by Kyra Quinn
As the bartender returned with his snacks, the top of Jett’s head appeared as he elbowed his way through the growing crowd. Viktor’s heart stopped when he caught sight of the dark expression on Jett’s face. Celia was nowhere to be seen.
“My gods,” Jett said when he slid into the open chair next to Viktor. “You didn’t tell me your friend did the invisibility thing.”
Viktor chuckled and unscrewed the cork from his bottle of ambrosia. “If I gave all her tricks away, I doubt we’d remain friends much longer. No luck?”
Jett barked a laugh. “She’s waiting for you outside. Said something about not wanting to deal with the ‘bad energy’ in this place. I’ll never understand faeries. She was eager to help when I mentioned your name, though. Go on, handle your business. I’ll track you down when the time comes.”
Viktor sprang to his feet. He shoved the bottle into Jett’s hands and told him to help himself to the snacks. After thanking him twice for his assistance, Viktor bolted for the door and out of the tavern.
Cold air slapped against his cheeks as Viktor raced out into the nighttime. He’d expected to find Celia poised against the side of the building, but only darkness greeted him. He froze in the center of the narrow road in front of the tavern. His eyes flickered back and forth as he searched for signs of movement or footprints.
“Celia!” Viktor whispered after a few seconds. “Where are you?”
Only the wind answered. Viktor pursed his lips. Perhaps she’d wandered off to explore Carramar some while she waited. He closed his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath in hopes he might catch a whiff of her scent. Instead, a bitter metallic smell singed his nostrils.
Viktor’s ribcage tightened as his lungs emptied of oxygen. He shook his head and tried to dismiss the dark worries plaguing his mind. His feet shuffled forward towards the source of the scent as if in a dream, unconcerned with his mental desires or commands.
“Celia!” he yelled, no longer concerned with who might hear him. “Celia!”
He cupped his mouth and prepared to shout her name once more, but the cry died in the base of his throat. A pair of tiny bare feet poked out from an alleyway between two buildings. A pool of thick crimson liquid poured out onto the street from behind the body.
It can’t be. Celia laid face-down in the center of the alleyway with a long, curved blade between her shoulders. Viktor’s stomach lurched as he crept closer to investigate. He bent and sniffed the ground around her, but no sulfur lingered on her body. Demons? Angels? What qualm did anyone have with Celia?
A white-hot rage filled Viktor. He threw his head back and screamed at the moon as waves of grief and guilt ripped through his chest. Viktor gasped for air. He turned his head to the side, unable to face her. He fell to his knees and slammed his fists into the ground. Warm blood coated the sides of his hands.
“This is all my fault.” He pinned his gaze to his lap, unable to look at Celia without hurting. “I’m sorry, Cece. So damn sorry. And I know it doesn’t make it better or bring you back, but I swear to Anja I will find the monster who did this to you. I will make sure he suffers like no creature before him has.”
“Viktor!”
Remiel’s voice echoed behind him, but it didn’t sound real. His stomach heaved as he kneeled next to Celia’s body. His arms itched to lift her from the ground and cradle her against his chest. The moment he reached out for her, an arm cut through the air and knocked his hand away before he had time to blink.
“Are you insane? Do not touch her. We must go before the Guards show up. We cannot afford for them to find a shifter near a dead body.”
“They killed her with a blade—”
“Doesn’t matter. She came here to meet you, and now she’s dead. If we are here when the guards find her, they will toss you in a cage and throw away the key.”
Viktor clenched his jaw. He wanted to argue with Remiel, but footsteps in the distance forced him to swallow his words. A fresh stab of sorrow ripped through his chest as he shot Celia one last glance. He rose to his feet, his knees shaky.
“Follow me. We need to put some distance between us and the body. No one will find us at the mage’s quarters.” Remiel didn’t wait for a response. He shoved his hands in his pockets and slapped on a relaxed expression as he slipped out of the alleyway and strolled back down the street.
“Forgive me,” Viktor whispered to Celia. He hurried after Remiel with a fire in his gut. As much as it killed him to leave Celia behind, he couldn’t risk the guards catching him with a body. His hands trembled as he shoved them into his pockets and mirrored Remiel’s steps. He didn’t care if he had to slaughter every demon in creation with his bare hands. If Viktor could help it, the Shadowrealm had murdered their last innocent victim.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Worst Plan Ever
3 Hours Earlier
Aster lounged across one of the worn leather sofas, her pencil eyebrows scrunched as she blinked. “My apologies. I must’ve misheard. You want to do what?”
“Do you have a better suggestion?” I tilted my chin. “It’s a little crazy—”
“A little?”
“—but it’s the best chance I have. As you said, no number of spells will get these asshats off my skirt so long as I pose a threat to the universe. Will you help me or not?”
The room fell silent. Aster and Remiel exchanged unsure glances. I held my breath and said a silent prayer as I waited for their rejection. Flames crackled from the fireplace in the background. The leather squeaked as Aster pushed herself up to sit.
“I’m not sure it’s possible to kidnap a god.” She shook her head. “No one has attempted magic like that outside of legend. We would need more supplies…”
“You cannot entertain this delusion.” Remiel rose from his chair and folded his arms over his chest as he glared at us. “It is the stupidest idea I have heard since I fell from the Gardens.”
“She raises a valid argument.” Aster chewed her thumb. “It’s a foolish idea, but it’s also our only idea.”
“You could perform a few protection spells and—”
Aster held up a hand. “My powers can’t hide her from Zanox or the angels. Whoever hid her before only succeeded because her abilities hadn’t evolved. Attempting to cloak her now is akin to throwing a tablecloth over an elephant and stuffing it in the corner.”
“These powers aren’t all bad though, right? I mean, if my mother is such a savage demoness, and my father is an Archangel, doesn’t that mean my powers should be potent?”
Remiel shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. Your lineage might determine your ultimate potential with magic, but it has little effect on how much you practice or how well you do.”
Aster nodded. “You could become as powerful as your birth parents. Perhaps even more so. But blood alone doesn’t control your abilities. Like any skill, it takes dedication and practice. Why do you think they’re all trying to kill you now? You’re still weak.”
“Gutless bastards.” I rolled my eyes. “Wait, is that why I don’t have wings?”
“That’s my theory. I can’t say for certain considering the unusual circumstances, but flight is one of the last powers to evolve in most demons. They might surface within the year, depending on how everything turns out.”
A silver lining. As much as I hated the uncertainty of everything happening around me, I’d always envied birds and their ability to travel without restraint. If a set of glorious wings erupted from my back, I’d be free to spend the rest of my life exploring the parts of Astryae I’d only read about in storybooks.
“We need to head back to the hostel,” Remiel said, still avoiding my eyes. “Viktor has to be out of his mind with worry by now.”
“I don’t think that’s wise.” Aster shot a worried glance in my direction. “Diagnosing the problem isn’t the same as solving it.”
“You said yourself, a few enchantments and spells will do little for her. We shall take our leave and figure out ano
ther plan.”
“What about my plan?” I folded my arms over my chest and cocked my head. “Am I entitled no say in what happens in my life now?”
“Your plan is horrid. But we can discuss it more back at the hostel with Viktor.”
“No.” My voice shook as I dug my heels into the floor. “I’m not ready to leave yet. I still need her help.”
“Do not force my hand, Lili. Let’s. Go.”
“She said no.” Aster rose to her feet, her eyes narrow. “I don’t know what your problem is, but I think I’ll take over from here.”
“Absolutely not. Lilianna, come over here before I pick you up and drag you out of this house—”
“And go where?” Aster marched over to stand inches from Remiel with a defiant smirk. “As Lili can attest, you won’t find Carramar beyond that door. You need me if you want to get back to your friend.”
Remiel slammed his fist against the wall. His hand left a dent behind. He turned the heat of his glare on me. “I warned you it was a bad idea to trust a blood mage.”
“Why? Because we don’t beg the Gardens for occasional trickles of power?” Aster scoffed. “Get over your prejudice. The way I see it, you are of no use to Lili, anyway. You’re what, 500? Your powers are all but gone, and your best combat days are in the past. If anything, you will be a handicap once her full powers evolve. Might as well shed the dead weight now.”
They both whirled on me with eager faces, eyes expectant as they waited for me to choose a side. I wrapped my arms around my waist and bowed my head. “We would appreciate your help, too, Remiel. I’d hate to part ways. But Aster knows more about what I am and how I got here. I need her.”
“This is not the mage we came here to find.” Remiel growled through clenched teeth. “The powers her kind use is some of the oldest and most dangerous magic known to Astryae. Go on, bloodling. Tell her how many lives you have taken to feed your dark supply.”
Aster’s face hardened. “None that didn’t deserve it. I’ve only ever spilled blood in self-defense. For every other spell, including the one I performed at your request, I pay the alternative price.”
Aster marched over to the table and lifted her stave. She cupped her hand and waved it over the top of the ruby. A faint crack left the stone as the bottom turned black. Thick spirals of midnight ink stretched up from the bottom and wrapped around the gem in spirals like vines. Soon, only a small circle in the center hadn’t been taken by the darkness.
Remiel gasped. “Is that…?”
“My soul, yes. What’s left, anyway. Now do you understand why I am tempted to go along with Lili’s plan?”
“The condition of your soul has little influence on how effective this plan will be. I cannot imagine a world in which this would work.”
“So what if it doesn’t?” A bitter laugh escaped Aster’s lips. “What is there to lose? Besides, I thought a fallen angel would understand a quest for salvation better than anyone.”
Remiel pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. His eyes darted between me and Aster. He sighed in resignation, his shoulders slumped. “Very well, say we go along with this madness. As you’ve pointed out, I am not in my prime anymore. It would serve us well to fetch my associate.”
“Viktor is the better fighter between them,” I mumbled, not concerned with Remiel’s thoughts. As much as I wanted him to stay, a small part of me struggled to forgive the way he looked at me now. Being alone with him and Viktor made my skin crawl.
“We can worry about that when the time comes. The real question needs to be, is this possible?” Aster asked.
“I cannot say,” Remiel admitted. “In all my years of life, I have never heard of anyone kidnapping a god before. No one has attempted to summon one in centuries.”
Aster beamed. “So we will go down as legends.”
I pursed my lips. “Let’s try to focus on not going down. The goal is to survive this if we can. Could we cast protective spells or something first?” The question felt strange on the tip of my tongue. A week ago I regarded magic as imaginary, the foundation for child’s play. I still did not understand how it all worked, but I knew I believed in its existence.
Aster cackled. “There’s no such thing as a spell strong enough to shield you from a god. You can try to outsmart them, but no one alive can overpower them.”
“We’ll be smarter, not stronger. We’ll set the trap, then summon the god right where we need him. Then we’ll hold him captive until he agrees to help us.”
Remiel shook his head. “This whole idea is madness. The gods will crush us the moment he escapes the trap.”
“So we don’t let him escape.”
“We will need a particular god for this one,” Aster said more to herself than to us. She shuffled across the room towards the bookshelves. Her index finger scanned the spines as she examined the titles. She pulled a thick hardcover book from the shelf and flipped it open. Her eyes flew across the pages as she muttered a list of names under her breath.
“No...no...here. He’s the one. Osius, God of Judgment and Integrity.”
Remiel’s face paled. “Osius is not known for his kindness or patience.”
“No, but they worship him as the god who determines a person’s fate in the afterlife. If anyone has the power to change that or grant purity, it’s him.” Aster brought the book over to where we stood and held it open. An image of a man with three heads and six arms was inked onto the worn page, a single eyeball positioned the center of each head.
“Gross. Does it have to be him?” I pushed the book away. “He has as many arms as we do between us.”
“He’s the only one who might help,” Aster said. “Not to say he will for certain, but he has the power to.”
Remiel’s expression darkened. “This idea becomes worse by the minute. Osius will tear us limb from limb and feed us to Anja’s wolves.”
“So we can’t fail. Aster, what all do you need to perform the spell?”
“Off the top of my head? I’ve no idea.” Her face flushed. “It’s more advanced than anything I’ve performed in years. I’m not sure I’d be able to figure it out on my own.”
“So this is all a moot point?” Remiel asked.
Aster shook her head. “I may not know what to do on my own, but I know who to ask. You need time to recover your man, anyway.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I will return us to Carramar. Fetch your associate and fill him in on everything that’s happened. Lili and I will travel to Starbright to consult with my sources. We’ll meet you back here tomorrow night.”
Remiel reached for my arm. “Lili stays with me.”
“Lili, you’re a strong adult woman. We’ll let you decide.” Aster rolled her eyes in my direction.
No matter what I chose, I would hurt someone’s feelings. I fiddled with my thumbs and drew a deep breath as I braced for the explosion. “I’d like to go with Aster, if it’s okay. I’ve never been to Starbright, and I’ve always wanted to see it.”
It was only a small lie. If Remiel sensed it, he didn’t press the matter. He didn’t need to know I didn’t trust him or Viktor to allow me to return if we left together.
Remiel glared daggers in my direction. “Fine. If she slits your throat and drinks your blood for power, don’t say you weren’t warned.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence, angel.” Aster flipped Remiel a ‘V’ with her index and middle finger. “I’ll remember that next time your life is in danger.”
“Take care of her.” Remiel crooked his index finger in my direction. “I need her alive.”
“She is safe with me,” Aster said, her voice softening. “I realize we are not well acquainted, but I hope you’ll come to find you can trust me. Not all blood mages are cut from the same cloth.”
“Dark magic is dark magic. I care not how you harness it.” Remiel turned his nose up as he spoke. “Back to Carramar?”
“If we’re agreed.”
Aster didn’t shake his hand. Instead she lifted her fingers to her ear and snapped twice. The floor beneath my feet spun once more, my stomach in my throat. When the dizzy feeling faded, darkness replaced the afternoon light outside the window.
“I hate when you do that,” Remiel grumbled, his face pale.
Aster only laughed. “Carramar awaits, sir. We’ll see you back here tomorrow night.”
“If you are not here tomorrow—”
“Yes, yes, you’ll track me down and slit my throat or something dramatic like that. Anything else, angel? Something a little less cliché, maybe?” Aster smirked as she cocked her head to the side, her hand on her hip.
Remiel glowered. “I shall return with Viktor. Try not to screw things up too much.” He stomped out of the room without so much as a glance in my direction. The door slammed behind him.
“He’s a real gentleman.” Aster grimaced. “Remind me not to team up with an angel for anything in the future.”
“I’m sorry. He’s not always this bad. His friend’s a real pain in the ass, though.”
Aster’s expression darkened. “Swell. Madre always said the path to salvation would be littered with inconveniences. How did you end up with him?”
I took a deep breath and launched into the story of my eighteenth birthday, everything from the rabbit in the woods to the angels who murdered my father. By the time I finished I felt lighter, as if someone had lifted an invisible weight from my body.
Aster’s lips puckered as she digested my story. “Hmm. Did your adoptive father realize Remiel was an angel?”
“I cannot say. I’m sure he realized he didn’t father me in terms of biology, but I’m not even sure if he knew the truth about me. He didn’t seem afraid of the angels that night, though. It was like he knew they’d come for him.”
“I wonder if he knew either of your parents.” Aster placed a finger on her chin. “You know, I’ve studied resurrection spells and necromancy for a few years now. It’s not an exact science, but—”