Page 305 of Halfblood Deceived

“Like them,” Aella interrupted. “Yes, I know. I’m an ugly monster. Come on.” She stood, feeling strangely stronger and weaker at the same time. Goddess, she was tired, hungry, thirsty, and sore. But none of that mattered now.

She led Aiko to the bottom of the room.

“That’s not what I meant,” Aiko said, voice thin with the same shock that widened her eyes.

“It doesn’t matter,” Aella assured her, as she moved a few chairs and the heavy desk that covered the narrow tunnel as if they were weightless. No time to worry about that, Aella reminded herself. “There’s a tunnel here,” she explained to Aiko instead. “I sent a toy car with a camera through it once.” The toy car had been Eli’s. He’d bought it when he thought Bethany was pregnant with a son and then tossed it into the garbage in a rage when he found out they were having Charity. Aella had hidden it along with an old camera that Ben had discarded. She urged Aiko to come closer, and the child went. A draft that smelled like fresh soil caressed their faces. “It bends a bit, but you’ll emerge into the forest.”

Aiko gripped Aella’s shoulder. “You won’t fit.”

“You will,” Aella said.

Aiko shook her head, blue eyes swimming with tears. “No. Let’s find another way. Let’s go together.”

“There is no other way,” Aella said, feeling as if she had an anvil pressing against her chest.

Aiko sobbed. “I won’t leave without you!”

Aella swallowed hard. “You promised to run if I told you to run, remember?” Aiko shook her head. Aella carefully cupped the child’s face in her clawed hands. “Please go, Aiko. Please. I’m sure Zeydan, Evan, and the others are looking for me. And I hope they find you. I know they’ll find you.” She swallowed back a sob. “Please go. I need to protect you. I failed you before, but not again. Please.”

“But you’re defenseless!” Aiko protested.

Aella gave her a watery smile. “I’m not.” She recited a phrase in Latin that activated the incantation contained in the thin chain she wore around her chest under her sports bra. Thank the goddess she’d kicked Eli before he got his hands under her clothes.

Verdant energy covered her from neck to feet. Her wet, bloodstained clothes fell in ribbons to the floor, a soft undersuit and black armor replaced them. Complete with a belt around her hips, from which two claymores hung, and sturdy boots. She’d abstained from using it while she was tied in that cell. It would have done her no good. But now she needed it.

Thank you, Zeydan; Aella thought.

This had been the gift he’d sent to her after their fight. A prototype. A mix of fey summoning magic, Elven metal, and nanotechnology, he’d written in the note with the instructions.

Aiko blinked.

“Now go,” Aella urged. “I’ll make sure they don’t find the tunnel.”

Aiko swallowed hard and threw her arms around Aella. “Please survive.”

“I intend to,” Aella lied, hugging her tight for a moment and then letting her go to nudge her toward the tunnel.

Aiko sniffed but got in the tunnel.

Aella waited until she disappeared from sight, to put everything back in place.

She took a bracing breath and turned toward the door. With her now pointy ears, she could hear agitated voices, but not make out what they were saying.

She’d die.

Aella knew she’d die.

But she didn’t care.

No, that wasn’t true. Aella did care. She would never again spend lazy afternoons watching her favorite romantic show with Diana. She would never see her friends again. She would never see Zeydan again. Everything inside Aella ached, but she swallowed down her pain and marched to the door. She would die, but she would avenge Aiko, Anna, and Tatsuki. She would avenge herself.

She pressed her ear to the door and heard voices near. Female voices.

Carefully, Aella removed the wooden slab and opened the door a sliver. There was no one around, so she climbed up the steps.

The hall by the kitchen was empty, but the kitchen wasn’t.

She went inside it and found two nuns cooking. One of them, the youngest, dropped a pot of boiled potatoes to the floor and made the sign of the cross.

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