by K. F. Breene
I bit my lip. It really did sound like he planned to stay.
I took a chance. “You’ll need a lab, then. And a paycheck.” I ran my fingers through my hair as we neared the downtown area. “I’m sorry, I’ve been distracted with my visitor. I lost track of time.”
“So far you’ve paid me in other ways. We’ll figure it out. But yes, a lab would be nice.”
I almost asked what other ways he was referring to, and if that meant he was for sure staying, but I wasn’t in a great frame of mind right now. So instead I just nodded and let silence settle over the group. I’d add a serious sit-down with Sebastian to the growing list of things I needed to accomplish tomorrow.
A few streets over from the main drag, a hard-faced shifter I didn’t recognize walked down the sidewalk toward us. Tall and broad, he had a gently lined face that showed his years, mid-forties, and eyes the color of onyx. He glided like the lethal killer he likely was, his gaze passing through our crew quickly but efficiently, showing experience. Shoulders back and limbs loose, his confidence was no small thing.
I gulped. This had to be one of the shifters Austin’s brother had brought in. He wasn’t here to cause trouble or challenge for a place in the pack. He was here to keep order and establish a presence. Given the sudden coiling of my body—half of me wanting to laugh manically and then sprint away, and the other half wanting to laugh manically, brandish Cheryl, and sprint toward him—he was damned good at his job.
“Time check,” I said, the shifter’s eyes coming to rest on me. I made myself keep walking, swinging my lead feet, tamping down that maniacal laughter. My small hairs stood on end, as though a battle drew near.
“You have five minutes, miss,” Mr. Tom said. “You might as well start now. That horrible little man is probably already in place. He has been a cheat for as long as I’ve known him.”
I expected the shifter to continue walking down the center of the sidewalk, a bit of posturing that would force us to either step aside or fight. I expected to play chicken with his barrel chest and thick, muscular body, using magic to ensure he lost. I would not be pushed around in my town. Not by someone I knew, and especially not by an outsider. I knew enough about the magical world to know you couldn’t always be polite, and you shouldn’t always take the higher ground. Sometimes you had to fight for your place.
Surprisingly, though, he slowed and stepped to the side, taking the curb so we didn’t have to move.
“Ma’am,” he said, nodding.
“Good day, sir,” I replied, then couldn’t help making a face like I’d just sucked on a lemon. “Good day, sir?” I muttered after we’d passed and were beyond his hearing. Hopefully. You never knew with shifters. “I held his gaze, won my place, and my celebratory salutation was good day, sir? What am I, Charles Dickens?”
“Technically, that is a who,” Ulric said. “That must be one of the new guys. He was the right amount of intense for the town at present.”
“I thought you did very well,” Mr. Tom said, and although he was behind me and thus out of sight, I knew his chin was raised in snobby disdain. “You showed the shifter that the mistress of Ivy House does not cower within a dominating stare.”
“Sure, but now he’s probably wondering why I didn’t stop and extend a lacy, gloved hand so he could kiss it before I walked on with my parasol,” I muttered. “I told Austin I’d show off my power and my people. Hard to look awesome when I say things like that.”
“People are wary of the unpredictable,” Sebastian said, hands still in his pockets, turning to look behind us. “You’re good. Keep being weird.”
“You say that as though you think she has a choice in the matter,” Mr. Tom said, and I got the feeling he was trying to help in some way.
“Okay everyone, disperse.” I waved them away, pushing back against the wall.
An older man and woman walked along the sidewalk on the other side of the street. They glanced over, and I gave a little wave before pulling my power around me and sinking into the elements. They waved back, and if I’d just rendered myself invisible, they would’ve given a sign.
“Dang it.”
I watched Mr. Tom don a bowler hat and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses before wrapping a yellow and maroon striped scarf around his neck. He rolled up the sleeves a little on his tux jacket and then hoisted one of the pant legs to his shin. That done, he drifted back to the wall.
“Become the stone.” Mr. Tom’s voice was soft and hollow, as though lending credence to his efforts. “Soak into your surroundings. Wrap the magic around you like a cloak.”
“Huh,” Sebastian said as Mr. Tom disappeared. I could still see him, of course, with my magic, but when they were in this element, there was a sheen to their appearance. It helped me identify when they were hiding and not. “That’s pretty slick. I can’t make him out at all.”
“But you can make me out?” I asked as Ulric crossed the street and then blended in on the opposite side.
I felt Jasper on the main drag, probably halfway between Sasquatch and me. He always made my opponents start at the other end of the downtown area so I had a chance to figure things out. Hadn’t happened yet, but today was the day!
“Yes. Why does Mr. Tom put on all that garb?”
“I have no idea.”
“And why did he roll up his coat sleeves and one pant leg?”
“Look, when it comes to Mr. Tom, or Edgar, or Niamh, you really just need to roll with it. They don’t make any sense at the best of times.”
Sebastian’s crooked smile was back. “You might have the most eccentric organization of them all.”
“That’s a very nice way to put it. Okay, you gotta scram. I can’t have you hanging around, chatting to me. You’ll get me caught.”
Sebastian took a step away, but he paused and pulled a small vial from his back pocket. “I don’t have magic to blend into stone, but when you get good at potions, you can use magic to make you disappear. I won’t get you caught. Give me a sec.”
He pulled out the cork stopper, tilted the vial up, and dribbled the contents into his mouth before he swished twice, sucked air in through his lips, and then swallowed it down, all without letting any liquid dribble from his lips.
He saw me watching. “Sometimes it’s not just the potion, it’s how you take it. Aerating that one right before swallowing keeps it working for twice as long. Don’t tell anyone, but I found out accidentally. It’s a secret.”
His body shimmered and then the image of his face went hazy. A moment later, his physical being bled away, out of sight. He’d become invisible through other means.
“Does that mask your scent, too?” I asked, remembering when spells like that had been used against me.
“Scent, yes,” came his disembodied voice. “Not sound, though. For some reason, I can’t get this potion to cut out sound.”
“Maybe you don’t have enough power?”
“I can do a soundproof potion, and the two can be taken together, but the soundproof potion doesn’t respond to aeration, and, strangely, stops the other from responding as well. I have no idea why. It makes no sense. So when I use the soundproof potion, the invisible potion doesn’t last as long. I don’t figure I need it here, though, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll be quiet.”
I shook out my hands, noting Mr. Tom had drifted down the way a little, giving me space.
“Here.”
The bit of sidewalk where Sebastian had stood looked completely empty. “What?”
The sound of glass met concrete. A shoe sole scuffed against the path, and a little vial appeared at my feet.
“So you can see me, and also get used to needing a defense against invisibility potions. They are heavily used within the magical world.” His foot slid further away, giving me space. “You have to be careful with this potion—the one I took. It isn’t just your body that disappears. It’s almost like a cloud extends around you. Not far around you, but you will make things within the cloud disappear. A cunning eye
will spot that, and an experienced magical worker will look for it. That vial at your feet holds a counter-spell to the potion I took. If I drank it, it would nullify the effects of the spell I have consumed. If you take it, it will allow you to see through the effects of the potion I’m using. There are a few varieties of invisibility potions, and the counter-spell will reveal them all in different ways. That’s a secret, too. Most counter-spells are just that—counter-spells—but I added a twist to this one. It’s more helpful that way. Plus it tastes better.”
“You guys must all want to sneak into each other’s labs and steal each other’s stuff, huh?” I picked up the vial and pulled out the cork.
“In most cases, yes. Which is why our labs are so well warded. Break-ins usually only happen to newer mages, and they don’t have much to offer. Anyway, don’t let me keep you. I didn’t intend a lesson on invisibility potions, I just figured…since the case presented itself…”
“I hope this isn’t poison.” I upended the vial. The taste of black licorice exploded in my mouth, and I forced myself to choke it down. My face screwed up and I shook my head. “If that tastes better, I don’t want to know what it tasted like before.”
“Don’t like black licorice? Huh.” He took the empty vial from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine. I flinched as half my hand disappeared. “Also, no, it is not poison. I don’t want to even contemplate what it would be like for that alpha to come after me. I will never hurt you, as long as I live. I swear that, both because I have decided to take you as my student, and also because I’m terrified of what that alpha would do to me. The more I learn, the more I realize how even-tempered he is around you. I do not want to make him angry.”
“No, probably not. He gets crazy.” The street shimmered a little before settling back to normal. The shape of Sebastian manifested near my elbow. A little hazy, orangy and sparkly, but there. “Cool.”
I gave a thumbs-up and tried once more to blend into the stone, remembering what Mr. Tom had said. Feeling the stone. Turning into the stone.
Shivers coated my body. Was it finally working? Either way, I needed to get closer to the main drag.
I crossed the street at a jog, then flattened against the wall of an old house turned orthodontist’s office. Shivers still danced across my skin. I chanced a glance at Sebastian, standing about ten feet away, looking right at me.
“Dang it. You can see me?”
“Is it cheating if I tell you?”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
He looked away. “That’s a yes, then, it is cheating. Your expressions come in handy.”
“Dang it,” I said again, aiming for the alleyway down the way. Ulric drifted back, scanning the street, on bodyguard detail. Mr. Tom slunk across the street after us, following at a distance.
“Oh, I see,” Sebastian said, at my back. “He is disguising himself for when he can’t blend into buildings. Though…who is he trying to look like? And the rolled-up sleeves and pant leg still make absolutely no sense.”
“Can’t people still hear you?” I asked.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “Though I’m still unclear on what we’re doing. Other than failing to blend into the stone.”
“Just shh.” I moved slowly, digging down deep inside of me, bypassing the sorceress magic to access the gargoyle part of me. The part with the wings, tough skin, and ability to fly. I called it up, glowing with the feeling. The desire to change form and take to the skies overcame me. To rise above the buildings and hunt…
That was probably a good sign.
“Can you see me?” I whispered.
“Shh,” Sebastian replied.
I rolled my eyes, halfway down the alley now, focusing on the street. Someone passed by, straight and tall, muscular. Definitely not Sasquatch.
Farther along, I caught sight of the vacant wine-tasting room. The empty barrels had all been cleared away, the area swept. Once I signed the paperwork, I’d own half of a winery. Austin and I would need to settle on a winemaker, update the tasting room, and get the word out. It would be a lot of work.
Why didn’t that scare me as much as officially transferring Ivy House into my name?
Because you could sell the winery, but Ivy House comes with a blood oath and a contract term of “forever unless killed.”
“Oops. Where did your mind go?” Sebastian whispered. “You’d nearly done it. You’d blended in for the most part. If I hadn’t been watching, I probably wouldn’t have noticed you.”
“Sorry,” I said, pushing the thought of my duty away. But it refused to release its grip. The time had come for me to become the leader my people needed, the leader they deserved. I had to do what Austin had done and claim my position fully, balls to the wall. Only it was easier said than done.
I reached the edge of the alley, fighting to keep my focus, and losing.
Jasper waited just down the way, Mr. Tom was behind, and Ulric was…in the air?
I looked back, catching a glimpse of him just as he jumped from one rooftop to the next, his wings snapping out so he could soar the last few feet before his feet touched down. He held his clothes in his hand, and the second he landed, he disappeared into the wall next to him, his bright pink form blending in effortlessly.
Why hadn’t he just followed behind Mr. Tom?
I turned back to the street, my gargoyle magic pulsing, as if I’d unburied it earlier and made it easier to access. Actually, it felt like when I was in the middle of changing, the power surging.
Ready to grab it up and drape it over me like a cloak, hoping for more than just nearly working this time, I froze.
Sasquatch stood right in front of me, an evil smile curling his lips. Triumph lit his eyes.
“Dang it!” I yelled.
Sixteen
“Missus high and mighty can’t use the magic she was given,” Sasquatch said, his mustache moving as he spoke, the motion wiggling a clump of food stuck on the end.
“You couldn’t be grosser if you tried.” I spread out my arms. “Go ahead.”
“Let’s hear it.”
I lifted my eyebrows, my mood blackening, which was saying something, because it was already in the dumps. “Hear what?”
“That I won.”
“You get to stab me. Isn’t that proof that you won, you dangling dingleberry?” I spread my arms wider, aggressive now. “You won. So go ahead, claim your victory.”
His smile widened. “Get back into the alleyway more. The alpha said we can’t do this where people can see.” He pulled a pocketknife from his back pocket, a different one than before, and extracted the blade before motioning me on. “I’ll follow.”
“If you stab me in the back, so help me God, I will tear it out and fill you full of holes. I am not in the mood.”
“I can stab you wherever I want. That’s the deal.”
“I didn’t make that deal.”
“Your man did. Quit stalling.”
I huffed, the sound turning into almost a growl before I trudged to the back steps of the vacant tasting room and faced him again, out of patience. Sebastian, his interest clearly piqued, stopped a couple of feet away, still undetected by Sasquatch.
“There.” I spread my arms once again. “Go for it. Also, your knife is stupid. Have a little pride in your weaponry.”
His bushy eyebrows dipped and his gaze slipped down to the plain brown handle peeking through his chubby fingers, the dull blade about five inches long. If it had a name, it would be Pat. And if I started naming all my weapons like Mr. Tom did, I didn’t know what I would do with myself.
He braced, and I readied for the flash of pain. For the terror of a knife speeding toward my flesh.
But the only movement I saw came from the corner of my eye. A massive shape rushed in, too fast for my reflexes, and I jumped in surprise as a large hand shot out and gripped my nemesis’s front. A powerful body followed, brushing past me, and Sasquatch was ripped away from me and slammed into the fence to our side.
Sebastian dove to the ground, magic curling around him, whatever spell he’d tried to fire off floating away in a cloud of smoke. His eyes were wide, and for a moment his face seemed to wobble, as though it weren’t attached, his skin still sparkling tangerine. My potion was clearly running dry.
The shifter from earlier, his dark eyes flaring with violence, had Sasquatch pinned.
Sasquatch stood frozen, arms at his sides, as though he didn’t trust himself to even take a breath. His knife stayed clenched in his fist, although it was obvious he didn’t intend to use it in self-defense. His eyes were so big that they looked like they’d pop out.
“That kind of behavior no longer exists in this town.” The shifter’s voice was a low growl that fluttered my stomach, dangerous and dark, capable of incredible violence.
Unlocking my limbs and forcing myself into action, I stepped closer and lightly put a hand on his arm. “It’s—”
He didn’t flinch, but the air of his static aggression changed, now encompassing me. He turned his head slowly, his warning very clear. He punctuated the message by dropping his gaze to my hand.
“Whoops. Not a touchy-feely kinda guy, huh?” I pulled my hand back.
Still holding Sasquatch, who looked stiff as a board, the shifter beat that aggressive stare into me, silently commanding me to back down.
“Right, yeah, I read you loud and clear,” I said, “but here’s the thing: this kind of behavior has never really existed in this town, except for this particular training exercise. Austin knows about it. He’s asked that we carry out the punishment portion out of sight, so that’s why we’re here.”
His stony expression didn’t change. His hand didn’t give Sasquatch any slack.
“He won the game”—I pointed at Sasquatch—“and now he gets to stab me. Those are the rules.”
“You have a mage in the area.” It sounded like each word was dragged over gravel, something that should have been unpleasant but wasn’t.
“Yes. He’s crouching on the ground just…” I moved to point, but Sebastian waved his hands at me in alarm, shaking his head. “Well, I’m sure you smell him. Oh, wait, you can’t smell him.”