“Then we do it the Venetian way,” Marco said and slapped Alexis as hard as he could across the face. Alexis jerked violently, and they rolled him to his side as he spewed salt water. Penelope cradled his head, smoothing his black hair back from his face.
“I hate…fucking Dandolos,” Alexis wheezed, and Marco and Penelope laughed weakly.
“Hate me all you like, you still owe me your life.” Marco held out a hand to help Alexis to his feet. “I’m sorry, Penelope. It looks like our lovemaking will have to wait another day.”
PENELOPE HUDDLED CLOSELY to Alexis on the deck of the police boat as Marco navigated through the rough waves and back to the city. On the other side of the deck, Antonio’s dead black eyes stared accusingly at her, his throat a bloody ruin. She didn’t know what story they could tell when they arrived at the Questura. The only thing she was concerned with was getting Alexis back to Dorsoduro where the other magicians would be able to help him. He rested against her, his eyes shut and breathing shallow. What happens to a magician who has used all of his power?
The docks at the Questura in Santa Croce were swarming with polizia, Carabinieri, and DIGOS. Officers were busy changing boats, refueling, and heading back out again. A familiar blonde was shouting orders as they pulled in. When she saw them, her instructions faltered, and she jumped from the jetty and into Marco’s arms.
“You bastard! You just left me here without saying a word,” Gisela exclaimed, letting him go with a shove. “I saw you leave in the storm and thought you would capsize for sure. Vaffanculo! Is that Tony Duilio? Penelope, your arms are bleeding.”
“I’ll be okay. Help me get Alexis out of the boat,” Penelope said, and the three of them helped support Alexis onto the jetty. Gisela hurried away to find officers to get the body out of the patrol boat.
Alexis gripped Marco by the shoulder. “You know you can’t tell anyone about tonight.”
“What do you mean? Everyone should know how we took down Duilio and foiled his plans to sabotage the Lido gates. How lucky for us that you are an electrical genius and knew how to override the systems manually from the island,” Marco said, his face a picture of innocence. “Penelope, go home and get someone to look at those burns. I know the ambulance isn’t qualified to deal with them.” He gave them both a stern look before heading into the Questura.
“He’s a strange man.” Alexis shook his head. “I don’t know if we can trust him yet.”
“Give him some time to prove himself,” Penelope said. “How are we going to get back to Dorsoduro? You look spent.”
Alexis pulled her close and with the last ounce of his magic portaled them into the house at Calle dei Cerchieri. They landed roughly in the courtyard—and into a pool of blood.
Penelope stumbled backward. “Oh my God.”
“Phaidros!” Alexis called as they followed bloody footprints. “God, Nereus!”
He slid to the marble floor next to Nereus’s still body. Even from where she was standing, Penelope knew Nereus was dead. Her skin was waxy gray, her torso a torn mess of wounds.
“Zo!” Alexis shouted helplessly as he wept, cradling Nereus’s body close to him. “Where is everyone?”
“Alexis? Are you here?” Zo crashed through the blue front door, and his eyes found them. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Go and find Galenos! Where is Lyca?”
“She’s right behind me. She’s with Phaidros and Aelia. They are docking now.”
Zo hurried away, calling out to Galenos and searching the rooms.
Penelope stood frozen with shock as the three other magicians entered the house to find Alexis covered in blood and sobbing.
Lyca’s silver eyes and face turned feral. “Priests. I can smell them.” She took off at a run.
Phaidros hurried to Alexis, wrapping his arms around Alexis’s shaking shoulders.
“What happened?” Phaidros asked urgently.
“We just found her like that,” Penelope murmured through numb lips. Aelia took one look at the wounds on Penelope’s arms, and her violet eyes grew round with fear.
“Stay still. We’ll ghost the last hour,” Phaidros said, his voice trembling. He whispered under his breath, and a shimmering projection flared around them.
There was no sound as they watched Nereus come through the Archives’s elevator doors. Her hands and mouth moved rapidly, and the doors sealed over with stone and iron. The blue door exploded, and Abaddon appeared. His expression looked like he was gloating, but Nereus simply smiled and spat at him. Abaddon’s face changed to a mask of fury. He lifted his arms, and with a flash of red light, Nereus fell dead. Abaddon walked from the room, his projection fading.
Aelia stared at Abaddon’s retreating back, and a scream of such nightmarish fear and horror came out of her that the palazzo shuddered around them. Penelope collapsed to her knees, clamping her hands tightly over her ears as the sound shredded her eardrums.
Alexis covered his head with his arms, shouting something at Aelia. Phaidros crawled along the floor toward her, blood spurting from his nose. He reached up and pulled her down into his arms, holding her face to his chest until the scream broke apart into sobs. Phaidros kissed her forehead and hair, his arms locked tight around her.
“I have you, my love, I have you, it’s okay,” he crooned to her. “They won’t ever touch you again. I’ll die before I let them anywhere near you.”
Penelope curled up on the marble floor, blood dripping from her nose and ears, the wounds on her arms burning as she clutched her knees to her chest.
“Alexis,” she whispered, as her eyes shut on the heartbreak and terror around her.
ALEXIS SCRAMBLED to check on Penelope. He reached for her, but his hands were covered with Nereus’s blood. So much blood.
Zo crouched down beside her and lifted her into his arms. “Don’t give me that look, Alexis. You don’t have the strength to lift yourself, let alone her,” he snapped. “Lyca’s looking for Galenos. Let’s get you upstairs. Phaidros and Aelia will see to Nereus’s body.”
Zo took charge, and Alexis was so grateful that he started to cry again. He didn’t know how long it had been since he had been so depleted of magic and energy.
Zo placed Penelope down on her bed and Alexis slumped into a chair, head in his hands, his whole body aching and cold.
“What happened out there?” Zo asked softly. “You look like death.”
“I was dead. Penelope saved me,” he murmured. Zo waited expectantly, and the rest of the story tumbled out.
Zo glanced down at Penelope with a frown. “If she was possessed, even temporarily, we’ll have to watch her, and those glyphs will have to be cleansed.”
“Aelia should do it,” Alexis said. “I don’t know what else Penelope went through. She might not want a man near her, even me.”
“You don’t think—?” Zo bit his lip. “I have to tell you, the crypt at San Zaccaria was harrowing. I don’t think they ever stopped sacrificing. They just managed to hide it from us.”
“I should’ve known. I should’ve paid closer attention.”
“Alexis you’re a great man, but there’s only one of you. You can’t carry the weight of this.”
“We’ll have to hunt them. Nereus’s death needs to be avenged. We need to map out how they have been hiding, how deep their operation is.”
“You need to sleep,” Zo pressed. “I can watch Penelope.”
“No.” Alexis shook his head. “I’ll stay. I’m not ready to let her out of my sight.”
“Okay, but rest.” Zo took a blanket off the end of Penelope’s bed and wrapped it around Alexis’s shoulders. “The world can wait, Defender.”
WHEN PENELOPE woke, it was dark again. Aelia sat in a chair next to her bed dressed in loose yoga pants and an oversized shirt. She was watching Penelope carefully, noting the slightest change.
“What happened?” Penelope murmured.
“You passed out, and we thought it best to let you sleep.”
“Wher
e’s Alexis?”
“I sent him away to rest. He’s been here most of the day, but I didn’t want him here for what happens next.”
Penelope sat up, alert. “What the hell does that mean?”
“You were held captive by Abaddon,” Aelia said coolly. “You need to be cleansed, and we need to talk as women. Men have no place here, not even Alexis.”
“Did you find Galenos?”
“Lyca did. I’ll run you a bath, and we can talk about it.”
Aelia disappeared into the bathroom, and Penelope climbed out of bed. She was still in her musty, dirty clothes from the day before, and she felt cold and clammy. The scabs on her forearms hurt every time the skin stretched. Tentatively, she reached inside of her and touched the knot. She was reassured to find that it was still there.
Penelope rubbed her chest, exhausted and heartsore from everything she had seen in the past forty-eight hours. She went into the bathroom where Aelia was tipping ingredients into the steaming water. The bottles didn’t look like normal bath oils.
“What’s all that?” she asked.
Aelia lifted a brilliant blue bottle and tipped out the contents. “This and that. It’ll help. Get in.”
“With you here? I’m sure I can take a bath alone.”
“Until those glyphs are healed and you are cleansed, you’ll be escorted everywhere. If you want it over quickly, get in.”
“Fine.” Penelope pulled off her dirty clothes. “Why do you need to do this again?”
“You have been touched by an evil older than you can comprehend. From what Alexis told me, you managed to fight off a possession. That’s all well and good, but there is still a taint on you.” Aelia paused, taking an audible breath. “Penelope, I need to know if they hurt you sexually.”
“No, they didn’t. They slapped me around, terrorized me some, and then glyphed me, but that was it. I got the feeling they were running out of time. Abaddon had a sense of urgency about him.”
Penelope slowly lowered herself into the tub. The hot water smelled of myrrh, rosemary, cloves, and very faintly of salt.
“He was worried we would sense the magic and stop him. And we would have. He had to move quickly. Zo and Phaidros have already been out in the city, but they are long gone. The bastards.” Aelia frowned. “Put your arms in the water.”
Penelope looked down to see her hands gripping the sides of the cast-iron tub so tightly her knuckles had gone white.
“I-I can’t—” she said, struggling to move them. Aelia hissed before ripping them from their sides and plunging them into the water.
Penelope screamed and thrashed as the glyphs steamed, turning her bones to lava. Aelia was stronger than Penelope expected and held her down until the pain dissipated. Penelope vomited over the side of the bath into a strategically placed bucket. Aelia handed her a glass of water once she had finished.
“What’s in it?” Penelope asked.
“A little salt only. It’ll help.”
Penelope guzzled the water, desperate to cleanse the taste of ash from her throat and tongue. Aelia pulled off her soaked shirt, and Penelope’s throat closed at the sight of her skin. On her stomach, under a violet-pink bra, was a mass of scars with fine lines of Atlantean script written over the top of them.
“Aelia—” She didn’t have the words. The air shuddered around Aelia’s arms, and on her forearms more glyphs appeared, matching Penelope’s fresh wounds.
“This is why Alexis wanted me to be the one to help you tonight. He didn’t know how far Abaddon had progressed with you. The arms were just the beginning.” Aelia turned so Penelope could see the scars on her back.
“I’m so sorry, Aelia,” Penelope managed to say. Her bruised heart ached for what Aelia had gone through even as she felt dizzy with relief for having been saved from the same fate.
“I don’t want you to think you are alone in this, Penelope. It took Nereus, Alexis, and Phaidros a long time to find a cleansing process that worked for these kinds of injuries. You’ll have scars, there’s no magic that can stop that, but you’ll be alive, and your mind will be free.”
“Tell me what I need to do.”
“For now, enjoy your bath. Once you are done, I’ll perform the healing, and you will probably sleep for a few days.” She smiled before turning back toward the bedroom.
“Aelia, is Galenos—”
“He’s not dead, but Abaddon mangled him. Lyca is with him, and Zo and Phaidros are helping with his injuries. When Alexis wakes, he’ll join them. He was always the best healer after Nereus.”
“Will it take long for Alexis’s magic to return?” Penelope swallowed the tears in her mouth as she relived the terrible moment he was pulled from the sea. “I thought he was dead.”
“It will take a lot more than a high tide to kill Alexis. He’s exhausted, but he will be fine.”
Once alone, Penelope wept quietly at the state of her mind and body. The last few days were a blur of terror and blood. Her adrenaline and nerves were shot, and for the first time since stepping through the blue door of the palazzo, she wondered if it had been a good idea. She had brought chaos and death back into the magicians’ lives, and Nereus and Galenos had paid the price for it.
Come home, Penelope. Step off this dangerous path before it gets you killed. Stuart Bryne’s ghost rose around her with uncanny timing. The weird thing was, after almost dying, she felt like hugging the old bastard.
Penelope scrubbed herself as best she could, climbed out of the bath, and wrapped herself in a thick bathrobe. She wanted to crawl under the covers and stop the accusing, cajoling voices in her head. Aelia was waiting for her outside of the bathroom, dressed in dry clothes once more.
“You won’t want food yet, but I brought you some mint tea,” she offered, holding out a steaming cup. Penelope sat down on the chaise lounge opposite. She had brushed her teeth twice to rid her mouth of the ashy taste, but she accepted the tea, hoping it would stop her stomach from feeling so hollow.
“Why do I feel like none of my limbs belong to me?”
“Combination of high trauma, exposure to huge amounts of dark and light magic, no food for days, dehydration…shall I go on?” Aelia gave her an amused look. “You aren’t invincible, you know. It’s okay not to feel 100 percent after the last few weeks.”
Penelope drank her tea, wondering if Alexis was awake. She ached to see him, but she was also worried he blamed her for Nereus’s death. She would never forget the image of him weeping over his master’s bloody body, as if his world was now irreparably broken.
Her hands shook, and she set down her cup before she spilled tea all over herself.
“Let’s do this,” she said, holding her arms out to Aelia. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay awake.”
Aelia put down her own tea and took Penelope’s shaking hands. Penelope expected the bone-melting pain of the bath again as Aelia began to sing. Her song was in Atlantean, a complex melody of soothing and healing. Penelope inhaled the temple smell of frankincense and rose petals as golden words filled the air in glittering bands. They twisted down to wrap around Penelope’s forearms like bandages. Joy filled her, and she smiled at the wonder of it. Aelia finished the song before blowing on the words, turning them from gold to dark blue. Penelope touched them gently. “I don’t think I’m ever going to stop being surprised by magic.”
“I can’t help you with nightmares, but whatever influence Abaddon’s magic had over you is gone.”
Penelope leaned forward and hugged Aelia. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” Aelia patted her back gently before they broke apart. “Go back to sleep. We can talk again in the morning.”
GALENOS’S ROOMS smelled of blood and the salty sweat of pain. Alexis had woken with a jolt, Penelope’s pain registering through him. He had promised Aelia he wouldn’t interfere, but it tore him apart to not go to her. It is your fault she is going through this. You should have never let her through your door. Aelia was wit
h her, he reminded himself, and Galenos needed him more.
Lyca sat beside Galenos’s bed, twisting small curved knives about in her hands as she watched the rise and fall of his chest. Alexis knew the expression in her pale silver eyes; she was premeditating all the ways she was going to kill Abaddon in explicit detail. She wasn’t the most nurturing of lovers, but she was a protective one, and she would avenge every mark Abaddon had left on Galenos’s body.
“How is he?” Alexis asked from the doorway.
“How do you think you would feel if you lost a hand and a leg in one night?” Lyca’s knives stilled. “I’m sorry, Defender.”
Alexis waved the apology away. “May I examine him?”
Lyca was more animal than human when she was grieving and angry, and he wasn’t about to take a step toward her mate without her permission. Lyca nodded, but the muscles in her shoulders bunched, alert and protective.
Galenos was swathed in bandages, from the stub of his right arm to the deep wound in his torso, and down to his missing left leg. They had watched the projection of Abaddon stroll through the palazzo in horror and fury. After killing Nereus, he had stalked the gentle Galenos. He had been thrown out of the Archives as Nereus had sealed it, and in Galenos’s disorientated state, Abaddon had attacked him. He would have died had Alexis and Penelope not arrived at the house when they did.
Alexis’s magic wasn’t completely restored, but he couldn’t leave Galenos in so much pain. Nereus had been their greatest healer, but Alexis had studied under her and would do what he could. He placed one hand on Galenos’s smooth forehead and let his magic pour into him. Galenos’s aura glowed as Alexis joined his energy and, with their combined magic, began to heal his wounds. It would take more than one session, but he could begin tonight.
Galenos’s black eyes opened, and when he saw Alexis, they filled with tears. “Defender, I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect her.”
“It’s okay, Galenos. It’s not your fault,” Alexis soothed. “Nereus knew the cost of protecting the Archives from Abaddon.”
The Immortal City Page 28
