the huntress 04 - eternal magic (6 page)

“Because of you, my dear.”

I gave him a quick hug, and he left to find his seat.

“Well, that’s a real kick in the pants,” I muttered.

“No kidding.” Del thumped her head back against the wall.

The lights flickered, signaling that the ceremony would begin soon.

“So how’s this going to go?” I asked.

“It won’t take long,” Aidan said. “Just some speeches, then we’ll meet the Order after. They’ll thank you, and it’ll be over.”

Okay, that wasn’t so bad. I just had to keep everything under control and act like a normal Magica.

I almost laughed. I’d never been normal, so this wouldn’t be easy.

We stood in silence and watched the chairs fill up. The lights dimmed until our corner was cast entirely in shadow and a subtle yellow glow illuminated the stage and the depressing flowers. Freaking lilies. Magic’s Bend might be full of Magica and Shifters, but our memorial practices were as dreary and boring as the humans’. 

The museum looked so different tonight, full of people and not half disappearing from Victor Orriodor’s portal.

But what was that bastard’s end goal? When he’d created the portal, he’d done it to steal something from this museum. He’d managed to get his hands on the dampening charm, but also the Chalice of Youth, which had been in Dr. Garriso’s office. Only a truly evil person could drink from it, and if they did, they’d become immortal. 

So, definitely not a good thing to leave in the hands of a psychopath. But what he wanted with the dampening charm, I had no idea.

The lights on the stage glowed bright, catching my attention. A procession of black-clad Magica entered from the right. The power that rolled off them, varying signatures of all varieties, told me that they had to be upper-level members of the Order. They all strode out with slow steps, lending a gravity to their entrance that I was sure they got off on.

The last man to enter the stage came a few steps behind the rest. He wore an immaculate dark blue suit instead of black like the rest, but it was his face that made my skin turn cold.

Victor Orriodor.

He’d controlled his magic signature—the smell of rot and decay, the taste of death, and the feel of bee stings—so it seemed that the crowd had no idea what was in their midst.

My hand tightened on Aidan’s as my heart threatened to break my ribs. Why the hell was he here? Was he an Order member?

I wasn’t about to stick around to find out. Not when I didn’t have my magic to protect me. He was outnumbered against all the Magica in the room, but there was no way I’d hang out and let him see me.

But the Celtic cauldron.
If he had it here, he could dampen everyone’s powers and overtake them.

I glanced at Del and Nix, whose wide eyes met my own.

“See if you can find the cauldron with your dragon sense. If it’s in the building, we need to know.” 

They both closed their eyes, though their magic didn’t give off much of a signature. They were both being careful to control it around this many Order members.

Nix opened her eyes first. “It’s not here.”

“Seconded,” Del said.

Without the cauldron, he was definitely outnumbered. Whatever his reason for being here—and it might be because he was an Order member, magic forbid—he was playing the long game.

We had to get out of here. Nix jerked her head toward a side exit and I nodded, then tugged on Aidan’s hand.  His gaze snapped to mine and he nodded. 

Heart racing, I followed Nix and Del, sticking to the shadows and trying not to jostle anyone.  Aidan stuck close behind, his steps silent as we snuck out of the museum.

Near the exit, I caught sight of the familiar red fire alarm. I waved Nix, Del, and Aidan out, then pulled the lever. I hated to interrupt the Nullifier’s memorial, but I wanted to interrupt Victor Orriodor’s plans, whatever they were.

The siren blared as I ran out the door and met my friends’ startled gazes.

“Good idea!” Nix said.

We took off, sprinting across the grass toward the parking lot. I’d snuck out like a coward. 

But what was I going to do? Fight him with my questionable nullifying power? I’d practiced it but didn’t have any kind of reliable skill with it. I’d be putting hundreds of people at risk.

We’d reached Cecelia and Aidan’s car, which were conveniently parked next to each other, when my phone buzzed. I was so wired that I jumped and nearly screeched before I got it together enough to fumble my phone out of my pocket and look at the screen. 

I read the name aloud. “Aerdeca.”

“What does she want?” Del asked.

“Don’t know.” I hadn’t spoken to the Blood Sorceress since last week, during the wayward portal disaster. But she’d been the one to recommend I go see Aethelred about finding a Nullifier to help destroy the portal. She knew I was looking for him now. 

Maybe she’d found him!

I glanced around. We were hidden by the parked cars, and we had a minute before people arrived. More than likely, they’d stand in the museum’s yard and wait to see if the museum lit up like a bonfire.

I clicked the answer button. “Hello?”

“Cass?” Aerdeca’s clear voice filled my ear. “Meet me at the Assassin’s Brew. Darklane. Now.”

The line clicked. 

I stared down at the phone. “Looks like we’re going to Darklane. I think Aerdeca and Mordaca have something to tell us.”

“You trust her?”

I shrugged. “Enough to go. They might have the info we need.”

CHAPTER THREE

Aidan and I followed Del and Nix to Darklane. By the time we pulled into the creepy neighborhood, I was nearly vibrating with nerves, hoping that Aerdeca and Mordaca would tell me where Aethelred had gone.

Aerdeca and her sister, Mordaca, ran the Apothecary’s Jungle, a shop in Darklane that specialized in Blood Sorcery, Aerdeca and Mordaca’s particular gifts. I’d gone to them for help once, but it’d been pricey. If they had info now, I wondered how much it would cost.

Dark figures lurked in shadows, watching our car as it drove slowly by. Buildings loomed on either side of the street, cutting out the last of the setting sun. Though they were only three stories high, they always seemed to block out the light. Even at high noon. Their historic fronts were covered with grime, lending the place its name.

Darklane was where you lived if you worked with magic’s darker side. The kind that harmed as well as helped. But that didn’t necessarily make it bad. It was all up to interpretation.

Though these supernaturals were occasionally on the wrong side of the law, most weren’t outright lawbreakers. The Magica didn’t tolerate that. Folks in Darklane walked the line with things like blood magic—illegal if done without the consent of the donor, but otherwise acceptable. 

Aidan slowed the car to a crawl, and we rolled by the narrow buildings, looking for the sign for Assassin’s Brew. I’d never been to that bar because I liked to stay out of Darklane. Just because most people here weren’t outright criminals didn’t mean there wasn’t a higher percentage of them. Though it wasn’t the criminals I was worried about. It was the cops. More criminals equaled more cops, and I wasn’t about to hang out in a place where the Order of the Magica was more likely to be looking for wrongdoing.

My existence as a FireSoul meant that I was pretty much always guilty. No way in hell I was increasing my chances of getting tossed in the Prison for Magical Miscreants.

“There it is.” I pointed to a building that had once been blue. A sign hung over the door that read Assassin’s Brew. The letter A was formed with two daggers. Clever. 

Aidan found a parking spot along the street, and we climbed out of the car. Ornate, Oliver Twistian street lamps shined yellow light on the grimy sidewalk.

I dodged a suspicious blue goo that stuck to the ground and met Nix and Del by the door. I couldn’t say my fingers didn’t twitch toward my knives even though I knew Darklane was mostly safe.

But in the magical world, you couldn’t take
mostly
to the bank. Without my magic, I felt a bit naked. I reminded myself that I’d spent most of my life relying on my wits and weapons, so I’d be fine now. 

The windows on either side of the door glowed warmly. Inside, people crowded around the bar and hunched over small tables. I pulled open the heavy wooden door and slipped inside, Del, Nix, and Aidan at my back.

Voices were muted, and the ceiling was low. It was a real old-school pub with lots of wood and only a few taps. There were no blue liqueurs behind the bar, unless you counted the weird potions for sale. But nothing called Wicked or Sexxxy, like you’d find at a city club.

Aerdeca and Mordaca sat on bar stools near the wall, looking entirely too fabulous to be in a place like this. As usual, Mordaca looked like Elvira, with her plunging, slinky black dress, bouffant black hair, and mask-like eye makeup. Aerdeca was her golden opposite, wearing an elegant white pantsuit that she magically managed to pull off. I was beginning to wonder if that was her uniform in the same way that Elvira-chic was Mordaca’s. 

They both waved at us, an identical flutter of their fingertips. Mordaca’s nails were black points, Aerdeca’s white.

“Those chicks have their shit together,” Del muttered as she eyed their outfits.

“Yep.” We were a different breed, that was for sure. But I still liked Mordaca and Aerdeca. 

Yeah, they were a bit scary, but I respected that. 

Aerdeca smiled serenely as we approached. Mordaca’s red lips remained straight and her gaze impassive.

“Cass. How’re you?” Aerdeca’s gaze was sharp. And curious.

We hadn’t told anyone what had happened to my magic, but she could probably sense my altered power signature and wondered about it.

“I’m great. You?”

“I’m well,” Aerdeca said.

I met Mordaca’s gaze. “You?”

“Fabulous.” But Mordaca’s dark gaze was haunted. 

When the portal had frozen the museum, she’d been trapped inside. I got the impression she’d been conscious the whole time. Being trapped like that for days would give anyone nightmares. No wonder they hadn’t been at the memorial, even though the Nullifier’s sacrifice had saved Mordaca.

“You’re looking for Aethelred.” Mordaca raised her smoking gray cocktail to her lips and sipped. 

She’d stated the obvious. We’d asked them to keep an eye out for him since they knew him, but Mordaca probably wanted me on edge, explaining myself.

“Yes. Aerdeca helped us before.”

Aerdeca sipped her clear martini—straight vodka served in a fancy glass with a couple olives, if I had to guess—and said, “No. I helped
us
.” She indicated herself and her sister. “You needed Aethelred to find the Nullifier, which in turn saved my sister.”

When Mordaca had been trapped by the expanding portal, Aerdeca had spat out Aethelred’s location real quick. Now that her sister was no longer in danger, I had a feeling she was about to be a lot more close-lipped.

“Right,” I said. “Which I did. And because I stopped the portal—and saved Mordaca, don’t forget—I now need Aethelred’s help. He knows things I need to know.”

 “Well, he’s hiding for a reason,” Mordaca said, her raspy voice sounding like she smoked three packs a day. “Otherwise, he’d be back in town. Tuesdays are Black Bingo night, and he hasn’t missed one of those in a decade. So whatever has him staying away is serious.”

What the hell was Black Bingo? Probably something creepy, considering that this was Darklane. I wouldn’t ask.

“And you were the last person he saw before he left town last week,” Aerdeca said. “So, perhaps you’re the one he is hiding from.”

“All we did last week was talk,” I said. “About how to find the Nullifier to stop the portal. He said he’d answer my questions if I stopped the portal. I did that. Now I just want to see him.”

“Well, I’m not certain that your friend here can pay the right price.” Aerdeca ran her gaze over Aidan. She might look like the nicer one, with her white outfits and sweeter voice, but she was the scarier one in this pair.

Aidan turned to loom over them. “Oh, I’m certain I can. If not in money, then in threats.”

If I hadn’t known Aidan so well, the ice in his deep voice would have sent shivers across my skin.

Aerdeca’s gaze widened only a fraction, but it was enough to tell that she understood. And probably liked the scary side of Aidan.

“You have a lovely shop,” Aidan said. “Which I’m sure is entirely up to code.”

Meaning that it didn’t break any of the Order of the Magica’s dark magic laws.

Aerdeca’s brows lowered. “Of course it is.”

“Of course. Which means that a visit from my friend at the Order’s Magic Enforcement Division would be most welcome.”

Her knuckles whitened where she gripped the bar. “Absolutely. Or, you could pay us five grand and we’ll give you what you want.” 

A smile tugged at the corner of Aidan’s mouth. “That sounds fair.”

“That sounds expensive,” I said.

“I imagine the answers you seek are worth far more to you,” Mordaca said. “Your magic smells…different.”

I snapped my mouth shut.