Page 80 of Obsidian Prince

Liliana blinked her human eyes for a moment, relief and confusion flooding her in equal measure. She was certain the vision she saw had been of the present, yet here was Alexander. He was not tied to a chair with a bleeding, broken nose. She looked around the room. There was no window in this room. She had seen an empty, glassless window frame behind him in her vision. He had been tied to a metal chair. There was no metal chair in this room.

“But …” Liliana’s eyes had never failed her so completely.

“It’s all right, Lilly. Your vision must have been wrong.” Alexander’s deep voice held a gentle tone.

A cold chill made the hair on Liliana’s arms stand up. Alexander did not call her Lilly.

“And a good thing, I’d say,” Detective Jackson added as she put her pistol back in the holster on her belt and sipped her drink. “Don’t stress about it. Even a really accurate fortune-teller gets things wrong now and then.”

Liliana opened all her eyes. She looked at the tall man who sounded, smelled, moved like Alexander, but wasn’t. Her third eyes showed her a flat, barely visible shimmer of silvery light in a silhouette around his body. What she did not see was a complex layering of the colors of ice and passion, ruthless confidence and old pain, cool control and anger. She did not see Alexander’s soul. “That is not Alexander.”

The thing in front of her with Alexander’s face frowned, then looked at the badger-kin soldier who stood next to her. “She’s delusional.”

Lieutenant John Runningwolf looked at Liliana, his dark brows furrowed. “Why would you even say that?”

Detective Jackson shook her head. “I’ve been at his side all afternoon.”

“I’ve had eyes on the Colonel since this morning, aside from that one hour I let Officer West watch over him.” Liliana had advised him herself to allow that since she’d seen him die in visions where he didn’t take that short break.

Liliana searched with her fourth eyes.Where is the real Alexander?While all three pairs of her other eyes showed her the room she stood in with John, Zoe, and Detective Jackson, her fourth vision showed her the room with the empty window.

The heavy bulk of Officer West’s hard fist hit a bound Alexander in the belly making his breath cough out harshly. The vision was as sharp as Liliana’s vision of the false Alexander and the people who stood next to her. This was happening, right now. But not here.

The false Alexander gave an order to John. “Escort her out, Lieutenant. The enemy must have gotten to her somehow.”

“Yes, sir.” He took Liliana’s arm in a firm grip. “Come with me.”

Liliana tried to yank herself loose, but the werebadger was too strong. She could attack him but there were a half dozen other shifters in the room right outside the door who would attack her if she moved against their Lieutenant. She had no desire to harm John, in any case.

Zoe Giovanni got a sour look on her face. “Sir, is this a zodiac tango case?” She pointed to Liliana.

The false Alexander nodded authoritatively. “Yes, I believe it is.”

“All right then. I know what to do.” Zoe stepped up and took Liliana’s other arm.

The petite spider kin tensed, moving her weight onto her toes. She didn't want to fight Zoe Giovanni or John Runningwolf. Zoe was Pete's friend and Alexander's loyal soldier. John Runningwolf was Alexander's Lieutenant and she thought he had started to become her friend. She didn't know what else to do. She tried one last time. “I'm telling you that is not Alexander. I can see.”

Zoe Giovanni’s voice was gentle as she patted Liliana’s back. “You're right, of course. We all know you can see things that we can't.”

The words were said as if she were humoring Liliana, but they were exactly accurate as spoken. If she took the words literally, they were true. And the Sergeant knew that the spider seer always took everything literally. She looked at Zoe Giovanni's face, startled.

Zoe looked back at her, meeting her eyes for less than a second, then turning to John. “I've got her Lieutenant. Come on Anna Sees All.”

For the barest moment, John Runningwolf’s grip on Liliana's arm loosened.

The agile spider seer twisted out of his loose grip. Zoe released her immediately. She leapt towards the false Alexander, knowing Zoe would back her.

Zoe stepped in front of the were-badger, interfering with John's attempt to move forward, slowing him down for a crucial second.

Liliana popped out her arm blade as she jumped. She sliced across the chest of the thing with Alexander's face.

A loud popping sound and fiery pain in her calf occurred at the same time.

There was no blood, even though Liliana’s arm blade pierced deep, slashing the thing from right collar bone to left hip. It looked like Alexander stood there for a moment. Staring down at his chest in disgust. “Such a nice shirt.”

Liliana stumbled to one knee as her leg failed.

Then the thing pretending to be Alexander exploded in a cloud of sawdust and odd-smelling leaves and twigs. The clothes collapsed to the ground in an empty pile.

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