by Gene Gant
I smiled at the idea of what obviously came next. “Things didn’t go the way Jellicoe planned.”
The ghost rose about a foot higher over the floor in its smugness before settling down again. “Let’s just say the sprite would sooner die than come near me again.”
“Why is Malwar so determined to kill you?” Inky asked.
“Because I am a Cat-o-Nine,” the spirit replied.
You know how a dog tilts its head when it hears something confusing? Draven, Inky, and I looked at each other with heads tilted.
The ghost floated backward until it melted into the girl’s body and vanished. The girl opened her eyes and looked at us calmly. “I see I’ll have to finish my meditation later,” Mina said. She unfolded her legs and stepped off her invisible perch to stand on the floor before us. “I was born with nine souls. Beings like me are called Cat-o-Nines. Grendelkin become stronger and more evil with every soul they murder. Killing a Cat-o-Nine would make a Grendelkin immensely powerful.”
“Then we can help each other,” I said, excited at the rightness of the idea. “We want to take Malwar down and free Draven’s mother. You need to get rid of Malwar for good—”
“I don’t ‘need’ to do anything else about Malwar,” Mina said, cutting me off. “I have spells that keep him from ever coming near me.”
“And he’s already sneaked someone past your spells to try and kidnap you,” I said. “What’s to say he won’t try that again?”
“He will try again,” Draven added. “One thing I learned about my dad is that he never gives up. He’ll keep coming after you the way he keeps coming after me. He’ll keep it up until he gets what he wants.”
“Seems to me the only way to deal with Malwar is to go after him,” said Inky.
“After my encounter with the earth sprite, my wards have been refocused on intent,” said Mina. “They are not only designed to keep out certain specific beings. They will keep out anyone who intends to hurt me.”
“And yet, after your wards let a djinn, an incubus, and a junior Grendel Kid through because they found no malicious intent toward you on our parts, you still warned us not to try to hurt you. Obviously, you know your protective spells aren’t foolproof.”
Mina folded her arms patiently behind her back. “That’s a false presumption. I warned you against doing harm here,” she clarified. “That doesn’t mean I was worried about you hurting me. My wards are indeed foolproof. No one who intends to hurt me can get through them. But this house stands on a hidden site of mystic power. It’s why my mother bought the place. Djinn, like any other practitioner of magic, can tap into the energy of this site, and I know you felt its power the moment you came into this house. I also know you were tempted, like all practitioners of magic, to reach into that power.”
What could I say? It was the truth, and there was no point in denying it. Once I was inside the house, I wanted to dive into the mystical force that lay beneath it. I still wanted to. I wanted to drink it all in. But I also knew what that much power would do to me. I’d become a far worse monster than Malwar could ever be. Attempting to tap into the power, I realized now, was what Mina was warning me against.
To get away from that topic, I said, “Mina, you probably have more of a reason to get rid of Malwar than any of us. Once he’s out of the picture, your worries about protecting yourself are over.”
“Until the next Grendelkin comes along and makes me a target.” She cast a flat, emotionless look at Draven. “And you happen to have the son of Malwar right here with you.”
“Hey,” said Draven, “I don’t want to kill anybody. I don’t want to become a monster. Or, at least… not any more of a monster than I already am.”
“Mina, I don’t think you were ever really worried about Draven, or you would have never let him in here,” I pointed out. “And I suspect you’ve already laid out a few spells to incapacitate him if he does make a move against you.”
At that, Draven looked shocked. Then a slow, deadly little smile tugged at Mina’s lips, and Draven suddenly looked as nervous as a sheep being circled by a wolf. Truth be told, a shiver went down my spine too. This girl was creepy as all get-out.
“Still, I’m a pacifist by necessity,” Mina said, turning her attention back to me. “I’m not one for killing my enemies, unless there’s no other option.”
“We don’t have to kill Malwar to stop him,” I replied.
“Who says?” Draven and Inky snapped at me in unison.
I sighed, annoyed. “We don’t have to kill Malwar,” I repeated firmly. “If I can get close enough, I can neutralize him.”
Inky sneered. “‘Neutralize’ sounds an awful lot like ‘kill’ to me.”
“It’s not the same thing,” I retorted. “Grendel Kids are cursed. The curse is the source of Malwar’s power. The effects of that curse can be countered by another curse. If I can get within range, I can put the Curse of Wazim on him. Wazim is a djinn of dreams. His curse will put Malwar into an endless sleep. Malwar won’t be a threat to any of us—or anyone else—after that.”
There was a moment of silence, weighted and stark, while the others considered my proposal.
“That would be an acceptable solution,” Mina said. “I’m willing to help you with that.”
“Cool.” I looked at Draven and Inky. “You guys on board with this?”
“I just want my mom back,” Draven replied. “And I want my dad to leave us alone. For good.”
“And I want whatever’s gonna keep Draven safe,” said Inky.
Yeah, right. “Then that’s it. Now we just have to hash out a plan. And track down Malwar.” Again, I looked at Mina. “We were hoping you could tell us where to find him.”
“I have no idea where he is,” said Mina. “I’ve used a lot of power to keep Malwar away. Keeping track of him was never a concern.”
“I can track him through his emotions,” Inky said, “if you’ve had a recent, intense encounter with him.”
“The last time I had a physical confrontation with Malwar was almost eight months ago, in Mexico.”
Inky mumbled a curse. “That’s too much time.”
“I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Instead of tracking Malwar down, let’s make him come to us. He wants Mina. Why don’t we use her as bait?”
Mina, Draven, and Inky raised their eyebrows.
Eight
WE SAT outside on Mina’s patio in low-slung Japanese bamboo chairs. The clouds blocked out the moon and stars, and the low fog covered her backyard like a thick, cottony white blanket. There was no sound, no chirping of crickets, no muffled voices from the neighboring houses, no rumble of music blasting from some kid’s passing car. It felt as if we’d been sealed away from the rest of the world like bugs in a jar. Mina had made a pitcher of something she called serenity tea. I couldn’t figure out exactly what was in it, but it tasted so good every sip made my toes wiggle.
“We can speak freely here,” Mina said. “There’s no chance we will be overheard. Now, Ahmad, about this idea of using me for bait—”
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” I said. “But we’ll be right there, and we’ll keep you safe.”
“I’m not worried about my safety. I’m worried this won’t work. Malwar is not likely to personally come after me again as long as my wards are in place.”
“Just drop the spells you have around your house,” Draven said. “That should bring him here.”
“I can’t leave this house unshielded, even for a moment,” said Mina. “That would reveal the existence of the power below this place to every magical being within five hundred miles. I can’t let that power fall into the wrong hands. And if Malwar came here, if we fight him here, it would endanger the people who live in this neighborhood.”
Inky, consciously or not, tugged at the deep V of his T-shirt, exposing even more of his chest and abs. It took everything in me to keep my eyes on his face. “Then we take you away from here,” he said. “Get you out in the open, away from
people.”
Mina gave him a small, mysterious smile. “I have wards around myself as well as around the house. I’d have to drop my personal defenses. Don’t you think Malwar will become suspicious if I suddenly turn up completely vulnerable?”
“Maybe,” I replied. “But if he stands to gain as much power from killing a Cat-o-Nine as you say, I’m willing to bet he’ll be too tempted to pass on the opportunity.”
“We just have to set this up in a way that won’t make the monster suspicious,” said Inky. “I own an old warehouse in the O’Hare district. It’s been shut down for years, so there’s nobody around to get hurt. We can hang out there and wait for him.”
Mina’s smile turned bitter. “A bunch of supernatural kids, including Malwar’s rebellious son, standing around in an abandoned warehouse in the dead of night for no particular reason. What could possibly be suspicious about that?”
Inky sneered at the sarcasm. “We make it look like we broke in to get high or party or something. Kids do that kind of stuff. You’d know that if you actually hung out with kids instead of hanging upside down in the attic.”
“Why don’t you do a striptease and draw him in that way?” Mina said calmly. “You seem to like pimping out your own body.”
I thought Inky was going to throw himself across the patio at Mina, a prospect that didn’t seem to trouble her one bit. He clenched his teeth so hard it made his jaws pop. Then he shoved himself up and stormed out into the yard. Draven got up and went after him.
“Guess I should have warned you,” I said. “Inky’s a bit sensitive.”
“So I see.”
“He can be dangerous, especially to females, with that seductive power of his.”
“One of my souls is just as dangerous in that regard as he is. But this soul,” Mina said, gesturing at herself with both hands, “my core soul, is asexual. His good looks and hypnotic seductions won’t work on me. You should be so lucky.”
“Oh yeah.” I watched as Draven reached up and took Inky’s face in his hands, talking softly and sweetly to calm the guy down.
“Draven seems nice for a Grendelkin.”
“Yep, except for when he’s raving.”
“You know, you’d be much better for him than the incubus.”
“A maniac serial killer would be better for him than Inky.”
That put a tiny amused smile on Mina’s face. “Still, you’re attracted to Draven.”
I laughed, my face suddenly burning. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yes,” Mina said flatly.
“It’s strange. He was so angry and violent, I didn’t even like him at first. I just saw him as someone whose strength might come in handy one day. But once I found out what happened to his mother and how lonely he was, I guess it made me feel that he needed me. And he reminds me of someone I… used to know.”
“I’m guessing you never asked him out.”
“Of course not,” I said. “I just met him this morning, and we’ve been on the go since then trying to rescue his mom. How was I supposed to make a love connection under those circumstances?”
At the far edge of the yard, Draven tiptoed up and sweetly kissed Inky. Like a snake striking, Inky grabbed him in a passionate embrace.
“Your incubus friend doesn’t seem to have had any such problem,” Mina observed. “Which is not to say you can’t still let Draven know how you feel.”
“To be honest, Draven shouldn’t have me for a boyfriend any more than he should Inky. It’s been thirteen years since I even went out on a date. I never know when I’ll get a new master. Just my luck, every master I’ve had has been a megahomophobe. Maybe that’s another feature of my curse. I was in a really good relationship about fifty years ago with a handsome teen vampire named Angelo when I got my last master, a down-home, honest-to-God small-town Texas sheriff. My boyfriend tried to hypnotize the sheriff into setting me free. The slave curse wouldn’t allow that. It gave my new master knowledge of my relationship with Angelo. The sheriff used a cross, backed by his Christian faith, to take Angelo down. Then he commanded me to stake my boyfriend out in the desert and made me watch while the sun came up and….” I choked up, the way I always did when that horrific memory came back. And I hated myself all over again for what I’d done. I could never forgive myself for that. Never.
Mina reached over and tenderly placed her hand on my forearm. “I’m sorry. That was an unspeakably cruel and evil thing for your master to do.”
“You know what’s even worse? He commanded me to never resurrect Angelo. A master’s command is binding, even after his death, so I still can’t bring my boyfriend back. I know a witch who can raise the dead, but I can’t even ask her to do it.”
“Well, I could always ask her on your behalf.”
I shook my head. “I can’t let you do that. If you tried, my master’s command would force me to stop you.”
Mina squeezed my arm. It was comforting, and comfort was something I didn’t deserve.
Gently, I pulled away from her touch. “I’ve been sort of reluctant to take a new boyfriend.”
“Understandably so.”
Draven and Inky were still kissing. I sighed. At that very moment, Inky was feeding on everything Draven felt for him.
Mina seemed to feel my helplessness. “I suppose there’s nothing you can do about that situation,” she said, nodding toward the embracing pair.
“I could warp Inky to the dark side of the moon,” I said. “But he’s my friend. And he can’t help what he is. Draven never stood a chance. He went under Inky’s spell the second they met.”
There was an uneasy pause between us.
“What?” I asked, looking at Mina.
“There’s probably more than the incubus hypnotic love charm at work here,” she answered. “Around the time they turn fifteen, Grendelkin usually forge a bond with a person they’re destined to mate with. That could be what’s happening to Draven.”
“Wait. You’re saying Draven could really be falling in love with Inky… because of Cain’s curse?”
“Yes.”
“You want to know what I find really crazy about this whole thing?” I said. “Inky says he’s developing feelings for Draven. Real feelings. I mean, how weird is that? In what universe does it make sense for an incubus to fall in love? That would make them prey for their own kind. I just never thought incubi could feel love themselves.”
Mina nodded. “Well, there’s a trite but true saying. Life is full of surprises.”
Through the haze, I watched as Inky suddenly, forcefully broke both the kiss and the embrace. He backed several steps away from Draven. When Draven started to approach him, Inky emphatically waved him away. Draven seemed to shrink slightly, his posture one of confusion and pain.
Now what the hell was that about?
THE WAREHOUSE Inky owned was roughly ten miles from the bustling terminals of O’Hare International Airport. A sprawling, two-story construct of sheet metal, wood, and brick, it was situated in an isolated field, a former storage and distribution center connected to the airport by two crumbling asphalt roads. Midnight was approaching when I warped Mina, Inky, and myself onto the roof of the warehouse, overlooking its loading bays. Clouds still covered the sky, and there were no lights, so the night was about as close to absolute darkness there as it could get. The place would have made a fine homeless hotel, except that Inky kept it secured behind a twelve-foot-high fence topped with barbed wire. And for extra protection, he’d had one of his fellow incubi infuse the fence with a big dose of dread. Anyone who touched it would be instantly filled with a loathsome fear of the place, a huge incentive to stay out.
Inky immediately began to pace back and forth along the edge of the roof, glancing down now and again at the shadowy ground below. He was still on edge from whatever had gone on between him and Draven. Draven was weakened from having his passion literally sucked out of him, and within minutes of being pushed away from Inky, he was barely able to stand, dizzy and sleep
y. We’d left him in a deep slumber on a mat in Mina’s meditation room. I thought that was for the best. He was completely protected by Mina’s wards while he slept, he was away from Inky, and we wouldn’t have to worry about him going into one of his uncontrollable fits of fury when his dad showed up.
The wind had picked up slightly. Mina lifted her hood over her head, hiding her face in darkness. The temperature was dropping. Those black linen pants she wore seemed awfully thin, and I wondered if the chill was getting to her. She was a small, slender silhouette against the sky. In conversation, she had been reserved, with an air of menace about her, but she had also shown real concern and compassion, and that made me like her. Seeing her now, I was back to being a bit afraid of her. I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was struggling very hard to hold some part of herself in check. She had nine souls, and I’d only seen two of them. I felt certain there was at least one soul within her I would never want to meet.
I looked at Inky. He was still pacing, and I figured he needed a little time to calm himself down. Leaving him be for the moment, I turned back to Mina and said, “Why don’t you go ahead and drop your personal wards.”
Mina nodded. She held out her hands to either side, palms up. She lifted her legs, folding them under herself so that she was levitating. After several seconds, I felt the first layer of her protective spells fade away, evaporating like soap bubbles. One by one, the other wards went down, a process that took around ten minutes. When the last ward was gone, Mina dropped her hands, lowered her feet to the roof, and looked at me.
“Now what?” she asked.
Inky had stopped his pacing. He stood near the roof’s edge, his arms folded across his chest against the cool air. Our plan, such as it was, called for Inky and Mina to make out on the warehouse roof, and for Mina to grow “weak” as Inky fed on her emotions. If her core soul was as asexual as she claimed, she was in no actual danger from Inky. But Malwar wouldn’t know that. As desperate as he was to kill a Cat-o-Nine, Malwar must have sensed Mina’s current location the moment her last ward went down. It was a safe bet he was already on his way here.