“Listen to the...” Ben’s face blanched even in the flickering blue and purple light when he saw Leandras standing halfway down the hall.
The fae man folded his arms and glared at Jessica. “What is this?”
“This is my safety measure.” Jessica clapped a hand down on Ben’s shoulder in reassurance—most likely giving him none whatsoever—and raised an eyebrow. “Here’s here to watch the bank while we’re gone.”
“What’s that?” Ben gestured weakly toward the black stone held in place on the floor by the network of strobing threads.
“Just part of the scenery. Listen—”
“Jessica.” Leandras stepped forward. “I fail to see how bringing a human into this benefits anyone. Especially him.”
“He’s not a human.” She turned toward Ben and couldn’t help a small grimace. “You know that, right?”
“I...” The poor guy couldn’t figure out where to look. “I mean, I figured as much when Tabitha never bothered to hide her magic. I just don’t exactly have a handle on...mine, I guess.”
“You knew Tabitha?” Leandras’ eyes widened as he looked the man up and down.
“Yeah. She basically raised me. I mean, she—wait. Who are you?”
‘Wrap it the hell up, witch,’ the bank snapped. ‘I can only hold this for so long. Twenty minutes max, and that’s generous.’
Jessica puffed out a sigh and gestured toward the fae. “Ben, this is Leandras. Leandras, Ben. Now that the useless introductions are over, we need to get back to the point.”
“Is there a particular reason you chose him?” the fae muttered.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with me—”
“Both of you just shut up!” Jessica shouted. With the last cadence of her words, the shimmering blue wall of the bank’s magic let out a similar outburst of brighter blue light.
Both men stared at it, and she rolled her eyes.
“Look,” Jessica started. “We don’t have nearly as much time as I wanted for this, so it’s gotta be quick. Ben, any minute, Leandras and I are walking through that door. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, so I need to know you’re committed to this.”
“To what, exactly?”
“Just tell me I can trust you.”
His gaze settled on her again beneath a small frown, and he slid one hand into the pocket of his puffy winter jacket. “I already agreed. I mean, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on or what I just got myself into, but I’m not gonna back out, if that’s what you mean.”
“Good. Now—” Jessica stopped when the guy pulled his hand from his pocket and revealed the twin to the copper orb covered in green runes, now somewhere downstairs in the mess of Tabitha’s chaotic shelves.
Leandras sucked in a sharp breath. “Where did you get that?”
“She gave it to me.” Ben turned the orb over in his hand. “Tabitha.”
Right. Because that was how Jessica had convinced him to get on board with the whole thing in the first place.
“You said to bring it,” Ben continued. “You didn’t call, so I figured I’d come by anyway. You know, ’cause I thought we might have to...do something with these.”
“Jessica,” Leandras warned.
“Yeah, hold on a sec.” She swiped away the wet strands of hair clinging to her face and turned toward the stairs.
Do I really need to go dig through all that crap to get Tabitha’s version of whatever that metal ball is?
‘Yeah, you need it.’
Rolling her eyes, Jessica headed toward the steps for yet another trip down and back up.
A metallic clang in her bedroom made her pause, then all three magicals in the hall turned to watch the second identical copper ball rolling across the floor toward them. It stopped with a thump against Leandras’ shoe, and he glanced down with a raised eyebrow.
‘Already taken care of.’
Gritting her teeth, Jessica hurried to snatch the orb off the floor before the fae had a chance to try studying that too.
And judging by Leandras’ darkening scowl, he must have realized how much more helpful the bank had been in giving her exactly what she needed now than when he’d been searching for sleep-potion ingredients.
“Fine. Just a few last steps, I guess.” Jessica tossed the orb in her hand, gauging its cold weight against her skin.
“What are we supposed to do with these?” Ben stared at his own orb.
She looked at Leandras, who now scrutinized Ben like he’d just found a cockroach skittering across the floor.
Please tell me you know how this works, bank.
‘I do...’ Now the bank sounded incredibly sad, especially when it sniffed in her head and continued in a voice that seemed unbelievably close to breaking. ‘But listen closely, because once you do this next little trick, you won’t be hearing anything else from me again until you come back.’
Great. So this was the part where she severed the bank from her mind and hefted all the impossible responsibility of her role here onto the shoulders of Tabitha’s startled, clueless godson who looked like all he wanted was to wake from this nightmare and get back to his regular life.
So did Jessica, honestly.
‘Which means you have to come back, witch. Understand?’
She couldn’t bring herself to officially promise the sentient building in her head that she would come back. None of that was certain. Anything could happen to her on the other side.
But the bank didn’t need her to voice those concerns or her inability to commit to what felt like an impossible outcome, no matter how badly she did want to come back once their work in that other world was finished.
Just tell me what to do.
Chapter 20
She’d expected a long string of hasty directions straight from the bank’s nonexistent mouth. Instead, Jessica got a bursting flare of electric-blue energy jolting through her from the hallway floor, zapping up her legs and her spine and ricocheting all the way up into her brain.
The pain was unbearable for all of two seconds before everything disappeared. No pain. No low hum of the bank’s magic cutting across the hallway like a protective shield in front of the Gateway. No Leandras. No Ben.
Just a pure, white nothingness.
The barrage of images bursting through her head would have taken her breath away if she’d even been aware of her own breathing. But that too had disappeared. Now it was just her in the vastness of the bank connecting with her mind and showing her everything that lay ahead in the next few minutes before her departure into another world.
She knew exactly what she had to do.
Then it was over.
Jessica gasped and felt the hardwood floor beneath her side and her cheek, though the copper orb was still clenched tightly in one hand.
“Holy shit. What was that?” Ben shouted. “I can’t... Oh my god. Is she okay? Holy shit.”
Leandras’ long, slender fingers were at her temple as he tried to rouse her back. “Jessica?”
“Fuck. She’s dead, isn’t she?” Ben groaned. “I can’t do this. I can’t be a part of this—”
“You obviously have no idea how much it takes to kill someone like her,” the fae snarled. “Pull yourself together.”
Jessica groaned and swatted his hand away. “I’m fine.”
“Oh, Jesus.” With a sigh of relief, Ben stepped woozily away until his back thumped against the wall. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Don’t.” Casting Leandras a warning glance, she picked herself up off the floor as he backed away from her, then rubbed at her sore hip after yet another unconscious landing. “Damn mind-meld.”
The bank’s laugh was weak and subdued. ‘Fastest way to get a thing done.’
A little warning would’ve been nice.
She studied the copper orb in her hand and now recognized all the symbols etched into the surface and the various spinning parts she’d have to move with perfect precision. “Ben, I need you to watch me.”
“You’re going to do exactly what I do with your...with this.” She held the orb up to be sure he saw it, and he slowly peeled himself away from the wall.
“Okay...”
“Jessica, we’re running out of time.” Leandras glanced at the strobing purple strands along the floor, then the flickering wall of the bank’s temporary protection. “The Hruandir wasn’t meant to be suspended like this.”
“I know. Just give me a second.” Nodding at Ben, she took a deep breath and stared at the orb in her own hand.
So I guess this is goodbye, then. And not because you’re malfunctioning or decided to throw a tantrum.
‘Those were all temporary, witch.’ The bank chuckled again, then brought its voice down to a whisper. ‘So is this. Don’t forget.’
I know.
‘And don’t worry about the scaredy-cat over there. I’ll wait to say hello until you and Mr. Hurry are out of here.’
It was a small consolation. At least she wouldn’t have to see Ben freaking out when he heard the bank’s voice in his head too.
Take care of him, okay?
‘I’ve taken care of you, haven’t I?’
Just don’t break him.
‘Feel free to break the fae, though. You know, if anything goes wrong.’
Great to have your permission.
A small smile flickered across Jessica’s lips.
That was about as much of a goodbye as either of them were going to allow, wasn’t it?
Because it wasn’t a goodbye. She and Leandras would do what needed to be done on the other side of that door, and then she’d return to take over again, right where she left off.
God, she hoped so.
“Okay, Ben. Come here. Stand next to me and pay attention.”
The guy was still shaking, but he did as she said and stood rigidly at her side.
“With me.” Jessica twisted the top segment of the orb, and Ben did the same. Half the green runes flashed with blue light, then dimmed.
Leandras growled and started pacing up and down the hallway, though he couldn’t hide his curious glances as Jessica guided Ben through the process of unlocking the only thing that could let her name a temporary steward of Winthrop & Dirledge.
More runes flashed on the copper orbs, and she paused before the final turn.
‘Don’t worry about me, witch. I’ve been here forever, and I’ll be here when you come back. Go give ’em hell over there.’
Yeah.
She spun the final segment into place, and the second Ben copied her motion, both copper orbs lit up with crackling blue energy. The painful jolt started in her head this time, racing all the way down through her core, across her arms, and into the orb that now popped up in her grasp.
Like the physical drawing-out of the bank from her mind as it funneled into something else.
Someone else.
Ben drew in a shuddering breath and made a surprised choking sound. His orb had popped open too at the center, and the same electric-blue light crackled up his hands and across his entire body. Then it was over.
The light disappeared, her arms felt like her own again, and Jessica felt oddly like she’d just dropped a hundred-pound bag off her shoulders.
The bank had to weigh more than that, even without a physical presence.
Ben’s copper orb dropped from his hands and hit the floor with a metallic clang. It rolled two inches, and the guy backed away with wide eyes, breathing heavily. “I shouldn’t be doing this...”
“Well you are.” Jessica dropped her own orb on the ground and turned toward him. “And we’re both more grateful than you know.”
Leandras heaved a sigh and stalked toward her. “We need to leave.”
“Yeah, just one more thing.” Her hands went up to the silver chain around her neck from which the glowing blue glass pendant dangled. The thing had rested against her chest for over two months, but this was the first time she lifted it away from her body to pull it over her head without a spear of pain lancing through her hands and her chest.
Taking off that pendant felt like the ultimate form of acceptance—of leaving this bank that had become her burden and her home.
No real goodbyes between her and the bank, but this sure as hell felt like one.
Jessica swallowed as she held the removed chain and pendant out in front of her. Then she turned toward Ben. He stood there, frozen in surprise and trepidation as she settled the long chain over his head and let it slide down to hang around his neck. The glass pendant pulsed with a brighter blue light before returning to its original soft glow.
Ben sucked in a trembling breath.
Now they were finished.
“You have a decent sense of humor, right?” she asked.
“What?” He blinked furiously as he looked up at her with a mix of desperation, fear, and a surprising though small amount of pride. “I mean, I guess. But what—”
“Good.” She set a hand on his shoulder and gave it a brief squeeze. “Don’t try to take that off.”
Then she turned toward Leandras and nodded. “Now we can leave.”
“As soon as this place decides to turn off the security wall.”
The second he said it, the shimmering blue wall of the bank’s protective magic sputtered and winked out.
Jessica grinned. “We’re good.”
“Indeed.”
They both headed toward the anchoring stone on the floor and the dormant Gateway behind it.
How long it would remain dormant was anyone’s guess, but Jessica figured they had minutes, if that.
“Jessica, wait.” Ben scrambled after her.
When she turned around, the sight of the pendant thumping against his chest brought a lump to her throat she didn’t expect to feel. This was so weird.
“Look, Ben. I wish I could answer all your questions, but this has to happen now.”
“Jessica,” Leandras snapped.
She stuck her thumb over her shoulder toward the fae. “And this guy just can’t let me forget it. You’ll be fine.”
“I doubt it.” Ben puffed out a sigh, then surprised her by wrapping her up in a tight hug before muttering in her ear, “Tabitha obviously wanted this, so I can’t really argue. But I won’t let you down.”
With a nervous chuckle, Jessica patted his back twice and stepped away. “Well, it really isn’t about me anymore. Just remember it’s temporary, okay?”
“Yeah.” The guy blinked furiously and shook his head, as if he had absolutely no idea why he’d just thrown himself at a complete stranger. “Whatever you’re doing, just... Good luck.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it,” Leandras muttered. “Timing, on the other hand...”
“Leandras, the door isn’t even open yet.” Jessica gave her new steward a final nod, then turned around. “So give it a rest, huh?”
The fae man scowled at her and pointed at the floor beside him. “Not until we’re standing here on the other side of our purpose.”
Rolling her eyes—mostly to deflect from the fact she couldn’t believe this was actually happening—she headed down the hall and stopped beside the fae at the spot he’d indicated. “Next time, try words instead of hand signals.”
He said nothing but turned toward the Gateway, the muscles of his jaw working over and over in aggravation.
At least he was still as dedicated to this as he’d made her believe.
Apparently, Jessica was just as dedicated as she’d convinced herself she could be.
They stared at the Gateway door, which didn’t light up with its ominous green glow or growl in thousands of voices or offer the sweetness of oblivion in provoking whispers.
It was silent, motionless, and remained closed.
“Wow.” Jessica snorted. “After all that talk of not wasting time we don’t have...”
The hallway plunged into darkness when the strobing purple vines along the floor winked out completely. At least, the darkness seemed compl
ete beneath the stained, muted yellow light barely pushing through the layers of dust on the overhead bulb.
Leandras’ cool hand reached for hers as her vision adjusted to the new ambience. “Now it’s time.”
She swallowed and tried to sneak a glance at his hand clamped around hers.
Like they were a couple of naïve, curious kids about to walk through a wardrobe or something.
In the silence as they waited, Jessica was acutely aware of what was missing now.
The bank would have joked about her opinion. It would have said something irritatingly stupid about her holding hands with a fae, or that nothing they’d be doing on the other side could have been handled by a couple of useless kids. It would have told her to quit doubting herself and get the hell on with it.
Wondering what they’d missed, she started to turn away from the dungeon door, but the warning pressure from Leandras’ hand made her stop.
A deep, echoing click came from the mechanism in the door—the same sound she would have expected from a jailer on the other side slamming the thing into place and locking her up tight for the rest of eternity.
Then the rounded hunk of metal holding two worlds at bay popped open by an inch. Still no light and definitely no sound.
Jessica couldn’t help but hold her breath. This was it.
Except for all the craziness didn’t end here once the Gateway swung slowly open to reveal a shimmering mass of gray light that looked a lot more like sunlight refracting through water than a portal. The chaos wouldn’t even stop when she and Leandras found themselves on the other side.
There was still so much more to be done, and like everything else Jessica had gotten caught up in over the last few months, it was bound to be one hell of a disaster after another.
Or an adventure.
It all depended on how she chose to look at it, right?
Beyond that, the future of two worlds had more than enough riding on whether she could fully trust this fae man holding her hand and stepping forward toward the open Gateway—the single door on Earth that centuries of her Guardian predecessors had done whatever it took to keep closed.
The Poisoned Veil (Accessory to Magic Book 4) Page 19