“He’s just a puppy,” said Morgan, who appeared not to sense the boss’s deteriorating mood. “Cute and harmless. I mean, he bit me once, but it was an accident.”
I could just picture Ilsa standing there, shaking her head and saying that this wasn’t going to end well. Luckily, before the boss could flip a lid, the rest of the council left the room with the mirror, filling the corridor.
“Did someone mention a puppy?” said Wanda.
8
By the following morning, the entire guild had gone puppy mad. We might have no new leads on Evelyn, Ilsa or Ivy, but at least everyone had a distraction.
Everyone except for me, that is. I’d spent half the night trying to make sense out of Ilsa’s translation of Lady Harper’s journal but had only succeeded in giving myself a headache. Ilsa must have had the map with her when the furies had taken her, which meant we didn’t even have that advantage anymore. When Keir called and asked me to stop by his apartment, I was all too happy to go outside for some fresh air.
Keir answered the door as soon as I knocked. “Hey, Jas. I take it the council didn’t find Evelyn or the others?”
“Nope. They pissed off some dragons instead.” I followed him into the hall. “I told them they were wasting their time, but they didn’t listen.”
“I think there’s a more important question,” Aiden said from the living room. “When do we get to meet the demon puppy?”
I walked into the room. “How did you even hear about that?”
Keir pushed the door closed behind us. “Have you been spying on people in the spirit realm again? I told you not to do that.”
“I don’t take life advice from my little brother.” Aiden sprawled on the sofa, the TV playing some old movie in the background. “Lighten up, Keir, I’m not gonna get trapped outside my body again. I’m bored with being cooped up.”
“That doesn’t mean you should take unnecessary risks.” Keir turned to me. “You never mentioned a demon puppy.”
I groaned. “It’s not a demon puppy. Morgan tried to summon Ilsa using blood magic and got a faerie dog instead, and the whole guild’s gone crazy over it.”
“Hey, some of us were imprisoned in a lab for nearly a decade and didn’t get to pet any cute puppies at all.” Aiden hit the remote and turned the TV off. “Keir, don’t you want to see the puppy as well?”
“All right, you can come,” I relented. “But seriously, my boss is pissed off. Vance and Drake got attacked by dragons on the other side of the mirror and came back with no leads.”
“I have one.” Aiden sat up. “I found one when I was wasting time spying on people in the spirit realm. One of the guys I shared my research with is still alive.”
“Research?” Keir’s brows rose. “You mean, on the Ancients?”
“Really?” I said. “I thought you got captured by the mages because of it.”
“I did.” Aiden got to his feet. “Travis lives in the catacombs, as a rogue, and he managed to evade the mages’ attention.”
“And what exactly can he tell us?” I asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for any information, but unless he knows something I don’t…”
“For one, he knows about the other realm,” said Aiden. “He’s been there.”
“That would have been useful to know before,” said Keir. “Why not mention it?”
Aiden shook his head. “I didn’t know he was still in the city. Most of the vampires I knew before I was captured left a long time ago, but he didn’t.”
“And you’re certain he’s trustworthy?” said Keir.
“Talk about role reversal.” Aiden grabbed his jacket from the back of the sofa. “You were always the one who was too damn trusting for your own good. I’ll lead the way.”
“Wait,” said Keir. “You’re in no condition to go after rogue vampires. They might attack you.”
“Like you wouldn’t do the same thing?” said Aiden. “I came back to life to start living, Keir. Besides, I can defend myself.”
Keir’s mouth thinned. “The vaults are crawling with rogues who don’t answer to anyone but themselves. Furies, too, I bet.”
The vaults, some of which had been hidden from public view before the invasion, lay beneath the streets of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Given my past experience with Keir’s allies in the vampire underworld, I expected trouble, but I wasn’t about to deny Aiden a chance at freedom. I understood Keir’s concern, but if I were him, I’d want to make the most of being part of the land of the living again, too.
I turned to Keir. “This is no riskier than what we did yesterday. Your brother knows this guy. We don’t.”
“All right.” Keir walked into his room to grab some weapons, returning with the thick coat I’d got him as a present. It looked a little worse for wear. Was the Hemlock magic wearing off, or was it just that he got into more fights than the average person? I shoved the thought aside. Dwelling on my lost magic wouldn’t help us now.
Keir led the way out of the house and down the street, stopping every so often to check the spirit realm for foes.
“Stop being so goddamn twitchy,” Aiden admonished, the tenth or so time this happened. “There’s nobody here.”
“Does this Travis person live alone?” Keir asked. “Will he remember who you are, for that matter?”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “I literally look the same as I did when I lived here eight years ago. He’ll recognise me.”
I hope so. Keir and I were more than capable of handling most threats between the two of us, and compared to Evelyn and her army, rogue vampires were child’s play.
“Whatever happened to talking the other vampires into joining the guild?” I asked.
“Your boss didn’t call me back,” said Keir. “Most likely because she has to deal with the mages storming around the place trying to mount rescue missions.”
“Not to mention the demon puppy,” I added. “Just wondered if you wanted to extend an offer of cooperation…”
“Oh, Travis won’t want to join the guild,” said Aiden. “The guy’s a recluse who’s on the guild’s most wanted list.”
“You’re telling us this now?” said Keir.
“Just kidding.” With a laugh, Aiden made his way down the cobbled street and through a narrow close, leading down into darkness.
I turned on my spirit sight to check for potential ambushes, finding no signs of life. Drawing out my phone to use as a torch, I shone the light on a wooden door. Keir pushed it open, revealing stone steps descending into dusty gloom. Edinburgh had possessed enough catacombs and underground tunnels before the supernatural world had been revealed for all to see that it was no wonder the mages had never found this place. I couldn’t imagine leading tourists down here, though. The dirt floor crunched beneath my feet, while the wide stone walls of the vault dripped with moisture.
Then, several sparks of light pinged on the corner of my vision. Keir hissed out a warning, moving into a defensive pose as a number of vampires silently emerged from the gloom. Several pairs of grey-blue eyes landed on me, but otherwise, I couldn’t make out any of the vampires’ features.
Keir’s hand shot out, locking around the nearest vampire’s throat. The energy drain was over in a heartbeat, and the vampire crumpled at his feet.
“Anyone else want to have a try?” His eyes glowed silver-grey. “He’s not dead, but the next person to strike any of us won’t be so lucky. We’re not here to fight you, but we’re willing to defend ourselves if necessary.”
“Who are you?” one of the other vampires said. “What do you want?”
“I know you,” said another. “You’re the one who killed the king.”
Keir made an irritated noise. “No, I didn’t. He was murdered by a fury. No doubt you’ve seen plenty of those in the last few months.”
Brightness flooded the tunnel as someone activated a light spell. The nearest vampire, a scrawny teenage boy, stared up at me. “Furies? Aren’t you the one who tamed the giant fury?”
Yeah, before Evelyn stole both the fury and his army. “Never mind the furies. We’re here to talk about the Ancients.”
A low growl cut through the murmurs of the other vampires. “What do you want to know about the Ancients?”
“Finally,” said Aiden, a note of relief in his voice. “I was beginning to think you’d left town.”
“Aiden?” The speaker moved to the forefront of the group. Older than the others, he had grey whiskers, a pockmarked face, and a rangy form, wrapped in what looked like a discarded necromancer coat. He must be Travis. “You’re alive?”
“Alive and kicking. Or punching. I’m a little out of practice at both, but your friends seem to be volunteering to act as targets.”
“Leave,” he growled at the others. “All of you.”
I tried to read his expression, but his face was covered in too much dirt to be sure. I couldn’t tell whether the black mass attached to his head was hair or grime, either. He pointed a muddy finger down a passage. “We’ll talk in there, it’s safer.”
As he turned around, I moved closer to Keir and his brother. “Aiden, I was envisioning a couple of vampires, not an entire cave full of them.”
“They survive in packs down here,” he said. “It’s fine, he recognises me. See?”
Keir spun on the spot, intercepting a vampire who’d lingered behind us. His fist slammed up into the other vampire’s jaw, sending him flying back into the wall. A second attacker grabbed for me, but I got there first, my spirit drain ability latching onto him until he fell into a limp heap.
I looked up to find Travis watching me. “Are you a vampire, too?” he growled.
“Nope. Just a guild necromancer.” I was starting to regret this. That’s what I got for hoping Aiden’s allies were any more reliable than the other vampires.
Travis halted when we reached a dark, dusty cave which contained a sleeping bag and a pile of empty beer bottles. I took a wild guess Travis made his home here.
Travis grabbed a beer bottle and took a large gulp. “I can’t believe you survived, Aiden.”
“Barely,” Aiden said. “That’s not what we’re here for, though. Jas?”
I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell this stranger about my coven, and relating the whole story would take too long, besides. I settled for saying, “I heard you knew something about the Ancients, and that you and Aiden were researching them together before he was taken.”
“You might say that.” He lowered the beer bottle. “I dropped it all when he disappeared. Haven’t dared leave the tunnels since.”
“You didn’t have to,” Aiden interjected. “I told you, the ex-Mage Lord’s in jail. He’s not capturing vampires anymore. You can walk free.”
“Someone is always capturing vampires,” said Travis. “I’m safer down here in the dark, thanks.”
You know… he may be right, considering what’s happening on the surface.
“Do what you like, then.” Aiden shrugged. “We have reason to believe the Ancients might come back to earth again. You saw the fury god, right?”
“Yes,” he growled. “I saw it.”
“And?” I pressed. “The fury god turned against us and captured two of our friends in the other realm. We need to know if it’s possible to track them down.”
“Track them?” he said. “You want a witch, not a vampire. As for that other realm, it’s been a long time since I set foot there. Before I came to Edinburgh, I used to live in a village in the Highlands, and I fell in with a group of witches.”
“Who?” My heart jumped. Did he mean the Hemlocks—or the Briars?
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “This was… easily thirty-five years ago now, if not longer. They had a mirror that connected this realm to another. I bribed my way in because I wanted to set eyes on the dragon shifters.”
“And you did?”
“I did,” he confirmed. “Majestic creatures. They had a whole city over there, you know. I bet I’m the only vampire to ever set foot in their home.”
Keir shifted impatiently at my side. “What else did you find?”
“Monuments to the Ancients,” he murmured, a misty look in his eyes. “The dragon shifters were obsessed with their gods. Statues everywhere… and rumour had it they had a wellspring of magic nearby. A source of great power.”
A source of power. The image of Lady Harper’s map entered my mind’s eye, marked with an X that led somewhere unknown. Then the words from her journal… They say their city is the final resting place of the gods, and their blood runs beneath the earth. I’d bet that was what Evelyn wanted. The wellspring.
“Thanks for talking to us,” I said. “You’ve been a great help.”
His hand shot out and caught my wrist before I could leave. “You’re a shade, aren’t you?”
I glanced at Keir, who’d tensed beside me. “Yes, we both are. Got a problem with that?”
“Shades always meet a bitter end in my experience,” said the vampire, with a slight cough. “They don’t know when to let go. Know what I mean?”
“Not really,” said Keir. “Will you let go of Jas, please?”
I pulled my arm free. “Thanks. We’ll be going now.”
I half-expected Travis to follow me from the cave, but he didn’t. Nobody else ambushed us either, though the light of the street outside dazzled my eyes after the darkness of the tunnel.
Aiden took in Keir’s bruised face and fists and sighed. “Bad luck. I didn’t know they’d hit you.”
“I’ve come to expect it from rogues,” Keir said. “At least there weren’t any furies down there.”
“Please tell me you didn’t try to take them on single-handedly,” Aiden said. “How have you stayed alive all these years?”
“Jas gave me one of her nine lives.”
I grinned. “He’s not wrong.”
“Do I even want to know?” said Aiden.
“Probably not,” said Keir. “Is that what Evelyn wants, then? This wellspring of power?”
“Must be,” I said. “She claimed her magic is sealed somewhere. I can see her convincing herself that all the magic in that realm is hers, too. Look how she took the two talismans’ wielders as hostages so they can’t be used against her.”
“The problem with that is that Ivy and Ilsa are still alive, and pissed at her,” said Keir. “And you’ll beat her, Jas. I know you will.”
“You two make me sick,” said Aiden. “And on that note, do you have any idea how hard it is to date when you’re a ghost?”
“You’re not a ghost,” I said.
“I may as well be,” he said. “Keir’s finally sorted himself out and met a nice girl, which let me tell you, was a long shot—”
“Hey,” Keir said. “Quit teasing Jas.”
“Aww,” said Aiden. “That’s how I know he’s smitten with you. Won’t hear a word against you.”
“Maybe I just want you to shut up. It’s giving me a headache.” But he gave me a smile that said, brothers, huh. The two might bicker, but they’d go to the ends of the earth for one another.
Like Evelyn and I might have done, if the world hadn’t set us at odds.
Keir brushed my wrist with his fingertip. “Jas, what’s this?”
“What’s what?” I looked down. On my wrist was an odd blister-like mark the size of a penny, overlapping with some of the faded witch runes Isabel had drawn.
No way.
I lifted my other arm. A similar mark had begun to spread up my other wrist, greyish-brown. When I pressed my fingertip to it, the texture was rough, like bark.
The Hemlock curse. No… it shouldn’t be affecting me. I didn’t even have my magic.
“The curse,” said Keir, his eyes wide. “Jas…”
“I’ll talk to Isabel,” I said. “I need to see her anyway—she was working on a spell to track Ivy.”
And with Ivy and Ilsa, I’d find Evelyn. Once I got her back, I needed to hand over the Hemlocks’ curse before I was the one who suffered th
e consequences.
9
I hurried to Asher’s shop alone, insisting Keir and Aiden should get home before any more rogue vampires set their sights on them. There was nothing they could do to stop the curse, and there was a strong possibility Asher wouldn’t be able to, either. Had my time in the forest somehow kick-started the curse, or had it latched onto me when I’d briefly gained access to my powers again?
As I burst into the shop, Isabel and Asher broke apart, having been wrapped in a heavy embrace on the desk.
“Ah—really, you two?” I averted my gaze, leaning on the wall to catch my breath.
“Sorry,” said Isabel. “Didn’t hear you come in, Jas.”
“I’m not surprised.” I clutched a stitch in my chest. “I need help. Urgently.”
“What…?” Isabel’s eyes widened at the sight of my exposed wrist. I held both arms out to share the bark-like marks spreading across my skin, covering the faded marks of old witch runes.
“Please tell me you can help me.” I sucked in a deep breath, my heart hammering. “I don’t know what set it off, but the other Hemlocks can’t get back into this realm and stop the Ancients. So maybe the curse is preparing for me to take their place, even though I don’t have their magic. If it takes full effect before I catch Evelyn… I don’t know what’ll happen.”
Asher’s gaze skimmed my wrist. “If you’re already cut off from their magic, there’s not much I can do. Typically, blood curses can only be removed by the person who put them there.”
“Hell will freeze over before Cordelia lets me go free of the curse.” I lowered my arms. “Isn’t there a spell that can slow down a curse? Any kind. I’m not picky.”
Asher picked up a tattoo pen. “I can try a magical suppressant, but I imagine only the person who can put the curse on you can do more. Was it definitely the Hemlocks who did it to you?”
“The Briars.” I slapped my forehead. “They might have done it.” Given that Lady Harper had used the binding ritual… it would be bloody typical if it turned out that only she could remove it. “What if the caster is dead?”
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