Called by Midnight, page 8
“Coward,” Maz heard the Fae warrior woman whisper under her breath. Then she pasted on a smile and sat down on the corner of the desk that served as a counter. “You’re more than a match for anything we might encounter. Look how well you’ve done so far.”
“Right!” the other Fae agreed. “You’re well on your way to a five-star review!”
“Five-star review? Have you both lost your marbles?” Cass shook her head, then opened the drawer in the desk of her messy storefront office and pulled out a dusty old grimoire. “I’m just about tapped out as it is,” she continued. “My wand is kaput after that last close call.” She tugged the twig out of her pocket and tossed it over her shoulder.
“You’re the one hoping to bring in business, and a five-star review from us would definitely put you on the map.” Phaedra leaned in, her face as cheerful as Maz had ever seen it. “I promise a personal testimonial that you can use in your ad campaign, and at least a half dozen referrals.”
“If those referrals lead to jobs like this one, I’m not interested.” The witch blew the dust off the grimoire and cracked it open. “As it is, I’ve got to dig spells out of this old thing. That’s how bad things have gotten. But if I don’t get a magical recharge, I’ll be too weak to open a portal the size of a mousehole.”
Tayla circled around the desk and put a hand on Cass’s shoulder. “I’m sorry that our current situation is so taxing, but it’s really a testament to your abilities. You’re our rock, and we can’t go on without you.” When the witch didn’t answer, she patted her shoulder. “I promise to make sure Phaedra writes that stellar review she promises. And we’ll pay you double your initial fee, of course.”
“Double!” Cass scoffed. “The circumstances of the deal are vastly different now. Double isn’t near enough.”
“I will personally pay you ten times whatever they’ve offered,” Maz said from the corner where he’d been leaning and watching the display. “Twenty times. A hundred times. A queen’s ransom. Help me get Hollie back, and you can name your price.”
Phaedra looked over her shoulder and scowled at him. “Once we rescue Hollie, the first thing I’m going to do is make sure she stays far away from you.”
Maz ignored her, his gaze staying on the witch until she blushed and looked down. “I appreciate the offers, all of you,” Cass said, “but I’m not going.”
“Then, so help me, I’ll write the worst review in the history of reviews, and I’ll hire a demon to spread the word through the entire multiverse. I won’t rest until—”
“Save it,” Cass said, holding up a hand. “Threats aren’t going to work if a queen’s ransom won’t.”
“Please, Cass,” Tayla said, swiveling the witch’s chair around to face her. “We need you. A Fae’s memory is long, and if you help us, it will be a debt not swiftly forgotten, that I pledge.”
“You’re never going to leave me alone if I don’t agree, are you?” Cass said at last with a heavy sigh.
“Correct,” Phaedra said, hopping off her desk. “So let’s stop arguing and get going.” She turned to Maz. “What was the name of the realm again? BeefFanta?”
“BeLafonte,” he corrected.
“Right. Can you take us there, Cass?” The warrior Fae was already tapping her toe with impatience.
The witch stood and crossed over to a large bookshelf where books and scrolls were stashed haphazardly, some with spines out, others with spines in, some lying horizontally, some vertical, and all of them cluttered and disorganized. “Ah,” she said after searching for a moment. “The Worldswide Web Compendium.”
The book she selected was as slender as a pamphlet, but when she opened it, it unfolded once, then twice, then again and again until it was the size of one of the shop’s walls. “Here it is,” Cass said from behind it. “BeLafonte. No known restrictions, entry requirements, or traps.” She dropped the now massive thing, and it folded itself and placed itself back on the shelf. “I’m going to need a moment to cast an energy recharge and set precise coordinates. Be right back.”
The witch snatched the grimoire off her desk and pushed her way through a door to the back of the shop. Maz’s impatience at the wait matched Phaedra’s, and he watched as the Fae began to pace. He tried to center himself, but the longer he went without his mate, the crazier he felt.
The vampire was grateful for the stolen interlude they’d managed a few hours ago, but their brief exchange had only whetted his appetite. Maz longed for the day that she would be all his, that he’d wake beside her, that they’d spent hours discovering everything about one another. The longer he had to wait for that day, the more agitated he felt.
At last, the witch was ready. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this,” she said before using her feet to kick away the refuse and scattered objects that covered the floor of the jumbled shop. She knelt and drew a circle wide enough for the four of them to fit in, then ran her hands over the space until it began to ripple like water.
“In you go,” she said, motioning them toward the portal.
Phaedra strode straight to the circle, dramatically plugged her nose, then plunged in like a child jumping into a cool summer lake. She vanished, and Tayla motioned for Maz to go next. Without hesitation, he did, leaping into the portal and passing through its surface, a burning sensation igniting over his skin. At first, he thought he’d been exposed to the sun, but they were still in the formlessness of the portal. The sensation flared to the point of agony, then he passed through and tumbled to the ground, the burning gone.
Maz was quick to make sure he was covered, skittering backward to rest in the shade beneath a tree. So far, his long coat and hat had kept him safe, but the daylight here already hurt his eyes.
A moment later, Tayla and Cass dropped beside them, and the portal that had been hanging six feet in the air vanished. “What was with the burning?” Phaedra asked, picking herself and dusting herself off. “That’s never happened before.”
“I don’t know,” Cass said, rubbing her arms and shivering. Then she froze. “And I don’t think I want to find out. There’s something wrong here, something...powerful and nasty.”
“What are you talking about?” Maz asked, on high alert. “Hollie said there was magic here, but nothing that had her worried.”
“That’s not surprising,” Tayla pointed out. “Humans can’t sense magic like other races can.”
“I can’t describe it,” the witch said, her face screwing up as if she’d drunk curdled milk. “But it’s deeply unnerving. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
“Then let’s go find Hollie,” Phaedra said, motioning them forward. They’d landed in a small copse of trees that gave way to a shaded lane bordered by rustic-looking houses. “Did she tell you where she was in this realm?” she asked Maz.
“In a city, one with technological wonders.” He scanned the area, but all he could see was other houses and smaller buildings. “Give me a moment, and I’ll get the lay of the land,” he said, setting his sights on a low hill on the edge of town. In the blink of an eye, he traveled there and looked out into the distance.
To the east, he could see spires reaching above the treetops, spires that seemed to span a couple miles. A city. He blinked back to his companions. “I see a city several miles away, to the east.”
“Let’s go,” Phaedra said, setting off on foot until Maz called her back. Although he appreciated their wariness when it came to his powers, there was no time for them to walk everywhere when he could have them on the outskirts of the city in half a second.
“Take my hands,” he told them, “and I will get us there without delay. As the witch said, the sooner we’re gone, the better.”
Tayla nodded, and Cass looked convinced, but Phaedra turned up her nose at the offer. “We Fae are fleet of foot. We could be there before the sun sets.”
“We could be there now if you’d just stop being so obstinate,” he snapped, causing the Fae female to recoil. “Apologies for my impatience,” he said after a moment, then motioned to the skin on his hands that was starting to smoke the longer it stayed in the sunlight. “We cannot afford to waste time for any reason.”
“Fine,” Phaedra said at last, then grabbed his hand, which was starting to blister. The other women took his opposite hand, and Maz held on tightly to them. Then he traveled to the east faster than a bolt of lightning.
Phaedra was quick to pull her hand out of his grip and wipe it on the leg of her tight pants. Tayla gave him a grateful nod, but the witch let out a cry of alarm. “It’s stronger here, the foul magic. Strong enough to make me nauseous.”
“Can you tell where it’s coming from?” Tayla asked.
Cass nodded and pointed in the direction of the source. “It’s that way. Less than a mile.”
“We should go that way,” Tayla said, setting off in the direction of Cass’s finger. Phaedra grabbed her fellow Fae and shook her head.
“You’re saying we should run toward the evil magic? Don’t we generally try to avoid things like that? We should focus on retrieving Hollie and getting out of here.”
“Knowing Hollie, she’s probably close to the source of this strange magic,” Tayla pointed out. “There’s got to be a connection.”
“She’s right,” Maz said, convinced. “We should follow the magic to its source.”
Phaedra let out a sigh, grumbling under her breath about losing control of the mob she was supposed to lead, but she fell in line behind Cass, who took off in the direction she’d pointed. Before long, they were standing before a large, misshapen building that looked like something a child had built.
Maz was about to suggest they might have made a mistake when he caught a whiff of a familiar scent. His mouth started to water, and his muscles went rigid. “Hollie is in there,” he blurted, then rushed toward the building. He would have ripped open the door if Phaedra hadn’t thrown herself in front of him.
“Hang on, big guy,” she said. “Maybe we shouldn’t rush right into this situation, given that Cass is basically melting down right now.”
Maz’s eyes shot to the witch, who’d gone so pale she was nearly translucent. He turned back to the Fae, scowling. “It was your bright idea to bluster your way into Accutix, and I followed orders there.”
“And I can admit now that the plan was flawed,” she told him gently. “Or have you forgotten how it ended?”
Maz recalled waking up from his stupor at the feet of a half-giant, half-orc who’d been felled by the combined efforts of his companions. After they’d defeated the contingent of Dev, they’d stumbled on a horde of goblins led by the nastiest, ugliest creature he’d ever seen. It had been the half-and-half that had knocked him out, allowing him to find Hollie in her dream.
The vampire growled, every instinct inside him clamoring for Hollie and the imp’s blood, but he gave a nod and did not try to charge the door again. “What is your plan?”
“A stakeout,” Phaedra said, pointing to a dumpling cart a few yards away. “We’ll have an unobstructed view of the door and whoever comes and goes.”
Cass was trembling and began vigorously shaking her head. “We shouldn’t go in there. Can’t you feel it?”
Maz could feel nothing, and neither could the Fae, it seemed. He was about to argue when he felt like he’d been doused in ice water. Oh no, not now! A sickening whoosh, and he was gone, landing at the feet of the being he least wanted to see now.
Samael stared down at him. “Where have you been?”
Maz stood, recovering from his summoning and adopting a contrite tone. “Pursuing the imp. I’d just stumbled on his location when you pulled me back to Pluto.”
The Angel of Death’s expression was skeptical. “What is taking so long? Are you sure you haven’t gotten distracted by something?” Samael started to circle around him, his eyes stabbing at the vamp. “You’re usually so punctual. Yet this time, I have to track you down if I want your reports.”
“I apologize if I haven’t been as efficient as you’d like. I’ve run into an issue in my pursuit of the imp. He seems to have come into contact with a very powerful magic user, someone I am not sure I can best. The situation was under observation until you called me back.”
Samael stared at him, and for a moment, Maz thought his master might accuse him of spinning falsehoods. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, shiny mirror with an ornately decorated backing in what appeared to be pure platinum. “Use that if you have to. It will allow you to reflect magic back at the caster. You can capture them with their own spell.”
“It should come in handy,” Maz said gratefully, taking the mirror from him.
“I want the imp,” Samael said, his eyes cold.
Maz nodded, then bowed his head. “It shall be as you command,” he replied, even as a chill went through him. There was something about the prince, something in his expression, that made him worry. Samael wasn’t the most trustworthy of beings on his best day, and given the situation, Maz thought it was likely his boss had something up his sleeve.
“Go,” Samael said, motioning the vampire away, and Maz wasted no time, traveling away a moment later, the tendril of doubt still niggling away in the back of his mind.
Chapter Eleven
HOLLIE’S SPIRITS WERE higher than they had been in ages. They were actively moving away from her captor, and so far, Dallon seemed none the wiser. He’s either drunk or stuck into some sort of gambling. He should be betting on how quickly Ahriman is going to double-cross him.
There was something about the prince she didn’t trust. Heck, more than one thing. The whole bunch of those so-called Princes of Darkness are as shady as a grove of oak trees. Still, she wouldn’t feel bad for the imp if he got caught between two princes. He’s made his own messy bed, and he can rot in it, because I’m free!
Nev smiled at her, then turned a corner, taking her down a street lined with small shops and restaurants. “Almost there.”
“What quarter is this?” Windy asked, looking around. “I’ve never seen these shops before.”
Nev shrugged. “The South Quarter, I suppose.”
“There is no South Quarter,” Windy said testily, then paused in front of a shop that seemed to sell magical items. “That shop shouldn’t be here,” he said, pointing his little white hand at the display of candles, bells, and potion ingredients.
“Maybe it’s new,” Hollie volunteered, but Windy shook his head.
“Magical shops are outlawed per the seventh constitution of the realm. ‘No magical items should be sold for coin or exchanged for other goods or services without the express written permission of—'”
“Do you ever shut up?” Nev spoke over him. “Why don’t we just part ways, and you can go back to your precious workshop instead of hassling me.”
Windy made an angry beep. “It is against protocol. I am not to leave Hollie’s side until the protocol is reversed.”
“I’d like to reverse your protocol myself,” Nev grumbled, “starting with deleting your speech subroutines.”
“Where is the restaurant again?” Hollie asked, hoping to deflect the apprentice’s anger. “Are we almost there?”
“We are,” Nev replied, giving the robot a dirty look, then smiling at Hollie. “It’s just up ahead. You can see the flashing pile of noodles on the sign.”
“What is this street called?” Windy asked, and Hollie was afraid that Nev was going to kick him into next week.
“Whisper Way,” the apprentice said without missing a beat, her false cheer still in place. “And before you ask, the restaurant is called ‘Noodle Night.’”
“Never heard of the place,” Windy grunted. “And there is no Whisper Way. I’ve been input with a self-updating map of the city, and there is no—”
“Down here,” Nev said, pointing to a dim alleyway. “There’s a back entrance off the kitchens. I know the chef, and he lets me eat in the back for free.”
The sun passed behind a cloud, and it was like the light and heat bled out of the world. Hollie shivered, not liking the look of that particular alley. “I think we can just go in the front. I’m sure the noodles aren’t that expensive.”
Nev laughed. “Who are you to turn down free food? Some kind of empress or something?” She put an arm around Hollie’s shoulder and directed her toward the alley. There were scattered bits of filth and decaying food spilling out of the garbage cans lining the brick walls.
Hollie tried to pause at the mouth of the alley, a sudden feeling of unease stopping her from moving forward, but at that moment a strong wind kicked up, sweeping her into the alley with its momentum. Windy was right behind her, letting out a few frightened beeps.
The moment they passed into the shadow between the two buildings, their surroundings suddenly shifted. The cheer of moments before was replaced instantly by a creeping fear intent on strangling her. Hollie pulled away from Nev and turned around, intent on backtracking, but what had been an opening to the street a moment before was now a dank stone wall. She spun around, realizing that walls were all around them now.
They were no longer in an alley, but a dark, moldy chamber with chains hanging from the walls. The straw under her feet was matted with dirt and grime, and she could hear water dripping somewhere. “Where are we?” she croaked, realizing that she’d made a mistake.
The chains on the walls shot out suddenly, wrapping themselves around her limbs and pulling her backwards until her back was pressed to the wall, her limbs locked up tight. Her eyes shot to the woman who’d led them here, and she gasped when she saw that their surroundings were not the only thing that had undergone a change.
The simple leather apron Nev had been wearing was replaced by an ornate black lace dress that clung to her curves. Its black fur collar spread out over shapely shoulders, and a bustle sprang from the back. A hat concocted of black feathers and a delicate lace mesh perched on her head, the lace extending to cover her face, lending her features an air of mystery. The apprentice now had all the trappings of a fine, aristocratic lady, including the delicate giggle she made while clapping her elegant hands clad in black lace gloves.
