Shadows of Discovery by Brenda K. Davies
Chapter Fifty-Seven
“I’m not takingyou to the Lord,” Cole said.
He badly wanted to as he’d love to watch a dragon devour him as it had their father, but he couldn’t do it.
“It got him killed, but Father wanted you alive,” Cole continued. “I have no idea why.”
“There was a time when you did,” Orin said.
“That was years ago. However, I’m going to try to abide by his wishes.”
“So, what do we do now then?”
“I don’t know,” Cole admitted. “I have to give the Lord something, and if we don’t figure out a way for it to be you, he’s going to destroy the Gloaming. I can’t let that happen. If it comes between you and the thousands of fae who live there, there is no choice. I have to protect them.”
“So, let’s give the Lord a body,” Sahira said.
Brokk chuckled, and Cole’s eyebrow rose. Sahira had never struck him as cold-blooded; she was tough and protective of Lexi, but she wasn’t callous. Orin shot her a disgruntled look.
“I’m sorry I screwed you and forgot you, but do you have to throw me under the bus they just decided not to run me over with?” Orin inquired.
Sahira folded her arms over her chest. “I’ve never met you before in my life, and you know it. Now, you can continue to be a giant prick, or you can listen to my suggestion.”
“Your suggestion has me dead.”
“No, it doesn’t. I’d much prefer it that way, and I’m sure most everyone who knows you would too, but there is another option.”
“And that is?” Brokk inquired.
“The harrow stone,” Sahira said.
“What’s that?” Lexi asked.
“Isn’t it cursed?” Cole asked.
“Sort of,” Sahira hedged.
“What is the harrow stone?” Lexi demanded.
“It’s a stone that can duplicate another, and whoever creates the duplicate can do anything with it. It doesn’t create a real being, but in a way, it does. But, if we want to duplicate Orin as a dead man, we can do that,” Sahira said.
“Where is it?” Brokk asked.
“It’s located in an outer realm and guarded by a crone witch. I would have to convince her to let me use it, and I have to return it, but it could be the answer to saving this jackass and the Gloaming. If that’s what you want to do?”
When Brokk and Cole exchanged a look instead of responding, Orin scowled.
“Of course it is!” Orin insisted.
“Eh,” Brokk said, and Sahira laughed.
“What do you mean it’s sortof cursed?” Lexi asked.
“There are rules that must be obeyed if you’re granted use of it,” Sahira said. “If one doesn’t abide by those rules, then the harrow stone makes them pay.”
“No,” Lexi said. “I’m not going to let you risk your life for him.”
Orin rolled his eyes. Cole studied Orin and Lexi as they stared at each other. If there was something between them, it wasn’t love.
“Thanks, Kitten,” Orin said.
“She’s the only family I have left. And I’m not risking her for you,” Lexi retorted.
“But you risked yourself for him,” Sahira said.
Lexi cringed before sighing. “He was injured, and I couldn’t leave him out there to be hunted and killed. And then, when he came back, he brought the refugees with him, and I couldn’t turn them away. He’s not here because I trust him or think he’s a great guy; he’s here because we have the same goal.”
“And that is?” Brokk asked.
“To save others.”
“That may be your goal, but it’s not Orin’s. I haven’t talked to my brother in years, but I can assure you that he doesn’t put anyone else ahead of himself.”
“It’s good to know how highly you think of me, little brother,” Orin said.
“My opinion changed when you decided to become the enemy, and over the years, you’ve done nothing to change it.”
Cole swore a flicker of distress crossed Orin’s face before he hid it. “It’s okay, little brother. I’ve always known you were going to follow blindly behind Cole, no matter what. You’re a good little puppy that way.”
“And you’re a gigantic piece of shit.”
“Then why keep me alive?”
“Because you could prove useful against the Lord, and we need all the help we can get to bring him down,” Cole said. “And it’s what Father would have wanted us to do.”
“Father wasn’t always right,” Brokk muttered.
“Do you think you can get the harrow stone?” Cole asked Sahira.
“I’m not sure if the crone will give it to me, but it’s worth a shot,” she said.
“It might be the only one we have,” Brokk said.
“The Lord is a warlock; won’t he see that the harrow stone has created another Orin? We’ll also need to duplicate Varo,” Cole said.
“That’s the beauty of the harrow stone; no one can see through its magic. And I can do that, but he’ll have to be present for it to happen.”
Orin clapped his hands together. “Well then, it sounds like we have a plan. Let’s do this!”
“I hate him,” Brokk said.
Cole couldn’t help but agree. But then, Orin had always been an asshole. Cole enjoyed that assholishness a lot more when it amused instead of irritated him. And when he was sure his brother wasn’t screwing the woman he loved.
However, as he continued to watch their interaction, he began to doubt they were sleeping together. That didn’t eliminate the jealousy burrowing into his gut or completely appease the irritated lycan.
Orin clearly irritated Lexi, and he suspected she didn’t like him very much, but they’d shared something down here, and she’d still kept this from him. He paced over to stare down one of the tunnels as the lycan demanded his brother’s blood.
“No,” Lexi said. “The harrow stone isn’t an option if it’s going to be dangerous for her. I’m sorry, but it’s not.”
“Oh, come now, Kitten. What fun is life if it doesn’t have at least a little danger?” Orin asked.
“Stop calling me that!” Lexi snapped.
Orin chuckled, but Cole’s words ended his laughter. “If you’d like to keep your tongue, I’d suggest not using your little nickname for her.”
“When did you stop being fun?” Orin asked.
“Around the time I watched a dragon eat our father.”
All Orin’s amusement vanished. His eyes darted away from Cole as a muscle in his jaw twitched.
“That never should have happened,” he muttered.
“But it did, and now we have to destroy the man who made it happen.”
“I will try to get the stone,” Sahira said. She held up her hand to silence Lexi before she could protest further. “Going to get the stone shouldn’t be dangerous. If I can convince the crone to give it to me, I’ll have to follow the rules afterward. As long as I do that, everything will be fine.”
“I don’t like it,” Lexi said.
“I don’t like what I discovered down here, but we’re both going to get over it.”
Lexi bit her lip before closing her eyes and nodding.
“I’ll go with you to help ensure you get there safely,” Brokk offered.
“I don’t know how the crone is going to feel about two half vampires showing up in their land,” Sahira said.
“Can you send someone else?” Cole asked.
“No, that would guarantee my death the second the stone fell into my hands. The crone has to deem the holder worthy; she has to give it to me.”
“So would it be better if Brokk stayed behind?”
Sahira studied Brokk before shaking her head. “She’s going to hate seeing me as it is; maybe if there’s two of us pleading our case, she’ll be more swayed toward our cause. Besides, it’s me she’ll be judging. Since I’m the one who will use it, I’m the one who has to be worthy of the stone.”
“Then I’ll go with you,” Brokk said.
“Okay,” Sahira agreed.
“Now,” Cole said and turned to Orin, “where is this army of rebels you’re building?”
“Some of them are down here,” Orin said.
“They’re not an army,” Lexi protested. “Half of them are human, and the rest are so beaten down they couldn’t fight off anyone right now.”
“This isn’t his army,” Cole said. “Or at least not all of it. He’s gathering some down here, but the others are elsewhere, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” Orin admitted. “How many do you have that will fight against him?”
“Nowhere near enough. I want to see the fighters you have here.”
“They’re not fighters,” Lexi insisted. “They’re refugees. They’re broken and lost and need time to heal.”
“I still want to see them.”
Lexi stared at him before her shoulders slumped a little, and she whispered, “This way.”