Artifacts, Dragons, and Other Lethal Magic

by Meghan Ciana Doidge

  The fledgling guardian moved to her side so quickly that Blackwell belatedly flinched and stumbled to one side.

  “Rochelle,” Beau said. “The dowser said we should move, and quickly.”

  The oracle wrapped her hand around Drake’s as she gazed lovingly up at her mate. “I hear you, Beau. But I doubt anyone is coming through them.”

  Her ‘them’ was heavy with layers of emotion. Fear. Awe. And a tiny bit of satisfaction. Smugness, even. The oracle might look like a wispy thing, but she had a backbone. Which was good, because anyone friendly with Blackwell was going to need a spine.

  With Beau close behind them, Drake and Rochelle turned to walk through the short stretch of wild grass at the edge of the beach. I briefly wondered what Rochelle wanted to show Drake, but I kept my focus on Blackwell.

  Blackwell glanced around. “I know the enforcer, the bitten sorcerer, who I’m glad to see survived, and the vampire …” he prompted.

  I sneered. “Always ready to deal, aren’t you, Blackwell?”

  “How is what you do any different, Jade?” he said smoothly. His use of my name was pointedly intimate.

  I forced the delightful image of ‘accidentally’ shoulder-checking the sorcerer into the bonfire out of my head. “This is Audrey, beta of the West Coast North American Pack.”

  Audrey bared her teeth in Blackwell’s direction. He nodded, offering her a tight smile.

  “You’ve met Drake.” I nodded toward the trio of moonlit figures on the beach. “Warner is … checking the perimeter.”

  “Drake and Warner who?” Blackwell asked.

  I took a step closer to the sorcerer, seeing firelight dancing in the whites of his almost-black eyes. Kett closed the space behind me. “Do you know the location of the door?”

  “I will. I believe I’ve seen a section of it before. The flower and leaf motif is distinct. Perhaps in an ancestor’s journal. I’ll have to visit the library at Blackness Castle to confirm.”

  “Drake is apprenticed to Chi Wen, the far seer of the guardian nine.” I paused, waiting for the sorcerer to react.

  He tilted his head in acknowledgement but gave nothing else away. It seemed a safe bet that he knew all about the far seer through Rochelle.

  “Warner is the son of Jiaotu-who-was. Sentinel of the instruments of assassination.”

  Blackwell hissed excitedly.

  The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up.

  “So they do exist,” he whispered, speaking more to himself than me.

  I didn’t answer.

  “Is that what lies behind the door, warrior’s daughter?” Blackwell’s smile as he voiced my title was a brief flash of white in the dark night.

  Again, I declined to answer. I’d done the introductions as he’d stipulated. Now it was his turn.

  “The information is relevant to my … recollection,” he said, forcing the point.

  “How?” Kett asked.

  Blackwell glanced from me to the vampire, then back again. “I don’t believe we’ve defined the terms of my participation in your hunt.”

  “Make your pitch,” I said coldly.

  Blackwell curled one corner of his mouth into a smirk. Then he thoughtfully cast his gaze over the fire toward the beach.

  Drake and Rochelle stood a few feet back from the low surf, the fledgling’s dark head bent toward the oracle. Beau was a few feet off to the side, his face lifted to the moon. He took the form of a tiger, so I wasn’t sure whether the moon held any sway over him as it did the wolves. As it seriously did with Henry.

  “What destinies do you suppose she whispers in his ear?” Blackwell mused.

  I looked at him sharply. “You bargain with me, sorcerer, and me only. I speak for no one else.”

  “Except to guarantee my safety on our … excursion.”

  “No one can guarantee that,” Kett said. “Not for any of us. Also, we haven’t agreed that you will be joining our hunt.” His cool words were ominous.

  “I believe the oracle has made that part of our agreement preemptively binding,” Blackwell said smugly. “Jade, you will keep your companions in check. I will not have a blade at my neck … metaphorically or literally … during our collaboration.”

  “Fine,” I said.

  “I’ll get you to the door depicted in the oracle’s sketches, if I can. But after that, my participation will have to be renegotiated. I won’t jeopardize my life … or liberty.”

  I snorted. “As expected.”

  “And you specifically, Jade Godfrey,” the sorcerer continued, “you will drop your vendetta.”

  I snorted. “You can’t make me like you, Blackwell.”

  “I’m simply tired of watching my back.”

  “I highly doubt I’m the only one who hates you.”

  “Be that as it may.”

  The sorcerer said nothing else. Waiting for my response.

  I glanced over to the beach. Rochelle and Beau were standing alone now at the water’s edge, the rippling surf only inches from their sneakered feet. Drake had slipped away somewhere, though he was near enough that I could still taste his magic.

  “Vancouver is off-limits. I see you there, and any truce is void.” I didn’t bother to look at Blackwell as I addressed him. I had known he was going to ask for a clean slate. But I didn’t have to accept that stipulation without conditions.

  “I could demand the same for all of Scotland,” he said.

  “You could,” I whispered. “But could you enforce it?” I turned to meet his gaze.

  He didn’t immediately back down. Which wasn’t particularly surprising. He was always ballsy.

  Then he nodded. “I have no need or wish to visit Vancouver.”

  “I shall no longer hold the crimes of my sister against you, Blackwell,” I said.

  The sorcerer smiled. I sensed genuine gratitude in the expression, but that didn’t stop me wanting it wiped from his gaunt face.

  “But we’re not friends,” I added. “Eventually you’ll do something, break some rule. And I’ll be there, waiting, to exact justice when you step over the line.”

  “It’s not your place to enforce my choices.”

  “And who will you complain to, sorcerer? Who has your back?”

  Blackwell stiffened, then lifted his chin. “You’ll answer to the Convocation. And to the Guardian Council itself.”

  I snorted. “Good luck getting justice from either.”

  Blackwell bristled. Finally. “I happen to know that Suanmi, the guardian of Western Europe, is not a fan of yours.”

  I laughed. “You might want to update your records, sorcerer. Or did I fail to mention the second part of Drake’s title? He’s the fire breather’s ward.” Despite my bravado, my stomach curdled in anticipation of the looming, inevitable confrontation with Suanmi.

  Blackwell glanced over to the beach, then around the immediate area. He flinched as Drake — possibly summoned by my use of his name — appeared at my left elbow.

  “We’ve stayed too long,” the fledgling guardian said. “The sorcerer has already indicated that the information regarding the door the oracle saw us standing before resides in his library. I suggest we go.”

  Blackwell opened his mouth to answer, but I cut him off.

  “That’s hundreds of books. Even with Kett with us, it might take weeks to narrow our focus.”

  “There are many doors in this world,” Kett said agreeably.

  Drake spun away. I felt sorry for him. Chi Wen was his mentor, and even though the far seer could be rather oblique — even inconsistent — in his teachings, the fledgling wasn’t accustomed to waiting around.

  I glanced behind me to watch Drake walk away. Warner wandered out of the trees beyond the cabin and clapped him on the shoulder as he passed. Then the sentinel leaned back against the green SUV parked in the driveway, standing guard as always.

  “Who are you hunting, warrior’s daughter?” Blackwell asked.

  “What makes you think I’m hunting an
yone?”

  “Your company, of course. Warriors all. Strong, fierce … and impetuous.”

  Kett chuckled. No one was less impetuous than an elder vampire … as long as he wasn’t bored, according to Warner.

  Blackwell glanced around the area again, thinking out loud. “Or perhaps I’ve misread the force gathered around you. Perhaps you are the hunted.”

  “Let’s get on with it, Blackwell,” I said. “You have a journal to retrieve. And I assume you don’t want us ripping through your wards and ransacking your library.”

  “You are undeniably correct.” Blackwell tapped his amulet underneath his shirt. I wondered if he wore it constantly, as I did with my necklace. “Care to accompany me, Jade?”

  He held his hand out toward me.

  “No freaking way.”

  “Perhaps I shall accompany you,” Kett said. “To make sure you stay on task.”

  Blackwell looked momentarily ill at the idea of being accompanied by the vampire. Then he smiled tightly. “It shouldn’t take me more than a few hours to follow up on my suspicions. I stumbled across something a few months ago, which leads me to believe I’m already halfway there.”

  He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a metal rune. A rune that looked like a decapitated stick figure.

  It was an exact replica of the runes we’d found on the corpses littered throughout the temple of the braids in Hope Town. It was how we’d identified the skeletons as belonging to a sect of eternal-life sorcerers. A sect that Shailaja had apparently created — and which she had certainly sacrificed to manifest her shadow demon buddies.

  “Where did you find that?” I whispered.

  Blackwell flipped the rune in his hand, then immediately slipped it back into his pocket. “Is it connected to your current hunt?”

  “Only obliquely,” Kett replied smoothly.

  I had filled the vampire in regarding the story of how Kandy, Warner, and I collected the braids. I couldn’t remember mentioning the runes specifically, but the vampire had a fantastic memory.

  “I come from a long line of sorcerers,” Blackwell said. “My collection is centuries old.”

  “That still doesn’t explain you connecting it to our particular request.”

  “You should pay more attention to the oracle’s sketches, dowser,” Blackwell said. “Rochelle’s gifts don’t frighten me as much as they apparently frighten you.”

  He was challenging me, but I didn’t take the bait. Instead, I put together the pieces and shoved them back in his smug face. “So some granddaddy of yours was an eternal lifer. He was part of a sect of sorcerers seeking the instruments of assassination. Obviously, Rochelle sketched the rune. When? About a year ago? And it reminded you of what? A book? Then you found the rune in your collection.”

  Blackwell stuck out his chin. Apparently, he didn’t like me undercutting his power play.

  I laughed, then turned to Kett. “If you want to join him, I can’t stop you.”

  Kett quirked his lips in a smile. Then he reached over to place his hand on Blackwell’s shoulder. In the moonlight, his pale skin was a sharp contrast to the sorcerer’s dark suit.

  “I assume you aren’t staying?” Kett cast his gaze toward the fire and the Brave.

  “Well, you know how much I adore camping.”

  “Keep me apprised of your location,” the vampire said. “Sorcerer?”

  Blackwell nodded. He swallowed, then brushed his fingers against his amulet.

  Magic bloomed, tangling my hair. Then they were gone.

  “First friend of yours I haven’t particularly liked.” Warner’s voice cut through the moonlit darkness between us.

  Drake snickered as he crossed out of the woods to join the sentinel.

  “Did you see the rune?” I asked, crossing to join Warner by the SUV.

  He nodded, not at all pleased.

  “It can’t be one of the ones we collected,” I said, attempting to reassure myself. “That would be way too obvious. Right? I mean, I’d love there to be a connection between the rabid koala and the evil jerk. So there’s probably no chance of that.”

  Warner snorted, grinning at me. Ah, it was sweet when your boyfriend thought your homicidal side was cute.

  The firelight flickered behind me, then died. I turned to see Beau dousing it with sand. Audrey was speaking to him in hushed tones.

  Behind them, Henry — still in his bitten werewolf form — climbed into the RV. The Brave swayed underneath his weight. Rochelle was already inside and putting things away in the kitchen cupboards, preparing to leave.

  Kandy jogged out from behind the cabin. She’d retrieved a backpack from the black SUV, presumably containing yet another change of clothing.

  “Um … Henry?” I asked.

  “He’ll be fine. They’re friends.”

  “Yeah, but they could have left the fire.”

  “We might as well get some food. Old toothy has a cellphone.”

  “You just ate.”

  “You didn’t.” Kandy crossed around to open the back hatch of the green SUV. Drake wandered after her.

  Audrey sauntered over to us, carrying her high-heel pumps in one hand. Other than her change of clothing, I saw no evidence of her recent transformation. The dark-haired beauty was seriously annoying that way. I was already grubby, and I hadn’t turned into a monster and gone romping through the woods.

  “Henry and I will stay with the oracle. We’ll head back to Portland,” Audrey said.

  “I’m sorry about that,” I said. “I know Rochelle prefers the coast.”

  “The pack will be pleased.” She flashed her white teeth in my direction, then smirked.

  “Delightful. I’m always so pleased to please the pack.”

  Audrey laughed huskily, then abruptly returned to her all-business-no-fun tone. “Kandy will accompany you, to protect the pack’s interests.”

  I raised my eyebrows at the beta.

  She lowered her voice. “We’re waiting for the sorcerer to step out of line. The connection between him and the oracle must be severed. The sooner the better.”

  “Ah. Kandy will keep you posted?”

  “Kandy will enforce, as is her duty.” Audrey eyed the back of the Ford Escape over my shoulder, then pitched her voice unnecessarily louder. “Plus, she’s driving me crazy. Whining does not become a werewolf.”

  Kandy snarled an answer, then climbed into the back seat without further addressing her beta.

  Audrey returned her attention to me. “The pack thanks you for including us in this matter.”

  “Right. I’m happy to be helpful.”

  The beta turned back to the RV without another word.

  Warner snorted, then crossed around our vehicle and climbed into the driver’s seat.

  Beau had temporarily rigged the door to the Brave, creating a latch with a bungee cord from the inside. Audrey tossed her car keys in the air toward him as she climbed into the RV. He caught the keys without question or pause. Then, with a nod in my direction, he headed toward the Escalade parked behind the cabin.

  “Beau,” I called after him.

  He paused, looking over his shoulder at me but not turning around.

  “If you ever need anything,” I said.

  “We know where to find you.”

  “Right. Okay.” I wanted to say something more about Blackwell, and to apologize again for forcing a move on them. Beau wasn’t interested, though, so I just added, “Drive safely.”

  He nodded, then jogged the rest of the way to the Escalade.

  Through the windows of the Brave, I saw Rochelle slip into the driver’s seat while Audrey joined her on the passenger side. I couldn’t see Henry, but I assumed he was sprawled out on the back bed.

  A shadow shifted above a tree branch at the edge of my peripheral vision, then stilled. I didn’t need to turn my head or judge the angle of the moonlight to know it shouldn’t be there. I brushed my fingers lovingly along the invisible blade strapped to my right h
ip, waiting for the perfect moment to draw and skewer the shadow leech watching me from the darkness.

  “I found a waffle place!” Kandy yelled from the back seat.

  “Waffles?” Drake asked. “Show me.”

  The shadow disappeared.

  “Come on, Jade,” my werewolf best friend groused. “The dragon doesn’t know what waffles are. You can mope about doing a deal with a devil while we eat.”

  I laughed despite myself. Apparently, I was as transparent as plastic wrap over chocolate pudding. I climbed into the passenger seat without further delay. We were blocking the driveway.

  “Whipped cream and strawberries?” Drake crowed. “Yes, please!”

  I glanced over at Warner, who was waiting for an okay from me. I offered him a blazing smile and buckled my seat belt. “Kandy always knows best.”

  “So true,” Kandy said. “So, so true. There’s always time for waffles … and cupcakes. But apparently, you didn’t bring any of those.”

  I laughed, trailing my fingers over the back of Warner’s hand and wrist as he put the SUV into reverse. “Maybe they’ll have cherries and shaved chocolate.”

  “You know where to find those.” Warner leered at me as he backed the SUV out of the driveway. “Anytime, anywhere.”

  Kandy gagged comically in the back seat. “Tone down the PDA, would you?”

  I glanced back at the green-haired werewolf.

  She grinned.

  God, I was glad to have her back.

  ∞

  Apparently, the local diner Kandy had decided desperately needed our patronage closed at 3:30 p.m. Then the werewolf quickly discovered that everything else within a hundred-mile radius also closed in the early afternoon on a Saturday in January.

  Which was how we found ourselves — blurry eyed and grumpy — waiting outside Sweet Iron in Seattle, Washington, at six o’clock in the damn morning.

  Okay, I might have been exaggerating about the lack of sustenance on the West Coast. And there might have been some further conversation along the way. But I finally succumbed to the sweet oblivion of intensely needed sleep and Kandy got her waffle wish fulfilled … all the long way to Seattle.

  At least it wasn’t raining. Yet.

  Also, Kett and Blackwell hadn’t returned.

  We’d arrived in the city around midnight, then slept in shifts in an underground parking lot a few blocks from the waffle place. Or rather, I slept until Kandy hauled me out of the SUV and dragged me through the hushed, darkened streets to the diner.