A Call for Brighter Days: Aeriel Trilogy #2

Ruban sucked in a sharp breath.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Janak grinned, his eyes aglow. “As beautiful as her, almost.” Gently, reverently, he ran his fingers over the exquisite necklace covered with tiny, glittering shards of sif.

It was well-crafted, elegant. Had it not been for the distinctive color of sif that gave it away, Ruban could almost have mistaken it for a normal necklace, studded with gemstones.

He’d never seen a piece of jewelry made from sif, before. It’d never occurred to him that you could make jewelry from sif, much less that you might want to. Janak must’ve spent a fortune to get this necklace made.

Janak nodded, reading the direction of his thoughts on his face. “It was the first thing I did, when I took over the Qawirsin. Had this necklace made. Do you know how many jewelers there are in Vandram who’d take a commission like this? One! And it cost me every last penny I had. But it was worth it.” He closed his eyes. “The thought of my necklace around her throat; choking her, killing her–”

“She’s dead,” Ruban said, unable to take it anymore. “She’s dead. Has been for more than a year, now. I’d know. I killed her myself. And believe me, she didn’t die an easy death. She got what she deserved.”

“She deserved me,” Janak snarled, snapping the box shut and stepping away. “She deserved to die by my hands. And you took that from me; you and your bosses at the IAW. Just like you took everything else.”

“So what do you want, Janak? What’re you after? Even the IAW can’t bring dead Aeriels back to life for you to torture and kill.”

“No.” His eyes gleamed, darting over to Ashwin and back. “But you can give me the live one. The one with Reivaa’s wings. You killed her, took her from me. So you owe me that much. After all, depending on your views of the afterlife, this might be the closest I’ll get to Reivaa ever again.”

Blinding fury surged in the pit of Ruban’s stomach, propelling him to his feet. Moments later, his fist connected with Janak’s jaw, throwing him headfirst into the wall as his pistol clattered noisily to the floor.

“Say that again,” he growled, grabbing Janak by the collar to pull him closer. “Reivaa’s dead. And I’m sorry for your loss.” His lips twisted into a sneer. “But you can’t have a replacement. That’s not how this works.

“And the Aeriel you want?” Ruban glanced at Ashwin, who stood motionless beside Simani and Kaheen. “He could bring this whole mine crashing down, with less than a thought. You think I can give him to you?” he laughed. “We’d all be splotches on the wall by now, if Ashwin wasn’t feeling generous.”

His bloodshot eyes boring into Ruban’s, Janak smirked. “Well, what’s stopping you, then? Do it. Tell your pet Aeriel to destroy this chamber and kill me. We both know he could do it – like you said, with less than a thought.” His gaze shifted to the corner where Kaheen still held Simani against the wall. “But remember this. If I die here, I’ll drag your partner down to hell with me. You can choose to have your Aeriel kill me right now. But the moment he attacks me, Kaheen will snap Simani’s neck.”

Ruban tensed, drawing a psychotic chuckle from Janak.

“Not so cocky now, are we? You’re so easy to read, I wonder how you ever survived that pit of vipers they call the IAW. Regardless, you have a choice to make now, Ruban. You can kill me right now, if you want. I won’t try to stop you. I daresay your Aeriel could kill Kaheen too, if he put his mind to it. There’s no denying he’s powerful, perhaps even more so than Reivaa.

“But the moment you attack me, Simani dies.” Across the room, Janak caught Kaheen’s eyes and held her gaze. “Or, you can exchange the Aeriel for your partner.”

Blood thrumming in his veins, Ruban slammed Janak against the nearest wall. “What?”

“You can save her, if you want.” Janak shrugged, a look of amused indifference in his eyes. “Simani, I mean. She’s injured and in pain. But she’ll live. If you want her to, that is.” He held up a hand. Across the room, Simani whimpered.

Ruban jerked back and punched Janak in the face. “Stop it! Whatever you’re doing to her, make it stop.”

“Gladly, if only you’ll let me have the Aeriel.” His face contorted with fury and bitterness. “If I can’t have Reivaa, I’ll have the closest thing to her I can get. Those wings…” Manic laughter spilled from his lips. “How long I’ve searched for them. Never thought I’d see them again. And now–”

With the sleeve of his tunic, Janak wiped the droplets of blood trickling down his nose. “Now they’re right here, in front of me. Close enough to touch.” He jerked forward, held back only by Ruban’s arm on his chest. “All you need to do is say the word, Ruban. Say it, and you and your partner can walk out of here, alive and unharmed. Live to fight another day, if you know what I mean.” His eyes met Ruban’s. “All I want is the Aeriel.”

“He’s not mine to give,” Ruban growled, tamping down on the note of desperation creeping into his voice. “And he’ll kill you anyway, once we’re out of here. There’s no way this ends well for you, Janak. You’re stacking your own funeral pyre; do you really not see that? If you kill Simani, you’ll die right here, by my hand. I can promise you it won’t be pleasant.

“And if you take Ashwin, how long do you think you’ll survive in his company, after you’ve left these mines? He’s one of the most powerful Aeriels in existence. What do you think will happen when you have neither me nor Simani to blackmail him with? Here’s a hint. You – and your entire operation – will burn to the ground. Everything you’ve built will come crashing down, all because you couldn’t let go of a decade-old grudge against a dead Aeriel.”

“Not if he wears the necklace. Reivaa’s necklace.”

The look of stupefied horror on Ruban’s face made Janak burst into laughter once again.

“You underestimate me, my boy. Honestly, I expected better of the man who killed Tauheen. Everything you’ve said was just as true of Reivaa as it is of your ‘Ashwin’, not that that’s his real name.

“She was certainly the more murderous of the two. That’s why I had the necklace made, especially for her. A special treat, for when I finally found her. A collar befitting the most formidable general of the queen’s army.” He glanced at Ashwin. “And if it could hold her, it’ll hold him. You needn’t worry about that.”

He signaled to Kaheen, and Simani screamed.

Ruban jerked. Ashwin stepped towards her.

Every time they moved, the screaming got louder, more unbearable. The pain in Simani’s voice was palpable.

“What’s it going to be, Ruban?” Janak hissed, leaning further into his space. “Your partner, or the Aeriel? Are you going to let her die for the creature you’re supposed to be Hunting?” He sneered. “To think how far the Hunter Corps has fallen.”

Across the darkened chamber, Ruban met Ashwin’s eyes.

He was sure Ashwin knew what choice he would make. He always asked Ashwin which side he’d pick, if he ever had to choose between the earth and his sister.

Ashwin never asked him the same question in return. Perhaps because he always knew the answer to it.

Somehow, knowing that just made the words harder to say.

Ruban looked away, his throat parched and tongue heavy in his mouth. “Take him.”

The words stung his throat on the way out. Still, he spoke them loud enough for Ashwin to hear him clearly.

The least he could do was accept responsibility for his decision, and its consequences, whatever they might be.

To hide behind a veil of helplessness now would be a bigger betrayal than the choice he was making – to abandon a friend to save another.

A choice Ashwin would have the power to refute, if he wanted to. He could blow up this entire mine, kill them all, and leave. Even injured – and in close proximity to large quantities of sif – it wouldn’t be impossible for him.

But even as the thought crossed his mind, Ruban knew Ashwin wouldn’t do it. Months ago, when they’d barely known each other, he’d almost killed himself trying to save Ruban from his mother. He wouldn’t watch them die just to save himself, now. No more than Ruban would have, had their positions been reversed.

He kept his eyes trained on Ashwin. Forced himself to watch as Janak slipped the chain lined with sif shards around his neck; as Ashwin gasped and collapsed to his knees, making no attempt to remove the necklace or free himself.

Helping Simani off the floor, Ruban swallowed around the knot of guilt, regret, and fear lodged in his throat. There would be time to indulge in self-flagellation later. For now, he needed to get Simani out of here and to a hospital.

Then, he’d figure out a way to track Janak down and bring him to justice.

Or die trying.