Heart Blade: Blade Hunt Chronicles Book One

by Juliana Spink Mills

  So Theo didn’t know the sword could heal. He thought she had been trying to hurt him with it. She looked at Ash, nothing really visible in the dark but the pale sweep of his cheek. She was done seeing people harmed for her sake. She remembered all she’d seen in Theo’s heart. She’d seen light there, too. Not only darkness. But he didn’t want the light. And she knew he was telling the truth when he said he’d never stop hunting her. She had to finish this, right now. She set her mouth to Ash’s ear.

  “I’m going to kill him,” she said, hushed. “It’s time to end it.”

  “No.” He turned to look at her. “I’ll do it.”

  Theo was away on the other side of the clearing, slashing at the bushes with his sword as he urged her to come out. The noise drowned their conversation.

  “I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself again,” she said. “Enough.”

  “It’s not sacrifice,” said Ash. “I have no intention of sacrificing myself. I have a plan.”

  “No!”

  “Del, it can’t be you. If you kill with the Heart Blade… that would be bad. You’ll seal your demon half, and turn the Blade. That’s what the books say. The Dark Heart, the other side of the sword. We can’t let that happen.”

  She was still shaking her head. He touched her cheek. “I can do this. But you need to trust me.”

  He kissed her, just the lightest butterfly touch on her lips. And then he was gone. He walked out of the woods, grabbing a thick branch as he went. He took a sweep with the branch, testing it, holding it like a club.

  “Hey! Ugly! You want Del, you have to go through me.”

  Theo turned, grinning. “The little boyfriend. You look good for a dead guy. Was it the Heart Blade? I can see this is going to be a useful perk for the pack.”

  Ash didn’t answer. He swung the branch at Theo, but the demon stepped back, out of the way. “Seriously?” Theo said. “You’re going to beat me with a stick? This is getting ridiculous. I don’t need a sword to kill a fool.” He opened his hand and let his soul blade go.

  The next swipe of Ash’s branch connected. But Theo grabbed it with both hands and pulled it. Instead of Ash letting go, he let himself be dragged into Theo’s embrace. Del clamped a hand to her mouth to stop herself from crying out, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure Theo could hear.

  Theo wrapped both hands around Ash’s throat. “Lights out, boy.” He began to squeeze. Del saw Ash reach into his pocket and pull out a screwdriver. It was the one he’d used to try and hotwire the car. Theo didn’t notice, too intent on choking the life out of his captive. Ash’s hand shot up and stabbed forward, burying the screwdriver to the handle in Theo’s eye.

  The demon gave a screech, releasing Ash. He staggered backward, fumbling for the screwdriver. Then he collapsed, his lilac aura blinking out so suddenly it was as if someone had flipped a switch. He was shriveling, flaking away to dust before their eyes until all that was left was a small pile of dirt and Theo’s shattered soul blade.

  Del called softly from the woods, “Is it over?”

  Ash nudged the dust that had been Theo with his foot, mixing it in with the mud. “No.” He picked up the broken sword hilt, bouncing it in his hand. “We still have the pack to deal with. But Theo’s dead, at least.”

  She edged forward, still in the shadow of the trees. “You planned it? The screwdriver?”

  “I figured I had a chance if I could get him to think I was stupid enough to attack him without a proper weapon.”

  There was a loud crackle of radio and a voice called out, “Copy. Nothing yet.”

  Ash dropped the sword hilt and started to run for the woods, but a strong flashlight beam caught him right in the face. “Police!” a voice boomed out. “Get down! Lie on the ground and spread your arms and legs!”

  Ash hesitated. “On the ground, now!” the voice shouted. Ash held his arms out in a gesture of surrender as he knelt slowly and sank to the ground. He did as they asked, spreading his legs and keeping his arms open wide.

  “I’m unarmed,” he shouted. “I’m staying in the cabin over there.”

  Del held absolutely still as three police officers burst into the clearing. She barely breathed as they searched Ash and then let him up.

  “Unarmed, huh?” asked a female officer who was plainly in charge. “What’s this, then?” She picked up the sword hilt.

  “I don’t know. I found it, here in the clearing,” Ash said.

  “You the one who called in the tip on Theodore Raven, kid?” she asked.

  “No,” Ash replied. “Who’s that?”

  “He’s a dangerous criminal, son,” she said. “Have you seen anyone come by? What are you doing out here, anyway? You’re soaking wet.”

  “I haven’t seen anyone. I’ve been out here watching the storm. I’m tracking the lightning for a school project. You know, looking for unusual phenomena? A guy in my grade says he actually saw St. Elmo’s Fire! I’d love to see something like that.”

  The police officer looked doubtfully at her colleagues. “How many cars are parked at your cabin, son?”

  “Three, ma’am,” Ash said respectfully. “Two old ones and the family SUV.”

  There was a pause as she conferred with her colleagues in a low voice. Finally the woman nodded. “All right, kid. Officer Davies here will take you back to your cabin. Do you have someone you can call? A parent?”

  “Sure. I can call my dad.”

  Ash left with one of the police officers. Del stayed where she was, waiting. She knew why Ash hadn’t mentioned her. He had a father, a whole community behind him. She had nothing, now that Diana was gone. And the inevitable call to a social worker was a complication they really didn’t need right now.

  The other two officers looked around the clearing for a while, stopping to collect all the pieces of Theo’s blade and bag them up. Then they moved upriver. As soon as they were gone, she backed away into the trees, looking for a good place to hide in case the police returned with more support. She found a fallen pine and burrowed underneath like a little forest animal, pulling the branches across her face as she curled up to wait.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Rose

  Rose ducked under a demon’s hand as he reached in to grab her by the arm. The demon’s fingers grasped her hair instead, but Rose was already slashing up with her knife, and the demon let go and backed away. All around her there was a blur of movement, some almost too fast to follow, as her companions fought for their lives.

  Dan went down again, his knee giving way. The blonde demon, Camille, caught a blade aimed at Dan’s throat and knocked it aside.

  They were still alive, barely, but they were losing. Rose knew it. They couldn’t keep this up much longer. The drizzle had stopped, and Rose almost wished the rain was back to mask the scent of blood.

  Then a chorus of cell phone message chimes sounded. The demons backed away in confusion, hands reaching for pockets. Rose was out of breath, gasping, and she welcomed the break, bizarre as it was.

  Jude was reading whatever message had arrived. He looked up at the huddle of defenders at Rose’s side and did the last thing Rose expected. He began to laugh.

  “Stand down,” he told the pack, still grinning. “Pull back.” And then he addressed Alex. “Sir Knight, it seems an apology is due. We have the wrong quarry.”

  “What?” Alex looked startled. “What do you mean?”

  “No offense to Miss Pietrowicz, but it would appear that she is not, after all, what we want. She is not the child from the prophecy,” Jude answered.

  Again with the prophecy thing. Rose looked down at Dan, but he just gave her this look, and shook his head slightly. His meaning was clear. Later.

  Jude dropped lightly down to sit on the roof of the car. He leaned one hand on his knee casually, as though they were all just friends hanging out. “It was never her. The Guild has been protecting the wrong girl all these years. I’m afraid the joke is on all of us.”

  Alex stared
at the demon. “What are you talking about?”

  The demon leader held up his cell phone. “We’ve had word from our interim Master of the Hunt. Someone else has summoned the Heart Blade. A girl, as the prophecy foretold. A half-blood girl, born from violence and despair, saved from the jaws of death by her mother. Her demon mother. Her full demon Liege.”

  “You mean the Heart Bearer is a demon?” Dan asked from the ground. Rose squatted down beside him, setting a hand on his shoulder. She had no idea what was going on. First the demons wanted her dead. Then, they didn’t. They wanted her for some prophecy. Now it wasn’t her, but some other girl. Her head was spinning. Dan placed his large hand on top of hers.

  Jude spread his hands wide. “What can I say? I’m as surprised as you are. Rose was the perfect candidate. But yes, to answer your question. The Heart Bearer is a demon. A half-demon, my young sister Adeline.”

  The man with the gold aura and the black body armor stepped forward. Scion, Alex had called him. Rose had forgotten what the golden aura meant. “But that means that this Hunter, he’s with them right now!” The man’s voice was desperate. “My son, is he alive?”

  Jude tapped his ear. Rose realized he had one earbud in, the wire snaking down to his pocket. He pulled out something that looked like a small, blocky radio and removed the earbud. The crackle of a police band transmission burst into the clearing.

  “—suspect is gone?” A man’s voice was asking.

  “I don’t know!” It was a woman’s voice now. “Prank call, I guess. But whoever made it knew what they were talking about. Theodore Raven, they said, plain as day. But when we got there, all we found was this high school kid and a broken sword with a dark red hilt.”

  Jude cut the transmission. “Your son’s alive, Scion. He isn’t going anywhere. Theodore Raven is dead and your boy is safely in police custody.”

  “And your sister, Adeline?” asked Alex firmly. “She’s the Heart Bearer now. She no longer belongs to your pack.”

  Jude smiled again. “My pack. I like the sound of that.” He looked around at the other demons. “By the way, I’m taking over as Master of the Hunt. If you check your nice fat bank accounts, you’ll find them a little on the empty side. Yes, even your offshore accounts, and those pretty little Swiss ones too. I own you, every single one of you. I’ll consider returning your assets on a case-to-case basis once you’ve all pledged your fealty.”

  From the ground, Rose watched Jude. He stood easily, in full control. Fearless. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “There are other ways to prove strength beside brute force,” he told Alex. “Adeline belongs to the pack. We have a legal claim to her. Do me a favor: go ahead and find her for me. She’ll be ours eventually. The Court will back me up.”

  “You intend to take this to Court?” Again Alex sounded surprised.

  “Oh, I think so. Don’t you?” Jude bowed. “I’d say it’s been a pleasure meeting you, but my dead pack members won’t agree. Of course,” —he waved at the burned-out cabin— “we’ll pay for damages.”

  “You won’t get away with this,” said Alex. “The Court will hear of this attack.”

  “One, two, three…” Jude counted. “Five of you. All alive. Did I mention dead demons? Yes, I think I did. This won’t go to Court, Knight. But Adeline’s custody will.” He jumped down from the car, half-turned to go, and then turned back.

  “Camille, will you pledge to me? I think you would be an asset to the Hunt if you were given more freedom to act according to your talents. I would amnesty your actions tonight, of course.”

  Camille shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks. Two can play the Court card, Jude. You’ll hear from me soon.”

  Jude nodded. “Very well. I look forward to it.” He left, his pack trailing after him.

  “Clever, this one,” Dan muttered to Rose. “And dangerous.”

  She helped him up and he limped to the nearest car, his own rental, sinking onto the back seat to take the weight off his knee. The one they had called Scion was on his phone. Angel-blood, Rose now remembered. That’s what a gold aura meant. Rose asked Dan, “So what’s his deal? Is he really an angel?”

  “That’s Deacon. He’s a sentinel. And yes, they’re descended from angels. At least, that’s what their lore says. They’re an ancient people, older than werewolves, or vampires. Older than witches.”

  Deacon walked over, followed by Camille and Alex. He shook Dan’s hand. “Good to see you again, Father. This is Camille Darkwing. She’ll be needing protection from the Guild until we can sort her status out at Court. She’s entering a plea for independence.” He looked at Camille. “I’m leaving you here. I have to go and get my son. Will you be okay?”

  Camille smiled. “I’ll be fine. Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” Deacon turned to Alex. “I’m guessing the Heart Bearer will be with him. We’d better all meet back at my place. I have enough room; you can all sleep there tonight. We have a lot to talk over in the morning.”

  Deacon left in a hurry after giving them his address and pressing his house keys into Alex’s hand. Dan got up, grimacing as his busted knee took some of his weight. “Alex? I’m getting too old for this.”

  Alex touched Dan’s cheek. It was a strange, fatherly gesture, and Rose remembered with a start that the vampire had brought her godfather up. It was easy to forget how ancient Alex was. “You’re not old, Daniel,” he said. “Plenty of fight in you yet.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” said Dan. He sighed. “Come on, Rose. Let’s go and see what’s left of the cabin.” He limped off, Alex supporting him and Rose following behind. Camille remained by the car, giving them some space.

  The cabin was a wreck. The whole place smelled horribly of smoke, and there were puddles everywhere from the rain that had poured in through the hole in the roof. The walls were burnt and blistered, though the reinforced concrete and steel girders had kept the structure largely intact.

  Dan looked around sadly. “That’s it for the Den.”

  “Will you fix it?” asked Rose. But Dan shook his head.

  “Its only purpose was as a hideout. Now that the place has been compromised, I’ll sell it. It may be time for me to quit the field, anyway.” He sat heavily on one of the rain-damp chairs. “Maybe I’ll finally take that desk job at the Chapterhouse that Alex keeps offering me.”

  “Is that where I’m going?” Rose asked. “The Chapterhouse?”

  “If you accept,” said Dan. “You’ll be one of our squires. You’ll learn all about the preternatural world and how to control your abilities. You’ll be safe.”

  “And you’ll be there?”

  “You know what? I think I will,” he said. “Would that be okay?”

  Rose nodded. She had a whole new life to learn about. Having her godfather close by would make it a lot easier. “It sounds fine,” she said. “But you’re not off the hook. You owe me a story. I want to hear about the Heart Blade prophecy. The whole thing, this time. The truth.”

  “Fair enough,” said Dan. “Let’s get the important stuff packed so we can get out of here. We can talk while we work.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Del

  As the last police vehicles disappeared up the driveway, Del stepped cautiously out of the trees, heading for the glass doors on the deck. They were open, and Del guessed Ash had left them like that for her. She stopped in the shadows outside the door, hesitant, but there was no one left in the cabin but Ash and his father. They sat on the sofa together, side by side. Not touching. Not looking at each other.

  “You missed your finals,” Deacon was saying.

  “I know,” Ash answered.

  Deacon sighed. “What a shambles we’ve made of things,” he said. “Emily would have been furious at us.”

  Del saw Ash’s eyes jerk to his father’s face and then down again. “You never mention her,” he said, his voice so quiet Del almost missed the words.

  “I know,” said Deacon. “That was a mistake. So
mewhere along the line, we stopped talking, and look where it got us. You could have been killed, Ash. I could have lost you.”

  You almost did, thought Del. Twice. In the basement, and later with Theo. Ash’s flickering, fading aura would haunt her forever. She wondered if he knew how close he’d been to death both times. Perhaps it was best if he didn’t know.

  After a pause, Deacon spoke again. “We have a lot to put right.” He turned to his son. “Am I too late? Or can we start over?”

  Ash buried his face in his hands for a moment. When he looked up, his eyes were bright with tears. “We can start over,” he said.

  Del pushed the door on purpose so it creaked noisily. Both men turned immediately. “Del,” said Ash, his voice heavy with relief. “Are you okay?” He got up and went to her, trapping her hand between his.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t want to interrupt. I’m fine. I waited until the police left. They were suspicious enough without me turning up.”

  “You’re freezing.” Ash took the blanket he wore like a cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  Deacon stood up. “Adeline.” He hesitated. “I think an apology is in order. I should have listened to both of you. I made a mistake.”

  “We’ve all made mistakes,” she answered a little stiffly. “I’m willing to start over, if you are.” She held out a hand. “Del.”

  “Deacon.” He shook her hand formally, and though his eyes drifted to her other hand, held firmly by Ash, he didn’t say anything.

  Ash suddenly sneezed. Deacon gave a wry grin. “Yeah, I kind of feel that way, too. Let’s get you two packed up and we’ll go home. We have houseguests. The head of the Guild of Saint Peter himself is back in Hartford waiting to talk to you, Adeline. Del, I mean. He’s offered you protection from Shade.”

  “Really? So the pack is giving up?” she asked.