by K. C. RILEY
“So she can end up like Reginald? No thanks.”
“Those books,” she said, nodding to the few I held. “They won’t help you. Their magic isn’t strong enough. In fact, they contain some of the spells Cassie used to try to heal Mason.”
“So, it was you, again. You sold Cassie those spells on the dark web knowing full well they wouldn’t work.”
“I had Louise sell her those spells, yes. But they weren’t all duds. There was one, I promise you, that worked.”
“And which was that?”
“The one to unbind your powers.” Mrs. Ellington shifted the forbidden book from her arm and held it out in both hands. “It may not look like it, Elizabeth, but I am on your side. These matters must be dealt with delicately. Secretly.”
Heat seared through my throat. We were nothing more than puppets to her. Chess pieces. And we all knew that I sucked at chess. “Sister Clara said the book was dangerous. That it was pure chaos and could destroy those close to me.”
“The Book of the Unnamed is beyond good or bad, angel or demon, darkness and light, God or the Devil. Its magic comes from the source of everything. In the wrong hands, yes, it could destroy. But in the right hands, it’s the very Tree of Life and Creation itself. Can you imagine what mysteries you could unlock? What good you could do? Save Jake. And save magic.”
That again. I wasn’t interested in saving magic. There was already too much at stake. Jake. Mason. Me. I was barely hanging on. And yet, the air in the room intensified in a mix of anger and deceit. Danger, and a dark curiosity.
Mrs. Ellington made it almost impossible to trust her. She had proven over and over that her venom was way worse than her bite. Lethal, even. Still, she hid none of what she had done from me.
“Whether you believe it or not. I am on your side. I promised you I would help you get Jake back. I haven’t lied about that. Or anything else. You know my secrets and I know yours. You are Eve, the first witch. No one has the power to wield these spells but you. Many have tried and failed. Including me.”
“And what about Lilith?” I asked.
“Don’t you see? The past year of your life has been your training you for this very thing. After all you’ve been through, all you’ve suffered. You’re still here. You’re strong enough to contain her whether you use the book or not.”
Easy for her to say.
“Tell me,” Mrs. Ellington said, “what’s the first thing you remember about touching the book?”
“Power,” I whispered. Even now, I could feel the book calling for me to open it like it had the first time I had conjured it.
She was right. The essence of the book felt way stronger than the ones I held tight in my arms.
“Say that I take the book. What’s in it for you?”
“You can speak nothing of where you found it. You can speak nothing of this conversation. And you can speak nothing of what you’ve seen here to anyone. You will be the keeper of my secrets and I will be the keeper of yours.
“You will also return Mr. Ellington to his full living self as soon as you retrieve the amulet. Using the book to summon your ascension will work, but you’ll still need the amulet to survive it. This is the contract.” A golden thread of light appeared looping itself around the book and Mrs. Ellington’s hands. “If you break it. All spells you perform from the book will become obsolete. Broken. Those you save will die and any powers gained from your ascension will be null and void.”
“And what about your husband? If I break it, what happens to him?”
“He will return to his current state, half dead, half alive. Rest assured that I have no doubts about you breaking it. There’s too much to lose. Like Jake.” Mrs. Ellington smiled with the grace of a saint and the soul of a devil. The arrogance in her voice softened. “Haven’t you lost enough?” she cooed. “Besides, I know you can keep a secret. Especially, dark ones. And by the way. Just to clear the air. The brains on Reginald’s plate were not human. They’re enchanted pig.”
I supposed that was good to know. The image of Mr. Ellington chomping on brains still squirmed and slithered in my gut.
Mrs. Ellington nudged the book toward me again, dangling it like a piece of fresh raw meat in front of a starving, desperate lion. “What’s it going to be? Time is running out for both Mason and Jake.”
I hated that she was right. I hated being manipulated. And while bringing Mr. Ellington back to life seemed a bit far-fetched, what I thought didn’t matter. She clearly believed it was possible.
Even at a distance, I could feel the book pulsing in Mrs. Ellington’s hands like it was a part of me. I needed to make a decision. Quick.
I placed the spell books in my arms on the floor and reached for The Book of the Unnamed. The golden thread looped around my hands binding me in contract to the book and Mrs. Ellington.
Its light engulfed both of us until I could see deep into her mind, and she could see deep into mine.
Mrs. Ellington was standing in front of Reginald as though she was protecting him. He was gorgeous but weak. Luminous, with transparent wings not of an angel, but a fairy. He was on his knees as though the wind had been knocked out of him.
“Father, please. I love him. Why do I have to choose?”
“Fairies and natural born witches cannot mix bloodlines. The same goes for angels. It’s forbidden. And for great reason.” The man I hadn’t recognized on The High Council was none other than her father.
The High Council and the spell they were chanting was killing Reginald. Mrs. Ellington, Wynona, used her magic to fight back. She was a natural witch with natural power until The High Council and her father stripped her of every drop. I didn’t even know they could do such a thing. They were the reason she now needed Fallen venom to tap into magic. Couldn’t they see they were killing the very magic they were supposedly trying to save?
In the end, Wynona’s rebellion was for nothing because not only had they taken her power away, but they forced her to watch as they burned Reginald alive.
The light of the contract released me from Mrs. Ellington’s mind and her from mine.
“So. Now you know,” Mrs. Ellington said.
I was speechless and felt sick to my stomach. I finally understood why Mrs. Ellington was the way she was. The High Council, her father, men, they had taken everything from her, the love of her life and her magic. So much of what she had done since then was wrong. But I understood why. And I understood surviving.
“Don’t let The High Council fool you. They’ve always been afraid of the mixing of blood lines—humans with Fae or Angels—given the last cleansing. The Great Flood. And they’ve always been afraid of women with power. Believe me, they’re still not sure what to make of you. Or how to control you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Whether you’re here as the end of all things or the beginning. So you won’t get very far carrying that in your hand, not with The High Council’s spies on the grounds.” Mrs. Ellington spun her hand in the air. “Evay Sta Ingus.”
The book in my hands became light as a feather until it was gone. The pages, the spells, and enchantments all swirled up into my arms and into my body just like Sir Isaac’s map. I could read the words illuminated on my skin. It immediately became clear. My theory about Jake was right. The night Jake invoked the Black Mist, the angelic glyphs on his body illuminated in the same way. Jake was The Codex Rose. It was inside of him like The Book of the Unnamed was now inside of me. Clever.
The pages of spells faded from my arms, but I could still feel the book’s power buzzing throughout my limbs.
“How do I use it?”
“Just think of what you want to do. The spell will come to you,” Mrs. Ellington said. “If you ever need to bring it back into form say, Evay Sta Ringus. However, my advice? Don’t. The High Council and God knows who else would kill to find this book. I know I would.”
I wasn’t even going to ask.
“Revealing it will only hurt those around you.
Believe me. I learned that the hard way.”
Sure, another secret from my friends. No pressure. None at all.
“Remember,” she said. “You’re stronger than you think. You just have to believe it.”
I wanted to despise her. Hate her all the more for luring me into such a contract. Maybe even a trap. But how could I? Losing her natural connection to magic had felt like having an arm or a leg severed. While losing Reginald had been like someone ripping out her soul. What was left behind was someone beyond clever and wounded. What was left behind was something…vicious.
“I better get going,” I said.
“Of course. Just one more piece of advice. No more calls to 911.”
“Uh, yeah,” I said, my face hot and red.
“I’m not all bad you know. The young girl’s body, the one left in the broom closet. She had a proper burial. And her family has been well taken care of.”
Was that supposed to make me feel safer? Because it didn’t. As far as Mrs. Ellington was concerned, anyone and anything that got in her way was expendable. Including me.
In many ways, her soul was just as dark and as lost as mine. Maybe more so.
18
“Did you get the books?” Cassie asked while waiting for me outside in Mrs. Ellington’s front yard.
I picked up the pace and grit my teeth. “Not here.”
Cassie kept up with me until we were in the car. “So? Did you do it?”
“Not exactly, and I thought I was supposed to meet you at the site.”
The excitement and intrigue on Cassie’s face fell with disappointment. “Change in plans. I had Alexei drop me off so I could ride out with you. And what do you mean not exactly?”
“I couldn’t get the books,” I lied. Based on my contract with Mrs. Ellington, I had to. “But I did get the spells,” I said pointing to my head.
“You memorized both books? By the way, love the car.”
“Thanks and yes. Fallen venom. But don’t worry, I only had one drop.”
“Perfect.”
I glanced at the clock as I fiddled with the dashboard of controls. “It’s almost twelve. So where is this place?”
Cassie pulled out a map and started giving directions as I backed up and stopped and backed and stopped the hell out. The brakes were sensitive. In fact, everything about this new car was sensitive.
On the road, I swallowed hard, my hands trembling at the thought of everything. Could The Book of the Unnamed save Mason? What if it didn’t?
“It’s not far,” Cassie said. “But it is remote. Make a left here.”
I did. The map she was holding looked old. “Where did you get that?”
“Dark web,” Cassie answered.
Of course. “Same supplier?”
“Yep.”
Louise and Mrs. Ellington, I thought. The manipulation was still hard to digest, but it didn’t matter because Mason’s life was at stake.
“There’s supposed to be a set of old ruins that tap into the aqueducts below the ground,” Cassie continued. “With the spell room closed we’ll need somewhere we can harvest the energy. The place is supposed to be old and forgotten. Speaking of spell rooms. What spell are you going to use? I was hoping to get a look at those books.”
“Yeah. Uh…” I stuttered. “There’s so many. But I think we should start with clearing the poison from the scratch he got from the black mist.”
“That just might do the trick. I can’t believe I missed that.”
“You didn’t know. And I’m guessing Mason didn’t think twice about it. It’s just a start. We still don’t know if that’s the exact problem or not.”
“Miss Maverick, I would have to say I’m impressed by your diagnosis.”
“Whatever,” I smiled. “Now you sound like Sister Clara.”
Cassie’s phone beeped and she texted Josie to let her know we were almost there. “Turn up here.”
We had been driving for about twenty minutes and were in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but fields and fields of corn.
I was about to make another turn when the radio came on running up and down the stations until it came to the song that Jake and I had danced to the night he disappeared. My heart leaped into my throat blocking the airway.
“What’s happening,” Cassie said.
“Jake,” I said as though I had seen a ghost.
“Liz… Don’t…” There was so much static. But he was there.
“Where are you?” I took my eyes off the road for only a second and swerved.
“Woah.” Cassie put her hands out against the dashboard to steady herself.
“Liz…Please…don’t…” Jake said again.
I pulled over to the side of the road. “Jake…Where you are?”
The radio moved across stations again until it completely turned off.
Cassie and I sat in the silence.
“Don’t what?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, disappointed that he was gone and close to tears at losing him again.
“Hey,” Cassie said. “We’ll get him back, but right now Mason needs us.”
“Right.”
I started the car and got back on the road. Mason was dying, and yet all I could think about was Jake. Was he hurt? Why couldn’t he tell me where he was? And what did he mean by don’t?
“Slow down.” Cassie stared at the map. “You’re going to make a left here.”
The moon was bright as it lit up the night sky. I turned onto a dirt road that cut through a field of corn until we came to a clearing. Somehow being in the middle of nowhere surrounded by stalks of corn seemed a bit unnerving.
My headlights illuminated Alexei and Boyd flagging us down. They wasted no time opening the back doors of the van where Josie was sitting by Mason’s side. Boyd hopped inside as Josie hopped out. Both he and Alexei then grabbed Mason who was bundled in a white sheet and lying on a stretcher.
I came to a full stop and turned off the car. Cassie and I quickly jumped out of the car.
Josie ran up and hugged me tightly. “I’m glad you’re here. Cassie said you have a plan.”
I didn’t know what to say. It was hard keeping secrets, especially when people were hurting. So, I said nothing. One word about The Book of the Unnamed and the spell would either not work or come undone.
“He’s barely breathing,” Alexei said. “We’ve got to move.”
The stench of Mason’s rotting body hung in the air. “So where are the ruins?” I asked, noticing that Kai was nowhere around. I thought he mentioned earlier that he was going to help with Mason. I still couldn’t believe he was a Lycan of Anubis.
Cassie stared at the map again. She looked around as though looking for a sign post or something. But there was only corn. Everywhere, more and more corn.
“Hurry,” Boyd said.
“I’m trying. There’s a location spell on the map but the last word got smudged. Damnit.”
“You’re the queen of spells. Just interpret it. You’ve got this,” I said.
Cassie took a breath. “Otor Iter Norat.”
The wind blew and that was about it. Nothing happened.
“Try it again,” Josie said, her voice desperate.
“Otor Iter Norak.”
Still nothing.
Cassie was about to try the spell again when something rumbled. A scarecrow bound to a wooden pole emerged from the soil of the ground. I was fine until the thing started unhooking itself from the cross it hung on.
“Guys,” I said.
“Just wait,” Cassie whispered.
Dressed in an old farmer’s hat, weathered trousers, a tattered shirt, and worn gloves and boots, the scarecrow landed on its feet.
Still covered in dirt, it looked up at us with only straw for a face that creeped me out to the bones.
“Cassie?” Josie said.
“Just wait,” Cassie whispered again.
The thing moaned as it stood up and walked like a zombie into the field of corn.
It turned its head around as though beckoning us to follow it.
Cassie was the first to step behind it. She turned back toward us. “It’s a part of the map. Come on, before we lose him.”
Boyd and Alexei carried Mason into the creepy sea of corn. Josie and I followed.
Mrs. Ellington said I only needed to think about what I wanted to do for a spell to come to mind. I needed to clear the poison from the scratch at Mason’s back. The one from the Black Mist. So, that’s where I started. Once cleared, the wolf venom would transform him. At least, that was the theory.
We had already been walking for a good ten minutes when Josie asked, “Are we almost there yet?”
Between ducking and dodging corn leaves, I could hear Mason wheezing. It was awful, the sound of death.
No one answered until we stepped out into a cleared area in the shape of a perfect circle.
“Yeah. I think we are,” Cassie said.
The scarecrow at the center of the circle walked my way, shortening my breath. I could feel him, his curiosity, and was about to back up.
“Don’t move,” Cassie said.
Sure. Easy for her to say.
The ghoulish thing bent within inches of my face. And what was with the sniffing? I turned to the side to not look into the dark hollow of its face.
“Darkness,” it hissed almost like a snake, its breath stale and old as dirt.
It finally backed away and within seconds had dropped back into the earth where it had come from.
“What was that about?” Alexei asked.
I shrugged.
“Okay. Well, now what?” he continued.
The floor rumbled as seven stone pillars emerged from the ground and formed a henge around us.
“It’s time,” Cassie said. “Midnight. Put him at the center of the circle. Guys, turn and guard the space. Liz, get ready to do your thing.”
“My thing. Right,” I said, still caught up in the scarecrow’s hiss, Darkness. Of course, I knew he was talking about me.
Alexei fell to the ground on all fours. So did Boyd. Both were stark naked as their bones and flesh cracked and reformed into the body of a wolf. They shook the gray fur off and were soon standing tall in their Anubis form, their obsidian skin beautiful, as it glistened in the dark.
