by Karen Lynch
I couldn’t respond because I was reliving my own battle with a Hale witch, remembering the horror of that vile magic burrowing inside my head like a maggot. My throat tightened at the agony Desmund had gone through, and I felt a surge of admiration for him having taken the brunt of the witch’s power to save his team.
“Are you okay?”
I summoned a smile I didn’t feel. “It just brought up some memories I’d rather forget.” Now I understood the cold nausea that had overcome me when I’d touched Desmund’s hand and the sensation of things crawling over my skin. It felt like the same abhorrent presence that had invaded my mind. What I couldn’t understand was how the witch’s magic could still be alive inside Desmund over a century later. I’d thought Hale witches used their magic to damage their victim, but what if it was more than that? What if they were able to leave some of their magic behind?
“It must have been frightening.”
“It was. Now that I know their magic doesn’t work on me, they don’t scare me as much.”
He nodded approvingly. “You’ve become stronger because of your experience. That is one of the marks of a good warrior.”
“I don’t know about that,” I replied wryly. “You do remember seeing me in training, right?”
“I take it your training with Callum is still not going well?”
“No, and I’m pretty sure he’s almost fed up with me.” My shoulders slumped. “I know what he wants me to do, but I honestly don’t know if I can do it. I’ve spent my whole life keeping my Mori under control. The one time I let it out, it almost destroyed me.”
“And now you’re afraid of it.”
“Yes,” I admitted.
He took his time folding his napkin and laying it beside his plate as if he was searching for the right words. “We are taught from an early age how to contain our Mori and to find a balance between ourselves and our demons. It is second nature for us to tap into their power, but even then, we sometimes struggle with control. Your power gives you incredible control over your Mori, and now we are asking you to loosen that control. I can see how that would be very difficult for you, and I’ve been thinking that we may be going about your training the wrong way. Perhaps we should try some other techniques on you.”
“Like what?” I asked hopefully.
“Maybe pair you with a trainer more sensitive to your particular needs. There is one in India who relies heavily on meditation. Janak’s had some success with a few troubled orphans we have sent to him.” By troubled, I knew he meant the orphans were suffering from psychological problems caused by their demons. The older an orphan was before they were found, the more likely it was that their Mori would torment them into insanity.
Tristan smiled and pushed out his chair. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. For now, why don’t we go into the living room and see if I can’t teach you a few checker moves to try on our friend Desmund when you see him again?”
* * *
Over the next few days, I found myself settling into a familiar routine. After a disappointing morning training with Callum, I visited the menagerie. Hugo and Woolf were always excited to see me, and I spent our time together teaching them to walk beside me properly and to heel when commanded. I was determined to show Tristan that they were well-behaved enough to be trusted out of their cage. I understood Tristan’s reservations – they were hellhounds after all, bred and raised to kill – but I also saw gentleness in them and I refused to condemn them to a life of confinement.
Alex continued to crouch in the back of his cage and watch me like I was a juicy steak whenever I passed him. Even the nice chunks of red meat I brought him didn’t soften his attitude toward me. Once I forgot to keep an eye on him and I didn’t see him move closer to the bars until it was too late. My reward was a blistering four-inch burn on my arm, which required a dose of gunna paste and a trip to the medical ward. Mohiri medicine was very advanced, and by the next morning, the burn was nothing more than a patch of reddened skin that quickly faded. But I had learned my lesson. After that, I was extra careful not to let the wyvern catch me unaware. I still gave him his daily treat, but I made sure to throw it from a safe distance.
I took to spending a lot of time in the main library and accessing the stronghold’s vast database, reading up on demons, vampires, witches, shifters, and anything else I would have learned about if I’d had a normal Mohiri education. Remy had taught me a lot, but I was just coming to realize how much about the supernatural world I did not know. It was going to take months to catch up to the other trainees in that area.
I also looked for anything I could find on Hale witches. I knew the likelihood of me finding a way to help Desmund was slim when the Mohiri had tried for centuries to cure people like him. But I felt compelled to try. More than anyone, I understood what Desmund had endured and I could not forget the feel of the terrible sickness inside him. I searched through every article I could find that referenced Hale witches, and I was frustrated that there wasn’t a single mention of how their power worked. I despaired of ever finding a way to help Desmund.
Three days after my dinner with Tristan, I got the nerve to go visit Desmund again. I entered the library and let out a gasp. Books were strewn all over the room and an overturned lamp lay on the reading table with pieces of broken lamp shade on the floor. Scattered around the chairs near the cold fireplace were ripped pages. I picked one up and made a sound of dismay when I saw that it was from Daniel Deronda, the same book I’d been reading the last time I was here.
My eyes fell on a partially charred piece of wood that had fallen from the fireplace, and I immediately recognized the beautiful antique checkerboard. Tears burned my eyes. Why would Desmund wreck the library he loved and destroy the checkerboard and this particular book? Was he angry at me for some reason, maybe for the way I had run away? With his illness, it was almost impossible to know what went on in his head or what would set him off.
The scene from the library troubled me long into the night. When I entered the dining hall for breakfast, I was tired and barely aware of the people around me until Olivia slid into the chair across from me.
“How can you look so glum? I would have thought you’d be happier than anyone else?”
I frowned at her grinning face. “Happy about what?”
She rested her elbows on the table. “About going to Boise. God, I haven’t been to the mall in a dog’s age. This whole credit line is awesome, but buying clothes online is just no fun. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah,” I replied, though I hadn’t used my line of credit yet. But a day in the city? I felt Olivia’s enthusiasm infecting me at the thought of getting away from here for a day. My gaze moved around the room until I found Tristan sitting with Celine at his usual table. He smiled at me, and I smiled back before I looked at Olivia again. “When are we leaving?”
Olivia laughed. “That’s more like it. You’ll have plenty of time to finish your breakfast because we aren’t leaving for another hour.”
At ten minutes before nine, the trainees who wanted to go to Boise gathered in the common room closest to the main hall. I walked over to Michael who was in his usual spot with his laptop.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Michael? We’re going to a movie after the mall.”
He looked up, a spark of interest in his eyes. “What movie are you going to see?”
“Mark found a zombie marathon playing at Overland Park Cinemas this afternoon.” I beckoned him with a finger. “Come on, you can’t honestly tell me that your computer is more fun than that?”
He made a face. “More fun than hanging out with Jordan for a whole day.”
I snorted softly. “Listen, I’ll be her bosom buddy if it gets me out of this place for a few hours.”
“Let’s not get carried away,” drawled Jordan as she sauntered past the door. “Bus is leaving in five minutes, with or without you losers.”
I pulled on my jacket. “Last chance.”
I shook my head. If ever there was a boy who needed to get out and have some fun, it was Michael. “Who are you always talking to on that thing anyway?”
“No one,” he said almost defensively. “I play World of Warcraft with a bunch of guys online. We like to talk strategy.”
“Ah.” I had never been one for gaming. There was enough craziness in this world already without having to go look for it in a game. But to each his own.
The bus was actually a large black SUV with tinted windows. As I walked toward it, the front passenger window rolled down, and I groaned when I saw the red-headed warrior grinning at me. Seriously? There wasn’t a single other warrior they could send to chaperone us besides the two of them? Tristan, we are so having a talk when I get back.
Olivia and Mark were in the back seats so I took the middle row with Jordan who promptly popped in a pair of ear buds and ignored me. That was fine by me. I settled back against the headrest, too excited to be going somewhere, anywhere, to let her bother me.
An hour later, Niall pulled up in front of the Boise Town Square mall and Seamus turned in his seat to smile at us. “Okay, kiddies, here is the drill. You have two hours to shop or browse or whatever it is you kids do in these places. Just remember that whatever you buy has to fit in here on the way back and I’m not sharing my leg room. If you behave yourselves and don’t go wandering off ” – his eyes met mine – “then you get to enjoy a movie and dinner. Any questions?”
Jordan opened her door and slid out. “Nope.”
The four of us entered the mall together, but the other three immediately split off, going in their own directions. This obviously wasn’t their first time here. I fingered the Visa card in my back pocket and thought about what I needed: a heavier coat, warmer boots, and some new gloves. Idaho was definitely a lot colder than Maine, and there was no way I was going to stay cooped up inside all winter.
It took me a little over an hour to get everything I was looking for, and I spent the rest of the time wandering around while I waited for the others. It didn’t take me long to spot one of the twins following me at a discreet distance, and I gritted my teeth, doing my best to ignore him. I was pretty sure the others didn’t have a personal bodyguard tailing them. With my track record, I guess I wasn’t surprised they were worried I might give them the slip, but they really had nothing to worry about. I’d promised Nate I would try to lay low and stay out of trouble, and I meant to stay true to my word after what I’d put him through.
I was walking past a jewelry store when an item in the window caught my eye. It was an antique chessboard that looked strikingly similar to the one Desmund and I had played on. The middle-aged salesman eyed me dubiously when I asked to see it, and he watched me like a hawk as I opened the box and examined the playing pieces. It contained a set of checkers and a full chess set.
I reached for my credit card. “I’ll take it.”
“It’s four hundred dollars,” he said in a haughty tone.
“Yes, I know.” I handed him the Visa card, and his eyes narrowed a little when he saw the name on the card.
“What is the Westhorne Institute?” he asked, peering at me over his glasses.
I tapped my fingers on the glass counter and met his gaze squarely. “It’s a special school where they send rich kids with anger management issues and problems with authority.”
“Excuse me?”
I stifled a sigh and pointed over my shoulder to the large warrior I knew was visible through the window. “See that red-haired guy out there? He’s my chaperone. You want to talk to him instead?”
He glanced behind me and swallowed nervously. “That won’t be necessary. Would you like this wrapped?”
I was still smiling when I met the others at the exit. The three of them were lugging multiple shopping bags each, and they eyed my two bags in disbelief.
“I don’t need much,” I said, earning a scoff from Jordan.
“When you have unlimited credit, you don’t buy things you need.” She shook her head. “What a waste.”
Olivia walked through the door ahead of us. “Don’t mind her.”
“I don’t.” I was not going to let Jordan spoil my day out.
The twins dropped us off in front of the movie theater. “You should be able to get enough zombie gore in four hours,” said Niall dryly. “We’ll pick you up here at five. Decide where you want to go for dinner and remember, we like big juicy steaks.”
“You mean you’re going to trust us to be on our own that long?” I asked in feigned shock.
“Even you couldn’t get into much trouble in a movie theater in the middle of the day,” Seamus replied with a snicker. “And we’ll be out here waiting for you.”
We loaded up on popcorn, candy, and drinks at the concession stand and found four seats in the back row just in time for the start of 28 Days Later. I’d watched it at Roland’s with him and Peter two years ago, but it was way creepier on the big screen in a dark theater. I even jumped once or twice when Olivia did, and we laughed at each other. It felt so good to do something as normal as going to a movie.
It got to the scene where the car breaks down and the girl gets under the car to fix it and you want to yell at her to not be so freaking stupid. All of a sudden there are rats and zombies all over them. Down in one of the front rows a girl shrieked and people twittered. I shook my head. Please, like you didn’t see that coming.
A man screamed and people laughed even harder. A second man cried out. The laughter died. I leaned forward in my seat to try to see what was going on down front, but it was too dark. People started to stand, and there were more screams.
A few seconds later, pandemonium broke out and people began screaming and shoving and climbing over each other to get to the exits.
“What the fuck?” Mark uttered as the four of us jumped to our feet.
Olivia moved closer to him. “Guys, this doesn’t look good.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” Jordan growled, her eyes wide and glowing with excitement while everyone else screamed in fear. She nudged Mark who was next to her. “Move it! We’re sitting ducks here for whatever is down there. We need to get to the aisle where we can fight.”
“Fight?” Mark shoved me and Olivia toward the stairs. “We don’t even know what it is. And in case you haven’t noticed, we didn’t exactly come dressed for battle.”
“Fucking amateurs.” Jordan pulled off her leather jacket to reveal a short thin sword strapped to her back. From her boot she pulled a long silver knife, which she handed to Mark. “Always come prepared,” she said with a wicked grin when she saw me trying to figure out how she had hidden that sword under her coat without cutting off something vital.
Even more surprising was the silver-tipped whip that Olivia pulled from her purse and uncoiled with a snap and a practiced flip of her wrist. I watched her move to a spot a few feet from Jordan with her feet apart and the whip in front of her. Mark gripped the knife and stood on Jordan’s other side. The three of them were suddenly transformed from teenagers enjoying a day out to young Mohiri warriors prepared to do battle.
I stared helplessly at my empty hands and kicked myself mentally for getting caught without a weapon. It wasn’t so long ago that I wouldn’t leave home without a knife inside my jacket, a knife that had saved my ass on more than one occasion.
“Stay behind us, Sara,” Jordan ordered sharply. “We’ll try to get to the exit on this side. Keep your eyes peeled everyone.”
None of us questioned her orders and, as one, we moved down the stairs. Below us it was utter chaos, but I was less frightened by the screams than I was by whatever was causing them. What the hell attacks people in a crowded movie theater in the middle of the afternoon? Most supes, even the dangerous ones, hide from humans and don’t show themselves in crowded public places like this. Even Eli had pulled me into a dark alley before revealing his true nature to me.
&
nbsp; Whatever it was, it was apparently going after anything that moved, so we tried to go as quietly as possible down the stairs. By the time we hit the middle landing, we were the only people on our side of the theater except for two teenage boys who were crouched behind some seats. I motioned for them to come with us, but they just shook their heads and huddled closer to the wall. All I could do was hope they would be safe there until we dealt with the threat or someone came to help.
In a matter of minutes, the theater had all but emptied except for our small group, the two boys, and a few stragglers limping for the door. People yelled outside, but inside the theater the only sounds were the zombie moans from the movie, which in our current situation didn’t seem quite so entertaining anymore.
The movie hit a quiet scene, and silence fell over the dark theater.
Somewhere in the lower rows of seats, a popcorn bag rustled. Closer, there was a rattle as a drink cup full of ice tipped over onto the floor. My nails bit into my palms, and my heart sped up like a freight train. Shit, shit, shit. How do I keep ending up in these situations?
Olivia cried out, and I jerked my head to the side just as something shot out from beneath the seats on our right and leapt into the air, coming right at our faces. In the flickering light from the movie screen I was able to make out a long, pale gray body and a flash of teeth, just before a blade whistled through the air and cut the thing in two mid-flight. Black blood sprayed, and I almost gagged on the putrid stench that rose up around us as the creature’s severed halves landed at Jordan’s feet.
“What the hell?” Mark bellowed, jumping back from the writhing parts. “That’s a goddamn lamprey demon!”
“Yeah, and they never go anywhere alone.” Jordan kicked the top half of the demon down the stairs and brandished her bloody sword again. “Incoming!”
Chapter 6
“OH MY GOD!” Olivia squeaked, and I followed her horrified stare to the two six-foot long bodies slithering up the stairs toward us. I had never seen or heard of a lamprey demon until this moment, but I knew that if I survived this, they would be starring in my nightmares. The creatures advancing on us resembled eels, but they were bigger around than my thigh with large unblinking eyes on either side of their heads. But it was their mouths – round and funnel-shaped with row upon row of curved teeth – that made my bladder feel like it was about to empty.