by Ioana Visan
Chapter Forty-Four
The nightclub vibrated with energy. Loud music boomed from the speakers, and bright lights flashed through the fake smoke. Shadows danced along with the patrons in the hazy atmosphere. There had to be over a hundred people jumping to the maddening beat.
“The next generation is so doomed,” Rafe said to no one in particular. He scanned the crowd with narrowed eyes. Several scantily clad girls smiled at him, showing interest. He answered with a grin but kept moving. “Are you sure she’s here?” he asked Vale, who was also checking out faces.
“Yes. I was told she likes to experience life to its fullest.”
“I’d say…” Rafe changed direction, having felt something familiar. All the while, he made sure Alise and Cassie were not far behind him.
The crowd parted in front of Rafe and Vale, as if intimidated by their presence, and there it was: a couple kissing fervently. Although they stood in the shadows, they glowed like they had thousands of spotlights aimed at them. The Witch.
Rafe made a face. “She could be his great-great-great … great-grandmother!”
His words made the girls chuckle, and they looked out from behind him.
The Witch must have heard it, too. She ended the kiss with a bite on the young man’s lower lip and turned to face them, her short, frosted-white hair twinkling in the light. Her eyes gleamed mischievously, her shapes and curves put on display by the skintight, sparkling outfit. This was no girl, but a woman who didn’t bother to hide her strengths and assets. Or maybe this was the disguise … a disguise within a disguise.
“That’s why I wouldn’t kiss you, boy,” she said.
Rafe took no offence at the appellative. She was way older than he was, at least by several centuries. In spite of her young appearance, this was one of the old Witches, and he respected her for that. However, he needed her help, and he was prepared to do whatever it took to get it.
“Lya?” He called the Witch by her real name.
“Why are you bothering me here, boy?”
“We’re on an official mission, and we require your assistance,” Vale said.
The Witch took a long, estimative look at the Guardians, ignoring all the agitation around them as if they stood alone in the room. Then her liquid eyes passed over Alise. Although she didn’t say anything, there was a hint of recognition in the way her delicate eyebrows arched up slightly. It could have been an illusion, though.
“I’m going out to get some air,” she said and grabbed the young man she had been kissing by the collar. “Don’t go anywhere.”
He watched her with adoring eyes as she walked away. The world could end and he wouldn’t move. He was besotted with her.
Rafe shook his head, sensing the charming spell wrapped around the man. He signaled for the others to follow him. “I like her,” he said when they reached a poorly lit corridor. The Witch was just disappearing through a door at the other end.
“She’s dangerous,” Vale said.
“That’s exactly why I like her.” Rafe grinned, pleased to have found a worthy ally. The human girl and damaged Fairy didn’t count.
He pushed the door open, and they found themselves in a back alley. Small groups of people smoked while speaking quietly to each other. Nice place to get some fresh air. They discovered Lya leaning against the only working lamppost in sight. It was as if she wanted to attract everyone’s attention, like her shinny skimpy outfit and bold attitude weren’t enough.
As they approached her and entered the light, all other sounds remained somewhere in the distance. Ah, a privacy spell. That was nice.
“Can we talk now?” Rafe asked more politely, grateful for the protective veil the Witch had created around them.
“What do you need?” Need, not want. She acknowledged there was an issue at hand, and she owed the Council the courtesy to at least try to help, but she didn’t put herself under their orders.
Smart woman. Rafe expected nothing less.
“We need to find someone,” he said.
“A tracking spell? That’s why you bothered me?” Lya rolled her eyes. “That’s beginner stuff. You should be able to do it. Hell, even your Fairy over here should.”
“She did.” Rafe armed himself with patience while he shifted his weight to the other foot. “But then we lost him. Now we need to find him again.”
“You’ve got to be better than this if you’ve been sent on a mission here.”
“That’s what I told them,” Alise said.
Payback for refusing to chase Gorem over into The Mists? But she didn’t understand. Nate’s freedom depended on their capacity to obey orders and not cross over to that side once they had been forbidden to do so.
Rafe’s hackles rose when confronted with the Witch’s patronizing tone, and Alise’s quip didn’t help, either, but he managed to keep his temper under control. Too much depended on this, and he always delivered under pressure. He had been sent over here because he could do the job.
He wanted to say something, but Lya tapped her booted foot on the pavement. “Enough. I don’t have all night, boys.” Everything in her stance said she had better things to do with her time. Rafe believed her. There was music, dancing, and a certain human waiting for her.
“The person we are looking for is not on this side,” Vale said, taking control of the conversation. “He’s already crossed over to The Mists. We have no jurisdiction there.”
“Then how is having me track him down going to help you?” Lya asked.
“The Council sent us to you because you can do magic between worlds. We were hoping you could somehow draw him back here.”
Rafe was impressed. Vale hated lying, but when he did, he was fairly convincing. Their orders were to bring Gorem and Alise back. The Council had certainly not sent them to any Witch. If Lya suspected something, she didn’t voice her concerns, but her heavily made up eyes narrowed.
“Does this have anything to do with the missing wings business?” The Witch’s gaze slipped over to Alise.
Cassie shifted uncomfortably.
“The culprit is our target,” Rafe’s said.
“Target,” the Witch repeated with a faint chuckle. Anyone knew what that implied. They were going for the kill. “Even if I brought him back here—” She tilted her head, “—he won’t die here.”
A chill ran down Rafe’s spine. Some Witches were known for being able to look into the future. He didn’t know if this one could, but she surely acted like it. “Let us worry about that.” The look on his face was a warning that he was not in the mood for playing games
Lya held his gaze for a long moment before her eyes slipped back to Alise. She watched the Fairy with interest, her gaze intense, going beyond the earthly appearance—the dark hair pulled back in a long ponytail, the tight sleeveless top with a covered back but a generous cleavage, the leather pants, and spiked heels—and seeing something neither of them did. She looked right through Alise, and a corner of her mouth twitched.
“You should be dead,” she said matter-of-factly.
Alise cocked her head. In those heels, she was taller than the Witch. “But I’m not.”
“I can see that,” Lya murmured. “Interesting. He might have finally found what he was looking for. Could it be?”
“What is he looking for?” Cassie asked.
For the first time, the Witch settled her gaze on the shorter girl. “The Mouth of Truth.” A tiny little hint of amusement glinted in her eyes. “And you’re using it on me? You’ve got some guts, little girl.”
Cassie pursed her lips, refraining from saying anything, but her gaze didn’t lower.
Her stubbornness made Lya roll her eyes. “Wings. He wants wings. A certain pair of wings.”
“Are Alise’s wings the ones he needs?” Cassie pressed.
“They could be, but the future is still uncertain on that. The prophecy–”
“What prophecy?” Rafe asked.
“One day, a pair of wings will change the world,
” the Witch quoted. “It’s never specified what kind of wings is required. Therefore, your guy will turn out to be either a hero or the most vicious murderer of our time. That’s all I can tell you.”
Cassie wisely closed her mouth, which made Lya smile and nod in appreciation. Rafe almost thought she thought kindly of the human girl, but he knew better than to let that façade fool him. “Will you help us?” The question came out more like a demand.
Lya tilted her head. “This is personal to you, isn’t it?”
He tilted his head in return. Rhetorical questions didn’t need answers.
The Witch leaned forward, studying his eyes. The breath caught in Rafe’s throat. He felt like she was looking right into his soul, but he didn’t flinch. Whatever she saw in there, he wasn’t ashamed of it, and he was desperate for her help. They all were.
“I see…” She pulled back, and Rafe could breathe easily again. She looked at the others with a different kind of interest. “Wherever this path will take you, you will fight until the end,” the Witch murmured as if talking to herself. Oddly, it sounded like she admired that. “And you will save her one time too many.” She smirked, decided on the course of action. “Okay. I’m game.”
Witches. Throw them a bundle of tangled threads, and they’ll move heaven and hell to untangle them just to prove they can. It was like dangling a string in front of a cat. They always took the bait. Well, that was easy. He debated whether to tell her about Fabian. Witches and Wizards didn’t see eye to eye, but they also didn’t go against each other. It might earn them some points if he let her know.
“There’s something else,” he said. “He has a Wizard helping him, and he’s not sticking by the rules.”
“Of course he does. How else could he achieve all this?” The Witch grinned knowingly. “I appreciate the intention, though.” She gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment. “I will bring your target here for you, even if that won’t be of much help. I will not engage the Wizard. That’s not my problem. And, just so you know, the Wizard has his own agenda. You need to be prepared.”
The Guardians bowed their heads, accepting her terms. They were lucky she had agreed to give them any help at all.
“Very well,” Lya said. “We need a meeting ground. An open site…” She tapped a finger over her glossy lips. “Make yourself useful and put your mind to work,” she told Alise. “Where would you like to die?”
Joke or not, Alise handled it better than her companions did. She kept her eyes on the Witch, careful to avoid the shocked look on her friend’s face, and focused on the issue at hand. “An open site, preferably deserted… The Palas! It’s a construction site.”
Rafe reckoned she knew the place like the back of her hand, having heard the girls talk about it on several occasions. That was well-thought-out indeed.
Lya took her time considering the suggestion. In the end, she nodded. “All right. I’ll see you there before dawn.” She headed to the club’s back door. The meeting was over.
“Wait,” Cassie said with a little, but determined voice, and they were startled to see the Witch turn to watch her expectantly. “What’s a Mermaid’s song used for?”
“Lots of things…” Lya pondered, smiling slightly, “if you can catch it.” She appeared to be done talking, but Cassie’s fixed gaze begged her to continue. Somehow, she gave in to the silent plea. “A Mermaid’s song is one of the most wonderful things out there. It awes and destroys those who listen to it. Why?” She didn’t need an answer to that. “Is this what he told you?” She glanced at Alise once more. “It seems to me he’s already used his Mermaid song, don’t you think?” Her smile was anything but nice when she turned on her heels and opened the door.
“Do you need a ride?” Rafe called out after her.
The Witch waved a hand without looking back. “I’ve got my own ride!”
Rafe chuckled quietly. A car? Or the man waiting inside? Probably both.
She disappeared inside the club.
“Well, at least we know she won’t be late,” Rafe said. He paused. “Anyone trust her?” He looked around, but no one hurried to nod. “No? Good.”
“We should go check out the place,” Vale said, “so there’ll be no surprises. We can’t rely on her. She already said she wouldn’t help fight against the Wizard. We need to be prepared for anything.”
“Indeed.” Rafe nodded. “Vale, I’m dropping you and Cassie off at the Palas. This is not a good time to leave her alone. Alise and I are going to do some last minute shopping. We need more ammo.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Alise shifted in the passenger’s seat. Something about this whole affair didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t figure out why. It was past midnight during the week and the traffic was light. Few vehicles left the city at this hour.
“Do you think he’ll give us more of that blasting stuff that worked so well on Fabian?” Rafe asked.
“It’s his business. He can always use more clients,” Alise said.
“I get that. But will he give us more?”
“How much more?”
“A lot more,” Rafe said. “Gorem will feel Lya’s pull and alert Fabian. It’s what everyone with a Wizard at their disposal would do. And he’s strong. We need to take him down before he hurts anyone. Gorem might not care what happens to him, but Fabian surely does. Whatever his personal agenda is, we won’t be safe unless we catch both of them.”
Alise found no fault to his reasoning. Personally, she believed she had reached the point where she was never going to be safe again. She was surprised he had included all of them in that statement and not just her. She had been alone for so long, it felt strange to have someone on her side. “How much do you think you can hold?”
“I don’t know. Four? Five? I’ll have to wait and see.” He shrugged, paying more attention to the road than to the subject itself.
“That’s too much,” Alise said. “You had two for what? Twenty minutes? And you felt like a furnace, like you were going to explode.”
“But I didn’t. And I still have some of it left. I’m getting used to it,” he said.
“It’s not enough to get used to it. That stuff is powerful.”
“Oh, I know it is.” Rafe grinned and flexed his fingers on the steering wheel. The suns flared on the back of his hands.
“Stop that.” Alise placed her hand on top of his. “This isn’t a game.”
“It never was to begin with,” he murmured under his breath. He kept his hand in place, allowing hers to rest on top until he had to pull over in front of the greenhouse. “Here we go…”
The gate was closed but not locked, so they slipped into the yard like two shadows, watching their steps on the concrete alley that surrounded the main building. A neon light flickered somewhere in the back, putting their orientation skills to test. Rafe drew out his blade, and a soft glowing light surrounded them.
“We come in peace,” he whispered as he forced open the door to the greenhouse. The lock gave in with a click, and the door opened without a sound.
A dog let out a sleepy bark from behind the fence. Other than that, there was no sign that anyone was aware of their presence there.
The breeze rushed in, making the plants’ leaves hiss and tremble as they walked in. The plants turned, as if they were watching them. Alise closed the door behind them and followed Rafe’s guiding light. The aisle was long—too long. They should have crossed the greenhouse twice by now.
“Stop.” Alise placed a hand on Rafe’s back.
He froze in place, immobile. “What?”
“Wait.”
She turned around, scanning the surroundings, her eyes half-closed. She knew plants. She could tell them apart from the illusions. Two steps to the right placed her hip against a heavy rack. “Here.”
The word acted like a trigger. A light went on, and the scenery changed. They were once again in the middle of the greenhouse, next to the blue hydrangea she had healed. The plant still looked a little
sad, but cheered up when she reached her hand to it.
Rafe’s blade was instantly out.
“Nice to see you … again,” a voice chuckled from behind a palm tree, and Elronicus made his appearance with a smile dancing on his lips.
“We apologize for the entrance,” Alise said.
“You sure know how to make one,” Elronicus said. “We do have a phone, and there’s a bell at the door, you know?” The old man was still smiling.
“We wanted to keep you on your toes,” Rafe said. He took his time putting the blade away, making no effort to hide it. The old man had his magic, lots of it, but they weren’t defenseless. “You’ve been here a long time. We feared you might get rusty.” He smirked.
“Fair enough.” At his age, Elronicus had seen plenty, including cocky Guardians who didn’t know any better. Wisdom came with time, and he had plenty of that … among other things. “What brings you here tonight? I don’t suppose you’ve come just to test my security system.”
Rafe leaned casually against one of the racks. “We’ve come for more.”
“More? Already?” Elronicus’s eyebrows shot up on his wrinkled forehead. If it was an act, it was a good one. “No. It’s not my business.” He raised one hand in apology. “My business is to provide you with more…” His voice trailed off, and he looked pensively at them.
“Is there a problem?” Rafe asked.
“I’m just wondering if you can afford the price. That’s all.”
The words might have been genuine, but the way he held his hands together showed his concern was not.
“Let me worry about that.” Rafe grunted, and the dark look he gave the old man would have put anyone off arguing.
The concealed threat in Rafe’s voice was met with a sigh. “Ah, that’s what they all say. Sometimes I think I’m in the wrong business. Oh, well. Wait here. I’ll bring you what you need.” With small steps, typical for the old age, he disappeared behind the bigger plants as smoothly as he had appeared.
“That went well, don’t you think?” Rafe said conversationally.
“Yeah, except for the fact that he’ll increase the price now that he knows we’re desperate,” Alise said.
