Celestial Tears

by Holly Evans

  Fuck.

  The idea of signing that contract made me want to pack up and run away to a new country that afternoon. I couldn’t stand the concept of my freedom being taken away like that, and two straight months in the lab between treasure hunting trips was a long time. On the other hand, Erin would be heartbroken if she lost this job, and it did guarantee good money and treasure hunting for at least a year.

  I gritted my teeth and decided I’d do it for Erin and Logan.

  “I’ll sign.”

  Fein gestured for me to approach his desk, where he held out a delicate silver knife. I held out my hand; of course it was a blood contract, on the off chance that I might try to break it and run. He pricked my finger, and I pressed the droplet of blood onto the thick cream paper. It was done. I was Fein’s for at least the next year.

  The elf had insisted on returning to the hedgewitch with me. He also kept a hold of the cutting. We didn’t speak. He seemed to be a rather buoyant mood. I, however, was not. I felt as though I’d agreed to be caged for a year. It was for Logan and Erin. They were worth it.

  The familiar that had been lying on the path wasn’t there, although there was a suspicious tuft of fur protruding from the thorned vines. I couldn’t imagine treating a being with such disrespect and lack of caring as that. The familiars were tied to their witches. My understanding of it was that they couldn’t get out of the bond, much like Cait Sidhe and their elves.

  The hedgewitch’s expression soured the moment she saw Fein. He handed her the cutting with a small smirk on his face.

  “The transaction is complete. This is the last interaction you will have with my alchemist.”

  The witch glared at him before she threw the cutting at the floor.

  “That has no magic in it! You stole it! Fucking elf!”

  Fein raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips.

  “You instructed my alchemist to bring you a cutting of the silver flame daisy. You did not specify that said cutting must be intact. Now, I will allow your tone to slide this time. If you or your familiar come near my alchemist again, I will hunt you down. Do you understand?”

  Her skin had turned ashy grey and she nodded slowly.

  “I understand.”

  “Come along, Miss Felis.”

  Fein turned on his heel, and I was left with no choice but to follow him. I had to give it to him for stripping the magic out of the cutting, that was a good move on his part.

  “The vintner on Black Street has a sale on Elvish and life magician wines,” Fein said casually.

  “Thanks.”

  I headed that direction with plans of making the most of the sale. I needed lots of wine.

  7

  Wispy shot straight at my head when I walked in through the door. My arms were full of bottles of wine, leaving me with no way to defend myself. He swerved at the last second and did a few laps around my head while I smiled.

  “Yes, I survived, and it’s not time for you to be fed yet.”

  He deflated and hovered in front of my face pulsing from pale blue to pale silver.

  “You are not wasting away,” I chided.

  He sighed and went over to Erin, who had watched the entire thing with a broad smile.

  “It went that well, huh?” she said, nodding at my bags full of wine.

  Logan emerged from the kitchen area as I toed off my boots.

  “Oh, Kit, what happened?” he asked as he took one of the bags from me.

  “Well… you both have complete job security for at least a year.”

  Erin grinned and did a little happy jump before she composed herself.

  “I signed a contract that stated I will work in the lab for two straight months after each treasure-hunting trip, and I will work for Fein for the minimum of twelve months. He promised that as long as I don’t cause trouble and remain within the contract, both of you have job security.”

  Erin threw her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek.

  “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

  My frustration at being trapped slipped away at her absolute joy and elation.

  I gave a small shrug. “I should get this wine away.”

  She took the bag from me and whisked it away into the kitchen. Logan placed his wine down and bundled me into his arms, where he kissed my temple.

  “I know this was hard for you, Kit, and we appreciate it. And it means we’ll continue spending a lot of time together, right?”

  I kissed the hollow of his throat and relaxed into him. That part did sound good.

  “Do you think that’s what Monday’s meeting was supposed to be about?” Erin called over.

  “Maybe,” I replied.

  Truth be told, I wasn’t in the mood to think about it. I was torn between the happiness for Logan and Erin and misery at being tied down. I decided it was best to be happy. It was hardly torturous working in the lab of my dreams with Erin, and Logan’s presence was very welcome.

  Wispy and Erin danced around the kitchen area while I curled up in Logan’s arms and turned the TV on. Life was good.

  The rest of the weekend was a blur of wine and Logan, with a healthy dose of Erin’s laughter and joy. Needless to say, I was not ready for it to be Monday. I certainly wasn’t ready to be following Isla through the halls to Fein’s office.

  The elf was back in his usual very expensive tailored suit, and Tyn was leaning against his desk, where he gazed adoringly at Fein before he noticed my presence and returned to his usual expression of boredom. Logan and Erin were standing on either side of me. We each stood tense and ready for the worst. Fein pushed three folders across his desk. His familiar neat script was etched at the top.

  Celestial Tears.

  I looked from the folder and back to Fein again.

  “Yes, Miss Felis. I do mean the celestial tears. You wanted a challenge, and I have given it to you. I expect you to have decided on your first destination within forty-eight hours. Given how valuable and well-hidden these artifacts are, you will be working as a group. I have connections around the world; should you need help, it will be provided to you. And no, Tyn will not be joining you this time.”

  I picked up the folder closest to me, disappointed to see it was very thin. There wasn’t much to go on; I’d done more with less. I couldn’t help but grin. That was exactly the adventure I’d been dying to go on.

  “They won’t be together,” Logan said, while frowning at the papers in his hands.

  “If you’d kindly continue this discussion elsewhere, I have business to be conducting,” Fein said.

  We followed Isla down the hallways out to the front door. Logan was likely right. The tears were very dangerous, and there was a rumour that they couldn’t be kept in close proximity without catastrophic results. I made a mental note to look through the history of odd catastrophes once we got home.

  Everyone was locked in their thoughts on the way home, which was for the best. You never knew who was listening when you spoke out in public.

  8

  A suspicious-looking cat was lurking near our building when we returned. It watched us a little too closely to be a normal cat, and its mottled tabby coat meant it couldn’t have been a puka. Logan gave it a stern glare and ushered Erin and me into the building.

  “You’re going to have to be careful, Kit, hedgewitches hold grudges.”

  “I thought Fein resolved the problem?” I asked.

  “You humiliated her by involving Fein-”

  “She and Fein involved Fein!” I said.

  He smiled. “Either way, having Fein give her a dressing down humiliated her, and she will take that out on you. Be careful.”

  I can’t say I was particularly happy about having a new enemy living so close at hand, especially given how it had all come about. Still, there was apparently nothing to be done about it in that moment. Once we were safely inside the apartment, we could talk freely about the tears.

  “I want to know how the thieves got onto the god plane to steal th
e tears,” I said.

  Erin had vanished into the kitchen, likely to make coffee. Logan and I settled ourselves at the dining table and laid out the papers before us.

  “You are not sneaking onto the god plane, Kit,” Logan said firmly.

  “Just think of the adventure! The artifacts!” I said with a grin.

  He gave me a flat glare in response. Erin joined us with a large pitcher of lavender lemonade.

  “There are lots of adventures to have on this plane,” she said with a smile.

  “Anyway, the thieves are likely dead now, and they’ll have taken their secret to the grave. So, we’re better focusing on the adventure at hand,” Logan said.

  “What do we know?” I asked.

  “There are three tears. They’re in high demand. It says here that, if they’re brought together and held by one person, that person can become a demigod - if they’re deemed worthy. If they’re found unworthy, they’ll die an agonising death,” Erin said.

  “Well, that’s cheerful,” I muttered.

  “There’s a painting here from Sao Paulo depicting what could be one of the tears,” Logan held up a picture for us to look at.

  “No, that’s a triptych,” Erin said, shuffling through her papers before pulling out two more images.

  We laid the pictures down in the middle of the table. Together they showed a horrifying progression. In the first, a vibrant young man held onto a pale blue stone; both he and the stone had a faint glow to them. In the second, the man looked old and frail, but his eyes were bright. The glow had become an ashen haze. In the final one, the man’s body was falling apart. His skin was peeling away, fingers were missing, and he was gaunt and skeletal, yet his eyes remained bright and fierce.

  “There’s something in here from an old jaguar shifter,” I said.

  It took me a moment before I pulled it out.

  “The tears from the moon herself are a blessing and a curse. If a person is blessed, they will receive the most fruitful of blessings, but the moon demands balance. Should her tear strengthen the mind, then the body and essence shall decay. Should it bolden the essence, the body and mind will fade away. Should it rejuvenate the body, the mind and essence will crumble. It is said that her chosen one, they who can hold all three, will burn the brightest, for they will kneel at her side for ten long years before she reclaims what is rightfully hers.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair.

  “So, if you hold the tear that strengthens your mind, your body and magic will fade? And if you’re not chosen, then you’ll die horribly?” Erin said.

  “Sounds like,” Logan said.

  “But if you’re chosen by all three, you’ll kneel by her side. Does that mean you’ll serve her?” I asked.

  “People seem to think it means you’ll become a demigod. Not worth it,” Logan said.

  I wrinkled my nose. I could understand the temptation to have superior body, mind, and magic, but it sounded as though you’d be bound to the moon goddess. And of course, it would only last a decade. I’d much prefer a long life free of bindings.

  “We’ll take precautions when handling the stones. Any idea what Fein wants with them?” Logan asked.

  I shrugged.

  “None of my business. I mean, I’d rather he didn’t die a horrible death, but it’s his choice what he wants to do with them,” I said.

  “Do you not think some things should be protected and hidden?” Erin asked.

  “And who’s to say Fein isn’t the right person to do that?” Logan said.

  She chewed on her bottom lip and went quiet while we continued our reading.

  “Who are we to dictate who should and shouldn’t have what power?” I finally asked as I looked at Erin.

  She frowned.

  “Well, I suppose it’s down to the gods,” she said.

  I’d never had any interest in bowing to the gods. They existed, but that didn’t mean I had to bow and scrape. Of course, I asked for their assistance now and again. I shook my head. Allowing my thoughts to wander down that path was a waste of precious time.

  “Are you going to have a problem handing them over to Fein?” Logan asked Erin.

  She smiled.

  “No. I think he’s a good man. I also think we should start by looking in Rio. There looks like there’s a cult devoted to the worship of what could be one of the stones,” she said, pushing a paper towards Logan and me.

  There were a couple of articles about a small cult of what looked to be three families that had devoted themselves to the worship and protection of a small pale blue stone.

  “It’s too easy,” Logan said.

  “Hiding in plain sight,” I challenged.

  He met my gaze with a smirk.

  “It wouldn’t do any harm to do some digging into the cult,” he conceded.

  9

  We spent a couple of hours going over the papers Fein had given us with a fine-toothed comb. We read and re-read them, checking small details to be absolutely sure we hadn’t missed anything. Erin had been wonderfully organised, and she kept neat notes on things such as possible sightings and areas we needed to look into further. Once that had been completed, we turned our attention to the internet. We split the work into three ideas and directions.

  Erin was looking into potential sightings of the tears. She hunted for information on people who suddenly became very intelligent, very magical, or very strong. Logan looked into catastrophes that could have been caused by the stones having been brought together and tried to pin down the timeline and journey of the thieves. I focused on the lunar goddess angle.

  The tears had come from the lunar goddess, though the exact story was blurry at best. I poked around the darker, more hidden parts of the internet looking for lunar cults that seemed to focus around an artifact. There were the Garou, but I brushed them aside. They were monks - very secretive monks, but still harmless. The Garou were a very old form of wolf shifter that were tied to the lunar cycles, unlike their brethren. They were said to be forced to shift into a monstrous wolf form on the full moon, and in return the goddess blessed them with peace for the rest of the month. All I knew about them was that they lived in small groups in the middle of nowhere, where they made wine, candy, and a few other things. They only sold their goods to very carefully chosen elves, and said goods fetched a lot of money. The tears went against their way of life. They lived simply and enjoyed the tranquillity their goddess gave them.

  That left me with a number of different groups and organisations to research, and, of course, they were spread all over the world. The majority of them were very modern, and easily discarded as they were nothing more than small temples and didn’t have any artifacts. I managed to whittle it down to six potentials. Each of them worshipped an artifact said to come from the goddess herself. Unfortunately, the internet only gave me the broad strokes, things such as the possible location and guesses at the artifact. If I wanted more, I’d have to visit the knowledge temple. I hated the knowledge temples.

  “I’m heading to the knowledge temple,” I said with a heavy sigh.

  Erin’s eyes brightened, and she smiled.

  “Hold on a minute, I’ll join you,” she said.

  I’d been in a few knowledge temples, and I’d found them all to be stuffy, oppressive, and full of condescending pains in my ass.

  “I have a few threads I’d like more details on, give me ten minutes and I’ll join you,” Logan said distractedly.

  Well, at least I’d have good company while I was there.

  Wispy had been very excited to join us on our little trip. I gave him a firm reminder to behave himself, especially while we were in the knowledge temple. The last thing I needed was to upset them. They were a valuable resource when I had to research things.

  The knowledge temple resided in the heart of New Town. It appeared to be quite small from the outside, as it sat comfortably between two gilt buildings, both featuring a number of celestial sculptures, all of which looked down on th
ose who dared approach the doors. The temple itself was a neat and tidy affair with heavy wooden doors standing proud within the grey marble walls. Upon approach, I could see the hundreds of different languages that had been carved into the marble. I smiled, feeling some of my apprehension slip away. There was something about languages that called to me. I hadn’t quite put my finger on what it was, but I would one day.

  I led our little group up the shallow steps and through the doors into the double-height foyer. The space was clean and simple, the walls covered in old texts. My curiosity itched in the back of my mind, calling me to try and read them, but a priestess approached us at a quick clip, thus stopping me from wandering. Logan stepped closer and placed his hand on my lower back, a small mark of support. The priestess was a slender woman with her hair dragged back into a harsh bun. Her mouth was pinched into an even harsher line. Her pale cream tunic and trousers fluttered around her figure as she stared us down and continued to march up to us. She stopped just out of arm’s reach and glared at me. Her cool grey eyes were full of malice. I hadn’t even gotten into the temple proper, and they were already giving me shit.

  “Your kind aren’t welcome here,” the priestess hissed.

  Wispy hissed back at her from the safety of my hair. I held a single finger up to him to tell him to behave himself. I pasted a polite smile on my face and gave the priestess the most obnoxious response I could think of.

  “You don’t welcome redheads here? Well, now, that is a shame,” I said.

  Erin bit her bottom lip and fought to keep her face calm and polite.

  The priestess stomped her dainty little foot. Rather than producing the booming echo she seemed to expect, there was a small squeak of her shoe against the marble.