Illusions: A Grace Murphy Novel

by Nicole Hamlett

  "Here drink this." Nemesis shoved a potion at me and waited for me to drink. I gave her my, 'You can't be serious' look, but she stubbornly refused to budge.

  "Why didn't you tell us Aliana was dead from the start?"

  "If I tell you now, will drink the damn potion?"

  "Is it poison?"

  "Again, because I do so enjoy repeating myself; If I wanted you dead, don't you think I'd just let you die on your own? You're so far gone right now that I’m shocked you’re still alive. Grace, the distrust is getting old. At some point, you're just going to have to believe that I'm not out to kill you."

  "Yet," I muttered. Yes, she had a point, but I still wanted to know what her angle was. I wasn't willing to up and croak just yet, so I tossed back the potion with a grimace. I imagined that it was probably what giant toe jam tasted like. I sputtered and gagged. "Foul."

  "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

  "Pfft. So they say." I caught her eye and stared her down for a minute. She looked almost impressed. "You should know that if I don't die here, there's going to be a reckoning between us. I haven't forgotten the dreams." I still had the mental scars from that encounter. "I'm not sure how you got there considering you're not even on the same planet, but lady, we're gonna have a fight."

  Her mouth twitched, and she nodded solemnly. I wasn't sure which pissed me off more, that she was laughing at me or that right now my threat was ludicrous. I could barely lift my arms much less duke it out with one of the craftiest Atlanceans ever to live. They didn't call it a nemesis for nothing, you know.

  "So, why the secrets?"

  "Selfishness. I wanted to see what you were doing here to investigate Aliana’s disappearance. I certainly didn't imagine that Hecate would visit you in the poor girl’s guise and send you into a veritable death trap. The reason there aren't guards or traps along the eastern expanse is because nobody survives Granuile Forest. Nobody."

  I shrugged mystified. "Porkchop isn't that bad. If I hadn't slipped and gouged a hole in my arm, we probably would have gotten through just fine."

  At this, she laughed. "You named the Monster of Granuile, Porkchop?"

  "He needed a name," I said, defensive.

  "Well, your Porkchop isn't the only deadly thing roaming that forest. You got lucky. How are you feeling? Any better?"

  I scowled. "It's been five seconds. Of course, I don't feel better." But I did. At least a little. I hadn't realized that I was sitting up. “How could Hecate visit us looking like Aliana?”

  “Oh, for the love of, you are stupid. Don’t you know how to glamour?”

  “Oh. Right.” My voice was little more than a murmur. I was stupid right now. The fever was probably frying my brain.

  I was going to tell her that when Drew burst into the room. "We need to get her hidden now. You were right. Soldiers are on the street."

  "Damn. I was hoping we'd have more time. There's a cupboard in the back that should be big enough. Let me go to the door. If I can, I'll convince them that you've already left. However, Adonis, the entire village knows that you're here. There may be nothing I can do."

  Nemesis wiped her hands on a towel wrapped around her waist and headed for the front room. Drew gathered me off the table and took me into the back room. There, a medium sized worn cupboard was wedged in between two herb drying racks. He set me on the floor then opened the door and swore.

  "What are you doing? There's not enough room for both of us in there."

  He shrugged and laid a hand against my forehead. "You're not burning up anymore. Whatever she dosed you with seems to be working."

  "I'm still weak as a newborn kitten," I whined angrily. "No offense to Porkchop but his ass is the bane of my existence right now."

  "I'm sure he'd be saddened to hear. He's quite fond of you."

  "I don't see how. Our meeting consisted of me falling at his feet in a heap of wretchedness."

  "He sees into people. If it makes you feel any better, I caught that he didn't think much of Nemesis. He won't say why, though." He grabbed a few cushions and propped them up under the herb racks and rummaged through the blankets, creating a nest.

  "Heh. That does make me feel better."

  He chuckled and then gave me a 'look.' It was the kind of look that said he was about to tell me goodbye forever, and it filled me with dread. Finally, he said, "It's only got to fit you, Grace."

  "What? No. You're not letting yourself get taken. If, if I suck in my breath, maybe we can both squeeze in. Sit me up, and we'll see if I can stay upright."

  He slid an arm under my shoulders and hoisted me up. The world spun, and the kaleidoscope of colors shifted. "I'm gonna puke."

  "If you puke, then I'll follow, and we'll never get the smell out. Keep it in." He admonished. "Deep breaths. In through your nose and out through the mouth."

  I took a few deep breaths, and he wrinkled his nose. "Yikes, morning breath."

  I gasped in outrage. "It can't smell worse than the rest of me. Rude!"

  "You are extremely ripe." He smiled and tweaked my nose. "If you're arguing with me, you can't be too bad off."

  "I'll be arguing with you on my death bed," I snapped.

  His face grew sober. "Not a joking matter Grace. I was pretty sure I was going to have to tell your mother that you'd died. It wasn't something I was looking forward to."

  "I'm indestructible, remember?"

  "I wish. It would be much easier to deal with you then."

  "Heh. Well—" My tart rejoinder was interrupted by a noise outside.

  "Shh." He hushed me, gathered me in his arms and shoved me into the space he'd created.

  "You are not leaving me here alone; do you hear me?" My whisper sounded desperate, harsh.

  "That's not possible. Only one of us is getting out of this, and you're the only one that can open a Rift. Get to the other side of the barrier and get help. You can come and rescue me afterward. Won't that be fun? Holding that over my head for a few hundred years?" He cajoled.

  "No," I hissed. "That won't be fun. What if I die before I can get there and you rot away in some dungeon? Why would she have let us go if she'd just wanted us captured? None of this makes sense."

  He ignored my questions and shoved me into the tiny space. "Don't make a sound Grace. Not one fucking peep. Do you understand me? No matter what you hear. You stay quiet. As soon as you can travel, get to the barrier and contact your mother."

  "Drew, don't let them take you. How is that going to help either of us? Don't be an idiot. Run and then you can come back for me."

  "Officer, I did see the people you are searching for. They were brought to my clinic earlier. The woman was grievously injured."

  I stiffened at Nemesis' voice. She was betraying us! A puff of smoke erupted from my body where the remains of my tattered shirt were trying to catch fire.

  Drew gave me a hard shake and slapped at my shirt, putting out the embers. "Now is not the time to catch fire," he hissed.

  I was rammed against the back of the hiding spot, and then he tried jammed the door closed. I kicked out and knocked him down before pulling him up against me.

  "Close the door Drew, or I start screaming, and both of us are getting captured. I am not fucking doing this without you."

  He growled low and inched closer against me before shutting the cupboard with a soft click.

  "Where is she?" an unfamiliar voice asked. It sounded like Dmitri's, but I couldn't be sure without looking. The cupboard had a tiny slit in the boards, and I shifted to the side of Drew and peered through.

  "She died."

  "Then where is the body," his interrogator asked.

  Nemesis cut in. "I told you she was grievously injured. I burned her to stop any spread of infection.

  The response to that bit of rubbish was a derisive hmph. I didn't blame him. It sounded weak to me too.

  Finally, the man said, "You didn't mention that when you stated that they'd been here."

  "I would have,"
she argued. "But you stormed in without waiting for further explanation. Don't they teach you manners at the palace?"

  A loud smack reverberated through the room and the growl she let loose made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It was uncomfortably quiet for a long while, and I squirmed, anxious to see what was happening.

  "Then where is the man? Hecate wants him for the ritual."

  I nearly burst out of the cupboard at that. They couldn't take Drew. They certainly couldn't take him for some effed up ritual.

  "I told you. She died, and he left. Do you see anyone here?"

  "If you are lying to us, bitch, there will be consequences. Which direction did he head?"

  "West," she replied without pause.

  "We're heading west," the leader called out.

  "Sir what about the woman?" Another voice asked.

  They couldn't mean me, I was dead, so they must be talking about our hostess now.

  "Leave her. We'll let the Mistress know, and she can send someone for her later if she wishes to pursue this further." His voice trembled a little. Whatever Nemesis had done, she'd scared him. I guess that explained why they hadn't taken her in the first place. To all outward appearances, Nemesis didn't look like a powerful woman, but appearances can be deceiving.

  I waited for another ten minutes before I burst out of the cupboard to an empty room. I pressed the heels of my palms into my eye sockets and held in a scream of frustration. This was a thrice-cursed planet.

  "What now?" I turned around and found Drew sprawled on the floor where I'd kicked him to get out of the tight space.

  "We call Diana. We're not going to be able to address the issue of the boundary Hecate's created to sap magic alone. Also, we need to find Aliana’s remains and bring her home."

  "Right. So, we keep heading East. Let's G-T-F-O"

  "Do you think you're healed enough to travel?" Nemesis' voice raised my hackles, and I rounded on her; my lips pulled back from my teeth in a snarl. She backed up a few steps, raising her hands. "Whoah there, tiger. I'm not your enemy."

  "I disagree. You could have told those soldiers that you hadn't seen us at all," I threw up my hands and shouted wordlessly. "Do you know how hard it is to plan a rescue when you know nothing of the area? It's bloody hard. I could kill you right now."

  She snorted. "No, you couldn't. You can barely stand."

  "Well if I could, I would."

  "As I was saying," she interrupted. "Someone told them that you'd come to me. They barged into the cottage before I could finish my explanation."

  "Likely story," I sneered. "What do you get out of this?"

  "A bitchy, pain in the ass patient?" she shrugged.

  I looked down at my watch. "We need to go. Have they left the village?"

  She nodded but didn't say anything more. I looked at Drew, waiting for him to do his thing where he came up with the best way to get us out of here.

  "Why are you looking at me like that?" he rubbed his head and winced. He must have hit it on the way out. I hadn't been gentle. I was still mad at him for wanting to sacrifice himself.

  "I'm waiting for you to tell me what the plan is."

  "I had a plan. You disagreed vehemently with it."

  "Getting yourself captured is NOT a plan, Drew."

  "It is if you can get to safety."

  "Not at the risk of your own. We get to Olympus together or not at all. I don't even want to talk about this anymore. You're giving me a bloody headache, Drew. My temples are pounding right now."

  And they were. I could barely think around the shrill piercing noise that was sounding in my head. I prayed that it wouldn't get worse. "I need my pack. It should still be in the front room where Nemesis left it.”

  We needed to get moving now. I didn't know if Diana could track me through the magical barrier and if she opened a Rift near the palace expecting a peaceful welcome - well I didn't want to think of what would happen then.

  Nemesis left the room and came back, throwing my pack at me. It smacked heavily against my chest, and I staggered back under the weight. "You can barely stand. How do you propose escaping this place?" She asked derisively.

  "One foot at a time," I said shortly before plunging into the depths of my bag. I was sure I'd packed some ibuprofen for an emergency. Jesus, what was in here? It was heavy. "Drew, do you have any water left in your bag?"

  "I think so. Let me look."

  It took me about 3 minutes to get the pills down. My throat kept closing up as I tried to swallow. I knew that I wasn't doing great, but fleeing seemed like a much better plan than staying.

  "Can you point out which direction East is? If we continue to travel East, we should end up outside the barrier, correct?"

  She shook her head. "Give me a few moments to gather some supplies, and I'll go with you.

  I studied her face with distrust. "And how does that benefit you? What do you get by taking us to safety?"

  "Well, your stench out of my house for one. For another, if you get out and get help, maybe my friends will be able to return to their homes and families."

  "Why weren't you taken?" I asked bluntly.

  "I wasn't here at the time," she answered evasively.

  "What about just now? Why didn't the soldiers take you this time?"

  She shrugged and turned away. I clenched my fist in aggravation. "No thanks. We'll take our chances on our own."

  "Then you're a fool." Her face was turning a mottled shade of red. Good. I hoped that she was as pissed off enough to have a stroke. That would be one less of Nyx's children I had to worry about.

  "Then I'll be the fool not having to worry about a dagger in her back." With that parting shot, I turned and limped out the door. I didn't wait for Drew. I probably should have in retrospect, but I needed to get that last word in.

  I took off at a slow and ponderous pace down the road, quite satisfied that I'd got the last word in, before she called, "You're going the wrong way, Moron!"

  Drew snickered softly, and it took all my strength to not react. My shoulders tightened, but I turned on my heel and started off in the correct direction without comment.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Have you ever just wished that you could start the day over again and be damned the consequences? That's how it felt right now. Had it really been only a day? It seemed longer. We’d traveled for hours, as well as the nap and the dinner. How could it still be daylight?

  I hadn't had a good night’s sleep yet and was exhausted. If I could just start over, maybe we could do it all different. Maybe I'd say, "No thank you. I'll just stay here, and you can send someone who doesn't bumble into catastrophic circumstances."

  All right, fine, that wouldn't have happened. Diana would have bundled me up and shoved me through the Rift regardless. But a girl can dream. "Drew? How long until sunset, do you know?"

  "Honestly, I have no idea."

  He sounded tired, and he was shuffling behind me. Stopping, I turned to give him a brief inspection. "You're not looking so hot. What's going on?"

  He shook his head. "I don't know. I'm uninjured, but I feel like I've been in a train wreck."

  A large pack sailed in from the left and landed with a dull thud in front of Drew and myself. "It's because you've practically been awake for the equivalence of two Earth days." Nemesis stepped out of the trees with her hands held high. "I'm just here to help."

  A series of cheeps, clicks, and clatters sounded from my right. "Porkchop, I am not Drew, I cannot understand you."

  This didn't stop Porkchop from telling me exactly what he thought of my going off alone, without him. Or at least that's what I assumed he was saying. Like I said - wasn't Drew. Couldn't understand.

  "He realizes that you can't understand him. But he's a very opinionated creature."

  I whirled back on Nemesis, angry. "What in the hell are you doing here? I thought I'd made it very clear that you weren't invited."

  "Grace," Drew reached out and touched my arm, gent
ly, hesitantly, as if he was afraid I'd explode any moment. "She could help us."

  "We're doing fine. We're walking in the right direction. I'm feeling stronger already."

  "What if guards come across you. Do you know where to hide? Do you know who you can bribe?" She gave me a canny smile, and I kept my mouth shut.

  "I've got Drew and Porky, and that's all I know."

  "Did you call the Monster of Granuille, Porky?" She looked appalled.

  "Well, I told you I named him Porkchop. What in the hell kind of name is the Monster of Granuille, anyway? You're going to hurt his feelings." I stepped closer to the porcupine and rubbed a hand down his snout. "He's sensitive."

  He could very well have been a total dick, but I chose to believe that Porkchop was just misunderstood. However, I did note that had Nemesis said that he was the sweetest creature alive, I likely would have proclaimed him a monster. Listen, I never said I was a reasonable woman. If I have, I lied.

  She scoffed. "Right. Anyway, he says that he can't leave you alone and is here to protect you."

  I felt a rush of affection toward my monster and wondered again if I could bring him home with me. "So, you speak porcupine," I said shortly.

  "Well, I do now. Your friend projects very strongly. I could probably tune your translator to work with him if you'd like."

  "Jesus, am I the only person who can't read minds? And, no thank you. We'll do fine without you. Besides, I think it's starting to adjust on its own. I'm picking up words."

  She shrugged and started walking. "What's the plan?"

  That was a damn good question. I shot a look at Drew, the question in my eyes. His subtle shrug told me that if I was going to act like I was in charge, I needed to be in charge. That earned him a disgusted grunt. We needed to get across the barrier and call in the troops. Hecate was sucking the magic out of anyone with ability. This wasn't our world, so realistically speaking, we could just bail without solving the issue of Hecate's barrier. But what if she set herself up as the next Nyx? What if she somehow found her way to Earth and started this there? Look at me being focused on doing the right thing. Who knew?