Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (The Guild Codex: Spellbound Book 2), Page 5

  “Take your time,” Aaron advised me. “Gregory should have researched you thoroughly by now. Since you aren’t in the MPD archives, he’s probably decided you’re unregistered and ‘safe’ for the Ghost. I’m not sure what his next move will be. He’ll either put you in contact with the Ghost, or the Ghost will come looking for you. What Gregory tells you—or doesn’t tell you—should give us an idea. Stay in character and wait for him to come to you.”

  “Got it.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder. “I’ll be back in two hours.”

  With a wave, I strode toward the main street. Nerves twisted in my stomach but I ignored them. I’d do better this time. No teen-flashback meltdowns.

  Moving at a leisurely pace, I entered the youth center, checked in, and settled onto the same sofa. The minutes ticked by at an agonizingly slow rate, and I had to resist the urge to constantly check my phone’s clock. As my allotted time disappeared, I texted Aaron that I’d give it ten more minutes. Otherwise, we’d have to try again tomorrow.

  When the last ten minutes elapsed, I shoved the tarot cards in my backpack, boiling with frustration. What a jerkoff. Promising to be here all day, then vanishing. Or maybe Gregory was here and he was ignoring me.

  I rose to my feet—and he emerged from a hallway, his smile lighting up when he saw me.

  “Victoria! How are you today?”

  “Fine,” I mumbled.

  “I have some information for you. Would you like to discuss it here or in an office?”

  “Uh. An office?” Doing my best to appear uncertain instead of victoriously gleeful, I followed him into a hall where an open door revealed a generic office—more like a mini meeting room—with walls covered in posters and the desk lined with colorful pamphlets in plastic holders. I perched rigidly on a chair as he shut the door and took a seat on the other side.

  Folding his hands, he studied me somberly. “Do you know any other people who share your gift with tarot cards? Did your mother or grandmother ever introduce you to anyone else with unusual abilities?”

  I shook my head.

  “Did they ever talk about mythics or magic?”

  Furrowing my brow, I shook my head again.

  “You have a unique gift, Victoria. And you aren’t alone. There are many gifted people in this world, with widely varying abilities. Magic.” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “It’s a word most people scoff at, but we both know there’s real magic in your cards.”

  I tried to imagine how an average teen would react to that statement. I couldn’t base it on my own reaction to discovering magic, since “Can I see that fireball again?” probably wasn’t typical.

  “You’re in a difficult position, but there are mythics—members of the magical community—who can help you find your place.” He hesitated. “I don’t want to alarm you, but with a gift as powerful as yours, I think we should move forward with caution.”

  “Caution?” I repeated suspiciously.

  “Predictive magic is a highly valued skillset. Some people could … take advantage of that.”

  Some people like, say, the Ghost? Unsure how to respond, I clutched my backpack and waited. Gregory seemed to debate his next move. Was he having second thoughts about trading a teen for whatever reward the Ghost would give him?

  “I know someone who’s uniquely set up to help young people like you who might otherwise be vulnerable in the wider community. He runs a safe house for mythics, and there you could learn more about your abilities.”

  Nausea rolled through my middle. A safe house where a girl could meet her peers and learn what she was—it sounded so perfect. Had he given Nadine the same spiel? In her shoes, I would’ve jumped on the chance just like she must have.

  “That sounds … really good,” I forced out.

  He must’ve mistaken my disgust for nerves, because his encouraging smile returned. “It’s a safe place. It would be perfect for you.” He pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket. “I’ve set up a meeting for you with the man who runs the safe house. Talk to him, and he’ll explain everything. I know it seems rather strange, but like many shelters, this safe house is a closely guarded secret.”

  He slid the folded paper across the desk. I picked it up and opened it. An address was scrawled in a masculine script with a date and time underneath. Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Yes! This was it. We were going to catch that kid-stealing psycho—and then we were coming back for this talking blob of pond scum.

  Since I was still playing the part of an angsty teen, I frowned at the paper instead of whooping in victory. “Ten o’clock? Isn’t that kind of late?”

  “This guy does things a bit differently,” he reassured me. “He won’t harm you, I promise. Just talk to him and see what he has to say.”

  Gulping back a sarcastic laugh at “he won’t harm you,” I stuffed the paper into my pocket. I wanted to ask more questions about who this mysterious benefactor was, just to see what Gregory might reveal, but I didn’t want to trigger his suspicions.

  Instead, I stood. “Thanks. I’ll meet with him.”

  “Wonderful,” Gregory replied with perfect sincerity. “Do you need anything in the meantime? A place to sleep?”

  “No, I’m fine.” I stepped toward the door. “But I’ll let you know if that changes.”

  “Okay. Be safe, Victoria. And don’t miss your meeting.”

  “I won’t.” Oh no, I definitely wouldn’t.

  The original plan had been for me to hang around the youth center for another thirty minutes after speaking with Gregory so as not to arouse suspicion, but there was no way I could sit still or act naturally. Better to leave early than stay and look more suspicious—plus, I had other plans I didn’t want to cancel.

  Outside, I strode down the sidewalk. When I reached the two-block point, Aaron and Ezra swung out of an alley and fell into step on either side of me.

  “I got it.” I grinned fiercely. “The Ghost is coming, and we’re going to teach that slimy bastard a lesson.”

  Looping his arm around my waist, Aaron pulled me against his side in a brief, in-motion hug. “Knew you could do it!”

  “Well done, Tori,” Ezra added with a warm smile that erased the icky mental residue of my talk with Gregory. “You’re amazing.”

  Oh shit, was I blushing again? I bit the inside of my cheek until my eyes watered. The heat faded from my face. Much better.

  “I just need to change,” I told them, checking the time again. “Then I’ve got to book it to my appointment.”

  “You say that like you’re planning to run there or something,” Aaron observed casually.

  “Um … yes?” Jog, not run, but close enough.

  He rolled his eyes. “I’ll drive you, dummy. Why would you need to walk? Or run. Or whatever.”

  “I don’t want to trouble you,” I muttered.

  “You really need to practice the whole asking for favors thing, Tori.”

  “Or,” Ezra countered, “you can just boss him around. He likes that.”

  Chewing my lip, I let the opportunity to join their banter pass. Asking for help. Not something I’d ever been good at, but I was improving—at least with the guys. Still, I evidently had a ways to go, since it hadn’t occurred to me to ask for a ride. “Aaron, could you drive me to my appointment?”

  “Nope, sorry. I’m busy.”

  “What? But you just—”

  His eyes sparked with mirth. “I’m kidding. Of course I’ll drive you.”

  Fighting a scowl, I grumbled, “Thanks.”

  “No problem. Besides,” he added, “I’ve never seen a fae exorcism and I’m damn curious.”

  Aaron parked in front of a squat bungalow with a towering spruce rising from the backyard. As we clambered out of the car, a woman sauntered through the gate and waved cheerfully.

  “Hey, Kaveri,” Aaron greeted her. “How’s it going?”

  “Excellent,” she said dreamily. Tall, willowy, wearing fitted yoga pants and a sports bra that displayed her flat
stomach, she resembled a Pilates instructor. A duffle bag hung over her shoulder. “Lovely, calm vibrations here. I can see why it attracted a fae.”

  She said that like it was a good thing, but I disagreed. “Will it, uh, continue to attract fae?”

  She shrugged. “Fae are unpredictable. Shall we begin?”

  “We’re early, so the landlord won’t be here to unlock the house for at least forty-five minutes.” Aaron’s ride over had saved me a long walk.

  “It isn’t locked. I checked. This will be easier without a human present.” With a bounce in her step, she headed through the gate into the backyard. As I followed her, Aaron and Ezra trailing behind me, I blinked a few times in bewilderment. Without a human present? Uh, hello, this girl right here was human.

  Except, maybe Kaveri didn’t see me as a regular human.

  Totally missing my reaction, she continued thoughtfully, “We’ll start with a peaceful offering ritual and see how the faery responds.”

  “I don’t think a peaceful approach will work with this thing,” I told her. “It isn’t what I’d call friendly.”

  “It’s worth a try.”

  “I thought you were doing an … exorcism?”

  Kaveri threw a smile over her shoulder. “With fae, it’s always better to negotiate before trying ultimatums. A happy fae is a helpful fae.”

  My forehead crinkled. “What is a fae?”

  “Fae is the common name for the spiritual beings that share our world. Fair folk, elves, aes sídhe, devas, yokai, elementals—every mythology across the world has a different name for them. They’re bound to the natural world, with magic different from ours but originating from the same roots.”

  Whoa, did she say elves? Were we talking Legolas or Dobby? ’Cause I definitely knew which I preferred.

  “All you need to know about fae,” Aaron declared as we filed through the back door and down the stairs, “is don’t mess with them. Save that for people who know what they’re doing, like Kaveri.”

  “I know more about fae than the average mythic,” Kaveri said, “but one can never know everything about the spirits. They’re mysterious, deceptive, and don’t share their secrets with anyone.”

  Not super encouraging, but I’d join a witch coven right now if it meant I could meet a real-life Legolas. I followed her into the main room of the apartment, eyeing the crawlspace door warily.

  “Hey, this is pretty nice,” Aaron observed, wandering into the kitchen and opening a cabinet. “Great find.”

  “I guess I can thank the fae for scaring off the competition.”

  “Ah,” Kaveri murmured. “Don’t thank fae. Some of them take that as an admission of debt, which they’ll insist on collecting.”

  “Oh. Got it.” I pointed. “The faery came out of there last time.”

  Moving to the center of the room, Kaveri sat crossed-legged and unzipped her duffel bag. Instead of running shoes and a yoga mat, the bag held a bizarre assortment of cloth pouches with drawstrings. The fresh scent of pine wafted out. She selected several bags and opened one. Humming, she poured a trickle of powder in a circle.

  I watched, dumbfounded, as she filled the circle with twigs, herbs, a quartz crystal, and a shallow bowl into which she poured bottled water, laying each item precisely. As she worked, she hummed, and I realized she was softly singing in a strange, archaic language.

  Aaron disappeared into the single bedroom, still exploring, so I backed up against the wall beside Ezra.

  “What is she doing?” I whispered.

  “A ritual,” he replied. “Witches perform different rituals to signal their intentions to nearby fae. Something about it channels or gathers natural energies? I don’t understand it, but I guess the fae can sense what she’s doing.”

  “Not what I expected from a witch,” I muttered. “She didn’t even draw a pentagram.”

  He snorted quietly. “That’s demon summoning, not witchcraft.”

  “Oh, my mistake.” I gave him a playful jab with my elbow, then asked, “What happens when the faery shows his ugly face?”

  “She’ll probably ask him what he wants in exchange for leaving this house.”

  “That’s it? Damn. I thought she would magically banish him to the netherworld or something.”

  “Witches are pacifists. They avoid violence with or against fae at all costs.” He cast me an amused look. “If you want to see a dramatic battle and banishment, you’ll need a druid instead.”

  “A druid?”

  “Another practitioner of Spiritalis magic. Druids are not pacifists.”

  “And they’re crazy rare.” Aaron joined us, taking a spot against the wall on my other side. “I’ve never met one.”

  Breaking off her low song, Kaveri said, “You’ve never seen one because they don’t live long. When you attract fae like a corpse attracts vultures, sooner or later you meet your end.”

  “Witches don’t like druids,” Aaron informed me. “Not sure why. The last time I asked a witch, I got a long-winded analogy about promiscuity.”

  Kaveri sniffed primly. “Witchcraft is rooted in ritual and tradition, but druids are chaos incarnate. They—

  “Uh,” I interrupted, “sorry, but, is it okay to stop your ritual?”

  “Hmm? Oh, I’m finished. Now we wait for the faery to answer my call.”

  “What if it doesn’t?”

  “I’ll try a different ritual.”

  “And … if it doesn’t answer that one?”

  “Don’t worry.” She smiled serenely. “I’ll keep trying.”

  I kept my expression pleasantly neutral but internally, I was rolling my eyes so hard they were metaphysically blistering. Sin and Aaron had led me to believe that a witch would storm into the apartment, hurling the fae equivalent of holy water, and the faery would explode in a screaming cloud of green sparkles. This was not what I’d expected.

  “How long do we wait?” I asked dubiously.

  “Oh, thirty minutes or so.”

  I winced.

  “Maybe we should’ve found a druid,” Aaron muttered, sounding equally disillusioned about what a fae exorcism entailed.

  Kaveri gave another disdainful sniff. “I’ll solve your fae issue, I promise. Anything worthwhile is worth waiting for.”

  Wise words, but I was more of a “just get it done already” kinda girl. I scooted around Kaveri’s nature circle and headed for the crawlspace. “Maybe the faery needs some encouragement?”

  “No, let’s just wait—”

  I yanked the short door open. “Oy, twig-face! Get out here!”

  Icy wind blasted out of the threshold. I hopped aside as Kaveri’s circle blew apart.

  A low wail filled the room, then the faery dragged itself out of the crawlspace. This time its cinematic inspiration was clearly from The Exorcist. The diseased woman, stringy hair draped across her pale eyes, crawled into the room amidst a pool of inky shadows. Aaron and Ezra snapped to attention, regarding the specter warily.

  “Diiiiie, humans,” it moaned.

  I toed the crawlspace door closed so it couldn’t dive back in. “Nice try, greenie.”

  The ghoulish woman shot me a filthy look. “Diiiie …”

  I glanced at Kaveri. Her warm brown skin had gone surprisingly pale. “See what I meant?”

  “Uh.” She cleared her throat and reached into her duffel bag. “Noble fae, may I offer you—”

  “DIIEEEE!!” the faery shrieked. “Leave this place or forfeit your LIIIIIIIVES!”

  Aaron pushed away from the wall. “Are you sure that’s a fae?”

  “It’s a fae,” Kaveri confirmed. She pulled three leaves from a pouch and fanned them out. “Fae, we have come in search of a peaceful accord. As a gesture of goodwill, I hereby gift you with—”

  The ghoul swung its arm and a gust of icy wind blasted the leaves out of Kaveri’s grasp.

  Her eyes blazed. Grabbing her bag, she whipped out another cloth pouch, yanked it open, and flung a handful of brown powder at the
ghoul. It shrieked and doubled over into a coughing fit. Its hellish disguise melted away, and the short, green tree sprite took form, its huge eyes scrunched shut as it hacked.

  “I came here peacefully!” Kaveri barked. “Please be civil. I won’t ask again.”

  The faery squinched its eyes open, tears streaming down its cheeks as it gasped. “Filthy bald monkey wench—”

  “Hey!” Aaron cut in. “Don’t talk to her like that!”

  It turned glaring crystalline eyes on him. “The orange roach should mind its own business!”

  “What?” he snarled. Fire sparked over his fingers and he stepped threateningly toward the faery. “You little—”

  Ezra grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “Let Kaveri handle it, Aaron.”

  The faery’s attention shifted to the aeromage. Gasping, it leaped backward and ducked behind my legs, putting me between it and Ezra. Brow furrowing, I peered over my shoulder at the creature. It squinted at Ezra like it was afraid to move but didn’t want to admit it.

  “Uh.” I looked from Ezra’s confused expression back to the fae. “What?”

  Aaron snickered. “Hey, Ezra, maybe you should tell it to leave.”

  “Leave?” the faery yelped. It grabbed the backs of my legs, its pokey fingers digging in. “No! This is my house!”

  Its voice cracked with fear on the last word, its huge eyes fixed on Ezra like he might attack at any moment. Aaron nudged him with an elbow, but Ezra shook his head. Even that small movement caused the faery to flinch.

  I considered my options. Whatever it was about Ezra that frightened the faery, getting him to scare the creature out of the house seemed like the easiest option. But Ezra clearly didn’t want to do that. I could probably stand to take a few compassion lessons from him.

  “Ezra,” I murmured, “would you mind, uh, stepping outside for a few minutes so we can talk to the fae?”

  Aaron made a disappointed sound but Ezra nodded. When he shifted backward, the faery ducked fearfully, its twiggy head scratching my legs. Ezra strode up the stairs, his footsteps almost inaudible. A moment later, the door opened and closed with a clack.