Kirev's Door Read Online Free Page B

allies” of seers.
    Kirev watched as Wreg used his fingers to press a much thinner putty-like substance to the surface of the dummy key. Whatever that substance was, it covered the metal apparently seamlessly, spreading so thinly along the flat sides and jagged edges of the key that Kirev couldn’t see it once he had finished.
    When Wreg handed it back to him, Kirev could see or feel little difference in the key at all, not even in weight. Apart from slight details in those thin metal spikes in the side, it looked and felt very much like the one he had originally handed to Wreg.
    “Is that an explosive?” Kriev murmured.
    Wreg grinned at him in the dark, his white teeth flashing. “A little thank you to your friend, ‘Dan.’ Do you disapprove?”
    Kriev felt his chest harden. “No.” Thinking, he cleared his throat. “But why use a key for that? He didn’t have it on him before.”
    “Human memories are murky, brother,” Wreg reminded him with a smile. “It needs to be something he recognizes…something that he wouldn’t throw away. This key is precious to him. He won’t realize he didn’t put it in his own pocket until it’s too late.”
    Kirev felt some of his confusion lift. Nodding again, he exhaled, putting the dummy key with the explosive in his pocket.
    “All right.”
    When he glanced up, Wreg appeared to be studying his eyes.
    “As for the main target,” the seer added after a pause. “…He’s in his study. Top floor, where there’s added security. We need you to make first contact. Can you handle that?”
    Kriev barely hesitated. Then he gestured a yes.
    “Good.” Wreg nodded, once. He pulled out a metal tool of some kind. Kriev watched in disbelief as he began unfolding a set of cutters with his thick fingers. “You’ll need your light free…we won’t be able to get close enough to track you any other way.”
    “What about security?”
    Wreg shook his head, once, still focused on the cutters. “Don’t worry about that. We can disguise your aleimi for long enough…as long as you keep a low profile. Get your friend ‘Dan’ to take you. It won’t take much, I suspect…a light nudge, some flattery. He’s a social climber like most of these humans. Once you’re in, ping me…” He finished unfolding the cutters with his fingers, wincing as the hinge stuck. “…We’ll handle it from there.”
    He paused, studying Kirev’s face as the latter stared down at the cutting instrument.  
    Kirev felt the seer watching him but remained focused on the cutters for a few seconds more, fighting the panic building in his chest. Removing or tampering with a collar put on him by a human was a crime. A serious crime.
    It could get him thrown back in the camps. Or worse.
    “Are you okay with this, brother?” Wreg said.
    Kirev frowned, looking at him. He nodded, fighting his own fear.
    “Yes,” he said.
    “They have at least two seers on their security team upstairs. We’ll throw a cloak to make them think you’re still collared…but our actual target might be armed, so be fucking careful, ilyo. This davos ridvak has a rep, and not a good one. He might want to touch you, and he’ll likely have other seers up there, too…so keep your light fucking calm, no matter what he does and no matter what you see…all right, brother?”
    He waited for Kirev to nod, to show that he understood.
    “Good,” Wreg said, clicking under his breath. “We’ll deal with the guards before we come in, so they shouldn’t get a Barrier ID on you…but it would be better if we could keep casualties to a minimum when it comes to our own kind. The timing’s going to be fairly critical for this…”
    Kirev nodded again, feeling his resolve harden. “Yes.”
    “Then turn around, brother,” Wreg said, his voice softer.
    It hit Kirev that the older seer had been waiting for him to comply for a few seconds now.
    It occurred to him also that the clock was ticking, that he’d been gone for more than a few