Realm of Mirrors (The DeathSpeaker Codex Book 3) by Sonya Bateman Read Free Book Online Page B

still hoarse with pain. “I must redeem myself. The Unseelie Court may be willing to exchange his life for mine.”
    “Whoa. Hold on,” I said, finally managing to stand. “No one’s exchanging anyone’s life. We’ll find another way, and we will get them back.” My gut twisted as the words left my mouth. I had no idea how to do that, and I didn’t actually think we had a chance in hell of succeeding.
    But if I had to, I’d die trying.
    “We cannot defeat the Unseelie Guard.” Reun broke away and moved toward the busted television, staring at the still-smoldering heap of plastic and metal. “Negotiation is the only way.”
    Denei bared her teeth at him. “Don’t you even think like that,” she said. “You ain’t dying for him. All of us together, we can take on a bunch of Fae cochon .”
    “No. We can’t.” He gave her a sad smile. “It was an honor to know you, a’stohr . And…I am sorry I could not protect you all.”
    “Reun!”
    In the space it took Denei to call his name, he gestured a gleaming rip into existence and stepped through.
    It vanished along with him.
     
     

C HAPTER 9

     
    “G oddamn it!” Denei glared at the space where Reun was, her amber eyes burning. After a few seconds, she shook herself and spun on a heel. “We gon’ find a way to follow that stubborn son of a whore, like it or not. Come, Zoba,” she spat as she marched across the room.
    For once, Zoba didn’t make a sound. He just shook his head and followed his sister.
    Sadie clapped a hand to her mouth, staggered to the nearest couch and sat down hard. “We can’t save them,” she whispered through her fingers. “Can we? They’re really…gone.”
    “No, they’re not.” I settled beside her carefully, mindful of my still-throbbing shoulder. “I wasn’t kidding. We’ll get them back.” Somehow .
    She lowered her hand and stared at me with glittering eyes. “How?” There was a shrill edge to her voice that was very close to panic. “They’re in Arcadia. We can’t exactly take the goddamned train there! And the only person who could’ve brought us across the Veil just basically committed suicide.” Her chest heaved once. “Even if we could get there, how the hell are we going to find them, let alone fight a bunch of Fae warriors? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I have no idea where the Unseelie Court is.”
    “I don’t either,” I admitted. “But I know how we can get to Arcadia.”
    She shuddered. “You can’t guess at this one, Gideon,” she said. “Who knows what’ll happen if you get it wrong? You could end up transporting us to Mars or something. Or just flat-out kill us both.”
    “Then it’s a good thing I’m not guessing.” This morning already seemed so long ago, but I remembered thinking I’d never take the offer because Taeral would kill me for it. Now it might be the only way to save him—though I doubted he’d find the irony amusing. “We’re going to ask Cobalt for help.”
    Sadie caught a breath. “Do you really think he will?”
    “He said if we needed a resource, he’d do what he could. I think this qualifies,” I said.
    “Let’s go, then.” She took my hand, and I could feel her trembling. “Right now. Will said they’re night people, didn’t he? So maybe they’re still awake.”
    The hope in her eyes nearly killed me. Even if we did make it to Arcadia, she was right about the rest of it. We’d never find the Unseelie Court—I didn’t even know what it was, let alone where to start looking for it. And what chance did one lone werewolf and one halfling Fae, who barely knew how to cast a sleep spell, have against a bunch of full-powered, trained Unseelie fighters?
    I almost wished we’d saved some of that bio-drug Milus Dei created to use against us. The one that suppressed the human part and left only the Other. I’d hated what I became when I used it—a cold, calculating killer with no regard, no hesitation, and no remorse.
    But I had to