Ashes (The Slayer Chronicles Book 3)

by Val St. Crowe

  The chandelier glinted overhead, and all the chairs were pushed up against the table like grim little soldiers. The paintings on the wall peered down on us, stately and disapproving. No Cunningham here either.

  Then we began checking bedrooms. There was a cluster of larger bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms. These must have housed the family. There were four, and they were all similarly grand and imposing.

  We looked through closets, behind shower curtains, under beds in all three of the rooms. Nothing.

  He had to be in the fourth.

  The door to that room was shut tight.

  Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door.

  Inside, it was dark like midnight. I couldn’t see a thing.

  But I didn’t want to have Naelen bring his torch in and have the light wake Cunningham.

  So, I just stared into that blackness, hoping that my eyes were going to adjust. And eventually, I could see very bare outlines of shapes in the room. The master bed was pushed up against a high window, which was shrouded in curtains. The bed was empty, though.

  Or at least it looked that way to me.

  I tiptoed into the room, closer to the bed. Closer.

  Now I could see that the bed wasn’t even made. It was a bare mattress. It didn’t even have a mattress pad on it.

  So, if Cunningham wasn’t sleeping on this bed…

  “Naelen,” I whispered, motioning for him to come in.

  He brought the torch inside, shined his light into the nooks and crannies of the room.

  The walls were cluttered with boxes and boxes of more trinkets and treasures, the same as what we’d found upstairs in the house. This must have been Sigmund’s room, and he must have kept his most prized possessions here.

  We looked under the bed and inside the bathroom, but there was no Cunningham.

  This was strange.

  We went back into the hallway. “He wouldn’t have left, would he?” I whispered. “Doesn’t he know that we took down the wards? That his compulsion doesn’t work from far off?”

  “Well, unless he went looking for the missing wards, I don’t see how he’d know that,” said Logan in a quiet voice. “And we had all the un-magicked talismans in the breakfast room.”

  I couldn’t believe this. “So, you think he’s gone. We’ve been waiting around for nothing? He probably went to stay in a fancy hotel or something.”

  “Maybe he’s in one of the other bedrooms,” said Naelen.

  “The little ones we were in last night?” I said. “Would he take one of those when he could have one of these?”

  “Maybe he’s in the attic,” said Logan. “He’s been up there all this time. Maybe he’s gotten it tricked out how he liked.”

  “Yeah, with gargoyles waiting on him hand and foot,” I said. “Wait! He has to know that the wards are down. How else did the gargoyles get out?”

  “Maybe he knows we’re coming after him,” said Naelen.

  “Maybe,” I said. “But he wouldn’t be frightened of us. It’s not in his DNA to be afraid. So, he’d wait for us, and then he’d crush us.”

  “Which is probably what he’s doing now,” Logan muttered. “What should we do? Back to the breakfast room? Try to get some sleep?”

  “We’re running out of food,” I said. “I need to eat something, or I’ll get weaker and weaker. I won’t be able to use the monocle at all. No, even if he’s waiting for us, we’ve got to try. It’s now or never.”

  But my confidence was shaken.

  We went to check the other smaller bedrooms. He wasn’t in them, not that I had expected him to be.

  And then I had another horrible thought. “What if he’s invisible? He has invisibility objects. He could be sitting around listening to us. Hell, he could have been in the breakfast room with us all day.”

  “God,” said Naelen. “How is it that we’re so stupid?”

  Logan cringed. “We were all preoccupied.”

  I rubbed my temples. I was getting a headache again. And… damn it, my stomach was growling. “Okay, okay, well, there are only a few more rooms on this wing,” I said. “We check them, and then we head to the attic. And if we don’t find him anywhere, then I say we go back to the kitchen and wait for him there. At least I can get something to eat then.”

  “Hey, Clarke, maybe you should get a snack,” said Logan. “I mean, we don’t know where he is, and you need to be fueled up.”

  “Yeah, let’s split up,” said Naelen. “You go back to the kitchen, find something to eat. I’ll go up and check the attic. Logan can check down here, and then we meet back in the kitchen.”

  I bit my lip. “And if he’s invisible, listening to us right now?”

  “Then if we split up, he can’t get all of us at once, and one of us can find a way to fight him,” said Logan.

  I considered. “Okay, I guess. But if you guys are not back in the kitchen in fifteen minutes—”

  “Do nothing,” said Naelen. “Wait for Cunningham.”

  It wasn’t the greatest plan ever, but it was the best that we were going to figure out for now, I thought.

  Still, when the guys both disappeared down the dark hallway, and I was left alone, I can’t say I was happy about it.

  Naelen had taken the light away with him, so I didn’t have any way to see anymore. I dragged my hand along the hallway to find my way toward the kitchen.

  I imagined that Cunningham was invisible, walking just behind me, a demented smile on his face.

  I shuddered.

  My back tingled.

  I turned to look behind me. Nothing there. But if he was invisible, I wouldn’t see anything.

  I pressed my back into the wall, and I began to inch down the hallway that way. Maybe I looked ridiculous, but I didn’t want to be attacked from behind.

  A creaking noise.

  I jumped.

  I froze, looking around. What had that been? Was Cunningham pushing open a door somewhere?

  I waited.

  Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. The loudest noise I could hear right now was the beating of my own heart. I began to move again, still keeping my back against the wall. I slid against it, walking sideways as I made my way deeper into the dark house.

  I looked into the dining room as I passed it. The door was open, and the darkness inside was a deep cavern of the unknown. Cunningham could be inside. He could come out, grab me by the shoulders and press me into the wall. I like you, Clarke, he’d purr. I’m doing this for you.

  Clenching my hands into fists, I decided I didn’t care anymore. Let him come. I had the monocle. I needed fuel, and I was wasting time. I picked up my heels and sprinted for the kitchen.

  It was only ten feet down the hall, and I was there in moments.

  Inside, feeling brazen, I switched on the light.

  The room was bathed in brilliant light.

  No one was in there. No one visible anyway.

  I marched over to the refrigerator and yanked the door open. What did I want to eat? Something with quick energy, like carbs or something that would stick with me, like fat and protein?

  Fat and protein, I decided. I found a block of cheddar cheese. I looked around for a knife, but I didn’t see anything. I started to go through drawers. There.

  Now, I really should use a cutting board…

  Screw it. These counters were clean as hell. I set the cheese down on the counter and began to unwrap it.

  “Clarke.”

  I whirled, heart in my throat.

  It was Naelen and Logan, both in the doorway of the kitchen.

  “We found him,” said Logan. “He is asleep.”

  “What?” I said. “Where?” I set the cheese down and went over to the guys.

  “He’s in the television room,” said Naelen. “Come on.”

  We hurried down the hallway to the television room. As we approached, I could hear the muffled sound of the programming.

  The door to the room was open. I stepped forward to
go in first.

  I eased inside the room. The TV was still on, babbling away, and the couch immediately opposite it had a blanket on it, tangled up and askew. But it was empty, as were the two easy chairs on either side of the couch.

  I turned back to the guys, who’d come in beside me. “Where is he?”

  “He was just here,” said Logan, turning around.

  “Could he have accidentally activated his invisibility charm?” said Naelen.

  “I…” I hurried over to the couch and gently felt around on it. No Cunningham.

  Behind us, the door swung closed.

  We all turned.

  Cunningham stepped out from behind the door, where he’d been hiding. The scant light of the television lit up the hollows in his face eerily. “Well, well, well,” he said. “Toys out of the toy box. Can’t have that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Cunningham stood between us and the door.

  Naelen shot a look at me, questioning.

  I shook my head. Let him make the first move, I silently pleaded.

  “How did you get out of the room?” said Cunningham. “I could swear that I compelled you not to leave. Did I say it wrong, leave some loophole you exploited? I remember that the two of you—” He pointed at Naelen and Logan. “Were especially good at finding loopholes.”

  I didn’t answer. I only squared my shoulders and stared him down.

  The guys didn’t say anything either.

  Cunningham’s nostrils flared. “Oh, bollocks. I’m tired. I don’t have time for this. Clarke, come here.”

  Strands of his power shot out, coming for me.

  I reached up and pushed them aside. They hit the floor, turned black, and disappeared. I hadn’t moved an inch toward Cunningham.

  His jaw twitched. “Come here.” He sent out threads again, more of them.

  I did the same thing, knocking them down and making them disappear.

  “What the hell is going on?” said Cunningham, his voice steadily rising in pitch.

  “I can resist you now,” I said.

  “Obviously,” said Cunningham. “But how?” He strode across the room to me and stopped when we were inches apart. He searched my eyes. “You have an object? Did the three of you find that damned scarab?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t have the scarab. That was good to know. Without a full set of the objects, he couldn’t complete the ritual.

  Cunningham pivoted, glared at the guys. “Which of you has it?”

  Neither of them responded.

  Angry, Cunningham turned back to me. He held up his palm and strands of magic flew out of it, coming straight for me. They hit me before I had a chance to react, began to weave around my body.

  I struggled against them. Wasn’t fast enough.

  The magic knocked me backward. I collided with the couch. Quickly, I unraveled the threads.

  “So, you don’t have it,” he said, gesturing for me to stand back up.

  Of course, I didn’t stand up. The magic was dead now.

  Cunningham did a double take. “Wait a moment…”

  I pushed myself back to my feet. Oh, I was feeling a little light-headed.

  A wave of regret went through me as I thought of the block of cheese that I’d left sitting on the damned counter. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t have brought it with me? A little cheese on the go?

  Idiot, idiot, idiot, I thought at myself. Stupid idiot!

  I should have eaten that cheese. How long was I going to last before I passed out? Was it going to be long enough?

  Cunningham narrowed his eyes. “Show me what’s in your pockets,” he said to me, sending compulsion threads toward me.

  I knocked them away.

  “Take off your shirt,” said Cunningham, sending out threads again.

  I knocked those down too.

  “Say, ‘Cunningham is dashing and clever,’” he said, sending out even more threads.

  I forced those to the floor before they hit me as well. But then I felt woozy.

  My vision warped and the carpet below me spun up to get me.

  And then everything went dark.

  * * *

  I woke up in the master bedroom. All the lights were on in there now, and I was lying spread eagle on the mattress. My arms and legs were tied to the bedposts. I was only wearing my underwear. No talisman. No monocle.

  The guys were directly in front of me, against the far wall, also only in their underwear. Their arms were tied above their heads and connected to a wrought iron coat rack that was secured to the wall.

  “Oh, finally,” muttered Cunningham’s voice next to my head.

  I turned, craning my neck to see that he was standing over the bed, up near the headboard.

  “I thought you were never going to wake up,” he said. “I know it’s got something to do with you, Clarke, because the minute that you were passed out, the boys over there were as docile as puppies.” He waved a hand carelessly in their direction. “I thought that Ambrose was responsible for setting his brother and the gargoyles free. I thought he’d finally decided to grow a pair and use his magic again. Honestly, I never would have compelled him to remember all his skills if I’d known he was going to be such a big baby about everything. Anyway, it seemed to make sense. That’s why you were all still here and they were gone. But I realize now that you were trying to lay a trap for me, weren’t you?”

  I pressed my lips together.

  He shook his head. “Clarke, Clarke, Clarke. Really, I’m hurt. After everything I’ve done for you? I have poured selfless hours into trying to fix your love life for you, and you are as ungrateful as ever. This is how you repay me? By trying to… what? Take my objects? Kill me?”

  “All of the above,” I said. “And the night’s not over yet.”

  “Oh, your confidence is so charming,” he said. “Just like your tough-girl act. I love that about you. How you like to pretend that deep down you’re not just a little girl who’s trying to retroactively bring her parents back. Just think, Clarke, if you’d had a bow and arrows back then, if you’d been as skilled as you are now, you could have saved their lives. But you failed them.”

  “I was a kid,” I said. “There’s no way anyone could have expected me to—”

  “But you wish you would have, don’t you?” He chuckled. “Hell, then you might not be so screwed up. You would have been brought up in a stable home with proper role models and you wouldn’t be embarking on this immoral lifestyle with these two men.”

  “That’s your fault,” I said. “You threw us together.”

  “Wrong,” said Cunningham. “Your fault. You wouldn’t choose.” He tapped his chin. “In fact, I think this could all go away if you did decide to make a choice, Clarke. Choose one man to be my slave, and I’ll let the other one go free with you right now.”

  “Go fuck yourself,” I said.

  He shrugged. “See? Can’t choose.”

  “Even if I wasn’t in love with both of them, I wouldn’t leave a friend behind with you.”

  “But they aren’t friends, Clarke. Unless you’re in the habit of getting naked with all of your friends.” He shrugged. He walked to the edge of the bed and addressed the guys. “Maybe she is? Is that the way it goes?”

  Both of the guys struggled at their ropes.

  Cunningham chuckled again. “It’s really adorable the way they both want to protect you. Even while you’re, let’s face it, cheating on them both right in front of their faces. Why are they so loyal to you, do you think, Clarke? Could it be because I made them that way? I took two men who wanted to kill each other and remade them for you, so that you could have them both. And you spit in my face.” He shook his head.

  “Oh, right,” I said. “You did this all out of the goodness of your heart. It wasn’t for your own twisted entertainment.”

  Cunningham ran a forefinger over the foot of the bed. “Well, I suppose it was fun for me. But seriously, enjoying doing a favor, does t
hat mean it’s not a favor?”

  “I didn’t want this,” I said, my voice strained.

  “You didn’t want both of them?” said Cunningham. “Really?”

  I didn’t answer.

  “Be honest, Clarke,” said Cunningham. “This is all your dream come true.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, it’s a lot of anger and pain and confusion. It’s not a dream come true. At all.”

  “Well.” Cunningham spread his hands. “Nothing’s perfect.” He sighed. “And so, I guess, we’ll have to move on from this portion of the evening’s entertainment and start taking a bit more of an active role. I need to know how you’re resisting me, Clarke. I’ll give you the chance to simply tell me right now. That would make things much easier. So, go on, how are you doing it?”

  I didn’t say anything.

  He shook his head. “You are going to tell me. Just because I can’t compel you doesn’t mean I won’t get my way.”

  Where was the monocle? Was it with my clothes? Did I see my clothes anywhere? I lifted my head, peering around the room.

  “Looking for a way out of this?” said Cunningham. “There isn’t one. Now, what should I have your boyfriends do to get you to open your mouth, hmm?”

  I felt my stomach twist.

  “After all, there’s no real reason to keep them tied up,” said Cunningham. “You’re out of commission currently, and I can make them do what I like.” He wandered over and took a small pocket knife out. He slid the blade up and cut the bonds holding Naelen and Logan.

  Where were my clothes? The room was full of junk, all of it lining the walls, so it was hard to see where anything was, of course. There was a pile of fabric over there, but I was fairly sure it was some kind of banner or something. It had fringes. It wasn’t my clothes.

  Cunningham held out the knife in front of Logan. Then he moved it in front of Naelen. Back to Logan. Back to Naelen. Cunningham put the knife in Naelen’s hand. “Naelen. Stab Logan.”

  “No,” I said from the bed, struggling against the ropes that held me.

  Logan and Naelen exchanged a quick look.

  Naelen brandished the knife, brought it down.