Daegan pushed energy even harder, flooding the space, and slapping this nonhuman’s power back in his face. If it meant death, so be it.
Chapter 3
Quinn bent, dropping his hands to his knees, weary of forcing his body to remain upright for so long. Weary of trying to do right by everyone yet failing the one person who needed him. The one person he should be with now instead of standing outside this bloody mountain housing VIPER headquarters.
Reese had stuck to her word and stayed at his building in downtown Atlanta until nine this evening.
Leaving one minute later meant she didn’t believe he could protect her or their baby.
That hurt the most. He wanted a chance to get it right this time. A chance to keep both of them.
But she’d vanished with the use of a mysterious medallion she’d received from Phoedra’s equally mysterious guardian.
Quinn had suffered about all the damn mystery he could take.
Loki would call him back into the Tribunal meeting any minute without a word of warning to face their arrogant demands. They fully expected Quinn to deliver Daegan right now.
Quinn had no idea what he would say this time. Tzader couldn’t come here with his pregnant wife, the Belador Warrior Queen, so close to delivering twins. Brina’s presence alone in Treoir drove the power for all Beladors.
Daegan hunted a volume of the Immortuos Grimoire in Ireland and also had to stop a rogue dragon shifter on a destructive binge.
That put Quinn as third in charge with the responsibility of Belador safety in North America. He had never hesitated to step up for his people. He’d managed to talk their way out of trouble more than once, but he had few options on how to solve this dire situation. The Tribunal deities meeting tonight demanded Daegan’s presence to answer for a grimoire stolen from the VIPER vault. To suspect Daegan of that was insane.
Treoir’s dragon king could not be found. Daegan replied to no telepathic calls from any of them. If Trey, their most powerful Belador telepath, and Tzader couldn’t find Daegan, no one could.
Three innocent Beladors locked beneath VIPER mountain had no one to save them from execution except Quinn. The Beladors had been possessed by Imortiks, but their humanity was not lost yet. Not for two full weeks. The Beladors from earlier attacks had less than that now. Did the Tribunal care? No. Compassion was not in their vocabulary.
Quinn stared up at the night sky, searching for an answer.
None came.
Those deities would smell blood with Daegan unavailable.
Quinn’s head was going to explode from the pounding between his ears.
Clyde’s voice entered his mind. Maistir?
Quinn flinched, but caught himself before he snapped at the faithful Belador overseeing the protective building in Atlanta where Reese should be right now. Yes, Clyde.
Do you still want me to send out a team to search for Reese?
No, thank you. She’s no longer in the city. Quinn had zero ideas about where she’d gone, but he’d bet a sizable fortune on her not even being in the state of Georgia. Maybe not in this realm.
Putting that aside as best he could, he sent back, I’m going to be tied up a bit in the Tribunal meeting, but I’ll be in touch once I return to the city.
Yes, sir. Clyde’s presence disappeared from his mind.
Quinn was in the wrong frame of mind to face an overbearing and demanding Tribunal, but as the Belador go-to person for verbal combat as well as leading physical battles, he had a duty to do. He flexed his shoulders and stiffened his backbone.
Loki and the other two had better be ready for him.
Quinn! shouted in his head.
He jerked back. Tzader? What are you yelling about?
Hey, sorry, man. Didn’t mean to do that, but I don’t have much time. Daegan has been captured by an international military force.
Fuck! Quinn had an extensive vocabulary, but could think of little else to describe the mess they were in right now. I can only assume that means Daegan was unable to teleport away or escape somehow. Can we get him back?
Tzader heaved a long breath. I won’t know until I talk to someone, but the fact that I had to find out about this from Isak Nyght’s intelligence group, and not our Belador contact in DC, is not encouraging. It makes me think someone who is not an ally with America has him or ... a supernatural force.
Wouldn’t that just cap this bloody day? Quinn asked, What does Isak think?
Says he only knows what he sent me, but he’s gonna keep digging. Had it not been for one of his men monitoring a private security group out of Spain, he wouldn’t have had that at all.
Rubbing his forehead, Quinn explained, I’ll be yanked back into a Tribunal meeting any second now. Loki and company are demanding Daegan’s presence. Quinn quickly shared what had happened with Imortiks breaking into the VIPER vault and stealing the one grimoire volume.
Man, that’s going to put Daegan over the edge when we find him. Tzader sounded pulled in six directions.
Quinn liked hearing “when” they found Daegan instead of “if.” Why didn’t Daegan call for someone to teleport him out of there if he couldn’t do it? Isn’t Tristan in the Treoir realm with you?
Hell, yeah, Tristan’s here and he’s close to popping a vein with Garwyli fussing over his screwed-up hand when all Tristan wants to do is go find Daegan. But you don’t heal a cut-off hand in one day.
Appalled, Quinn asked, Who cut off Tristan’s hand?
He bit it off while in gryphon form to free himself from spelled manacles Cathbad had clamped on him. Tzader’s disgust at that druid burned every word. Anyhow, Tristan has informed everyone here in Treoir he’s gone as soon as we locate Daegan. As for not being in contact with us, I’m thinking Daegan can’t hear us calling to him telepathically or he can’t send messages, or both.
Tzader paused and was probably running a hand over his bald head, something Quinn had noticed his best friend and former Maistir do when deep in thought. I’ll keep you informed as best I can, Quinn. Good luck with the Tribunal. I’m going with Tristan to find Daegan so we can teleport without leaning on Brina. If something is not a crisis, I’d rather no one call her for teleporting. She’s been uncomfortable all day. We think the babies are coming soon.
Quinn pinched his nose. Worst time for Tzader to be gone with Brina close to giving birth to twins. Any other time, Quinn would be taking Tzader’s place so his friend could stay with his wife. Sorry, Z. I would go with Tristan if I could get away from this Tribunal without our people dying, but Loki will execute all three Beladors held in VIPER lockdown immediately if I dare to take a step away. He teleported me outside the mountain only long enough to try to locate Daegan.
Thanks, Quinn. Brina has Garwyli, Lanna, and Phoedra. They’re hanging close to her. I’m going to do my best to get back quickly. Do what you can with the Tribunal, but if they kill even one of ours, deadline or not, Daegan will declare war and we’ll back him.
Agreed.
Tzader’s last words had just passed through Quinn’s mind when his body was yanked and spun away with being teleported.
Evidently his time had run out and Loki wanted him back in the Tribunal realm.
When he appeared again, everything remained the same as before he left. Sometimes the deities became bored and redecorated the realm at any given time, but not today. Quinn still had the sensation of standing in a giant nighttime snow globe that had not been shaken.