Razr: A Demonica Underworld Novella Page 11

  As they walked, the trees got taller and more ornate, and Jedda giggled when he stumbled to a stunned halt. Mushrooms littered the forest floor, lit up like little neon bulbs in every color imaginable. Tiny winged creatures zipped between them, bouncing off their caps before darting upward in sprays of sparks. And here, in this forest, the trees grew around gemstones of every shape and size, their trunks surrounding them like string art.

  “This…is extraordinary.”

  “Yeah,” she sighed. “It is.”

  “Do these gemstones provide energy?”

  She nodded and continued down the path. “They power everything here. Every tree grows around a gem, and each gem grows bigger with the tree. In the center of my town there’s an oak growing around an emerald the size of an elephant.” She pointed ahead, where the forest parted to reveal a village of buildings fashioned from live trees and thick vines, and there, at the very center, was the elephant emerald.

  He couldn’t stop staring in awe as she led him through the village, which bustled with activity, from people hawking baked goods or tending to gardens to a blacksmith who set a gemstone into each weapon he crafted.

  “They’re enchanted stones,” Jedda told him as they walked past. “His weapons sell for a mint in other elf realms and Sheoul.”

  “There are other elf realms?”

  She inclined her head in greeting at an azure-haired female who passed them with a basket of apples. “There are two, both connected to this one. The elves of those realms aren’t allowed in Filneshara except to trade.”

  “Why not?”

  She shrugged. “They’re kind of assholes.”

  Man, he really needed to learn more about elves.

  From somewhere above, a bird screeched, but the canopy was so thick it could have been a pterodactyl and he wouldn’t have been able to identify it. No one else looked up, so he assumed it wasn’t a predator, but the way the village’s denizens were looking at him said he could be.

  “I’m guessing you don’t have a lot of visitors here. That orange-haired dude looks like he wants to put his sword between my ribs.”

  “The only otherworlders who come here are guests of elves.” She picked up her pace, making a beeline for what appeared to be a gem show at the edge of the village. “The people here aren’t afraid, just cautious. They know you have no power here.”

  “I don’t?” Instinctively, he reached for the weak abilities he’d been left with, but it was like feeling around inside an empty box. Damn, he didn’t like this. As pathetic as his remaining powers were, they’d at least been accessible. Now he felt naked. Exposed. Not even the demon realm was this disconcerting.

  “Only elves wield magic here.”

  Angelic powers weren’t “magic,” but he knew what she meant. And he really, really needed to learn more about these people and this realm. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t known it existed. Were any angels aware of it?

  “Jedda!” A slender male with pale pink hair and eyes waved from a booth displaying gemstones in every shade of green. “I have freshly mined jade and a cursed malachite I know you’d love.” He waggled his brows, but she just laughed and waved him off.

  “Not today, Tindol, but thank you.”

  Another elf tried to sell her a sapphire shaped like a banana, and another was convinced she’d love an ugly puke-green stone linked to a Viking legend.

  “I’m just curious,” Razr said as they passed yet another silver-tongued salesman. “Why do you have a gem market when you could just harvest the gemstones that grow with the trees?”

  “Gods, no,” Jedda gasped, her gaze darting around as if making sure no one had heard him. “That’s one of the worst crimes you can commit here. No one gets away with it. No one.”

  One of the winged creatures he’d seen in the forest buzzed his ear, and he gently waved it away. “What happens to those who try?”

  “Death by hanging.”

  He blinked. “I thought you said it was peaceful here.”

  “It is. It’s not us who do the hanging.” She lowered her voice and leaned close. “It’s the trees.”

  He eyed the forest with new appreciation. “That’s pretty badass.”

  “If you think the trees are badass, wait until you see—” She broke off and stumbled to a stop, and he instantly went on alert.

  It only took a second to follow her gaze to see what had brought her up short. Just ahead, a red-haired, red-eyed female dressed in brown leather pants and a gold tunic blocked their path. A sword with a glittering ruby pommel hung at her hip, but it was the daggers she stared at Jedda that made Razr put himself between the two females.

  “Tell me that’s not your sister.”

  “I can’t do that,” Jedda said, her voice tight. “Razr, meet Reina.”

  * * * *

  “Hello, Jedda.”

  Razr’s arm snapped out to catch Jedda around the waist before she even knew her legs had wobbled. A surge of emotion flooded her, because no one had been there to catch her in a long time. His support meant even more to her given how everything had crashed down on her so hard back in Sheoul-gra. She couldn’t believe she was still alive. Hell, she couldn’t believe she was still alive and that Razr had forgiven her.

  And now she was sharing her realm with him, something she’d never shared with anyone. She just had to hope the experience wouldn’t take a nasty turn.

  “Reina.” Jedda wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel, but it was a relief to see her. She looked the same as the last time she’d seen her, with sleek garnet hair and garnet eyes that required colored contact lenses for visits to the human realm.

  “I sensed your arrival,” Reina said, her lips pursed in annoyance. “You haven’t been here in years.”

  “I haven’t needed to come.” Jedda wanted to hug her sister, but Reina had never been comfortable with physical affection, and Jedda wasn’t sure where their relationship stood anyway. “Have you been here all this time?”

  Reina waved her hand dismissively, but not before Jedda caught a flash of fear in her expression, gone so fast she might have imagined it. “I’ve always liked it here.”

  Jedda gave her sister a skeptical look. “You hate the elven realm.”

  With a shrug, Reina turned to Razr, her assessing gaze a little too appreciative for Jedda’s taste. “Who’s this?”

  There wasn’t going to be an easy way to introduce Razr and explain who he was, so Jedda just blurted it out and let Reina sort it out in her own head. “His name is Razriel, and he’s one of the angels we stole the Gems of Enoch from.”

  It took about five seconds for that to sink in, and then Reina gasped and stepped back, her face draining of color. “Surely not...”

  “It’s true.” Razr held up his hand and wiggled his ring finger.

  Reina lost more color, and a massive cloud of diamond dust exploded around her. Through the glittering cloud, a faint crimson glow outlined Reina’s body, a giveaway that she was drawing on the powers of her gems to use as a weapon. And here in The Timeless Lands, elves were twice as strong as in any other realm.

  “Reina, you need to calm down––”

  “Why did you bring him here?” Reina rounded on Jedda. “Otaehryn herwenys es miradithas?” What the hell were you thinking? “Cluhurach!” Idiot!

  “He has no power here, Reina.” Jedda kept her voice calm, trying to talk her sister down. “You know that.” As she’d told Razr, only elves had power in Filneshara, but that didn’t bring back any color to Reina’s face. She still eyed him like he was going to smite her where she stood.

  “Why is he here?” she demanded again, her voice at a near shout that made everyone in the nearby booths stare.

  “Because we have questions.” She slowly moved toward her sister, casually putting herself between Reina and Razr. “The Gems of Enoch are suddenly in play, and we need to know why. Did something happen to you recently? Something that would explain the fact that two fallen angels want them when no on
e has bothered us since...since Manda?”

  “Not recently,” Reina hedged, her voice low, as if Razr couldn’t hear. “Well, mostly.”

  “Dammit, Reina, just tell me. What’s happened since the last time I saw you?”

  Reina nervously smoothed her hands down the belted gold smock she wore in the elven tradition over leather pants. “I don’t want to talk in front of––” She glared at Razr. “––him.”

  Razr snarled, and before Jedda could blink, he had Reina backed up against a tree. He didn’t touch her. Didn’t need to. His anger and size got his point across with ease.

  “When you stole from me and my team, you caused irreparable damage and death. I’ve forgiven Jedda, but you?” He bared his teeth at her. “I don’t know you, and I don’t give a shit what you want. You will answer her questions, and you’ll do it in front of me.”

  “We owe him that,” Jedda said softly but urgently. “We owe him at least that.”

  “Fine.” Reina slipped around Razr and moved a few feet away, twitching like an angry cat. “But you aren’t going to like it.”

  Razr folded his arms over his chest and leaned casually against the tree he’d just backed her into. His hip hit the bright yellow topaz in the trunk’s center, and he just as casually stepped away, probably remembering what the trees did to those who tried to steal the jewels.

  “I already assumed as much,” he said. “Start talking.”

  “Start talking, please,” Reina scolded him with as much sarcasm as she could fit into three words and her voice. She made a sound of disgust and turned to Jedda. “Right after I saw you last, an angel named Darlah found me.”

  “Darlah.” Razr went as stiff as the tree behind him. “The Enoch garnet is hers.”

  “Yeah, no shit,” Reina snapped. “I was dating a couple of Charnel Apostles, and––”

  “A couple?” Jedda shook her head. One Charnel Apostle was unbelievable. But two? Those sorcerers weren’t just evil, they were nuclear-level evil. “Why?” Before the floral-scented breeze even carried away her question, she knew. Charnel Apostles could create gemstones full of powerful magic, gemstones with limited life. Basically, they were like drugs, delivering an intense boost of energy or strength or spell power for any gem elf who ingested them. Plus, they were apparently gods in bed. “Never mind. So what happened?”

  “This Darlah chick found me somehow. But I was with my guys at the time, and there was a battle... Long story short, Darlah got her hand chopped off and I got her bracelet.”

  Razr sucked in a harsh breath. “You have it? What happened to Darlah?”

  “Who the hell cares?” Reina narrowed her eyes. “Oh, wait, was she your lover?”

  The heartbeat of hesitation before Razr spoke was confirmation enough for Jedda, and while she had no right to be jealous, just thinking about Razr with someone else left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  “It was a long time ago,” he said, catching Jedda’s gaze as if to make sure she understood that. “Now, what happened to her?”

  “No idea where that bitch went.” Reina clacked her long nails together in irritation. “As for the bracelet, well, I did have it. Then I started dating this fallen angel who was climbing the political ladder in Sheoul.”

  Jedda’s gut clenched. “Don’t tell me you did what I think you did...”

  Reina winced. “I did. I gave Slayte the bracelet so he could harness the garnet’s power. He told me he was going to rule Sheoul. I was going to be his queen.” She swiped her hair out of her face with an angry shove. “Obviously, that didn’t happen.” She sniffed haughtily. “Oh, and whatever you do, do not fuck the person wearing your gem’s jewelry.”

  Uh-oh. Jedda shot a furtive glance at Razr. “Why not?”

  “Because it’ll bond you to them.” Reina studied her nails, which were studded with peridots on top of black polish. “Found that out the hard way.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Razr’s eyes flashed, reflecting the same mix of anxiety and confusion Jedda felt. The situation with Razr had already been complicated enough.

  “I mean that they can control you. You know how I can heal people with my gem? Well, apparently, my gem can also be used to tear people apart.” She smoothed her top again, clearing it of imaginary wrinkles. “That bastard used me to slaughter hundreds of demons at a time. Thousands.” Her voice wavered with emotion, something Jedda hadn’t heard from Reina since Manda died. “It was awful, but I had these feelings for him because of the stupid bond. I wanted to help.”

  “Where is he now?” Razr asked.

  “Dead. A couple of months ago.”

  “How?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  Razr’s leather jacket creaked as he folded his arms over his chest. “Try me.”

  Reina sighed. “The bastard was using the power to tear through an army of demons that belonged to some guy named...Revenant, I think it was. We were in some shitty region in Sheoul, and then out of nowhere, these four psychos with hellhounds rode in on horseback like the damned Horsemen of the Apocalypse and went all kinds of crazy on him. I escaped, but not before I saw Slayte get hacked to pieces and then eaten by the hellhounds.”

  Ew. Jedda wished she had a soda to wash the taste of bile out of her mouth. “Where is the bracelet?”

  “I don’t know. Probably in a pile of hellhound shit somewhere.”

  “Disturbing details aside,” Razr began, “that explains why the gems suddenly came onto the scene. I didn’t hear about that particular battle, but the Horsemen must have told angels about it, and those angels recognized the use of the Enoch gem.”

  Jedda looked over at Razr. “Who are these Horsemen?”

  “Reina just told you. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

  Reina snorted in disbelief and Jedda laughed, but quickly sobered. He wasn’t kidding. “The actual Four Horsemen? They’re real? You know them?”

  “They’re real.” He crouched to pick up what elves called “clover agates,” because of their color and shape. They were pretty, but their weak energy was suitable only to nourish the tiniest of infants. “I don’t know them well. I’ve only seen Limos and Thanatos—Famine and Death—in passing. They visit Azagoth sometimes, and they often travel with hellhounds. I don’t know why. Hell, I didn’t even think the beasts could be tamed.”

  “If those things I saw were tamed,” Reina said, “I’d hate to see what feral hellhounds are like.”

  Jedda nodded in agreement. Hellhounds were some of the worst fiends she’d ever encountered. Right behind Shrike. “So is that why you’re here? You’re hiding from whoever has the bracelet now?”

  “I’m hiding from Darlah. She swore to destroy me. I felt safe while Slayte wore the bracelet––I mean, he was a cruel psychopath, but he wouldn’t let anyone hurt me. Now that he’s gone...” She drew in a ragged breath. “I’m cool with hanging out here for a while.” She glanced at Jedda and Razr. “So what’s up with you two? How’d you end up here?”

  “Long story,” Jedda sighed.

  Reina arched a reddish eyebrow that almost matched her hair. “You guys fucked, didn’t you? Oh, man, Jedda...”

  “It’s okay.” Jedda hoped. Shit, this was a complication she didn’t need. But it also explained why she felt the way she did about Razr.

  Razr must have sensed her unease because he came up next to her and took her hand. “We need to talk. Can we catch up with your sister again later?”

  Reina nodded. “If you’re for real and truly forgave Jedda, where does that leave me?”

  “I don’t know,” Razr said in a quietly ominous voice, “but I give you my word that I’ll protect you as much as I can. If you give me your word that Jedda can always locate you.”

  For way too long, Reina considered Razr’s deal, and finally, just as Jedda began to sweat beads of sillimanite, Reina agreed. “Just know this, angel. If anything happens to Jedda, you’ll never find me again. I can hide here litera
lly forever.”

  Razr inclined his head in acknowledgement and then, to Jedda’s surprise, Reina came over and embraced her. “Let’s not lose each other again,” she murmured. “Losing our parents and Manda was enough.”

  Jedda didn’t point out that Manda was responsible for their parents’ deaths—over a stupid ruby—or that Reina had defended Manda until the end. Which was why Jedda and Reina had gone their separate ways after Manda died. But maybe now was the time to put all of that to bed. Or to at least open the door for it to happen.

  “Agreed,” Jedda said as she pulled away. “Someday...let’s talk.”

  Reina smiled. And then, in a gesture of goodwill, she opened her fist and offered Jedda a shiny round moonstone. Jedda’s hand shook as she took it and held it in her palm. It vibrated with Reina’s energy, a tracking device of sorts that would allow Jedda to locate her sister at any time, in any place.

  Summoning her own moonstone took a little effort; Jedda had never been as skilled as her sisters at producing gems at will. Still, a few seconds and a few silent curse words later, she offered Reina a rough oval moonstone containing her own energy signature.

  Reina took the stone, gave Jedda another hug, and disappeared inside a tree-formed archway to the elf grand hall where everyone would be gathering for supper soon.

  Razr squeezed her hand, a comfort she was learning she didn’t want to live without. “What was that about?”

  “Healing,” she said with a faint smile. “It was about healing. I think my sister is finally embracing her life-stone.”

  Chapter Twelve

  It was dark when Razr and Jedda arrived at her apartment. At first, the time of day didn’t seem important. It wasn’t until she turned on the TV that he realized they’d been gone three days.

  Her eyes, which had been bright with hope when they left the elven realm, were bloodshot now, and her face seemed a little drawn, hints of shadow in the hollows under her high cheekbones. He wondered if travel between the realms took more effort than angelic travel, sort of like jet lag for humans.