Library staff were showing up for the beginning of the work day, and I couldn’t risk any of them finding me like this. With no other choice, I dragged my hands together and pressed my thumb to the charm Viktor had given me, whispering the word of command just as the door opened, the click of heels on tile not ten feet away.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The pain I’d endured while under the influence of the Dark mage’s spell was little more than a firm hug compared to the agony that overwhelmed me upon activating the charm. It lasted only a fraction of a second — a harsh flare of blinding light replaced by utter nothingness before I rematerialized on the floor of the hotel room with Chase and Viktor standing over me. I screamed so loud that Chase actually stumbled backwards, tripping on a chair and falling flat on his ass. It was as though every atom in me had been torn asunder, only to be fused back together with a blowtorch an instant later.
Viktor immediately cast a sound muffling spell over me to contain the worst of it. In some dim corner of my brain not dominated by fear and pain, it registered that I’d never actually seen the man perform magic before. I’d always considered him incapable since previous inspection with mage sight had never revealed even a hint of magic ability.
His spell had the added effect of calming me as it applied gentle downward pressure. Rather than feeling claustrophobic and terrifying, the swath of energy swaddled me and sent reassuring vibrations into my body. I relaxed instantly. It was like being wrapped in a down comforter while having someone sing you to sleep. Only in this case, I could feel the spell working into my muscles, easing away tension and revitalizing me from the inside out.
Most startling of all was the rapid replenishment of my magic. I didn’t know how he was doing it, but Viktor seemed to be channeling his own power into me. It felt eerily like when I’d stolen the last of Brody’s magic, though the effect was far more invigorating since the source was a thousand times more potent and the power was freely given.
“Viktor…” I said when he finally released me.
“No need,” he said with a caring smile. “I’m only sorry I couldn’t do more. You’ve been so brave to face these threats on your own. I hate that I’m not able to go with you.”
“What are you?” I asked as I stood up. It was about as rude a question as you could ask someone like him, but after everything I’d gone through, I figured I was owed a few answers.
I tapped my mage sight and still saw no trace of power on or around him. He looked as normal as Chase, which was to my knowledge impossible considering what he’d just done to me. There should have at least been some residual essence from the energy transfer, but the only source of magic in the room was the now burnt out charm that had teleported me back to safety.
Viktor regarded me with quiet consideration. His dark brown irises contracted, and I felt, rather than saw his compassion for my frustration. As a man who wrapped himself in whispers, and who hoarded information with an eagerness that bordered on compulsion, he knew better than most how much it pained me to be kept in the dark. Still, whatever mark he’d been measuring me against seemed to fall permanently out of my reach.
“That is a complicated question,” he finally said. “I would like to explain it someday, I really would. For now, however, I suggest we focus on planning our next move.”
“Did you get the grimoire?” asked Chase.
He’d been so quiet I’d completely forgotten he was in the room with us.
“No.” I lowered my eyes and shook my head. “The Dark mage showed up as I was putting everything back the way I’d found it. He attacked me and stole the book. I’ve never felt anything so hateful as when his magic hit me. Whoever — or whatever — he is, he’s incredibly powerful.”
“And we’re sure the Conclave won’t help us?” asked Chase.
Viktor shook his head. “I’m afraid they’re even less inclined to help us than they might have been before. Word is spreading through the fae that a Dark mage is amassing tools of great power. None of them are willing to risk antagonizing someone so strong. The Amulet of Duan Marbhaidh doesn’t affect their kind, so they don’t see it as any of their business.”
“They can’t just stand by and watch while this guy goes on a rampage against the ungifted,” said Chase.
“It has always been such between the fae and humans,” explained Viktor. “Much the same way humans have often stood idly by while great evil was perpetrated by their leaders or those more powerful than they. We are on the verge of a massive restructuring of the existing power hierarchies. Those who live with magic know the cost of angering any Dark mage, let alone one as powerful as whomever we’re dealing with now.”
“So what do we do?” I asked. “Without the book, we’re dead in the water. If this mage has both items, what’s to stop him from using them immediately?”
“Carolus’s grimoire will not be easy to unlock,” said Viktor. “Even if the Dark mage knows the spells required to decipher the grimoire’s text, he will still need time to work through the castings. An amulet of this nature will require extremely precise rituals, and that means we still have time to stop him.”
I went to the window and stared at the city spread out below. If any of those people down there knew what kind of power was being summoned in their midst, there would be mass hysteria on an unprecedented scale. It would be akin to calling the news and telling them that several dirty nukes had been planted around the city with timers set to detonate at any moment. No demands would be made, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop the destruction.
Scratch that. This was worse than any terrorist attack. He wasn’t trying to send a message or instill fear in order to further an agenda. The Dark mage didn’t seem to want anything but destruction. He could strike at any moment, and there would almost certainly be no warning. Every non-magical being in a thousand miles could be dead before the sun set that night.
Even the memory of the acid hate I’d sensed in his magic was enough to send a shiver down my spine. In that moment I felt less capable than ever of beating him in a one-on-one fight.
“I’ll need your help, Viktor,” I said quietly. “I can’t beat him alone.”
“I’m sorry; I can’t do any more than I have already,” he replied. “I recognize the unfairness in expecting you to understand my position when it is not something I am at liberty to explain. I have already risked much in searching for the grimoire in the first place. There is simply no way I can accompany you.”
“How am I supposed to beat this guy? He swatted me down like I was nothing but a minor annoyance. His power is ten times mine. He’s older, more experienced, and probably classically trained.” I looked out over the night sky, the shape and form of the Dark mage’s attack writhing in my memory. “The spell he used on me was hateful and terrifying, but it was elegant, Viktor. For all its darkness, it was beautifully wrought. Even though the spell was doing its best to kill me, it was mesmerizing in its complexity. At one point I almost let it take me because I couldn’t bear the thought of undoing something so perfect.”
“The best magic is almost always so alluring,” he said. “Light or Dark makes little difference. Magic wielded by one with such talent is as wondrous as it is deadly.”
“You’ve already come so far though,” said Chase. “Even if you can’t beat this guy head on, surely there has to be a way you can outsmart him?”
My silence hung over us like a death shroud. Although Viktor had healed my damaged muscle tissue and somehow replenished my store of energy, he hadn’t been able to do anything about my red-lining confidence. I’d fluked my way through everything up to this point, and when it had really come down to it, I’d been powerless to stop the Dark mage from taking Carolus’s grimoire. Chase and I had barely escaped from Eskola’s mansion with our lives. I didn’t think I could keep him safe the next time something like that happened.
If I kept going at this rate, it was only a matter of time before I found myself in a situation I
couldn’t claw and scrape my way out of.
Viktor’s eyes were soft with sympathy when I turned back to him. It only made it that much harder for me to say what needed to be said.
“I can’t do this.”
“What do you mean you can’t do this?” asked Chase. He practically launched himself off the bed, pacing across the room while stabbing his finger in my direction to punctuate his points. “From what I’m hearing, no one else is going to go after this guy. It’s easy for you to walk away and pretend it isn’t happening, isn’t it? You’re a goddam mage, so it’s not like he’s going to come after you now that he has the book.What about me, Alex? What about every other person in this city with no magic in our blood to protect ourselves from whatever it is this asshole wants to do to us? How can you be such a fucking coward when people need your help? When I need your help?”
Chase practically shook with rage. I couldn’t remember ever having seen anyone look at me with such disappointment in their eyes. What did you say in a situation like that? Chase didn’t know the first damn thing about what it was like for me to control the magic burning beneath my skin. For all the incredible things I could do with my power, I was a rank amateur compared to almost every other proper mage out there. Chase hadn’t been there when other mages had laughed at how awkwardly I cast my spells. He could never understand that working magic was like trying to use my bare hands to shape molten steel. I pounded at my power with a sledgehammer where those with mentors had learned to work it with the lightest of touches.
If the Dark mage was a master sculptor carving a lifelike image from the finest marble, I was little more than a child working lumpy clay into a pathetic excuse for an ashtray.
“It’s not that simple,” was all I could muster by way of explanation.
He threw his hands in the air. “What’s not simple? That you don’t give a shit about me anymore? That you suddenly don’t want to help people who don’t have the power to help themselves? Why the fuck did you become a detective or consulting mage whatever the hell you are if you’re going to bail out at the first sign of danger?”
I opened my mouth to defend myself, but I couldn’t think of a single thing to say that didn’t sound selfish and stupid. Chase had a point — several points actually — but none of them changed the fact that going after this Dark mage was a suicide mission.
“If you won’t step up, I guess I’ll have to go it alone,” Chase said as he pivoted away from me and started shoving things into his bag. He didn’t get far before he was interrupted by Viktor laying a restraining hand on his arm.
“You need to rest, Chase. Eskola’s magic is still in your system, and you won’t make it halfway down the block in your state. If bravery alone could carry you through this task, I’d happily send you on your way. Unfortunately your body must yet recover its strength.”
Chase sat heavily on the bed. Tears coursed down his cheeks, and the look he shot me hit me harder than a kick to the stomach.
“What we need now is information,” Viktor said. “Perhaps a confrontation with the Dark mage is not where we should be focusing our thoughts. I’ve been hearing rather disturbing rumors about your friend Jessica. I think you should pay her a visit at The Bolt-Hole before you do anything else.”
“The bar doesn’t open for another seven hours,” I said. “What are we supposed to do until then?”
“Rest.” The softly spoken suggesting carried the weight of a direct order. “This may be the last chance you’ll get before all is said and done.”
I moved to sit next to Chase on the bed so I could apologize, but he lay back and rolled over before I could get there. When he hauled the covers over to wrap himself in a burrito of smoldering anger, I worried I’d truly crossed a line our friendship couldn’t withstand.
“You were right about everything you said,” I told his blanket-covered back. “I won’t stop fighting for you and everyone else without magic in this city. I’m sorry I let you down.”
Chase didn’t reply, so I sat on my own bed. I needed to eat something, but I felt far too sick and tired to do anything about it. Instead, I lay back, closed my eyes, and tried to rally myself for what could very well be the last fight I ever picked.
Chapter Twenty-Four
There is a special kind of hell in being forced to sit around waiting while life goes on around you. With both the Dark mage and Eskola’s people after me, it was foolish to poke my head out for no good reason. We’d discussed my going to Jessica’s house, but Viktor had cautioned against it. He wouldn’t tell me why, insisting instead that I go to the bar as soon as it opened. I had the impression he knew more than he was letting on, but that was Viktor for you. He was often as cryptic as he was enlightening, and I’d learned when to pull back and ignore my urge to dig for details.
And so I left the hotel later that evening, happy to be outside even if meant risking my neck to do it. I pulled my hood up over my head, plugged in my earbuds, and let aggressive drumming and hyperemotional growling vocals pace me on the walk to The Bolt-Hole. It would have been a lot faster to jump in a cab, but I wanted the time to clear my head. Chase had eventually come around and accepted my apology, but a rift had opened between us. I didn’t know if he’d ever truly forgive me for, as he saw it, giving up on him.
I’d wanted to tell him how much more complicated it was — to explain how much pressure I was under — but it had felt like like nothing more than an empty excuse, so I’d offered no explanation at all. The truth of it was that I was scared beyond belief. It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you admitted to someone when they were looking at you to save the day.
That was something I’d have to deal with later. Right now, I had to take things one step at a time. Viktor had told me to check in with Jessica, and in the face of so many impossible expectations, it at least sounded like something I could actually accomplish. It might not directly lead to me defeating the Dark mage before he could activate the amulet, but it was worth following up with Jessica if she had some piece of information that could maybe help me figure out some way of fighting back.
As I walked, I thought of Mabel Weathersby and how I still owed her an explanation for who had killed her husband. While I now knew without a doubt that the kryte had been what had tortured and killed poor Norman in its hunt for the Amulet of Duan Marbhaidh, I still didn’t know the true identity of the Dark mage that had been pulling the kryte’s puppet strings. It was too overwhelming to think I was responsible for saving every ungifted human in the city, or possibly even the world, so I focused on Mabel and the job she’d hired me to do in the first place. I’d been paid to get answers. That meant unmasking the Dark mage and living long enough to deliver the information to my client. As odd as it might seem, reducing the monumental task ahead of me to such a simple objective somehow made it easier to swallow.
The Bolt-Hole had been open for nearly an hour by the time I got there, and the place was already packed. As narrow as it was, I had to squeeze my way through the crowd to get to the bar.
“Is Jess around?” I asked a bartender I’d never seen before.
“No, she’s off for a while,” he replied without looking up from the drink he was mixing.
“What do you mean she’s off?” I had to shout to be heard over the din of the crowd and music. “I just talked to her yesterday. She didn’t say anything about going anywhere.”
The bartender dropped a garnish onto the drink, set it on the bar for the person next to me, then looked me in the eyes. His expression changed, and I caught a flicker of recognition that made me nervous.
“Why don’t you have a drink on the house,” he said.
He turned around and took down a bottle of my regular bourbon. I knew I’d never seen him before, but he poured me a double like Jess always did, then he leaned over the bar and spoke just loud enough that only I’d be able to hear him.
“Give me five minutes, then meet me out back,” he said.
I looked down at the bour
bon and wondered if he’d done something to it. My mage sight revealed no magical interference, so I cast a simple spell I’d developed during a period where I’d been spending altogether too much time in bars and night clubs. The reveal spell highlighted no sign of anything like poison or Rohypnol, so I took the risk and drank it anyway.
The mysterious bartender spoke to another girl who sometimes worked with Jess. I guessed he’d been asking her to cover him, because he then ducked under the barrier at the back of the bar and slipped away towards the emergency exit. I gave him a half minute lead before finishing my drink and following, preparing a defensive spell as I pushed opened the door to the back alley.
“You’re Alex, right?” he asked after I’d stepped out.
An unlit cigarette dangled between his lips. He lit it and exhaled off to the side. Nothing in his mannerisms seemed combative, but to be safe I held the shield spell in place while forming something more aggressive that I could let fly with a thought if it came down to it. I hoped I wouldn’t have to use it so close to a busy street.
“Where’s Jessica?” I asked. “Who are you?”
“My name is Dante,” he said, flicking ash from his cigarette. “And Jessica is dead.”
This caught me so off guard I nearly lost control of the energy I’d been holding. I snuffed it out and lowered my shield, trying to come to terms with what I’d just heard. It didn’t seem possible that Jessica could be dead. She was too smart. She knew enough about the kryte to protect herself at the first sign of trouble. Even if it had wanted to attack her, both her apartment and the bar should have been warded against such a thing.
“How?” I asked, the word catching in my throat.
“Not at the hands of the kryte that’s been leaving a trail of destruction around the city, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“You know about that?”
Black Magic (Black Records Book 1) Page 23
