by Holly Evans
Quin went to him. "What happened?"
Kadrix stomped his foot and shook his fist at the orbs, his mouth opened but no words came out. He was a mute. My day was looking up.
Lysander was stood behind me trying desperately not to laugh. Quin, however, looked deeply concerned.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
The elf threw his hands up in the air before he shook his head. He rubbed at his face with a cloth, but the pink didn't budge. My laughter was starting to hurt my ribs and tears ran down my cheeks. Kadrix threw a small ball of ice at me, I side-stepped it and continued laughing.
Quin shot me a dark look. "I think that's enough, Evie, we get your point."
I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. We did need tools and tricks from the elf; it was better if I didn't annoy him too much.
I gulped down air before I said, "I take it the orbs bit back."
Kadrix closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he painted a calm expression on his face. His nostrils flared before he scrubbed at his face once more then tried to smooth his hair out. A small area of clear skin emerged just by his mouth. Quin shot me a warning look when I went to say something; I bit my tongue. It wasn't my fault that I was taking such pleasure in seeing the elf knocked down a peg or two. Quin dug out a hairbrush from behind a stack of herbs and handed it to Kadrix with a small smile; I looked around the workshop, hoping to spot something useful.
"We're ambushing the hound tonight," I said idly.
Kadrix rolled his eyes, but he was making some progress with his face. The pink was slowly coming off, but the green remained painted around his eyes; it was an interesting effect, one that Quin seemed to notice, too. The elf pointed imperiously at a large teak box that sat precariously near the edge of a nearby shelf, squeezed between two leather-bound tomes. Quin carefully lifted it off the shelf and set it before the elf. I approached slowly; as much as the minor curses and spells barely hurt, I didn't want to risk him losing his temper and doing something more harmful. Kadrix lifted the lid of the box and pulled out a little pale cream bag of something. He nodded to me and extended his hand. I eyed him suspiciously. I had no idea what was in that bag. The options ranged from a life-saving powder through to an agonising poison.
Kadrix huffed and looked from Quin to me.
Quin gave a small smile and said, "Evie, this is the upgraded anti-magic powder. It won't harm Lys, but it'll help against all other forms of magic."
I gave Kadrix a small nod of thanks before I cautiously took the bag. I peered inside and saw sparkly purple and green powder. Satisfied that Quin wouldn't lie to me, I attached it to my belt, ready for later.
The idea that Lysander was a magical beast didn't quite sit right in my mind. I turned away from the elf and began poking at the books and bottles close at hand. I was growing too attached to the hound. He was becoming something more in my mind, and that could lead to dangerous places. A small voice in my mind asked if it was really such a bad thing. Another small bag hit me in the side of the face; I glared at Kadrix, who tried to look innocent.
Quin smiled and said, "That's something to dip your blades in. It will cut through the hound's infernal protections. It will help against both the hound, and any infernal zombies that may show up."
I narrowed my eyes at the black bag that sat on the books before me.
Quin laughed softly, "It's not going to bite you, Evie. If it makes you feel any better, I made that one."
Kadrix smiled, or more beamed, with pride. His hand slipped behind Quin's back, I focused on the bag before.
Lysander moved closer to me and said, "Not everything magical bites, you know, Evie. At least not without permission..."
I ignored him and opened the bag, carefully positioning it so it'd be stable while I dipped my blades into the slate-grey gloop. It clung to the blades, almost the viscosity of jam. The drips languidly rolled down my blades, clinging onto the very tip before they fell back down into the bag below. Once each of my many blades had been coated in the stuff, I carefully checked that they remained as sharp as usual, a drop of blood blossoming on my finger as my reward. It didn't hurt; they were far too sharp for that. I sucked on my finger, removing the risk of either Kadrix or Lysander getting their hands on it. When I looked up to check on the progress of things, Lysander was watching me with a small smile; Quin, however, was dabbing at Kadrix's cheek, trying to remove the last bit of pink. I cleared my throat; we had more important things to be doing than making the elf look presentable.
Kadrix trailed his fingers along the back of Quin's hand in response to me. I raised an eyebrow and waited for him to stop trying to push my buttons. I had no problems with Quin seeing men, I just didn't like the idea of said man being a conniving elf. Quin put the cloth down and handed me two more bags, with another two going to Lysander.
"The green balls are flashes to blind them, and if they're close enough, they'll be zapped with a small bolt of lightning. The blue ones will freeze them in place for a few seconds."
I grinned. "Finally, the elf has given us something we can really use. I should have known we'd need a witch to get some real tools."
Kadrix put his nose in the air and studiously ignored me; Quin pursed his lips but said nothing. I hooked the small bags onto my belt and made sure they didn't interfere with my movement or access to my blades. Lysander had shoved them into his pockets; he didn't carry the same set-up as Quin and I. I wondered for a moment if perhaps we should think about setting him up with weapons and a little utility belt. I pushed the thought away; I wasn't planning on keeping him. There was no point in wasting money on him. If only I believed it when I thought it.
Forty-Two
Much to Quin's relief, Kadrix got his voice back just before we left the workshop. I thanked him for the toys and tools and headed over to Jindřišská before I wished too hard for him to lose his voice again. Lysander was tense again, his eyes darting all over the place; his energy was palpable. I could feel his excitement at seeing the other hound again. There was a lot of history there. Elise met us in front of what was quite a small tower by Prague's standards. It was far from the ideal place for an ambush, or a ritual, but it was where we'd been told it would happen. Lysander remained close to me as I walked past little shops set into the smooth old stone walls of the buildings that encroached on the road. A glance up at the sky told me that the sun was going to set before long. We needed to get into our places. Quin and Elise tucked themselves down by the archway that led to Náměstí Republiky. Lysander remained practically glued to my side; we slipped into the shadows near the little park that held the muse statues.
Matyas and co. had shown up late, as expected. They casually sat on benches by the tram stop; the hound hadn't seen them, so we hoped they'd be safe in plain sight. The hunters had been much better behaved since they'd helped remove the shadows and weaken the witches. Viktor even gave Lysander a small nod of respect when he saw him. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself; it could be a long wait. The sun slithered down behind the buildings, leaving a red smudge in its wake; the clouds were already closing in. Lysander bumped into me as he tried to remain still, and failed. I squeezed his upper arm, feeling the strong muscle there, and gave him a small smile that I hoped didn't betray my desire to feel more of his muscles.
“Relax," I said softly.
He clenched and unclenched his hands, but managed to still himself. Hounds aren't an ambush predator; they run down down their prey. Fortunately for us, our prey didn't take too long to arrive. Witches formed in the shadows all around. They slipped down over the smooth stones of the buildings and floated to the ground from the top of the tower. In only moments, there was a small army of them. No hound, though. Lysander lowered his upper body and fought against his instincts to charge in; we needed to wait. We couldn't afford to scare the other hound off.
The witches danced around the tower, their faces covered by silk masks. After what felt like an agonisingly long time, the necromancer hobbl
ed down the road towards the tower; he paused for half a beat to glance at the hunters, but nothing more. The hunters whispered something to each other. I bit my lip willing them to shut the fuck up. No one paid them any mind, though, until the zombies showed up, that was. They came from nowhere. I wondered what happened to the witches not having much power; they'd managed to magically transport a collection of no less than two dozen zombies out of the ether. Grey-skinned zombies with bright red marks burned into their exposed flesh shambled towards the hunters. They glanced around wild-eyed; we had no choice.
Lysander snarled, “We must help them."
I dropped my throwing knives into my hands and made the decision; we couldn't afford to wait. There were just too many of them. Lysander exploded from our hiding place, his long legs propelling him down the road at the closest enemy. That happened to be a surprised little witch, who was sent flying into the yellow-brown stone of the tower. She never stood a chance. I took off after him, my knives in my hands ready to take down anything that got close enough.
The hunters had sprung into action, not that I had a chance to see how they were getting on. The witches were beginning to surround me. They danced through the darkness, rasping laughter cutting into my ears almost as clearly as the invisible blades that slashed at my limbs. I took a moment to aim before I threw the knives at the closest witch. She dropped, but the rest closed in too quickly. I plunged my hand down into a small bag and pulled out one of Kadrix's small green orbs. I hoped that I'd remembered right. I threw it down at the feet of the witch to my left. It exploded with a blinding white light, and a number of witches screamed. My vision cleared after two seconds; I saw three witches crumpled on the floor and two more running around yelping while trying to put out the fires on their robes. Kadrix hadn't done a bad job.
I ran at the closest witch that was on fire and slashed her throat; she fell down to her knees with a gargle. Lysander's snarl grabbed my attention. I looked around trying to locate him in the maelstrom. Zombies were flailing and snapping at the hunters and Quin, witches were cackling at Elise who looked almost tranquil, and a pain in my thigh pulled my attention away from the search for my hound. A witch had her hand pulled back, ready to strike me again; I batted her arm out of the way and thrust my blade through her mask into her face. I kicked her away from me in frustration before I dove into the chaos, hoping to find my hound before long.
More witches surrounded me before I'd managed to get more than three steps. My patience was waning; there was still no sign of either hound. I threw a blue orb down at the feet of the witches in front of me. Three witches froze, stuck in their pose. I wasted no time in slitting their throats. Their numbers were thinning, finally. Elise caught my eye; she was a blur of white weaving her way between a group of zombies and witches. Her blades sliced through flesh and bone much like a hot knife through butter; she looked like she was performing a ballet rather than fighting magical abominations and wretches. Her face was a vision of serenity, her movements elegant and graceful as she ducked under clumsy attacks, extended her legs in lightning fast kicks, and slipped between them as though she were an eel in water. It was truly beautiful to watch.
The hunters were quite another thing. They were aggressive in their attacks, powerful and blunt with their punches and broad slashes to the abdomen. I finally spotted my Lysander. He was in his element. His beautiful blue eyes danced and fire rippled up over his closed fists as he shattered zombies’ faces and wrenched limbs from witches. I grinned as I hacked my way through the zombies and witches between us to fight at his side. He was my hound, and I couldn't help but be a little proud of him. Together we finished off the remaining assailants. Limbs, blood, and gore covered the ground around us. Yet, there was still no sign of the other hound. The sky was black, thunder crashed overhead. White lightning struck the small lightning rod atop the tower. Elise's face turned ashen, Lysander's mouth dropped open. The Sidhe sauntered up; Azfin daintily dropped a witch's head.
His eyes flickered a dark amber, his mouth tightened. "It seems the hound completed the ritual."
I looked from Elise to Lysander, willing them to say something. Elise covered her face with her hands, Lysander dropped his head.
"I'm sorry, mistress,” he said quietly.
My heart dropped. It had all been for nothing.
"How...?"
Azfin snarled, "The witches must have warned him."
"You're sure?" I asked.
He gave me a dark look, complete with a flash of his pointed teeth. "Yes."
"Now what?" Matyas asked.
"We find the witches responsible, and kill them," Haeyl said icily.
Elise stood a little taller, her mouth fixed in a tight line. "Yes. As Haeyl said. We kill the bitches."
Forty-Three
Quin had called in a clean-up crew to deal with the mess the witches and such had left behind. Lysander paced, refusing to look at me. Elise wasn't much better. I hadn't seen her lose her cool and maintain an agitated state before. The Sidhe were themselves. Quin remained behind to make sure the crew got the place right; I took everyone else up to Elise's sanctuary, or at least the park around it, given the Sidhe still weren't allowed inside. No one said a word on the journey there. We piled into a taxi, none of us in the mood to deal with public transport. The Sidhe burst out of the taxi, leaving me to pay the driver, who gave me a dark look and muttered something. I shrugged him off and wrapped my arm around Elise's shoulders. Lysander trailed behind us while the Sidhe stormed ahead. They growled between themselves in some fae tongue. I snapped at them to shut up and calm down. Elise sighed heavily and leaned her head against mine for a moment.
"My beautiful city is crumbling beneath my feet, thanks to those witches," she said.
I squeezed her shoulders. "They won't win this. We won't let them."
My words felt weak, but I had to try. She'd always been my rock; I didn't know how to comfort her or give her what she needed.
She nodded to herself and stood up straighter.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "You're right. I will consult my lady on what our next steps are to be. She prepared me for this, I always knew I would need to fight." She kissed my cheek. "Thanks, Evie. I'll take the Sidhe."
"Thanks," I whispered.
I was in no place to deal with their high-strung shit. Whatever patience I may have had had long since evaporated. The witches were trying to destroy my city, my home. I was not going to allow them to succeed. Rage bubbled within me. Lysander caught up and walked beside me when Elise walked ahead to the Sidhe. His head hung low; he refused to say a word or raise his eyes. His shoulders were hunched, his feet dragged a little. I led him over to a small wall on the other side of the little square affair in front of Elise's church. We sat under the heavy clouds in the faintness of the single light at the edge of the path.
I ran my fingers through his thick hair and said softly, "Talk to me."
He slowly raised his eyes and said, "I failed you."
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to allow the frustration to slip away. "You did no such thing. You killed many witches today, and zombies."
His muscles relaxed a little, but his mouth remained in a frown. I ran my thumb along the edge of his ear.
"I will not allow my hound to give in so easily."
The corners of his mouth tugged upwards and his eyes sparked a little. "Your hound, hm?"
I put my hand down in my lap and sighed as I ran my fingers over my silver bracelet with my other hand. Like it or not, I was growing attached to him. He was proving to be a useful and resourceful pet, a companion.
I looked up into his eyes and said, "Yes. Mine."
He nuzzled his face against my neck. "I'm glad to be yours, Evelyn."
I ran my fingers through his hair once more. "I know you'll make me proud."
It was as much a command, a threat, as a soothing comment.
His hot breath trickled down my neck, his words burned in my ear, sweet promises of so muc
h more. "I will."
Quin and Kadrix emerged out of the darkness, their faces slightly flushed and hair a touch messy. Kadrix's arm was wrapped around Quin's waist. Lysander growled softly as my protectiveness over my twin flared up; I'd skin the elf alive if he so much as thought about hurting Quin. It faded quickly when I saw the faint glow to Quin's skin, the happiness that shone from within him. I hadn't seen that from him since before our parents had vanished. I hadn't realised that I was leaning into Lysander as I watched Quin and Kadrix approach Elise's church, apparently unaware of us watching them.
"I would give you that, if you'd let me," Lysander whispered in my ear.
The thrill of his breath on my skin, of the images he offered me, sent shivers skittering down my spine and butterflies wheeling in my stomach. I closed my eyes tight and pushed it aside; he was a hound, a pet. A companion at best. Christian had left me for a nymph, what awful thing would a beast such as him do to my already-fragile heart? He settled next to me, his muscles relaxing as he leant against me. We each took comfort in the quiet presence of the other. A moment of peace and sanctuary in the chaos that exploded around us.
After a long while, he simply said, “Why?"
His voice soft, tinged with pleading, to know, to understand. I refused to look at him. Instead, I focused on the bracelet and cursed it for stripping my ability to lie. To protect him. His fingers traced my jawline, his lips dangerously close to mine.
“I would give you the world, Evelyn."
I looked into his eyes, wishing he were human, and said, “At what price?"
Forty-Four
I could no longer bear to be alone with Lysander. The weight of the emotion was too great. The hunters had returned home once we'd finished with the failed ambush. They had no useful information, and none of us were particularly comfortable having them deal with the Sidhe or enter Elise's sanctuary. Lysander and I had headed inside not long after Kadrix and Quin; there was no reason to raise suspicions, and we needed to wrap things up as quickly as possible. The other hound was getting close to the final ritual. There was no time left to enjoy the little moments. Lysander stayed a little back from me, the comfort of his presence no longer offered.