“It shouldn’t have known Hazel was there,” said Morgan. “It shouldn’t have known where to find the psychics either. I possessed it. It’s really not that powerful.”
“No,” River said. “The fetch sensed you because you were projecting for miles. But it can’t track psychics if they don’t draw attention to themselves.”
“Just how does it know who they are in the first place?” I asked. “That document—did that faerie show anyone? Is there another traitor?”
River shook his head. “No. If the information was in that document, nobody saw it aside from the thief, and he passed beyond the gate.”
“Which gate?” I asked, remembering how he’d evaporated into grey smoke.
He frowned. “What?”
“We’ve been played,” I said. “The fetch is in the Vale. What if the ghosts are, too? That shit with the gate might have been a ploy. He might have handed the information over to someone else before he went through.”
“He couldn’t have done. He was unconscious, and then dead.”
“Not before he got caught,” said Morgan. “I’ve talked to a lot of people since I joined up here, and I can’t think of any other way the info got out. There’s no record of psychics. But it’s killed at least three of them in the last day, since it came back.”
“But—even if it’s true that the thief managed to pass on the information before he died, what does that have to do with Hazel?” I said.
“Nothing,” Morgan said. “Except for her being Gatekeeper, and you…”
“If it wants me, it can come and face me itself. That’s precisely what I wanted the bastard to do in the first place.”
I have everything I need, the fetch had said. Technically, the Summer Gatekeeper’s heir was important enough on her own. But she should have been able to stop him. And since when was she vulnerable to the fetch’s psychic influence? No… it must have captured her in some other way. Because it wanted me. And it wanted the book.
The book, which had shut down, leaving me entirely vulnerable.
I squeezed my eyes closed, then opened them again. “Do you think she’s still in this realm?”
“If she hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have been able to trace her at all,” said Morgan. “I can check again, but it sensed me coming.”
“What are you doing?” demanded the other necromancer, running back into the room. “You’re supposed to be helping track the attackers.”
“Thanks for running off,” Morgan snapped.
The necromancer ignored him and turned to me. “Lady Montgomery wants to see you in her office, Ms Lynn.”
I shook my head. “The fetch has our sister. I’m almost certain of it. But it’s put up some kind of barrier in the spirit realm so we can’t track it. We have to find her.”
“That was an order.” He seized me by the arm. “You’ve bent our rules enough, the pair of you. You brought this attack on us.”
River moved towards him, but the necromancer snapped his fingers. Candles lights glowed, and River stopped as though he’d collided with an invisible force. The necromancer hauled me from the room, and it took everything I had not to punch him in the face. If Lady Montgomery wasn’t understanding—that was it. Logically, I’d stand more of a chance of tracking Hazel and the fetch with the necromancers at my back. But getting her to understand would take time I couldn’t afford to lose.
Lady Montgomery stood waiting for me behind her desk in her office.
“So,” she said. “The Vale.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Which one?”
“I overheard enough to know you’ve been playing us.”
She’d eavesdropped on us in Death? Should have known she’d try something like that. But—had I mentioned the book? I couldn’t think clearly. Hazel was missing. And without the book working, I wasn’t sure I could fight my way past the leader of the necromancers.
“Look, don’t take this personally, but I don’t have time for accusations,” I said. “The fetch is holding my sister hostage right now, and I can’t track her. When Morgan tried to use his psychic abilities to reach her, he ran into the fetch again, and it nearly broke into HQ.”
“Precisely why I can’t allow you to stay here and put my people in danger. You broke your agreement to serve our cause when you lied.”
A cold sensation spread through my chest. “I had no choice but to lie. My magic—it’s kind of like a faerie vow.”
Her mouth thinned and anger flared in her expression. I’d picked the wrong wording.
“I see. Faerie necromancy… like those criminals.”
I shook my head. “No. It’s not a crime. My family used the magic I have to defend this realm against the Grey Vale—the part of faerie which overlaps with the spirit realm. The enemy is there, and they have Hazel. Please. I’ll go through more interrogations, jail, whatever, but not until I’m sure Hazel’s alive.”
The door crashed open as Morgan staggered into the office behind me, having apparently broken free of the other necromancer’s hold.
“What she said.” He nodded at me. “We’re not leaving Hazel to die.”
“And how do I know you’re not lying to me?” she asked in a soft, deadly voice. “You both have, on numerous occasions. Not only are neither of you necromancers, you’re the targets of the threats to our guild.”
“We’re not lying now,” I said. “And if I could have told you the truth—look, this isn’t about what I want. It’s about the safety of everyone in this city, in the world even, and we’re sitting on a ticking bomb.” I might not know the fetch’s goal, but mass murder using faerie magic on the Ley Line would have one hell of a knock-on effect.
“You’re both forbidden from entering here again for the foreseeable future. Your brother sent out a psychic beacon to our enemies, while you told lies that endangered our people and put lives at risk, and River enabled that.”
“River had nothing to do with it. Please, let me find my sister.”
“Not until you tell me the truth. River, come in. I know you’re outside.”
He walked in. His face was pale and his eyes, when they met mine, shone with remorse mixed with a hint of fear. For me, or the guild? He was bound to them before me, possibly before the Seelie Court, even.
“Son, when you were summoned to Faerie, we parted on the understanding that you would never let your obligations to the Court outweigh the promises you made to serve our guild.”
“And I did not,” said River. “The Court has nothing to do with my helping Ilsa. The decision was mine.”
I shook my head. “He can’t speak of it either. It’s a curse, on my family. And it’s why the fetch wants me. I thought it wanted my brother at first, but it’s me who’s the target. I’m—”
“Gatekeeper, you said. For which Court?”
My mouth fell open. She thought I meant I was like Hazel.
“I’m… part necromancer. That’s not a lie.”
“Blood isn’t everything,” she said. “You’re clearly not committed to our cause. And if you refuse to tell me what we face—”
“It’s the fetch, and a bunch of half-faeries,” said Morgan. “I don’t know who’s pulling the strings. They’re beyond Death. In the Vale. The fetch can cross realms, I guess. Thought only Sidhe could do it.”
Her mouth tightened. “Sidhe. I see how it is. You two, leave the premises immediately. I’ll be having another word with my son.”
River. “He got dragged into this by accident,” I said warningly. “He’s from Summer, not the Vale—he’s working against the Vale.”
The necromancer bruiser grabbed my arm again, dragging me to the door, and another grabbed Morgan. There was no point in fighting. I couldn’t rescue Hazel from a jail cell, but River—dammit. Maybe Lady Montgomery would jail even her son if she thought he was a threat to the guild, but rescuing my sister had to come first.
Outside the guild, necromancers assembled, laying out candles in lines. They’re setting up a spirit
barrier. No spirits would be able to enter the guild, good or bad.
The necromancer let go of me. “I don’t need to tell you that if you’re seen sneaking into the guild again, you’ll both be locked in jail.”
“I couldn’t give a fuck,” I told him.
Morgan didn’t say a word until we’d left the guild behind. “Is now a good time to say I stole a bunch of candles?”
I hugged him. He yelped in surprise, tripping on the edge of his coat.
“Thank you,” I said. “Seriously. I need to out what’s wrong with the book, so—first, we should find Agnes. Hazel was looking for her in the first place, so maybe Agnes saw her before she was taken. It’s as good a place to start as any.”
18
We ran in the direction of the market. The crowd of supernaturals shopping was an overwhelming presence, and I briefly opened the spirit realm to hone in on our target. But I didn’t sense Agnes at all.
“Can you sense her?” I asked Morgan.
He shook his head. “She wasn’t actually staying at the market, right? She was just wandering around last time we met.”
“Yeah, but… damn. Okay. Let’s ask Corwin. He’s the only person we know here.”
Morgan grunted, digging his hands in his pockets.
“Something happen between you two last night?” I asked.
“That’s just it. I don’t remember. I guess I passed out in the living room.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” I led the way through the crowd to Corwin’s shop.
He leaned over the stall, looking as tired as Morgan did. “Hey,” he rasped. “Anything I can get you? Glamour spells are half price.”
“Not today,” I said. “I was wondering—have you seen my sister? You’ve met her, or seen her at the house, right?”
“Sure,” he said, and my heart skipped. “I saw her here about an hour ago. I think she was heading to the bridge.”
Crap. We’d wasted too much time.
“Er, have you seen Agnes today?”
“No. Thought she left.”
“Okay. Thanks anyway.”
Morgan and I left, swiftly walking through the market. “It’s been an hour,” I muttered. “We should track her, but after last time…”
Morgan scowled. “I’ll track her. If the fetch shows up, you can kill it again.”
“Not here.” I looked around, at all the innocent people unaware of the potential war about to erupt in the spirit realm. “If you remove the iron, do it in a circle of candles away from the crowds. I don’t like that there’s an invisible barrier in the way, either. I’d consult the book, but—well.”
“Give it here,” Morgan said in a low voice. “Let me see the book.”
“What?” I surreptitiously removed it from my pocket after checking nobody was close enough to watch. Not that it looked like a powerful magical object with its cover and pages blank.
“I got this weird feeling when I touched it the first time,” he explained. “But not now.”
“Because it’s broken.”
“Because this isn’t the book. It sure looks the same, but a book isn’t hard to fake, is it?”
“Nobody can have stolen it.” But I flipped the book over, turning its pages. It was identical. Down to the last blank page. Same aged appearance, same size. And… I should know if it wasn’t the same.
If I could have sensed it at all…
“I sleep with it under my pillow, Morgan.”
“Do you remember last night?”
I shook my head. “No. I crashed early, then woke up when you and Hazel were arguing in the hall.”
“Because she was already in the house. Without a key.” His mouth turned down at the corners. “I swear someone used a spell on me last night. I was being careful. And if the iron came off—”
“I thought you were sure it didn’t.”
“I’m not. It’s all fuzzy. That’s the point. I think someone bewitched us.” He glanced over his shoulder.
“What—?”
“I don’t think it was his fault. The fetch marked our house, didn’t it? It might have found some other way to influence him. But there was definitely some sort of spell over the house.”
I shoved the book back in my pocket. “I didn’t sense anything. I felt off, but that’s probably because of the book. If it was gone, I’d know.”
All I felt was emptiness, a nagging sensation in the back of my head. I’d put it down to the effects of recent events, but maybe… I looked back towards the market.
“You seriously think Corwin was under someone else’s control?” I asked. “He’s not a psychic.”
“No, but maybe Hazel… hell if I know. I dunno if he’ll come out and tell us the truth if he’s the enemy.”
“All right,” I said. “I still have the shadow spell Agnes gave me. Two of them. And a disguise charm.” We had to make a plan of action, and if Corwin was the only potential link, then he’d better hope he was innocent. I pulled out the spells Agnes had given me, separating one tangled bracelet from another. “Morgan, you take the shadow. Get behind that witch’s stall, have a look around. I have a spare one if necessary. I’m gonna get answers.” I handed him the other spell. “Don’t screw up.”
“I won’t. I—I’m sorry.” He sounded like he meant it, too. “I really fucked this one up.”
“It wasn’t your fault. That thing would have got to us no matter what. If not through you, then Hazel or me, or even River.”
He’s probably in jail now. Because of me. I thought of all that iron and tasted bile in my throat. How could I help both River and Hazel at once?
“Also, watch out,” I added. “You’ll be invisible, but not like a ghost. People can still walk into you, and you’ll only be unseen in direct shadow. Got it?”
Morgan nodded, taking the spell from me. The last I saw of him was his shocked expression as I snapped on the disguise charm. “Am I Agnes?” I asked.
“Yeah. Damn, she’s scary.”
“Too right I am. Get in the shadows, look for clues. Got it?”
“Sure.”
I marched into the market. People ran to either side to get out of my way, a marked contrast to walking around as Ilsa even while wearing my necromancer coat. At least half the local supernaturals knew Agnes, apparently. I strode right up to Corwin and bared my teeth.
“Agnes.” He swallowed, his gaze darting about. “I thought you’d gone.”
“You thought wrong.” I loomed over the stall. “Not doing anything illegal, are you?”
“I—no. Please don’t hurt me.”
Guilty conscience, huh.
“I don’t need to hurt you to remove your memories, boy,” I said softly. “Your master won’t like that, would he?”
He paled so rapidly, I thought he’d pass out on the spot. “No. I’ll tell you everything.”
I stepped in close. “I’m listening. What did he tell you to do?”
“He? She told me—she ordered me to put a spell on the house that would drug the Lynns. It wasn’t hard, honestly. The girl, Hazel, was already on her way to visit.”
She. The person running the show was female. A Sidhe? Surely not…
“Tell me. Now.”
“The worst part was taking the book,” he said quickly. “Because it’s cursed. Nobody can touch it. Took weeks to figure out how to do it. In the end we drugged the sister and got her to pick it up. Then we took her.”
No. Not Hazel. She must be alive somewhere, in this realm. Otherwise, there would be no Summer Gatekeeper.
“How did you get past her family’s magic?” I growled in Agnes’s voice.
“That was almost as tough as the book. I’m glad I wasn’t involved with that part.” He shuddered. “They used my spells, because witch charms still affect her when faerie magic doesn’t. They’re taking their brother next, I think. I offered to bring him in, but that creepy little fae monster wants revenge on him for stabbing it the first time.”
Th
e fetch. Holy shit. If they planned to go after Morgan, either the guild was their target, or the house.
Lady Montgomery was already working on the guild’s defences, and if they planned to attack directly through the spirit world, there wasn’t a damn thing I could do without the book. But if Hazel was in Death—or the Vale—the book must either be with her, or with the person who’d stolen it. Either way, this guy was useless. His part in this was over.
He screamed suddenly, blood spurting from his neck.
“Too bad they already got me,” my brother rasped from behind him. “And it’s a pity you can’t see ghosts, tough guy.”
“Bloody hell,” whimpered Corwin. “You stabbed me.”
“Should have done that the moment I saw you,” he growled. “The thing is, I’m too angry to move on, and I’m the most powerful necromancer in Death. I’m gonna haunt you to the end of your days.” Morgan had apparently been hoarding weapons. I bloody hoped he had a plan, short of terrorising the guy.
“I’ve told her everything I have,” Corwin sobbed.
“Not me,” said Morgan. “Where the hell is Hazel?”
“I don’t know. I swear—”
“Where’s that fucking fetch?”
“I told you, I don’t know. They needed me for my spells, nothing more.”
“The strength enhancers? How many others?”
“A few. They’re hard to make, the ingredients are rare.”
“You gave them to the perpetrator in person?” I asked. “Who did you sell them to?”
I’d worked out enough to know the person behind this was either dead, or a fae creature not part of the waking world. That’s why they had half-faeries acting on their behalf.
“Couple of half-bloods.”
“Names?” I snapped.
“I dunno.” He yelped, presumably as Morgan jabbed him from behind. “Okay. Um. One was called Rye Granger and the other… Lily Thorn.”
Might be aliases, but it’s a start.
“Thank you for your assistance,” I growled. “If it turns out you’ve supplied me with false information, I’ll have to pay another visit. Good luck dealing with your ghost, Corwin.”
“How do you know my name?” he whimpered. “Don’t steal my memories. Please. God, go away.” He moaned, sinking behind the stall. I marched off, hoping Morgan got the message and followed me.
The Gatekeeper's Curse- The Complete Trilogy Page 39