Burning Bright (Ivy Granger)

by E.J. Stevens

  I chewed on my lip, thinking back to my conversation with the glaistig. Yeah, she’d dangled Jinx’s welfare like the carrot that it was, and I was not a happy bunny. I’d have to be more careful when it came time to fulfill my second bargain with The Green Lady. Fool me once, shame on you—fool me twice, shame on me. I’d learn from this and move on. Too bad learning experiences with the fae tended to be so costly.

  “She says I have to kill the witch Kaye O’Shay to fulfill our bargain,” I said. “And just to make it worse, she said that I had to do it or else she’ll let her incubus continue feeding and kill Jinx. I suppose that’s her little insurance policy, in case I find a way around the bargain.” I pounded the counter with a gloved fist. “Mab’s bloody bones, there’s got to be some way to win this thing!” I muttered.

  I felt like a cat sidhe chasing its own tail. No matter how many times I thought the problem over, I kept coming up with the same thing. I needed The Green Lady to order her incubus to break his connection with Jinx, but the only way to do that was to fulfill our bargain by killing Kaye. I couldn’t bring myself to kill Kaye, which meant that my best friend was going to die.

  Ceff turned and raised an eyebrow at me as he slid a pile of seasoned eggs and buttered toast onto a plate.

  “What?” I asked, suddenly ravenous.

  “You are stubborn,” he marveled.

  “Well, yeah, that’s a given,” I said. “Of course I’d try to find a way out of the bargain if it was nasty enough. I just never thought she’d ask me to kill someone, least of all Kaye.”

  “And if you move against her directly, she has the incubus as leverage,” he said.

  I nodded, shoveling a forkful of food into my mouth.

  “Oh yeah, and she said that if I ever harmed one of her people, she’d torture me for eternity.”

  The memory of The Green Lady’s words rang in my ears as if the glaistig were still in the room. The threat had been clear—mess with the incubus and die a long, painful death.

  “Hmmm…” Ceff mumbled.

  Other than the mumbling, Ceff remained silent, but a small grin tugged at his lips.

  “Talk to me, Ceff,” I said. “Give me something to go on, anything.”

  He leaned back against the far counter, muscular arms across his chest, legs wide apart.

  “I do have a suggestion, but you are not going to like it,” he said.

  “Go ahead, shoot,” I said. “I’m fresh out of ideas. At this point, I’ll take all the advice I can get.”

  “I was thinking that the first thing you need to do is find a way to kill the witch, hence freeing you of the bargain,” he said.

  I coughed, choking on a piece of toast.

  “Are you nuts?” I asked.

  He couldn’t be serious. Could he? Fae morals were different than the humans ones I’d grown up with, but I’d bet my life that Ceff wasn’t like that. He’d never put my life before my friend’s lives, would he?

  “Wait,” he said. “Hear me out. If you disagree, you can stab me later.”

  Was that a knife in the palm of my hand? Why yes, yes it was. I pushed the knife back into my sleeve and went back to eating my eggs. Me, embarrassed of wanting to stab my boyfriend? Nope, not one bit. I was hungry and there is nothing worse than cold eggs.

  “I’m listening,” I said around a mouthful of food.

  “You must fulfill the terms of your bargain with The Green Lady,” he said. He lifted his hands, but let them drop. “The longer you resist, the weaker you will become. The laws of the fae run within your blood. You may have more time than most purebloods, but eventually you must obey or die.”

  “Wait, you mean The Green Lady will siphon off my energy just like her incubus leach is doing to Jinx?” I asked.

  I blinked at Ceff and pushed my plate away, suddenly not so hungry. Going against faerie law was something I hadn’t thought about. I’d known there were consequences to fighting against the chains of a faerie bargain, but I hadn’t bothered to ask what those consequences might be.

  “It is our way,” he said, looking down at his hands.

  “So I have to fulfill my side of the faerie bargain, or I’ll be no use to anyone,” I said.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “I have to kill Kaye,” I said. “Mab’s bones, I’d rather die first.”

  “Yes, you have to kill Kaye,” he said. He moved across the kitchen and leaned across the counter, bringing his lips close to my ear to whisper. “It is a good thing that all death is not permanent.”

  I jerked my head back and marveled at the gleam in his eye.

  “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” I asked.

  “You have read Romeo and Juliet, have you not?” he asked.

  If the circumstances had been different, I’d have rolled my eyes. The fae have an unhealthy fascination with The Bard. My mother, while dating my wisp father, had become a Shakespearephile herself. I’d grown up on all the classics.

  “Yeah,” I said. “So you’re suggesting I convince Kaye to brew up a sleeping potion that mimics death? Would that even work?”

  “Not exactly,” he said. “In this case, the potion would need to, at least temporarily, kill the witch. She must die in order to fulfill the terms of your bargain. But there is no rule saying that you are not allowed to revive her.”

  I lifted my hands and pushed away from the counter.

  “No way,” I said. “The only necromancers I know are vamps, and those old dustballs aren’t about to help a witch, especially not one who used to be chummy with the entire Hunters’ Guild. Plus, I’ve seen what happens to people who come back from the dead.” I swallowed hard, remembering the way Stinky’s guts had exploded all over me on a recent trip to vamp headquarters. There was no way I’d do that to Kaye. “It’s not pretty.”

  “No, not necromancy,” he said with a grimace. “I was thinking of having an antidote prepared, or perhaps one of those lifesaving machines that restarts the human heart.”

  “A cardiac defibrillator?” I asked.

  Now that was one crazy plan, but it might just work—if I could find Kaye and get her to agree to letting me kill her and zap her with electricity.

  “Kill the witch, fulfill your debt to The Green Lady, and then bring your friend back to life,” he said.

  I licked my lips and fidgeted with my gloves. Kaye forgive me, but I was considering Ceff’s plan.

  “You make it sound so simple,” I said.

  “No, not simple,” he said. “Elegant.”

  “Damn, you sound like Forneus,” I snorted. “You guys and your elegant plans. I’d rather go in there blades flashing.”

  Which reminded me, I needed to check in with the demon. I should have heard from him by now.

  “If you meet The Green Lady head on, you will die,” Ceff said.

  “Yeah, there is that,” I said. “But I’m still not sure how this helps us save Jinx. I mean, being free of the bargain is great and all, but if The Green Lady discovers that I’ve found a way around it, then what’s to keep her from trying to worm her way out of fulfilling her side of things? If her incubus doesn’t willingly release control of Jinx, our only option will be to kill him. And if The Green Lady finds a way to weasel out of our deal, I’m sure she’ll have her incubus’ ass protected night and day.”

  “Do not let the glaistig know that she is being bamboozled,” he said. “Keep Kaye’s resurrection a secret long enough to find a way to break the incubus’ hold on Jinx.”

  “You really think that’s possible?” I asked.

  He nodded, eyes beginning to glow green.

  “You encompass the best qualities of both fae and human,” he said. “You are clever, strong, stubborn, and unpredictable.”

  It was a strange compliment, especially coming from one’s boyfriend, but his words gave me the kick in the pants that I needed. I lifted my chin and let out a throaty laugh.

  “The Green Lady will never know what hit her,” I said. />
  Ceff grinned.

  “Indeed.”

  Chapter 14

  Our plan had sounded good in theory, but it would only work if I could convince Kaye to let me kill her. That was kind of difficult considering the fact that at the moment, I had no idea where she was. I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror and frowned.

  “This is a shitty plan,” I muttered.

  I shook my head and splashed water on my face, careful not to disturb any of Jinx’s things. Cherry red lipstick and a box of tissues sat precariously on the edge of the sink. Like Jinx herself, her things were poised to fall—and if I failed The Green Lady, I wasn’t sure who’d be here to pick up the pieces.

  I toweled off my face and sighed, but it came out like a strangled hiccup. Maybe coming back to the apartment had been a mistake. Seeing Jinx’s things made me miss her all the more. But I hadn’t expected to find so many traces of her here in the bathroom. My eyes blurred as I looked at the cherry red lipstick. My roommate was usually so careful not to leave her things lying around, just in case they gave me an unwanted vision. But this morning had been different—way different, and not in a good way.

  Just this morning, Jinx had looked at her reflection in this very mirror, struggling to see the glowing marks on her skin through unshed tears. She’d tried to put on her lipstick, like it was a normal day, like nothing was wrong. And when the realization hit that she was in deep shit, she’d reached for the box of tissues—and cried out for help.

  She’d called my name, believing that I could fix this. I couldn’t let her down.

  I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, securing it with an elastic band, and twisted it into a tight bun. I slid four wooden stakes and four silver pins into the bun, helping to secure it. Keeping my hair out of an opponent’s grasp was prudent, and if someone did try to grab it, they’d get a nasty surprise.

  I continued to weapon up, sliding blades, stakes, crosses, and small charms into sheaths, boots, and pockets. What was it that Jenna liked to say? Oh yeah, “keep your enemies close and your weapons closer.” It was good advice. I just wished she was here to join in the fight.

  And it would be a fight, in the end. There was something on the wind, a promise of blood that lingered in the smoky air. In order for our plan to work, I’d have to find a way to get to The Green Lady’s incubus and break his connection to Jinx. Double-crossing a faerie queen and messing with one her loyal subjects? That promised a fight.

  But first I needed to find Kaye.

  “You look beautiful, and deadly,” Ceff said.

  He was leaning in the open doorway, looking me up and down.

  “Um, thanks,” I said. “That’s the idea. The deadly part, that is. Think the glaistig will be shakin’ in her boots?”

  He nodded. Right, it’s hard for the pureblood fae to tell an outright lie. Ceff was trying to make me feel better, but telling me The Green Lady would tremble in fear at the sight of a half-breed with a few trinkets was probably asking too much of the guy.

  I pushed away from the sink and he moved out of my way, smart man. Grabbing the last of my things, I took one final look around the apartment. The handwoven tapestry on one wall, the ticking Felix-the-Cat clock over the kitchen sink, and the old comfy couch suddenly looked drab and worn like someone had sucked the life out of the entire loft and its furnishings. This place would never be the same without Jinx. If I couldn’t save her, I might as well not come back.

  “You will save her,” he said.

  He came to stand beside me. Not close enough to trigger a vision, but within reach if I desired it. Ceff was a steadying presence and I nodded curtly. When we cleared the front door, I said a silent prayer as I reset the protection wards that only allowed Jinx or me to enter. I just hoped that one of us would be coming back.

  Chapter 15

  “Miss Granger?”

  Crap. That was the problem with living over your business. It made it way too easy to be found. Just wait long enough and I’d turn up. I’d have to remember that the next time I needed to dodge potential clients and deadly enemies. This one, thankfully, looked like the former.

  I turned to see a short, heavyset man standing in front of my office. I focused on him with my second sight, but he looked much the same either way; a stout man in a pinstripe suit, watch fob and all. He could have been a vertically challenged human, but I was guessing dwarf.

  Though what a dwarf would want with me was anyone’s guess. There weren’t many in the area. Dwarves were miners and we were at sea level without a mountain in sight. A few had excavated The Hill centuries ago, but word on the street was that they’d all cleared out when the vamps moved to town and took over the underground chambers for their own headquarters.

  I studied the dwarf, wondering what could have brought him to the city and onto my doorstep. He held an old, bowler hat to his chest, exposing the top of his head—which appeared to be the one spot on his body not covered in shaggy hair. His beard, which covered most of his face, was split down the middle and braided into two plaits that brushed the top of his large boots.

  He turned the hat in a circle with his stubby fingers and looked pleadingly up at me. I hated it when they did that. I was no good at this sort of thing, which is why Jinx dealt with our clients. But she wasn’t here to run interference, not today, maybe not ever again.

  I bit my cheek and gave myself a mental kick in the pants. Being depressed about Jinx wouldn’t do my friend any good. I had to think positive, and if Jinx were here, she’d want me to be nice to the potential client. Whoever, or whatever, he was.

  “Yeah, um, that’s me,” I said with a shrug. I hoped that owning up to my name hadn’t just painted a big target on my chest, but then again, this guy would be hard put to reach that high to stab me. Of course, he could have a gun in that fancy hat…or rabid ferrets or something. With the fae, you never know. “But the office is closed today—family emergency.”

  It wasn’t a lie exactly. For the longest time, Jinx had been the closest thing I had to family. My wisp blood didn’t react—it was close enough to the truth.

  “M’lady, I am Benmore, leader of the dwarves of Harborsmouth,” he said. “I bear a missive from the vampire master of the city.”

  He lowered his hat in one hand, the other hand reaching inside his pinstripe vest. With a flick of my wrist, a throwing knife hit my palm, ready to throw if necessary. Better to be paranoid than dead. Apparently, Ceff was thinking the same thing. He held his telescoping trident in both hands, ready for a fight.

  The dwarf’s eyes widened—at least I think they widened, since they became much more visible in his hairy face—and he froze.

  “Would you prefer to retrieve the missive yourself, M’lady Wisp?” he asked.

  “I’d rather not,” I said. No way was I touching some strange dude’s vest, no matter how impressive his beard. “No offense. Ceff?”

  Ceff stepped forward and reached two fingers into the man’s vest pocket, retrieving a dusty scroll tied with a ribbon. He carried it toward me and I groaned. The thing reeked of vamps. It had the stink of dust and decay all over it.

  “You’re working as a messenger for the vampire master of the city?” I asked.

  The dwarf shrugged and placed his hat on his head.

  “We have an arrangement, m’lady,” he said. “They rule the city above from below, while I rule the city below from above.”

  “So when the vamps took over your halls, you did what? Went topside while your people dug deeper?” I asked.

  Benmore nodded, beard wagging, and held out his hands in a “what can you do?” gesture. I could think of a lot of things, like staking all the vamps, but I kept those thoughts to myself.

  “Shall we open it?” Ceff asked, eyeing the scroll in his hand like a viper that may strike at any moment. Knowing vamps, it just might. Vampires love theatrics.

  “Okay, fine,” I said. The dwarf mayor or whatever seemed to be waiting for us to read the letter and we needed
to get a move on if we were going to find Kaye. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Ceff tugged at the red ribbon, which was the color of blood, of course, and broke the wax seal that held the scroll together. As he unrolled the scroll, the parchment—please god, tell me that’s not human skin—made a dry, whispering sound that scraped along my nerves like claws on a chalkboard. Leave it to the vamps to use a means of sending a message that was both dramatic and annoying. God forbid the Luddites pick up a telephone.

  “What does it say?” I asked.

  I leaned toward Ceff, careful not to get too close to the scroll. I sure as hell didn’t want to touch something that came from vamp headquarters, even if it wasn’t human skin—and the jury was still out on that one.

  Ceff tilted the scroll toward me with a grimace. The spidery handwriting danced along the page with dark blotches where the nib of the pen had caught the paper. The ink looked dark brown, but I knew by Ceff’s look of disgust that it had run red when it was fresh.

  The scroll was written in blood.

  I swallowed hard, choking down my revulsion and focused on the flowery words. Too bad the message found within wasn’t any better than the vile manner in which it was written. The vamps meant to collect on my debt.

  When it rains it pours. It seemed like everyone was out to collect a piece of me. Too bad for them, I was busy.

  “What shall I inform the vampire master of the city?” Benmore asked.

  “Like I said, we’re closed, family emergency,” I said.

  “Oh, but the master will be very displeased,” he said, beard twitching.

  “A moment,” Ceff said.

  He gestured and I followed to where he stopped a few feet away from the dwarf. It wasn’t private, but we didn’t have time to go back inside and have a long chat. Plus, as far as I was concerned, the vamps could wait.

  “We don’t have time for this,” I said, speaking through my teeth.

  “Would you agree that there is nothing more to be done until you hear back from Forneus or Arachne?” he asked. “We do not know Kaye’s whereabouts and we are no closer to breaking the incubus’ hold on Jinx.”