by R. A. Rock
“I like your spirit, Faerie. And you have my attention now,” Ignis said, his eyes sparkling. “I don’t promise I can help you, though.”
“We know,” Tessa said, rolling her eyes. “Ethan warned us. Like fifteen times.”
Ignis glanced at Ethan.
“You know me well.” The mage’s expression was bitter.
Ethan knew at that moment that Ignis would never forgive him. Some things you can't come back from. And this was one of them.
Sometimes all a person needed was to feel that someone was truly sorry for a mistake they made and that they regretted hurting you. It was such a small thing that made such a huge difference. He hadn’t always seen it this way. Once, he had thought it was a sign of weakness to admit that he had been wrong, had made a mistake. But Ethan had learned. Now he strove to be better. Different.
But he couldn't change what he had done in the past. And he understood, with a feeling of regret that went soul deep, that he could never make amends. He could never unhurt Rebekah. And neither she nor Ignis would ever get over what he had done. He had had something special in his hands and he had thrown it away - fool that he was. It made him want to curl up in a ball and cry. But of course he wouldn't. Nor would he show weakness in front of these three.
Ethan gathered himself and cleared his throat, hoping he hadn’t appeared too emotional to the strangers.
Ignis turned his full attention on them, studying their tense and worried faces.
“So, Faeries,” the mage said, leaning forward. “Tell me your problem.”
Chapter 9
Tessa wasn’t sure if she even wanted this jerk’s help anymore, but she hadn’t come to this horrible place in the dead of night to not get what she wanted. That was only the anger talking. She was beginning to understand what Ethan had meant about Styx being so dangerous. She could feel the menace all around them.
Besides, they needed this mage. The way he had turned from mist into his regular form? He had to be powerful. He could be a useful ally and she would not ruin their chances of getting their memories back. She felt like a baby having no knowledge of who she was—helpless and naive. She didn’t like it.
“I apologize if I insulted you,” Tessa said, her jaw tight. “I’m Tessa Callahan.”
She held up her forearm and Ignis only hesitated a moment before he held up his own and they crossed.
“This is Finn Noble.” She gestured at Finn and they crossed arms, too. As their arms touched, Ignis frowned, as if he had felt something.
“What’s wrong with your energy?” Ignis asked Finn.
“I don’t know,” Finn said.
“You don’t know? That seems… strange.” Ignis’s interest in their problem only increased with this tidbit, Tessa could tell. But before they could get off track, Tessa interrupted and began her explanation.
“We’ll get to that,” she said with a glance at Finn. They would find out about his energy issues after the mage agreed to help them. “Why don’t I tell you the whole story? Well, what I know anyway.”
“Sure,” Ignis said, definitely looking intrigued.
“We arrived in the Passageways. You’re familiar?”
“I’ve heard of them,” Ignis said.
“And we had no memory of who we were,” Finn cut in. “That’s why I don’t know what’s wrong with my energy.”
“No memory?” Ignis said, hitching himself forward on the bench. “Fascinating. Go on.”
“We don’t know why we didn’t take an Angel Uber,” Tessa said.
“You must have been in trouble. Nobody uses the Passageways to travel between realms, unless they really don’t have a choice.”
“Really?” Finn said, his eyebrows drawing together.
Tessa couldn’t stop staring at Finn. Stars above, but the man was handsome. His intense brown eyes seemed to see right through her every time they locked gazes. And those lips. She chewed on her own bottom lip, looking at them. They looked soft and strong and infinitely kissable.
Tessa couldn’t help feeling drawn to him, though she didn’t know why.
“Why don’t people travel between realms using the Passageways?” Finn said, seemingly unaware of her interest in him.
“The Passageways are the link between Esper and Earth. Like ropes that hold the realms together. And they’re also like streams, where the magic from Esper leaks through. On Earth, the Passageways link places that have concentrations of magic. They’re not really portals to move between realms, though they can be used that way.”
Ignis’s eyes lit up when he explained about magic and the light glinted off his flame-red hair. If he wasn’t such a jerk, she might think he was handsome. But she wasn’t attracted to the mage the way she was to Finn, who was speaking again.
She tried to pay attention to the conversation, hoping she wasn’t as empty headed and shallow as Ethan seemed to think she was. But if she wasn’t, then why couldn’t she keep her mind off of Finn?
“So why would someone send us—”
Ignis laughed at that, cutting off his sentence. “Sent you? More like threw you over a waterfall of magic and you got washed up here. Sending implies that the person had some control over what happened. And they didn’t. That’s not how it works.”
“There was a note in Tessa’s pocket,” Finn told Ignis.
Tessa hurriedly produced the copy and handed it to the mage. If he was going to assist them because he liked a puzzle then that was great. She wouldn’t do anything that would keep him from helping them get their memories back.
“It’s signed Perdira,” Ethan told him in a quiet voice and the two men exchanged a glance that Tessa didn’t understand.
“As in the lady of the swamp? Perdira’s Mire, Perdira?” Ignis had a funny look on his face as if he’d had some dealing with her and it had gone badly.
“Doesn’t say,” Ethan said. “And it was once a common name in Ahlenerra. It’s just signed Perdira, and whoever she is, she sent them to me.”
He indicated Tessa and Finn with a lift of his chin.
“Do you know this Perdira?” Finn demanded. “Because you sound as if you do.”
“No,” Ignis said, as if the thought was offensive. “I do not know her personally. But I’ve been in her swamp and barely survived.”
“She lives in a swamp?” Tessa said and a breath of a memory ghosted through her mind. “That almost makes me remember something.”
“Yeah, you’d probably get all your memories uncovered naturally,” Ignis told her. “It would take a few hundred years, but they’d all come back eventually.”
“She doesn’t exactly live there,” Ethan said, returning to their discussion of the person called Perdira from the note. “Nobody has actually seen her in thousands of years as far as I know.” Ethan got a faraway look in his eyes as if he was remembering something from long ago. “She was the second Faerie to fall, after Ransetta.”
A shiver went through Tessa at the name.
“Let me guess,” Ethan said to Tessa. “That name brings something back, too?”
“Pain, death, destruction, torment,” Tessa blurted out, not knowing where the words were coming from.
“That about covers it,” Ethan said, his face somber. “Ransetta’s called the Dark Queen in Ahlenerra. For very good reasons. But let’s not get off track here.”
“Wait a minute,” Finn said to Ethan. “Do you know Perdira?”
Ethan looked uncomfortable. “I used to visit Esper once in a while for fun. A long time ago. Earth used to bore me. And yes, I did know Perdira, the Second, a long, long time ago. Before she disappeared into that swamp.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Tessa said, disgusted. “You told us. You had a thing with her, right?”
Ethan kept a neutral expression on his face. “I did,” he said, attempting to be dignified. “I’ve had a thing with many women. I’ve lived a long time.”
“And you’re one hell of a Casanova,” Ignis pointed out as if it disgusted him. Th
en he held his hand to the side of his mouth as if he were telling Tess a secret. “The ladies love him.”
Tessa glowered at Ignis and Ethan didn’t deign to answer.
“But if she’s not exactly alive anymore, how could she sign that note?” Finn asked, looking around at the others and attempting to get the conversation back on track.
“That’s a very good question,” Ignis said, lifting his eyebrows. “And one I’m guessing that you two could answer if you got your memories back.”
He tapped the table with his pointer finger.
“So you’ll help us?” Tessa said, trying not to let the desperation she felt creep into her voice.
“Such an interesting mystery,” Ignis said, picking up Ethan’s glass of Elixir and drinking the whole thing without stopping. Tessa watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down and listened to the sound of him swallowing. He set the glass on the table carefully and smiled.
“Please?” Tessa said. "There's no one else we can ask."
“Okay,” Ignis relented. “I’m on the job.”
Tessa sighed in relief.
“There’s only one catch.” Ignis glanced around at the others.
“Of course there is,” Finn said, shaking his head.
“What is it? Payment? What do you want? We’ll pay. We don’t expect a favor.” Tessa cut her eyes over to Finn’s for confirmation. He nodded several times. Of course, they would pay for the mage’s help.
“Yes, it’s about the payment.” Ignis seemed slightly anxious at this point and Tessa wondered why.
“I’m not sure what we have that you could possibly want. All we have with us are the clothes on our backs. Not particularly valuable.” Finn pulled at his shirt. “Or attractive, for that matter.”
“Ah, you don’t like modern fashion?” Ignis said with a grimace. Then he gave Finn a sympathetic look. “Me neither. There are many time periods that I preferred to this one, for many reasons. But the relaxed fashion of this era is one of my least favorite things about it. But the payment. It’s not a big deal. I just need you to get something for me.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes. Knowing Ignis, this was a vast understatement. He waited to see what the mage wanted.
Ignis picked up Tessa’s glass of Elixir and slowly drank the whole thing again. Ethan caught the sweet-sour scent of it, which made his mouth water. As he watched him swallow down the drink, Ethan’s mind considered the situation.
Ignis had agreed to help the Faeries, which was more than he could have hoped for.
They just had to figure out the payment and he would be out of the whole thing. He could go home and work on the new song he was writing. Plan his North American tour. Post some selfies on social media that would improve his public image. And get his career back on track.
That was all he wanted.
To return to his regular life and cut these faeries loose. He didn’t want anything more to do with their problems. Or puzzles.
He had to admit, though, that mysteries were particularly fascinating to immortals. Something new and refreshing and intriguing was hard to ignore. There was so little that surprised a being who has lived since the dawn of time.
Not him, though.
Mysteries didn’t intrigue him.
No, of course not.
Music was the only thing that made Ethan feel good these days.
Tessa shifted a little as she waited for Ignis to speak and he felt her thigh brush his. A shot of electricity went through him that he didn’t quite understand. She glanced at him as if she had felt it too. Then she frowned as if their legs touching had been his fault and moved away from him.
What the…
Women usually fell at his feet. Tessa was one of the first women he’d ever met that hadn’t been immediately charmed by him. It was confusing and surprising. He chuckled to himself.
Then an astonishing thought hit him. Since the faeries had shown up, he had felt more interested in life than he had for a long, long time. The mystery was part of it, but there was something else, too. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on yet.
It made him not want this to be over.
But what was he thinking? Of course, he did. He had his music. He had his orderly life. He had the tour and making sure his career didn’t go down the tubes. He couldn’t be bothered with Tessa and Finn’s problems. They had nothing to do with him.
Then why did he feel so bereft when he thought about going back to his big empty house alone? Wasn’t that what he wanted?
Ethan felt strange. Uncomfortable. As if everything was about to change in a way that his life never had before. And there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it.
His gaze lit on Tessa’s worried eyes. So blue. They needed help. They were like babes in the woods on this realm without knowing who they were.
No.
He was not interested in these faeries or their lost memories, he told himself firmly. He would make sure Ignis didn’t fleece them on his price and then he was out. This meeting had been far more painful than expected and he was done with. He needed a few bottles of whiskey and a beautiful woman in his bed. And then he would be all right.
Ethan pulled his wine glass back toward him and poured himself the last glass of Elixir. The blue liquid poured smoothly into the glass, turning purple as he finished.
“So name your price, mage,” Tessa told Ignis.
The mage leaned back and put his arms on the back of the bench, his eyes innocent. Ethan wasn’t buying it, though.
Ignis gave a shrug and smiled charmingly. “I just need you to sneak into an old lady’s cottage and steal her ring.”
Chapter 10
All Tessa wanted right then was to get out of that nightclub and go somewhere safe where she could sleep. She was sick of all of this. It was the middle of the night and they’d been talking for what felt like forever. This Ignis didn't like Ethan and he didn't like them. He had barely agreed to help. Then just when they thought they had a deal with the wily mage, he said he wanted them to steal something to pay him for uncovering their memories. This sucked. Especially since they would probably have to do it. They didn’t have a choice if they wanted to know who they were. Tessa should have known that they shouldn’t trust a mage.
Ignis held up his hands as the other three all protested at once.
“Let me explain,” he said, and they fell silent. “First of all, I need it for a very good reason.”
“And what reason is that?” Ethan said, pinning him with his stare.
“To protect Rebekah. And you should know that it's the only reason I'm doing this. I certainly wouldn't do it as a favour for you.”
Whoever this Rebekah, the Immortal Huntress, was, she was a big deal to both Ignis and Ethan.
“The ring has an strong protection spell,” Ignis explained. “It will ward her against Dark Magic.”
They all glanced around as he said the words.
“Better not speak those words too loud in this place,” Ethan said, lowering his voice.
“Why does this Rebekah Huntress chick need protecting?” Tessa said, drumming her fingers on the table. “She sounds like a badass. You said she could protect herself.”
“Rebekah is my family. She's like a daughter to me,” Ignis said. “And yes, she’s a badass. But she’s being targeted. And there’s Dark Magic involved.”
“Targeted?” Finn asked.
“The Church has always had it in for her but I think they’re getting ready to make their move. I’m worried about her.” For a moment, Ignis looked his age as the weight of all the years he had lived suddenly showed in his eyes.
“Ignis and Rebekah are close,” Ethan told Tessa and Finn. “They’re like family—”
“Not like famly. We are family.”
“Thing is, she’s a warrior—”
“The Immortal Huntress.”
“Right,” Ethan confirmed.
Tessa was amused at Ignis constantly correcting Ethan, though Ethan himself
didn’t seem to mind or even notice when the mage did it. She’d noticed that Ethan sometimes did the same thing himself. She wondered briefly if Ethan had picked it up from Ignis or the other way around.
“She can definitely take care of herself,” Ethan went on. “So if Ignis is worried enough to want this ring, then it must be pretty serious.”
“That’s right,” Ignis said. “So, that’s the first thing. This ring is really important. And I want it for a very good reason.”
“Why don’t you just get it yourself if it’s that important?” Finn said, shifting in his seat.
“That’s the thing,” Ignis said, shaking his head. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” Ethan said. “Where is it?”
“Um, an old faerie lady has it and she has a bit of a grudge against me.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
“It was an accident.” Ignis' voice was defensive. He was talking mostly to Tess and Finn, ignoring Ethan.
He began to explain earnestly. “Look, the short, short version is that I was at a sixteenth birthday party for a princess.”
“You were at her party or you were crashing her party?” Ethan inquired.
“Crashing, fine. But this was back in the Dark Ages. You have to understand. Good parties were hard to come by.”
“Whatever,” Finn said, impatient. “Get on with it. I want to get out of here.”
“Well, there was this accident because I got pretty drunk and I might have played some House of Luck. Man, did those Dark Age humans like their dice. I took a lot of their money, maybe some of their clothes. Oh, and one estate. And they might have gotten a little upset. When I was getting away from them, I might have dropped one of my spells on the teenage princess?”
He grimaced.
“What?” Finn said, dismayed. “That’s so irresponsible. But you took it off, right?”
Ignis winced. “I didn’t know I had done it. I swear, I didn’t know. A century later, I heard about some princess that a Dark Fae had put under a spell. She’d been sleeping for a hundred years.”