Witch's Sacrifice

by Emma L. Adams

  “What does she even need Ilsa for?” said Morgan.

  “She wanted the gods’ powers,” Isabel put in. “Right?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “She hates the gods and wants them dead, but she must think she can use the others for leverage. How does Ivy’s talisman work?”

  Isabel bit her lip. “Her talisman feeds on pain. Anyone’s pain, including her own. The more suffering she encounters, the more its power grows.”

  “Fucking great.” Morgan slammed his fist into the wall. “And we’re just going to let them die so Evelyn can use them to gain power?”

  “That’s not what I said.” My throat closed up. “I’m the only person who can even track Evelyn, and she’ll know I’m onto her now. I can’t get through the spirit line. She locked me out. Look, part of the reason this happened is because we ran in there half-cocked without a real plan, and now the mages are about to repeat the same mistake themselves.”

  “I’ll talk to the boss, then.” Morgan pushed past me into the council room.

  Isabel watched him go, her eyes glistening with tears. “I can’t help feeling like I’m giving up on her.”

  I gave Isabel a hug. “Ivy’s fine. I bet she stabbed the furies out of the sky and is standing on a pile of their corpses right now.”

  Her mouth pinched. “It’s not just her. It’s—everything. Asher is sick, and I can’t help him or anyone else.”

  “It’s not all on you.” I released her. “I might have been a lousy coven leader, but I can be your Second. Metaphorically speaking. I’ve got your back.”

  “My Second is dealing with all the mess back home in my absence,” said Isabel. “I thought about giving up my position, but the last thing I need is to lose my coven leader magic. Call it selfish, but I need that power at the moment, even if I’m not using it to defend my fellow coven members.”

  “Can you do that?” I asked, surprised. “I mean, just give up your position as coven leader? I wish I could do that with my Hemlock magic and leave Evelyn to take the fall. It’s more than she deserves.”

  “I don’t think the Hemlocks will have built a get-out clause into their contract,” said Isabel. “Their magic is mostly in the forest, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” I said. “Evelyn managed to disconnect the forest from its position in this realm when she closed off the spirit line, so Keir and I landed in a field full of very confused half-faeries who pointed plastic weapons at us.”

  Isabel choked on a laugh. “Seriously?”

  “Yep. If I didn’t know Ivy, we’d still be arguing with them.” I shook my head. “The good news is that the Hemlocks’ forest still exists, and Cordelia and the others are alive. If that weren’t the case, we’d be in a lot more trouble than we already are.”

  “No kidding.” Isabel frowned. “You saw them? Cordelia and the others?”

  “I did,” I said. “They’re still spouting the usual crap about how Evelyn is just a poor misunderstood soul who just needs someone to give her a cuddle, and it’s my fault she’s on a murderous rampage.”

  “Ugh.” Isabel pulled a face. “If you ask me, they’re directing their anger at you because they can’t leave the forest and hunt her down themselves.”

  “That, or the Ancients devoured their common sense.”

  Isabel took in a shuddering breath. “Jas, I never told you this before, but the Devourer was the Ancient who killed the last leader of the Laurel Coven.”

  My mouth fell open. “The Devourer killed your coven leader?”

  “Its magic did,” said Isabel. “The Devourer’s magic destroys all other magic it comes into contact with. I don’t know how the Hemlocks managed to trap the beast, but that’s why they’re stuck there. If they die…”

  “The Devourer will come here. And nothing magical can stand against it.” My words rang hollow. Evelyn must know that forsaking her role as coven leader meant dooming the world. She knew, and yet for all Cordelia’s proclamations, she didn’t care.

  “It’s not going to happen, Jas,” said Isabel. “I only mentioned it because Evelyn might have no choice but to confront the Devourer if her magic is the only thing that can defeat it.”

  “Yeah, that’s supposed to be where the Hemlock curse kicks in.” I grimaced. “Problem is, she has no body, while I have an equal share in the curse without any magic to back it up. Cordelia seemed adamant there was no escaping it.”

  “Cordelia’s been wrong before,” she said. “Frequently.”

  “No kidding.” I pressed my lips together. “Also, I don’t think the mages are going to find Ivy as easily as they think. Do you reckon a tracking spell might work? I don’t think that realm is like Faerie at all. It doesn’t seem to have any of its own magic.”

  “Maybe.” A thoughtful look came over Isabel’s face. “I’ll check with Asher. You—get some sleep, okay, Jas? You look like death.”

  “I’m a necromancer. Goes with the territory.” I waved her off, then sagged against the wall, my body aching with exhaustion. Keir had gone home to Aiden since he hadn’t been allowed into the meeting, and if I had any sense, I’d go and join him. But that would mean letting my friends chase after Evelyn alone.

  “Jas?” Lloyd halted in front of me. “I thought you were going with the mages’ search party.”

  “The boss kicked me out.” I rubbed my exhausted eyes. “I told Vance that leaving the council alone while he goes on a rescue mission will only make the situation worse, but I might as well have had an intelligent conversation with a zombie. Morgan’s pissed at me for ditching Ilsa, too. But the shadow fury thinks she’s the hero and I’m the impostor.”

  “Damn, that’s rough,” he said. “It’s not your fault, you know that, right? It’s not like you and Evelyn are the same person.”

  “Cordelia thinks I’m her babysitter,” I muttered. “I can’t believe she’s still deluding herself into thinking Evelyn will come quietly—”

  An alarming crash rang out from one of the corridors off the lobby, then a yell. “Shit!”

  Oh, no. That was Morgan shouting.

  Lloyd and I ran down the corridor towards the noise, which came from behind the closed door to one of the testing rooms.

  I opened the door and a bundle of fur collided with my ankles, knocking me backwards. I caught the wall, staring down a small, furred creature. It looked kind of like a hellhound, except a fraction of the size and a lot fluffier.

  “What the—”

  “Hellhound!” Lloyd yelped.

  “Hellhounds aren’t generally the size of a corgi.” A summoning circle lay in the room’s centre, beside a sheepish-looking Morgan. “Don’t tell me you tried to summon your sister.”

  “I didn’t mean to summon a demon puppy, I swear,” he said. “I’ll get rid of it.”

  The demon puppy leapt at my legs, scrabbling for a grip on my jeans. “Hey! Stop that.”

  That was all I needed… to be clawed to death by a baby hellhound before I could recapture Evelyn and save the Earth.

  The puppy lost interest, detached itself from my legs, and tottered back to Morgan. I should have known he’d do something stupid if left unsupervised, but I’d assumed he planned to chase the mages through the mirror, not use blood magic to summon demon puppies.

  “Get rid of it,” I told him. “Before the boss finds out. Summoning a hellhound will get you worse than archive duty, Morgan.”

  The monster rubbed his head against Morgan’s legs.

  “I think he likes me,” said Morgan.

  “It’s still a hellhound,” said Lloyd. “Put it in the circle and we’ll banish it.”

  With difficulty, Morgan picked up the squirming puppy and placed it in the circle. “I banish you back to… where do hellhound puppies come from?”

  The puppy whined. Then its paw shot out and knocked over a candle.

  “I don’t think we can banish it,” said Lloyd. “I think it might be stuck here.”

  “Well done,” I said. “Don’t look at
me, I’m too busy taking credit for the crimes of my deranged alter ego to deal with this nonsense. Handle it yourself.”

  Morgan looked to Lloyd for assistance. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Uh…” Lloyd blinked at the demon puppy. “If it was a hellhound, I’d stab it, but I can’t kill anything that looks like a puppy.”

  Morgan shook his head. “Forget it.”

  “Ilsa would back me up and tell you to go straight to the boss,” I said. “Good luck dealing with her when she’s already furious with the mages for jeopardising the guild’s safety, but it’s better than letting that thing loose in here.”

  “But what if she makes us kill the murder puppy?” Lloyd said.

  Honestly. “You should have thought of that when you summoned it,” I said to Morgan. “Hellhound bites are deadly. That puppy could kill half the guild if left unsupervised.”

  “But it’d make a handy guard dog,” Lloyd said thoughtfully.

  “I can’t believe you’re going along with this.” Well, he would. He’s smitten. “If he bites anyone, you’ll end up on trial for attempted murder. What would Ilsa do?”

  “Have I ever taken my sister’s advice?” Morgan turned to Lloyd. “Back me up here.”

  The hellhound puppy sank its teeth into Morgan’s hand. He tugged it free, blood dripping to the floor from a circle of bite marks.

  “Shit!” Lloyd said. “We have to get to the infirmary—Jas, can you watch the puppy?”

  “You what?” I hit him in the arm. “We’re supposed to be fighting a war here.”

  “Hellhound bites can kill in five minutes.” Lloyd kicked the door open and hauled a protesting Morgan after him. “I’m not going to be the one who has to tell your sister you got bitten to death by a murder puppy in her absence.”

  I sank to the floor. “They are unbelievable.”

  The hellhound puppy climbed into my lap.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” I said. “You won’t be taking a bite out of me, matey.”

  Up close, the puppy didn’t look much like a hellhound, but I’d never seen anything similar jump out of a summoning circle before. Furies, yes. Puppies, not so much. The little creature was barely longer than my forearm and covered in thick black fur. Its eyes were dark brown, but not as pitch-black as a hellhound’s.

  “Don’t you start casting spells on me,” I told the puppy. “You came out of a summoning circle. That means you can’t be trusted.”

  The puppy rested his head against my hand and I unthinkingly gave him a stroke. Petting a dog, even a hellhound puppy, did make some of the tension go away. Or at least the sense of all-consuming hopelessness.

  Okay, fine. Ilsa and Ivy are missing, the mages are off on an ill-thought-out rescue mission, and we have unexpected custody of a demon puppy. The least I can do is make sure nobody drops dead from a hellhound bite while we figure out how to get rid of it.

  The door opened a minute later, and Morgan and Lloyd walked back in. The hellhound puppy immediately ran over to Morgan, rubbing against his legs.

  “He says he’s sorry.” Morgan held up his hand. “A healing spell took care of the wound. I’m not dying, so his bite isn’t deadly. I guess we’ll have to set him free.”

  “You can’t set him loose in the city!” I said. “I know he looks like a puppy, but hellhounds gain power from death energy. If he goes near the cemetery, he might grow to the size of a regular hellhound.”

  “Doesn’t Ivy Lane have a pet hellhound?” Lloyd said. “Anyway, if his bite doesn’t kill, he’s not a hellhound, so it should be fine to set him loose.”

  “He came out of a bloody summoning circle!” I said, exasperated. “What did you tell the nurse when she asked what bit you? If you can’t banish it and you want to keep it here at the guild, then you have to tell the boss. For all we know, this little guy is friends with the Ancients.”

  Morgan paused in the act of picking up the demon puppy. “All right, I’ll tell her. Lloyd, you take the candles. Don’t come with me.”

  “But—”

  I caught Lloyd’s arm. “He’s taking the blame because he’s the one who summoned it. Don’t you get yourself into trouble as well.”

  Lloyd didn’t look pleased, but he let Morgan leave the room with the demon puppy in his arms. “It’s not his fault.”

  I rolled my eyes at Lloyd. “Is being in love frying your brain cells? You seriously want to set a demon puppy loose in the city without reporting it? I thought you had more sense.”

  He prodded me in the arm. “Didn’t falling in love cause you to bind your soul to the vampire’s?”

  “That wasn’t—we barely knew one another at the time.” I sighed. “Right, fine, we’ll go to the boss, but given the mood she’s in at the moment—”

  “What exactly is that?” asked a voice. I stepped out of the room to find River Montgomery looking down at the small furry creature in Morgan’s arms.

  “A demon puppy,” he said.

  I groaned inwardly. “An accident.”

  “It looks like a cu sidhe,” River remarked. “What’s it doing in here?”

  “It looks like she what?” Morgan said blankly.

  “Sidhe as in faeries?” said Lloyd. “You summoned a faerie dog?”

  River’s eyes narrowed. “You meant to summon a hellhound and got a faerie dog by mistake?”

  “No, I meant to summon Ilsa,” Morgan said defiantly. “Seeing as nobody else is doing a damn thing.”

  The half-faerie’s face flushed. “I am doing everything in my power to work out how to get Ilsa back without putting the guild in danger by conducting blood summonings on our property. Please tell me you didn’t summon anything else.”

  “They didn’t,” I said, feeling kind of sorry for River. His girlfriend had been kidnapped, the mages had left him out of the rescue mission, and his mother was probably giving him grief in the absence of the mages to reprimand. “It was an accident. Where can we release the faerie dog? I take it they aren’t deadly to humans?”

  River looked back at the puppy. “No, they aren’t, but if you’re going to keep it here at the guild, then you’ll need my mother’s permission.”

  “Perfect,” said Morgan.

  “What, you’re gonna keep it?” Lloyd said.

  River and I exchanged a look which could be summed up as I’m surrounded by idiots.

  “Let’s leave them to it,” I said. “Isabel went to make a tracking spell so we can track down Ivy and Ilsa. Do you have any other ideas?”

  “Other than a blood summoning?” He glanced at the faerie dog, his brows tightening. “I take it you haven’t considered summoning Evelyn into a sealed location?”

  “She’s too slippery to be contained,” I said. “Also, she’s accompanied by a whole flock of furies—”

  The sound of shouting and heavy footsteps echoed from further down the corridor.

  “Mages are back,” remarked Morgan.

  “That was fast.”

  I ran in their direction, my heart thumping. Had they found Ivy and Ilsa? If so—I wasn’t in any way prepared for Evelyn to attack the guild, not without my magic. River overtook me, his faerie steps swifter than mine. As the only person at the guild with a Sidhe’s talisman, he could put up a fight against an Ancient, in theory—but not more than one.

  Vance stormed out of the mirror’s room, the air crackling with his mage power. I guess not, then.

  “What did she do?” I halted as Drake and the others exited the room behind him. “Did Evelyn attack you?”

  “She wasn’t there,” Drake said. “A bunch of dragons tried to torch us, so we had to run.”

  Vance spotted the puppy in Morgan’s arms. “What is that?”

  “A demon puppy,” said Morgan. “I mean, faerie dog. Want to pet him? He’s harmless.”

  I shot Lloyd a pointed look, and he moved between Morgan and Vance before he said anything inadvisable to the Mage Lord.

  “What happened over there, Vance?” I asked. “I tho
ught the dragons were on our side.”

  “I think they saw us as a threat,” he said. “We intended to draw Evelyn’s attention—”

  “And ended up convincing the dragons we wanted to steal their hoard,” Drake finished. “I think. I dunno why they attacked us.”

  “Probably because you were trespassing in their home,” said River. “Did you see no signs of Ilsa at all?”

  “None,” said Vance. “Or Ivy. Like Jas said—the furies flew off beyond reach.”

  “I think ‘I told you so’ is justified this time.” I gave Drake a pointed look. “Who was going to run the Council of Twelve if you two disappeared for thirty years?”

  “Precisely.” Lady Montgomery walked out of the room. “Mage Lord, a word, please.”

  Vance moved over to talk to the boss, and I found myself shunted to the side along with Lloyd, Morgan, and the demon puppy. Drake spotted the fluffy little dog and his eyes lit up.

  “What breed is he?” he asked. “He looks like the dog I used to have when I was a kid.”

  “A faerie dog,” I said. “Or faerie puppy, anyway.”

  “If you ask me,” Lloyd muttered, “a cute puppy is exactly what everyone needs right now.”

  “And who is going to walk and feed it?” I whispered. “Where are you going to leave it while you’re patrolling? I’m not volunteering to babysit. I have my hands full keeping track of my roaming second soul without adding a puppy as well.”

  “We’ll have no shortage of volunteers,” Morgan said smugly. “Everyone loves him.”

  “You’re lucky the bite didn’t harm you,” said River, the only person not totally enamoured with the little creature. “I won’t tell my mother what you were trying to do, but—"

  “What’s that?” Lady Montgomery left the Mage Lord and approached our group.

  “Let me guess—you want to pet the demon puppy, too,” said Morgan. “Sorry, I mean, faerie dog. He’s homeless. Someone abandoned him. You don’t want me to throw him outside, do you?”

  For the first time since I’d met her, the boss blinked, speechless. “You brought a wild animal into the guild at a time like this?”