by H. L. Burke
“It’s not funny.” Jericho scowled.
“Well, what do you expect me to say?” Distress flared in Auric’s chest, and his voice jumped in pitch. “She’s my sister, Jericho. My baby sister. I get that she’s your world, but if I have to do this, it’s going to destroy me.” His voice cracked. “And I will lose you, too, the moment I take the shot, my best friend and my sister gone in one bullet.” He covered his mouth, trying to swallow a sob.
“I’m sorry.” Jericho squeezed his shoulder, a gesture he’d done a thousand times, always comforting, always making Auric feel that someone had a hold on him no matter what chaos loomed before him. Now, however, an abyss opened at both men’s feet, with no perceivable way across.
“It’s all for nothing if we can’t figure out where the Fey is or where she’s holding the children.” Auric kicked at the ground. “She’ll just abandon Rill’s body in favor of Olive, draw her ‘soulmate’ through whatever rift she finds, and disappear. We need to figure out where she’ll be, and work from there.”
“I have a guess.” Jericho closed his eyes. “I’ve been thinking about it since we realized she’d probably be using Hedward’s notes to find a rift. The one in the garden of Spellsmith Manor, the one Rill sent a stylus through when I was trapped in the Fey Lands.”
“Of course.” Auric shook his head. It made the most sense. It opened every few days and was near all of Hedward’s rift detection wards. If the Fey could figure out how to use those, the nearest rift would be the most likely rift. “So she’s probably at Spellsmith Manor.”
“Looks like we’re going home.” Jericho sighed. “Auric, what I said a moment ago—”
“You’re under a lot of stress. I’m sure you didn’t mean it.”
“Oh, I meant it, all of it. I’m just sorry that I do mean it, if that makes sense.”
“Yeah, it does. Still, you’re tired. You should go upstairs, be with Rill and the twins while you can.”
Jericho trudged into the house. Auric remained in the yard, staring up at the cold stars. “God, if You’re listening tonight. I need a miracle or at least guidance. There has to be a way to save Rill and those kids at the same time.”
“Auric?” He turned and found Lotta outlined in the light from the doorway. “Are you all right?”
“Not really.”
She came to his side and slipped her hand into his.
“How long do we have until the gun is ready?” he whispered.
“The gun itself is already ready. The bullets need a little work. I have to find a way to lace them with rosemary oil. Other than that, it’s just a normal gun.”
Auric winced. The idea of shooting Rill, or even something that just looked like Rill, was like a nightmare.
“We have a few hours. You should get some sleep.”
“I don’t think I can.”
She hung her head. “I can do it. It makes more sense for me to do it. I don’t know Rill as well as the rest of you, and I have less to lose.”
“Less to lose?” He frowned.
“Yes, it’s math. If you do it, Jericho will never speak to you again, and you’ll be broken-hearted. If Jericho does it, it will shatter him, and he’ll probably lose you. Me … I don’t think it would shatter me, and …” Her voice cracked. “All I’d lose would be you.”
He stood straighter. “Oh, Lotta, no. I’d never … Whatever happens, I need you to be there for me at the end of this.”
“It still makes the most sense for me to take the shot. Do you really think you can do it?”
“Probably not.” He drew her into an embrace. “We still have time, though, if only a little bit. Let’s try and come up with another way.”
Chapter Nineteen
The smell of bacon and coffee tickled Auric’s nose, and he jerked awake. He looked around. He was lying on the floor of the carpentry shop, covered in sawdust, with his backpack under his head as a pillow.
He eased himself to his feet, his back aching from the hard sleeping surface. Lotta stood next to the workbench, her magnification goggles over her eyes, staring at a small circular object, like a thick metal bracelet.
“How long was I asleep?” He frowned.
She pushed her goggles into her hair. “Not long, maybe an hour. The sun’s just up, and Milly is making breakfast.”
Auric rubbed his eyes. He vaguely remembered telling Lotta he wanted to “rest his eyes for a moment” after hours of fruitless brainstorming to try and find a less lethal way of combating the Soulsnatcher. The best they’d come up with was to trap it in some sort of energy box, like it had trapped them, to keep it from hurting anyone else until they could figure out what to do. A temporary measure, but it would buy them time for both Olive and Rill. Of course, that had essentially been their plan when they walked into the Fey’s trap the first time. Easier said than done.
“What are you working on?” Auric asked, hoping it was something brilliant that would save them all.
“Just something for your sister. I figured it must be hard to communicate as a fox. I know how frustrating it can be not to be able to get words out and make yourself understood.” Lotta wiped her brow. Auric nodded. Lotta had mostly overcome her social anxiety, but she still sometimes froze up trying to talk to strangers.
“How does it work?”
She handed him the bracelet. The letters of the alphabet were engraved along a metal track that spun. “There’s a roll of paper inside. If you press a letter, it imprints it on the paper. You can turn the track to the letter you want next, then press that one.” She demonstrated, pushing an L, spinning the track to the O, pressing that, then the T twice and an A. “When you’re done, hit here.” She tapped a blank spot at the end of the track. A thin strip of paper slipped from a slot in the bracelet, like the tape part of a spring-clip tape measure. She ripped this off and exhibited her name.
“That’s brilliant.” He smiled.
“Well, it’s not very efficient, but I figure it’s better than barking and nodding.” She swallowed and reached into her pocket. “I finally figured these out when you were out.” She opened her hand, revealing five bullets. “I drilled a small hole in the top of each and filled it with rosemary oil.” Lotta exhibited the top of one of the bullets. A small, silver sphere blocked the hole in the tip. “This is a bit of lead shot. It holds the oil in place, but the force of the impact should push it back into the oil-filled cavity, a bit like the plunger on a syringe, sending the oil into … into the Fey.”
The Fey that was Rill. Auric’s jaw clenched until his teeth hurt. Was he really considering shooting his sister?
Iris strode into the room, carrying a plate of food for each of them. She placed these on the worktable. “Eat up. You’ll need your strength.”
“I’m not hungry.” Auric frowned, even though the eggs and bacon did smell tempting. “If we have time to eat, we have time to come up with a way to stop the Soulsnatcher.”
“You can eat and think at the same time.” Iris ruffled his hair.
Auric forced himself to take a forkful of eggs. The moment it hit his tongue, hunger took control of his brain, and within a minute his plate was clean. He flushed, wondering if Lotta had noticed, only to turn and find her polishing off the last nibble of bacon.
She pushed aside the plate. “We need to get going soon.”
“Yeah, I’ll fetch Jericho.” Auric stood.
“No need. I’m here.” Jericho strode into the room, Rill hopping by his feet.
“Get any sleep?” Auric asked, eyeing his friend’s grim face.
“A little, but more importantly, I thought of a plan.” Jericho pulled up a stool. Rill leaped onto the table beside him and sat, tail twitching. “The reasons the Soulsnatcher got the drop on us is we stumbled like idiots into her lair and lost the advantage of surprise.” He tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “We know she’s most likely at Spellsmith Manor, so we use magic to get behind her back and wrap her in a containment spell before she realizes that we’r
e there.”
Auric raised an eyebrow. “Great plan, except for the fact that teleports don’t work that way.”
“How do they work?” Lotta frowned. “Your homing spells seem to send you pretty much anywhere you want.”
“No, homing spells send you to a preset location. You have to place them before you use them,” Auric explained. “Short range teleports send you forward over space, but they are limited to about thirty feet and only in a straight line.”
“Ah, yeah, she’d probably still see you coming.” Lotta picked up the silver communication bracelet and fiddled with it.
“You’re forgetting that you already set up homing spells between the village and the workshop.” Jericho smiled.
“Huh? I did?” Auric frowned.
“The doctor has one you set up so you could fetch him quickly.”
“Oh—” Auric grinned. “You’re right. That might actually work.”
Rill yipped and wagged her tail.
“Oh, here.” Lotta passed Jericho the bracelet. She quickly showed him how it worked, Rill watching intently.
“That’s brilliant.” Jericho slipped it onto his wrist and held it out for Rill. She nosed at several buttons, spinning it around his arm to get to each letter in turn, and the bracelet produced a slip of paper. “THANK YOU” it read.
“Great work.” Auric kissed Lotta’s forehead. “We need to get started, though, if we’re going to catch that Fey in time.”
“Can I come with you?” Lotta asked.
Jericho cleared his throat. “Well, the homing spell can transport anyone the caster is in physical contact with, but you don’t have magic which could leave you vulnerable if we face the Fey.”
“Rill had magic, and it didn’t protect her.” Lotta crossed her arms. “I think this venture needs less magic and more common sense.”
Jericho’s dark eyes glinted.
“Lotta has a point. She may not be a magician, but she has other skills we might need.” Auric didn’t mention Lotta’s offer to take the shot. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but if it did, it might be for the best if Jericho didn’t know she was prepared to act on the plan.
“I guess.” Jericho rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you ready to go, Rill?”
The fox nodded and touched her nose to his.
When they told Iris of their plan, she insisted on coming along. Part of Auric was relieved to have his mother at hand—after all, she knew the Fey better than anyone—but a small bit of him screamed that almost everyone he loved would be walking straight into danger. At least the twins were safe with Jericho’s family.
The town was just beginning to stir when they knocked on the door to Doctor Sculpin’s home. After a few minutes, he opened the door and blinked at them.
“What brings you here so early?” He yawned.
“It’s a long story.” Jericho gazed over the man’s shoulder into the house. “Do you still have the homing spells Auric set up between here and the Manor?”
“Yes. I wasn’t sure if you would need them again, but they don’t take up much space, so I held onto one, just in case.” He led them through the house into a small office. Opening a drawer in his cherry wood desk, he pulled out a sheet of paper. “Only one left.”
Auric nodded. He hadn’t bothered to give the doctor new homing spells after his father’s passing. There just hadn’t been a point. That there was one left at all was a blessing, almost like a last gift from his father, still looking after him even now.
His fingers twitched. “Mother, can I borrow your stylus? I forgot to pick up another after the Fey ruined mine.”
“Of course. I don’t really need mine anyway.” She passed him the metal rod.
The homing spell only needed the last symbol to activate. “Hold on everyone.” Iris took his hand and put her other hand on Jericho’s shoulder. Jericho tightened his hold on Rill with one arm and reached for Lotta with his free hand.
“Here we go.” Auric etched the last symbol.
The world swirled about them, blurring. There was a sensation of falling, like missing the last step on a staircase, then a jolt. The world cleared. They were in the Manor workshop. Papers were scattered everywhere, and a large stack of books and quires stood in the middle of the worktable, as if the Fey had just tossed everything there and left it. No sign of her, though.
“Looks clear.” Auric stepped forward. Something snapped at his feet. There was a hiss and a bang.
The contents of the table exploded in a wall of flame.
Chapter Twenty
“Watch out!” Jericho hunched his body over Rill as the workshop erupted in a roaring blaze. Fire shot out in long angry tongues from the conflagration on the table.
“I’ve got this!” Iris waved her hands, drawing magical symbols directly into the air. A barrier of energy appeared over the table. “Without oxygen, the fire should die out.”
Cursing, Auric took out his wax tablet. A quick magical sweep didn’t reveal any other traps. “We’re clear.”
Jericho straightened, his heart pounding. No one had been hurt, but that seemed pure luck. “Next time maybe check first,” he snapped. “We know this Fey likes to set traps, so now isn’t a good time to bumble around like blind mice in a granary?”
Auric’s face reddened.
“I don’t think that was a trap.” Lotta examined the dying fire. “It wasn’t aimed at us, just at whatever was on the table. Looks like papers and books.”
“That’s odd.” Iris joined Lotta. The last sparks died. “Whatever this was, it was important to the Fey that no one find it.”
“We need to find her, though I’m guessing we squandered any advantage we had in surprise.” Jericho shook his head. Rill nudged at his arm, indicating the bracelet. He held it up to her. It took her over a minute to get through the letters.
JASPYR IN HERE SENSE FEY CAN LEAD
“Really?” Jericho swallowed, wondering what exactly the situation was like inside the metal fox with both Rill’s and Jaspyr’s consciousnesses vying for space. She nodded.
“It makes sense,” Iris said. “Hedward enchanted Jaspyr so he could sense Fey intruders and protect Rill from them. He’s got a nose for Fey.”
“I guess. Let’s be careful, though.” He set Rill down. She took a step forward and collapsed onto her face with a clank. Every eye snapped to her. Jericho swept her up. “Are you all right?” For a moment she nestled into him, quivering, then she pointed towards the door with her snout.
“Do you want me to come?” Auric asked.
“Probably safer if you don’t.” Jericho snorted.
Auric winced, and Jericho immediately regretted his tone.
“Look, I’ll just be a minute. I’m not stupid enough to charge headlong after that Fey. Why don’t you try and figure out what she was burning?” He nodded towards the charred remains on the table. “It has to be important if she set a tripwire to destroy it.”
“I’ll go with you, just in case,” Iris volunteered.
Spellsmith Manor had an eerie, sepulchral atmosphere, as if it had been abandoned far longer than a day. Rill-Jaspyr sniffed around but didn’t seem to find anything. They strolled through the servants’ quarters and the family wing and gazed out the windows into the garden, but there was no sign of the Soulsnatcher.
“Jericho! Mother!” Auric shouted from upstairs. Jericho and Iris exchanged a glance. Scooping up Rill, Jericho hurried up the stairs into the workshop, Iris right behind.
Auric stood, clutching a charred leather journal in one hand, Lotta hanging on his shoulder.
“What is it?” Jericho frowned.
“It’s my notes on the barrier spell.” Auric opened the journal, revealing a complicated series of magical symbols.
“Barrier spell?”
“The barrier spell. The one I used to close the rifts to the Fey Lands.”
“What on God’s good earth made you write that down?” Jericho scowled.
Auric dropped his eyes
. “After what we went through in the Capital, I thought it was best if I could recreate the spell, in case one of the Academy magicians found a way to disrupt it. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to, since I made it up sort of in a blaze of inspired panic, so I sat down one day and wrote it down. I left it with Father’s books, but the Fey must’ve found it when she was researching the rifts.”
“There’s no way she can undo that, though, is there?” Iris snatched the journal from her son’s hands. “Oh, my, this is … brilliantly complex.” She gazed at her son in amazement and adoration. “Auric, I am impressed. This is extremely high-level magic.”
He blushed. “Yes, well, it can’t be undone, I don’t think. We should be safe.”
“Yes, it would take a focused magical charge … oh no.” Iris’s face went white.
“What now?” Jericho groaned.
“The Fey we are fighting can give magical energy physical form: it’s how it makes its soul bottles.” Her hands shook. “A human magician could never channel enough energy to break this, but a Soulsnatcher could possibly craft a beacon of sorts, a lightning rod for Fey Energy that could pierce the barrier.”
“I don’t know magic, but I know lightning rods.” Lotta swallowed. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“It isn’t.” Iris set down the notebook and twisted her braid in her hand. “Doing so will allow the Fey to bring another of its kind into our world, but it will also most likely tear a rift in the barrier between the mortal and Fey Realms and send a torrent of Fey energy like a tidal wave through the valley. Anything within its wake will be poisoned.”
Rill whined in Jericho’s arms. His hold on her tightened.
“Can we stop it?” Lotta asked.
“I’m not sure.” Iris’s eyes clouded. “We can maybe destroy the beacon it creates … or we can kill the Fey before it enacts its plan.”
“No!” Jericho snapped “Killing the Fey kills Rill.”
“I know, but we’re running out of time and options.” Iris’s knuckles whitened around her braid. “This isn’t what I want either, Jericho, but we can’t let this happen.”
