The Mage in Black (28 page)

“As you wish.” He pulled a sword from the scabbard at his side.

I should have felt surprised or angry. Instead, I felt a healthy dose of irony and weariness. “Put the blade away, Peter Pan. You might accidentally cut yourself.”

You’d think a faery facing down a seasoned assassin might look a little anxious. Instead, Hawthorne Banathsheh had the calm countenance of a professional killer. “This is faery steel,” he said in a conversational tone. “Did you know these swords are specifically designed for decapitating vampires? That’s one of the reasons the council wanted the queen’s support so badly.”

For the first time since he drew the blade, my heart picked up a notch. He flicked the blade so it caught the light. The metal had an iridescent glow that implied it held some sort of magic.

I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet. “That’s interesting.” From the corner of my eye, I gauged the distance to my gun. “But I’d be more interested to know why you’re pulling it on me?”

He moved to the right, tracking my movements with the blade. “It’s simple, really. You’re a threat to our plans.”

“Whose plans?”

He laughed, sidestepping to the right, putting himself between me and the gun. “I’m afraid that’s classified information.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “How are you going to explain murdering me to the council?”

He tilted his head to the side. “Sabina, let’s not be naive. Your temper is well-known, as is your murderous background. Do you really think anyone here is going to question me when I tell them you attacked me? Not when they’re all counting on the queen’s support.”

He was smart, I’d give him that.

I considered just rushing him and ending this. But blades are tricky. The minute something stabby enters a fight, someone’s getting cut. Since he was the one with the sword, it didn’t take a leap to figure out who’d be bleeding. I wasn’t sure exactly how the faeries crafted their steel, but I was pretty sure it held some sort of nasty spell. I didn’t want to chance getting nicked to find out for sure.

Instead, I feinted left and rolled right. Hawthorne took the bait but recovered quickly, overcorrecting to give chase. The blade whistled through the air just above my head. I came up with my back to the table. If I could avoid Hawthorne’s parries and thrusts for a few more steps, I’d grab the gun and end this.

But with his next swing, something shiny fell free of his frilly shirt. Normally, seeing a necklace wouldn’t have distracted me, but when I saw the gold eight-pointed star pendant, I hesitated.

In that split second, moving fast as lightning, Hawthorne slashed my left arm. The wound was shallow but hurt like hellfire. I’d been right about the sword being spelled. The flesh tingled painfully for a split second before going completely numb.

I dove for the gun with my left hand. At that moment, Hawthorne’s sword slashed viciously at my arm, knocking the gun from my hand and slicing a gash down my forearm. The gun dropped to the floor and the feeling raced out of my arm.

My heart slammed into my ribs, and cold sweat covered my body. I went limp, dropping to the floor. Hawthorne’s blade slashed the air in front of my neck. I hit the floor hard and rolled. I cursed and rolled again as the faery bastard came back for another swipe. Obviously, I couldn’t just roll around the floor praying for help to arrive. Time to call on the only other weapon available to me.

Hawthorne’s boot slammed into my ribs. “Lie still and accept your fate.”

Time slowed. Hawthorne’s sword cut a slow, wide arc through the air. The energy exploded through me hard and fast. I screamed with the force of it. The faery’s eyes widened a split second before the spell blasted out of my eyes and right into his midsection. His green jacket ignited immediately. His mouth gaped mid-swing, and a gasp escaped his mouth. The sword clattered against the hardwoods.

His screams raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Flames licked Hawthorne’s body like hungry mouths, consuming him. He ran in circles, as if it was possible to escape the agony. But his movements only encouraged the fire to burn hotter, brighter.

It was one thing to watch a dummy burn. But watching the faery jerk and wail as he burned alive was truly horrifying. The scent of burnt flesh stung my nose.

I crawled to my knees, watching helplessly. My conscience kicked in, realizing what I’d done. Yes, he’d tried to kill me, but no one deserved to die like this. He finally collapsed into a mewling heap by the windows. Still, the fire burned. Pink scalp showed through the smoldering remains of his hair. His lips were burned off, leaving his mouth nothing but a mass of teeth. The grotesque facsimile of a smile made bile rise in my throat.

By this time, I’d begun to get feeling back in my arms. Without allowing myself to think too hard about what I was about to do, I picked up the gun. I limped slowly toward the windows.

I stood over the smoldering body and listened. A soft wheeze escaped his charred mouth. His lidless eyes were open, the pupils shot through with red. I crouched down and placed my ear next to his ruined face. The skeletal face groaned, making me jump. That one pathetic noise made my decision for me.

I pulled the trigger.

T
hey found me sitting next to the body. The gun still in my hand and my eyes on the golden pendant.

I heard Maisie’s gasp first, followed by a male curse. Footsteps pounded across the wooden floor. I looked up slowly and then blinked.

“Adam?”

His handsome face was creased with worry as he knelt in front of me. “Sabina? Talk to me.” His hands ran over my face, checking for injuries. When he reached my arms, his eyes narrowed. The skin had closed but remained hot and angry red.

“Oh, my gods!” Maisie groaned, covering her mouth at the sight of the faery’s ruined body. “Sabina, what happened?”

“I-I don’t know. One minute I was working out, and the next thing I knew he pulled a sword on me.”

“What? Why would he do that?” Maisie said.

“I don’t know. He was too busy trying to chop my head off to explain himself. But I think I know who he was working for.” I pointed to the amulet. “And it wasn’t just the queen.”

Maisie tried to look, but her eyes skittered away from the gruesome display. Adam, made of stronger stuff, rose and frowned down at the body. “Is that what I think it is?”

“What is it?” Maisie asked.

“It’s supposedly an amulet worn by members of the Caste of Nod,” I said. “I saw one once in a magic store in L.A. When I asked about it, the clerk got all agitated. Told me a faery whose mother worked for the Caste pawned it. He begged me not to tell anyone he had it, because he didn’t want that kind of attention.”

Maisie looked at Adam, who nodded solemnly. “I’ve never seen one in person before, but I’ve heard the same thing.”

“Even if he is a member of the Caste, why would he want to kill you?” she said. Her face looked like it had aged years. “Sabina, this is bad. Really bad.”

“Tell me about it,” I said. “It’s not like I asked him to try to kill me, Maisie.”

She hesitated. “Are you absolutely positive he struck first?”

I looked at Adam and saw the same question lurking in his eyes.

Seeing their suspicion, something inside me broke. I suppose on some level, I knew they’d never believe me. Hell, I wouldn’t have believed me, either. They’d literally found me holding a smoking gun—next to a smoking body. Still, the doubt in their eyes cut me deep.

Before I could defend myself, Orpheus burst into the room. “What the hell is going on here?” He stopped short when he saw the body. His face contorted into a mask of rage. “How could you do this?”

“Orpheus—” Maisie began, only to be cut off.

“Lazarus, arrest her.”

Adam hesitated. At that moment, a dozen other mages, including Rhea, Damara, Giguhl, and a few guards, spilled into the room. How word traveled so fast, I had no idea.

“Lazarus! I told you to take this murderer into custody!” Orpheus shouted over the shocked gasps of the newcomers.

Adam stepped forward. “Sir, I think we need to let her explain.”

Orpheus glared at Adam. “Are you questioning the leader of the Hekate Council, boy? I gave you an order.”

Adam’s chin came up. “She claims it was self-defense, sir. Surely she deserves a chance to explain.”

“I don’t give a damn who struck first. Someone with her training should be able to subdue a faery without lethal force. From the looks of that body, she not only tortured him with magic, she also shot him point-blank in the head. That’s not self-defense.”

“Sabina wouldn’t have done this without a reason,” Giguhl said, breaking into the argument.

“Giguhl,” I said quietly, with a warning clear in my voice. I appreciated his defending me, but I didn’t want him in the middle. If Orpheus got his way and they locked me up, Giguhl might be considered guilty by association.

Two guards had taken my arms during the argument. I allowed the restraint because fighting them would only worsen matters.

Through the gathering crowd, I spotted Rhea standing near the door. Her gaze met mine, but instead of disappointment or condemnation, her expression was thoughtful and maybe a little sad.

“The demon’s right,” she said, calling out to be heard over the raised voices. “Sabina might have a temper, but I don’t buy that she’d kill the faery in cold blood without a damned good reason.”

Orpheus turned toward Rhea. At her defense, some of the wind came out of his sails, but he didn’t change his course. To back down now would make him look indecisive and weak. “Regardless of her reason, she just murdered a high-ranking member of Queen Maeve’s court,” he said. “I have no choice but to lock her up pending an investigation.” He nodded to the guards holding my arms. “Take her to the holding cell.”

“Orpheus, no!” Maisie pleaded. Tears streamed down her face.

He looked at Maisie with regret on his face. “If the queen finds out I made an exception just because she’s your sister, things will only be worse for all of us.”

A muscle worked in Adam’s jaw. “I’ll take her down.”

“You’re lucky I’m not throwing you in a cell for insubordination as it is,” Orpheus snapped. “You two,” he nodded to the guards holding me, “lock her up.”

Rough hands pulled me up and led me out of the room. I went along willingly. More than anything, I craved silence. A private moment so I could fall apart without an audience.

As I passed Adam, he shot me a look full of longing. I shook my head imperceptibly. I didn’t want him getting into more trouble over me. I wasn’t worth it. I’d screwed up everything he and Maisie had worked for by killing the faery.

He nodded and went to put an arm around Maisie, whose body was shaking with loud sobs.

As I passed Giguhl I said, “Stay close to Maisie. And whatever you do, don’t do anything stupid.”

The demon’s claws worked like he wanted to punch something, but he jerked a nod. He’d obey me on this. I shot him a forced smile and allowed the guards to lead me through the room. Just before we went through the door, Rhea held up a hand to stop the guards.

“Stay calm and have faith,” she said.

I nodded to let her know I appreciated her support. But faith and I weren’t on speaking terms, and I highly doubted spending time in a cell would change my opinion.

Ten minutes later, metal bars shot through with brass slammed shut in my face. I slid down the walls of the cramped cell. I wrapped my arms around my stomach. I worried if I didn’t, I’d literally break into pieces.

There was a crack in the wall a few feet away. Just a small fissure. I stared at it for a long time.

It’s not that I’d given up. More like I’d just accepted the truth. I’d fucked up big-time. I knew how much was riding on the queen’s support, and now I’d compromised everything Maisie had been working for. Orpheus wasn’t right, though. If I hadn’t killed the faery, he would have killed me. No doubt about it. I’d seen the murderous intent in his eyes. But the fact I had no choice didn’t make the situation less volatile. Even if I could convince the council the faery had forced my hand, they’d still blame me for screwing up their chance of getting the queen’s support.

A roach crawled out of the crack then. As it scurried across the floor, I thought about Hawthorne’s necklace. Instinct told me I was right about his connection to the Caste of Nod. I turned that over in my head, looking at it from every angle. But hard as I tried, I couldn’t figure out why the Caste would want me dead. I’d never even met a member of the Caste—that I knew of. And even if I had, what threat could I possibly pose to them?

A crackle of energy sounded outside the cell. I didn’t feel it since I was behind brass, but I heard it. I finally blinked and looked away from the crack in time to see Maisie materialize on the other side of the bars.

“We have to hurry,” Maisie said. Reaching into a hidden pocket of her skirt, she produced a key. I watched as she unlocked the cell door. Didn’t move as it swung open.

“Sabina? We have to hurry.”

I blinked again.

She snapped her fingers in my face. “You have to snap out of it. You have to get out of here.”