4 Tiddly Jinx

by Liz Schulte

  “No. I expect you to be persuasive.” Sy said.

  “If we are going to do this, then Sebastian and I will talk to Corbin, Frost, and Jessica. You follow Tahlik. It won’t do us any good to question anyone if he beats us to the punch.”

  “Fine,” Sy said, sounding very much like Selene when she wasn’t fine at all. “But do whatever it takes to resolve this. More than just lives could be lost if you fail.” He left us with his final cryptic statement still hanging in the air.

  “What does that mean?” Sebastian asked.

  I blew out a breath, and raised my hands in a half-hearted shrug. “Apparently their whole family is a beacon of mystery and trouble. Let’s talk to Jessica first. If she seems like herself we could use her lie-detecting abilities on the others.”

  Sebastian led the way to the coven’s quarters. We found Jessica sitting on a couch flipping disinterestedly through a book. All the girls were in the room, but none of them were talking. They looked tired and nervous. When Sebastian and I walked in everyone looked up, and Katrina even rose to her feet as if she could not bear to sit still for another moment.

  “Do you need us?” Devin asked.

  I smiled at them, hoping to ease the tension a little. “No. I believe we have everything in hand. Right now it’s more about waiting. Selene might need your help. She wants to have the wedding tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow seems rather soon,” Leslie said with a frown on her normally happy face. “Why did she move it up?”

  I decided to deflect that question as best I could. “How are you all doing? Are you getting enough rest? Do you need anything?” I asked.

  “Ugh.” Katrina flopped back down on the couch. “This wait is killing me. Even the Real Housewives couldn’t take my mind off of this. Unless you can make time move faster, there’s nothing you can do to help.”

  “Actually, we could use Jessica’s help with something,” Sebastian said.

  Jessica looked up from the book, her eyes guarded. “With what?”

  “We had a problem come up this morning and we need to interview someone. We were wondering if you could…”

  The cold, withdrawn expression on her face was definitely foreign, but we had also been the ones who had imprisoned her, so it wasn’t altogether unexpected. “If I could tell you if the person is lying.”

  We nodded.

  “Why? What happened?” she asked.

  We should have better prepared for this and came up with a story beforehand. I failed to take into account any resentment she would be feeling. I didn’t want to share with them about Tahlik yet. If any of them were involved I wasn’t ready to tip them off on our plans.

  “Corbin,” Sebastian said. “he has given us a report on Frost, and Cheney doesn’t trust that he isn’t working his own angle. We would like an unbiased opinion.”

  She waited so long to reply that it seemed inevitable that she would say no, but slowly she put both feet on the ground and stood up. “Where is Selene?”

  “With the wedding planner. She doesn’t know we’re talking to Corbin. She trusts him.”

  Jessica cracked her knuckles on her left hand. “Well, then I do, too. Find someone else to be your lie detector.”

  She started to sit, but Katrina pushed her. “Stop being a bitch and help them, Jessica! I’ll come with.”

  Jessica narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, but she followed Sebastian out the door. I gently touched Katrina’s arm to hold her back with the rest of the women. “How is she really? Does she seem like herself?”

  “As opposed to what?” Katrina asked.

  “She’s been quiet more than anything,” Devin said. “It’s hard to know how people will react to traumatic situations. I really couldn’t say if she is acting like herself for sure, but I think she is.”

  Leslie pressed her lips together but didn’t say anything or make eye contact.

  “What do you know?” I asked her.

  She shook her head. “My ability doesn’t work all that well on the other members of the coven. I just know that she is putting up some major walls around herself, but as Devin said, you don’t know how people will react to things. Jessica is probably just protecting herself.”

  “Okay. Please let me know if you notice anything at all that could send up a warning flag. There is a lot on the line tonight and, well…things just need to go well.”

  They all nodded agreement as Katrina and I left, catching up with Jessica and Sebastian.

  “What kept you?” Jessica asked.

  “Last-minute wedding details,” Katrina said. “You know that dress Devin found in the attic? She is going to get Selene to wear it. You know how Devin gets when she starts talking about weddings.”

  “Isn't it bad luck to show the groom the dress before the wedding?” Jessica asked, inspecting us.

  “I didn’t see anything. They just wanted to know if they could use it,” I said, still not convinced she was back to normal.

  A window in the front of Corbin’s house was shattered, and shards of glass scattered over the grass were catching the sun. The house was small and rundown, but it was a quiet neighborhood without a lot of prying eyes. Perfect for a creature of the night.

  Sebastian knocked and we waited, but Corbin didn’t come.

  “Uh, don’t vampires sleep during the day?” Jessica asked.

  “They avoid the sun. Sleep isn’t necessary,” Sebastian told her, then knocked again.

  “Then I don’t think he’s home,” Katrina said. “Judging by this house, he hasn’t been home in about twenty years.”

  I reached between them and found the door was unlocked. “Wait with them,” I told Sebastian as I went through.

  The broken window let more light into the living room than before. A large crack split the wooden floor that wasn’t there last time. In fact, I had seen cracks like this before. What had Corbin done to make her this mad? “Corbin,” I shouted.

  Nothing. Not even a rattle or a creak in the house. I started down the hallway, all natural light fading into blackness. As the darkness took the majority of my sight my ears sharpened and my muscles readied for attack. Though there was no physical proof of it, I wasn’t alone. Something was with me, hiding just beyond sight. An ever-so-slight creak in the floor a few feet in front of me stilled my feet.

  “I know you’re here,” I said. “If you have betrayed us, Corbin, I won’t give you the release of death. I’ll personally send you back to purgatory and make sure you never get back here. You will suffer for the rest of eternity.”

  “Empty threats, elf.” Corbin’s voice came from closer than I anticipated.

  “Who have you been talking to, vampire?” I felt the air break and moved to the right, narrowly missing Corbin’s hand, but he still hit me with his shoulder and shoved my back to the wall.

  “You come to my home and make accusations—” he growled.

  I transported behind him, slamming his head against the wall. “Threaten my family and I will do more than make accusations. Selene is mine.”

  He spun, his fist snapping a rib as it smashed into me as my elbow cracked his nose and I spun out of the reach of his next hit. He lunged at me again. We traded punches and injuries, neither one getting the upper hand for very long.

  “Why would you tell her father of all people?” I asked again, breathing hard.

  “I haven’t told anyone anything,” he growled as he swung and missed.

  “Why did Selene attack you?” I connected with his side.

  “Ask her yourself.” He knocked me back, but didn’t come at me again. “Enough. We’re not enemies this day. I will allow you to walk away today, elf, but come into my house uninvited again and you will be carried out.”

  “One of us will be.”

  I turned and went back outside where Jessica looked bored and Katrina’s nervous chatter stopped when I came to the door and she gasped. “What happened?”

  “We had a discussion,” I said, wiping a trickle of blood fr
om my nose. “Frost is next on the list.”

  “So you don’t need me?” Jessica asked. “I can’t touch the necromancer, and if I can’t touch her then I can’t tell you if she’s lying.”

  “What exactly is happening?” Katrina asked. “You didn’t even take us in to see Corbin. You went in and engaged in some fisticuffs then came back out here with a plan B. What’s the deal? You aren’t fooling anyone you hot, pointy-eared bastard.”

  Jessica snorted and her hand darted to her mouth to cover a laugh—finally showing a glimmer of her former self—soothing my trepidation.

  “Someone has been talking about Selene bringing back the Pole to her father.” I massaged my jaw. “Not that it matters now. What’s done is done, but it would make me feel better to know who it was before tonight, and we’re running out of time.” My phone rang.

  I held up a finger and answered.

  “Tahlik. He’s dead,” Sy said.

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN my father is dead?” I asked, looking between Sy and Cheney and not exactly sure how to feel. “He was a little beat up, but fine hours ago.”

  “I was following him, and one moment he was fine and the next he was lying dead in the street,” Sy said. “I didn’t touch him and I didn’t notice the jinni following him touch him, either. He didn’t argue with anyone or even talk to anyone else. I haven’t got a clue what happened.”

  I rolled my head back and stared at the ceiling. Murphy’s Law seemed to be the major sponsor of my life. “What do we do next? Do I still need to confess?”

  “Absolutely not,” Sy said at the same time Cheney sighed.

  “He said he had a contingency,” I reminded them. It wasn’t that I necessarily wanted to reveal all of my bad decisions to the world, but if doing so eased a few of our staggering amount of problems, I would do so in a second. Worrying about whether or not people liked me was a thing of the past. I simply didn’t care anymore.

  “Everyone says that,” Sy said. “Only like, ten percent actually do.”

  “Now you are just making things up,” Sebastian said. “You can’t possibly have statistics on that.”

  Cheney had that particular thoughtful expression on his battered face where he stared out into nothing and simply listened to his thoughts. I hadn’t had the chance to find out how his face had gotten that way—that seemed like the least of our worries at the moment.

  “Look, if Sy is right and he doesn’t really have a plan, then there is no reason to confess anything. But Sebastian is also right that we can’t know for sure.” Cheney ran his hand through his hair and glanced at his watch. “I think this matter will hold. Let’s just worry about getting through tonight. If we go in distracted then mistakes will be made, and we can’t afford it. If we succeed in getting the Pole back and somehow getting it back to the underworld, then even if you are forced to confess, that confession will come with a solution. There is no reason to rush or make a rash decision.”

  “Did you find out who told him? If we should stop the leak now then it might not become a problem later,” Sy said, stretching his arms overhead.

  Cheney shook his head. “I’ve only really spoken with one person so far.”

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “Corbin,” he said, his eyes locking to mine. “I don’t think he did it.”

  Well, that would explain the bruises. My chest tightened a little as Cheney held my gaze. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. What did Corbin say to him to start the fight? Cheney wouldn’t have gone looking for trouble, but there was plenty Corbin could tell him that would push him over the edge. “Oh,” was all I managed to say. I cleared my throat and broke eye contact before I spoke again. “Who else do we need to talk to?”

  “Well, not many people know exactly what happened. Besides for those of us in the room you have: Corbin, the coven, Frost, and Edith—and Lily knows quite a bit, too. Is there anyone else?” Sebastian asked.

  “Well, obviously no one else in this room did it, right?” The guys nodded. “Cheney eliminated Corbin, I will vouch for the coven—it’s not like they know anyone besides the people you just named to talk to.”

  “Lily knows some of what happened but not everything. Plus she has been more than willing to help us,” Cheney said. “And your grandma, well…”

  “After everything I don’t think she would betray me again.”

  “I agree,” he said. “That leaves the necromancer…or Alanna. She said something about having spies. Perhaps her spies overheard enough to have done this.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’ll talk to Frost. I have a few things I want to say to her before tonight anyway.”

  I found Frost roaming around the grounds alone. I watched her for a moment before I approached. She strolled through the gardens, occasionally grazing her hand over a plant only to watch it wither and die almost immediately. I put myself in her path and let her approach me. She slowed as I came into sight and eased to a stop ten feet away from me.

  “What?” she finally asked.

  “Why do you hate me?” I asked bluntly.

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s rich coming from you. I’m not the one plotting your death.” She smiled a little. “Or am I?”

  The plan with Corbin had been a mistake. All it managed to do was alienate her further. “I’m not planning to kill you.”

  “Yeah right.”

  “Look. I know what Corbin told you. I told him to tell you that. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and on board, and you wouldn’t talk to me.”

  “Why do you care? I’m helping you. You’re getting your way. Soon you will have your perfect fairytale life back and get manicures or whatever it is people like you do.”

  “People like me?”

  Her lip curled up with disdain. “Yeah. Spoiled little princesses who expect everyone to love them and never take care of their own problems.”

  “So that’s why you betrayed me? You think I’m entitled? You want to punish me?”

  She released a heavy breath, like I was the annoying person in the world. “Why does everything have to be about you? Everyone has to love you. Newsflash. You’re pregnant. You’re marrying a man who idolizes and adores you. How many men need to follow you around before you are satisfied? Just let him go. Talking to one of your legions of men is hardly punishing you.”

  I was taken aback. “Wait. What?” Frost merely looked at me. “Are you talking about Corbin?”

  “Obviously. What are you talking about?” Her eyes hardened. “You’re here to accuse me of something else, aren’t you? Look I’m not your arch nemesis or whatever you have built me up to be in your mind. If I didn’t want your book, I would have left a long time ago. I really don’t need this shit from you.”

  “Why do you want the book?”

  Frost crossed her thin arms over her chest. “None of your business.”

  “What about my father? What did you tell him?”

  Her face scrunched and she slipped her hands into her pocket. “I have no idea who your father is. How could I tell him anything?”

  “Have you told anyone about the Pole or what happened?”

  “I don’t claim any allegiance to you, but I’m also not a rat. I haven’t said a word to anyone.”

  She looked hostile—hostile but honest. I believed her, which put us right back to square one. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bitch to you. I could offer you a hundred excuses, but that’s just what they would be. You were the easy one to blame, so I did. I’m truly sorry. We leave here in thirty minutes.”

  She gave me a slight, wary nod before I turned and walked back toward the castle. I couldn’t honestly say I felt better knowing she hadn’t been talking to my father. Obviously someone had, and if that was the case his death resolved nothing. Had Frost been the one betraying us at least we would have known.

  I spent the next thirty minutes gathering everyone and collecting what we would need for tonight. Corbin showed up right on time looking like Cheney gave as good a
s he got in their fight. The quiet stillness in the room belied the nerves everyone was feeling at their various parts in the plan. The smallest screw-up could change everything.

  “You ready?” Cheney’s voice broke the silence like a scream.

  I nodded, my chest so tight it was hard to breathe. We transferred everyone to the gates of the cemetery. It looked just as it had before. The tall, scrolling iron gates were there, only this time they didn’t move with their own life. I swallowed back my nerves and lead the way through. I lead them back to the spot where the crypt had been, passing hundreds of graves. If whoever had the Pole managed to raise them all, we were going to be in trouble. I tightened my grip on the white bag with the spell book inside.

  Frost began to set up her circle around where the crypt had been. The coven and Grandma found a spot that suited them to her right and Lily watched, asking questions as they worked. Cheney, Sebastian, and Sy went to make sure the cemetery was cleared out. Corbin eased up next to me.

  “Time’s up, pet,” he said and I knew exactly what he meant. “Is the marriage on or off?”

  “Off,” I said, watching Frost work on her circle, making sure she didn’t make any mistakes. I didn’t have to look at him. I could practically feel his smile.

  “It’s for the best. You’ll see that.”

  “Corbin, we have a job to do. Try to focus. Either help Cheney clear the area or find some other way to make yourself useful.”

  The sun was setting and the circles were almost complete. They couldn’t be activated until we were ready to use them, and Frost had human eyes and therefore would need to choose her spell before it was too dark to read. I took the book to her.

  “What sort of spell am I looking for?” she asked.

  “Something that will interrupt the magic in the Pole long enough for me to take it and keep them from raising the dead. A neutralizing spell.”

  “Why would that be dark magic? Sounds like a good thing.”

  “There is a light magic version, but I think the Pole will be too strong for it and we won’t have time to waste. If we can find a comparable dark spell, hopefully it will be strong enough to work.”