Infernal Ties

by Holly Evans

  She swallowed hard.

  I said softly, “I thought that you lost most of your abilities if you turned away from her?”

  Serena said quietly, “So did we… it seems that this new witch plans on making herself the new goddess. Now. That’s all that I know. My coven fled the city for fear of being killed, and I haven’t left my home in weeks for fear of the same.”

  It wasn’t much, but the bargain was complete. She stood and extended her hand once more. I couldn’t shake off the feeling of suspicion that nagged at the back of my mind, but I pushed it aside and placed the finger in her palm. She smiled, perhaps a little too widely, before she left and headed into her pantry. I followed her out of curiosity. I didn’t have a plan of where to go after that and hoped that Serena would give me more information. Something of more use.

  Her pantry had been converted into her witching room, or whatever they called it. Candles sat on the narrow shelf around the edge of the room; they were primarily red with a smattering of black and some sky blue. She busied herself lighting the red and black ones before she placed the finger in a small bowl on the altar at the far end of the room.

  She glanced back at me with a slightly crooked smile. “You should have accepted my offer to learn when you were a teenager, Evelyn, you had so much potential.”

  I remembered how Quin had been eager to learn everything she offered. He’d followed her around and devoured every book she’d offered on the subject of magic. I’d never been interested in being involved in such darkness. I knew that the ritual must have worked on multiple levels, otherwise she simply would have waved her hand over it. The fact that there were candles and incantations suggested she was asking for the hag’s help with everything.

  I looked around the room and took a step back.

  She glanced back at me and shook her head before she said, “Stay, we have more to discuss once I’m done.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The ritual had been relatively quick and painless. Serena had whispered and chanted some words while dabbling with herbs and a pitch-black liquid. The finger had transformed into a small, pale-grey oblong crystal in the bowl, which seemed to make Serena very happy. I leaned on the door frame and waited for it to be over and done with. I had places to be. I wasn’t quite sure where, but I knew they didn’t involve magic or necromancers.

  Serena took a long moment attaching the new stone to a pretty silver chain and slipping it around her neck. I pushed off the doorway and expected her to give me something I could use to find Quin. Instead, she slowly pulled the stiletto knife that had sat at her lower back and gave me a dark smirk. Fuck. I pulled my own blades and took a step back; taking on a powerful witch in her own home wasn’t how I’d planned on dying.

  “You were supposed to be dead by now. The salve was laced with a rather painful poison. Yet here you stand, taunting me. I don’t know how you survived.” Her tone shifted from bitter to almost manic. “It was so easy; your ignorance will be the end of you, Evelyn. They were so eager to have your or Quin’s blood, and you practically threw yourselves in our laps.” She laughed, a bitter sharp sound. “You should be grateful, really. You’re going to help this city step into the new cycle; we’re going to be gods.”

  She was eerily calm as she slowly stalked towards me. I couldn’t see the mania that had accompanied her words only seconds before. I tilted my head and prepared myself to fight.

  “What are you talking about, Serena?” I asked softly.

  She laughed, a full-throated laugh that froze her in place. “You really have no idea, do you? You’re so blind, Evelyn, you have so much potential.” She shook her head and laughed to herself once more. “Quin’s with them, they’ll be using his blood in the ritual tomorrow night. The ritual that will change everything.” She fingered the pendant. “You secured my place in this bright new future. It was a touching final gesture in your short little life.”

  She lunged at me, a clumsy motion that I ducked away from with relative ease. Unfortunately, it was just a distraction; a sharp pain hit me square in the temple. She’d thrown some form of curse at me. So much of a witch’s battle magic is bundled-up curses thrown at their victim. I spun my blades, drawing her eye for just long enough to swipe at her right wrist. If I could take away her hands, I could drastically weaken her magic. She growled at me, a sound of pure rage.

  “Give up, Evelyn,” she spat.

  It wasn’t in my nature to roll over and play dead. She began chanting something under her breath, her body frozen in place as she concentrated. I could avoid thrown curses, but if she was chanting, she was gathering something bigger and much more vicious. I wouldn’t stand much of a chance against whatever she had planned. I slashed at her ribs and stomach. It didn’t harm her, but it stopped the chant. She started circling me while she started further chants. I continued pushing forwards, keeping her off balance while I looked for a way to end it.

  Blood blossomed on her pristine silk blouse when I caught her shoulder; her nostrils flared and her lips pulled back into an animalistic snarl. She threw her knife at my head.

  “You were supposed to die quickly. Give up,” she roared.

  I laughed at her. “Poor Serena, you’re not used to having to work for something,” I said mockingly.

  She lunged at me again while a bright white orb hurtled at my head. I ducked, but was knocked to the floor. Any control she may have had was gone; she clawed at me furiously and tried to sink her teeth into my face. I drove my knees into her stomach and shoved her off me before I pinned her down to the tile floor. She continued to lash out at me. The beautiful leather jacket she’d given me protected me from the worst of it. I still tasted blood where she’d managed to claw my cheek like a cheap alley cat.

  I thrust my dagger down into her stomach, she yowled and tried to claw my eyes out. I was ashamed at her tactics. I’d hoped for more from the woman I’d known since I was a little girl.

  I whispered, “I’m sorry Serena,” before I slit her throat.

  Blood soon pooled around her. I snatched the pendant and put it around my own neck while I stood. It was clearly powerful. I hoped that she hadn’t keyed it to herself, and it would protect me as well as it would have done her. She’d been a family friend, yet she’d sold my twin to some coven in the vain hope of, what? Becoming a god. That was impossible, and she should have known it. I turned my back on the mess and walked out the door, trying to focus on the future, getting Quin back. I knew he was at the heart of a ritual, a blood ritual, and it was occurring the following night. That meant that he was still alive. Rituals, particularly blood rituals were delicate things. The stars would have to be aligned and the moon phase correct. I still had a chance; my twin was alive.

  Blood trickled down onto my lips, a bitter reminder of what I was up against. Nothing good came from blood magic; the way Serena was talking sounded like they planned on sacrificing Quin. A tear rolled down my damaged cheek as I tried to rub away the mess and make myself vaguely presentable. Taking a deep breath, I calmed the rising panic and made my way back to the tram stop; I needed to go back to Elise. She’d have some idea about the witches and the ritual. I hoped.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “I’m sorry, Evie, but my lady has nothing more for you; have you spoken to Kadrix? He has many connections around the city, perhaps he’s heard something,” Elise said with a shrug.

  I sighed; I’d been hoping to avoid seeing the elf again.

  “There’s a lot going on at the moment; I’m sorry, Evie, but you’ll have to speak to Kadrix,” she said.

  I stood as she did, and we parted with a brief hug. Serena’s words hung in the back of my mind; the elf would likely be wherever elves slept. I paced around the area in front of Elise’s church, trying to pull together everything I had. The sun had long since set, the lékárna would be closed. I chewed on my bottom lip; the Sidhe knew or at least acted as though they knew everything that was going on in the city, but it didn’t seem like a good plan to ap
proach Azfin again. I began spinning my blades without realising as I ran my options through my head. My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I needed to eat at some point. With a growl, I made for home; I was no use to anyone if I was starving, and I needed to patch up the damage Serena had done. Elise had been preoccupied with things she had no interest in telling me about; I’d have to tackle Quin’s box of potions and lotions again. My ribs ached in memory of the last time I’d tried that.

  The journey home went by in a blur of lights and shadows. My mind wouldn’t settle. I had 24 hours to find my twin and save him from becoming a sacrifice. Only he could get himself into such trouble. I poked at his box of powders and such looking for a symbol I might recognise. Varying boxes and bottles surrounded me, a rainbow of colours scattered around about, none of them seeming familiar. I stood and opted for good old-fashioned soap and water. I didn’t need magic, or alchemy.

  My mood deteriorated over the evening while I made some attempt at cooking and mentally ran through my list of everyone that I knew. Azfin wasn’t the only Sidhe in the city, he was just the easiest to deal with and the highest ranking. There were also other alchemists, and hedgewitches. I wasn’t convinced that I wanted another run in with more Sidhe; hedgewitches tended to know what was going on, though. They were weak witches who relied on herbs and such to perform their magic. Serena had told me they either came from weak bloodlines or they had turned from the hag for some reason.

  I chewed on my lip as I tried to remember if I was on good terms with any of the hedgewitches. Petra had fled the city after we’d caught her trying to move nymphs into her potted plants so she could sell them. I didn’t know if she’d gotten very far, the fae didn’t take kindly to such bullshit. The acrid smell of burning broke my train of thought. I’d managed to burn the pasta. A glance out the window told me that it was far too late to try calling for take-out, that also meant any hedgewitches would be in bed. That left the Sidhe, and thus, Dimitri.

  I picked at the pasta half-heartedly and told myself it was still better than nothing. Dimitri ran a dance club not too far from my flat, and as far as I was aware he was high enough in the fae hierarchy that he could be of some use. Once I’d eaten as much pasta as I could stomach, I put on some make-up and headed out to the club. I doubted I’d blend in in my jeans and such, but I wasn’t there for fun.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  It was easy to miss the entrance to Club Classic. The music bar, with the over-priced cocktails and mediocre food on the top floor caught the eye and hid the dark entrance to the club itself. People were packed into the bar despite the time of night. I wandered off the street and headed down the corridor, if you could call it such given a car could drive down it with ease. Bouncers dressed in all black were spread evenly down the short walk, all in pairs, and all big heavily muscled men.

  The dance floor and club were in sight when a bouncer blocked my path and gestured for me to open my jacket. I had more blades on me than I cared to recount, and I was in no mood to explain.

  I smiled sweetly and said, “Tell Dimitri Evelyn Hawke is here to see him.”

  He glared at me and pressed further into my personal space. I blinked slowly and glared back at him. I wasn’t going to back down. After a long moment he snapped his fingers and said something in rapid Russian. A smaller bouncer slipped into the shadows while the original towered over me. I could have taken him down, but then I’d have to deal with the other bouncers, and it would become a situation. I didn’t have time for a situation.

  Dimitri sauntered out of the darkness with two Sidhe that I didn’t recognise flanking him. His sharp features were highlighted by the carefully done lighting of the club. The shadows slipped under his cheekbones, and his silver-green eyes glinted with amusement that didn’t reach his delicate mouth. His dark-red leather pants left little to nothing to the imagination; I wasn’t particularly impressed. He was a lean (verging on scrawny) thing, all angles and sharp edges.

  The bouncer stepped back once Dimitri was within arm’s reach. Dimitri sidled up to me and slipped his arm around my waist; I smiled and relaxed my muscles.

  “And what brings the great Evelyn Hawke to my door?” he whispered in my ear, his fingers digging into my hip.

  I seductively ran my hand up the back of his neck before I dug my fingers in and whispered back, “A coven has kidnapped Quin. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about it, would you?”

  He pulled back, mock shock on his face. His eyes danced with merriment and his grip loosened.

  “Let us talk in private,” he said with a hand gesture towards the club.

  I gave a small nod and accompanied him around the edge of the dance floor; his arm remained around my waist and his lackies were no more than two paces away. If they decided to try and pull anything I’d be screwed, but I had no choice; they might have information that would help me get Quin back. Time was ticking by. Who knew what they were doing to him.

  Dimitri led me down a short set of steps at the back of the dance floor by the side of the neon blue bar. He took me into a large room with pale cream couches against the far wall and a small sleek black bar on the right hand side. A man around about my age dressed in all black set about making drinks when we walked in. The room was sparse, there weren’t any potential weapons, and only one entrance and exit.

  “Relax, Evelyn, we’re all friends here,” Dimitri whispered, his hot breath curling around my throat.

  The two lackies lounged out on the sofa, their slender limbs sprawled out around them while they made a show of ignoring Dimitri and me.

  "I heard about Quin. I also heard you killed Serena,” he said.

  I tensed; how could he have heard about that so quickly? He smirked at me and leant back in the seat.

  “Is that how you treat all your friends, Evelyn? I thought she helped raise you…” he said.

  I ignored the drink that the barman placed on the table in front of me.

  “She proved to not be a friend. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get my twin back. What do you know?” I growled.

  He pursed his lips. “Really Evelyn, so rude. As it happens, I was expecting you. Azfin said about your little… incident,” he said.

  He reached behind him and pulled out a blood-red leather bound book with a collection of magical symbols on the cover. “I promised Kadrix I’d lend him this book. Be a darling and give it to him tomorrow morning,” he said.

  I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not an errand girl,” I spat.

  He laughed at me and leant close enough that I caught the scent of fresh basil on his breath; his eyes held mine, daring me. “You might enjoy reading the book, Evelyn. Now, be a good girl and run along.”

  He dropped the book in my lap and leant back once more. I glared at him and tucked the book under my arm before I left. My ego wouldn’t forgive me any time soon, but Quin’s life was at stake. I couldn’t afford any more injuries, or worse. There was no reason to push my luck, after all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Once I was safely back home, I made a strong cup of coffee and began inspecting the book. The symbols on the cover were vaguely familiar. I’d seen some of them in Serena’s home and on her books. Quin probably would have been able to tell me what they were.

  I took my cup of coffee over to the sofa and opened the book; there was something about it, the damn Sidhe had hinted at something. I wasn’t going to be beaten. It was the only lead I had until people got out of bed. There was no table of contents, that would have been too easy. Instead each page had a small rune-type thing at the top; some were as simple as a wavy line with a hook on the end, others were complex intersecting circles with arrows and such.

  None of it made any sense. The few pages that were written in clear English rattled on about how best to worship the hag and keep her happy. I knew that the hag was important to witches. She was their goddess; without her they wouldn’t be witches. Serena had said they were going to become gods, though, which suggested turnin
g away from the hag. She wouldn’t have been happy about that. I’d been told that witches who turned from the hag lost most if not all of their magic, but Serena clearly still had hers. I growled and resisted the urge to throw the book across the room.

  Two cups of coffee later, and I thought that I might have made some progress. That could have been a mix of sleep deprivation and over-caffeination, but I was running with it. I’d found a few pages with what looked like a blood symbol on them. One of them had the hag symbol slashed through next to the blood symbol. I was clutching at straws, but it was better than nothing. It had to be. My twin was going to be sacrificed the coming night.

  I dug around for Quin’s magical books. He thought I didn’t know about them. I’d allowed him to keep them as they made him happy. I didn’t like his attraction to magic, but the bits of alchemy he’d learnt had saved us more than once. I was soon surrounded by books and had pages full of scribbled notes. The sun was rising, but I thought I was onto something. I cross-referenced the words and symbols in Quin’s books to the ones in the Sidhe book. If I’d translated it correctly, then I could have found the ritual they’d be using.

  There was still a chance that it was an anti-acne spell, but I was willing to jump on anything. A glance at the clock told me that I could get two hours’ sleep before I took the book to the elf. He’d have to speak the magical language, he was an elf and alchemist. If he didn’t, then he’d know someone, he had to. It was my only hope.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The lékárna opened five minutes late. I pushed through into the back workshop area where the elf was smoothing out his hair and looking in a copper pot.