by Helen Harper
Aubrey thrust a finger in Mack’s direction. ‘There’s more to you than meets the eye, and I’m going to find out what it is.’ He turned again, stomping back towards the house.
‘Yeah,’ Mack shouted back. ‘And what about the Palladium? Obviously there’s more to that than meets the eye too!’
Her only answer was the loud thud of the vampires’ door as it slammed shut. I watched her carefully. It was disturbing to think I wasn’t the only one determined to discover the truth about her. She simply sighed loudly, however, her gaze fixing on a dark patch up ahead, exactly where the wraith – Tryyl apparently – had been hovering. She walked over.
I joined her, kneeling down and tentatively touching it. My fingers brushed against something sticky, like sap from a tree. I raised my fingers and sniffed. The stench was unbelievable. ‘Fucking hell! What is that?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Mack said, shaking her head. ‘It’s the vamps’ problem now. They created this situation in the first place anyway.’
I didn’t enjoy being left out of the loop. Clearly the Arch-Mage knew what was going on, as did Aubrey. ‘How?’ I asked, gritting my teeth.
Gaining silent permission from the Arch-Mage to speak, Mack took a deep breath. ‘The bloodsuckers signed a contract with the Ministry, hiring them to find an object. A wooden sculpture of Athena called the Palladium. It used to belong to the vamps but the wraith you just met, Tryyl, broke in and stole it.’
I frowned. ‘When exactly did this happen?’
‘Years and years ago. I’m guessing long before you were a twinkle in your furry father’s eye.’ She gave me a slight grin to indicate she meant no offence. I matched it. ‘Anyway, one of the vamps recently decided they wanted it back so the mages tracked it down to an abandoned cottage, retrieved it and gave it to them. Tryyl was supposed to be dead.’
‘I guess he’s not,’ I said drily. I eyed her. There was more to this than she was saying.
‘No,’ she agreed. ‘I guess not. He must want the Palladium. Goodness knows why. It doesn’t do anything. The vampires have it inside that house. So it’s really nothing to do with us.’
She wasn’t lying exactly. But she wasn’t telling me everything. She still hadn’t made it clear why she’d been so keen to come along as my’date’. I was betting it had something to do with this bloody Palladium thing. With the Arch-Mage’s canny eyes following our little exchange, I didn’t want to inquire further right now though.
Mack ran a hand over her head and glanced at the mage lord. ‘Have I missed anything out? Did I get all the details?’
‘Yes,’ he answered. ‘Although Aubrey is right that all contracts are confidential. I assume that it was Mage Floride who told you about it. I will have words with him.’
A tight ball of anger formed in my stomach. Floride again. Just what was going on between the pair of them? Between this Thomas fellow that the Arch-Mage had mentioned, and the hippy wizard, Mack was apparently doing a brisk trade in swooning hearts. I didn’t want to include myself in that list.
‘I can give you a lift back to the Ministry,’ the Arch-Mage addressed Mack, ‘so you can transport back to the academy. Don’t you have shoes?’
She looked down at her bare feet and shrugged, unconcerned. ‘Not any more.’ Then she gave me a quick glance while the Arch-Mage turned and headed to his waiting car. ‘Is that okay with you?’ Her voice was polite but I was still pissed off at the implication that she was entangled with the ridiculous surfer mage.
‘What, you’re asking me for permission now?’
‘We are on a date,’ she said blithely. ‘It seems appropriate.’
‘I thought you said that it wasn’t a date.’ As much as I’d wanted it to be. ‘And the bloodsucker is right. There is more to you than meets the eye, and somehow I can’t help thinking that you had more to do with the events of this evening and that thing than you are letting on.’
‘You always think the worst of me.’ Mack batted her eyelashes.
I thought about Leah’s advice. ‘Perhaps I’m just following your lead. You don’t tend to think much of me either.’
She gave me an odd little smile, more sad and vulnerable than anything else. Before she could turn to go, I reached out and curled my hand round her arm, pulling her towards me. Even through the fabric of her dress, I could feel the strange heat of her skin burning against mine. I’d make sure it was me she thought about when she went to sleep tonight – not Aubrey, not the wraith, not Jeffrey Thomas and definitely not sodding Alex Floride.
‘You really did look lovely tonight, kitten,’ I told her. Then, to provide fair warning, ‘And after all you put me through this evening, I think the least I deserve is a good-night kiss.’
I leaned my head down. She could have escaped if she wanted to but instead she let out a little squeak, almost of excitement. Then her soft lips touched mine. Her curves pressed against me and my senses swam. I reached down and cupped her face, deepening the kiss further. I could feel her squirm. When her arms snaked up and hooked around my neck, I had the dim thought that I might forget to breathe.
The Arch-Mage was apparently unimpressed. A car horn blared into the street, causing Mack to jerk back. It didn’t matter. I’d felt her desire and I could still taste her on my lips. She wanted me. For now that was enough.
Savouring my racing pulse, I looked straight into her eyes. ‘Are you feeling entertained now, kitten?’
She glared at me, but I could still see smoky lust flickering across her expression. ‘Why the fuck can’t you just call me Mack?’
Unable to help myself, I laughed. Mack spun round and began walking away.
‘You will tell me what you really are,’ I called out, making both her and me a promise, ‘and what is really going on sooner or later.’
Her back stiffened and she shook her head in mute denial as she padded away. I watched the swing of her hips and brushed my fingers against my mouth.
‘Sooner or later, kitten,’ I whispered after her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘It’s not been easy to dig up this information, my Lord,’ Staines informed me. ‘And I fail to see why it’s so important.’
‘I told you. A wraith appeared out of nowhere, thoroughly kicked my arse, and then vanished again. Chances are it’ll be back.’
He sniffed. ‘As much as it pains me to agree with Ms. Smith, it’s the vampires’ problem, not ours.’
‘When they have a problem, we have a problem.’ I gave him a hard look. ‘There’s nothing more dangerous than a cornered animal. A cornered vampire...’
‘Fine, fine. I take the point.’
‘So what have you found?’
He took a deep breath. ‘It’s old. The story goes that the Palladium held a prominent place in Troy.’
I raised my eyebrows. ‘As in the Trojan horse? That Troy?’
‘The one and the same. It passed down to the Romans. Cicero, apparently, was something of a collector. He gave it to a group of Italian vampires in return for some help with the Roman Senate.’
‘Why did they want it in the first place?’ I asked curiously.
Staines waved a dismissive hand in the air. ‘Because they’re greedy bastards. There is nothing, anywhere, to indicate that the Palladium has power. It’s just a piece of wood. At the turn of the century, this wraith person,’ his mouth downturned, ‘stole it along with a number of other objects. The vampires objected to the theft and tracked him down. He paid for his actions.’ He looked up from the file. ‘I can go into detail about what they did to him. It wasn’t pretty.’
I shook my head. ‘I can manage without that information, I think.’
‘Anyway, Trryl escaped several decades later. I have no clue where he’s been in the intervening years but...’
‘...now he’s back and he wants the Palladium,’ I finished. I rubbed my chin with the base of my thumb. ‘That has to beg the question of why.’
Staines shrugged. ‘Who knows why a damned wraith
does anything?’
‘We need someone who was around during Roman times. If it was the Romans who had possession of it back then, they might know why it’s important.’
‘Well,’ he replied, rolling his eyes, ‘if you can find someone who’s over 1600 years old and happy to chat with us, then I’ll be impressed.’
I grinned. ‘You might be surprised.’
*
It was easier than I thought to track Beulah down. She had some well meaning followers on the Othernet who often spent their free time wandering after her. Their intention was to help out whichever poor unsuspecting human Beulah was targeting. Despite their Otherworldly nature, they still didn’t understand that the banshee wasn’t responsible for the forthcoming death – she was merely advertising it. Some people can never see what’s right in front of their faces.
Word was that she had been in the East End for the previous two evenings. Banshees would only shriek about an individual’s impending doom for three days. One more night and she’d be moving on so I had to find her before that happened and she ended up on the other side of the country. There was neither rhyme nor reason as to where Beulah decided to show up. If she was here in London now then I had to grab her while I could. Hoping that a woman’s touch might do the trick in persuading her to help, I dragged Leah along with me.
My sister was remarkably distracted, gnawing on her fingernails and frequently losing focus. Several times I had to snap my fingers in front of her face to bring her back to reality.
‘What’s going on with you?’ I asked, more concerned than annoyed.
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
‘Did something happen in Russia?’ She’d been gone for less than three days but I’d rarely seen her so unfocused.
‘No.’
‘Then why...?’
‘Please, Corrigan. I really don’t want to talk about it.’
I watched her carefully. ‘I might be able to help.’
She laughed slightly, although it was without amusement. ‘Believe me, Corrigan. I’ve seen your lack of expertise already in matters like this. I don’t think you can do anything.’
‘Matters like what?’ She gave me an irritated look. I held up my hands. ‘Okay, okay. I won’t ask again.’
Leah sighed. ‘Thank you.’
A sudden scream ripped through the air. It was high-pitched, with a similar quality to that of raking fingernails down a blackboard. We exchanged glances.
‘There’s your banshee. Although I’m not sure how she’s going to be able to help.’
‘She communes with death,’ I told her, jogging off in the direction of the sound. ‘And I need someone to talk to a ghost for me.’
We tracked her down several narrow streets. Fortunately for us, Beulah’s voice was in full swing, screeching with incredible gusto. Within less than ten minutes, we saw her, floating above the pavement and peering into a dark, curtained window. She lapsed into silence for a moment or two, her eyes searching into the house as if she could see inside. When she opened her mouth to begin again, I rushed forward. I didn’t want my eardrums damaged.
‘Hey Beulah,’ I said conversationally.
She gave me a curious look. ‘Corrigan. Although it’s Lord these days, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ I answered distractedly. ‘Listen...’
‘I’m really busy.’ She pointed ahead. ‘Sixty three years old. Three children. Seven grandchildren. And sometime tomorrow morning he’s going to drop dead from an aneurysm.’
‘You know,’ I said quietly, ‘he can’t hear you.’
Her eyes narrowed.’Some humans can.’
‘Less than one percent of the population.’
‘If you only had a few hours left to live, wouldn’t you want to know so you could say goodbye to your family?’
I thought about it. I wasn’t sure I would. ‘Look,’ I said instead, ‘I really need your help.’
‘I told you I was busy.’
‘How long have you been here?’
‘Today? An hour or two.’
‘Then,’ I suggested gently, ‘you’ve given him fair warning as it is.’
‘Whatever,’ Leah snapped. ‘He’s going to die regardless. We need you to talk to a ghost.’
I stiffened but her direct manner seemed to appeal to the banshee. ‘Anyone interesting?’
‘Actually, yes,’ I interjected. ‘We just need to travel a short distance up north. I’ve got a mage waiting down at the river. He’ll open us a portal.’
‘Pah!’ Beulah scoffed. ‘I don’t need a mage. Tell me where we’re going and, if it’s interesting enough, I’ll transport you.’
This was going better than I’d hoped. ‘Birmingham,’ I said. Leah shot me a curious glance.
The banshee’s nose wrinkled. ‘I’ve been there before. I don’t need to go again. The people there talk funny.’
‘It’s not a Brummie I want you to speak to.’ I tilted up my chin. ‘I’d like to go to Parson’s Hill,’ I said quietly.
Beulah blinked. ‘Boudicca?’
I let out a sigh of relief. I hadn’t been sure if that was her real grave site – there had been numerous possibilities. I nodded.
Beulah grinned. ‘Then let’s do it!’
Leah leaned over to my ear and whispered. ‘Boudicca? The warrior Queen?’
I was prevented from answering when Beulah let out a sudden shriek. Both Leah and I winced, covering our ears. Off in the distance, several dogs joined in, their howling creating a discordant harmony.
‘I just wanted to give him one last chance,’ Beulah said, when she finally finished.
A light flicked on in the upstairs window and all three of us froze. Even Beulah seemed surprised. ‘It hardly ever works,’ she said.
A toilet flushed and the light went off again. I gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘Sorry.’
She tutted. ‘You’re right. A Queen will be far more interesting than here.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
We emerged from Beulah’s portal, which felt somewhat less stable than the Ministry ones I was used to travelling through but decided against mentioning, and found ourselves on a busy pavement.
Leah stared dubiously at the building in front of us, her eyes sweeping from the queue of cars at the drive-in to the plastic clown at the doorway and the golden arches on the top.
‘McDonald’s? You’ve got to be kidding me.’ She twisted her head first one way then another, as if expecting a leafy hill marked with a tomb to indicate’ancient burial ground’.
I shrugged. ‘It’s not like Queen Boudicca planned it. I’m sure she’d prefer Burger King.’
I received a punch on my arm for my efforts. Leah shook her head. ‘It’s just so ... so ... mundane. Do we have time to grab a takeaway?’
‘Knock yourself out.’
Beulah had a self-satisfied expression on her face. ‘This is good,’ she said. ‘Last time I came here, the portal opened up on the roof. I almost knocked over the M when I stumbled out.’
Unbelievably glad that hadn’t happened, I shot her a curious glance. ‘You come here often?’
The banshee’s eyes sparked. ‘Why, Lord Alpha, are you trying to chat me up?’
I felt far more embarrassed than I should have. ‘No, no. I, er...’
Beulah cackled. ‘Just teasing. And, yes, I’ve been here a few times. I like to hunt out the older spirits. We can learn a lot from them. Not many are around, you know. It’s only the ones who feel they didn’t deserve to die who still linger on.’
I thought about what Corux had said about living in history. I had to admit that even with the incongruous fast food restaurant right in front of me, I was excited to see Boudicca.
‘You won’t see her,’ Beulah said, reading my mind. ‘You probably wouldn’t want to either. Her battle wounds are,’ she paused, ‘bloody.’
Swallowing down my disappointment, I nodded. ‘Will I be able to hear her?’
She smiled. ‘In a manner of speak
ing.’ She raised her arms up until they were perfectly perpendicular to her body and started to chant. Whatever language she was speaking, it wasn’t one I was familiar with.
A family of four, obviously heading into the restaurant, walked past with saucer-like eyes. The mother gave Beulah a wide berth but the two kids trailing behind were far more curious. The girl, a cute six year old with blonde piglets, stared at the banshee. ‘Why is that woman singing to us?’ she asked.
‘Hush!’ her mother said, throwing me a nervous glance. They hurried inside.
I watched them go, for the first time ever feeling an odd tug of wistfulness for my own family. I wondered what my own kids would look like and how they would act. Instead of blonde hair, my daughter would have bright red fiery locks, I decided. My son would have strange almond shaped eyes with flecks of yellow...
‘Hey! What gives? ‘ Leah was standing in front of me holding up two large bags.
I coughed. ‘Nothing. Beulah’s doing her thing.’ I waved an arm at the banshee who was continuing her strange singsong mutter.
‘I got you a few Big Macs.’ Leah said, still looking at me oddly.
I peered inside the bag. There had to be at least five. I quirked up an eyebrow and she shrugged. ‘You gotta eat.’
I grinned. I was hungry. I took one out and unwrapped it, raising it to my mouth.
‘You cannot eat that,’ Beulah said, her chant abruptly halting.
I turned to her. Her eyes were flat and hard and the look in them would have quelled many a man. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Honestly,’ she snapped, ‘you’d be far better off with a wild boar cooked slowly over a spit. Or even a squirrel. But that?’ She sniffed.
‘I like the burgers,’ Leah said.
‘Live with the smell for years and you’ll change your mind quickly enough,’ Beulah huffed.
I blinked curiously. ‘Queen Boudicca?’
‘Who else? You were looking for me, weren’t you?’
Leah gaped. ‘You’ve possessed Beulah?’
‘I have to communicate somehow, don’t I?’
‘Your English is very good.’ It was also oddly tinged with a modern Birmingham accent.