by Sarah Noffke
The flying horses landed gracefully inside the Precinct of Mut. Sari didn’t take the hand that Reynolds offered when she dismounted. The truth was that flying all day and searching for the missing Book of the Dead pages had worn her out, but no way in hell was she going to show it.
“Sari, the sun is setting,” Gillian said, striding over. He had nearly fallen to the ground when he got off his own mount. Blisters was a better size for Gillian, but the gnome had jumped at the chance to ride the mysterious winged horse.
Sari scrunched her nose at the gnome. “Dear Gillian, I’m old, but I’m not senile. I’m well aware that night is quickly approaching.”
“Then you’re aware that when night falls vampires come out,” Gillian stated.
“What?” Sari asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “These vampires you’re referring to…they won’t hurt us, will they?”
Gillian pulled off his bowler hat and wiped his brow with his handkerchief. “I’m just not sure this is worth the risk. We can continue searching tomorrow.”
“We’re already here. Last site for the day, I promise,” Sari said. The three had been searching pyramids and other ancient New Egyptian sites all day. The truth was that Sari was starting to worry that the lost pages were on Earth, which meant she wasn’t going to be able to help Azure find them. The trip to the Precinct of Mut had taken longer than Sari had expected, and she knew that Gillian was right to be worried. As soon as the sun set, the desert would be crawling with vampires.
“Let’s be fast,” Reynolds said, striding for the Mut temple.
They left the Pegasi by the Sacred Lake, which was shaped like the letter “C” and surrounded by trees. It would provide a bit of relief for the animals, which had been flying for most of the day.
The Precinct of Mut was located next to Djoser’s Pyramid, which would have to be searched as well. Sari shivered at the idea of entering another dusty old pyramid. They’d been in so many labyrinths of tunneled chambers that day; she was quite tired of trespassing on burial sites. She much preferred the open temples comprised of statues and columns.
“This temple is fitting for you,” Reynolds said as they entered the stone structure.
“I’m certain you’re trying to bait me by piquing my interest,” Sari said, her voice flat.
Reynolds’ long black robe billowed behind him as he strode past engraved columns that soared high into the sky. “That I am. Mut was the Mother Goddess, and was married to Amun Ra, the King of Gods.”
“She was also mother to Khonsu, the god of the moon,” Gillian said, disappearing behind a statue of a lion-headed goddess.
“Why is that important?” Gran asked, staring up at the statue of Sekhmet. Similar statues littered the temple.
“Because Khonsu sought to create balance with the vampires, so he created werewolves. They were to be the vampires’ natural enemy, corralling them one night of the month during the full moon. A werewolf’s bite is deadly to a vampire, you know,” Gillian said, walking back around the statue.
“So Ra, the sun god, made it so that vampires could only go out at night? And then Khonsu decided that on one of those nights each month they’d be hunted by werewolves?” Sari shook her head. “If I didn’t loathe the monsters I’d feel sorry for them. They can’t catch a break.”
“Yes, the Egyptian gods worked worked hard to create limitations for the vampires,” Gillian said, disappearing behind a column.
“If they hadn’t, there would be no stopping vampires. They’d be too powerful. Then we’d have no magic left on Oriceran,” Reynolds said.
“And now we’re that much closer to protecting that magic,” Gillian said, coming around the other side of the column holding a thick piece of parchment.
Sari’s mouth popped open. “Is that…”
Gillian nodded. “Yes, it’s one of the lost pages from the Book of the Dead.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The beast caught his prey’s smell as soon as she left the castle, and he left the carcass he’d been devouring. The zombie’s hunger was strongest when he was stalking the girl. It owned him all the time now.
Wiping the blood off his chin, the zombie narrowed his eyes at the figures emerging from the castle. He hadn’t dared enter the high-walled structure; the smell of the dragons had been a natural deterrent. Instead he’d waited. The girl wouldn’t always be guarded, and when she was finally alone he’d strike, then end his own suffering by bringing her to his master.
The zombie sank his teeth back into the flesh of the animal he’d killed for one last bite before staggering after the three, although he kept his distance.
~~~
Azure’s eyes watered from the candles burning on the table in front of them, which gave off wisps of smoke. Needless to say, she’d had her fill of smoke and heat for the day. And meat…
The inn where they were staying was run by a surprisingly nice family of weremice. They had treated the group differently than others in Lancothy, offering a level of hospitality that had worried Azure at first. When she’d been hesitant, the mother of the family, who had over a dozen children scurrying around, gave her a sympathetic smile.
“We are often treated poorly by our own people,” the weremouse explained. “They think we’re weak, especially the predators. That’s why we prefer to keep to ourselves on the outskirts here.”
It appeared that the hierarchy of the animal kingdom operated strongly in Lancothy. Strange that they locked themselves away from prejudice but kept it alive in their segregated population.
“They flat out said no?” Azure asked, staring at the salad in front of her. When the weremouse informed Azure they didn’t serve meat and apologized, she quickly put any worries to rest. Salad was just fine.
“Well, I believe the wereturtles’ exact words were, ‘We’ve heard your request, but we cannot honor it,’ which pretty much sounds like no to me,” Monet told her, staring at his own salad like he was hoping it would turn into a thick steak.
Azure pushed up from the small table. The group was a bit cramped in the two-room cottage, but they’d be safe for the night—which was all that mattered. Oak and the dragons were secure in the barn. Micky had looked back several times when Azure had departed for the house, but there was no room for the dragon in the cottage and she couldn’t remain outside without provoking the werewolves. This was a chance Azure had to take, and even Oak knew that.
She moved to the window that looked out over the rolling hills. “Why do they have to be so stubborn.? Without the officials’ help we’re not going to be able to guard the bats. Don’t they see that their own fear will cause their downfall?”
“There’s nothing to fear but fear itself,” Ever said, watching Azure as she stalked back and forth in front of the window.
“That’s good,” Monet told him. “I’m totally stealing that line from you.”
“You’re not stealing it from me, you’re stealing it from Franklin D. Roosevelt,” Ever informed him.
Monet opened his mouth to ask a question, but he shook his head. “Another Earth thing, I’m assuming. If I were you, I’d just take credit for all this stuff. We wouldn’t be the wiser.”
Ever pursed his lips and shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. No legacy is so rich as honesty.”
Azure liked those words and the way they were strung together. “Who said that?”
Ever turned and gave her a look of offense. “I just did, My Queen.”
“I’m sorry,” Azure said, with a slight smile. “I just figured…”
“Well, my point is that honesty is the best policy,” Ever said.
“I like the way you put that, although I wholeheartedly disagree,” Monet said.
Azure leaned over and picked up Finswick, who’d spent the day hunting men the size of thimbles. Most in the group hadn’t believed him when he’d told the story, but Azure knew he wasn’t lying.
“How many bats did you find?” Azure asked Laurel.
&
nbsp; “A whole whopping three,” Laurel said, massaging her back. She’d apparently taken a series of falls.
“There have to be more than that in those caves,” Azure said, absentmindedly twirling her wand in her fingers.
“I’m sure there are,” Manx said. He was in fox form, sitting on the wide window seat. “And we would have found them if someone hadn’t distracted us with a tall tale about a shadow self that was trying to kill him.”
“I wasn’t lying,” Blisters cried from his place in front of the fire. He looked more defeated than Azure had ever seen him, and he’d lost his usual perkiness. “You should have seen him. He was black, with a black mane and tail. His horn was even black. And his eyes were—”
“Black…yes, we get it,” Manx said, cutting him off. “Unicorns come in all different colors, just like pookas.”
“That’s the thing. Unicorns aren’t black,” Blisters said.
“Yes, and I was lying. Pookas are only black. It’s a rule,” Manx said.
“But a rose of any other color would still smell as sweet,” Ever said, leaning back in his seat and intertwining his hands behind his head.
“I’m not sure what roses have to do with anything,” Monet said, pushing his untouched salad away.
They hadn’t made nearly enough progress today. The bats weren’t secure, the officials of Lancothy were unwilling to listen to reason, and a zombie was hunting Azure. She looked down at Finswick, seeing something in his hair. Gingerly she picked out a little piece of cloth that was tangled into his black and white fur. It was a hat…from a brownie.
“Ever, do you think you could take me to Las Vegas?” Azure asked.
He looked up at her, his forehead creasing. “You’re in a mood to gamble and get an STD, huh?”
“What? And what?” Azure asked. “No, I was told that I could find a woman in Las Vegas who might be able to help me with the containing spell. I still need to capture the essence of true love for Oak.”
Ever thought for a moment. “I guess we can go tonight. I could open a portal inside the cottage.”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Monet said, standing. “Are there cheese and meat in this Las Wegas place?”
An amused smile spread across Ever’s mouth. “There are buffets of cheese, meat, and everything else you can dream of in Las Vegas.”
“Then I’m going too. I’m famished from defeating werebears and tolerating slow-ass wereturtles,” Monet said.
“And as a bonus, there will be more room in this cramped cottage,” Manx said, standing and morphing into his dog form.
~~~
Now was the time—she was away from the dragon. The zombie staggered across the grounds. The locks on the doors of the cottage couldn’t keep him out. Nothing could.
The hunger overwhelmed him now, clawing at his insides, but soon it would be over. One bite—that was all it would take. Then he would carry the girl back to his master. He could walk through fire. Conquer any enemy. Completing his mission would give him the strength.
A howl ripped through the night but the zombie ignored it, having finally arrived at the thick wooden door of the cottage. He wrapped his gray fingers around the handle. His super-strength would aid him now. A pull or two and the lock would be no more.
The howling came again, closer now. Something sped past the zombie’s back, and he swung around. The field was empty and dark…except for two red eyes.
“Argh,” the zombie yelled, ambling away from the door. Nothing could keep him from his prey. He’d end this distraction swiftly.
Two more pairs of eyes blinked at him a few yards away. The werewolves stepped into the light cast by the cottage’s windows and crouched, teeth bared, growling deep in their throats.
“Argh,” the zombie roared, launching himself at the first werewolf. His hand went for the beast’s eyes, his teeth for its throat. Nothing could hold him back, not even werewolves, but at that moment the ground shook under his feet, knocking both him and the beast off-balance.
The other werewolves pounced on them and tore into the zombie, who clawed at the monsters, kicking and punching even as they tore him limb from limb. The fight to stay whole was all the zombie could focus on, so he didn’t realize that Lancothy was violently shaking, readying to implode.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Azure barely registered the ground shaking under her feet as she stepped through the portal holding hands with Monet and Ever. She spun around, but its light was already disappearing.
“What was that?” she asked the two guys.
“I’m not sure,” Ever said, his face conveying his worry.
“Maybe it was nothing,” Monet insisted, but he hadn’t been there the last time they were in Lancothy. When they had attacked the werewolves, the mountain had begun to shake. It was a part of the curse—harm the werewolves and the mountain destroyed itself. The shaman had thought of everything.
“Let’s just get what we came for and return as soon as possible,” Azure said, heading toward a small building with a sign that read Graceland Wedding Chapel. She knew that opening portals wasn’t easy, and returning to Lancothy before they had gotten what she needed would be a waste. Monet might be right, too. The shaking could have just been a result of opening the portal.
A woman with a beehive of gray hair greeted Azure when she entered the chapel. “Welcome, y’all. Blessed day, isn’t it?”
A quick smile flicked to Azure’s mouth. “Yes, it is. Excuse me, but we’re—”
The woman ran her eyes over Ever and her smile widened. “Here to get married. You’re in the right place. I’d put a ring on this one’s finger too, if I were you.”
Heat warmed Azure’s cheeks. Shaking her head, she said, “No, we’re not getting married. Actually—”
The woman’s grin dropped. She took a quick glance at Monet and shook her head. “You two are getting married, then?”
“Fuck, no,” Monet spat.
The woman nodded, relief on her face. “Yes, I didn’t peg you two as a couple. Friends…that was my guess. And blue and green hair would never work together. Now blue and black, that’s a fine match. I’ve found that—”
“Actually, we’re in a hurry. We’re looking for Dolly. Are you her?” Azure interrupted. She suspected the woman would go on and on about what physical traits worked best together for couples.
The woman tilted her head to the side. “Dolly? No, I’m not her. She’s at her other job.”
Great, now they had to go on a wild gremlin chase for this love expert.
“Where can we find her?” Ever asked.
“Dolly tends bar at Rick’s,” the woman said.
“Rick’s?” Azure asked, thinking she ought to know this reference.
“Of course. You’ve got to check out Rick’s Rollin’ Smoke and Barbeque,” the woman said, pointing in its general direction.
“Now we’re talking. Drinks and meat,” Monet said, looking at the ceiling, hands pressed together and gratitude on his face.
Azure thanked the woman and sped out the door.
~~~
“So Lost Vegas seems like my kind of place,” Monet said as they found a spot at the crowded bar. Rick’s was loud and filled with customers, many of them vying for the attention of the bartenders.
Azure discreetly pointed her wand under her robes at a woman tending bar. She had short black hair cut into a bob, and tattoos covering one arm. Unlike the coven’s tattoos in New Egypt, hers were colorful and not comprised of ancient symbols. A gnome covered the top of one arm, and a giant heart with an arrow through it took up the other. She guessed this was her witch.
The woman spun around before Azure could place a summoning charm on her. “Oh, no! There will be no magic in my bar.”
Azure had heard the woman, but most were too engaged in their conversations to have made out what she said. Sinking back an inch with an apologetic expression, Azure put her wand away. “I’m sorry. We’re in a hurry. Are you Dolly?”
The woman
strode over, tossing three cardboard coasters in front of them. “That I am, and you’re a witch.”
“Yes, and I need your help,” Azure said, keeping her voice down.
“First, what can I get you and your Light Elf friend to drink?” the woman asked, her hand on her hip.
“Hey, what about me?” Monet asked, offended.
Dolly winked at him. “Oh, wizard, I already know what you want. Something strong. Coming right up.”
“I think I’m in love,” Monet said, leaning forward with a gooey look in his eyes.
“You wouldn’t be the first. Bad boys fall for me faster than a Vegas wedding,” Dolly said, turning over a glass and filling it with ice.
“We actually don’t have time for a drink. Thank you, though,” Azure said, her words rushed.
Dolly waved her off, filling two more glasses with ice. “You always have time for a drink, and by the looks of it you need one. I’ll get you three of our specials while you talk.”
“This is my dream girl,” Monet said, elbowing Azure in the side.
“Pedgit, the brownie who used to clean your house, sent me to you,” Azure began.
Dolly looked up from the shaker she was filling with various types of alcohol. “Brownie? I had one of those lovely creatures to thank for my tidy house?”
“Yes,” Azure said quickly, “but he said the desert didn’t agree with him.”
“So that’s why my place is messier these days. I thought it was just that my current old man is a pig,” Dolly said with a laugh. As she shook the ingredients, Azure noticed more tattoos on the underside of her arm. A list of names, it appeared, but most were crossed out.
“Sounds like you need to ditch that ham and get with a real wizard,” Monet said, leaning forward on the bar.
“Honey, I would, but I’d only break your heart,” Dolly said, pouring the drinks.
“That works, because I don’t have one,” Monet said.
Azure bumped her shoulder into him, taking back the conversation. “Pedgit said you were a love expert and could tell me how to contain the essence of true love.”