She would probably be the very last hound we did the spell on other than Omar and Alexander.
I pulled the globe from my pocket. Only seven glowing lights left. Two were my above-mentioned friends, one was Governor Boggs, and the rest were still near Lord Kenan. I figured they’d stay by him as long as they could.
Even though it was ten o’clock, I knew it was time. I was ready to give back the device and find a way to stop the plagues. A trip to Mount Koven was in order. And so, Abel and I left my house again, searching for a ghost.
The locusts had followed me back, and we had to dodge under a massive swarm as we walked. The creatures zoomed around us, and I swatted what felt like hundreds of them from my hair.
A ghost finally approached, and I was sad to find it was someone who had recently passed away due to the plagues. He was incredibly angry with me and very bitter. He grumbled about the family he’d left behind and the job he’d loved. I didn’t know which plague had killed him, and I was afraid to ask.
He did as expected and led me to the door of Koven. Yay for that.
Once inside, I sought the answer to my question. Was there a way to bribe the globe owner into canceling the plagues if I returned the device before the last one came?
It took a while, but I was finally approached by a ghost who dressed like he’d been a Chinese emperor at some point. The man had beautiful features—he’d been a real looker in life. Not only that, but the golds and reds of his robes were striking and gave him a regal authority I knew most women probably would have found irresistible when he’d been alive.
“The owner of the device had a magical cane at some point,” he said. “It was stolen from him. If you can retrieve that cane and give it and the globe to him, he will stop the plagues for you.”
“Where can I find it?”
The man waved his hand dismissively. “Your friend will know.”
He was talking about Nicole.
I thanked him before leaving Koven, finally feeling a shred of hope. As soon as I was with Abel again, I dialed Nicole’s number, planning on telling them both what I’d learned at the same time.
She answered immediately. I knew from her tone of voice that she hadn’t been asleep, despite the very late hour. I put her on speakerphone as Abel and I walked back to my house.
“My campaigns are working, aren’t they?” she asked.
“Yes, they are. I’m so grateful you started them.”
“Good. They cost a lot of money.”
I heard the teasing in her voice and knew she wasn’t expecting me to repay.
“They must have—they were definitely very professional.”
“And they were rush orders. It was a lot of fun setting them up—people actually took me seriously when I mentioned how much I was willing to pay.” She sighed. “I still can’t believe the governor refuses to declare a state of emergency until you turn yourself in. He really messed up his numbers over that one.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m actually surprised it’s backfiring on him, though.”
“Why should you be? People naturally distrust politicians. And have you seen your picture? You have such a baby face. All anyone needs to do is see you and they’ll immediately want to help and protect you.”
I chuckled, feeling my cheeks flush. I refused to look at Abel. Didn’t want to know what he was thinking. “Like that’s true.”
“You know it is.”
“Whatever. Regardless, it doesn’t explain why people flipped sides so quickly.”
“I think by this point, they don’t care about you anymore. They just want relief from what’s going on. And if that relief comes from the government—from an official emergency—they’ll accept it with open arms. And I don’t blame them. Your governor is standing between them and comfort from the horrors they’ve been experiencing. Plus, I’m assuming a lot of people have found a way to survive the plagues.”
“They must have by now. Everything has been falling apart around them.”
Nicole made a sound that showed she agreed, then said, “I’m going to assume you didn’t call so late to chat. What can I do for you?”
“I need your help finding a magical device.”
“Awesome. What are you looking for?”
I relayed to Nicole what the man in Koven had told me.
“I’ll check it out,” Nicole said. “If it needs to be rescued or found, I’ll worry about that. You focus on preparing for the next plague.”
“Thank you so much,” I told her.
We had eight hours to go before darkness fell across the land. I didn’t know how bad it would be, but Nicole was right. I needed to prepare.
Oh, I so hoped she would be able to find the cane before the last plague started. I really didn’t want to have the death of all firstborns on my hands.
27
Once we reached my house, Abel and I sat at the kitchen table to eat some canned chicken noodle soup.
“I have a plan,” I said to Abel. “Where the governor of Utah is concerned. And . . . you’re not going to like it.”
He glanced up at me from his bowl. “That’s not the best way to start a conversation with me, you know. If I need to, I’ll chain you up to keep you from doing something stupid.”
“Such a charmer.”
Abel relaxed and went back to digging into his soup. I was grateful I was dating him and not some super-controlling, possessive guy. Yes, he could be a bit overbearing at times, but he hadn’t ever stifled me.
“I’m going to hunt down the governor. Once the darkness hits.”
“How?” he asked.
“Using the amulet, of course. After it’s black will be the best time to do it.” I still hadn’t learned how to see better in darkness, and this next plague would be the ideal time to learn.
He nodded. “I was wondering about doing that as well. If we leave before the plague hits, we wouldn’t need to go far in pitch blackness. We could just hang out near the mansion.”
“Out of sight, of course. If he goes missing the same time I’m seen there, they’d definitely trace it back to me.”
With our plan decided on, we hit the sack for several hours before leaving at seven. We pulled up about a block from the governor’s mansion, and I was glad I’d been there before. I’d know my way around the first floor at least. He’d probably regret having invited me over. Too bad for him.
Abel and I hung out in the car until about five minutes before the locust plague would end and the darkness would start. And then we started strolling gradually toward the governor’s mansion, me again wearing my Paris Hilton sunglasses and my hair in braids.
We timed things almost perfectly—only having to double back once before the locusts stopped and the darkness began. And oh, my goodness. It was absolute darkness. Not even the screen on my phone would light up. Abel produced a flip phone with hard buttons to make phone calls. We did a quick test, calling Nicole so she’d have the number. When she answered and Abel told her to call it when she had the cane, we knew the phone would work.
And then, while everyone else was in a panic, I commanded the amulet to hide me, knowing it would mask the sound of my feet and my smell. I grabbed Abel’s hand, and relying on the amulet’s directions, we climbed the fence and dropped into the yard. Without any lighting, we knew the cameras wouldn’t work—they wouldn’t be able to use their own lighting system to monitor our presence. It was the perfect setting.
Guide me to the hound.
I will.
Help me see in the dark.
Yes.
Things didn’t exactly light up, but I could see very faint outlines in our surroundings—a big pine tree the amulet guided us around. A carved bush we nearly ran smack into. A fountain Abel almost fell in.
I pulled the globe from my pocket and drew it up to my face, glad to see that the glowing lights still worked. Maybe the amulet powered it.
The governor was still in the house. Chills crossed me, and my palms went sticky. I wa
s about to destroy one of the most powerful hounds I’d ever encountered. Breathe, Lizzie, breathe.
I tucked the device away, then, relying on the amulet’s instructions, started forward, leading Abel.
Stop.
We paused. I heard growling. A dog was there, its outline faintly visible. It obviously couldn’t see us, but it could probably smell Abel.
Go left.
The amulet led us around the dog, slowly, carefully. I almost felt bad for the mutt—it obviously was freaked out by the complete blackness.
Soon, we bypassed yelling guards and screaming maids and finally reached the front door of the mansion. I wasn’t shocked to find it open—many people had probably been coming and going, stumbling around in the dark, trying to figure out what to do and where to go.
Enter.
To the right.
It didn’t surprise me that the amulet guided me to the stairs. Unfortunately, I’d never been up there before. I started up them, leading Abel slowly and carefully, making sure neither of us tripped and revealed our presence. Of course, plenty of other people were falling and banging into things. Even if one of us did trip, no one would suspect an intruder was there.
My heart ached when I thought of Mrs. Boggs and her children and what my actions of the evening would do to them. I pushed that aside—my emotions were too close to the surface, what with how sleep deprived I was. I couldn’t think about them and do my job.
The stairs circled up to the left. I kept a hand on the railing, relying on my hearing and the amulet to tell me if someone was there. Outlines were so faint, I almost couldn’t see them at all.
Anytime we were about to encounter someone, the amulet guided us around them or commanded us to stop until the person walked past.
We headed down a hallway and another one before the amulet said, He’s inside this room.
I waited a moment, listening for any voices behind the door before pulling Abel’s head next to my mouth and whispering, “He’s in here.”
We’d discussed what to do if he wasn’t alone. Abel would distract the other people, leading them away, and hopefully without the governor knowing. Yeah. Not a very solid plan, especially if there were several guards with him.
Luck was on our side. The room was empty, except for the governor. I could hear him downing something wet. I didn’t know what he was drinking, but I assumed it was alcoholic. Maybe that would work in our favor.
“You’re here for me,” he said.
I didn’t respond. The stronger hounds could sense me, even when I had the amulet hiding me. I really hated that.
“You’re never going to destroy me.”
I rolled my eyes. He had no idea what he was talking about.
“If you kill me, it’ll be your own death sentence. Literally. I’ve been warning my advisers that if they find me dead, they’ll know who did it.”
As he spoke, I let go of Abel’s arm and gave him a gentle push—his cue to take his own path toward the voice. I felt my way closer to the governor, the chairs to my right barely visible, with Governor Boggs at the head of the table. It seemed like we’d entered a conference room of sorts. I slowly edged my way closer. I couldn’t believe he’d left himself exposed like this. But perhaps he hadn’t been alone originally. Perhaps his guards had left to find me. He must’ve suspected I would seek him out once the darkness came. But maybe he didn’t expect such complete darkness. Or maybe he didn’t expect me to find my way around in it.
“It doesn’t matter what you say,” I whispered, finally deciding to respond to him.
“And why doesn’t it?” If he was surprised I was talking, he didn’t let on.
“You will be destroyed eventually. Even if I have to wait years to do it. Even if I have to make it look like you died from cancer or old age. I will destroy you.”
“Yes, well, I’d rather you get it over with now, when my death will have a greater chance of implicating you.”
Before I could respond, he lunged across the room at me, knocking me hard against a chair. I scrambled out from under him, not sure what sort of weapon he had or if he planned to kill me with his bare hands. I couldn’t sense a gun on him.
Governor Boggs was on me again in a flash, knocking me to the floor. Again, I barely got out from under him before his weight crushed me. I groped around, my hand landing on a bookshelf, and grabbed a book there, slamming it against his face.
The man growled at me, shoving me away hard.
“Where is he?” Abel asked.
I couldn’t respond before the man had gripped me again, his hands around my neck. With help from the amulet, and before his hands had tightened too much, I slithered out of his grasp.
Governor Boggs couldn’t see me—I would’ve sworn he couldn’t—and yet, he seemed to know exactly where I was at all times. I would struggle away from him, trying to lead him to Abel, and he would grab me and yank me back again.
Finally, I felt something sharp prick my skin. A knife. He had a knife. I lurched away from him, rounding back and punching him as hard as I could in the throat.
Abel must have caught up with him because just as the governor gagged, I heard some shuffling and a loud snap. I winced.
The next stage of our plan had begun. Abel would tie the man up and kill him over and over again until he agreed to go along with our plan, which required him turning into a hound. I assumed he hadn’t done so since becoming governor. He didn’t travel the world like the other hounds did, and I knew he’d done everything he could to appear to be a normal human, if only for Mrs. Boggs and her kids.
Sooner than I thought possible, Governor Boggs started struggling. This guy was stronger than the other hounds and healed faster. Much faster. As soon as he started moving, Abel broke his neck again.
We’d only been working on our plan for an hour when a faint glow appeared in the room. I blinked, trying to figure out if my eyes were playing tricks on me.
“Miss Ashton?” someone whispered.
I recognized his voice immediately. “Sir Christopher, I thought I told you to call me Lizzie.”
“Oh, yes. Sorry. Lizzie, I’m finally available to train you again. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you.”
“This isn’t exactly the best time for training,” I hissed. “We’re sort of in a tough position.”
“I know, I know. I only have a piece of advice for you this time.”
“What’s that?”
“Command ghosts to help fight Lord Kenan.”
I blinked. “Are you serious? Isn’t that akin to sentencing them to death? I mean, permanent death?”
“No. Well, not really. Have them fight his army, not him directly. They’d slow his forces down considerably—even the ones who can’t physically touch anything can help.”
“Hmmm.” Good point. “Okay, thanks. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll leave you alone now.”
“Oh, wait,” I said. “Do you know how to get the amulet to light things up more? I can barely see anything.”
“Naturally. It’s like cats’ eyes—it depends on how much light is already available and will amplify that. In complete blackness like this, with no light around, it can’t do a whole lot.”
“That makes sense. Let me know if you learn anything different.”
“I will.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Ashton.”
I growled at him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re welcome, Lizzie.”
And then he left.
Abel had to break Governor Boggs’ neck once during the conversation, and soon after Sir Christopher left, he had to do it again.
For three hours, we continued like that until we had to move the governor from the room. A security guard stumbled in, calling for Governor Boggs, and when no one responded, the man mumbled something about demanding that other guards help him locate the governor. We figured it was best to move him at that point.
&
nbsp; We took Boggs down to the end of the hallway, next to a little nook by a window. There were many doors nearby, and the amulet warned us the rooms were occupied. We had to be extra quiet, but according to the amulet, this was the best place to hide—out in the open where no one would expect us to actually murder someone.
Our backup plan, in case we failed, was to smuggle the governor back to the Russells’, where we’d force him to take the memory wipe spell. I doubted we’d be able to get him to repeat the words, though, so I didn’t have much hope of that actually working. Still, it helped to have two plans.
I’d learned something about hounds over the last several months. If you got them angry enough, if you threatened them or bribed them or challenged them, they usually shifted into a dog on their own. And finally, after four hours, we let the governor come alive enough to get him to do just that.
“Stop killing me,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“Fight me,” I said. “Fight me as a hound. So I can destroy you.”
The governor growled. “You couldn’t destroy me as a hound any easier than you could take me on as a man.”
“Oh? Hounds are easier.” I tried not to rise to his challenge. I’d done just fine against him as a man, thank you very much.
“You’ve never met my hound.”
I sensed it as he shifted into a dog. Faster than I thought possible, he lunged for me, teeth snapping at my face. I struggled, pushing his jaws away.
Strengthen me, I said to the amulet. Help me.
The amulet didn’t respond, but I felt its powers flow through me. And Governor Boggs seemed to know it. Before I could snuff his fire, he bounced off of me, backing into the corner before coming after me again. Every time I reached for his flame, he knew what I was doing and weaseled away at the last moment.
The next time he attacked, I gasped as I realized something. He was heavier now. How was that possible?
His jaws snapped at me again as I searched for his flame. It didn’t appear, though. Oh, crap. Not this again.
I finally got the dog’s mouth away from me, but he retaliated by slamming the side of his head into my jaw, making me spill across the hallway.
And then he dashed away. Naturally, the coward would run.
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