by Jayne Hawke
THIRTY-SIX
My vision was quickly fading as my body focused its precious remaining energy on keeping me moving towards the safe house. Every step was agonising and felt as though it might just be my last. My body felt like a lead weight as I slowly inched closer to safety. A roar filled the air. The sound of pure unadulterated rage. Powerful arms lifted me, and Ethan's scent wrapped me in a blissful cocoon. I could let go of consciousness now, everything would be ok.
"You need some of my blood," Ethan growled.
"No. You need it in your body," I said.
"You need it to heal."
The scent of fresh blood filled my nostrils and called to my magic.
"Can I at least get it in a wine glass?" I mumbled.
My tongue wasn't functioning right anymore. The darkness was closing in.
The warm tingling sensation of fresh blood magic burst into my system. Ethan had pressed his open wrist to my lips. He apparently thought I was a vampire. Consciousness slowly returned, and I became aware of Ethan's movement, and the pack around me. A feeling of revenge fluttered in the back of my mind.
The pack's words were weirdly distant and muted, but I could feel the sensation running through them. Murder. Vengeance. Righteous wrath. As soon as I had the strength to do so, I pushed Ethan's wrist away. I wasn't going to drain the man I loved dry. I was pretty attached to his being alive and well. He was far sexier that way.
Someone plied me with health potions in delicate vials. I was aware of the cold crystal against my lips quickly followed by the icy liquid flowing down my throat. It sang in my veins, pulling me back into the world of the living. My bones knit back together in a horrifying sensation I never wanted to feel again. Next were my muscles, which itched unbearably. Ethan held my hands still so I wouldn't claw at myself.
When I could finally open both eyes and see, I saw the pack crowded in around me. Sin gently passed me a bowl of something pale cream and warm.
"It has more magic. Drink it slowly," he said softly.
Wrinkles had formed around his eyes as he looked at me with such deep concern. I must really have looked like shit.
"I almost had him. He just got lucky," I said.
Cade and Kerry laughed. Ethan just pursed his lips and held me a little tighter.
"It was Liam, wasn't it?" Matt asked.
"Yea. The bastard kidnapped and tried to beat me into believing in his cause. I managed to tap into his blood and get away."
I took a spoonful of the soup and found it to be unlike anything I'd tried before. The taste was somewhere between chicken soup and something fresh and leafy.
"It's an elven recipe full of magic to help you heal quickly," Sin said.
"Thank you," Ethan said.
Once the soup was finished, I almost felt like a person again. I slumped against Ethan. Sitting up required too much energy. I could move my limbs freely, though, if I chose, which was pretty big progress.
"What exactly happened?" Ethan asked.
"I was going for a jog and the next thing I know he was stuffing me into some small house a couple of blocks away from here. He had it wrapped in wards so my eye passed over it. There was no big speech this time. He just told me he was disappointed in me, how I was squandering my potential, and some other bullshit. I threw everything at him, but he's a full-blooded god. A crazy maniacal god, but still a god."
"Did you find a weakness?" Dean asked.
"My blood magic. I used it to throw his own magic and strength against him. I can't do it permanently though."
"I think it's best if-"
I cut Ethan off.
"Don't you dare even think about saying that I should have a babysitter. Just because he kicked my ass this time doesn't mean I won't be ready next time," I said.
"I was going to say I think it's best if you rest tonight," Ethan said.
He stroked my hair and finally began to relax a little.
"Any progress on the pocket dimension plan?" I asked.
"We're going to have to speak to Ryn. He's the only being we know who has the kind of power to pull something like that off," Cade said.
Oh, joy, another meeting with our elf overlord.
"What will that cost us?" I asked.
"He owes me, and it will benefit his business and territories to have Liam put away," Ethan said.
I didn't like the idea of passing this on to Ryn, but there didn't look like there was any other option. It wasn't as though we could swing by the local magical supply shop and buy a pocket dimension. That would have been really handy, though. I could store so many things in a few pocket dimensions.
"What do we need to do to get that particular ball rolling?" I asked.
"I'll make arrangements to speak with him tomorrow. Tonight you are going to eat magical brownies and watch movies with me," Ethan said firmly.
"You know how to make a girl feel really special," I said with a grin.
"I try."
"Are there any other crazy family members we need to know about?" Dean asked.
"Honestly? I have no idea. I thought both of my parents were amazing and normal last month. I could have an evil twin for all I know, or maybe a small group of siblings who're waiting for their moment to take over the world like dear old Dad."
Dean sighed.
"Hey, maybe it'll be someone else's turn next. Kerry, do you have a good twin out there somewhere who'd like to take us out?"
Kerry visibly preened. "I do like how you know I'd be the evil twin."
THIRTY-SEVEN
Ryn graced us with his presence the next afternoon. He walked into the kitchen as though he owned the place. I watched him closely; after everything that had happened I wasn't all that happy about having strangers in my home. Robin and Marion sat at his feet waiting patiently for some ear rubs.
"Tell me about this fallen," Ryn said.
The elf turned to me, his gaze hard as though all of this was my fault.
"Well, he's about 6'5, dark hair..."
Ryn narrowed his eyes a little.
"He's a fallen war god with some death magic mixed up in there. He's incredibly powerful. My mother used blood magic to bind him, but he found out and killed her. He seems to have the classic villain plan of taking over the world."
Ryn nodded.
"I don't usually interact with the fallen. They are their own thing. As long as they stay out of my business, I stay out of theirs. Unfortunately, it would seem that this ‘Liam’ is going to be difficult. At first, I was tempted to dump him on the Hades god touched, as they are a constant thorn in my side, but I believe that won't work in the long term. As such, we will have to form a small pocket dimension. There is the risk that he will break out of it, but we will deal with that when it happens."
I bit back my comment about the world burning around us and that being how the movie sequel always goes.
"The pocket dimension will be difficult and will require a number of us working together. That means that the necromancer is yours to deal with. Do so quickly. I have received word that he has returned from whatever minor underworld he was hiding in. Make sure you kill him permanently this time. I do not suffer mistakes lightly."
I clenched my fists and said nothing. I wasn't going to get into a fight with the ruler of the fae territories. I wasn't going to do it. I swore his face was more punchable by the second as he stood there in the kitchen watching me.
"Find Liam and the necromancer. Contact us when you have done so. We will make arrangements from there."
Ryn gave the enfields ear rubbings before he strode back out of our home.
"Hasn't he heard of telephones?" I said as soon as he'd stepped outside.
"He was already in the city and wanted to see how your magic was coming along," Ethan said.
"Why does he care about my magic?"
Suspicion began to fill me. It seemed that the fae had all agreed my particular parentage made me rather useful, but there wasn't a chance that I was going to bow and bec
ome Ryn's personal bounty hunter or some shit. I didn't care how powerful he was.
"You're unusual, he keeps a track of potential threats," Ethan said casually.
I exhaled slowly. That wasn't too bad.
"You can tell him that I have no interest in ruling. There's far too much paperwork involved."
Ethan snorted.
"Perhaps you'll catch paperwork sickness like Cade does."
"I swear I'm allergic. It's really tragic," Cade said.
"I'm sure there are salves for that," Sin said with a wicked grin.
"I'll live, we have a system in place," Cade said.
Ethan rolled his eyes.
"He means he pays Ben in doughnuts to do his paperwork for him," Ethan said.
"There are worse things to be paid in," Sin said evenly.
"See! Sin's on board with my fantastic system," Cade said.
"So you'll be happy if I start paying you in doughnuts," Ethan said.
Cade frowned.
"Now that's a bit different..."
"Come on. We have a necromancer to find. Kerry, what do we know about him? What will he be doing first? Where is his safe house? Can we shut down his bank accounts and such? Who are his friends and allies? Enemies? We need everything."
Kerry rolled her eyes.
"I've only had two cups of coffee so far today, give me a minute. This guy's far better at hiding than you'd think. I don't know if that's because the witches were hiding him or because he's just that good."
"Why would the witches hide him?" I asked.
"Because he's still a witch. It's in his blood," Cade said.
"He's a necromancer. He slaughtered his entire coven!" I said.
"Which means that he took out some competition and demonstrated that he's strong and capable. His blood would be potent, which would produce nice strong witch babies," Cade said.
The more I learnt about witches the more wrong they seemed.
"What about the knights? Do we have anything on them and their progress? Can we use their information somehow?" Ethan said.
"The knights are in hiding somewhere. I haven't found a thing on them," Kerry said.
"You're failing me, cat."
Kerry glared at him.
"I never fail," she growled.
"Then get to work and prove it," Ethan barked back.
THIRTY-EIGHT
The necromancer wasn't screwing around this time. We'd expected him to take a couple of days to get his bearings, get used to being alive again. No such luck.
Ethan and I raced down by the river towards the anguished scream of an older woman. It was pitch black, late enough that I should have been curled up on the couch in front of the TV. The scream came again. I pushed my legs to go faster. Ethan was edging in front of me, and there wasn't a chance that I was going to look weak. Not after the beating my father gave me.
We turned the slight bend near the bridge and found the woman being attacked by two shades. The spirits had once been people who were resting very peacefully in whatever afterlife they'd come from. The necromancer had yanked them from that afterlife and dropped them on the plane of the living. They hated that. They really hated that.
Shades were vicious and a pain in the ass to fight. They were mostly transparent, incredibly fast, and mean. They were ethereal bundles of rage, which I didn't entirely blame them for. I was pretty pissed when someone dragged me out of bed early; being taken from a blissful afterlife was a million times worse. Still, that sympathy evaporated when I saw one raking its long claws over the woman's face.
I reached out with my witch magic trying to find something to grasp onto to destroy it. Ethan beat me to it. Or at least I think he did. The shades vanished and the woman stopped screaming. That was until she saw us, then she screamed again and ran towards the main town. Rude.
"You were fast, I didn't even get my witch magic warmed up," I said.
"That wasn't me," Ethan said with a frown.
We looked around. There was no sign of the shades. They couldn't hide fully the way a lich naturally did, and they were primal. Shades just acted upon that rage, which usually meant they tried to kill whatever people were near at hand.
Another scream came from across the bridge. It was going to be a long night.
**
Ethan and I spent the night running around the city trying to rescue people from shades. The rest of the pack was in a similar situation. We finally returned home just as the sunrise was turning a warm golden colour. I slumped down at the kitchen table and let my head rest on the wood. A few minutes to rest my eyes wouldn't be the end of the world.
"We didn't catch a single one!" Cade grumbled.
"Us either," Dean said.
"Neither did we," Ethan said.
Suspicion filled the room. I groaned. That meant the necromancer was screwing with us.
"I am not reading more books," I muttered.
"We need to know how to perma-kill the bastard. None of us have dealt with a necromancer like this before, and we can't afford to learn from doing," Ethan said.
I hated when he was right. And he was always right, damn him.
"Fine. Someone hit me with some magical coffee. I am not going to be able to stay awake like this," I said.
"I've been brewing something for just such an occasion," Matt said.
"Has it been tested?" I asked.
"Not exactly... the formula holds up though," Matt said with a grin.
"Hit me. It's not like I have any other options right now," I said.
Matt's grin broadened. He pulled a handful of neon pink tablets out of his pocket and dropped them into the coffee machine along with some silver glittery stuff, and then the coffee grounds.
"Is it too late to get normal coffee?" Cade asked.
"Yes," Matt said.
"This had better not make my hair fall out. I have beautiful hair," Cade said.
Kerry petted his hair.
"It's ok, it'll never be as nice as mine."
"If there any side-effects, they'll be a deep burning somewhere around your soul, an itch which you can't quite locate, and the unending need to do jumping jacks," Matt said casually.
"Hold up, did you just say that my soul might catch fire?" Cade said.
"Technically, I said there might be a deep burning somewhere around your soul," Matt said as he began pouring the coffee.
"I don't know about you guys, but I was pretty attached to keeping my soul in exactly the shape it's in," Cade said.
"More for me, then," Kerry said with a grin.
Cade narrowed his eyes. I could practically see his competitive spirit rising within him.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting from the coffee. A glittery tongue at the very least. Matt placed our cups down in front of us with the look of an excited puppy. I tried to hide the deep trepidation I was feeling. He was a fledgling alchemist, after all. Ethan picked up his cup and knocked back half of it in one big gulp. We all watched and waited to see what happened to him.
Kerry peered at him.
"Well, his hair's still there."
"Any soul burning?" Dean asked.
"Not that I can feel," Ethan said.
"Do you really want to do jumping jacks?" I asked.
"No."
I lifted my cup. It wasn't fair on Matt to put this off. He was deflating as we waited for Ethan to implode or something. I took a big mouthful and found that it tasted really good. The alchemical whatever had added a deep raspberry note to the coffee. I waited for something awful to happen. There wasn't even a nasty aftertaste.
Finishing my cup, I leaned back a little and wondered if maybe it just wasn't going to do anything at all. Then it hit me. The room suddenly became much brighter with small spots of bright white light bouncing around all over the place. I could feel each molecule of blood coursing through my veins. My hair was alive and the air was flowing slowly around us, tickling my scalp.
"I think I made it a bit too strong..." Matt said.
The shades were becoming more numerous as the hours ticked by. Sin helped Matt figure out what went wrong and managed to bring us down to the state we'd been in. Cade kept blinking slowly and staring at the cupboard.
"Never again," he whispered.
"We need a battle plan. Kerry, is there a pattern to the location of the shades? This necromancer has something big planned. And if he doesn't, then Liam does. The shades are a distraction, one that we can't afford to ignore. There have been three reported deaths so far. Ryn is not happy," Ethan said.
"I'm working on finding a pattern, but we need to figure out how to really kill him," Kerry said.
"Kit's a spell breaker, right?" Dean asked.
I looked at him.
"Yea..."
"Then spell break him. He's held together with threads of death magic and ill intent, right?" Dean said.
"I think so. The books weren't all that clear."
"So, break apart his magic. Tear it to dust."
"I have to admit, that sounds like a pretty good plan to me," Ethan said.
"To the books!" Cade cried.
He was definitely still feeling the hyped-up coffee.
"Kit, go with Cade to stop him from vibrating through a wall or some shit. Look into spell breaking and how that can be applied to our necromancer," Ethan said wearily.
He stood and pushed the coffee cup away with disdain.
"Dean, you're with me. We're going to try and remove those shades. Sin, talk to Ryn and see what's happening with the pocket dimension. Matt, see what you can do about breaking down the necromancer or Liam alchemically," Ethan added.
I really wanted to argue that maybe it wasn't such a great idea leaning on Matt's alchemy like that, but he looked so damn happy to have an important role. I couldn't take that from him.
"Come on, Cade, let's go and stare at some books," I said.
