Grim Rites (10 page)

“
I
know
you can bring him back, why not just do it and get all of this over with? At least then you won’t have to worry about getting exposed,” Nic said the second we were out of earshot in the kitchen.

“Because I can’t. The bit that you and Sonia are missing is that if I bring Steve back, it’ll screw with the balance….”

“Yeah, I heard you tell her that, and I know there’s a sacrifice involved….”

“I’m presuming there is, I don’t actually know the spell for raising the dead. It wasn’t something they taught in school,” I said sharply, running my hands back through my hair. “And anyway, there’s a huge chance I wouldn’t be able to do it even if I wanted to,” I said, releasing my breath and blowing my cheeks out.

“Well, you’ve got to at least look as though you’re willing to do it,” he said, “that way maybe you can convince her to give you more time and she’ll scrap the message on Jon’s machine.”

The seed of a thought took root in my mind and I clapped my hands either side of Nic’s face, drawing him close.

“You’re a genius! The book you put in your safe, the one that belonged to Brigid Dubhacht—if you bring it here, there’s bound to be something in it I can use…” I said.

Nic’s eyes darkened, his initial surprise fading, and his breath fanned across my cheeks, making me all too aware of just how close we were.

“If you’re sure it’ll work,” he said, his mouth close enough that if I just pushed onto my toes I could steal a kiss.

“I’ll make it work—hell, even if I have to attempt a séance. I just need her to think he’s there….” Pulling out of his grip, I watched as disappointment flashed through his eyes for a second.

But it wasn’t just him; I felt it too. Maybe when all of this was over with, maybe if I wasn’t exposed, then I would get the chance to figure out exactly what was going on between us.

“You go and I’ll keep her occupied here,” I said, pushing him towards the door.

“You sure?” he asked. “She seems pretty unstable and….” I didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence. I didn’t want to think about what might have happened in the room, the urge that had flooded through me.

“We’ll be fine,” I said, “just hurry.”

He didn’t need to be asked a second time and my stomach knotted as he jogged to the door and disappeared out into the hall, the sound of the front door closing echoing around the apartment.

“Where’s he gone?” Sonia asked, poking her head around the door.

“To get something I need,” I said curtly. “Are you sure this is what you want? I’ve heard stories of those who came back from the dead and they weren’t the same….” I trailed off, opting to leave out the bits where the dead had feasted on their loved ones before having to be put back in the earth by the Sorcerer that had raised them.

‘You’re going to do it?” she asked, sounding far more excited than I would have liked.

“I’ll try, but I’m not promising anything, especially if the spell calls for things that are outside my remit.”

Frowning, Sonia shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. “If you want that message gone from Jon’s machine before he has the chance to listen to it, then nothing is outside your remit,” she said harshly.

“Whatever,” I said, turning away from her and busying myself with the coffee pot on the counter.

I’d been looking forward to getting home, to locking the world out, having a shower, and clearing my head after everything that had happened. Having Sonia here with Steve’s body couldn’t have been further from my mind. And yet here I was.

The bed definitely had to go….

The thought popped into my head and I couldn’t stop the short burst of laughter that escaped me.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, sounding a hell of a lot closer than she’d been moments before.

I spun around and pressed my back into the cupboard as Sonia peered into my face. There was still something missing inside her. I could feel it, see it in her eyes when she stared at me, but I had no idea what exactly it was. Obviously, it was connected to whatever I’d done to her in the evidence room, but I wasn’t even a hundred percent certain what had happened.

I’d taken her memories, taken more than I’d intended to, and the outcome was the Sonia that now stood in front of me.

Put the memories back.
The thought popped into my head unbidden, but it made perfect sense. I’d taken something from her, surely I could put it back?

Of course, it wasn’t that easy. Taking the memories was relatively easy; I’d simply erased them, building a lie into her mind, constructing it around something that already existed. Putting back what I’d taken would involve constructing the truth and basing it on something that didn’t exist anymore. Raising the dead seemed a hell of a lot easier.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, sounding suddenly afraid.

I blinked and stepped back. When had I moved towards her? I didn’t remember doing it, but there was definitely a part of me that felt somehow cheated that we hadn’t just gone ahead and experimented on her with magic.

“Look, Sonia, you know what I am. I’m not sure why you’re doing this when you know how dangerous I am….”

“She’s not the one you need to worry about, Sonia. An untrained Shadow Sorceress isn’t going to be much help to you in your predicament.” Her voice sent a shiver of fear down my spine and I reacted without thinking.

Grabbing Sonia, I shoved her back and planted myself between her and Lily. Sonia was volatile enough without getting mixed up with Lily and as far as I was concerned, the day was already a big enough disaster without adding fuel to the fire.

“I thought you were going to contact me?” I said, keeping a punishing grip on Sonia’s arm.

“And here I am. I’m pretty sure standing in front of you counts as contact…” Lily said, a wide grin spreading across her lips. “Or are you this disappointed because my being here screws up the little plan you had with your friend the witch hunter?”

I tried to school my features into a blank expression, but it was pointless. Lily had surprised me and she knew it; I could practically taste her glee from where I stood on the opposite side of the room to her.

“Didn’t know I could do that, now did you?”

“I’m not even sure what ‘that’ is, Lily….”

“Precognition. It’s a new gift, but one that I’m enjoying immensely. How do you think I found out about the Bone Blade and Zeck to begin with?”

I had wondered, but the thought had never occurred to me that it was due to an ability to see the future.

“So if you already know the future and know I’d planned to hand you over to the witch hunter, why are you even here?”

“Because I came to get the Blade and….” She trailed off dramatically and peered past me to where Sonia stood. “Because of the little predicament you’ve found yourself in,” she said finally.

“This is none of your business. This is something I have to do, and if you want to see that knife at all then you’ll leave Sonia out of this,” I said from between clenched teeth.

Lily wagged her finger in my direction and stared at me disapprovingly. Where she’d learned her mannerisms was beyond me; the more time I spent in her company the more I was beginning to feel I was in the presence of some awful vaudevillian. There was nothing real about her, everything was an act and I couldn’t quite pin point the reason.

“This concerns us both. I need you alive, your power isn’t much use to me if you’re dead….” She slapped her hand across her mouth with a loud giggle. “I’ve already said too much—naughty, Amber, I won’t say another word on the subject.”

I brushed her words aside. I had no idea what she was talking about. As far as I was concerned, she’d tried to take my powers once and failed, and that had been when my power had been brand spanking new to me. I’d had time to experiment, and it wasn’t much, but I understood it a little better…. Who was I kidding? I was still a child when it came to the abilities I possessed; I might never truly figure out the depth of them, but there wasn’t a snow ball’s chance in Hell that Lily was going to steal them from me.

“You’re making no sense,” I said with an impatient sigh.

“Neither is your friend,” Lily said, a cold smile sending a shudder racing through me.

Turning to face Sonia, I stared into her face as her eyes rolled back in her head and she dropped to her knees.

“What are you doing! Stop it!” I said, grabbing Sonia. The shock of Lily’s power as it raced across Sonia’s skin and up through my arms drew a string of swears from my mouth that would have made any sailor proud.

Sonia started to convulse, her head snapping backwards hard enough that for a split second I was certain I heard the sound of her neck breaking. Drawing her in against my body, I wrapped my own energy around her still-jerking body and drove Lily’s power out without enough force to send the bitch stumbling backwards.

“What are you doing?” she hissed as she pushed back, her energy coating mine like venom.

“She’s pregnant, you can’t hurt her. We don’t need to hurt her…” I said between the breaths that I fought to draw in through my chattering lips. Sonia wasn’t convulsing anymore, and thankfully she wasn’t even conscious, but Lily’s power was beginning to wear on mine. I wasn’t strong enough to hold her off from both of us.

Lily stopped, her power washing away from mine like a wave receding across the sand. “She’s willing to expose you and you want me to leave her be? That makes no sense.”

“I’ve done enough to her. She’s pregnant and I’m the reason her boyfriend is dead…” I said, guilt lacing every word.

“I take it the god-awful smell is the dead boyfriend?” Lily asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Nodding, I shuffled around until I could get a better look at her. “We don’t need to hurt her, she just wants Steve back and….”

“And I can give her Steve,” Lily said, planting her hands on her hips.

“You can bring him back?” I said, unable to keep my surprise to myself.

“Yes.”

The word hung in the air between us and it felt far too easy. I wasn’t doubting Lily and her abilities, I’d felt the strength of her power and it had been enough to steal the air from my lungs. I could already imagine her bringing Steve back, but why would she?

“I don’t understand, Lily, why do this?”

“I never said I would….”

“Well, if you won’t, then I will. I don’t want her death on my conscience, too, and if that’s the only way to get her to erase the phone messages, then I’ll do it,” I said, pushing up onto my feet.

My body felt stiff and bruised as though I’d gone several rounds in the boxing ring with Lily.

“Fine, I’ll bring him back, but she deletes the message first.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re in no fit state, and I told you, I need you around. If you’re exposed, they’ll execute you, and I can’t take that risk.”

“And if you’re exposed?”

Lily shrugged, but there was something lurking in her eyes that told me she had a plan for every possible outcome already in place. And I just couldn’t imagine it involved her allowing herself to get caught.

Lily snapped her fingers and Sonia jerked awake with a gasp. She clutched at her chest and stared up at me with an accusatory glare.

“You tried to kill me,” she said, her voice hoarse as though she’d spent the last few minutes screaming on the top of her lungs.

“Not her, me,” Lily chimed in, drawing Sonia’s glare with a small wave.

“You bitch,” Sonia said, climbing awkwardly to her feet and launching herself in Lily’s direction.

With one flick of her wrist, Lily sent Sonia flying back into the wall, the plaster cracking and collapsing around her body as dust plumed upwards.

“Stop it! I said I don’t want her dead!” I said, racing across the room to drag Sonia out of the heap of rubble she lay dazed in.

“Yeah, yeah, so boring…” Lily said, lifting her hand to examine her nails.

“Who is she?” Sonia asked, pain evident in her face as she took my hand and let me pull her to her feet.

“She’ll bring Steve back, but she wants the message deleted first…” I said.

Sonia shook her head. “Not until I have Steve…” she said.

“I don’t have time for this. Either you delete the message or I turn your lover into charcoal.”

Sonia bit down on her lip and shook her head. “How do I know you’ll really bring him back otherwise?”

“Because I promise she will,” I said. “If she doesn’t, then I will.” I shot Lily a dirty look over Sonia’s shoulder.

“Go then,” Lily said, waving Sonia away dismissively.

Sonia jerked out of my grip and made her way with a limp to the door. Pausing with her hand on the door, she glanced back and said, “If you don’t, I will kill you, both of you.”

She disappeared out through the door as Lily’s laughter filled the apartment.

“Some people are just deluded. She does realise she’s talking to two Shadow Sorcerers, right?”

Shaking my head, I brushed my hands across my face and sighed.

“So, let’s have a look at this body, then,” Lily said, her voice fading, and I jerked my hands away from my face in time to watch her disappear into the bedroom.

If I called Jason now, all of this would be over. Lily was powerful, but there was something about Jason—I’d heard stories of the witch hunters but nothing could have prepared me for what he truly was, and part of me knew Lily wouldn’t have expected it either.

Following Lily, I paused in the doorway and stared at her as she sat on the bed next to Steve’s body. Her fingers danced across the mottled and swollen flesh of his chest, sparks of her magic appearing for a second only to be swallowed up once more and disappear completely. They moved so quickly I couldn’t make out the symbols from where I stood.

“What are you doing?” I said, crossing the room and grabbing Lily’s arm in my hand, jerking her up from the bed.

“Preparing him. You don’t just raise an unprepared body,” she said angrily.

There was a kernel of truth to what she was saying, but ultimately it was still a lie—and, as I gripped her arm, I could see the lie winding its way around every word that left her mouth.