The Lily Harper 8 Book Boxed Set

by HP Mallory

  ‘Twas the very same tactic the Romans had used on me and me kin to claim our lands.

  “Okay, when you put it like that, it makes sense. But why would Alaire do this in territory that’s already technically his? Doesn’t the Malebranche answer to him the same way everyone else in the Underground City does?”

  Me smile turned rueful. “That’s so, lass, but it dinnae mean them dukes aren’t always plottin’ a way tae git out from oonderneath Alaire’s thumb. Mayhap Alaire got wind o’ a plot o’ theirs. Mayhap he jist decided tae make sure nae such plot comes tae pass. Either way, the fightin’ continues apace.”

  “And then there’s Jeanne.” Besom looked upon me with a suspicious sort of cast to her eyes. I winced. I had a nasty suspicion this part of the conversation might make me long for a rematch with the Wendigo in the Asylum.

  “I swear tae ye, Besom, there’s naethin’ goin’ on—”

  She flashed me a smile and stroked me bare chest in reassurance. “And I believe you, you big, silly Scotsman. From what you’ve told me, Jeanne sounds like the kind of woman I would have called a friend back when I was…” Her voice trailed off and she looked down at herself. “…Not like I am now.”

  I could sense something else behind the words. “Is there somethin’ I can help ye with, lass?”

  She bit her lip as she looked up. “I don’t know.” Her face relaxed again. “Getting back to Jeanne… you think she might have been another Soul Retriever who got stuck down here after AE screwed her over?”

  I shrugged. Even as Joan of Arc, it stood to reason that maybe Jeanne had more recently been offered the position of Soul Retriever? Certainly, she didnae belong down here an’ she wasnae an escaped spirit who belonged in the Kingdom. “’Tis possible but that still dinnae explain how she were able tae repel the Spites? An’ it wouldnae explain whose voice she hears.”

  “Or how, if she’s a first-timer in this Circle like me, she knows all about this place.”

  This comment, I could address. “Well, she spent a good many days attendin’ tae Epimetheus. An’ she made some friends who may well have been down here even longer.”

  That earned a nod from Besom. “Okay, that leads me to my next question. This level is supposed to be made up of those who practiced magic, right?”

  “Aye.”

  “As far as I’ve seen, there haven’t been a whole lot of magically inclined people here.” She shrugged. “How many people in this circle can really be called ‘wizards’? Even if they aren’t Merlin or Gandalf or Dumbledore, you’d think they’d stand out from the other prisoners stuck here.”

  “Ah’d only be guessin’ if I ventured tae answer ye.”

  There was something I wanted to tell her since laying eyes on her again. As I grabbed her shoulders in me hands, I decided now was the time. “Lass, there’s a shortcoot tae the Dark Wood in this Circle. If’n I tell ye where it lies, will ye go there an’ wait fer me?”

  Her eyes grew as steely as the blade I had made for her. “I know you didn’t just suggest what I think you did.”

  I sighed and tightened me grip upon her shoulders. “Every second ye stay down here is another that Alaire could use tae git ye back in his clootches.”

  If anything, her eyes grew harder. “The same goes double for you… and probably Bill too, at this point. And now that you’re without Donnchadh, you’re susceptible to whatever atrocities Alaire has in mind for you.”

  “Ah still possess me own Druid magic, Besom,” I insisted.

  “It’s not enough,” she said as she closed the distance between us and looped her arms ‘round me neck. “I want to make sure you escape this horrible place just as much as I want to escape it, Tallis.”

  Why did Besom pick now, of all times, to live up to her nickname? “Now that Ah’m a free man, I can take care o’ meself long enough tae—”

  Lily pummeled me chest with a pair of meaty slaps before bracing her face against me. “Either all three of us leave together or none of us do.”

  As ever, I sighed at her ingrained stubbornness. “An’ there’s nae a thing Ah can say tae change yer mind, is there?”

  She looked up at me and smiled in that girlish way of hers. “What do you think?”

  Right after she released her hold ‘round me body, she continued. “Have you considered that maybe Jeanne is leading you and everyone else into a trap?”

  I shook me head. “An’ here I thought ye said ye wasnae jealous.”

  “Not jealous, just aware, Tallis,” she corrected me. “If Jeanne weren’t a young and pretty girl, would you be so trusting of her?”

  Great Morrigan, when did she become so suspicious? “Ah’ve long troosted me own senses when it comes tae knowin’ what sort o’ person someone is. Ah believe Jeanne tae be genuine enough. She isnae traitor. But Ah cannae say the same fer those she calls friends.”

  “Yeah, that was my thought too. We both know Retrievers have a track record of going bad down here. Hell, for all we know, they may be inside agents for Alaire, playing games to keep the conflict going.” Her face settled into a thoughtful expression again. “You know, between what you’ve told me about Jeanne and what the Flamels told me about themselves, I’m really wondering how many undeserving people are actually down here in the Underground City.”

  Me guilt hit me chest at those simple words. “’Tis me disgrace that only now, long after Ah coulda done somethin’ aboot it, that Ah’m wonderin’ the same.”

  “That was long ago and you’re a different person now, Tallis,” Besom said with a curt nod. Then she changed the subject. “And what’s the deal with the Spites? Are they the reason Alaire launched this master plan that…”

  The light of the overhead sun began to fade. And ‘twas far from the only thing that was waning. The rest of the landscape around us became less and less solid. It was also beginning to glow as it faded. I released me Besom and looked upon her one last time.

  “We’ve talked as much as we are allowed, Besom.”

  She seized me hands and yanked me down to her level, giving me a quick, warm kiss upon the lips before pulling away. “I’ll find you, Tallis Black… no matter what it takes.”

  Before I could reply, all the scenery turned white…

  “Thus cried I with my face uprais’d…”

  -Dante’s Inferno

  SEVENTEEN

  TALLIS

  I awoke to something hitting me cheek. ‘Twas soft enough to be a hand. The voice that accompanied it told me at once to whom it belonged.

  “Don’t you freakin’ die on me, sasquatch!”

  When the hand hit me left cheek, I grabbed it and opened me eyes. As expected, ‘twas the angel. What surprised me was the panic on the stookie angel’s face. I’d only seen him so worried over Besom.

  I grunted as I propped meself up on me elbows. “Good Lleu, man, how’s beatin’ me down soopposed tae wake me oop?”

  “Fuckin’ fuck,” he grumbled as the wee fellow let out a relieved breath and turned to the rest of our traveling group. “Now that we know the yeti ain’t dead, where’s that grub?” He punctuated his demand with a few fast claps with his hands.

  The well-built Kay approached with a piece of dried meat. The aroma made me think ‘twas from the Dark Wood. With the look of an angry nursemaid, she handed me the food.

  “Why didn’t you say you were starving?” she demanded. “It’s not like we’re short on food supplies.”

  I caught the look in the angel’s eyes. Wee fellow knew it wasnae the lack of food that dropped me. But he wanted to preserve me dignity, me secrets or both by telling them such.

  In between bites, I answered her. “Wanted tae at least git somewhere closer to a safe place before Ah dug in, lass. The rest o’ ye could well have been hoongrier than me or the stookie angel here.”

  She gave the angel the stink-eye. “After watching him stress-eat? He gobbled one of our boxes empty!”

  I glared at the bloody angel for being his usual indulgent self. He
just threw up his hands. “What? The grub was there, so I chow-bow-wowed down. So sue me!”

  I looked up at Kay who was still standing over both of us. “Please tell me he left somethin’ fer the rest o’ ye.”

  Her smile reminded me of an executioner with whom I was once face to face. “Let’s just say he knows to leave well enough alone from now on.” As soon as I finished me meal, she stretched out her sinewy hand. “Need a hand up?”

  I clasped me hand in hers. “Ah’ll nae say no, lass.”

  It took a bit of effort on her part but she pulled me back to me feet. That’s when I noticed some of our crew were missing. “Where’s Jeanne and Addie?”

  Harry, who’d been standing in front of the food boxes, angled his head back towards the next block. “They went on ahead of us. Jeanne said to come find her whenever you woke up.”

  Kay gave an exasperated sigh before looking back at me. “So, you steady enough on your feet now, Mr. T?”

  Harry gave her a look. “Oh, you did not just call him Mr. T!”

  It took me a moment afore I realized they were both talking about me. The angel began laughing heartily. “Gotta say, yo, I’m likin’ Harry-man’s new nickname fer the big galoot.”

  I held up me hands. If I hadnae, they’d be gabbing about this well into next week. “Names aside, aye, Ah’m more than able tae keep goin’.”

  Harry pointed at me. “Yeah? Then let’s get this show on the road!”

  Kay nodded before taking point. I had nae idea how she planned to handle anything coming at us without any weapon of her own. Mayhap she was trained in martial arts or the such. After me little collapse, she probably had doubts as to whether I were in any shape to fight, blade or nae blade.

  The stookie angel fell in line with me as we trudged onward. “Well… all that went better than I extrapolated.”

  I noted the plastic case he carried by the handle. “Still looggin’ that piece o’ machinery ‘round, Ah see.”

  He nodded, his face growing serious. “Soon as we’re in a genu-wine safe spot, I’m gonna make that call I tried to make on the way up from the Asylum, yo.”

  I hummed at a high pitch. “Assumin’ that machine’s in decent enough shape, nae reason why ye shouldnae try agin.”

  The angel got a shrewd look and quieter voice. “Now that we’re out o’ ear-shock o’ the kids, wanna tell me what all that fallin’ down was about?”

  I answered him in a murmur of me own. “Aye… ‘twas Besom. She reached out tae me. She is close.”

  The angel damn near choked upon his own tongue. “Wait, what? How’d she do that?”

  “Dinnae rightly know, man,” I answered. Even though Besom and I shared a certain connection that had allowed us to communicate in the past, I wasnae certain this most recent incident was a case in point or mayhap it should have been attributed to the sorcery of the Flamels. “Besom mentioned roonnin’ intae some magical folk. They’re the reason we could talk fer… how long was Ah out agin?”

  That annoyed the wee fellow. “How the hell should I know, yo? I was too busy lookin’ at you to make sure you wasn’t dead! I wasn’t keepin’ track of the time.”

  It took all me strength to ignore me own frustration but I was still hungry and exhausted to boot. “Christ, man! Did it seem a few minutes, seconds, an hour, what?!”

  After giving me a growl, he almost looked ashamed of himself. “Well, definitely wasn’t no hour but… a little longer than a few minutes.” Then he changed the subject. “Anyways, back ta Lils… where’s she at?”

  “Ah’ve nae idea regardin’ the particulars. All Ah know is she’s somewhere in the morgue.”

  The angel pulled his head back in surprise. “What, Blondie finally got tired of her?”

  “Nae, she escaped him. Only reason she’s down here is tae come git oos.”

  The wee angel’s face fell again. “Dammit, it’s supposed ta be the other way around. We’re supposed to be gettin’ her!”

  “Och aye,” I said with a nod. “Dinnae forget that Ah swore tae protect her...”

  “Well, we both did a bang up job on that.”

  “At least she be close by to oos now,” I said with a weary sigh.

  “Does that mean you’re happy she’s in the morgue? Frickin’ place was the worst, yo! I ain’t happy poor nips is stuck there at all! Damn, yo, you’re a weirdo! Know what makes me happy? Beer, grill porn, strippers, Netflix...”

  “Grill whit?”

  “Them catalogs that come out ‘round July 4th all about barbecues an’ smokers.” He took a breath. “The things that make you happy are f’d up, Tido.”

  Sweet Bran, but he could be tiresome! “Happy? Ah amnae happy aboot Besom bein’ in the morgue, ye addled dunderheid! Boot there’s nothin’ fer it. She’s there an’ we’re here an’ the sooner we git ourselves tae her, the better.”

  The angel looked over at the kids we’d pulled from the camp. If they heard the two of us jabbering, they gave no sign. “Didja tell Lils where we were?”

  “Aye, Ah mentioned it.”

  His face held an expression I didnae think he ever could be: thoughtful. “Before Jeannie and Queen Addie took off, Jeannie said we weren’t too far from our final destination, maybe ten blocks or so.”

  “’Tis good news indeed.” It didnae seem like a good idea to add my doubts. I simply hoped ‘twould work out as we planned.

  ***

  LILY

  My head felt like it was stuffed with steel wool when I came to. Every part of my body felt as hard and stiff as the tiles I was lying on. Even opening my eyes was enough to make me groan.

  Back when I was alive, I’d tried some astral projection experiments for hours and didn’t get anywhere. Now that I’d succeeded—with a little help from the Flamels, of course—I was wondering if my early failures were such a bad thing after all.

  My vision was a little blurry before it cleared enough to see Perenelle kneeling next to me. She popped open a vial and put it to my lips. “Drink this, Mademoiselle Harper… slowly.”

  I opened my mouth wide enough for her to pour the contents down my throat. It burned like cheap rum. But a few minutes later, the rest of my body felt a bit more fluid, enough that I could move.

  Nicolas’s wife nodded with approval. “Mieux?”

  I squinted at her. “I’m not a cat.”

  She grinned and shook her head. “Pardonne-moi. What I meant to say is… do you feel better?”

  I rolled my shoulders forward. “Yeah, good enough to stand, anyway.”

  Despite my declaration, Perenelle made a point of supporting my right arm and elbow to make sure I didn’t fall again. I saw my blade leaning against one of the freestanding shower walls. When I started for it, I spotted Nicolas beside the barely open door. He held a stoppered vial in his hand like it was a grenade.

  He relaxed a little when I stepped in front of him and offered my sword. “I’m surprised you’re not using my sword in your attempts to locate my friends?”

  Nicolas shrugged. “In any struggle, one is always better off using one’s preferred tools. And I have never been much of a swordsman.”

  I pointed at the vial. “Does that one explode too?” I asked, recalling my introduction to Nicolas when Manfred shot the vial and it exploded into a downpour of glass.

  Nicolas shook his head while turning his attention toward the cracked door. “Non. The Devouring Lion is a rather strong acid which can eat metal and flesh with equal ferocity. But it does not explode.”

  I instinctively took a few steps back. And here I thought demons were fierce.

  Perenelle lightly touched my shoulder. “Were you successful in making contact with Tallis Black, mon enfant?” The smile I gave her made my nod redundant but I nodded anyway.

  I spent the next few minutes telling them about my conversation with Tallis… well, most of the conversation. I left out the easy exit from this Circle to the Dark Wood. For one, I didn’t have any idea where the shortcut was. For another, t
elling them now might give them the perfect excuse to ditch me later.

  When I was finished recounting the details, Nicolas and Perenelle looked at each other and exchanged a mutual sigh. I couldn’t really blame them. “Yeah, that’s about how I felt. Even though we made contact, it’s not like we can just GPS each other’s location,” I started and then realized they probably had no idea what GPS even was. I smiled and explained: “It’s not like there’s a directory down here.”

  Perenelle nodded but the frown on her face suggested there was more to it.

  Nicolas stepped between us and frowned a bit. “It is certainly in all our best interests to rendezvous with your friends as soon as is feasible.”

  Perenelle frowned. “But it still does not answer the open question of how we are to rendezvous with Tallis Black and the angel, dear husband. Had we the time to experiment, I would propose we modify the ritual we just performed as a way to locate them.”

  “We do not have the time, my dear,” Nicolas said. “Every second that lapses, our safety becomes more in question.”

  I felt my jaw clenching. “I thought you said this place was safe.”

  Nicolas didn’t miss a beat. “Oui, for now it is. But there is always later, n’est-ce pas? As talented as you are in the arts of war, we both know you are no match for an army of sufficient strength and size.”

  Perenelle held up her finger. “The same cannot be said of Tallis Black, however. His prowess at bringing whole armies to heel is legendary in the Underground City. Such a man would prove an asset to us.”

  “That reminds me…” I started as Nicolas gave me his direct attention. “You said something about escaping the lab being a strict no-no with the Malebranche and Alaire. Does the fact that you’re hiding out here mean you’re in trouble with both of them?”

  Nicolas shook his head. “Not necessarily. Should Perenelle and I return within… let us say a day’s time, there would be no ‘hard feelings.’ Is that how you say it?”

  His wife harrumphed at his statement. “I am far less confident than Nicolas in both parties’ understanding nature. For the ‘crime’ of abandoning our post a third time, we could well be taken prisoner or even outright killed as punishment for our continued disobedience.”