by K. F. Breene
“Their poison is more deadly than any Brink snake.” Darius glanced at the serpent on my side, much too close to the path for my comfort. One drunken misstep, and I’d be riding it. I edged closer to him. “Larger, as well. They hunt, feeding on their spoils. They do not often show themselves above water.”
“Their size means they’ve had plenty to eat,” I surmised, scanning the grassy waters beyond. “Staying near this path—two of them doing it, even—suggests we’re easy kills. If someone were to wade in, they’d be taken down. I doubt a boat would be disturbed, though.”
“The boat would need to be left somewhere. In that event, our sentinels would surely notice it.”
“Magic can trick the eye. With a good enough spell caster, a boat would be easy to stash. You’d be surprised how many houses go unnoticed. Right in the middle of town! It’s crazy.”
“Do you notice them?”
“No. I notice the magic surrounding them.”
Another raised path cut through the grasses to the left. It intersected ours, forming a large, circular dirt area, safely elevated from the creatures within the swamps. No one stood watching.
“How many vampires have I missed over the years who were hiding under one of those sheets?” I murmured, sweeping the area with my gaze. “You’d think they’d at least block my view, making a small disturbance to the plane. It’s like no one is standing there.”
“No one is standing there.” One of Darius’s large hands covered my shoulder, stopping me. “Can you see any magic?”
“I sense or feel the magic, and no.” I shrugged off his touch and walked forward, hands at my sides, my mind on my weapons. None of my senses went off. The area between the two intersecting paths felt empty and void.
“There’s nothing,” I said when I got to the center of the circle. I held my hands wider and focused, feeling for any residual magic. A moment later, I shook my head and dropped my hands. “Which doesn’t mean no spells were cast here—it just means it didn’t happen within the past few hours. Otherwise, I’d still feel traces. Unless it was really weak magic, and then the last hour. The power of the magic used determines how long afterward I can feel its properties.”
Darius stared at me for a beat too long.
“What?” I asked, strangely self-conscious and not sure why.
“I have never, in all my years, seen someone do as you are doing, Reagan.” His stare was getting awkward again. “I have worked with a lot of mages. I have talked to a lot more. No one has this ability.”
“No one that you know of. I’ve been hanging out in New Orleans for some time. And look, you just met me. You should really get out more. Socialize. It’d do you good.” I talked a good game, but I was hunching for all my worth, trying to hide my burning face.
“Something is not right about you.”
“Takes one to know one, eh? I’m rubber, you’re glue…”
His brow furrowed and he glanced out to the side, looking into the distance. A moment later, his gaze dropped, scouring the ground. He roamed the outside of the circle and then surveyed the way we’d come. “There are no tracks.”
My focus snapped back to the situation. I checked out the ground, cursing myself for being distracted. It didn’t take me long to realize he was right, and I should’ve seen that right away. Besides ours, it looked as though the path had never been used.
I bent down and put my palm flat to the ground. It only succeeded in making me look stupid. “Do you know who was supposed to be sentry?”
“Specifically? No. I can find out, but I would need to travel back to do so. With your speed, it would take too long, and I do not wish to carry you on my back.”
“Like a donkey?” I smirked, noticing the serpents had vamoosed. The waters were completely still. Time to take a peek. “Hold the back of my shirt, would you? I want to take a look, and I’m always worried I’ll accidentally jump.”
“What—?”
I laughed, because his voice—always so perfect, so unfazed—was a little shrill.
“I don’t have vertigo or anything,” I said patiently, “but if I stop at the edge of something, I have a strong sense of losing my balance and falling. While falling into a few feet of water wouldn’t normally bother me, there are huge serpents down there. I’d rather not take any chances.”
“Vertigo.”
“You really do hate listening, don’t you? No, it’s not vertigo. I don’t get dizzy, and never actually lose my balance, either—it’s the what if factor that bothers me.”
Seeing that he didn’t get it, I gave him a few examples. “What if I get too close and a gust of wind pushes me over? What if I faint and fall off the side? What if I suddenly decide to jump and don’t have time to talk myself out of it? See what I mean? If there’s something stable to hold on to, I’m fine. If there’s nothing, I get scared I’ll fall off the edge.”
“I could push you off. How am I a stable item?”
“Give me a break. There is no way you’d go against Vlad’s wishes and kill me.” I grabbed his hand and felt a jolt of electricity crackle between us. I scowled. “Stop that.”
“That was your doing. I do not have that reaction with others.”
“You probably do, you’re just too busy moving in on their neck to notice.”
After a beat, he said, “Possibly.”
“We have got to be the worst detective team alive,” I mumbled, moving his hand to the center of my back. “Now hold on like a security rope, please. I don’t want to end up in that swampy water. It’s a strange phobia, but it’s mine.”
At the edge of the circular path, I looked down into the waters. Only the very tops of the grasses poked above the surface, meaning this area was at least four feet deep. Nothing stirred.
“You are not leaning,” he said, annoyed. “What is the point of my holding on to you if—”
A mouth full of teeth launched out of the water and straight for my face.
Chapter Eight
Before I could flinch out of the way, I was yanked backward and surrounded by thick arms. My feet left the ground and then I was swinging through the air. Darius let me go before I could struggle free, dropping me like a stone. My butt hit the dirt and my teeth chattered.
The serpent chomped at the air a second time before dropping back into the water with a splash, red body with black fins disappearing into the murky waters. Darius hadn’t so much as reached for his sword.
“Why didn’t you kill it?” I asked, out of breath and climbing to my feet.
“It protects the waterway. Why kill free labor?”
He had a point.
“Has no one ever looked over these waters before?” I asked.
“Maybe they were drawn to something special in you.” Darius threw me a dark look.
“I sure hope not, because I don’t want one of those as an enemy.”
“It is an enemy confined to the black swamps of Sector Three of the Realm. I hardly think that it is an enemy worth thinking about.”
He had a point. Again.
“Okay, well, your sentinel is missing.” I dusted myself off and adjusted my weapons. “Magic was likely used to disguise any tracks, but it was either done a long time ago or the spell was weak, because it left no lasting effect on the area. Or on the jumping serpents, for that matter. So, we’re left with a few scenarios. Shall I lay them out?”
“That is your job.”
“I still owe you a punch in the mouth for stealing my mark. Know that.” I schooled my annoyance. “The options are as follows.” I ticked off a finger. “Your sentinel is in on it and is now carrying out your enemy’s plans.” I ticked off another finger. “Your sentinel isn’t in on it and is therefore dead. The killer could’ve easily tossed the body into the swamp before wiping away the footprints and, presumably, the black goo vampires leave behind when they die.” I dropped my hand. “Or the sentinel who was supposed to be on duty slept in, or was killed elsewhere, leaving time for someone to clear away the
old footprints in order to track our movements.”
“Track our movements?”
“Well…yeah. Hasn’t anyone ever staged a trap for you?”
His brow rumpled.
“Really?” I prodded. “No one has tried to get you to a certain place so they could attempt to kill you? Ever?”
“Once. Which led to this life.”
“I’m not talking about the act of changing you into a vampire.”
“Neither am I.”
I looked at him askew, questions filling my head. We didn’t have time for the detour into his history, though.
“Okay, fine.” I tossed up my hands. “Well, let me assure you, I have plenty of experience with traps. I’m not well liked in the magical criminal circuit. Our prints are the only ones on the path, so there is a real possibility someone is watching us. They know which direction we’ve traveled, and from the spacing of the prints and their depth, they’ll know how fast we’re going and roughly how heavy we are. That is a lot of information for someone who cares.”
“What would they do with that information?”
“Combine it with other information they’ll be gathering. In the past, I’ve had marks watching me to make sure I didn’t get too close to their operations. As soon as I did”—I slapped my hands together like a bear trap—“attacked. Some of them tried to get me before I got them. A few times it was because someone had taken a hit out on me. Once, a stalker wanted me for himself. That guy was whack-a-doo. A human, too. Boy, did he pick the wrong girl.”
“Please.” He did that touching my back and directing me thing.
“Anyway.” We continued along, and this time I paid more attention to my surroundings. “Has the path always been this even?”
“Even, yes. As smooth as a Brink sidewalk, no. I should’ve noticed.”
A while later, I saw another intersection, this time from the south. The circular area in the middle was just as bare as the last one had been. A French word floated on the breeze. Judging by the tone, it was a swear word.
“No vampire covered in a camouflaged sheet?” I asked quietly.
He didn’t answer, but his glower said no.
We made it to the circular area. “Hold my back again, please.”
I felt his fist close around the belt of my leather pouch.
“No, not there.” I tapped his hand upward. “What if the belt breaks free and I fall in? It’s old. Grab clothes.”
“Something is wrong with you.”
“I know. You’ve said.”
He did as instructed.
Hands out, ready to grapple with a serpent launching into the air, I looked around the edges of the circular area. The sides of the path were rocky and pocked with plenty of imperfections. The water gently lapped against the edges, cutting a groove that hadn’t been fixed.
“They’ve only smoothed out the top,” I whispered, not sure why, but my intuition thought it was a good idea.
I made my way around the edge and almost straightened up when something caught my eye. I waved Darius’s hand away before bending for a closer look.
“How is this—”
“Shhhh!” I looked around for a boogeyman.
“How is this different enough for you not to need my help?” he whispered.
“Because I’m crouching near the ground. Trust me, this all makes sense in my head.” Quick as I could, I snatched an item off the surface of the water that had been rolling against the side of the raised area. The water disturbed a fraction of a second before that mouth exploded out of it again, aimed for my face.
“Holy bastard!” I rolled to the side and hopped up as the creature hit the raised area. Calmly, Darius kicked it in the head, sending it back into the water.
“That thing was waiting for me, did you see that?” I pointed at the water, no longer whispering. I let out a breath, backing up until I reached the middle of the circular area. “They’re smart. Thank God they don’t have legs.” Breathing heavily, I sat down with my elbows resting on my knees. I brought up the item and smiled to myself. It had been worth it.
“Recognize this?” I held up the magical casing for Darius to inspect. When he reached for it, though, I pulled it back. “Not so fast. I’m not giving you all the leverage. Steal my mark once, shame on you. Steal my evidence twice, shame on me.”
His eyes fluttered and he shook his head. “This must be another circumstance that only makes sense…”
“Exactly.” I stood and held it up for his inspection, ready for grabby hands.
His gaze roamed the rubber orb before flicking back to me. His eyes, fairly close, were the color of honey, with green specks swimming through. If he didn’t scowl at me so much, I’d remark on how pretty his peepers were. “Not one I recognize.”
“What does that mean in the scheme of things?”
“I oversee the purchase of spells for our entire faction. I often work directly with the most powerful mages, and know the style of the casings my subordinates handle. As you must know, most mages mark their spells in case they fall into another’s hands—”
“You mean, in case someone steals them.”
“I find it strange that that casing is not marked. It has a certain style, yes, but nothing more.”
“What kind of an idiot would mark a casing they planned to use against a vampire? Do you hear yourself?”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “Most mages buy casings in bulk. They order them with their markings. If they didn’t think the evidence would be found, since not many people dangle their heads above large serpents, they would have no need to prepare specialized spells and casings.”
I sighed, because even though I should’ve expected an argument like this, it was still tiresome. “I’ll just leave you with this: there are a great many mages in the world, and most of them don’t have the money to buy individualized anything. They certainly don’t have the money to buy in bulk.”
“It seems we travel in different magical circles—”
“What gave you that idea, Mr. Golden Chair?”
“—but we can agree that finding the user or maker of that casing is a start.”
All that build-up to a simple, logical conclusion. It would be a long case.
I cleared my mind and felt along the smooth rubber. “Do your people ever buy or steal spells without your knowledge?” I dug another empty casing out of my pouch and compared the two. The one I’d just found was larger and sturdier, with thicker rubber and a glossier exterior. That indicated a more volatile spell, which I relayed to him.
“I agree. And yes, occasionally they procure spells from an unauthorized dealer, when the need arises. Often the casings are kept, however, all marked, so we can keep track of who is using what. I make it my priority to make note of them all.”
I just could not believe he had never seen a casing without a marking. That said volumes about the people he dealt with—and how little he’d seen of the magical world’s underbelly.
Volumes.
“Regarding making a note of the casings,” I said, “we can assume your memory is…”
“Photographic.”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be, what with all the other things you have going for you?”
“I am ready to dangle you over the water again.” He stared down at me, utterly serious.
Laughter bubbled up from my middle. “I get that a lot.”
He looked at his feet. “Smoothing dirt doesn’t seem like it would require a volatile spell.”
I stared at the two casings. If I put the new one in the pouch, I’d have to show Darius all my spent spells. That would just amount to a lot more questions, like why do you have a bunch of empty casings in your spell pouch?
I slipped the old one into its home, to be used as a fake spell down the road, and put the new one into my pocket. “It doesn’t make sense, does it? Could be an old specimen, I guess, that just didn’t make it to you.”
“Pity we didn’t look harder at the other sit
e.” He glanced back that way, then at me. “Keep walking forward. Don’t fall in the water or look over the edge. I will be right back.”
“Wait—”
He sped off like a motor was strapped to his back.
After taking a glance at the still waters, I did exactly what he’d said. Onward I walked, lost in thought about the many enemies I’d managed to accrue in such little time, all without the benefit of a bounty. At least the vampire who’d bonded that crazy mage would have to wait until Darius and I figured out whatever this riddle was. The mage’s friends, however…
“Another.”
I jumped and struck. My fist glanced off Darius’s muscled side before he danced backward, his brow furrowed.
I palmed my chest, trying to still my heart. “You scared the bejeebus out of me.”
“You need to pay better attention to your surroundings.”
If it wouldn’t stroke his ego, I’d mention something about his utterly silent advance, amazing speed, and daunting quickness. I was doing him a favor by withholding that information, surely—otherwise the guy’s ego would swell so large that he’d never have friends.
He held out his hand. When I reached for the proffered token, he pulled it away and tsked. “Finders keepers.”
“Mature.” When his hand advanced again, I inspected the orb, the same as the one I’d found. “Still, there’s the question of the sentinels. Did they use the spells? Or did the magic user kill them or trick them into leaving their posts?”
Without warning, I snatched at the casing. Darius yanked it away just in time, leaving my fingers to glance off his closed fist.
“Only turtles would be jealous of your speed.” Darius tucked his prize away.
“I was close. Admit it,” I said, continuing on.
“This was the same magic user. The pellet was discarded in roughly the same way. Tossed after use. Mages do it a lot. Witches and warlocks do not.”
“Witches don’t throw down their used casings?” That was something I’d never noticed.
The terrain slowly began to change. More land patched the waters with taller, thicker reeds. In the distance, the mountain loomed larger, spilling its trees onto the flatter, hopefully dryer, land.