Black Magic Shadows (25 page)

T
he gargoyles took us to the office’s parking lot, immediately disappearing once we dismounted. I was not happy to discover our client was still present when we went inside.

“You recovered my property. I’m shocked.” Celadine attempted to snatch the mirror from me.

I smacked her hand away. “No, you don’t.”

“It’s mine.” Her beautiful face turned feral. Teeth bared, she made another grab.

I gave her a telekinetic shove. “According to the queen of the gargoyles, it’s not yours. It’s mine, and I’m going to keep it.”

Celadine whirled to face Mr. Whitehaven. “Order her to return my property.”

“If Queen Petra stated the spirit belongs to Discordia, I am not going to believe otherwise.”

“Of all the,” Celadine turned back. “You have no right.”

I sighed, and made a face as the gust of my breath caused a renewal of the rotten meat taste. “I’m really tired of elves trying to tell me what to do. You should stop before you piss me off.”

“Really should. Gods and demons tend to go boom when Cordi’s pissed.” Dane grinned. “And I do mean Boom.”

The elf sniffed. “She wouldn’t dare.”

“Yeah, I would. I mean, you’re just an elf. I, however, am descended from gods. A lot of them, from what I’ve learned, including Cernunnos.” I leaned forward, staring into her eyes. “So get the hell out of my face.”

To my surprise, Celadine paled and disappeared. “Wow. That worked.”

“You were quite menacing.” Mr. Whitehaven smiled. “Are any of you injured?”

“Bumps and bruises. I have a headache.”

“And we all need showers,” Logan said.

“Excellent work.” The Boss inclined his head. “What of your personal issue?”

“Taken care of, and believe me, I’ll be a lot more careful about bleeding, and haircuts, in the future.”

“Good plan.” Dane patted my shoulder. “Mind giving us a lift home?”

“My work is never done.”

––––––––

T
he next morning, I skipped jogging in favor of scrubbing my mouth several times. It didn’t help. I could still taste rotten meat, but not as strongly.

Downstairs, I made coffee and took the dogs outside, before deciding I’d put off the mirror problem long enough. Having left it shiny side down on the dinette table the night before, I sat down with a fresh cup of coffee and turned it over.

All I saw was my own reflection. “Hey.”

No response.

“Look, dude, I’m really not in the mood for your crap. Show yourself right now, or I’ll hand you over to Cernunnos.”

Green blazed, and the spirit glared at me. “That’s not a nice thing to say.”

“Newsflash, I’m not interested in being nice to someone who tried to sell me out to demons.”

His face scrunched. “They were in possession of me. I have to obey the one who possesses me.”

“Uh huh.” I glared back. “You’re a freaking grimoire.”

“Well, yes. It’s not as though I had a choice. I’ve had a long line of owners, all of whom chose to share their magical knowledge with me. I am what Cernunnos made me.”

Ouch. I had the feeling that meant we probably had some common ground, if what Petra believed was true, about my being a product of godly tampering. “Okay, I’m going to suggest we call a truce.”

“A truce.” The spirit’s eyes narrowed. “All right, what’s the catch?”

“No catch.”

"Well, I must say, that’s a first. There’s always been a catch before, in my dealings with previous owners."

“Okay, one catch. Don’t call me ‘babe’ ever again.”

A deep laugh rolled out of the mirror. “Agreed.”

"Thanks." I touched the metal frame of the mirror. "Is it crowded in there? This is like an efficiency apartment, compared to your old digs."

He laughed again. "I have all the space I need, but it's nice you're concerned."

"You're welcome. I have to decide what to do with you. I can’t keep you here. Celadine will probably come hunting for you."

"Possession does equal access to all my secrets." He paused. "Eventually, of course. This is a boring afterlife. I have to entertain myself somehow."

I nodded. "I have possession now. Does that mean you'll tell me all your secrets?"

All the laughter drained from his greenish face, leaving it a solemn oblong. "If you wish."

"Could you tell me who Sal really is?"

"That's not my secret to tell. I will tell you he's been known as the Nameless God for centuries. Furthermore, I'll say to hold me as a warning against meddling in the plans of gods."

A shiver rolled down my spine, even though I already knew how he’d gotten into the mirror. There were probably worse fates, but being disembodied and trapped in an inanimate object had to be in the Top Twenty Ways I Didn't Want to Die, Yet Live Forever. "I could destroy the mirror. What would happen to you if I did that?"

"As I told you last night, no one knows. Perhaps I'd finally, truly die. Perhaps not." He blinked. "The uncertainty is unpleasant."

"Well, I can't keep you. I'm human. Temptation usually becomes a problem for us in the right circumstances."

"For someone as young as you are, you do have moments of extreme wisdom."

"I trust Mr. Whitehaven, but someone could find out I gave you to him. I don't want to cause any trouble for him."

"You could present me to the Nameless God," he suggested.

"Uh uh. He's got enough power."

"Your coven of witch friends?"

"Once they know you're a grimoire, they'll destroy you."

"Prince Thorandryll?"

"Get real."

He laughed again. "You could hide me away in your clan territory."

"Nope, that puts them in danger." I sighed. "Running out of possibilities. Oh, wait. The gargoyles?"

"They're stone half the time. Anyone could steal me while they sleep, and one willing to risk their wrath isn't someone you want possessing me."

Good point. I wished everything didn't have to be so damned hard. That's when an idea flew into my head. "The dragon."

"Hm." He considered the idea before giving a slow nod. "Yes. That's a good solution."

"Right? No one will try to steal you from him, if anyone ever found out. He's not human or an elf." Plus, he was extremely old, and wasn't interested in ruling the world—or blowing it up. At least as far as I knew, and I suspected that if Lord Kadon had a world domination plan, everyone would know about it by now. "You'll be safe with him."

"And the world will be safe from me." An arch smile rounded his lean cheeks.

"Yes, that too. Sorry."

"Child, you played no part in what I've become. I bear you no ill will, and were I in your place, I'd make the same decision. The world has enough problems."

"Maybe I can visit you once in a while." I felt bad, planning to lock him away. Maybe he wasn't alive in the accepted sense of the word, but he was a person. A dangerous one, in the wrong hands.

"If you do, bring magazines. The sexy ones." He waggled his bushy eyebrows.

"You are such a pervert."

"Please?"

I rolled my eyes. "Okay. I need to make a phone call."

T
eleportation had long past become my favorite ability. It's hard to keep track of someone who can disappear before you can blink.

I stood between the two stunted pines Mr. Whitehaven had described to me, facing a small hill, with a light breeze ruffling my hair and chilling my cheeks. The mirror was tucked inside my jacket. His muffled complaints about not being higher and facing my chest were a little hard to ignore. "Would you shut up? There will be no motor boating. Where did you even learn about that?"

"Premium channels. I learned oh, so much from..."

"I didn't need to know. Really. It wasn't a serious question. Now shush." He subsided and I looked around, making certain we were alone. All I saw was a jackrabbit hopping away. "Okay. Hello? It's Discord Jones, sir."

The little hill's front shimmered and faded away, revealing a dark entrance. Warm air flowed from it, a single word riding that breeze. "Enter."

"Thank you." I had to bend to go inside, but a few steps later, could stand without worrying I'd bump my noggin. The light went out as the entrance closed behind me.

I stayed put, the darkness complete, and could hear my blood pounding in my ears within a few seconds. The dragon's deep voice startled me. "Why have you come?"

"To give you something I don't think will be safe with anyone else."

"The mirror spirit."

It wasn't a question. "Yes, sir. How did you know I had it?"

With a whoosh, flames came to life around me. I blinked to adjust my vision. The fires were torches, mounted on brown, stone walls.

Lord Kadon sat before me, in actual dragon shape, and smaller than I’d thought he’d be, from Terra’s description. His spade-tipped tail curled around his front legs, reminding me of a cat. A horse-sized, dragon-shaped cat.

"You're mortal. Mortals have difficulties destroying things of power."

That sounded like a condemnation to me. "It seemed safer not to burn it, because I didn't know what would happen."

"Sensible. You sound offended. I knew greed for power wasn't the reason, child. If it had been, you wouldn't be here."

I pulled the mirror out of my jacket and held it up. "Nope, I wouldn't be. I have enough power on my plate, thanks."

"Bring it closer." The dragon stood and turned in a sinuous circle. I followed as he led the way to a tunnel at the back of the cave. The tunnel was larger than the short distance had been.

Torches flickered to life ahead of him as we walked. Their light didn't pierce the blackness of the entrances dotting either side. I kept looking at each anyway, wondering what lay beyond them.

My curiosity caught me stepping on the dragon's tail when he stopped. "Oops. Sorry."

He flicked his tail out from under my foot when I lifted it. "In here."

We turned right, into one of those entrances, and torches inside the new tunnel came to life. It ended in a square room with stony shelves carved into the walls.

"Place it on the empty stand, next to that sword."

"Yes, sir." Careful not to step on his tail, I did as ordered. The mirror grinned once he was in place.

"Don't forget the magazines."

"I won't." I glanced at the sword, which was a plain, straight thing with a leather-wrapped grip. It didn't even have a jewel in the pommel. "That doesn't look like a treasure piece."

Smoke scented the air as Lord Kadon chuffed. He moved his head, which came to a stop beside me. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, child. That plain sword is quite famous among humans. It belonged to a king whose days were marred by tragedy. He died with it in his hand, after charging a loyal companion to return it from whence it came."

I hadn't read many stories where a sword was that important. In fact, only one came to mind, and it fit what he'd said. "Are you telling me that's Excalibur?"

"Yes."

"Holy cow." Respect filled me as I eyed the sword. "May I touch it?"

"You may lift it down, if you're able."

My fingers were twitching, but I hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"Excalibur will refuse to bend to the will of any it judges unworthy."

"Oh." Maybe I didn't want to touch the sword. What if it decided I was unworthy? I wasn't sure what that would do to my self-esteem, being deemed unworthy by a legendary, magical sword.

"Go ahead," the dragon said. "I confess to a certain curiosity in the outcome."

Crap. I was his guest. It'd be rude to refuse to try. "Okay."

Excalibur wasn't on a stand. It lay on a long cushion of royal purple velvet. I slid my hands under the grip and blade. It felt warm. I whispered, "Moment of truth."

Lord Kadon’s soft chuckle didn't exactly boost my confidence. My tentative lift shifted the sword's position. "Ooh."

I lifted it higher and stepped back with a grin. "Pretty sure I just gained a thousand coolness points. It's not as heavy as I thought it would be."

My host had moved away from the shelf, too. "Excalibur adjusts to its bearer."

"Nifty." I moved my hand from the blade to the grip, the sword pointing up. The grip was made for a pair of larger hands, yet felt light enough to use one-handed. I resisted the urge to swing it around. "Awesome. Crossing 'meet Excalibur' off my bucket list now."