by Holly Evans
Elise was glaring at Azfin while Haeyl lounged out on one of the seats. Kadrix and Quin stood a little too close to each other, their stances of crossed arms and squared shoulders mimicking each other.
"Are they causing trouble, Elise?" I said sweetly as I walked into her sanctuary, the altar behind her, complete with flickering white and silver candles.
Azfin smirked at me over his shoulder.
"We wouldn't do such a thing, Evelyn,” he said.
"Of course you wouldn't, Azfin," I said nonchalantly.
"They refuse to submit themselves to the required ritual," Elise said, growling without taking her eyes off Azfin.
I stood next to Azfin, my fingers running over the hilt of my blade.
"And why is that?" I asked.
Haeyl's voice rumbled, "Because we are not of your kind. We do not work the way you do."
"Sounds like you're scared," I said sweetly.
The Sidhes' eyes flared, both looked at me, their teeth on full display. I pursed my lips and raised an eyebrow. Azfin broke first. He waved his hand.
"Fine. For the sake of the city."
Haeyl muttered something. I leaned forward towards him.
"You wouldn't be foolish enough to be looking for a deal or sacrifice, would you?" I asked.
His eyes narrowed and he sat up properly before he grumbled, “No."
I smiled sweetly and stood up tall. “Good boy."
He flashed his pointed teeth at me; I fluttered my eyelashes at him innocently before I looked to Elise.
She took a deep breath and said, "We have no artifact from the witch to find them, so I need to use the energy from each of your memories and contacts with them."
It sounded complicated, but I had complete faith in her. Kadrix went to say something, but I shot him a dark look; his tracker had already failed.
"Evie, come and help me gather the supplies."
I felt a lecture coming on. Still, I followed her into the back room. I hadn't stepped foot in her supply room more than twice in the time that I'd known her; it wasn't my domain. The walls were covered in shelves with tables and drawers filling the space in the middle of the floor. She gathered up an arm full of white and silver tapered candles, which she handed to me.
"So, what happened with Lysander out there?" she asked.
There was no wriggle room left between her words. I sighed softly.
"He made... grand offers. Offers I can't accept."
"Why not?"
"Because of what he is."
"Oh, really, Evie. What's the real reason?"
"He's a hellhound!" I hissed.
"You know better than to give me that. What's really stopping you?"
I leaned back against the shelf behind me, the candles in my arms suddenly feeling very heavy.
"After Christian..."
"You have to move on at some point,” she said while looking through a particularly deep drawer.
I squeezed my eyes shut, I knew she was right, but I could do it with a good human man.
"Evie, you're being foolish. Stop letting your fear rule you,” she said.
She stood up with a victorious grin on her face as she held a ball of pure white thread in her hands.
"Now, help me put those Sidhe in their place."
I laughed. "It'll be a pleasure."
Kadrix and Azfin were having a silent stand-off when we returned. Each of them stood rigidly, glaring at each other. The elf's ears were beginning to turn an interesting shade of pink. Elise allowed her breath to escape between her clenched teeth, making a hissing sound that caught everyone's attention.
"Sidhe, form the circle. Kadrix, set the candles, Quin help him. Evie, you'll help me with the thread."
In their defence, the Sidhe didn't argue. They walked to the large clear area before the altar and each stood taking long, deep breaths with their eyes closed. A soft golden glow came from Haeyl, while a faint silver one formed around Azfin. The glow extended around them slowly, drawing a large circle of light around them that extended up towards the high ceiling. Kadrix and Quin paused at the edge of the circle, candles in hand. Once the circle had begun to solidify, they set about putting the candles on the floor just inside the circle, alternating between metallic silver and pure white. The Sidhe paid them no attention; their eyes remained closed and their breathing slow.
Once the circle had been set in both energy and candles, the Sidhe opened their eyes and carefully stepped between the candles to be inside the circle. Kadrix and Quin followed suit. The Sidhe stood at the southern point and Kadrix and Quin stood at the northern point, leaving east and west for Elise and me. I eyed the circle with some suspicion; I knew that Elise was behind it, but it remained Sidhe-made, and therefore something to be wary of. Elise gently pushed me forward to take up the Western point; she stepped into the Eastern point a moment later. No one acknowledged me; they all apparently had some idea of what was going on. I frowned, looking for Lysander, a flicker of guilt fluttering within me. Elise's mouth tightened as she saw my face.
She said softly, "His infernal energy would throw this off, I'm afraid."
I gave a small nod and waited for my next instruction. Between us, we formed a delicate web with the thread connecting each of us, with Elise at the connecting node. Once it was complete, we each sat and followed Elise's instructions to focus our minds on the strongest memory we had connected to the witches. My mind immediately flashed to the fear of the assassin that would have killed me had Lysander not been there. I focused my mind on the image of him pinning it to the wall, snarling at it. Perhaps I should have used an alternate memory, one where I'd had physical contact with a witch, or something with less fear attached to it, but she had said the strongest memory. I had nothing stronger than the mix of fearing for my life, and being thankful that the hound was there to protect me.
Forty-Five
When I opened my eyes, the candles were blazing and Elise was surrounded by pure white light, her face a blank slate.
She took a long slow breath and quietly said, "Evie, take Lysander home. Quin and Kadrix will go to the workshop, the Sidhe will remain here."
Her voice sounded distant, as though she were speaking somewhere above me. I didn't argue, despite the frustration at being sent away, deemed useless. I gave a small nod and some muttered thanks to the altar before I carefully stepped out of the circle, allowing my thread to sit on the floor where I had been. Lysander was already near the front door when I walked through the church. His hands were thrust into his pockets. He refused to look at me. I hooked my arm through his without a word and headed back home. The tiredness hit me the moment we stepped out into the crisp night air. I'd felt fine in the church; it must have been part of Elise's magic. Lysander put his arm around my waist, and I found that I didn't mind it.
I drew comfort from his strength and familiarity while my mind railed about being pushed away, once again. I was growing weary of being set aside from the important things. With a sigh, I admitted to myself that it was my own fault; I'd turned away from magic and refused to have anything to do with it.
Lysander squeezed me a little closer to him and said, "Don't worry, Evelyn, we'll be outcasts together."
The smile ran through his words, but that didn't remove the unintended sting. To be an outcast suggested that others had pushed me out, but I'd done it for myself. I just didn't know if that made it better or worse.
Once we were safely home, Lysander started to open up and returned to himself a little.
He paced around the kitchen area, where he said, "I'm sorry I failed you, mistress. I should have stopped the other hound before now. This should never have gotten as far as it has."
His hands spoke more than his words did, he gestured with each word, adding emphasis to his apology.
I slumped down on the sofa and said, "You're not to blame, Lysander. We have each done the best we can with what we have."
He knelt by my feet facing the sofa, his hands brushing over my
knees before he pulled them back to himself. "Why am I not enough?"
I stood and walked to the bedroom. "I can't do this, Lysander."
"I can feel your emotions, Evelyn."
I slammed the door. He could stay on the sofa, or the floor. I didn't care. I was done for the night.
The pressure on my bed woke me. I kicked out at the intruder and went to grab my blades that I kept near my bed. Lysander grumbled to himself as I remembered who he was. I was of the mind to send him back out to the sofa, but his loneliness sat in the back of my mind. He shivered at the bottom of the bed and curled himself up small. Guilt riddled me. I knew I'd regret it in the morning but I lifted the blankets behind me and waited for him to crawl underneath. He wriggled up next to me, his cool body pressed against mine.
"Thank you, Evelyn. I'm used to warmer climes."
He nuzzled against my neck and draped his arm over my waist; the urge to push him away quickly dissipated. I knew that he wouldn't try anything, not without my permission beforehand. His body fit around mine as though we were made for each other. I slipped into sleep feeling contented and safe.
My dreams were full of fire and passion; I awoke feeling more alive than I had done in quite some time. Lysander stretched against me, his legs brushing against mine.
His teeth grazed my ear, "Good morning, Evelyn."
A shiver trickled down my spine. I relished the feeling of him against me. His warmth surrounded me, providing an escape from the mayhem we'd been subjected to as of late. Of course, it couldn't last. My mind quickly cleared and focused on the events of the past few days; I wondered if Quin had spent the night with Kadrix and how things had gone with Elise.
Lysander nuzzled his face against my neck and whispered, "Thank you."
I smiled, the warmth of our combined happiness swelling within me. He remained close to me as I headed out into the main living area; Quin's bedroom door was ajar, but there was no sign of him. A twinge of envy formed as I thought about him and Kadrix. I'd kill the elf if he dared hurt my twin. Breakfast was simple and quiet. I gazed out the window at the grey day while waiting for news from someone. I hated it. The more time dragged on, the more away from the main group I felt. Logically, I knew that I wasn't useless, I knew I'd done it to myself, but I wanted to be in the thick of the action. I wasn't cut out for waiting. Lysander remained close at hand, doing his best to soothe me with small touches. I allowed it, more to calm him than anything.
A hot shower did nothing to take the edge off. I kept checking my phone, waiting. The temptation to go and visit Elise was becoming uncontrollable and all-consuming, but I refused to give in. Elise wouldn't forgive me if I stuck my nose in where it wasn't wanted. We'd been sent away for a reason; I had to trust her, to trust them. Still I paced.
Forty-Six
Elise rang me late in the morning, her voice lacklustre and cracking. We rushed over to her church. Thoughts of the Sidhe harming her fluttered around my mind. I'd kill them. I'd picked up extra iron filings, just in case I did need to slaughter the arrogant little shits. I burst into the church, expecting to see chaos. Instead, there was just Elise with the two Sidhe, each sat on the floor before the altar. Azfin and Haeyl were ashen, they barely lifted their heads to acknowledge me. The threads were wrapped around their hands. Elise slowly stood. I jogged down between the seats and pulled her tight to me.
"It's ok, Evie. It's ok." Her hand ran down the back of my head stroking my hair. "It's just been a long night, is all."
Relief flooded through me.
She looked over my shoulder and said, "Lysander, be a dear and make us some tea."
The hound walked into Elise's rooms in the back while I eased Elise into a seat. She felt frail, her make-up was smudged, and her hair lacked some of its usual shine.
She smiled half-heartedly. "We're ok. The witches are very strong, we were up all night working through their defences. We did it, though. Once we've had some tea we'll draw the map and take those bitches down."
The Sidhe uttered some guttural noises, but they seemed alive enough; my concern was Elise.
She squeezed my hand and leaned back against the seat. "I don't know who those witches are, but we're going to remove them from our city. They're dark, Evie. I haven't felt anything like that before."
I stroked her hair and pulled her close. "I thought a witch was a witch."
She pulled back from me and squeezed my hand, her lips pulled into an amused smile. Her tone was that of a mother to a child.
"You always hid from the magical, Evie. You have such a bright mind." She sighed softly. "Witches are much like the fae, they're complicated. The witch we're up against is very old, and she's deviated from the usual path. I can't be sure, but I'd wager that she's responsible for the abominations. There's so much at stake here, Evie. We must stop her. Now."
Lysander came out with a tray full of cups, his mouth pinching as he watched the cups wobble. Slowly, he bent at the knee and offered Elise and me the cups. Elise's fingers ran over his before she took a cup and gestured for me to do the same. The corner of her mouth quirked upwards when the flare of jealously formed; she would never touch Lysander, but still the jealousy appeared. I scolded myself and focused instead on the gentle sway of his hips and that tight little ass as he took the tray to the Sidhe. Elise brightened and the Sidhe regained colour, just in time for Kadrix and Quin to arrive. Both had a little too much colour in their cheeks.
Kadrix tried to push Elise into giving us the information, to push on and attack the witches. I put myself between them and made it very clear that I'd remove something very precious from him if he pushed Elise again. Neither he or the Sidhe acknowledged each other. The tension in the room mounted, but it soon dissipated when Elise took a deep breath and began drawing a map.
"These are not the core witches. They do, however, have strong connections to them, and they are the ones that have been sending the assassins. We couldn't reach the leader, but these will get us what we require."
Azfin scooted up next to Elise and took the pen from her when she paused, her eyebrows knitted. His movements were graceful, sweeping across the page with crisp black lines. I knew exactly where the witches were. The map was rudimentary, but I knew the familiar sweep of the road and the relation to the patch of grass they called a park. My hands ran down over my blades; I was ready.
Lysander's hand ran down my back. "Relax, Evelyn, we'll do this together."
Elise stood, her back straight, determination etched on her face. "Lysander is right, Evelyn. I will tidy myself up while Kadrix gives you alchemical aids, then we will go to the witches. Together."
I grinned at her; I'd been itching to have a good fight, and I hadn't even realised it. I reminded myself that I'd taken on zombies and witches hours previously. Still, it was coming to an end. The city would be free, and we'd be able to return to our normal lives once more, to fret over nothing more serious than a group of redcaps or a rogue lycan. The room came alive with enthusiasm, with eager aggression desperate to be vented. The Sidhe licked their lips and exchanged glances while Quin kept shifting his weight from foot to foot.
Kadrix put his shoulders back and held out a small bag for me.
“A gift,” he said quietly.
I took it suspiciously. Elves didn't do gifts. They did exchanges, something in return for a sacrifice. I narrowed my eyes at him and tried to assess what I could have been missing.
He sighed melodramatically, "Well, if you don't want it..."
"I don't know what it is," I replied.
Quin rolled his eyes at me. "It's a protection amulet, Evie. Kadrix and I thought it would be a nice gift. Something to smooth out any tension between us."
I smiled and relaxed, opening the bag to reveal a simple black oval stone on a silver chain. Lysander retrieved it before I could and moved behind me to put the necklace on. A sense of peace descended over me; I could almost feel the faint vibration of the protections.
"Thank you. Both of you," I s
aid to Quin and Kadrix.
Something remained in the bottom of the bag. A small jade green charm.
Kadrix huffed, "You really are dim sometimes, Evelyn. The charm is for your hound, you foolish girl."
I glared at him. Lysander, however, bowed his head a little and thanked them both before exposing his throat to me. The Sidhe watched with curiosity as I fiddled with the silver collar about Lysander's throat, trying to attach the charm. It was a delicate little affair, but it settled in the dip at the centre of his collarbone. The stone shimmered slightly and brought out the bright blue of his eyes; his mouth flickered with a smile. The moment was shattered by Haeyl clearing his throat. Lysander shot him a dark look, but Elise emerged with her hair pinned back, in a form-fitting leather jacket and tight jeans. A look of grim determination sat on her face. We were ready.
She moved to the middle of the group and opened her arms as though addressing her army.
"This will not be an easy fight. These witches are from old bloodlines, they are fearless, and talented. Do not let them fool you. This is no ordinary fight, this is war. Are you ready to take our city back?"
We all shouted, "Yes!"
Forty-Seven
Surprisingly, the Sidhe had decided to accompany us on our visit to the witches; they'd said something about it being their city, too. Tension was high. Kadrix snapped at a poor mundane who accidentally bumped against him, while Haeyl snapped at some unsuspecting lycan that dared get on the same tram-carriage as him. Lysander, on the other hand, positively oozed serenity. He was calm and peaceful. When I asked him, he simply said that he was in his element; he was a war-dog. I revelled in his calm and embraced it, using it to calm and centre myself so I didn't waste any energy before the fight. We walked under the great iron bridge that never failed to draw my eye and form a smile on my face, and strode alongside the river before we ducked left and reached our destination.
