“Do you have a blood replenisher?” Aaron demanded. “We need to get her to Elisabetta.”
Kai pulled a vial with one of Sin’s handwritten labels from a pocket in his vest. “Tori? Stay with us.”
“I’m okay. I used a bleeding … stopper … potion thing on my arm.”
“Your arm?” Aaron found my sliced limb and swore under his breath. “Drink the potion, Tori.”
They dosed me with an icky brown liquid, bandaged my arm so tightly my hand went numb, then Aaron scooped me into his arms. Kai helped Ezra to his feet, then pulled the unsteady aeromage over his shoulder in a fireman carry.
“Why,” he grunted breathlessly as he braced against Ezra’s weight, “do you get the girl and I get a guy who’s taller than me?”
“Luck of the draw.”
“You’re an ass.”
A giggle scraped my throat—and the next thing I knew, I was crying. Aaron’s arms tightened, and he whispered reassurances as he strode to the overhead door. Neither mage commented on the destruction—or on Varvara’s body.
Through tear-blurred vision, I peered over Aaron’s shoulder at the spot where Zak had disappeared. Lallakai’s smug smile flashed in my mind, along with the single-word message she’d delivered to me alone.
One word.
Mine.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I tossed a kernel of popcorn in the air and caught it in my mouth. Score! Was I awesome or what?
Too bad no one was watching.
Beside me, Aaron’s head was slumped back against the cushions, his bowl of popcorn sliding sideways off his lap and his mouth gaping as he snored. Scooping up his bowl, I set it on the coffee table and curled up again, munching through another handful of buttery deliciousness.
Dramatic music poured from the surround-sound speakers as our action hero—Jason Statham, this time—ran across the screen. Or what I could see of the screen. A spindly bush blocked a portion of my view.
“Twiggy,” I called quietly. “Don’t sit so close.”
Not looking away from the flawless LCD before him, the faery backed up maybe three inches. Rolling my eyes, I let him enjoy it. His reaction to Aaron’s monstrous flat screen had been priceless. The poor, sheltered fae hadn’t realized TVs came that large, and he quivered with excitement as Jason punched his way through a pack of goons—losing his shirt in the process. I fully approved.
Silently laughing, I glanced at Aaron, wishing he was awake to see Twiggy’s newfound love for his tech, but less than twenty-four hours had passed since he’d battled for his life—and the lives of his guildmates—and he was still exhausted. Elementaria took a heavy toll on the mage’s body.
As he gargled through a snore, I got out my phone and opened the camera. Leaning close, I pulled a funny face, Aaron’s sleeping countenance framed over my shoulder. The phone made a fake shutter noise as I snapped the pic.
Perfect. Maybe I’d print the photo and hang it above the bar.
Tucking my phone away, I settled down again. On my other side, a silver head lifted and fuchsia eyes blinked drowsily. Another sleepy survivor of last night’s chaos. Hoshi yawned widely, flashing her scary little teeth, then tucked her nose under her tail.
I stroked her warm neck, missing the reassuring flickers of color she’d normally send me. Our connection, like my artifacts, was gone. I could no longer communicate with the fae.
My throat tried to close, and I hurriedly stuffed more popcorn in my mouth. I was determined not to wallow. It didn’t matter how shitty everything was. My friends were alive and unharmed, and that’s what mattered.
Finishing my popcorn, I started on Aaron’s bowl as Jason Statham, fully clothed again, parachuted onto the back of a fast-moving semi-truck. Yeah, that was cool and all, but I knew three mages who were way more badass.
A quiet clatter brought my head around. Twiggy tore his stare off the TV and squinted toward the entryway.
The front door thudded and Aaron woke with a snort, his head lifting off the cushions. His bleary blue eyes scrunched with confusion.
A man stepped into the doorway between the living room and front hall.
“Kai!” I half shrieked, almost dumping popcorn all over the sofa as I leaped to my feet. I flew across the room and grabbed him in a crushing hug. He wrapped his arms around me, holding just as tight.
“Dude,” Aaron exclaimed right behind me. He clapped his best friend on the shoulder. “Finally!”
Kai smiled wanly, paler than usual. “I can’t stay long.”
My exuberant relief crashed and burned. I pushed back from his hug, gripping his arms. “What do you mean? You … aren’t …”
Of course he wasn’t back for good.
Varvara was dead, her rogue army—the survivors—arrested and in MagiPol lockup. But defeating the sorceress hadn’t magically changed Kai’s fate. He was still under orders to rejoin his family, and disobedience still meant death.
Aaron swore quietly.
“I came to get my things, but I have a few minutes.” Kai drew us toward the sofa again. “How are you doing, Tori?”
As I dropped onto the sofa, pulling Kai down with me, Hoshi raised her head. She flared her wings, then faded out of sight. With a quick glance at us, Twiggy muttered something, pressed pause on the remote, and vanished too. I frowned. Had he just taken a TV remote to faery land?
I scanned the floor for any sign of it. Huh.
“I’m fine,” I told Kai as Aaron sat on my other side. “Elisabetta fixed me up last night, then I slept until, like, three this afternoon.”
“How’s Ezra?”
“He’s sleeping upstairs. His aero magic is coming back, but he’s still wiped. The Carapace did a number on him.”
An anxious crease formed between his brows. “Have you talked to him?”
“A few times, but he hasn’t been very talkative.”
Aaron looked away, his jaw clenched. Kai rubbed a hand over his forehead, equally tense. In brief, whispered spurts last night, I’d told them how Varvara had tried to use her mind-control splat on Ezra, how he’d gone on a demon-magic rampage, and how I’d used the Carapace to stop him.
“We need to talk to him,” Kai whispered. “This is … He’s said all along …”
“That if he ever truly lost control,” Aaron finished gruffly, “he didn’t want to put others in danger.”
“Darius promised to do it.” Kai closed his eyes, haggard lines deepening around his mouth. “But I think … Aaron, I think we should do it. We should do that for him.”
Aaron’s hands balled into tight fists. “The demon may fight back. We’ll have to plan—”
I grasped their arms. “No.”
“Tori,” Aaron said heavily, “I know it’s hard, but this isn’t about us. It’s about Ezra and—”
“No.” Nerves danced through my gut. “We’re not giving up yet.”
Neither of them met my eyes, despair rolling off them. I gritted my teeth, debating whether this was the time to bring them in on my secrets—but no. They were too raw and too hopeless to handle the knowledge that Eterran already had the upper hand over Ezra. I couldn’t risk them taking drastic action.
Besides, I was due for an important discussion first.
“We all need to talk to Ezra,” I said bracingly. “Don’t jump the gun.”
Aaron let out a shaky breath. “Right. You’re right. We don’t need to rush.”
Kai nodded, not quite able to hide his relief. “How’s everyone at the guild? Elisabetta and Miles were working overtime when I left last night.”
“Left” was an awfully nice way of saying, “Makiko dragged me away while half my guildmates were still injured.” Then again, half their team had been injured too and she’d needed help getting them to their own healers.
Aaron leaned back on the sofa. “Everyone who was critically injured is out of danger except Zora, but Elisabetta and Miles think she’ll pull through.”
“Zora?” Kai’s expression dar
kened. “She was paired up with Robin Page.”
The two mages exchanged meaningful looks.
“I’ll have a word with her,” Aaron said. “Find out what really happened.”
Before I could ask if he meant he’d be having a word with Zora or with Robin, Kai slid his phone out of his pocket to check the time. “I need to go.”
I’d grabbed his arm before I realized I was moving. “Don’t leave. We need you here.”
He covered my hand with his. “I know, Tori, but I have to.”
“Kai …”
He lifted his gaze to Aaron, who stared back at him with blazing blue eyes.
“Are you running?” the pyromage asked. “Or are you fighting?”
“I’m done running.”
“Good.”
I frowned in anxious confusion.
Kai squeezed my hand, then rose to his feet. “I don’t know what I can do or how I can fix this, but I’m going to try.”
Nerves churned in my gut, but I smiled fiercely in answer to the determination in his face. Together, we traipsed upstairs, and Aaron and I helped—or rather, mostly got in the way—as Kai packed some clothes, gear, weapons, and electronics in a duffel bag. We waited in the hall as he ducked into Ezra’s bedroom, then we descended the stairs.
Kai hooked the duffel bag’s strap on his shoulder. “Take care of Ezra. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“You’d better.” I threw my arms around him. “And you’ll answer your phone?”
“Yes.”
Good. Because very soon, I would need them both.
The guys embraced, then Kai left Aaron and I standing side by side behind the screen door as he crossed the front lawn to the black sedan idling at the curb. He slid into the backseat, his pale face turning toward us before he closed the door.
As the car pulled away, Aaron put his arm over my shoulder, holding me close. I slid an arm around his waist, my fingers gripping his shirt.
“He’ll be back,” Aaron whispered. “He’ll figure it out.”
If anyone could find a way out of that mess, Kai could. In the meantime, I had my own mess to figure out.
I shooed Aaron back to the sofa, knowing he’d drift off again within five minutes—and did a double take when I saw that Twiggy had reappeared in front of the TV, the movie playing again. Shaking my head, I ascended the stairs.
For a long moment, I stood outside Ezra’s bedroom, staring at the door. Then I pushed it open. The room was dark, his guitar a silhouette in the corner. Ezra was an unmoving shape under the blankets, but as I approached the bed, the shadow of his head turned.
“Tori?” he murmured.
“Hey.” I sat on the edge of the mattress. “How are you feeling?”
“Exhausted,” he admitted. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been this tired in my life.”
“The Carapace is pretty crazy, huh?”
A quiet pause. “Tori, you … What you did …”
I pulled my feet onto the bed and scooched closer. “I did what I did to keep you alive, Ezra. I don’t regret a thing.”
Again, he was silent, and I could guess what he was thinking. I’d known him long enough now to read his silences.
I’d kept him alive, but it was all futile. His time was up. He’d lost control, and he couldn’t continue pretending to live a normal life while his emotions—and sanity—were so volatile. He was a danger to everyone around him. Soon, he would ask Aaron, Kai, or Darius to end his life before he hurt someone.
But he didn’t say any of that, and I was glad.
I found his face in the darkness and slid my fingertips across his cheek. My thumb traced his lower lip, then I leaned down and kissed him softly. His hand ran across my shoulder, slid up my neck, and tangled in my hair.
Lifting my mouth, I let my lips brush across his. “Don’t give up yet, Ezra.”
“How can I fight this?” he whispered. “How can I stop it?”
“Trust me.” I touched our foreheads together. “Hold on a bit longer.”
He sighed tiredly. I settled beside him, our hands entwined. For a few minutes, I could feel his gaze on my face, though it was too dark to see much. Gradually, his breathing evened out, his chest rising and falling in the slow rhythm of sleep.
I stayed where I was, caressing the back of his hand, tracing each knuckle and finding the callouses from years of weapons training. My gaze lingered on the window, but I couldn’t see the sky where, behind the thick winter cloud cover, the full moon glowed.
Ezra’s chest rose in a deeper breath. The air slid from his lungs. His fingers tightened around mine, then relaxed.
Faint red sparked in the darkness.
I looked into those crimson eyes. “Eterran.”
“Tori.”
I tightened my grip on Ezra’s hand. Eterran’s hand. The difference between the two had shrunk, their fates bound, their time almost up.
Fear slid through me—but my determination was stronger.
“Eterran, we need to talk.”
* * *
Looking at the blank face of my Queen of Spades card, yellowed with age and tattered at the edges, hurt like an open wound. Two days had done nothing to numb the sting.
My other artifacts lay across the table: the fall-spell ruby, the interrogation spell, the brass knuckles. Replacing the sleep potions and smoke bombs had been as simple as asking Sin for more, but these … these were a different case.
At the table with me were four of my guildmates. Lim and Jia, bent with age and their hair snowy white, sat quietly. Weldon, wearing a greasy cowboy hat, frowned at the line of former artifacts. Ramsey, his black hair falling across one dark-lined eye, watched me with subdued sympathy.
“This one.” Jia tapped her wrinkled forefinger against the poisonous green crystal. “Arcana that unduly influences the mind is illegal and harshly punished.”
“You’ll be lucky to find anyone who can make a spell like that,” Weldon added in his rural drawl. “Though if you do … worth a lot.”
Ramsey shot the older sorcerer an irritated glare. “Tori doesn’t want spells to sell on the black market. She wants to replace the magic she lost.”
“I don’t need that one,” I said. “Even if you could do it, I won’t ask anyone to make illegal magic.” I slid the green crystal aside. “What about the fall spell?”
Weldon grunted. “I’m more familiar with the stronger version—decidas in astris—but I could try to find the baby one if that’s what you want. Might not be exactly the same.”
“It will not be the same,” Lim decided. He lifted the ruby and laid it across his palm. “This is no mundane gemstone. It’s a crystalized alchemic potion.”
As Ramsey let out a low whistle, I blinked. “It’s a potion?”
“Distilled into crystal form, yes. Using it as a spell receptacle would enhance or alter the spell in some way, but it’s an obscure form of artifact engineering that I know little about.”
“Where did you get it?” Ramsey asked me.
“From the Crystal Druid. You know … the Ghost.”
His eyes widened. “You bought magic from him?”
“Nah. I stole it.” Ignoring his shocked expression, I asked, “Can you put a new fall spell in it, or … not that simple?”
“Not that simple.” Weldon pushed the brim of his hat up. “Spell would need to work with the alchemic receptacle and all that, but I can make you a new one in a standard talisman.”
“Right,” I said, squashing my disappointment. “Okay.”
“I’m familiar with the amplifying spell,” Lim murmured, picking up the brass knuckles. “I could replicate it without too much trouble.”
My heart leaped. “That would be wonderful.”
Nodding, he slid the brass knuckles into his pocket. We all looked at the last artifact on the table: the former Queen of Spades, now a blank card.
Ramsey lifted the card with quiet reverence. “Reflector spells aren’t as rare as most abjuration, but this
one was something else.”
Lim adjusted his thick glasses. “A recharge of five minutes, you said? Extraordinary.”
Weldon leaned closer to peer at the card. “The painting is gone. Y’all know what that means?”
The other three nodded, but I frowned blankly. “What’s it mean?”
“The painting itself was part of the spell,” Ramsey explained. “Maybe the engineer used special ink, or hid runes in the artwork. I can’t be sure, but it was masterful work.”
“So … so you’re saying …”
Lim shook his head. “Jia and I have no skill in abjuration.”
I looked pleadingly at Weldon.
“The one reflector spell I know,” he grunted, “only works on astral sorcery, and it isn’t meant for combat. Recharge is two weeks.”
Two weeks? That was all but useless. Desperate, I turned to Ramsey.
He set the blank card on the table in front of me. “I’ll ask around and see if anyone is selling something similar, but … this was an exceptional artifact, Tori. It’ll be difficult to replace.”
I nodded mutely. The four mythics pushed their chairs back from the table.
“I’ll begin preparing for the amplifying spell tomorrow,” Lim assured me. “I’ll let you know later this week when to expect it.”
“Thank you.”
Jia patted my shoulder as she passed, and the two elderly sorcerers crossed the workroom and descended the stairs. Weldon paused, grunted again, then followed them.
Ramsey leaned down and gave me a sideways, one-armed hug. “There are loads more artifacts out there, Tori. You’ll find new ones that work for you, and I’ll keep you posted on anything interesting I come across.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “Thanks, Ramsey.”
He vanished down the stairs as well, leaving me alone in the huge room. Rumbling noise and bursts of laughter leaked up from the pub below, but the jubilant sounds held little appeal.
I touched a corner of the blank card, my eyes stinging. I’d suspected the Queen was irreplaceable. I’d known as soon as I saw the missing painting. Not for a minute did I think she was more valuable than Ezra, but I kept replaying her final moments in my head, wondering what I could have done differently. Had there been time to drop the card? If I’d acted sooner, could I have saved the Queen too?
Druid Vices and a Vodka: The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Six Page 28
