“What shape do you want these reservoirs in?”
“Chainmail rings, to be discarded when the reservoirs are empty,” he said and handed her the burgundy case. “Ten rings. Five stones as payment.”
She looked up sharply. “Tristan!” She shook her head. “It’s too much. One stone can pay for reservoirs and the limiter.”
“I know. How soon until it’s done?”
“I’ll need a few days at least. The reservoirs are simple. I can assume you prefer amplification runes?”
“Yes, those would be best, considering the circumstances.”
“I can’t guarantee the limiter. What you’re asking for is a bond regulator for a hellhound. Outside of Hades, I don’t think anyone can do that.” She looked at me. “I’m going to need to explore their bond.”
That didn’t sound pleasant. “Why don’t I like the sound of that?”
“Because it will be incredibly uncomfortable,” she said. “I will have to delve into the bond and your innermost private selves. I doubt Peaches will have a problem with it. You, on the other hand, may have baggage.”
“‘Uncomfortable’ I can deal with,” I said. “I won’t have a problem if it prevents a Planet Peaches. As long as it’s not as bad as last time, I’m good.”
“How bad was it last time?”
“Like driving ice picks into my ears with extreme force, followed by having all my fingernails ripped off with pliers, and chased with acid poured over open wounds.”
TK nodded. “I see. At least I won’t have to explain how excruciating the process will be.”
“Wonderful.”
“There’s one more thing…” Monty said, looking at TK.
I glared at him, slowly shaking my head.
“I’m going to have my hands busy for a few days, Tristan. Anything else will have to wait.”
“This isn’t something you have to do. It’s something I don’t want you to do.”
“Monty…” I started.
He held up a hand, and I shut up. If he was going to say what I thought he was going to say, I may as well enjoy my last few breaths before the end.
TK placed the cases gently on the table next to her, crossed her arms, and gazed at Monty. The temperature of the room dropped by about thirty degrees. Everything about her pose whispered sudden death.
“Very few people on the face of this earth can tell me what I can or can’t do. Not even my dear husband, whom I love more than life, would presume to tell me what I can’t do. Choose your next words carefully.”
SIX
“THE SANCTUARY IS the only home I’ve known for a long time,” Monty started.
“Let me stop you right there, Tristan. I’m incredibly fond of your uncle. In fact, Dex is like a brother to me. Outside of LD, he’s the only person I would consider listening to.”
“Then you’ll understand when I say—”
“I wasn’t finished.” Her words sliced through the room, cutting the air into stillness.
The smile never left her face and then I realized where I had seen it before. A shark wears the same expression when it glides through the water in search of prey. TK was the equivalent of a landshark, except scarier.
“Please continue,” Monty said after a pause. “My apologies.”
I saw the thin sheen of sweat form across his forehead and realized the danger we had suddenly found ourselves navigating. It was very similar to walking in bear-infested woods and finding yourself lost, at night, and carrying twenty pounds of raw beef. The outlook was grim.
TK sighed and acknowledged his apology. I was looking for a way to slide closer to the exit.
“My fondness for your esteemed and slightly deranged uncle is the only reason I haven’t lost my temper. I realize you and I haven’t interacted much, Tristan. You were very young when Dex came into our lives, but make no mistake, my love for Dex notwithstanding, I will atomize you where you stand if you attempt to dictate to me what I should and shouldn’t do, or where I can or cannot go.”
Monty remained silent, and I knew what he was doing. I had seen him do it countless times. He was a mage who had faced dragons, ogres, and even a mad god. He was working out the possible outcomes of his next actions. This ability to pause in the middle of conflict and see several steps ahead made him a dangerous opponent. It was battle chess with life-or-death stakes.
“I think what he doesn’t want you to do is make those reservoir rings pink,” I said, cutting through the tension. “Not one of his favorite colors.”
TK looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “Was this your concern, Tristan? Color matching?”
Monty nodded and gave a short cough. “If it would be no trouble, basic black is my preference.”
“Always with the funeral look, these mages,” I said with my most disarming smile. Guaranteed to calm them down and help them forget the moment they almost went thermonuclear on each other.
TK narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you in pain?”
“Not especially, no. Not that I would like to be,” I added quickly.
“You have a good friend here, Tristan. I’ll get to work on the limiter and reservoirs and inform you when they’re ready.”
She glided out of the casting chamber with the entropy stones. I let out a breath of relief and self-preservation.
“Are you insane?” I asked Monty as I turned to face him. “Were you seriously going to tell her she can’t come…to her face?”
“It did cross my mind.”
“Are you actively trying to get us killed? You told me not to offend her, and then you turn around and almost get us blasted into memories. Why?”
“My position remains unchanged.” He pulled on a sleeve and looked away for a moment. “She’s volatile, unpredictable, vulnerable, and lethal.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oliver isn’t a fool. He’ll see through her in a second.”
“I’m not following.” And I wasn’t. From where I stood, TK sounded like the ultimate weapon. I was starting to think having her with us was a good idea when we encountered a castle full of mages intent on destroying us.
“You recall how I told you the Moving Market moved against Fordey?”
“Like I could forget.”
“What was her weakness? How did Nick fail to exploit it?”
I took a moment to consider the story as Monty began gesturing. He formed a large red circle on one of the tables that sat against the wall.
“Her temper?”
“Look past the temper.”
“She destroyed Fordey when she discovered Nick wanted it. If I was Nick and I really wanted to stop her…”
Then it hit me. He saw my expression change and nodded as he kept gesturing. “Now you know why she can’t come. If you were Oliver, how would you stop a creative mage with her amount of power?”
“I’d strip away the thing that drives her. The only thing she cares about. Then strike when she was distracted and vulnerable.”
“Precisely, the one thing a mage must never do is lose control.”
“But you can’t be certain Oliver will use that strategy,” I said. “He could use a different method.”
He gave me a withering glare. “What would you do?”
Oliver was an accomplished mage. We didn’t know what he wanted but he had managed to take over the Golden Circle. Shit, Monty was right. I would remove the opposition in the fastest, most efficient way possible. Everything pointed to one solution.
“I’d kill LD and then erase her when she was distracted, engulfed in her grief and anger.” I hated the words as I said them, because I knew I was right.
SEVEN
“WHAT ARE YOU doing?” I asked as he kept gesturing and then removed a hair from his sleeve. It was a long black hair and I knew it belonged to TK.
He dropped the hair in the circle, and it transformed from black to red and back to black in the span of a few seconds.
“Creating a Smith Bridge keyed directly to T
K.”
“She’s not going to like that.” I shook my head. “You can pretty much guarantee your imminent crushing when you use that on her.”
“We only need LD to get us in the Sanctuary,” he said, gesturing as the circle vanished. “TK being there will be a liability. She places us all in danger, especially LD. He gets us in, Uncle Dex can then port him back, we free Father and confront Oliver.”
“Have you discussed this with Dex? Because that plan sounds simple, which never happens to us. No plan survives contact with the enemy.”
“Discussed what with me?” Dex asked from the other side of the room. “What did you say to TK? She’s about ready to blast a hole in the wall.”
My heart leaped and tried to pull an Alien move by bursting out of my chest. “He was going to tell her she couldn’t come to the Sanctuary with us.”
“Are you daft? She’s not going to listen to you. She won’t even listen to me, and I’ve saved her life more times than I can count.”
“Will she listen to LD?” I asked. “Can he convince her to stay?”
Dex shook his head. “No one tells her what to do or when.”
“Sounds familiar,” Monty said, looking at Dex. “I created a reverse Smith Bridge keyed to TK.”
Dex gave him a hard look.
“You’re playing with forces you don’t understand,” Dex said quietly. “You can’t lasso the sun, boy. Have you given thought to what happens after you use the bridge? You think she’s going to stay here and what, knit a sweater?”
“I will not have her jeopardize this mission,” Monty said with an edge. “You suggested LD. I told you how I felt about her. She’s a risk and you know it.”
“Aye, she’s a bit hot-headed—” Dex began.
“She’s a mage, a creative mage,” Monty interrupted. “Hot-headed cannot be part of that equation. The bridge remains intact. The first sign of her losing control, I send her back.”
“She won’t like this. The bridge is a bad idea, nephew.”
“I’m not particularly concerned with what she likes. She’s volatile at the best of times. She could easily undo the entire Sanctuary.”
Dex nodded and clenched his jaw. “Aye, lad, you’re right. I don’t like it, but you speak truth. If she finds out, she’ll try to erase you for the attempt and me for being your uncle,” he said with a mischievous grin.
The cold realization set in as Monty spoke. For all his destructive tendencies, I had never really seen him lose it. He had never gone on a rampage and lost control. If he was capable of massive destruction while maintaining control, I didn’t want to think what could happen if he lost it.
“I’m guessing we aren’t going to tell her, right?” I asked as they both stared at me. “What?”
“Only if you really want to find out how much death you can handle,” Dex said and shook his head. “I wonder about you sometimes, lad.”
“No. We aren’t telling her, and hopefully I won’t need to use the bridge,” Monty said, looking at me. “Right now it’s a failsafe if she behaves erratically while we’re attempting to infiltrate the Sanctuary.”
“Don’t you think Oliver is expecting us? I mean, could it be a trap?”
Dex laughed and then grew serious. “I always think everything is a trap. It’s why I’m still alive.”
“I tasked TK with reservoirs and the limiter for Simon’s creature,” Monty said. “We need one more thing. A runic neutralizer.”
Dex narrowed his eyes at Monty. “Are you planning on starting a war? No one keeps those around. Not even LD would be crazy enough to keep one here.”
“I know where to get one,” Monty said. “But I have to go see Steigh.”
“Didn’t she promise to kill you the next time you met?”
“Well yes, but…”
“Wait, what?” I asked. “No one else sees a problem here?”
“Oh yes, nothing like having an ice mage angry at you for rebuffing her advances,” Dex said with a chuckle. “They don’t take rejection well.”
I stared at Monty. “Are you serious? We’re going to see an angry ex-girlfriend?”
Monty sighed. “She’s not an ex-anything. We just had a small misunderstanding. I don’t think she was serious about freezing my blood solid.”
“X, that’s a good letter to describe what’s she’s going to do to you two.” Dex made an X sign with his fingers. “This is a bad idea, lad. Even if Steigh Cea weren’t there, that place rests over a ley-line. Exposure to that much power is poison.”
“Do we really need this neutrino thing?”
“I know I’ve been called odd and strange, but even I know better than to go see her,” Dex said and crossed his arms over his chest. “The Stynes are dangerous. She must be mad now from living there. Besides, she won’t give up the neutralizer willingly. This is too risky.”
“Stynes?” I asked, glancing back and forth between the two. “What are Stynes?”
Dex grabbed my shoulder. “A Styne is a mage that taps directly into a ley-line. They use raw power. Except that it does something to them, twists their minds a bit. She’d just as easily freeze you as talk to you.”
“It’s a calculated risk. We need it if we’re going to get out of the Sanctuary alive.”
“I’m all for getting out of the Sanctuary alive,” I said. “Alive and in one piece is even better. Seeing an angry ex, not so much. Can’t we find this neutralizer somewhere else? The Moving Mar—”
“Hush your mouth, boy!” Dex hissed, covering my mouth and glaring at Monty. “Didn’t you tell him about TK and Nick?”
Monty waved Dex’s words away. “I told him, but he likes living dangerously. To answer your question, only Steigh Cea Styne has a neutralizer. We have to go see her.”
“But Dex just said she may be not in her right mind…”
“Bloody batty is what she is by now. Avoid her if you can, but once my nephew has set his mind, it’s easier to move mountains.”
Monty nodded and gestured as white runes floated from his fingers, opening a rift in front of us.
“This will get us close,” he said while stepping through.
“Keep an eye on Peaches for me, Dex.”
He gave me a smile. “You think you’re leaving him behind, do you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see. Stay away from that ice mage and don’t waste time,” Dex said, his face grim. “The whole place is dangerous.”
I stepped through the rift, and the room disappeared.
EIGHT
THE FIRST THING that hit me was the cold. Monty stood a few feet away and appeared unbothered by the Arctic temperature. My breath formed small clouds on every exhalation. We stood in a large corridor with hallways branching off in every direction. Off in the distance, the main corridor opened up into a wide space.
We moved forward into the large space, which reminded me of a large skating rink. I could see stairs off to one side, carved out of the ice. In fact, everywhere I looked, it was ice. As I turned, I realized we were standing in some sort of atrium or main hall.
“You opened a rift to Hoth?”
“Keep your voice down,” he hissed and began heading to another corridor. “When I said we were going to see Steigh, I didn’t actually mean we were going to ‘see’ her.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “You said she has the runic nebulizer and we need it.”
“Neutralizer.”
“You want to neutralize her? What the hell, Monty? Is she that dangerous?”
“No, she has the runic neutralizer, and we need to procure it. Preferably without her knowledge.”
“Procure? You mean steal. We’re here to steal this nebulizer thing? From a crazy ice-mage who can tap into a ley-line?”
“Borrow. She won’t give it to us without a blood challenge.”
“I’m not feeling great about taking this thing. Let’s just do this blood challenge and get it that way.”
> “Do you know what a blood challenge is?”
“Do I want to know?”
“Not really, no. It’s better if we just borrow it—trust me.”
We entered one of the corridors. “Are you sure?”
“Once we return from the Sanctuary, we’ll return the nebu—neutralizer.”
“Why is it so cold in here?” My teeth were beginning to chatter as I looked around. “This place makes Siberia feel like a vacation getaway.”
“You’ve heard the term ‘ice queen,’ yes?”
“Of course, who hasn’t?”
“Stynes are a type of Jotnar. In this case, they thrive and dwell in the ice and cold.”
“You mean like frost giants? You pissed off a frost giant?”
He shot me a look and continued.
“The Stynes aren’t frost giants. They are decidedly female, and exceedingly beautiful.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, mage,” said the melodious voice behind us. “Now, which one of you dies first?”
“You forgot to mention stealthy,” I said under my breath.
We turned to face one of the most beautiful women I’d seen in my entire life. Sky-blue eyes blazed at me with thinly-veiled violence behind them. Her face was framed by white-blond hair.
The similarity to my landlord, Olga, made me pause. The woman towered above us and even had the same ‘you are inferior’ look as she peered down her nose at us.
“Hello, Steigh Cea,” Monty said slowly. “You’re looking well.”
She narrowed her eyes at Monty and icicles fell off her shoulders as she approached. Her glare shifted from anger to murderous intent as recognition dawned. Behind that glare, there was a definite crazy dance going on. I almost reached for my mark, but Monty shook his head slightly.
“Tristan Montague, I promised I’d kill you the next time we met.”
“I know we didn’t part on the best of terms, but perhaps we can be mature adults about this and—”
I barely had time to register the large pieces of sharp ice slicing through the air as they buried themselves in the floor in front of where we stood with a staccato rhythm of promised death. I glanced over to see Monty standing very still as more shards floated in front of him.
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