Box of Frogs

  Steady on.

  ‘Is that what you’re planning to do?’ enquired Morgan’s cool voice. ‘Kill her?’

  ‘What we are planning to do is keep the rest of the world safe from her kind.’

  ‘You mean lock her up.’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘Torture her?’

  The response was mild. ‘Only if it means we can uncover more of her kind and learn more about her capabilities.’

  Hang on a minute. There was something about this…

  ‘You’re no better than I am!’ There was considerable venom in Julie’s voice. ‘I’m not a bad person. And I won’t give up anyone else, no matter what you do to me.’

  Ah. So this wasn’t actually about me. Maybe the world didn’t revolve around Madrona the Madhatter after all. The Redcaps had been convinced they’d taken care of the vampire hunters. Apparently they were wrong. Oh well. I shrugged; what was a girl to do? I started to roll in the opposite direction so that I’d emerge on the road away from the vampire hunters rather than next to them.

  The voices continued. ‘We’re not prepared to fail again. One way or another, that creature is coming with us.’ Apparently the hunters had run out of patience. No doubt that accounted for their bid to send everyone they had to pick up Julie, even though it was now broad daylight. ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way.’

  I rolled my eyes. Us villains had to do better with our patter than tired old clichés. Honestly. These guys could learn from me; it was a shame they would never get the chance.

  Freed from the car, I sprang upwards. The hunters obviously hadn’t realised I was there because all three of them turned to me in astonishment. Fortunately, Morgan, Jinn and Finn wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation.

  Jinn drew his gun, grabbing hold of the nearest man and putting him in a chokehold with the gun pressed against his neck. Morgan threw a punch towards the second one, while Finn faced off against the third.

  ‘I thought you took care of the vampire hunters!’ I yelled at him, running to his side to help.

  ‘I thought we did too,’ he hissed.

  The vampire hunter in front of us laughed. ‘You can’t scare us off. We do the work of the righteous. We stop evil. If you are protecting that vampire bitch, that makes you as evil as her.’

  Julie’s face contorted. She darted forward, smacking the man on the side of his head. He snapped his arms and two black canisters emerged from his sleeves. He sprayed one in my direction and one in Finn’s, and clouds of pepper spray hit us both at the same time.

  I shielded the worst of the damage by raising my arm in the nick of time but it wasn’t good enough. I yelled as burning pain flashed through my eyes and face. Finn made a similar, inarticulate screech. Unable to see clearly, I fumbled forward, trying to grab hold of the hunter before he grabbed hold of Julie.

  ‘I’ve got her!’ I heard him yell over the sounds of fighting.

  I kicked out in the direction of his voice and Julie screamed in agony in response. ‘Mads! You’re supposed to be on my side!’

  Gasbudlikins.

  Something struck me from behind and I fell forward onto my hands and knees, eyes still streaming with agonising tears. There was a faint buzz in the air and then a gentle hand reached for me. I blinked and blinked. Morgan.

  ‘You’ve messed with time,’ I gasped. ‘I thought that was forbidden.’

  ‘It is,’ he growled. He used his sleeve to wipe my face. The pain was still extraordinary and my vision was still blurred but it was better. I glanced around. One of the hunters, no doubt the one who’d struck me, lay on the ground behind me. Finn was doubled over while Jinn and the other hunter had their hands wrapped round each other’s throats, struggling together in slow motion.

  ‘I can’t hold it for long,’ Morgan grunted.

  Seeing the strain on his face, I nodded quickly. I darted for Julie and wrested her away from the hunter, then I did for Finn what Morgan had done for me and wiped away the worst of the pepper spray residue. I hoped I was doing more good than harm.

  There was a rushing sound and time returned to normal.

  ‘Wh – what?’ Julie blinked, obviously confused at her changed position. I didn’t waste time explaining it to her and thrust her towards Finn. ‘Take her!’ I yelled. ‘Take her to the hotel! Mike Timmons will help you!’ I hoped he would, anyway.

  Still barely able to see, Finn nodded. He and Julie half ran, half stumbled in the direction of the Travotel. It was still some distance away. We still weren’t safe.

  The hunter who’d grabbed Julie shook off his confusion, recovering from the time lapse with scary swiftness. He glanced from Morgan to me and back again, obviously judging that Morgan was the more dangerous opponent. ‘You lot are vampires too, aren’t you?’ he snarled.

  ‘Guess again,’ Morgan said.

  The hunter laughed. ‘It doesn’t matter what you are. You’re unnatural and you don’t belong here. We won’t kill you here. But we will stop you then we’ll take you in and treat you just as we’d treat her.’ He spat this last word, making it clear what his opinion of Julie was.

  ‘What’s your beef?’ I asked, keeping Jinn and his own fight with the other hunter in my peripheral vision. He was holding his own – for now. ‘She’s not doing anyone any harm. She’s not hurting anyone. She’s a damned soap star! Why don’t you just leave her alone?’

  ‘Her kind shouldn’t be allowed to exist,’ the hunter grunted, with the sort of racist fear-borne mentality that fuelled wars in every corner of the globe. ‘And apparently neither should yours, whatever it may be. Don’t worry though,’ he said with a spiteful smile, ‘we learn from our mistakes.’ As that hissed promise left his lips, he drew out a gun and sprang towards Morgan.

  I should have known better. His action was no more than a feint; the hunters were better equipped, better prepared and better manned than any of us had realised. Just as Morgan kicked, forcing the hunter to drop his weapon, I caught a flash of light from one of the nearby rooftops. There was a crack and Morgan fell to the ground. A split second later, so did Jinn.

  Yet again, I reached for my faery magic but it wasn’t time I messed with. From somewhere – I didn’t know where – vicious anger uncoiled within me. There was an odd vibration from the sphere that I was still clutching in my right hand. With grim intent, I thrust out my left hand and sent a spark of fire in the direction of the hidden sniper. I knew I’d caught him – I heard his scream – but it was still too late. I was thrown backwards by the force of a bullet smacking into my side. The sphere fell from my grip and rolled away towards Morgan’s fallen body.

  The two remaining hunters turned, taking off in the direction of the hotel – and Jinn and Julie. I could already feel my body using its inherent Fey magic to knit itself back together again and seal the wound caused by the sniper’s bullet. I wasn’t convinced it would heal quickly enough for me to do anything to stop the arsebadgers from reaching my friends. In the end, neither Jinn nor Morgan nor I had been any real match for the hunters, and now we had Julie and Finn’s wellbeing to worry about as well.

  I stretched out my hand, my fingertips just able to brush against the cold steel of the fallen gun. It was no good; I couldn’t grab it properly. I lifted my head, groaning with the effort. Morgan and Jinn were out for the count and I prayed they were still alive. There was no way the hunters knew about the poisonous effects of rowan and had coated their bullets, so Morgan would probably survive. With any luck, the bullet that had hit Jinn hadn’t done any real damage. But neither of them was moving – so I had to. I had to get up. No one else could do this; it had to be me.

  I forced myself upwards, rolling to my side and managing to raise myself onto my knees. The sun was in my eyes, though, and tears still streamed down my face from the effects of the pepper spray. I could just make out the silhouettes of the two hunters who were near the corner; they were almost out of sight. Then, to my left, a hand appeared. It reached for me and,
without thinking, I grasped it, allowing myself to be hauled to my feet.

  I blinked, pain juddering through me and reverberating through my bones. It felt as if the marrow itself was disintegrating. ‘Stop,’ I gasped, ‘them.’

  The good Samaritan tilted his head as if confused. ‘Why? Who are they?’

  His face swam in front of my eyes and I forced myself to focus on his features. When green eyes and a face even more ruggedly handsome than Morgan’s, but with the same swarthiness and a similar jawline, blurred into view, I knew immediately who I was looking at. I didn’t even have the energy to be scared.

  ‘Rubus,’ I whispered.

  He didn’t react; he simply watched me with a studied lack of expression. ‘If you really want those two men stopped, Madrona, you simply have to say the word.’

  If there had been any alternative, I’d have taken it but I was out of options – we all were. ‘Please,’ I said, my voice barely a croak. ‘Stop them.’

  ‘Your wish is my command,’ Rubus answered. He gestured to the group of faeries and humans standing at his back, whose presence was only just registering in my painful brain. Five of them immediately peeled off.

  Rubus didn’t watch them go; his gaze remained trained on me. ‘Lunaria told me you had amnesia. Begonius said the same. Is it true? Can you really not remember?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said, wetting my lips. I didn’t know which way to turn. Fear for Julie, Finn, Jinn and Morgan clawed at me from all directions. ‘I really can’t remember.’

  ‘And yet,’ Rubus murmured, his voice silky smooth, ‘you are with my brother. You found him. You remember him.’

  I shook my head. ‘No. It’s not like that.’

  Rubus leaned forward until his lips were at my ear. ‘What oily lies has he been pouring into you?’ he asked. ‘You can’t trust him, you know.’

  I didn’t know the right answer. I had to keep Morgan safe from Rubus but I didn’t know how. My thoughts were too sluggish and I simply couldn’t think straight. Still, if I’d learnt one thing about myself it was that I didn’t take anything lying down.

  Rubus terrified me but I was tired of being a meek little ex-minion and I could tell he was already growing irritated with my mild-mannered responses. If I acted like the bitch I was supposed to be – the bitch I was – maybe he’d relax. And that scenario would be to my benefit – and to the others’.

  ‘Well,’ I drawled, ‘I’ll try to see things from your point of view but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get my head that far up my arse.’ For a moment the silence was deafening. Not one of his minions so much as dared to breathe.

  Rubus didn’t move for at least ten seconds then he threw back his head and gave a loud laugh. ‘Amnesia or not, you’ve certainly not forgotten how to charm, Madrona.’

  I exhaled. The line of his body was less tense than before. That was something. Even so, as if afraid to give me the freedom to speak again and show him up, Rubus snapped his fingers. The tall Amazonian Fey, who I took to be Lunaria, sent me a quick, apologetic glance. Then she handed Rubus a small box.

  ‘Do you know what this is, Madrona? Do you remember?’ Rubus asked.

  Confused, I shook my head. What was he doing? There wasn’t time for any of this shit, not with those hunters still on the loose. A ghost of a smile crossed Rubus’s lips. He flipped open the lid and, despite myself, I peered inside. When I saw what it was, I hissed and drew back. Spider. Giant spider.

  ‘Amellus worked to create this.’ He held the box up to his eyes as if in admiration. ‘An entire species designed to do just one thing.’ He looked at me, gauging my reaction. When I just stared at him, he shrugged. ‘It’s a Truth Spider. It senses changes in a person’s physiology and reacts to them appropriately. More specifically, if you lie to me, it can tell. It will bite in return and flood your system with venom. One bite won’t kill you – it takes at least three or four to achieve that sort of release.’ He bared his teeth in what I supposed was a smile. ‘I’m told the pain is quite extraordinary. Making use of this beautiful little creature doesn’t affect the truce because the choice about whether to lie or tell the truth is entirely yours. You don’t have to be hurt. It’s exactly the same as a Truth Draw, except this is about a hundred times more powerful.’

  I took a step backwards but suddenly there were Fey at my back, holding of my upper arms and forcing me to stay where I was.

  ‘This hurts me more than it hurts you, Madrona,’ Rubus murmured. ‘Believe me.’ He tipped the box towards me so that the spider fell onto the bare skin of my arm. I flinched and let out a tiny squeak of fear. Rubus didn’t give me any respite. ‘Do you have amnesia?’ he asked.

  I couldn’t answer. My tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth and I could feel my heart rate rising.

  ‘Let’s try that again. You have to answer, Madrona. I won’t accept silence.’ He leaned forward. ‘Do you have amnesia?’

  Thankfully, my voice returned. Barely. ‘Yes. I don’t remember from before the weekend. Not who I am, not who you are. Not anything.’

  The spider scuttled a few inches up my arm.

  ‘What is the first thing you remember?’

  ‘Waking up on a golf course,’ I whispered.

  Rubus raised an eyebrow. ‘Golf? Is that a new hobby?’ he enquired. Then he waved his hand. ‘Don’t answer that one. Do you know what caused the amnesia?’

  I shook my head.

  ‘You have to say the word, Madrona,’ he pressed.

  ‘No,’ I managed. ‘I don’t know what caused it.’

  Rubus’s mouth split into a huge smile but it didn’t, alas, detract from the hard edge to his eyes. ‘Good. That’s good.’ His eyes dropped to Morgan’s unconscious form. He was still breathing, I noted with relief. Morgan wasn’t dead yet. Neither was I. ‘Did he tell you we’re brothers?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How do you feel about him, given that you don’t remember anything about him?’

  My eyes widened fractionally and I tensed. I stared at the spider. It had stopped moving and seemed to be waiting for my answer as much as Rubus was. ‘I … uh … I…’

  Sudden anger flashed across Rubus’s face. ‘Never mind,’ he said curtly. ‘Don’t answer that either.’ He passed the box to Lunaria and folded his arms. ‘We have a standing arrangement,’ he told me. ‘You stay away from Morganus and I allow him to continue living.’ I stopped breathing. ‘As you do indeed have amnesia, I shall let you off on this occasion.’ His voice deepened. ‘Do not disobey me again, however, Madrona.’ He aimed a sharp kick in Morgan’s direction, although I was grateful that his foot didn’t connect. That truce crap actually had its uses. ‘I don’t want to see you anywhere near Morgan ever again.’

  ‘It seems too much of a coincidence that Charrie disappeared at the same time as Madrona did,’ Lunaria said, before Rubus could try another shot at his unconscious brother.

  Rubus nodded. ‘Indeed. Do you remember speaking to Charrie?’ he asked me. ‘About six foot tall? Slightly greenish skin, blond hair and a squeaky voice?’

  I counted my lucky stars that I could answer truthfully. ‘No,’ I said. ‘I don’t.’

  Rubus pursed his lips. ‘Hmmm. Then the bogle is still on the loose and still has my fucking dragon sphere.’ His skin was turning a mottled red colour. ‘I can’t break the fucking border without my fucking dragon sphere!’

  My eyes dropped. Morgan didn’t move an inch but I knew that the slight lump next to his right sleeve was the sphere in question. I swallowed hard and quickly looked away. Rubus pointed at the spider and Lunaria darted forward, scooping it back up and putting it into the box again. Thank goodness.

  ‘That Redcap,’ Rubus said. ‘Did you put him down or was it those humans?’

  I glanced at Jinn. His chest was rising and falling slowly. He was still alive too. Just. ‘The humans,’ I said, hoping that the truth would encourage leniency on Rubus’s part.

  Rubus jerked his head. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure he cared ei
ther way. ‘Lunaria said you’d told her that the Redcaps were trying to kill you.’ He tutted. ‘We can’t have that. They’re supposed to work for me. They’re supposed to do what I say.’

  Too late, I realised the danger. ‘I was m–mistaken,’ I stammered. ‘The Redcaps were just trying to help me. They wanted me to go with them so that they could take me to you. They were helping not…’

  Rubus raised a hand in my direction. All of a sudden, my lips sealed together, glued with some bizarre magic. I struggled forward, moaning insistently.

  ‘Cease,’ he ordered. ‘I don’t need a Truth Spider to know that you’re lying now. You always did have too soft a heart, Madrona.’ He sighed. ‘All that work I’ve put into training you and now it seems I’ll have to start all over again.’

  Footsteps sounded. Everyone turned in their direction and watched as the group who’d gone after the vampire hunters returned, looking considerably worse for wear.

  ‘Must have been military,’ one of the Fey muttered. ‘They put up a hell of a fight. We put them down though. They won’t be a problem again.’

  He was lucky we’d softened them up for him first, or it would probably have been a different story. I tried to growl at him to indicate this but all that escaped me was another moan. At least he hadn’t mentioned Julie or Finn; I prayed that the pair of them had managed to get away. Maybe Timmons was hiding them. Please, a voice whispered inside of me, please let that be the case.

  Rubus grunted, disinterested. ‘Give me a knife,’ he instructed.

  The Fey didn’t hesitate. He reached for a sheath hanging at his belt, drew out a long, sharp blade and handed it to Rubus. With sudden horror, I knew exactly what he was going to do.

  I didn’t think. I lunged forward, hands flailing, but I was too late. The hands holding my arms pulled me back while Rubus spun round and slammed the knife directly into Jinn’s throat. ‘There’s a lot of things a Redcap will recover from,’ he murmured. ‘But that certainly isn’t one of them.’ He wiped the blade on his trousers, staining them with dark blood, before handing it back.