Repairer of the Breach (Stones of Fire Book 4) by Sarah Ashwood (reading eggs books .TXT) 📗

“Trust me, son.”

Son. Sean hadn’t called him that in a very long time. Not since Carter had first arrived at his home, all those years ago, a scared and lonely kid. Back then, Sean had put his hand on his shoulder and said the exact same words: “Trust me, son.” Carter had, and had been well-rewarded for that trust. This was the same Sean, the same person making the same request. He could trust him the same way now, right?

Ellie’s warnings clattered in his ears, a clanging counterpoint to the theme of confidence he usually had in his mentor. But what did Ellie know? She was human. This wasn’t her world. These weren’t her people.

Carter didn’t verbalize anything, but he nodded. Sean’s hand fell away. As if his plan was now fixed in his mind, he stepped forward, towards his longtime rival, speaking faster and with greater energy.

“Here’s what I propose. You and I enter the world of the Stones together. None of our people. Except Carter, of course, since he’s vital to taking us there.”

Nosizwe frowned. “You, alone I know I could handle if things went south,” she said. She pointed a long, graceful finger at Sean, then Carter. “But you and he both? That’s two to one. An unfair advantage. Why would I put myself in that situation? No, I bring one of my people with me too.”

“No.” Sean barked a harsh refusal. “Nobody else. The fewer people, the fewer either of us has to worry about disobeying orders or betraying us. Carter can be trusted. I’ll simply put the same mandate on him concerning you that’s on him now concerning me, my wife, my son, and his wife. As the Talos, he can’t disregard or ignore it. That’s why this works. You and I search, he takes us there, and he protects us both.”

“Sean…”

Again, Carter tried to interrupt. Again, Sean held up a hand, stopping him. Carter’s sense of unease was growing. What was Sean thinking? Have him protect Nosizwe? It didn’t make any sense. For their part, Nosizwe’s people didn’t seem to like the idea, either. A couple of them stepped up to her, surrounded her, speaking to her in swift, low voices. Ciara’s wheelchair rolled forward, snagging Carter’s attention and Sean’s. Her face was pale, its lines hard.

“What are you doing, Sean? What are you about?”

Her voice was icy and screamed her distrust.

“Me? Why, trying to find the Stones, my love. Isn’t that what we’re all after?”

“You have treachery up your sleeve.”

Her husband shook his head. “You should know, Ciara. You’re the queen of it.”

Before the two could argue further, the shifter queen broke away from her people and stepped once more between the two of them.

“We have an agreement,” she announced.

Carter felt a weight sink to the bottom of this stomach.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Carter didn’t want there to be an agreement between Sean and Nosizwe. Not one that required him to be in the middle, protecting them both. Certainly not one that required him to escort both of them to the world of the Stones. What if he couldn’t find it anymore? What if he couldn’t take them there? He hadn’t tried to take Ellie the last time. This was unfamiliar territory, literally and figuratively. They were messing around with forces none of them understood, and he didn’t like it.

Before he could say anything, the growl of a moving vehicle caught his attention. A truck prowled forward through the darkness, guided by its parking lights. One of Nosizwe’s people must have called the driver. Once it got close enough, Carter could see large shapes in the truck bed strapped down and covered by tarps.

The Stones of Fire.

His skin crawled with unease. He sent Sean a glance, hoping to silently convey his misgivings, but Sean wasn’t paying attention. His gaze was riveted on the Stones, and there was a glint in his eye Carter had never seen before. A glint of covetousness, like everything Sean had ever wanted and worked for was right there in front of him.

Maybe he’d wanted the Stones for himself more than he’d ever let on—and not just for the protection of his people, like he claimed.

Carter’s unease heightened.

The truck crawled to a stop. Immediately, people were scrambling over it, most shifting into their alters for the added strength to be able to move the massive Stones from the truck bed to the ground. Working like a well-oiled piece of machinery, Nosizwe’s team quickly had the Stones set up in a loose circle—which had Carter even more on edge, causing him to remember that scene in the country club gardens a few nights ago. Within minutes, the moment Carter had been dreading was upon them. The Stones were there. The vehicles shut off their lights, wrapping them all in darkness. The moon shone down on the granite slabs, teasing out glints in the marble. Shadows filled the runes on the Stone’s surface. Carter stared at those etchings, remembering how they had come to life, filled with flame. If only there was a full translation, but they needed the other Stones for that. Which is why Sean had come up with this crazy scheme.

His boss now beckoned Carter over. His feet felt weighted, but he went anyway. Everything inside was roaring that this was dangerous. It was a bad idea. Others seemed to think the same. Once his vision adjusted to the semi-darkness, he could see Ciara, her ivory skin practically glowing. She kept switching her focus between her husband and her new ally. Carter had known her for years. He knew her well enough to tell she disapproved of this scheme. She opened her mouth as if to speak, closed it. Like him, she knew this was wrong, but was also afraid they’d reached the point that nothing she said would make a difference.

Now Carter, Nosizwe, and Sean were standing within the circle of the Stones.

“How do we do this?” Sean asked. “I wasn’t there the last time,” he said with