Alterant (Belador #2)(89)

Or he just wasn’t sharing that. She asked, “What did Kizira mean when she called them Rías? Why aren’t their eyes bright green like ours? And why couldn’t I link with them? Don’t they know how?”

Tristan slowed at the next turn and took the tunnel on his left.

Unless the ghosts were screwing with them again, this tunnel looked familiar even to Evalle. This one had vines on the walls and clover on the ground, so the next one they intercepted should have antiques, paintings and rugs.

Tristan finally answered, “The two behind us are not Belador Alterants. I don’t know what she meant by Rías. I never heard that term when I was around her.”

“Then what are they?”

“I have an idea.”

She curled and uncurled her fingers. “But you’re not going to tell me.”

“Not until I have my sister in a safe place. Think I missed the fact that you’re now short an Alterant for your meeting even if I hand over those two?”

Actually, she hadn’t stopped to consider that, but he was right. She had to show up with three, which meant convincing Tristan to go in with her.

She’d have an easier time convincing Kizira to enter a convent.

With VIPER hunting all Alterants, Evalle had to figure out how to reach VIPER headquarters alive. Now that she thought about it, the Tribunal hadn’t made a provision for her to contact anyone once she had the three Alterants.

Why not?

Because everyone expected her to fail.

That’s why they would only order Sen to find her once the top of the hourglass emptied. If they weren’t all busy battling the fog.

Evalle muttered, “Kizira said she was generating the fog. I hope I didn’t make a mistake by not going with her.”

Tristan shook his head. “She was lying about stopping the fog. She’d have taken you and me, killed those two behind us and let the fog go. She wants specific Alterants and must believe that fog is going to flush them out.”

Evalle let go of some of her guilt. She had to get word to Tzader and Quinn so they could alert VIPER . . . but why hadn’t VIPER stopped the fog already? They had to know it was not part of the natural world.

“I just realized something, Tristan. VIPER would have figured out something supernatural was behind the fog by now, but it was still growing when I came down into MARTA.”

“So?”

“If VIPER hasn’t found a way to stop the spread . . . that means even the deities might not be able to fix this.”

He didn’t say anything for a few steps, but real worry fed into his gaze.

She gave voice to what she believed he was thinking. “If that fog covers everything in a week, there will be no place safe for any Alterant, even your sister.”

She wanted him to work his way through the unsaid part—that he, his sister and the two behind them might be safer within VIPER’s network than out on the streets. Tristan knew far more than he was sharing about a lot of other things as well. “What does the Medb want with us?”

He thought on his answer for a moment, but he didn’t seem to be avoiding her, just pulling his thoughts into sync. “I think the Medb know something about our history and they plan to use Alterants somehow to capture Brina’s island. I pieced that together from a few things I picked up around Kizira when we were with the Kujoo.”

Tzader had told her no immortal could get inside the castle to touch Brina, but could an Alterant harm the warrior queen?

She could not fail Brina and put the Belador warrior queen at risk of repercussion. Showing up with fewer than three Alterants would be failure no matter how anyone tried to spin it with the Tribunal.

Analyzing what Tristan had said, Evalle asked, “Why do the Medb think an Alterant can breach the home of an immortal?”

“I have a feeling the Medb know something about the way we’re evolving.”

“Wait a minute. Evolving? Are we going to change into something more hideous than a beast?”

He lifted his shoulders. “Don’t know. The Medb know a lot about us, too much.” He shook his head. “I don’t have all the answers yet, but I think Belador Alterants have the most to lose in this battle . . . and in the hands of the Medb we might end up being the most dangerous creatures in this world.”

That sort of information would only support the case against allowing Alterants freedom.

Tristan added, “And those two behind us are considered disposable by the Medb. She’d have killed all three whether I showed up or not. I think she was trying to grab me and you, then she’d have figured a way to lure my sister out of hiding.”

“Tell me what you know about how all Alterants are connected.”

“Not yet. I’m not giving up that bargaining chip until I have to, in case my sister needs it.”

Evalle dodged a vine that reached out for her. These spirits had too much time on their hands. “If you don’t share information, how do you expect me to help Belador Alterants and any others like those two behind us?”

“I’ve already handed you a lot. I’ll give you more when I can. I told you, we’d talk about this once we get out of danger.”

She’d let it go for now and hope that once she found a place to keep them safe, she could talk Tristan into going in with her in spite of what Adrianna had told Storm about Tristan not throwing in with Evalle. That did give her a moment of worry, but Adrianna was not infallible.