Rise of the Gryphon (Belador #4)(85)

Crap. Evalle scrambled out of the bed in nothing but her panties. Kizira must have supplied the clothes that Evalle and Lanna had found in a wardrobe, in both their sizes. When Evalle couldn’t locate a bra, she yanked on a gray T-shirt and jeans and was zipping up her boots when Tristan opened the door.

Evalle shoved back a mass of hair that had yet to see a brush and stood.

Tristan, on the other hand, looked as if he’d just showered before putting on a long-sleeved powder-blue knit top and black jeans. Dressed for success at Medb Inc? He stepped inside, closing the door, then gave her a decidedly male once-over.

Where was her dagger when she needed it?

Kizira had relieved her of it during teleporting last night. “Look at me like that before I’ve had coffee and I’ll hand you your gonads in a jar.”

“Damn, you’re evil in the morning.”

“You have no idea.” Especially after a night of dreaming about Storm, who might have had to fight his way to freedom, if he hadn’t decided to make good on his promise to destroy the place. She hoped not. She wanted him safe and missed him so much she felt physically ill. “What does the queen bitch want, Tristan?”

“That’s not the right attitude if you want to survive being here.”

“I don’t want to be here to begin with.”

“Then you shouldn’t have shown up last night,” Tristan snapped back at her, but that wasn’t anger behind his words. She heard concern and guilt when he added, “I wish you hadn’t.”

Evalle walked over to him, keeping her voice down. “Work with me and we’ll get out of here.”

“I’m trying to find a way to get you and Petrina out, but you can’t depend on me. Flaevynn has Kizira compelling all of us. I can only talk about something I haven’t been forbidden to discuss, and I can’t do anything to help you escape.”

“What does Flaevynn want with Alterants?”

“To kill Brina and take over Treoir.”

“How?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it, shaking his head.

Evalle growled, “How is that helping me?”

“You don’t understand. I can’t physically say the words. Just like when I was in the ABC last night, I couldn’t have walked out of there if I’d had an armed escort. Being compelled by the Medb is absolute, but only with regard to what you are specifically compelled to do. So remember that.”

Drawing back, Evalle said, “You think they’re going to compel me?”

“I know she is. Don’t fight it. Every time you do, they realize they need to narrow down their orders to you. Go with whatever they say, then figure out how to get around what you can. Just like me talking to you last night at the games.”

“Kizira said something about resting because the next forty-eight hours would be physically demanding.”

“She’s right and now it’s less than that.”

“What’s going to happen?”

He rolled his eyes and gritted out, “Compelled. Got it?”

She let go of her anger and finally paid attention. Tristan was enlightening her on what she had to look forward to and how to prepare. “Sorry. Kizira indicated I wouldn’t be staying long. Can you say if that means I’m leaving soon or we all are?”

“All.”

“Then we have to get the others to join our resistance so we can escape when we leave.”

Tristan answered with grim disappointment. “No one is getting out of here until we head to Treoir.” His gaze traveled over her face. “Might want to brush your hair.”

“Why?”

“I’m here to escort you. Kizira said Flaevynn and Cathbad are ready to decide if you’re worth keeping alive.”

“Cathbad?” Evalle thought back on her studying. “Wasn’t he a druid a long time ago?”

“There was an original Cathbad the Druid who lived during the original Queen Maeve’s rule. The Cathbad here is a descendant. Every six hundred and sixty-six years the torch is passed on, so to speak, to a new Cathbad the Druid and Queen Medb, but Flaevynn isn’t interested in anyone else being queen if she can’t live forever. I’ve gotten parts of the story out of Kizira. Tell you more when I can.”

“You can start by telling me what you know about the origins of Alterants for the next time I get a chance to talk to Macha.”

“About that. I was wrong and found out—” Tristan paused, staring past Evalle’s head for a few seconds, then his gaze returned to hers. “Kizira said to bring you now.”

“You have telepathy with her?”

“Yes, and you will, too, once . . .”

“Once what?”

Tristan shook his head, indicating he couldn’t answer that question. He grabbed her arm and the room spun.

Teleporting. Couldn’t they walk through this tower?





THIRTY-ONE





Cathbad stood beside Flaevynn in front of her jeweled waterfall that functioned as the queen’s scrying wall. Now they would see Evalle fulfill her part of the prophecy, or curse as Flaevynn constantly corrected him. “?’Tis time for Evalle ta accept her destiny.”

On a sound of disgust, Flaevynn lifted her hands and moved them across each other. A two-story wall of water cascaded over precious gemstones. Diamonds, rubies and more, many as large as his head. When she lowered her arms, a wide-screen image revealed a picture of Evalle standing alone in a pit deep inside the tower that was known as the arena.