“Never?” I asked incredulously, and Ophelia shook her head.
“I watched them build the damn thing, but I’ve never been on it. It just looks like a death trap. I mean... all of that wood and metal...”
“And it shakes underneath you like it’s going to fly apart at any second,” Lacey cried happily. Her dark eyes sparkled with the bright lights of the rides and games, and I noticed a flash of silver in her eyes that I hadn’t seen before. I tried to shrug off the unease that crawled up my spine, but it lingered at the back of my neck as we walked toward the Cyclone.
“Maia, can you get me some popcorn?” Ophelia reached across Lacey to wave a ten-dollar bill in my face. “If I’m going on that thing, I don’t want to do it on an empty stomach. Meet us in the lineup, okay?”
I took the bill and looked around for the popcorn stand. Lacey pointed it out and pushed me gently towards it. “We’ll be waiting for you, but hurry up!”
I nodded briefly and jogged over to the stall. Waiting in line for my turn, I began to feel nervous. I was in an unfamiliar place, but more than that, even though the area was crowded, full of smiling faces and laughter, I felt exposed... and like I was being stared at. I hated being stared at. I could feel eyes on me. Burning into the back of my head, roaming over my body.
Someone knocked against me, pushing me off balance, but as I turned to glare and shout something, there was no one near me. I planted my feet, prepared for another blow, my eyes searching the crowd. But I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Just happy faces, smiles and laughter. It echoed in my ears along with the inoffensive 90s pop music blaring over the loudspeakers.
The line was moving slowly, and I was feeling more and more uneasy. I turned to look over my shoulder at the Cyclone. The line stretched for a long way beside the ride, and I hoped that I’d be able to find Lacey and Ophelia in the crowd. The lights blurred for a moment, and my heart seemed to catch in my chest.
Someone grabbed my arm tightly, and I felt hot breath on my neck. “You’d better watch out,” a voice said in my ear, but as I slapped at the hand on my elbow, flinching violently away from the touch and the heat of the stranger’s breath, I realized that there was no one there, no one grabbing me, no one whispering in my ear or breathing on me.
The guy in front of me turned around to fix me with a confused stare.
“Cockroach... sorry,” I mumbled.
I looked around, debating running for the Cyclone and telling Ophelia that the popcorn stand had burned to the ground instead.
The man in front of me stepped away, popcorn in hand, staring at me strangely as he went. I bought Ophelia’s popcorn in a rush, but my hands were shaking so badly that I dropped the ten-dollar bill she’d given me to the ground.
As I bent to pick it up, a knee crashed into my shoulder, sending me sprawling to the pavement.
Someone nearby cried out in surprise as I tumbled towards them, and I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the way my palms burnt from their contact with the ground. Fuck that popcorn.
My arm hurt, and I could smell ashes and whiskey in the air. I stumbled through the crowd, hoping that I was going the right direction, but not really knowing where that right direction was.
I lurched into someone, hitting a solid wall of body. I stared up into the face of a burly man with dark eyes and heavy eyebrows. He glowered down at me and reached down to grab the collar of my jacket with a meaty hand.
“I... I’m sorry...” I stammered, pulling away from him and turning frantically in the direction of the Cyclone. At least, in the direction I thought it was in. But he didn’t release my jacket. He pulled me closer, leaning down to look into my face.
“You will be, bruja...”
Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Panic was a bucket of ice dumped down the back of my shirt. I twisted sharply, pulling out of my jacket and pushing away at the same time. Free of his grip, I ran headlong through the crowd, crashing into people on either side as I pushed my way through.
The lights of the Cyclone spun wildly in front of me as I careened toward the ride. I could hear the rumbling of the roller coaster as it ripped along the track. People screamed and shouted and laughed and all I wanted to do was vomit my terror into the nearest garbage can. Hands grabbed at me, plucking at my shirt, the back of my pants, my ankles... I choked back a scream of panic as I got to the line of people waiting to strap themselves into the car and roar down the wooden track. I looked frantically for Lacey’s purple hair, Ophelia’s black leather jacket, but everything blurred together and looked the same and I was freaking the fuck out.
“This way! Maia!”
Was that Lacey? I turned, following the sound of her voice, running blindly towards it.
This way. This way.
I ran down between two stalls, the smell of mini doughnuts was overwhelming, and not in a good way. My stomach lurched and I thought I was going to throw up.
“You’re coming with me, bruja,” A voice growled in my ear, and a heavy hand closed on the back of my neck.
I wanted to scream, but nothing was coming out of my mouth.
“Put her the fuck down.”
The hand on my neck tightened, and I was yanked against a brick wall disguised as a person.
The man switched his grip from the back of my neck to my throat, his fingers digging in to my flesh. I gasped for air and kicked at the man holding me, my boots connected, but the blows had no affect.
“I said. Put her the fuck down.”
Ophelia.
She blocked the way back to the crowded area in front of the rides. Her stance was strong and her hands were balled into fists. I could see Lacey hopping nervously behind her.
The hand around my throat tightened, and then white lights exploded behind my eyes. A cold wind blew over my face. The roller coaster rattled overhead, the sound echoing in my ears, drowning out everything else around me.
The lights spun around me and the pavement rushed towards my face. Then everything went dark.
Fuck.
Chapter 13 ~ Ophelia
Having Maia along on this trip wasn’t exactly planned, but I couldn’t say no to Lacey. Thankfully, Lacey was more than a little excited about our little field trip. She didn’t know what I’d been planning over the last ten minutes.
In the last six months, I’d thought that the Malleus had left New York, or at least decided that they didn’t give a shit about hunting me. But now that Maia was here, I knew that we were both targets. And there was no way I was putting up with that shit.
As a new witch whose powers had just started to manifest, Maia was a walking beacon. Fresh and innocent. I could use her to lure the Malleus out into the open.
I’d just have to apologize later. Once we had some answers she’d understand. Hopefully.
Lacey was too excited to notice, but we’d had a shadow following behind us since we’d passed King’s Highway. I didn’t know when he’d gotten on the train, but as soon as we left my apartment, I knew that they’d be watching. The Malleus were smart enough to send more than one guy, but if this was the only one I could see, he’d have to do.
We left the train at Coney Island and made our way through the crowds with Lacey leading the way. She was way more excited to be here than I’d anticipated, and I knew I’d have to apologize to her for ruining the night… which I was definitely going to be doing.
Keeping the Malleus in my eye-line wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped, but I knew he was there, keeping just out of range. There he was, pretending to stand in line for the skee ball booth, waiting to buy a ticket for one of the rides to our left, and now sneaking up close to an unsuspecting group in an attempt to blend in and be invisible.
Someone should have told him that blending in was for people who actually knew what they were doing, and not tall men dressed in black from head to toe. I could see the mark of the Malleus clearly on his thick neck and wondered what their recruiting process was… clearly it needed a little revamping.
/>
I’d decided on the train how this was all going to go down, I just needed the right opportunity to make it work. Lacey was pulling us towards the Cyclone, and I saw my opportunity.
“Maia, can you get me some popcorn? Lacey and I will hold your place in line. I don’t want to hit that monster on an empty stomach…” Maia took the money I held out to her and headed in the direction of the popcorn stand. Lacey wound her arm through mine and pulled me to the ride. I looked over my shoulder at where Maia had gone. “Maybe some salt will help anchor me to the ground a little…” I murmured, keeping the ruse going.
“Which would be hilarious since you’re going to be eighty-five feet in the air!” Lacey crowed, and I felt my stomach turn just a little.
“You’re not helping,” I said through gritted teeth. This had better work. If the Malleus didn’t take the bait, I’d end up on that roller coaster, and that was literally the last thing I wanted to do right now.
“Did you know that the Cyclone goes over sixty miles an hour?” Lacey was hopping from foot to foot, her eyes sparkling crazily in the flashing carnival lights.
“Yeah, I didn’t need to know that, Lace,” I said, craning my neck to see Maia in line. She wasn’t easy to spot, but I finally saw her creased and stained army jacket and her dark red hair. I could feel her trepidation. She looked over her shoulder in our direction, but I couldn’t tell if she could see us or not.
“… the coaster opened in 1927, do you remember, Fee? Did you come and see it?” Lacey was still talking about the roller coaster, and I was only half listening to her and my eyes were still on Maia.
“Yeah… yeah I was here. It was pretty great, I guess,” I said. Someone jostled against Maia, and she stumbled in line, whirling around to give them a piece of her mind, but they were already gone. I could see that she was rattled, but the Malleus hadn’t moved in yet.
“… and we’re going to sit right at the front of the car, okay? Okay. It’s happening you don’t have a choice,” Lacey said, grabbing my hand and twirling in a circle in front of me.
“Whatever you say, Lace.”
That was never fucking happening, and I needed that Malleus to move in and do what he was supposed to do, which was try to grab Maia, and subsequently rescue me from having to pretend that I wasn’t fucking terrified of getting on that stupid ride.
Out of nowhere, Maia tumbled to the ground, and I watched her struggle with the Malleus briefly before he chased her into a darkened corridor between two stalls. Finally.
“Lacey, I’m really sorry, but we’re going to have to put this on hold, Maia’s in trouble,” I said quietly, grabbing Lacey’s shoulder and turning her so that she could see what was happening.
“Hey! Oh shit!” Lacey took off running, and I followed just as fast. I didn’t want Lacey trying to do anything stupid. I didn’t know what she was capable of yet, and worse than that, neither did she. Turning a brand new Laudan loose in a crowded area might be a big giant mistake, and I wanted to be able to come back to Coney Island someday.
I rushed ahead of Lacey and ran down the corridor the Malleus had dragged Maia down only moments ago. He had her by the throat, and I could feel her panic and anger as she struggled against his grip. Her fingers scrabbled at his thick hand and her feet kicked the air helplessly.
I could feel power crackling in my fingertips and I stood my ground as the Malleus weighed his options. A high chain link fence topped with razor wire was behind him, and he had nowhere to go but through me, and that wasn’t fucking happening.
“Put her the fuck down,” I said shortly, allowing my power to envelop my hands. I’d never used my magic as intimidation before, but by the way the Malleus’ eyes widened, he’d heard what I could do, and his confidence was faltering just a little.
“Did I stutter?” I raised my hand, palm up, towards him and began to envision what I wanted to do to him. I didn’t want to kill him, or knock him through the fence, no, but I did want him helpless and willing to talk.
The Malleus bared his teeth and pulled a knife out of his pocket as he stepped back towards the fence. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward, my hands were fully enveloped in crackling purple energy. With a snap of my fingers, the knife flew from his hand and landed blade down in the grass. He cried out and dropped Maia unceremoniously to the pavement as he clutched his burning hand.
“Did you not get the memo? I’m not here to take your shit, Malleus,” I said quietly. Maia choked and spluttered on the ground, and I stepped over her as the Malleus continued to retreat towards the fence. Lacey bent to help Maia to her feet, supporting her easily. That Laudan strength was coming in handy for once.
“You don’t know what’s hunting you, bruja. It’s easier if you just give in… something worse than our fires waits for you,” the Malleus growled, cradling his burnt hand to his chest. “You should have just let me take her. Sería más amable dejarla quemar.”
“No one speaks Spanish, you asshole, say it in English or shut the fuck up!” Lacey shouted from behind me, and I shot her a look. She shut her mouth, but she was seething with anger, and her moonshined eyes glittered in the darkness.
“I don’t want him to shut up, Lacey. I want him to talk. I don’t care what language it’s in,” I said through clenched teeth. I understood him just fine.
It would be kinder to let her burn.
It would be kinder to throw him off the pier and let him drown, but I wasn’t going to do that either. I spread my fingers and let my magic arc towards the Malleus. Ropes of purple energy wrapped around his torso and the chain-link fence, pulling him tightly against it. I closed my fist and the crackling purple bands tightened around him. Painfully tight. Tight enough to crack ribs if he wasn’t careful.
With my left hand clenched and held up in front of me, I walked forward until I was face to face with the Malleus. The light of my magic illuminated his face, throwing shadows from the sharp planes of his cheekbones. I pressed the finger of my right hand into the tattoo on his neck. He grunted in pain. It probably felt like I’d just put a cigarette out on his flesh. I smiled coldly.
“Who’s paying you to hunt us, Malleus?” His eyes widened and I pressed my finger down again. “Yes, I know who you are. You’re not as scary as you used to be, y’know? I used to be terrified of you assholes. Now you’re just a nuisance.” I lifted my finger and the man panted in pain and fear.
“Pelea injusta,” he gasped, trying to pull away. The fence and the magic that was holding him thwarted his efforts.
“This isn’t an unfair fight, cupcake; this is just the first time you’ve faced a real witch. Of all the women you’ve killed over the years, how many of them were actual witches? How many brujas verdaderas? I bet they told you every single one was real,” I sneered. I could feel my power surging, my anger pushing forward. The man groaned as the magic bonds that held him to the fence tightened. More tendrils of energy snaked up his torso and wound themselves around his throat. I smiled thinly. “I’ll ask you again. Who is paying you? Maybe you don’t know… give me a name.”
The man tried his best to spit at me, but I saw it coming and tightened my fist, making the bands of energy holding him against the fence increase their pressure on his ribcage and now his throat.
I heard a muffled crack as one of ribs gave way.
“Ophelia! What are you doing?” Maia’s voice was strangled with panic, but I didn’t relax my hand and the magical bindings sizzled with electricity, as the man squirmed against the fence.
“Basta,” he grunted. “Basta! I’ll tell you!”
Finally.
“That was easier than I thought it would be,” Lacey muttered behind me.
I eased my fist open just a little, drawing back some of my power, but only enough to allow him to speak freely.
“Our orders, they come from overseas. Spain,” he choked out the words. “We are all recruited there. Money and instructions, new members… they all come from Spain.”
“Where?” I a
sked, pushing my face into his and grabbing his chin roughly with my right hand. The power in my fingers sizzled against his skin and he winced, trying to pull away, but he had nowhere to go.
“Santiago de Compostela.”
Great. Fucking great.
“She’ll never stop,” the man chuckled thickly. “She’ll never stop hunting your kind.”
“I need a name,” I breathed in his ear, digging my fingers into his chin and pushing my other hand, the one that crackled with power closer to his face. The man grunted with pain but kept his teeth clenched tight.
I stared into his eyes and clenched my fist just a little, enough to put more pressure on his already cracked rib, and threaten to crack another. His breath hissed between his teeth.
“Encrucijada.”
“Crossroads,” I whispered. Something in the back of my mind began to turn; there was something very wrong here. Familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
“Madre de pesadillas,” he grunted.
“What is he saying, Fee? It sounds like bullshit to me! Do you want me to make him talk?” Lacey was getting impatient, and so was I.
“I don’t care about your crossroads or your mother’s nightmares… I need a name! A real person… give it to me.” The man groaned as I tightened my fist again.
“Ophelia! Let him go! He doesn’t know!” Maia was panicking. I looked over my shoulder to see her being held back effortlessly by Lacey. Maia was a good deal taller than the new Laudan, but Lacey’s supernatural strength was too much for her. Maia probably didn’t even know it was happening.
“A name!” I shouted in the man’s ear. The crackle of my magic was loud in my ears, and I was thankful for the noise and screams coming from the rollercoaster that rattled and clanked deafeningly above us and the music that filled every corner of the boardwalk.
Moonlight Burns: (Urban Fantasy) (Daughters of Hecate Book 2) Page 12