the huntress 04 - eternal magic (8 page)

“Did I pass out right away?” I asked. I hadn’t slept since before the pyramid.

“Pretty much,” Aidan said. “Fell asleep in your seat during takeoff, so I moved you here.”

I vaguely remembered waking in the night, the rumble of the plane all around. I’d snuggled into Aidan, thinking that this was the best moment of my day. 

And it had been.

“Come here,” I said.

He grinned, his mouth tugging up at the corner in a half-smile that made my skin heat. He stepped toward me, so tall that his head nearly brushed the ceiling. I gestured for him to bend down. He obliged, his shoulders nearly blocking out the light. I grabbed his shirt to pull him close and kissed him, pressing my mouth to his.

His lips were warm and soft, and damn, did he know how to kiss. I sank into the kiss, wanting to stay there forever.

My stomach grumbled.

Aidan pulled away and laughed. “Come on, let’s get you fed. Wheels will be touching down any minute, and you need your strength.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. But I’m taking a raincheck on that kiss.” We’d never had a chance to take it all the way—and to be honest, I hadn’t been ready. This was too real. Too important. I didn’t want to screw it all up by, well…screwing. Better to wait ’til the right moment.

Aidan left the little bedroom, and I scrambled around for my bag. Nix had met us at the airport with a bag before we’d left. She and Del were staying behind to poke around to see if they could figure out what Victor Orriodor had been doing on that stage. If I needed their help, Del would teleport them to us immediately.

After pulling on my uniform of jeans, t-shirt, leather boots, and fitted leather jacket, I strapped my daggers to my thighs. Thank magic I had Lefty and Righty.

I made my way out to the cockpit as the pilot gave the announcement to find our seats. Aidan was carrying a coffee cup and muffin. He held them out, and I gratefully took both.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

I found a big seat near a window, and Aidan sat next to me, reaching for my hand as I stared out of the plane. It was still dark, though near dawn. Somewhere in that black sea were a scatter of islands, and answers existed on one of them. Answers about my past. My parents. Hopefully, my future. 

Answers that I hoped would save my life.

Waves crashed against the bow of our small boat as we rowed toward the white sand beach snuggled into a small cove. Cliffs rose on either side of the cove, and the sea around us glittered blue and clear in the dawn light. 

Aidan rowed while I kept lookout. We’d landed on the closest island with an airstrip and gotten a boat to make the final journey to the island where the Metis lived. Fortunately, it wasn’t far.

“When this is all done and life’s back to normal, we should come back here,” I said. “For vacation.”

Surprise glinted in Aidan’s eyes as he grinned. “You? Take a few days off of work?”

“Hey!” I punched him in the shoulder. “I take time off. But lately, I’ve had a lot on my plate.”

Like Victor Orriodor hunting me. Losing my powers. My
deirfiúr
at risk. Possibly dying.

It’d been a busy month.

“You’ll handle it.” The confidence in his voice was exactly what I needed to hear. No “it’ll be okay” or “I’ll save you.” Just confidence in my abilities. And he’d have my back if I needed it.

“I will.” I nodded toward the cove beach, which was only a few yards away now. “We’re almost there.”

Aidan turned around and nodded, then slowed his strokes. We beached on the pale sand, and Aidan stashed the oars, then jumped out at the bow and pulled the boat onto the little beach. 

“Thanks.” I hopped out, keeping my beloved boots out of the seawater. I’d get them messy when I had to, but little things like this, I appreciated. I might have a few dozen more pairs stashed in my trove, but I still loved these.

The beach was only about twenty yards long with small cliffs rising thirty feet above our heads. The cliffs dipped down in the middle of the beach, providing a rough path onto the island.

“Ready?” I asked as I approached Aidan.

He grimaced briefly, his brow scrunching in the universal sign of discomfort.

“What’s wrong?” Panic made my heart race. Aidan was impenetrable, as far as I’d seen. Was he ill?

“Your nullifying power,” he said. “You lost control of it for a moment.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.” The memory of what it’d felt like to have the Nullifier squash my power was not a good one. It was all around awful. “I felt like I had it under control. It just happened.”

“I know.” 

“But that’s the scary part,” I said. “If I can’t even control the Nullifier’s power, then I’m a walking threat to myself and everyone around me.”

He reached for my hand and tugged me toward the path. “Let’s go. We’ll find answers with the Metis.”

We hurried up the dry path, dust kicking up beneath our feet. Scrubby brushes dotted the dry hills on either side of us. When we reached the top, a massive white temple complex loomed on the hill ahead. White pillars rose high into the bright blue sky. It was all very ancient Greece.

We were only fifty yards away when there was a crackle of magic in the air. Instinctually, my hands went for the daggers at my thighs.

“Incoming,” Aidan said.

A moment later, over a dozen demons appeared, their hulking forms dotting the dry landscape around us. Shadow demons—gray ones with horns that arced back along their skulls—and the fire sword demons from the pyramid. I didn’t know what those were called, but shadow demons had worked for Victor Orriodor in the past. I’d bet my trove they worked for him now.

Aidan’s magic filled the air, bringing with it the scent of the forest and the sound of crashing waves. Light shimmered around him, and a moment later, a massive golden griffin stood in his place. Talons as long as daggers extended from each foot, and his beak was big enough to carry cows.

“Don’t fly!” I yelled.

Normally, Aidan would take to the sky with his enormous wings, wiping out dozens of demons in quick succession. But with my nullifying power on the fritz, I could zap his power, and he could plummet to his death.

He nodded his massive head, his golden gaze on me, and sprinted for the fire sword demons nearest us. His footsteps thundered, vibrating the ground. He nimbly dodged their burning blades as he leapt at them and bit off their heads with his enormous beak. Blood sprayed and I gagged, looking away to find my own demons.

I drew my daggers and flung Righty at the smoke demon who was about to blast me with a burning jet. The shining black blade sunk into his chest and he toppled, his face twisted with pain. Before he could hit the ground, I nicked my finger with Lefty, calling Righty back to me.

I caught the blade as two shadow demons hurled their burning jets of smoke at me. I dodged one, but was hit by another. Hot smoke blasted into me and threw me backward. I slammed into the ground, pain radiating through my back.

This was such bullshit. 

I scrambled to my feet, desperately wanting to control my nullifying power. But there was no way I could dampen our enemies’ power without also dampening Aidan’s. He was safer and stronger in his griffin form. And I was just as likely to only dampen him, leaving him vulnerable.

So daggers it was.

I spun to face the oncoming demons. Three shadow demons had raised their hands to throw their ammo, and two fire sword demons came at me from either side. Aidan was occupied with five of his own demons.

With just my daggers, these odds were looking bad.

I raised Righty and flung it at the closest fire sword demon. The blade pierced his neck, and I called it back immediately. I caught the flying dagger as three blasts of smoke flew at me. I dodged all but one, which hit me in the leg and knocked me over.

Pain blazed up my leg from the heat. Over the top of my high boot, my jeans were singed and burned, the skin beneath slightly fried.

A flash of white caught my eye as I staggered to my feet. Five white robed figures raced down the temple steps.

Backup.

At least, I hoped so. 

They threw jets of light at the demons, blasting them backward.

“Hurry!” one of the women yelled. Her dark hair blew in the wind. “Get inside!”

I raced toward her, limping on my bad leg, my lungs burning. Aidan joined me. When I narrowly dodged a blast of smoke, Aidan raced ahead and dropped to a knee so that his back was low to the ground. I scrambled onto him, and he raised his wings on either side, creating a protective wall around me, then sprinted toward the temple steps.

I crouched low and clung to him as he thundered up the stairs. The white-robed figures continued to throw their blasts of light, knocking the demons back.

“This way!” The dark-haired woman gestured for us to enter the temple through the great white gate. Carved marble figures peered down at us from all sides. They were all draped in robes as well. “It is safe inside.”

Aidan crossed under the gate, entering a symmetrical courtyard surrounded on all sides by columns and white marble buildings. In the middle, a fountain spewed clear, glittering water into a large square pool.

Steps led up to the many buildings and walkways. It was all Classical architecture done in marble, like the ancient ruins of Greece, but preserved perfectly. 

Trees grew in patches, shielding marble benches. Scholars sat in the shade, writing in notebooks. At least, I thought they were scholars. They certainly looked serious enough with their furrowed brows, some wearing togas and some wearing tweed suits. 

I slid off Aidan’s back, and a shimmer of gray light surrounded him as he transformed back into a man. Once he was human again, his concerned gaze darted to my leg. He frowned, then approached, wrapping an arm around my waist. I leaned into him gratefully, taking some of the weight off the bad limb.

“How’s the leg?” he asked.

“I’ve had worse.” Though it hurt like a demon bite.

Aidan leaned over and hovered his hand over my calf. Cooling relief radiated from his palm as he used his healing gift to mend the worst of my injury. It still smarted, but it was vastly better.

“That’s the extent of what I can do,” he said and stood. “But if it still bothers you, they should have a healer here.”

I put weight on the leg and it only hurt a bit, so I shook my head. “I’m fine. Thank you for that.”

The woman who had gestured us into the compound approached. She had bright gray eyes and a serene expression.

“Thank you for saving us,” I said.

“Not at all, Cassiopeia Clereaux and Aidan Merrick. Welcome to the Lyceum of Metis.”

Aidan nodded his thanks while I racked my memory for my knowledge of Ancient Greece. Lyceum meant a school of some kind, which meant that Metis probably referred to the Titaness by that name. Metis was also known as the Mother of Wisdom, if I was remembering right.

But what was more interesting was that this woman knew my whole name, which had been chosen by my fifteen-year-old self when I’d woken in a field with no memories.

“You’re a seer,” I said. 

“Indeed. Ophelia Dominiki. I woke this morning with the knowledge that you would be visiting.” She glanced back at the gate and the other Lyceum guardians who were returning from the short battle. “Though I did not realize you would bring…friends.”

The corner of my mouth tugged upward. “They’re hardly friends. And I didn’t realize I’d be bringing them either.”

“I suppose I did get that impression,” she said. “Would you like to come with me? I believe you have questions for us.”

“Yes,” I said.

We followed her through the courtyard and up the steps of one of the larger buildings.

“How long has this place been here?” I asked.

“Over six thousand years,” she said. “At that time, Greece was the natural place for an institution of knowledge and learning.”

She nodded her head toward an older man sitting on a bench against the wall, his gaze absorbed in a book. His form was slightly faded and gray, as if he were from an old photograph. “That’s Cicero.”

My brows rose appreciatively. That was pretty cool. “So, this is like an afterlife for smart people?”

“A bit. We are an institution of knowledge and learning. We are strongest when we have the best scholars. At death, they are offered an opportunity to come here. Some do and we are fortunate for it.”

I liked Ophelia. She was calm and straightforward, and though I couldn’t read auras, I had a feeling hers would be good.

“This way.” She led us into a cool, brightly-lit room. Wide windows cast gleaming sunlight over the marble. We walked through elegantly decorated halls and rooms until we reached a space that was simpler, yet grander than any I’d ever seen. 

The ceiling soared high above, covered in intricate marble carvings. They were geometric, all angles and straight lines, and they were riveting. Benches with cushions scattered the place, along with low tables set with wine and fruit. Bookshelves soared high against the walls, their contents neatly organized. 

Individuals dressed in white robes reclined on benches, reading or eating. There were about a dozen of them, varying in age and race. Heads turned toward us as we entered. Ophelia nodded and they rose, then seated themselves at an area in the middle where eight marble benches were positioned in a circle.