Page 69 of Blood Bearon
“Hit him from behind when he least expects it. Exactly.”
“There are holes big enough to fly the moon through that logic. Starting with how do you “hit” him if you aren’t a mage yourself?”
“Get in. I’ll explain on the way over.”
Rachel shuddered, pulling her flashlight and pointing it at the hole to reveal a grimy ladder leading down into the depths.
“Do I even want to know what this was used for?” she asked, trying not to cringe.
“Probably not,” Khove admitted. “Now get climbing.”
Putting her flashlight away, Rachel got into the hole and started climbing down. Above her, Khove watched.
“Stay close to the ladder,” he called.
Rachel pulled in tight before asking why, but she didn’t have time to get the word out before Khove plummeted past her. She braced herself for a loud clang from above as the hatch fell shut, but it slowly lowered itself with a hiss of pneumatic shocks.
Khove, meanwhile, landed with nary a noise in the darkness below.
“I hate you,” she grumbled, climbing the rest of the way down. “Can I take out my flashlight?”
“Yes. This way,” he rumbled.
She flicked on her light and followed, noting the way he had both bags slung over a shoulder like oversized knapsacks.
“What did you even bring?”
“What I need to fight Korred on fair ground. Weapons specially designed to attack mages.”
“There are weapons for that? Why haven’t you told me? I could have gotten some!” she yelped, then shut her mouth as her voice echoed down the tunnel.
Khove didn’t seem to care. He ignored the outburst and kept walking forward. “You don’t possess them. But I brought some extras for you.”
“What sort of weapon?”
“Radiation,” he said softly.
“Say what?”
“Radiation,” Khove repeated. “It plays havoc with anything in the paranormal world. I’m not supposed to tell you that, but you need to know. It destroys the bonds of magic, making it lethal to anyone or anything. Even I can’t carry it unless it’s in a lead-lined sheath or container.”
“What would happen if it wasn’t?” she asked cautiously.
“My skin would wither, turn black and die in seconds. A wound inflicted with such a weapon won’t close.” Khove spoke quietly.
“That’s a very powerful bit of information to have.”
“Never say I don’t trust you,” he rumbled, and picked up the pace.
Rachel stood rooted to the spot as she tried to process everything she’d just been told. If Khove wasn’t lying to her, he’d just revealed a major weakness if humans ever needed to go up against his kind—a fatal flaw worse than an exposed exhaust shaft someone could drop a space torpedo into.
Well, maybe not worse. But on a par.
And he had entrusted her with that knowledge, even after the threats she’d made to arrest him if he tried to kill Korred. And somehow, Khove hadstilltrusted her with that information. Rachel felt sick. He clearly thought much higher of her than she did of him, but maybe it was time she rethought that idea.
“You don’t have to come with,” Khove said from ahead. “I’m prepared. I can handle this. When he shows, and he will, I can do it without you. This isn’t your fight, Rachel. Nobody would hold it against you if you backed out.”
She shook her head and started off. “Iwould hold it against me, Khove. I’m scared, I won’t lie, but my job is to put myself between bad guys like this ass Korred, and the innocents of Plymouth Falls. So give me a dagger or something and let me help, because I’m not going anywhere.”
