Truth Seer Book Four, page 12
My magic wanted to be free. It could only do that by learning the true facts. Guess what? Almost every single thing in existence wants to be free. But only the brave want the truth.
This banshee might not be alive. It still had a semblance of intelligence. It still had something I guess you could call an ego. And that wanted to hide from the facts.
I was doing this the wrong way. I was using my magic to corral the banshee. I should be using it to terrify the banshee instead.
I stared one last time at its third eye then did the equivalent of ripping the proverbial veil back.
If it didn’t want to know the facts, I’d cram them up its damn nose.
“You failed,” Lord Omega tried.
“No. I’m just getting started.” With one last blood-curdling roar, I finally compelled the banshee.
Its hand froze.
The banshee beside it freaked out. Lord Omega wasn’t controlling it yet. But he did in a rush. The banshee staggered to a knee, flexed its wings, then rose.
It was forgetting its far larger friend. It was crazy to compel the banshee while being in my own body simultaneously. I felt like someone had cloned my brain – and they’d done a crap job. I still controlled my body better than I did the banshee’s. But I punched my host’s hand to the left, grabbed Lord Omega’s new host, and snapped its neck. Brutal? Yes. Affective? Absolutely.
The banshee fell and turned into dust that scattered over the books.
Then I continued to stare at my new host.
I didn’t like that word. It terrified the pants off me. It was still true. I was inside the banshee’s brain. And the longer I stayed there, the more the sense of its body confused me. I wasn’t that tall, nor that muscly. The banshee was massive. My brain was trying to accommodate the fact I didn’t just have two bodies, but one was wildly different.
I think a little blood started to leak out of my nostrils.
“You,” I clenched my teeth, “will go and save everyone in the library. Destroy the other banshees,” I tried.
What was I doing? The banshee was under my mental control. Not under my vocal control. It wasn’t some fancy voice-activated robot. I couldn’t think straight. Too much magic….
Just when I was certain I’d collapse, break my shield, and leave myself vulnerable, Beth darted back into view. Immediately she knew what was happening. “Harper, if you’re compelling that banshee, use it. Release your shield. You are weak enough the other banshees will be attracted to you. Do it now,” she roared.
I had to trust Beth. But this was a potentially suicidal command.
I didn’t release my shield on purpose. It all became too much, and it crackled into nothingness. I flopped to the side, but I kept control of the banshee.
Beth was right. The remaining few banshees in the library were indeed attracted to me. They roared, their splitting cries getting louder. I saw the shadows of their wings dart over the books beneath me.
They landed. Blood and sweat and freaking tears mixed together in my eyes until I could barely see. The 5% of my field of view that worked locked on my banshee. I twisted the guy around. I was him but me but both. By the end of this, I’d have such a headache, I’d sleep for a week.
“To the left. The left, Harper,” Beth cried.
My compelling force sharpened. I grabbed one of the banshees out of the air and threw it at the other one. I used all my force—
I fell.
I lost hold of my banshee. The compelling force didn’t break for good. I could still get it back—
The big banshee turned and leapt for me. Beth rammed it. “Compel it. Get it to kill itself. Now,” she roared.
I could… I could do that. One last task.
I opened my eyes and looked at the banshee just as it tried to grab my throat. Its claws froze.
I compelled it in a rush. And I turned its claw against it just as fast. As it sliced down its chest, it disrupted its magic, and the banshee turned to dust.
It was over. It was actually freaking over.
For now.
Chapter 10
Remarkably, I didn’t black out. Beth helped. She hovered close, helping me to my knees. For about five minutes, I caught my breath. I should head out and check on everyone else. I couldn’t.
Beth brushed the hair from my face. “You got lucky, Harper. You could have died.”
“Less about me. Did anyone else die?” I could barely push that question out.
“No.”
“But one of those banshees had flesh in its mouth.”
“It didn’t feast on any one here. Everyone’s magical.”
“What about Samantha?”
“I didn’t see her. Hopefully she left before the attack.”
“Yeah.” Locking my hand on the back of my mouth, I rose. Beth helped. She also helped me escape the basement. There were no stairs. So I grabbed her, and she pulled me up onto the primary library floor. It was a mess. For a place that’d made me squeamish to begin with, I almost cried as I touched one of the mangled stacks.
“Don’t be so emotional, Harper. The library will heal. The actual building – and its magic – are fine. Once the magical community finds out what’s happened here, they’ll pull together. Don’t worry.”
“Don’t worry? Lord Omega trashed this place because of me.” I frowned hard.
“You were his target, then? You’ve confirmed that?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then don’t jump to conclusions. Lord Omega had eight banshees. He wouldn’t have used that number on you. It would be a waste.”
“Hardly. I won in the end.”
“Lord Omega would not plan to waste resources. He would have assumed three or four would be enough to take you on. He attacked this place with eight for a very specific reason. I guarantee you weren’t his target, Harper.”
I frowned, reached out, and touched one of the stacks. It shuddered beneath my fingers. I assessed it, a few tears touching my eyes. “Then who was his target?”
Beth was silent.
“Where do we go now? Do we wait until the Council gets here?”
“They’ll be on their way. Harper, we should leave. I have a funny feeling.”
Oh, great. The last time she had one of those, we’d run from the Council and two trackers had tried to capture me. “Beth?” My quick voice snapped that out of the air.
“I just have a feeling, alright?”
I humored her. We left the library, got in the truck, and drove. Beth left this to me. She peered out of the open window at the snow-cloud-filled sky. “I’m not sure, but…. Oh, I don’t know. I’m just making it up.”
“Beth,” I blew a blast of air against my fringe, “I’m pretty much on the edge of collapsing here. Don’t mess with me. If you feel something, follow it. Don’t doubt your intuition. A pretty smart magical practitioner keeps telling me to do that.”
“Who, Lux? He’s not that smart. You’ll find he’s far more passionate than intelligent.”
“Sure. I’m still waiting for proof, though.”
Remarkably, Beth didn’t latch hold of that statement and strangle me with it. “I assume you mean the person who keeps telling you to follow your intuition is me. You have misheard. Intuition is dangerous without reason. And that’s why I’m not following mine.”
“Lord Omega attacked that library with eight banshees. He’s clearly after something. We’ve got no leads. We’ve just got your intuition. And this car. And a full tank of magical petrol.”
“And a truth seer seconds from blacking out. We’ll head home—”
“I am not seconds from blacking out. I’m fine. Let’s not get into any more crazy fights. Otherwise, I’ll be okay.”
“All we seem to do is fight.”
“Where is your intuition trying to lead you? Tell me. I’ll use my truth-seer magic. Bethany, what makes us work is we don’t work alone.” I said that like it was a fact, which made it feel more important.
She bobbed close. “You know, when I first met you, I thought you were useless. One can never trust first impressions.”
I looked at her. “Lucky yours isn’t a first impression. You’re a soul shard with three months under your belt, strong magic, a great big brain, and me for backup. Where are we headed?”
“To Lady Edwina’s second house.”
I frowned. “Samantha, right?”
“Indeed. When you pointed it out, I didn’t think it through. But you’re right. Why on earth would she be at a magical library? Edwina would never visit that library. She’d go to the Council or one of the private vampire places. While vampires do control the Mystic Library, it’s a lower caste. Samantha simply should not have been there.”
I clicked my fingers. “So we head to Edwina’s. And where is she exactly?”
“Give me your phone.”
I handed it over. Bethany did some quick research then announced the address.
She helped me navigate there. We soon drove into a leafy suburb. Edwina’s second house wasn’t as fancy as the first – it was just as expensive. This particular suburb had property prices so sky high, they waved at the International Space station.
I pursed my lips together and whistled as I parked underneath the canopy of a denuded oak tree. “This the place?” I gestured across the road at it.
It was a two-story sandstone Edwardian building. It was grand, if terribly cold-looking. It was even more austere than the previous mansion.
At least that possessed a small garden. This was set back only two meters from the road and a serious solid fence. Iron, stone, and presumably magical – it was there to keep all out. As I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, I wondered if that included me.
“Can we just rock up unannounced? What would Vince think?”
“… You could ask him yourself.”
“Huh? I don’t wanna text him right now. He’ll be busy. Wait, I’m just assuming he knows about the library.”
“He’ll know. I’m referring to the fact he’s here already. He’s discussing something with Lady Edwina. I can see them in the sitting room.” She gestured forward.
Leaning against the steering wheel, I peered through the windscreen. Indeed, I picked up the side of Vince’s face.
Lady Edwina sat back in an expensive antique chair, her hands arranged on her lap, a serious, haughty expression on her face. With a slight edge.
I didn’t like this – spying on Vince felt wrong but necessary at the same time. My blood magic sparked, warning I needed to do this.
“Crap,” I ran my hands through my hair, already stressing out as I slipped from the car, keeping low, “I’m gonna go to hell for this, aren’t I?”
“If you leave the car parked here, yes. Should Vince glance up, he’ll notice. Leave it up to me to back it out of the way.” Without an invitation, Beth shot into the driver’s seat and backed the car down the road. She soon reappeared. She didn’t fly obviously but kept low, rolling over the ground. If anyone saw her from a distance, hopefully they’d think she was a large marble. She rolled up my side, pushed into my pocket, then encouraged, “Time to start spying. Look at it this way, it’s less effort than fighting.”
“But it’ll lead to a fight if Vince ever finds out. Crap,” I crammed my thumbnail into my mouth, “what am I even doing here? This will backfire.”
“Of course. But later. Concentrate. This place has considerable defenses.”
“Yeah, of course it does. Because the lady has been targeted. The Council is presumably watching it. They probably saw me park. Oh, what am I even doing?”
“You are going to stop questioning yourself presently. It’s boring. Now, trust me. And follow me. I can sense the magical defenses.”
I frowned at her and arched an eyebrow. “You sure? If we screw up—”
“Trust me.”
Remarkably, I did trust her.
We didn’t approach the place from the front. She led me down between this house and the next one. I had to jump over fences. I definitely felt like a criminal.
I also shook a little. I still had the strength to move – I would be dead by tonight, though.
And cold.
Just as predicted, a few tiny snowflakes fell from the sky. They meandered down and struck my upturned face. I shuddered against the chill.
“Harper, concentrate. The magic is diffuse here. Grab me. Hold me tight. Give me your power.”
“The little that’s left,” I chortled.
“You have hidden reserves, Harper. It’s the only reason you managed to defeat eight banshees. Now, should I slow that down and repeat it so you understand? Eight banshees. When Vince does find out about your part in that attack, he will freak out.”
I frowned as I navigated around a large elm. I pressed my hand against the rough bark, spied the right fence, and jumped over it. “You make it sound like I’m a criminal. I didn’t have a part in that attack.”
“I apologize. You ended it. By killing eight banshees,” Beth emphasized yet again. “Vince will treat you differently after this. Lux too. Your powers are growing. And back to my original point. Harper, stop pretending you’re tired. You have hidden reserves of magic you’re only starting to tap into. I imagine by the end of this tale, you’ll be able to refine far more than three drops of blood.”
I made a serious face now. “Shouldn’t I aim to keep most of my blood inside me, though? Even if I could refine more, it’d be stupid, right?” I thought of Virginia’s warnings.
“It depends.”
“On what?”
“You’ll have to find that out for yourself. For now, lend me your power. Oh, there. I sense the correct path. Just up ahead. To the left. Follow my voice exactly.”
I followed her instructions until I finally reached the back of the property. It was just as austere as the front.
There were a few blades of grass, clipped and standing to attention like soldiers on patrol. That was the only sign of life. Apt, I guess. This place did belong to the undead.
I don’t know why that word got stuck in my head. It repeated on a loop.
I’d gotten over the fact vampires were technically undead a while ago. They were closer to immortality than the grave, anyway. It was a misnomer. Why did it fit Lady Edwina so well?
Beth rumbled quietly, getting my attention. “You must focus for the next bit. It’s important, Harper. We must breach the house’s defenses.”
“How come you can do this? The Council is watching this place.”
“I’m an orb of many skills. With your truth seer power, I am even more powerful. I’m assuming the Council doesn’t suspect we’ll break into this place, either.” She had the temerity to chuckle.
It felt like a ringing slap, and it promptly reminded me of how damn stupid this was. I was breaking into a powerful vamp’s house right under Vince’s nose.
I reached the porch, teetered, winced, and almost threw myself back across the grass.
My curiosity won, like usual.
“Careful,” Beth hissed. “Reach out and touch the handle. Do not open it. Not until the precise moment I tell you to.”
My nerves jittered through my body, feeling like hot marbles rolling over a cracking road.
“Now,” Beth snapped. She glowed with magic. Though I could be making this up, I got the impression of a safecracker slowly winding some wheel until they heard the precise click they were after.
I opened the handle. Magic dissipated across the door. Beth pushed my hand, indicating we should head forward.
I unstuck my feet, ignored my nerves, and entered the house.
I’d done it. This was now breaking and entering. I could very well go to jail for this. Maybe Vince would excommunicate me or do whatever the hell the head of the Council did to wayward truth seekers.
A stupid thought jumped into my head. Would that mean I could be with Lux with impunity? Would he even want me? On the face of it, a hell-raising demon would want you more if you broke into people’s houses and flaunted the law. Lux was in such a tricky position. If he didn’t uphold the Treaty, he’d die. Or worse. Jill would take him.
Usually, I tried to control my racing thoughts in circumstances like these. Now I let them freewheel.
Bethany nestled harder against my palm, looping my fingers around it with a spell. Then she pulled it close to my mouth as she whispered, “Head out very slowly. I sense Samantha. But she’s strange. Thin somehow,” Beth added disjointedly.
I frowned. I couldn’t sense Samantha at all. A distinct disadvantage, right? Crap. I hadn’t thought of that before. Samantha had no magic. How could I sense a mundane? My blood wouldn’t boil.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
As prickling fear escaped over my back, I walked forward, as quiet as the grave. This floor wasn’t even carpeted. The house was cold – that kind of bone-aching, numbing cold that makes you wonder if running outside and jumping head-first into a snowdrift would make you warmer. It wasn’t just the lack of heat. The place was beyond austere. It technically looked fancy. Clearly it was valuable. It just gave one the impression of cold-hearted, polished steel.
I walked through the corridor, relying on Beth’s sense to feel other living beings.
I finally reached the right hallway. If Samantha came now, I’d be screwed. I was on full display. My back was arched, my fingers stiff. I looked like a hassled cat.
“Forward,” Beth whispered. My hand was still pressed up against my ear, and I was using the soul shard like a walkie-talkie. “To the left, Harper. Through that half-open door. You’ll be able to use me like an ear-horn against the wall. Slowly.”
I took it slow, all right. I reached the door and tugged it open, my shoulders stiff as I shimmied inside.
I went to close it.
“Samantha is eagle-eyed,” Beth snapped. “Leave it precisely how you found it.”
Following Beth’s instructions, I slowly pushed it half closed. Then I released it. I wanted to hold on to something tightly – Beth would do. I squeezed her until she protested. “Head to the wall. Fast. We’re missing the juicy parts of the conversation, I’m sure.”
Juicy? Who knew? Vince was probably discussing the finer elements of Lady Edwina’s security detail. The second he found me here… God, I could replay it in my head perfectly. The exact stiff-lipped, grim disappointment. Maybe for a second a flicker of recognition would lighten his eyes, as warm as a candle flame. Then betrayal would extinguish it. And likely the vamp would never have anything to do with me again.
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