by Hall, Linsey
“This is near my home,” he said. “Only about thirty minutes east.”
“Ever been there?” I asked. If I’d lived near a passage tomb, I’d definitely have gone exploring.
“No. It’s protected by powerful charms.”
“Good thing we’ve got those penatrist charms then,” I said.
“Good thing, indeed.” He glanced over his shoulder at the setting sun. It’d disappeared behind the cliffs, headed for the sea. “It’ll be dark soon. Let’s get out of here. We can take my plane. Rest up at my place, then head to the passage tomb in the morning.”
I nodded. As much as I wanted to head straight to the tomb, he was right. The tomb had been built by supernaturals. Ancient sites like that were often booby-trapped. Heading into one at night, exhausted, was a surefire way to end up dead.
I took one last glance at the statues that stood silently guarding the portal, vowing to return to see if the apparition of my mother would reappear, then followed my friends across the small field.
We climbed over the rock wall, and by the time we dropped down on the other side, it was nearly dark. The ground was uneven, the slabs of stone making our passage slow.
Aidan pulled out his phone and made a call, speaking in Irish and requesting that the pony traps come to the end of the lane to pick us up.
He said goodbye and lowered his phone. “They’ll be here in twenty.”
“Thanks,” I said.
We made quick work of getting our bags from the house. Unlike at the Black Fort, I didn’t look back. I’d return here one day, once all of this was settled, and figure out how I felt about this place. For now, it was too difficult to think of.
Fergus and his friend met us at the end of the lane with the same two pony traps we’d taken to get here. They took us back to the airstrip, their clip-clopping hooves creating a soothing rhythm. The pub we’d passed last night was once again rocking with the sound of trad music. Though there was a lot to talk about, I didn’t want to do it in front of the drivers, so I listened to the unique sound of our journey.
My phone buzzed with a text, and I pulled it out of my pocket. Aerdeca’s name popped up, along with a message that they hadn’t yet found anything about Victor being involved with the Order of the Magica. Whatever he was doing with them, it seemed to be on the down-low. It might not even be in any kind of official capacity. Which made sense, because I might hate the Order, but they wouldn’t knowingly ally with someone as evil as him.
“Here we are,” the trap driver said when we pulled up in front of the plane.
Only on an island as tiny as this one would a horse drawn carriage be allowed onto a runway. True, we were the only people out here, but still.
“Thanks, Fergus,” I said as Aidan paid the driver.
“My pleasure.” He handed Aidan a large paper bag.
Aidan took it and turned to me. I nodded inquiringly at the bag.
“Dinner.”
I grinned. “You are the best, you know that?”
“I know how you like to eat.”
I draped an arm over his shoulders, having to reach up high to do so. “Feeding me is truly one of the finest qualities a man can have.”
“I aim to be the finest you ever met.”
I grinned. “I’m a lucky girl.”
Aidan talked to the pilot while we climbed on board and settled into the plush seats.
“For magic’s sake,” Claire said. “You really caught a big fish, Cass.”
I glanced around at the opulent plane. “Yeah. It’s pretty ridiculous, really.”
“Yep,” Connor said as he ambled into the small kitchen and peered into the fridge. “But I’m going to take advantage of our new high-rolling connections.”
He pulled a soda out and tossed it to me. I snagged it out of the air, fumbling it briefly before I got a good grip. Quick as a professional bartender—which he technically was—he grabbed more drinks and tossed them to Claire, Del, and Nix.
It was good to have Connor and Claire here. They kept things feeling a bit more normal when Nix, Del, and I might have gotten bogged down in the enormity of all this.
I popped my soda and took a swig, then sat on the couch that spread along the wall near the back. “So, let’s chat.”
Aidan entered the plane. “Eat first.”
He dug into a big paper bag and pulled out sandwiches wrapped in more paper. He passed them around, and I took mine gratefully. My stomach grumbled as I unwrapped the bundle and revealed a thick ham sandwich.
I took a huge bite, delighted by the taste of sharp cheddar and some kind of sweet onion stuff.
“These Irish know how to make a sandwich,” Connor said.
I had to agree. It was no beef and potato pasty like Connor made, but it was damned good. I polished it off so fast that I wasn’t sure if I breathed or not.
I swallowed the last bite, comfortably sated, and said, “So, we learned a bit about Victor Orriodor.”
I told the story we’d learned, trying not to leave anything out.
When I’d finished, Claire said, “He’s still a bastard. Loads of people have effed-up childhoods and don’t turn into power-hungry sociopaths.”
Her loyalty warmed me.
“So, we know that Victor is after the Triumvirate,” Connor said. “Which is you guys.”
“Fancy title, by the way,” Claire said.
“Thanks. Just wish I knew what we’re supposed to do.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Del said.
“It’s all tied up in Victor Orriodor, so if we figure him out, I bet we’ll figure us out,” Nix said.
We talked about what we knew. Victor was out for vengeance, he was somehow involved with the Order of the Magica—which was probably the scariest thing of all—and he’d collected a whole bunch of things that were meant to aid him in his goals.
“So, Victor is like a magpie collecting things to help his end goal.” Nix held up her hand and began to tick items off. “Scroll of Truths to find FireSouls, Chalice of Youth for immortality, HeartStone of Glencarrough to protect something of value, and the Celtic cauldron with the massive dampening charm.”
“That’s quite an arsenal,” Del said.
“Don’t forget he’s bought out pretty much every transportation charm in the world,” Aidan said. “It’s going to become a lot harder for people to travel quickly in the future, especially since they’ll use up their charms before they realize there’s a shortage.”
“And we’ve got two,” I said, wishing one of us had found the transportation charm that Corin had found. “And two penatrist charms.”
“And any potion we want, courtesy of Connor,” Claire said.
“Right,” Del said. “That’s not bad. A pretty good arsenal of our own.”
“So, Victor wants vengeance on someone,” I said. “And to capture us. We want vengeance on Victor.”
“And he wants us,” Nix said. “The Triumvirate.”
“Right. The Triumvirate.” Whatever that really was, it was important. Almost two dozen members of the League of FireSouls had died trying to save us because we were the prophesied Triumvirate. My parents had died trying to save us.
“Do you think that’s why we managed to escape Victor’s dungeon when we were kids?” I asked, thinking back to our desperate race from his house. “There was almost no one in the house when we ran for it. No guards other than the one I killed. Alton said that the League of FireSouls lost most of their force when they fought to free us. They probably took down as many of Victor’s demons, and he hadn’t yet replaced them.”
“So they cleared the way,” Del said.
“Even if they didn’t realize it.” Nix’s eyes glimmered with tears.
My parents saved us, even if they hadn’t lived to break us out of the cell themselves. I’d been so close to seeing them.
I slouched back against my seat, suddenly exhausted. Tears threatened, but I forced them back. Now wasn’t the time for weakness or weeping.<
br />
I thought of my parents, of the people I’d seen in the visions. They wouldn’t cry now. They’d fight. Like I would fight.
Up to this point, it’d been a fight for survival. To escape Victor and never be found. Now, it was a fight for vengeance. And to stop whatever awful thing he had planned.
CHAPTER TEN
A shower in Aidan’s massive, magical bathroom hit the spot. It was hard not to enjoy a shower with eight shower heads.
We’d arrived at his place thirty minutes ago, and everyone was settled into one of the many bedrooms. The house was protected by enchantments, but that didn’t mean that Victor Orriodor’s demons couldn’t break in anyway. We thought we had their only penatrist charms, but we could be wrong. All they needed was one in order to send in an assassin.
But we’d be ready for them. Aidan had hired guards standing outside every room.
I scrubbed my hair dry and pulled on one of Aidan’s giant t-shirts, then made my way out into the bedroom. It felt almost natural by now to be sharing a room with him.
Aidan looked up from the bed where he was sitting with his back propped against the headboard. “Feeling better?”
“Mostly.”
He lifted a plate from the bedside table. “How about some cookies? Iona made some earlier today.”
The scent of chocolate chips and the memory of his Irish housekeeper’s amazing cooking made my mouth water.
“Thanks. You’re the best.” I took a cookie off the plate and bit in.
“Anytime. Feeding you is part of the gig.”
“What gig?”
“Being your better half.”
I grinned and would have punched him if I hadn’t been preoccupied by the cookie. “So, that’s it, then? We’re a thing? Like, officially?”
We’d never actually said the words, and though I knew it was probably true because we’d had some pretty intense moments, I wanted to hear him say it. Maybe because everything else in my life was so uncertain, or maybe because I just wanted to hear it.
“Hope that’s not news to you.”
I shook my head. “Nah. Just wanted you to say it first.”
“Happy to be of service.”
“So, like, do I call you my boyfriend?” Seemed so juvenile for a guy like him.
He shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
I should have expected that Aidan was comfortable enough in his masculinity not to give a damn what I called him.
“Right, okay.” I grinned. “I can do that.”
I polished off the cookie and climbed into bed next to him, propping myself against the luxurious padded headboard. Aidan’s lifestyle was one I could get used to.
“By the way, I got a message from my assistant,” Aidan said. “The Order of the Magica has sent their thanks for your help with defeating the portal, but they’re no longer planning to meet with you to thank you.”
“Really?” Hope flared in my chest. Finally, something was going right.
“Yes. After you pulled the fire alarm at the Nullifier’s memorial, it took them a while to get everything sorted and everyone back in place. They held the memorial, but when we weren’t there afterward to meet with them, they assumed we’d left because of the alarm. They don’t want to reschedule, so they sent flowers instead.”
“Flowers? That’s weird. Do you think Victor Orriodor had anything to do with it?”
“Possibly. But flowers the usual cheap and easy thank you for a job well done, so it could just be normal.”
I laughed. “I’m being paranoid. And I guess they only kind of appreciated my efforts. But I’ll take it as long as Orriodor had nothing to do with it. It’s way better than having to meet them.”
Aidan grinned as he climbed off the bed. “I thought you’d like to hear that. I’m going to take a shower.” But he didn’t walk into the bedroom. Instead, he went to the dresser and removed something from the duffle bag he’d set on top when we’d arrived.
“No shower?” I asked.
“I will, but I thought maybe you’d want this before I went.” He handed me a picture frame.
I looked down at it. My parents smiled out from the photo. He must have taken it from the house. My throat tightened, but I managed to blink back tears long enough to look at him and say, “Thanks.”
He nodded and leaned down to kiss me, then went to the shower.
I listened to the water run as I looked at the photo of my parents. My only two memories of my parents filled my head. And they weren’t even real memories. My mother had been an apparition, and I’d witnessed my father and my younger self. I hadn’t actually remembered living any moments with them.
My eyes smarted and I blinked rapidly.
“Hey, you okay?” Aidan’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
He was out of the shower already? How long had I been here moping? I scrubbed a hand over my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”
He wore only a pair of tight black boxer briefs and his hair was still wet. My gaze traveled over the cut muscles and the ridges and valleys that were hard to look away from, no matter how bummed I was.
“You don’t look fine,” he said.
“I’m not handling this well. My parents, the nullifying power. I’m off my game.”
“Yeah, of course. You’re dealing with some heavy stuff.”
“Sure, but I’m not usually such an emotional wimp. There’s a lot riding on this, and I’m being so lame about it. My parents were so tough. Nix and Del are so tough. And I’ve spent more time crying in the last week than I have in my whole freaking life.”
“You don’t have to be stone, Cass.” Aidan sat next to me on the bed and pulled me against his side. “You are only human.”
“No, I’m Magica. A strong freaking Magica who is also a giant freaking wimp.”
He huffed a short laugh. “It’s an expression.”
“I know.”
“You are tough. And strong. So what if you’ve been crying lately? Some people just have faces that leak. I once knew a guy who’d cry when he got mad. Angry as fuck, wailing punches, and the stress would make his eyes leak.”
I laughed. “You did not.”
“I did. On my honor. Crying doesn’t make you weak. Lying down and not fighting makes you weak. Who cares if your eyes become fountains when you think about your dead parents or your lost magic?”
“When you put it like that, I guess it doesn’t sound so bad.” Especially the dead parents part. That part freaking sucked. Who wouldn’t cry about that? “But my power. I’ve been shit about that. I’ve practiced my nullifying power, but I’ve gotten nowhere.”
“You’re fighting it,” Aidan said.
“Course I’m fighting it. It sucks. I wanted to shed it like a snake skin.”
“You can’t fight it away. Forcing it won’t work. But you don’t have to be powerless. The Nullifier’s talent is powerful. It knocked me out of the sky.”
I nodded, remembering the time in Switzerland when the Nullifier had turned up the juice on his power and forced Aidan—the freaking Origin, for magic’s sake—to lose his magic and turn from a griffin back into a human. In midair. Two thousand feet above a valley in the Swiss Alps.
“You need to embrace your new power, even if only temporarily,” Aidan said. “It’s a powerful gift, and you may need it.”
“But it’s fighting inside me.”
“Maybe. Aethelred said it’s because your innate magic conflicts with it. But also because you won’t let it settle.” He pointed to the cold cuff still around my wrist. “You’re even wearing a dampening charm. That can’t help.”
“It doesn’t really work.” But I’d been unable to take it off because I’d hoped it would start working. I knew it was ridiculous, but I couldn’t help it. And sometimes I was ridiculous.
“I know you want your magic back, and we’ll get it. But until you have it, you need to learn to use what you’ve got. Embrace the change and learn to work with it.”
“You’re tot
ally right.” I hated hearing it, but he was right. “How’d you get to be so smart?”
“Just lucky, I guess.”
“So how do I embrace it?”
“Take the cuff off, for one.”
I slipped the cuff off, not liking the feeling of removing it.
“You’re a fighter, Cass. If you see something you want, you fight your way toward it and force it to work.”
“Yeah, and I’ve been pretty successful.”
“You have. But times have changed. For most of your life, you refused your power. You’re a Magica. You should have been using your power. Instead, you forced yourself and the world to accommodate your will to live without magic.”
“I had to. It’s the only way I could hide. I’m not going to stop being a fighter.” That was who I was. “I can’t.”
“I don’t think you should. It’s one of the things I like about you. But some battles don’t help us. You need to stop fighting the Nullifier’s magic and start fighting for it. At least until you can get rid of it for good. Using it is the smartest thing.”
I nodded, my mind spinning with everything that he’d said. “Give me a sec. I want to try.”
He squeezed my shoulder encouragingly as I closed my eyes and focused on the magic—or lack of magic—within me. The familiar emptiness greeted me. My chest felt hollowed out, like someone had gotten in there with an ice-cream scoop and gone to town.
This was normally where I retreated. It was the worst feeling, and I didn’t want to revel in it.
But if I wanted to succeed, I had to. I’d faced plenty of miserable shit in my life. What was a little more?
The empty feeling in my chest grew as I tried to pull on the Nullifier’s magic. To manipulate it to my will and push it outward. Sending it outward meant letting it expand within me.
I broke out in a cold sweat as I tried to embrace the Nullifier’s magic and let it fill my whole body.
“Make a flame,” I bit out.
I peeked my eyes open to see Aidan hold his hand out and produce a small flame. It flickered orange in the dim room.
I was gonna squash that little sucker.
My breathing grew shallow as I let the Nullifier’s magic flow through me. When it filled me down to my fingers and toes—a feeling I wouldn’t be remembering with fondness—I tried to grab hold of it.
