Take the bait, take the bait, take the bait…
Barrett’s affable expression stayed pleasant. “You’re a long way from Kentucky.”
I blinked a couple of times to indicate surprise. Kate the Thespian. Hand me my Oscar. “Well, that didn’t take long. The Preceptor and I parted ways.”
“And why is that?”
“I’ve got a problem with authority.”
Hugh’s Iron Dogs used to be my father’s counterpoint to the Golden Legion. His left and right arms, trained to kill each other if necessary. Hugh was now an independent operator, and if Barrett checked with him—which was highly unlikely—he would cover for me. As soon as I got home, I would have to call Hugh and let him know. He’d get a good laugh out of this, the jackass.
The intensity of Barrett’s smile eased a little. I had given him a believable story. A former Iron Dog would be a highly trained, skilled, disciplined killing machine. If Claudia became aware of one operating independently, it would make sense that she would try to recruit her. It would also make sense that after walking away from Hugh D’Ambray, said Iron Dog wouldn’t be eager to take orders again, so Claudia would take it easy, by talking her into running an errand or two. Mystery solved.
“Ms. Ozburn is marking her territory,” Barrett said, as if to himself. “Very well. What brings you here?”
“I’m looking for a kidnapped child. Onyx brokered the sale.”
Barrett nodded and looked at the journeyman. “Did you hear that?”
Onyx gave me a defiant stare. “I didn’t do it.”
“Jace gave you up,” I said.
“He’s lying.”
I turned to Barrett and spread my arms.
Barrett rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And this is where you’ve fucked up. You should’ve asked who Jace was. Because there is no reason for you to associate with a mid-level Red Horn boss. But you didn’t. Because we both know you’ve been doing some shady shit. Malone warned you about it, didn’t he?”
Onyx opened his mouth.
“Don’t,” Barrett said. All the pleasantness evaporated from his face in an instant.
Onyx swallowed.
“You brought your shady shit here. To my island. Now there is a mercenary asking questions and the Order is aware of it. You have a fucking problem. How are you going to fix it?”
Panic sparked in Onyx’s eyes. The older of the two remaining vampires charged me.
The world slowed to an underwater crawl. The vampire was coming for me, mouth gaping, fangs ready to bite and tear, driven by Onyx’s rattled mind.
If I killed it, the backlash would fry Onyx, tuning him into a vegetable. He wasn’t taking any precautions, and a sudden ending of the connection between the navigator and the undead destroyed the navigator’s ego.
If I took control of the vampire, I might as well have just cut my vein and started making blood armor right there. Not only would I not save Darin, but I could kiss any hope of a calm life in Wilmington goodbye.
The vamp was almost on me.
I had one chance at this. No do-overs.
I pulled Sarrat from its sheath, grasped the undead’s mind with my magic, ripped it away from Onyx, and let it go, all in the same fraction of a second. The journeyman had no time to react. The vamp’s eyes flared bright red. It was already running, and I was directly in front of it, a convenient target with a heartbeat. It leaped, claws spread for the kill.
I sliced across its forelimbs, spun out of the way, and slashed at its neck, cleaving the head from the body in a single blow.
The beheaded body ran a few more steps and crumpled onto the stone. The head rolled across the arena’s floor.
Onyx stared at the dead vampire, trying to process what had happened. He wasn’t sure who took the vampire away from him. Both Rimush and Barrett were Masters of the Dead. It could’ve been either of them, and now he didn’t know how to react.
I breathed in, slow and deep. If Barrett caught me, there would be hell to pay.
Barrett wasn’t looking at me. He was staring at his journeyman, and his eyes shivered with rage. It had worked. He’d thought Onyx had bailed, abandoning the undead in the middle of the attack, because he got scared that I’d kill it.
“I don’t mind cleaning house,” I said into the silence. “But I have to charge.”
Onyx opened his mouth.
I flicked the blood off my blade. “Who did you sell Darin to?”
He took a step back.
I started toward him. Barrett said nothing. Good for me.
“You’ve broken the First Covenant. The People will not protect you. Tell me where the boy is, and I will spare your life.”
“I didn’t,” Onyx stammered. “I didn’t make him into a vampire. He’s alive.”
“The First Covenant doesn’t just cover making people undead against their will. The First Covenant forbids slavery in all its forms. ‘There must be free will.’ That is the first and most sacred pledge.”
The Shinar had been mostly a free kingdom, but it was also a cosmopolitan place where many travelers did business. My great grandfather had outlawed slavery among Shinar citizens, and yet there had been thousands of slaves in the kingdom, brought there by foreign dignitaries and traders. When my father woke up post-Shift, codifying freedom of choice was his first decision and the first law he passed onto the People.
Roland had wanted to impose his will on everyone, but he had also wanted everyone to obey him because they loved him and agreed with him.
I reached striking distance. Onyx stayed where he was, glancing at me, then at Barrett, then at me again.
“You put in a custom order for a child to be stolen off the street and you sold him. That is slavery. You’re a human trafficker. Scum.”
I raised Sarrat and aimed it at his throat. The blade smoked, feeding on the vampire blood still coating the saber. Thin tendrils of white vapor slid off the pale metal.
“I’m not a patient woman. Who bought the boy?”
Onyx sucked in a lungful of air. “It doesn’t matter anyway. He’ll kill you. His name is Aaron.”
“Last name?”
“Just Aaron. He’s a god.”
Oh goodie. “Where can I find this god named Aaron?”
“Emerald Wave.”
“And what is that?”
Onyx licked his lips nervously. “A cruise ship. It sank off the north end of Figure Eight Island. That’s his base.”
“Why did he want Darin? Why that particular kid?”
“He buys anyone who can stay under water longer than normal. That’s all I know.”
“How long has Aaron been buying kids like Darin?”
“For three years.”
Gods appeared during flares, extremely potent magic waves that came every 7 years, but they also showed up during random magical events. Three years ago there was a Night of the Shining Seas that coincided with or triggered a particular strong magic wave. And it had an especially strong effect on marine creatures. People called it the Night of the Shining Seas, because the oceans had glowed so bright, it looked like an inverted sunrise.
I slid Sarrat back into its sheath and took three steps back.
Onyx looked at Barrett. “I can explain.”
Barrett smiled and raised his eyebrows.