A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles #1)(57)

Elias made a mental note to keep her separate from the others. Jikininki were humans who had died and come back. They fed on human flesh to keep themselves alive, but unlike mindless zombies, they kept all of their mental faculties. They were also incredibly strong and hard to kill. Having one nearby wasn’t something Elias was happy about, but she would be of great benefit if Tommy and his people ever needed to be stopped. “Thank you, Lord Nergal.”

“Find this Layla woman before she becomes too much trouble and I’m forced to interject myself. And, Elias, do not let your need for vengeance cloud your judgment. Killing the person responsible for Dara’s death is important, and it sends a message to those who would oppose us, but Layla is the target. Do not forget that. We need her father’s help.

“As for Thomas Carpenter, I do so wish I could just kill him and be done with it, but let’s not bait that particular jackal until necessary. As much as I’m sure Masako would be more than capable of destroying the man, I’d rather not have to unless we have no other options. Try to avoid the man, which I understand is like trying to avoid a cold, but do so anyway. His people are afforded no such protection. Kill as many as you need to.”

Elias bowed his head in thanks.

“You’ll need to go home soon, Elias.”

The change of topic almost caught Elias off guard. “Yes. I’m taking measures to ensure my power is topped up and will be adding another victim to the hat, but it won’t be long before I’ll have to empty it. I’ll need to feed properly. The small amount of power I gain from each person added to the hat is nothing compared to the power I gain from feeding properly. Once Layla is in our grasp, I will go back to my home and feed. I will be away for a few days until my power fully recharges.”

“You have already put it off too many times. See that you fulfil your end of the bargain. A redcap who forgets what he gave up to become one is of no use to anyone.”

“I always remember, my lord.” Elias was unlikely to forget what he had to give up for the chance to gain the power in his possession. It was a decision he’d made quickly, despite the heavy consequences. And a decision he would continue to accept without pause until the day he died.

Nergal ended the call as Shane entered the room. “I’ve put your meal in your room.”

Elias stood. “You’ll take no one else while we’re here. There’s too much at stake now. When we’re back home, you can do as you wish.”

Shane looked somewhat crestfallen, which made a part of Elias feel ill. “Fine. But when we’re home, I’ll need to go play.”

Elias shrugged. He wouldn’t be there, so he didn’t care. He’d never liked Shane’s need to indulge his less palatable passions, and the bodies he’d left behind at several locations had caused unnecessary complications on more than one occasion, but he was good at his job, so Elias allowed it. Everyone had a vice; it just so happened that Shane’s was murdering people for fun.

Elias walked off toward his room, still thinking about Shane. He could understand killing out of necessity, or because it was his job, or even for revenge, but doing it for sadistic pleasure wasn’t in his make-up. He paused outside of his room. Killing for food was important too. He sighed. It was one of the less pleasant aspects of who he was, but like everything else in his life since he’d become a redcap, he accepted it without complaint. He pushed open the door.





21

When Layla woke back in her hospital bed the following day, she found Rosa by the window, ready to continue her lessons. Rosa had been teaching her all through her sleep too; apparently it was easier to learn control when asleep. The fact that the demon occasionally interjected didn’t make it a fun experience.

Layla had woken with an aching body and an exhausted mind, due to the stress the training had on her. She took a deep breath. Learning was important, even if it brought pain. Besides, that pain was only for a short time, and although a short time is subjective when in pain, she could push through it. Once she’d learned how to use her abilities to a half-decent degree, she would be in a better position to become more powerful, which would mean she would find some of the mental conditioning and concentration much easier.

Layla certainly hoped so anyway. She had spent most of the morning practicing turning the coffee-table legs into various shapes and forms as quickly as possible, before moving on to more taxing lessons.

After putting the table back together, Layla was given the task of changing several coins on the table in front of her into origami-type models. She’d been doing it for the last ten minutes—this one was a swan, although the bronze-colored two-pence pieces didn’t exactly look as swan-like as Layla would have liked. But she hadn’t found any silver coins when she’d looked in the drawer beside the bed, just the half-dozen twos.

“Do you feel better now that you know the truth?” Rosa asked.

“I feel better about Tommy. And Diana. And I’m angry with Chloe. And I know I shouldn’t be. I know that being angry with her is pointless, that she is my friend and she only wants what’s best for me. But she lied, and I can’t get past that. Tommy and Diana weren’t a part of my life for the last two years. I know it sounds crazy, I just . . .”

“The lies from her hurt because you expected more.”

Layla nodded.