Weasel dude burst into crazy hyena giggles. “You twat, we can’t get deader than this.”
“Fuck Garnet,” Brendan said. “I’m sick of being his errand boy. It’s about time someone—” His eyes grew wide and then he toppled forward onto his face, the reason why was evident when he hit the ground. A slender arrow protruded from his back, and then the vamp exploded into ash.
Aaron grabbed my hand and tugged me back. “That’s a Sun Spear.”
“Spear? Looks like an arrow to me.”
“It is. They just call it a spear. The arrowhead detonates inside the vamp sending out UV radiation that mimics the sun. Fuck.”
The remaining vamps hit the dirt in bows of supplication, and the human woman fell to the ground to nurse her husband. But the main attraction was the guy striding toward us from the depths of the tunnel—the reason for all the bowing and scraping, and fuck he was huge. His hair was long, coming to just above his shoulders and was tucked behind his ears, and his face was chiseled but covered in a neat goatee. Hip-hugging jeans and pec-loving T-shirt completed the ensemble.
His gaze was fixed on us as he bridged the distance. “Apologies.” He stopped by the bowing vamps, pulled a Sun Shot from a holster at his hip, and blasted them into oblivion one by one in quick succession. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” He crouched by the trembling woman. “You have my gratitude for the blood, and my sincere apology for the manner in which it was obtained.” He carefully extracted the needle from the man’s neck, nicked his own thumb with a fang, and wiped his blood over the wound.
The woman began to sob. “Please. Don’t hurt us.”
“I have no intention of harming you. Leave this place now.”
The woman scrambled up, dragged her barely stable husband to his feet, and slipped under his arm. The son took the other side and they staggered past us.
“Where did you get the weapons?” Aaron asked.
The vampire turned the Sun Shot over in his hand. “This? A friend.”
Aaron’s eyes narrowed. “What friend?”
The vamp, Garnet I presumed, stepped out of the tunnel. “That is none of your business. Now, I’ve apologized for the actions of my soldiers. It’s so hard to get good help nowadays. Everyone either wants to cheat or double cross. All I ask for is some clean decent business. Bag of blood for cash. Not too hard to fathom, but I had a suspicion Brendan and his lot were taking liberties. Sipping from the vein.” His gaze fell to me, and he licked his lips. “Although I can see the allure on this occasion.”
Aaron tensed. “Keep your eyes off her.”
Garnet held up his hands. “I’m a business man. I only take what’s given freely in trade. Do you want to trade?” he asked me.
“No thanks.”
“So travelers then?” He looked us up and down. “No, too well dressed to be using the death trains. So, that begs the question. What are you doing down here?”
“Waiting for a friend,” Aaron said.
“Has your friend got a name?”
I smiled slyly. “That is none of your business.”
He chuckled.
The sound of footsteps echoed down around us, and my scalp prickled. I glanced over my shoulder to see the High Witch walking toward us. She was dressed more casually than I’d ever seen her. Her youthful body was encased in neat slacks and a scoop neck shirt. Her silver-gray hair was pulled in a French braid. But her youthful face was turned toward Garnet, her lips parted in surprise, or awe, I couldn’t quite determine.
“Elora,” Garnet said softly.
The High Witch cleared her throat. “It’s good to see you, Garnet. I’d heard rumors that you were operating your business in the underground these days.”
Something dark and intimate flitted across his face. “You’ve been keeping tabs on me?”
“Hardly,” she scoffed.
“So you’re the friend they’ve been waiting for. And what brings you out of your tower of solitude and down into the depths of depravity?”
“We’re looking for a witch possessed by a vengeful spirit.”
Garnets eyes narrowed. “Witches can’t be possessed.”
The High Witch strode toward us and then past us into the tunnel. “This spirit isn’t from our reality and therefore—”
“Bullshit,” Garnet snapped. “You’re lying. But heck. What’s new there?”
Okay so there was some history here, but wow, the Mayfair High Witch and a vampire? Seriously? This was one story I needed to hear.
Aaron and I exchanged glances, then ran to catch up to the odd pair.
Was it my imagination or was there a bounce in the High Witch’s step? A flirtatious lilt to her voice?
I caught up to the High Witch. “How far in is she?”
“Platform one, I think.” She tapped her ear. “Giselle, dear, are we still on track?” she nodded. “Ahuh, yes, please dear. Tea would be lovely.”
Garnet snorted.
“So,” I drew out the syllable. “How do you know each other?”
“Ha!” Garnet barked.
“Shut up,” the High Witch ordered.
He slid a sly glance my way.
Yeah, there was definitely a story here.
We took a left and spilled out onto the platform for the Baker Loo line.
“So where is this witch?” Aaron asked.
A moan reverberated around the platform and the lights went out.
“I think she heard us,” Aaron said.
An orb of light appeared above us, casting enough illumination to allow us to avoid falling onto the tracks.
Leave. Go. Leave now.
“Karen, sweetheart, can you hear me?” the High Witch crooned. “Come out. You don’t need to hide. We want to help you.”
Karen doesn’t want to come. Karen is with me.
“If that’s the case, then let Karen speak for herself.”
Silence, thick and ominous pressed against us, and even the orb of light wasn’t enough to alleviate the oppressive feeling.
“Karen?”
“I … I’m here. I’m all right. Please, just leave us alone.”
I nudged the High Witch. “Is that her?”
“It certainly sounds like her, but the Daayan could be mimicking Karen’s voice.”
“Please, just leave us be and we’ll leave you be.”
“We can’t do that,” the High Witch said. “The Daayan must go back from where she came. There is no other choice, and we will not stop until she is returned.”
Home.
The word reverberated around us in the dark, sending shivers up my spine.
The High Witch jerked her head to the left. There was a pillar up ahead. Was she hiding behind there? The High Witch’s slender hand slipped into mine. It was time. She locked gazes with me, and held up the tiny recorder.
Now, she mouthed. And then she switched on the machine. A garbled message played for less than a second and then the skein lit up in my mind’s eyes. My threads flared to life as the connection was re-established.
The High Witch began to stride toward the pillar, taking me with her.
“Fractum expellit tenebras lucem et de animabus,” she chanted.
I joined in the chant, focusing on opening the door—a maw like last time. Nothing happened. The High Witch squeezed my hand. Come on, maw, come the fuck on. We rounded the pillar to face … nothing.
Home.
The voice filled the air again and then a chuckle followed. The ball of light was overhead now. Where was the voice coming from? The High Witch released my hand and broke the chant.
I glanced at her. “What? What happened?”
She looked up at the wall behind the pillar and I followed her gaze to see a large air vent. A final chuckle drifted down to us through the grill, and then there was silence.
_____
We’d been duped, and the High Witch was furious. The incantation would have to be redone, and time was running out.
Aaron pulled up outside
my flat. The lights were still on upstairs so hopefully the party was still going.
“You’re going to love everyone.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door.
Aaron made no move to exit the vehicle.
“Aaron?”
He gave me an apologetic look.
I sighed. “You’re not coming up are you?”
“No.”
“It’s about those damn weapons Garnet had, isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
“And you can’t tell me any more than that.”
“That’s right.”
My vision blurred, and he pulled me into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.
“You were amazing tonight,” he said. “I’m so fucking proud of you babe. Malina would be so proud of you.”
Darn it, he was going to make me cry. “Don’t leave it so long between visits next time, ‘kay?”
“I promise. And you promise to keep doing what you’re doing. It suits you Carm.”
“I promise.” I climbed out into the warm night.
Seeing him had been amazing, but in a way it had made things worse by reminding me what I was missing. The amber lights spilling from my window soothed me, assuring me that there were others waiting for me—new friends, but no less important.
Something moved in the periphery of my vision. No. Just shadows. But still. Best get inside and cozy up to the tequila. I could put the world to rights tomorrow.
21
Was it tomorrow already? I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes. No. The room was still dark. Still night time. So why the fuck was I awake? What time had everyone left? One in the morning. Yeah, and my mouth tasted all furry. Being an asura meant no hangover, but you didn’t escape the furry alcohol tongue. Yuk.
Okay, time to go back to sleep.
My power resisted—alert and way too awake.
Danger.
I kept my breath even but opened up my senses to scan the room. Shadows, shadows everywhere. The one by the kitchen counter … Had that just moved? And then it detached itself from the larger clump of darkness and advanced toward me. My body flooded with adrenaline and I was up and in a defensive crouch before I could think.
The key must be eliminated.
Oh fuck me sideways. “Karen. You don’t have to do this. You can control it. Just try.”
Karen is sleeping. Karen doesn’t like to see the blood.
Oh shit.
Why hadn’t I considered that she might come after me? She probably followed me home. Darn London traffic and the snail’s pace.
The Daayan levitated across the room toward me. Had she been the shadow outside the flat? Why wait so long to attack? Everyone had left at least an hour ago.
“You don’t want to kill me.” At least I hoped she didn’t. “You aren’t a killer.”
She laughed. You don’t know what I am.
“Actually I do, but I can’t say it out loud because I took a witch’s oath.”
She cocked her head, her scraggy hair falling to obscure half her face. She stared at me with one demon black eye. She told?
“Yeah she did.”
And you still wish to send me back? Back to torment and darkness?
When she put it like that it sounded pretty unreasonable, but then, “You ate people.”
Her head lolled back. Flesh of my flesh, filled with flesh. Filled with life.
O-kay. “Look. What happened to you was awful, but if we don’t send you back then bad shit is gonna happen to a whole lot of people.”
And I should care for these people? Care for those who cared not for me?
She had a point. Fuck. I couldn’t send her back without the High Witch and the damn incantation. My connection to the skein had snapped as soon as the five minutes were up.
The pearl? I could trap her in it, but where the fuck was it?
She floated closer.
Banner had given it to me, I’d taken it off him and …
The witch lunged, her hands outstretched like desperate claws. I dove out the way, hitting the floor, rolling to my feet and legging it to the key bowl by the front door. I grabbed the pearl and spun just as she rushed me. She hit me hard and my grip on the pearl loosened, sending it clattering across the floor.
Fuck, fuck. I smashed a fist into the side of her head. She swayed and I followed up with an uppercut to send her flying. Sorry Karen.
The damn pearl. There, glinting in the moonlight, by the window. I lunged for it, just as she leapt at me from the side. She caught my legs, throwing off my trajectory. I hit the carpet hard, fingers making contact with the pearl only to flick it under the radiator beneath the window.
Shitting hell.
She landed on my back and pain tore across my scalp as she yanked my head back with a fist full of hair.
The key must die.
My throat began to close up, tongue and neck straining as she tugged. She was gonna rip off my fucking head off.
Glass exploded into the room and a shadow figure, dark hair flying, attacked the Daayan. Karen’s weight was knocked off me. I was free. The pearl. I needed to get the pearl. My hands skimmed across the floor beneath the radiator, catching mini dust bunnies, something squidgy, and urgh, had something just skittered over my hand? But I had the pearl. Jumping up I joined the window smashing female in her grapple with the Daayan. We pinned her down, and I slammed the pearl against her forehead.
The Daayan’s eyes widened and then she bucked. The pearl began to glow and then dulled. The darkness bled out of Karen’s eyes and her lids fluttered closed.
My savior jumped up and bolted for the door.
“Wait!”
She paused to glance over her shoulder. I knew that face: dark eyes, slender features, dark hair. It was the woman who’d been watching me in the bar. But it was more than that. I knew her from somewhere else, I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Her gaze dropped to my throat and she took a step toward me.
I tensed. “Who are you? I know you…”
Headlights painted a path across the dark room, momentarily blinding me and when I opened my eyes, the woman was gone.
_____
Morning arrived too soon, and the idea of facing the day made my stomach turn. The fact that I’d been attacked in my own home made my head ache with the injustice of it all. Was it barely a few weeks ago when life had been mundane and kinda boring? Which idiot had wept for more? Yeah, the twit staring back at me from the bathroom mirror, that’s who. I spat out the toothpaste and bared my teeth. Death had brushed its chilly hand across my forehead last night. I was lucky to be alive.
The woman who’d saved my arse was a mystery, the headlights that scared her away not so much. The witches tracking the Daayan had located Karen and sent back up. Too late though. If the mystery woman hadn’t shown up, I’d be dead.
I dressed quickly and drained my coffee cup, the taste of toothpaste turning it into something entirely icky.
The pearl was with the High Witch, and they were working on the incantation to get me access to the skein long enough to send the Daayan back. A couple more days and my obligation to the witches would be over. The only mystery left to solve now was the location of the rest of the missing djinn and yaksha souls. There was something eluding me, some clue I’d overlooked.
The door slammed behind me and I clattered down the stairs. I had an appointment with Melody at Shukra’s residence.
There had to be something we’d missed.
_____
Melody greeted me at the door, she was in plain clothes today—jeans, a cami top, and ballet flats, with a large bag slung over her shoulder.
“How you feeling?” she asked as she led me down the hallway.
“Okay, thanks to super healing. Not even a bruise. Any luck with identifying the woman I described?”
“Not yet, but if we’ve had dealings with her she’ll be in our database. It doesn’t look like she wants to hurt you though, and it’s likely she’ll
approach you again. You said she was watching you a week ago?”
“Yeah.” We climbed the steps to Shukra’s bedroom.
“Anything from Paimon? Timescale before they invade us? The council has been informed, and we have a contingency plan in motion, and an army of our own.”
“We won’t win, will we?”
She sighed. “It’s unlikely, but we’ll sure as hell try. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“I haven’t heard from him since he told me the orb only held two djinn souls. He’s doing his best to stall.”
“Then we need to do our best to get some damned answers.”
“Okay, we start in here.” She pulled a pair of latex gloves from her bag and handed them to me.
We split up and began combing the room. The wardrobes, the chest of drawers, we even moved the idol sitting on the rug in the corner and rolled the rug up to check the laminate underneath.
“The team scanned the walls for hidden safes,” Melody said. “Nothing.”
“We have to be missing something.”
Melody straightened and reached into her bag to pull out a folder. She flipped it open to reveal color shots of the crime scene, complete with Shukra’s dead body.
“Sometimes studying the scene through a lens helps,” she said passing the folder to me.
Shukra was sprawled on the ground as if he’d simply cut his wrists and dropped. His face was turned to the right, his right arm flung out in the same direction. It was almost as if he was reaching for something. Wait … He wasn’t reaching, he was pointing. I turned to glance behind me, at the corner that Shukra had been pointing. It was empty, but the object that had occupied the space was placed to one side.
The idol.
“What is it?” Melody asked.
“Is it okay to break stuff?”
She frowned. “What?”
I showed her the picture. “Look. It looks like he’s pointing at the idol.”
Melody grabbed the idol and dropped it on the laminate floor. “Oops.” It crashed to the ground and smashed. Melody crouched down and fingered the broken ceramic. She lifted out a tiny black sphere. “Bingo.”
My pulse kicked up. We had something. “What is it?”
Defying Magick: an Urban Fantasy Novel (The Witch Blood Chronicles Book 2) Page 14