They rode a few miles down the road at this pace with an occasional warble or yip from the wolves. Becka’s lower back and thighs ached lightly from being unaccustomed to the movement of the horse under her, but she appreciated the feeling of the wind against her skin. They passed a pair of fae with a horse-drawn cart headed towards the manor with a load of fall squash in the back, their eyes large as they took in the wolves and enforcers. Becka waved but wasn’t surprised when they didn’t wave back.
Another mile down the winding road and the wolves split left, heading into the forest. They followed, the land sparsely treed so they were able to maintain a trot and keep up with the now loping wolves.
Becka’s hips groaned at the added unevenness to the bounce in her mare’s gait. The wind whipped her face, her hair getting into her eyes and mouth. How did anyone enjoy riding?
They passed rocky outcroppings and copses of aspen surrounding boulders. This land lay at the border between Birch and Rowan, separated by a shallow river. What would have brought Alvilda all the way out here?
Rounding a boulder-filled outcropping, Becka spied the river, and beyond it, a small rustic cabin with a dirt road next to it. In minutes they reached the water’s edge and stopped. The wolves yipped and howled at the river’s edge, waiting for the enforcers to catch up. The largest instead growled deep in his throat. She was fairly sure that one was Brent.
Quinn stared at the wolves, who looked back and forth between the enforcers and the cabin. “They smell something. We need to cross and check it out.”
“We don’t know how deep the river is,” Becka replied. “And that’s House Birch territory. Crossing without sanction could cause problems.”
Quinn did a double-take. “Look at you, caring about customs.”
Caeda let out a short, harsh laugh. “We’re enforcers first, Lady Becka. The shifters’ concern is all I need to follow the investigation across this river. Besides, the water is slow and I’m a good swimmer.” Caeda urged her mount into the water. His whinny conveyed doubt, and his eyes went wild when the wolves followed him into the water.
When Caeda had reached halfway without getting in past the stallion’s flanks, Quinn turned to her.
“You can stay here if you want. I can get a wolf to stay with you.”
“I don’t want to be separated by the river,” Becka replied, and urged her horse into the water. The mare was careful the first few steps, but then moved with the confidence of experience. Quinn followed and soon they were neck-and-neck in the clear water.
The large white wolf howled, urging them to move faster.
When they exited the river, Becka realized she’d lost a sandal in the crossing. If she spent more time around enforcers, she’d have to wear more practical footwear. At least the standard enforcer attire was sleek and practical, unlike the floofy House Rowan standard.
The conclusion hit her out of nowhere, but she thought about it as her horse followed Quinn’s closer to the cabin. Working with the enforcers would also mean more research, more hunting down clues, more figuring out puzzles like the book now in her bag.
Plus, if her work was based out of the city, then she’d have an opportunity to circle back with Professor Traut regarding her internship. Surely, she could juggle the internship, part-time enforcer duties, and periodic jobs from the council?
Surprising herself, Becka realized she liked the idea. But how would she convince Maura not to fight it, especially the enforcer element?
“Do you see it?” Caeda said, pointing to the cabin. She dismounted a moment later and Quinn followed suit.
Becka pulled hard on the reins, stopping her mare. She studied the cabin. Nothing stood out as odd at first, but then she saw it too. She spied a pair of feet and legs, prone on the ground, the rest of the body hidden by the outline of the cabin. She dismounted, the ground cool under her one bare foot.
The wolves growled and paced, eager to investigate. Quinn and Caeda both pulled out stun guns, which Becka knew were standard issue, but had never seen them carry.
“Saige, will you stay here with Becka?” Quinn asked.
One of the smaller, black-furred wolves whined and shook its head, but then padded over to Becka and sat down.
“I want to come with you,” Becka said, anxious at being left alone. Not that she didn’t trust Saige, but Becka felt safer by his side.
“No,” Quinn replied, his clipped tone brooking no argument. “You’ll be safe here with Saige while we investigate.”
Becka’s hands balled into fists. Why had he brought her along just to make her watch from the sidelines?
Caeda nodded to Quinn, and then they headed off towards the cabin, the four wolves flanking their progress. Becka and Saige stood there with the horses, watching them go.
“This blows,” Becka whispered.
Saige yawned in response, again shaking her head.
She watched them split into even teams, and one moved around the front of the cabin.
For a moment there was quiet, and then she heard a scuffle. Becka saw flashes of movement through the windows and around the corners of the cabin but couldn’t make out any detail.
“How do you think it’s going?” Becka asked the shifter.
Saige cocked her head and let out a high-pitched whine in return.
“Well, isn’t this a lovely surprise?” came a low, rich feminine voice from behind her.
Becka’s heart rate spiked as she whipped around to face a curvaceous fae-touched woman standing maybe twenty feet away from her. She wore fitted slacks and a bright, color-blocked blouse like a city dweller. Her hair was short and layered in a carefree manner. Her smoky-eye makeup and shock-red lips matched her self-assured stance. The flash in her amber-toned eyes held no warmth.
Saige stood at her side, hackles raised, teeth bared, and snout wrinkled. The woman didn’t appear at all frightened of the shifter, as her eyes didn’t leave Becka despite the wolf’s warning.
How did the fae sneak up on us? Especially Saige?
She knew she should be afraid, but curiosity got the best of her. “You didn’t expect us to come after Alvilda?”
The sounds of fighting continued behind her. How many were there in total? Becka didn’t dare take her eyes off of the woman in front of her to check how things looked at the cabin.
The fae took a step closer, and Saige growled and snapped, moving between the two of them. Becka took off her gloves, shoving them into her pocket.
“Oh, I did. It’s why I waited for the enforcers to arrive. But I never expected them to bring you along, but I’m pleased we have this opportunity to meet, face to face, as they say.”
She’d hoped I would be here?
Terror gripped her stomach at the woman’s blatant confidence despite the shifters and enforcers closing in. How had she appeared out of thin air, casting no shadow despite the sunny day? Although this fae looked nothing like Woden, Becka was sure of one thing.
She stumbled a step backwards. “You’re a Shadow-Dweller!” And by the ongoing sounds of the fighting nearby, she hadn’t come alone.
The fae raised her hands with flourish and gave a half bow. “I’d heard you were clever… although I suppose not quite clever enough, because here you are.”
The woman took a step towards her, and Saige snapped again, yet the fae continued to inch closer. Becka’s head ached, her telltale that fae magic was nearby. What did this fae have up her sleeve?
Waiting for an opportunity to strike, Becka brought her focus to her hands, extending the reach of her Null gift as far as she could.
“The others will be back soon, and I’m not about to go down without a fight,” Becka replied, hands up defensively in front of her. If the Shadow-Dweller attacked, she’d be ready. “Who are you, and why are you meeting Alvilda?”
“I’m not here to fight you, Becka.” She inched forward. “You can call me Mimir, and I’m here to exact payment due from Alvilda.”
Becka recognized the name from fae
myth. “You’re named after the ancient Keeper of Knowledge?”
Mimir smiled, her blood-red lip curling up in a macabre mask of joy. “Something like that.”
Becka noticed the woods behind her were silent. “The fight’s over. They’ll be coming back here to check on me.”
No doubt Saige had noticed too, as she let out a low, keening sound, but remained in front of Becka, blocking Mimir.
Mimir laughed in a carefree manner, taking another step forward. “I doubt that.”
Why are they silent?
Panic flooded her veins.
This isn’t how things were supposed to go.
“Are there more Shadow-Dwellers back there?” Becka asked. She kept trying to move around Saige, but the wolf continued to block her path to Mimir. “Dammit, Saige!” she whispered.
At this point, Mimir stood a mere six to seven feet away. Could Becka reach Mimir and Null her powers before the Shadow-Dweller had a chance to react?
“No. It’s just me here today,” Mimir replied, her smile widening.
Becka breathed a sigh of relief, but then her heart skipped a beat. “Wait, what? Then who are they fighting?”
Mimir scrunched her nose and winked, holding her hand over her chest in a faux-demure manner. “Me!”
Try as she might, Becka’s mind couldn’t wrap around Mimir’s puzzle. Frustrated and fueled by fear, Becka launched at Mimir, hands going for her throat. Saige was right beside her, jaws snapping.
Instead of making contact, Becka and Saige fell forward and through Mimir’s apparition which dissipated on contact. Both remained on their feet, but it took Becka a few steps to catch herself.
What had just happened? Becka scanned the forest around them. Mimir was gone! She’d been speaking to an illusion! That’s why Mimir had no shadow!
Fear, which had fueled her attack on Mimir’s apparition, now urged her towards the cabin. Becka took off at a run, despite the pain in her one bare foot. Saige ran alongside, quickly outpacing her.
Becka was utterly unprepared for the sight which greeted her when she reached the back of the cabin.
Chapter 30
Blood was everywhere.
The bodies of shifters and enforcers sprawled out on the scene before her. In front of the cabin was a lovely set of lounge chairs next to an overturned bistro table. Underneath the table Becka spied Caeda’s body, facedown and unmoving on the ground. Brent’s large white wolf form slumped across the stairs leading up into the cabin, bright red stains spattering across his fur.
Quinn! He lay lifeless, predictably in the middle of the fray, with two of the wolves laid out next to him. Was the blood from the wolves? From Alvilda? Becka couldn’t tell if those on the ground were dead or unconscious. Her heart ached to see them all helpless, faces pale as death.
I can’t tell the other wolves apart. And where is the fifth wolf?
The only one moving was Mimir, who dragged Alvilda’s lax, bloody body towards the open door of a black car. Mimir’s clothes had a little dirt on them and her hair was disheveled, but she didn’t appear to have gone through the same battle everyone else here had.
The hair on the back of Becka’s neck raised. This Shadow-Dweller had incapacitated all of them while barely breaking a sweat.
Saige, who had stopped short alongside Becka as she mentally digested the scene, surged forward with a growl, teeth bared for Mimir’s throat. Mid-leap, Saige’s body froze and then crumpled to the ground.
“No!” screamed Becka. She rushed towards Mimir, hands up and ready to attack. A headache slammed into her as she crossed some sort of boundary. Unlike Saige, she wasn’t knocked out, but the pain in her head was near crippling.
Mimir laughed a mirthless laugh, raked a hand through her hair and then tucked it behind her pointy ear. “At least my magic slowed you down.” She paused to pull Alvilda another few feet, a wide trail of blood left in her wake. “I knew better than to think you’d be vulnerable. But Becka, I’d advise you to stop right where you are and let me go in peace.”
Becka staggered forward. “No!” she screamed again. “You will drop Alvilda and break this spell that does… whatever it is you’re doing to everyone, right now!”
“I have no intention of stopping.”
“Why are you taking Alvilda?” Fear gripped Becka, and she glanced to Quinn hoping to see motion, but there was none. Had Mimir already killed them all? But if so, why was she taking Alvilda with her? “What’s she to you?”
“Oh, you know. She took a vow. She failed me. I’m calling in her debt. Same old, same old.” Her heel caught on a rock and, unbalanced, she momentarily lost her grip on Alvilda’s legs. Sighing, Mimir righted herself and resumed her gruesome task.
“You wanted her to poison me?”
“Oh, definitely!” Mimir replied with a quick nod and broad smile.
Becka couldn’t understand Mimir’s cheery response, and it filled her with deepening dread. “But… that doesn’t make any sense. Don’t the Shadow-Dwellers want to consume my power? How is that supposed to work if I’m dead?”
“According to our prophecies, if you are who we think you are, then there’s only one way to kill you. And it’s not by poison.”
She’s insane…
Becka rubbed her aching temples. “I didn’t drink enough poison to kill me, that’s why I’m not dead! Your prophecies are a bag of bunk!”
Mimir stopped dragging Alvilda and met her gaze. “No, Becka. My attempt failed, just as I thought it would. The prophecy has spoken.”
“Argh!”
Mimir resumed dragging Alvilda’s body to the car.
Becka followed her, edging closer and watching for an opening to step in and use her powers on Mimir while she was distracted, but the woman kept an eye on her.
“Stop! You can’t take her. Break the spell on my friends, now, or I will hurt you!”
Mimir reached the vehicle and dropped Alvilda’s legs, her focus singular. “As I see it, you have two options.” Mimir moved to Alvilda’s head and scooped her up under the shoulders, dragging her partway into the back seat. Having walked through the blood trail, Mimir’s heels tracked obscene smears with every step. “And you’re going to pick option number two.”
Becka continued to fight through the pain in her head and walk towards Mimir, barely able to think straight.
How is Mimir so physically strong? Is it more magic? Some acquired powers from feeding on her victims?
“One,” Mimir continued. “You come at me now, knowing I have resources at my disposal you probably cannot comprehend. You might take me down, but chances are I’m leaving with Alvilda regardless.”
“Your magic has no power over me,” Becka replied, confident her Null gift would shield her. Unless the Shadow-Dweller knows something I don’t? “I won’t let you take her.”
Mimir, having loaded Alvilda’s head, shoulders, and part of her torso into the car, moved around, picked up her knees, and shoved her body in further. “I appreciate your dedication, but the strain in your voice says otherwise. If you come after me now, you’ll never be able to save all of them.” Mimir gestured to those on the ground. “Option two, which I suggest you take, is allowing me to leave and then attempting to save your friends.”
Her heart leapt in her chest. “They’re still alive?”
“For now…” With one last heave, Mimir pushed Alvilda into the car. She stood up and stretched her back, which let out an audible pop followed by her satisfied sigh. She slammed the car door shut and squared her shoulders towards Becka. “But they won’t be for long.”
She could try and save Alvilda or save the others. Stomach churning with guilt, Becka realized part of her longed for the first option because she wanted to fight Mimir now and not let her get away, not because she cared about saving Alvilda.
But Quinn… Saige… Brent… Shamus… Lorelai… Luce!
“How do I save them?” Becka asked, reining in her anger.
Mimir smiled, opened the front
door of the car, and then slid into her seat, closing the door and leaning out the window. “Break the spell. Something which should be a cinch for your unique gift. Just don’t dawdle!”
Becka nodded and walked to Quinn, dropping down to sit next to him. She felt around him, searching for the layers of magic Mimir claimed to have encircled him with.
“Oh, and Becka?” Mimir called, her voice a playful singsong tone, like a child’s. Becka paused and looked up at Mimir. “Find me.”
With those final words and a smirk, Mimir’s car rushed off down the road towards House Birch territory. Immediately the throbbing between her temples lessened, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Once again, Becka focused on Quinn, his body slack and lifeless. She focused her thoughts, feeling the space around him for the telltale threads of magic. There! Around his chest there was this tangle of energy she knew was new and malignant. A single thought and swipe of her fingers disintegrated the magic, and Quinn sucked in a deep, needed breath of fresh air.
Wiping tears from her cheeks, Becka crawled to the pair of wolves lying next to Quinn. She trusted Shamus’s claim that her Null magic couldn’t harm a shifter’s innate power, but this incident with Mimir and the jasmine flowers Ingrid had blossomed in his hair proved shifters weren’t immune to fae magic. Moments later, she’d broken through the magic encircling the shifter pair and they too were once again breathing normally, although their breath sounds were haggard.
Quinn coughed and groaned. Becka wanted to go to his side, but instead she rushed over to Caeda, pulling the bistro table off of her supine form. Bruises covered her exposed skin, and her right leg was bent at an unnatural angle. Remembering her mishap with Hanna, Becka faltered. What if she misjudged her magic and broke Caeda’s gift?
Caeda needed healers, pronto!
“Quinn! Wake up and call for backup. We need healers. And Hamish. And whoever else you can get!” she yelled in his direction.
Ever so gingerly, Becka leaned over Caeda, seeking out the same tangled net of magic around her chest. She Nulled the magic, thread by thread, until Caeda gasped in a breath. With her inhalation, pain distorted Caeda’s face and a high-pitched keening sound issued from her throat.
Poisoned Shadow: An Urban Fantasy Supernatural Detective Mystery (The Shadow Series Book 2) Page 23