Alchemist's Kiss (4 page)

Archie turned to us, and he gripped Icarus' forearm with his human hand. “You aren't fighting him alone this time, Ic. Cora and I are with you.”

“I've resigned you to your graves.”

I shook him lightly. “I was wrong, Icarus Kane. You
are
a fool.”

His eyes narrowed at me as I glared at him.

“Together we are strong. Far stronger than your father, or any other wizard who thinks he can take London from us.”

“Us?” Icarus laughed, the derision returning. “You're novices at best.”

“New to magic, yes.” I reached into my bodice and removed diabhal
laimhe.
“But we were trained by the best wizard alive. And we have weapons.”

Archie grinned at Icarus. “She's not wrong, Ic.”

“My father is not just any wizard. He was the Grand High Master for many years. We will be lucky to live through the night.”

“See?” I tweaked a curl with my fingers. “You're coming around already. A moment ago we were already dead.”

“Can the Covens send backup?” Archie asked. “This is a breach of your territory, which you hold by rights.”

“Perhaps.” Icarus moved away from me, and I resisted the urge to pull him back. “They won't take kindly to Victor's return.”

Though his face was pale, and his eyes still filled with dread, Icarus was returning to normal. I wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing.

“We're with you, Icarus.” I tipped his chin with my finger so that his eyes met mine. “To the very end. So let us help you.” I narrowed my eyes at him, “Or so help me you'll regret it for every minute of the rest of your life.”

I thought for a moment he might smile. I hadn't seen a real smile from him since we'd returned to London. His lips lifted and he leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on my cheek. “Thank you both.”

Archie held up his hands and laughed, as if warding off a kiss of his own. “A handshake will do, old man.”

We looked at one another, sobering. A very dark wizard was in London, and we were all that stood between him and our beloved city.

I paced the floor of our rooms, my mind racing. Icarus had secreted himself in his laboratory shortly after his father's message had arrived, and neither Archie nor I could draw him out. I'd knocked at three for tea, and he'd taken the tray and closed the door in my face.

I measured the staccato clip of my boot heels on the floor and counted the taps. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to focus on the aether. I was rather good at connecting with the magical field of energy that surrounded everyone and everything, and The Hand helped me narrow that focus. I searched every particle of the aether within my reach, looking for some kind of information about Icarus' father. I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder.

“Has he emerged?”

I shook my head and smiled at Archie. He was wet from the rain, having just returned from the postmaster. He'd sent out an urgent telegram to request an audience with the Grand High Master of the High Coven.

“Was Machiavelli accommodating?” I asked with a smirk. The Grand Master's raven was less than fond of Archie, and often tried to defecate on him.

“Why the Covens can't get a regular telegraph I'll never understand.” Archie slipped off his tweed coat and bowler and slapped the water off in irritation. “The bloody bird might decide to detour to Wales.”

I laughed and handed Archie a towel from the pile the laundress had only just brought up. He scrubbed his hair dry, leaving it a mess as he took the chair by the fire. “Has he emerged?” he asked again.

I shook my head, glancing at the door to Icarus' study. The VansMueller Hotel had been his home long before he'd met us, and we'd taken up all the rooms on the top floor of the building, opening them up to create a large living space for us all. The only room we hadn't been allowed to touch was Icarus' laboratory, where he kept all of his alchemy equipment. The door was carved deep with symbols designed to keep out everyone but Icarus, and I'd only seen the interior on those rare occasions when Icarus was in a sharing mood.

“I hear him muttering from time to time, so I know he's alive.” I joked. I bit my lip and took the chair across the fire from Archie as he steamed from the wet cold of the London spring. “He won't do something stupid, will he?”

Archie raised his eyebrow. He was more approachable than Icarus, more open and gentle and caring on the surface. I'd often wondered why it was Icarus, and not Archimedes, who held my heart.

“Icarus is not known for his blatant stupidity.”

I smiled. “No, he's not.” I met Archie's eyes. “But he is self-sacrificing. If he thought he could save us by getting himself killed he'd do it.”

“Worried about me, Cora?”

I looked over my shoulder as Icarus closed the door to his lab and leaned against the frame. He was so handsome it made my breath catch in my throat. He grinned at me, his hands tucked into his pockets.

“A bit.” I wasn't one to lie, especially to him. “I know how loyal you are.” I frowned. “You're smiling.”

“Yes.”

“I haven't seen you smile since America.”

“That is worrying.” Archie tapped his bowler against his leg. “You appear the cat who's caught the mouse.”

“I may have made strides in locating my father.”

“
LAGHAIRT
”
I guessed.

He nodded. “The Lizard. Yes.”

“A bar in the East End.” Archie said as he rubbed his chin.

“Perhaps not.” Icarus moved away from the door to stand in front of the fire. “I've come to the conclusion that Laghairt is a
who
and not a
place
.”

“The Lizard is a person?” I gripped The Hand as the aether rippled around me. Magical currents tickled my nerves.

“Cora?”

I couldn't speak as voices whispered in my ear. My palm burned where The Hand touched my skin, and my vision was obscured by bright white light. I tried to make sense of the words, but the volume continued to increase until I cried out in pain as they threatened to burst my eardrums.

“Cora!'

I flinched at the sting of a slap against my cheek. My vision cleared and the voices died, first to a whisper and then to silence. As my vision focused I looked into the blue eyes in front of me. Icarus had grown pale, and he held me gently, his fingers rubbing over the stinging in my cheek.

“You slapped me.” I accused.

“What happened?”

“You
slapped
me?”

His mouth tightened. “Cora.”

“The aether.” I said begrudgingly. “When you mentioned the Lizard it caused a ripple that brought voices and light. I couldn't see or hear anything but the light and the voices.”

“What the hell, Ic?” Archie sounded angry as he moved to stand beside me, his human hand on my shoulder.

“She's fine.” Icarus' hand was tender as he clutched mine. “The aether is drawn to her. It was trying to tell her something.”

“She could have been killed.” Archie appeared worried as I looked up at him.

“No, Icarus is right, Archie. The aether wasn't trying to hurt me.” I patted his hand as he finally moved back to his chair. Icarus remained kneeling on the floor at my feet.

“What did you hear?”

“I had a hard time making it out. It got so loud.” I winced at the memory of the increase in the sound. I rubbed the skin below my ear, expecting to feel blood. Icarus' hand tightened on mine. I was so unused to him being so solicitous of me that I had to fight the warmth that bloomed in my stomach.

“Do you know what 'Bay-own-dello' means?”

Icarus' eyebrows went up. “Baiandelio?”

I nodded. “Yes. The voices repeated it, over and over, and Laghairt. Do you know what it means?”

Icarus looked at Archie, who had a thunderous expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed as he pulled back his lips in a feral snarl. I shrank back from the violence in his voice. “Baiandelio, that bastard. I'm not surprised he's involved.”

“Who is he?” I asked, grabbing Icarus' hands as he tried to pull away.

He didn't take his eyes off of Archie as he answered. “He's the wizard who left Archimedes to die in that alley where I found him.”

I knew some of Archie's story, but as he recounted the whole of it I was horrified by his ordeal.

“I grew up poor and as the poor are wont to do I ended up in East End working for a few of the dark wizards.”

He noticed my shock and smiled at me.

“I was young and my knowledge of magic was little. I fetched and carried and as I grew I became the one who collected debts.”

“I can't imagine why.” Icarus said wryly. He stood, but just as I expected him to move away he took a seat on the table next to me, keeping my hand in his.

“Baiandelio was a wizard with a small territory near the river. His trade was mostly hexes and the like, but I'd known him to work a dark spell or two that required blood. Usually he'd pay a woman to bleed for him and send her on her way.”

“How horrible!” I said, though we all knew that more terrible things than that had happened in London under the rule of the dark wizards before Icarus came to town.

Archie ran his human hand through his hair, the ticking from beneath his coat agitated.

“One night I was called to Indulgence, Baiandelio's club. I expected to find another poor bastard unable to pay his debt, but something had gone terribly wrong with the wizard's spell.”

“I understand that the carnage was gruesome.” Icarus absently rubbed my fingers with his thumb, and my entire arm tingled from the contact. As much as I hungered for attention from the man I certainly wasn't going to complain and have him move away.

“I'll not go into details,” Archie said.

From the way his face had paled I knew the word gruesome was far too mild a word to describe what he'd found in the club.

“I found Baiandelio there, alive and unharmed. His customers and several young women were not as lucky. One woman had survived, though she was grievously wounded.”

“What did you do?”

“Baiandelio ordered me to take her to the river and toss her in.”

My heart stuttered. The terror the poor woman must have endured! Icarus' hand tightened over mine, but I kept my eyes on Archie.

“I carried her to the pier, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.” Archie looked away, his cheeks going red. “She was so small, very petite. A beautiful girl. I took her to the apothecary and left him with the money to care for her.”

“Archie you're a hero!” I exclaimed, though it wasn't news to me.

He chuckled. “Hardly that, Cora. When Baiandelio learned what I'd done he followed me, and when he caught me alone in the alley he gutted me and left me for dead.”

“Icarus found you and saved you.”

Archie's grin grew fond as he looked at Icarus. “I told him to leave me to die, but he's a stubborn man.”

“I needed someone to experiment on.” Icarus said crossly, but both Archie and I knew the truth. Icarus had been lonely, and he was forever saving those in need. It wasn't his nature to allow an injured man to die in the mud.

Archie held up his gleaming metal hand. “A successful experiment, I daresay.”

Icarus' eyebrows drew together. “What has Baiandelio got to do with the Lizard?”

As he said the name I felt the aether tickle the hair on my neck. I shivered and Icarus looked at me in concern.

“Whatever the connection, the aether is insistent.”

Icarus raised his hand, his fingertips trailing lightly over my neck. It was an intimate touch, something he rarely gave or allowed. Goose flesh raised over my arms.

“Your sensitivity is growing.” He pulled the chain that held The Hand and the amulet rose from between my breasts. I saw his eyes dip down, and a red stain spread across his neck. It wasn't the amulet that made him shiver, I knew. Whatever else we had between us, our attraction had always been mutual. “Your nearness to The Hand must amplify it.”

“Say their names again.” I commanded him.

“The Lizard and Baiandelio.”

I closed my eyes as his voice ran over me. I could feel his hold on the amulet, letting it lie flat against my collarbone. I called out to the aether, asking it to come to me this time.

Quietly. Quietly.
I pleaded.

It came in a rush, as if the window had just opened. It streamed around me, ribbons of light and color. I could hear the voices, but they were hushed. Heeding my plea.

Tell me.
I said.

Death.

I waited. I was scared, even though the light around me was comforting. Icarus had introduced me to the aether in America. The magical energy that most people could not see, could not tap into, was all around us. It was alive. Magic users were able to harness it to do their bidding, and for some reason it liked me. Sought me out and came when I called. According to Icarus it was a rare gift. Even he was not able to commune with the aether like I could.

Tell me about the Lizard and Baiadelio. Tell me about Victor Kane.

The aether was frightened. I felt it scramble away from me as I spoke Icarus' father's name.

Death.
It whispered to me.

I must find Victor Kane. We cannot allow him to hurt innocent people.

They are coming.

The aether was gone as quickly as it had come to me. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the dim light of the parlor. Icarus stared at me, and Archie was leaning toward me with narrowed eyes.

“What did you see?” Archie asked.

“Nothing.” I reached for my tea cup. I laughed as it sloshed with the shaking of my hand. As it steadied I took a deep drink.

“What did it say?” Icarus said as I patted away the droplet of tea from my lap.

“I asked it where we could find your father.” I held the napkin tightly in my hands as he let The Hand slip back down between my breasts.

“And?” Archie flexed his metal fingers as if imagining Victor's neck in his grip.

“We won't have to look. The aether says that the Lizard and Baiandelio are coming for us.”

“They're working with my father.” Icarus stood, pacing in front of the fire. “I should have guessed.”

“Who is the Lizard anyway, Ic? You never told us who he is.”

“He's a slimy bastard. A dark wizard I knew by another name, many years ago.”

“And, like many others you've chanced across, he has reason to hate you.”

Icarus folded his arms and frowned. “Not everyone I meet wants to kill me, Archimedes.”

“I've yet to find one who doesn't.” Archie winked at me. “Even Cora and I have dabbled in the idea on occasion.”

“Funny.” Icarus' tone said it wasn't. “His name when I knew him was Georgio Gecko.”

“Gecko. A type of lizard.”

Two sets of eyes turned to me.

“I grew up with a grandmother who practiced magic. She kept books on many topics, including reptiles.”

“So Gecko is The Lizard.” Archie's mouth turned down in distaste. “And he hates you for some reason. And we know Baiandelio has reason to hate us both.”