I’d sustained a multitude of minor injuries that I’d managed to ignore until now, but now that I was aware of them, pain and fatigue smothered me like a wet blanket. I wouldn’t be able to remain aloft much longer.
I frowned, eyeing the web of magic that filled the lower half of the room with a grid of intersecting, glowing blue and green lines. How would the Circle magic react to a faerie?
I had a sudden image of being trapped in a spider’s web, my wings buzzing in earnest to break free. The fear wasn’t completely unfounded. I’d had more than one run in with spider fae. Nasty creatures.
Of course, the figures moving below weren’t spider fae. They were witches who’d come to our aid to capture a rogue magic user, and help free Arachne. I didn’t kid myself that they were here to save the supernaturals in the room. That was the problem.
I shot a worried look at the young witch, trying to gauge her reaction to her mother’s appearance. She’d know better than anyone if the Circle members were a potential threat to me and Sparky.
Arachne’s gaze was fixed on Kaye, but when she finally looked away, I caught her attention with a small wave of my hand. I didn’t dare fly lower or make any sudden movements, but Arachne took in my injuries and her face softened. She answered my questioning look by giving me the universal thumbs up, and waved me to her, patting the table at her side.
That’s all the encouragement I needed. If the Circle’s magic was going to zap me, let it. I was tired and sore, but most of all I needed to be reassured that Arachne and Sparky were safe.
I was going down there to see to my kids. To hell with the Circle’s magic. There are some things worth taking risks for.
Chapter 34
The web of magic didn’t ensnare me, and although each line hummed with power that made my scalp itch, it didn’t hurt. I still inched away from the nearest line, uneasy with the Circle and their magic.
Fern Greatoak and her comrades seemed content to ignore me, but I wondered how long that would last. I was partially responsible for Kaye going rogue, and supernaturals were even now threatening the safety of the city’s human and witch population. With Kaye no longer a viable go-between, it was only a matter of time before the witches became directly involved. I wasn’t looking forward to that.
Flashing sparks from torn electric lines caused shadows to dance ominously along the demolished kitchen walls. Without the glow from my skin, the entire modern half of the room was plunged into darkness. I looked down at where my scuffed boots stood on the flagstone marking the old section of the room, and took a deep breath.
The ring of silverware at my feet was a mockery of the pleasant meals I’d shared in this kitchen with Kaye, Arachne, Marvin, and Hob. Oh Oberon’s eyes, poor Hob. I’d have to break the news to him that his home was in ruins, the kitchen not much more than a scorched pile of rubble.
There wasn’t much beyond Arachne’s circle, which had only encompassed where she stood and the table where Sparky had been laid out to be bled, that was still in one piece. Even the solid stone of the hearth hadn’t escaped the melee unscathed.
A sob climbed its way through my body, stifled only by a fast moving demon and an excited squeak.
“Ivyyyy!” Sparky squealed.
He jumped up, and leapt into my arms. He was alive. He was whole. Tears streamed down my face, and I turned to see Fern and a man I hadn’t met wrap Kaye in a straightjacket shot through with glowing, pulsating threads. I winced. To my second sight, it looked like the jacket was woven with the same entanglement spell as the one used to fill the room.
“She can’t hurt us anymore,” Arachne said. “It’s over.”
I blinked away the tears, and shook my head.
“You did good,” I said. “But it’s not over yet. Not by a long shot.”
She frowned as Father Michael and Torn burst into the room, Humphrey hot on their tail. I tensed until it was clear that Humphrey was there as an ally rather than an enemy. He was free of Kaye’s enslavement, and for that I was grateful, but there was no time to congratulate him. Like I said, it wasn’t over yet. We’d won this fight, but the bigger battle was yet to come.
Torn frowned, probably disappointed that he’d missed the fight, but he’d done the job I’d given him. Actually, the fact that a cat sidhe lord had followed my orders was a bit unsettling, but I didn’t have time for puzzles or psychoanalysis. He’d kept Humphrey busy, and he’d been our lookout for any Circle members who might show up to lend a hand.
He surveyed my disheveled appearance, and I shrugged. He scanned the room and raised an eyebrow, letting out a low whistle. He’d want the full story, but he’d have to wait.
“Ivy,” Father Michael gasped, stumbling in his haste. The floor was an obstacle course of overturned cabinets, furniture, and broken ceiling tiles. “You’re alright.”
“Yes,” I said, turning so he could see Sparky wiggling in my arms. “And so is this little guy.”
“Thank the Lord,” he said.
Sparky let out a cookie burp, and I had to wonder if that was due to being fed a concoction to make him sleep, or if it was the demon’s reaction to the priest’s pronouncement. Thankfully, Father Michael didn’t seem to take offense.
“Little man, I do believe we have a play date,” he said.
He raised his eyebrows questioningly, and I grudgingly nodded. All I wanted to do was snuggle Sparky and savor this moment, but I had to go.
“Yep,” I said, giving Sparky one last squeeze before handing him over to Father Michael. “I see pizza and a cartoon marathon in your future.”
“Pizzzaaa!” he said, grinning from ear to floppy ear.
“You too, Humphrey,” I said. “You’re welcome to stay on our building from now on.”
His ears perked up when I mentioned his name, but when I told him he could live on our building, his dog-like face split in a grin. I guess that was a yes.
I nodded, but Humphrey reached out a stone arm to block my path. I blinked, and he lost his grin.
“I’ll prrrotect them,” he said, tilting his head to indicate Sparky and Arachne.
“I don’t doubt it, big guy,” I said.
He held my gaze and the pain in his eyes spoke volumes. He needed me to know that what he’d done while under Kaye’s control wasn’t his fault, and that he’d do whatever it took to redeem himself, even if that meant risking his life for those kids. I knew the look well. It was the same one I saw every time I passed a mirror.
“No morrre misterrr nice guy,” he said.
He flicked his eyes at Kaye, and dragged a clawed fingertip across a granite countertop, sending up sparks. I might have shivered, but the effect was ruined by the tongue lolling out the side of Humphrey’s canine mouth.
“I know, you’re a stone cold killer,” I said. “Take care of them, big guy.”
He nodded, and let out a rumbling laugh. Gargoyle humor at its best.
With a smile, I turned away from Humphrey, noticing that he wasn’t the only one in the room whose life had changed with this battle. Arachne chewed the tips of her purple hair, shoulders hunched. Her mother was busy with Circle business, and I think it was just dawning on the kid that she no longer had a job. She looked horribly lost.
“Arachne, you want to go with them?” I asked.
I gestured to where Father Michael stood holding Sparky in his arms, Humphrey a vigilant shadow at their side.
“R-r-really?” she asked.
“Really,” I said, holding her gaze. “I trust you. I know that Kaye made you do things you didn’t want to, but that you always tried to do the right thing. What you held in your heart, that’s what counts.”
Arachne started to cry, and I took a step away. I couldn’t comfort her. I couldn’t risk touching her skin and triggering a vision, not now. I had to leave the kids in Father Michael’s hands, and pray that we all survived the night.
Somehow I suspected that if anyone was listening, that was a prayer that might get granted.
&nb
sp; Torn also backed away from Arachne, grimacing at the display of tears. In fact, he nearly ran all the way to the door, slowing only once to whisper something to Midnight, Kaye’s cat familiar. Within seconds, we were out on the sidewalk, gulping in the exhaust filled city air.
I tried to spread my wings, but the wing on the right protested in pain. I’d have to let it heal before I attempted to fly again. I guess that meant we’d be running back to the industrial park.
“What did you say to Midnight?” I asked.
“I granted him permission to live in my city,” he said. “He is no longer Kaye’s familiar. The Circle broke their connection when they wrapped Kaye in that magic dampening garment. Midnight is a free cat which means he needs my permission to live in Harborsmouth.”
I didn’t know much about cat sidhe politics. Torn rarely shared his people’s secrets.
“What would have happened if you didn’t give your permission?” I asked.
Torn extended a razor-sharp claw, and drew it across his throat.
“Then he would have been executed,” he said.
He held my gaze with slit-pupil eyes, and never smiled. A cold sensation hit heavy in my stomach. Torn was deadly serious, and it was a reminder that I was now part of a harsh world that played by a different set of rules—rules that could mean my death if I wasn’t careful.
I swallowed hard, and set off toward the industrial park.
Chapter 35
I texted Jinx with a status update. I should have called, but I knew that she would start crying at the news that Sparky was unharmed. I tried to convince myself that texting was the better option because we didn’t have time for tears, but really, I was just a coward.
I also had a nagging suspicion that Jinx’s tears would be contagious, and that if I started crying now, I’d never stop. But I did call Ceff.
According to Jinx’s text messages, Ceff had returned to the harbor. He’d gone to rally the water fae to our cause, which would not be an easy task. The water fae would be hesitant to lend the humans of Harborsmouth aid, especially after suffering so many losses here so recently. Kelpies, selkies, and merrow had participated in the battle against the each uisge last year, and many of them were ripped apart, their bodies shredded and eaten.
It was a wonder that the harbor waters didn’t still run red with their blood.
Now we faced another terrifying enemy, one so powerful its leader was once thought a god. The Wild Hunt may be limited by the restriction to only hunt at night, but that only added to the terror it instilled in the hearts of men and fae alike. At sunset, Herne would sound his horn and the hunt would begin.
The hounds, each a twisted mutation of a barghest, would vent their anger on the free people of this city with tooth and claw. I’d heard of what just one rogue barghest could do. What fresh Hell would an entire pack unleash on Harborsmouth?
Even worse, the twisted hounds weren’t the only enemy we faced tonight. The only thing that made a rogue barghest vulnerable was that it always fought alone. The Wild Hunt was something else entirely, a horrific amalgam of order and chaos. The hounds of the Wild Hunt stalked and attacked their prey in unison. They were a unit of monstrous supernatural soldiers whose every movement was controlled by a brilliant tactician.
Before becoming Mab’s creature, Herne had been a man. That man was Gwyn ap Nudd, a legendary general of vast armies with decades of battle experience. Mab took that great man and jammed a powerful spirit of the forest inside of him. I’m not sure if the horrific experiment was a punishment or for her amusement, but the Queen of Air and Darkness was never one to pass up an opportunity.
In addition to his physical transformation, Mab gave Herne a horse, a hound, and a curse. It was then that the Wild Hunt was born. And the curse allowed Herne’s pack of hounds to grow, so that no matter how many times he lost a hound, there was always some poor soul to take its place.
From what I understood, the curse caused anyone injured by a hound during the hunt to become part of the Wild Hunt. Now we were asking the water fae not only to risk their lives, but also to risk that terrible fate. Anyone injured in this battle could become one of Herne’s slaves, a hound forced to eat the flesh of its former comrades. It was a lot to ask.
Ceff would remind the water fae of how the land fae, witches, and human members of the Hunters’ Guild had helped to break the enchantment that enslaved him to the each uisge. We’d played a role in saving the kelpie king, but not until he’d already suffered captivity and extreme torture. The water fae had died horrible, bloody deaths, and they had long memories.
It would take all of Ceff’s charisma and royal negotiating skills to enlist the water fae’s help against Herne and his hounds.
The man could use some good news.
I dialed, and Ceff answered on the third ring. I took that as a lucky sign. If he’d been deep in negotiations, it was unlikely he’d have answered the phone. Maybe the talks with the water fae had gone well. Either that or the talks had ended before they’d even begun. At least I had some good news for him.
“Hey,” I said. “This a good time?”
“It is always a good time to hear your voice,” he said. “Are you well?”
I heard warbling, burbling voices and hurried to give him the news.
“Yes, sorry,” I said. “I know you’re busy, I just wanted to let you know we’re all okay. Sparky too. He’s back at the loft with Father Michael and Arachne.”
“Thank the tides,” he whispered.
He sounded exhausted, his voice ragged with emotion. I wasn’t the only one who’d grown attached to Sparky.
“Humphrey is also there to keep an eye on them tonight,” I said. “I told him he could stay on my building from now on.”
“Then the young ones are in good hands,” he said. “The priest is a man of great knowledge, and the gargoyle has the potential to become a great warrior.”
“You have no idea,” I said, thinking back to Humphrey’s fierce declaration that he would protect our hodgepodge family and home.
The gargoyle was keen to redeem himself for the things that Kaye had made him do.
“Am I to understand that Humphrey being without a home means that you have turned the Emporium to rubble?” he asked.
“Of course she did, Fish Breath,” Torn said, interrupting.
I sniffed, spine straightening. Faerie hearing had its disadvantages, namely that my private conversation could be interrupted by the troublesome cat sidhe.
“You make it sound like I destroyed the place on purpose,” I said, scowling at Torn.
“I believe what the cat is saying is that you cannot help yourself,” Ceff said.
“Not helping,” I said, gripping the phone tight.
The plastic case made an ominous cracking noise, and Torn pointed at it.
“Case in point, Princess,” he said. “You break things. You stab things. You burn them to the ground. It’s what you do.”
“You make me sound like a menace,” I said, frowning at Torn.
“That’s because you are a menace, Princess,” Torn said, licking his lips. “That’s what makes you so irresistibly delicious.”
“She is MY menace, cat,” Ceff said, the phone’s speaker squeaking in its effort to convey the supersonic power of his wrath. “You would do well to remember that fact.”
My chest tightened with pride until I realized he too had called me a menace. I shook my head, and wiggled a gloved finger in my ear.
“While I’d love to debate my being a delicious menace, we don’t have time,” I said. I eyed the sun’s low position in the sky, and a cold, oily sensation churned my stomach. “We’re heading to the industrial park. Any luck with the water fae?”
The voices that had been a constant background murmur went silent. A second later, I heard one last intake of Ceff’s breath, and the line went dead.
Chapter 36
“You tell me,” Ceff said, a rare grin making his face painfully beautiful.
I’d nearly barreled headlong into his chest as I rounded the corner, the silent phone still held in a death-grip in my gloved hand. Torn had been a speeding shadow at my side, but upon Ceff’s appearance, he leaned against a nearby building and feigned bored indifference. I, on the other hand, thought my heart might pound itself free of my chest.
“What?” I asked, barely able to form words.
It wasn’t just Ceff’s beauty that had me befuddled. The entire street was filled with water fae.
“On the phone, Princess,” Torn said, rolling his eyes. “You asked if fish breath here had had any luck with the water fae. Apparently, he did. Either that or I missed the memo about a water fae street parade.”
I blinked at Torn, and back at Ceff whose tanned skin had regained its healthy hue. The trip to his ocean kingdom had restored his vigor, and his smile was contagious. I returned the smile, breath catching in my throat.
“The water fae?” I asked.
“I wanted to surprise you, my love,” he said. “An early wedding gift for you.”
He knew my abhorrence of gifts, and yet right now I might turn into a sniveling mess at what he’d given me. This was no paper-wrapped vision inducing bauble. This was a chance to save the city I loved.
A tear ran down my cheek, and I blinked at the kelpies, selkies, and merfolk who’d ventured onto land as a favor to the kelpie king and his bride-to-be. Ceff had given me the best gift anyone could ever bestow. He gave me hope.
“Not very romantic, even for you two,” Torn said, squinting at the assembled crowd.
His eyes widened, and he let out an appreciative purr when he noticed one of the drop dead gorgeous, and very naked, mermaids. She too noticed Torn, and I shook my head.
“You think we should warn him?” I asked, tilting my head at Ceff.
“Let him learn his own lessons,” he said, lip twitching.
The mermaid ran a hand down her buxom chest, drawing Torn’s attention. I’m almost certain he missed the flash of razor-sharp teeth, and the shadows around her brow and cheekbones that hinted at a woman on a starvation diet. She arched her back, posing for Torn, and eyed the cat sidhe hungrily. I’d seen that same look on supermodels in restaurant ads.