“Well—”
The back door opened, cutting them off.
“Are you two gossiping Gerties coming in?” Monica asked.
“Who even says gossiping Gerties anymore?” Nathan asked. “What are you, sixty?”
“Oi, punk,” Adrian said.
“Just get inside. It’s freezing,” Monica huffed. “Nate, is the gas on?”
“It’s on.” Nathan climbed up the step and through the door.
The inside of the cottage had modern décor, but it was sparsely furnished. The walls had been taken out downstairs so that there were only two rooms: the kitchen and a large open-plan living room. Upstairs there were three bedrooms and one bathroom. It wasn’t bad, for an overnight stay.
Nathan helped Adrian build the fire, and Monica lit it with her handy magic.
“Portable fire,” she said, sprinkling a liquid over the logs. “Accendo!” Flames flared up and quickly settled into a merrily burning fire.
“Neat,” Cynthia said.
Monica and Lily vanished into town for an hour and came back with ample supplies, including a live chicken which Monica put in the garage and refused to answer questions about. She then whipped up lunch and mulled wine, plus an assortment of food for later.
When it started getting dark, they dressed in their warmest clothes and hit up the beach to collect driftwood. Adrian and Nathan built a bonfire, which Monica lit with her magical fire-starter.
Monica went from one of them to the next. When she reached Nathan, she pressed a lump of wood into his hand. He turned it over and, by the light of the fire, saw a rune engraved into it.
Sceoldan. Protect, shield.
“We’ll all make an offering,” she explained.
“Monica…” Nathan turned the piece of wood over in his hands. Monica had smoothed the edges down, but she hadn’t shaped it. Rough around the edges, but somehow still beautiful. Just like Monica. “Why this rune?”
“It’s perfect for you, Nate.” Monica closed his hands around the piece of wood. “You could make your own, quickly, but… please use this one? For me?”
“Of course,” Nathan said. Monica beamed at him and went to find Cynthia. Nathan studied the rune, wondering what runes she’d used for the others.
Cynthia wandered over to him a moment later. She was turning her rune tablet over in her fingers.
“It’s sort of beautiful, don’t you think?” she asked. “The fire, the beach, no one else around…”
“Wild,” Nathan said quietly, “natural. It’s beautiful.” He looked at Cynthia. Her face was lit by the fire, and Nathan could have been describing her. The fire reflected in her eyes. Her hair hung messily around her face, and her nose was red from the cold. She’d unbuttoned her jacket now that she was closer to the fire, and underneath she had ripped jeans and a purple T-shirt. She was beautiful. Nathan leaned in and kissed her gently.
When they parted, Cynthia smiled at him. “What was that for?”
“You’re really pretty.” The words felt lame and insufficient out of his mouth, but they made Cynthia’s smile grow.
She held out her rune tablet. “What does this mean? Monica said I should ask you.”
Nathan studied it. “Wilþijaz and gaistaz. Wild spirit.”
“Because I’m a shapeshifter?”
“Yep,” Nathan replied.
“What’s yours?”
“Sceoldan. Protect or shield,” Nathan said, running his fingers over the piece of wood again.
“It suits you.”
“Thanks, I think.” Nathan took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. Cynthia squeezed back.
Monica called them all closer to the fire.
“Alright, it’s time,” she said. “I’m just going to run and get the chicken and then we can start. Ah… you don’t have to say anything when you make your offering, but if you want to, you can. So think about that?” She jogged off.
“Like what?” Lily asked her, but Monica was already gone.
“When you make offering you can also say thanks for successes of last year,” Kseniya explained quietly. “And ask for favours for next year.”
“Oh.” Lily screwed her nose up in thought.
Nathan held his hands out to the fire to warm them whilst he thought. Everything that came to mind was too embarrassing. The others would probably poke fun at him if he said something sappy.
Then again, why not? Adrian made fun of him all the time, and he was doing this for Monica… Nathan stared into the fire and made up his mind.
Monica came back with the chicken. It lay limp in her arms. Had she killed it? Monica caught his questioning glance and said, “I put it to sleep. Can I borrow one of your knives?”
Nathan took one from a holster at his hip and handed it to her. “Pretty sure the hunters would frown on this.”
“Fuck ‘em,” Monica said. “This is harmless. It’s not even magic, really.”
She laid the chicken out on a large stone and crouched beside it. “Everyone who’s squeamish, look away for this part.”
Monica slit the chicken’s throat and caught the blood in one of her bowls. She dipped a finger into it and whispered a chant in what Nathan thought was some kind of old Germanic language as she drew lines onto her face: from her forehead down to the tip of her nose, and then three lines across each cheek. It looked like war paint. Then she did the same to Kseniya.
“Okay.” Monica put the bowl aside and straightened up. “I’ll go first.” She took a deep breath and stared into the fire. “This last year… sucked. First the shit with Damien and the Council, and then nearly losing Nathan… Yeah. 2015’s been pretty crappy. But… what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? So, thanks. Thanks for my friends surviving intact. Thanks for the Lefebvres being understanding, and not kicking me out, and weathering my crazy. Thanks for me having good friends.” Monica smiled. “I don’t want anything for next year… but I’d like it if everyone else could be happy.” She cast her rune tablet into the fire. It crackled merrily. Monica seemed to sag in on herself, and she took several deep breaths before turning to Kseniya. “Your turn.”
Kseniya stepped up to the fire and mumbled in Russian. Out of respect, Nathan tried not to listen in. She was asking for strength, to be able to make the right decisions. Nathan focused on Cynthia beside him, instead.
They went around the circle. Lily was next, and she spoke at length about how grateful she was to have Damien and her friends. Adrian didn’t say anything at all. Then it was Nathan’s turn.
“Whatever happens next year… I just want to be able to keep my friends safe,” Nathan said. Then he chucked his rune tablet into the fire. The flames seemed to flare higher for a few seconds, before dying down again. Nathan glanced at Monica and found her smiling at him.
Cynthia stared into the fire for several long seconds, then dropped her rune tablet in. “Just let my family be safe, please,” she whispered.
Monica held both hands out to the fire and chanted in the same Germanic language for several moments. The flames rose up and up, until they were taller than Nathan, and then died down to nothing in an instant.
“It’s done,” Monica said.
“What now?” Adrian asked.
“Now we have wine and I cook the chicken.” Monica grinned.
“Seriously?” Lily asked, sounding ill.
“Seriously.”
They headed back up to the cottage. Kseniya lagged behind as they walked over the stony beach. After a moment of watching her, Nathan patted Cynthia’s arm. “I’ll catch up with you in a moment, okay?”
Cynthia nodded. Nathan dropped back to fall into step with Kseniya.
“You alright?”
“I’m okay,” Kseniya said. “I am… grateful to be included.”
“You’re welcome,” Nathan said. Kseniya glanced at him and ended up stumbling a bit on the uneven stones. Nathan took her arm gently.
“Careful.”
“Thank you,” Kseniya said.
They walked in silence for a moment, as Nathan tried to think how he wanted to frame his question.
“Is everything alright with you?” he asked finally. “I mean, is there anything you need? I know things have probably been kind of tough. You can let me know if there’s any way we can help you.”
They reached level ground, stepping on the dirt path that led up towards the cottage. Nathan used his phone to light the ground so they could avoid the muddy patches. Kseniya was silent.
“Kseniya?” Nathan prodded after a few moments.
“What do you want from me?” Kseniya demanded. The sudden heat in her voice took Nathan by surprise. Why was she angry?
“I don’t want anything,” he said. “What do you mean?”
“Why you not ask me to do anything?” she asked. “Why you give me this?” She tugged on the amulet around her neck. “Why you take me away from Witch Council? Why you are helping me?”
Nathan’s mind went blank. “Uh… I wanted to help you?” Thinking about it, he added, “That’s the answer. I mean, I’m not expecting anything from you. Monica asked me to help you, so I did. And the amulet, yeah, it’s just a token, really. I’m not even rightly sure it works. I just needed something to get the Witch Council off our backs.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Nathan replied. “I don’t want anything.”
The others were way ahead by now, invisible in the darkness. A wind had come up, whipping around them. Nathan zipped up his jacket.
“You don’t want anything from me?” Kseniya asked. “The Sahir made me do things. I can do many spells.”
“I don’t need you to do anything for me,” Nathan said. “I don’t want you to do anything for me.”
“I was not expecting you to come back for me,” Kseniya said. “Witch Council found me, they track me, and the Sahir thought I was a traitor. Why did you help me?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Nathan asked. “Look, Kseniya, I just want you to be okay. Alright? I’m not expecting anything in return. We—my friends and I—we’re just trying to help.”
Kseniya was silent. She started walking again, and Nathan went back to lighting the path. At length, she said, “The amulet is working fine, I think.”
“Monica thinks so, too.”
“You are more powerful than Sahir,” Kseniya said.
“I can’t do magic,” Nathan said. “I’m just human.”
“Humans have power, too,” Kseniya said. “Sahir kill humans, too.”
“Okay,” Nathan said slowly. The conversation had just taken a nosedive. “I’m not going to let them kill anyone else, if I can help it.”
“I think you are good,” Kseniya said softly. “You are kind, Nathan Delacroix.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Nathan said. “I hope it will be enough.”
“The Sahir do not know kindness,” Kseniya said. “It is their greatest enemy.”
That made Nathan smile. “I’ll remember that,” he said. “Come on, let’s join the others before they drink all the mulled wine.”
“Okay.” Kseniya nodded, and Nathan thought that maybe she was smiling a bit. They both hurried to catch up the rest of the group. Nathan slid his hand into Cynthia’s as they stepped through the front door of the cottage. She glanced at him.
“Alright?”
“Great,” Nathan said and kissed her on the cheek.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
AS NATHAN WAS LEAVING school on Friday, his phone vibrated.
Dad: Have you finished school yet?
Nathan: Yeah
Dad: Please come to the Hunter HQ
Nathan: Now?
Dad: Now
Nathan felt as though he had lead in his stomach on the cycle over. What could his father want?
The Hunter Council office building was a dull sixties structure behind the Westgate Centre, Oxford’s old shopping mall. Nathan didn’t need a token to get in there; the receptionist recognised him and buzzed him through the front door.
“Hi, Nathan,” she said. “Head on up.”
“Thanks, June.”
His father was sharing his uncle’s office, so they were both there, pouring over a photo at the desk. Uncle Jeff had his tie off and Dad’s jacket was thrown over the back of his chair.
Nathan knocked on the door, and they looked up.
“Dad, you wanted to see me?”
“Come in, Nathan. Shut the door.” Dad sounded oddly shaken. Nathan did as he was told.
“Is everything alright?”
“Sit.” Dad gestured to a chair in front of the desk.
Nathan sat. His dad studied him. Nathan’s school uniform was rumpled, and he felt oddly self-conscious. He was usually in hunter uniform when he came to the office.
His dad began laying photos out on the desk, and Nathan knew the writing was on the wall.
An unmarked van. Two bodies.
More photos of the bodies.
“I saw the Vampire Council last week,” his dad opened. “I’ve been struggling for a while to get all the pieces together. So many things I just couldn’t figure out.”
Another picture, close-ups of the wounds.
“An overly helpful guide just so happened to mention that the prisoner was brought in by one of Damien von Klichtzner’s men, and that Damien had led the interrogation. All too happy to share the gory details, I assure you. Which of Damien’s men? Oh, it was that ex-hunter, Adrian Delacroix. Was in an awful hurry, too. Family emergency. Funny that, wouldn’t have thought he was still in contact with his family.”
Nathan’s heart sank like a stone.
“Dad,” he started, then stopped. What could he say?
“Let me do the talking,” said his father. “That was when I started to understand, but there were still some things that didn’t make sense to me. Adrian had a spirit knife. He couldn’t wield it. Okay, we have a hunter who can. How did the other body’s neck get snapped? How is Damien involved? More questions. I did a bit of digging.”
More photos, three of them. Dad had saved the most damning for last. These were recent images: Adrian and Nathan chatting together. Nathan getting out of Adrian’s car. Adrian, Nathan, and Monica hanging out together. Someone must have followed Nathan.
His dad had had him followed. Betrayal burned in Nathan’s chest.
“Tell me what happened on the night of October thirtieth,” his father said. “Here’s what I know: you had a Halloween party at school. You left home a bit before seven and cycled into town. The party should have ended at eleven. Eleven-thirty, you weren’t home. Anna texted you, and you replied that you were sleeping at Matt’s place. You came home the next morning, acting like you were hungover. Then you were sick for about three or four days.” Nathan quailed under his father’s gaze. “Explain.”
“Dad, please—”
His dad held up a hand. “Just explain, Nathan.”
Nathan sighed.
“I met Cynthia at the bus stop on the High Street,” he said. “Around five to seven. We walked to Turl Street and met Adrian at the entrance to the witching level.” He wanted his dad to interrupt, or something, but he didn’t. “Monica had asked us to look for Kseniya, a witch friend she was worried was in trouble. We stayed there about an hour. Then Adrian left and Cynthia and I went to the school. We hung out with Matt. I think we were inside for an hour, maybe an hour and a half, so… nine-thirty. Nine-thirty, we went outside. We were making out. Two guys snuck up on us.”
Nathan paused. For what, he didn’t know. His father nodded.
“I follow so far,” he said. “Continue.”
“I fought the one guy and managed to knock him out, but I lost sight of the other. He got hold of Cynthia and dragged her to the road. I caught up with them by the van.” For a moment, Nathan felt like he was losing it. Facts, he had to stick to the facts. A deep breath, and he spoke again. “He had a knife to Cynthia’s neck, and told me to drop my weapons. I did. He told me to lean against the van. The driver
got out and tried to cuff my wrists. I summoned the knife and stabbed him.”
Dad nodded once. Nathan couldn’t read his expression.
“I threw myself at the other guy and we both fell. He managed to roll on top and pin me. He had a knife, a Sihr knife—I have one at home, I can show you—”
Dad looked alarmed. “In the house? How?”
“I’ve had it since September,” Nathan replied. “When I saved Cynthia’s sister from the Sahir. The knife works by… it drains the strength of the person it cuts, through a ritual. The mage stabbed me here.” He touched his abdomen. “He was chanting… I…” Was dying. “I managed to get the spirit knife back in my hand. I stabbed him in the heart. When he died, the ritual ended, and I could move again. I called Adrian. He snapped the other man’s neck. He dealt with the bodies.”
“Where did you go?”
“To Damien’s house. That’s where Adrian stays when he’s in town.”
“Why?” Uncle Jeff demanded. “You could have called Anna. Me.”
Nathan shrugged. “Adrian always comes when I call.” But it was more than that. Adrian was a friend, almost a brother. Adrian was proud of him. Adrian didn’t care if he became a hunter.
Adrian wanted him to be happy.
“Nathan,” his father started, then he stopped. He shook his head. “You should have called me.”
“What was I supposed to say to you? Hi Dad, sorry we haven’t spoken since before my birthday—which you couldn’t be bothered to stay for, by the way—and I know you’re in Taiwan and it’s probably four AM, but I just killed a guy by accident and I don’t know what to do? Also, I might be dying, not really sure, jury’s still out, guess we’ll see in a few days.” Nathan stared at his father. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“Was I in Taiwan?” Dad asked.
“Yes!” Nathan snapped. “You were in Taiwan. And you know what? Adrian was here. Right there. No questions asked. Adrian helped me out. Adrian was the one who took me home and got me a drink. Adrian was the one who put me to bed. Adrian was the one who helped me get my head on straight because I killed a guy.”
“Adrian should have stayed the hell away from you,” his father said. “And he knew that.”
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