I took one of the glasses and thanked the server. Axel did the same, and with a nod, the server left us alone.
“I could get used to this,” I said.
“You’d fit right in here.”
“I don’t know why I’ve never come here before.”
“Do you have any interest in politics?”
“None.”
“That’s why.”
He led me through the main hall and past the set of arches to the right. There were more gathered mages here than I’d seen in my entire life, each of them dressed to the nines and looking like Hollywood movie stars. Some of them watched me as I walked past them, maybe sizing me up, maybe checking out the fresh face in the room. Most didn’t pay me any notice as they held their private conversations against the furthest walls and in the deepest corners of the room.
In here, the main space expanded outward into something resembling a museum. Display tables, each of them well-lit and perfectly polished, were scattered around the room. I walked up to one of them, intending to read the plaque first and then examine its contents, but the rotting face staring out at me from inside made my heart leap into my throat.
“What the hell is that?” I asked, trying to keep my voice low.
“Relax, it’s been dead thousands of years,” Axel said. “That’s the face of the Scarab, one of the first recorded mages of ancient Egypt. Nobody knows his real name, or how he got his head separated from his body, but his head still buzzes with magic. Feel.”
Axel took my hand and held it just above the case. I watched the face inside, with each passing second finding new, disgusting things about it. Like the way its lips had dried and shriveled up, making its yellow teeth seem longer than they should’ve been. Or how it had one missing eye, the socket caved in, the skin around it brown and leathery, and yet the other eye looked as vibrant—and as alert—as mine or Axel’s.
Then I felt it, the magic Axel was talking about; a soft vibration against my fingertips. It was like touching something with a live current running through it, only I could feel the current even without touching it. The hairs on the nape of my neck stood upright, my fingers tingled, and then the Scarab’s good eye looked at me.
I pushed back, away from the display case and into Axel. “Holy shit,” I said, keeping my voice as low as possible. “Did it just—”
“—What?” Axel asked.
“It looked at me.”
“Looked at you?” Axel peered into the display case. “Are you sure?”
“No, I made it up because I like the attention. Yes, I’m sure. Is it supposed to move like that?”
“Not that I know of. I could ask someone about it, if you want?”
I could already feel myself regaining control of my body, my emotions. I gave myself another couple of seconds to relax, to breathe, and then the moment passed. “No,” I said, “That’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting that to happen. Show me something else.”
Axel led me away from the Scarab, though he kept his eye on it for as long as he could, watching to see if it moved. If it did, he didn’t say anything.
We made a round of the museum, running into Danvers and RJ about half-way into our tour. Neither of them had seen Asmodius, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t here. In fact, Axel was sure that he was. He was also sure his father knew we were here, and that put him on the advantage because it gave him a chance to plan his next move. Violence and the use of magic were forbidden here, but maybe outside all bets were off?
Maybe he was going to wait until we left and then ambush us with as many of his goons as he could muster. I decided I would be happy for him to try. I was ready for a fight, tonight. But reality was probably going to play out a lot differently than that. Asmodius wasn’t the kind of person to attack someone head on. He was going to be clever, and that meant I had to be cleverer than him.
“What if he never shows?” Danvers asked. We had gathered around a display cabinet holding within it a collection of pages said to have been written by one of King Solomon’s own disciples. The words were written in a language I couldn’t understand, which was just as well, because apparently to read them meant to take on some kind of curse.
The stuff inside this museum was insane.
“He’ll show,” Axel said, keeping his voice low, “He won’t be able to resist himself.”
“Anyone in the crowd I should look out for?”
“The only people loyal to my father are the ones on his payroll,” Axel said, “I don’t see any of them here. I also haven’t seen any crows, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t lurking. We should be careful.”
I nodded. “We should also split up. You two, go and mingle.”
“Mingle?” RJ asked.
“Yeah, you know. Flutter around the room, get to know people, make connections. We may as well while we’re here, right? It can’t hurt to make friends.”
“Really think anyone in here wants to make friends with any of us?”
“Strapping young Vivimancer such as yourself? You’d be surprised.”
Danvers took RJ by the hand. “Come on,” she said, leading him out of the museum. “I’m about to teach you a couple of things.”
Axel watched them leave, then turned his attention back on me. “So,” he said, “What do you need from me?”
I took his hand and stared into his eyes. Then I started walking with him toward the band stage, throwing my gaze across my shoulder. “Dance with me,” I said.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Axel was a good dancer; a natural leader. I guess I’d expected nothing less of him. He struck me as the kind of person who was probably good at everything he did without even trying. With one hand on my hip and another in my hand, he led our soft waltz across the dance floor like we were sliding on clouds.
But even as the orchestra flooded the room with music, even as other couples danced around us, neither of us were able to take our eyes off the prize. Asmodius had to be here, somewhere. Becket, too. And yet I hadn’t spotted either man since we got here.
Before I knew it, a knot had tightened inside of my stomach. What if they’ve got Becket now, too?
“Look at me,” Axel said, his voice soft and low.
I turned my eyes up at him, and it was like the world around us started to fall away. It wasn’t magic, it was him. The delicate features of his face, his carefully styled hair, his powerful jaw. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Axel in this light before, not even back at the Magistrate’s penthouse. He looked nothing like his father, now, and that was something I could be glad about.
“Keep your eyes on me,” he said, “Okay?”
“Is he here?” I asked, my heart fluttering.
“Yes. Don’t turn around, don’t do anything except follow my lead. I’ll try and track his movements.”
Axel moved fluidly with the music, spinning us around as the melody directed him to. It was during one of those slow spins that I caught sight of the man who had started this all. Asmodius. He looked every bit as obnoxious, as smug, as ever. His greying hair had been parted perfectly to the side, a platinum Rolex sat on his wrist, and he was wearing a black suit.
I watched him run his hand across his chin and smile at the man he was talking to. They shook hands, and then Asmodius was on the move again—pressing deeper into the crowd of mages in the grand hall and moving closer to us. If he didn’t already know we were here, he’d know it in a couple of seconds.
Spinning around again, I tried to find RJ and Danvers, hoping I would be able to warn them. They were here, in the main hall, but they weren’t within whispering distance. It looked like Danvers, basically a pixie compared to RJ, was introducing him to caviar. She handed a little to him on a cracker, but after a single whiff he knew it wasn’t for him.
Danvers shrugged and ate it herself.
“I need to get to them,” I said to Axel.
“No, we should stay right here,” Axel said, “He won’t come to us if he has to deal with all four of us.”
&nbs
p; I frowned at him, but I had little choice except to agree. Axel was right. We needed to lure him to us if we wanted any chance at talking to him, and that wasn’t going to work if Asmodius felt even the slightest bit like he wasn’t in control.
Axel pressed his cheek against mine, the warmth of it setting my skin alight for an instant. “He’s coming,” Axel said, “He’s seen me.”
“Just act natural,” I said, “If he’s any kind of gentleman he’ll ask if he can take the next dance, and I’ll give it to him. Then you can get to Danvers and RJ.”
“I’m not leaving you alone with him.”
I rested my hand on his neck, letting my fingers slide across his skin just a little. “I’m gonna be fine,” I said, “He can’t do anything to me here.”
He lingered where he was for a long moment, making me wonder if he would ever let me go. But then the time came that Asmodius arrived, and Axel wasn’t faced with a choice to make as he’d presumed. Asmodius forced his way between us, rested his hand on my hip, and shouldered his son aside.
“I’m taking this dance,” he said, his voice a low rumble in his throat.
Axel looked like he wanted to throw down and start a fight, right here, right now, but he composed himself and looked into my eyes. I had the idea that, maybe, he wanted me to plead for him to stay close. Maybe he wanted to look into my eyes and see a mistake I’d only just realized I’d made.
In my eyes, though, he only saw confidence. Asmodius swept me out of Axel’s sight, leading a more aggressive dance than his son had led me through a moment ago. I’d forgotten how tall he was, my eye-line just about reaching his neck, and no higher. The last few buttons of his shirt were popped open, revealing part of a thick, gold necklace underneath.
I looked up at him, only to find him looking anywhere except at me. “Well,” I said, “That could’ve been handled with a little more grace.”
“Unfortunately for you both, I’m a man of little time and even less patience,” he said, “Especially when it comes to people who steal from me and destroy my home.”
“Ah, I thought that might come up. I hope the cleaning bill wasn’t too bad?”
“Remind me, and I’ll send you an invoice.”
“I’d gladly pay it myself if it meant I could get my friend back. You haven’t hurt him, have you?”
Asmodius stared at me, now, bringing the full weight of his gaze to bear. I almost hadn’t been ready for it. Almost. Lucky for me, I’d dealt with men like Asmodius before. I knew his type well. Browbeaters, intimidators, bullies. Men like him bounced off me like bullets off an iron wall. I returned the stare, making sure to hold his eyes.
“Now, why would I go and do a thing like that?” he asked.
“Revenge? Maybe, boredom? I don’t know.”
“Your friend is in good health, thanks to my medical staff. He was hit in the leg, another inch higher and the bullet would’ve bitten into a major artery. We didn’t happen to have any Vivimancers on hand at the time, so he might not have made it, but he’s fine now. Well on the road to recovery.”
I had to believe he was telling the truth. There existed every possibility that he was lying to me, telling me all the things I wanted to hear just so he could bring my defenses down. But then, maybe Karim was alive and well. I certainly didn’t sense any deceit coming from him, and I liked to think I was able to tell if a man was lying to me, especially when they were in my face.
“Alright,” I said, “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“You didn’t come all the way out here, to this place, just to ask me how your friend was, now, did you?”
I shook my head, strands of blue hair coming loose from my up-do and falling around my eyes. “Nope. I’d like him back.”
“Back?”
“I’d like him back, please?”
“I see… well, that’s certainly not an out of the ordinary request. In fact, your friend was adamant that you would at some point try and secure his safe return. I’ll be sure to tell him his faith in you was justified.”
“You’ll tell him?” I asked, “How about you hand him back over to us, and I can tell him myself?”
“I’m afraid that’s not an option.”
“And why’s that?”
Asmodius twirled me around and then drew me back toward his chest. “You simply don’t have anything I want, dear Isabella.”
“Really? I broke into your house for a second time, trashed your office, stole from you, and I don’t have anything you want?”
“Restitution would be agreeable, but in truth, I’m not the kind of man who holds grudges, no matter what my son may have told you. I’m quick to forgive.”
“So, that’s it? You forgive me for breaking into your office and taking back the key you took from me the night you had me kidnapped?”
“Consider it water under the bridge.”
I shook my head. “I’m not buying this routine. You and I both know I have something you want, so how about we make a trade?”
He angled his head to the side and arched one of his eyebrows. “A trade?”
“Yes. Karim for… everything I have from that night.”
“Oh? And what exactly is everything?”
“I can’t talk about it openly here. Suffice it to say, it’s an item of incredible value. Something someone like you would pick up in an instant. Something that could make you incredible wealthy… maybe even powerful.”
“If I understand this correctly, you would be willing to give up this everything that could make me—the man you are in open conflict with—even wealthier and more powerful, just to have your friend back?”
“I would.”
“Of course, I’m supposed to take you at your word that what you’re telling me is true. I would have to make this trade sight unseen, and hope you’re not trying to lie to me.”
“You’re a Psionic. You’re also good at figuring out when someone’s bullshitting you. Am I bullshitting you?”
He studied me for a long, intense moment. The music changed from a slow waltz to something a little quicker; a kind of one-two, one-two, one-two beat; and my heart started to speed up with the music. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, I couldn’t read him. The only information I had was that I’d laid some cards down on the table, and he hadn’t immediately snapped my offer up. What was he waiting for?
“I believe you have something important,” he said, “Possibly even priceless. I also believe you’re willing to give it up for your friend.” A pause. “Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of giving him up.”
My heart gave my chest a good, hard kick. So hard, in fact, it almost left me winded. “You… what?”
Asmodius leaned a little closer to me as we danced this shifting, cut-time beat that had my heart now thundering behind my ears. “You see,” he said, “Unfortunately for you, you aren’t nearly as convincing or as important as you think you are.”
I could feel his breath against my neck, and I wanted none of it. I tried to break free, but he grabbed my waist and held me in place with a vice-like grip. “Let me go,” I growled.
“You’ve made a critical error coming here tonight. You see, you thought you could come here and bargain for your friend’s life with the contents of Eliphas’ vault. The problem with that is, I don’t need to bargain with you because, soon enough, I’m going to take it from you anyway.”
“You don’t want or need Karim. Let him go, and I’ll give you the box.”
His grip on my arm tightened. “No,” he growled, “Your friend is too valuable for me to give him back to you. Do you have any idea how hard to come by Necromancers are these days? I make it a point of snapping them up where I can.”
“So, you’re gonna keep him as your prisoner?”
“For a while. Soon, he’ll learn to enjoy his new life.”
“You’re a fucking asshole,” I hissed.
“I have come across many girls like you, Isabella Warden,” he said, that deep rumble returning to h
is voice. “Girls with so many issues, playing with them becomes almost boring. Girls like you don’t value themselves, and thus will never receive respect or recognition from the world at large. You’re nothing, shit on the boot that never quite goes away no matter how many times you scrape it against the sidewalk. And yet, you think yourself as a warrior, as someone of merit, of worth. You’re weak, irrelevant, and about as unique any whore on any street corner.”
I was trembling. What part of my body could shake from the rage boiling inside of me, was shaking. I tried to keep it under control, tried to pretend his words weren’t getting to me, but they were. I could feel it, every incision he made into the meat of my emotional self. I’d built so many walls to keep the world out, and with only his words, Asmodius had found a way to get past them all.
“You’re lucky this place forbids me from ripping your face open,” I snarled.
“No,” he said, “You are the lucky one. At least, you are for the moment. But there’s going to come a time when your luck runs out, and when that does, I’m going to be right there… and I’m going to eat that heart of yours.”
I kept trying to swallow the anger, to contain it within myself, but my chest was starting to strain from the effort. I managed to free myself from his grip, but only because he had allowed me to slide away from him. The fact that he had so much control over me in this moment was one of the things that had angered me the most. I hated it. Hated that he was stronger than me, hated that he had more resources than I did, hated that he could make me feel anything at all—even hatred itself.
I glanced at Axel, then turned my eyes back onto Asmodius. The urge to strike him down was almost impossible to resist, my fight or flight instincts kicking into overdrive. It was flight, though, that won out over fight. I bolted past Asmodius, heading straight for the grand double doors and sprinting through them.
The night air was blessedly cool against my hot skin, but it did nothing against the anger coursing through my veins. As soon as I got outside, I ditched my high heels and ran into the woods. I didn’t go for my car, I didn’t wait for the others—I simply allowed my instincts to drive me away from the Athenaeum, away from Asmodius, and into the night.
Soul of the Storm (The Wardbreaker Book 2) Page 9
