Death Rite Genie: An Urban Fantasy Folly

by AE McKenna

  Ray blinked. “She wasn’t supposed to get hurt.”

  I scoffed. “Everyone gets hurt eventually. Well. Let’s get her to the hospital. She can’t sit around like this forever. I’m sure there’s a condition that happens if you don’t treat a broken leg.”

  “Lucy.” Mom took a deep breath and met my eyes. “Get Tanaka to retrieve the Blarney Stone for me, and I’ll hand it over to the fae. Then I’ll have my bottle.”

  Mal made a noise in the back of his throat, and I gaped at her. How dare she ask this of me? She didn’t even think I could do it, just passed over me to Mal. This sort of thing was the whole reason I wasn’t working on the travel journal with her anymore, and I had loved doing it. I twisted my sweatshirt in my fist like it could help keep my heart from breaking while I stared at her through a sea of unshed tears. How could she do this? What had happened between us that she would risk everything for… what? I still didn’t know what was so damned important to make her betray every promise she’d made.

  Massaging my knuckles into my sternum, I forced myself to breathe. “No.”

  Mom’s jaw unhinged and Ray muttered darkly under his breath. Mal jerked, his wide upturned eyes latching on me.

  “Lucy,” Mom used her Mom Voice through gritted teeth. Maybe it was her pain, or my anger, but for once it didn’t work on me.

  “You can get yourself out of this mess.” I took a step toward the alcove entrance. “Let’s get out of here, Mal.”

  “They have Maggie!” Mom tried to get up, but she sucked in a hiss of pain. “They’re keeping her as collateral until they get the Blarney Stone.”

  My entire body grew cold. I wanted to scream and shake her at the same time. “How could you do this?”

  “Because I need what that stone promises more than anything in this world, Lucy. This is not about you or your curse!” Mom clenched her fists, her eyes swinging to Mal. “Now get the damn stone. It’s hidden in the cave behind the waterfall here.”

  “Are you insane?” Ray asked.

  I blinked back tears. I refused to let her make me cry, and I didn’t want Mal to see it either. “Fine, but we’re leaving Mal out of this.” I clenched my teeth. “I’ll shift to smoke and get to the cave. It’ll be easy, unless there are djinni-eating cave bears in it? Well, Mo-Avalon? Is there?”

  “You can’t travel as smoke to get to the cave,” Mom mumbled.

  “Why the hell not?” I snapped.

  “Because Sythradiafol trapped the hell out of that cliff out of spite over the iron bridge.” Ray shook his head. “You won’t be able to spot any of the faery traps as smoke until you’re caught. Since only fae can break faery traps, you’re as good as bottled since that’s the only way she’ll let you out of one. You’re going to have to climb the cliff to avoid the traps.”

  “And that’s not something you can do,” Mom helpfully added.

  “Luce can do anything she puts her mind to.” Mal sharply faced me. “Do you have any experience rock climbing?”

  “Of course not! I wasn’t allowed to do much, remember?” I flicked my fingers at my body. “Bad luck genie here.”

  Ray flinched and Mal growled under his breath. It still surprised me how much that term got under djinnis’ skins. Then again, my bottle was a replica of the one from that racist show, I Dream of Jeannie.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “You want to help me?”

  He nodded. “I won’t let you do this alone.”

  I smiled at him. I wasn’t even sure if I could do it at all, but I wouldn’t admit it. I had to try, for Mags’s sake.

  “Then let’s go.” I shot a scathing look at Mom. “I’m only doing this for Mags.”

  Chapter 10

  I tugged Luce away from the alcove and her mother. I was a bundle of emotions, far too many to investigate or comprehend. Ray had deserted the bureau, his wife had been bottled, and somehow Penny Avalon was involved in the scheme. None of this was good, and I was extremely worried for Luce.

  “The waterfall is ahead. Bit of a hike.” I headed for the trail that’d take us along the river and up the three-tiered waterfall.

  She was pale and quiet. The skin around her mouth was tight and her spring blue eyes were focused inward. Leaves crunched under our shoes as we climbed up the first waterfall. A brisk wind blew through the trees, and while the water roared nearby, I could hear each step of our feet. The fire damage to the trail lessened the farther we climbed. Passing the sign listing how many steps were ahead, I was glad the trail was closed to tourists. Humans were the last thing we needed. I wanted to find out how she was coping, but her silence felt fragile and contemplative. If she needed to talk about her mother, I’d listen, but I wouldn’t bring it up.

  “I googled Devil’s Bridge at the hotel last night,” she said.

  “Yeah?” I glanced at her; glad she was speaking again. “I admit, I’ve never needed to know anything about it.”

  She nodded. “It’s three bridges built on top of one another. They made the last one from iron… There’s a story behind how it got its name. Want to hear it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “This old lady was walking in these parts with her dog, looking for her lost milk cow. She noticed it on the other side of the waterfall, and she’s unable to get to it, right?” She met my gaze.

  I nodded.

  “So this dude, who people say was the devil, pops up and is like ‘Oh no. You lost your only milk cow. I’ll build you a bridge to collect it.’ The old lady isn’t stupid and asks for the terms and the devil says the first soul to walk across the bridge goes to hell with him.”

  The roaring waterfall muffled all wildlife sounds as we neared the last tier, but Lucy’s voice was strong. I nodded. “Sounds typical to fae favors.”

  “Yeah, I thought it sounded like fae bullshit, too.” She smirked. “Anyway, the devil builds the bridge, and the old lady inspects it, asks him questions, and he’s all accommodating. Then she asks if it’s sturdy. He assures her it is, and she says, ‘Would it hold this loaf of bread?’ The devil laughs and invites her to test it. So, the old lady tosses the loaf onto the bridge… and her dog chases after it and eats it, becoming the first soul to cross the bridge.”

  I chuckled. “I bet the devil was pissed.”

  “Yep.” She stopped, shoved her hands into her pockets, and lifted her eyes to mine. “I’m sorry.”

  “What for?”

  “My mom—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Luce.” I waved her apology off. I knew her mother was trouble before Lucy and I had ever met.

  “No. That’s not what I’m apologizing for.” She sucked her lower lip in her mouth. “I’m sorry for how I reacted when you told me about the Blarney Stone. I know you weren’t accusing her just because she’s a convenient suspect.”

  I warily observed her, searching for any danger she had yet to voice. “Trust me, Luce. She’s the last person I want involved in this.”

  “Me too.” She laughed bitterly and jerked her chin at the waterfall. “I’ve never rock climbed before.”

  “I was thinking you’d enter your bottle and I’d carry you up.”

  Her face fell, but she nodded. “Yeah, that’s smart.”

  I needed an idea of what we were facing and to find the safest way to get both of us up there. I stepped behind the waterfall, and through what felt like spiderwebs. My lungs froze as I lost the sensation of my bottle. I summoned my binoculars, but they never came.

  I scanned the cliff face. It was wet, so chalk wouldn’t be of any use. There were plenty of nubbins, cracks, and ledges for good resting spots, yet everything was slippery. I craned my neck and peered up the length of the rock wall. I also didn’t see signs of Penny climbing the wall, which meant she either free-climbed—no rope involved—or she’d done something more dangerous. Swallowing, I returned to Lucy beside the river, and my binoculars popped into my hands.

  “Hey, would you do me a favor?” I asked.

  “Sure.
”

  “Enter your bottle, please. I want to see what happens when I approach the cliff again.”

  Her brows furrowed. “Okay.” And she turned into a not-quite-navy twist of smoke and slid inside her bottle.

  I scooped it up, heavy as if a human were inside it, and stepped behind the waterfall.

  Lucy tumbled out in an explosion of blue smoke. “Why did you summon me?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Well, my bottle spit me out like I was summoned.”

  “Shit.” I shoved my hands through my hair and stared at the cliff. That must’ve been what the spiderweb sensation was. We couldn’t use our bottles. “Shit!”

  “I’m going to have to climb, aren’t I?”

  “Yes.” Grinding my teeth, I walked back from behind the waterfall and stored my binoculars.

  “I could stay behind with my mom and Ray,” she murmured.

  A bad feeling settled in my stomach. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew if she did, something worse would happen. I shook my head. “I think you’re safest with me.”

  “Me too.” She swallowed. “I was telling the truth when I said I’ve never climbed before.”

  “I know.”

  I tilted my head at her. In the last few days that we’d been together, our conversations had been straightforward and honest, making communication much easier, even if the subject wasn’t. Almost as easy as when I had a direct link to her thoughts and emotions.

  So, in the spirit of transparency, I summoned my bottle. “I prepared for this.”

  “Rock climbing?” Lucy laughed and untangled her braid. “To be honest, I didn’t even think I’d do something like this.”

  I summoned harnesses, gloves, helmets, an aider, belay devices, all the gear I could think to have any possibility of using while climbing to the cave, and lots and lots of rope. “Not just for rock climbing, but for whatever adventure you’d throw at me.” I smiled at her. “Today is rock climbing.”

  “And sea monsters.” She plaited her hair into a tight braid.

  “The bucca-dhu was a given, yet still surprising all the same.” I glanced at her yellow Converse shoes. “Do you have other shoes?”

  “Oh! Hiking boots, I think.” She crouched next to the gear, retrieved her purple bottle from the messenger bag, and set it on the ground. “Diane, may I please have my hiking boots?”

  I quirked a brow. “Diane?”

  She shrugged. “Is it weird that I’m trying to name my bottle? Mom said it was.”

  It was weird. “Who cares what other people think? If it feels right to you, then do it.”

  In a puff of blue smoke, a pair of hiking boots appeared next to the bottle. And a brick of cheese. Lucy laughed, though it sounded strained, and crammed the cheese into her bottle.

  I stepped into the harness and tightened it around my waist, then my thighs. “You should eat.” I strapped on the chest harness.

  “It’d probably make me puke. I’m nervous. Did you really pack all this gear for me in your bottle?”

  “Yes.” I clipped nuts, cams, and extenders to my harness, then summoned climbing shoes. “It’s a pocket dimension. It can hold anything I want.”

  “I bet it doesn’t spit up your things, either,” she mumbled.

  I summoned two walkie-talkies, clipped one to my shoulder, and handed her the other. “You’re still training it. Like a puppy.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Can I have a puppy in my bottle?”

  I paused in hanging coiled rope on the back of my chest harness. “Uh… Maybe wait until your bottle is more reliable.” I strapped a carabiner holder across my chest like a bandolier.

  She snorted.

  “There’s a shadow that could either be a ledge or the cave Penny hid the stone.” I summoned my phone and tucked it into a zippered pocket. “This is what we’ll do: I’ll climb up to the cave and anchor in. I’ll belay you while you climb up to me.”

  Color drained from her face but she nodded.

  I summoned two ascenders and handed them to her. “These will do all the work for you.” I held up the aider. “This will give you a loop to keep one foot in that will help you inch up. Use your other foot to brace or move if you need to.”

  She gripped an ascender in each hand. “These look like heavy-duty stapler guns. Only with teeth.”

  “Yep.” I showed her how to use the ascender. “Get your phone out. I want you to video me while tying the knot for your belay loop. And keep your phone on you. Not in your bottle.”

  She did as I asked, and I slowly showed her how to tie a retraced figure-eight knot.

  “How far up is the cave?” she asked quietly.

  “About sixty feet. I’m not sure it’s the cave, but it’ll definitely be our first anchoring point.”

  “Jesus.” She shuddered, teeth chattering and her magic scenting the air. “What if I fall?”

  “You will not fall.” I gripped her shoulders. “I’m holding your belay anchor. If you slip, I will catch you from above. I promise.” If I put enough force and certainty behind my words, maybe I could convince her magic, too.

  “I didn’t know you were this sporty. I might have to rethink my crush on you.”

  A warm thrill swooped through my stomach. “You’ve known I run, and this isn’t nearly as weird as pineapple on pizza. Besides,”—I slanted her a look—“activities like these help build your endurance, which later helps you travel faster and longer as smoke.”

  “Yet you don’t mind pineapple in your sweet and sour pork.” She quirked a brow. “So getting active helps with smoke?”

  “Yep. Step into this.” I handed her the harness.

  She stepped in and I tightened it around her waist, jerking on each strap, tugging her closer with each yank. Then I knelt before her and tightened the webbing around her thighs. I helped her with the chest harness and made sure everything was secure. I gripped her shoulders. This was a risk, and I couldn’t believe I was going along with her climbing the slippery rock wall to a cave that might take us to who knows where. And then what? I was confident I could protect her, but there were some things even I couldn’t prepare for. Doubting her, letting her see my worry, would only exacerbate the tug-o-war going on in my head. Support her or shelter her. The choice was simple. She could do this. She’d done so much already. I picked up her helmet and plopped it on her head, then tightened the straps.

  “Does that feel okay?” I circled her, ensuring everything was secure. I liked what the harness did for her ass, but I wished the bag for her bottle was smaller. I tugged on her braid lightly, then stepped in front of her. “You look good, Luce.”

  “So do you.” She worried her lower lip with her slightly crooked front teeth, casting troubled glances at the waterfall.

  “Treat this just like you did when you first traveled as smoke. Focus on what you’re doing. Don’t think about anything that could go wrong. Just one foot in front of the other. Or in this case, follow your ascenders up.” I held my fist up to hers. “Keep your head in the game, Avalon.”

  She bumped my fist. “Head in the game.”

  I slipped on my rock-climbing shoes and stored everything else inside my bottle before dismissing it. “Okay. Spot me?”

  “Sure. What’s that?”

  I chuckled under my breath as I led her behind the waterfall to the rock wall. “Catch me if I fall while I climb up and anchor my rope.”

  “Sure, no problem.” She cupped her hands.

  I arched a brow and gestured at her hands. “What’re you doing?”

  “I figured I needed to give you a boost, and thought, you know…”

  “You were going to grab my butt, weren’t you?”

  “No.” Her tone of voice said otherwise, a naughty grin lighting up her face.

  I chuckled. “No, just stand there and be ready to break my fall if I need it.”

  “Got it. Let’s do this.”

  I faced the rock wall, found a foothold, and jammed my fingers in the cracks, li
fting myself up. The rocks were slick, but my shoes had a good grip and my gear was reliable. I found a suitable crack and unclipped a nut from my harness, a metal wedge on threaded wire, and set the nut into the crack. I tugged on it a few times, then attached an extender and threaded my rope through it.

  “I’m good,” I called down to her.

  “Wow. That was quick!” I heard a camera shutter. “Hmm. This picture might get flagged as indecent on Instagram.”

  I snorted and continued climbing. That’s when I saw the first faery trap. The mushrooms blended in well with the rock face, but when I grew near, it emanated a dull glow—preparing to suck my magic away should I step in it. Or in this case, shove my hand in it.

  I tapped the walkie-talkie. “The faery traps almost blend in with the rocks, but they glow a little when you get close.”

  “They’re camouflaged?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Don’t worry, I’m going slow, and so will you. You’ll see them before it’s too late.”

  I continued my way up, moving around the traps like an obstacle course on the Alpiner game for the Texas Instruments console. I slid another nut into place, fitting it in like a puzzle piece. This was a satisfying climb. Notwithstanding the waterfall spray soaking my clothes, a stolen relic hidden in a cave that was meant to be traded to a fae for who knows what that I somehow needed to get back to Blarney Castle—or to the bureau at least—without pissing off Lucy and Penny. Well, I didn’t care if I upset Penny, but she had a heavy influence over Lucy.

  I couldn’t believe Lucy had refused to help Penny. And I was ecstatic that she had. It was a big step for her whether or not she realized it. I was lucky in family. Pops accepted me when my fae mother had ten-year-old me delivered to his home in the Iron Realm. My step-mother eventually accepted me, and I’d had a good relationship with my human siblings—I still do. Lucy’s hubris-stricken parents had left her twisting in the wind, and Magdalena had raised her in a way to prevent triggering her bad luck. Earlier this year when I’d met Lucy, she’d been starved for attention from her mother and did anything she’d suggested.

  Yet today, Luce told her no.