by Holly Evans
“Give me a weapon!” I called out.
The captain threw a long staff with a wide curved blade on the end at me. I caught it and spun around, looking for the gryphon’s next approach. The airship had swung around closer to the earth elementals that were all standing out on the copper roof. The older man working to my right suddenly stopped moving his arms. He stood staring into space with a look of extreme distress on his face. The gryphon dove once more as the airship began plummeting towards the rooves. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.
34
The captain and the woman who had stolen the artifact were both desperately using their air magic to try and get the airship away from the earth elementals. Three of the other elementals were staring numbly at nothing, while the last one was up in the ropes with Tyn, brandishing a wicked-looking blade.
Erin ran across the deck to the closest frozen elemental. She placed her hands on either side of his face.
“The earth elementals are memory merchants. They’re blocking their memories of how to use their air magics!” Erin said.
I was torn between watching her as her entire body relaxed and trying to find a way to take down the gryphon. Her gaze fixed on the eyes of the elemental before her, and she began to sing. It was a soft haunting sound that slithered between my bones and called to something deep within me. I looked away and slashed at the gryphon as it tried to sink its claws into one of the frozen elementals. The blade on the end of my staff cut through the pale feathers on its throat, but I was too slow. I didn’t manage to bury the blade in its flesh. It was distracted, though. It flapped and snapped its large beak at me. I thrust the blade at its throat once again and watched in horror as Tyn dropped from the ropes above and landed on the beast’s back. It shot upwards, screeching as it did so. Tyn clung on and bashed it over the head with his club.
The gryphon swerved and almost unseated Tyn, but he hit it over the head again, causing it to drop from the sky. The elemental Erin had been singing to snapped to and immediately started helping with the air magic that manoeuvred the airship. By some miracle, they moved the ship under Tyn just in time for him to land on his feet, in typical feline style. There were enough elementals working together to get the ship away from the earth elementals and snap the remaining two from their trance. The earth elementals shouted at us, but the crew was back on form, and the airship left Dublin far behind it in only a couple of minutes.
Tyn retreated back to the cabin almost immediately, apparently unscathed. The crew thanked Erin. It was the captain who asked what she’d done.
Erin blushed.
“Really, it was nothing. My mother’s half nymph, she taught me some of their songs. I have enough nymph magic that I could make them focus on me, which formed a mental barrier that drove the memory merchants out,” she said with a small shrug, as though she hadn’t just helped save us.
The crew gathered around her, at least those that could move, and thanked her. I slipped away into the cabin to find Tyn gazing back out of the window as he had been before.
“Are you ok?” I asked.
“I’m not injured. I’ll be glad when we’re off this cursed ship and those assholes stop calling me Kitten,” he said.
I held back my laughter. I had thought only the captain called him Kitten as a term of endearment. I hadn’t realised the entire crew used that instead of his name.
We had spent the rest of the journey texting and emailing our contacts, trying to find out who the buyer of the stone might have been. Tyn was growing increasingly frustrated at being stonewalled, and my people weren’t being much more useful. I’d texted Logan to see if he was having any more luck, but he hadn’t gotten back to me.
Barcelona sprawled out beneath us as the sun was setting. The peaches and oranges of the sunset made the red rooves below us glow. The city was set out in neat and tidy squares so unlike London and Prague. I found myself smiling as Erin was rapt with the view below us. The mountains and greenery were fading out of view as the ship descended closer to the packed streets and gorgeous old buildings. The city had a vibrancy that could easily be addictive. Everything about it felt so alive.
The ship took a sudden turn, and the turquoise sea was suddenly filling the narrow window we were all looking out.
“Sorry, Kitten, last second change of plans. We’re dropping you on the beach,” an older man said.
Tyn didn’t acknowledge him. His body went tense, but he didn’t say a word.
“Time to hop off!” the captain called out a few minutes later.
The airship was hovering over the crisp white beach below. The crew looked exhausted. Dark shadows sat beneath their eyes, and those working had lost the crispness in their hand gestures and motions. It had been a long day.
The captain gestured towards the railing. We were expected to jump overboard. Tyn went first. He swung over the railing and landed six feet below as though he’d done it hundreds of times. He casually strolled up the beach towards the city proper, leaving Erin and me to hop over the railing and scramble after him. I ran up the beach, the sand shifting beneath my feet and making it incredibly difficult.
Tyn paused and smiled at us over his shoulder. “I’ll take you to my favourite tapas place, you’ll love it.”
We caught up with him, and I took a second to take in the city before me. Colour filled the city. The walls of the buildings closest to us were pale apricot with terracotta borders around the windows and door.
“The city is full of dance magicians. Have you seen a dance magician show before?” Tyn asked as he strolled down a narrow road.
“No, I haven’t,” I said, trying to take in every detail.
Black balconies perched outside the higher windows, noise burst out of doorways and windows on either side of us. It sounded so alive. I closed my eyes and breathed in the salt air with the sweet scent of freshly picked orange blossom, such a refreshing change of pace after Reykjavik.
35
We followed Tyn through the narrow streets into the more bustling centre of the city. He got us an outdoor table at a tapas restaurant full of smiling people and laughter. I kept checking my phone, waiting for Logan to get back to me. As much as I was enjoying a little down time, I didn’t want the stone to slip through our fingers. We ordered a range of dishes from paella to razor clams and the most divine acorn-fed ham. I declined offers to partake in wine, instead opting to keep a clear head. Logan finally texted back, saying no one was talking to him, but he could meet us at a dance magician place called El Sol.
Tyn knew the place and wasted no time in paying the bill and taking us there. I hadn’t been able to relax knowing that the stone was so close. We wove our way through the groups of people, many far from sober, and finally reached the dance magician place. It was an open-air affair with tables and chairs sitting below orange trees and bright orange umbrellas that glistened in the firelight of the torches that were dotted around the space. In the centre of it all was a tiled space. I assumed that was where the dance magicians would perform.
I stood looking for Logan among the people around the area. He should have stood out. Being a half incubus, he was strikingly handsome, and his 6’3” frame meant he’d be a head above most of the other people in the city.
“Did you miss me?” a familiar voice whispered huskily in my ear.
Goosebumps ran down my neck where his warm breath curled against my skin. I turned around and wrapped my arms around Logan’s neck with a grin before I leaned in and kissed him with increasing passion. The familiar feeling of calm happiness slipped over me as his strong arms held me close to his firm chest. I was home.
We broke the kiss and smiled at each other, the world around us forgotten for the moment.
“You must be Kaitlyn,” a female voice said.
I glanced over to see a dance magician in a stunning flame-coloured dress with a multitude of layers and ruffles on the skirt, and a tight bodice displaying lots of bare skin. Logan held me close to him as I moved a
round to his side, his hand slipping down to my hip.
“Yes, I’m Kaitlyn,” I said with a broad smile.
The dance magician looked me up and down slowly. Her mouth thinned as her expression showed she found me wanting. I lifted my chin and stroked my fingertips over Logan’s hand, feeling his warm, soothing magic slide over my skin. It reminded me of a hearth fire during the middle of winter.
“So, you’re the mysterious woman he hasn’t stopped talking about,” she said with a smirk.
I had no come-back. Logan and I didn’t usually interact with each other’s lovers. She snorted and rolled her eyes before she vanished into the crowd.
“You must be Logan, Kaitlyn’s friend with many benefits. I’m Tyn.” Tyn extended his hand and held Logan’s gaze as he introduced himself.
Logan shook Tyn’s hand and released me. “A pleasure, I’m sure.”
“And this is Erin,” I said, gesturing for Erin to come and meet Logan.
She blushed as Logan appraised her. “I’ve heard many complimentary things about you, Erin. I fear Kit held out on me.”
Erin’s blush deepened as she looked away. Tyn shook his head and laughed to himself.
“I see you’re as bad as she is,” Tyn said, tilting his chin at me.
“Bad’s a matter of perspective,” Logan said with a smile.
The dance magicians began making their way into the square.
“I have a table, you don’t want to miss this,” Logan said.
“Then we talk business,” Tyn said.
“Of course,” Logan replied as he guided me between the people and the tables to a small square table with a perfect view over the square.
Logan pulled me into his lap as he sat on the bare wooden chair. Erin sat next to me, her eyes fixed on the dancers as they formed a loose circle. The women wore tight-bodiced dresses with multitudes of flame-coloured layers that rippled in the light breeze. The men wore tight pitch-coloured pants and bold purple and blue silk shirts with long white and silver ribbons dangling from their wrists. A beat came from somewhere. It filled the air, and I found myself unable to look away from the dancers as they began. They started with small subtle movements, the bold fabrics and ribbons catching the light like sparks. Their motions increased in tempo until they were twirling and spinning between and around each other. Arms reached skywards and ribbons fluttered, their faces entirely blank, lost to the dance.
A feeling of increasing happiness swelled within me. I felt as though I was watching something far more than an intricate dance. Love was blooming somewhere before me, the delicate sensation of hope and potential blossoming into a rich passion and intense lust before suddenly, it was over. The crowd erupted into a standing ovation as the dancers bowed and smiled at their audience. The feeling of happiness remained firmly rooted in my mind. I couldn’t shift the broad smile from my face or the feeling of hope and excitement at what could happen.
Logan nibbled down my throat and gave me a gentle smile that softened his silvery green eyes making me melt into him with a contented sigh. I knew it was the magic, but that didn’t make it feel any less real.
36
We remained in a happy haze for some ten minutes before Logan took us to the hotel. It was a small hotel with sweeping archways and flames dancing in alchemically refined glass. The shadows skittered into the corners and soft rose light filtered through the tinted windows giving the space a feeling of gentle warmth.
“I got two rooms. I assumed you two were ok sharing.” Logan gestured to Erin and Tyn. “Separate beds,” he said.
Erin blushed and looked down and away for a moment. Tyn said nothing, instead looking pointedly at the elevator buttons.
“We have business to be getting on with,” he said.
Logan’s thumb rubbed small circles over my hip.
“Are you always this… focused?” Logan asked.
Tyn smirked. “When there’s a deadline.”
“How are we going to find who the buyers are?” Erin asked.
“That’s a very good question,” I said.
We’d all been through our contacts and had no luck getting anyone to talk. The stone was too valuable. People didn’t want to give up that chance. Logan gave her his most charming smile.
“Someone knows something, and we’re going to coax that information out of them.” The words sounded sinful.
I elbowed him.
“Don’t be cruel,” I hissed.
It wasn’t fair of him to use his incubus charm on her. He didn’t have the full charm, as he wasn’t pure-blooded, but he had enough to get what he wanted out of people most of the time.
Erin raised an eyebrow at him and held his gaze.
“I may blush easily, but I’m not that easy,” she said coolly.
Logan grinned. “I like her.”
“Don’t we all,” Tyn said before he stepped out of the elevator into a wide terracotta coloured hallway. “Which are our rooms?”
“At the end, there,” Logan said, pointing to the doors near the intricate stained-glass window depicting a pair of dancers in their full finery.
The dancers appeared to move as the light came through the glass and our angle shifted due to movement. I wondered what type of magic they’d woven into it. Illusion was the obvious choice, but it could have a thread of life magic in there, too.
“Kit, you are not dismantling that window,” Logan said with a soft growl.
I gave him my best puppy eyes.
“I wouldn’t have to dismantle it entirely…” I tried.
He held me closer to him and guided me into his room. I wouldn’t have dismantled it, I just wanted to run my fingers over it, but it was fun to play the game.
“You didn’t say you had someone hidden in here,” Tyn said cautiously.
I wondered what he was talking about before I heard the quiet footsteps approaching us from within the room. Logan slammed his hand against the light switch. Nothing happened. Tyn pushed past me and disappeared into the dimly lit room. My eyes seemed to be taking forever to adapt to the darkness. Logan left my side, and Erin moved past me. Each of them had some animal with night-vision in their heritage.
Something crashed, the sound quickly followed by a yelp of pain and annoyance. I put Wispy’s cage down and popped a steel dragon capsule into my mouth. They were something I’d created after I got into a particularly nasty fight on one of my early hunts in Bolivia. I had taken to keeping a trio of capsules on my belt, just in case. The feeling of armour spreading over my entire body and energy flooding my system filled me. They’d burn through my energy within five minutes, but until then I’d be faster, stronger, and immune to blades and fire. My skin had been covered in a substance that looked like steel dragon scales.
I saw outlines fighting. Someone rushed me. Slender hands tried to claw my throat, but they couldn’t gain purchase against the smooth scales. I drove my knee into their stomach, causing them to double up. I took advantage and smashed my knee into the bridge of their nose. They coughed and spluttered for a brief second before punching me in the stomach.
My uncle had been careful to train me in a number of different fighting styles. If I was going to travel the world alone dealing with the gods only knew what, I was going to be able to defend myself, he always said. I aimed for the joints with quick strikes and kept moving around my attacker, pushing them off balance and refusing to allow them to root themselves in a solid stance. They were tough. I felt their ribs break, and the punishing blows to their knees would have taken a weaker being down.
I finally had an opportunity to punch them in the throat, followed rapidly by a hard kick to the temple. They went limp almost instantly. The room before me was in complete chaos. Erin had subdued her attacker and had them pinned down with what appeared to be a chair leg to their throat. Logan and Tyn worked as a team and delivered the final blows to a hulking beast of a man. Tyn broke the man’s good wrist before he slashed open his stomach, and Logan kicked his ribs so hard I he
ard them crack from across the room.
The lights came on the moment the huge man dropped. He must have been weaving some form of energy block that stopped the electricity from functioning in the room.
“Everyone ok?” Logan asked, looking around.
I gasped as the scales disintegrated, leaving me on the edge of consciousness. It was always brutal using the capsules. Logan ran over to me and scooped me into his arms before he placed me on the bed and thrust a dense chocolate bar at me.
“Eat,” he commanded.
I bit into the rich chocolate and smiled as I felt the threads of life energy caress my tongue and bring me back from the brink of blacking out.
“We’ve talked about those capsules, Kit,” Logan growled.
“I don’t have your size advantage,” I reminded him.
I looked over to see Erin prodding the woman she’d pinned with the chair leg.
“Who are you and what were you doing here?” she demanded.
The woman bared her bloody and broken teeth at Erin. Erin jabbed her with the pointy end of the broken chair leg and caused the woman to gasp and try to squirm away.
“I’d answer her, if I were you,” Tyn said calmly.
The woman spat in Tyn’s direction. Erin jabbed her again. The woman was beginning to bleed heavily from her numerous wounds.
“Sayen sent us. We were supposed to stop you from getting to the auction tomorrow night,” she said between wheezing breaths.
Erin glared at the woman and went to poke her again. Logan put his hand on her arm to stop her.
“Tell us about this auction,” Logan demanded.
The woman looked between Erin and Logan.
“Eleven tomorrow night. Only the wealthiest can get in. At the plaza.”
With that, she slipped from consciousness, and Erin tossed the chair leg aside.