Three For A Funeral (Black Crow Chronicles Book 3)

by Jen Pretty

  "How can you possibly say that?"

  "Because I have faith in you, Nick. I have always trusted you. You won't let me down."

  I let Crow take over and he called out once before leaping into the air and passing through the outside wall of the warehouse and carrying us back toward the Sanctuary on steady flaps of his wings. As we approached the forest behind the sanctuary, Crow dove down below the canopy and I could just make out silent dark shapes in the forest. Dozens of vampires were circling what was left of the Sanctuary, dressed all in black.

  This would either be a blood bath, or Nick would come through and stop this madness.

  Crow wasted no time, flying straight back into the school and through the halls, diving past witches and vampires patrolling the hallways until he found my body. I was laid out on a bed in a private room. One that obviously had missed out on all the destruction of the previous days.

  Jax sat in a rocking chair in the corner and I got the distinct impression he wasn't waiting patiently. As soon as he heard the flap of Crow’s wings, he was on his feet and rushing towards my prone form. He sat on the bed beside me as Crow took a dive and launched me back into my own body.

  I sat up abruptly, coughing and choking as usual, but Jax was there, patting my back and smoothing my hair back as I shoved my fingers down my throat, gagging once last time as the long black feather slid across my tongue and out of my mouth.

  I flopped back down on the soft pillows, gasping for breath while Jax stared down into my eyes with a worried look on his face.

  "Thank God," he muttered.

  "Worried about me?" I rasped.

  "Usually," he replied.

  I grinned up at him. "I'm the Black Crow. I'll probably outlive you all."

  Jax grunted. "You aren't invincible."

  I sat up, moving closer to Jax. "How do you know?" I asked.

  "Well, you aren't the first Black Crow. So, you can't be invincible."

  He had a point. I had even met a former Black Crow, but I had no idea how I could die and that was something I needed to find out. I had read several Olaf books on Black Crow and still hadn't found an answer to my life expectancy. It was frustrating. Knowing I wasn't human anymore is a complicated thing, but not knowing my limits made me feel reckless. I wanted to push to see just how far I could go, but my logical mind reminded me that it could mean I would die, so there was that.

  "Well, let’s not find out," I said.

  Jax threaded his arms around me, pulling me tight to his chest. "Agreed."

  "Shit, I have to go talk to Mr. Havisham," I said, letting go of Jax and moving to the edge of the bed.

  "What happened?"

  I shook my head. "Hopefully I got through to Nick. But if not we need to be ready. This place is surrounded."

  "Shit," Jax said under his breath. "Let's go."

  I followed Jax down the hall, past the hall that led to the auditorium where men in uniform still stood guarding the magic room that Colvin would need to get home. It was a small comfort when I knew the forest was filled with vampires. If they destroyed that room, would Colvin be stuck in wherever he was forever? I wanted to believe he could still get back, but I wasn't sure and wouldn't take the chance.

  We found the CEO of the Department of Paranormal Investigations in Niri's office again. He was sitting behind the desk, typing furiously on a laptop.

  "Hi," I said, making him glance up at me.

  "Oh, good. You're back. Were you able to locate Anick?"

  "Yes," I said, unsure how much I wanted to share with him. If he didn't trust me or Nick, he could go and start a fight with the vampires right now.

  "And?" the CEO prompted.

  "And there are some things already in motion. I think I got through to him." At least about attacking the Sanctuary. And probably only because I was in it and ready to fight for the place. I wasn't sure that he would spare the Vampire King.

  "Well, time will tell," Mr. Havisham said. "Were you able to learn anything about his plans?"

  I sighed. "I need you to not freak out."

  "I never ‘freak out’," he replied in a snide tone.

  "Okay, sure. Well, what I'm about to tell you might make you want to freak out. And I am just warning you not to."

  He stood from his chair but waited passively.

  "There are hundreds of vampires surrounding this building," I said.

  Mr. Havisham's eyes grew round. "We have a patrol."

  Oops, maybe we didn't have them anymore. "When was the last time they checked in?"

  Mr. Havisham picked up his cell phone and tapped the screen.

  "Yes sir?" a voice said through the phone.

  "When was the last time patrol checked in?" Mr. Havisham asked.

  "About 20 minutes ago, they should call in again in 10."

  "Inform me as soon as they do."

  "Yes sir," the man on the line said before Mr. Havisham hung up.

  "We need to get everyone in position."

  "Wait," I said, stepping in front of Mr. Havisham. "Nick will come through. We just have to give him a chance."

  At the man’s scowl, I continued. "I'm not saying don't get ready, I'm just saying wait and see if Nick can fix this. I believe he can. But if we act first, then we have no hope of stopping the war. They aren't supposed to move till midnight anyway."

  Mr. Havisham growled and ran his hand over his face. "Fine, but if there is any movement toward this building, I won’t hesitate. Our men will be ready."

  I nodded and stepped out of the way. Now I had to trust Mr. Havisham and the fact was that I didn't. There was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. I wanted to believe that it was just because he was sitting in Niri's chair or that he was obviously not a fighter himself but led men to battle. I couldn't help thinking it was something more. Some gut instinct, perhaps.

  I glanced at Jax, but he seemed to have the same concerned look I was sure graced my face. This was a very sensitive few hours. Either Nick would stop the attack on Sanctuary and on Falcor's father, or we would escalate the war to a new height. Perhaps one we couldn't come back from.

  I took in a deep breath and then took a final glance at Niri's now vacant desk chair. I wished, not for the first time, that he was still here.

  "What are you thinking?" Jax asked.

  I realized he was much closer to me than he had been a moment before and let myself tip into his warm chest. "Did you know Niri well?" I looked up at Jax, but he turned his head to look at the leather chair standing behind the wooden desk.

  "No, I wasn't raised here."

  "Really?" I was surprised. I had assumed every young vampire, witch and warlock were raised at the school.

  "Yeah, my family had been around during the last war. They didn't believe the school would work to cement our truce, despite the assurances. They thought I wouldn't be safe here."

  My magic was restless, trying to seep out into the vampire. I let a bit spill, too tired to really hold it all back.

  Jax hissed through his teeth. "God, you are truly amazing, Selena."

  "Why? Because I can do this?" I asked as I let a bit more magic flow out of me and through Jax.

  "Not just that. It's everything." Jax bit his lip, his teeth a bit sharper than they had been a few minutes ago. "The way you smell, your strength." He smoothed my hair back, his fingers threading through gently to cup the back of my head. "He didn't deserve you."

  I knew immediately who he was talking about and a bad taste filled my mouth. "We both made some mistakes."

  "I doubt that."

  I knew then that Jax didn't see me for who I was, only who he wanted to see. It was a disappointment, but I didn't have time to think about it, because someone burst through the door to the office.

  "The children are back!" the guard said before turning and running back down the hall.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  "No. No, no, no," I muttered as I ran down the brightly painted halls toward the auditorium. This was exa
ctly the worst time for them to come back. With the threat of the vampires outside and the potential for more danger, I had to send them back, no matter how much I wanted to see Colvin.

  Jax was hot on my heels as I careened around a corner and dodged a few guards to come face to face with not only a whole gaggle of school-age kids, but also the one person I had been missing for weeks. The person who had disappeared without a trace.

  "Dorothy," I whispered. Her head jerked up and her eyes found mine just as my knees went weak and tears pricked my eyes.

  "Oh, Selena," she whispered.

  "Selena!" A small blur rocketed toward me and nearly took me down to the ground as his thin arms wrapped around my waist. His face disappeared in my stomach and his arms crushed me to him.

  "Hey buddy, have a fun adventure?" I asked, brushing his dirty hair from his forehead.

  "Yup. You were gone and some monsters came, and I took all the kids away. You think I'm a hero?"

  "Of course, I do, buddy. I've always thought that about you."

  "You shouldn't encourage him," Dorothy said. As if her return was normal.

  "I have so much I need to say, but I can't. You have to go back for another day," I said, holding Colvin to me as he tried to wiggle out of my hold. I wasn't ready to let him go.

  "We can't I couldn't come back until today. It used up all my magic, Selena."

  "Oh shit," Jax said from behind me.

  Dorothy shot him a look that would have made any normal man pale, but Jax just chuckled and apologized for swearing.

  "This is not a great time to be here," I said. The rest of the children were mulling about. They looked fine, though perhaps a bit less exuberant as before they were ripped from the Sanctuary and travelled to a strange land alone.

  "There is no helping it now, Selena," Dorothy said. "We will just have to make do." She turned to the children. "Let's meet in the cafeteria and I'll see if I can fix us up something."

  I wasn't sure how Dorothy knew about the cafeteria, but the children seemed to brighten.

  As they trailed after the woman who had raised me, Colvin pulled on my sleeve until I was kneeling in front of him.

  "I'm sorry about Niri, Selena."

  I took a deep breath and pushed down the sadness that tried to sweep over me. Colvin had spent more time with the old warlock. "I'm sorry about him, too. I tried to save him."

  "I know," Colvin's small hand cupped my cheek.

  The room was nearly empty now and I had a tough time keeping my thoughts on the present. If Nick failed now, my whole life would be ripped apart. I had to think of some way to protect the children just in case Nick failed.

  "Selena," Colvin said pulling my attention back to him. "I told Niri what would happen."

  I bit my lip to hold back the new tears. "What would happen to the Sanctuary?"

  Colvin shook his head and I knew then that he had told Niri he would die and Niri chose to stay anyway.

  "That old fool," I whispered to myself as a tear finally slipped out.

  "Don't be sad," Colvin said with a sniffle. "He loved us."

  I wrapped the beautiful boy up in my arms. "Of course, he did. What's not to love?" I let my tears fall into his hair as his dampened my shirt.

  We held each other for a few minutes, and I realized our magic was flowing back and forth like two pools of water swirling together. Our shared sorrow didn't make me feel weak as I thought it should. Instead, I felt stronger. As if Colvin's presence was boosting my power.

  I pulled away from him finally. "There are some vampires outside. They want to hurt us."

  "We won't let them," Colvin said, taking my hand. "Let's go get some dinner."

  "Okay, Colvin." I had no reason not to trust Colvin. If he said we wouldn't let them hurt us, I would believe him. But hopefully, Nick would come through and stop any violence before it started.

  By the time we got to the cafeteria, it was already ten-thirty. It felt like waiting for a hurricane. The children seemed to revive as they ate the sandwiches that Dorothy made for them, cutting off the crusts as she used to for me and a deep longing to hug her filled me. We hadn't been big huggers since I had moved out on my own at eighteen, but the feeling wouldn't go away, so once every child had some food and was eating away, I crossed the room and approached Dorothy again.

  "Hi," I said.

  She must have been feeling the same way because as soon as she turned, her arms opened, and I stepped into her warm embrace. The scent of her perfume filled my nostrils and something tight in my chest relaxed. I may not have known my mother, but Dorothy was as close to a mother as anyone could hope to get.

  "If I had known of your future, I would never have tried to keep you from it," she whispered.

  The words shocked me. She had been so sure that I had to stay hidden and not be found. She had spent her life protecting me from the very place we now stood and the very things I now fought.

  "I don't know how to feel about that," I said.

  Dorothy straightened and looked down at me. "You are so much more than I ever imagined. So much more."

  "How did you even know about me?" I asked.

  One of her hands stayed around my back, rubbing up and down like she used to do when I was sick and her other hand turned palm up, producing a ball of light. Magic.

  "You're a witch?" I asked on a gasp.

  The ball of magic vanished. "Yes, but I don't practice magic much anymore."

  "Listen, Dorothy. There are a ton of vampires outside."

  Her eyes grew wide.

  "They are planning to storm the Sanctuary and kill everyone inside." My voice was barely a whisper, but I stopped as a little girl came over and asked Dorothy to open her juice box.

  When she left, I turned back to Dorothy. "We might be able to get some of them out with the witches and warlocks who are left here, but there are only a couple of them that are even strong enough to shift themselves."

  "That isn't safe. We shouldn't send a child with a low powered witch or warlock," she replied, and I knew she was right.

  If Falcor was here, I could get him to move the kids between now and midnight, but Falcor hadn't been here since I woke up.

  I checked my pockets, but my phone wasn't in any of them.

  I glanced across the busy cafeteria and found Jax's eyes locked onto me. A child sat on his lap, eating snacks from a paper plate. He looked like he belonged there and suddenly I had a vision of him holding a small boy a few years younger than Colvin with white hair and startling green eyes. My breath caught in my throat. Then I was back in the cafeteria and the dark-haired child who sat in Jax's lap started banging her cup on the table.

  Jax ticked her and made her giggle.

  "He's very good with her," Dorothy said, her eyes in the same direction mine had been.

  I shook my head. "I need to find a phone."

  "I plugged my cell phone in. It's in the kitchen."

  "Thanks," I said, stepping away from Dorothy. I had so many more questions to ask her, but the kids were more important at that very moment.

  I found Dorothy's cell phone. It had about ten percent battery, but it would be enough to make a quick call.

  My fingers dialled Falcor without a pause. I had taken the time to memorize his number in case I ever needed to call him, and I was thankful for that now.

  The phone rang and rang until it went through to Falcor's voice mail which as just an electronic voice telling me to leave a message.

  "I need you at the Sanctuary... Tell your father he's in danger at the airport." I added the second part even though I wasn't sure that Falcor would leave his father if I told him. If he was with his father in the first place. I kind of hoped he was, but at the same time, it would be better if he was just off doing something stupid and would come back to help me get the kids to safety. I hung up but felt sick to my stomach.

  A sudden commotion in the cafeteria had my feet moving and my magic bursting to the surface before I could even register it. Crow
's familiar call echoed through the room as I skidded to a stop to find a tall man with white hair surrounded by excited children. Before he even turned around, I relaxed recognizing Peran and then a moment later, picking Kai out of the group.

  Kai.

  He could take the children to safety. A heavy weight lifted off my chest as I crossed the room towards them.

  The children were obviously enamored with whatever story Peran was telling them, because they were huddled together, forming an impenetrable field around the two men.

  Just as I registered that Peran was telling them a story that sounded like Rapunzel told with vampires and warlocks, there was an earth-shattering blast that shook the walls of the cafeteria and shouting began from the far end of the Sanctuary.

  I raced forward and snatched up Colvin, planning to run but the doors to outside blew open and a figure stumbled in, bloody-soaked and limping.

  I realized a moment later it was Nick.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  "Nick!" Colvin yelled, trying to throw himself toward the vampire, but I held him tight.

  "You have to go!" Nick shouted. His eyes landed on mine and a look of desperation washed over his face. "I failed."

  "Oh no," I said just before another rumble shook the building.

  The children were screaming, and Kai began disappearing with children and reappearing, but it wouldn't be fast enough. If the vampires had overthrown Nick and were attacking now, it was already too late.

  My magic writhed and spun, hopelessly. There wasn't anything to attack yet.

  "Get the children to Niri's office!" I shouted and the adults and guards in the room, as well as Jax and Peran, began herding the kids just as Kai came back.

  "We are going to take them to Niri's office," I said a second before Kai disappeared with two more kids. I hoped he heard me.

  "Selena, I'm so sorry." Nick stuttered as he trailed along with us. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

  Jax's arm snapped out so fast, I hardly saw it, but Nick tumbled to the ground, bouncing off the block wall that ran the length of the hall and then groaned and rolled back to his feet.

  He didn't speak again but still ran along with us.