Lunar Bound, page 31
part #4 of Sky Brooks World: Ethan Series
After a glance in Dr. Baker’s direction, she whispered, “Do you plan on telling Josh about the Vitae?”
I tensed. Given everything else that had happened, I didn’t see a reason to revisit the issue now. I couldn’t say no to her, either; she’d only fight harder.
“We’ll see.”
“I stand by what I said. Either you tell him or—”
I pressed a finger against her lips. “You know how I feel about threats.”
She bit down, drawing blood. I scowled at her as I sucked at the wound to stop the bleeding.
She grinned. “You know how I feel about people doing that to me. I understand why some things need to be kept secret, but there shouldn’t be any between Josh and you.”
“I’ll think about it,” I insisted, backing out of the room.
My lips spread into a relieved smile as I walked down the hallway. The smile slowly faded as I felt a tremor begin in my right hand. I clenched my fist to ward it off. The tremor only got worse. Raw emotion started to bubble to the surface. Post-traumatic stress, I told myself. The knowledge didn’t help. Now that Sky was safe and herself, the barriers I’d erected to mask my fears were starting to crumble. Somehow, I held my shit together until I reached my room.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I stared at my shaking hand, willing it to stop. I fought a while longer, stemming the tide with logic. A natural psychological reaction to a stressful situation. It’ll pass. That seemed to work for a time, then the quaking spread up my arm. Fear and relief intermingled in my chest. Tears streaked down my cheeks until I wiped them away, willed them back. That I could stop, at least. The shaking lasted for ten or fifteen minutes, then slowly waned. Once it ceased, I laid back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling until I fell asleep.
I woke a short time later to Gavin knocking on my door.
“What?” I snapped.
“Sebastian wants to see us in his office.”
I scowled. Bad timing, but expected. Too much was going on for me to hide out in my room.
“I’ll meet you there.”
The wood floor outside my door creaked as Gavin walked away. After a few calming breaths, I followed.
He waited for us, seated on the edge of his desk. Once I closed the door, he handed me a printout of a local map. Three locations were marked—Kelly’s house, David’s house, and a third location I didn’t recognize. Sebastian explained as I handed the map to Gavin.
“We assumed that Kelly was being kept in a home somewhere. According to Dr. Baker, the were-animal we found was infected by a man-made virus. We’re probably looking for a lab.” He gestured to the map for Gavin’s benefit. “Sky saw a building in the area that could be a lab. We need to step up our search, expand it to include commercial buildings. I want you to concentrate on the area around Sky’s and David’s houses. There’s a good chance that Kelly sent the were-animal for help. She would’ve sent him to the nearest pack member.”
I added, “And he ended up at David’s door, probably looking for Sky’s.”
He nodded.
“It’s still a big search,” I said. “It’ll take time.”
Gavin snapped, “Then let’s get started.”
Sebastian ignored the breach in etiquette. “Joan is going to send some of her people to help.”
Gavin’s scowl only deepened. His mind was already on the hunt.
Sebastian turned to me. “Chris is one of the best at finding people.”
“She is. She ran away from Demetrius for a reason. I’m not sure she wants to be found, but I’ll reach out.”
I was in one of our communal offices, calling anyone I knew of that could potentially get a message to Chris, when Josh and Samuel found me. Their excitement was palpable.
Josh explained in a breathy rush, “We know why Ethos was collecting the protected objects. We always thought the purpose of each object was separate from the others, but that’s not true. All of the objects are connected to the Clostra. It turns out almost none of the spells can be used without a specific object. The symbols next to each spell, the ones we couldn’t figure out—those symbols represent which object is needed for that spell to work.”
I blinked at him. “How did you figure—”
“Senna told Sky. She thought she knew.” He gestured the way he’d come. “She’s in the library now.”
CHAPTER 15
Samuel and Josh sat side by side like eager schoolchildren on the far side of the table. Senna sat across from them, the three books of the Clostra open in front of her. Their eyes followed her every move as she browsed the pages, shifting from one book to the next. Standing behind her, my gaze was fixed on Samuel. He was on our side against Ethos, but his goals hadn’t changed. He still wanted to remove magic from the world, killing every were-animal in the process. From the moment we’d returned to the retreat, one of the books had remained in his possession, as Sebastian had promised. He’d only agreed to allow Senna to examine all of the books together because we agreed to share her knowledge. He couldn’t read the text or steal a spell without Senna’s help, but I still didn’t trust him completely.
Senna had softened regarding the pack since I’d last seen her peeking out from her door. Sky’s influence, I assumed.
Sky appeared in the doorway, surprised to find the rest of us in the room.
Josh used a foot to push out a chair for her. “Have a seat.”
As she sat, Senna turned the book she was skimming for Sky to examine. “See this?” Senna tapped at something on the page. “This symbol here. I know this means the Gem of Levage.” She opened the third book, tapped at that page. “This one is the Fatifer.”
Together, they searched through the books while Josh, Samuel, and I shared a tense impatience.
Senna frowned at something on a page. “Some of them are freaking scary.”
Samuel, his patience finally snapping, leaned over her shoulder. “Which ones?” The moment he looked directly at the pages, they went blank.
Senna gave him a teasing smile. “It doesn’t like you.”
He smiled back at her, an awkward gesture from a typically grim man. He sat back in his chair, measuring the girl with a surprisingly gentle look. “Too bad.”
She winked, drawing attention from her flushed cheeks. “You seem okay to me.”
Sky gaped between them.
Josh cleared his throat, not bothering to mask his irritation. “Will you continue?”
Senna pried her gaze from Samuel and returned to searching the pages. “This one is dangerous for anyone who has magic. And you need three objects to do it. It’s like summoning someone, but once you call, they can’t decline. With a summons or calling, they don’t have to answer. With this spell, they have to. If I wanted to use this against you, I could. That’s messed up.”
Josh and I came to a simultaneous conclusion. Not only did we have the means to summon Ethos, we had the means to summon the Tre’ase that had created Sky—without Logan’s assistance. Sky quickly caught on as well. I could hear her heart racing with excitement. To do so, we’d need to maintain access to all three books. Our arrangement with Samuel was already becoming inconvenient.
Sky asked, “What objects do we need?”
“Gem of Levage, Aufero, Fatifer, and blood.”
I scowled. “We used the last of his blood.”
“There’s still some stain on the carpet, but I have more.” She grinned, proud. “I have the knife I stabbed his tail with, and the shirt his blood sprayed onto.”
I smiled back, impressed. We still didn’t have the Tre’ase’s blood, but we’d deal with that later. While the rest of us pondered the consequences of using the spell, Senna took the opportunity to make a tentative request.
“Can I go home to see my mom?”
Josh’s eyes fell to his hands.
I rounded the table to meet her gaze, fixing on her until I was confident I had her attention. She was desperate, willing to do anything to go home. I just needed to put her on a leash, first. “The East Coast Pack will be around a lot until this is handled. If you send them away, try to lose them…or pull any of the crap you pulled before…”
I let the threat trail off, aware she’d understood the message.
Sebastian joined us and took a seat at the table. Sky caught him up to speed with what we’d learned. The decision was made to attempt the summons right away, while Ethos was still licking his wounds. We didn’t dare give him time to gather new allies. The challenge would be Maya. She would make her attempt to gain control. Sky would have to fight that battle alone.
I didn’t like it, but there was nothing I could do. There was one thing that needed to be done, first.
A short time later, alone in the library, Josh began the spell to transfer my dark elf magic into the Aufero. Sky had performed the spell before, turning her living room into a destructive cyclone in the process. Glancing around at the stacked shelves in the library, I wondered that Josh would put them at risk.
The storm never came. Within minutes, I felt the irritating hum of magic flow out of my body and into the Aufero, changing its bright orange glow to a dull, sickly gray.
When Josh stopped the incantation and looked at me, I blinked back at him.
“That’s it?” I asked.
He shrugged and began gathering up the materials he’d used for the spell.
I gestured around the library. “Shouldn’t shit be flying and breaking apart?”
He gave me a knowing look. “That’s why you should’ve come to me the first time.”
All the arguments about protecting him from the burden of knowing I was a dark elf came flooding back to me, all valid. But I bit them back, nodded. “You’re right. I should have.”
He smiled, declared, “Twice in one day. I can get used to that.”
I started toward the door, hiding my own smile. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”
With just a few hours until the summoning, I went to check on Sky, who would bear the brunt of our plan.
Sky stood in the clearing behind the retreat, her palm draped over the pommel of a sword sheathed at her side. Around her, a circle was defined by a mixture of tannin, salt, and ground iron. Before her, the protected objects were laid out in a line; from right to left, the Fatifer, the Gem of Levage, and the Aufero.
I placed my hand on her shoulder, felt my brother’s magic coursing through her. She was the only one of us able to cast the spell, which put her at the center of Ethos’s wrath. But the Aufero’s magic was too unpredictable to count on for her protection. Josh had loaned her as much of his magic as possible. In the process, he’d weakened himself, but the tradeoff was worth the risk. He would still be useful to us, but his role in the fight would be minimal. Given he was still recovering from his wound, I was glad to have him farther from danger.
Sky’s heart pounded in her chest.
In a voice only she could hear, I asked, “Are you ready for this?”
She sucked in a calming breath, then nodded.
I stepped a few feet out of the circle and changed into my wolf, joining Sebastian’s. Several other were-animals mingled behind us, waiting. Beside me, Winter drew her katana. A wakizashi—a twelve-inch tempered steel dagger—was sheathed at her right hip. Smaller knives were sheathed at her ankles and the small of her back.
Josh and Samuel stood much farther back to provide support when needed.
Sky checked the noise-reducing buds in her ears that would minimize the shrill sound Ethos had previously used against us. Josh, Samuel, and the others in human form all wore the same. Anxious, Sky once more squeezed the sword pommel. Sebastian’s training had brought out her gift with the weapon. He’d every confidence in her ability to wield it, and so did I.
Our eyes met, a long silent communication.
After a moment, she sucked in a final deep breath and began the incantation memorized from the Clostra. Magic immediately flooded the clearing, vibrating against my fur like a static charge. I saw the hairs on Sky’s arms stand straight up. Her voice rose to a crescendo as she reached the climax of the spell.
Silence followed.
I glanced around the clearing, looking for a sign of Ethos’s response. Had she made a mistake with the incantation? Sky was about to try again when orange, red, and blue lights burst into flickering life around her. A powerful force of magic followed, slamming into and then engulfing her. Within its grasp, she struggled for breath.
A demonic-looking being with oily black skin and a long forked tail manifested before her.
Ethos.
His black maw opened wide, emitting a shrill, ear-splitting sound. Sky winced, but the earbuds mostly did their job. She drew her sword when his tail whipped out and slammed against her chest. She stumbled back a step, but remained in the circle.
Ethos strode toward her, chanting in that ancient, guttural language of his. Only three words I understood—“Maya, wake up.”
A dense fog of magic formed around Sky, seemingly rising from within. Her body froze as her internal battle with Maya began.
I took steps toward them until Sebastian blocked me with his body. A growl rumbled from his chest. I growled back, but remained where I was.
The fog grew darker, obscured more of her. I was about to charge Ethos—fuck the consequences—when the fog burst like a blast into his chest. The force threw him back several feet, and he landed hard on his back. As Sky strode toward him, sword raised, his hands slapped angrily at the ground, igniting a circle of tall flames around him that kept her at bay.
Sky’s lips moved quickly, calling a gust of wind. The flames flickered, but remained. I felt Samuel’s magic behind me, followed by a stronger gust of wind that reduced the flames to a small flickering fire.
Before the wind receded, Sky lunged with her sword. Ethos turned, trying to avoid the blow. The blade sliced cleanly through his arm. He let out a shrill cry as the limb fell into the grass, but there was an agony to it. Before Sky could strike again, a black ball of magic launched from his remaining hand. When it burst against her chest, the magic spread around her like a dark hand, binding her arms to her side. While her magic sparked and hissed, trying to break the binding, he advanced on her with a murderous fire in his eyes.
We broke the circle, charging at Ethos. His tail lashed out to pierce Sky just as Steven leapt. He caught it in his mouth, bit into the thick leather and held on. A putrid scent emerged from the wound, fouling the air. I leapt, snarling. Ethos’s remaining arm struck my side, sent me sprawling into the grass. Sebastian attacked from the other flank, climbing onto Ethos’s back. Before he could sink his teeth deep into that black flesh, he was cast aside, but our distraction succeeded. While we circled him, drawing his attention, Sky broke the bindings around her. Her loud grunt echoed across the clearing as she swung the sword clean through his neck.
His head tumbled into the grass. The body stumbled, fell to its knees but remained upright. I watched in consternation as the head turned, its eyes fixing on its detached form. Decapitation was supposed to be certain death for any supernatural creature. Yet we watched in horror as the two pieces of Ethos sought each other. The body reached out, blind, while the head inched forward like a worm.
The others gasped, muttered their fear. I could only watch in dark fascination.
Winter hissed behind me, “Can anything kill him?”
The answer came to me, something I’d come across in Josh’s magical texts in the pack library. There were spells there he didn’t recognize because they didn’t suit his magic, but they suited mine. Approaching the body, I laid a hand against the scales and whispered an incantation.
The body fell in a clatter and began to crack and shrivel in something like a vampire’s reversion. After a moment, the now-dead form collapsed into dust. Ignoring the questioning stares of the others, I moved on to Ethos’s head. Standing over it, I paused to stare into the eyes. Fire glared back at me. His maw was open, making a clicking sound as he tried to scream. My hand resting on the top of his head, I muttered the incantation once more. With great satisfaction, I watched the fire die in those eyes. A moment later, he was dust.
Aware of Sky’s searching stare, I ignored it while I gathered up the Fatifer and the Gem of Levage. There would be questions I didn’t want to answer. The Aufero wouldn’t let me near, warding against my touch with a protective field.
It yielded to Sky’s hand. She hissed next to me, “What the hell was that? What you did. I thought Josh used the Aufero to fix you—to fix things.”
“He did.”
I shrugged as if the gesture explained everything.
I started to walk away from her, but turned back with an imploring look. “Sky, don’t make this into something it isn’t. It was just a spell. If I hadn’t done it, probably Samuel or Josh would have.”
Watching her struggle against a rising tide of questions brought a faint smile to my lips. “Everything there is to know about me, you already know.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You swear?”
“Everything there is to know about me,” I repeated, sincere, “you already know.”
With the two objects in my hands, I turned and walked toward the house.
CHAPTER 16
Whatever Ethos was, a Faerie, a demon, or a human deformed by dark magic—he was dead. That was cause to celebrate. Josh planned a weekend party at the club. Until then, there was much to plan. Maya remained a problem, though without Ethos’s help her threat was significantly reduced. Sky had proven that she could control the spirit shade, for now. She still wanted the spirit shade out, but we’d yet to determine how and if Sky could live without it.
More urgent to me, there was a Tre’ase out there that held Sky’s life in its hands. The Clostra gave us the means to summon that Tre’ase, but without its blood, the spell was useless. With no other alternative, we’d no choice but to turn to Logan for help. With any luck, his price would be reasonable, but he was a Tre’ase. Their bargains were anything but.
