Wicked Magic

by Margot de Klerk

  “Something has been bothering me. Why did you approach Nathan, that first time in TWL? Was that just a coincidence?”

  Nathan looked back at Kseniya. Her cheeks had gone pink with embarrassment.

  “This is not the first time I am seeing him,” she said.

  “Huh?” Nathan asked.

  “You rescued little girl,” Kseniya said. “I was there.” She touched a spot on her arm. “I have… nevidimost.”

  “Invisibility,” Adrian filled in when Nathan drew a blank.

  “Yes, I can be invisible. For short time only.” Kseniya nodded firmly. “I run away at the same time as the child. I see you helping her.”

  “And you thought I’d help you, too,” Nathan guessed.

  “Yes,” Kseniya said. “You are kind. Not like other hunters. And I remembered Monica.”

  Monica grimaced.

  “It’s okay,” Kseniya told her. “You are forgiven.”

  “For what?” Adrian asked. Monica shook her head hurriedly.

  “Never you mind.” Monica turned to Kseniya. “For now, you’ll stay with me, okay? We’ll deal with the Sahir first, and then we can sort out what you’re going to do.”

  Kseniya wrapped her arms around herself. Her gaze flicked to Nathan, and he had the impression that she was asking for permission. But to do what? Nathan nodded at her, and that must have been the right response. Kseniya turned back to Monica.

  “Thank you,” she murmured sincerely.

  Adrian looked up from his phone. “I have to go speak to Damien,” he said. “Nate, you fancy a trip to the prison?”

  “I guess.” Nathan downed the last of his coffee and grabbed his jacket. “You good from here?” he asked Monica.

  “Sure. Let me know what you find out?”

  “Won’t Jeremiah tell you?” Adrian asked.

  Monica scowled. “Get lost, you.”

  Nathan and Adrian headed out. It was a short walk over to the prison, which was good, because early December had brough drizzle and a frosty chill to the air. Inside the prison was similarly cold. Damien met them immediately at the foot of the stairs and led them towards the cells.

  “The Council believe that this death may be the latest in a string of disappearances,” he said as they walked. “Which would mean that we have at least two other bodies that are unaccounted for.”

  Adrian swore under his breath. “Why was this kept quiet?”

  “In all likelihood, for the same reason that the witches have been keeping quiet about their business,” Damien said mildly. “They wished to deal with it on their own. Jeremiah has agreed to put it before the Hunter Council. Perhaps they can force the hands of the witches.” His gaze settled on Nathan. “I rather fear the time has come and passed for the Councils to get involved in this matter.”

  “You don’t say,” Nathan muttered.

  “What’s that bring the death toll to?” Adrian asked. “Three witches, two vampires?”

  “I believe so,” Damien said. “Jeremiah has asked us to have a word with our black mage once more, before he convenes with the hunters. What did you find out from Kseniya Krovopuskov?”

  Adrian recapped their conversation briefly.

  “It’s more or less what Jeremiah and I had already surmised,” Damien said. “But if there’s a threat to the vampires, they certainly haven’t come forward with it.”

  “Maybe they have another in with the Witch Council?” Nathan asked.

  “Maybe. Nevertheless, we will alert the hunters. We should be on our guard, especially as the Witch Council appear to have knowingly concealed the presence of the Sahir in Oxford.”

  “For how long, I wonder?” Adrian asked.

  “A good question.” Damien made a motion for silence as he led them down the stairs and into hearing distance of their prisoner. “Good afternoon,” he said courteously. “It seems we have much to discuss.”

  “You’re welcome to tell me all you know, vampire,” the mage said smugly. “It’s not as though I can tell anyone.”

  “I saw an interesting thing, recently,” Adrian said conversationally. “Strange, really. Never seen anything like it. And I’ve seen a lot, you know. Comes with the territory.”

  “Is that so?”

  Adrian held up the Sihr knife. “Seems to be a result of using these. I was thinking we might test it. How do you suppose we get it to work?” He shot a glance at Damien. “Reckon we could test it on this guy, I mean, it’s not as though we need him anymore. We have Kseniya.”

  “The lowlife won’t be able to give you the information you seek,” the mage said.

  “You’d be surprised.” Adrian stepped closer to the bars. “I’ve learnt a thing or two. One of them is, be careful how you treat the people who work for you. You never know when they turn on you—and they always know more than you think they do.”

  Damien shifted slightly, shadows from the torches playing over his face. Nathan flicked a glance between him and Adrian. There was a story there. He was sure of it.

  “Perhaps a simple test,” Damien said. “I’m sure Ms Krovopuskov can assist us in discovering the correct methodology.”

  “Come closer, vampire, and I’ll show you how it works,” the mage mocked.

  “I think not,” Damien said, perfectly politely. “I am quite attached to my ongoing existence.”

  “Shame. With you as a victim, I would be unstoppable.”

  “Is that so?” Adrian asked. “I didn’t think vampires made good victims.”

  “Not all of them.” The mage’s gaze was calculating. “But this one will. You’re not like the others.”

  “You’re mistaken,” Damien said coolly. “I am very much like the others. I will enjoy the taste of your blood as much as any other.”

  “Perhaps more. Isn’t that so?”

  “I am capable of being civilised,” Damien said. “With the right incentive. Come, I don’t believe we’ve anything else to gain from being here.” He turned and strode away. Nathan and Adrian exchanged confused glances before following him.

  Why had Damien cut things short? That was weird.

  They ascended the stairs in silence. Damien took them on the most direct route through the maze-like passages, eventually stopping outside a sturdy door.

  “This is where I leave you. Adrian, please show Nathan out, then meet me back here.”

  Adrian nodded sharply. “Let’s go.”

  They headed for the stairs. Abruptly, Adrian grabbed Nathan’s arm, bundling him into an antechamber.

  “What—”

  Adrian slammed a hand over Nathan’s mouth. “Shh!”

  A few moments later, Nathan heard what Adrian had picked up: footsteps and voices echoing down the passageway.

  “…not too optimistic. As always, the Vampire Council seem to delight in leading us around by the noses.”

  “I assure you, you have our fullest cooperation,” Jeremiah replied.

  Nathan met Adrian’s gaze; seeing his own panic echoed back at him. Who was Jeremiah speaking to? A moment later, it got worse.

  “It’s taken long enough, hasn’t it?” a familiar voice said. A chill ran down Nathan’s spine. That was his father! “This is at least the fourth request we’ve made.”

  “Initially, we thought we had the investigation handled,” Jeremiah replied smoothly. “I apologise that that wasn’t the case. But the Vampire Council has nothing to hide. We want to figure this out as much as you do.”

  “Let us hope that’s the case,” the first voice said heavily. Nathan edged to the door, peering through the crack as the men passed: Dad, Jeremiah, Uncle Jeff, and another man. It was Patrick Longhorn, the head of the Hunter Council. Nathan had only met him once or twice, and he’d never had much of a favourable impression. Longhorn looked more like a politician than a hunter, in his well-pressed suits, with his perfectly combed hair.

  He was young for a Council head, but despite that no one dared disrespect him. His reputation was fearsome.

  “
Most assuredly,” Jeremiah said.

  “Good,” Longhorn said. “It will take our combined resources to solve this mess.”

  “Have you any idea what could have caused this?” Dad asked. “I presume you’re familiar with the photos by now.”

  “It’s out of our remit,” Uncle Jeff said. “Nothing in the hunter records.”

  “Nor ours,” Jeremiah said. “We have, however, succeeded in isolating a weapon. Damien was supposed to be speaking to the prisoner to understand how it works, but the mage has proven harder to crack than we previously thought.”

  “A weapon?” Longhorn asked, his voice fading out of hearing. “I thought this had to be spellwork…”

  For at least a minute after their footsteps disappeared, Nathan and Adrian stood frozen in the gloom. Finally, Adrian shook himself.

  “Let’s get you out of here.”

  They headed upstairs in silence. Nathan was panicking over the thought that they might run into more hunters, but it was getting towards closing time, and everything was deserted. Outside, Adrian sighed in relief.

  “That was too close.”

  “I know.” Nathan felt sick to the stomach.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “WHAT IS THIS THING Monica wants to do?” Cynthia asked as they walked over to Monica’s house the next weekend, overnight bags in tow. Nathan’s clinked audibly from the wine Monica had requested.

  “Some witch thing,” Nathan said. “I’m not exactly sure, but she thought it would be nice to get away for a day or two.”

  To say she’d thought it might have been an understatement. She’d actually called Nathan up in a complete huff on Wednesday and more or less ordered him to get permission to go away that weekend.

  “We all need a break,” she had informed him. “And I have an idea. Group bonding.”

  Nathan relayed that now, and Cynthia laughed.

  “Group bonding? Sounds fun.”

  “Witchy group bonding,” Nathan replied. “It’s probably not going to be, uh, holding hands and telling scary stories by torchlight.”

  “Is that hunter group bonding? Shifters usually go running in the woods.”

  Nathan grinned down at her. “That sounds fun, actually.”

  The temperature had dropped below freezing, and they were both bundled up in thick coats. Cynthia wore a matching red scarf, hat, and gloves with snowflakes on them. She’d been embarrassed. Nathan thought she looked adorable.

  “I don’t think hunters do group bonding,” Nathan said after a few moments.

  “Are there any other hunters your age around here?”

  “A few. I used to train with some of them occasionally, but Dad thought they were holding me back, so he switched me to one-one-one training.”

  “Intense.” Cynthia rubbed her hands together. “So what does witchy group bonding mean?”

  “Haven’t a clue.” Nathan shrugged. “But Monica was fretting about animal sacrifices, and we’re definitely getting out of the city for the night, so… yeah…”

  “You’re really selling it,” Cynthia said, rolling her eyes.

  “Just be prepared,” Nathan told her. “You can always hide your eyes against my chest when Monica does the killing bit.”

  “Hmm,” Cynthia mused. “That idea has merit.”

  “It does,” Nathan said.

  “Do you think we could sneak off and get some kissing done?” Cynthia asked. “We never seem to find time for it, in between all the supernatural drama.”

  “I think that’s an excellent idea,” Nathan agreed. “We could do that instead of going away.”

  Cynthia pretended to consider it. “Monica would kill us.”

  “Probably.” They had reached Monica’s house. Nathan rang the doorbell, and a moment later the door swung open.

  “There you are! I was beginning to think I needed to send out a search party.”

  “Okay, we’re not that late.” Nathan pushed past Monica into the hallway. “Mum and Dad were roleplaying the Spanish Inquisition. It’s freezing, isn’t it? We better be going somewhere warm.”

  “Definitely not,” Monica replied cheerfully. “We’re leaving as soon as Lily and Adrian get here.”

  Kseniya was waiting for them, bundled up in a thousand layers of warm clothes. Nathan was starting to get used to the way she stared at him whenever he was in the room. She seemed to be waiting for something, but he didn’t know what it was, so she was going to be waiting for a long time.

  “Hi, Kseniya,” he said.

  “Hello, Nathan,” she whispered.

  “Where are we going?” Cynthia asked Monica curiously. Monica had a huge bag waiting to go, and she was trying to stuff even more into it.

  “Oh, you’ll see,” Monica said distractedly. “It’s a long drive, though, so I hope you have a book or something.”

  “There’s enough space for six people, right?” Nathan asked. Thinking, he added, “And we’re not going to have trouble with inviting people in?”

  “The cottage belongs to Jeremiah, so no,” Monica said. “No trouble there.”

  Nathan didn’t know what sort of places Jeremiah kept for private use. He kept expecting old vampires to live in castles, but he’d been thoroughly disappointed so far; there wasn’t a single castle amongst Damien’s offering. Maybe Jeremiah would even the score. A guy could hope.

  A car hooted outside. Nathan pulled the door open and saw Lily’s sleek grey Porsche and Adrian’s battered Volkswagen parked on the road.

  “They’re here.”

  “Great, let’s go,” Monica said.

  They all piled into the cars. Nathan and Cynthia ended up riding with Adrian.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” Nathan asked Adrian once they’d pulled off. “Did Monica give you the address?”

  “Yep,” Adrian said.

  “And…?”

  “Suffolk.”

  “What?” Nathan asked. “Are you joking?”

  “You think I’d joke about a four-hour drive?” Adrian rolled his eyes. “Text her and ask. She was being all secretive.”

  Nathan pulled his phone out. Adrian fiddled with the radio, tuning it to some old-timey song.

  Nathan: Seriously? Suffolk?

  Monica: Oh come on it’s not that bad

  Monica: The other options were Lake District or Scotland

  Monica: At least we can do Suffolk in an overnight trip

  Nathan: What does Jeremiah even need with a cottage in Suffolk?

  Monica: Sometimes it’s better not to know

  They drove mostly in silence. Nathan found himself once again worrying about his father’s investigation. He felt trapped, like every second his father was drawing closer to finding out the truth. Worse, he didn’t feel like he could talk to anyone about it. Monica had Kseniya to worry about, and Cynthia couldn’t help anyway. There was only Adrian, but even he was looking tired and stressed out. The thoughts chased themselves in never-ending circles around his brain.

  What if? What next?

  Cynthia, for her part, put her head against the window and went straight to sleep. She looked tired, too. Nathan thought getting out of town would probably be good for all of them.

  After Stanstead, they pulled off the M11 and into a service station.

  “I thought vampires didn’t get tired,” Nathan teased.

  “Lily pulled off,” Adrian said, nodding to the Porsche.

  “Nice of them to text,” Nathan said sarcastically. “Keep us updated.”

  Adrian shrugged. He pulled up beside the Porsche and rolled his window down. Nathan shivered as the cold air drifted in.

  “Petrol,” Monica called across from the other car. “Also, let’s get coffee.”

  “Is there a Costa’s?” Cynthia asked sleepily from the backseat. “They do this mulled apple drink…”

  “I’ll get it for you,” Nathan volunteered, clambering out the car. The others shouted out their drinks orders, and he headed inside.

  “We’re
like an hour and a half out,” Monica said when he came back with coffees and teas for everyone. “Thanks,” she added, accepting her tea.

  “We should get going,” Nathan said.

  They were all cold, so no one argued against piling back into the cars. As they pulled out, Adrian checked every which way.

  “I doubt I was followed,” Nathan told him. “My parents definitely have better things to be doing.”

  “I know,” Adrian said. “Paranoia’s getting to me, too, I guess.”

  Some hours later, they reached Suffolk. The cottage was across the River Alde from Orford. They were right up on the coast, a short walk from the stony beach. Nathan’s castle couldn’t have been further off from the grey stone cottage, which stood on open land with not a single tree to break the persistent wind.

  England always seemed to have a harsh, rugged beauty in the winter. When Nathan finally unfolded himself from Adrian’s car, he couldn’t help but admire the desolate grey-brown landscape. They were probably the only people crazy enough to come out here in the middle of winter.

  Lily pulled up beside them and the girls piled out of the car.

  “It’s freezing,” Monica said, pulling her wool poncho tighter around her.

  “You could wear a proper coat,” Nathan pointed out.

  “Tch, men, no care for fashion,” Monica replied. “Come on, let’s get inside.”

  Inside was also cold: both the heating and electricity were off. Nathan drew the short straw and ended up hunting for the fuse box and connecting the gas. Adrian drew the even shorter straw and got to build a fire.

  “Vampires hate fire,” he grumbled.

  “I’ll light it,” Monica replied. “But you’re bringing the logs in. You’re the strongest here.”

  “All I’m good for is free labour.” Adrian skulked out the house again. Nathan located the gas cylinders and took one out to hook up to the mains outside. He’d just twisted the valve open when Adrian appeared silently beside him.

  “You’re worrying about something again,” he said. “I could tell in the car.”

  “It’s nothing. Just worried that someone’s going to let something slip.”

  “Self-defence, Nate. You’re in the clear. You know that.”

  Nathan shrugged. “Does Dad know that?”