Witch's Spirit (The Hemlock Chronicles Book 3)

by Emma L. Adams

  “What the…?” I approached the doors, baffled. “What happened?”

  “Something big,” Keir said. “Dragon sized, to be precise.”

  Through the window in the entrance hall, I saw it—huge, winged, bright red. The dragon had landed directly in front of the mages’ headquarters. No wonder nobody was inside.

  “This way,” Evelyn said, beckoning us to follow. “Don’t stand there gawking. I drew her here for a reason.”

  “The dragon’s female?” Shaking his head, Keir backed away from the doors. I did likewise, following Evelyn’s transparent form through the lobby to another exit. Unguarded. The wards had blown out, probably during my battle with the Whisper. Too bad I’d left no evidence behind. No proof that the mages were evil to the core.

  “Almost there, Jas.” Keir took my arm as we reached the exit, his firm grip communicating without words that he had no intention of watching the mages take me away.

  Outside, the sky had gone back to its normal colour, but the sound of screaming came from about five directions at once.”

  “Tell me that dragon won’t eat anyone,” I said. “Well, she can feel free to take a bite out of Lord Sutherland. Evelyn?”

  “Do you want to escape or do you want me to negotiate with a dragon?” Evelyn snapped. “Run for your life, idiot. Your friends are dealing with that spirit barrier.”

  “They got through the barrier?” I broke into a run, propelled by a fresh surge of energy, and Keir and I burst out of the guild’s back gates into a deserted street. No shifter ghosts, no zombies or witches… “It’s Isabel we have to thank for this. She saved everyone.”

  A rush of air heralded the arrival of Vance—and Ivy.

  “Jas!” said Ivy. “You made it out. Did you kill her?”

  “Both of them—the Ancient and the witch.” I jerked my head over my shoulder. “No evidence, though—did you find Wanda?”

  “Yes, but—” Ivy broke off as a rumbling growl came from behind the guild. “If anyone has a dragon translator, the mages might need one.”

  “I couldn’t give less of a fuck if I tried,” Keir said. “Did you find another man behind the mirror? My brother—”

  “Was he the other prisoner?” Ivy asked. “Isabel and the other witch carried him out with your friends’ help, since he was unconscious.”

  I sighed in relief. “Thanks. And the Moonbeam?”

  “I buried all the pieces I could find,” Vance said. “As for the mirror, the mages have it. Our mages, that is, not Lord Sutherland. As for the dragon… your friend might have to take care of it.”

  “Evelyn, what about the dragon?” I asked.

  “What?” she said irritably. “If the mages tick off the dragon, that’s their problem.”

  “It’s our problem, too,” I told her. “You don’t piss off a giant fire-breathing lizard and expect it not to retaliate.”

  “I’ll handle the dragon,” Ivy said. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “Excuse me?” I said, but she just winked, pulled out her sword, and sprinted around the mages’ headquarters.

  Keir gave a laugh. “I think she’ll handle it.”

  “You know, I think so, too,” I said. “I guess she’s dealt with the gods in person… will the dragon even be able to get home?”

  “Of course,” Evelyn said. “I can’t say she won’t expect repayment for helping, though.”

  “If she comes after us, you’re dealing with her, not me.” A favour owed to a dragon and a life sentence at the mages’ hands. Not the victory I’d hoped for. But after I’d let Evelyn roam free, maybe it was the victory I deserved.

  Vance cleared his throat. “Ivy can handle the dragon. Should I take you to your friends?”

  “Please,” I said, nodding to Keir.

  In a blink, we all landed outside Asher’s shop. The door still hung off its hinges, but the small shop was much more crowded than before, with Lloyd, Isabel, Morgan, Asher, Mackie and Keir’s unconscious brother inside. Add Ivy, Keir, Vance and me on top of that and there was barely room to stand. But I brightened at the sight of Isabel on her feet, talking to Asher.

  “Isabel.” I made my way over to her. “Thank you so much. That spell—it saved us.”

  “Wish I’d had the chance to use it myself.” She looked down at her marked collarbones, grimacing. “I think I can get this off…”

  “I know how,” Asher said. “Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

  I hope so. I cast my eyes around and saw Keir hurrying over to his brother.

  “Is he okay?” I asked him.

  “He won’t wake up,” Keir said.

  “I tried a healing spell,” Isabel said. “But he didn’t respond. I think he’s unconscious. He seems otherwise fine, Keir. Maybe he’ll wake up in his own time now he’s back.”

  Keir shook his head, just slightly, and I moved to his side. “What is it?” I murmured.

  “His spirit,” he said quietly. “It’s gone.”

  My heart missed a beat. “Are… are you sure he doesn’t need to feed on someone?”

  He shook his head. “No. Trust me.”

  I tapped into the spirit realm, peered into the grey, but the confused jumble of everyone else’s spirits made it difficult to tell.

  Keir lifted his brother’s body. “I’ll take him back with me. See if I can help him…”

  “Not alone,” I said quickly, though I didn’t want to leave the others either. Not so soon after the battle. Vance might have got me away, but the instant that dragon shifter left, the mages would come back…

  The door flew off its remaining hinge, and three mages strode into the overcrowded shop.

  “Jas Lyons,” said one of them. “Come with us.”

  24

  I was on trial again. Despite all the crimes committed, the only person facing justice today would be me.

  I sat numbly in the cold metal seat of the interrogation chamber, faced with the row of mages. I'd seen this coming for weeks, and I’d even rehearsed what I’d say. But now, no words came. I’d been through too much—Keir’s brother, the dragon, the battle with the Whisper, the witch, the mages’ betrayal. My mind had utterly shut down.

  Instead, Evelyn spoke. “I'm Evelyn Hemlock, and I think I’m the one you’d like to put on trial.”

  I sat back and let the council’s shock wash over me. Two people exclaimed in alarm. Lady Anders, Lord Sutherland’s blond second in command, rose from her seat. And Lord Sutherland’s hateful face twisted in surprise. So he hadn’t known about her. Or the Hemlocks. His only concern had been his own power. I wanted to ask him why he’d ordered his witch to summon the Whisper, what was in it for him, but Evelyn had total command, and Jas was in dire need of a nap.

  “You’re not Jas Lyons,” Lord Sutherland said.

  “Gods, you’re even stupider than you look,” Evelyn said. “No, I am not Jas Lyons. The name’s Evelyn. And if you lock Jas away, you lock me up, too. I’m not keen on being held in another prison, to tell you the truth.”

  She’d decided to part the curtains and reveal it all. Far be it from me to admit I was kind of enjoying the mages’ shock. It might be the last bit of fun I had for a while.

  “But you look like her,” the Mage Lord protested. “You look like Jas.”

  “She's my host,” Evelyn said. “We both belong to the Hemlock Coven, which predated even your almighty mage guild. And we will not be broken.”

  Even if I’d wanted to interrupt, I didn't have a chance. She was baring her hunger for power for the world to see. Nobody would be able to deny that our voices didn't sound the same and our mannerisms were different enough to be noticeable.

  “The Hemlock Coven went extinct,” one of the mages said.

  “So did the Ancients, yet you summoned one in your own dungeon,” Evelyn said.

  “How dare you,” said Lord Sutherland. “You attacked my son. You broke into my private quarters—”

  “And found a witch in the middle of a ritualistic summon
ing, who you captured against her will.” This time, I spoke, not Evelyn. “If I hadn’t killed her, you’d all be dead. Was it worth it to you?”

  Lord Sutherland shook his head. “She’s a madwoman. She nearly killed my son in cold blood. She locked up three of my people.”

  “Frankly, I’d have preferred to kill them,” Evelyn said blandly. “But I do as Jas asks, occasionally.”

  His face turned purple. Despite my satisfaction at watching him squirm, there was no visible proof he or his son were connected to the Whisper’s revival.

  After all, I was the one who'd woken her, when I’d used my Hemlock magic on the spirit lines.

  Evelyn rose to her feet, and smiled, power welling in her hands. “This is for those of us you killed. We remember.”

  Evelyn. Don’t—

  The lights went out. Fog swarmed the room, and a wrenching scream came from outside.

  Mackie? Dammit, I told them not to interfere.

  Hands grabbed me, and the room vanished in a blur. I spun on the spot, disorientated, and another rush of cold air swallowed me up. I sucked in a breath and the world disappeared again.

  The third time, it stopped. I staggered around and dropped to my knees, my head spinning. I’d teleported—once, twice, three times. Swallowing nausea, I looked up at Vance and Ivy.

  “What did I say about not intervening?” I gasped out.

  “Your friend Lloyd told us to get you out or he’d set an army of ghosts on us,” Ivy said. “Three of the guild necromancers told me they’d unleash another zombie plague, while your vampire friend said he’d suck out my soul. You have very persistent friends, Jas.”

  “But—now they’ll arrest you, too.” Evelyn had disappeared mid-jump, probably dizzy from all the teleporting.

  “No, they won’t,” Ivy said. “Your friends manufactured a diversion.”

  “Of course they did.” I closed my eyes, opened them, looked around the room. Expensive-looking furniture filled most of the space, on a carpet patterned in hideous red and orange spirals. “This isn’t the hotel room from last time.”

  “No,” Vance said. “It’s Lady Harper’s country house.”

  “That’s why it took three teleports to get here?” I shook off the dizziness and ran to the window. Fog covered the view outside, but I could make out the shape of a cliff jutting out over the sea. “They’ll find me here. They know Lady Harper left me her property.”

  “The house is warded,” Ivy said. “Heavily. It took us days to find the place, and only because Vance knows Lady Harper’s style. The other mages don’t. They won’t find you.”

  “I’m still…” A fugitive. I could never go back to Edinburgh. “Lord Sutherland is still in power. I killed the witch he captured, but who knows what else he’s plotting?”

  “He won’t get the shifters,” Ivy said. “Vance and I already buried all those pieces of Moonbeam stone and took the mirror away. We’ll bring him to justice.”

  “No, I will,” said Evelyn. “I was about to kill him.”

  I groaned. “Evelyn has lost all meaning of subtlety. The whole supernatural world knows I’m a Hemlock witch now.”

  “Pretty sure it was inevitable,” Ivy said. “Lady Harper probably saw it coming.”

  “Wait…” I looked around, seeing boxes piled up between the furniture. “Her boxes. You brought them here.”

  I ran to the nearest box, spotting the journal and the map. They hadn’t disappeared after all.

  “We moved everything we could,” Vance said. “I’ll come and speak to you later, but Ivy—we need to go back before the mages get suspicious.”

  “Aren’t they already suspicious?” I said.

  “Your friends made a pretty good diversion,” Ivy said. “Not quite as good as the dragon, though. I wish I’d been able to convince her to stick around, but I don’t think she liked my sword much.”

  “Wait,” I said. “Are you sure Lord Sutherland won’t haul my friends in for questioning?”

  “He’ll have to get through me first,” Ivy said.

  I pressed a hand to my forehead. Mere hours had passed since the battle. Too little time to take it all in. “All right, but I wouldn’t put anything past him. Even a dragon couldn’t stop him.”

  “The dragon was surprisingly placid,” Vance put in. “Removing the leader of the mages is likely to require more of a delicate response.”

  “The hell it is,” I said. “He tried to kill us.”

  “But he has powerful allies,” Ivy said. “I don’t like it either, but the forces protecting the mages go back nearly as far as the Hemlocks. Even that witch of his came from somewhere. I’d rather know if he has any other Ancients helping him before we make any sudden moves.”

  My skin crawled. “Yeah, well. Either he hunts me down or I do the same to him.”

  Nothing else would be acceptable.

  “Finally,” said Evelyn. “I’m glad you’re taking your role seriously.”

  “Bollocks,” I said. “You just wanted to declare yourself queen of the universe. You’re not taking the Mage Lord’s place, so forget it. And not all my friends have the mages’ protection. What about Keir?”

  “He’s fine,” Ivy said, apparently unperturbed by a ghost joining our conversation. “Isabel helped him move his brother… I’ll tell him where you are. And we’ll be back in a few hours.”

  “I—” I sank into an armchair, relieved beyond measure. I was free—relatively—and that was all I could ask for. “Thank you.”

  The idea of living in Lady Harper’s property was kind of weird, but I'd got out of this alive and with both of my souls intact. Still better than being dead.

  I hoped the house had decent heating. The Highlands got cold in winter.

  Four hours later, Ivy and Vance returned.

  “Things have calmed down a little,” Vance said. “The mages’ patrols are no longer searching the streets for you. They hired some necromancers to search the spirit realm and confirm you’re not in the city any longer. They think you left for the forest.”

  “So even that isn’t a secret.”

  “The mages know little, but they do know that the Hemlocks had their own private dimension,” said Vance. “They’ll never be able to find it, though.”

  “Not sure I want to go and live in there, either.” I looked out the window at the foggy cliff edge. “I need to see my friends. Are they okay?”

  “Sure,” said Ivy. “Isabel and Asher claimed to remember nothing about the time they spent under the enemy’s control. The mages didn’t even bother bringing them in for questioning.”

  “Good,” I said. “Keir, though… I have to speak to him in person. I don’t know if he wants to stick around or not, but he attacked Neil Sutherland in self-defence and he drained three mages in the jail as well.”

  “Give me the address and I’ll take you there, but I won’t be able to give you long,” Vance said. “It's the least I can do for what you did for Wanda.”

  When I gave him directions, he transported both of us to Keir’s apartment.

  Keir was at the door before I knocked.

  “Jas!” His eyes widened. “You shouldn’t be in the city. I thought you were safe.”

  “I'm okay—I'm staying at Lady Harper’s safe house. Can I come in?”

  “Ten minutes,” Vance said from behind me, and Ivy gave him a poke in the arm. “Fifteen.”

  I ducked into the apartment. “I won’t be here long. Not sure if I have an arrest warrant or a death sentence on my head, but it's safe to say I'm not welcome in Edinburgh anymore.”

  “I'm sorry.” When we were inside the dimly lit hallway, Keir turned and embraced me. I rested my head on his shoulder, holding on tight.

  “Can you tell Lloyd I'm okay if you see him?” I pulled back. “I’ll send a message, but I'm not sure there's a signal up on the cliffs, and I’m three teleports away. I can still reach you through the spirit realm, though.”

  “Then why risk coming in person?” H
e frowned.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” I sucked in a deep breath, my gaze going to the half-open door into his flat. “Is your brother really…?”

  “He still won't wake up,” he said, softly. “They took his soul.”

  Keir walked into the flat, the door closing behind us. The living room was dark, as though he’d never bothered to turn on the lights, and on the right, a door lay open. On the other side was Keir’s brother’s bedroom, the bed occupied by the man we’d rescued from the strange world on the other side of the mirror.

  Aiden Langford looked like a taller and thinner version of Keir with a dark sweep of hair almost to his shoulders. He wore a T-shirt and faded jeans, and his face was lightly stubbled, his expression relaxed in sleep.

  “His heart’s still beating,” Keir said quietly. “He has a pulse. But he’s unresponsive, and his soul—it’s gone.”

  “If he’s alive, then so is his soul,” I said firmly. “It’s like… he’s a powerful vampire, right? Maybe he can stay away from his body for longer than most people.” There was no other explanation.

  Keir dropped his head. “He’s alive, all right, but he hasn’t aged.”

  A heartbeat passed. “What?”

  “It’s been eight years, Jas.” His voice trembled. “I think the liminal space… I think it warped time. He’s wearing the same clothes they kidnapped him in. You know they say time passes differently in Faerie? It looks like days or weeks have passed since he disappeared. Not years.”

  “How’s that even possible?”

  He shook his head, his face pale. “I don’t understand, either.”

  “No…” I turned on my spirit sight. Keir was right… our two spirits were the only two present in the room. But if the soul disappeared, the body usually died. As far as I knew, nobody could restore a spirit that was lost. Not even a necromancer.

  What had the Ancients done to him?

  Keir’s hands curled into fists. “It's been so long… and he won't even wake up.”

  I moved to his side, touched my hand to his. “We’ll fix this.”

  He drew in a shuddering breath. His eyes were bright, shining. “It’s fucking unfair. I spent years looking for him, and now—"