by E.J. Stevens
“Ceff, your people are in place?” I asked.
I stole a sideways glance at where Ceff crouched to my left, beside an oil slick puddle. Somehow he was using his water magic to stay in contact with the head of his royal guard.
“My guards are in place,” he said, nodding. “They will remain in the harbor, on the perimeter of The Green Lady’s domain, ready to use their magic if needed.”
“Good,” I said, giving him a curt nod.
The kelpies were the key to keeping any fires that the fire imps started contained. None of us wanted unnecessary casualties. Well, most of us didn’t. Kaye looked like she was out for blood.
I handed my binoculars to Torn and turned to Kaye.
“Okay, let’s charge this thing up,” I said.
Kaye touched the demon vessel with her wand, strange words tumbling from her lips.
“That’s it?” I asked.
“Yes, it is done,” she said.
I gingerly slipped the artifact inside a zippered jacket pocket, one of the few remaining pockets without holes or tears, and checked my weapons one last time. I had my full complement of blades, holy water, and iron weapons. I was ready as I’d ever be.
“They closing up shop yet?” I asked, turning to Torn.
His cat spies hadn’t reached me in time to warn me of the Moordenaar’s attack earlier, and he seemed eager to prove their worth. Cat sidhe now lurked in nearly every shadow along the harbor. If anyone knew if the carnival had flipped their closed sign, it was Torn.
“They’ve powered down and the humans are gone,” he said. “Only two satyrs at the front gate sharing a cigarette.”
“Sloppy,” I said.
Torn shrugged.
“The Green Lady thinks Kaye is dead and that you’re her lapdog,” he said. “With the rest of the city scrambling to deal with fire imps, she’s probably feeling pretty confident right about now.”
“Good, we want her careless,” I said.
I ran a hand through my hair and pasted on a smile.
“Those satyrs still smoking?” I asked.
Torn nodded.
“Then that’s my cue,” I said.
My gut tightened as I stepped out of the alley and strode across the street toward the carnival turnstiles. I was about to go deep into enemy territory and unleash a swarm of pyromaniacal demons.
Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Chapter 50
“Hey boys,” I said, suggestively licking my lips. “What does a girl have to do to see The Green Lady these days?”
The satyrs perked up, ready for duty—and I’m not talking about their security detail. The hairy, goat men stared at me, their cigarettes long forgotten.
“So, is that a flute in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” I asked.
I flipped my hair and gave them a girlish giggle. Geesh, I’d rather clash blades than flirt, but these were satyrs. Their weakness was that their brains were located between their legs. If I wanted to get inside the carnival grounds without a fuss, this was the best strategy.
Of course, if the glaistig had left orders not to let me in, they might just kill me on sight and screw my lifeless corpse. Satyrs weren’t known for their discerning tastes.
One of the men clomped toward me and I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to palm my knives. If I had a weapon in hand, I’d use it. I knew exactly what my first target would be, and although his leer made my stomach twist, it wouldn’t be the satyr’s fur covered face.
He unhooked the chain that was strung across the entrance and waved me through.
“Thank you, sugar,” I said. His buddy came up beside him and they both were definitely happy to see me. I pushed out my bottom lip and shook my head. “Sorry boys, business before pleasure. I have to see The Green Lady, but I promise to make it quick.”
I winked and the satyrs nodded. One led me down a sawdust strewn path, which left only one guard at the gate. So far, so good.
The carnival was quiet, with most of the fae turning in for the night or kicking back with a drink or three. The amusement rides were shut down, the skeletons of the roller coaster and Ferris wheel dark voids against the starry sky. The grinning funhouse clown’s teeth and eyes seemed to glow in the dim light and I shivered. I never understood the appeal of clowns. They were right up there with vamps and spider fae for breeding nightmares.
We passed the funhouse and ducked beneath the flap of a large tent. Fae reclined on pillows in various stages of undress, long pipes in their hands. It was no secret what these faeries were up to. The air was thick with the sickly sweet smell of opium. My nostrils flared and I flushed hot as I took in the disheartening scene.
Apparently, the glaistig had found another way to keep her workers compliant—as if swearing eternal servitude wasn’t enough. I clenched my jaw, teeth grinding so hard it was a miracle they didn’t break. These fae trusted The Green Lady to take care of them and instead she used them as free labor in her carnival and then pimped out drugs to them in their off hours. She claimed to love her people, but she was as bad as Puck dealing Ice to the patrons of Club Nexus.
I wanted to wring the faerie queen’s neck, but instead I kept a smile pasted on my face and my blades up my sleeves. I needed to gain the glaistig’s trust and find her pet incubus. I’d leave her fate in Kaye’s capable hands.
I followed the satyr to a dark corner, all the while keeping an eye out for threats. He beckoned for me to pass behind a sheer curtain and I resisted the urge to tuck tail and run. If the satyr was taking me here to drug and rape me, he had another thing coming—namely, a date with my friends Sharp and Pointy.
Chapter 51
I ducked as the satyr held the curtain back and I caught sight of a familiar face. The glaistig was still fully shrouded in an emerald green cloak, but semi-naked men sprawled like puppies on the cushions she lounged on. A girl covered in red fur, wearing a gold bikini that would make Jabba the Hut proud, fanned The Green Lady with an honest to goodness palm frond.
I was here to behave, but I couldn’t resist cocking an eyebrow at the foliage as climate control. Hell, with the satyr at my back, this room didn’t need any more wood.
“Is that shrubbery?” I asked. “And look at me empty handed, no herring in sight.”
Sometimes there was just no controlling my mouth.
“I see that you are as insolent as ever,” the gaistig said.
“Well, I figure I deserve a little gloating…now that I’ve fulfilled our bargain,” I said.
“Yes, I felt the witch’s death,” she said, smiling and licking her lips. She sipped wine from a golden goblet, not unlike the one which Kaye had drunk the death potion that had at least temporarily killed her. “But if you are here for a reward, you are sadly mistaken. You have fulfilled the terms of our bargain, nothing more.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes averted. Let her think I was sheep, she’d feel my claws soon enough.
The satyr bent down and whispered something into the glaistig’s ear. Her eyes widened and a slow smile crept across her face.
“Yes, splendid idea,” she said. “I will have use for you tomorrow, so spend the night enjoying my hospitality.” By hospitality, I’m pretty sure she meant the groping hands of the satyr. “Return to me at dawn.”
An invitation to stay was exactly what I wanted, but I couldn’t afford to sound too eager.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t…” I stammered, my eyes on the pillow strewn floor.
“I insist,” she said, eyes narrowing.
“Um, okay, if that’s what you want,” I said meekly.
The glaistig nodded.
“My satyr has taken a particular shine to you,” she said. “Go and make merry, but do not think of leaving. I have something special planned for that second bargain you owe me.”
I kept my eyes averted, hiding the fiery rage that simmered within. She thought she could send me off to fuck her satyr’s brains out and then order me to implem
ent another one of her foul orders. The woman was a faerie queen alright. She was an evil, self serving, manipulative bitch.
A twisted part of me wanted to know what her second request would be—Which one of my friends would she want me to kill this time?—but I didn’t want to press my luck. Best to look beaten and avoid further scrutiny.
I palmed one of my knives and followed the satyr out the door.
Chapter 52
I let the satyr lead me far from the glaistig’s tent before putting on the fake waterworks. Nothing like a red face and snot to ruin the mood, and keep an amorous satyr at arm’s length, right?
“The Green Lady is sending me away in the morning,” I said, lip trembling. “I need to see my friend Delilah before I go.”
The satyr shook his head and reached for my jacket. I slapped his hand away with the flat blade of one of my knives. My lip curled and I bared my teeth—so much for snot and tears.
“No,” I said. “I need to see Delilah.”
The satyr shoved me, hard, and my head hit the side of a food truck. My ears rang with the force of the blow, but I shook it off. My knees wobbled, heart racing at the thought of this guy touching me—and it wasn’t just the threat of visions that made my gut twist.
He stepped forward, trying to press his body against mine and I rammed a knee between his legs. He let out a high pitched bleating cry, but I didn’t stop there. On the downward motion I kicked out to the side, using my momentum to ram my boot into his knee. As he buckled forward, I shoved his shoulders, pushing him away from me and onto the ground.
I grabbed a metal box of napkins that was on the fold-out counter of the food truck, and cracked him over the head. The bleating stopped.
“No means no, buddy,” I said. “You should have listened when I said it the first time.”
I left the satyr curled in a ball, hugging his family jewels even in sleep. He’d live, but he might think twice before forcing himself on the next woman who told him no.
I brushed my gloved hands together, smoothed out my hair, and slipped into the shadows. One satyr down—one succubus and one incubus to go.
Chapter 53
I found Delilah just as the alarm rang out. The smell of smoke mingled with the breeze off the harbor and I knew that Kaye’s spell had worked. I patted the demon vessel in my pocket and grinned. The fire imps had come.
I scanned the area for threats, but the only person in sight was the succubus who was tugging down the skirt of her skimpy dress. I may not have caught the succubus in flagrante, but she looked sated. Hopefully, her recent feed would make her slow and not strong as hell.
I palmed a throwing knife in one hand and grabbed a holy water grenade off my belt with the other. I kept the weapons behind my back and slipped out of the shadows, looking more like I was out for a stroll than ready for a fight.
But looks can be deceiving.
“Hello, Delilah,” I said. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Here was a dark patch of grass covered ground beside the fortune teller’s tent. But the area didn’t remain dark for long. The rage at what the succubus had done to Jinx rolled through me like wild fire, warming my body, and setting my skin and eyes aflame.
Delilah hissed and jumped back into a crouch. But when she saw that it was just little old me, albeit a glowing me, she relaxed.
“Oh,” she said, pulling herself upright and straightening her dress. “It’sss you. What are you doing here?”
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. In one fluid motion, I held the balloon filled with holy water aloft and brought my knife to her neck. I swallowed hard, but kept my hand steady. It was risky being this close to the succubus, but I’d taken some precautions.
After leaving Kaye’s I’d made a pit stop back at the loft where I suited up in two layers of silk long underwear. The neck of the turtleneck was pulled up high and my thumbs were securely through the holes in the top’s sleeves. With my gloves, jeans, tall boots, and leather jacket worn over the long underwear, there was barely an inch of exposed skin. I’d also added a skullcap from my pocket, which I’d pulled down over my ears moments before. If I kept her from touching my face, I’d be safe from unwanted visions.
“I know about your role in hurting Jinx,” I said. “You rufied my best friend. I can’t just let that go.”
“I wasss jussst following ordersss,” she said, eyes wide.
I shook my head.
“Not good enough,” I said. “Jinx is my vassal, which gives me the right to take your head.”
Delilah licked her lips, face shifting from fear to seduction.
“Perhapsss we can come to an underssstanding,” she said.
She heaved her more than ample bosom, rolled her tongue along pouty lips, flashing a tiny fang. I shuddered and Delilah smiled, but my reaction wasn’t desire. The succubus may be sex incarnate, but a) she wasn’t my type, b) sex with a succubus is a death sentence, and c) she’d drugged my friend and handed her off to a horny incubus.
Nope, I’d rather eat glass than touch Delilah with anything other than my blades.
“Keep that up, Delilah, and I take your head,” I said. “You can’t seduce me and if you call for help, no one will come—your coworkers have their hands full battling a horde of fire imps. But if you help me find the incubus who’s feeding on Jinx, I’ll let you live. We’ll call it even.”
She pretended to think about my offer, but it was all show. It was within my rights to take her life, but instead I was giving her a chance at redemption. It was a deal and she knew it.
“I will take you to Adam, on one conditsssion,” she said.
“And what would that be?” I asked, eyes narrowing.
“You take me with you when you leave,” she said.
Take the succubus with me? Now that was unexpected.
“Why would you want to go with me?” I asked.
“Onccce The Green Lady knowsss I’ve helped you, I am as good asss dead,” she said.
I thought about it. If I’d become the glaistig’s lapdog, would I be looking for a way out? I didn’t have to dig too deep to know my answer.
“Come on, show me where I can find this Adam, and I promise to take you with me,” I said. “But I can’t promise your safety.”
“Deal,” she said. I backed away, feeling the bargain settle between us. “Thisss way. Adam isss working.”
What did an incubus do for work? I was tempted to ask Delilah, but shook off the idea. Some things were best left unknown.
Chapter 54
Delilah was as good as her word. She showed me the way to Adam’s place of employment. I frowned, cursing myself for not asking what the incubus did for work.
“That’s the glaistig’s tent,” I said.
“Yesss,” she said with a nod.
We were ducked behind a sign for the strongman. Delilah crouched behind an oversized cartoon thigh, eyes flicking up and down the path. Harried carnival fae ran in every direction carrying buckets of water, weapons, or both.
“So, is Adam the glaistig’s…concubine?” I asked.
“Concubinusss,” she said. I raised an eyebrow. “Concubine is female, Adam is male.”
Ah, okay. Now that we had the terminology straight, I tried to wrap my brain around what was going on inside the forest green tent. Bile rose in my throat at the idea of The Green Lady using her subjects for sex, even if the man was an incubus.
I spit to the side and surveyed our options. The fire imps were keeping the carnival fae busy. In the chaos, it would be easy to slip inside The Green Lady’s tent. I just didn’t want to think too hard about what I’d face when I got there.
“Okay, you stay here,” I said. “I’ll try to gain access to Adam. If I’m lucky, the two are done knocking boots and I’ll catch him on a smoke break while the glaistig sleeps.”
Delilah gave me a dubious stare, but nodded.
I palmed my knives, not worrying about brandishing weapons out in the open since most of the
carnival fae were currently armed, and ran toward the tent. I slipped around to one side and carefully pulled back the fabric flap.
I gasped. I’d expected to see the glaistig sweaty and naked with her concubinus. Or if my luck held, they’d be fast asleep. What I didn’t anticipate was The Green Lady in a faceoff with a pack of fire imps.
“Mind if I join the party?” I asked, drawing the glaistig’s wide-eyed gaze.
“Come, half-breed, douse these flames,” she ordered, pointing to her bed.
The sheets were smoldering and it had nothing to do with the scantily clad incubus tied to the headboard.
“Why haven’t you untied him yet?” I asked, body tensing.
“Him?” she asked. “He is just a slave. Now put out those flames and help me lift these strongboxes. The items these contain are priceless.”
I pulled out the demon vessel and rubbed it three times like Kaye had instructed. She said that it would accelerate the spell and attract the fire imps like pixies to salt. With a tittering laugh, six more imps bounced into the room to join the four already facing the glaistig. Flame sprung from their fingertips as they eyed her long, green robes and a table covered in maps and scrolls.
I remembered the vision I had while riding a fire imp’s blood. Fire, fire, fire! All these demons cared about was finding things that were flammable…and making them burn.
“Consider this a gift from Kaye,” I said, holding up the demon vessel.
I was about to toss the vessel at The Green Lady when she blanched and pointed behind me. I spun around to see Kaye stride in, the bells on her skirts jingling merrily.
“You!” the glaistig cried.
“You look surprised to see me,” Kaye said, eyes glinting in the growing flames. “I wonder why that is.”
“You are supposed to be dead!” she yelled. She twisted her head my way. “You were bound by our bargain to kill the witch.”
