The Midnight Strider (The Chronomancer Chronicles Book 2)

by Reilyn J. Hardy

  “You sensed she was in danger?” I ask, glancing as Jace moves toward her. Her feet are blackened, her dress is charred.

  “Yeah,” he says. He waves his hand and the fire goes out. “I’m the one who brought her back.”

  I frown, I’m not entirely sure what that means.

  Miko and Kina come running into the room, both of their eyes are wide as they observe the damages.

  “What happened?” Kina asks.

  Miko goes right toward Marisol as she grabs hold of her sai. She corners her, the edges of the blades near Marisol’s neck, crossing at the bases. “You said we were friends,” she says, inching the blades closer to her neck. “You lied to me.”

  “We are friends,” Marisol says, stretching her neck so the sharp edges don’ t touch her. “I’m just not friends with her.”

  “What the hell did she ever do to you?” Miko asks, she slices Marisol’s neck. “Answer me!”

  “Miko!”

  We all turn around to look at Rhiannon. Jace is helping her to her feet, but she doesn’t take her eyes off of Miko.

  “Let her go.”

  “But — but Rhiannon — she —”

  “Let her go.”

  Miko sighs in frustration and lowers her sai as she steps away.

  Nova comes rushing in with Coin and Maite.

  “I got them as fast as I could,” he says.

  As soon as Maite spots her daughter, she rubs at her temples with her fingers. Marisol’s standing there with her had pressed against her neck. “What did she do now?”

  Coin looks at Jace and Rhiannon, then at her feet.

  “I think I have an idea,” he says.

  Maite pushes past everyone and ceases her daughter by the arm.

  “What were you thinking?”

  “She’s a vampire, Mom!” She turns to my brother. “And this guy — you necromancer assh —”

  “Marisol!” Maite snaps. She turns to Apollo as well and apologizes.

  “Are you going to tell her the truth?” I ask her and Maite turns around to face me. She glances at Marisol and tucks a few strands of unruly dark hair behind her ear.

  “I guess I don’t have a choice,” she says. She grabs hold of her daughter’s hand and leads her out of the room and Coin steps in front of me.

  “You know?”

  I nod. “I knew about your dream, too.”

  Coin glances at Apollo, and grabs the crook of my elbow before pulling me to the side.

  “I didn’t see him, Art. It was you. You were drinking blood, weren't you.” I rub the back of my neck. He doesn't take his eyes off of me. “What were you thinking? I’m glad you got your brother back, really, I am, but do you know what you’re doing?”

  “Do any of us?” I ask. “Trust me. Please.”

  He takes a while, but he finally nods and turns away from me. “I’m so sorry, Rhiannon.”

  Rhiannon just smiles from where she sits on the couch. She nods toward the door. “Go check on them.”

  “Where are my children!” Amelia shouts as she comes into the room just as Coin slips out past her. “Where — are they okay —”

  “We’re not your children, Amelia,” I say as she grabs me by the arm and yanks me toward her. She does the same with Apollo. His eyes are so wide they look like they’re going to pop out of his head.

  “You might as well be,” she says, grabbing onto our heads, refusing to let go.

  Why is she doing this? Apollo asks me with his wide eyes.

  I shrug and the both of us try to slip away from her.

  It’s like we’re kids again and her lanky limbs are trying to keep hold of us.

  “This was much easier when you two were smaller,” she mumbles as we manage to get away from her.

  Apollo sticks his hand out to me and I bump his knuckles with mine.

  Miko sits down beside Rhiannon and Jace stops her before she can cut open her palm. He looks at Rhiannon as he releases his hold on Miko’s cuff.

  “Will my blood work?” he asks.

  Rhiannon’s expression falters. Her eyebrows knit together. “Jace —”

  “I make you weaker — maybe if you drink my blood — I don’t know — maybe you can develop an immunity toward it. Artemis got stronger from drinking Nadia’s —”

  “I wouldn’t say stronger —”

  He glares at me.

  “Sorry.”

  Rhiannon touches his cheek gently with her hand, barely brushing his skin with her fingertips. “You’re a werewolf, Jace. I’m not supposed to.”

  “I want you to,” he says. he grabs Miko’s cuff and cuts his wrist with her sai.

  “Hey!” she snaps, pulling her arm back and Jace offers his hand to Rhiannon.

  “Please.”

  Rhiannon grabs hold of his arm, but the cut heals before she gets a chance.

  “You heal too fast,” she says.

  “Then you’re going to have to bite me,” he says.

  “Jace!”

  “This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen —” Apollo says to me as he crosses his arms. “And I’ve seen some weird shit.”

  I just shake my head.

  Jace grabs Rhiannon’s hand and forces her to feel his pulse. “I know you’re hungry,” he says. “Just do it.” He grabs his hair and ties it into a knot. He grins. “I dare you.”

  Rhiannon narrows her eyes and she leans forward. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she bites into his neck.

  “I take it back,” Apollo says. “That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  I laugh. “Will you shut up?”

  “I wonder what Dad’s going to think,” Kina says.

  “Will he know?”

  She looks up at me and nods.

  They still aren’t free. I don’t know what else to do.

  I nudge Apollo and nod toward the door. He follows me outside, closing it behind him.

  “What’s up?”

  “When I went to the Underworld, I was hoping I’d be able to help Jace and Kina break away from the pack they’re in,” I say. “But it didn’t work. The separation apparently helped, their dad has less control, but they’re still in his pack.”

  “We could kill him,” Apollo suggests.

  “We’re not killing Jace’s dad, Apollo. We’re not killing an alpha werewolf.”

  “Because he’s Jace’s dad or because he’s an alpha?”

  “Both!”

  “Courage to resist, I forgot. I’ll do it,” he says as he starts to walk past me. I grab him by the collar of his shirt.

  “You’re not killing him either.”

  “Well what’s the plan then?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. Nothing ever goes according to plan anyway.”

  “Well if you don’t want me to kill anybody then how am I supposed to help?”

  “Have you tried resisting?” I clutch onto the railing.

  “I don’t resist, that’s you.”

  “Innocents don’t deserve to die just because they’ve made mistakes.”

  He laughs. “Don’t be naive. No one’s really innocent, Artemis. We’re all guilty, in one way or another.”

  I frown. “Would you still protect me?”

  “Of course,” he says. “I just might do things a little differently now — but —” he continues, “we can do things your way. I’ll try, I promise. I don’t want to be like uncle, I just, it’s been a long time.”

  “You didn’t kill Marisol,” I say. “That was a start. Maybe that can help with making you good. You resisted. Can I?” I ask, pointing at his neck. “I just wanna check.”

  Apollo shrugs and turns around. “Don’t be disappointed if nothing’s changed,” he says over his shoulder.

  I look anyway, but he’s right.
Nothing’s changed.

  It’s just an ouroboros that looks like it was carved into his flesh. I wonder if mine looks like that. I rub the back of my neck as he turns around again.

  “Nothing, right?”

  I shake my head.

  “See,” he says, “told you, I’m Uncle Drarkodon’s heir. I can’t be both like you.”

  “You don’t know that. No one knows. I wasn’t supposed to be able to become both, and look. I am.”

  “Your ouroboros is fading,” he says.

  “And? It’s still there.”

  “We’ll try it your way,” he says, “we always do, don’t we.”

  “Good. You listen to your little brother.”

  “You never give me a choice,” he grumbles, then smirks.

  “I really missed you, you know. I was scared of everything after you left.”

  “I know,” he says. “Remember the Silver of Sight? I know. I missed you too — and when the worst punishment we’d get was having to eat Amelia’s cooking.”

  He chuckles and I can’t stop laughing.

  Chapter THIRTY-TWO

  the trap door

  A week later, Jace and Rhiannon are arguing from outside of our room. I walk up to the door, and turn my head to the side.

  “You still want to go? you’re unbelievable. That girl tried to kill you!”

  “I want to go to support Coin. It wasn’t his fault, or Maite’s — Jace! Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you! You promised you’d go with me!”

  “I’m not going. That’s final.”

  I open the door and see Rhiannon standing there, staring at the stairs that descend down into the pub. She turns around. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I don’t know why he’s being like this.”

  I lean against the frame. “He already lost you once, Rhiannon. He almost lost you again.”

  “I know,” she says, plopping down on the stairs. “I just wanted to go with him to something for once. I feel like I’m standing on a trap door.”

  “It doesn’t feel real?”

  She nods. “I feel like the floor’s just going to give out beneath me and we’ll be right back to where we started.”

  “Awkwardly stealing glances at each other while the other wasn’t looking?”

  She huffs, giving me one of those I can’t believe you noticed huffs. But then she laughs. “We’re children.”

  “What’s the rush?”

  She hesitates. “He’s not going to live forever.”

  “Rhiannon —” I sigh as I sit down beside her, “— he’s only twenty-one. He’s not going anywhere any time soon. It’s going to be a long time. I made a promise to you, okay? It’ll be a while.”

  “At least someone keeps their promises,” she says.

  I knock my shoulder into hers.

  “He’s just stubborn, and emotional. But do you really blame him? You did die once, and almost died again.”

  “There you are!” Miko says, running up to us. She’s breathing hard.

  “Now what happened?” I ask.

  “Jace’s family,” she says through breaths. “They’re here.”

  “Not again,” I say as Rhiannon and I both stand up. “You need to get out of here,” I tell her, but Miko starts shaking her head.

  “They’re not here for her,” she says. “Kina and Jace,” she says, looking at me. “They’re here for Kina and Jace.”

  Rhiannon touches my arm.

  “They’re going to take them, aren’t they.”

  I move past Miko and run down the stairs. I look around the pub for a familiar face but I can’t find any of them. I pull open the front door, and there they all are. All of Jace’s brothers, Effie, and his dad. There are a few other people standing behind them of varying races. I wonder if they’re wolves too.

  Jace looks back at me. “You should stay inside,” he says. “Keep her safe.”

  “We aren’t here for her,” his dad says, stepping toward us. “You can keep your vampire.” He looks directly at me. I can practically feel myself shrinking in his presence. He has a permanent scowl on his face. His hair is cut short, and he’s tall. But I don’t back up toward the inn, I stay where I stand. “I just want to talk to my son.”

  “We have nothing to talk about, Dad.”

  He ignores him.

  “My name is Cane,” he tells me, extending his hand toward me. “It’s a pleasure to meet the chronomancer.”

  I look at his hand, then back up at him.

  “You bit Rhiannon,” I say, not shaking his hand. “You killed her.”

  “Well,” he pulls his hand away from me as he turns toward his family. “From what I’ve heard, she’s fine.” He takes a step back and looks up at the inn. “See, there she is.” He points up at one of the windows. “I see you,” he says.

  I step out and look up.

  I see nothing but a swaying curtain.

  “Where’s your brother?” he asks me.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  Cane narrows his eyes as he turns away from me.

  “This is who you choose?” he asks as he approaches Jace, circling him.

  “He’s not our enemy, Dad.”

  “He let the Reaper out.”

  “To save his brother! Dad — if you didn’t think I was dead, wouldn’t you have kept looking for me?” he asks.

  Cane stops in front of him. “No.”

  “You’re lying,” Kina says as she steps closer to them. “You’re lying, Dad,” I can hear her voice crack while her eyes begin to water. “Tell him the truth.”

  “Stop acting like a baby, Kina.”

  “Just tell him the truth!” she screams.

  “I don’t have time for this,” he says, stepping away from his two youngest children. He comes back toward me. “I have to prepare for a war, thanks to you.” Champ steps forward and hands him a rolled up newspaper. Cane throws it at me and I catch it against my chest. “He’s already started, and he won’t stop. As for you,” he says as he looks at Jace. “We’re done here.”

  “What do you mean ‘we’re done’?”

  “You and this pack. You’re out. You disgrace us. Not only are you kissing a vampire, you’re letting her feed off of you. Think I don’t know?” Cane points at the side of his own neck, there are scars of a bite mark. Did their alphas get scarred when a pack member got injured by one of Drarkodon’s creatures?

  I unravel the newspaper.

  I close my eyes for a second before I run to find my brother. He's talking to Nadia in our room and I throw the newspaper down on the table and the two of them both lean forward to look at the front page.

  TOWN OF KILERTH HAS BEEN SLAUGHTERED

  “What’s it mean?” I ask as Apollo pulls away from the newspaper. He rubs his face and then the back of his neck as he gets up.

  “He’s building an army,” he says as he turns back around to face me. “Death makes him stronger and he was weak in the Underworld. He’s getting stronger. We have to do something.”

  “But what can any of us do?” Nadia asks. “We’re not like you two. Benny and I, we’re not all that useful.”

  “You’re kidding me, right? Everyone is useful, and everyone matters. My life — Apollo’s — our lives are no more important than any of yours. The town of Kilerth. Where is that? I have to go talk to Coin —”

  “Hey, will you slow down?” Apollo says. “He’s getting married. Don’t pull him away from that.”

  Nadia nods.

  “They deserve to be happy, don’t they? At least before all of this turns to hell. And Apollo almost murdered their daughter.”

  “I didn’t almost murder her. She was trying to commit the murder, not me. I just — I kind of lost control of myself there.”

  Coin’s wedding was in two days.


  I look down at the newspaper. I guess it can wait.

  “Are you going?” I ask. “To the wedding.”

  Apollo wrinkles his nose and shakes his head.

  “I did almost kill the maid of honor,” he says. “It just seems — cruel to show up as a guest.”

  “What about you?” I ask Nadia.

  “I think I’m gonna to hang out with him,” she says, nodding toward Apollo. “I’m having a hard time fitting in. I’m not like Benny — I care what people think — and I’m tired of feeling the desires of patrons when they look at me. I don’t like it. I’m not an object.”

  “Who?” Apollo and I both ask at the same time.

  We don’t even glance at each other.

  She stands up and pats us both on our shoulders.

  “No, you two aren’t doing anything to anyone. I’m fine,” she says. “But that made me feel better, so thank you. Both of you.” She leaves the room, closing the door behind her and I move to the window.

  “Did they leave yet?” Apollo asks me.

  I turn around.

  “You know they’re here?”

  “Nevressea people sure like to talk,” he says, plopping back down on the couch. He runs his fingers through his dreads.

  “They’re still here,” I say. “I don’t know what they’re waiting for. They said we can keep Rhiannon, Jace’s dad kicked him out of the pack — I don’t know why they haven’t left yet.”

  “Maybe it’s Kina.”

  “What about her?”

  “What was the decision for her?”

  I shrug. “I didn’t stay to find out. I should go find out —”

  Apollo stops me.

  “Let them deal with it. It’s their family business. We have our own to worry about.”

  “Maybe we should ask Dad for help.”

  Apollo frowns at me. “I thought Dad was missing?”

  I sigh. “There’s something you need to know.”

  Chapter THIRTY-THREE

  time for a wedding

  I fumble with the tie around my neck while Jace throws a rock in the air and catches it with his other hand. He’s laying back on his bed, shirtless, and not dressed for any wedding.