Now or Never: Wizards of Nevermore

by Michele Bardsley

  “You okay?” Taylor asked gruffly.

  “Got the Lucinda treatment,” said Ant. “I’m great. You?”

  “I’ll live.”

  “She will, too,” said Lucy.

  Taylor almost tipped over his chair getting up. He grabbed onto it, then held it out so Norie could sit down.

  Gray caught his wife’s knowing look, and they shared a quick smile. Then Lucy crossed to him and slid onto his lap, right where she belonged.

  “Well, den,” said Ember as she entered the kitchen. “We all fine now.”

  “You mean all fine for now,” said Ant. His gaze skittered toward Norie. Gray watched Taylor send his brother a dark look, and Ant returned to watching Rilton plate up eggs, bacon, and toast.

  Norie held out her hands in a placating gesture, her eyes filled with regret and fear. Lucy reached across the table and took her hands. “Don’t worry. You’re safe here. We’ll protect you.”

  Norie looked even more dismayed. A notepad and pen were on the table, and she quickly wrote a message.

  “‘I need to leave,’” read Lucy. “‘Then no one else will get hurt.’”

  “Do you remember where we found you?” asked Gray softly.

  She scribbled again and handed the new note to Lucy.

  “‘I remember being on a big stone. And people in black robes trying to hurt me.’”

  Lucy smiled kindly. “Do you know why they wanted to hurt you?”

  She shook her head. Then she wrote, “‘Sacrifice. Apparently, it’s my destiny.’”

  “Are you a Raven?” asked Gray.

  She wrote, “‘Not magical.’”

  Trent whistled. “Is she serious?”

  Norie’s gaze whipped toward him, and she raised her eyebrows.

  “Oh. Sorry. The not-talking thing is kinda weird.” His cheeks flushed, and he cleared his throat. “You’re a magical. You’re like me. The power’s all locked up, but nothing necro can be hidden from me.”

  Norie shook her head violently, her long black locks swishing. “Not magical,” she mouthed.

  “I’m not wrong,” said Trent in a matter-of-fact voice. “Maybe that’s why the Ravens want to sacrifice you. Although it’s not as if they can siphon off her abilities…or can they?”

  “Nope,” said Ant. He stole a slice of bacon. “Kill the magical; kill the magic. That’s the way it is.”

  “Well, maybe they don’t want her to unleash her power,” said Trent thoughtfully. “So they’re offering her to…well, whomever. And getting rid of whatever threat she reps.”

  “Kahl wants her,” said Gray quietly.

  “Okay. That’s not good,” said Trent.

  “Enough. We eat now.” Ember helped her husband distribute the plates of food and cups of coffee. Ant dug up a couple more chairs, and everyone crammed in around the table and spent the next ten minutes filling up on calories and caffeine.

  “Seems to me that Norie would be safer at my house,” said Gray. “The farther she is from the nemeton, the better.”

  “There’s a nemeton nearby?” asked Trent, wide-eyed. “Can I see it?”

  “Shit,” muttered Gray. “Don’t tell anyone, okay? We’re still figuring out its purpose.”

  “The Ravens know the purpose,” put in Taylor. “Why not ask that Ryerson fellow?”

  “Right,” said Gray, a wry smile twisting his lips. “Because he’d love to help us. He’s here to find evidence proving someone in Nevermore killed Franco. It’s no coincidence he showed up around the same time Norie found herself strapped to an altar.”

  “You think he’s a Raven spy?” asked Ant. He was eyeing the slice of bacon Norie had left on her plate. She noticed, and pushed the plate toward him. He grinned and swiped it.

  “Of course he’s a Raven spy,” said Lucy. “I’m sure Franco’s murder is part of the reason he’s snooping around, but there’s something else. Either he knows about Norie and the nemeton, or he wants to find something on Gray’s mother. She’s one of the most powerful Dragons in the Grand Court.”

  “And you said there are rumors about the Ravens seceding?” Taylor directed the question at Gray.

  Gray nodded. “Rumors. If it happens…well, it won’t be pretty.”

  “Maybe sacrificing Norie is part of that,” mused Trent. “Maybe they’re using her as a bargaining chip to get more power or demonic support.”

  The idea chilled Gray. Rogue wizards with demon backup? The world would be torn apart. He couldn’t imagine the horrors that would be inflicted on magicals and mundanes if a war actually started. He hoped diplomacy would win out.

  “So,” said Lucy, “we’re all exhausted. Maybe getting some sleep would be best now. We can reconvene at our house later and discuss strategies.”

  “We’ll have to figure out a way to get rid of Ryerson,” said Gray.

  “Let’s meet at da tea shop,” said Ember. “Neutral ground will put him at a disadvantage, so he won’t cross da threshold.”

  “Okay,” said Gray. He was enervated; his mind felt too full of cobwebs for him to think straight. “Norie? You ready?”

  She shook her head. She reached over and placed her hand on Taylor’s arm. “Stay,” she mouthed.

  Gray shifted his gaze to Taylor, and he saw the fight in his friend’s eye. Well, hell. He knew better than to try to separate them. He knew exactly what that kind of possession, and protection, felt like. Lucy was his, and he’d die for her. He didn’t know, not yet, if that was the case for Taylor and Norie, but it seemed strange that they had formed so strong a bond in mere days.

  Then again, who was he to question it? It had taken him less than a week to fall in love with Lucy, even though he hadn’t wanted to admit it. And he’d almost lost her. They’d nearly died trying to fight off evil, and he didn’t want anyone else in Nevermore being killed because of some asshole’s diabolical agenda.

  He’d had enough of that crap.

  “She stays with Taylor,” said Gray. “Let’s help clean up, and then get to our beds.”

  The Guardian had spoken.

  And everyone complied.

  In the early-morning light, Happy Ness’s decision to follow Ant to the testing grounds seemed…well, stupid. Happy’s heart pounded so hard, she could feel the erratic beats pulsing in her ears. She shouldn’t have followed Ant to the open field behind the Dragon temple. And she shouldn’t be hiding in a copse of trees, spying on him.

  Last night, Lucinda and Gray had gone off with Ember and Rilton—to where she didn’t know. She hadn’t been able to sleep, so she heard them return. It had been almost three a.m.

  Ant dropped by the Guardian’s house this morning to say hello, and to have a private conversation with Gray. The way he offered a quick hug and a quicker good-bye, she could tell he was eager to meet Elandra and start the magical testing. If he wanted to be part of the House of Wolves, well, then he totally should. But if he did well and he went away for a whole year…she’d die! So, instead of going to school—and not going to class would piss off Lucinda and Gray big-time—she’d watched Ant walk to downtown, and then she’d snuck along like a stupid, immature, jealous moron.

  She’d seen Elandra in the tea shop and knew how pretty she was…and how mature. Of age, as Ant would say, especially when he was trying to resist the urge to kiss her.

  Didn’t he know she’d give him anything he wanted? She understood he was honorable, and she liked that about him. She did. But if they were gonna be together, then why wait? Why did their ages matter, when their hearts had already decided? Why all the freaking torture? She was starting to feel as if they were Romeo and Juliet, and the ending to that story sucked.

  Not that she wouldn’t die for Ant—or die for love. She would. But she thought it was kinda stupid Romeo and Juliet didn’t have, you know, a conversation. She would’ve found a way to send a note, or something, saying, “Hey, I’m gonna fake my death. Just chill until they put me in the crypt; then we’ll run away.” Seriously. How difficult would t
hat have been? It bothered the crap outta her that they didn’t get to really be together. All that love and angst and drama.

  Felt familiar.

  Like her and Ant.

  Only they weren’t star-crossed lovers. They weren’t even lovers. Not that she’d ever been with a guy, ’cause she hadn’t. She was pretty sure Ant had been with girls, though. He was too confident and sexy to be a virgin. That didn’t really bother her. She knew he wouldn’t date someone else while he waiting for her an’ all. Worry gnawed at her. At least she didn’t think so. And was it really fair of her to expect that? Sure, she’d jump his bones in a heartbeat if he let her. But then…he wouldn’t be Ant. He wouldn’t be the guy worth waiting for. Honor was important. All the people she looked up to had loads of honor, and she could, too. She could be patient.

  Though it hurt. A lot. Some days, it was as if a big stone were sitting on her chest, crushing her lungs, and she couldn’t take a breath. Ant was always on her mind. Even if she was thinking about other stuff, thoughts of him hovered on the perimeter.

  That was love, she thought. It wasn’t all wonderful, all the time. Lucinda told her once that love left the heart open to be either embraced or wounded. Sometimes, the heart ended up embraced and wounded.

  It seemed to Happy that love shouldn’t hurt, and it kinda sucked when it did.

  Like now.

  She crouched down, peering around the trunk of a tree, and watched Elandra put Ant through the paces. He looked to be doing well, or maybe his tester was just doing warm-ups or something. Happy didn’t see the House of Wolves mage as someone who’d mess around. She had a sorta serious vibe. Ant did, too, for that matter, and it seemed to Happy that it was just one more thing for them to have in common.

  Damn it.

  Happy wasn’t sure what exactly Ant was proving by making the earth move, plants grow, and animals appear. Nor did she get why it was so important that he do those fancy swirls of magic. For a brief, awful second, she wanted him to fail. Then he’d stay in Nevermore, wait for her, and they’d be together.

  And Ant would be miserable.

  Shame filled her. Man, she was being so selfish. She couldn’t think about anything beyond how she felt and what kind of pain she’d be in if Ant moved away. A year seemed a lifetime. And Canada? It might as well be the moon.

  What would she do?

  How would she cope?

  “Miss Ness.”

  Happy nearly jumped out of her skin. She grasped the tree to steady herself and gulped in some oxygen. Good Goddess. The rasping voice of Orley Ryerson made her feel as if a viper were slithering near her ankles. She only recognized his voice because it was what creeped her out the most when Gray had reluctantly introduced them. She’d known right away that the Raven wizard was not a nice man.

  When she felt as though she had some control back, she got to her feet. She pivoted, putting one hand on her hip and an annoyed expression on her face. She’d learned it was better to go on the offense than be on the defense. “Gah! What are you doing skulking around here?”

  “Perhaps you’re the one skulking.” Orley offered a smile as sharp as a blade. He studied her for a long moment, so long, in fact, she wanted to squirm. He knew it, too. Hell, he was probably waiting for it. She barely resisted the urge to shiver. Blech. The dude gave her the mondo creeps.

  Happy knew Orley was staying at the Guardian’s house, but she hadn’t actually run into him there yet. The house was big enough that she probably didn’t have to see his stupid face if she didn’t want to…and she didn’t. And Gray and Lucinda had told her to steer clear of the mage and to not talk to him without one of them present. They would shit kittens if they found she’d skipped morning classes to spy on Ant and then had ended up alone with the Raven mage.

  “You’re Bernard Franco’s daughter.”

  “Duh.” Happy hated to be reminded that Bernard was her sperm donor. He’d killed her mother, and he had tried to kill Lucinda and Gray. Then he transferred his demonic curse to her, and she’d had to die just to get away from it. She hoped he was rotting in the deepest darkest pit in hell.

  “When’s the last time you saw your father?”

  The question was asked tonelessly, but it was delivered as sharply as that knife-blade smile. Her stomach jumped as fear did the cha-cha up her spine. Special investigator, my ass. He had no right to be here poking around. She didn’t like the Raven mages, and she especially didn’t like Orley Ryerson. He was here to mess everything up; she knew it.

  “Well?” prompted Orley.

  “Last time I saw my father…hmm.” She put a finger to her chin and looked up, as though the sky held the answer. Then she shifted to face him and pinned him with all the hate she could muster. “Oh, yeah. That would be when he killed my mother.”

  Orley’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Do you have proof of this supposed murder?”

  “Sure. I’m the freaking CSI. Here, let me get the pictures we took of the crime scene and show you the knife he used to slit her throat.” She tossed the sarcasm at him as if she were throwing acid. Goddess, he was such a prick. She couldn’t stand being near him. He made her skin crawl and her gorge rise.

  “Careful, girl. Making such an accusation against one of our own merits a serious response from the House of Ravens.”

  “Is that a threat?” she asked boldly, even though her heart was stuttering and her palms were clammy. “ ’Cause it sounds like one.”

  “I’m merely sharing a fact with you, Miss Ness. You would not want the full weight of the Raven’s judgment aimed at you.”

  He was scaring her, and he knew it. She couldn’t resist the impulse to swallow the knot clogging her throat. Nor could she stop herself from taking a step back. She could sense magicals, sense their magic—which was how she knew Orley had some serious juju—but she had no abilities of her own. His expression had shifted in a way that set off alarm bells. He looked as though he wanted to hurt her. The air went stagnant, and the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Orley didn’t move, but he gave her the impression he could strike at her in the blink of an eye. He was capable of melting the skin right off her bones. She wanted to call out for Ant, but her throat closed up. Besides, if she screamed for him, then Ant would know that she followed him. He’d be furious, too.

  No. She’d faced assholes like Orley before. She could handle him. Happy squared her shoulders and kept her gaze steady. Her knees wobbled, but she didn’t move again. She wouldn’t let him scare her.

  “Bernard was murdered,” said Orley in an oily voice. “Do you have the same hatred for the killer of your father?”

  “Where’s your proof of this supposed murder?”

  “The truth spells were designed to enact only if he had an unnatural death, which is an indisputable fact. It’s my job to find out what happened to him, and to bring his murderer to justice. You believe in justice?”

  “Yeah,” said Happy. “And if someone offed his sorry ass, then he got justice. And so did the rest of us.”

  “Did you kill him, Miss Ness?”

  “He killed me first,” she said, her voice breaking. Tears gathered hotly in her eyes. Happy couldn’t stand another moment in this jerk-off’s presence, and she didn’t care anymore if he knew he was putting the fear of the Dark One in her. She ran, right past him, through the trees, and toward the temple. She just wanted to get away.

  From him. From Ant. From everyone.

  But that was the thing about running—eventually there was nowhere else to go.

  Chapter 7

  At the noon meeting that took place at Ember’s tea shop, it was decided that Taylor would bring Banton’s gun to Dallas as well as do the research on its history. Gray needed to stick around for his mother’s impending arrival the next morning.

  “I think Norie should go with you,” said Gray. “I think she’s the link to why the protections on the town are failing.”

  Taylor glared at his friend. “What is that supposed to mean?�
�

  “She was at the nemeton and the house.” Gray shook his head. “Ember and I did a quick check around the perimeter. The spells weren’t broken.”

  Ember nodded. “Whatever came through was allowed inside Nevermore.”

  Norie pointed to herself and shook her head fiercely. Taylor took her hand under the table and lightly squeezed. She sent him a grateful look.

  “She’s not a resident,” Taylor pointed out, “so she can’t be used as an entry point.”

  “Now, now,” said Ember soothingly. “Dis isn’t about hurtin’ her, Taylor. We just tryin’ to find the source.”

  After a while, it was determined that Norie would go to Dallas with Taylor. Gray had theorized that removing her presence from Nevermore might confuse the Ravens who might be honing in on her, but doing so might also give Gray and Ember a chance to seal whatever portals had been opened and to reinforce protections. As an additional insurance, Ember put more protections on them, and Gray had handed over some kind of woo-woo crystal that would summon the Guardian if needed. Taylor felt all tingly from the magical “overcoat,” as Ember had called it.

  No one had anything new to offer about the situation regarding Norie. The debate about the nemeton, the Ravens’ intentions, and Norie’s role were hashed and rehashed until theories reached the ridiculous.

  “My mother might be able to give us better insight,” Gray said. “And I’ll run it past Grit, too.”

  Grit was Gray’s grandfather. He was actually deceased, but he had authorized his soul to be imprinted on a book. Along with his pal Dutch, another soul-imprinted book the old man had befriended in the Great Library, Grit resided in the Calhouns’ private library. And he was still an ornery ol’ cuss.

  When the meeting adjourned, Taylor pulled Norie aside. “You okay with going to Dallas with me?”

  Norie nodded, and he could see the wariness in her eyes. He didn’t blame her for wanting to find some kind of safety. Still, he wasn’t exactly comfortable leaving the town behind while it endured yet another crisis, and this one appeared to be even worse than what they’d gone through in March. But if Norie’s presence really was the cause of the Ravens’ being able to get through Nevermore’s borders, then it was probably best that they get her out of town, at least until Gray could determine for sure what was allowing demonic ghosts and evil wizards into town. Still, it irked him to admit there wasn’t a whole helluva a lot he could contribute. What needed to be done in Nevermore required magic. At least in Dallas, he could protect Norie and get Banton’s gun secured right and proper. Gray had already called ahead to the Dragon embassy and made the arrangements.