by Holly Evans
I frowned and looked down at my hand and back to his knife.
“You wish to push me into a blood contract?” I asked.
It was usually only blood magicians that could work with blood, apart from alchemists, though we worked with it in an entirely different way. My mind was racing from the alchemical wake-up tablets. I took a breath and calmed myself. Elves were also capable of weaving blood contracts. It had something to do with their connection to life networks.
“Yes. Now kindly hold out your hand, palm up,” Fein said, his eyes hardening.
Blood contracts weren’t that unusual in my line of work, but they were usually accompanied by a written contract that contained blood magic. To have him slice into my palm and form something there and then was far more unsettling.
I held my palm out for him and watched as he slipped the tip of the blade down the centre of my palm while speaking in soft elvish.
“You will not speak a word of our business with the collar, or the magic involved in breaking them to anyone outside of my business and command,” he said calmly.
It wasn’t a command, it was an explanation of the contract I had just entered. It wouldn’t matter how drunk I got or how desperately I wanted to tell someone about what I was doing, my tongue wouldn’t form the words and my hands wouldn’t write them. I smiled politely and nodded in understanding.
“The man who will arrive in a few short minutes is an ink magician,” Fein said.
My jaw might possibly have hit the floor. Ink magicians were myths, fables… the idea of having one in the same lab as me was absolutely incredible. Oh, the questions I could ask him, and the potential for alchemy should he allow me some of his magic, or his blood. The possibilities flew around my mind.
I don’t know quite what I’d pictured for the ink magician, but the tall, broad, brooding man that entered the lab wasn’t it. His mouth looked as though it had forgotten how to smile, and his eyes held many secrets. His t-shirt and jeans were quite the contrast to Fein’s beautifully tailored suit, but both men wore their choices well. I pulled myself together and tried to remember that I was a professional. I was not going to embarrass myself when I spoke to a living myth.
“You must be Mr. Corbeaux! Come in, I’d love to discuss ink magic with you,” I said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.
He gave me a small tight smile and said, “Another time, perhaps, we’re on something of a schedule here.”
“Yes, we have twelve hours before the ritual. My people are out trying to track down the location of the ritual as we speak,” Fein added.
Mr. Corbeaux turned slightly to nod at Fein before he returned his focus to me.
“The collar?” he asked.
I was really regretting taking that second batch of wake-up tablets. It was difficult to keep calm and business-like.
“Of course,” I said before I led him between the lab tables to the collar.
The table in question was still half covered in the things I’d needed to make the powder. I hoped he didn’t judge me too harshly. Gods be with me, I really shouldn’t have taken that second set of tablets. I was making a complete fool of myself.
“I’ve made a large dose of the required powder, so you don’t need to be too accurate,” I said as I handed him the bottle of powder.
He glanced at the powder and placed it back down before he picked up the collar. His brow pinched with concentration. I watched in fascination as his ink magic slipped into the collar and dug its way between the small cracks and crevices. It must have been an incredible experience from his end of things. I would have loved to know what it felt like. Alchemy was my passion, my life blood, but to wield magic the way the magicians did was something I dreamed of.
The collar crumbled in his hands.
“That was remarkable!” I said with a large grin on my face.
He gave me another of those tight smiles before he picked up the bottle of powder and turned back to Fein.
“I have received word that this ritual will require a weaver to stop it. Due to the delicate nature of the situation, the pool of potential candidates is rather small. Caiden recommended the chosen weaver. He should be arriving at your apartment in ten minutes,” Fein said.
The ink magician went rigid, his back tensed and his hand clenched around the bottle of powder. There was clearly something about the weaver that bothered him.
“Does that mean I’m done here?” the magician asked.
“Yes. Return home, you’ll be notified as soon as we have the location of the ritual,” Fein said.
“It was nice to meet you,” the magician said over his shoulder as he neared Fein in the doorway.
He squeezed Fein’s shoulder as he passed him.
“We’ll bring him home,” he said quietly.
I couldn’t help wondering what the relationship there was and whom they were going to bring home. My curiosity had been piqued.
8
Once the ink magician had left, Fein turned his attention back me and said, “I will escort you to your room, where you will find adequate amounts of food. I’m afraid that I am in the middle of a delicate situation. There will be a list of alchemical items for you to produce waiting for you when you are ready to return to your lab.”
I smiled politely and picked up Wispy in his cage and went to follow Fein through the maze of hallways. Of course, I was horribly disappointed to hear I was being given a list of things to make. On one hand, I was glad to have such a wonderful lab to produce them in; on the other, my heart was crying out for a new adventure. The wake-up tablets were wearing off very quickly, and the exhaustion hit me hard. I almost stumbled up the stairs to my room. Fein kindly caught my arm and guided me the rest of the way. He was gentle in his touch, despite the tension that ran through his muscles. Whatever situation he was in the middle of was clearly bothering him greatly.
The hallway that my room was located on had bare white floorboards and delicate vines with pale pink leaves. It had a feeling of peace and serenity. I couldn’t help but wonder if the vine exuded some form of chemical that altered my mental state, relaxing and calming me. In that moment, I didn’t really care. I was ready to sleep on those smooth white floorboards. Bed could wait. Fein opened the powder-blue door for me and revealed my room. Much like the lab, it was much more than I’d dared hope for. The room was almost as big as my entire flat had been in London. It came complete with en-suite bathroom and a very large four-poster bed.
I must have frozen in the doorway in absolute awe. Fein gently pressed my lower back and I stepped inside. Everything from there on out is a little blurry. The come-down from the wake-up tablets was intense and brutal. I can’t say I noticed the plate of food on the golden wooded table, or even the fact that Wispy snuggled up to my cheek as I fell onto the bed.
“Oh, wonderful, glorious bed, how I’ve missed you,” I whispered as I sank into the soft embrace of the blankets and descended into a deep sleep.
I woke up with a groan. My head was killing me, and someone had left the curtains open for the light to pour in. Wispy buried himself deeper under my hair as I grasped onto the closest blanket and pulled it over my head.
“Markers have been placed in the hallways so you can find your way to your lab and back,” a female voice said.
I blinked and it all came flooding back. It hadn’t been a dream. I was in Prague, with the most exquisite lab, and I was sprawled out on a four-poster bed. I lifted the blanket to see Isla standing with her arms crossed and an expression full of distaste and bile on her pretty face. She muttered something in elvish that I didn’t quite catch. My headache was so bad I was quite sure that the sunlight was screeching at me.
“Fein expects you to begin work today. I wouldn’t disappoint him, if I were you,” the young snow elf said before she stalked out of the room.
In the broad daylight, even though I had to squint to prevent my head from imploding with pain, the room was stunning. The ceiling had some form of illusion ov
er it to show the night sky, complete with foreign constellations. The floors were polished wood, and each piece of elegantly carved wooden furniture must have cost more than a month’s rent in London. Wispy moved out from under my hair and wriggled under the lightest blanket. He didn’t have enough strength to move very much. I stumbled across the room to the large windows. They stretched from my knees almost to the double-height ceilings. The deep green curtains were thankfully very heavy, and thus blocked out every scrap of light, causing me to sigh with bliss once I’d closed them.
I was a little ashamed to realise that I’d fallen flat on my face onto the bed and not even gotten as far as pulling my boots off the day before.
“I really must tweak that formula,” I said to Wispy.
Thankfully, the gentle light emitted by the ceiling illusion was enough for me find my way to the small round table full of plates of food and two pitchers of drinks. I pulled off my boots and stripped down to my underwear as I walked over to the table. I was absolutely ravenous. The collars had been such an interesting challenge that I’d completely forgotten to eat the day before, and who knew how long I’d been asleep?
I pulled out one of the very well-padded chairs and filled the only empty plate with glorious pastries, fresh fruits, and some things that I didn’t recognise. I filled my glass with the pale green drink and bit into whatever my hand fell on first. The pastry I’d bitten into filled my mouth the most glorious tangy flavour, nectarine complimenting lemon and a touch of kiwi. I was glad there was no one to see me in that moment, with an expression of pure bliss as I sat in nothing but my underwear. No one said that I had to be dignified.
Wispy emerged from under the blankets when I was eating my third small pie thing with the light filling that fizzed on my tongue. I pushed the small plate covered in fresh heather fronds and birch twigs towards him. He descended on it with relish and buzzed softly with pleasure as he ate his fill. Life was looking up. All I needed now was a good adventure, and everything would be perfect.
9
The bathroom was equally as stunning as the main room. I spent a sinful amount of time enjoying the high-pressure shower. Wispy was sprawled out, as much as a wisp can sprawl, on the empty plate of twigs and such. His deep buzzing sound was quite soothing as he snored.
“You’ll become a fat wisp if you eat like that every day,” I said with a smile.
I wasn’t even sure if wisps could become fat. I made a mental note to look into that when I had a spare moment.
Having pulled on my favourite jeans and lace-up knee-high boots, I stepped out into the hallway and was immediately hit with the serene feeling I’d had before. I frowned at the vines covering the walls. It was such a shame I couldn’t touch the plants. I’d feel much better if I could mix up something to counter that effect. Wispy remained behind in my room as I stepped out into the hallway and looked for the marker Isla had mentioned.
A small purple arrow had been hung on the wall some ten feet away from my door. It pointed towards the stairs with the thick black vines running down the banister. I grinned and set off down the hallway back to my lab with a bounce in my step. Fein must have given me an interesting list of things to create for him, I concluded, as I turned the final corner and saw the familiar lab door. He was clearly a very wealthy and intriguing man; surely, someone like that wouldn’t have me making anything tedious.
The lab was immaculate when I stepped back inside. I couldn’t help myself. I spread my arms wide and spun around twice with a grin on my face as I giggled. It was really mine.
“I thought alchemists were supposed to be uptight and boring,” an unfamiliar male voice said behind me.
My cheeks burned as I tucked my hands into my pockets and turned to face the newcomer. A lean man with thick pitch-coloured hair and bright green eyes smiled at me. Everything about him screamed feline, from the casual strength that ran just below the surface to the bored amusement that twinkled in his eyes. I pursed my lips and tilted my head slightly.
“Shifter or Cait Sidhe?” I asked.
He raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the door frame.
“It’s rude to ask people’s heritage,” he said with the sliver of a smile.
I chewed on my bottom lip and gave him my most endearing puppy eyes.
“I couldn’t help myself, I’m insatiably curious,” I said.
He shook his head.
“Does that really work?” he asked.
I couldn’t help but smile at him and shrug. “Most times.”
He laughed.
“I’m Tyn, Fein’s Cait Sidhe.”
There was a hint of something in the way he said ‘Fein’s’ that I couldn’t quite figure out. It came out like a soft growl - a warning or a complaint?
I took another step closer to him. He held up his hands.
“No, you absolutely may not use any part of me in your alchemy. Fein sent me by to tell you that he was satisfied with your conduct, and he’ll be keeping you long term. Your assistant will start tomorrow, and you’re to have everything on the list made by midnight tonight.”
“Are you sure I couldn’t use your breath or maybe a couple of hairs…?” I asked with my most charming smile.
He sighed and pushed himself off the doorframe. Fein appeared next to him.
“No, Miss Felis, you may not,” he growled.
I took two steps back without even realising I’d done it. The elf’s eyes flashed and my prey instincts kicked in, screaming at me to run away. Tyn’s fingers brushed over Fein’s, which interestingly made Fein relax instantly, although his mouth remained a rigid line. It seemed that the elf and his Cait Sidhe were very close, and quite the beautiful pair they made, too.
“The list is behind you, Miss Felis. Isla will be here at midnight to collect the items. She will bring you dinner at 6pm. I suggest you get to work,” Fein said coolly.
So much for us being on friendly terms. I smiled and inclined my chin in understanding before I turned and looked for the list in question. I’d expected a few items; four, maximum. It was an entire page worth, and a glance at the clock told me that it was already 4pm.
I muttered a quick prayer to the gods to bless me before I read the list properly.
“Oh, fucking hell,” I said.
I couldn’t help myself. Each item was complicated and intricate. I was going to need a clone or three to get everything done in time.
10
I realised, as I blew a stray curl out of my eyes while trying to balance the fae-fire orb over the small glass beaker that the weaving I was trying to finish was sitting in, that I hadn’t asked Fein about wages or payment. The orb slowly rolled down my fingers and landed directly in the centre of the golden weaving made of celestial essence and drake breath. The bright green fire consumed the weaving in a quick motion that filled the beaker before fading away to reveal a small emerald-and-black stone. I grinned and did a little dance. I’d done it. The god orb, as the ceremonials called it, was a success. The magic rippled below the surface as it settled into its final pattern. Black slid over deep blue, forming thick plates with emerald veins running throughout. The magic was perfect. Assuming the ceremonials didn’t screw something up, then the orb would grab the attention of whichever god they were trying to contact. What the god would do to them was anyone’s guess, and quite frankly I didn’t much care. I wasn’t interested in the gods. Of course, I asked them for a little blessing or guidance now and then, but the idea of really dealing with them didn’t appeal.
It had taken everything I had, but I’d done it. The list was complete, with thirty seconds to spare, no less. The powders, orbs, liquids, and disk all sat on the table closest to the door, ready for Isla to package up.
“I really should have asked about the money,” I said to myself as I cleaned the beaker with drake fire.
It was best to truly purge the glassware; water and soap was good for ceramic, but the glass held onto the magic a little too keenly for that.
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��You will be paid a very generous wage. You will also be given a large expense account and an apartment that you’ll share with your assistant,” Fein said.
I jumped. I may have squeaked too. I’d been so wrapped up in the cleaning of the beaker and my pride at having made the god orb that I hadn’t heard the door open.
Fein was smiling when I turned to face him. His well-tailored suit had been replaced with smart pale pants and a loose shirt that he’d rolled the sleeves up to the elbows on. It showed off his lean form beautifully. I looked away, in case he thought I was staring at his crotch again.
“If you continue to perform at this standard, you’ll also receive a bonus,” he said next to me.
I looked up and wondered how on Earth he’d crossed that space so quickly, and entirely silently. Elves were notoriously light-footed, but he was something else. My heart hammered against my ribs as I looked into those leaf green eyes and wondered just how much of a predator he really was.
“Don’t forget to eat, Miss Felis, you’re no use to anyone if you grow weak from malnutrition,” he said as he handed me a small tart.
I was at a loss for words. I felt like he was playing with me, but I had no idea what the game was. My fingers lingered on his a beat too long as I took the tart from him. His smile broadened a fraction.
“Go to bed, Kaitlyn. You need to be up before 4pm tomorrow to meet your assistant,” he said softly.
I pulled myself together and wished him a good night before trying to calmly walk back to my room.
“Dear gods, what have I got myself into?” I asked myself.
Wispy had been very happy to see me return. He whizzed around the room at high speed, flashing all shades of yellow and orange before he settled under my hair near my left ear. I ran my fingers over his edges and smiled. I’d be lost without my little wisp. I’d stumbled across him when I was in the Scottish Highlands. An earth elemental had gotten into an argument with a nymph that resulted in a bloody fight. They had destroyed a large space of old bog and woodland, and in the process an entire population of wisps. All except my Wispy, that is. It had been a dark and stormy night, lightning streaking across the sky, illuminating my path through the destruction. I had been there to retrieve the ancient bones of a hag, which were said to hold great power. Someone had beaten me to the bones, but a faint light came from the reeds near the hole they had been in. My curiosity got the best of me, and I carefully edged into the reeds, hoping not to sink up to my waist, or worse.