Darkness Splintered (DA 6) Read Online Free PDF Page A

temples.”
    “Which is a roundabout way of saying I’ll need your help?” And it would come at a price, of that I had no doubt. Still, it was worth reminding him exactly what was at risk. Hell, he might even surprise me and offer help without threats or strings.
    And tomorrow, those damn pigs will fly.
    “You will need help to access the temples, yes, but I will not be able to provide it. The Raziq have traps waiting around them.” Contempt darkened his tone as he added, “They hope to ensnare me should I be foolish enough to go near.”
    “So how in the hell am I supposed to get into the place if you can’t help me? I’m thinking you don’t want me asking the Raziq for help.”
    Anger surged, strong enough to snatch my breath and send lilac sparks skittering down Amaya’s sides. “That would be unwise.”
    “Then how about offering a fucking solution, instead of just threats?” I snapped. “Because if you want the sorcerer shut down before he can use the key, I need some help.”
    “There’s your reaper. While they are not initiated into the order, they have always had access to the temples.”
    My reaper… pain and regret stormed barely shored-up defenses, and once again tears were stinging my eyes. Damn it, no . I was stronger than this. I’d survived Jak’s betrayal, and I’d get over this, too. I had to, because this time, there was more than just my heart and my mother’s reputation at stake. This time, there were lives on the line. Many lives.
    A world of them, in fact.
    I fiercely thrust the pain aside. “Didn’t you just say the gates are within grounds? Why, then, would the reapers be able to access the temples?” After all reapers, as soul guides, needed access to the former not the latter.
    “At one time, they did not. But the priests have long gone, and the reapers have been forced to do what the priests once did.”
    And that was keeping the gates in working order, as well as stopping anything – and everything – that tried to escape hell. With the first hell gate now open, more and more demons were escaping into the fields and subsequently onto Earth, and the Mijai – who were the reaper soldiers – found themselves spread very thin indeed.
    God, I hope Azriel is keeping himself safe…
    I shoved the unbidden thought back into its box. “My reaper is no longer part of this mission, so it’s not like I can get his help.”
    “It is not like one of the Mijai to abandon a mission before it is finished.”
    “He didn’t abandon it. I banished him.”
    “But you could not do that unless he —” He stopped, and once again I felt his amusement. “That is an interesting development.”
    “And what, exactly, is so interesting about me banishing him?”
    “The mere fact that you could.”
    Which in no way explained his amusement. Goddammit, could no one ever give me a straight answer? “Care to go into a bit more detail?”
    “No.” Again that glimmer of amusement trailed around me. “You are not unprotected, however. The Mijai still need you, just as the Raziq and I still need you.”
    “Meaning someone else is now guarding me?” Someone who was keeping their distance, and refusing to interact with me in any way? Because I certainly hadn’t sensed their presence.
    “Yes. What their plans are beyond that, I have no idea. Nor do I have any interest, other than reminding you your allegiance must lie with me. Otherwise —”
    “My friends will die,” I cut in, annoyance back in my voice. “I’ve heard that song before. So tell me, how the hell am I going to access the temples if I can’t get reaper support?”
    “You are not the only half Aedh in this city, and the other is also trained as a priest. He could get you in.” He paused. “However, you will not gain access into the quarters the chrání and I shared without my help.”
    He was talking about Uncle Quinn. And while I really didn’t want to involve either him or Aunt Riley in this fucking quest any more