Blood and Mistletoe (7 page)

Not that there was a lot left of their bodies to sacrifice, after the redcaps filled their bellies.

“And the hamadryad’s tree to fuel the fire,” Kaye said, nodding.  Leanansídhe had killed two faeries with one stone with that murder, gaining the hamadryad for sacrifice and the tree for the ritual fire.  “Leanansídhe must be stopped before the twelfth night.  Once she is at the pinnacle of her power, the Faerie Mistress will be unstoppable.”

Right, and what was to stop the crazy bitch from bringing back all of her dead pets?  If she’d been alive for as long as Kaye said, then that was a lot of frenzied lovers.  If Leanansídhe wasn’t stopped, she’d have an army of zombies by Christmas.

And Marvin could be her next sacrificial lamb.

“What do I need to do?” I asked.

I thrust my chin out and dug in my heels.  This Leanansídhe bitch had to be stopped and I was going to be the one to do it.  If there was any chance of saving Marvin, then I was all in.

I snuck a glance at Jinx.  Worry lines wrinkled her brow, but she nodded.  My friend wasn’t going to try to talk me out of this job.  Good thing, since I’d already decided to rescue Marvin.  I wasn’t going to let the kid down.

The back door slammed open and we all gasped.  Well, speak of the devil.

Jinx yelped and bumped her head on the mantelpiece.  Fortunately for her, Hob was too busy staring at the large figure in the doorway to scold her for marring his hearth.  I just stood there gaping like a grindylow out of water.

Marvin scratched his cheek and tilted his head to the side as he glanced around the room.  His other hand, I noticed, was behind his back.  What the heck was going on?

“Marvin, be a dear and explain where you’ve been,” Kaye said.  “Ivy has been looking all over the city for you.  You were supposed to go shopping together.”

Marvin rubbed his head shyly and looked away.

“Sorry, Ivy,” he said. 

The shock of Marvin being alive, and whole, and
here
was wearing off.  I blinked away tears and smiled.

“That’s okay, kid,” I said.  I’m just glad you’re alright.”

“But where have you been?” Jinx asked, leaning in to examine the troll more closely.

Sweat beaded on Marvin’s brow and he stepped back.  Marvin looked ready to run.

“Secret,” he said, shaking his head.

Marvin had secrets?  That was news to me.  The kid was like an open book.

“Give us a moment,” Kaye said, shooing us away.

Hob slipped down into his home below the hearthstone and I headed out to the hallway.  Jinx shrugged and followed.  The door closed behind her with a whoosh of magic.  Apparently, Kaye wanted some privacy while she interrogated Marvin about where he’d been.

“Think she’ll chew him out?” she asked.

“I feel bad for him if she does,” I said.  “I wouldn’t want Kaye mad at me.”

“She’s not so scary,” she said, shrugging and looking at her nails.

“Really?” I asked.  “Kaye could destroy your entire shoe collection with the snap of her fingers.”

Jinx shuddered.  “Okay, that’s scary.”  She slumped against the plain, white wall of the hallway, tilted her head back, and shook thick bangs from her eyes.  “Where do you think he was all that time?”

“I don’t know,” I said with a sigh.  “I’m just glad he’s safe.”

“You going to stick with the case, now that Marvin’s back?” she asked.

I thought about lovesick zombies roaming the streets of Harborsmouth, trying to please their Queen.

“Yeah, but you should go home,” I said. 

“I’m not going home,” she said.  Jinx pouted and crossed her arms.  “I can help.”

I tried to think of a reason for Jinx to be somewhere far away from redcaps, blood magic, and a sex crazed faerie muse turned necromancer. 

“Think of all the clients we’re losing with no one back at the office to answer the phones,” I said.  Jinx was obsessed with our business success.  Maybe that could work to my advantage.  “You can switch the lines to take calls from the loft.  It’ll be safer there…”  She frowned at me.   “…and you know how Forneus hates our apartment wards.”

“True,” she said.  “I guess I could work from the loft.  But are you sure you won’t need my help tracking down this Leanansídhe chick?”

“I’m good,” I said, crossing my fingers.  “I’ve got Kaye to help me find Leanansídhe, but I need you to hold Private Eye together and keep our clients happy.”

“Okay,” she said.  “But I’m just a phone call away.  Ring me if you need anything.”

“Sure thing,” I said.

Jinx swung her scarf over her shoulder and sauntered away.  At the end of the hall she stopped and turned back.

“And if you get yourself killed, I’ll be the one using necromancy to bring you back to life, so I can kill you myself,” she said.

With a final flip of her hair, Jinx was gone.  I let out a sigh of relief.  One friend, at least, would be safe.  Now it was time to find out why Marvin was keeping secrets.  I rapped on the kitchen door and walked back inside.

Kaye loomed over Marvin who sat on a low stool, looking chagrined.  I winced and hoped that the lecture was over.  I didn’t want to get between Kaye and her target.

“Come in, Ivy,” Kaye said. 

She didn’t turn to see who was standing in her kitchen, but somehow she knew it was me.  I never knew with Kaye if it was magic or good instincts, but no one can sneak up on her.  Not that I’ve ever tried.  I’m impatient, but I’m not suicidal.

I waved to Marvin and leaned against the large plank table that took up most of the hearth side of the room.  The kitchen, surrounded by Kaye’s magic circle, was modern and bright, but the hearth area reminded me of an old pub.  Not surprising with a brownie in charge of domestic duties.  In fact, I wondered where the little guy was hiding.  The old coot wasn’t usually timid—he had a badger’s short temper and the mind of an imp.

A flash of brown caught my eye, moving along the shelf by Marvin’s elbow.  Sneaky little bugger.  Marvin was still holding something behind his back and Hob was trying to get a look.  I shook my head.  Curiosity would get the best of a brownie every time.

“That’s enough, Hob,” Kaye said, spearing the brownie with her stare.  “Now, Marvin, I know you wanted your gift to be a surprise, but Ivy has had a bad day.  Perhaps you could give her your present early?”

Hob’s eyes bugged out at the mention of a gift, but he remained where he was. 
Smart brownie.

Marvin swallowed and held a small bundle out before him.  In his large hand was a beautiful pair of gloves.

“For me?” I asked.  I sniffed and wiped at the back of my eyes with my sleeve.  Jeesh, the wind had been really cold in that alley.  Hopefully I wasn’t getting sick.

Marvin nodded and a red hue rose to his cheeks.  I stepped forward, but hesitated.  Clothing was tricky, since it went against my bare skin, and gloves were the most difficult.  If there was a nightmare vision attached to these gloves, I could end up a drooling mess for the holidays.  But Marvin was my friend, and I was the closest thing to family the kid had. 

I reached out and gingerly lifted the gloves from his palm, trying to smooth a smile across my face.

“Thanks, big guy,” I said.  I took a deep breath and pulled off the glove I was wearing and slipped one of the new ones on.  It fit…like a glove.  And there were no horrible visions attached.  In fact, there was something about the gloves that felt familiar.

“Marvin went to a lot of trouble to have those made especially for you,” Kaye said.  “Clurichauns are drunkards and fools, but their tailoring skills rival the infamous cobbler skills of their leprechaun cousins.”

I now owned clurichaun crafted gloves?  I smiled.  That was kind of cool.

“Too drunk for bad thoughts,” Marvin said, nodding.

“Yes, clurichauns remain much too inebriated to leave unhappy energy or focused visions on their wares,” Kaye said.  “And Marvin was clever.  He asked Jinx for a piece of leather from an old coat you were donating to Goodwill.  That way the material itself would not harm you either.”

I always knew that Marvin was smarter than he looked.  Now I was convinced the kid was a genius.

“Wow, that’s brilliant, Marvin,” I said.  I flashed the kid a smile.  “Thanks.  These are the best present ever.”

For the first time in years, I actually meant it.  Too bad I couldn’t revel in the happy moment.

“So,” I said, turning to Kaye.  “Any idea how I can track down this Leanansídhe bitch before the solstice?”

Unfortunately, Kaye did have an idea.  I just didn’t like it much.  Great, another scary fae to track down.  Why does it always have to be a hag?

Chapter 8

I
kicked a chunk of ice from the edge of the curb and yelped.  Taking my frustration out on the frozen landscape wasn’t helping.  If I hadn’t been wearing steel toe boots, I’d be nursing a broken foot.

I stuffed gloved hands into my coat pockets and kept my head down as I continued up the darkening street.  I was entering the financial district, a small, but prosperous section of the city hemmed in by corporate glass monstrosities.  Looking up at the skyscrapers only gave me vertigo, so I kept my eyes at street level. 

The wrought iron and cobbled streets of the Old Port had been replaced by ugly chrome and concrete.  Every block of the financial district looked the same with its glossy, high end boutiques, towering law offices, and a Starbucks on every corner. 

“We’re not in Kansas anymore,” I muttered.

“No, you are in Harborsmouth,” a familiar voice rumbled from the shadows.  “But, then, you knew that already.”

I turned to see Forneus emerge from the doorway of a large insurance company.  He ran a hand down his expensive suit and fell into step beside me.  I sidled away, prepared to run into the sea of rush hour traffic flowing up Congress Street if it meant avoiding his touch.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.  I stopped walking and spun to face him, tapping my foot. 

“Working,” Forneus said.  He spread his arms and gestured at the glass and concrete buildings that lined the street.  “A demon has to harvest souls somewhere.  And contrary to popular belief, lawyers and insurance agents do indeed have souls to sell.”

Great.  Forneus was down here playing Let’s Make A Deal with corporate workaholics while I froze my butt off trying to find a certain faerie hag.  Something cold and wet found its way down the neck of my coat and I shivered.  It wasn’t fair.  As we stood on the sidewalk, snowflakes fell around Forneus, but never managed to land on the demon.

“Don’t let Kaye find out you’re down here stealing souls,” I said.  I narrowed my eyes and gripped a silver cross in my gloved hand.  In my other pocket, I scooped up a palm full of salt. 

“Steal?” he asked.  “You wound me deeply, Miss Granger.  I can assure you that any deal I make is legally sound.”

Yeah, right, and I’m the son of Oberon.

“Look, you were right about the killings,” I said.  “Someone is murdering faeries.  So I don’t have time to stand around here and grow icicles.  I’ll see you around, Forneus.”

“Wait,” he said.  “I know the location of the one you seek.”

“Leanansídhe?” I asked.

“Ah, so that is who has been killing faeries,” he said.  “No, sadly I do not know where to find the Faerie Mistress, but I can lead you to the Winter Hag.”

Crap.  Forneus had known about the Winter Hag, but not Leanansídhe.  Sneaky demon bastard.

“What makes you think I’d trust you?” I asked.  “I’m not making a deal for information.  No dates with Jinx, remember?”

“You trusted my information about the killer,” he said, grinning.  “As for the location of The Cailleach, take it as a token of my friendship.”

Friendship?  With a demon?  I laughed.

“You have to be kidding,” I said.  “What’s in it for you, really?”

Forneus sighed and I held my breath as the smell of sulfur filled the street.

“Fine,” he said, straightening his tie.  “I may have a tidy sum riding on the outcome of this case.  But such trivial details do not matter.  Find the Winter Hag and stop the killings.  She can be found gathering wood and feeding the deer in the park.”

Forneus pointed in the direction of Founders Park.  When Kaye said she sensed the magic of the Winter Hag in the financial district, I’d never thought to check the park.  My friend had described The Cailleach as a strong elemental force who was often referred to as the Queen of Winter, though not to be mistaken with Mab herself.  I assumed the hag must have been some corporate president or CEO—an ice queen in her glass tower.

Instead she sounded like one of the homeless who called Founders Park their home. 

I turned back to Forneus, but the demon had disappeared.  Whatever.  I shrugged and hurried down the sidewalk to where Congress Street was bisected by Park Avenue.  The financial district had emptied during my talk with Forneus and Park Ave was devoid of any human presence.  The only sign of life being the well lit Starbucks on the corner.

I could go for a real cup of coffee, especially after the nasty stuff Jinx had served this morning, but it was already getting late.  I needed to find The Cailleach before midnight.  Magic users weren’t the only ones whose power grew during the Witching Hour and Kaye had warned me that the Winter Hag was a cyclical force that waxed and waned with the seasons and the hours of the day.  I wanted information, not to find myself on the receiving end of a transformation spell.  Becoming one of The Cailleach’s pet deer was not part of my plan.

I shivered and hurried down the street, careful not to slip on the icy sidewalk.  Congress Street ran on a high ridge, the backbone of the city.  Every street that ran away from Congress slanted steeply downwards, and Park Ave was no exception.  As I descended toward the park, the harbor wind at my back ceased. 

I scanned the street for assailants then shifted my attention to the park.  Crossing the empty street, I warily approached the park entrance.  Keeping my charms and makeshift stakes handy, I watched the trees for movement, but the only motion came from flickering shadows beneath a humming streetlight.