Read Online Return of the Hunters (The DeathSpeaker Codex Book 4) by Sonya Bateman - Free Book Online
Authors: Sonya Bateman
Tags: Coming of Age, witch, Ghost, Fae, God, shapeshifter, dark urban paranormal thriller voodoo elf fairies werewolf New Orleans Papa Legba swamp bayou moon magic spells supernatural seelie unseelie manhattan new york city evil ancient cult murder hunter police detective reluctant hero journey humor family
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to Zoba, turning him carefully onto his side.
His eyes were rolled back to white. For one nasty second, I thought he was still Legba.
“Zoba,” she said urgently. “Come on, sugar . Come on back to me.” Her voice caught, and a tear slipped down her face. “I know you in there. I hear you.”
One corner of his mouth twitched. He let out a rush of air, then closed his eyes.
Denei flinched. “No, it ain’t your fault,” she said. “You jes’ hang on. We’re gonna get there, hear?” She looked at the others. “Bastien, Isalie. You two go on up and find out what the hell’s gone wrong with this worthless hunk of train now. Get the truth. Any means necessary. I need to know how long this gonna take.”
The two of them nodded, stood and slipped silently from the cabin.
“Rex, you and Nobi help me get him back in bed.” Denei glanced back at Reun, and then caught my eye. “You know we’d never turn you over to him,” she said. “Right?”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Good.” She watched the young ones approach with shaken determination. “Now, we need a way to get there faster. I got a bad feelin’ this train ain’t going nowhere for a while.”
Reun stood slowly from the chair. “I might have a way,” he said. “It is not without risk, but it may be our only choice.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. “What way?”
He leveled a hard look at me. “We go through Arcadia.”
C HAPTER 14
I was right. I didn’t like the sound of that.
“How the hell’s that going to help?” I said. “Time is slower there, so wouldn’t it take even longer if we did that? Besides, it’s Arcadia. Everything there exists to kill something. And it doesn’t seem to care what.”
Denei gave an uneasy glance. “Sounds like handsome has a point.”
“Yes, time is slower. But distance is…fluid,” Reun said. “Once we’ve crossed the Veil from here, we can cross back from Arcadia directly into New Orleans. It would require a bit of travel through the Fae realm. But not nearly as far as we’ve yet to go here.”
“Hold on.” Denei slid her arms under Zoba’s shoulders and nodded to Rex and Senobia, who helped her lift him and carry him the short distance to the bed. Once they had him settled, she turned and nearly glared at him. “You sayin’ you can basically fold space? Take a shortcut through this Fae realm or whatever, and just step into the city like snappin’ your fingers?” She bared her teeth in a snarl. “Why the fuck we ain’t done that in the first place?”
Reun shook his head. “Because Gideon is right,” he said. “There is great risk in entering Arcadia, particularly for those who are not Fae.”
“Yeah. We barely made it through that place, and we had a Fae prince helping us out.” I’d always be beyond grateful to Uriskel for risking his life to save a bunch of strangers. Without him, we’d have died ten minutes in. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Reun isn’t all that eager to go back, after what happened…before,” I added softly.
Denei’s face relaxed instantly, and she started across the room toward him. “Oh, Lord. I’m so sorry,” she said. “Course you don’t wanna go back there. And I don’t blame you, not one bit.”
“I will, a’stohr. For you, and your family.” He put an arm around her and kissed her gently. “My only concern is for your safety,” he said. “Arcadia is not particularly welcoming to humans. Even those with…talents such as yours.”
She gave a weak laugh. “Are you flattering me, Mister Seelie Noble?”
“Perhaps I am.”
“Seriously, guys?” I said.
“Denei,” Senobia called from the side of the bed, where she’d sat next to Zoba. “He’s tryin’ to get up.”
She frowned and walked toward them. “Relax. Ain’t nothin’ you can do right now, brother,” she said, kneeling beside him to take his hand. “Rex, honey. Fetch me a damp cloth?”
“You got it.” He headed for the bathroom.
I
His eyes were rolled back to white. For one nasty second, I thought he was still Legba.
“Zoba,” she said urgently. “Come on, sugar . Come on back to me.” Her voice caught, and a tear slipped down her face. “I know you in there. I hear you.”
One corner of his mouth twitched. He let out a rush of air, then closed his eyes.
Denei flinched. “No, it ain’t your fault,” she said. “You jes’ hang on. We’re gonna get there, hear?” She looked at the others. “Bastien, Isalie. You two go on up and find out what the hell’s gone wrong with this worthless hunk of train now. Get the truth. Any means necessary. I need to know how long this gonna take.”
The two of them nodded, stood and slipped silently from the cabin.
“Rex, you and Nobi help me get him back in bed.” Denei glanced back at Reun, and then caught my eye. “You know we’d never turn you over to him,” she said. “Right?”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Good.” She watched the young ones approach with shaken determination. “Now, we need a way to get there faster. I got a bad feelin’ this train ain’t going nowhere for a while.”
Reun stood slowly from the chair. “I might have a way,” he said. “It is not without risk, but it may be our only choice.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. “What way?”
He leveled a hard look at me. “We go through Arcadia.”
C HAPTER 14
I was right. I didn’t like the sound of that.
“How the hell’s that going to help?” I said. “Time is slower there, so wouldn’t it take even longer if we did that? Besides, it’s Arcadia. Everything there exists to kill something. And it doesn’t seem to care what.”
Denei gave an uneasy glance. “Sounds like handsome has a point.”
“Yes, time is slower. But distance is…fluid,” Reun said. “Once we’ve crossed the Veil from here, we can cross back from Arcadia directly into New Orleans. It would require a bit of travel through the Fae realm. But not nearly as far as we’ve yet to go here.”
“Hold on.” Denei slid her arms under Zoba’s shoulders and nodded to Rex and Senobia, who helped her lift him and carry him the short distance to the bed. Once they had him settled, she turned and nearly glared at him. “You sayin’ you can basically fold space? Take a shortcut through this Fae realm or whatever, and just step into the city like snappin’ your fingers?” She bared her teeth in a snarl. “Why the fuck we ain’t done that in the first place?”
Reun shook his head. “Because Gideon is right,” he said. “There is great risk in entering Arcadia, particularly for those who are not Fae.”
“Yeah. We barely made it through that place, and we had a Fae prince helping us out.” I’d always be beyond grateful to Uriskel for risking his life to save a bunch of strangers. Without him, we’d have died ten minutes in. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Reun isn’t all that eager to go back, after what happened…before,” I added softly.
Denei’s face relaxed instantly, and she started across the room toward him. “Oh, Lord. I’m so sorry,” she said. “Course you don’t wanna go back there. And I don’t blame you, not one bit.”
“I will, a’stohr. For you, and your family.” He put an arm around her and kissed her gently. “My only concern is for your safety,” he said. “Arcadia is not particularly welcoming to humans. Even those with…talents such as yours.”
She gave a weak laugh. “Are you flattering me, Mister Seelie Noble?”
“Perhaps I am.”
“Seriously, guys?” I said.
“Denei,” Senobia called from the side of the bed, where she’d sat next to Zoba. “He’s tryin’ to get up.”
She frowned and walked toward them. “Relax. Ain’t nothin’ you can do right now, brother,” she said, kneeling beside him to take his hand. “Rex, honey. Fetch me a damp cloth?”
“You got it.” He headed for the bathroom.
I
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