Alterant (Belador #2)(99)

The door swung open to admit Tzader.

The sight of him threatened to pull her loose at the seams. She would not cry. No one had seen her shed a tear since the age of fifteen.

She couldn’t think about not seeing Storm. That would cut loose the river of misery waiting to flash flood through her.

She swallowed down the hurt.

When Sen had grudgingly admitted that VIPER rules allowed her one visit by a single person, Evalle had given him Tzader’s name. She didn’t know if Quinn had truly betrayed her to Kizira, but the witch had gotten her information somewhere.

Tzader walked in and stood just inside the door that closed behind him. The hard angles of his face shared nothing of his thoughts.

Did he hate her for what had happened to Brina?

“Z, I’m, uh, sorry . . .” That sounded so useless. What could sorry do to free Brina?

“Not your fault, Evalle.”

“Yes, it is my fault. They locked Brina’s hologram form in some kind of clear statue.”

His neck muscles flexed. “I know.”

“They captured her essence . . . they . . . what did they do to her? What will happen to the Beladors?”

Worry crowded Tzader’s gaze. “Brina can’t leave the castle at all, even if it’s under attack. Her hologram originates from wherever her physical body exists. If she moves more than a short distance from the spot where she last transmitted her hologram, her body would begin to deteriorate. She wouldn’t die, but she’d feel as if her bones were being crushed.”

“What will Macha do?”

“Nothing yet.” He crossed his arms. “With a part of Brina’s essence cut off from returning to her body, the Belador powers have a chink in the armor. We don’t have the ability to link with each other or communicate through telepathy.”

How could she have harmed the tribe this way? Probably just as well that she would never see them again.

Most of the Beladors had barely tolerated her half-breed status before.

Tolerance would give way to open hatred at harming their warrior queen.

Evalle covered her eyes, then pinched the bridge of her nose, anything to keep from breaking. “That means if Macha retaliates in any way and breaks faith with the VIPER alliance, our warriors will be extremely vulnerable. They could be taken out by single attacks.”

“Exactly.”

Evalle shoved to her feet, ready to fight the enemy . . . but the enemy was her. “Can’t you tell the Tribunal that it was a mistake to take me in, that I’m not really a Belador and Brina shouldn’t be punished just for getting stuck with me . . . and—”

She shouldn’t shout at Tzader. He hadn’t done this to her.

Tzader walked forward, closing the gap between them. “That would be a lie.”

“It’s true. I let you all down, Tzader. I won’t let you waste time trying to save me when Brina needs your help more.”

“No you didn’t let us down, and I’m not going to allow anything to happen to her . . . or you. I won’t leave you here.”

Of course Tzader would try to get her out of this box. Honor ran through his veins, and his heart bled loyalty.

Tzader said, “I’ll send everyone after Tristan and those Alterants. I know you wouldn’t have helped that bastard escape.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, Z, but you can’t hand the Alterants over to the Tribunal.”

Tzader could have backed down an army of Medb warlocks with the fierce look on his face. “Stop defending them! Not one of those Alterants hung around to help you.”

“I know, but listen to me. Kizira is trying to capture Alterants.” If nothing else, she had to give Tzader anything he could use to free Brina and protect the Beladors.

“We figured out the Medb were behind the ambush on you.”

She nodded. “They want certain Alterants. Me, Tristan and who knows how many more, but not all the Alterants have Belador blood. Tristan has information about Alterant origins and thinks the Medb plan to use the green-eyed ones to breach Brina’s castle.” Which just turned into a much more dangerous situation with Brina’s hologram held hostage by the Tribunal.

Tzader’s sigh carried a world of troubles. “Where did you hear that?”

“When Tristan was around Kizira and the Kujoo, he heard enough to believe the Medb know something important about our background that they can use to their advantage. You have to find him and try to help him so he’ll help the Beladors.”

“Why would you believe him, Evalle?”

“I think I could have talked him into coming with me to face the Tribunal, but Isak Nyght showed up.”

Tzader’s cocoa-brown skin lost two shades of color. He slapped his hand to his forehead. “Ah, hell.”

“What?”

“Quinn probed Conlan O’Meary’s mind—”

“Why?”

“Because Brina wanted proof of Conlan either being the traitor helping the Medb or not.” Tzader made a disgusted noise. “When Quinn was inside Conlan’s mind, he encountered Kizira and learned of plans to do just as you said—use Alterants to breach Treoir Castle. The Tribunal learned about Tristan’s escape and handed Sen orders to kill any Alterant without question.”

“I know.”