Magick Marked (The DarqRealm Series)

by Baughman, Chauntelle

  “Adelle? It’s me.” His voice was low, but she could hear every word. “Yeah. Yeah. I miss you, too, but—Adelle, I don’t have time to talk right now. We’re in trouble… Yes, all of us. Pack your stuff and meet me at the safe house as quick as you can. Bring Jess. Yes… Yes… No. Love you, too… Bye.”

  Eldon turned and glanced down at Rho. “Faster.”

  “Don’t push me, mover boy.” She shoved a wad of cotton shorts on top of a pair of filthy sneakers. “Are you going to start talking or is this an exercise in patience?”

  “Just keep moving.” He leaned against the doorjamb. “No one should know we’re here.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.”

  “Especially not the fae.”

  She froze then stared up at him. “Who said anything about the fae?”

  “This paper.” He held up the crumpled message to Preshea. “It’s imprinted with their magick.”

  “How would you know that?”

  “Magick knows magick. It may be different than mine, but it’s the same craft. The spell I did confirmed it.”

  “What tipped you off?”

  He extended the paper toward her. “Smell this.”

  She leaned forward hesitantly and took a whiff. The scent of damp soil overcame all others, pungent but somehow artificial. “Smells like… wet dirt.”

  “Smells like fae magick. And they shouldn’t know we’re here.”

  No, they shouldn’t. “Because they’re not part of the team. And because they still have their Kamen.”

  “Exactly.”

  She zipped up the outer zipper of her bag. “Why would they come forward now? There are only four of us. They could take us if they wanted to.”

  Eldon folded the paper carefully. “They want to. I think the letter to Preshea was a diversion to break us up and rattle Preshea. Maybe it’s not even real.”

  “Divide and conquer. Smart.” They’d certainly accomplished that objective. “But why now?”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “The fae love to play games, but they aren’t good losers. They must want the Kamens, although I can’t imagine why.”

  “But we don’t have them.”

  “If the fae want something, they’ll stop at nothing to get it.” He tilted his head. “They’ll make us find them. Turn us into servants. Whatever it takes.”

  Being a slave to one crown sucked enough, thank you very much. “Not if I have something to say about it.”

  He cast a glance around the room. “Finish up here. I’ll jump you through the lines to our safe house then come back for the others.”

  Oh, hell, where had she put that tank—wait, what the… “I’m sorry, jump through the what?”

  “The safe house is too far from here, and we need to get there fast.” The note disappeared into his pocket. “We can’t risk being followed. It’s the only way.”

  “You can’t jump me through the lines. What if I don’t make it out alive?”

  Eldon rolled his eyes. “Relax, I’ve jumped people plenty of times before. Although I can only handle one at a time. Any more than that and you risk being burned by the lines.”

  Was he hearing himself? “Are you nuts? I’m not Johnny Cash. I don’t do burning rings of fire. Not happening. No way.” The idea of being hurtled through a ley line and having no power over the outcome had zero appeal. There had to be another way.

  He folded his arms across his broad chest. “You’re going to the safe house and the lines are the only way to get there.”

  “Bu—”

  “No buts. Zip up that bag. It’s time to go.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but the expression on Eldon’s face told her she wasn’t going to win. They were running out of time and he was running out of patience, and both were her fault.

  If anything happened to her teammates because she was being a coward, she wouldn’t forgive herself. Failure for the sake of fear was not an option.

  Rho met Eldon’s eyes. “Just don’t kill me, okay?”

  His lips curled into a smile as he gave an answering nod. T minus nothing. It was go-time. Eldon crouched over the bag at the ground by Rho’s feet.

  She let out a breath she’d forgotten she was holding. “I can’t take the bag with me through the lines?”

  He extended his hands. “Not like this. I’ll need to shrink it.”

  “My weapons are in there. You break it, you buy it.”

  He glanced up. “That’s the least of our problems right now. But no, I won’t ruin your stuff.” His focus returned to the bag as his fingertips glowed blue.

  Rho watched in wonder as he started to move his hands like a spider weaving a delicate web. The movements were precise but graceful, and clearly well practiced as he murmured foreign incantations. It was everything she could do to refrain from asking questions while he worked.

  Pop.

  “Holy crap!” Rho exclaimed, eyeing the tiny prize.

  With the blink of an eye, her backpack shrank to the size of a paperclip.

  Eldon rose, the bag pinched between his fingers. “What? It’s just smaller now.”

  She extended her hand to him palm up and accepted the offering.

  “I can fix it when we get to the other side.” He placed the bag at the center of the triquetra penned in her skin. “It’s easier for me this way.”

  She swallowed hard, trying to squelch her irrational fear. Movers traveled by ley lines all the time. Eldon was skilled and obviously this wasn’t his first try. There was nothing to worry about.

  His concerned eyes met hers. “I’m not going to hurt you, I swear.”

  Here went nothing. She nodded and tucked the tiny bag into the pocket of her jeans. “Let’s do this.”

  Eldon stepped forward and wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her tight against his firm chest. “Just hold on and close your eyes. Don’t let go.”

  Panic rolled through her mind as she clasped her hands around his waist. Yeah, jumping headfirst into a ley line while clutching a warm-blooded block of muscle definitely took the prize for the least brilliant move she’d ever made.

  Clutching tighter, she squeezed her lids shut. “Okay. Go.”

  A door slammed.

  “Preshea, you’re being ridiculous!” The sound of Tim shouting barreled down the hallway, followed by the slam of another door and a slew of profanity.

  Eldon released his warm grip on Rho’s body. “Tim?” He rushed out into the hall. “Where are you?”

  Rho followed after him, listening for the sound of her teammates. Thank God they’d returned. They needed get out of here now.

  The rumble of angry voices gave away their location.

  Eldon threw open a door and stepped inside.

  “It’s my sister! Don’t act like you don’t understand the importance of family.” Preshea shouted, as she strapped every weapon she could find to her body.

  Tim slammed a fist against the wall. “Damn it, Presh, you know I understand. But running out there and getting yourself slaughtered isn’t the answer.”

  Preshea let out an angry laugh. “Then what is the answer, huh? Let her die?”

  “I never said that.”

  Tension lay thick in the room, an inevitable headache brewing in the back of Rho’s skull.

  Preshea whipped around and pointed a finger at Eldon. “And you! You and your fucking magick moving. It’s your kind who got her into this whole thing. You and that vampire.” She swiveled around to face Rho. “Was this what you were after the whole time? Getting my sister kidnapped?”

  “What are you talking about?” Rho asked.

  “You don’t remember me, do you?”

  Rho studied the shifter, but came up with nothing.

&n
bsp; “From the bar, that night you approached those fae for information?” Preshea’s eyes narrowed. “I was there. I saw you go into a room with them. You’ve been working with the enemy from the beginning, haven’t you?”

  Rho gaped. That was where she’d seen her before? “Are you kidding me? I have no idea who our enemy even is!”

  “Liar. I saw you talking to those men.”

  “I was asking them questions about old magick and how it worked. I was trying to figure out how someone could have broken the spells Eldon cast.” Rho shook her head. “That’s all.”

  “I could have told you about old magick,” Eldon interjected.

  Rho glanced over her shoulder at him. “I didn’t know if I could trust you.” She lifted a shoulder. “Thought third party information would be more reliable.”

  Eldon snorted. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “Confidence? You want us to have confidence in your kind?” Preshea growled. “All the spells you movers cast—you don’t know what you’re doing half the time, but you’ll take my money!”

  “What are you talking about?” Eldon’s brow wrinkled in confusion.

  Rho pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stave off the pounding in her brain. Preshea had been combative with both her and Eldon from day one.

  Preshea poked her finger into Eldon’s chest. “You’re all whores for money. Don’t act like you’re not.”

  “I’m accountable for every spell I’ve ever done. Paid or not.” Eldon’s cheeks turned temptingly red. The smell of leather rolled off of him in waves as his anger mounted.

  Preshea rolled her eyes and turned around to continue arming herself. “And now Vectra is weak and sick and out there all alone being held God knows where. But I’ll get her back, damn it.”

  Vectra was sick? Rho dared to take a step toward her. “Why would the ShiftMaster want her if she’s sick?”

  Preshea cringed before answering quietly. “To force my obedience. And Vectra is unique.”

  “How so?”

  Preshea’s hands shook as she folded her arms across her chest. She stood there for a long moment before Tim stepped forward.

  “Presh, you’ve got to tell them.” Tim rested a hand on the shifter’s shoulder, and her defiant stance relaxed. “You’re bound to this team now. They won’t betray you, they’re tied to you. And to me.”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Preshea?” Tim stepped around her until he was only inches from her face. “Do you trust me?”

  After a moment, she nodded slowly.

  “Then tell them. They won’t hurt you or Vectra. I won’t let them.”

  After several long seconds, she spoke. “She has a… strange ability. A knack, really.” Preshea turned her stare to Rho and Eldon. “Vectra can sense sources of power.”

  Rho frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Tim sighed. “She can’t run magick herself, but she can tell when something is spelled or holds magick inside of it. I’ve seen her do it.”

  As Rho rubbed her temples, she considered the possibilities. Vectra was only a child. But if she could sense magickal sources, then she could potentially help find the Kamens. Those relics would be loaded with magickal power. In the hands of the enemy, Preshea’s sister could be a tremendously powerful weapon.

  How could Preshea not have told the team this earlier?

  “She has cancer,” Preshea whispered, as if she could hear the questions rolling around in their heads.

  Rho’s eyes snapped up to meet Preshea’s cool blue ones. “DarqDwellers can’t get cancer.”

  The shifter turned to Rho, her face contorted in anger. “Not true. I’ve seen the scans. The ShiftMaster was the only one who knew about it—he knew everything about her. Said he wanted her to be healthy again for my sake. He approved our trips to see movers with healing powers.” She glared at Eldon. “Shitload of good that did her.”

  Eldon shook his head. “Don’t blame my kind for not being able to heal her. Every talent is different.”

  Preshea cursed. “Talent? No, not talent. Just greed.”

  “All right, that’s enough.” Rho held up both hands. All the fighting had her chest twisting into a knot and her head pounding, but somehow she managed to keep her hands from shaking. “Before you start railing on magick movers, there’s something you should know.” She twisted around and lifted her chin toward Eldon. “Show her the letter.”

  Eldon nodded and pulled the crinkled letter from his pocket. “Alexander didn’t send this.”

  Preshea reached out and snatched the letter from his hand. “What are you talking about? I know it’s him.”

  “Smell it. That’s fae magick. And if I had to guess, this letter has a tracker spell on it. Alexander must have told them where you were, but he wasn’t the one who sent it.”

  A dark, rolling laugh came from the doorway. “He’s right, you know. For a mover, he’s not too dumb.” The man leaned against the doorway casually, taking his time as he surveyed each one of them.

  Rho palmed the dagger from her waist, grateful she hadn’t put it in the tiny bag in her pocket. Too bad she didn’t have her gun. At least they were at close enough range that she could inflict some damage with a little hand-to-hand demonstration. With the pointy ears and pale, crystalized skin, this man was clearly an elf. And therefore fae.

  Eldon took a step forward. Rho’s instincts flared as he motioned for her to fall behind him. She didn’t want to do it. Her heart burned with the need to fight at his side, and she stood frozen for a moment. This man was fae and far more powerful than she was strong. Eldon was the only person on the team who could manipulate magick.

  Shit. She’d done the same thing to him only minutes before, demanding he let the more qualified person take the lead. Logic followed that she should do the same. Even if she hated it. Fighting her need for control, she did as he ordered.

  The air shifted.

  “Tim, Preshea,” Eldon said. “Shift. Now!”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Eldon!” Rho shouted as she watched him hit the ground, palms first.

  He’d landed hard on his knees, back bowed forward as if he were giving lips to the prayers she recited in her head. God, please let him be okay. Just please, please, let him be okay.

  The room erupted in color, the brilliant shade of blue coating her acute vision. Surprised, she stumbled back. The walls, the floor, her team. Everything was blue.

  Fear melded their minds together instantly, the strangely familiar feel of Eldon’s aura wrapping around her. His thoughts fired off so quickly, she couldn’t read them all. The ones she did catch were in Latin.

  Eldon! she shouted at him in her mind.

  The heat from the ley lines licked against her subconscious as she lifted a hand, shielding her eyes from the invisible source. Standing there like an idiot, she felt completely useless. She couldn’t help him with this. She couldn’t protect him from it, either.

  Blue fire spilled from his fingertips, arcing over the room to create a dome over all four of them. A circle of protection.

  Eldon? She tried to speak to him again, but he didn’t respond.

  Energy exploded through the air, not a sound but a tremendous pressure from some invisible force. The hair on her arms stood on end. Her stomach dropped.

  God, please let him be…

  He was okay. He wasn’t moving, but the thumping of his heart rang in her ears, blissfully loud. The shield he’d created held strong, separating them from the enemy like a steel wall of magick. Her palm tingled but she shoved the sensation aside as she yanked her dagger from her sheath.

  A growl sounded behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to find a white Bengal tiger nudging Tim’s shoulder, the movement gentle despite her
frighteningly large appearance.

  Tim had never shifted in front of the team before. Well, at least not in front of Rho. He lay on the ground, his human body contorted against the hard floor while his inner wolf begged for freedom. Judging from his pale face and the sweating, it wasn’t a comfortable process. Or a quick one.

  “Come on, Tim,” Rho whispered. The air surrounding him swirled with black fog. “He can’t hold this guy off forever. We need better odds here, dude.”

  He met her eyes and nodded once before shutting them again. The dark shimmer intensified.

  She turned. “Eldon! Watch out!”

  A ball of golden green fire tore through the air with the aggression of an asteroid on a mission. She watched in horror as it slammed into the blue surface.

  The moment it landed, her ass found the barely padded floor so quickly she swore the damn thing rose up to greet her. Eldon buckled beneath the invisible weight of the spell, his back arching into the ground and hands burning so deeply blue they were nearly purple.

  The walls rippled and swayed in protest. But they didn’t fall.

  She rolled to one side and pushed herself back onto her feet, grunting from the pain that shot down her right side. Damn, that hurt.

  Rho. The warmth of Eldon’s mind flooded her thoughts, mingling with her own, both comforting and concerned. Which was a miracle, because he shouldn’t be focused on her at all.

  She twirled the dagger between her fingertips. I’m right behind you.

  There’s more than one.

  Aw, fuck.

  A small, dark shadow crept into the doorway.

  I see him. What do you need?

  Green tendrils of energy spilled from the doorway like electricity in a plasma globe, landing on their glowing wall of defense. Rho took another step back and tried to settle her thoughts.

  Eldon’s mind thrashed despite his cool demeanor, making it harder to focus. With every breath the elf pressed more magick against the wall, pushing a little more each time, seeking the weakness he needed to fracture the bubble’s strength.