by E.J. Stevens
Jenny’s head swiveled and all eyes fell on me.
“Ivy,” Ceff gasped.
I ignored him. I wasn’t letting my betrothed offer himself to Jenny Greenteeth. Ceff was a king. He had responsibilities beyond Harborsmouth. If anyone deserved to go swim with the water hag, it was me. It was my bargain with Gaius that had us here in the first place.
“I am the daughter of your queen,” I said. “I am an acceptable tribute.”
Jenny pouted, sticking out her corpse-blue lower lip. I held my breath and waited. It was a damn good thing that I did.
I’d expected a riddle to solve or a game to play. Not for one hot second had I anticipated the vine lashing out, grabbing me by the booted ankle, and tossing me into the murky water.
Ceff’s scream barely registered as my brain focused on survival. I thrashed, praying to Mab and Oberon and any human god that might listen to not let anything in this fetid cesspool trigger a psychic vision.
If that happened, I’d drown for sure. As it was, I had a fifty-fifty chance of fighting my way to the surface.
Right now, I wasn’t even sure where the surface was. Pond scum and algae clung to my face and acrid water stung my eyes. I tried not to think of the reasons why the water was so foul. I had enough nightmares without thinking too hard about Jenny’s lack of indoor plumbing.
Plus, I had no time for distractions. I was too busy trying to survive.
A hand clawed at me. I struggled, eyes opening in terror. But as frightening as my attacker was—a skeleton whose bones were covered in teeth marks—the hand didn’t belong to the water hag. I’d escaped her clutches, but not for long.
Jenny dove, rushing toward me, but not before I saw the pile of bones littering the bottom of her pond. This wasn’t just a collection of bones. It was a mass grave. And the killer responsible was heading straight for me with murderous intent.
I rolled, struggling to remain out of the water hag’s reach. My eyes searched for a bone in a bone stack. I knew the odds, but I kept looking. The bracelet had to be here somewhere. It’s not like Jenny had a storage unit. All her treasures were here for the taking, so long as she didn’t kill me first.
There was also the small matter of drowning. My lungs burned and I knew that I had mere seconds before I was out of air. In fact, when I saw a sparkle, I thought it might be from oxygen deprivation. That’s when I felt it, Ceff’s magic.
A water bubble eased over my face, providing me with a gulp of much needed air. Ceff was water fae and his water magic was impressive. He might even have saved my life.
With renewed energy, I dove toward the murky bottom toward the gleam of treasure. I had to make this try count. I wouldn’t get another chance.
Ceff wouldn’t be coming to my rescue, not with air anyway. From the water churning above me, and the bodies thrashing closer to the surface, Ceff had jumped in to join the fight.
Jenny Greenteeth might be a powerful water hag who used to hang out with my mommy dearest, but Ceff was a kelpie king fighting for the woman he loved. My money was riding on my betrothed.
Not willing to waste the opportunity, and what I was desperately hoping wasn’t his sacrifice, I grabbed a femur with gloved hands and dragged myself closer to something metallic gleaming in the spectral light.
Upon closer inspection, there were two items, jewelry sparkling from the hand and wrist at the end of a skeletal arm. Unfortunately, the arm was jammed inside a rib cage. I yanked hard, trying to pry the bones apart, but they wouldn’t budge.
White dots appeared before my eyes, a sure sign that my body was oxygen starved. I should have kicked my way to the surface. It was the smart thing to do.
Nobody ever accused me of being sensible. I grinned, my lips still tight together, holding in the last bit of air. I pulled a dagger from my boot with fingers that were going stiff and numb. My movements were sluggish, but I couldn’t give up now. I had to try.
I hacked and stabbed at one of the ribs with the dagger. The pointy blade wasn’t the best tool for the job, but it was the best I had available in this quagmire. Leather straps are a nightmare underwater and the mechanism for my forearm sheaths was designed to work with gravity not gravy. The dagger would have to do.
I missed more than once, and some of my hits glanced away without any real impact, but the rib moved. The edges of my sight darkened, tunnel vision setting in. That was a bad sign. I knew it was, but I grabbed the rib and arm with both hands, my boots slipping along slimy, algae-covered bones, unable to find purchase.
The arm came free of the rib cage and I clutched it to me, hoping it wouldn’t somehow touch skin. On the plus side, if I got caught in a nasty vision, it wouldn’t last long. I was pretty sure I was dying.
But I didn’t want to die here. The idea of my body being eaten by the water hag, my gnawed upon skeleton littering the murky bottom of Jenny Greenteeth’s pond, was enough incentive for one final surge of adrenaline.
I swam for the surface, wondering detachedly where the water hag had gone. Then a horse or a man, dragged me onto the mossy embankment. The world spun a few times before I flopped onto my side and vomited up a few gallons of pond water.
A shadow fell over me and I snarled.
“Ivy, it’s me,” Ceff said.
I knelt, leaning back on my haunches, clutching something to my chest, blinking at Ceff.
“Are you all right?” he asked, worry etching his face.
I frowned, wondering what the dark, oily goop was on his cheek.
“Mmm hmm,” I answered.
I was dazed, but alive.
“Is that a human arm?” he asked.
My chin dropped and I came face to arm with a skeleton. I dropped the bones, cold fear skittering up my spine. The fear cleared away the fog of confusion but did nothing for the dizziness that swarmed inside my skull like an angry hive of pixies.
“Um, yes,” I said, biting my lip against the rising vertigo.
I took a deep breath and tried to focus on what was in front of me. A ring glittered on one of the skeleton’s remaining bone fingers, but I was more interested with the sparkly bangle on its wrist.
“I think I found Torn’s bracelet,” I said.
I looked up at Ceff, but the triumphant smile froze on my face.
“You nearly drowned,” Ceff said, the skin around his eyes tight with worry. “You…you could have died.”
“Mmm,” I muttered. “Don’t need saving.”
My point was weakened a tad by my body being wracked by another dry heave. I’m pretty sure I’d coughed out every ounce of pond water but try telling my stomach that.
“I am aware of who you are and what you are capable,” he said. “You do not require saving, but I would aid you. If you let me.”
I guess he had a point. I was cold and wet and miserable, and I could barely stand on my own.
Ceff’s love came with no strings. He’d love me, support me, and follow me into the abyss—or in this case a water hag’s foul pit—with zero guarantees, no bargains. He gave his love, and his support, freely. The more I learned about faeries, the more I realized just how rare our relationship was, especially among a culture that valued backstabbing and double-dealing.
And, yeah, I was babbling. In my mind. Probably not a good sign.
“Fine,” I whispered.
Ceff slid an arm under mine and around my back, keeping me upright. This close, I could feel the tension in the rigid muscles. He was either scared or mad as hell. Maybe a bit of both.
I owed him an apology.
“That didn’t really go the way I planned,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you saying that you had a plan?” he asked.
“Um, sort of?” I said. His gaze locked on mine and I winced. “Okay, not really. I thought it would be easy, ish. Solve a riddle. Try not to piss off the powerful faerie. The usual.”
“The usual,” he said, voice thick with emotion.
“Well, I mean, I thought I might have to protect
your virtue,” I said, hoping to lighten the mood. “Jenny kept looking at you like you were her own private ice cream cone.”
Ceff didn’t smile, but his face softened. He turned toward a heap of green and grey that I’d been trying to ignore. My mind was screaming that it was just a pile of fish, and frogs, and algae. Nothing to see here. Nothing at all.
“I had to kill her,” he said, voice sad.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“The city is safer now,” he said, shaking his head.
“It is,” I said. “But Jenny was old. I hate what she did, but I kind of understand why she was the way she was. I’m sorry you had to take a life.”
He glanced at me in wonder.
“It is hard to lose the old ones,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you would understand.”
But I could feel it. The sorrow. A breeze stirred the copse of trees, wringing from the branches a sighing moan. I rubbed at my arms and shivered.
“Please, let me help you,” Ceff said.
He wanted to help. He wanted to be included. He didn’t want me leaving him to watch while I stepped off a cliff.
So, I let him help.
“I could use a ride,” I said.
I was exhausted, my head was pounding, and I was sick of this swamp and all the sorrow it held. I’d been dreading the slog back to the Old Port Quarter. A ride would be nice.
“Tell me where to take you,” he said.
Water streamed down my face, not all of it from Jenny’s pond. Memories of the child-sized skeletons with their chewed upon bones kept bobbing to the surface.
I nodded, and Ceff knelt, shifting into a gorgeous, sleek grey stallion. I climbed onto his back, blinking back salty tears.
“The loft,” I said.
I needed to hug my kid, now more than ever.
Chapter 26
I waved at Forneus, hurried through the apartment and snuck into the shower, Ceff right behind me, but my kid caught me on the way out. Sparky was going to be doubly excited when he saw that daddy was home too. My heart swelled and I smiled down at my kid’s adorable, floppy ears and huge grin.
“Hey, pumpkin,” I said.
“Pumplestiltskin!” Sparky squealed.
“We’ve been reading fairy tales,” Forneus said.
“For real?” I asked.
“I could regal him with tales from Hell, if you prefer,” he said.
“No, nope, fairy tales are great,” I said. “So, where’s Jinx?”
I looked around the apartment, but I didn’t see my Rockabilly friend anywhere.
“I believe she is in your bedroom,” he said. “Something about moldy dishes.”
I shrugged with one arm and strode into my bedroom ready to face Jinx’s wrath. I’d rather go fight the lich.
But I could hear the water running in the shower. Ceff needed a moment to recover from seeing me almost die, again, so this was as good a time as any to chat with Jinx about how I was a crappy roommate.
“Sorry,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
“You know I could probably knit a sweater with the mold growing off these,” Jinx said, holding up two coffee mugs.
“Please don’t?” I said.
“Only if you stop leaving your dirty dishes around for Sparky to find,” she said. “He got creative with finger painting the kitchen floor earlier. Fresh coffee would have only been messy. One of your science experiments spread artistically over the linoleum was revolting.”
“I’ll try not to leave dirty dishes where Sparky can find them in the future,” I said.
I just hoped there was a future.
“You’re getting sneaky with your wording,” she said, a grin tugging at her lips.
“And you’ve been spending too much with a demon attorney,” I said. “Forneus is teaching you all his tricks.”
“Oh, hon, you have no idea,” she said.
“Ew, anywho, since we’re on the topic of deals and bargains,” I said, dragging the conversation back to bargains and the hell away from Forneus’ bedroom tricks. There wasn’t enough brain bleach in the world for that conversation. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Shoot,” she said.
“I need you to stay here and watch Sparky until this is all over with,” I said.
“Fine,” she said.
Um, that was easy. Jinx lifted a hand, before I could interrupt.
“But only because if Brandy or someone like her comes back, I don’t want them facing an overprotective gargoyle,” she said.
She had a point. If we left Sparky with Humphrey, I had no doubt the gargoyle would do anything to protect our kid. I did, however, wonder if we’d have a building, or any remaining clients, to come home to. Gargoyles aren’t known for their subtlety. They are quite literally heavy-handed.
“You have a point,” I said. “So, um, if this all go sideways…”
“I’ll be the best mama that kid every dreamed of having, except for you of course,” she said.
I let out a breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Listen,” she said, fidgeting with her hair.
She was making me nervous.
“Do I want to?” I asked.
Jinx rolled her eyes so hard, they nearly popped out of her head.
“You can do this,” she said. “You can do anything. I believe in you.”
“Oh, um, thanks,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
“I’m not done,” she said.
“Sorry,” I said. “Go on.”
“You are strong and crazy and courageous, and I would follow you into a fiery pit of faerie scorpions,” she said.
“Do faerie scorpions even exist?” I asked.
She’d been doing a lot of research amidst wedding planning. Maybe, she’d learned something I hadn’t.
“I don’t know,” she said. “It was the scariest thing I could come up with on short notice.”
“You’ve been watching too many nature documentaries,” I said.
Sparky had graduated from cartoon marathons to watching educational shows. I knew way more than I cared to about sharks and dinosaurs.
“I know,” she said. “The point is, I love you.”
“Oh,” I said. “I love you too.”
We didn’t hug. We didn’t need to. Forneus, on the other hand, took a bit more time with the physical displays of affection. But he didn’t delay too long. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the demon was eager for our little road trip.
Ceff was right behind him, looking refreshed from his shower. He stopped to give Sparky a hug and a kiss on the forehead, and I wiped a gloved hand across my face. My promise to Gaius must be taking its toll. The fatigue was making my eyes water.
So, we set off to give Torn his Mab-be-damned bracelet and hit the road to London where, according to Forneus, there was a gate to the Necropolis. We’d enter the back door to the necromancer’s realm, sneak in, and kill him and his zombies. Easy peasy.
Chapter 27
I’d thought that Jinx and Forneus had put on a gruesome show with their farewell smooching, but they had nothing on Delilah and Torn. I coughed, alerting the succubus and cat sidhe to our approach, but that just seemed to fuel their bumping and grinding.
If they kept this up, I might consider a vampire memory wipe. I’m sure Gaius would be cool with that once I helped solve this case. Right, and PDA is an Olympic sport.
My hand slid to the pocket that held two sealed bags. I’d taken both the bracelet and the ring from the skeleton I’d found in its watery grave. I’m not sure why I’d taken the ring, but at the last second, I’d tossed it into a second evidence bag and slid into my jacket pocket.
Who knows? It might come in handy. If nothing else, it would make a nice gift for Hob. Hearth brownies love sparkly things. So long as I didn’t start calling the ring my precious, I was pretty sure it was just a pretty trinket.
“Hey, Torn,” I shouted. I lifted one of th
e bags, careful to reassure myself that it was the one that contained the bracelet, hefting its weight in my palm. “Catch!”
I tossed the bag, hoping it would smack Torn in the head. I was sadly disappointed. Torn spun, hand snaking out to rip the bag from the air with cat-like reflexes.
“We have fulfilled your bargain,” Ceff said, striding up to stand at my side.
I’d given him a moment to shift back into his manly form. Not that he’d needed it. He’d shifted effortlessly, even after maintaining a steady gallop while carrying me all the way here.
We’d made Forneus run alongside us, which was petty but also kind of hilarious. Not that the demon was winded. Far from it. Forneus stood beside Ceff, looking dapper in his meticulous suit. He hadn’t even broke a sweat. Neither had Ceff, but my betrothed was scowling. I’m pretty sure he wanted to wring Torn’s neck.
“I see that, fish breath,” Torn said, turning over the bracelet in his hand.
He held it up to the light, jewels sparkling, before turning back to Delilah.
“Here you are, sweetness,” Torn said, reaching for Delilah’s arm and sliding the bracelet over her hand.
I tensed, body going rigid. I wasn’t the only one. Ceff’s anger was evident in the taught lines and corded muscles of his tanned arms and neck.
“You are gifting her with the treasure?” Ceff asked, rage simmering.
“Of course,” Torn said with a feline shrug.
“What about the cat you mentioned?” I asked. “You made me believe it would help one of your people.”
My vision clouded, and I let myself dream about stabbing him. It was a good dream.
“Would you have fetched it otherwise?” he asked.
The thing was, I would have. I needed to get answers for Gaius and save my city from a lich king and his vile creations. I couldn’t do that without a trip to London. Torn had me over a barrel of pixies, but there was still one thing that I didn’t understand.
“How did you lie?” I asked.
Faeries aren’t supposed to be able to tell a bald-faced lie. Even Forneus raised an eyebrow at that.
“She has a point, cat,” Ceff said. “How did you manage that?”
