Avenge (Malice #2)

by Amity Hope

  “I’m going to bring this,” Alex held up the jar, “to Jude’s parents. I’ll feel better as soon as it’s in their possession.”

  “Right now?” Daphne asked. “It’s already so late.”

  “Trust me, they won’t care,” I said. “They’ll just be thrilled that they’re one step closer to getting their son back.”

  “I’ll pack up for you,” Finola offered. “So you can get going.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked.

  “We’ll help,” I said. “You’re right. You should get Jude back to his parents.”

  “I can give Finola a ride home,” Daphne offered.

  Alex didn’t argue. He said his goodbyes and headed off across the cemetery. The four of us quickly packed everything up, carefully placing the spell casting supplies back into his backpack. When everything was stored away Finola hoisted the backpack onto her shoulders.

  “Now what?” Riley asked. Her head swiveled from one side to the other as she took in the three of us.

  “Now? I’m going home,” I said.

  “Oh.” The disappointment in her tone was obvious.

  “I’m wiped out,” Daphne said.

  “Me too,” Finola agreed.

  “All right then. I’ll see you later?” Riley asked.

  “Of course,” Finola said.

  We began walking toward the wrought iron gates on the backside of the cemetery. We were all emotionally exhausted and we walked in silence. Daphne and Finola veered off toward Daphne’s vehicle. Riley had parked right next to my Mercury Comet.

  “Riley,” I said as she headed toward her own car. She turned to me, a questioning look on her face. “Thanks for your help.”

  She beamed at me. “No problem. And, Sam, don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. We’ll get Tristan back. I promise.”

  I just nodded. Without warning my throat had become so clogged with tears that I wasn’t able to speak.

  Chapter 2

  “I can’t decide what I think of Riley,” Daphne said as she edged into the booth at The Rush, our favorite place to go after school. “One minute she’s driving me absolutely mad. The next moment, I find myself wanting to hug the girl.”

  “She is rather…chipper sometimes,” Finola said as she reached for her caffeine laden drink.

  The three of us were dragging today. I, for one, was feeling a bit out of sorts. After the excitement in the cemetery last night, I’d had a hard time falling asleep. Judging by my friends weary faces, I wasn’t alone. Typically I’d opt for a hot chocolate or a smoothie this late in the day but I’d followed Finola’s lead and ordered a drink heavy on the natural stimulants.

  “But without her, we wouldn’t have gotten into Jude’s locker,” I said. “And if we hadn’t gotten in, we wouldn’t have gotten that little trinket of his. And without that…”

  “We get the picture,” Daphne agreed. “I know we need her. She was useful before and she’ll probably be useful again before this is all over.”

  “She’s not so bad,” Finola said kindly. “I mean, she can be a bit much. But she could be so much worse.”

  Daphne sighed as she leaned back in the booth. “So what’s next?” She kept her voice low as her eyes scanned the normal after school crowd. As usual, no one was paying any attention to us. That’s exactly how we wanted it.

  Finola bit her lip nervously as she glanced at me. “I’m still working on a potion for finding Tristan. His physical form.”

  I nodded because this wasn’t news.

  “And I’ve asked Riley to see if she could come up with a spell that might work.”

  That was news to me. I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on the table. “Does she think she can find something? Does she have any ideas?” The hope in my voice was obvious. I knew that Finola wasn’t having much luck. She was an expert with potions. But she hadn’t found a potion that would work for locating someone.

  A spell on the other hand…

  “She’s looking into it,” Finola said cautiously.

  “And?” Daphne pressed.

  “I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves, but she sounded pretty optimistic.”

  I closed my eyes and blew out a deep breath.

  “That’s not saying much,” Daphne said. “The girl is always optimistic.”

  “I think we need some optimism right now,” I countered.

  “In that case, things are looking up. Everything is coming together.” Daphne nodded, as if agreeing with herself as she spoke.

  “Now if The Council would just find Levi,” Finola muttered. “That would be one less thing to worry about.”

  “If Alex could only find Tristan’s spirit,” I said, trying to keep my voice light but failing, “that would also be one less thing to worry about.”

  “Hang in there, Sam,” Finola said. “Alex is good at what he does. He’s never worked with a Striga before. But he’ll figure it out. I know he will.”

  “I hope Cecily can find something that will work with Alex’s spell,” I said. I had stopped by their cottage before school. It had felt odd doing so. For the last year I’d been picking up Tristan so we could ride together. It felt strange stopping to talk to Cecily and not walking out with Tristan.

  She knew we were trying to track Tristan down. While Tristan wasn’t really her grandson, Mom and I were the only people in town that knew that. Not that it mattered. She loved him as if he were her own. She was willing to help us in any way she could.

  “I’m sure she’ll have something for you in no time,” Finola assured.

  “I haven’t seen Alex today,” I said. “Did everything go okay with Jude’s family last night?”

  Finola nodded. “It did. He’s meeting with The Council right now.”

  “Oooh,” Daphne said with a wince. “That sounds serious.”

  “Not really. They just wanted to hear how things went last night,” Finola explained. “So far they’re really happy with the work he’s done.”

  “They should be. He’s been amazing,” I told her.

  “How is Magnolia doing?” Daphne asked.

  “She’s doing okay,” I said.

  Being kidnapped by Levi and then held in a mausoleum would leave anyone traumatized. Especially a six year old. Finola had created a potion for Mom to give my sister. It made her memory of the time she spent with Levi fuzzy. It didn’t wipe the memory completely though. And until Levi was caught, I was pretty sure that no one in our family would completely relax.

  “Actually,” I conceded, “she’s not doing that great. She’s pretty much afraid of her own shadow. She’s afraid Levi’s going to show up at the door. To be honest, I think Mom’s worried about that as well. My aunt offered—almost insisted, really—that we take an extended vacation. She wants us to stay with her and my uncle until Levi is caught.”

  “Do you really think Levi is a concern, still? To your family, I mean?” Daphne asked.

  I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. He got what he wanted from Magnolia. Or at least he had it in his possession.” Tristan had shattered the vial containing my sister’s magic. “I don’t think she’d be of any use to him right now. And without Magnolia’s magic, I’m sure I wouldn’t be of much use to him either. I think we’re safe.” I said it with more conviction than I felt.

  “Wait,” Finola said. “Did you say that your aunt wants all of you to stay with her?”

  I nodded glumly. “Yes.”

  Daphne and Finola both gave me questioning looks.

  “Are you going?” Daphne finally asked.

  “She’d like me to go. I don’t want to.” It was the short answer to a complex question. The last few days Mom had been insisting that we go. She was ready to leave in a matter of days. I had not been left out of the equation. There had been several tense discussions on the matter.

  I couldn’t possibly leave. Not when my friends were in the middle of tracking down Tristan. I needed to be here for that. I needed to help in any way I co
uld. Traveling halfway across the country, running from the problem, it just wasn’t something I could fathom doing.

  “What does that mean?” Finola wanted to know. “Are you going or not?”

  “I’m not,” I said firmly. “Mom just doesn’t know that yet.”

  “Oh, I see,” Finola said.

  “You could stay with me,” Daphne said.

  “Or me,” Finola added.

  “Or we could both stay with you at The Bella Luna,” Daphne offered. “Would that make her feel better about letting you stay in Granite Falls?”

  “I don’t think she’ll let the three of us stay there, alone,” I admitted. “But I’ll have to figure something out because there’s no way I’m leaving town right now.”

  “Of course you’re not! Why would you?” Riley asked as she slid into the seat across from me. She glanced around at the three of us. “Oh…is it okay if I join you?” A little wrinkle of concern appeared between her brows.

  “Sure,” Daphne said while Finola and I nodded.

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” I tacked on.

  “In fact, I’m really glad you’re here,” Daphne said.

  Riley beamed at her. “Really?”

  Daphne nodded. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.” Riley looked at her expectantly. “I was hoping you would help me with my spell casting. You’re so good at it. I’m not. I think I could learn a lot from you.”

  Riley’s smile faltered. She bit her lip as she leaned back in the booth. Slowly, she shook her head. “I don’t think I can.”

  “What?” Daphne laughed as if she thought Riley was teasing her. “Of course you can! I’m a fast learner, I promise. It’s just that I’ve never really applied myself before. But, you know, with everything going on, I thought it would be prudent to learn. So of course I thought of you because you’re the best.”

  Riley blushed at the compliment but her smile did not return. “Thank you for thinking that. I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I have no idea how to teach someone else. I taught myself. And by that, I mean I practiced. A lot. I still practice a lot.” She dropped her gaze to the drink she’d placed on the table. She began fidgeting with the edges of the napkin it was resting on.

  While her attention was diverted, Finola, Daphne and I shared a confused look. We had all assumed she’d be willing to help. Usually she was so eager. Her hesitation was uncharacteristic and befuddling.

  “Here’s the thing,” she said when she lifted her gaze, “I’ll cast whatever spell you need cast. I’ll help in any way I can. I mean, other than trying to teach you. All you have to do is ask. But teaching you? It’s just not something I feel comfortable with.”

  “Okay,” Daphne said slowly. She frowned as if she were having trouble wrapping her head around what Riley was saying.

  “Oh, shoot!” Riley exclaimed. She jumped up from the booth. “I forgot. There’s somewhere I’m supposed to be right now. I’ve got to run.”

  “But—” Daphne started.

  “Seriously, I have to go,” Riley said. She grabbed her drink, spun on her heel, tossed a wave over her shoulder and she was gone.

  We all stared after her in stunned silence.

  Finola was the one to speak first.

  “Is it just me or was that über weird?” she asked.

  “It was not you. That was über weird,” Daphne said in a flat tone.

  We turned to the window that overlooked the street and the adjacent parking lot. Riley was hopping into her car.

  “I don’t mean this unkindly,” Finola said, “but usually we have a hard time getting rid of her.”

  “Was it something I said?” Daphne wondered.

  “I guess she just really doesn’t want to help you with your spell casting,” I announced.

  “Why the heck not?” Daphne demanded.

  Finola shrugged. “Maybe she’s afraid you’ll get really good at it. And that we won’t need her anymore.”

  Daphne and I thought that over.

  “That could be it,” I said.

  Riley had seemed thrilled when we included her in our group. Maybe Finola was right. Maybe she wanted to keep her spell casting ability to herself. It set her apart. It assured her that we would need her again.

  “On the other hand she does have a point,” Finola said. “Casting spells is kind of a personal thing. I’m not so sure that you can really teach it to someone. It pulls from our intrinsic magic. It would make sense that only practice can perfect it.”

  “I guess,” Daphne muttered.

  “It’s not like potion making where you can have your temperature too hot or too cold. Or where some substitutions work well while others are disastrous. Those are things that can be taught. Casting spells, pulling the power up from within yourself…? Not so much,” Finola said.

  “Well then,” Daphne said, “I guess I’ll just have to figure it out on my own.”

  “Hey, ladies, care if I join you?”

  I turned to see Alex standing next to our booth.

  “Have a seat,” Finola said as she scooted over to make room for him.

  “How did your meeting go?” Daphne asked.

  Alex scanned the small crowd that was speckled throughout The Rush. He seemed to be taking in every face.

  I waved my hand discreetly through the air, containing my aura as I did so. I wanted to put up a privacy shield, but didn’t want to draw attention to us in doing so. That would almost defeat the purpose. It took a bit more effort to conceal my aura, rather than letting the bit of cobalt blue shine through as the magic spilled from me.

  “No one can hear us,” I told our group when I was sure the shield was in place.

  “Alex?” Finola pressed.

  He returned his gaze to her. “What? Oh, yeah. The meeting. It was okay. I met with Councilwoman Lebeau herself. She was as prickly as always. But she did thank me for my services.”

  “Do they have any news on Tristan and Jude?” I asked. The moment the question was out, I knew I shouldn’t have asked. If there was news, Alex would’ve likely been bursting to share it.

  He shook his head. “Sorry, Sam. I asked. Either they honestly don’t know, or they’re refusing to tell.”

  “So what’s bothering you then?” Finola asked.

  “What do you mean?” He frowned at her.

  She pointed to the napkin he’d meticulously shredded to bits without even realizing it. He hurriedly brushed the bits into a neat little pile. Then he tucked his hands under the table, as if afraid they’d continue to give his nervousness away.

  I realized he was scanning The Rush again.

  “Who are you looking for?” I whispered.

  He glanced my way and shook his head. “I wish I knew.” He leaned across the table so he was closer to Daphne and I. Finola followed his movement. “I don’t really think we should be talking in public anymore. I saw a file. It was left on The Councilwoman’s desk when she was called out of the office for a moment.”

  “And…?” Daphne impatiently prodded.

  “And there was this odd note on the side. It said ‘Estimated Strigan population of Granite Falls: seventy-six’.”

  The three of us stared at him for a second.

  “Seventy-six?” Daphne whispered loudly.

  “Estimated,” he clarified.

  In the town with a population of roughly fifteen thousand, that number didn’t sound like a whole lot. On the other hand, when we’d been led to believe that the Striga were dying out, seventy-six sounded like an awful lot.

  I rubbed my forehead. I couldn’t help but wonder if Tristan was one of the estimated. Did The Council know about him? If they knew that he was Striga, did they know what else he was hiding?

  “Do you know what’s odd about that?” Finola asked.

  “That there are Striga in our town?” Daphne sarcastically guessed.

  Finola shook her head. “No. What I find odd is that Granite Falls has a relatively low crime rate. When is the last time y
ou heard of black magic being used here? Aside from what Levi did?”

  “Um, never?” Daphne guessed again. “Because in most cases it’s punishable by death.”

  We all thought about that for a moment. All Strigan magic was considered dark magic. It was only considered black magic when certain lines were crossed. However, we’d all grown up thinking that black magic for the Strigan population was the norm.

  I did not like thinking about black magic in relation to Tristan. But the truth was, he was capable of it. The thought that he could make a misstep and face a punishment by death made me nauseous.

  Not that I thought he would do that. He was very cautious with his magic. He would never do it on purpose, but on accident—or in self-defense, even—I couldn’t let my mind go there.

  “What I’m saying,” Finola proceeded to explain, “is that they must be keeping pretty low-key.”

  “That would make sense, if they’re in hiding,” Daphne agreed.

  “What else did this file say?” I asked Alex.

  “It seems odd she was careless enough to leave it out,” Daphne said.

  Alex’s ears reddened. “Fine. She didn’t exactly leave it out. I may have done a bit of looking around. I thought maybe they had more information on Tristan and Jude than they let on. And they may, but I didn’t find anything. She had stuffed the file under a stack of binders. She probably didn’t think she’d be called out of the room. I was able to flip the file open. There was a list of names but I didn’t get a chance to read it because I heard her coming back.”

  “So that number might not be just a guess. It sounds like they have an actual list to substantiate it,” Finola said.

  “Right. I don’t know for a fact but I wonder if they suspect that one or more of those people helped Levi,” Alex guessed.

  “Are you sure you didn’t see any of the names?” Daphne asked.

  “Do they know about…?” I trailed off, sure Alex would know I was asking about Tristan.

  He shrugged apologetically. “I was in such a rush. I was sure I was going to get caught. I just opened the file, realized it was a list and had to close it, stuff it back under the stack and get myself back in my chair before she came back.”