by D. N. Hoxa
“But how would he know?” Julie asked in a whisper. She knew very well who King Caidenus was.
“What if it was the sidhe?” Charlotte asked. She and Lola were standing behind Julie, watching us intently.
“The sidhe working with Guild agents?” I wondered.
“I’ll believe it,” Daredevil said. “The Guild will work with whomever they think they can benefit from the most.”
“The Guild has standards,” Mandar said, throwing a pointed look toward the fae.
“They have no standards,” I said. “They switch sides between fae and elves every decade. Whoever offers them the most profit is who they side with.” My father had explained it to me a long time ago. I’d seen it happen myself.
“It would all make better sense if we knew why they were after you. How much do the sidhe know about you?” Faceless asked me, her voice a different note, a different feel from the rest of us.
“I don’t know. The first one who came after me said that I would help them, willingly or unwillingly, to do what they had come here to do. He said that I was the key to everything, but I don’t know what that means.”
“In battle, your gift is priceless,” Julie said. “You can’t defeat an army that heals just as fast as they are wounded. They do plan to attack fae and elves when they reach Gaena.”
The idea did make sense, but my instincts said that wasn’t it. “Whatever the reason, it’s safe to assume they’ll find me again. When they do, we will be prepared.”
“So, you just want to sit and wait for them to come to you? That’s no strategy at all. You’ll be at a disadvantage from the start. You’ll never know where they’re coming from or when. It’s no way to do battle,” Daredevil said.
“We’re in the Shade, on Earth. I don’t have an army—we’re the only ones standing against them. If the Guild can’t find them, I can’t hope to find them myself without revealing my identity, at least. We choose a place, we calculate as many risks as we can and take control of the things we can control, so that when they attack, they’ll be in for just as big a surprise,” I said, more irritated because I believed he was right. It was not a decent strategy, but it was the best we had, considering there were only seven of us.
“It would have to be in the Shade,” Julie said. “The Shade will help us.”
“The Shade doesn’t pick sides,” Daredevil reminded her.
“But it can be persuaded to give us a hand. A neutral hand,” I said. I trusted the Shade more than anybody else in this tent. At the very least, it would keep innocent people away from us while we fought. “And we’ll have potions. Magic, spells set all around us. Signora Vera makes the best in the market, and she’ll give us anything we ask for.”
I looked at Mandar. He would know best about what kind of spells they made around here and what would be most helpful in a situation like this.
“I don’t like it,” Daredevil said. “I’d rather know where they are and make a plan of attack.”
“Elo is right—chasing them is a waste of time. It’s better to spend that time preparing our own grounds,” Faceless said. “How fast can you remove all your people from this place?” she asked Daredevil.
“A few hours,” he said.
“We’d need a couple to set up traps all around here,” Mandar said. “It’s a big place. It will do just fine.”
“If they’re as smart as we know they are, they’ll see it coming,” Julie said.
“But they’ll come anyway.” I had no doubt about that. They wanted me. Whatever the reason, they weren’t going to give up their search for me. It was the biggest advantage we had. “And after last night, I doubt they’ll send only ten of their people for me.” More would come. Hopefully, the leader would be there, too.
“My magic doesn’t seem to affect them,” Faceless said. “I’ve never come across a species that can resist it.”
“Have you ever tried it on fae and elves?” Daredevil asked.
Faceless looked at Julie. “I have.”
“There’s a reason why you’re here,” I said. “Even if your magic can’t hurt them, you’ll be needed.”
Fidena said that I would need the Soul Splitter, and Hiss believed that she was supposed to be there with me. I had no choice but to trust that.
“My magic never hurts anyone, but I can still fight. All I’ll need is a weapon.”
“Take your pick,” Daredevil said, pointing around his tent. He had all kinds of knives and swords and maces in there. I had no doubt that he knew how to fight with all of them.
Faceless nodded. “I will.”
“When they come, I will be the first to make contact with them. I will weaken as many as I can before the rest of you attack. Mandar, I expect you will shift?” He immediately nodded. In the last battle, his wolf had been a huge advantage against the sidhe. “Daredevil, you will stay out of sight and attack from a distance. You can’t count on shadows alone. Their magic is light, and they tend to use it a lot in battle.”
“Don’t worry about me. I know this place and I know how to sneak around,” he said with a grin. “But my knives will not kill them.”
“We will,” Lola said with a huge smile, her cheeks pink. “You just knock ‘em to the ground, and we’ll cut off their heads.” She pointed between herself and Charlotte. They were both completely smitten by him.
“How brave of you,” Daredevil said with a short laugh. “I’ll take it.” Charlotte and Lola blushed bright scarlet again.
“The rest of us will fight with swords and with magic. In whichever way we can.” I looked at Julie. “I think it’s best if you stayed behind for this, Julie.”
She didn’t hesitate. “No.”
“You’re not well. The death spell—”
“I haven’t even felt fatigued since…” Her voice trailed off when she looked at Faceless. “Since last morning,” Julie concluded. “I will fight with the rest of you.”
“We can also hire help,” Mandar said. “There are men out there, mercenaries, who will fight for money.”
But I shook my head. “No. I don’t want any more lives on my conscience. The sidhe are no joke.” They were well prepared and knew how to fight. Terrans would be no match for them.
“Our lives are not your responsibility,” Faceless said. “We all choose to be here, and we all get something in return.”
But she was wrong. By asking them to be here, to fight with me, I was putting all their lives in danger, and if they died, I would forever hold that weight on me.
“You’re going to have a lot of debts to pay when this is over,” Daredevil said. “For now, I’ll go speak to my people. Try not to leave this tent while I’m gone.” He stood and pulled his hood over his head.
I grabbed a banana from the bowl. “I will go meet with Signora Vera for the potions. Mandar, do you want to accompany me?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll go with,” Mandar said.
“We can start by choosing the best space for the battle,” Julie said, nodding at Faceless.
“Certainly.” She put the cup down on the table. While I ate, I watched her go around the tent, so gracefully she looked like she was floating, until she finally picked her weapon—a sword, the blade as long as my arm and twice as wide as one I’d have chosen. It would be heavy, but Faceless didn’t seem to mind. She carried it easily and swung it in the air like it was as light as a feather.
“If Hiss comes back, tell him to wait for me here,” I said to the others and stood. Mandar followed.
“Why? Where is he?” Lola asked.
“He’s off, wandering. He’ll be back soon.” Hopefully with more knowledge about the Seer Eye.
“Ready?” Mandar said, and I nodded. Together, we made our way outside.
Chapter 19
Chapter
* * *
“I know I’ve said it before, but I truly am sorry,” Mandar whispered. We were in the French Quarter, outside of the Shade barrier, and we would reach Signora Vera’s herb shop in ju
st minutes.
“I saw her picture,” I said before I changed my mind. “The one in your nightstand drawer.”
“She was…” Suddenly, his head turned up and he looked at the sky, as if he could see his wife up there in the clouds somewhere. “I don’t have the words for her just yet.”
“You loved her. Love makes us do things that don’t make much sense to the rest of the world.”
“That is still no excuse for what I did. I was desperate,” Mandar whispered.
“I understand.” I didn’t want to understand—I wanted to hold onto anger, but I couldn’t. Not when I could feel all of his pain, raw and eating at his broken soul.
“What’s there to understand? I’m a coward. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted after her, and it scared me, Elo. It terrified me. I just wanted the feeling to go away,” he said, knocking the breath out of me. Hiss told me before that he thought Mandar had feelings for me, but I hadn’t really believed him. Until now. Eventually, I would learn to believe everything Hiss said. “And now, to know that you don’t trust me, it’s actually worse.”
“I know you’re here because of Bo-bo and Ari, and because of guilt. You want to make up for what you did, but Mandar, you don’t have to. It’s not worth—”
He didn’t let me finish.
“It is. It’s worth it. I know I’ll never gain your trust again—I wouldn’t trust me, either, if I were you, but I can still try. And I will kill Bo-bo one day. It might be in this fight, or the next, but eventually, I will take his life like he took mine. That is the only thing that keeps me going.”
I believed him. The need for revenge had power, too much power sometimes, and it had completely consumed Mandar. The best I could do was nod.
We’d already arrived at Signora Vera’s herb shop, and I was glad I didn’t have to talk to Mandar about this any longer. I was compelled to lie to him, to tell him that I did trust him, just to ease the pain he felt, and I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to be a liar.
This time, he didn’t need to pull out his guns to threaten the worker who was all alone behind the counter. As soon as Mandar said his name, he immediately asked us to follow him downstairs.
I’d been to the basement of that shop before, but then, it had been full of people working, making potions for the biggest witch dealer in the city. Now, the downstairs was empty. Only one lamp was on and there was no music playing in the background. I don’t know why that made me feel uncomfortable. More exposed to danger.
We’d only made it halfway into the basement when the door on the other side opened and Signora Vera came out, a huge smile on her beautiful face. My magic reacted at the sight of her. It didn’t like knowing that it couldn’t control her the way it did everyone else, but I was no longer in danger from her. At least not at the moment. She needed me. And I had my knives underneath my jacket, too. She couldn’t kill me if she tried.
But something told me I’d want her to, if she latched onto my neck somehow.
Shaking the thoughts from my head, I forced a smile when she approached, walking as slowly as an ordinary human would, for our sake.
“Elo!” she said, clapping her black hands in front of her. “Mandar, dear. So good to see you.” She went to him first, grabbed his face in her hands lightning fast, and planted a kiss on Mandar’s lips.
“Ugh,” he said, not even trying to hide his disgust while he wiped the red lipstick smear from his mouth with the back of his hand. It only amused Vera.
“You’re such a drama queen,” she told him, then turned to me. “Tell me—do you bring good news?”
“Not exactly, but I do have a question. Have you told anyone about me, Vera?”
I didn’t really believe it, but someone had told those sidhe and those Guild agents that I was still alive, and Vera was one of the few who knew about it.
Her smile fell instantly. “Are you assuming I’m not a woman of my word?”
“I’m asking you a simple question. Did you or did you not tell anyone about me?”
She showed me her teeth, perfectly square at the moment. “I haven’t. Have you told anyone about me?”
“No,” I said, and even though I didn’t like her one bit, my instincts said she spoke the truth. “We need magic spells, the kind you use in battle.”
“The kind that can cause a lot of damage,” Mandar said. “I can give you a list, but you know what I’m talking about.”
Before any of us could blink, Vera was in front of Mandar again, his chin between her claw-like fingernails.
“Do I need to remind you that you no longer have anything to hold over my head, dog? I could kill you right now,” she whispered against his lips.
“Let him go, Vera,” I warned, my hands moving toward my knives. “You kill him, you can forget ever seeing that Eye again.”
As if controlled by an invisible force, Vera let go of Mandar and stepped back, her smile in place like it had never left her lips.
“Of course! Do I sense death coming soon? It’s coming, isn’t it? It’s all over, in the air!” She spread her arms wide and throwing her head back, she inhaled deeply. “Marvelous!”
“Spells,” I repeated. Every time I saw this woman, she drove me insane with her behavior, with her words. It was like nothing at all got to her, and everything affected her at the same time. It must have been exhausting to be her.
“I can still bite your head off, bloodsucker,” Mandar said under his breath, his voice completely transformed now. “Touch me again.”
“Is that a challenge?” Vera said, her dark eyes sparkling.
“Take it as you will,” Mandar solemnly said, and a growl escaped his throat.
Vera pretended not to be bothered, but I saw the flash of fear in her eyes. She was right to be afraid—Mandar’s wolf was huge enough to scare me, too. The way he’d bit into the sidhe at the battle and had come out of it with barely any scratches said he knew exactly what he was doing with his animal side.
“That’s enough,” I said when the tension in the air became too much. They stared at each other like they were both imagining detailed ways of killing one another, but it would have to wait. Right now, I didn’t even know how much time we had. We had to get back to the Shade as soon as we could. “We made a deal, Signora Vera, and I’m here to collect.”
“Collect away,” she said, but though she looked at me, her focus was still on Mandar. She threw her blood-red hair over her shoulder dramatically and crossed her arms in front of her. Her nails scratched at the leather jacket she had on, deep enough to cut through the fabric. If she noticed, she didn’t say anything.
“Energy bursts—the best you’ve got. Fire spells, the ones you can’t put out with magic, freezing spells, and a few of those that suck in all light will come in handy,” Mandar said, like he’d spent hours memorizing those words.
I was already excited. If there were spells that could suck in light, those would be our best weapons against the sidhe.
“That’s a lot of spells,” Vera mocked. “Are you sure you can carry them?”
“Let us worry about logistics. Be a good fanger and fetch them for us, will you?”
I almost slapped Mandar myself. Why did he have to provoke her every time he spoke?
I thought for sure she would be pissed enough to attack, but I was proved wrong. Signora Vera pressed her lips together tightly and kept her eyes on me. She was trying her hardest to control herself, but I still saw her jaw move. Her fangs were coming out.
Then, she disappeared somewhere to the back of the room where it was too dark to see anything but shadows. I looked at Mandar to realize that he’d grown at least two inches taller, and his shoulders were considerably wider, too. He was on the verge of shifting himself, and he never once looked away from Vera. His nose would tell him exactly where she was, even though we couldn’t see her.
With a sigh, I lowered my head and waited. By the time this was over, if we all didn’t kill each other first, I’d call it a su
ccess.
It was an hour before nightfall when I lost all of my patience. We’d been planning all day.
All the people who worked in the Circus were gone. Daredevil didn’t say where he’d taken them, just that they wouldn’t be back until he called for them.
We’d chosen to prepare the terrain behind his tent. It was the biggest open space in the area, with a steep hill that separated it from a row of Shade buildings that marked the beginning of a neighborhood. It was far enough away from the neighborhood that we were confident nobody was going to get hurt accidentally, and every one of us with active magic had asked the Shade to keep us tightly locked in from that side—for now. When the sidhe came, I would ask that it kept people away from the entire circus area.
Then, we’d planted Signora Vera’s potions and herbs all around the field. I didn’t understand half of it, but Mandar and Lola, and even Julie did. They knew which ingredient to put on the ground first, and Lola was the one to activate the barriers with her magic. It wasn’t much—she was a Level One, but the dried leaves, the salt, and everything else they’d covered the ground with was powerful enough to hold for at least a few hours.
We’d hidden the rest of the spells all over the field, as well as on our persons. Most of them were pieces of colorful rocks, one was a wooden ring, and two others were strange metal shapes that resembled keys. It would take active magic to activate them during the battle, so Julie, Charlotte and Mandar were the only ones who didn’t arm themselves with them. We all had our weapons, too. Only the sidhe were missing.
Doubt gnawed at my insides, making my magic go wild in return. It wanted to find damage to fix, but the fight was on my mind, and there was nothing my magic could do about my thoughts. There was nothing I could do about it, either. Too many questions.
What if they never showed up?
What if they came from the other side?
What if the spells we had in place didn’t affect them at all, just like Faceless’s violin couldn’t?
