"Minions?" the old vampire hooted. "Oh, they won't like being called that. Rest assured, they are fine. Please sit. There is a blanket if you are cold."
"Thank you." I sat next to him, folding the blanket over the bench arm, puzzled at the strangely thoughtful offer.
"My... minions... are for my protection, Miss Mayweather. They are not here to harm or intimidate you. I do not believe you intend to cause me any harm."
I nodded. "I don't."
"Good. My young friend, Matthias, would not have brought you if you did. Nor would he survive if you should change your mind."
"If I should change my mind, I'll let him know to run first."
Mr. Hale let out another hoot of laughter. "Oh, you are an enigma, dear. Afraid, yet so brazen in confidence." He paused, turning his nose up to the air. "Can you smell that?"
I wondered if he was about to tell me he could smell fear, but just then, a delicate floral note drifted towards me. "What is that?" I asked, sniffing more rapidly.
"Night-blooming stocks. Delicious, aren't they? I compelled the gardener to introduce plants here that would be especially fragrant at night. It makes my evening strolls so very pleasant. But enough about me, to what do I owe the pleasure of your audience?"
"I was told to consult you."
"By whom?"
I hesitated, and even considering lying, but there didn't seem to be any point. "A horologican."
"Ahh, how fascinating. I haven't seen one for years. And it mentioned me?"
"Yes, it said you had something that I'm looking for."
"Even more intriguing. And you are here to ask for it?
"Yes."
"And presumably, this thing is worth something to you?"
"I don't know." Mr. Hale raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath, adding, "I don't think it has any financial value, per se. At least, not to me and I'm not interested in it for any kind of profit."
"And what if I am? You look surprised. Are you here to buy something? I can assure you I do not sell things like a common storekeeper. Or perhaps you want to ask if I even have this thing first before we barter? Tell me, dear, what is it?" He slid back his jacket and pulled on a chain, landing a shiny, gold pocketwatch in his palm. He checked the time, then snapped the lid shut. "I have other appointments I must attend to. A gala event and a spot of torture for a traitor. Do hurry. I detest being late."
I wanted to ask him if he were teasing me about not wanting to be late to torture some poor soul, but I was afraid he was probably being as truthful about the torture as he was about timekeeping. "I'm looking for a talisman," I began. "I don't know what it looks like, or what it is, only that you might have it."
"Go on, dear."
"It was probably made by a witch. A witch who made other talismans. I don't know whom she made it for originally, or why. It could have been a gift, or even a commission."
"You think I have this thing, this thing that you cannot describe? Because your horologican said so."
"A horologican is never wrong."
"They can be. They can only write the future the present path takes. If that path alters, so does the future."
"Yes, but it wasn't telling me about the future. It was telling me where the talisman is now."
"What, exactly, does the talisman mean to you?"
"I don't know."
"You seem very determined to have something without any reason why. I suspect something else. It's better to dispense with this pretense and simply tell me."
Footsteps made me look up, but instead of a vampire flying toward my neck, I saw a couple strolling past, hand-in-hand. Neither looked in our direction, but kept talking softly between themselves. I wondered if they could see us, or if the vampire used some kind of glamour to conceal us.
"You've heard about the imminent war with The Brotherhood?" I asked, veering towards the truth, if not exactly imparting all that I knew.
"Of course. We are all committed to eradicating that scum."
"The talisman could help with that."
"How?"
"I don't know." I felt lame repeating myself, but Mr. Hale quietly pondered my answer, apparently uninterested in me or my blood.
"I don't believe you are telling me the whole truth, yet I find you very convincing. Perhaps you cast a spell on me?"
Before I could open my mouth to protest that I wouldn't do that, Mr. Hale laughed. "Spells haven't touched me for decades. Tell me, Miss Mayweather, what would you offer in exchange for such a talisman?"
"Offer? I..." I faltered. I never even considered what he might want for it. I had a little money put away from my job, but I doubted that would be enough. I wondered if the Council would be willing to pay his price. "How much do you want?"
"Answering a question with a question isn't polite. Didn't anyone ever tell you that? No, dear, it isn't how much I want, it's more a case of what are you offering to trade?"
"I don't have much." I spread my hands, indicating that I hadn't brought anything with me. Not unless he wanted my jacket, but I felt almost a hundred percent sure it wasn't his style.
"Perhaps a favour. A favour for the loan of the talisman?"
"So you do know where it is!"
Mr. Hale smiled. "I believe I possess the item you seek. We are agreed per those terms?"
A favour? That didn't sound so bad. I couldn't think of what the vampire could possibly want from me in the future, but there wouldn't be much of a future if The Brotherhood weren't defeated, and for that, we needed to gain the upper hand. Only the talismans could give us that. Before I could think about it any further, I nodded. The vampire smiled, his brilliant white teeth peeking below his lips. He offered his hand and I shook it, trying not to react to the cold. Only it wasn't his coldness I felt, but the pressing of something small and metallic in the palm of my hand. Without letting go, he said, "Give it to Matthias when you are finished. He will know how to return it to me." His nostrils flared slightly as another waft of the fragrant blooms floated past us. Then, with a rustle of fallen leaves and a flash of a breeze, he was gone.
Unfolding my palm, I looked down at what the vampire gave me. It was a locket on a chain. I pushed at it with my finger. No, it wasn't a locket; it was a flat black enamel, or stone, edged in fine gold that curved at the sides before tapering down to a point. It looked a little bit like a crescent, and at one point was a diamond star, embedded in the black. More interestingly, it vibrated with magic.
Matthias was at my side in an instant. "And?" he pressed.
"He gave it to me. Well, he didn't give it. It's on loan."
"What did Hale want in return?"
"Nothing, really. Just a favour."
Matthias dropped onto the bench next to me, in the recently vacated spot. "You promised a favour to a vampire? To Francis Hale?"
"I didn't promise, but those were his terms. A favour for the loan of the pendant."
"You should never, ever agree to do anyone a favour, especially a vampire."
"Even you?"
"Even me. You do not know where, or when he will collect, nor at what cost to you."
I brushed away the chilliness of his words, refusing to admit how silly I'd been. I should have asked Matthias what pitfalls might occur during our meeting. Unfortunately, it was too late now. I owed a favour to a merciless vampire. "I'll have to deal with that when the time comes, I suppose."
"Étoile told me you weren't a fool, but I see now she was wrong. You shouldn't have done it. You should have summoned me. I could have negotiated something far less foreboding."
"He might never ask me for it."
"Mark my words, Stella, he will. It might not be tomorrow, or next week. He might wait fifty years before he calls it in. We have infinite life spans and can be very patient."
His words frightened me, but I couldn't dismiss them; not when I knew Matthias was right. Agreeing to a favour was an error in judgment, but I already made it, so I had to deal with it. The most
important thing now was the small pendant lying in my palm. I found another talisman! I stood up, zipping my jacket to block out the night air. "Let's get out of here."
"Finally," grinned Matthias, "a very good decision."
~
I now had three talismans in my possession, some fresh air in my lungs, and a spring in my step as I searched The Amethyst for Étoile. I was so ready to tell her the good news. But instead of finding her, I found a cross-looking Clare. She informed me Étoile was booked in meetings all evening and didn't want to be disturbed. Ignoring that, I threw her a telepathic message, telling her of my latest acquisition. Moments later, I received an Excellent! from her in return, along with a warm, fuzzy feeling. At least, someone was happy with me. I hoped that wouldn’t change when Matthias filled her in on the details later. With a shudder, I shrugged off my ominous concern. I was fine, and now I had the third talisman, bringing me closer to the mission’s objective.
During my mission, my phone vibrated with a text message, only for me to forget about it. Now it vibrated again and this time, I checked. Both messages were from Evan, telling me to meet him for practise. Tucking the pendant safely into my pocket, I quickly tapped out a message, saying I was on my way. I didn't need to add I was pleased to hear from him.
I took the stairs up, exiting on the eighteenth floor, and my thoughts turned to the other two remaining talismans. Finding the vampire pendant had taken a bizarre path. It wasn't owing to my research or connections. How did the old vampire know exactly what I wanted? How could I find the other two?
The magical ball of energy surging towards me as I exited to the stairwell knocked the curiosity clean out of me. I dropped to the floor, rolled, and jarred my shoulder against the architrave as I summoned a protection bubble to surround me, and deflect the energy. It bounced off my shield, doubled in size and rebounded, aiming straight for me. Hitting the shield a millisecond before I thrust a blast of energy at it, I shoved it back with enough force for it to hit the wall at the far end of the corridor. Pushing myself onto one knee, I dropped and rolled out of its path before it ricocheted back into me. The energy refused to dissipate, I realised. It was using my own power against me, feeding off the magic I produced to deflect it. I had to get inside it, in order to disrupt and eliminate it.
It hovered briefly, twisting and growing in the air. Gathering my magic, I pulled it toward me, feeling it tickle my palms as I readied it. The energy ball shot back to me. Instead of giving it something to feed from, this time, I sent a sliver of magic directly into the center of it, like a shard of glass slicing through a vortex, searching for the epicentre. There it was, a fizzling mass of a spell. Once I had it, I held it so that the ball couldn't move. I picked at it, pulling apart the strands of spell holding it together. It was self-powering, and deadly. Someone concocted this thing to kill me! Fury bubbled in my chest as I recognised my name. Someone wired this spell to specifically target me. Shredding it would be a pleasure. I barely saw it combust as my eyes glazed over while I focused on eradicating the spell.
A slow clap dragged me back to reality.
"You did this?" I yelled, waving at the air as my protection shield evaporated.
Evan, standing at the end of the corridor where the magic was destroyed, nodded.
"What the hell for?"
"This was your lesson."
"You spelled it to kill me?"
"I didn't spell it. Seren did."
I breathed heavily, still afraid of what could have happened if I hadn't thrown up my shields on instinct before tackling how to unpick the spell. "Tell her she's off my Christmas card list too. There was no failsafe in that spell. What if I hadn't unpicked it? What if I couldn’t work out what that piece of magic was doing?"
"You did work it out."
"What if I hadn't?"
Evan folded his arms and fixed me with an annoyed look. "Are you going to ask the enemy that when we're in combat with them?"
"I..." I sputtered to a stop, feeling stupid. Of course, I wouldn't do that. How dumb did he think I was? But this was different. I knew The Brotherhood would try to kill me. They'd already tried and failed. I was ready to fight them. But I wasn't ready to fight my friends.
"It was a test, Stella. We can't stand in a room and practise. I told you that. This isn't Hogwarts, Harry. This is real and dangerous and you need to think on your feet, just like you did then."
"I've never even seen a spell like that," I said, rubbing my shoulder. It didn't feel dislocated, but I definitely expected to get a bruise. Maybe one on my knee too.
"Then consider this an excellent lesson." Evan clapped his hands together and smiled. "Guess what's scheduled on your next lesson?"
I rolled my eyes. "Don't taunt me. I need some ice for this." I tapped my shoulder. "I banged it against the door frame."
"Here. Let me see." Evan stepped closer, tugging my top to one side. "I don't see anything."
"It's throbbing."
"I have some salve in my room. It'll be better than ice. C'mon."
"Fine, but only because you owe me, and I'm cold already without the ice."
"How come... you've been out, haven't you?" Evan stopped, grabbing the arm that didn't hurt. His eyes smoldered with worry and something else, something far more intense. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving the building? You know how dangerous it is. What were you thinking?"
"I had protection."
"Who? Why didn't you ask me to come with you?"
"It wasn't something you could have helped with."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Evan paused at the elevator, jabbing the down button. "You know what I am."
I pondered the wisdom of turning up at a vampire meeting with a daemon in tow. I was pretty sure it wouldn't have been received very well. "That's pretty much why you couldn't have helped," I told him.
"Are you going to tell me or not?"
We stepped inside the elevator, and I flashed a brief look at the small camera blinking red in one corner, probably monitoring my every move. Clearly, they hadn't thought ahead to send someone to help me a few minutes ago. "I will, just not now."
Evan glanced upwards with the slightest movement of his eyes, then nodded shallowly. "Fine. Let's get that shoulder looked at." We rode the elevator in silence, stepping out into a quiet corridor on the residential floor. It took some nerve not to look left and right to see who else might be observing us, but Evan slipped an arm around my waist, guiding me to his room. He only let go long enough to slide his key-card through the door lock. "Take a seat. I have it in the bathroom."
"What does it do anyway?" I called after him as he stepped into the room.
"It's like one of those muscle rubs humans use for minor strains, only a hundred times better. You won't bruise at all after this. Take off your sweater."
"I hope you're right. It really aches," I said as I eased my sweater awkwardly over my head. I poked at my reddened skin, wincing. Doorframe, one. Me, zero.
Evan returned with a clear tub filled with something blue, that smelled curiously of nothing as he unscrewed the lid. He ran his fingertips over my shoulder, tracing the developing bruise. I held perfectly still, willing myself not to shiver at his tingling touch. He slipped two fingers under the strap of my top, tugging it to one side. He lingered for a moment too long as I turned my head, looking up at him. His eyes glinted purple before fading to their familiar dark irises. "Hold still," he said, looking away as he lifted his fingers. Moments later, the cool salve hit my skin and I shivered. I watched him rub a thin layer of the blue mixture into my skin.
"What is that stuff?"
"I have no idea. I buy it from a witch in Washington. There is nothing in this world or the next that would compel her to reveal the secret ingredients."
"Nothing?"
"Not a thing."
I wondered what he offered her as I tried to temper the jealous pang that streaked through me. I hoped she was eighty and toothless, which instantly made me feel mean.
"Why do you trust her?"
"Because the stuff works. You'll see. Now tell me about your trip."
"I went to see a vampire."
"Why the hell would you do that?"
"I told you, I had protection."
"Who?" I hesitated and Evan's eyes narrowed. "Matthias?" he guessed. "I should have known. I couldn't think of any other vampire you would trust. I assume Étoile knows about it?"
"Yes, sort of." I hadn't exactly asked her permission.
"Why did you go?"
"You remember that horologican we got from my house?"
"Hmmm... I don't know. It was so long ago. Let's see..." Evan paused, tapping his chin and pretending to look thoughtful.
"Okay, fine, sorry. The horologican told me to ask the vampire for their talisman. It was right." I fished the pendant from my pocket. "He loaned it to me."
"Loaned?"
"Just a loan. I'll return it when I'm done. I have the horologican, the talisman itself, and a pendant. I just need to find the other two. The prophecy says a superwitch needs them to defeat The Brotherhood. I'm looking for the talismans to find her... or him," I said, quickly filling him in on what else I knew.
"What if you find them for nothing? What if there's no superwitch?"
"That's why you're training me."
"Some backup plan." Evan sighed. I waited for him to finish applying the salve before he screwed on the top. "You won't need a dressing, but don't put your sweater back on in case the salve stains."
"I don't want to leave blue on anything I touch. I'm freezing and it looks like a Smurf melted on my shoulder."
"Hold on." Evan moved away, walking into the bathroom. I heard the water running and then shutting off. Footsteps moved around and then he was back, holding a robe in his hand. "Take your top off and put this on before we tackle your other problem."
Endless Magic (Stella Mayweather Series Book 6) Page 15
