Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Xev turned on Dagon. “Claim a side to die for.”

Dagon frowned as his gaze went from Simi to Kody to Menyara and Nick. “Fine, but I’m not sure what side this is. Are you?”

“Meaning?”

He scowled at Nick’s hand on Kody’s. “Since when does the Malachai fight beside Cam and the daughter of Bathymaas?”

Nick flashed him a devilish grin. “I’m not your average Malachai.”

“So it’s true, then. There is a Malachai born of the light?”

Xev hesitated about confirming it in so many words. “He fights against Noir and Azura.”

“And the ušumgallu?” Dagon asked. Not that Nick blamed him for being suspicious. Before picking a side in a war this deadly and scary, it paid to ask a few questions and do some homework. Once a flag was chosen, it was hard to surrender it. “Where do they and their allies stand in this?”

“Mostly undeclared. Malphas is temporarily down, but fights with us, unequivocally. Livia is with us. Bane undecided. We know nothing of Grim or Laguerre. We assume Yrre is against us, but we don’t know for certain.”

Nick grimaced as he realized his allies were even fewer than he’d thought.

Ouch.

Dagon’s gaze went to the window, where it narrowed sharply. “I’d say they’ve declared enmity. Those carrions are seeking Malachai blood. Once they have it, you’ll have no choice. You either ride with Death and War. Or die.” He scowled at Nick. “Why didn’t you drain your šarras while you could?”

In retrospect?

Stupidity.

But that wasn’t what he said out loud. He answered with the truth. “I didn’t think I had to. Caleb said all I had to do was confront them, show them who’s boss, and seal the gate. We did that. Yrre was never released. Only Livia and Xev, and they relented to me. At least that’s what I was told.”

“Someone lied to you. Yrre made it through to this side, and is roaming free.”

Nick searched his memory as he tried to remember who’d told him that Yrre had stayed sealed in. For his life, he couldn’t recall who’d said that.

Crap. Where had that come from? He knew he hadn’t imagined it. Someone had told him that. Had they set him up intentionally? Could they have meant to betray him or was it a misunderstanding or mistake?

And if it was intentional …

I’m so screwed.

No, worse than that. Someone would have intentionally betrayed him. Set him up for this so that they’d all get their butts handed to them in this massacre.

He passed a look between Kody, Xev, and Dagon. “So what do we do?”