by Eden Briar
Ben isn’t finished.
“And when things aren’t going your way, you turn on the waterworks. Typical.”
I scrub at my eyes, anger burning within me.
“Tell me what you really think, Ben. You’re the one who’s scared of your own shadow. You talk about me having no talent? You’re too afraid to even look for yours.”
“Indy.” Jazz’s disapproval is now aimed in my direction, and I turn to glare at him over my shoulder. I hear Ben move and look back just in time to see him disappearing around the corner.
“Are you sure he doesn’t have shifter blood in him?” I grumble. Normal people don’t move that fast.
“No. He’s just good at taking off. He’s had plenty of practice. What was that all about?”
I wipe the last of the tears from my cheeks, picking up the list Ben has left me, his handwriting neat and precise. “I don’t even know.”
Are they his true feelings or is he just trying to push me away? Either way, his words cut a little too close to the bone. If the guild kicks me out, where will I go?
“Do Archer and the others really think I’m just using you all?”
I’m ashamed to find my lower lip trembling, tears building behind my eyes once more. I’m not a crier. Not normally, anyway. But hearing those words from Ben’s lips has cracked my facade a little. It’ll take some time to rebuild it.
“Aw, fuck,” Jazz says softly, coming closer to cup my cheek, urging my gaze up.
“What?” I blink back my tears.
“Your glamours are back up. And you’d just started leaving them down.”
“I had?” How have I not noticed that?
“You were starting to feel safe.” He strokes my cheek, frowning unhappily.
“An amazing feat, considering everything.” I keep my tone light, not letting myself think about it too deeply. “Maybe I just wanted to look pretty for once.”
“You always look pretty. You’ve just got two modes—regular pretty and deluxe pretty.”
Despite myself, I giggle. “And you’re the ultimate sweet-talker.”
“I could talk milk out of a cow,” he agrees solemnly, taking my hands in his.
I’m wondering if kissing him would be a bad idea when he glances left and right, then leads me into the nearest empty room.
“We never got to finish our conversation the other day. About you wanting to know what a Seek—”
I jump forward and press my hand to his mouth.
“Let’s leave the S-word unsaid for now, huh?”
If my position at the guild house is really that precarious, I don’t want anything to threaten that.
Jazz nods against my hand, and I let go.
“Where did you even hear about the See—the S-word,” he amends quickly, seeing my frown.
“Around.”
He crosses his arms. “Indy, this is serious. This stuff with your powers, that thing with the mirror this morning… If there’s a good reason for you to think you might be the Seeker, then we need to tell Archer right away. What little I know says that you can’t be the Seeker. But I need to understand why you think you might be.”
The last thing I want is this brought to Archer’s attention, especially when I’m sure it’s nothing.
“Zac said not to tell anyone. Not to even mention the word. I only told you because I needed to know more, and I… I trust you.” Has my trust been misplaced? Is Jazz going to sell me out?
“Zac,” Jazz repeats slowly, then smacks his forehead. “You snuck out to meet him the other day, didn’t you?”
I avoid his gaze. “I needed answers. He turned out not to have them.”
“Where is he now?”
“Gone. He said it wasn’t safe for him to stay in the city after what happened.”
“Yeah, staking the most powerful vampire in the world, even if he is your father, has repercussions. And him doing it while you were there has dragged you into trouble you didn’t need. I don’t know what he was thinking.”
I do, and the guilt momentarily swamps me.
“He was saving me from having my neck snapped.” The memory comes to me so clearly, I feel Matthias’s hand tighten around my throat.
“Matthias was probably going to turn you, not kill you. Some clairvoyants get unusual talents when they become vampires.”
I’m not sure that’s any better, but I need Jazz to understand what happened. Maybe he can help me figure it out.
“No. He was going to kill me. Maybe not at first, but then he had his hands on me, around my neck. I could feel him prying at my mind, and then… he said one word—Seeker—and his hand tightened.”
My hand slips to my neck as I feel the phantom pressure there, the power in Matthias’s grip.
“Before he could snap my neck, Zac staked him.”
A strange expression crosses Jazz’s face. “Matthias called you the Seeker?”
I nod, realizing I’ve thrown caution to the wind and done exactly what Zac told me not to do.
“Had you heard that word before?”
“Never.” And yet…
“But the picture?”
I shrug. What can I say? “It’s a blurry memory from when I was small. I don’t remember the S-word being said, but I’m not sure that tells us much.”
“You can’t be the Seeker,” Jazz repeats.
It’s a relief to hear him say it.
“Good. Then we can just forget all about it.”
“But if Matthias thinks you’re the Seeker… if Zac thinks so too… Indy, it’s only a matter of time before that knowledge gets out.”
“Zac said it’ll get me killed.”
“And he’s right, whether it’s true or not.” He reaches for my hand. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to do this, but we really need to share this with Archer. He’ll know how to protect you. There are places you can go, places you won’t easily be tracked.”
“I shouldn’t have to run and hide because people think I’m something I’m not. Can’t we just tell them Matthias was wrong? There must be some way to prove I’m not the Seeker.”
“If there is,” he reasons, “Archer will know.”
I can see all roads are leading to Rome. Or, in this case, Archer’s office.
“Then let’s go see the wizard.”
Jazz frowns. “Archer’s not a wizard.”
“Next you’ll tell me we’re not in Oz.”
The reference goes right over his head.
“Seriously? You call yourselves part of the magic world?”
“Quit stalling,” he tells me, but there’s a teasing smile on his face. “We still have to find Ben a heart, me a brain, and get you back to Kansas.”
I realize we’re missing someone, and my mind goes straight to Zac. He needs the courage to ask the guild for help to survive what he’s done to his father.
Jazz’s smile fades to a look of concern. “Indy?”
I plaster a smile on my face and poke his shoulder. “I knew you weren’t a novice to pop culture.”
He grins.
“Come on, Archer should still be in his office. Let’s catch him before he leaves.”
It’s only as we’re walking down the corridor that I realize Jazz never actually answered my question. Does he think the same as Ben, that I’m just using the guild? How far is that from the truth, really? I need them far more than they need me.
Before I know it, we’re standing outside Archer’s office.
Jazz knocks, then opens the door and ushers me inside before I can escape.
“Indigo, Jasper.” Archer looks up from his desk, faintly bemused by our presence. “Is there something I can help you with?”
I’m about to say no and retreat to the door, but Jazz is already propelling me forward. He sits me down in a chair in front of Archer’s desk and drags a second chair over so he can sit right next to me.
Then he just comes right out and says it.
“Right before Isaac staked Matthias, Matthias
called Indy a Seeker.”
Archer turns his gaze on me, and I want the floor to swallow me up.
“Indigo? What is Jasper talking about?”
I clasp my hands tightly in my lap and start talking.
“It’s why Zac staked Matthias when he did. Matthias had his hand around my neck. He was trying to… pry into my mind. And then he just went all tense and called me a Seeker. Zac staked him before Matthias could kill me.”
Archer’s deep frown tells me all I need to know. I’ve really messed up this time.
“Zac made me promise not to tell anyone. He said just one word of it, one whisper, could get me killed.”
I stare anxiously at Archer, hoping he’ll put an end to my fears. “But I’m not the Seeker, right? I’m not her.”
Archer’s voice is firm when he speaks, no hesitation in his answer.
“No. You can’t be the Seeker, Indigo. The Seeker is dead.”
19
I sag back against the chair in relief as a weight lifts off my shoulders.
“Okay, that’s good. That’s great, in fact. For me, obviously. Not the Seeker. Thanks for clearing that up. We’re sorry to have bothered you.”
I stand up, tugging at Jazz’s sleeve.
“Perhaps, just to be absolutely thorough, you could go through exactly what happened with Matthias,” Archer says.
Groaning, I sink back onto the chair. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything, from the moment you were taken to the moment Isaac dropped you back on our doorstep. All of it this time, please, Indigo.”
I guess I owe them that much.
It takes a good half an hour to go through everything all over again, with a handful of questions from Archer in light of the information I’d withheld. But by the end, he seems satisfied.
“I’m curious as to how you know about the Seeker despite your lack of knowledge about everything else in the magic world.”
“I’d never heard of her before Matthias.” I avoid looking at Jazz, hoping he won’t bring up that book. It doesn’t mean anything.
“Indy,” Jazz presses.
No, he’s not going to tell on me. He expects me to come clean all on my own.
“But maybe when I was very young, I overheard some stuff about it? Jazz showed me a book in the library. There was a picture of this girl, chained to these seven men. It looked familiar, like I’d seen it before.”
Archer grimaces. “It’s a memorable image, but not a tale usually told as a bedtime story.”
“Aren’t you even a little curious about what the Seeker actually is?” Jazz asks suddenly.
I want this conversation to be over. “No. Should I be?”
“The most powerful vampire in this city called you one so, yeah, you should.”
“And Archer says I’m not her. Case closed.”
“Just the rumor that you’re the Seeker might get you killed, Indy. And you really don’t want to know?”
The truth is, I’m terrified of the answer. And I don’t understand why.
When I don’t reply, Jazz turns to Archer.
“How are you so sure she’s not the Seeker?”
“Indigo cannot be the Seeker.” Archer sounds very confident in his answer even though he seems to ignore Jazz’s actual question. “But you’re right, even the suggestion that she might be is incredibly dangerous.”
Seeing as Jazz isn’t willing to let this go, I brace myself and speak.
“Because of some ancient evil the Seeker was supposed to kill?”
Archer looks surprised at my assertion.
“Zac told me some stuff about it.” I don’t want him to get any wrong ideas about where that knowledge came from.
Archer stands and pulls out a book from a shelf next to his desk.
“That evil’s name is Balor. He appears in human mythology as the tyrant king of otherworldly creatures. We believe he is the being from which the magic and master races originate. Over the centuries, we intermingled with humans, somewhat taming our darker natures. Balor continued to exist as he always had—a malevolent, destructive force. He sought to regain control of the magic and master races, to bring them to heel. His intention was to use them as his armies to gain dominion over a world now largely ruled by humans. The seven races did not want that to come to pass. The Seeker was the means by which we were going to destroy him, once and for all.”
He shows me a drawing of a man who would look human, maybe even handsome, if it wasn’t for his one large eye, his iris the color of fire.
“He’s very photogenic.” My joke falls flat.
“Don’t be fooled. Balor long ago developed the ability to appear less monstrous than his true form. It has helped him recruit devout human and magic followers over the centuries.”
“What’s with his eye?”
“His most recognizable feature. It is said that he has seven eyelids, seven protections, one for each of the seven races that sprang from him. The power of the Seeker turns those into seven weaknesses that will be his undoing.”
Sounds about what I’d expect from some old not-quite-fairy tale.
“But he’s still here, right? Zac said he wasn’t killed.”
The idea that a monster like Balor lurks out in the world is not a happy thought.
“He was not destroyed, but he was weakened. His powers were bound and fractured, separated from his physical form. He has not walked the earth in centuries.”
Archer confirms my fears and allays them, all in the one breath.
“None of this explains why Matthias would think I was the Seeker.”
I’m all for history lessons, but if my life is on the line, I want to know why.
“I don’t have an answer to that question, but I can make some educated guesses,” Archer says.
“Have at it.”
“You’re an unknown half-blood clairvoyant, you’re female, and you’ve reached maturity. You showed some natural resistance when Matthias tried to probe your mind. None of those in isolation means anything, but together they paint a picture. If we didn’t know for certain that the Seeker no longer walks among us, anyone who knew enough about her might wonder about you.”
“So you’re saying I fit the Seeker profile? That’s all.”
“That’s all. Matthias, being who and what he is, has always been excessively paranoid about the Seeker.”
Paranoid was a good word for it.
“Where does the guild fit into all this?” I feel like I’m missing a few pieces of this puzzle.
“The guild was founded by the same people who created the Seeker magic. Our purpose is to keep the Seeker from harm and prevent Balor’s return.”
It doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence to realize they’ve failed to protect the Seeker. If they couldn’t keep her safe, how will they help me?
“That’s what I don’t get. How can the Seeker be dead? I thought that when the present Seeker died, the magic chose a new one.” It’s only when Jazz asks the question that I figure out some of this is new to him, too. It’s nice not being the only one in the dark for once.
“Not this time,” Archer says slowly. “We were finally outwitted by Balor’s followers. The Seeker was found over a decade ago and trapped in a state of living death. She is in an endless sleep, caught on the edge between life and death. Without her, we can’t kill Balor. And until she dies, another Seeker won’t be born. That is how I know Indigo isn’t the Seeker.”
That’s some pretty solid reasoning.
“Then shouldn’t finding the Seeker and freeing her be the top priority?” Jazz asks.
“It is,” Archer assures him. “We’ve been searching for her for many years.”
Jazz folds his arms, looking unimpressed.
“Then how come this is the first I’m hearing about it?”
“It’s high-risk and need-to-know only.” Archer’s tone is firm but even. “Wherever they’ve trapped the Seeker is somewhere dangerous and inaccessible. You’re still
young, still training. You’ve been restricted to jobs focused on intel about Balor and his disciples.”
Jazz looks mollified by that.
“But you haven’t given up the search?”
“Never. We can’t.”
Archer’s gaze swings back to me. “And, as always, we continue to fight against the resurrection of Balor. His followers have been more active in recent decades as his influence grows. They increase in number with each passing year, and they strive ever harder to bring him back to power.”
“What happens when they succeed?” I’m not sure I want to know the answer. It sounds like a bad horror movie.
Archer searches the book with Balor’s picture, showing us another page. It looks like hell—scorched earth, fire, suffering.
“With the master and magic races as his armies, the world will fall in a matter of years, perhaps only months. Chaos will reign.”
“And here I thought all I had to worry about was death by vampires. You’re saying, even if I survive that, all I have to look forward to is this.” I gesture to the book.
“That is all any of us have to look forward to, if we can’t stop Balor. Whether that means finding the lost Seeker or preventing Balor’s full awakening, there is much that can be done, if you’re willing to do it.”
I’ve never been someone to shy away from hard work. And it’s better than huddling under the covers, waiting for the monsters under the bed to come and get me.
“Sign me up.” I give Jazz a small smile. Maybe we can work together.
The smile falls from my face at Archer’s next words.
“Of course, you can’t stay here. Far too dangerous. We’ll have to send you elsewhere, get you as far away as possible. We have some remote guild houses in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. We might move you between them for a while, make sure no one is on your trail.”
They’re sending me away.
“When could I come back?”
Archer shakes his head. “Matthias and his vampires will always be a threat to you, Indigo. This city will never be safe for you.”
My heart sinks as I glance at Jazz once more. Ben was right. Not my home, not my family. Just wishful thinking on my part. The stupid, naive dreams of the four-year-old who believed someone was coming back for her. No one ever came.
