Read Online Realm of Mirrors (The DeathSpeaker Codex Book 3) by Sonya Bateman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sonya Bateman
Ads: Link
at me in disgust—like he’d just decided he owned underwear that was smarter than me. “Why would the Unseelie Guard want your brother?”
“Look, I have no idea,” I said. “I’m pretty sure they were after Daoin, and they only took Taeral because he was there.”
“Daoin?” Uriskel said hoarsely.
“Yeah, Taeral’s—well, our father. He’s supposed to be banished, so I don’t know why they’d take him back.”
“Lord Daoin Ciar’ Ansghar, Captain of the Unseelie Guard.” Uriskel took a menacing step forward. “ That is your father?”
I tried to shrink into the couch. “Look, I don’t know anything about him,” I said. “I just met the guy a few months ago, and he was already…”
“Already what?” he demanded.
“Gone, okay?” I nearly shouted. This was starting to piss me off. I lunged to my feet and paced toward the window, my hands clenched tight. “Whoever Daoin was before, he’s not anymore. He hasn’t been for a long time,” I said without turning. “He doesn’t remember anything about his life, and he barely remembers Taeral is his son. Hell, he doesn’t know who he is half the time. So I don’t fucking understand why the Unseelie Court came for him, but I’m getting both of them back, damn it!”
A resounding silence answered my rant, and I looked back to find everyone gaping at me. Including Uriskel.
“What’s happened to him?” Uriskel said in an almost normal tone.
I released a pent breath. “You guys ever hear of Milus Dei?”
“Gideon, don’t.” Sadie sat forward with an alarmed expression. “We shouldn’t talk about that.”
“Yeah, we should.” I knew what had her worried. If they found out what I was, besides half Unseelie, they might not help us—because there was a distinct possibility Milus Dei would target them, too. But I wasn’t going to let anyone risk their lives without knowing what they were getting into. “Have you heard of it?” I repeated.
Cobalt frowned. “Aye, but only rumors,” he said. “They’re supposed to be some kind of cult looking to destroy all non-humans. The men of legend—and I’d assumed that’s what they were. Legends, stories to frighten children.”
“Well, they’re real.” I crossed my arms and focused on nothing in particular. “Milus Dei is what happened to Daoin,” I said. “They held him captive for twenty-six years. Kept him in a room with cold iron walls, experimented on him, tortured him. When we got him out of there, they’d left him to bleed to death—he had no magic left, so he couldn’t heal himself.”
I could barely look at their stricken expressions. At least they believed me.
Sadie got up and walked over to me. “They had Taeral too, for almost a year,” she said. “That’s how he lost his arm. And they caught me twice.”
“Where is this Milus Dei?” Uriskel said.
I frowned. “Good question. We fought them, thought we’d stopped them—but then we found out the group in New York was only a branch,” I said. “Apparently they’re all over the world. We just got back from fighting another bunch of those bastards in Pennsylvania. They’d taken Sadie’s pack.”
“My God, I’m so sorry,” Cobalt rasped. “Gideon, you said you’d only known about the Others, and your own heritage, for a few months. Is this how you found out?”
“Yeah. They came after me pretty hard, so I had to figure everything out fast—and not die while I was doing it.”
Uriskel raised an eyebrow. “If you’d not known what you are, why did they come after you?” he said.
Of course he’d ask that.
Sadie mouthed no , but I had to tell them. And if they weren’t willing to help, we’d find another way. I drew a steadying breath and looked directly at the Unseelie.
“Because I’m the DeathSpeaker.”
C HAPTER 11
U riskel stared at me so intensely, I started to think I’d burst into flames any second. Finally, he said. “I will accompany you to Arcadia, to save your
“Look, I have no idea,” I said. “I’m pretty sure they were after Daoin, and they only took Taeral because he was there.”
“Daoin?” Uriskel said hoarsely.
“Yeah, Taeral’s—well, our father. He’s supposed to be banished, so I don’t know why they’d take him back.”
“Lord Daoin Ciar’ Ansghar, Captain of the Unseelie Guard.” Uriskel took a menacing step forward. “ That is your father?”
I tried to shrink into the couch. “Look, I don’t know anything about him,” I said. “I just met the guy a few months ago, and he was already…”
“Already what?” he demanded.
“Gone, okay?” I nearly shouted. This was starting to piss me off. I lunged to my feet and paced toward the window, my hands clenched tight. “Whoever Daoin was before, he’s not anymore. He hasn’t been for a long time,” I said without turning. “He doesn’t remember anything about his life, and he barely remembers Taeral is his son. Hell, he doesn’t know who he is half the time. So I don’t fucking understand why the Unseelie Court came for him, but I’m getting both of them back, damn it!”
A resounding silence answered my rant, and I looked back to find everyone gaping at me. Including Uriskel.
“What’s happened to him?” Uriskel said in an almost normal tone.
I released a pent breath. “You guys ever hear of Milus Dei?”
“Gideon, don’t.” Sadie sat forward with an alarmed expression. “We shouldn’t talk about that.”
“Yeah, we should.” I knew what had her worried. If they found out what I was, besides half Unseelie, they might not help us—because there was a distinct possibility Milus Dei would target them, too. But I wasn’t going to let anyone risk their lives without knowing what they were getting into. “Have you heard of it?” I repeated.
Cobalt frowned. “Aye, but only rumors,” he said. “They’re supposed to be some kind of cult looking to destroy all non-humans. The men of legend—and I’d assumed that’s what they were. Legends, stories to frighten children.”
“Well, they’re real.” I crossed my arms and focused on nothing in particular. “Milus Dei is what happened to Daoin,” I said. “They held him captive for twenty-six years. Kept him in a room with cold iron walls, experimented on him, tortured him. When we got him out of there, they’d left him to bleed to death—he had no magic left, so he couldn’t heal himself.”
I could barely look at their stricken expressions. At least they believed me.
Sadie got up and walked over to me. “They had Taeral too, for almost a year,” she said. “That’s how he lost his arm. And they caught me twice.”
“Where is this Milus Dei?” Uriskel said.
I frowned. “Good question. We fought them, thought we’d stopped them—but then we found out the group in New York was only a branch,” I said. “Apparently they’re all over the world. We just got back from fighting another bunch of those bastards in Pennsylvania. They’d taken Sadie’s pack.”
“My God, I’m so sorry,” Cobalt rasped. “Gideon, you said you’d only known about the Others, and your own heritage, for a few months. Is this how you found out?”
“Yeah. They came after me pretty hard, so I had to figure everything out fast—and not die while I was doing it.”
Uriskel raised an eyebrow. “If you’d not known what you are, why did they come after you?” he said.
Of course he’d ask that.
Sadie mouthed no , but I had to tell them. And if they weren’t willing to help, we’d find another way. I drew a steadying breath and looked directly at the Unseelie.
“Because I’m the DeathSpeaker.”
C HAPTER 11
U riskel stared at me so intensely, I started to think I’d burst into flames any second. Finally, he said. “I will accompany you to Arcadia, to save your
Similar Books
