by Jamie Davis
“Agreed. But she’s more than just my mother; she’s my guide in this quest for the prophecy, too. Sometimes I wish I had a friend like Taylor. I’ve seen the two of you talking. You seem very close.”
Quinn nodded. “Taylor was there for me when I really needed someone. She sort of rescued me from what I might have become while I was living on the street.”
“What was that?”
“A punk petty criminal, or maybe a member of one of the gangs that plague the city. I could see either or maybe both happening if it hadn’t been for her.”
Avery shuddered. “Even though I know how to defend myself, I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like, living out there all alone.”
Quinn’s hand drifted up to her amulet, stroking the engraved wolf’s head on the silver oval. “I wasn’t really alone, although I didn’t know it at the time. Between the protective magic of the Hunter amulet they left with me and a secret motherly vampire watching over me, I was probably safer than anyone else out there.”
“But you didn’t know it at the time. I imagine it was scary.”
“Yeah, a little.”
“I wish I had an amulet like yours, but Gemma didn’t have the necessary magic to create one for me. Where’d you get that one?”
“It was originally my mother’s. She gave it to me when she left me on the steps of a firehouse during the purges.” Quinn shrugged. “I guess giving up some of her magical protection to me was a way of taking care of me when she couldn’t be there.”
“I don’t know who my parents are,” Avery said. She stared to the side, looking out the window at the night sky. “I would love to find out one or both of them were still alive out there, somewhere. You’re lucky.”
Quinn started to make a comment around being careful what you wish for, but she stopped. Naomi wasn’t all that bad, despite the way she treated the woman sometimes. She still didn’t think of her as her mother, but there were moments now when she felt closer to the vampire than she had at first.
Quinn smiled, “At least your mother isn’t nearly the same age as you like mine is. Since Naomi stopped aging when they turned her, she only looks a few years older than I am. That causes all sorts of problems out in public and kind of messes with my head.”
“How did you find out she was alive?” Avery asked. “It must’ve been a shock.”
“We almost fought the first few times we met,” Quinn said with a grin. “At least, I almost fought her. I didn’t realize it at first, but she always avoided fighting me in those first few encounters.”
Quinn shared how she and her mother first met while she was in the employ of the vampire John Handon.
Avery listened, leaning forward and hanging on every word. The way she became so engaged in the story seemed strange to Quinn, and more than a little annoying.
When Quinn finished telling her about the final battle to free her mother and the others, Avery shook her head and said, “Wow, that is incredible. I would love to know what it’s like to fight real vampires or werewolves. You’re so lucky.”
“Wait, you’ve never faced any?”
Avery shook her head. “No, Gemma only recently took me out of the castle to come here. Before that, it was all training and study.”
“Who else was in the castle? It wasn’t just the two of you, was it?”
“Oh, no, Gemma had visitors frequently, though I only saw a few of them. Those were the ones who came to train me in combat or magic use. Most of the others were members of the Fae court, I think. I caught glimpses of some of them when I got bored and practiced my spying and hiding skills around the castle.”
“Fae?” Quinn asked. For some reason, the revelation raised alarm bells in her mind. “What kind of Fae?”
“I gathered they were nobility of some sort. I only figured it out because of the way Gemma would address them when she greeted them. Most often, it was a princess or duke, folks like that.”
“And you never met them?” Quinn asked. “These Fae princesses and dukes?”
“No,” Avery said. “None of them except for Princess Filippa. But she was one of the people who trained me, so I never considered her that way. I didn’t know she was a princess until I overheard one of the others address her as such.”
Now the alarms in Quinn’s head made sense. She got up and walked over to stare out the window while she tried to make sense of this. If Filippa was involved, that made Avery and Gemma trouble for Quinn and the others in the clan.
Quinn turned back to Avery and faked a yawn. “I think I’m going to hit the sack. You’re all right out there, aren’t you?”
Avery nodded. “Sure. Is everything good with you? I feel like I said something to upset you.”
“No,” Quinn lied. “Everything’s fine. Just a little tired, that’s all.”
Avery went to the living room. It all made sense now. Filippa had to be behind all this; she only had to figure out how. She picked up her phone and started to tap a message to Clark and the others, but stopped and put it down. Taylor might believe her, but Clark, Naomi, and Miranda wouldn’t. They didn’t see the Fae, or at least some of them, as a threat.
Leaning back in bed against her pillows, Quinn stared up at the water-stained plaster on the ceiling and tried to come up with some way to find out what was really going on. Only then could she expose Avery and Gemma as the frauds they were.
Chapter Ten
Since Clark and Naomi wouldn’t take her suspicions about the Fae seriously, Quinn decided she had to rely on other resources. The next day was scheduled for rest to give the girls a chance to heal from their non-stop bouts. It was the perfect opportunity for Quinn to slip away and get some of her questions answered.
Right after breakfast, Quinn followed Taylor back into her office area by the storerooms, avoiding the others.
Taylor smiled as Quinn came into the room with her. “You gonna hang with me today? I have a lot to work on with upgrades to the system and Miranda’s magic training, but you’re welcome to watch.”
“I can for a little bit, but I was hoping you’d cover for me if anyone comes around asking where I am.”
Taylor cocked her head to the side. “What’s up? You have that sneaky look on your face.”
“I need to investigate some stuff Avery had been telling me about how she grew up.” Quinn paused, then decided to bring Taylor in on her suspicions. “She mentioned Filippa, T. I think that Fae woman is trying to cause trouble to get back at me for imprinting the dragon egg.”
“You sure, Quinn? You know Clark and Naomi think she’s just a typical self-absorbed Fae who doesn’t care about any of us humans. She’s not really out to get you. She doesn’t give a damn about any of us.”
“You don’t have to believe me. Just tell the others I went downtown to go shopping or something.”
Taylor shrugged. “I can do that, I guess. Where will you really be?”
“I’m going to talk to Aurora. She’s staying somewhere in the city. She doesn’t like Filippa, so maybe I can find out if she knows anything about Gemma or Avery, or what Filippa has planned for them.”
“If you want, I can do some digging on my end, too. There has to be a record of what Gemma was up to with Avery in Europe. I’ll see what I can find while you’re out.”
“Thanks, T. I knew I could count on you.”
“Always,” Taylor said. “Don’t be too late getting back, though. Clark will get bent out of shape if he thinks you’re out partying or something.”
“It shouldn’t take too long. I’ll keep you in the loop and check in when I can.”
Quinn left Taylor’s office and turned left down the long underground hallway, heading away from O’Malley’s instead of to the bar. She’d use one of the other exits from the tunnel system instead of taking the chance Clark or Naomi would catch her leaving.
Once she reached the street, she caught a bus downtown, then pulled out her phone and sent a message to Princess Aurora. She was one of the only Fae who paid any attention t
o human technology. The princess had been mostly friendly to Quinn and the others. She might be willing to part with information about Filippa.
Quinn didn’t have to wait long. A message pinged back with an address off Charles Street in the Mount Vernon area of the city. Quinn figured she was about a half-hour away, depending on the bus schedule. For a moment she thought about catching a cab, but she didn’t have a lot of money. She hadn’t asked Clark for anything additional recently, even though he’d offered to supplement what he gave her from the Hunter resources they still had.
She replied, sending a message that she’d be there soon. Quinn slipped the phone into her pocket and headed over a few blocks to catch one of the uptown buses heading toward the Mt. Vernon district.
Thirty minutes later, Quinn stood on the street and double-checked the location on her phone. The three-story stone and brick house seemed much like all the others in the neighborhood. There was nothing that designated it as the city home of Fae royalty.
She laughed to herself. What did she expect, some sort of magical flag or glowing emblem on the door? On a whim, Quinn pulled up her HUD. There was the pentagram icon of her new Arcane Sight ability. Activating it, Quinn stared at the building.
Some areas glowed with magical energy. They weren’t loose fragments of natural magic that floated by her as she stood there. That indicated they were completed spells, or maybe wards of some sort.
Letting the magical spectrum slip away, she headed up the steps. Quinn reached for the brass knocker but didn’t quite get there. The door opened inward on its own, revealing a tall Fae male with light-brown hair and just the hint of his pointed ears peeking out from the curled locks on either side of his head.
“Hello, Zephyr,” Quinn said with a nod to the princess’s head of security. “I believe her Highness is expecting me?”
“She is. You’re running a little late, though.”
“Hey, blame the MTA. I don’t control the buses around here.”
“Indeed,” Zephyr said as if not accepting her excuse entirely. “If you’ll come this way.” The guard gestured inside and closed the door behind her before taking the lead, with Quinn close behind him.
He walked to an atrium at the rear of the building. Potted plants covered most of the floor, and more hung from overhead hooks. It all made Quinn feel like she was in some sort of rainforest exhibit at the zoo. She even spotted small songbirds flitting amidst the greenery.
Princess Aurora sat in a white wicker chair with a high back. There was an identical chair beside her, with a small matching table in between. A silver tray with a tall glass pitcher of what looked like pale white wine sat atop the table.
As Quinn approached, following Zephyr, Aurora looked up and smiled. She picked up an empty crystal wine glass and filled it from the pitcher, placing it on the table beside the empty chair.
“Quinn, my dear, please do come and sit down. It’s always a pleasure to see you. How’s my egg doing?”
“Um, fine, I guess,” Quinn said. She didn’t say anything about how it seemed to respond to her talks with it. “How are you?”
“I’m very well, of course. Everything in the city is so much better without all that nonsense from John Handon and his coven getting in the way. It was nice of you to take care of that for us.”
“Just another service from your friendly neighborhood Huntress clan, I guess.” Quinn sat down but didn’t pick up the wine glass. Instead, she folded her hands in her lap and glanced at the nearby plants. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone or something watched her from behind all that greenery.
Aurora turned to her head of security after a moment of awkward silence. “Zephyr, be a darling and give us some time. I think we can trust our Huntress friend to behave without you around.”
“As you wish, Your Highness.” The tall bodyguard nodded and pivoted in place one hundred eighty degrees before exiting the room. As he left, he pulled the French doors closed behind him.
Quinn could still see him through the glass in the doors. He walked over and took up a position in the hallway against the far wall where he could keep an eye on Quinn and the princess.
“We are alone now, Quinn. Why don’t you tell me what brought you over here? I assume it wasn’t to chat about the weather. Is it something to do with my dragon egg?”
“Oh, no, the egg is fine. I mean, nothing weird has happened if that’s what you’re asking.” Quinn shut her mouth, feeling like she’d said enough. She worried that the Fae would see through her deception and want to know more about the egg.
“Then what is it, my dear? I certainly don’t mind receiving visitors from time to time, but I have other things to do with my time.”
“Of course you do,” Quinn said. She stood up and crossed to a cluster of low shrubs and ferns in large terracotta planters. She stared into the leaves for a few seconds, distracted because she’d just seen a flicker of movement.
“Quinn, if you don’t tell me what is bothering you, I cannot help you.”
Pulling her attention back to the matter at hand, the Huntress decided a direct approach was best. Screwing up her courage, she said, “It’s about Filippa. You heard about her involvement during my final confrontation with Handon?”
“I did hear a few things. My understanding was she was observing some rather distasteful ceremonies. Honestly, she always did have a thing for the macabre.”
“She stood by while that monster tried to kill my friend and me. She should have—”
“Should have what? Intervened? It’s my understanding she was alone, without her attendants or guards. What would you have had her do?”
Quinn started to answer and stopped, shutting her mouth and biting her lip as she tried to come up with an answer. She knew Filippa was working against her. The evidence was all circumstantial, but there was a lot of it.
Finally, she broke the silence. “I don’t know, but that’s not the only time she’s worked on things that undermined what my friends and I are doing. You know that all too well. That was how we met.”
Aurora smiled. “You merely got caught up in a little tug-of-war between factions in the Fae hierarchy, Quinn. That’s all. The rest is coincidence, I’m sure. Has she done something else since the Handon incident?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, she has. She has apparently been grooming her own Huntress this whole time in Europe somewhere. Now that girl is here with her handler and wants to take everything over.”
“So, my cousin kept that little project going after all. I thought she’d lost interest in that alternate version of the prophecy. It’s just the one who showed up, or were there more?”
“Filippa has more than one Huntress in training?” Quinn asked, alarmed at the prospect.
“I honestly don’t know. I thought she’d lost interest in that particular set of endeavors years ago.”
“So, you know about Avery and Gemma?”
“Gemma Beckinglsy? That’s who Filippa got to head up her little project?” Aurora chuckled and nodded. “It makes sense. She was an accomplished Hunter clan mage before the purges, despite her youth. Since she survived them, she must be even more powerful now. And this Avery? Is she your counterpart?”
Quinn nodded, saying, “She is, and she is just so…”
When Quinn’s voice trailed off before finishing her description, a hint of a grin played across Aurora’s lips. “I see.”
“You see what?”
“It’s not easy to find yourself respecting someone who is your rival. Believe me, I know.”
“I don’t respect her,” Quinn snapped.
Aurora studied her face for a few seconds, and her smile broadened. “You don’t just respect her. You’re attracted to her, aren’t you? My, my, that lends a wrinkle to things, doesn’t it?”
Quinn started to deny it, but the twinkle in the Fae princess’s eyes stopped her. There was no hiding it. The woman had seen straight through her. Did that mean everyone knew, even Avery?
As if reading her mind, Aurora said, “Oh, don’t worry. I have a way of getting that sort of information out of people. I’m a distant relative of Cupid, you know.”
Trying to decide if she was kidding or not, Quinn remembered something else the woman had said. “What was that you said about an alternate prophecy? You said Filippa was using a different prediction, one of her own?”
“It’s not a different prophecy, darling. It’s more or less a different translation of the same prophecy.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Quinn replied. “I heard the words from the clan leaders themselves. Wouldn’t they know the correct translation? It is a Hunter prophecy, after all.”
Quinn cleared her throat and recited the words spoken to her during her confrontation with Handon in the ceremonial chamber.
“For in time will come one who was lost.
They will restore that which was taken.
They will rebuild the clans.
Forging them into the final weapon.”
“Interesting,” Aurora said. “I knew the Hunters had a different version, but I had never heard it.”
“What’s in the other version that makes it so different? This one seems pretty clear to me.”
“Come back and sit down. Have a drink. I have to go and find a certain book in my library. I want to be sure to get it right.”
Quinn returned to her seat, but when the princess gestured to the wine glass, she shook her head. “I don’t really care for wine.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s ambrosia, a mixture of rare fruit juices and honey. Try it. It’s my personal family recipe.”
The woman left Quinn alone, pulling open the French doors and disappearing down a side hallway. Zephyr still stood at his post against the opposite wall outside. His eyes never left Quinn.
She offered the guard a brief smile, then lifted the wineglass and sniffed the pale liquid inside. It smelled delicious—fruity, but with alien floral scents as well. Quinn took a cautious sip and then stared down at the glass with a huge smile on her face. It wasn’t just good, it was wonderful and delicious, possibly the best drink she’d ever had.