by Antara Mann
“The lady has a point,” Carlos said. “The chief demon did look pretty full of himself and wanted nothing but revenge on the Court of Heaven at all costs. It is a bit suspicious, at the very least.”
“Or…” I thought for a moment, then said, “The murderer has an inside person among Kai’s minions. Someone powerful enough and high enough on the hierarchy ladder to inform him of the ins and outs at the Court of Hell — and the Court of Heaven.”
“But why would they want a supernatural war?” Brendan asked.
“That is the million dollar question,” I said. “There must be some benefit he sees from causing a war.”
Silence fell over the table for a few moments, then Kagan said, “Okay, enough conspiracy theories, guys. We need evidence.” He looked at the two shifters, and Brendan reluctantly got up from his chair. I wrote down the address of Magica World — Desmond’s occult shop — and gave it to the werewolf. Once the shifters were there, they could get more details about Desmond’s so-called coven.
“And what about you guys? What are you going to do while we check the Wiccan coven and stake out the Hellfire Club?” Brendan asked Kagan. The fae shot him a dirty look.
“Don’t worry, mate, we’ll be busy too. Now get your arse moving to that bloody coven.”
The shifters headed off, and once they were out of our sight, Kagan turned to me, a faint smile flickering across his mouth, “So, now we are finally alone.”
Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of this at all.
Kagan burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, Alex. I’m not a predator — especially not with that special enchanted sword of yours.” He grinned at me playfully and I suddenly had the urge to punch him right in his ridiculously handsome face. Instead, my hand slipped down to the silver sword, Awen’s gift, which was sheathed at my thigh. As if the fae read my mind, he straightened his facial expression and said, his tone all business, “I do want us to talk in private, though. I have something to discuss with you. Come on, let’s head back home.” He stood and motioned at me to follow him. We left Temptation through a back entrance. Kagan seemed very familiar with the restaurant, and I assumed he was a regular customer here; given his exorbitant wealth, it wouldn’t surprise me.
Once we were in the street, Kagan concentrated on summoning his magic. His power prickled on my skin. Tiny golden threads appeared in the air before us, pulsing and vibrating. They looked like teeny tiny stars, so beautiful that I wanted to reach out and touch them. Before I could, though, I felt the all-too-familiar magic tug, and darkness engulfed us.
***
The magic portal delivered us in front of a magnificent old castle, perfectly preserved. We were surrounded by a tall hedge and garden on either side, as far as the eye could see. From one of the towers I saw a flag fluttering: the seven-pointed faery star within a circle, somewhat resembling a lotus. Ah, this was obviously the fae’s home.
“Do you live here?” I asked. A redundant question, certainly, but I wanted to try to maintain a polite conversation. He nodded and headed to the wooden gate, climbing up a dozen stairs, and I followed him. When I reached the landing, he had already gone inside.
Once I climbed the dozen steps, I had a much better view of the grounds, and I stopped to take in the view. My eye was drawn to the two lions on both sides of the huge oak door. They were carved from stone, but they looked alive. I was just about to look away when I noticed the face of the right one suddenly come to life. It yawned, showing me its teeth. I instinctively took a step backwards and shook my head — this had to be a magical illusion. When I looked back at it, the lion seemed again merely a stone statue, no sign of life.
I sniffed the air around me and sensed a very strong magical energy surrounding the castle, encasing it like a huge bubble. It felt intoxicating and, to some degree, titillating. The magic was too strong to resist, but any weaker supernatural would have a hard time tuning into such a high voltage, and wouldn’t be able to draw on its energy to boost their own. They would not be able to ignore it, but they would only get drunk on the strength of the magic. Looking around, I spotted another stone statue — a huge dragon in the center of the hedge garden. I made a mental note to I ask the fae later about this stone dragon — it intrigued me for some reason.
Once I was inside the castle, I saw Kagan in the hallway speaking to a housemaid. She was showering him with apologies for her appearance — she had a speck of dust on her apron and her face. I fought a smirk — she definitely looked much better than my usual working self, especially these days, when my clothes were quite often dirty or torn. She told Kagan that his parents were away, but he assured her he was coming for something else. When he dismissed her and we were left alone inside the huge mansion, he turned to me.
“Did you see the dragon statue in the garden? That’s our family guardian. Upon attack or threat, it comes to life, with flaming nostrils, flapping wings, and thrashing tail. It’s quite a terrifying sight.”
Despite his serious expression, I still found it hard to believe. “Really? The most powerful and mythical of all supernatural beings is out there in your garden as a family guardian?” I suddenly realized I was talking much more than was needed.
Kagan gave me a patronizing look, which seemed to say, ‘You are rather stupid, but I forgive you.’ He shrugged. “Yes, so it seems. Stick with me and I’ll show you more fancy stuff than you could possibly imagine.” He turned and headed to a corridor which led straight into a large hall. I followed him, awestruck by the hall’s appearance. Wow — if, as the singer proclaimed, heaven were a place on earth, it had to be here! Temptation had been fancy and magnificent, but here I felt I was in the heaven of riches: cherrywood floor, huge elaborate chandeliers, the finest furniture I had ever seen, large beautiful framed portraits of family members, and a panoramic view of the garden and the stone dragon. I was quite taken with him, to be honest, and wondered what it was like when the dragon came to life. Fascinating and terrifying at the same time, I was sure. And to my eye it seemed that every single item in this grand hall sparkled, like gigantic Christmas decorations. The appearance of this whole space was rather surreal, like being inside a fairytale, and the hall was even more opulent than Versailles. My initial shock gave way to realization: I was in the grand castle of one of the most powerful fae who had ever graced the Earth.
“Don’t get distracted by the guest hall. My parents designed it to show off for the other magic dynasties,” Kagan said flatly, without even a hint of emotion — not even pride. I realized this was merely a fact of life for him.
“It certainly works.”
“I didn’t know you belonged to one of the dynasties.” A mischievous smile spread over Kagan’s face and it took me a second to realize his meaning. I felt the urge to turn my back on him, but a huge painting on the wall diverted my attention.
“Isn’t this your family crest? I saw it on the flag waving from the castle’s tower.”
“Sure is. This is actually the symbol of the fae, as you may know. Since our family prides itself on being the first fae in the world, we have adopted the crest.” Kagan came over to me. Holy moly, did they really hold themselves in such high esteem? Well, they were a magic dynasty, after all. That explained it.
“Do you like it?” he asked, his face dangerously close to mine. His gaze was upon me and tiny waves of his magic caressed my skin. I felt the need to keep my distance so I moved slightly to one side.
“Yes, I do.” The colors were shades of light blue with the fae star in orange. The color combination and vibe of this picture really appealed to me. “What’s written in these runes?” I asked, pointing at the inscription below the fae star.
“It reads, ‘Two worlds, one earth, one hope.’”
It was a beautiful motto, and found it hard to avert my eyes from this captivating painting. I cleared my throat and asked, “Aren’t you and your family independent fae? You don’t belong to the Seelie or Unseelie Court, right? Neither light nor dark?”
He nodded. “Yes, we are above all notions of duality — we simply exist the way we are.”
“So then, what is the purpose of the inscription? I mean, it seems to be in keeping with the spirit of the Seelie, but if your family belongs to neither court…?”
“Oh boy. No, hold on,” he chuckled, then added, “The Seelie and Unseelie fae aren’t as black and white as you imagine them to be. I’d say both courts have their perks and their downsides. We Griffiths, on the other hand, have been entrusted to keep the balance on earth between the two courts and two worlds — the supernatural and human ones. We are known as protectors and peacekeepers. That’s why the Magic Council has appointed me to this investigation. Someone is trying to shatter the established order on earth and create chaos. We need to stop him on all costs, before it’s too late.”
I felt humbled, and a little ashamed. I hadn’t known Kagan was so noble, but he seemed to be destined for greatness. And I had been afraid to share the nature of my magic power with him! How stupid of me.
You still can’t tell him your secrets. Wait at least another day, the voice in my head said.
“Alex, are you okay?” Kagan asked, sounding somewhat concerned. “From time to time you seem sort of lost, as if you’re in conversation with somebody else.”
That’s because I am, actually, I thought, but only replied, “I am okay, really. I just get a little distracted sometimes. I’m definitely not crazy, not that I’m aware of.” I chuckled nervously and the fae forced a smile. I hoped I’d convinced him. I didn’t want him to know about my peculiar… thing, whatever it was.
I’m not a ‘peculiar thing,’ Alex. I am your destiny, the voice said irritably. I cleared my throat. I would have to finish this conversation another time, another place. Definitely not before the fae’s watchful eyes.
“Now, what did you want to discuss with me? We’re in private, in your castle, on your territory.”
He smiled in his mischievous way and said, “Come, I want to show you something.” He touched my shoulder and guided me to the far right side of the hall, where a few rows of library shelves stood. They were full of ancient tomes, similar to Awen’s, as well as newer editions and books. I sensed that the books on these shelves contained powerful knowledge, knowledge that could either heal and create, or do harm and destroy.
“Um, wait. There’s something I haven’t told you.” I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. “I know what type of vampires we fought off last night.”
“I hadn’t intended to discuss the issue, but now that you’ve mentioned it, would you mind elaborating? Please, I insist.”
I told him what I’d read in my mentor’s old book. He listened to my explanation carefully, nodding from time to time. When I finished, he said, “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I figured, too. Someone was definitely controlling the vampires. I went with the silver pentagram on a hunch — there was something eerie and dark about them, so… I dunno. I always trust my instincts, and so far they’ve never betrayed me. I knew the vampires weren’t common ones after you blasted them with that fireball and they remained untouched.”
“You have great gut instincts,” I remarked, trying not to get distracted by his masculine scent. It reached my senses, giving me the taste of ripe summer fruits and his distinctive potent magic. Although I was trying to block out his power and prevent it from coming into contact with my own magic, small waves of it reached and caressed mine, titillating it. The taste of divine nectar at the back of my throat intensified: This was much better than the magic smoothie I had back at Temptation. My entire body craved his power. Then I shook myself: Hell, I was giving in to his charms! I stepped backwards tentatively. “Kagan, please, this has to stop.”
His smirk deepened. The bastard didn’t even have the decency to apologize or even look abashed. He enjoyed his inappropriate behavior full on, without a shred of shame.
“You promised you wouldn’t be a predator. Or do you want me to take out my enchanted knife?”
Flashes of excitement sparkled in his eyes, but he soon regained a serious, businesslike composure. “I’m sorry, Alex. It’s just so… refreshing to tease you.”
I glared at him and he hurriedly added, “Anyway, I wanted to have some time with you alone so I can show you a technique for keeping your magic if he attacks you with your weakness. I’m afraid the culprit might throw such a challenge at us. You do have a weakness, don’t you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Most supernaturals do,” I agreed hesitantly.
“But you don’t?” Kagan asked shrewdly. What did this guy think of me? That I was some sort of goddess? If I were, I wouldn’t be here with him, I supposed. But I said only, “No, I also have a weakness.” I paused. “I’m sort of allergic to iron,” I conceded. While it was true that I didn’t like the cold surface of iron on my skin or in near proximity to me, I could nevertheless tolerate it to some extent. However, in large quantities, it was difficult for me.
“That’s unusual for mages,” the fae mused aloud, more talking to himself than to me.
“Fae are susceptible to iron as well, right?” I asked him, trying to steer the conversation away from me. It worked this time, thank magic.
“In general, yes, but my family found a way around this inherent weakness that nature has given us.”
Oh, good, so you can become invincible and pride yourself with your superiority, I thought acidly.
“There are a few ways, and they are all described in detail here.” He handed me a tome he’d taken from one of the upper shelves and continued, “However, I’m going to summarize and show them to you.” He summoned a pair of iron cuffs and held them in his right hand. I could feel the effect of iron on my skin, just from being so close — it wasn’t a pleasant sensation and it disturbed me a little, but I didn’t feel particularly sick.
“So, what has Magica Academy taught you to do in such cases? I hope they had you taught how to defeat your weaknesses,” he asked.
“Is this a test, teacher?” I said sarcastically. Kagan gave me a look of reproach, so I answered his question. “To withdraw my magic, so that I block the negative influence of iron,” I said and coiled my power deep inside of me. When I did, the slight dizziness and feeling of sickness I had felt a moment earlier were gone. This was much better.
Kagan nodded. “That’s what trained supernaturals have been doing for hundreds of years. And yet, if you were captured or in danger and had to fight to save your life, how would you do it without using your magic?”
His question caught me off guard. He had iron logic — pun intended. Despite the fact that I had worked as an independent consultant on dozens of cases, I had never been threatened with iron in any of my fights. Luck of fate, I guess.
“Now, it’s true,” he added, “that in most fights with monsters and magic rebels they fight without using iron. In our case, though, we have to win over a dark supernatural, probably a sorcerer, and our adversaries will most likely pull out all the stops and try to exploit all our weaknesses. Just like I used silver and a pentagram to kill the demonic vampires.”
“Then it’d be best if you train Brendan and Carlos also. You know, as shifters they are susceptible to silver,” I said.
“I’m not worried about them. First, they have had enough experience and training as supernatural investigators; and second, our culprit and his evil minions are after strong magic. And frankly, your magic is the strongest. Monsters are drawn to powerful magic like moths to the flame.
“Now, Alex, imagine you’re in a closed room with thick iron walls, or that you have iron cuffs with runic symbols on your hands and they are blocking your magic.” He concentrated and runic symbols appeared on the iron cuffs locked on my wrists. They gave me a headache and I instantly felt nauseated. I inverted my remaining magic, burying it deep inside of me. This was much better — except for the fact that I was now devoid of any magic.
“So far so good, but how are you going to get out of them, using your own magic p
ower?”
“Can’t you remove the cuffs from me? I’d rather see you perform a breaking spell or whatever you’re going to do. I can learn from watching you.”
“I think you can get out of the cuffs using your magic,” the fae said.
“True, I can melt them with fire, but it’d hurt me. And right now I’m in no mood for exhausting my healing power.”
“Shame.” He grumbled and raised his hand slightly, and a matching pair of cuffs appeared on his wrists. “Satisfied?” he asked. Truth be told, I didn’t give a damn whether he had iron cuffs or not — I just wanted the shackles off my skin, period.
“Normally a fae could last at least a couple of hours shackled with cuffs like these before they started affecting his or her magic abilities.”
“But you, of course, are not just any normal fae,” I interjected and Kagan grinned. I was coming to seriously hate his sexy smiles. I wanted both to punch and kiss him.
Okay, maybe more the latter, but that wasn’t the point.
“You have devised a technique to neutralize the pain of iron, although it makes you lose your magic. But we fae cannot do that,” he said.
“Do you feel any pain?” If he did, he hid it pretty well.
“As a matter of fact, yes. But I was taught how to tolerate pain, so it’s not such a big deal for me. But it does require a lot of energy and after some time — maybe five to six hours — I’d feel exhausted and my guard would be lowered. Then the iron would affect me too.”
That was impressive. Even Brendan, with all his machismo, wouldn’t be able to tolerate silver on his skin — shifters’ inborn weakness — for more than a few hours — it would kill him.