by AE McKenna
“Shh, shh… Easy, easy.” Mal gripped my shoulder. “Take deep breaths.”
I nodded, forcing myself to take slow, deep breaths through my fingers until my heart slowed down.
“Oh, crikey. It’s the bloomin’ couple. I did not want the couple.” The little man groaned, slapping his forehead. “That’s cheating, going invisible like that!”
“We’re not a couple,” I said, dropping my hand to my chest.
Mal’s shoulders slumped as he lowered his gun.
The wrinkly man tugged on his curls and crouched lower. “I thought you were Verity.”
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“The other djinni who wasn’t part of a couple.”
Mal frowned. “She fell in a gold spike pit.”
The scowl fell from his face, his body deflating. “Poor girl.” His eyes widened at Mal, the color leeching from his cheeks. “Put that weapon away! The liege has a diviner djinni on staff. They’ll see your weapon if you kill anyone with that. Do you want to get disqualified?”
Mal stored his weapon. “I don’t care. I’m not letting them get Luce.”
My breath caught in my throat. “You’d break the rules for me?”
He licked his lips, leaning toward me. “If it meant keeping you safe, yeah, I would.”
We stared at each other. Heat bloomed in my chest, sweeping my fluttering thoughts in a soft embrace. Time didn’t matter any longer. My heart quickened. Was I imagining the softening of his expression or the intensity of his eyes as they bored into mine?
I took a step toward him. “Mal…”
“Couples,” the little man muttered. “Okay, fine. I know a place the huntsmen aren’t familiar with. Come on, or I’m leaving you behind.”
Mal lifted his fist for me to bump, but I wanted more than that. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, lose myself in the solid surety that he was there, alive, with me. I needed to tell him I was wrong. There was a time for that, and this wasn’t it. Instead, I bumped his fist with mine.
Crouching low, we hurried after the little man. I thought I should find out his name before I accidentally guessed it at the worst time and caused irreparable damage. “What’s your name?” I softly asked.
“Och, she can’t be quiet, can she?” A warm breeze stirred the tall grass. He choked. “You two stink. This isn’t fair. I swear it’s been bad luck since last month. One after another. Getting a couple. Though he blends in a lot. Maybe it’s not so bad I got him, but the girl. Crikey, she doesn’t know the meaning of stealth.”
“Hey, I can hear you.” I frowned. “You’re making more noise than me.”
He glanced at me, his wrinkly skin furrowing further. “Did you see what happened to the Satyr?”
I tried to remember what a Satyr was. I think I saw one in a video game once. Did they have antlers?
“She was taken in the bog,” Mal answered.
“Nyde’s dead?”
“I don’t think so. They carried her out.”
The little man was silent, staring at the ground, his posture stooped. “Nyde may as well be dead, now. But I’ll bet my best broom none of us will be taken. Come. Tunnels are this way.”
“Why’re you helping us?” I asked.
“I thought you were Verity, but safety in numbers.” He tugged on a curl. “I’m beginnin’ to rethink this.”
Yodeling in the distance curdled my stomach. I swallowed sour spit, frantically licking my lips. Which was a mistake. Bog water tasted awful. The yodeling changed in fervor, and two more voices joined in.
The little man cursed. “They’ve found a trail. Quick, hurry.”
I swallowed a scream and glanced around the plains. My frayed nerves scattered my thoughts, and I desperately wanted to go home. But I was doing this murder race not only for Dad’s memory and Mal’s Pops. I was doing it for Mom and Mags, and they were counting on me. I had to see this through. I didn’t have a choice but to survive.
“What if we lure them into one of the traps?” I asked.
“Are you daft?” the little man replied.
“What is your name?” I demanded, my voice louder than I would’ve liked.
He leaned away from me, then rubbed his chin. “I’m Teag. Why?”
“Why wouldn’t I ask your name?” I rolled my eyes. “I’m Lucy, this is Mal.”
His eyebrows squished together. “You’re not right in the head, are you?”
Mal rubbed his chin. “Luring them into a trap is a good idea.”
Teag jumped and glared at Mal. “Cheatin’ blender djinni.”
“You stay here,” Mal said. “I’ll circle back—stop shaking your head. You’re not coming with me.”
I pursed my lips. “We are not splitting up.”
“I know where the traps are,” Teag said. “Come, it’s best if we stick together like the lass is demanding, a bit shrilly, if you ask me.” He began walking toward the yodeling. “Careful though, lots of false bottoms.”
“How do you know where the traps are?” I asked.
“I’ve cleaned this estate nigh on a century. I know it like the backs of my hands.”
I shot Mal a questioning look.
“He’s a Brownie. They clean in exchange for food.”
Teag muttered darkly under his breath. The yodeling grew in intensity. I peeked over my shoulder. Shapes lurched in the distance toward us. I wheezed, trying to slurp in air despite my lungs no longer working.
A paper bag appeared in my hands in blue smoke. I was a little confused since I didn’t normally keep paper bags, and then I wondered if there was cheese in it. I opened it but it was empty. Which I should’ve realized by the lack of weight. Probably for the best. If I ate right now, I’d vomit everywhere. I laughed a little, reminding myself I should be less worried about puking and more worried about becoming a squid-wasp.
The shapes grew more distinct as they grew closer. The squid-wasp’s tentacles shot out, and it slingshotted across the tall grass. My thoughts spun so fast I grew dizzy. My ears rang. I couldn’t concentrate on the argument Mal and Teag were engaged in, couldn’t fathom why they were arguing. I was going to pass out. I crouched in the grass.
Mal squatted beside me and rubbed small circles on my back. His lips moved; the deep timbre of his voice vibrated in my chest. His lips moved again. Are you okay? He asked more than that, but that was the gist of it. I nodded. Sure, I’d be fine. No worries. Spots formed in front of my eyes.
I held the paper bag to my mouth and breathed into it, reminding myself of the good in this situation. We had an ally who was familiar with the estate. I breathed in and out. This wouldn’t last much longer. In and out. At least I wasn’t trapped in a small space. I would’ve screamed my head off by now. In and out. I wasn’t alone. I froze, scanning to my left and right. Tall grass surrounded me, and dents in the grass where Mal and Teag had once stood slowly straightened. I was alone. I sprang to my feet, frantically searching for my companions.
A high-pitched yodel had me spinning around. All three huntsmen were there, and I’d stood up like a dummy looking for my friends. If this were a horror movie, I’d be the first one murdered. But it wasn’t a movie, and the chances I’d die first were still exponentially high. I screamed. Turning and losing my balance, I toppled into the grass. Mal and Teag weren’t in sight, but Mal wouldn’t abandon me. He was close by, and I belatedly realized I’d ruined something.
I jumped to my feet—I’d already revealed my location, might as well turn it into an advantage—and ran. I shot a look over my shoulder. The squid-wasp huntsman barreled forward. Why was it the fastest one? It defied logic. Its goat legs were half mangled, but it used its tentacles to propel itself forward.
Their yodeling turned into a cacophony of victory. One pranced more than ran, and that kind of showmanship was frowned upon. Wasn’t it? I wadded up the paper bag and chucked it at them.
The huntsman with the panther legs flinched and jerked too far to its right. And tumbled into a pitfall. It
screamed. The inhuman wails would haunt me for the rest of my life. The sound spurred its buddies on. Instead of helping it, they charged for me. Whirling, I caught sight of a trail through the tall, trampled grass. It was faint, but I could follow it. I called upon my djinni powers and wrapped not-quite-navy smoke around me. I zipped through the grass.
And landed flat on my face. Oh god! Not another faery trap! Who kept leaving these out? I crawled to my knees until someone grabbed me from behind. I squealed, thrashing my arms and legs. A hand clamped over my mouth and I caught a whiff of sunbaked sand beneath the acerbic tang of dirty water. I stopped fighting as Mal pulled me backward.
My ankle throbbed. I scanned the ground and saw I’d tripped over a wire. It was still pulled taut. That must’ve been what the boys had snuck off to do. I really needed to pay more attention while we were coming up with plans during a murder race. If I kept getting distracted, who knew what else might pop up. Erupting volcanoes or something just as crazy. Probably flying sharks, too.
The squid-wasp skipped right into the tripwire. Its tentacles shot out to stop its fall. It latched onto its companion, who also tumbled to the ground. That was our cue.
We leaped to our feet and bolted.
My ankle twinged and threatened to buckle. It held my weight, but it hurt like crazy and I couldn’t sprint. I wanted to shift to smoke, but Teag’s short legs could only move so fast. He was leading us right back to the estate. What did he think he would do by that? Had he decided to turn us in to Cliodhna instead?
When we made it to the estate grounds, he ducked behind statues and benches. Mal and I hunched low. He took us directly to an outbuilding.
Teag faced us with a finger over his lips. “This’ll take us to an underground tunnel system. If we get separated, follow the yellow slash marks on the walls.”
“Why would we get separated?”
“I’m only telling you this because you seem a little dense, lass.”
I glared at him.
“Let’s get inside, now,” Mal hissed.
Teag jumped and grumbled under his breath about cheating again. He took us around the back of the shed and opened grass-covered storm cellar doors. A rough dirt-hewn staircase disappeared into the darkness. I swallowed. Whatever. This wasn’t the first time I’d descended into pitch black. I limped down the stairs.
Someone yodeled. My watery stomach dropped. I hurried down the stairs, stumbling in the dark and keeping one hand on the wall. Teag slammed the doors and true darkness fell on us.
“Follow me,” Teag said, no longer whispering. “Hurry.”
Light flicked on and Mal snatched my wrist, pulling me behind him. Teag picked directions at random. Each intersection was a mad dash to turn another corner covered with multi-colored slashes.
Yodeling reverberated in the hallway behind us. I swear I felt fiery breath on my neck. I gasped, clenching my teeth to keep from screaming, and picked up the pace. My ankle hurt, but I imagined getting mutated would hurt a hell of a lot more.
Teag halted and slapped the wall. “It’s following you two! You were scent marked.”
“You’re right.” Mal cursed and raked his fingers through his black hair. It stuck up. “The smell would be easy to track.”
“I shouldn’t have helped you two. Couples! Always gets the Brownie killed.” He kicked the wall.
“We’re not a couple!” I gulped, then clapped my cheeks. I needed to get my head back in the game. “What do we do?”
A muscle ticked in Mal’s jaw. “We split up.”
Teag brightened. “That’s a good idea. After you folks lure it away, just follow the yellow slashes on the corners to my suite. I’ll put the kettle on for you.”
“Lucy stays with you.”
Teag deflated. “But she stinks, too.”
I shook my head. “I’m not staying here.”
“See? She agrees.”
“I’m not letting you go alone.” I squared my shoulders.
Mal reluctantly met my gaze. “It’s easiest for all of us if I go alone.”
“No!” I clenched my fists to keep from punching the wall. I was losing it, but I didn’t know what else to do. “What if something happens to you?”
“Nothing will happen. I’ll lure it out and come back.” His soft voice was steady and sure.
“What if they find you first?” I hiccupped. “You can’t use guns or knives.”
“They won’t see me.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears, so I smiled to keep from crying. I pushed an errant lock of his hair from his brow and caressed his high cheekbones. My gaze dropped to his full lips before I met his dark, upturned eyes. “But I see you.”
He searched my face, for what I wasn’t sure, but when he met my eyes again, his were earnest. “I know you do.” He cradled my jaw and kissed me. His lips were soft.
He broke away before I could react. Then my heart burst into triple-time, and my stomach flipped over.
“I’ll find you, Luce.” He pushed his Maglite into my hands and walked away.
I lifted my fingers to my mouth, still feeling the ghost of his lips against mine, and stared after his receding back.
“Not a couple, hmm?” Smirking, Teag motioned me to follow. “Come on, let’s not waste the time your boyfriend is giving us.”
I forced myself to follow Teag. “He kissed me.”
“Yes, I saw.”
“He’s never done that before.”
His wrinkly skin scrunched into his hairline, and he shrugged. “Well, I’m sure that’s very interesting, lass, but I’d rather get home.”
I sighed, brushing my lips once more. “Me too.”
We walked for what felt like hours, taking countless turns until I wasn’t sure where we were headed anymore. My brain was torn between elation—Mal kissed me!—and dread. Why wasn’t he back yet? Eventually, firelight flickered from around a corner and Teag turned into a warmly lit room with a hearth fire, a small bed, table, and two chairs. The furniture was sized for a toddler—or a Brownie.
“Home sweet home.” Teag grabbed a kettle and filled it with water.
My ankle hurt like a bitch, and I eased myself into a chair. Man, I wished I could rest inside my bottle. Diane would give me fancy cheese, a cool glass of water, and maybe something janky to prop my foot on. The inside was slowly changing. The pole was still there, but the rest was taking shape into something… Familiar? I wasn’t dreading what would come next. “This isn’t breaking the rules of the murder race, is it?”
He laughed. “Murder race. You sound like a human.” He set the kettle on the rack over flames. “We’re on the estate, and we’re allowed to hide.”
Slap-slap.
Tension wound through my shoulder blades. “Did you hear something?”
“Your stomach growling.”
It felt empty. I half-expected Diane to give me cheese, but nothing came. I cocked my head to the side and listened, but only heard Teag rummaging in his cupboards. Maybe Mal wasn’t walking like a ninja and he’d turn the corner any minute now. I sucked my lower lip into my mouth, experiencing the same swoop in my chest as when his mouth brushed against mine. It’d been a soft kiss, not one of those steamy, open-mouthed ones I’d imagined since I met him. The sweeping warmth in my core chilled. Maybe it was a friend kiss?
Slap-slap.
I stiffened. “What was that?”
Teag glanced over his shoulder. “I’m looking for somewhat to nibble. The dapifer didn’t leave me anything this evening.” He slammed one cupboard closed and threw open another, the door banging on the wall. “So what if I didn’t clean yesterday? I’m not the only brownie laboring here and they were putting me up in this race. I was loyal. I deserved a last meal. Not even a bowl of sugar. Times are going from manners to crudeness.”
I blinked at him, not understanding but totally feeling his ire. He should’ve gotten a meal.
Slap-slap!
“Oh, god! It’s the squid-wasp!” I scrambled to my feet
and hopped onto the chair, searching for another way out.
Tentacles gripped the edge of the doorway and the monster slingshotted into the room. Teag hollered. I screamed and willed Diane to give me my chef’s knife.
My car keys appeared in my hands in a puff of blue smoke. If this was all I had when I walked alone in a downtown meth-addict parking lot, then it’d do in a pinch now. I fitted the ignition key between my index and middle finger. The monster undulated toward me, its beak doing a… weird… beaky thing. I clenched my eyes shut and swung. I whiffed. Tentacles wrapped around my legs and yanked.
I yelped. My head bounced off the floor. If I was going to do any damage, I needed to open my damn eyes!
It aimed its butt at me, the stinger glinting in the firelight. I swung, gouging my key into its bulbous, boneless body. The suckers on its limbs gripped my jeans and pinched my skin. Its arms constricted around my torso. I punched again, hitting its beak. It yodeled.
I jerked a knee up, but this monster didn’t have nuts. Not knowing what else to do, I pinched my thumb and fingers together like a chicken beak and jammed it in its eye. Putrid liquid ran over my hand and down my wrist. It unleashed an unearthly scream and writhed atop me, its tentacles constricting tighter around me. Roaring, I poked my fingers in its other eye. It convulsed, its stinger getting too close for comfort.
Clang!
It went rigid atop me and slumped over. Breath heaving, Teag stood over us with the kettle in his hands, now malformed.
He stumbled back several steps. “Crikey! You pulled out its eyes.”
I shoved it off me. “Is it dead?”
“I have no idea.”
Friction burns and green slime covered my arms. Mal took that moment to walk into the room. Blood smeared the left side of his face, his eyes bulged, and his mouth dropped open.
“Rope!” His climbing gear appeared in his hands. He trussed up the squid-wasp, hooked the rope over his shoulder, and dragged it out.
I gaped at Teag.
“Your boyfriend’s handy. I’d keep him around.”
“He’s not… We’re besties.”