Witch's Reign

by Shannon Mayer

  Maks watched my face. “You sure?”

  “Yes.”

  No.

  But that word didn’t flow past my lips.

  I wasn’t sure at all, but I would give him a point or two for asking, at least, and trying to make sure I was okay. Maybe I could see a little of what Darcy saw in him. Maks was solid, and more dependable than any of the other partners I’d had on a trip. He turned away and something touched my elbow, a hand and fingers that tightened for a moment and then were gone. Letting me know they knew I was aware of them.

  Again, just awesome.

  I froze where I was once more. Balder turned his head and bumped me.

  “Right, let’s loosen your cinch,” I said. I made my cold fingers work, easing his tack and then Batman’s. Most nights, we took all their gear off, but not here, not inside enemy territory. We’d all rest with one eye open. Two eyes, in my case.

  Lila swept into my range of sight and landed on Balder’s saddle, her tiny claws clutching at the edges of the leather. “I’ve been here before, but I’ve never felt anything like this.”

  I drew a breath and caught a scent of salt in the air, like the ocean. It was there and gone. “How close are we to water?”

  “Water?” She frowned, wrinkling her skin around her eyes. “You mean a river?”

  “No, like an ocean.”

  “We aren’t,” she said. “Why?”

  I drew a big breath and let the air rest on the back of my tongue, tasting it. “I can smell the ocean.” Which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

  I didn’t like it. This world was not one for coincidences. Not in the least. And smelling the ocean this far was a sign of some sort. I just had to figure out what it was trying to tell me.

  “No dragons are connected to the ocean, right?” I crossed my arms and tucked my hands into my armpits for extra warmth.

  Lila shook her head and Maks crouched in front of the crypt to set up the fire. He said nothing, but I had no doubt he was listening.

  “No, we can’t go near the ocean. That is the Ice Witch’s territory, though the dragons would like to take it from her,” Lila said. She shivered and I opened the edge of my hood. I didn’t have to say a word, she leapt up and burrowed into my thick mane of hair. Her scales were cool against my skin, but I didn’t mind. Better than having something undead touching me.

  Lila shifted around inside my hood so her head hung out. “The Ice Witch rules from the edge of the water and we avoid it. She’s a right bitch, that one. She used to take the youngling dragons as prizes. She skinned them and used their armor for her army of ice goblins. There was a battle and from what I know, a truce was called. She couldn’t beat us, and we couldn’t beat her. The Jinn stepped in and smacked them all soundly.”

  I didn’t like the sounds of that. Like the Jinn were somehow running the show, even all the way up here.

  I noted Maks listening intently, though he was trying to look like he wasn’t. Subtle, I thought to myself, he was not.

  I took a step away from Balder, then another, and another until I was across the pile of sticks from Maks under the overhang. His hands swept over the wood as he produced a flint. He struck it a few times, the sparks flying and then the wood catching with a rush of light and warmth.

  My mind raced with thoughts of what might be out there watching us, and it didn’t help that the sensation of being peered at rolled over me again and again, in waves. Ocean waves. I swallowed hard. “Maks, did anyone else know we’d left the Stockyards?”

  “What do you mean? Your brother knew. Ish was sending you out to check on—” he glanced at Lila then back to me, “things.” The firelight danced over his face giving him a ghoulish look.

  “The servants, or other supes, anyone at the Stockyards besides Ish and my brother?” I crouched, pulled my gloves off, and held my hands to the fire, soaking in the heat. Because there was no way they would try to sabotage us. Was there?

  Maks put a couple pieces of wood on the fire and the heat seemed to push back some of the weight of the eyes on me. “Not that I know of. Why? What are you getting at?” Maks shifted and then sat, putting his back against the stone door so he stared into the dark graveyard, his blue eyes flitting from one headstone to another. Searching for things he couldn’t see.

  “I think someone warned the Ice Witch we were coming for Darcy.” I rolled my hand and the smell of ocean water and ice curled up my nose, making me sneeze. “Yeah, I think she’s onto us.” I thought for a moment, coming up with only a single answer. “It had to be Steve, but why?” And why would the Ice Witch care if we came for Darcy? Wouldn’t she be more worried if we were coming for the jewel?

  Maks snorted. “You hate Steve, and I get that, I do. But that doesn’t mean he’d jeopardize Darcy’s life. Didn’t they have something going on at one point?”

  I glanced at him and then away so I looked out into the graveyard too, his words creating a bitter gall in my belly. “He’s too stupid to realize that he’d be risking her life. He only sees what’s in front of him, not long-term repercussions. Hence the cheating. Hence the atrocious lying. If he thinks he can get rid of both me and Darcy in one fell swoop, he’d do it.”

  “You just said he’s stupid. How would he have done this? And so quickly?” Maks asked.

  I rubbed my slowly warming fingers over my face. He had a point. Either Steve was too stupid to see the consequences of hampering us, or he was smart enough to figure this out.

  “Shit, I don’t know,” I whispered.

  Laughter spilled out of the graveyard followed by a low whistle.

  “Tell me you whistled,” I whispered.

  “Not me,” Maks whispered back.

  The three of us froze in tandem as a mist began to crawl between the gravestones. Mist that should not have been with the snow falling unless . . . I made myself move so I was on the edge of the crypt’s step. I reached down and pulled a glove off so I could touch the ground with my bare hand.

  Warm . . . the ground was warm and getting hotter. I watched the snow melt in front of us and the mist rose thicker, like a fog. A fog that turned into three distinct figures.

  Maks reached for the gun he carried. “What were you saying about this being a good idea?”

  Chapter Eight

  Maks’s question, about just how much of a good idea this was, was not unwarranted. But in that moment as fog turned into figures, and we stood at the doorway to a crypt of long-dead supernaturals, I wasn’t about to go into just why coming here was still a good idea. Dragons looking for us being at the top of the list. Ghosts couldn’t kill you if you were smart about it; dragons could no matter how smart you were.

  I made myself stand and took a step forward so the fire was behind me, putting my face into shadow.

  “We are not here to cause problems for you. Or . . . um . . . disturb you,” I said.

  The figures slowed their approach, stopping about ten feet from me. Laughter flowed through them—not nice laughter, but dark and throaty. Wet with blood.

  The middle one lifted his hand, rolling it so his palm faced upward. “You trespass on our land, cat.”

  “Well, to be fair, we’re hiding from the dragons that would like to eat us.” Sweat trickled down my spine. Funny, I was less afraid now that I could see the wayward spirits. “Did the Ice Witch send you?”

  The middle one swiveled his wrist all the way around so the palm faced up once more. “She did not.”

  I wasn’t buying it. “Then why did I smell the ocean?”

  Laughter again followed my question.

  “Who are you talking to?” Maks growled at me.

  Right, unless he was a sensitive, he wouldn’t be able to see or hear them. He might pick up on a few things, but not enough to truly grasp what was happening. To be fair, not many supes could see ghosts, either. Most likely he just saw the fog and felt the presence of the spirits. “Keep quiet and let me work here.”

  Lila peered out from my hood. “Vamps, all
three were vamps when they were alive.”

  The figures shimmered and then became clearer, as if her naming them had given them substance.

  “This ground is cursed.” The middle one took a step closer. “But so are you, aren’t you, cat?”

  “Yeah, that shit sucks,” I said.

  He solidified further so there was no seeing through him. If I hadn’t seen it happen, I wouldn’t have known he was dead. Maks said nothing behind me—even now he saw nothing.

  “We are here to warn you, cursed one.” He smiled and his fangs flashed through the mist that curled between us. “The Ice Witch did not send us, but she sent her spirits to watch you. They cannot enter here. We have no love of her, so we will warn you. This one time.” He held up a single finger. “This is our haunt and we protect what’s in it.”

  “Ah, you don’t like sharing?” I almost smiled. Almost. But thought better of it at the last second. First rule in chatting up a ghost. Don’t piss them off, don’t make them think you’re making fun of them.

  He took a step closer and I could see the color of his hair, a white blond, and his eyes a sharp blue. “Don’t push me, kitty cat.”

  I swallowed hard. “Got it. Sorry, it’s hard not to be a sass mouth.”

  “I can see that.” The dead vamp drew a breath and then shook his head. “The witch wants your hide, cat. And not everyone around you is as they seem. Betrayal. Death. Battle wounds. They are coming for you. Nothing is as it seems. The emperor is rising, and he will bathe our world in blood.”

  “Fun,” Lila whispered.

  “And you’re warning me because?” I asked.

  “Because the Ice Witch tried to take our souls. She tried to use us to attack you and that is not acceptable. We are not pets to be controlled,” he said. “But she cannot control a vampire, not even when they are dead. That is not within her ability. Other spirits she’ll manipulate and use to track you. I think a dark shadow will find you when you leave this graveyard.”

  The more he talked, the clearer his features became until I could see even the individual lashes on his eyelids. I had to swallow again; he was gorgeous. Too bad he was dead. And a vamp.

  They bit. A shiver ran through me, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.

  “Basically, this is just a big fuck you to her?” I arched an eyebrow, I couldn’t help it. The vamp grinned.

  “Something like that. And I’ll admit, I have a weakness for strong women.” He lifted a hand and ran it through a single lock of my hair. “Though I prefer redheads.”

  I didn’t bat his hand away because he wasn’t really touching me. “I’m not that strong.” Ahh, I needed to keep my mouth shut.

  The dead vamp smiled. “Strength has little to do with the powers you are given, cat. The strongest person I knew was weak by way of her abilities. Her strength came from her heart and the determination in her very soul.” He took a step back, the smile lingering on his lips. “We will keep the other spirits at bay so you may rest. But when you leave this ground, you will no longer be safe from them. And they will follow you; they have your scent.”

  My mouth tightened. “Thanks. For the warning and everything.”

  That bit about the emperor was more than a little disturbing. Seeing as he was supposed to be just a story, not a real creature at all.

  He bowed his head. “We are protectors of our world. You and I, no matter what others may tell you. I think you’re going to find out the hard way where your strength lies, cat.” He took a step back, and then another and another until his body blended with the mist and then he and his two friends were gone. The sensation of being watched eased off until it was nothing more than a tickle along the back of my neck.

  I blew out a breath of air I didn’t realize I’d been hanging onto. I turned and bumped into Maks.

  “Seriously, what just happened?” He barked the question, snapping me out of the fog I’d been literally standing in. I held up both hands and made a shooing motion with them.

  “Dude, back the hell off. We’re safe for tonight.”

  Lila put her mouth to my ear. “You going to tell him about the spirits following you?”

  I shook my head.

  “Who were you talking to out there?” Maks had a sheen of sweat across his brow. “I mean, I could hear you talking but it was like you were far away.”

  “I was chatting with the dead that live here. The guardians of this place are going to look out for us tonight. After that, we’re on our own.” I slumped by the fire, exhaustion hitting me hard. Escaping near death did that to you.

  Lila moved so she was on one shoulder and I could lean against the stone wall. It was cold but solid and that gave me a little comfort. With my front to the fire and my back to the stone, I let the fatigue take me. “Sleep while you can, Maks. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”

  “We aren’t taking shifts?” The disbelief in his voice was straight up shock.

  “No, I trust the one I spoke with, and I have a feeling this could be the last time we both get a full night’s sleep.” I closed my eyes and behind the lids saw the vamp with the blue eyes smile and wink at me. Yeah, he’d have been a ladies’ man for sure. I sighed and sleep rolled over me.

  But not before I heard Maks mutter, “This is fucking nuts.”

  I woke to the smell of cooking meat and my mouth instantly filled with saliva even as my nose twitched with the rancid scent of burning hair. I leaned forward, eyes blinking to clear away the last of the sleep. To my left, Maks was still out cold, and Lila hovered above the fire, a whole rabbit cooking on the coals.

  “Figured I’d get breakfast.” She fanned her wings, which set the flames higher and a sizzle of charring hair flicked through the air, thicker this time.

  I moved closer and pulled a blade from my thigh strap. “Here, it looks done.” I stuck the point through the back leg and dragged it out of the fire. Using both knives, I sliced it open and cut off hunks of meat that was overcooked in some parts, and almost raw in others.

  “You don’t want the skin? That’s the best part.” Lila hopped on the stone beside me. I peeled the skin off where I could and handed it to her.

  “Yeah, not so much. You can have it all.”

  She grabbed a hunk and threw her head back, dislocating her jaw like a snake to get it all in with a few good head tosses. I looked away in time to see Maks’s face rapidly greening. I handed him a leg and thigh of the rabbit that was mostly done.

  “Breakfast. Courtesy of Lila.”

  He shook his head and I gave him the best death eyes I could. Do not offend the small, acid-spitting dragon, idiot man.

  With every muscle twitch screaming reluctance, he took the leg and I cut the second one off for myself. The meat was pink the further in I got, and the innards were still there, but that didn’t bother me. I’d eaten my fair share of small rodents that were still squirming.

  Maks, on the other hand . . . he got up and ran into the graveyard and heaved after just a few bites. I shook my head. He was not going to survive this journey. Not at this rate. It was only going to get harder from here on in, not easier.

  “He didn’t like it?” Lila’s question was tinged with hurt.

  “He’s human. Which means he can’t handle a lot of things.” I took another bite, tearing the flesh off and mimicking her move of throwing my head back to get it down. “I like it. I could eat medium rare rabbit all day.”

  She grinned up at me, a piece of hide hanging from her mouth. She licked it in. Yeah, supes were not known for doing well in polite society. Good thing we weren’t being invited to a tea party any time soon.

  Maks cleaned up the campsite, scattering the hot coals, and fed the horses while I checked them over.

  But from there on out, Maks was quiet and Lila chatty. She guided us through the forest, staying just inside the edge, using the trees for cover. “The dragons look for those traveling the outer edge. They know that no one wants to come onto their ground. Which makes this a perfect hidin
g spot.”

  “Your ground,” Maks said.

  She shook her head. “No, I meant their ground. It has never been my place, not really. I’ve always been an outcast.” After that, she went quiet and Maks took her place in the chatty department.

  “We aren’t far from the edge of the Witch’s Reign. We could reach it late tomorrow and we need a plan,” he said.

  “I know.” I could feel the spirit or spirits she set to watch me, trailing behind us like a connection I didn’t know how to cut. I twisted around in the saddle and saw a dark shadow duck behind a tree.

  Yeah, that was what I thought. Damn it, the dead vamp was spot on.

  “What about Steve? Should we wait for him and go into the Witch’s Reign together?” Maks glanced at me. “Safer that way, maybe working with someone with a bit more . . . size?”

  I snorted and gave him a pointed look. “Someone gave up the fact that we headed out early, that we’re on our own, and now the Ice Witch knows we’re coming.” And if the vamp ghost was right, she wanted my hide for some reason in particular.

  Just to add a little extra spice to the trip in case we were lacking any.

  “So . . . why are we going into the Ice Realm again?” Lila said.

  “My friend was taken by the witch. We have to get her back before she’s handed over to the Jinn.” I twisted around, catching a glimpse of the shadow stalking me. That was not going to bode well. I had to find a way to un-attach it.

  “And the jewel that Steve is going after?” Maks asked. I looked at him. He shrugged. “I’m curious, what can I say?”

  “The jewel is an ice sapphire, created when the witch took her seat in the north and agreed to hold her end of the wall. Far as I know, it’s in her crown. At least, that’s where Ish thought it would be.” Which meant it was going to be a bitch to get, but that wasn’t my problem. That was Steve’s problem. The thought made me smile. I didn’t want Ish to not get the jewel, I just wanted Steve to fail miserably.

  Lila landed on Balder’s neck, near his ears, using his bridle as a strap for balance. “How are you going to get it then?”