by Holly Evans
I blinked and expected them to vanish. They remained there before me, hopping around before they flapped their wings and took to the air. I’d done it. My breathing came in short, sharp gasps. I couldn’t believe I’d done it. No one could find out. It was too dangerous. The skill came with too many risks, too much potential for bloodshed. Taking a deep breath, I wrapped my mind around the birds and pressed them back into the ink. I wiped away any evidence and swore to leave that particular skill alone. No, I’d focus on sigils. They had practical uses. They could be used to protect my friends and hide us from the council.
The weeks soon slipped into months. I spent my spare time reading first the books Ms. Goldarn had given me, and later other books on other forms of tattoo magic with a focus on sigils. When I wasn’t reading or enjoying Isaiah’s company, I was meditating and slowly building my ink magic skills and my connection to the ink network. No one had heard anything more from the tattoo thief. At first, everyone had been on edge, waiting for another death, but it hadn’t come. Summer had been and gone, autumn creeping into winter, when the thief returned.
39
Isaiah and I had been seeing each other for just over three months. Thanks to good food and regular training with Caiden, he was gaining lean muscle and strength. Gone was the cautious, pushy little scrap of a thing I’d taken home that first night. He had fit into my life with more ease than I was going to admit to. Slowly, the dynamic had shifted between us as he gained more confidence. I was proud of him for all that he had accomplished.
We hadn’t had much time for dates. It hadn’t been convenient, and truth be told, I’d never done the dating thing. Still, Isa had insisted that we have a date night, and so there we were. Isa looked very good in his slim-fit shirt and well-tailored jeans. He was building up a client base thanks to a push from my father. He had good connections all around America and had passed word around about Isa and his considerable skills. Isa had been diligently saving up to buy a nice new flat in a flashier part of the city. All in all, life was good.
In celebration of Isa’s latest job, a rather prestigious affair that paid more per day than I earned a month, Isa had insisted that we have our first date. It was the first time things had been serious enough with someone to have an actual date. It made Isa happy, and I wasn’t going to deny him that. I was sitting feeling very self-conscious in a rather expensive restaurant waiting for dessert to arrive. The tables truly had been turned. I was tense and watching everyone, much as Isa had been in the early days. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what was expected from me, not with manners and etiquette at least. Father had taken me to numerous events, balls and such, in far more expensive restaurants while I was growing up. As the son of such an influential weaver, I’d been taught how to act among the upper echelons of society, but I never belonged, and I never would. It was, or at least would be, Isa’s world, though, and I wasn’t going to deny him that.
Isa was casually leaning back in his chair, a small smile on lips as he watched me. I wasn’t sure if he was smiling at my discomfort or the date as a whole. I wasn’t given the opportunity to ask him. Kyra pushed something down the bond, a feeling of protectiveness and aggression. It was quickly backed up by the same thing from Aris. They had accompanied Vyx out into the city on her wanderings. She had settled in well, but still hated being cooped up for too long. Kyra enjoyed the little adventures they went on, so I saw no problems with it. That was, until Kyra pushed the feeling of violence down the bond.
Isa frowned, a deep crease formed between his eyebrows.
“Kyra’s in trouble. I’m sorry,” I said.
“I’m coming with you,” he said.
We both stood, Isa left a small bundle of notes in the middle of the table to pay for the meal and leave a generous tip. We walked as quickly as could be deemed appropriate out of the restaurant before I allowed my instincts to take over and followed the bond to Kyra. Thief she pushed down the bond.
My heart pounded in my ears, images of blood and murder filling my mind. I’d almost forgotten about the tattoo thief. Did she mean he was trying to steal her, or she’d just found him? I skidded around a corner. My feet slipped on the wet path, causing me to almost lose my balance. All of the sparring with Jake paid off. I remained on my feet and barely lost my stride. Isa was close behind me. The scene before me was like something out of a nightmare.
Kyra was clinging onto a man’s face for all she was worth. She looked as though she’d sunk her full teeth and claws into his flesh. Aris was biting at the man’s legs while trying to wrap himself around him, and the man had Vyx by her hair. That didn’t stop her from kicking and biting with everything she’d had. We’d taught her the basics of fighting, but she had no interest in going any further with it. The man managed to dig his fingers into Kyra’s scruff to wrench her off his face and throw her against the wall. Her pain radiated through the bond and made me gasp. The man froze when he saw me and Isa. He tossed Vyx aside, or tried; she sank her teeth into his wrist, causing him to drive his foot into her sternum to remove her.
Isa and I ran at him, but he flickered out of sight the moment he’d released himself from Vyx. I didn’t know what form of magic he’d used, be it an illusion to make it look as though he vanished, or shadow walking. There was a risk that he was waiting for us to approach, but I had to get to Kyra. I knelt by Kyra and carefully picked her limp form up and cradled her to my chest. She was breathing. Isa had gone straight to Vyx. Aris was wrapping himself around her protectively. Isa stroked Vyx’s face.
“Come on, little vixen, you’re stronger than this,” he whispered.
Her eyes flickered open and she smiled up at him.
“I’m just resting for a moment,” she said.
We laughed, we had to. Vyx pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her breathing was laboured, but she was conscious.
“We were playing in the shadows and telling stories, and then I saw him. He was trying to sneak up on a pretty elf with a lion tattoo. I knew it was him. I couldn’t let him take her tattoo,” Vyx said.
Kyra stirred in my arms. Bad man she pushed.
I rubbed behind her ears and over her cheeks.
“Yes. Bad man,” I agreed quietly.
“Can you track him? Can you form a construct or something?” I asked Isa.
I should have thought of it immediately, but I was too concerned about Kyra and Vyx.
Isa closed his eyes and began moving his fingers in slow methodical gestures, much like the way a conductor instructs their orchestra. Slowly, creases formed at the corners of his mouth and around his eyes. His movements became sharper and his body more rigid. Finally, he sighed and opened his eyes.
“Sorry, it’s just too jumbled. He’s wearing some form of odd magic-breaking talisman that’s stopping me,” he said.
I kissed his forehead. “Thank you for trying.”
My mind teased apart what he’d said. The magic-breaking talisman would explain how he was breaking the bonds between tattoo and person. Surely someone must have made such a talisman. I made a mental note to speak to Ethan about such a thing. Weavers were usually the ones responsible for creating constructs, talismans, and the like, but they couldn’t break magic. That was solely the realm of breakers.
40
Vyx had stubbornly insisted on walking all the way back home. She refused to let us get a taxi. She leaned on Isa for the walk. Kyra remained curled up in my arms, where she slowly returned to full consciousness. Aris moved through the shadows and acted as our guardian. Fortunately, he wasn’t needed.
Keirn and Ethan both fussed over Vyx and carefully checked her over. She soon tired of it and shooed them away, declaring that she was perfectly fine. Keirn still made her drink one of those awful elven healing gloops. They were a generalised healing aid and would make sure her injuries healed at a far quicker pace than they would have naturally. They were also thick and tasted absolutely foul. A lot of people would rather deal with their injuries than drink a gloop. Vy
x drank it down in one go and held Keirn’s gaze as she did so. She finished with her chin high and a stubborn smile on her face. She would not be beaten.
Isa stroked down Kyra’s spine and rubbed behind her ears. She rewarded him with soft purrs. I leaned in and kissed Isa softly.
“She’s going to be ok?” he asked.
“Yea, she’s being melodramatic now,” I said.
He laughed, a gentle laugh that spread through his eyes, making them spark. As much as I wanted to enjoy the moment and continue the evening as if nothing had changed, I couldn’t. The ink network was already scratching at the back of my mind, niggling and pushing me to do something other than whisk Isa away to my room.
All attention turned to Vyx.
“I don’t know how to find him again. His scent was jumbled and vanished quickly, and I couldn’t steal anything from his pockets,” she said.
“And you’re sure it was him? That he was trying to steal another tattoo?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Vyx said that the thief had a magic-breaking talisman. Would we be able to track that down to someone?” I asked Ethan.
He shook his head. “I can try, but it’s one hell of a long shot.”
“We need to warn the community,” Keirn said.
“I’ll tell Caiden,” Isa said.
That would cover the shifter community; Keirn could handle the elves and such. Word would spread like phoenix fire from there.
“Maybe Ben will have some insight into this. I’ll speak with him again. We can’t seem to track him in the physical realm, but everyone dreams,” I said.
Kyra made her way up to my shoulder and slipped back into her tattoo without my needing to demand it. She was feeling quite sorry for herself. Isa returned from his phone call with Caiden.
“He’s passing word around now. Nothing more we can do tonight,” Isa said.
I stroked his face, trying to brush away the concern and fear that filled his expression. I hugged Keirn and wished him a good night. Isa was right, we couldn’t do anything more. Vyx slipped away to her room, and Ethan wasn’t far behind her. What had been my preparation room had been converted into Ethan’s bedroom when it was decided that he was staying. I never had been able to pin down quite what had changed, but I saw no reason to fight it. The rooftop had become my space. I spent more time up there, so it fit me quite well in the end.
My night had been more peaceful than I expected. My dreams were filled by shadows and flickering tattoos, confused messages from the ink network, but none of the nightmares I thought I’d get. Still, the quiet and calm didn’t last. Isa vanished off to work without joining us for breakfast. He was in high demand. Jake practically banged down the front door to the parlour before I’d had a chance to finish my coffee. I opened the door before he broke it down and asked him what the fuck.
“I received word that the tattoo thief has returned,” the alpha said, pacing around the parlour.
“Apparently,” I said.
“My pack is at risk again,” he growled.
“And you’re blaming me…?”
He threw up his hands and huffed. “No, Dan, I’m not blaming you.”
“So you almost broke my door down because…?”
“Because no one else will help with this problem, and I tire of worrying about my pack.”
“I’m doing what I can.”
He bared his teeth at that.
“Don’t you dare tell me to do more,” I said.
He covered his teeth again. “Sorry, Dan. I do not like feeling weak.”
“Nor do I,” I said.
He smiled. “No more progress with your ink network?”
“No, something’s in the way. Something’s blocking it. I don’t fucking know,” I said.
I was as lost as everyone else.
“The vixen is well, at least?”
I smiled. “She’s a bit bruised, but seems to be ok.”
Jake nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“The shifters are rattled and worried. We’re being stalked from the shadows. We’re predators,” Jake said.
“I’m doing what I can. I don’t know what else to tell you,” I said.
He patted me on the back.
“Keep me updated,” he said before he left.
I closed the door, almost surprised to see that it did close comfortably.
Word really had spread about my being the one to stop the tattoo thief. A number of tattooed ferals and shifters came into the parlour over the course of the morning, each trying to push me into resolving the problem. The last thing I wanted was to be the centre of attention.
Just when things were calming down a little, the council showed up.
41
“We’re here to speak to an ‘Ethan Black,’ the magic breaker,” the blonde woman said.
Her pale-grey suit looked like it cost more than my entire wardrobe put together. The fabric had a soft shimmer to it. That was the only soft thing about her. Her pale-blonde hair was scraped back into a harsh up-do, her eyes metallic grey, a shade lighter than her suit. Even her mouth was a sharp narrow line.
“He’s not around. I’ll get him to call you,” I said.
She rolled her jaw. Her partner took a step closer to me. The brunette could have been her twin, and might well have been for all I knew.
“We’ll wait here for him,” the brunette said.
“I have a business to run. He’ll call you,” I said.
I didn’t know what the council wanted with Ethan, but it couldn’t have been anything good. Both of the women stood with their backs rigidly straight. Everything about them was straight lines and hard edges. I bet they were both military magicians, likely blade magicians. Not the sort of people I wanted to mess with.
Ethan walked in behind them. The smile on his face faded away the moment he laid eyes on them. The councilmen turned around as one unit to face him.
“Ethan Black?” the blonde asked.
“Yes,” Ethan said.
His hands balled into fists, but he released them after a second and relaxed, his cautious expression replaced by one of nonchalant charm.
“We’re here to speak to you about a proposal from the council,” the blonde said.
The brunette turned to look at me.
“This proposal is for Mr. Black’s ears only,” she said.
I smiled sweetly. “This is my tattoo parlour. If you want privacy, you’ll have to use your offices.”
“You will accompany us to our offices,” the blonde said to Ethan.
Ethan’s smile faltered for a split second before he gestured to the door. “After you, ladies.”
The women led the procession out of the parlour with Ethan close behind them. I went in search of Keirn. He knew the breaker better than I did.
He was, unsurprisingly, in his art room with Vyx. I knocked on the door and waited. Last time I’d tried to step foot in there, I’d had a small pot of paint launched at my head.
“Do you know what the council want with Ethan?” I asked Keirn when he emerged.
He narrowed his eyes. His spirit fox flattened his ears as he stood by Keirn’s ankle.
“No. He made no mention of the council.”
“He’s heading to their offices to have a private discussion right now.”
“The council is bad. We can’t let them take Ethan,” Vyx called.
“I thought you disliked Ethan,” I called back.
“I like him when he behaves,” Vyx said.
“They said they have a proposal for him,” I said.
Keirn and his spirit fox both bared their teeth.
“That sounds like a job offer,” he said.
“He can’t stay here if works for the council,” I said
There wasn’t a chance that I was allowing a council spy, particularly with what he knew, stay under the same roof as me.
“He won’t take a job for the council,” Keirn said.
“Are you sure of that? They pay
well.”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Keirn said.
I smiled and changed the topic. Elves weren’t to be underestimated.
“Any news on the tattoo thief?”
The spirit fox growled and paced around between us.
“Nothing yet. Have you spoken to Ben?” Keirn asked.
“I’ve been working all morning. I’ll see him this evening.”
“Shoo, then. I’m in the middle of a painting, and my muse is threatening to go to greener pastures.”
I knew better than to argue. If I tried to stay, I’d have far worse than a pot of paint thrown at me.
I was distracted for the rest of the day. Ethan hadn’t returned by the time I closed up the tattoo parlour and Vyx’d emerged from the art room covered in paint splatters. I told her I was going to see Ben. She nodded and went to claim her favourite spot on the sofa. The little vixen was still something of an oddity to me, but her art was apparently progressing very well. She’d already sold a few pieces. She made Keirn and his spirit fox happy. That was good enough.
The city was dark and dismal in the winter months. The wild magic fled to the nicer parts of the country, and it took a little something with it. The air felt heavier, dirtier somehow. The light took on a grey hue that wouldn’t shift even on the brightest of days. The entire city wore a shroud of sadness and darkness through the winter months. It sank into your bones and dampened any happiness. Maybe Ethan’s being called up by the council wasn’t such a bad thing. I could move to somewhere brighter.
