The Dark Matters Quartet

by Claire Robyns

  “No one’s getting into any trouble, sweetling.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Well,” Lily murmured beneath her breath, her mouth positively slack.

  A few minutes later, however, when Evelyn was leading them inside via the library’s French doors, Devon fell in alongside Lily.

  “I don’t know what is going on here, but I place a high regard on my wife’s friendship with you,” he told her in a low voice. “Whatever mess Adair has you embroiled in, Lily, I can help extract you.”

  Lily sighed. This was the eternal problem with Devon. For all his failings, he would do anything for Evelyn. Even turn his back on the law. “I appreciate the offer, Devon, but I’m exactly where I need to be.”

  “In that case,” he said, the momentary warmth draining from his tone, “please understand that I will not have Evelyn distressed. I’ll give you and Adair two hours, and then I want the Red Hawk off my property.”

  “I understand,” Lily assured him.

  And she did, although she couldn’t give him what both of them most desired. There was a demon in the area and Evelyn needed to be warned. She also needed Evelyn to keep Devon safe, because nothing on earth would cause her friend more distress than if any harm befell him.

  Devon remained behind in the library while the rest of them continued on to the morning room.

  On entering, Evelyn immediately rang the service bell.

  “We’re not here for tea,” Greyston said.

  “I can see you’re chomping at the bit, Grey, and I’m not an idiot. I’m well aware the world’s about to end, or worse. But I have my own card to play. I’m four months gone with child and, trust me, my temper is all over the place. I refuse to hear a single word about the latest catastrophe until Lily has had, at the very least, her first sip of chamomile tea.”

  Greyston looked at Lily, then grunted, “She’s right. You need a moment to catch your breath and I need to stop and think clearly about what we’re doing.”

  Evelyn promptly sat herself down on a sofa and waved Lily into the spot beside her. “Forgive me saying so, Lily, but you do look dreadful.”

  Lily chose the armchair opposite instead, smiling as she observed the new plumpness to Evelyn’s cheeks. “You look healthy and as beautiful as ever.”

  “Pah, I’m bloated and you should see the blotches on my back,” Evelyn said, laughing. “But I will admit, I have never before felt so beautiful, even if it is only on the inside.”

  Her eyes flashed to Greyston, who’d taken up a restless pacing near the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Grey, if you must pace, please tread a little softer.”

  Greyston flung himself down into the closest chair.

  They were still waiting on the tea, but Lily could no longer contain the urgency rising up inside her. “Evie, before I start, please remember that this castle is protected.”

  “There’s a demon in the area,” Evelyn said bluntly, her hands fitting around her belly.

  “You, and everyone else, are perfectly safe so long as you stay inside the walls.”

  Evelyn nodded. “But where is Kelan?”

  Conscious of Georgina being subjected to a demon’s fickle will with every minute that passed, Lily quickly picked out parts of the story that were most relevant, pausing only when a footman arrived with the tea trolley. Declining the offer of pound cake, Lily accepted a cup. She hadn’t realised how parched her throat was until she sipped the soothing tea.

  Evelyn dismissed the footman and took charge of his duties while Lily and Greyston continued, sharing the details out between them. By unspoken agreement, they left out Georgina’s treachery and the Gossamer. Neither did they mention the demon they’d banished earlier that morning or the trail of destruction they’d followed the night before.

  “That poor, poor girl,” Evelyn whispered, clasping a hand over her mouth. “What on earth can we do?”

  Lily told her exactly what she planned to do. “Devon will need to be informed, since the exchange has to happen right outside the gate. That way, everyone can get to safety as soon as possible. Evie, you have to make sure that Devon remains with you. If he tries to go after Georgina—”

  “I’ll make sure he doesn’t set a foot outside the perimeter wall,” Evelyn said fiercely. “And neither will you.”

  “I have to,” Lily said. “But I’ll be fine.”

  Greyston spoke up. “It’s too risky, Lily. I’ve decided, you’ll stay here with Evelyn. I’ll take Neco and Ana with me. We won’t attack Agares, just find a way to slip in and bring Georgina back.”

  “You won’t find a way.” Lily shook her head. “They’re both in the kitchen. Georgina has moved to sit at the table and Agares is there, always there, walking a circle around her. Agares hasn’t even tied her up, which means she doesn’t intend to let Georgina out of her sight.”

  “Then we’ll cause a distraction.”

  “Agares is the Winterberry demon! I’ve seen what she’s capable of.” Lily’s voice pitched in desperation and fear. “Distraction won’t work, it will only get all of you killed. Agares wants me alive. I feel it, I know it, and even then it doesn’t matter, because she won’t get me. I need you inside the walls, Greyston. I need you to keep safe, in case anything goes wrong.”

  “Lily,” Evelyn pleaded, “please, listen to how ridiculous you sound. I don’t much like Grey going after this demon either, but—”

  “You don’t know everything, Evie.” Lily shot to her feet and dumped her teacup on the trolley. Evelyn didn’t know about their demon blood. She knew Lily had visions, but that was all. “If you did, you’d know my plan is not ridiculous. You’d know that I’m not asking Greyston to cower while I march into the fight. I need Greyston, I need him to protect me, and he cannot do that unless he stays safe.”

  “I can rewind time,” Greyston said flatly.

  Lily rounded on him, astounded he’d revealed his secret so readily, but even more so, relieved. This could only mean he was finally agreeing to their original plan.

  Evelyn made a choking noise, her gaze darting back and forth between Greyston and Lily. “Has this whole thing been some elaborate, cruel jest?”

  “Of course not,” Lily said.

  Greyston leant forward, elbows planted on his knees. “When I was a baby, Kelan’s uncle infused my blood with that of a powerful demon who could rewind time. I’ve had this ability since I turned fifteen, Evelyn. I can rewind time by half an hour, although only once in every twenty-four hours.”

  “We get one chance,” Lily added. “If I fail, Greyston will rewind everything and then we’ll wait for Kelan. I promise.”

  FOURTEEN

  The arched wrought-iron gates stood wide open. Beyond, the castle drive extended in a straight line for about half a mile before it curved out of sight. The winter forest that flanked the road provided scant cover, but Lily was grateful for the carpet of mulch leaves beneath the gnarled and barren branches. She’d marked more than a dozen bind and keep runes in the ground, sealed them with a drop of Kelan’s blood from her silver vial, and brushed the leaves back over to keep them hidden.

  The gatekeeper had been ordered from his post, the army of castle servants instructed to remain indoors. Ana and Neco were in position, planted behind the fattest tree trunk they could find, one on either side of the road. She’d contacted Agares to set up the exchange, insisting the location was non-negotiable. She hadn’t minded telling Agares exactly why. The more demons that knew Harchings Castle was off limits to their fright-shows, the better.

  Lily glanced around. Now that there was nothing left to do but wait, the calmness that had wrapped her dissolved, her stomach a sudden mass of nerves. She managed a terse smile for Devon, who’d promised to keep within the gate.

  For once, Evelyn hadn’t used theatrics to convince her husband. She’d simply looked him in the eye and stated, “Lily and Grey know exactly what they’re doing. If you want Georgina to come out of this alive, i
f you trust me half as much as you love me, you’ll let them do what must be done and not interfere.”

  Lily would have preferred Devon deep inside the castle building instead of looking over her shoulder, but instead of protesting, she decided to work it to her advantage. If everything went her way, she’d get close enough to momentarily disable Agares with her Cairngorm sword and drag the demon into one of the runes. Devon would be less likely to dismiss the notion of demons as pure madness once he’d witnessed an actual banishing. With the blue prints stolen, the prospect of the Gossamer now a reality, they needed Devon believing, they needed him on their side.

  Lily tilted her head up to Greyston.

  He stood beside her, their shoulders brushing. He’d agreed to do this, but he wasn’t happy. None of them were. The plan was too ambitious.

  His gaze met hers, murky brown with emotion. “There’s still time to change your mind.”

  “I’m more afraid for Georgina than myself,” she said. Greyston would be counting down the minutes from the moment she stepped off protected ground. “If we fail, I know you have my back, but who has Georgina’s?”

  “Then we don’t fail,” he said heavily.

  Turning from him to look down the road, she repeated, “We don’t fail.”

  The cold stung her cheeks and made a stubborn effort to slide beneath her scarf. The sky was a seamless blue, not a breath of wind, but the sun had already started its downward slide toward the horizon.

  “Where are they?” She was about to search her demon glass when she spotted movement, a pair of riders cantering around the curve in the road. “There!”

  Greyston lifted the binoculars to his eyes. “Georgina’s in front. There’s some kind of… sweet Jesu’, there’s some kind of shackle around her neck.”

  Lily grabbed the binoculars from him to see for herself. The wide, empty stare of a broken soul filled her vision. Shock, grief, terror? Or something more? Agares had the ability to control human minds, although in this instance it looked as if Georgina’s mind had been totally blanked.

  It doesn’t matter! The control would snap as soon as Georgina crossed onto protected land.

  The shackle around her neck was a loose fit, almost resting on her shoulders. Too firm to be rope, too transparent to be steel.

  Ice… Agares held onto the leash, a short rod of the same ice substance that breached the span between the two horses and melted into the stiff noose.

  Lily handed the binoculars back to Greyston. “Don’t forget, Agares destroys with ice. That’s how she’s shackled Georgina.”

  Tense silence engulfed them as they watched. About a hundred paces from the gate, the pair of riders drew to a halt.

  “We could still attack,” Greyston said. “Neco and Ana are in place. We’ll charge from the front. We may be able to create enough confusion to grab Georgina and retreat.”

  “If you’d seen what Agares did at Stobcross House, you’d know that is not an option,” Lily told him. “Our only chance is for me to get close and catch her unawares.”

  Agares dismounted, sliding effortlessly to the ground. With the same grace, she made a sweeping motion with her arm, as if she were waving Georgina down from her horse. The leash yanked with a mighty force, slamming Georgina from the horse’s back to the ground in the blink of an eye. She landed on her shoulder, rolled flat on her face, rolled again and settled in an awkward sprawl.

  The back of Lily’s throat thudded. She placed a restraining hand on Greyston, just in case. “Agares wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble just to kill Georgina in front of us.”

  “Both you and Georgina’s lives are at risk,” he ground out. “I’m not going to do anything reckless.”

  From behind, Devon muttered, “I can’t do this,” and made a move to rush the gate.

  Greyston flung out his walking stick, slicing the man across the waist. “Don’t be a bloody fool!”

  Devon stumbled backward with an ‘Oomph,’ but didn’t go down.

  Lily pushed between the two men and grabbed Devon’s arm.

  “You have a deal with Evelyn,” she hissed. “She would keep within the castle and you would keep within the walls. If you break that promise, Devon, you will never get the opportunity to apologise. Is that what you want? For Evelyn’s last memory of you to be a lie?”

  His jaw worked as he looked at her, the pale blue of his eyes frosted with loathing.

  For me or Agares? Lily didn’t give a fig. Let him hate her. At least he’d be alive.

  She spun away from him to find Georgina on her feet, walking with jerky bursts as if prodded forward. Which she probably was. A step behind her, Agares followed, still holding onto the leash rod.

  Once they’d closed roughly half the distance from the horses, Agares brought the procession to a halt. Close enough now for Lily to make eye contact.

  “Your little friend here may continue walking when you start,” Agares called out.

  Lily swallowed hard, her eyes trained on the demon as she stripped her gloves and shoved them into her coat pockets along with her hands. She couldn’t afford to fumble, or for her fingers to be numb, when she went for her sword.

  A warm breath came at her ear. “I’ve got your back.”

  “I know.” She took a deep breath, then stepped over the grating that ran along the line of the gates when they were closed.

  Her gaze switched to Georgina as she waited. When Georgina took one step forward, Lily took the next. Her pulse raced, her heart thumping inside her chest, but it didn’t feel like fear. Her nerves were solid, her mind streaming with the horrors from last night. The ungodly wailing as timber cottages burst into flames and crackled into charred heaps. The children lit up like tiny suns streaking out of smoking doorways into the blackened night. The flames, the screams, then the nothing.

  Another step.

  She felt an odd sensation of being exposed, as if she were walking outside naked.

  Another step, and that’s when she noticed that the leash attached to Georgina’s neck shackle hadn’t been released. The rod seemed to be extending as the distance between Georgina and Agares grew.

  It will break, she told herself. Kelan’s runes would dismantle all Agares’ tricks.

  Her gaze flicked to the demon. Agares hadn’t moved. She looked a picture of regal elegance in the expensive cut of her velvet riding habit, her blond curls artfully arranged in the latest fashion, her smile small and cynical, her eyes stalking Lily.

  Lily’s fingers itched to draw her blade. Her muscles strained to leap.

  She bit her lip and turned her eyes back on Georgina. When they were a handful of steps from crossing paths, she spoke in a low voice that wouldn’t carry, “Georgina? Georgina! Can you hear me?”

  Georgina stared directly ahead, taking one prodded, jerky step after the other. Absolutely no reaction. Her face was barely recognisable, which had little to do with the black-smears and soot. Georgina had a face that expressed more than any words. When she smiled, she invited the world to smile with her. When she teased, she made you a party to the secret with a saucy wink. Now her face was empty, as if she’d run out of thoughts to express.

  “It’s okay,” Lily said hoarsely, although she doubted Georgina could hear. Whatever you have done, you never deserved this. “You’ll be safe soon.”

  They drew up alongside each other. The next step, Lily took alone. Or had she missed it? Keeping her eyes on Georgina, Lily took another tentative step. Georgina didn’t move.

  Lily’s hands fisted in her pockets. She glanced over toward the gates. Greyston tapped the ground with his walking stick, his eyes darting from Georgina to the timepiece in his hand, then to her with a question forming on his brow.

  Beside him, Devon watched with a deathly fierce grimace. His gaze also skipped, from Lily to Georgina to Agares to Lily to Georgina to Agares…

  Lily looked back to Greyston with a small shake of her head. Not yet. He was too far away for private consultation. In fact, she w
as now closer to Agares. And Georgina was closer to the gates.

  Another twenty-five paces and Georgina would be safe.

  Almost there, but it might as well have been a mile. Lily hadn’t actually seen Agares in action at Stobcross House, but she’d imagined it a thousand times. The flick of fingers, the ice spreading over every surface and feeding into every crack with the speed of a fire bolt, freezing through skin and veins and bone before the victims even registered a shiver.

  “Oh, dear me, why all the long faces?” Agares called out, sounding pleased with herself. “Aren’t we having fun yet?”

  Lily’s head whipped forward. “Did you honestly think I’d come without a trick of my own up my sleeve?”

  “Honestly…?” Agares drew out. “No. That’s why we’re going to play a game. I heard the most unlikely rumour, you see, that you’ve made new allies out of old enemies. I hardly give it any credence, but it would be plain silly to take any chances, don’t you agree?”

  She must mean me and Kelan. Or rather, Raimlas and a McAllister.

  Agares tilted her head, all the way to the left, her cheek nearly resting on her shoulder. Her eyes went past Lily. “Which one of you fine lads is Lord Adair?”

  Lily spun about in confusion, just in time to see Greyston slide himself in front of Devon.

  “No games,” he clipped out loudly. “Release Georgina.”

  “But that’s your role in our little game,” Agares shot back. She dropped her end of the leash and the rod tipped in a long angle from Georgina’s neck to the ground

  “There, I’ve severed my connection. All you have to do is collect her. Uh, uh…” She wagged a finger, although nobody had budged. “First, the rules. Lady Perth must continue on toward me as you make your move. If she hesitates or stops before you’ve secured your prize, the game is over. You lose. And by ‘you’, I mean your lovely lady friend with the noose around her neck. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the moment I severed my connection, the noose started constricting. She has approximately two minutes left before she chokes to death.”