Dark Forsaken (The Devil's Assistant Book 3)

by Smith, HD

  “Pillow.”

  The pillow disappeared and reappeared in front of me, dropping to the floor at my feet. The faint smell of lavender wafted in the air when I picked it up. Glancing at the Dismiss spell still hovering in the air, I noticed Return was also an option, which made sense. I’d used Return to send the vials away and simply calling out “The quads” in the blood room had brought the vials to me, which meant I’d already mastered some version of Summon without realizing it.

  The second words echoed in the room came to mind, “Remember what you already know.”

  “Return,” I said, and the pillow disappeared and reappeared on the sofa.

  I flipped pages and reviewed several more spells. I found Intactilis, which was the spell to make someone untouchable. The notes were very clear with this spell. It could only be cast once. If your untouchable died, there would be no way to create another one.

  “Wow, Mab gave up her one shot with Faith. Of course, it wasn’t like she used her for that purpose,” I muttered.

  Not all of the spells referenced other spells, but this one did: it pointed to Occidere, or to kill, which hovered in the air before me.

  The warning on this page was vague, but there was some mention of her brother, which I assumed was Harry since The Boss still had his untouchable, Quaid. Apparently, there were only two ways to kill an untouchable: you had to be the one that made them untouchable or possess the power of the realm that made them, which I’d sort of guessed. You still had to actually kill by hand, which also made sense, and was another thing I’d assumed since casted spells and most other magic didn’t work on untouchables.

  Mab was clearly trying to make Faith un-killable. I guess she didn’t count on me getting any of Harry’s blood.

  I still needed to find the gemino unicae spell, the twin of the one unique. Leafing through the book wouldn’t help, but then I remembered Dismiss and just thought of the spell I needed.

  The pages of the book in front of me flipped to the end.

  The handwriting on these pages was much more polished. It was still young, but more practiced. It was an index of the book, but the spell I needed wasn’t listed. There were pages past the index, so I kept turning.

  This section was an appendix of sorts containing a very interesting note about debts. According to the note, a debt could be repaid by providing a greater compensation than what was requested, but like several of the other entries, this one also had a warning. Perception of the value must be considered greater by a majority of those present. This remark seemed random, until I read on.

  If the payment is determined to be deficient, the original request must be honored and another favor offered. The notes warned against using the rule, as it was generally considered to be a fool’s choice and would almost certainly result in having to give three favors. The original favor requested, the freely offered first favor that was determined to be deficient, and the final favor of their choosing.

  At the bottom of the page was a final word of advice written in pencil. Don’t ever give out a favor. I hoped I didn’t have to regret giving Ronin a favor. It had seemed like the only option at the time, but I’d keep the young Jayne’s warning at heart for future favors and try to avoid them at all cost.

  I turned the page expecting to find another appendix. Instead, I found seven spells that weren’t indexed. All were written in a much more decisive hand.

  The gemino unicae was among the seven. Before I could review them, however, I was interrupted by a loud noise from the hall.

  Raising myself above the museum to look down at the map view, I surveyed the area. Mace’s green-ish dot appeared to be walking back toward the room where I’d left him. I wasn’t sure why this surprised me—it wasn’t like he’d had a reason to obey me. Maybe I should have just been glad he wasn’t lost. I noticed a section of the map that looked different, as if a room was missing, which reminded me of the room that had literally disintegrated around me. As I watched, the map reformed new walls as if the room were never there.

  Without opening my eyes, I snapped a line to the front room and jumped there, startling Mace. He was lying across the settee as if he’d been there snoozing all along. I didn’t call him out on his walkabout. I just grabbed his arm and returned us to the apartment.

  Chapter 18

  “I’m changing,” I said to Mace. “Then we’re going to find Sydney.”

  “Looks like they fixed your light problem,” Mace said.

  I hadn’t noticed because I’d forgotten the transformer had blown, but the lights were back on in the apartment. “Good.” It was full dark now.

  “What about Sorrel? Did you get the spell Mother mentioned?” Mace asked.

  “I have it. He’s most likely with Sydney, so we’ll focus our efforts on her.” I didn’t mention I’d already tried to summon Sorrel to me and got nothing. Maybe I’d have better luck with Sydney, although just summoning her wouldn’t solve my Sorrel problem.

  Mace raised an eyebrow, but I ignored him. I wanted out of these dusty clothes. I left him standing there.

  “Need any help changing, Claire?” he called after me. “Nothing I haven’t seen before, you know.”

  “Dream on,” I said, then warded my bedroom door against entry.

  Although I could have changed my clothes with magic, it felt natural in the apartment to just change like a normal human.

  Mace had obviously changed his clothes as well before kicking back on the sofa to play the latest game on his phone. I ignored him and headed to my office.

  At my desk, I closed my eyes and thought of Sydney. The faintest line formed, as if she was being blocked from me, but there was a connection. I tried Sorrel again, but nothing happened—it was like he wasn’t anywhere. Thinking of Ronin, a line formed instantly, and easily my presence slipped the line to his location almost without thought. I caught myself just before I materialized and I remained in the in-between.

  Ronin was with a group of ninjas in a facility with concrete hallways lined with florescent lights. The concrete blocks looked natural, unpainted in some areas, and painted a dull gray everywhere else to make it look as industrial as possible—a real underground bunker. Every square inch was covered with symbols and glyphs, all some version of alert or intruder. The moment I arrived, lights and sirens immediately started. Ronin and the six ninjas with him ran toward a door at the end of the hall. Not all the ninjas had their heads covered. I recognized one as the druid that had held a knife to Mace’s throat. Faith had an inside man—why didn’t that surprise me?

  I followed Ronin and his cohorts as they entered a large room covered in more glyphs. They were all alarms, not protections, and, apparently, they worked—even against my presence. I scanned the room. Sorrel wasn’t there, but Sydney was locked in a large cage along the back wall. The bars gleamed a vibrant blue, which made them look electrified to the touch. She looked pissed and defiant in a way only seventeen-year-olds can pull off. Her cheek looked a bit redder than it had before. She must have fought them and taken a few hits.

  “There’s nothing here,” one of the ninjas said.

  “Sir, do you sense anything?” Faith’s man, Marcus Winchester, asked Ronin.

  After a brief pause, Ronin said, “No, but I’ll remain for a moment to be sure. You may return to your posts.”

  The other men nodded and left.

  Ronin veiled himself as soon as the room was clear and joined me in the in-between. “What the hell did you do to Raal’s shop? He’s missing. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

  I narrowed my eyes. Was he serious? He’d killed Raal. Of course, he had looked odd before he killed him. He had a red glow to his aura and a glassy look in his eyes.

  He didn’t know.

  This was not the time to explain. What would I say, that X spelled Ronin to protect him, which forced his hand when Raal threatened X’s operation? Would he even believe me? Was that even what happened?

  If Ronin thought Raal wa
s missing, did that mean the druids had cleaned up the large body-shaped mound of dust? Why would they do that? Maybe it hadn’t been Johnny’s boys. The questions would have to wait. Raal wasn’t something that needed to be handled. Sydney was in danger. She was the priority.

  “The power’s under control now,” I said dismissively. “And how the hell would I know where Raal went?” I looked over at Sydney. “I’m taking the girl.”

  Ronin crossed his arms over his chest. “That won’t work. There are spells here to strip power that will make it impossible for you to leave the way you came. You’d have to use the door, lass, and there are four levels and at least seven doors between here and the outside.”

  “Only seven?”

  “Don’t be a fool. Without your power, you’re just a wee lass. The guards will kill you without hesitation and you won’t be able to stop them.”

  I glanced around the room again, looking for the spells he meant. I didn’t see anything except the alerts.

  “The entire place is protected against magic. A dead zone, lass. Not even your newfangled powers will help you here.”

  “But I see glyphs and symbols here for alerts—those are magic.”

  He laughed. “Yes, this floor has some ability to hold low-level charms. The other floors are completely dark. It was designed especially for her,” he said, looking over at Sydney.

  “You mean Faith Dragon, right? They still think Sydney’s Mab’s untouchable?”

  “Yes. My employer was informed of her existence before I was able to return. For now, it’s best that he continue to believe she’s the enforcer, lass.”

  “Best for who?”

  “The girl. If they thought she was someone else, they’d just kill her.”

  “You’d let that happen?” I challenged.

  “I never promised to save the girl. I said I’d try to get her out safely, but that’s not possible now,” Ronin said. “The man I work for is very powerful.”

  I raised an eyebrow, but I’d seen Ronin go all deadly assassin, so I couldn’t dismiss the concern completely. “So am I,” I replied.

  He laughed.

  A surge of power welled within me. I tamped down the swell, shaking my wrist to dissipate the building energy.

  “That doesn’t look like it’s under control, lass.”

  I glared at him. “It’s not out of control. Trust me, you’d know if it was.”

  He still looked skeptical.

  “Just tell me what I have to do to save her.”

  He glanced back at the door. The ninjas were gone. Turning back to me, he said, “There are four levels above this one, each is protected by magic and from magic. I’m surprised you were able to get here at all.”

  “So there are spells that work on each level limiting the magic available on each subsequent level?”

  “Something like that, but from your perspective it will be as if nothing is possible. That is how the spells work. They drain the source.”

  “So how do I get her out?” I asked.

  “Your best chance would be for them to bring her out, but they would need a reason.”

  “A reason?”

  “You need something X wants more.”

  “Faith?” I said.

  He nodded.

  “Do you know why he wants her?”

  “Aye,” he said.

  “Do you really think she can give it to him?” I wasn’t convinced Faith could show X anything more than she’d already seen, but she’d claimed to know things Mace didn’t remember.

  “I think he believes it and he’ll negotiate for a trade to get the enforcer.”

  I shook my head in disgust. Why was Ronin working for this guy? Was it really that hard to find work? It wasn’t like X wanted to kill Faith, but it wouldn’t be easy to get her. I might be able to trick her by telling her I had Sydney, but leading her to X. It would be a risky move, but what other options did I have? Sydney was dead if X discovered the truth about her identity. He’d only keep her safe if he knew he could trade her for the real one.

  “What is he trying to remember? Does it have something to do with his operation downtown? Why do the Jaded Dragon employees think he’s the true ruler of Fallen? Does he know Faith is a contender?”

  “Not something I can discuss, lass.”

  Faith had said X was Ancient. Ronin had to know more than he was saying. Forgetting he wasn’t really in front of me, I reached out to touch him and found I could. Our eyes locked and I asked, “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “He hired me to militarize his operation. The downtown ventures are on the back burner as far as he’s concerned. His goal now is claiming his birthright.”

  Ronin’s eyes went glassy. I released my hold. His eyes cleared and he blinked them a few times.

  “What were you saying, lass?” Ronin rubbed his head as if he had a headache. He checked his watch. Before I could answer, he said, “I have a meeting. You must go.”

  I considered touching him again, but his odd behavior concerned me. “I’ll be in touch once I’ve made arrangements to get Faith,” I said.

  He nodded and checked his watch again.

  “Where’s Sorrel?” I asked, remembering my other problem. “Did your guys let him go?”

  Absently, Ronin said, “He’s dead, lass. The boss had Sage kill him.”

  “What?”

  Ronin touched his head again and his eyes went glassy for a second. “I shouldn’t have said that, lass. I don’t know what’s come over me. I have to go or I’ll be late.”

  “You can’t drop a bomb like that and just leave. Where the hell is Sage? Sorrel’s dead?”

  Ronin blanked out again as if he’d lost focus. He blinked his eyes and came back. “If you want the girl, bring me the Dragon—or don’t, but I must go. I can’t defy my master.”

  “What the fuck? Your master? Ronin, you—”

  “Go now,” he interrupted. “The master comes.”

  Ronin disappeared from the in-between and returned to the room. Sydney stood up in the cage, noticing his sudden appearance. What the fuck had just happened? I watched in shocked silence as a man that glowed red-hot to my presence entered the room. Sydney backed up against the wall of the cell, as far away from the bars as possible. X’s aura was so bright that I could barely make out any of his features. Ronin dropped to one knee before him and X placed a hand on Ronin’s head. The action covered the bounty hunter in the same red aura, similar to what had happened in Raal’s shop, which was more proof that Ronin hadn’t been acting of his own accord. Raal had threatened to expose X to Harry, which, as I’d suspected, could have been a trigger for a spell X placed on Ronin. Would Ronin’s actions have included a call to the cleanup crew? If so, maybe the mob hadn’t taken me to the warehouse in Paradise. If that were true, why didn’t Ronin receive an update and know that Raal was dead?

  My mind wandered for a second when I realized how pretty the red glow was, which was when I also realized I was getting closer to it. I stopped myself and snapped open my eyes, pulling myself back to my body in the office.

  Mace was sitting across from me with his usual smirk. He was twirling my letter opener between his fingers like a knife. “Where exactly did you go, Claire? And who the fuck killed my brother?”

  Clearly, I should have warded the office. “You heard things out of context. I’ll explain later, but first we need to find Cinnamon. She was supposed to be watching Sage,” I said as I stood.

  “Where were you?” Mace growled.

  “Don’t growl at me,” I yelled, leaning over the desk toward him. The green shine ran across my eyes as white wisps of power danced at my wrists. The withdrawal feeling I had from being near X’s red aura was twisting me up inside. My power wanted out. I looked away, trying to get the power under control, but I was agitated and Mace’s usual attitude was really pissing me off. I let the control slip, just for a second, but that was enough in my current state to unleash the need within me. The blood red vine snaked
up my arm, visible for all to see.

  “What the hell is that?” Mace asked.

  “That’s me losing it,” I growled. “So you might want to back off.”

  The hunger within began to syphon power. Mace just stood there.

  “Get the hell away from me,” I yelled, trying to make him understand.

  Mace finally got it when the amber trickle of power filtered in through the window behind me and ran up my leg to be absorbed by my body, which was now covered in tattoos. He disappeared into the living room while I tried not to explode.

  Chapter 19

  Needless to say, the transformer didn’t make it and my apartment was in darkness once again. My phone rang—I sent it straight to voicemail.

  I found Mace in the living room, wrapped in a protection bubble that must have worked, or maybe my magic wanted to avoid it because of the curse or Gizelle’s mark. I wasn’t sure, but he looked fine.

  I headed straight for the kitchen. I’d eaten almost everything the first time, but there were some crackers and cheese left that I started eating as fast as I could get them to my mouth.

  “What the fuck was that, Claire?” Mace asked.

  “It’s what happens when you push me, so don’t push me,” I warned. “We’re going to see Cinnamon and find out what the hell Sage has been doing, but if you piss me off again, we could have another incident. So back off when I tell you to.”

  Mace’s phone rang.

  “Don’t answer that,” I snapped. “Let’s go.”

  Mace silenced his phone and pointed to my arms, which had the faintest outline of a vine under my skin. I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down.

  “I agree,” Mace said. “We should get in touch with Cinnamon, but perhaps we should call first and give you more time to settle down.”

  I nodded.

  He took out his phone and tapped the screen. “She’s not answering. I’ll try Sage.”