by Shéa MacLeod
“Apparently there were some questions after the last operation,” Trevor said.
The last operation being the one where we captured Dara Boyd aka Jade Vincent, psycho Hunter extraordinaire. And unfortunately did not capture Alister Jones. “And?”
“The agency is trying to keep a low profile. So, they decided to let the chips fall where they may.”
That didn’t take much mulling over. “They’re going to deny everything, aren’t they?”
Trevor nodded. “Plausible Deniability. They can claim no involvement, and say I did this on my own.”
“They hung us out to dry.” My voice was practically a snarl.
“That would be correct.”
“Bastards.” The irony that I used to paint my brother with the same brush was not lost on me. “Fine, they want to keep their lily-white hands clean, let them. We’ve got a job to do.”
We followed Zip onto djinn lands. This time there was no wind. No Mongolian Death Worms, either, thank the gods.
“Zip, did you ever figure out where the Worms came from?”
She shook her head sending blond ringlets dancing. “Nope. And we haven’t seen any more, either.”
I frowned at that. Something niggled at the back of my mind. Something about Alberich, the Binding, and the Worms, but I couldn’t quite grasp it.
“Okay, Zip,” Trevor prodded. “Can you sense the Marid?”
She closed her eyes and screwed up her rosebud mouth. “Yes!” She gave him a triumphant grin.
“Okay, where?”
“Oh, there.” She pointed toward the distant mound that made up the djinn underground home.
The rest of us tried not to roll our eyes while Trevor held back a smile. “Anywhere else.”
“Yes.” She etched her fingers along the horizon toward the west and the mountains. “There. It’s faint, but he’s definitely that way.”
“Without a car, that trek is going to take hours,” Kabita pointed out. “Surely we can get our hands on some dirt bikes or something.”
Kabita and her motorcycles. Frankly, I’d rather give myself a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it.
“Oh, no, we don’t need anything like that,” Zip giggled. “Hold hands.”
We all stared at her like she’d grown a second head.
“Hold hands.” This time it was an order worthy of a drill sergeant. No giggling. No breathy Marilyn voice. For the first time I felt the true power of the djinni. Frankly, it was a little scary.
We grabbed each others’ hands.
With the snap of her finger we flashed out of existence. And reappeared in a small valley at the base of the nearest mountain.
Ingo squeezed my hand and whispered, “We could have just flown.”
“Now where would be the fun in that?” I grinned back.
“Okay, Zip, now where?” Trevor looked ridiculously official with his flak vest, badge, and assault rifle. I hoped he had something more than ordinary rounds in that thing, or it was going to be pretty much useless.
Zip screwed her eyes closed again. “Over there.” She pointed toward a copse of stunted junipers.
I couldn’t see anything other than a bunch of trees and rocks, but then again I hadn’t been able to see Alberich when he attacked me, either. Apparently invisibility was his thing. Which meant that without Zip, we wouldn’t have had a snowball’s chance in hell at finding the sidhe, or his victim.
Zip bopped ahead over the rugged terrain in her kitten heels and floaty white dress. How on earth she didn’t break an ankle on a rock, or snag the chiffon on some brush, was beyond me. What was even more beyond me was that I actually knew what chiffon was.
And then our resident djinni let out a bloodcurdling shriek.
Trevor was by her side in a flash, but it was too late. The demon had come out of nowhere and slashed Zip across the front of her chest. She collapsed in a heap, bright red blood pouring from the gaping wound. I could see white bone shining underneath the severed muscles. So not good.
The demon turned on my brother. Trevor managed to get off a shot, but it barely phased the thing. Its fist smashed into Trevor’s chest and sent my brother flying a good ten feet. Fortunately, he didn’t get caught by the demon’s claws.
The demon was huge. About the same height as the Marid, but build like a tank, complete with armor plating and claws like razor blades.
“What the fuck is that thing?” I hollered at Kabita.
“It’s a Behemoth.”
“No shit.”
“No, I mean that’s the kind of demon it is. There’s no way we’re going to get through that armor plating. Not even with salt.”
She was right. Even my blades wouldn’t penetrate the demon’s hide. “What the hell is he doing?”
Inigo had slipped into his dragon form and was fighting the thing tooth and nail. He hit the demon with a blast of dragon fire. It didn’t even blink. Shit. This was so not good.
“Morgan.” Kabita grabbed my shoulder. “You’re the only one that can stop it.”
“Are you kidding me? Have you seen the size of that thing? My Hunter strength is no match for it, and without weapons … ”
She gave me a little shake. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about your powers. You have to use them to send this thing back to wherever it came from.”
I swallowed as I stared at my brother and my boyfriend getting the shit beat out of them. At Zip lying on the ground bleeding. “Last time I let them out I couldn’t control them. Not without the Marid.”
“It’s either that, or we’re all dead.”
I smiled weakly. “Good point. Stand back.”
She moved back a few steps. Far enough to be out of my way, but not so far she couldn’t get to me if she needed to. I hoped she didn’t need to.
“I pull this off, you so owe me.”
She grinned. “I’ll buy you that pair of boots you’ve been lusting over.”
“The purple Doc Martens? Two pairs of shoes in one week. I’m a lucky girl. Okay, here goes nothing.” I closed my eyes against the battle in front of me and reached down to that place where my powers lived.
The Air came first, its silvery tendrils spilling up and out of me. The wind kicked up, spinning into a whirlwind that tore at the surrounding brush.
The whirlwind danced across the space between me and the demon. Inigo managed to fly out of its way before the Air wrapped itself around the Behemoth. The giant demon screeched in anger, tearing against the wind, but the Air held fast.
Slowly, almost in a daze, I walked across the space that separated us and right into the whirlwind. The demon tried to swipe at me, but the Air held its claws back. I placed my palm in the center of the thing’s chest, like the Marid had done to me. Then I let loose the Fire.
The flames poured from me, encasing both me and the demon in a spinning tornado of Fire and Air. “Shall I banish you?” My voice held a strange hollow quality.
The Behemoth opened its mouth as if to speak, but all that came out was a scream of rage. The amulet flared to life, burning the tender skin of my chest. That’s when I knew. I don’t know how I knew, but there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt what I had to do to expel the magic from the creature.
The Darkness boiled out of me, a living thing, echoing the demon’s scream. I placed my other palm against the chest of the giant, and with a voice that was my own — yet not my own — I said, “Magic of Alberich, I banish you.”
There was a slight thump, like one of those percussion bombs they use on TV shows. It was as though all the air was sucked from our lungs. Then a whoosh of wind that flattened everyone and everything except me and the creature standing in front of me: The Marid
Chapter Twenty-three
The Marid’s big hands curled around my upper arms. “Zipporah.”
I swallowed. “I’m sorry.”
The king of the djinn practically tossed me aside like a rag doll in his hurry to get to the fallen djinni girl. Surprisingly,
she was still alive. Barely.
“Zipporah.” The Marid knelt next to the girl, ignoring the blood that quickly stained his clothes. He cradled the fragile djinni to his massive chest. “Oh, Zipporah, I am so sorry.”
Blood bubbled from her lips. “Marid, it is not your fault.” Her delicate white fingers stroked his cheek, leaving a smear of blood behind.
“I should have stopped him,” the Marid choked. “I should have been stronger.”
“Were it not for the Binding, you would have been,” she whispered. “‘Tis I who was supposed to protect you.”
“No. Zip, no.” Tears spilled down his face, anguish etched in every line of his body.
But Zip wasn’t there to answer. I felt the Air stir inside me and I watched as a tiny spiral of silver twirled out of Zip’s body and danced away on the wind.
***
“Marid.” I placed my hand gently on his shoulder. “If we have any hope of stopping Alberich, we need to know what happened.”
The Marid still sat on the frozen ground, his body hunched over Zip’s crumpled form while everyone else stood around looking helpless. I understood the guilt and grief that must be ripping him to shreds, but it wasn’t his fault. Yes, he killed her, but it had been Alberich who’d pulled the trigger. Of that I had no doubt.
“Alberich forced the change, didn’t he?” I prompted. If the Queen had told the truth, it was a power Alberich shouldn’t have had.
Muscles moved in the Marid’s massive jaw. “No sidhe has ever before forced a Marid to take demon form.”
I glanced over at Kabita, who gave a little shrug. So, the demon form was one of their natural forms. I tucked that little nugget away for future reference. “Alberich isn’t like other sidhe.”
“This, I know. Now.”
“I’m guessing he subjugated one of your people to get himself onto djinn lands.”
The Marid nodded. “Yes. He used the Binding magic in a way I’ve never even heard of before. Once he was here, he was able to … ” he choked.
“And the Worms weren’t there this time to stop him,” I guessed.
But I didn’t need the Marid’s answer. I was betting that Zip had been wrong about the Worms. They’d always been there, protecting the djinn. It was only Alberich’s magic that had awakened them, and sent them on the hunt. He probably hadn’t even realized it was his own magic working against him, aggravating the Worms.
Once I killed the Worms, Alberich had been able to get onto djinn lands and take the Marid captive. When we got too close, Alberich had forced the Marid into demon form. And apparently, demon form didn’t allow for clear thinking.
“Do you know where he went?”
The smile that crossed the Marid’s face was a little scary. “Oh, yes. Yes, I do.” He nodded to the copse of juniper trees. “He’s still there. Watching.”
I stared at the little clump of trees. I couldn’t see anything. “Why?”
“He gets off on pain and suffering. And,” the Marid glanced over at me, “he’d like to finish what he started with you.”
“He must be pissed as hell I escaped into the Other World.” The very thought made me smile. “Okay, I’ve got some special cuffs that should hold him long enough to turn him over to the Fairy Queen.”
A look of pure outrage crossed the Marid’s face. “You are turning him over to the Queen? That bitch is the one who let him go in the first place.”
“I know.” She’d admitted as much during our little meeting. “But no mortal can kill him. She’s the only one with enough power.” Frankly I wasn’t sure that was true, but it was the best I had.
A calm seemed to settle over the Marid. “Very well. I shall help you capture him.”
“Good.” I nodded to the others. “We need to surround the trees, hem him in.”
“Won’t he just flash out?” Trevor asked.
I fingered the gold key that was still in my pocket. “I think I can prevent that. If only we could just surround him without him knowing … ”
“I’ve got that covered,” the Marid interrupted.
“Okay then,” I said. “Let’s go.”
***
I don’t know how the Marid did it, but one second we were standing around hashing out our plan and the next we were spread out in a circle around the copse of junipers. It made Zip’s teleportation trick look like child’s play.
Now it was up to me.
I spread my hands out from my body, and closed my eyes. Fire and Air weren’t going to help here. But there was one thing at my disposal that might: Darkness.
It raised its head eagerly, like a hound scenting blood. With a howl it shot out of my body and into the trees, pulling me along with it.
My feet flew over the ground, my vision tunnelling down to a pin prick. There was me and the Darkness, and the wild around me. And in front of me the beating heart of Alberich.
Unfortunately, he was waiting for me. With a blast of pure power he knocked me off my feet. Breath whooshed from my lungs and stars danced in my vision as he landed on top me, his hands at my throat.
What was with people and strangling me lately? I placed my palm against his chest and willed the Fire to burn him, but nothing happened.
Alberich laughed. “What’s the matter, Hunter? Fire won’t burn?” He leaned down, hissing his words in my face. “You are not a true creature of Fire. You cannot burn me. Nor are you a true creature of Air, so that won’t work, either.”
Once again I could feel myself fading. Even the Darkness wouldn’t come. I gasped for air and thought I heard the shriek of Inigo’s dragon. Where were they?
“They can’t come for you, Hunter. Did you honestly think I didn’t know your plan? I allowed you in.” The smile that creased his face was downright creepy. “I wanted to play. Before I rip out your heart and send it to my sister.”
Why his sister would care if he ripped out my heart was beyond me. Still, I kind of liked that particular organ right where it was.
Oh, this was not good. Some instinct had my fingers fumbling for the amulet around my neck. The amulet which had once again grown incredibly hot against my skin. I yanked it out from under my coat and slapped it against Alberich’s throat.
He shrieked in pain as a blast of sapphire light sent him tumbling across the small clearing. I was on him in a flash, zip cuffs at the ready. I straddled him, yanking his arms behind his back and slipping on the cuffs. The minute they were on, his magic dissipated, allowing the others into the clearing.
Kabita stared down at Alberich struggling against the cuffs. “We better get him to the Other World fast. I don’t think those are going to hold him for long.”
“Kabita, you so owe me a pair of purple Docs.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Whatever.”
Inigo and Trevor hauled the struggling sidhe to his feet. It was the first time I got a good look at the Queen’s twin brother.
Unlike the first time I’d seen him, Alberich’s face didn’t permute, but kept a single incarnation. Something that I had thought only the Queen could do. That incarnation was breathtakingly beautiful. He had the same silver eyes and shimmering blond hair of his sister. But unlike the Queen, there was darkness in Alberich. And, dare I say, evil.
“You wanted back in the Fairy Realm, Alberich. Consider your wish granted.” I started to reach into my pocket for the key, but the Marid stopped me.
“I want to speak to him for a moment.”
The Marid’s hand on my arm was warm. Too warm. I felt a little dizzy, and then my Air swirled out of me to wrap around the Marid’s fist.
Before any of us could so much as blink, the Marid punched Alberich in the chest. His fist crashed through skin and muscle and bone like it was nothing. And when he pulled his fist out of the gaping hole in Alberich’s chest, he held the still-beating heart of the sidhe in his hand.
“For Zipporah,” the Marid declared, and then swallowed the heart hole.
Alberich’s lifeless body crashed to the gro
und, his words playing in my head. You are not a true creature of fire. You cannot burn me. Nor are you a true creature of Air, so that won’t work, either. The Marid was a creature of both, and an immortal. He’d used my Air to bolster his own magic.
As we all stared down at the dead brother of the most powerful Queen in existence I had a bad, bad feeling.
“The Queen is not going to like this.”
In fact, the Queen would be furious. She may have hated her brother. She may have wanted to stop his plan, but he was still her brother. And he’d been murdered at the hands of the King of the Djinn. So not good.
“Holy hell.” Trevor sounded as shell-shocked as I felt.
I was pretty sure we’d just witnessed the start of a war.
***
I’d been to Nevada once before. The usual: Gambling, drinking, male strippers. That had been back when I’d had a normal life, with a normal job and normal friends who had normal bachelorette parties.
This particular trip was anything but normal. I slid a sideways glance at Trevor in the driver’s seat, his eyes shaded by mirrored sunglasses.
“Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to, you know,” he assured me for about the hundredth time.
“I know.”
We passed through the gate in the cyclone fence and continued on our way, the car kicking up a cloud of dust behind us. I was trying really hard not to think about why I was there. Trying to figure out the inner workings of a crazy person’s brain was enough to drive me loony.
The past few weeks had passed in one big long stretch of tension. So far, the Fairy Queen hadn’t declared war on the djinn, but I was worried it was only a matter of time. Yes, the Marid had killed Alberich to avenge Zip. Yes, Alberich was nuts, not to mention evil. Still, the sidhe were a law unto themselves, and I doubted the Queen saw it quite as logically as I did.
What worried me even more was she wasn’t taking my calls. Or, rather, the key she’d given me no longer seemed to work. Not a good sign.
Not only did I already owe her a favor for saving my life, I now owed her for getting her brother killed. Shit.