by Lisa E Parry
“I’m just saying it would be easier and it makes more sense. She will think we have been frightened into leaving tonight, so we should stay and leave the city in the early hours.” Oh oh. Why isn’t Cheri involved in this conversation? I turned a quick questioning look at Cheri and inclined my head to Stephanie making plans with the King.
She just shrugged, my mouth opened with surprise. Oh my god, doesn’t she care? What is up with her? My eyes sank to the table. She had an empty tankard of ale in her hand and she seemed out of it. I stared aghast: she was only bloody drunk at a time like this! That wasn’t the Cheri I thought I knew. I looked at Viola, who giggled at my response and mouthed, “I know.”
This was definitely weird. Why would Cheri incapacitate herself with drink after I had nearly been killed and when we were surrounded by very real danger. It didn’t make sense. Unless…Perhaps she was feigning it so Stephanie thought she wasn’t listening.
A roar of laughter drew my attention. The room was busy, and more people were pouring in; soon there would barely be enough room to walk. Bodies were jostling, drinks were being sloshed and there was the occasional crash of broken glass. There were four girls at the bar scantily dressed and batting wandering hands away. I turned away in disgust.
Leaning forwards, I saw Dayna sitting on the other side of Cheri. “Dayna!” I hollered. She glanced my way. “Thank you for healing me.” I gestured to the back of my head as I was unsure my raised voice had reached her in that din.
“It’s okay,” she mouthed, and I saw her eyes narrow as she glanced at the staircase just as Dorian re-entered the room. “Cheri, would you mind switching for a second?” Cheri shrugged, and they swapped places. “You two still manage to find a little time together I see?” she quipped as she plopped herself down next to me.
Not her as well! Dayna had an almost empty glass of strong ale in her hand, plus her eyes were half closed as she spoke. It looked like she had partly lost control of her arms: her glass tipped and the last few mouthfuls spilled onto her dress. What was going on? Despite my concern, their behaviour was so unlike them it was funny.
“Shh!” I hushed her so no one would hear. “Don’t you have your own room?” I whispered. “I’m sure you and Owen could manage a few moments.” I looked upstairs: suggesting this was an opportunity for them.
“Gotcha,” Dayna slurred with a drunken wink and slammed her glass on the table. She then announced at the top of her voice, “I have a headache so I’m going to my room.” We could just about understand her indistinctly spoken words. “Owen, check on me in an hour to make sure I haven’t choked on my own vomit.”
I put my face in my hands and peeked out between my fingers to see who was watching. She stood unsteadily and then slowly made her way up the stairs, practically hugging the handrail. If she was faking it, she was putting on a good show. I hoped she was faking it. I hoped they both were - maybe to lure any opposition into a false sense of security. “Oh God, Dayna,” I murmured to myself, crossing my fingers. Viola burst out laughing, which luckily took everyone’s attention away from Dayna’s unsteady exit.
It was then that I noticed Warwick sitting in a darkened corner by himself. Anyone who got too close took one look at him and quickly backtracked. One guy fell over his own feet at the expression on my friend’s face: it promised death to anyone who disturbed him. I didn’t want to intrude - but we have already established that I am a nosy person. I stood and meandered over to the sullen vampire in the corner. He looked mega pissed off. And I will be mega pissed off if one more person steps on my goddamned dress!
As I sat at his table, he turned away. “What’s wrong with your face?” I hissed. “I’m sick of men edging their way round me walking like they’ve shit their pants. Something you want to share?”
“You reek of him,” he spat. My mouth fell open of its own accord and I quickly snapped it shut. That was happening way too much lately. If I didn’t control my mouth dropping open at everything that surprised me then it would soon be a popular resting place for flies.
“What the hell? Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, maybe. I just got used to your scent before he marked his property.” Ouch. His eyes flashed, and I flinched. He rolled his eyes and looked to the bar. “Forget I said anything.” I followed his gaze to the barmaids.
“You’re hungry? Didn’t you go eat earlier?” I asked as casually as I could, even though we weren’t discussing food in the human sense. Clearly the sluts serving drinks were on the menu.
“I’m always hungry.” His voice went deep as though supressing a constant need. “How are you feeling anyway?” he asked, genuinely concerned.
“I’m fine.” I was so sick of people treating me like a ticking time bomb. Just then someone bumped into my back and spilt a drink down my front. I yelped, and Warwick shot up out of his seat.
“Watch it!” he growled and pushed the surprised fellow back. The guy was thrown with such force that he knocked over another two people. I had to say something; Warwick was drawing too much attention to himself.
“Warwick! Sit!” I shouted at him, “Settle down, will you? What’s got you so wound up?”
He rose from his chair and had almost made his way past me when I quickly stood and grabbed his arm before he sped off. His head whipped around, and he stood so close that we were almost nose-to-nose. Dark green eyes delved into mine and I suddenly felt weak at the knees. He blinked and the heady feeling evaporated.
I eventually found my voice. “Thank you for saving my life.”
His response wasn’t what I had expected. “I still owe you mine. If you hadn’t thrown me that dagger, I would have failed.” I saw in his face that he was disappointed in himself. I couldn’t allow that. I looked at him, knowing he would always do his best to save my life.
“You would not have failed, and you never will.” I threw every ounce of meaning into what I said.
“God damn,” he ground out, never taking his eyes off me. “Why do you believe in me so much? I’m an animal: inhuman, dangerous and slightly unhinged.”
I smiled, and as a result I saw the tension momentarily leave his face. “Join the club; there are T-shirts.” He burst into infectious laughter. It was devastating and drew the attention of a slutty barmaid. She craned her head for a better look at him. I tugged on his tunic and into his ear I said. “Now there’s a barmaid over there having a good rubber neck at you, so go get your dinner.” I patted his cold cheek. Now in a better mood, he took my hand to give it a squeeze and left in the direction of the bar.
When I sat back down I noticed Owen’s absence and smiled to myself. He hadn’t even waited an hour. Everyone seemed to have shuffled around so I was able to sit next to Viola. Our food finally came. It consisted of shredded pork, roast potatoes and carrots with gravy. I was grateful for the hot meal. I wasn’t sure what Stephanie had been cooking us for breakfast, but it tasted like watery porridge. My fork froze halfway to my mouth, roast potato suspended. My eyes sought out Stephanie. Who put her in charge of breakfast anyway? Is she slowly poisoning us? Did she take up the task so she could kill us all off at the most opportune moment? She glanced over at me so I shoved the delectably hot, crispy potato into my mouth, hoping she hadn’t noticed my scrutinising her.
Later on, I noticed Warwick reappear in the tavern with his barmaid, who was putty in his hands. They snuck into a corner of the room and began making out. Holy shit, his hands were everywhere, and he bent her so far backwards in a heavy kiss that I was surprised she didn’t snap in half. My cheeks felt hot just watching them, so I averted my eyes.
“He’s infatuated with you, can’t you tell?” Viola said to me. I didn’t know what to say. I had been piecing his words and actions together and I didn’t like that I had come to the same conclusion. I sighed.
“Warwick knows it will never happen,” I said feeling uneasy. My eyes sought out Dorian and I found him with Aidan, Adhelm, Stephanie and Ethan. My life turned upside down as soon
as he entered my life. He was there from the beginning and I knew I loved him before I even discovered who I really was. Our first kiss shot through my mind and as if on cue his eyes found mine. Did I just project that to his mind? The next memory that popped into my head was the first time I saw his tattoo at that guesthouse in Stockholm. Dorian smiled at me and a series of images intruded into my mind, over that phoenix in flight, and my face flamed. Damn him!
“Are you okay?” Viola asked.
“Yup, I’m fine.” I began picking at Dayna’s roast potatoes. She was upstairs, so they would only go to waste. I might be comfort eating and I briefly thought about replacing chocolate with potatoes but decided it was a ridiculous idea and shook my head. Nothing could ever replace chocolate.
“I think you’re going to have to tell him.” Why is she still talking about him? I squirmed in my seat at the thought of that conversation.
“Hmm, yeah I can just see how that one goes. ‘Hi Warwick, I’m sorry but nothing will ever happen between us because let’s face it, you are a creature of the night and would rather be sucking my neck. Plus, I’ll grow old but you’ll stay young and hot forever.’ Then I can rub salt into the wound and say, ‘I’m in love with Dorian anyway so get over it.’” I gave Viola a sardonic look. “Let’s hope he doesn’t lose his temper and eat me.”
“He would never eat you,” she replied with a grimace. We had both witnessed Warwick suck someone dry and it wasn’t pleasant.
“I know. He’ll get over it in time, I’m sure.” My eyes returned to the corner of the room, but he was no longer there. I scanned the tavern, but I couldn’t see him. That was when I felt it. A vibe of power thrummed throughout the room and my head lifted to the open door. There was a hooded man in the doorway, and he was definitely a warlock of substantial power. I studied him as he meandered through the crowd to the bar. I couldn’t see his face, but he was almost six foot and quite slender.
Adhelm sat down next to me, “You felt it too?” I nodded silently but Viola just looked between us perplexed. “He’s a sorcerer and he wants us to know it. We wouldn’t have known if he wasn’t holding onto power like that. He knows we are here.” His blue eyes looked past me to Viola, “You wouldn’t sense it dear, as you are merely a witch. He has targeted you and me, Melissa.”
I felt alarmed. “He knows what we are? Why is he here? Do you know if he works for Etheldreda and Anarch?” I began to feel frantic. Bollocks, they’ve found us.
“I don’t think he is a threat to us. He came in declaring what he is, but has gone to the bar with his back to us. He doesn’t consider us a threat and he wants us to know he means us no harm.”
“Really? Thank God.” I wished I could read people like that. The three of us looked back to the stranger at the bar and I felt him let go of his magic. I breathed a sigh of relief, but then my breath caught when he turned and looked at us through the crowd.
Adhelm stood. “He wishes to speak with me. I shall return after our little conversation.” I watched him walk past Aidan who also followed the old man’s progress to the vacant barstool beside the unknown sorcerer. I shared the same confused look with Viola.
Adhelm was with the stranger only a few minutes before he returned. He gathered us round and told us the bad news. “Etheldreda has her underlings watching the tavern. No one is to leave the building and don’t draw attention to yourselves. Some of them are already inside.”
“How can we tell who they are? Can’t we take them down one at a time?” I asked.
Aidan naturally took charge of the situation. “We are going to have to eradicate them. We’ll subdue the men inside first.”
“I know the ones outside,” Warwick broke in behind Aidan. “I’ve already been out there, I know what to look for.”
Adhelm’s white eyebrows shot up. “Good.”
“How do we dispatch the ones inside?” Cheri pressed. Suddenly she had all her wits about her again, and I was glad. A ruse then.
“We have to get them alone. We can’t start a tavern brawl or we would all get split up,” Dorian growled, accurately assessing the situation in that overcrowded space.
“I’ll point them out,” Adhelm murmured, and we followed his eyes as he focused on each one in turn. I tried to burn their likenesses into my memory. It was easy to discern who belonged to Etheldreda as she had branded all her men. They all had a scar in the shape of a star on their necks, as though they had been burnt on. I remembered seeing the same branding on the warlock that Warwick killed for me.
“Sick,” I mumbled.
“I have an idea,” Warwick offered. “I believe it worked well on Greg, right Melissa?” He looked at me expectantly and I gave him a look that should have made him want to dissolve on the spot. He told everyone how I’d got rid of the pervert guard at Henrik’s. Yes, I had lured him in with the promise of intimacy and yes I had made it very believable. But the look that darkened Dorian’s face was worth cringing away from. That git of a vampire was trying to cause trouble between Dorian and me. As my anger rose I felt my fingers crackle. Even Oliver looked slightly abashed. Of course he would - he had witnessed the whole shameful event.
“Melissa!” Adhelm spat, and my powers fled. Damn, I nearly gave myself away again. I had to learn better self-control at times like this.
“That would work though,” Cheri agreed. “It will certainly be safer and more discreet. We’ll give it a go first. If it doesn’t work, then we shall try a more aggressive course of action.” Typical of her to agree without actually consulting me about how I felt.
“Are you people being serious?” I demanded petulantly. “We have to dress up like those sluts behind the bar and try to seduce them into the back rooms?” I was incredulous, and my voice rose in volume with every word. Self-control, you idiot! I reminded myself. Someone bumped into me and I wanted to rip their head off. “Anyway, they’ll recognise us. We have been marked as their prey, remember.”
“Not if you use that illusion spell.” Warwick suggested with a stupid grin on his face. “You can alter your appearance.” Bloody vampire! It was a trick we were taught at Henrik’s. The spell persuaded an enemy to let a stranger close enough to slit their throat. I took a step towards Warwick, clenching my teeth and balling my fists. Dorian placed a hand on my shoulder to prevent me from wringing his neck.
Cheri’s face was impassive, “You’ll do it.”
I wanted to tell Cheri that she wasn’t the boss of me - that I was not under the rule of her precious Coven. However, it would not look good and we had to keep up a certain pretence for the king. I had the feeling he wouldn’t trust us if I started giving the impression I was some sort of rogue sorceress.
“Oh God,” I moaned in defeat.
Chapter 9
Great. Already I was in the room behind the bar with Viola and changing into a barmaid’s uniform. Of course this would be Warwick’s idea. He had successfully created tension in my relationship and got me dressed into a stupid slutty outfit. He’s such a shit stirrer. He had used his charms on the owner and she had agreed to our plan. After all, she wanted to avoid a brawl at all costs.
Aidan was with us, but he had his back turned while we dressed. Viola was still having difficulty reaching her magic so the King would have to do her dirty work for her. We had suggested Owen take up the challenge, but apparently wherever Viola goes - so does Aidan. He was taking his role seriously. Aidan had disagreed profusely with the plan, ranting that we were ‘placing the ladies needlessly in danger’. He was extremely protective, and I knew it was because of memories of Eda and most recently, Viola almost being kidnapped.
“This is so embarrassing,” I muttered with disgust as I donned the thin brown dress with a slit up to my thigh that left nothing to the imagination. I felt sick and appalled. The conversation I’d had with Oliver shot through my mind. He would have followed me into this world especially if I was a slutty barmaid. Ugh, men.
“Oh yes, this sucks big time.” Viola lowered her voice and s
aid grumpily into my ear, “You’re going to have to sort Warwick out before I do.” I finished the buttons on the back of her dress and then she did the same for me. “But this plan should do the trick.” She smiled.
“You’re siding with him now?” I questioned with surprise.
“No. I mean, all we have to do is get them back here and…” She left it hanging and I shuddered. She regarded her reflection in a dirty window. “Oh my, this is embarrassing.” Her white cheeks blushed, and she glanced away from the window. Then her violet eyes flickered to Aidan’s back.
I hid a smile then took in my own reflection. “Bugger; I’m going to kill him for this.” The neckline scooped way too low and the material clung to every part of my body. “Ugh.” We had both pinned our hair up and let bangs fall to frame our faces. Viola’s white hair was a little thicker at the sides to try and hide those pointy ears. They still astounded me every time I saw them.
“Let’s get this show on the road. You remember the plan?” I asked.
“How could I forget?” We looked nervously at one another and I bit my lip to stop myself from cursing in front of the King.
“You can turn around now your…er…Aidan.” I tripped over the words. It still felt weird calling him by his name instead of ‘Your Majesty’. The only word I could use to describe his expression, when his eyes fell on Viola, was ‘classic’. His eyes nearly popped out of his head, but he quickly schooled his expression into neutrality.
I rolled my eyes. Here goes… I spread an illusion over myself to change my appearance and then did the same for Viola. On entering the loud, disorderly room, I went straight to the bar - followed by Viola. For the moment I couldn’t see the others through the melee before us, so we set to work pouring drinks. My face flamed at every suggestion from drunken men, but I soldiered on. The first guy I was assigned to was seated at a table amongst the unruly crowd. My heartbeat quickening, I made drinks and popped them onto a grubby tray. I had to do it now before I lost my nerve. Making my way around the bar, someone grabbed my arm, but before I could bat the hand away I recognised the cloak he wore. He was the sorcerer Adhelm had spoken with. I paused.