A Break of Day (A Shade of Vampire #7)(44)

Ibrahim put an arm around Derek’s shoulder and started speaking in a quieter tone of voice. “See, that’s the thing, Derek,” he said. “We haven’t ruined all the gates yet.”

My gut clenched.

“What? Oh, no. You’re saying that the Elders and Hawks have more than three gates each?”

“No,” Ibrahim said. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that one of the six gates hasn’t been obliterated yet. A gate still exists in Headquarters.”

Chapter 33: Derek

“What? No, Ibrahim. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I saw the Ageless…” I stuttered.

“Ah, but did you see?” Ibrahim interrupted. “Because it looked to me like you walked out of that chamber before you actually saw the Ageless eliminate the gate.”

“Huh?”

“I witnessed the scene back at Headquarters, Derek. I arrived shortly after the Elder was expelled from Sofia’s body. You just didn’t notice me watching from the shadows. But I saw it all… the despair in your eyes when you begged the Ageless for a chance to search for your son.”

His words knocked the wind right out of me. My mouth opened and closed. Sofia grasped my arm, a similar expression on her pale face.

“I know how much family means to you,” Ibrahim continued. “Hell, I hope to have my own family one day. I knew what you must have been feeling when the witch refused to allow you enough time to pursue the only clue you have about your baby’s whereabouts. Also… your little Rose… I’ll admit that she’s grown on me during the time I’ve spent watching over her. I’d hate to see her grow up without her brother.”

“So you…”

“Yes,” Ibrahim said. “Before the Ageless could finish her spell and seal the gate forever, I persuaded her to reconsider her stance. We are blood relations and my words mean something to her, even despite the influence the council has on her. I told her that if she wanted my continued cooperation, something she does place value in, then she would strike a deal with me: keep the last gate open until you helped me destroy the final gate to Cruor, and then allow you a maximum of twelve hours to go through and search for your family. I arranged for five witches to stand by the gate to make sure no Hawks come back through into this realm in the meantime.”

“And now…”

“Despite what I have said, it is imperative that you understand the risks, Derek. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. The odds of you being successful, or even surviving the visit, are very, very slim. Neither I nor any of the witches can accompany you; our powers are futile in Aviary. The same goes for your fire. You will have no power once you are there. There’s only a very rare kind of witch whose powers work in Aviary, and we don’t have access to any such person. So you will be all alone.” Ibrahim’s eyes bored into mine. “I want Rose’s brother back, but I also don’t want her to lose her father. Consider your next move wisely. I’ll give you an hour to make your decision. If you decide to take up the risk, we’ll leave for Headquarters together. But if, however, you decide to forego the risk, I’ll return to Headquarters alone and destroy the gate. The patience of the Ageless wears thin.”

With that, Ibrahim turned on his heels and made his way back toward the direction of the witch’s temple.

Sofia and I stared blankly at each other for several minutes. Eventually it was Sofia who broke the silence.

“Derek,” she croaked, “what confuses me is that we keep imagining our son being in Aviary, but it makes no sense. How on earth would he have gotten there? We seem to be forgetting that it was Kiev who kidnapped him. Not one of the Hawks. Our hunt for him there could turn out to be some wild goose chase.”

“I know. I know. But it’s all we have. Also we do know that your father is there, along with Ian, Anna and Kyle.”

“Barely a moment has passed that I don’t think of them. But if we’re considering this—undertaking this gargantuan task within the span of twelve hours—we need to be laser-focused on who our actual target is. We may not have time to look for everyone…” Her voice broke off.

“I know. I know.” I rubbed my fingers over my eyes, wondering if I was mad to even consider doing this. “I don’t know why you keep saying ‘we’, Sofia. There will be no ‘we’. Only myself. We can’t run the risk of Rose losing both of her parents in one fell swoop.”

“No.” Sofia started shaking. “I can’t let you do this alone. You will have no powers there. No chance of surviving even a minor attack. At least I’ll have my fangs and claws. If you decide to do this, I’m coming with you.”

“But Rose! We can’t…”

“And I can’t let you go alone. The chances of you surviving on your own are probably half of what they would be if I accompanied you. You going alone risks your life and that of our son… if we really think he’s there somewhere. Rose is safe with Corrine and Ibrahim.”

My mind was so jumbled I didn’t know what to think anymore. I leaned against a rock and slid down to the floor, placing my head against my knees. Sofia slid down next to me.

I was aware of the minutes passing by. Our hour would soon be up.

“I don’t know that I could stand living such a life of regret. If we let the gate disappear… knowing it could have been in my power to save my father or son…” Sofia murmured. “The thought of risking Rose growing up without us slices my heart in two. But I know Corrine and Ibrahim would be good parents to her. Corrine’s already become more of a mother to her than I am.”