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Drakat strode from one side of her study to the other and back again, head down, hands clenching and unclenching at her sides as she muttered low and dark.
Marg stood next to the door, keeping as silent and deep in shadow as possible. He'd survived the first year of his service to the countess by making himself useful, but invisible.
The tactic had allowed him to endure six months longer than any other servant in Drakat's household while simultaneously rising to the rank of personal secretary to the countess. It was a dangerous position, given her temper, but one where he could learn a great deal; spells, tactics, strategies, the works.
If he kept at it, he might just learn enough to become an elder demon. At that point, he could retire to create minor havoc in a small town somewhere in the Irish countryside.
It was an unlikely scenario, but it helped to have dreams when reality stank so badly.
A crash from across the room made him wince, but he didn't step out of the shadowy corner to investigate. Marg was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't among them.
"That bitch has something," Drakat shouted. "And so does her mate. But what? Two artifacts that powerful should belong to someone with strength to match. They should belong to me. At the very least, I should know what they are."
The pacing resumed. After several more rounds of the room, Drakat threw herself onto the chaise and lifted the crystal goblet of blood red merlot to her lips. Marg let out a silent breath when Drakat put it back on the table instead of throwing it across the room. His choice and forethought were once again rewarded with survival.
If only the charcuterie board met with her approval as well, Marg might slip from the room unnoticed. He'd stocked the flat wooden board with her favorite meats and cheeses, plus the grapes he knew she enjoyed.
Marg watched as Drakat absently smeared a circle of dry salami with cream cheese and popped it into her mouth. She didn't gag or screech in distaste, so Marg allowed himself to relax a fraction more.
"Caraigama alone would increase my power tenfold. The information I could gather would catapult me to duchess," Drakat muttered. "But, if I had three powerful artifacts, well then... Who knows how far I might extend my reach?" She gazed soulfully at a portrait of a darkly handsome man, a faint green undertone to his swarthy skin, and red eyes with the elliptical pupils of a goat. "Tell me, my emperor. What heights could I not ascend with that much power?"
She popped more meat into her mouth. "But first, I must obtain them. So. If I were this Char person, what would be my first priority?"
She paused, appearing to think it over, and Marg trembled.
"If it were me, I'd kill the current owner, whether that is Grag or young Ryleigh, and take the stone for myself. It would help to know who the stone actually belongs to. So far, it has helped both Grag and Ryleigh, so that’s a bit of a tangle.” She flicked her fingers as if brushing off a fly.
“Leave that for now. I doubt she’ll behave as I would, regardless. She is a witch, after all, and witches are far more finicky than demons when it comes to bloodletting. Always on about the three-fold-law and karmic energy rebounding."
She spit a grapeseed on the floor and Marg eased out of hiding, sliding along the floor to pick it up before retreating. On the way back, he dropped the slimy seed into a conveniently placed waste basket. Drakat was still talking to herself.
"Anyone with sense knows there are no such things. The only real law is demon law. Self-aggrandizement, power, and souls. Anything else is worthless, though perhaps amusing for a time."
She finished off the wine in her glass and Marg hurried forward to silently refill it, focusing on unobtrusive efficiency. Drakat took no notice, even when she reached for the glass and Marg placed it in her hand.
"No,” she continued. “She'll want to protect Ryleigh as she did at that shack they were holed up in. Why else would she be here? And Ryleigh? Who will Ryleigh protect? Her mate, Imogen." She frowned heavily. "There was something... Oh yes, Ryleigh and Imogen are expecting. All the more reason to be careful. To hide. And If I keep them from doing that... "
She looked up, her eyes suddenly snapping into focus on Marg. "Send a full team to Trócaire House. Char and the others will have returned by now, so send at least five. They are to take Imogen Chase captive and bring her to me." She pointed a talon at him. "Alive, mind you."
"Yes, Mistress," Marg said, keeping his voice low and soothing. He stepped out of the room, quickly locating a guard and relaying Drakat's orders before slipping back inside and resuming his post in the shadows.
"They'll have hidden the stone somewhere, I'm sure. Prey animals always hide as a first reaction to danger. But if I take Imogen, Ryleigh will do whatever I ask to get her back safe." Drakat reclined on the chaise, munching crackers and cheese, continuing her musings. "With any luck, all three artifacts will be mine by morning." Drakat stiffened, her eyes widening as she sat up. "Morningstar must not find out, though."
Marg jumped. Just slightly, but it was enough to bring her eyes to rest on him. He froze. It didn't pay to be noticed by Drakat.
Luckily, she stared through him, still wrapped in her thoughts and only vaguely aware of his presence.
"If he does, he'll take everything. And he has spies everywhere, so I must move quickly, before they find out about the stone and report back to him."
A soft tap sent tremors through Marg. He eased the oak door and leaned out as an imp whispered excitedly. Terror jolted through him.
Dismissing the imp, Marg wiped sweaty palms down his pants and cleared his throat quietly. "Mistress, I do not mean to interrupt, but..."
She turned her red eyes on him. "What! Can't you see I'm thinking?"
"I do, yes, Mistress, but you did ask... erm... You did say to alert you if anyone left Trócaire House."
"Who left?" A hunting glint shone in Drakat's eye, and Marg struggled to stifle a shudder.
"The white-haired witch. Char, I believe they call her. They tried to tail her, but she lost them."
"Now where could our intrepid American be going all alone? Where would I be going if I had access to the time stone and wanted to stop someone like me from getting it?" She thought it over for a moment as a satisfied smile lifted the corners of her lips. "I was inclined to think the stone was Ryleigh's, but perhaps not. After all, if this witch is the one who killed Blackwell, the stone would be hers by bloodright."
Silence descended and Marg shifted nervously. "What are my mistress's orders?"
Smiling benevolently, Drakat ruffled his lank hair, then tugged it sharply. Marg yelped, but still heard the command. "Stick with the plan. Send as many as you think necessary to get Imogen Chase and bring her here," she said to Marg. "I'll handle this other matter myself."
Marg bobbed in affirmation. "Of course, Mistress. Right away."
Ignoring him, she refilled her glass and took a sip. "Our Charlotte is quite the clever girl. Just not as clever as I am." Getting to her feet, Drakat set the wine down and snapped her fingers. A red leather duster appeared and she pulled it on, then reached into the pocket for a ruby barrette, which she used to gather her hair into a tail. "If she is as bold as she seems I can guess exactly where she's going. I just have to stop her before she makes the jump to when."
Stuffing her feet into thigh high black boots and pulling them taut, she strode from the room without a backward glance.
Shivering, Marg eased down onto the chaise and lifted Drakat's half empty glass to his lips, draining it in a single pull.
I FOLLOWED NATE'S ADVICE, circling the block and making my way up the alley next to the Cracked Cauldron. It was empty of everything except four color-coded waste bins. Three windows, small but capable of accommodating a slender adult or a preteen boy, were spaced evenly on the pub wall about eight feet up from the ground. The four bins stood directly below them.
That’s convenient. They must have moved them at some point. Ryleigh didn’t mention them being under the window.
I stopped in front of the third one, closest to the alley mouth and the bar's front entrance, wrinkling my nose at the smell of garbage.
At least this is cleaner than any alley I ever encountered in the states.
That isn't saying a lot since you tend to kick in the front door rather than sneaking in the back. This is not really your style, Char. Sasha's teasing comment made me roll my eyes.
Hey, I didn't go in the front door of the NYPL, I replied.
You did too, at first. It was only when you couldn't get what you needed that way that you chose an alternate route. Even then, you didn't go in through an alley.
Might as well have, I replied, grimacing at the memory. "Boros? Are you sure you can take me back to the exact time we need?" I kept my voice low, even though we hadn't made the jump yet. Sasha wasn't wrong. I didn't enjoy skulking around in alleys. People viewed such actions with suspicion, and I didn't need any help in that department.
"I cannot take you anywhere." The snake's voice drifted softly from my coat lapel. "But Caraigama can place you within seconds of your desired time location."
"Which would be helpful if I knew exactly when that was. But even Ryleigh wasn't sure of the exact time."
"You do not need to know," Boros said smugly. "Caraigama knows."
I pulled in a deep breath. "Good. Then let's do this."
"Hello, Charlotte Knox. So nice to see you again." A whip of dark energy flew toward me from the far end of the alley as Drakat stepped out from behind the bins. The magick slammed me against the opposite building, knocking the air out of my lungs.
Sasha erupted from my necklace, growing to the size of a svelte and muscular elephant, and I felt Doirsain slip down my chest to rest in the waistband of my jeans.
I really need to fix that, I thought hazily.
Keeping out of Drakat's reach, the wyvern rained fire down on her, the heat rolling back to warm my cheeks as I struggled to regain my breath and my feet.
When Sasha stopped to draw breath, Drakat drew herself upright, brushing ash from her coat sleeve as if it were street dust. "Now, was that necessary? I'm only here to talk."
She flung a ball of energy at Sasha and the wyvern shot upward, evading the strike easily. In the same motion, Drakat reached for me and I threw up a barrier between us, pulling power from the ley lines as Doirsain glowed in my waistband.
Her talons scraped across the shield, seeking a weak point and finding none. My chest and back hurt where the magick had slammed into me, and my breathing still wasn't normal, but I shoved to my feet, pushing more energy into the shield to expand it. The transparent, lavender-laced barrier closed around me, protecting me as Sasha flew overhead.
I fumbled in my pocket for Cole's wand, closing my fingers around it as Drakat rained dark magick against my shield. Hairline cracks formed and I sealed them with more power, the magick singing along my nerve endings, tingling close to a burn, but prevented from hurting me by Doirsain.
Drakat hammered at my shield, her face pressed close to it, snarling. I held her gaze and, covering my actions with the long sweep of my coat, opened a four-inch hole at waist level. "Eat steel," I whispered, and squeezed the wand as Cole had instructed me, holding it at an angle that would skewer her from lower rib to shoulder. The six-inch rod pulsed in my hand, telescoping through the hole I'd made into a six-foot spear.
Drakat's eyes widened and her hand blurred down with superhuman speed, slapping at the celestial steel to redirect its killing velocity. The spear tilted in my grip, ramming through her upper thigh instead of her torso.
Her scream of agony made my head ring. She shoved her fingers through the hole I'd made in my shield and ripped upward. The stink of burning flesh pinched my nostrils and I stumbled back, fetching up against the wall as she advanced on me.
Smoke and blood poured from the wound in her thigh. Her hands were burned, but healing rapidly. The leg wasn't healing at all.
"That's celestial steel," I said, panting. "If you don't remove it soon, it will poison your entire body. You'll die."
"I know the properties of a celestial-kingdom weapon," she rasped. "Let’s see how it works on human flesh." With a cry of agony and rage, she ripped the spear from her leg and spun it to point at me. I could see the skin of her fingers blackening. My stomach lurched and I dodged the thrust she aimed at me, scrambling to put some distance between us.
She stumbled after me, limping. Even with the spear removed, her leg wasn't healing. I straightened, turning, calling fire into my palms all in one motion. The breeze blew cool across my abdomen and I felt the blood rush from my cheeks as the tingle in my hands turned to pain.
I looked down. My shirt tail flapped free of my jeans. I'd lost Doirsain. Without her, I'd never be able to channel enough power to defeat any demon, let alone an elder of Drakat's power.
"What's the matter, little witch? Lose something?" She held up the amethyst, and with a snap of her fingers, it disappeared.
"Sasha!" I cried.
He dropped from the sky like a bomb, landing on Drakat's shoulders, tearing long, bloody furrows down her back with his rear claws. Shrieking, she twisted, bringing the spear around and under her arm to stab at the wyvern.
Carefully, I took aim and threw fire at her, striking her in the face and torso, skewing her aim. Sasha fluttered free, a long shallow cut across his chest. Flicking his tail like a whip, he knocked the spear out of the demon's seared hands, and it clattered to the asphalt, shrinking as it rolled out of reach.
Ignoring both the weapon and the wyvern, Drakat reached for me, her burned hands smoking eerily in the cool air. "Is that all you can do, little witch?" she hissed. "Is that all the power you have without your rock?"
I glanced at Sasha and my mind went blank. The wyvern had shrunk to a third of the size he'd been, and his scales looked dull, tarnished. Sasha, are you hurt?
Doirsain. His voice in my head was weak. She sent the stone somewhere. Too... far... I can't...
"Ouroboros," I gasped. "You have to help us."
The silence was answer enough. I couldn't risk asking him to take me back in time. If Drakat managed to get a hand on me before we transferred, she'd be dragged along as well. I'd be foiling the escape I intended to facilitate.
Drakat bent over me and I brought up my shield, transparent and tinged only with the blue of my own aura. Without Doirsain to amplify my power, it wasn't enough. Drakat pressed through it, and it bulged like a soap bubble before she ripped through to wrap her hand around my neck. Shoving the tattered remnants aside, she pointed a long-clawed finger at my chest. "Give me the Caraigama, and all this will be over."
It was hard to breath around her grip on my throat, but I managed a mocking chuckle. "Do you expect me to believe you'll let me go?"
Her grin was beautifully evil. "Did I say anything about letting you go? I said this would be over. Let me give you a taste of the alternative." She drove her talon into my shoulder, just under my collarbone.
Pain ripped through me and I screamed until she pulled her claw free and slapped me across the face. My head whipped to the side and my vision darkened, bright points of light exploding around the edges.
"Shut up. That was nothing compared to what I will do if you don't give me the time stone. Hand it over and I guarantee your death will be quick and painless. Otherwise..." she stabbed me in my other shoulder and I screamed until the dark was almost complete before she stopped. She shook me until my teeth chattered together, but I kept my eyes closed.
I sensed movement from my left, and Sasha's hot breath as he crept closer.
Hold on, Char. Keep her occupied for another second.
I knew, suddenly and with absolute certainty, that he was going to make a try for Drakat's throat. No. Drakat will kill you.
Reaching into my pocket, I fumbled until I touched cold, hard metal. Fingers growing steadily more dead, I palmed it, pulling it free of the cloth and allowing my arms to flop when Drakat shook me again.
"Wake up, you bitch," she screamed at me.
Take it back to Trócaire House, I thought to Sasha.
I'll never make it that far.
You have to. It's the only way to keep it out of her hands.
I won't leave you.
Drakat dropped me in disgust. "You witches are all so fragile. But with you dead, the stone is mine!" She rifled through my pockets but found nothing. "Bitch," she yelled. "Where is it?"
The demoness raked her claws down my cheek, sending trickles of blood oozing into my hair. It was all I could do to remain silent and focus on my plan as pain darted through me. Drakat's weight lifted off my body, and her curses scraped the afternoon air like nails on a chalkboard. She stalked away from me, muttering imprecations as she paced the alley in frustration.
If she takes it, she'll be able to destroy at will. I can't lose... anyone... else, I thought to Sasha. The dark was thicker, the bright spots fading as my blood pooled under me.
She'll take me from you. The sorrow and anger in his tone pushed back the dark by millimeters.
No. I bequeathed Doirsain to Lena and then Cole. No one can take her by bloodright until the last inheritor is dead, remember? We'd discovered that little loophole during the fight against Blackwell, but had never really tested it. I could only hope that it held true now. I let my head loll to the side and opened my eyes. You can do this, Sasha. I order you to.
His eyes bulged, then closed, and he nodded. Snuffling in my hand, he took the broach into his mouth and backed away. Blearily, I looked for Drakat, seeing her a few feet away, standing with her back to me, her entire body shaking.
Her feet shuffled. She was going to turn around. Dragging energy in from the ley lines, gasping at the pain, I lurched into a crouch. I couldn't let her stop Sasha. Couldn't lose him too.
Drakat turned, her eyes widening when she saw me. "Tough little witch, aren't you?" she said in a pleased tone. "Let's try this again, shall we?" Her eyes shifted to Sasha. "What is your decrepit excuse for a dragon doing?"
I launched myself at her. "Fly, Sasha." I'd meant the words to be a shout, but they came out as a croak. My attack fell short, and I crumpled to the ground at Drakat's feet, weak from blood loss and pain, but I smiled, hearing the unsteady beat of wyvern wings behind me.
Sasha was gone.
