by K. M. Shea
Not only was I not as close to her—or any of the others—as I thought. I was so very unimportant they wouldn’t even bend Killian’s orders to help me survive.
I followed Celestina down the snaking driveway, my emotions building to the point where I was shivering by the time she opened the great dragon gate of Drake Hall.
I hitched my backpack farther up my shoulder and glanced at my guide. “Take care, Celestina. Thanks for the fun.”
Her mask wasn’t quite as perfect as Killian’s, so I saw it drop for a second when her eyes widened before she slapped it back in place and was once again a perfect vampire with an expression that could have been chiseled out of marble.
I think she expected me to yell at her, and I wanted to.
But her rejection of me now wouldn’t take back the laughter we shared, the times she had protected me, or—more importantly—the hours of training she had invested in me.
When I stepped onto the road, she shut the gate behind me with a rattle. No goodbye, nothing.
That hurt.
I took in a shaky breath, and was surprised when I heard a cheerful voice.
“Yoo-hoo! First Knight! Here you are!” Julianne trotted down the driveway, a bright smile on her face as she gazed adoringly at Celestina. “We’re almost ready to leave! There’s just one more inspection—would you come look at the back few cars?”
Celestina listened intently to Julianne and nodded as she let the cheerful vampire lead her away.
Julianne didn’t even glance at me—she was wholly absorbed in Celestina…which was what made me realize Manjeet stood on the other side of the fence, a finger pressed to his lips in the universal sign of silence.
He glanced back at Julianne, then threw something over the wrought-iron fence at me.
I caught it just in time, the lacquered scabbard slapping my hands. I stared down at my chisa katana, then looked at Manjeet, surprised.
He winked, then slunk into the shadows of the trees, popping out by Celestina and Julianne and joining their conversation.
Through the spokes of the fence, I saw Julianne turn around to face the road.
I shuffled so I could cradle my sword in one arm and wave with the other.
She smiled at me—not her usual bright grin but something that was tinged with sadness—and then hurried after Celestina.
I was touched.
Julianne idolized Celestina. For her and Manjeet to team up and get my sword—which Celestina very obviously hadn’t deemed one of my “belongings”…
I was still in my workout clothes and wearing my sword belt, so I secured my katana to my hip, then crossed the street.
What was I going to do? Did I really have no choice but to walk back to Magiford? But where would I even go once I got there?
“Did Celestina pack my cellphone? Probably not if she didn’t include my katana…” I slipped my backpack off my shoulder and unzipped the pocket. It had the fancy clothes Killian had ordered for me—the ones that were stretchy yet padded so I wasn’t forever getting bruises and scrapes in practice. And that was about it. No phone—so I guess calling an Uber was out—not that I had any money to pay for the ride.
Unfortunately it also meant I had no way to contact Momoko or Felix.
Cars revved behind me.
I jumped as the huge motorcade that had been lined up outside Drake Hall rumbled down the driveway.
The dragon gates swung open, letting the cars through. They turned onto the road—the majority of them being SUVs, Killian’s favorite—and turned left, starting the route to the city. I stopped counting at the twelfth car, but I watched them disappear down the road.
Once the last car passed, the dragon gates swung shut, and—to really underline how much Killian wanted me gone—two vampires I didn’t recognize took up guard posts just inside the gate.
“What a jerk,” I muttered, clenching my teeth. My eyes stung as I stared into the backpack. A few tears escaped, leaving scalding trails down my cheeks before dripping into my backpack.
One of the vampire guards turned to stare at me, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
I shouldered my backpack again and started the long walk to the city, walking on the shoulder of the paved road. I’d only been walking for a few minutes when I heard the distant purr of an engine: it was another car.
This one wasn’t from the Drake estate, but farther down the road—a bright blue pickup truck.
I stepped farther into the ditch and wiped my eyes off on my sleeve, but kept walking.
The truck passed me, then slowed to a stop. The front door opened, and a pretty human hopped out. She was about my age with raven black hair and eyes so blue they almost bordered on violet. Her skin was a warm golden color—I couldn’t tell if she was just tan from the summer or if it was her usual skin tone.
She had to have some fae blood in her—that eye color wasn’t natural, and she had the willowy build and beautiful face structure for it, too. But she seemed overwhelmingly human when she squinted at me, scrunching her nose a little. “Are you okay?”
I couldn’t feel any kind of magic coming from her, and her wardrobe—jeans and a plain t-shirt—was something a fae wouldn’t be caught dead in. She probably was mostly human with a faint trace of fae in her family.
My suspicion faded, and I forced a smile. “I’m fine, thanks.”
Doubt clouded her face as she looked from me to the fence surrounding the Drake estate—which was still visible. “You need a ride?”
I started to reject the offer, but almost crumpled.
I had no one. And if I wasn’t careful I’d still be walking to the city after dark. Besides, the kindness of her soul practically radiated off her.
“A ride would be really great,” I admitted in a small voice.
She flashed me a mischievous grin and slapped her hand against her truck door. “Then hop in!”
She climbed in easily, but I was quite a bit shorter than her and hindered by my sword and backpack, so I had to do more of an ungainly scramble. “Thank you.” I tucked my backpack and sword into the area for my feet and wiggled to adjust in the huge seat. The truck had the faintest whiff of hay and dust.
“Of course! Are you headed for Magiford?” she asked.
“Yeah. You can drop me off once we hit city limits.”
“I can take you farther in than that.” She waited until I was buckled in before she started driving down the road. “I have to get to a farm supply store on the other side of the city, so I’ll cut right through it.”
Where could I have her drop me off? The Curia Cloisters, maybe? Despite what Killian had said, the Elite might be willing to help me. Or should I go to the library and hope the Paragon was holed up there again and hiding from the local courts?
“You own a farm?” I politely asked.
“Sort of,” she said. “My parents have a hobby farm—my mom has chickens for the fun of it and has a garden so massive I swear one day it’s going to be ground zero for a plant apocalypse, and my step-dad has a few horses.” She glanced at me and grinned again. “I’m Leila, by the way.”
“Hazel.”
She gave me the side eye. “And you’re a…wizard?”
Legitimately surprised, I gaped at her. “How did you know?”
She shrugged. “Us humans don’t usually walk this close to the Drake estate, and you didn’t seem like a fae or werewolf, and you’re far too alive to pass for a vampire.”
I had been wondering what kind of a person would offer a ride to a strange wizard with a sword. This explained a bit of it. “You live around here, then?”
“Yep—I’m neighbors with the Drakes,” she said. “I’d never suggest trying to slip through their fence, but we don’t have any problems with foxes, coyotes, or uncultured werewolves going after my mom’s chickens. Predators don’t like getting too close. And the Drakes keep some really nice dogs.”
Dimly, I remembered Josh mentioning a neighbor, and a loud piercing bray that had scared th
e tar out of me months ago. “Wait—are you the neighbor who owns the donkey?”
Leila laughed. “Yep! He lives with the horses. He was supposed to be a guard donkey, but it’s not really needed, so instead he lives a life of luxury and is doted on by my mom. He thinks he’s the best even though he’s about half the size of the horses and sounds like a drunk goat.”
I laughed, but when the moment of humor passed I let my head sag back on my neck, pushing into the headrest as the truck bounced along.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Leila asked. “You look…lost.”
It was hard to swallow, but I forced myself to, and then pushed a smile into my cheeks. “Yep!” My voice cracked, so I hastily cleared my throat.
Leila glanced at me, then turned on the truck’s flashers and pulled over on the side of the road.
I wondered why, until she leaned across the bench seat and put her hand on mine. “It’s going to be okay.”
“What?” I blinked, and it was then that I noticed a few more scalding tears had escaped my eyes and dripped down my cheeks. I scrubbed at my face with my free hand, totally embarrassed.
Leila squeezed my hand. “Whatever it is that you’re facing, you will get through it.”
There was something uncanny about her—I couldn’t quite put my finger on why or how, but I could have sworn there was magic in her words.
That was why I asked, “How do you know?”
Leila tilted her head. “Because you’re strong—here.” She tapped the spot over her heart and smiled. “You can see it in animals when they have the will to live—they fight for it. And you, Hazel the Wizard, have a lot of fight.”
She fished a napkin from a fast food restaurant out of the truck’s glove compartment and started driving again while I blew my nose.
We spent the rest of the drive in relative silence. Leila turned on the radio and hummed a few songs—her voice was weirdly soothing to listen to.
I spent the ride staring at my sword, trying to sort through my very limited possibilities.
The safest and best idea was to seek out the Elite and hope he pitied me, even though Killian had proved him right (or somewhat right).
However, based on my past decisions, I didn’t always do the safest/smartest things. Which left a few interesting options.
Something Killian said had crawled into my brain and was echoing around in there.
“…There’s no possible way you can take back House Medeis by yourself.”
Was. That. So?
I wasn’t stupid. I knew someone as powerful as Killian—or even Celestina—could swat at me and kill me like a fly. But here’s the thing.
Mason was an ant of a threat compared to the violent grace of Killian Drake. And I’d been studying an ancient book—another item Celestina hadn’t packed up for me, thanks for that—and using magic techniques my parents hadn’t even used.
I could take Mason. The bigger problem was all of his allies. House Tellier, House Rothchild—they could overwhelm me by numbers. And, of course, it was pretty likely Mason would try and use family members against me.
The memory of Felix’s tired gaze the night of the Summer’s End Ball, and Momoko’s fragile smile the day I saw her outside of Tutu’s, swirled through my mind.
It was unlikely I’d win.
But I could no longer hide. And my family—my friends I had grown up with—were obviously in a world of pain.
I had to try. And if I got to bash some heads and deal out a bit of retribution, that would be all the better with the kind of foul mood I was in.
“Do you mind dropping me off in a residential area?” I asked.
“Not at all!” Leila clicked the radio off. “Did you have a place in mind?”
I smiled. “Oh yeah.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hazel
Later that afternoon, bordering on the early evening hours, I walked down the street carrying my chisa katana.
Leila had done even better than she had first offered, and took me to a cafe so I could get changed into my tougher, more durable fighting clothes while she got herself a latte that was the size of a wine bottle. She’d then dropped me off two blocks up from House Medeis.
I spent about ten minutes casing the area—something that wouldn’t have occurred to me before living in Drake Hall.
Based on the cars in the driveway and those parked out on the street, it seemed there was at least one car of House Rothchild wizards and three carloads of House Tellier wizards hanging around House Medeis. The Telliers were easy to pick out—they had bumper stickers. Rothchild was a little more difficult to pinpoint, but the driver had left his wizard suitcoat on his seat. It was possible there was another car of Rothchilds, but I didn’t think it was too likely. The Rothchilds were usually more productive members of society than the Telliers, and they usually worked in the agriculture industry, so it was a little early for them to be getting home.
I ran up and down the list of cars owned by House Medeis members, but given that they were all parked on the driveway, it seemed like everyone was probably home. (Usually everyone got off work and was home before 5:00, so I was probably right.)
Despite receiving the title, Mason hadn’t had his Ascension yet—the House hadn’t changed at all since the day my parents died. (I hadn’t thought he’d have had the ceremony yet—you need the signet ring to bind you to the House, and that obviously wasn’t possible.) Still, it was a little encouraging to see nothing had changed.
If I was doing this with the vampires, they’d insist we slip over the short fence—preferably waiting until night—and then probably kill Mason in his sleep.
But they’d kicked me out. And while I had gotten over my ‘no killing’ thing, taking Mason out when he didn’t have a chance to defend himself didn’t sit right with me, even if it was another example of being a ‘virtuous idiot’. But I didn’t have anything else besides my honor at this point, and I wasn’t going to lose that.
I was going to do things my way.
I still hopped the fence—there was no way I was going to ring the doorbell like an outsider at what was rightfully my House.
I felt House Medeis stir as I crossed the lawn. It didn’t do anything to help me, but when I climbed the porch steps it didn’t make a hole and swallow me alive either.
I tried the doorknob and almost laughed when it swung open.
A Rothchild wizard came trotting down the hallway, eating a sandwich. When she saw me her eyes widened, and she tried to shout, but she choked on bread crumbs.
I raised an eyebrow as I lazily observed her, and leaned against the doorframe. “Adept Mason,” I shouted. “You traitorous, spineless, sea slug of a wizard. I’m back, and I’m here to challenge you for your falsely claimed position!”
The House exploded with activity.
I heard the muffled thumps of running upstairs, shouts of anger, and the buzzy feeling of wizard magic permeate the air.
I trotted back down the stairs and backed up until I stood in the middle of the front lawn. The afternoon sun heated my back through my clothes, and I adjusted my hold on the hilt of my chisa katana as I waited.
Wizards poured out of the front door.
A quick count, and it added up to nine House Tellier wizards and two House Rothchild wizards. They were the first out, standing between me and my family who strained and pushed their way through.
“Hazel!” Ivy—Felix’s toddler niece—made a run for me, her macaroni necklace bouncing. Her father scooped her up, ignoring her cries as she reached for me with her chubby little hands.
“Hazel, what are you doing here?” Felix shouted. “Run!”
I locked my knees and watched Mason casually stroll onto the front porch, an arm settled on Great Aunt Marraine’s shoulders. It might have looked caring to an outsider—handsome Mason caring for an elderly member of the House.
But I saw the way his hand dug into her shoulder and magic spiked around his fingers as his wizard’s mark surface
d. Great Aunt Marraine’s face was pinched with pain, and her gray hair had turned more of a snowy white in the few short months I’d been gone.
“Hazel? Welcome home.” He smiled charmingly. “It’s so good you’ve finally returned to the fold.” He nudged Great Aunt Marraine. “Isn’t it, Marraine?”
Great Aunt Marraine snorted. “I hope you bite your own tongue and choke on it, you—”
“Enough!” Fire engulfed Mason’s hand, and he held it so close to Great Aunt Marraine’s face I worried her hair might catch on fire. “I am your Adept—you will not disrespect me.”
Great Aunt Marraine fell silent, and Mason’s smile returned to his charming variety as he shifted his gaze to me.
This is what I was afraid of—Mason could still hold my family against me.
But maybe I could use a shield? If I pushed it between them, he wouldn’t be able to reach her…
“I don’t see any of your vampire friends.” Mason’s tone was pleasant, but rotted through—like cake left out in the summer sun. “Unless you come bearing a message from your new master.”
I unsheathed my katana. “I have a message, all right.”
“Careful,” Mason warned me. “We wouldn’t want any misunderstandings, would we?”
A House Tellier wizard pushed through between two House Rothchild wizards, dragging Momoko with him. A globe of water balanced in his hand, then slowly floated up to settle over Momoko’s mouth as she thrashed in his grasp.
This wasn’t good. All House Medeis wizards were wearing the magic-blocking bracelets. And even though they outnumbered Mason’s minions, wizards weren’t trained for physical fighting. They couldn’t fight back.
I could unleash an area lightning attack, but a few of my family members would get caught in it. Could someone like Great Aunt Marraine take a lightning bolt and survive?
“Drop the sword, Hazel,” Mason ordered, his eyes crinkling with his smile.
I licked my lips and clenched my sword’s hilt, pressing the wrappings into my palm. I took a breath and intended to lower my inner gates, opening me to magic, when I heard the rumblings of a car.