“People like you have inconsistent loyalties,” he said. “I hope the Death King knows that.”
That stung. The Family might be known for cutting ties and switching alliances, but I’d always been loyal to those I cared about. It wasn’t my fault people around me had an annoying tendency to turn out to be anything but loyal to me. Tay and Shawn were proof of that. I just hoped that Miles wouldn’t end up the same way.
“Do all the Houses use the same cantrip supplier?” I asked him, deciding to change the subject before I ended up losing patience and socking him in the jaw. I already knew the answer, but he might inadvertently give me a clue which would help me figure out how that cantrip had got in here.
“What’s it to you?” Harris said.
“A cantrip killed your jailor,” I said. “And there’s only one supplier here in Elysium. Haven’t you looked into it?”
“The killer might have got the cantrip outside of the city,” he said. “Your friend hasn’t shared any more information with us.”
That figures. What Tay was playing at, I have no idea. “Look, I’m trying to figure out where that cantrip came from. A cantrip bearing the mark of the Family shouldn’t have ended up in the city to begin with.”
There was no point in arguing with him at this stage, though. Since he’d stepped out of the door frame, I took the opportunity to slip underneath his arm and into the hallway, where I heard voices coming from downstairs.
“Hey!” he said. “Fine, you can come in, but don’t touch anything.”
Like he had anything worth stealing. I had no need for pickpocketing now I had a regular salary coming in, besides, so I sauntered past him and towards the stairs down to the lower level.
Harris tailed me. “I haven’t given you permission to go down there.”
“I thought it was implied.” I descended the stairs, ignoring his grumbling behind me. If he didn’t want me here, he shouldn’t have accepted the King of the Dead’s offer.
I reached the lower level, realising entirely too late that I’d have to walk past Tay’s cell on the way to find my brother. I stepped out into the corridor to find her staring at me through the cage bars.
“What on earth are you doing?” she said.
“Moving our friend to a higher-security prison,” I responded.
“You’re getting him out of his cell?” Her face paled. “That’s a ridiculous idea. He’ll be waiting for exactly this.”
“He’s sedated,” said Harris, from behind me. “And you will be, too, if you don’t shut your trap.”
“Tay,” I said warningly as she began to speak. “Don’t start anything right now. Unless you want to confirm that Adair had a role in the jailor’s murder and save us the bother of interrogating him?”
She said nothing, so I walked the rest of the way down the corridor, following the murmur of voices. Harris and I halted behind a group of guards who’d gathered around a single cell with bars made of magic-proofed material.
Inside the cell was my brother, lying unconscious on the floor. Adair looked unnervingly like me for someone who wasn’t a relation, tall and lean with his hair shaved to stubble where mine was long. His pointed ears were on full display and his face looked unexpectedly young in sleep, while the prison uniform contrasted the expensive clothes he’d worn the last time he’d seen him. I never did find out where he’d got them from. Probably from where the rest of the Family was hiding, wherever that was.
I pushed a slew of conflicting emotions aside, with difficulty. We might have grown up as siblings, but he had never treated me as anything other than a convenience. And he’d nearly killed me a week ago.
I cleared my throat. “Excuse me.”
“What’re you doing down here?” asked one of the guards, spotting me.
“She’s here to help us move him,” Harris growled. “Allegedly.”
“I won’t get under your feet,” I said, “but if you run your plan past me, I can point out any issues. We don’t want him walking free.”
“We most certainly do not,” said one of the guards. “He’ll remain sedated while we transport him out to the nearest node. Then…”
“I have a transporter spell,” I told them. “That will allow us to send him directly to the Death King’s territory, where the liches can take him into the jail without any chance of him running free.”
“Who made you the boss?” said Harris.
“One of you can operate the transporter spell, if you’d prefer,” I said. “Or I can ask one of the other Elemental Soldiers to come here in my place if you really have that much of a problem with me.”
“No,” said Harris flatly. “We don’t take orders from the Death King or his poor choices for soldiers.”
Great. If Adair made a break for it, it’d be their fault, not mine. If I pushed them too far, though, they might take the transporter off my hands and lock me in the cell alongside Adair. I didn’t know what they’d sedated him with, but I hadn’t exaggerated when I’d said most magical substances were much less effective on him than they were on regular people. At most, we’d have half an hour before he woke and started taking his anger out on everyone within range.
Thankfully, the guards ignored Harris’s complaints and hauled the unconscious Adair out of his cell. Without glancing in the direction of Tay’s cage this time, I headed up the stairs, while two guards carried the unconscious form of Adair ahead of me. His hands were cuffed with the same magic-proofed stuff as the bars on his cage, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to break out of them the instant he woke up.
We needed to get to the Death King’s castle first.
Outside the House of Fire, we turned the corner and headed for the nearest node. I found myself regretting coming here alone. I wished I’d brought Harper at the very least. While I knew she didn’t want to get close to anyone connected to the Family, being a lich meant she could pass through the node straight to the Death King’s private node without the need for a transporter spell.
I reached into the pendant around my neck and removed the gleaming coin Shawn had given to me, but the guards continued to drag Adair towards the node without paying me any attention.
I cleared my throat. “I have the spell ready. Who wants to volunteer to send him through?”
To my horror, Adair’s eyes snapped open, meeting mine. He twisted out of the guards’ grip almost at once, swinging his cuffed hands at them. The blow caught both guards at once, sending them flying into the air.
Shit. I knew this would happen.
I ran at him, transporter spell in hand, but he pivoted out of the way with a bellow of rage. I hadn’t a hope of restraining him single-handedly, but the heavy chains on his wrists made it harder for him to keep his balance. Yet he was too damn fast, and too close to the node for me to risk a proper assault in case I ended up stranding us both in the middle of nowhere.
“Fuck off,” he spat at me. “Let go of me and go away.”
To my horror, I found my body automatically obeying his commands. His persuasive magic was still in full working order, and the lightness that seized my limbs urged me to run as far away as possible.
Instead, I shot a fireball at him. He dodged, tackling me around the middle and propelling both of us through the node. I fumbled for the transporter spell, too late, and it flew from my grip as we tumbled through emptiness and landed sprawling on hard ground.
I looked up, finding that we hadn’t landed on the Death King’s territory, but near the warehouses of Arcadia. Worse, I’d dropped the transporter spell somewhere on the other side.
Adair staggered upright, chains dangling from his wrists, and made another lunge for the node. I tackled him before he could reach it, using the momentum of our fall to pin his cuffed arms to the ground.
“Care to tell me where that cantrip of yours came from?” I said. “The one that was used to kill the jailor?”
Instead of answering, he twisted out from underneath me, and I hit the ground on my knees, h
ard. He made a break for it, his feet skidding in the muddy ground and his cuffed hands swinging—and a skeletal horse walked into his path, headbutting him in the face. Adair flew back into the mud, swearing explosively.
“Thanks, Neddie,” I said, genuinely grateful for the grumpy horse’s sudden appearance. At least until he knocked me over, too, and I landed on my rear in the mud. “Ow.”
“The horse is called Neddie?” Adair pushed to his feet, his nose bleeding.
I climbed upright and jabbed a finger at him. “He’s the one who deserves a good thrashing.” Bloody zombie horse.
“Get them!” a voice shouted from the direction of the node behind us, and several of the House of Fire’s guards ran to surround the pair of us.
“Hey, I’m taking him to the Death King!” I said indignantly. “Or I would be, if this damned horse did anything I asked it to.”
Neddie placidly stood at the side and chewed on some muddy grass while Adair turned on the guards. “Fight one another, not me.”
The effect was instantaneous. Several fireballs flew among the guards, and alarm flickered through me. You’d think Adair’s power would be somewhat dampened after his imprisonment, but every one of the guards had fallen under his spell—punching, throwing flames, and otherwise ignoring the pair of us.
I’d have to handle Adair myself. I ran towards him, careful not to make eye contact. “You shouldn’t be able to do that.”
A grin twisted his mouth. “These cuffs aren’t made for the likes of us, Bria.”
As I readied myself for a fight, a tremendous blast of wind struck both of us, knocking the guards’ fireballs off course and causing Adair to overbalance again.
I never thought I’d be glad to see the Air Element, but Ryan looked at the uniformed guards with an expression of confusion on their face as they began hurling fireballs at one another again. “What’s going on here?”
“I was bringing this guy to the Death King’s jail,” I told them. “He has mind-control powers. Don’t look him in the eyes.”
Ryan raised their hands and Adair’s body flew into the air before he could rise to his feet. A second blast of air magic sent the House of Fire guards flying in all directions like bottles knocked over. “How long does it last?”
“Not much longer as long as he doesn’t make eye contact with them again,” I replied. “Let them fight it out. Serves them right for not trusting me to deal with this myself.”
Adair kicked and yelled and shouted curses, but Ryan ignored him, levitating him all the way across the swamp without so much as breaking a sweat. When we finally reached the Court of the Dead, the liches at the gates parted to let us through, while their leader appeared at the top of the stone staircase and descended to meet us outside the castle.
Ryan faced the Death King. “What do you want me to do with him?”
“Take him to the jail,” said the Death King. “His abilities don’t work on liches, according to Bria.”
“It’s true,” I added. “I’ll open the doors.”
I walked ahead to the blocky shape of the Death King’s jail, opening the doors to let Ryan levitate Adair inside. “You know, this would have been much easier if you’d just done as you were told, Adair.”
“This is a waste of time,” said Adair. “This place won’t last, any more than the House of Fire will.”
“And just what is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Yet.”
“Quit talking.” Ryan all but threw Adair into a cell, slamming the door on him.
With my brother safely behind bars, I left the jail before he attempted to work his magic on me. Yet his words crept into my thoughts despite my best efforts. The Family had never made an overt threat against the Death King, but they’d certainly been involved with the recent attacks on his territory. Might he be telling the truth? He’d have reason enough to lie purely for the purposes of screwing with me, but the fact remained that the rest of the Family was mysteriously absent.
Maybe biding their time… and preparing to strike at the heart of the new life I’d begun to build.
6
I didn’t get the opportunity to update Miles on my close call with Adair until the following day. After receiving no instructions from the Death King other than leaving our new prisoner alone, I set out for Elysium the next morning. Miles seemed to be expecting me, because he answered the door in person this time.
“Shit, Bria,” said Miles, when I’d explained the adventurous turn yesterday had taken. “I didn’t know they’d make you move your brother to the Death King’s territory so soon.”
“I got the impression they didn’t want me involved in their plan, but they needed my transporter spell,” I said. “Which I lost somewhere in Elysium. Sorry.”
“You mean this?” Miles reached into his pocket and held up the disc-shaped spell. “Wouldn’t want that going missing.”
“Oh.” I took it from him with a rush of gratitude. “Thanks.”
“Thank my brother,” said Shelley, entering the room. “Tate was watching for a distance. He saw the whole shit-show go down. I take it that dickhead of a brother of yours didn’t escape?”
“He almost did, but the Air Element helped me restrain him,” I said. “The House of Fire’s guards were pretty much useless. They haven’t come here again since the last time, have they?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m keen on the idea of them poking their noses into our business,” said Shelley. “At least the Death King is a known entity.”
The Death King wants an alliance with the Houses himself. But that would depend on the Houses’ cooperation, and they seemed to have zero intention of listening to a word I said. While I’d be more than happy to leave them alone, they had Tay’s freedom under their control, and maybe her life, too.
Even if she had killed the jailor, the odds were high that Adair had been the real culprit. Not that he’d made a confession, though the Death King hadn’t sent anyone to talk to him yet. I suspected I was the only person Adair would speak to, regardless, but it would do no good whatsoever to go into the jail and risk him using his mind-control powers on me. Not without a plan, anyway.
“Yeah, he is,” said Miles. “His jail is secure, for the record, so that guy won’t walk free anytime soon. You know he offered to let us stay with him in the castle if we want, too?”
Shelley frowned. “I’m not leaving our base, not with the House of Fire sniffing around at every opportunity. Can’t he help us with that? He’s no friend of the Houses’.”
“He’s not obviously opposed to them either,” said Tate. “If he wants to make an alliance.”
“It’s the sensible thing to do,” I said. “I’m not a fan of the Houses, but they’re the ruling authority in the city. I’d rather they were on our side than against us, if there really is another war coming.”
Shelley made a sceptical noise. “The last people who said there’d be a war are rotting in jail.”
“Best to be prepared,” said Miles. “I don’t know about you, but if the Death King’s taking it seriously, it means the crap will probably hit us first. Not that I’m keen to work with the Houses, mind. I thought that dude was going to walk off with our cantrip supply yesterday.”
“Speaking of cantrips,” I said, “you use the same supplier as the Houses, right?”
“We do,” said Miles. “Why?”
“I spoke to the cantrip manufacturer in Arcadia and they said they only sell to one supplier in Elysium,” I explained. “Which means either the cantrip someone used to kill the jailor came from there, or there’s another illegal cantrip supplier somewhere in the city.”
“Fair point,” said Miles. “Want to talk to Dawson? Not like I’ve got much else going on.”
Shelley cleared her throat. “Except for keeping the other Spirit Agents in line.”
He shot her a grin. “It’s a group responsibility. Anyway, it’s worth checking out. We need to know if the Family has their c
laws in the local cantrip supplier.”
“I bloody hope not,” said Shelley. “Did the Death King tell you to speak to him, Bria?”
“He hasn’t given me instructions,” I said. “Other than not disturbing the prisoner, which I had zero intention of doing anyway. Admittedly, he didn’t tell me to talk to the supplier…”
“He didn’t tell you not to, did he?” said Miles.
“I like the way you think,” I said. “No, he didn’t, and since I’m already here, I might as well go check it out.”
“Sure,” he said. “Shelley, I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Don’t get into trouble,” she responded.
The pair of us left the Spirit Agents’ house, walking along the path to the gate. A vampire chicken ambled past, its beak bloody. “Did it take a bite out of someone?”
“Nah, I think the kids have been feeding them dead rats.”
“Lovely.” They certainly seemed well-looked after, and I wondered if they had any intention of selling them after all. It might be useful to have an army of vampire chickens to attack intruders. “Any updates you don’t mind sharing now they can’t overhear us?”
“Hey, you can trust the others,” he said. “You know that, right? They’ll come around to trusting you eventually, too.”
“Even after what happened with Shawn?” I said. “Do they really not believe there’s going to be a war?”
His expression darkened. “They do. They just won’t admit it. Shawn wasn’t the only spirit mage traitor.”
“No?” I turned to him. “Who else? Do I know them?”
“No.” He drew in a breath. “Okay, the Death King doesn’t want me to tell you this, so don’t let it slip that you know, okay? But I know who the mastermind is.”
I stopped in my tracks. “The Family? You’ve seen them?”
“No, but the person who organised the coup against the Death King is a lich named Hawker,” he said. “Or should I say he was a lich. Before he came back to life.”
My mouth fell open. “What? That’s not possible.”
House of Fire (Parallel Magic Book 2) Page 6