Ever After (The Hollows #11)(115)
Author: Kim Harrison

"Yes, of course." Glancing at Bis, Trent stood, his hands full of bandages and ointment he’d taken from the drawer. "Sit, you’re injured."

"My arm is fine!" I said, glancing behind me to see only seven, then six babies left. Trent had dropped his head, and then it hit me. I wasn’t the only slave here. "How much can you do?" I asked Trent, and his lips twitched. "I mean, are you like his slave slave, or do you still have free will?"

Trent glanced at Quen. "Ah, as long as Ku’Sox isn’t paying me any attention, I have my will. And when he makes one mistake, he’s going to die."

He was looking at my hand, and suddenly my warning flags tripped. Ashen, I hid my hands and looked between Quen and Trent. There hadn’t been enough time in that hushed conversation for Quen to bring Trent all the way up to speed. "You knew I reinvoked the slavers," I said, and Trent seemed to freeze. "How? Did you have Quen pull Riffletic’s rings to force me to reinvoke these . . . slave rings! So you could use me to kill Ku’Sox?"

Quen’s eye twitched, and Trent reached for me. "No, well, fight maybe," he said, his eyes pleading. "You’ve got it backward, but they’re the only way to even hope to make a strong enough bond between demon and elf. I was afraid if I told you, you would have said no."

"I put this on because I trusted you! And you forced this decision on me?" I jerked away from Quen. My hand was in a fist, slaver gold glinting between my knuckles. You tricky little bastards, what have you done? I thought, glaring at Quen, then shifted my eyes to the glass behind him. It was shining with a red, rosy glow.

Suddenly the room flashed white, a muffled explosion making the glass tremble. I gasped, falling to my knees when it cracked. Trent went for the floor as Quen spun. A boom of sound shook the air, and the glass shattered inward.

Quen was flung back, arms flailing as he hit the tile a second before the safety glass pattered down on him. Crouched and head covered, I was struck by shards. Babies were crying, at least three, maybe more.

"Where are you taking them, you little swamp rat!" Ku’Sox shouted, and I felt a tug as Bis popped another baby to safety. Ku’Sox didn’t know Quen and I were here, and my heart pounded. Shit. Who had the ring? Trent or Quen? Ku’Sox owned Trent. Would he own me by default too?

Quen shifted, and glass slid from him. The faint tinkling went unnoticed as Ku’Sox shouted at Bis. Thumps and pops were coming in through the broken window, and I peeked over the shattered edge of the window frame. Bis was swooping madly, his face alight and his sparse hair bristled. He was enjoying himself, but I was scared to death for him.

"Hey!" I shouted, standing up, and Ku’Sox spun, the demon actually looking surprised for one-blessed-moment.

Black teeth showing in a grin, Bis used the distraction to pop another baby to safety.

Ku’Sox glanced at the gargoyle, then back to me. Looking grim, he walked toward us, snatching a wailing infant from his crib by his leg, his blue blanket falling to the floor. "I don’t know if you are incredibly stupid or incredibly clever," he said, carelessly dangling the screaming baby upside down. "Are you seeking a way to implicate me in your . . . foolhardy attempt to destroy the ever-after, or just really, really stupid?"

"I’d go for incredibly clever," I said, then yanked on the line as his free hand clenched, turning a violent black before he threw a curse at me.

"Now!" Trent shouted, and I felt a twin tug on the line as both Quen and Trent threw up a bubble. Ku’Sox’s energy tore through both of them, bouncing off my smaller bubble. Black and gold shimmered like oil as Ku’Sox’s magic slammed into mine. I gasped when my hold on the line faltered, then held firm. Ku’Sox’s magic hung, stuck as it tried to burn through, and I panicked, not knowing what to do. It was better-my hold on the line was firm. I didn’t think anyone was wearing the ring. I could do this. I could fight back.

"Eram pere!" I shouted, exploding my bubble out. It took Ku’Sox’s magic with it, slamming it into the ceiling to rain down like evil pixy dust.

Trent tripped on something and went down, hand reaching for a counter. "Bis!" I shouted as the gargoyle darted to the last screaming infant as Ku’Sox ducked. "We have to go!"

Trent pulled himself up, tall and proud. "Digitorum percussion," he intoned, the heavy black in his hand growing darker, his golden aura racing over it to make it glow. My eyes widened as he pulled back, aiming for Ku’Sox. I could feel him pull on the line, he was so desperate. But he was aiming for Ku’Sox.

My God. The baby. "Trent, no!" I cried, and I lunged for him. Quen’s foot tripped me, and I plowed into Trent, grabbing him about the knees instead of his middle where I’d intended.

We went down, my teeth clenching as we hit the floor. Trent cried out in anger as his magic went wild, slipping from his hand to roll into a bank of machines. I ducked as it hit, sparks flying as machinery suddenly vanished, replaced by the smell of ozone and twisted metal.

Shouting, Quen launched himself at Ku’Sox. The two of them went down in a tangle of arms and billowing fabric. Twin bursts of aura-tinted magic flared, and then Quen was flung back, sliding to a halt against the machines, his expression showing his pain and one hand clenched into a fist against his chest.

"What are you doing!" Trent shouted at me, pushing me off him as he stood, and I backed up onto my knees before spinning to face Ku’Sox.

"You might hurt the baby!" I yelled back at him, hunched and ready for the next attack.

"That child is already dead!" Trent shouted, furious.

"Put the baby down!" I exclaimed at Ku’Sox, moving to stand between him and everyone behind me. I didn’t know how I was going to stop him, but I was having a much easier time now that I was a slave with no master. Can I trust him? asked a small voice inside me, and I ached at the coming betrayal.

"This child?" Ku’Sox said, swinging the screaming baby like pendulum, tossing him into the air to land in his arms. Behind him, Bis tensed, too far away to snatch him to safety. His eyes went behind me. "Dolore adficere," Ku’Sox whispered, his fingers moving.

I tensed, but all Ku’Sox did was smile as the child in his arms wailed even louder, hardly able to breathe.

Fire suddenly erupted against my back, thought-stealing pain radiating out from my spine. I couldn’t breathe, and I collapsed to the floor, my fingers scrabbling behind me to find what it was. The heat spread to my hands, and I cried out, pulling them to my front to see that they were covered in a burning, golden-hued aura-burning me from the outside in. Ku’Sox’s curse had come from Trent.