by T. G. Ayer
But Ivy shook her head and dropped a file onto the desk. “No, the guy’s not that lucky. His passion and ongoing tenacity in remaining on your case must have flagged him. The 7 Agent approached him a couple of years ago, just keeping himself in the loop, promising to put in a good word for Fulbright, dangling a carrot too, nice cushy agent office job.”
“Bulldust,” I muttered.
“Of course. But, Fulbright did keep him in the loop, so even you’ve had someone surveilling you for at least the last couple years.”
“I feel so blessed at having been included.” I let out a sigh and shared an amused, yet pained glance with Kai.
For a few moments, the study remained silent, and then Ivy clapped her hands together, ever the mother-figure. “Shall we get this show on the road? I ain’t getting any younger.”
She swiveled on her heel, striding out of the room, her long blonde hair swaying behind her. I shook my head and smiled, then.
Smirking, I looked over at my three friends and said, “You heard the woman.”
With everyone geared up, we made our way over to Natasha’s house, jumpers transporting those who lacked the ability. The time before our departure had been an odd combination of relaxed and tense, which I took to be a good thing. Fresh and ready to go.
Soon we were gathered before the pond at the back of Natasha’s property, the surface of the dark water glinting in the moonlight. The white which was dressed for battle, her attire strange to my eyes given that I was so used to seeing her in flowing silky kaftans.
Dark jeans and an emerald green sweater that was so dark that only when she moved and the moonlight struck the fabric just right was I able to differentiate the color from mere black.
Nerina moved toward me, reaching inside her satchel. She withdrew a black velvet pouch and handed it to me, her expression sober. I could feel her tension, and I knew what she was thinking.
Probably exactly the same thing that I was thinking; that stealing the key from the high priestess of the DeathTalkers had been worth the danger and the possible ramifications.
I took the pouch and weighed it in the palm of my hand, bouncing it a few times as I stared out at the water. When I glanced back at Nerina, I received a disapproving glare.
“What? Don’t tell me portal keys get seasick.”
Nerina rolled her eyes. “Just get on with it. I’m sure you know the drill.”
I shook my head and smiled. “This isn’t my usual mode of travel, but I think I can manage.”
Natasha drew close to my elbow. “You want to be over there,” she pointed a few yards away, where the grass met the water at a sharp edge, “where the water is deep. We can jump from that spot quite comfortably.”
I nodded and strode over, aware that Kai followed me closely. She’d been very silent for the most part, even with Logan who seemed to hover in much the same manner as Drake, eyes scanning everything, spine tense as though prepared for any eventuality.
I reached the edge of the embankment and upended the pouch over my palm as Nerina called the team together to gather behind me.
The cool metal of the portal key hit my palm, its energy a slight tickling buzz against my skin. I gripped it tightly and headed to the edge of the beach. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I scanned the faces of my team who had followed me to the narrow clearing.
Beyond them were ancient trees, trunks thick and dark, branches filled with dense leaves. It gave the pond and its immediate surroundings a feeling of safety, lending a little peace to my troubled mind.
The expressions of the team were all filled with anticipation and tension.
I threw them a nod, the confidence within the movement a total lie.
Then I faced the water and flung the key out over the darkness.
The metal disk soared through the air and stopped three feet out, hovering over the water, held above the dark, glassy surface by some unknown power. The key began to spin, and I sensed the rise in the tension behind me, my astral energies picking up on the auras of the team.
Then, without warning, a column of light flashed from the water, slipping through the empty center of the portal key then rising into the night sky. The magic of the key was an ongoing fascination to me, but I forced myself to concentrate and not think about my form passing through a hole the size of my thumb.
Another glance backward and I faced the column of light, jumping the three feet to the column of light. The way the portal key worked was the light drew the user into itself then funneled them into the portal key. The key then directed the user to the destination for which it was fashioned.
I hit the column of light and passed through with ease, but when my essence, which by now had been transformed into a substance of the ether, entered the portal everything shifted.
A blinding flash hit me so hard that I could barely breathe. The force of the blast thrust me out of the white column of energy and threw me backward toward the embankment and toward my friends.
The plan had been to jump together, with them just behind me as I was the one the key had been initiated for. My transition would have guided them through as this particular key had been formed to have far more power than a normal key.
What it had was power, that much I could agree on. The only problem was that it didn’t work the way we’d expected it to.
I flew through the air, arms flailing, satchel swirling around me, my fear of hitting one of the team as I went a real possibility. But if I had hit anyone, I wasn’t conscious to feel it.
I blinked slowly as sounds began to filter through to me. Soft groans blended with the lapping of waves and the whisper of leaves as an errant midnight breeze danced through the trees.
I lifted my head, finding myself beside the trunk of one of the tall oaks encircling the pond. My back throbbed, likely from my impact with the tree, and I reached around to rub the spot. I flinched as pain sliced through me and my hand came away coated in blood.
I groaned and straightened to sit upright. Around me, the team lay scattered across the beach and the embankment. Most looked daze, though Logan and Natasha were already on their feet checking on the rest of the team.
I tried to stand but as I moved nausea rose within my throat, and I let out a soft choking cry. “Stay where you are until I check you out,” came Natasha’s stern voice as she motioned to Logan to check on Steph. Then she hurried over to my side and sank to her knees.
“What the hell happened?” I said, my throat dry making my voice husky.
“Something went wrong with the portal key. Whatever it was, the blast hit everyone head-on.”
“Was everyone jumping? Were you hurt? Is Nerina okay?” The questions tumbled from my lips as the fears multiplied within my mind.
Natasha shushed me, her tone gentle, if a little admonishing. I remained still as she looked at my back where the pain was still a low throb. Then she let out a grunt. “We’ll need you in the house to sort this out,” she said briskly as she got to her feet and beckoned Logan, who hurried to us. “Can you get her to the house for me? Be careful with her though.”
“Can someone please tell me what’s wrong?” I snapped, glaring at Natasha. “And where’s Nerina?” Natasha hadn’t answered me as to whether she’d been hurt, but it was pretty clear that she was fine, physically at least, so I checked that off my list of questions unanswered.
Logan leaned toward me and scooped me up gently into his arms. His brow wrinkled as he said, “You have a branch embedded in your back. It looks a little too close to your ribs for comfort so I’d be careful with any movement you make. We don’t know how close it is to your lungs.”
Without another word, he turned toward the house, and I let out a startled shriek as he rose into the air.
I’d expected him to carry me and walk over to the house, not transform into a dragon and surge into the dark night. My eyes widened as I lifted my head to stare up at the scaled throat of a golden dragon, moonlight glinting off his body and wings as he flew
toward the house. I shook my head, a little uncertain of what I was seeing.
Logan was a dragon.
Which I’d already known of course, but having to see it with my own eyes was another thing altogether. I held my breath most of the way as I was transported back to Natasha’s house. Logan descended and transformed so fluidly that I barely registered his landing on human feet. He carried me into the house and down the main hallway to the bedroom at the end.
Kicking the door to open it wider, Logan strode inside and bent to deposit me gently onto the bed. I squeaked as I registered the bedcovers and held up a finger. “Wait. Not on that.”
“Huh?” Logan looked confused as he stared from me to the bed and then back again.
I rolled my eyes. “That’s satin, and probably expensive knowing Natasha. We need a blanket or something…to cover the beautiful fabric.”
Logan smirked. “I think the witch will have some magical laundering skills. She could just as easily make blood stains disappear as she can make people go poof.”
I shook my head. “Men. You don’t get it, do you?”
“No. Sadly I don’t. Kindly enlighten me.”
“It’s the principle. You don’t intentionally set a bloody body onto expensive fabric. You can accidentally stain it with blood, yes, but on purpose is bad karma.”
Logan remained silent, and I was aware that he was still carrying me as he debated his next move.
“What are you doing?” asked Natasha as she entered the room with Kai close behind her. “I told you to put her on the bed.”
“She wouldn’t go,” said Logan, looking uncomfortable now.
“What?” Natasha’s eyes flared with light as she stared at him, her blood-stained hands going to her hips. “There’s the bed. Put her on it,” she instructed, a finger aimed at the satin covered mattress. Beyond her Kai’s lip curled in amusement, though her eyes were clouded with pain.
Logan gave a slight shake of his head as he glanced from me to the bed to Natasha. “It’s satin,” he said, his tone sober.
“So?”
His expression was dead serious as he looked at the witch. “It’s satin, and apparently there’s a principle.”
Chapter 39
“What in the name of the sweet mother Crone are you babbling about?” asked Natasha her voice rising.
I cleared my throat. “Sorry, that was my fault. I didn’t want to ruin your bed covers. I asked him to look for a sheet or something to protect it from bloodstains…” I fell silent as Natasha burst out laughing.
“Who the fuck cares about stained bedsheets at this point in time?” she asked as stared at Logan, lifted an eyebrow and pointed her finger again at the bed.
Logan smirked at me as he strode toward the bed and laid me down gently. Before he rose he whispered, “Told you so,” then straightened and headed to the door.
Natasha was muttering something about idiots, fools, and brainless nincompoops, but I barely paid her any attention as I watched Logan wrap his arms around Kai as her eyes filled with tears.
Was it me she was upset about? I wasn’t so sure. She looked broken, and Kai didn’t often look that way, as though she were about to come apart at the seams.
“What’s going on?” I grunted as Natasha turned me over as gently as she could. My tone was hard, brooking no evasion from the pair on the threshold.
Logan cleared his throat, and I forced myself to listen even as Natasha cut up the back of my shirt and began to manipulate the skin around the wound. “The blast threw everyone back. Some of the team are injured, but everyone will be fine except…”
“Except for?” I asked, staring from Logan to Kai.
He glanced at Kai and said, “It’s Ivy. She’s hurt really bad. It’s going to take a while before she recovers.”
I heard the unsaid words—If she recovers, and my heart twisted. I’d gotten them into this mess. I was the one responsible if anyone was hurt. I’d known it going in, and I’d ignored the possibility, or accepted it as par for the course. Now I faced the possibility that Ivy Odel could die because of me.
“Don’t you dare,” said Kai as she stepped into the room.
I flinched, both from the heat now rising in my back and from the guttural tone of Kai’s voice. Her panther had risen to the surface unbidden, her skin coloring with a haze of spotted black, her features more feline, eyes gleaming catlike.
“She’s a strong woman, capable of making her own decisions. Nobody, and I mean nobody, tells that woman what to do. She joined the team because she felt she could contribute, and believe me when I say she was well and truly aware of the possible outcomes. Grams doesn’t do anything without being aware of all variables. It could have happened to any one of us, including you.” Kai took a harsh breath as she came to a sudden stop. She blinked again as she inhaled slowly, the haze of her panther fading as she resumed control. “If I know her at all, she’ll fight damn hard to recover, so the next thing I think we need to focus on is what in Ailuros’ name do we do now that the portal key’s fucked.”
I smiled and lay my head back down onto the pillow. I felt a little stupid that the failure of the key wasn’t foremost in my mind. At my back, Natasha said, “You need to hold on for a moment. I have to get this branch out of you before the wounds become infected. But it’s going to be painful.”
“Can’t we give her something for the pain?” asked Kai, stepping closer, her eyes now filled with fear for me.
I shook my head. “No time. We need to get it out and go to plan B.”
“Plan B?” asked Kai, staring at me and then at Logan. “I wasn’t aware of Plan B.”
Logan gave her a shrug as I said, “I was hoping we wouldn’t need it at all.” I cleared my throat. “We have to break Aisha out. And I don’t give a damn whether she wants to come or not.”
Kai laughed, the sound disbelieving and yet cunning. “You want to abduct a powerful djinn queen from a high-security prison even though she won’t want to go? Pray tell how you’re planning on achieving that?”
I let out a low scream as Natasha tugged on the branch. Sucking in a sobbing breath, I whispered, “Explain, beg. If that doesn’t work, then bind her with magic. Plan Z is knocking her out.”
Kai chuckled. “I’d love to say that such a plan is ridiculously dangerous and impossible, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll say that such a plan is ridiculously dangerous and possible.”
“You’re hilariously funny,” I muttered before letting out another low scream.
Kai stepped toward me, taking my free hand in hers, the warmth of her skin offering me some comfort. She glanced over at Logan. “You think your fire magic can help her at all?”
He squinted at her for a moment then looked over at Natasha who answered without even looking up, “Should work. Let me get this done. I need a few more minutes. In the meantime, you two get the team in triage in the front room, help Nerina and Drake look after the rest of them. We have to be up and running ASAP.”
“Yes. ASAP. Cause Saleem gave us a time and the longer we take, the higher the chances are that we will miss the window he gave us,” I said, focusing hard on my words in an attempt to work through the pain that was currently stabbing me in the back. “Ugh. You know, I’d trade that pain anytime for a zap or two from a ShadowWraith.”
Kai chuckled as she and Logan hurried out of the room. I’d heard Nerina’s name mentioned and was glad to know she was alive and not too hurt. But it was a sore point that everyone had evaded my questions. The minutes were slowly ticking by as Natasha worked and I had to struggle not to tense my muscle both from awareness of our window closing, and fear of what the djinn queen was going to do to me.
I cleared my throat and spoke through a wave of pain, “Hey witch. You got some special djinn magic lying around by any chance? Could do with some if you could be so generous.”
Natasha snorted. “You know you’re playing with fire right?”
I grunted my affirmative response into the pillow.
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The witch sighed. “Yes. As a matter of fact, I do happen to have some djinn magic lying around, but it’s not something we can just throw at Aisha willy-nilly.”
I giggled, a strange wooziness coming over me. “Did she just say willy-nilly?” I asked myself, laughter bubbling through me.
“Shut up and listen,” Natasha said her tone low. “What I have is a sedative. It’s rare and dangerous and against a whole host of djinn laws, not to mention probably against the Supreme High Council and the Council of Witches and Warlocks.”
“Let’s just agree it’s supremely illegal, and you can give me the full explanation.”
Natasha shifted behind me, making one last quick movement that sent another blinding wave of agony through my body. As I rode the crest of the pain, she sighed and said, “The sedative will knock her out cold, but it will last only for a few minutes, less depending on how powerful she is.”
“Very, very, very, very powerful,” I whispered hoarsely.
She snorted. “Well then, a couple of minutes just got reduced to something like thirty seconds minimum. That’s all you will have to get her out and to someplace safe.”
“Why?”
“Why? You’re about to piss off a djinn queen. One who has the power to call up wind and fire, and rain terror upon anyone who crosses her, that’s why.”
“Oh that,” I muttered waving a hand. “I forgot about that…but it’s fine…she likes me.”
“She’s not going to like you very much after you pull this stunt.”
“Don’t care. Her sons will be saved. So there…” I said, my voice fading as I swallowed.
Natasha straightened and came around to my side to look me in the eye. “Mel, I know you like her and that she’s taken to you. She may even like you enough to be the nice MIL, but what you’re about to do it crossing the line. You’re breaking her trust, going against her decision, and you’re doing it by using an extremely powerful drug to debilitate her.”