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SORCHA ALMOST LET OUT a gasp of alarm when Onvier cast his warding spell. It nullified her camouflage and glamor enchantments. It also dispelled an illusion spell that had been placed on his visitor, revealing his true form. She peeked out from behind the bookcase and recognized Azazel by his inky skin and scarlet eyes. This was the first time she’d seen him up close. He was even uglier than she’d realized.
The shadows were deep enough to hide her as she peeked at the pair. Clearly, the Magic Guild Master wasn’t the man the fortune teller had told her to find. From what she could gather, the elf was stealing magic from his guildmembers to make himself stronger. He intended to form a new triumvirate with the hell spawn and with someone else. He’d even found the spell that would bind them all together.
Her mind was racing as she listened to their plans. When Azazel said that they weren’t alone, her blood ran cold. The creature had her scent now, which meant he would be able to track her. A knock came at the door and Onvier dropped his ward. Sorcha burst into action and sprinted over to the window. She made sure to keep her head averted so neither of the men saw her face.
Shattering the glass with her shoulder when she leapt through the window, she fell headfirst towards the ground. The assassin teleported to the cobbled street before she could splatter to her death. Cloaking herself in an illusion, she took off running. She hadn’t used magic in Onvier’s office because she didn’t want him to sense that she was a sorceress. If he caught her, he would probably drain her magic and steal it for himself.
She glanced over her shoulder to see the dark form of Azazel flying after her. He blended in with the night sky and the pedestrians didn’t even see him. She received startled looks from the people walking around the City Square. Ignoring them, she headed for a bridge that would take her to the Shifter District. She must have looked like a madwoman fleeing from an invisible assailant.
Sorcha’s mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan. She couldn’t just teleport away. Azazel would keep hunting her. He would try to eradicate her before she could tell anyone about their plans. He needed to think she was dead in order for her to survive.
A crazy idea sprang into her head as she was crossing the bridge. She glanced down into the river to see water elementals frolicking below. She flicked a look over her shoulder again to see the demon swooping towards her. Azazel reached for her with his talons held ready to tear her to shreds.
Sorcha threw herself over the barrier and plummeted towards the river. She cast an air bubble around herself a moment before she plunged to the water. The water elementals squealed in alarm, then flocked towards her. Instead of attacking her, they came to a stop a few yards away. The sorceress didn’t have time to worry about the normally vicious creatures. She had to figure out a way to convince Azazel that she was dead.
Waving her hands, she used air to whip the surface of the water, so it looked like she was thrashing around. Next, she conjured up fake blood to stain the surface of the water. Finally, she created an illusion of chewed and dismembered body parts and scraps of torn clothing. She made them float away with the current of the river. She could sense the demon hovering over the water. He watched the debris for a minute before wheeling around and flying away.
The assassin sagged in relief that her desperate plan had worked. The hell spawn would advise Onvier of her supposed demise and she would hopefully be safe. If he ever caught her scent again, he would know she’d faked her death, but it was doubtful she would encounter the demon again. She would have to use her scent masking spell if she ever had to go anywhere near him.
As invisible as the air elemental that was Xiara Evora’s pet, the water elementals swam towards her. Their outlines looked like small dragons. The creatures were about three feet long from the tips of their noses to the ends of their tails. They usually tore any intruders apart, but they seemed curious about her rather than furious that she’d invaded their territory.
On impulse, Sorcha dispelled her air bubble and swam to the surface. Although it was spring, the water was still icy. The water elementals surged towards her and she prepared to teleport to safety. Instead of attacking her, they rubbed their scaly bodies against her affectionately. “This is so weird,” she murmured as she treaded water. She tentatively scratched one of the creatures beneath its chin and it began to purr like a contented cat.
A weird, warm feeling of comradery blossomed as the fae creatures vied for her attention. She made sure to pet them all so none of them would feel left out. One of them swam away and returned with a fish and offered it to her. “Thank you,” she said and took the headless offering. The air elemental made a sound of joy that she’d accepted its gift, then the others all swam away to find something they could give to her.
Sorcha swam over to the bank of the river. She soon had a collection of headless fish and other junk that they’d found. “Thanks for the gifts,” she said to the water elementals that were gathered at the edge of the river. “They mean a lot to me,” she said gravely, sensing they could understand her. Squealing happily, the creatures frolicked together as they returned to their duty of guarding the river from intruders.
It would be a bad idea to throw any of the items back into the river and insult her new friends. Sorcha used telekinesis to send them all to her apartment. She teleported directly to her bathroom and stripped off her sodden clothing. By the time she’d showered and had dried herself off, her clothes and boots had been cleaned by magic and were back in her closet.
Dreading what she would find, Sorcha left her bathroom and searched her apartment for the fish and other junk. Thankfully, the rubbish was nowhere to be seen. The magic of Nox must have gotten rid of it for her. She took a seat on her gold divan and a cup of tea appeared. She drank it gratefully and saw the notebook she’d left on the windowsill was still sitting there. Onvier’s name had been crossed out, which made her snort out a mirthless laugh.
“Yeah, he’s definitely off the list,” she said. She was back at square one yet again with no idea who the man was who was supposed to help her. “Why didn’t Madam Quilla see his name in her vision?” she asked in frustration. It would have made things so much easier if the mystic had given her more than just vague hints about him. How was she supposed to narrow him down among the hundreds of thousands of fairies and elves who lived in Nox?
The calming potion she’d made earlier wore off and she was hit with the shakes. She’d just had a close brush with death. She didn’t want to repeat again, but she knew it was inevitable. Her job involved risk on a nightly basis. After losing her two best friends, her mortality had never been more evident.
