by Holly Evans
A mumble passed through the people; Lysander held his hands up palms towards the crowd.
“We’re not going to strip anyone of anything,” Lysander said.
“Are you going to believe that mongrel‽” the leader snarled.
A few of the crowd, those closest to us, turned and walked away. The core closed ranks and stared us down. Humans were beginning to pause and wonder what was going on; I wondered how we were going to play this little disaster. Perhaps they’d call it a spontaneous play or some such.
“We will not be silenced!” one of the pixies shouted.
“How are we silencing you?” Lysander asked calmly.
The pixie looked to her fellows. “You’re here to stop us, to remove our magic, or send us back!”
Lysander glanced back at me and Raif.
“Do you see any alchemy on us? Any weapons?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes at him; a few more of the group split off and wandered away. That left us with the five most determined.
“Stop them before they get the chance!” the leader shouted.
The final five cheered before they ran at us. One day, something was going to go smoothly; today I was going to have to buy more jeans to replace the ones I was wearing. Jeans don’t hold up very well to redcap claws.
Raif had had the good sense to ring the clean-up guys while Lysander was trying to talk them down. They gave the humans some line about us all being drama students. No one really seemed to care all that much; Prague was full of peculiar art. Azfin’s underlings had slipped away during the fray, but Azfin had made a note of the fae that had attended. He drove us back to Elise’s church in silence.
“Who put that bullshit in their heads?” I asked Azfin.
He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “I don’t know, but I will find out.”
“Witches,” Raif growled.
I had to admit, they did seem the most likely option; they had been causing all of the trouble in the city as of late. Azfin stared straight ahead as we piled back out of his vehicle and returned to Elise’s church; perhaps her lady would have some useful information for us.
Bryn led the way into her church.
“Something feels wrong here,” he said.
Lysander and Raif both sniffed the air.
“Witches,” they growled.
We jogged up to the door and almost ran into the back of Bryn when he halted without warning. He ran his fingers over the stone next to the door. Something shimmered there, a faint red haze in a shape I couldn’t make out.
“Magic. Blood magic,” Bryn said.
We burst into the church looking for Elise; her lady would have had nothing to do with blood magic.
“Elise?” Bryn called out.
Silence greeted us. There were small bundles of robes scattered about the main church area. The remains of witches, and quite a few of them. Elise wasn’t in front of her altar as I’d expected, and there was no sign of her in her living room. More robes were strewn around her living space, blood splattered the walls and dripped from her bookshelf. Elise had been attacked by what looked to have been an entire coven. Bryn went to her sacred room.
“She’s in here,” he called out a moment later.
Relief flooded me.
“There’s a lot of blood here,” Lysander said.
Raif wrinkled his nose. “Horrible, dirty blood.”
Bryn carried Elise’s unconscious form into the living room. Her head lolled back; she was almost as white as her dress. Blood smeared her hands and dripped down her throat.
“She’s alive, barely. Raif, bring Kadrix and Quin. Now,” Bryn said.
Bryn stroked her hair and whispered to her.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I believe someone tried to sever her tie with her lady,” Bryn said gravely.
To sever a priestess from her deity was a cruel form of death. A priestess’ vows tied them to their deity on a level I didn’t understand; that was how they could speak with them directly.
“How can we help?” Lysander asked.
“You can’t. We have to hope Kadrix can bring her back to us,” Bryn said.
Fire rippled over my hands. I would destroy whoever did that to Elise. They would suffer a long and painful death.
CHAPTER NINE
Kadrix and Quin had rushed to the church, and they’d gotten there in record time. Kadrix sent me and the others out of the room so he could perform his magic in peace. Bryn refused to budge; he wasn’t going to leave Elise’s side. Even from the hallway, I saw the technicolour display of Kadrix’s full elven magic at work. I paced around the small circle and tried to narrow down the possible culprits. We knew it was witches, but there were a number of covens and bloodlines. Had we been called away specifically so they could attack Elise? If so, did that mean that Azfin was in on it? I’d skin him alive if he was.
Lysander pulled me to him and rested his chin on the top of my head. “Breathe, Evelyn, getting yourself worked up isn’t going to do anyone any good.”
“I want to help,” I said softly.
I felt so useless out there. My best friend was suffering, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to help her. I needed to do something.
“We should burn the robes, in case there’s residual magic in them that could harm Elise,” Lysander said.
“There’s magic all over the walls and around her altar,” Raif said
“Why can’t I see the magic?” I asked.
Raif shrugged.
“Maybe you only see fae magic?” he offered.
I huffed. “I want to help her.”
Lysander kissed my temple. “Then calm yourself, Evelyn.” He turned to Raif. “Can we scrub away this dirty magic?”
Raif wrinkled his nose. “I think so. We’d have to ask Quin or Kadrix.”
Quin appeared at that moment.
“I have some alchemical supplies on me that will help us do just that,” he said.
He looked tired and drawn.
“How is she?” I asked.
Quin gave me a weak smile. “Conscious. Kadrix is doing everything he can. She’ll survive.”
“How’s Kadrix?” Raif asked.
Quin smiled and squeezed Raif’s shoulder. “He’s ok. It’s been a while since he worked such complicated magic, thanks for asking.”
Raif proceeded to show us where the magic was so that we could scrub at it with lavender-coloured powder before Quin washed it down with a goldish-coloured water. I could feel the difference we were making, even if I couldn’t see it. Slowly, the air became easier to breathe, and more light seemed to enter the space. I kicked myself for not seeing the change in the first place.
“You can’t be everything,” Lysander said.
Raif scowled at us and muttered something about us being creepy. Quin remained closer to Elise’s living space where Kadrix was working; I had to assume that Kadrix was at risk performing that magic. I just hoped that Elise came out of it ok. I’d be lost without her.
We’d scrubbed every space we could reach by the time Kadrix stepped out of Elise’s living area. His skin had taken on an ashy colour; he leaned against the doorway.
“She’s ok. She’ll need time to heal, but she’ll be fine,” he said.
Quin wrapped his arms around the elf and kissed down the side of his face.
“Thank you, Kadrix,” I said.
He smiled. “You’re welcome, Evelyn.”
“Can we see her?” Raif asked.
“Allow her other half some time first. We’ll need food,” he said, his eyes beginning to close.
Quin guided him to a seat in the main church area. Raif had pulled out his phone and was ordering take-away, while I stood unsure what to do. I wanted to see Elise, but I didn’t dare interfere with what Kadrix had done. Lysander took my hand and guided me outside to the heap of robes that we hadn’t yet disposed of.
“This will be a good lesson with your hellfire, Evelyn,” he said with a smile.
The emotions came easily. The rage and heartache at seeing Elise like that. The robes went up with a whoosh between the two of us. The ash was caught up in the breeze and carried away, removing any sign that the witches had been there.
Elise had been fragile when we’d seen her, a delicate shell of the powerful priestess I was proud to call my friend. Bryn had remained close to her, stroking her hair and gently encouraging her to pick at some food. No one had allowed us to ask any questions about what had happened. I understood their reasoning, but I wanted vengeance. It was one thing when they harmed the city, it was quite another when they attacked Elise in her own church.
Bryn had been kind and offered her the strength she needed as she recovered. We remained with her late into the night, watching over her in case someone tried to finish what they’d started. It was Elise herself who sent us away in the end, when she was starting to get some colour in her cheeks. Kadrix and Quin remained at the church in the spare room; they set up wards and protections around the church to keep them all safe.
I paused outside the church and looked it up and down; I could see some of the magic. Flickering greens and blues that pulsed in and out of my vision. Maybe I was coming into the skill, much like my hellfire. I didn’t know how I felt about that, but my bed was calling. It had been a long day, and there was a lot to be done in the coming days. We needed to find out who was spreading the bullshit about the hunters binding the fae and what their end game was.
We were getting ready to go for our run when Felix rang. It wasn’t like the lycan leader to get in touch; I began to worry that something awful had happened. He didn’t much like small talk and quickly got to the point, asking if he would be able to visit us and see Raif. I asked Raif, who agreed. Felix was conveniently only two minutes away; we postponed our run. A large part of me hoped that Felix had some news on what had gotten into the fae for us. The lycans tended to keep to their own, but he could have heard something.
Lysander buzzed Felix in and opened the door when he knocked. Raif had tensed and stood slightly behind me, his shoulders back as he stood at his full height. I was feeling particularly small and short when Lysander and Felix joined us. They all towered over me. Felix looked Raif up and down as he stood in his running clothes.
He turned to me and said, “He looks good. Has he behaved himself?”
I smiled. “He’s been a very good student.”
I hadn’t lied; he had his pushy moments, but he was dedicated and hard working. We still hadn’t tested him on an actual hunt yet, but his fighting had come on in leaps and bounds. Felix smiled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“I’m glad of it, the pack is proud of him. That you accepted one of ours to be one of yours,” he said, his eyes wandering.
I crossed my arms. “Why are you really here, Felix?”
He fixed those golden eyes on me.
“Witches have been sniffing around, trying to ask… odd questions,” he growled.
Lysander moved a little closer to me.
“What sort of odd questions?” I asked.
His nostrils flared. “They’ve been asking about artifacts.”
I narrowed my eyes; that was sounding suspiciously like the conversation Kadrix had with Azfin.
Felix said, “We have no artifacts that their kind would be interested in. They’ve begun pushing the young ones harder, rephrasing the questions, trying to trip them up. If they continue, we’ll be forced to bite.”
I glanced at Raif, looking for his reaction to all of this. His brow was furrowed, his mouth tight; he was clearly just as confused as I was.
“Do you know which coven they’re from?” Lysander asked.
Felix shrugged. “A witch is a witch.”
The canids all smiled at each other, as though sharing an inside joke I was left out of.
“Do they give any hints about the type of artifact they’re looking for?” I asked.
“They just keep asking about pack history, magic, and special heirlooms. Nothing specific to what they’re seeking,” he said.
“And you want us to put a stop to them?” I said with a smile.
He grinned back at me. “You do enjoy fighting witches.”
I licked my lips. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“I would,” Lysander said with a smile.
Felix had given Raif some compliments and said he was proud of him. Raif politely accepted the words before he cursed out the entire thing the moment the door was shut.
“Proud of me? Ha! He couldn’t wait to be fucking rid of me! I brought shame on the pack, some mutt that couldn’t even shift properly,” he growled and paced.
Lysander placed his hand firmly on Raif’s shoulder and held him still.
“You have a pack now. And we are proud of you,” he said.
Raif exhaled and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what am I supposed to do with these witches?” I asked.
Lysander raised an eyebrow at me.
“We are going to try and find more information. Elise is healing and needs quiet time. Kadrix won’t talk. Who does that leave?” he said.
I waved my hands. “I don’t know; I’ve never been very good at making friends and connections, that was Quin’s thing.”
“Oh, Evelyn,” Lysander said with a smile.
“What would you normally do?” Raif asked.
I shrugged. “Go and interrogate, and perhaps rough up, the closest witch I could lay my hands on.”
I realised how it sounded the moment the words left my mouth. Lysander and Raif looked at each other before they laughed. At me. I glared at them.
“We’ll go and poke at Kadrix; he was tight-lipped over what he was hiding, but he may be a bit more open about the lycan bits. I assume you have no clues, Raif?”
Raif snarled and went to pace again; Lysander held him still.
“They wouldn’t have told me, even if they did have something.”
“We don’t have any hidden artifacts,” Lysander said with a smile.
Raif smiled back and relaxed.
“How do you know?” I said to Lysander with a grin.
He strode over to me, full of predatory grace and intent, his eyes fixed on mine as he wrapped his hands around my hips.
“The bond is a wonderful thing, Evelyn. I know every secret.”
“Are you sure?” I teased.
“Yes,” he said nipping my bottom lip.
Raif cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest. We stepped away from each other. Blush crept over my cheeks, and I refused to look at Raif. I wasn’t ashamed of what I had with my hound, but it wasn’t in my nature to be so overtly affectionate with others around. Lysander, however, leant in and kissed me hard, his eyes full of promises I had no doubt he’d fulfil later.
“So we’re going to Kadrix’s?” Raif said.
“Yes, we’re going to see if he’ll give us something of use,” I said.
We ran over there. We weren’t in a rush, since Felix hadn’t given us any idea that there was something to be overly concerned about. That, and we had no leads on who had attacked Elise. I hated the waiting game, but as Lysander and Raif had pointed out, I couldn’t just beat up witches until someone gave me useful information. It felt good to run as a small group; it helped the bonds between us, and it always felt good to stretch my muscles and have the endorphin buzz.
It was a good thing I had the happy endorphin buzz when we reached Kadrix’s workshop. There were no fewer than six fae of varying forms bustling around the workshop, each of them performing some form of magic. The air was thick with it. The pixie, with her bubblegum-pink spiked hair, pushed past me while whispering spells under breath and moving a set of crystals over and around her fingers. The elf was sitting cross-legged on a wooden table facing Kadrix, both with their eyes closed and oddly blank expressions on their faces. The fluttering things with their translucent wings buzzed around the back of
the workshop, scattering sparkly dust. I wasn’t even sure what form of fae they were; I hadn’t seen anything like it before.
The three of us stood in the entrance, staring dumbstruck. Quin made his way between the chaos and gestured for us to back up into the main lékárna area.
“What are they doing?” I hissed.
He dragged his fingers through his hair; small lines formed at the corners of his eyes.
“They’re putting protections on the entire building,” he said.
I crossed my arms and glanced at the front door; the guy who usually worked behind the counter had already put the closed sign up and vanished.
“I don’t know,” Quin said. He sighed softly and waved his hand. “He said he’s being cautious, elven politics can be delicate and with his alchemy business doing well he doesn’t want to risk losing anything.”
“But you don’t believe him,” I said.
He looked at me, the lines around his eyes had deepened. “I trust him, Evie, I just… he’s hiding something. He told me it’s very old elf stuff and he’d tell me if he could. I don’t like being left out of the loop.”
“Understandable,” Lysander said.
“What brought you here, anyway?” Quin asked.
“We thought it was better than letting Evie beat up random witches,” Raif said.
Quin looked between us. “I’m sorry…”
Lysander and Raif laughed. I ignored them both.
“Felix paid us a visit,” I said. “He said that witches have been sniffing around and asking about an artifact. We thought we’d kill two birds with one stone and see if you had more of an idea about who attacked Elise and why.”
Quin stiffened at the world ‘artifact.’ I took a step closer to him.
“Quin, what do you know?”
He looked away.
“Nothing, just Kadrix is clearly hiding a physical thing, and now the witches are looking for an artifact, while at the same time Kadrix is putting up enough protections to defend the entire building from a nuclear attack,” he said.
Lysander growled. “I believe I owe the elf for poking and prodding me.”