Touch of Death (Order of the Elements Book 2)

by Emma L. Adams

  “Of course!” He hovered above the game board. “Your wish is my command.”

  I picked up my tiefling rogue character and waited for Devon to resume our campaign. In the gaming world, I got to steal far more interesting things than illegal cosmetic spells and rarely got caught. When the dice cooperated, anyway. Across the table sat Craig and Carla He, both of whom worked in admin at the Order. In the game, Craig played a wizard gunslinger gnome while his sister played a half-elf warlock with questionable demonic ties. Red, who seemed to have taken a shine to Dex, played an elven cleric and the group’s healer, while Trix was usually the head of the fighting contingent in the group. Maybe he’d got himself tied up in the Parallel.

  Despite my reservations, Dex was actually pretty good at playing along. He took on the role of a snarling fire demon guarding a mountain of treasure, and by the end, the others were asking if he’d be a regular player.

  “Maybe, if he’s still here next week,” I said. “There’s the Order’s rules, you know.”

  “We won’t say a word.” Red put a finger to her lips. “Right, Craig?”

  “Course not,” he said, nodding to his sister. Carla, who was in the middle of helping Devon clear up the takeout containers, nodded. They were on the same level within the Order as I was, while Red had left the magical world to become a computer scientist. Somehow, our group had managed to hold together for the last couple of years, and I was reasonably confident the others wouldn’t give Dex away to the Order. I hope not, anyway.

  The others left, and Devon and I got to work cleaning up the game board.

  “Weird of Trix not to show.” I handed Devon some of her prep sheets which had fallen under the table.

  “When did you last see him?” she asked.

  “When he helped me beat up those vampires the Order sent me after.” I took a step back from the table, spotting Dex flying out of the kitchen. “He knocked out three of them at once.”

  “You weren’t dealing with vampires today, were you?”

  I sat down on the sofa. “Nope, but I may have followed an Order delivery of those cantrips before I went on the mission.”

  I told her about the warehouses I’d sneaked into and the operation I’d found set up inside them, including my half-bluffed conversation with the supervisor.

  “Damn,” she said. “How’d they move that many people over?”

  “Through the nodes,” I said. “That’s what I gathered. Also, they know someone is smuggling some of their cantrips out on the side and using them to commit crimes. Now I’ve got them worried the Order is looking into it, but they might not be. The missions Mrs Carlisle has been giving me are listed as standard and if she knows what’s going on over there, she hasn’t breathed a word to me.”

  “Dicks,” she said. “So the Order is moving into the Parallel? Who’s supposed to enforce the laws here?”

  “It’s just their spellcraft they seem to be outsourcing at the moment,” I said. “I wouldn’t have thought they’d ditch this realm entirely. They’ve worked too hard to maintain their power. But get this—Cobb’s name was on the list of people involved in the planning stages of the operation. He was involved in the cantrip business from its start.”

  Her brows shot up. “Did you ask the Order?”

  “I wasn’t supposed to see his name,” I said. “I was going to ask the Death King to use his persuasive influence to get answers from the Order, but he wasn’t around, and his Fire Element sent me packing. I wonder if he has any idea who’s smuggling the coins out on the side and handing them to a rogue practitioner. I doubt he does, though.”

  Not just any rogue, but a rogue practitioner with skill at spirit magic.

  Damn. I was in way over my head with this one.

  A sudden flash of light engulfed the room. Dex exclaimed in a panic, while I swore and jumped to my feet. An instant later, a heavy body dropped onto the sofa like a stone.

  “What the hell—?” I broke off, alarm blaring through my nerves. “Brant. Are you okay?”

  Brant half-lay on the sofa, unmoving. His eyes were closed, his body still and sprawling.

  “Help!” I looked wildly at Devon, who stood frozen by the game table.

  “Oh, damn.” She ran through the door into the shop, and there came the sound of several cantrips falling off a shelf. “I can get a cantrip to heal him. Hang on.”

  Carefully, I turned Brant onto his back. Deep wounds lacerated his chest, as though he’d walked headlong into a set of sharp claws.

  “What did you do?” I whispered.

  No response came. Devon ran back into the room a moment later, dropping cantrips everywhere. A healing cantrip slid into my hand and I placed it onto Brant’s chest, over the wounds. Despite how deep they looked, there was no blood, and they didn’t seal underneath the cantrip’s touch.

  “What’s wrong with him?” said Devon. “Want me to call an ambulance? You’d need a hell of a cover story, but if the cantrip’s not working…”

  “I’m not sure a regular hospital can handle this.” I traced the wounds with my fingertips, and a faint spasm shook my fingers. He wasn’t bleeding—not visibly—but the sensation of energy brushing my palm drew me to peer closer at the wounds. Swirling currents of energy, of life force, spiralled from the lacerations in his chest, drawn into the node. His life force was bleeding out through a wound that wasn’t physical at all. Oh, Elements.

  As I’d feared, no human doctor could help him, but where could he safely go? Trix was missing, and the Order wouldn’t lift a finger to help a non-member.

  There was only one option left.

  15

  I astral projected and floated through the node, emerging onto the Death King’s territory. I hardly took note of my surroundings as I floated up to the castle door, but once again, the Fire Element blocked my way.

  “Back again?” he said. “What do you want this time?”

  “I need help.” I was as far from in an argumentative mood as it was possible to get, but I refused to let this dickhead get in my way. “My boyfriend was injured by some kind of monster. I need the Death King’s assistance.”

  “What makes you think anyone here will ever help you?” He gave me a cold look. “You should leave.”

  “Get out the way,” I warned. “My boyfriend is dying, and I swear to the fucking Elements, I will end you if you don’t get out of my way.”

  Behind him, the castle doors flew wide. The Death King stood there, a dark shadowy form masking the doorway. “What is it?”

  “I need your help.” I ignored the Fire Element’s scoff of disbelief. “Brant was attacked by the same phantoms that killed your liches, and he’s dying. His spirit—it’s torn open, somehow, and I don’t know how to fix him.”

  “No ordinary healer will be able to help him,” he said. “And nor will I.”

  My heart plunged. “I can’t just let him die.”

  The Death King called over his shoulder, “Ryan?”

  The Air Element stepped into view. “Yes?”

  “Go through the node to find Olivia’s… friend. Bring him back here. Immediately.”

  Thank the gods. He’s willing to help. Brant wouldn’t be thrilled at the prospect of coming back to the Death King’s domain, but I had no choice.

  Ryan walked alongside me to the node. “Whatever attacked him was under the same spell as the beasts that killed our people?”

  “The wounds looked the same, except not physical.” If Brant had seen anything more, I’d need to wait until he recovered to ask.

  “That’s why you came to my master,” said the Air Element. “I will help you, but he’ll have to leave the castle as soon as he recovers.”

  “That’s fine.” As long as he recovered. Please let him be okay.

  Ryan and I crossed through the node into the living room, where they lifted Brant over their shoulders. I was more than a little impressed. I wouldn’t have a hope of carrying him single-handedly.

  Devon watched me,
wide-eyed. “Can the Death King help him?”

  “I hope so,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll try to make it to the comic con—”

  “His life is more important,” she insisted. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Cheers.” I blinked back tears. “Give me a shout if you need me.”

  I stepped through the node, hurrying after Ryan as they carried Brant towards the side entrance to the castle.

  “Where’re you taking him?” I asked.

  “The Elements’ quarters,” they said. “It’s not perfect, and the others won’t be pleased with me for bringing a stranger into our home. On the plus side, Davies won’t kick up a fuss until he comes back, and he spends all his time guarding the castle these days.”

  “Yes, and stopping me from getting inside.” I caught up to the Air Element at the door. “Overprotective, isn’t he?”

  “Can you blame him? We’ve all been shaken by these recent attacks.” They walked ahead of me into the same apartment as before. Inside the living room, the Air Element laid Brant down on the sofa carefully. With his eyes closed, he looked peaceful, except for the wounds lacerating his skin. No… his spirit. Images of him turning lich permanently infiltrated my mind, and fear clamped a vice over my chest.

  A cold breeze whispered into the room as the Death King entered.

  “He was attacked?” he asked, his tone as cold as the breeze.

  I clenched my numb hands. “I think there’s something wrong with him beyond the physical injuries.”

  “I see.” He glided over to the sofa, extending a hand over Brant’s chest. “Yes… his spirit is badly damaged. The killer was attempting to sever his soul.”

  My stomach lurched. “Is it… fixable?”

  “For you?” he said. “Yes, it is.”

  I trod to his side and held out both hands over the wounds lacerating Brant’s spirit. “But I don’t know how.”

  Didn’t I? I’d brought Dex back from death. Maybe I could do the same with Brant.

  “You do,” said the Death King. “Look.”

  The strength of the nearby node flooded into my veins, and I concentrated hard, directing that energy at the wounds ripping through Brant’s chest. Demanding they knit together. At first, nothing happened, but I held my hands still, focusing on channelling the node’s power through my own hands. A shimmering light overlaid the holes in his chest… and they began to fade at the edges.

  Minutes blurred together, but I didn’t dare move. Energy continued to flow through my body into Brant’s, until the rippling wounds merged, the lines becoming one once again. Not a single trace remained.

  “It is done.” The Death King hadn’t spoken a word while I’d worked, and I couldn’t say whether his presence was a comfort or not.

  My entire body trembled as I raised my hands, and the energy rushed out of me. I caught my balance against the sofa, suppressing the overwhelming need to sink to the floor and close my eyes. “Will that be enough? He still isn’t waking up.”

  “Leave him here overnight,” said the Death King.

  Ryan shifted on their feet, frowning. “What about Olivia?”

  “What about me?” I said.

  “I assume you wanted to sleep at some point,” said Ryan. “And your boyfriend is on my sofa. Unless you don’t mind sleeping on the floor, I’d suggest you go home. I’ll let you know if anything changes with Brant.”

  “All right, if you promise nobody will attack him during the night.” Meaning, Davies. “I want to talk to the Death King first. Then I’ll go home.”

  Immortal death lords didn’t need to sleep, after all. He didn’t look surprised at my comment. “If you so desire.”

  The pair of us walked out of the room and down the corridor, through another door into the castle’s main hall.

  The Death King halted beside the dais. “What did you wish to talk to me about, Olivia?”

  “The COS.” I rubbed my eyes, exhaustion setting in. “They’re employing hundreds of people to carve spells into blank cantrips in the warehouses, and they’re working directly with the Order. They also know someone’s smuggling coins out on the side and using them illegally, but they don’t seem to think it’s serious enough to warrant telling the vampires. That, or they’re afraid it’ll get them into trouble.”

  I told him about my recent missions from the Order, and my conclusion that the COS’s new initiative had accidentally revitalised the market for illegal spells.

  “So you think a spirit mage is taking advantage of this new operation,” he said. “If anybody in the COS was registered as a spirit mage, the vampires would know.”

  “Mr Cobb was supposed to work there.” I let the words linger between us. “He was involved in the initial planning. He wouldn’t have shown up on the records as a spirit mage.”

  “He is a spirit mage no longer,” said the Death King. “This is not his work, but that of someone whose talents remain intact.”

  Which brought us back to where we’d started. I’d have to wait until Brant woke up for him to tell me how he’d ended up attacked by one of the beasts under the effects of the spell… but he’d survived. I’d managed to save him.

  “He’s staying here?” The Fire Element barged into the hall, his expression livid. “No way. He’s an outsider. So is she.”

  The Death King regarded him for a moment. “The circumstances are less than ideal, but that young man might be able to help us find the cause of the attacks.”

  I jerked my head at Davies. “If he hurts Brant, I won’t be responsible if he ends up with a skull jammed up his rear.”

  “I will take that under advisement,” he said. “Go home, Olivia.”

  Davies scoffed. “Yeah, Olivia. Go home and stop bothering us.”

  I was too tired to rise to his bait. Healing Brant had drained me, and while there’d be hell to pay later, I had to get home before I passed out cold. I was thoroughly worn out, as though channelling the node to save Brant’s life had taken all the energy out of me, and my health bar was depleted.

  Despite the thoughts whirling in my mind, I stumbled through the node and barely made it to the sofa before I collapsed.

  I woke hours later when Devon trod through the living room. “You slept down here?”

  “I was tired,” I mumbled into the cushions. “Brant… he’s okay, but I had to heal him.”

  “You managed to save him?” she said.

  “Yeah.” I lifted my head, seeing she wore half a set of armoured clothing and carried a wig under one arm. “Shit. The comic con—”

  “I told you, you don’t have to come. I’m not leaving for another couple of hours, anyway.”

  “All right.” I pushed upright. “I need to check on Brant first. I can look for Trix while I’m at it.”

  If he wasn’t awake yet, I’d start by speaking to those vampires. Brant had been there the first time I’d confronted them, while Trix had beat them up. It was a tenuous link, but I wouldn’t let the attack go unpunished.

  Devon shot me a concerned look. “Are you sure you’re okay? How badly was he hurt?”

  I slumped against the cushions. “The attacker tore open Brant’s soul. If I hadn’t been a spirit mage, I wouldn’t have been able to save him.”

  Her eyes rounded. “It was a phantom? I didn’t think they packed that much power.”

  “We’ll see what he says when he wakes up.” I trailed upstairs to my room, where I found Dex flying above my bed.

  “Good morning!” Dex said.

  “He’s been sleeping in your bed,” said Devon. “Thought you ought to know.”

  “You’d better not have burned anything.” I opened the wardrobe. “When I’m ready, do you want to come with me to threaten some vampires?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.” He flew downstairs, no doubt to hassle Devon, and I grabbed some clothes and made for the bathroom.

  A long shower revived me somewhat. Brant had had a damn close call, and now I was awake, I felt bad abou
t leaving him alone overnight in the Death King’s home. Ryan might be trustworthy, but Brant didn’t know that. He hated the place, and this was the second time he’d nearly died in the castle. I hoped he hadn’t woken up yet, for all our sakes.

  I got dressed, put in my contacts, and grabbed my Parallel bag before hopping through the node into the castle courtyard. It was weird how quickly it’d become familiar to me. I might have turned down the Death King’s offer of a job, but I spent so much time here lately that I might as well build my own little hut in the swamp myself.

  I made my way around the back of the castle to the Elements’ quarters and knocked on Ryan’s door. It opened a moment later, revealing the Air Element already dressed in full armour, their green-lined cloak swirling behind them.

  “He’s not awake yet,” they said before I could open my mouth. “Don’t worry, he probably needs the rest after what he went through.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “To be honest, I’m kinda glad he didn’t wake up. He’d have been seriously panicked to wake up in a stranger’s room without me there. Let alone the Death King’s castle.”

  For all I knew, he might have freaked out and set the place on fire. But what else could I have done? Trix was missing, and besides, only a spirit mage could have healed the damage to his soul. Just thinking about what might have happened if he hadn’t made it to my house in time brought a chill colder than the Court of the Dead.

  A mass of conflicted emotions clogged my throat as I walked into the room and over to the sofa where Brant lay. I leaned over him and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. He gave a faint groan. “Ow.”

  “You’re alive.” My voice cracked.

  “Where am I?” he whispered.

  “You’re…” I hesitated. “Don’t panic, but you’re in Ryan’s room. It was the only way I could save you.”

  “Who…?” His eyes flew open. “Not… not the Court of the Dead?”

  “Nobody’s going to hurt you, Brant.”

  “No.” He sat bolt upright and almost fell off the sofa. “No. I can’t be.”

  “I had no choice, Brant. You were dying.” I caught his arm before he did himself an injury. “You already nearly died once. Just lie down. Please.”