik and he winked at her.

  She needed to know more. “Salvatore?” she mouthed. “Dead?”

  Erik winced and nodded.

  That reality saddened Cassie. She wondered how Lorenzo was dealing with that loss, and suspected he hadn’t had a lot of time to think about it. Yet.

  Erik was close beside her again, his manner intent. He held up four fingers. “Elements,” he mouthed, his gaze flicking to the opening. Cassie guessed that JP hadn’t gone far.

  There were four elements. Cassie nodded agreement. He started to count them off, glancing at her when he touched his first finger. If this was a test, she could pass.

  “Fire,” she mouthed.

  Erik mocked breathing fire. Cassie understood that to mean that the Pyr could generate fire.

  “Air.”

  He gestured around them, then took a deep breath. Okay, that was covered.

  “Earth,” Cassie added as Erik raised his third finger. He patted the ground beneath them with approval.

  “Water.” That was the last one.

  But Erik glanced around, apparently puzzled.

  Cassie understood. They needed water, although she wasn’t sure why. “Mead Lake,” she mouthed. They had been near the state park when the Slayers had dropped her off to snare Erik, and if they hadn’t gone too far, there should be a spur of that lake in the vicinity.

  Erik nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer. He pulled a set of car keys from his pocket and pushed them into her hands.

  Car keys. He’d been driving the hearse. These must be the keys to the hearse.

  Which would have a corpse in the back.

  “Salvatore?” Cassie mouthed.

  “Mead Lake,” Erik mouthed again.

  Okay. Cassie had a job. She didn’t understand it fully, but she knew what she had to do and that was good enough. She made a gesture as if she’d get to her feet, but Erik shook his head. He settled back against the wall as if intent upon waiting.

  But for what?

  How would she know when to go?

  “Lorenzo?” she mouthed and Erik grimaced.

  Cassie didn’t like that he wasn’t sure of Lorenzo’s fate. But then, maybe she could show him something that would make a difference.

  She glanced at the doorway, then slipped free of her bonds. She pushed the keys to the hearse silently into her pocket, but found an obstacle there. She tugged out the golden scale that had fallen from Lorenzo’s hide, the one she’d shoved into her pocket and forgotten about.
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  Erik’s eyes lit at the sight of it. It had some importance because he nodded enthusiastic approval, then gestured for her to put it away again. By the time Cassie had done that, Erik was looking into space.

  He stared for a long moment, his attention apparently captured by something she couldn’t see. Then Erik smiled slowly, whatever it was giving him great pleasure. Cassie was both encouraged and intrigued.

  When she finally caught his eye, she indicated her confusion.

  He smiled. “Darkfire,” he mouthed. He held up both hands and made a gesture like opening eyes. He mocked a gasp as if beholding something, then tapped the keys in her pocket and made his fingers do the walking. He pointed out the opening of the cave.

  So when she saw the darkfire, she should run, snag the hearse, and drive to Lake Mead. Cassie nodded, just as a tread echoed outside the opening. They both resumed their previous positions, and she hoped JP couldn’t hear her thoughts racing.

  Too bad she didn’t know what darkfire was.

  Cassie could only hope she’d recognize it when she saw it.

  Lorenzo left the car in the state park, not wanting to risk its welfare. He parked in the shadows, raced into the protection of the shadows, then leapt into the night. He shifted shape with a roar and flew toward the spot he was to meet Erik.

  He sensed Brandt far behind him. The other Pyr hadn’t flown as quickly as Lorenzo drove.

  There was the reward of motivation.

  The night was dark and still, the sky like black velvet above them. The moon glowed so brightly that its silvery light cast shadows across the desert. There was almost no wind, which made the scene below them look timeless and unreal. Lorenzo felt sharp despite his exhaustion, adrenaline kicking his Pyr senses into overdrive.

  This was a test of his abilities, the greatest test he’d ever faced.

  Because Cassie and his future with her hung in the balance.

  Lorenzo saw the hearse that Erik had rented, the black paint gleaming in the moonlight. It was parked exactly where they had agreed to meet.

  But there was no movement around it.

  He couldn’t discern any movement inside it, either.

  His sense of pending doom became stronger.

  Lorenzo could smell Erik’s scent, proof only that the leader of the Pyr had been there. He could smell JP, although he couldn’t see that Slayer either. He caught Cassie’s scent and relief nearly made him lose the rhythm of flight. He inhaled greedily, grateful that he could discern that she was alive.

  It wasn’t nearly enough.

  Suddenly he caught a whiff of the scent he now knew to be Chen’s, an odor so strong that it made him falter slightly in speed.

  He knew it had been deliberately revealed to him.

  A taunt.

  Lorenzo was ready to deceive the old Slayer. He scanned the ground, hunting a detail that would give Chen’s location away.

  He saw the flash of a red salamander on the ground. It was as red as Chinese lacquer and embellished with gold.

  Lorenzo guessed instantly who it was, although he was astounded that the Slayer could take that form.

  Chen was supposed t