Misfit Fortune

by Stephanie Foxe

  Witches had practiced their magic underground –– quite literally –– for a long time. There were many reasons for this, chief among them a need for secrecy. Before the world became more civilized, their greatest enemies had been other witches. Not to mention anyone willing to steal their spells and sell them to the highest bidder.

  Much like the place where Tommy’s pack had faced off against the sorcerer, this used to be a haven for the witches. The coven had simply vanished one day, as far as he could tell. It was another mystery he was very interested in finding the answer to.

  Unease crept through him. It felt unnatural, as though there were something here trying to persuade him to leave. He slowed and glanced behind himself but he was still alone.

  The light of his flashlight gleamed dully on the damp walls. They had been perfectly smooth when the tunnels were made but over the years, they had roughened. Water slipped out of a thin crack in the ceiling, dripping down onto the stone floor with a steady patter. It echoed through the tunnels like a panicked heartbeat.

  He pushed through the feeling and walked farther down. It began to fade and he spotted the rune that had cast the spell just around the turn. Glowing blue moss had grown over half of it, sucking at the magic like a parasite. Even a year ago, the feeling of unease may have been unbearable to push through.

  Glancing at the time on his phone, he was torn between heading farther down, or waiting here for Tommy. The magic was unpleasant to pass through and it would be a little rude to ask Tommy to do it alone.

  Perhaps he could go a little farther, then come back…

  Deward froze. There was a scuffling, as if a rodent was scurrying through the tunnel ahead of him. He lifted his flashlight, expecting to see the flash of yellow, beady eyes, but there was nothing.

  With a frown, he looked at the ground and the walls. There was dust and moss but there were no droppings. No bugs. But there were tracks in the grime. Human footprints.

  How had he missed it? It should have been the first thing he looked for –– a sign that he wasn’t the first to find this place.

  The scuffling noise was louder this time but it was obvious it was footsteps, not some small animal like he’d first thought.

  “The fool…” a girlish whisper floated past him.

  Slowly, he turned, using his flashlight to illuminate the tunnel behind him. There was no one there.

  Pushing down the fear with the logic he was raised to use, he went through the possibilities quickly. Cloaking magic that hid them from view. An old protection meant to scare away intruders through hallucinations. Or…they were above him.

  He took a quick step back and looked up. The beam of light lit up an elvish woman that looked more ghoul than human. Her hair was filthy and her pale skin was streaked with dirt and grime. She was held against the ceiling in a cradle of vines like some kind of spider.

  “Who are you?” he asked as calmly as he could. Her eyes were covered in a white film as though she were blind.

  “Cursed among men,” she hissed as she lowered down toward him.

  He began moving backward at a slow but steady pace. Tommy was almost here. He would have backup soon, not that he wanted Tommy to walk into this unaware. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he maneuvered his phone and hit speed dial for Tommy’s number.

  “What do you want?”

  “The truth!” the elf screeched as she twisted and dropped to the floor. “You…you will be able to see. You have come with the same folly. You are mine.”

  “What do you––”

  She lunged at him. He turned to sprint away but vines shot out at him from every direction. They wrapped around his legs, his throat, and his arms. Sharp thorns dug into his flesh until blood dripped onto the stone floor.

  He struggled against it all, reaching into the magic binding him to fight back, but this elf was strong. So much stronger than him.

  She appeared in front of him and leaned in close, her pale eyes boring into his own. “A gift for a fool,” she whispered as her cold hands pressed into his cheeks.

  He saw nothing….

  Nothing….

  But…

  Blood and flame that fell from the sky.

  Light and darkness.

  Death.

  Chapter 27

  Kadrithan (Angel)

  Kadrithan wasn’t looking forward to his next visit. It was necessary though. He’d given the woman a task when he’d last seen her –– the first step in fulfilling her mark. She’d been less than pleased and he needed to know that she had completed it as instructed. It wouldn’t be a surprise to discover that she might be avoiding it. It appeared she was staying at her house outside the city –– something she only did when she was trying to run away from something.

  With a final exhale, his spirit formed and sight, sound, and smell returned to him. All at once, he wished they hadn’t.

  Blood. He almost gagged as the scent of it overwhelmed his senses. It was fresh. Bright red was spread over the white, marble floors of the bathroom. In every direction the walls were painted in a fine spray. Whoever had donated it was no longer alive. There was too much for even a werewolf to have survived. If it had been her…

  He stood frozen for a half second before forcing himself to move forward. There was no threat to him while he was still invisible to everyone in this realm.

  His logical mind had already accepted that his marked was dead but his heart still pounded in anticipation, hoping against all reason that he would find some other unlucky bastard dead in the next room.

  There should have been some sense of danger from her when she was attacked, but he had felt nothing. Perhaps she had died too quickly to feel fear.

  He followed the smeared trail of blood. The initial attack had taken place in the bathroom but the body had been moved. There were no footprints in the blood, which was odd, to say the least.

  The trail led into the bedroom. Her body hung directly in front of a picturesque window, dangling from ceiling like a fly caught in a spiders’ web. A web made of some strange, black material glinted in the sunlight streaming into the room.

  Walking closer, he inspected the webbing before he looked at her. He needed a clear mind for this part. Every detail was important.

  The material was strange. Up close, he realized it had thorns as if it were some kind of plant, but it was clearly made of something else entirely. It was less than an inch thick. Everywhere it had pierced her body it had gone through cleanly without ripping or tearing.

  Glancing around the room to ensure he was still alone, he materialized in the realm and tried to break a piece of the webbing off. His fingers burned as soon as he touched it causing him to jerk away and almost slip in a puddle of blood.

  A door opened downstairs, someone shouting a greeting. They were in for an unfortunate surprise. He faded from sight so he could watch their reaction without being seen.

  Leaving footprints in the blood was an unfortunate mistake, and likely to confuse the police, but there was no way it could be traced back to him at least.

  “Laurel, what are you doing? We’re going to be late!” the woman shouted, clearly impatient.

  Kadrithan glanced at the dead woman. Her face was blank and her eyes glazed over in white. She’d been wearing her bathrobe and a thin white slip when she’d been attacked. It was speckled with blood on the front from the arterial spray.

  It was possible some sort of spell was used to keep her from fighting back. It wouldn’t have been difficult to sneak up on her. She wasn’t a fighter, and as a human, had no magic to defend herself.

  The woman’s footsteps grew closer, an angry clack of high heels against the floor. “Laurel. Seriously. I came all the––”

  The door slammed open and the woman choked on the next word. Her eyes went wide, the blood drained from her face, and…she passed out.

  Kadrithan sighed. At least that gave him a little more time to examine the scene of the murder before police swarmed it and got
in his way.

  He wanted a piece of the webbing to examine. Of course, he couldn’t take it back with him but he could carry it with him in this realm long enough to get it to another of his marked. If he could manage to break off a piece.

  It would take a nearly impossible amount of effort but finding this murderer was of the utmost importance. Laurel had been integral to his plans.

  With a sigh, he braced himself for the strain this would create on his physical body, then poured magic into his spirit until he became solid.

  Yanking a pillow case off one of her pillows, he wrapped it securely around his hand, then punched a slender thread of the webbing. It snapped free, tinkling to the ground and shattering like glass. Apparently, it was fragile.

  Careful to keep from touching it again, he adjusted the pillow case and carefully broke off a piece.

  “Ungh…”

  The woman was stirring behind him. It was time to go.

  He ran toward the stairs, jumping over the woman who still hadn’t managed to open her eyes. The strain was already tiring him, but all that mattered was getting this as far away as he could before he was forced back into his body.

  His marks acted like tethers to this realm. He couldn’t simply arrive and go wherever he wanted. It was impossible to go too far from them. At some point, he would simply hit a wall.

  The only reason he’d been able to go to Laurel was because she’d been recently murdered. By sunrise the day following her death, her mark would be void. They’d never been able to figure out why it didn’t vanish immediately, but it was useful. Perhaps the soul lingered after death.

  If he could make it to the woods, he could hide this until he could send someone else to retrieve it.

  As he ran, he noticed that –– for some odd reason –– Amber was very close and she was moving straight toward him.

  Taking a chance, he changed directions and moved as fast as he could toward his other mark, shifting the power that tethered him to this realm to her.

  The effort it took to do that nearly brought him to his knees but he pushed through. It would be safer if he could get it to her.

  Chapter 28

  Amber

  Amber sprinted through the house. Tommy was panicking, and not in a small way. He was afraid. She growled as she grabbed her truck keys then yanked the front door open. She’d been getting ready to join Derek at the mechanic shop but that wasn’t happening.

  The truck roared to life as she cranked the key in the ignition. She peeled out of the driveway. It was a good thing she’d just given the truck a tune-up or this might have killed it.

  The highway flew by as she drove as fast as she could. Tommy wasn’t that far. She should be able to get to him in less than ten minutes as long as she didn’t have to slow down.

  When he’d rushed out of the house this morning to help Deward she hadn’t even been worried. Tommy was always safe with the troll. Deward was sensible and cautious, or so she had thought.

  The miles flew by, her worry only increasing with every passing moment. Three more minutes. Just three more until she’d be close enough to shift and run to him. This was faster for now.

  A man dressed in an old-fashioned black suit leapt out in front of her truck. She almost ran over him but managed to slam on the brakes and swerve in time to avoid hitting him.

  “I don’t have time for this,” she snarled, ready to drive off immediately before his face registered. The angle of the jaw and the nose…it was Angel. “What in the hell…”

  He ran up to her door and yanked it open. “Take this. Keep it safe.”

  “I don’t––”

  He shoved a shiny, black piece of something in her hands and disappeared in a puff of smoke. With no explanation.

  Grinding her teeth together, she quickly wrapped it in a dirty napkin laying in the seat then shoved it in the glovebox.

  “Annoying, stupid, needy demon,” she muttered as she steered back into her lane and took off as fast as the old truck would allow. She was starting to think a sports car might be more practical.

  Tommy’s fear was mixed with anger now. That could be either a good sign or a bad sign but it meant he was alive. She pushed strength toward him through the bond as quickly as she could.

  Her phone rang.

  “What?”

  “What’s wrong?” Genevieve demanded.

  “Tommy. He went to meet Deward for that feat thing, but now all I’m getting is fear and anger.”

  Genevieve was silent for a moment. “Could that be part of the feat?”

  “He’s too scared. Something is wrong, I can feel it. Tommy said it wasn’t dangerous when he rushed out to meet him.” Amber’s fingers tightened on the phone. She should have gone with him. Should have helped instead of letting him run off by himself. She should have ––

  “Amber, whatever insane thoughts are running through your head right now, stop it. I can feel it and that means Tommy can too. Don’t make this harder for him when he’s already scared.”

  She forced herself to take a deep breath and push her own fear down, walling it off from the pack. It was a stupid loss of control.

  “Thank you.”

  “Where is he? Do you have an address?”

  “No, but I’ll text you and Ceri with my location when I get closer . Can you call her and explain? Derek too.”

  “Yeah, drive faster.”

  Genevieve hung up and Amber dropped her phone in her lap, mashing the accelerator down even harder. The truck’s engine roared as she sped down the narrow highway.

  They must have met somewhere in the woods. She was heading away from the city.

  There were sirens in the distance and her eyes snapped to the rearview mirror. She was speeding but she hadn’t passed any police. She really hoped they weren’t after her. The last thing she needed was to get picked up by the police right now.

  She was so close to Tommy. Making a snap decision, she drove the truck down the next small road she saw, parking it on the side of the road in the grass. She stripped down quickly then shifted, grabbing her clothes in her mouth, just in case.

  The wolf howled in her mind as she raced through the trees. She strained her senses, listening for shouting or sounds of fighting but there was nothing. Tommy was close enough that she should be able to hear him by now.

  She slid to a halt, kicking up the pine needles that coated the forest floor. It felt like she was close enough to touch Tommy, almost like…he was below her.

  Nose to the ground, she searched for his trail. She found Deward’s first and followed it. It mixed with Tommy’s and led to a boulder that had been cracked in half. There was a hole between the two pieces of stone leading down into darkness.

  She plunged down through the opening without hesitation. Her paws hit wet stone and she slipped a little. This place smelled wrong. It was full of old magic and…blood.

  Dropping her clothes, she sprinted down the only path she could take. Her howl echoed off the walls of the tunnel. If there was anyone else down here, they’d know she was coming, but she didn’t care. She would tear them apart if they’d hurt Tommy.

  As she rounded a turn, unnatural fear tugged at her mind but she shrugged it off. She was too angry to care about being scared.

  She almost ran into Tommy when she found him. He was standing –– thankfully unhurt –– in the middle of the tunnel staring at blood spattered on the floors and walls.

  He looked at her, anger and fear in his eyes. “Something bad has happened to Deward.”

  Chapter 29

  Tommy

  Tommy paced from one side of the tunnel to the other. He wanted to charge ahead and find someone to fight but he couldn’t be stupid right now.

  “There’s a single set of footprints after this point,” Amber said, pointing past the place where Deward’s blood sat in puddles on the grimy floor. “But two, including Deward’s up to the point. They had to have carried him away somehow.”

  “He weighs two
hundred pounds. It would have taken a werewolf or some kind of spell to carry someone that heavy without letting them touch the ground at all. There aren’t drag marks,” Tommy said, forcing himself to look at this clinically like Deward would have. The anger would help later when they killed whoever had hurt him, but right now, it was only a distraction.

  The moment he felt the pull on his mark, Tommy remembered he was supposed to meet with Evangeline this morning. He’d forgotten in the midst of the chaos.

  She materialized into a golden blob but didn’t speak as she floated toward him, obviously realizing something must be wrong.

  As her light touched him, he was filled with warmth and felt some of the panicky fear ease. Amber glanced at him in confusion but didn’t question it.

  “The rest of the pack just arrived, they’ll be down here in a minute,” she said instead, squatting down next to the largest pool of blood.

  “You’re getting better at sensing us through the pack bond, aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “It’s becoming more clear. I used to suppress it to give y’all privacy but now I can filter out most of your emotions while still sensing where y’all are.”

  “I felt it…when you were sending me strength earlier. It was weird. It was like you were right behind me.”

  “That is weird. Glad it worked though.”

  Amber rose from her crouch. “I’m going to get the others while you update Evangeline on what’s going on.”

  “Can you see her or something?” he asked, curious how she could always tell instantly.

  She shrugged. “No, but I think I can sense her maybe? It’s subtle. You always look at her when she appears too. I think I do the same thing with Kadrithan.”

  “Yeah, I guess you do.”

  Amber took off toward the entrance at a jog, leaving him and Evangeline alone for a moment.