Chimes At Midnight (The Grimoire Chronicles Book 3)

by Phaedra Weldon

  And some were, but not all. Levi and Crwys knew the real ones, and Sam was legitimate, but explaining that to Prescott had proven to be the biggest act of futility either of them had ever made. Prescott immediately suspected one of her detectives liked Samantha Hawthorne, and that just…well, it made Sam target enemy number one.

  And Detective King just added a whole lot of gas to that fire.

  "I knew it!" Prescott was up from her desk and pacing the small office. "Everything that's ever gone wrong in this part of the city has to do with that woman. I should shut her down and arrest her."

  "That would be a very bad thing to do," Crwys said and Levi could hear him restraining his anger. And Crwys had a pretty fiery—no joke—temper. "Sam's permits are in order and she's never been cited or had a complaint lodged against her."

  Prescott stopped and looked up at Crwys. "She's harboring a fugitive."

  "We don't know that," King said, and Levi was pretty sure the woman was catching onto something. She'd come in full of righteous need and a plan, and had quickly pulled back after seeing Prescott's…rather pointed obsession with the weird and strange. Levi sensed King had some knowledge, and he’d also sensed something else about her. Something familiar. Not necessarily her, but there was a scent about her. He wasn't sure if it was on her clothing or her person, but he wanted to investigate if further. He couldn't exactly read minds, but he could pick up on impressions, and Detective Marlene King had some seriously different impressions.

  "Then let's go find out." Prescott opened her desk and pulled out her purse.

  She led the way out of the station and outside into the thick Louisiana heat. As they turned to the right and piled into two cars, Prescott in hers and the other three in the Mustang, King said, "Is it always this hot here?"

  "Sometimes it's worse," Levi said as he got in the back to give King shotgun.

  Once they were on the streets and making the few turns needed to get over to Bourbon and Bell, Book and Candle, King turned in the seat and looked at each of them. "Look…I'm new to all this, and Dags McConnell tried to explain what he could to me. But I know kind of what took Mike Ross. I just don't know how…" She looked uncomfortable. "The penal code of this country doesn't exactly have laws on how to deal with murders committed by possessed individuals."

  Crwys glanced at her. "Then why in the hell did you go to Prescott and not try to find Dags directly?"

  "Because I just assumed your captain already knew about all this…shit." She held up her hands, indicating the entire city. "I didn't know she was a crazed idiot with a seriously messed up fixation on this…this Samantha person."

  "Sam's a Witch," Crwys said as he kept up with Prescott. "And she's a powerful one. Mike's her friend, and so is Dags. Mike's a good person."

  "I know. I met him before he was…" She made a face. "Possessed. God…all of this is just so weird."

  "Tell me about it," Levi said.

  She looked back at him and smiled. Levi was a bit put off that Ashur took that moment to reveal itself to her. He felt his canines elongate to where they were visible below his lip and knew his eyes had gone completely black.

  But King didn't give the kind of reaction either of them expected. Instead, her eyes widened and she pointed at him. "You're like Raven!"

  Raven?

  Raven? Ashur's private voice with him said softly, with a bit of surprise. It can't be.

  Who's Raven?

  The name of the soldier, the host my sister made a pact with a very long time ago.

  "What's he saying?" Crwys said from the driver's seat. They were pulling into the parking area for Bell, Book and Candle. The placed looked closed up.

  "Ashur knows that name," Levi said as Ashur relinquished control of his body. He sat forward and looked at King. "You've met a woman named Raven, like me?"

  "Yes. You're a Vampire."

  "Revenant. And you're acting very calm about it."

  "Yeah, well…" She made a face when Crwys stopped the car. "I've seen more than I care to this past month. I'll just say that Raven was protecting Dags. Sort of…working with Mike Ross."

  That's interesting.

  "Why?" Levi said aloud as they got out and ran to catch up to Prescott, who was already banging on the back door.

  Because Raven and Ashur were in Alfheim on a mission to speak to the queens when…

  Crwys stopped and looked at Levi, and he knew Crwys could hear the demon. "When what?" Levi said aloud.

  When Azazel laid waste to the realm.

  Crwys looked away and Levi knew at that moment the Drachen had no idea. He beat himself up regularly for that day, for allowing his mother to convince him to commit the ultimate crime, to become the scapegoat for all time for the destruction of the middle realm and the death of millions of its inhabitants.

  Levi held up his hand for Crwys, in a sign that they could talk about this later. Crwys nodded and turned his attention back to Prescott, who was yelling at the back door.

  "Uh, Captain," Levi said as he moved past King and Crwys. "We don't have a warrant and apparently no one's here."

  She turned and glared at him. "Or they're in there hiding. I want a warrant to search these premises. Detective King, you're coming with me so you can relay your theories to a judge I'm on good terms with. I will get inside this building."

  Prescott went back to her car and King leaned toward both of them. "Want me to stall? I'm assuming you two have a key?"

  Crwys snorted. "Yeah. Stall all you can. In fact"—and he grinned now—"make sure that at the right minute, you tell this judge about the demons and Revenants—say Vampires—that are living in this house. And mention a Djinn and possessed Witches."

  She glared up at him. "You do know he might report that back to my captain."

  "Nah," Levi said. "We know the judge she's going to see. He's a Witch and he'll figure it out. Just stall her so we can figure this out."

  "He's a Witch…are there any people like me in this city? Just plain human?" King strode to the captain's car and got in with her.

  Prescott leaned out the window. "You two stay here and make sure no one comes in or leaves."

  Crwys saluted her as she drove off. "I got a bad feeling about this."

  "Especially since you told them to stay here."

  "No heartbeats coming from inside?"

  "Nope."

  Crwys rubbed at his face. "Perfect."

  Seventeen

  YOU'RE NOT WHAT i EXPECTED

  scylla

  The world of the Emerald Queen became like a dream for me. The cherry trees, thick loamy grass and bright blue sky blurred into a single image as I sat by the pool, trying to remember why I was there and why I'd been so eager to leave. I had no idea how long I'd been there, since time seemed irrelevant. Could have been a minute, a day, a week, or a decade.

  I knew Scylla was nearby because I could hear him talking, but I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. I heard him. Considered his words for a bit and then eventually I formed an answer. "So…why did…you choose a…body….over your sister's…murderer?"

  I winced inwardly. I sounded like a crazy person. And Mike would…

  Mike.

  Who was Mike?

  "Well, I never thought you were truly listening," Scylla said and I kept my eye on this weird, fuzzy cat that hovered nearby. It looked mean. And mean didn't seem right in this fantastic place. "Perhaps Morgana doesn't truly have all of you yet. Is there something wrong with your name?"

  "My name?"

  "Listen carefully to me, boy." Scylla's pretty face loomed large, and I tried to move away from it but couldn't. "Can you remember anything of what just happened?"

  Just happened?

  I shook my head.

  "Morgana figured out you were Daoine Sidhe. My turncoat Djinn over here gave her your name after she glamoured a set of pointy ears on you."

  "Pointy…ears?" I reached up to touch my ears, but they felt normal. Round. I was disappointed.


  "Yeah, you don't actually have pointy ears. Morgana's good at illusion. I think she did that to keep your attention. I sense you're more human than Faerie, which means you have a stronger humanity. That's something you do not want taken away," he paused. "So…is your name not Dags?"

  Dags.

  What a funny name. I shook my head. "No."

  Scylla smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere. I need you to concentrate on your real name for me. Don't say it out loud."

  >I want his body.<

  My gaze shifted to the fuzzy man. Scylla moved away too. "Well, you can’t have his body, Rip.”

  >But that’s the one I want. It’s powerful, and it can move between worlds.<

  "Come again?"

  I didn't know what he meant.

  >Give me his body.<

  "Rip, if you take another…er…floating step toward us, I will dismiss you."

  >You can't here. Morgana gave me permission.<

  Was this important? It was boring. So I did what Scylla told me to do and concentrated on my real name. Only I couldn't find it. Huh…I knew my name wasn't Dags. That was a nickname. So what was I really called? Think, think, think…

  "I really don't think she gave you permission to take her new prize's body, Rip. And there is something you’ve forgotten…” Scylla looked at the cat through a furrowed brow. “He’s half Faerie. You can’t possess anything Faerie."

  I sort of felt a coldness around me. Sort of because I was still trying to dredge up my name. I was seated in front of a huge toy box with a million names in it, all stenciled on blocks. I pulled them out one at a time and when that wasn't my name, I tossed it aside because putting it back in the chest would just be silly.

  "Ripp'n Jack, I command you to leave him alone!"

  >Oh…what power this body possesses…and this book—<

  I felt a slight lurch in my stomach and my room with my toy chest shook like an earthquake happened. I tumbled into the box, and there, I could look faster for my name.

  >This book won't let me!<

  "Then listen to the book. Ripp'n Jack, I order you to get away from Dags!"

  >No! See? Here, you can't order me around! In Alfheim, the Drachen’s curse doesn't work!<

  Drachen’s curse. A Drachen put a curse on him. What the hell was a Drachen? I stopped with two blocks in my hand, one in each and looked at them. Both of the names seemed familiar. But which one?

  The room shook again and a book appeared in front of me with bright yellow light shining from between the covers. Still clutching the two blocks, I climbed out of the chest and ran to it. It opened then, as I closed my eyes from the light—

  DARREN!

  The power of that named released a cacophony of images, memories, feelings, and sounds. I held up my hand as the book released them all back to me, and a scream started low and then built into a crescendo, which barked its way out into the waking world and—

  "Ow!" Scylla said.

  I stood by the pool, once again remembering where I was. The Incubus was on the ground to my left, wiggling his pinkies in his ears. And the Djinn…

  Was coming after me, a full-on half human, half smoke apparition that jolted me into defending myself. I held up my right palm and blasted the thing with light. It screamed and dissipated immediately. I didn't believe for one second he was gone and stood there, looking everywhere in the garden, listening to any sound to signal his return.

  "That…was impressive," Scylla said as he stood. "So you found your name—don't—say it out loud. Rip's not gone, he's just licking his wounds. He'll be back. Once he gets a bone, I noticed he doesn't let it go."

  I kept my hands up and stared at Scylla as he dusted himself off. "You…you're not what I expected."

  "What would you expect? All I did upon our first encounter was put your friends to sleep. No harm done. Until you tossed me back into the shadows and created some weird ward I couldn't cross." He put his hands on his hips. "How exactly did you do that? Is it part of this book I keep hearing about?"

  "I uh…" I shouldn't trust this guy. I knew his charm was part of what he was. But he did have a way of getting trust, didn't he? Mike wouldn't trust him.

  Mike.

  Sam!

  "Scylla…where's Samantha?"

  "The Witch? She came through with you, or so you told Morgana."

  "Yeah, but she didn't come here."

  "No, Morgana plucked you from the Cairn. So I'm assuming the Witch continued on to your destination, which I believe was the Obsidian Palace."

  I lowered my arms. "Shit…then it's possible Brendi already has her, and Mike and Ivan."

  Scylla nodded. "I'm not familiar with Ivan, but I think I can say with complete positivity that's a given. Which I'm sure tangles your web a bit more, doesn't it?"

  I looked at him.

  He held up his hand. "Brendi wants you, she hired me to bring you in, but she threatened to take this lovely body from me and I'm afraid I don't plan on letting it go anytime soon…" he paused and put his hand to his chest. "If Brendi can't have you, she'll take the Witch because of the pact, or agreement or whatever they called it. And she'll have this Mike and Ivan too as bargaining chips to keep the Witch compliant, that is until she uses the Witch's name and makes her into a Hunt hound."

  "Mike is Brendi's father."

  "Well…that is news." He shrugged. "But Brendi is heading down that path now, into the Dark Faerie. She won't listen to him because she wants you. And given your power, and the fact you're Daoine…it's making a lot more sense now. Does she know about this book?"

  "I…I don't know."

  "Probably. Either way, you've also got an added concern. Morgana is alerting her sisters as we speak to the presence of a male Daoine in Alfheim. Do you realize how rare that is?"

  "Rare?"

  "The last known males were the four kings, and no one knows where they are. The queens won't say. So to have another one here? I'd say you'd better find a way back to the Human Realm, and fast."

  I stared at Scylla for several seconds, long enough for him to say, "What?"

  "You really aren't what I expected."

  "I hear that a lot."

  "You didn't answer my question."

  His brows arched. "About what?"

  "You choosing a body over your sister's murderer."

  He seemed to consider the question, and perhaps his answer. "My sister's murderer is still there. There is a name for them, of which I will find with or without Brendi's help. But passage into the Human Realm isn't as easy as it sounds, not for my kind. Having the Queen afford me the opportunity to have this body—that was a dream come true. It freed me from a life here." He held out his hands.

  "But this is a beautiful place."

  "Here…yes. But only because the Faerie queens make it so. This world is still recovering from a devastating blow it was dealt a very long time ago. By my uncle." He smiled. "Ask old Crwys to tell you what he did. You might not side with him so easily in the future. But, to continue, this world is a devastated husk except where the queens live. Their power holds it all together. But sometimes the constant strain of it makes them a little crazy. Medbh is a good example."

  "Yeah. I can see that." I also remembered the vast desert Sam, Mike and I had to cross from Hob's grotto to Alfheim. Everything looked like it'd been wiped out by a nuclear bomb. Luckily, we'd been able to travel the ley lines to the palace that day.

  "When Brendi threatened to take this body from me, that also threatened my freedom to punish this murderer. Without my body, I'm little more than thought and form and power. But I can't affect the Physical World, which is where I'm sure the murderer is hiding. In this form, I still have a chance to find them."

  "So you chose means over answer."

  "Yes. Because means can give me the answer later." He turned abruptly and then held up his hand. "Morgana's back. If there is a way for you to get out of Alfheim fast, I'd do it now."

  I looked at the pool.

  "No, sh
e's already blocked that off." He looked at the ground. "And she's with two of her sisters. Tzariene and Oona. Yeah…you'd better go now or you'll never get out of here."

  "Why…why are you helping me?" I wasn't sure how the hell I was gonna get out of there. Not without a Cairn. And Scylla's continued helpfulness was kinda freaking me out.

  "I don't have an argument with you. You've never attacked me or my family. There is no history. I might be a creature of lust and power, but I have a mind, Dags McConnell. And I can make my own decisions. And…I just don’t like Brendi Big Mouth." He jerked again. "They're coming!"

  I really had no idea how I was going to get out of there. Hiding behind a cherry tree seemed the worst thing I could do, and silly.

  The book's pages began to flip, and I did and didn’t want it to give me an out. The didn't came from not really knowing if I should trust Scylla with the knowledge of the Grimoire.

  But even I could feel the approach of something powerful. And something…

  Familiar?

  A spell that made no freak’n sense to me came to my head. I tried figuring it out and realized that wasn’t going to happen.

  “You have to leave!”

  “I don’t know how!” I hissed at him.

  Abruptly, the book closed and my hands grew warm. I turned them over to look at my palms as strange symbols wrote themselves out in green light. It hurt a little and Scylla watched in fascination.

  "What is that?" he said.

  I shook my head and then I knew.

  I knew what they did.

  But was it possible the Grimoire could do that?

  I turned away from the approaching footsteps and held my hands out. A wide circle of spiraling symbols formed with a deep growl and blast of light. It hovered just above the ground and stayed.

  Scylla clapped. "You really are a Daoine! HURRY! It won't last long."

  I looked back at him. “It’s not me, it’s the book!” And he ran up and shoved me through.

  My stomach twisted in on itself as I became disoriented. Darkness took my sight for a few seconds. There was nothing. No light. No feeling. No sound. Just…nothing.