The Tenth House

by Ashley R Scott

  In a flash, Aidan is on his feet, dragging me to mine, and we’re running for the back of the parking lot. We weave between the rows of cars, the sounds of our boots pounding the pavement and the men running behind us echoing through the garage. I concentrate on keeping up with Aidan, knowing they’re closing the gap.

  I don’t see the wadded bag of trash in my path, but it’s enough to send me crashing toward the ground. I yell out as I twist to keep from falling on the dagger and scroll and take the main impact on my right shoulder. The pain is intense.

  The two men are on me before I can get back up. One of them drags me to my feet level with his chest, and I can read “Samuel” engraved on his name tag. I shake my head at Aidan, who had stopped running, willing him to turn around and leave.

  Aidan raises his hands in front of him, walking carefully back toward us.

  I pull against Samuel’s arms, but he tightens his grip.

  Aidan stops. “Don’t hurt her.”

  “You don’t get a say.” The smell of his cigarette-stained breath hot on the back of my neck makes my stomach twist.

  I turn my head, trying to pull away again, but his wiry frame belies his strength.

  “But don’t you worry, we have orders to bring her in unharmed. The general will want to see you now.” Samuel’s laugh makes my skin crawl.

  Chris cautiously steps forward and grabs Aidan roughly by the arms, pinning them behind his back.

  “Let’s take them in.” Chris shoves Aidan hard from behind.

  I plant my feet, pushing my weight down to keep from being moved. “What general? Gresham is dead.”

  Samuel spits on the ground, pinching me hard on the arm. “He’s not our general. You’ll see the real general. Now, move! She doesn’t like to wait.”

  She? I lock eyes with Aidan, and he gives me a tiny nod. Sighing, I allow myself to be marched into the casino.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The casino appears to be empty as I squint through the dim light. The flashing neon lights and music from the machines are unnerving in the otherwise silent casino. The scent of stale cigarettes and spilled beer is thick in the air.

  We walk between the machines, Samuel shoving me unnecessarily whenever he gets the chance. Tired of it, I push back, causing him to trip over a slot machine. He lets go of me as he hits the floor hard.

  “Very good!” Jocelyn stands behind Aidan, a cold smirk on her face. She wears a gold insignia pinned to her chest, but I can’t make it out from this distance. “On your feet!”

  Samuel gets up from the floor, grumbling as he rubs his arm. He balls his fist and lands a punch squarely between my ribs.

  I double over, gasping for breath.

  Jocelyn rushes past me, stopping directly in front of him. Her voice is low and venomous. “I told you not to harm them. The master wants her untouched.”

  Lightning quick, she grabs a fistful of his hair and slams his face into the side of the slot machine.

  Samuel slumps to the floor, blood pouring from his nose.

  Jocelyn looks at Chris, who cowers beneath her stare. “Clean that up.”

  She walks by us. “Come.”

  When Aidan and I don’t move, she stops without turning around. “I said, come.”

  Reluctantly, we follow her through the casino, walking down a side hallway that stretches between the casino floor and the hotel rooms. We enter a large office.

  An oak desk, almost too big for the space, fills the center of the room, with scattered papers covering the surface. Maps of Reno and the surrounding areas are pinned haphazardly to the wall.

  Jocelyn closes the heavy wooden door behind us, gesturing to the guest chairs as she rounds the desk and lowers herself in the thick, black office chair. Leaning back, she folds her hands across her lap. “Why did you come here?”

  I balance on the edge of my chair. “To save you.”

  “From what? I’m in charge of the largest army this city has ever put together. I don’t need you.” She watches me with a cold, calculating stare. The emptiness in her eyes hurts my heart.

  “Snap out of it! You aren’t yourself!” My voice rises several octaves as I fight to keep myself steady. I want to bang on the desk or reach across and shake her to the core.

  “I’m perfectly in control.”

  “You are not you. Can’t you fight Aries?” I jump up from my chair, pacing behind Aidan.

  “Jocelyn, give me your hands.” Aidan leans across the desk, resting his hands on the wood, palms facing up. “I need you to reach deep inside yourself.”

  Jocelyn hesitates then slips her hands in his. “Try anything, and I’ll kill you.”

  Her icy stare is deadly serious.

  “Close your eyes.” Aidan closes his own eyes, and Jocelyn follows. He takes a deep breath. Faint energy buzzes through the room, like an electrical current.

  A second later, Jocelyn’s eyes fly open, and she yanks her hands free from Aidan.

  “What the hell!” She looks wildly around the room. “Where are we? Ciara, how did we get here?”

  “Jocelyn, is that you?” Near tears, I lean in close. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Who else would I be? What’s going on?” She looks from Aidan to me, and as her gaze falls on my face, her eyes glaze over.

  “I think you better back up.” Her tone is once more stone cold. We lost her again.

  “Damn it, Jocelyn, get control!” I bang my hands against the edge of the desk, but she stares at me unflinching.

  “I think you better control yourself. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you before it’s time to take you to Taurus.” A cold smile touches her lips. “Have a seat.”

  I fold my arms across my chest, standing my ground. “I don’t take orders from you. We’ve always made decisions together.”

  “Are you actually trying to play the friendship card?” She throws her head back, cackling loudly.

  I step forward and slap Jocelyn hard across the face, the loud crack cutting her dry laughter short.

  Her eyes blaze with anger as she leaps from her chair, grabbing me around the waist. Jocelyn lands on top of me as we wrestle to the floor. She’s stronger than usual, but so am I.

  Aidan springs to his feet, pulling Jocelyn off me. She kicks her feet, growling, and manages to land her boot square on my chin.

  Little lights explode in front of my eyes. I sit up as Aidan struggles with Jocelyn, his arm wrapped firmly around her neck. She’s choking as the color drains from her face.

  I rush to stand. “Don’t hurt her!”

  “I’m not. I’m trying to sedate her.” Aidan tightens his grip.

  Jocelyn passes out, sagging limply in his arms. He hoists her up, bouncing her to get a better grip, as I rush over to make sure she’s still breathing. Her breath wheezes in shallow puffs.

  “You have to get her out of here.” I guide him gently toward the door.

  “What about you?” Aidan asks, worry creasing his brow. He hesitates, shifting Jocelyn as if he’s going to put her down.

  “Don’t worry about me.” I smile softly. “Just get her away from here and make sure she’s safe. You promised.”

  Aidan lifts her up, laying her across his shoulder, her arms and hair dangling behind him. “Wait until I get back.”

  I shake my head, my voice a whisper. “I can’t.”

  Aidan steps in close, staring deep into my eyes. “I will be back.”

  I lean up on my toes, brushing my lips lightly against his. “Go and be careful.”

  I sneak across the casino floor, weaving between the machines and card tables. I focus on my senses, trying to pick up on anything or anyone that might be in here with me. Scanning the room, I check the window overlooking the main floor. My heart skips a beat as I make eye contact with Taurus.

  Taurus’s brown robes skim the top of a ghostly outline of hooves, covering his feet. A pale blue nose ring rests against his upper lip and horns rise sharply out of his head. He stands complet
ely still with his arms folded behind his back and a deadly sneer on his face. In a flash, he vanishes.

  “Just great,” I mutter to myself, crossing the main floor to search for the doors that lead to the stairwell. As I approach the elevators, the doors hiss, sliding apart.

  I duck behind the closest card table, keeping my head low, and watch a group of eight men file out of the elevator, all dressed in the same brown uniform.

  The men fan out as soon as they’re out of the elevator. The last one out stops just outside the doors, surveying the floor. “She’s here. Find her and bring her to me.”

  Crawling beneath the table, I curse my terrible hiding spot. As quietly as possible, I lower the zipper on my jacket, reaching inside to pull out the turquoise dagger, grim thoughts heavy in my mind.

  The weight of the stone in my hand and the now familiar energy running up my arm help to add some comfort to a dangerous situation. I watch legs pass in front of me, double back and stop, leaving me staring at a pair of shiny black boots.

  I scoot closer to the man, gritting my teeth, and raise the dagger as high as the table top allows, bringing it down hard on the toe of his boot. The sharp blade slices his boot like a hot knife through butter. He screams, grabbing his foot as I slip the dagger back out.

  That’s all it takes. The shark feeding frenzy begins, and I’m the bait.

  I scramble out from beneath the card table, running square into another man. He grabs for me, but I duck beneath his lunge, thrusting my dagger in front of me to slice his arm.

  He howls, making another swipe at me, this time connecting with my cheek. Pain explodes in my left eye, but I step in and plunge the dagger into the center of his chest, a look of shock plastered on his face as he slumps to the floor.

  Guilt floods through my chest and I remind myself that I’m doing what I have to do. One down.

  With shaking hands, I pull the dagger free from his chest, cringing at the wet sucking noise as the weapon slides loose. I’m tackled from behind, the collision knocking the air out of my lungs as we crash to the floor. I tuck my body the best I can to minimize the damage to myself and the scroll.

  The force of his tackle sends him bouncing off me and into a blackjack table. He takes the brunt of the impact squarely on his head and lays motionless with his neck bent at an awkward angle. Two down.

  The man with the injured foot bounces around behind me, his face and shirt covered in sweat. I run over to him as the shouts of the other men draw closer, pausing briefly to swipe a thick glass ashtray off the green velvet tabletop.

  He throws his hands up as I get close. “Please. No.”

  “I’m really sorry.” I bring the ashtray down hard across the side of his head. He slumps to the carpet, unconscious but alive, blood pooling beneath his injured foot. Number three.

  Three new attackers show up, and I pitch the ashtray at the man closest to me. He steps deftly out of the way, and it lands on the thick golden carpet with a muted thump. They surround me in a triangle pattern, and I quickly scan the men as number four joins the crowd. The man directly in front of me has crazy eyes. He’ll have to be the first to go.

  I launch myself, aiming directly for the center of his chest. He steps to the side, and my momentum carries me past him, and I stumble to the floor, rolling over, just as he dives on top of me. I get my dagger between us and cry out as hot blood spills over my hand, and struggle to shove his limp body off me. That’s four.

  The man is barely off me when the next attacker reaches for me. I pull my legs up, and as he leans in, I kick him squarely in the chest, knocking him back into his partners. They spill to the ground.

  Before I can react, I’m lifted to my feet by the man who had ordered my capture. He wraps his meaty arm across my chest, pinning me close to his body. “Quite the little fighter, aren’t you?”

  I struggle against him, but it’s no use since he has me by at least a foot and over a hundred pounds.

  “Knock it off.” He slips a black pistol out of the holster on his hip, pushing it firmly against the side of my face.

  The other three men gather in front of us with greedy eyes. Their eyes glaze over, and their bodies grow rigid. Suddenly they turn, heading toward the center of the casino floor.

  “What the hell?”

  The man that holds me snickers. “Aries must be here somewhere.”

  I struggle to see over the slot machines as shouts, male and female, mix in the air.

  He turns the pistol back to me, nudging it roughly against my temple.

  “Now, hand over that pretty little dagger of yours and let’s get a move on.” He slips the pistol back into the holster and holds out his hand, shaking me roughly when I hesitate. I reluctantly hand him my weapon, dropping it into his palm. The dagger hisses as it touches him, searing him like a branding iron.

  Screaming, he drops my dagger and loosens his grip on my chest.

  I push against him, breaking free from his arm, diving forward to retrieve my dagger from the floor.

  Growling, he lunges straight for me. I hold my dagger steady and let his momentum carry him onto the tip of my blade, blood spilling out onto the floor. He sputters as I struggle to tip him off my arm and onto the floor. He lands with a hard thud, coughing as blood stains his lips. He fumbles for his gun, dying before he can pull it out. That makes eight.

  I hesitate as the shouts and sounds of fighting grow louder across the casino floor. I want desperately to help, but that's not my fight. My fight is with Taurus.

  I march up the stairs, no longer worried about being quiet. Everyone knows I’m here and if they don’t, they will soon enough. I reach the top without any more incident. The door leading into the private dining hall is unlocked, and I crack it open, peeking through the slit. It's empty, so I slip inside.

  Gray light from the afternoon sun filters in through the large window, barely lighting the room. All the tables, except one long banquet table covered in a brown linen cloth against the wall, have been cleared. The silence in the room has its own weight. The hair stands up on my arms.

  I gently close the door behind me, reaching out with my senses. The energy that runs through the room is similar to my own but tinged with anger and desperation. A muffled thump filters through the wall from across the room.

  I slip toward the noise, careful to avoid the stain of Reena’s blood still on the floor. Someone had tried to clean it up, but it had already gone too deep. At the door, I press my ear gently against the wood and listen for any more sounds. Another thump and I put my hand on the handle, gently pushing the open the door.

  The room is large, meant to be used for storage. Extra chairs and tables are lined against the walls, stacked neatly in rows. In the center of the room, tied to chairs, sit Sarah and Hannah, their mouths covered in duct tape.

  Sarah’s eyes widen, immediately spilling over with tears. Hannah struggles with her bindings, her chair thumping on the floor.

  Closing the door behind me, I silently make my way over to Sarah, starting with the tape on her mouth. I peel up the corner and give it a hard yank.

  Sarah groans, licking her lips. “Ciara, I’m so sorry! Please, can you ever forgive me?”

  I move to the back of her chair, working on the thick, knotted rope. “Save your apologies. I understand why you did what you did, but it’ll be a while before I forgive you. You almost got us all killed.”

  Sarah cries hard and fast, leaving tiny rivers down her cheeks. She hangs her head, the tears dripping onto her pants. “I know. I did it for Hannah.”

  “Hush. Lean forward so I can see these ropes better.” I pull on the knot, finally getting it loose, and let it slip to the floor. “Help me with Hannah.”

  Rubbing her wrists, she pulls the tape gently from Hannah’s mouth while I work the knots of her ropes free. When she’s free, Hannah pops up, hugging her mother tightly.

  “Are you two okay?”

  Sarah nods, grimacing at my messy appearance. “We’re alright. W
hat about you?”

  I glance down at my bloody clothes, which look like I just crawled out of a zombie apocalypse. “It’s not mine.”

  Sarah watches me over the top of her daughter’s head. “Why did you come? It’s too late.”

  “We still have time to stop Taurus. Do you know where he is?”

  Sarah shakes her head. “We haven't seen him since last night when he brought me here. He’s planning to kill us both.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” I look around the room, scanning for anything else that can be used as any kind of weapon. My eyes fall on a couple of sharp knives lying on the metal shelves in the back of the room. I grab them and hand one to each of the women. “In case you need to defend yourselves. Be ready for anything and stay behind me. If I say something, do it.”

  Hannah, the spitting image of her mother, stares at me with wide eyes and a grim mouth. She looks hesitantly at the knife in her hand. “Are you taking us home?”

  At twenty-four, she's close to taking the Guardianship from her mother, but right now, she looks young and vulnerable.

  I slip across the room, pausing by the door. The room beyond remains silent. “Not yet. It turns out that I need some of your blood to activate a scroll to send Taurus back to Polaris. So, stay close.”

  The doors part, revealing the sneering face of Taurus.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Hannah screams, shrill and loud enough that it should’ve shattered the window.

  Taurus grabs me roughly by the wrist, yanking me so hard that I almost lose my footing. “Where are you going with my girls?”

  I turn to face him, straightening my jacket, and glare at him, refusing to grant him an answer.

  “You Capricorns are always so stubborn. You’ve been busy making a mess in my casino.” Taurus glides behind Sarah and Hannah, draping his arms over their shoulders. Hannah jerks away and Taurus slaps her hard across the face. Hannah cries out, a handprint instantly blazing on her cheek.

  “Don’t you touch her!” I squeeze my fists, glaring at the Zodiac.