The Faerie Plague (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 5)

by Michelle Madow

  “Why are you seeking a dragon?” she finally asked.

  “It’s kind of a long story,” I said, and I glanced at my watch. “And we’re running out of time. But basically, I made a deal with someone to save my best friend’s life.” I glanced at Selena, she gave me an encouraging nod, and I turned my attention back to Rachael. “Now, in order to make sure I don’t end up trapped alone with an evil witch for all eternity, I need to find a dragon. And I have—” I paused to glance at my watch again. “Less than two hours to do so.”

  Rachael pressed her lips together and nodded slowly. “Interesting.” She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “And why do you think I can lead you to one?”

  “Because the powerful supernatural who sent us here has a dragon skull in her kingdom,” I said. “I asked her where she got it, and she said the bones were presents from your ancestors.”

  A few beats of silence passed.

  She knew something.

  She had to know something.

  “I’m afraid I can’t help you.” She stood up and glanced at the door. “I need to get back to work, but I’ll see you out.”

  “Wait,” Selena said, and Rachael looked to her. “Tell us everything you know about your circle’s connection to dragons. Now.” Her voice was fuller and richer—she was using compulsion.

  We hadn’t wanted to force Rachael to tell us anything. If she’d been honest with us, we could have made a new ally.

  But it was past the time to do this the nice way.

  Rachael’s expression slackened, her eyes unfocused. “The Gemini Circle has dragon magic in our blood,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion. “Every other generation, twins are born. Legend says that when the fated twins come of age, the dragon magic will ignite and bless them with great power.”

  “And has that happened to Gemma and—” I paused, realizing I hadn’t caught Gemma’s sister’s name.

  “Mira,” Rachael said. “And no. They’ve yet to come of age. The ceremony will happen at their next birthday, and the magic is strong in them. They’re the fated twins of the prophecy. I can feel it.”

  “How so?” Julian asked.

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I just can. Let’s call it motherly instinct.”

  I nodded, since given the war with the demons, it wouldn’t surprise me if they were the fated twins. But that was something to worry about another day—after I returned the staff to Circe and was back home on Avalon.

  “So, the twins are dragons,” Selena said, and she looked at me with worry.

  “No,” Rachael said quickly. “Dragons are monsters.”

  I relaxed, since if I had to cut out Gemma or Mira’s heart, there was no way I’d go through with it. I’d take a thousand lifetimes on Circe’s island before killing an innocent in cold blood. Just the thought of it sent chills up my spine.

  “Are you saying that dragons exist?” I asked.

  “No.” Rachael smiled. “And if they did, why should I tell you?”

  Black magic gathered at my fingertips, and I stepped forward, ready to force her to tell me. After all, Selena wasn’t the only one with powerful magic. And this was my problem to solve. I should be able to handle it myself. I didn’t need anyone’s help.

  Then, Reed moved closer to me and wrapped his pinky around mine. Warmth shot through me, and I froze.

  Why does his touch affect me so much?

  I glanced over at him, and he nodded at me, as if telling me to calm down. His eyes were so soft that I might have even believed he cared about me.

  The surge of anger disappeared, and realization weighed heavy on my shoulders.

  Had I really just wanted to torture the answer out of Rachael?

  I was better than that. And if I let this anger and jealousy toward Selena consume me, I feared what I’d become.

  I pulled my pinky out of Reed’s and moved closer to Selena. She visibly relaxed, as if she was worried that I’d been about to do something I’d regret, too. Then, she returned her focus to Rachael.

  “Do dragons exist?” she repeated, her voice dripping with compulsion.

  “Not anymore,” Rachael said. “As far as I’m aware, they died out long ago.”

  “But you don’t know that for sure?”

  “No,” she said. “I suppose I don’t.”

  Relief coursed through my veins, and I toyed with my necklace.

  My pendulum necklace.

  That was the answer. Why hadn’t I thought of it immediately?

  “You’re going to have to get the twins back up here,” I said to Rachael. “Because if the legend about the Gemini Circle is true, then I know how we can track a dragon.”

  40

  TORRENCE

  GEMMA RUSHED INTO THE ROOM, and Mira followed behind. It was a miracle that Mira was walking straight, because her eyes were glued to her phone as she typed away.

  “What’s going on?” Gemma asked, her green eyes bright and excited.

  “I’m going to do a locating spell to find a dragon,” I said. “And I need both of your help to do it.”

  That tore Mira’s gaze away from her phone real quick.

  “Say what?” she asked.

  “It’s a long story, but I need to find a dragon in the next few hours. And I need your help to locate one.”

  She held her phone to her side and looked at me like I belonged in a mental ward. “Dragons don’t exist,” she said simply.

  “That’s funny, because we just learned that you and Gemma have dragon magic,” I said, and I looked to Gemma. “Is it true?”

  She paused, as if unsure how to answer. “Maybe,” she said slowly.

  “We don’t,” Mira said. “We don’t have any magic, let alone dragon magic.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Selena said. “The two of you—the three of you—have the scent of witch. It’s slight, but it’s there.”

  “What about dragon?” Gemma asked. “Do we have their scent, too?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t know what dragons smell like.”

  “Because you’ve never seen one.” Mira rolled her eyes. “Because they don’t exist.”

  “We won’t know for sure until our birthday,” Gemma said.

  “Right. The ceremony.” Mira’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “I told them that you won’t know if you’re blessed with dragon magic until then,” Rachael said. “But they insisted this spell might work anyway. So I’m leaving the decision up to you.”

  “Yes,” Gemma said, at the same time as Mira said, “This is crazy.”

  The twins glared at each other. But Mira didn’t walk away, which I took as a good sign.

  Gemma turned her attention back to me. “What do you need us to do?”

  “If the legend is correct, then your blood could be the key we need to find a dragon,” I said. “All I need to do is a locating spell.”

  “How much blood are we talking about here?” Mira asked. “Not like I think it’ll work. I’m just curious.”

  “Just a few drops. Nothing major.”

  “I’m in,” Gemma said, and I smiled.

  “Mira?” I looked at the blonde twin expectantly.

  She was back to texting on her phone. “How long will it take?” she asked, barely looking up from the screen. “My boyfriend’s on his way to pick me up. He’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”

  “Just a few minutes.” I strolled up to the bookshelf and grabbed the four different colored candles that sat right at eye level, along with the lighter to the side of them.

  “Help yourself, why don’t you,” Rachael mumbled.

  “Thanks.” I glanced at her over my shoulder and smiled. Then I walked over to a spot of hardwood that wasn’t covered by the rug and set up the candles in their required positions. “Where’s the atlas?”

  “I have one in my room,” Gemma said. “I’ll go grab it.” She hurried out of the room and into hers, leaving the door wide open.

>   Mira finally looked up from her phone, and she focused on Julian and Reed. “Do the two of you even speak?” she asked. “Or do you just stand there and let Torrence and Selena handle everything?”

  “Torrence is the one who needs to find the dragon,” Reed said. “I’m just along for the ride.”

  “Male witches don’t have much power,” Rachael explained, and then she looked back at Julian and Reed. “If you do find this dragon, how do the two of you intend on protecting yourselves?”

  Reed’s eyes flashed black for a second. “We have our ways,” he said.

  “Whoa,” Mira said. “That was cool.”

  Gemma rushed back in, holding a big book by her side. “What was cool?”

  “Show her,” Mira said.

  Reed smiled wickedly, and his eyes flashed black again.

  “That’s not witch magic.” Rachael walked over to stand with her daughters, as if she could protect them if we tried to attack.

  “Each witch circle is different,” Julian said smoothly. “Your circle—the Gemini Circle—is blessed with dragon magic.”

  “And his is blessed with what?” Mira asked. “Demon magic?”

  “Mage magic.” Reed smirked, clearly enjoying himself at their expense.

  And reminding me that dark magic—mage magic—wasn’t something I should be able to use. I unclasped my necklace and held onto the pendulum, as if the crystal could remove the unease coursing through my body.

  “What’s a mage?” Gemma asked.

  “A super strong witch.” I placed the atlas down in the center of the circle of candles and put my pendulum on top of it. “Anyway, I’m ready to go here. Julian—can you hand me the dagger?”

  “Dagger?” Mira’s eyes widened, and she stepped back.

  “They need to get the blood somehow,” Gemma said. “What’d you think they were gonna use? A safety pin?”

  I smiled again, because I liked Gemma. She might have seemed quieter at first, but she had some serious spunk.

  “It won’t hurt,” I promised Mira. “It’s only a small prick on the pad of your finger. You’ll be fine.”

  “Obviously I’ll be fine.” She scoffed. “I just wasn’t expecting you all to be carrying a dagger.”

  Julian reached inside his jacket and pulled a silver dagger out of the ether. From the way he angled his body, it appeared like he’d grabbed it from an inside pocket.

  He walked over and handed it to me.

  “Thanks,” I said, and I looked back to the twins. “Who wants to go first?”

  Gemma held out her hand. “I’ll do it.”

  I held her middle finger steady. “On three,” I said, and then I counted off and pricked the pad of her finger. A large droplet of blood welled up on top of it.

  She watched the entire time, and she didn’t flinch.

  I held the dagger under her hand, flat side up. “Squeeze out the blood and let it fall on the side of the blade,” I told her. “Get as many drops out as you can.”

  She did as instructed, and the drops formed a pattern from the tip of the dagger to the hilt.

  “I’ll get a Band-Aid,” Rachael said, and then she walked into the bathroom down the hall. She emerged a few seconds later with two Band-Aids, and handed one to Gemma.

  Next up was Mira. She turned away, and flinched slightly when I pricked her finger.

  “Done,” I said, and I held the other side of the blade under her hand. “Do the same thing as Gemma.”

  She complied, and then quickly put on the Band-Aid.

  I gripped the handle of the dagger, now splattered with drops of the twins’ blood, and handed it to Gemma. “Hold on to this for a moment,” I said. She held onto it carefully, and I reached for the lighter and lit the candles. With each one, a breeze that smelled like the candle’s element blew gently through the room.

  Once all four candles were lit, I placed the lighter down outside the circle. Then I picked up the pendulum, opened the atlas, and scanned the table of contents. I flipped through the pages until reaching the one for southeast Australia, and zeroed in as close to the Melbourne area as possible.

  The dragons could technically be anywhere in the world. But with the Gemini Circle living here, and the dragon bones in Utopia, it seemed like as good of a place to start as any.

  I held the pendulum over the map with my left hand and reached out to Gemma with my right. “The dagger,” I said, and she gave it back to me.

  The dagger pulsed with magic, like it was alive with it.

  It’s going to work.

  Excitement rushed through my veins, but I said nothing. Instead, I focused on the objects in my hands, and the atlas spread out in front of me. I held the pendulum above the general location of the café, right near the start of John Astor Road.

  Just like when I’d done the locating spell in the Otherworld, I didn’t need to speak the words. Instead, my magic burst to life inside me, and the pendulum started to swing. It moved back and forth, going slightly to the west.

  It stopped not too far away from where we were now.

  I lowered the pendulum so the point of it rested on the place where it had stopped, and looked up to Rachael and the twins. “What’s in this general area?” I asked.

  “Ethan lives around there,” Mira said. “My boyfriend. It’s about a half hour away.”

  “We can work with that,” I said. “What’s his address?”

  “I’m not giving you his address. But there’s a restaurant nearby. McFly’s Irish Pub.”

  “That’ll work.” I raised my watch, and told Siri to direct us to McFly’s. Just like Mira had said, it was about thirty minutes away.

  “What’re you gonna do once you get there?” Gemma asked.

  “Once we’re in the general area, I can use a tracking spell to find the dragon,” I said. “I just need a bit of blood.”

  “Again?” Mira’s face paled.

  “Relax.” I chuckled. “There’s enough on the dagger for what I need to do.” I dragged the pendulum across both sides of the dagger, smearing the twins’ blood on the bottom of it. The blood absorbed into the crystal, and the pendulum ebbed with a small bit of light. “It worked,” I said, staring down at the pendulum in amazement.

  Rachael crossed her arms. “I thought you did this sort of thing all the time?” she asked.

  “I do.” I blew out the candles, stood up, and handed the dagger back to Julian. He placed it inside his jacket—back into the ether—and I clasped the pendulum’s chain around my neck.

  Gemma picked up the atlas, closed it, and hugged it to her chest. “After you find the dragon, do you think you could come back and teach us a bit of magic?” she asked. “If you have time, of course.”

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” I said, and I looked to Selena.

  My best friend gave me a single nod and took a deep breath. Then, she looked intensely at Rachael and the twins. “After we leave, you’re going to forget you ever met us, and you’re going to forget everything that happened since we arrived at the café,” she said. Their eyes glazed over, instantly under her spell. “Do you understand?”

  Guilt rushed through me at the sight of Gemma’s slack, lifeless face. She was so excited about magic… and now she was going to forget all about it.

  But maybe not. If the legend was true, she might be blessed with dragon magic at her next birthday.

  I hoped she was.

  “Yes,” they said in unison, and then I glanced at the others, and the four of us blinked out.

  41

  TORRENCE

  WE REAPPEARED in the parking lot next to the café. True to the café’s name, two large pine trees towered at the far end of the lot.

  With only a bit more than one hour to go, we couldn’t risk trying to teleport to the pub and accidentally ending up in the middle of nowhere. A car was the surest bet, especially if we drove quickly.

  “Your horseless carriages are fascinating,” Julian said as he looked over the rows of c
ars. “They travel faster than pegasi.”

  “Yep.” I looked over our options. Most of the cars were small—Australians apparently didn’t drive big cars like Americans. Which was fine, since I wanted something fast.

  I smiled at the sight of a red Mustang. “This one,” I said, and I headed toward it.

  “You don’t think we should go for something a bit less… ostentatious?” Selena asked.

  “What would be the point of that?” I smirked and placed my hand on the handle. Then I closed my eyes—I didn’t want Selena to see them flash black—and called on my dark magic. It swirled up, ready to obey my command.

  Unlock, I thought, and the doors clicked open.

  I pulled on the handle, and sure enough, it was unlocked.

  Reed put his hand on the top of the car, blocking me from getting closer to it. “You expect all four of us to fit in there?” he asked.

  “There are four seats.” I shrugged. “The ones in the back are just… compact.”

  “Not happening,” he said. “Besides, even if we’re able to fit, there are only two doors. What happens if we need to get out of the car quickly?”

  “He’s right,” Julian said, and he pointed to the biggest car in the lot—a black Range Rover. “That one looks far more spacious.”

  “And more practical in case of an emergency,” Selena added.

  I huffed and slammed the Mustang’s door shut, since arguing would waste time we didn’t have. Then I tossed my hair over my shoulder, strutted over to the Range Rover, and did the same thing to unlock it.

  I settled into the driver’s seat, Selena sat shotgun, and the guys took the back. I was the only one of us with a license, so the question of who would drive wasn’t up for debate.

  I quickly checked around for a key, but of course, there wasn’t one.

  “Your turn,” I said to Selena.

  She reached forward and pressed two fingers to the ignition. Spiderwebs of electricity lit up her hand, and the engine revved to life.

  “Perfect.” I removed my pendulum from my neck, my Apple Watch from my wrist, and handed both to Selena. The maps app was still open on the watch, waiting to direct us to McFly’s Irish Pub. “You navigate,” I said as I pulled out of the lot and turned left to head west. “And I’ll see if this baby can do ninety.”