by Michelle Fox
He shrugged. "I found a way."
"That's not an answer."
His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. "I'm not stupid. I swiped your little baggie to keep, and then made like a witch and used a charm to ditch your tracker. You buy your magic, so I figured, why can't I?"
I blinked, relieved to finally know what the hell had happened to his DNA and the tracking charm, but also shocked at the admission. Shifters weren't supposed to be able to get witch charms. Magic was a controlled substance in our world. You had to have a license. Obviously Thorne hadn't had an issue, though. I'd have to bring it up later with the Triad. They should investigate that.
"You know that just puts you in more trouble. Are you trying to get killed?"
Thorne gave that question the silent treatment.
Okay, fine. I tried again. "What are you up to, Thorne? Vampires are looking for you. The High Priestess wants to incinerate you with a phalanx of dragon shifters." At this point, she'd probably throw me in with him, but I left that part out. It never helped when people found out I was a total loser.
"Like you could help me if I told you."
"I don't know. Try me. I saw your secret den." I strained to sit up and peer over the back seat.
He slammed on the brakes at that and stared at me.
"I saw your books. Did you kill Penny?"
He shook his head. "I didn't kill anybody."
"What about the books? The First Witch stuff?"
He resumed driving.
"Thorne, you should tell me. If not for your own sake, for Tali's." I managed to heave myself into the back of the front seat, that much closer to Thorne, although what I was going to do with my hands and feet duct taped together, I didn't know yet. Something.
"Is she okay?"
"For now, but you left her in a tough spot."
He hit the steering wheel with the heel of his hand. "Dammit. It wasn't supposed to be like this."
"What was it supposed to be?"
"A simple commission. Steal a case and give it to the High Priestess. Only I found out what it was, and there's no way in hell I'm giving something from the First Witch to that bitch."
I blinked, and a shot of adrenaline shivered through me. "You were stealing for the High Priestess?" It hadn't even occurred to me to question why the High Priestess wanted this box or whether she should have it. I'd missed that. Not good.
"Try to keep up."
"But it's witch magic. You can't use it. And it doesn't belong to you. Leave the witches to sort it out."
"Are you so sure?" Thorne shot me a look over his shoulder. "They say the First Witch created all the magic in the world. Including what makes me a shifter. We're a piece of her. What's to say her magic doesn't belong to us? The charm I bought worked for me. Maybe the rules aren't real."
"You're created from magic, not a master of it. It's not like you can cast a spell. There's a difference." I paused and tried to figure out what leverage I had. Not much, but there was an angle I hadn't tried. "I tell you what. Give me the thing, whatever it is, and I'll take it to the High Priestess. You don't have to go in. I'll say you got away."
I wisely didn't mention that I would still track him down for his skipped court date, and the High Priestess would be after him for the theft.
He snorted. "Do I look stupid?"
"This gives you a fighting chance. Tali's at your den right now. You could see her."
"Pass."
"Fine. What's the plan then?"
"I disappear."
"The High Priestess will find you. You won't be able to hide from her.
"I have help. She's not the only one who wants what I have."
"And just like that, you leave your kid behind? Wow."
Thorne took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. "Sacrifices have to be made. This is the future of the shifter race I'm talking about. With the First Witch's power, we can become the most powerful supernaturals in the world. The vampires will be our servants instead of the other way around and the witches will bow to us."
With that, he pulled over to the side of the road and crawled back to where I sat. Cranking back his arm, he punched me square in the face. My head snapped back, and I knew nothing more.
Chapter Nine
I stood at a crossroads I didn't know. A full moon hung overhead, illuminating dirt roads and houses in the near distance that were also made of dirt. Mounds of it.
Looking down, I discovered my clothing consisted of a loosely woven shift, which judging from all the itching, was made of wool. I wore no shoes, and the cool ground soaked into my bones, making them ache. A soft wind brought the smell of burning wood to my nose.
Words I didn't understand filled the air. It wasn't one of the magic languages; those I knew. Kind of. Enough to identify them.
This was something I'd never heard before, sharp and guttural at the same time. The words held power, too. As if they should belong to the magic tongues.
Oddly, I was the one speaking.
How strange.
A knife appeared and sliced across my palm. I winced at the sting. Blood welled up and dripped from my fist. I cut my other palm. The power intensified, shoving into me like a drop in barometric pressure.
Whatever this was, it was big magic. I'd felt this only once before, when the Witch Council had pushed back a tsunami from Lake Erie. A rare earthquake had cracked the lake bed and magic had held the water at bay, protecting all of Cleveland.
A sharp stab of pain in my legs forced me to my knees, and still the words came, and with them, more power. So much power. How I didn't explode, I didn't know.
Stop, I thought at myself, but I wasn't in control. The words kept coming. They poured out of my mouth, but not from my mind. They weren't mine. The power swelled. Sweat dripped from my hairline and covered my upper lip. The wind picked up but didn't cool me off.
A howl sounded in the distance, and down the road a shadow of movement flickered. The words came faster. And then faster yet. The howls grew louder, the moving shadows larger.
Several minutes later, I could make out a man and a dog that darted back and forth across the road, bounding into the fields that ran on either side and then returning to follow the man.
When he came close enough for me to see his face, I gasped. It was Vitor. Only covered in dirt instead of high end clothing. Like he'd...like he'd dug his way out of a grave.
He bowed and took my hand.
"Go on." This I understood, but I didn't recognize the language.
Vitor's mouth covered my palm, his sharp fangs pierced my skin. I winced but held firm, knowing he needed to drink deeply of me. In the background, the dog slinked forward, and I saw it was not a dog, but a wolf. I beckoned him to me.
"Come, wolf. I will make you strong." I held out my other hand, and the wolf latched onto my palm, much like the vampire. Throwing back my head, the wild words came again, and power swirled around the three of us. Exhaustion threw me down into the mud, collapsing me to my knees. Yet still I chanted, casting power in every direction, staying upright by the thinnest thread of strength.
For hours I did this. My knees first ached, then throbbed before going numb. The vampire and the wolf fed from my hands until I became dizzy and lightheaded. As morning approached, I feared I wouldn't be able to walk, but I knew I couldn't stop.
At the first glimmer of dawn, Vitor stopped and pulled back. "The sun hurts."
"You are a creature of darkness," I told him. "You must shun the light."
He nodded.
"Go to my house. The cellar will hold you."
Vitor ran off.
The wolf whined for my attention, however it was not a wolf my gaze found, but a man. A naked man with fear in his eyes.
"Shush, my beast. Do not be afraid." I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the pain that shot through my legs. I offered the man-beast my hand." Come. I will help you."
He hesitated and gave a soft yip of indecision.
"Do you n
ot remember all the bits of meat I have given you?"
He did not seem to understand me, but took my hand anyway. I led him back to my house. "I think I will call you Sheridon for you are a wild one."
***
I jerked awake as something bumped my crotch. Blinking, I opened my eyes to see Blart nosing between my legs. Immense relief washed over me. My familiar was safe and already being annoying, like nothing had happened. Awesome. Seriously. This was the best news I'd had in days, even if it was all up in my privates.
"Ew. Stop that." I rolled away from Blart, dodging his very energetic tongue. Happy as I was to see him, I could do without the big dose of slobber. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I sat up and tried to sort out what had happened and where I was.
Where was a narrow ditch along the side of the road. As for what, I had a couple of party souvenirs. Sheridon's punch throbbed across my face and my hands were still duct taped together. The scariest part? It was close to noon judging from the position of the sun in the sky. Fantastic. I'd missed the High Priestess' deadline. Go me.
I had a feeling being unconscious in a ditch with Blart's nose up my nethers was going to be the best part of my day.
Blart barked and lunged for my face, his long tongue coming for me. Apparently my life being in the toilet smelled good. I shoved him away.
"Magic. All fun and games until someone gets dumped in a ditch." I did an awkward limbo with my duct taped hands and fished my knife out of its sheath. With a quick thrust, I sawed through the tape. Blart responded to my voice by trying to jump up and put his paws on my shoulders, oblivious to the sharp knife. That was really his only magic power—not dying of stupidity. I fended him off with one hand while I tucked the knife back into its spot and then pulled him in for a hug.
"I'm glad you're okay, buddy. Now, be a useful familiar and turn back time, will ya?"
Blart just panted at me.
"Yeah, I didn't think so." I climbed out of the ditch and scanned the area. The road was empty and any cross roads were too far away for me to read the street signs. I checked my phone, which had survived inside a zipper pocket...no bars. And humans said magic was unreliable. Had they even met the cell phone networks of the world?
I picked a direction and walked, holding my phone up like a dowsing rod. I just needed one bar, even a half bar, or a speck of a bar. I'd take anything resembling a signal. I also hoped things would somehow look better the longer I was awake. So far...no.
A quarter mile down the road I got a bar. Here was the point of no return, the point where I couldn't pretend everything was somehow fine. Biting my lip, I went in. No sense in delaying the pain. The phone showed fifty missed calls and dozens of 'where are you' texts.
Oh, duck me. This was going to suck like nothing had ever sucked before.
I called my mom first. She would be nicer to me than the High Priestess. Maybe I could even get her to break the bad news for me.
Mom answered on the first ring. "Sylvie?"
"Yeah. It's me."
"Where the hell have you been?"
"Sheridon knocked me out and dumped me somewhere. I just came to."
"The High Priestess says you ran off with him."
"What?" I actually pulled the phone away from my ear and frowned. "No! I tracked him down and he clocked me in the face."
"She says you're trying to steal the relic too."
"What for?"
"To strengthen your magic."
"Please. Like I would even know how to do that." I snorted. "Can you come get me?"
"I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?"
"You're under suspicion of collusion with the very thief you were supposed to catch. They're watching the house."
"But I didn't steal anything." I rubbed my forehead. This was worse than I'd expected. The High Priestess had apparently lost her mind since the last time I saw her. I'd always known she was rigid and difficult. She and my mother had a lot in common. “This is ridiculous. Can't you talk to her?”
“It won't make a difference, Sylvie.” My mom sounded defeated now, and that scared me more than anything. She was the one who always had it together, who always planned out her next five moves, who always came out on top.
“Please, mom. She’ll listen to you.”
“No. She won’t. Not about this.”
“Why not?”
“I’m your partner in crime according to her.” My mom's voice went sharp with irritation. “All those years of killing myself to make her High Priestess; the late nights, all the spells I cast. I gave my own blood even. Did you know that? And she thinks I turned on her.”
I kicked a rock and swallowed a swear word.
“I’m on house arrest until they conclude their investigation. Which at the rate things are going now, the verdict for us both will be execution.”
My stomach dropped. Execution? Things had gotten that bad? I closed my eyes.“I can fix this. I know I can. Sheridon can’t have gone far. I'll find him.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" When I didn't answer, she said, "I hope so, but I’m not holding my breath. Your magic is too weak for the big leagues and this is the championship game, Sylvie.”
I closed my eyes and kept my voice calm. “What do you want me to do?”
“Turn yourself in. Exonerate me. I’ll go after him and fix this. He can’t hide from me and I won’t make your mistakes.”
“I didn’t make a mistake. My tracker charm worked fine,” I said. “He just punched me in the face.” I doubted the High Priestess herself could've taken that punch and not have her eyes roll back in her head.
“Well, I’ve got way more than a tracker charm. He’ll die before he lays a finger on me.”
“So you want me to let the High Priestess lock me up?”
“Yes. Confess to everything and tell her it was just you.”
“What about a truth spell? Why doesn’t she just use that? She’ll know everything then.”
“It's not required when there's ample evidence of the crime. She doesn't need it. You had contact with Sheridon right around the time he stole the relic. You disappeared with him. She has everything she needs to accuse you of conspiracy.”
“I had contact with Thorne because he’d been arrested. I was his bail bondswoman...which was the job you two gave me.” I rubbed my forehead again, unable to believe the absolute shit pile my life had just turned into.
“But then you disappeared, too. That’s all they need to think you're in cahoots with him.”
“Goddess. This is bad.”
“Yes. It is. Let me handle it, but I can’t do anything when I’m locked up.”
“Can’t you break free?”
“They put a mute charm on me and I’m surrounded by the Council Guard.”
“They muted you?” The mute charm blocked a witch from using her magic. It was only used in the most severe circumstances. “But you were her friend. You loved her more than...” I trailed off, unwilling to say it. “How can she not believe you?”
“That artifact matters more than anything. I can't really blame her for what she’s doing, not with how this all looks. Her first duty is to all of Witchdom, and that relic must not fall into the wrong hands. You and I? We’re collateral damage, and it’s completely acceptable given what’s at stake.”
“Okay." I heaved a sigh of defeat. “I'll call her.”
Chapter Ten
The High Priestess herself came to get me. Her white limo pulled up alongside me, trailed by a line of white SUVs. Within seconds, the Witch Council Guard surrounded me. They had leather suits similar to mine, but their outfits were white and included helmets that left very little of their faces exposed. You might break a nose or bruise a smidge of forehead, but unless you really committed and dug out an eyeball, nothing would touch them.
“Sylvie. Good of you to turn yourself in.” The High Priestess peered behind me. “Where’s Sheridon and the relic?”
Blart growled an
d I shushed him. “I don’t know. Sheridon didn’t have it with him and he knocked me out and dumped me here.”
“You’re lying.” She advanced on me, her blue eyes flashing. Wrapping a hand around my throat she dragged me forward until our noses almost touched. “Where is the relic?”
“I never saw it. I don’t have it. My mom and I didn’t steal it.” I pushed the words past her death grip on my neck.
Mom had said I should confess, but with the High Priestess at my throat, I knew that was wrong. She was looking for any excuse, I could see it in her eyes, and she'd take anything I gave her. I wouldn't let our execution make sense. There was no point in telling lies she already believed, anyway.
I glared into her cold gaze. “You’re wasting time on me when I’m not the enemy.”
She gripped my throat tight, and I gagged as her fingers dug into my airway. With a snarl, she threw me away from her. Despite her lean frame, she had enough strength to make me stumble back several steps.
The Council Guard caught me as I teetered on the brink of falling on my ass and slapped on handcuffs before I could think to shake them off. Unlike my off-the-shelf cuffs, these were custom made of thick silver bearing the indentations of the hammers that made them. Worse, magic sigils had been inscribed all around the cuffs. I didn’t just feel the cold metal on my skin, but a hum of power as well.
I wasn't getting out of this. Magic would see to that.
"Take her." The High Priestess waved at me, and then strode back to the limo. A guard rushed to hold open the door for her, and once she was inside, the limo zoomed off fast enough to make the back tires squeal.
The guards goose stepped me in the direction of the SUV. Blart tried to intervene, bounding up into the guards, trying to break their hold on me. One of the men kicked him in the ribs and he yelped.
"Leave him alone!" I moved to smack the guard with my cuffed hands, but was yanked back by my hair.
"We won't let your familiar work his magic on us."
I craned around to glare at the guards. "Seriously? Do you even know who I am? Magic is not going to be the problem here."