Blood, Smoke and Mirrors (2010) (15 page)

Silent, we studied each other. It explained how he managed to get through my shields. We were connected; my magic wanted to protect him as much as it wanted to protect me. The idea was scary and exhilarating, and I shivered despite the warmth of the water.

"So what happens when this is over, when things go back to normal? Or at least relatively normal?" I asked.

Moving toward me, he drew me into his arms and kissed me. "I'll take you home to meet my mama, and the rest of my sisters." Lex grinned roguishly as my eyes widened in surprise. "Don't worry, you survived a dragon, they'll be easy compared to that. We can get married in New Orleans."

"Whoa, wait a minute, I did not agree--" I sputtered, and he cut me off with another kiss.

"We can argue about it later. Now, I seem to recall you suggestin' that I help you get dirtier before you get clean."

Deciding that was a good place to end the discussion, I gave in to Lex's distraction.

Chapter Twelve

The target dummy died a death most painful a dozen times over in the span of an hour, but that wasn't enough for the sadists who insisted I continue to murder it.

"I think you're gettin' better at this," Lex commented as I skewered it once more with my rapier.

"Good. So we're done then?"

"Nope."

"You're an evil bastard."

"That's funny, I seem to recall last night--"

"Don't even think about finishing that statement," I warned him. Straightening my top hat, I tugged my outfit back into place. Once again I was wearing my Renaissance faire/army surplus ensemble. It was functional and semi-comfortable, and considering the wide variety of fashions sported by my cousins, I blended right in.

Grinning innocently, Lex turned to Tybalt. "She still needs more practice, doesn't she?"

"Cat could use a few years of practice, but we don't have that kind of time." Scratching his chin as though stroking an imaginary beard, Tybalt studied me. "Her skills are showing some improvement."

"I'm so glad you're in agreement over this. I don't think I'm cut out to be a warrior princess."

"Well if you'd hit them with some destructive magic, you wouldn't have to be."

Sheathing the rapier, I placed my hands on my hips and frowned severely at the two of them. "We've already proved that I do as much damage to me as I do to them when I try that. I like this shirt. I don't want to light it on fire." It would be easier if I could pretend to be a sorceress and hail fireballs down on the vampires, but that wasn't me.

"We just need to work on your control. And pick a different element, for you've frost in your blood, not fire," Tybalt commented. "I know you hate to admit it, you've also sorcerer in your heritage, so I think it's possible for you to learn more effective offensive spells."

Before he could continue his speech a strange tearing sound split the air. A large rectangular glow formed on the surface of one of the stone walls of the courtyard near to us, and I realized someone must be opening a doorway into Faerie. The glow brightened and then vanished suddenly, leaving only a murky darkness in its place. Normally I'd expect someone to step through after that, but a thin round disk sailed out of the portal and bounced across the ground. It rolled to a stop a few feet in front of me, and I frowned down at it in confusion. About the size and thickness of a dinner plate, there was a dark rim that looked like a bent tree branch forming the edge, and a black tangle of string webbing in the center.

"What the--" I started, but was cut off as the disk shot up into the air. Hovering at eye-level it began to spin counterclockwise at a slow, mesmerizing pace. Entranced, I stared at it as a tiny rainbow light zoomed past me and danced around the edge.

"Tybalt!" Lex shouted. The alarm in his voice allowed me to tear my attention away from the spinning circle, but before I could turn toward Lex I spotted a new problem. Ponderously slow, dozens of magma elementals poured through the gateway, the sharp hiss of steam heralding their arrival as their feet melted the snow and ice of the courtyard with every heavy step.

"To arms!" Tybalt called out to the rest of the clan. Several choice expletives flew through my mind at the glowing, roughly humanoid invaders--they were the perfect enemies to pit against the Silverleafs, earth and fire to combat my cousins' mastery of air and water. My hand shot to the hilt of my rapier, but I didn't draw the weapon. The thin-bladed sword would be useless against them, melting to slag after the first swing. Unsure of what to do, I put my shields up and struggled to come up with a plan.

Wasting no time, Lex leapt into action. To my surprise he didn't draw his short swords, and instead pulled a weapon out of thin air, literally. Now wielding a silver spear, the guardian attacked the nearest creature, ramming the weapon squarely into the elemental's chest. Though its blank expression didn't change, the fiery glow faded from its body, and it crumbled apart in large chunks of smoking rock.

The surrounding mob quickly focused its attention on Lex. It seemed odd that they ignored me--after all I'm sure they'd been sent here for me. Then a black-cloaked figure stepped into view and the portal closed behind him.

It was my father.

Strangely silent for once, Dorian strode toward me, weaving his way through the mob of steaming, swaying magma men, and I noticed that in addition to his cliched black robes he'd added a sorcerer's staff. He waved the staff at me, and as a blast of unseen force hit me I sailed backward and smacked into a wall. My top hat popped off as my head collided hard against the stone. Falling to the ground, I landed in a small snowdrift and the air exploded from my lungs. The courtyard faded in and out before me in a nauseous wave as pain throbbed through my head.

"Bloody hell," I slurred as I drew my rapier. I was more than a little irritated that my shields had fizzled out for no apparent reason, and I intended to take that frustration out on him. Dorian's molten minions might not bleed, but I was willing to bet he would. He stood motionless as I charged toward him, ready to plunge my blade into his chest. The tip of my rapier bounced off his shield only a few inches away from his heart. Rookie mistake--just because necromancers aren't good at shielding, doesn't mean they don't have any at all.

With a cold smile he waved the staff, and I found myself airborne again. This time I flew in a new direction across the courtyard, landing with a bone-jarring thud in the middle of the battle of fire and ice. Our side wasn't doing as well as we should be--the faeries should've wiped the floor with the invaders in a matter of moments. This was their home turf, and yet somehow they were losing.

I was hauled to my feet and found myself standing next to Tybalt. "You're bleeding," I blurted, shocked. A blackened streak and a stream of blood flowed down the side of his face, a startling contrast against the frost-white of his skin. Concerned, I touched the wound upon his brow in an attempt to heal it, but nothing happened.

"So are you. Leave it be, it's not bad. Give that here." Tybalt reached for my weapon and I handed it over. A line of frost and ice instantly coated the blade when the faerie touched it, along with a soft white glow.

"Thanks. Will this get through Dorian's shield?"

"I'll take care of that bastard. You get yourself behind your guardian and stay there," Tybalt ordered. "Now go!"

The faerie charged off in the direction of my father, and I looked around for Lex. Hurrying, I stumbled in the direction I'd last seen him, dodging flailing limbs and fluttering wings. A hulking elemental loomed in front of me suddenly, reaching out with red-hot arms to grab me. I jerked backward and almost lost my balance, and the creature swiped at me again. Before it could launch another attack the silver tip of a spear exploded out of its chest. With a smoking sizzle the weapon withdrew, leaving a hole burned through it. Like a broken doll it crumpled to the ground in a heap of glowing coals, and Lex stood on the other side of it looking like the modern incarnation of a god of war.

"You're bleeding," he said, concerned. Crossing over to me, he grabbed my chin and turned my head, searching for the source of the blood.

"Yeah I noticed. Tybalt's gone after Dorian, we have to help him."

"This way." Lex motioned for me to follow him, and he wove his way through the melee, knocking the occasional intruder out of our path. My cousin and my father struggled against each other, squaring off near the strange spinning web. Lex and I drew to a halt in front of it, and I was surprised at the sheer volume of tiny lights that whizzed around it like a thick cloud of angry fireflies.

"It didn't look like that before." I resisted the urge to reach out and grab it, reminding myself that it's a horribly bad idea to touch strange magic. Instead, I thrust the point of my rapier at the center of the web, but it bounced away, tearing the weapon's hilt from my grasp. The rapier flew into the crowd and I lost sight of it.

"Stop them!" my father's voice bellowed above the crowd.

My arm was nearly wrenched from its socket as something grabbed my forearm and pulled, searing agony shooting out from where it gripped me. Following the momentum, I fell toward my attacker, hoping to break its hold, but before I could show off my self-defense skills Lex thrust his spear through the creature's neck. My skin was blackened and blistered where it had touched me, and the edges of my shirt smoked and smoldered around the wound.

"Where're your shields?" Lex asked. I ducked behind him as he fended off the elementals shambling in our direction.

"No idea. Not working," I said through gritted teeth. Biting back any further comments, I turned and stared at the hovering web. Any spell that's been cast can be undone, provided you know what kind of magic was used. From the general design of the thing I figured it was a dreamcatcher gone horribly wrong--instead of being used for protection through trapping negative energy, it'd become a weapon that drained our strength. Everyone but Lex's strength, that was. Why wasn't it affecting him?

"Hey, Lex--" I started, turning toward him. With amazing speed and skill he kept our attackers at bay, and a pile of crumpled, broken earth formed a half-ring around him. Suddenly the crowd parted and I saw Dorian striding toward us. "Look out!"

Once more he swung his staff, but this time he aimed it at Lex. The impact wrenched the spear from the guardian's hands and sent him flying past me, and I shrieked in terror as Lex smacked hard into the far wall of the courtyard and fell limply to the ground, where he lay in a motionless heap.

"Lex!" My heart fluttered with fear, but before I could move to help Lex, Dorian raised the staff for another strike. This time I ducked and covered, letting my arms take the force of the blow. The wave pounded against me and rushed over my body like a blast of hurricane winds. The soles of my boots dug into the snow, and I could almost feel the bruises forming.

"Just give up, Catherine. There's no one left to protect you," my father mocked. A nearby elemental took a swipe at me, and the blow sent me rolling across the ground. When I came to a stop I spotted the silver spear in the snow a few feet away, and I lunged for the weapon. The electric buzz of powerful magic shot up my arms as I picked it up and gripped it tightly. There were two options left to me: I could try to fend off the monsters closing in around me, or I could take out the disk and hope that its destruction would turn the tide of the battle.

Clutching the spear, I staggered to my feet and rushed toward the web. With a loud battle cry, I stabbed the spear through the center of it.

The lights shot out from it in an explosion of blinding rainbow sparks, and the rim hung limply on the end of the weapon. Shaking it off, I stomped on it for good measure. Satisfied that it was dead, I turned back to Dorian, but he'd disappeared. Without waiting to see where he went, I ran to the spot where I'd seen Lex fall. A magma man shuffled toward him, slow and menacing, and with a battle cry that would have made Xena proud I stabbed the spear through it. The shaft of the weapon bucked in my hands as it shoved through stone, and pain from my burn surged up my arm. I had a moment to ponder the fact that it was nothing like stabbing a target dummy with my rapier before the elemental fell forward and almost tore the spear out of my hands. Wrinkling my nose in disgust, I yanked it free and turned my attention to Lex.

"Are you okay?" He looked bruised and a little bloodied, but otherwise intact. Lex stared up at me as though I'd announced I was an alien queen here to abduct him. "Umm, here's your spear back." Sheepishly I held it out to him, and he stared at both it and me for a long, strange moment.

A series of loud, rumbling thumps echoed through the courtyard, and I turned to see the members of the shambling horde collapsing like marionettes with their strings cut. My father was nowhere to be seen, and the place was filled with battered but victorious Silverleaf faeries. Lex got to his feet and stood next to me, gently taking his weapon from my grasp.

"Thanks, Cat." The spear melted from view, returning to the thin air it had been drawn from. Taking my hands in his, he turned them over and examined them closely.

"It's not that bad," I said, assuming he was looking at the forearm burn. He nodded, distracted, but before he could reply Lex was cut off by a piercing shriek that made me shudder. A heartbroken wail filled the air, and I instinctively hurried toward it, spotting Portia crouched over something across the courtyard, her frosted wings drooping with sorrow. I stopped next to her and stared down at the figure cradled in her arms.

Tybalt.

"Oh no," I said, my throat squeezed tight with emotion. "Lord and Lady, no."

Portia sobbed hysterically as she hugged her brother's body. Tybalt's head lolled at a very unnatural angle, and I realized Dorian must have snapped the faerie's neck with that damned staff of his. My knees wobbled and Lex wrapped his arms around me. Resting my head against his chest, I wept bitter tears, and wished none of this had ever happened.

Chapter Thirteen

For the first time since the formation of Faerie, the Silverleaf clan buried one of their own.

The call for vengeance was immediate and unanimous. They were eager to execute some vampires, and from what I could tell they intended to kill every vampire and necromancer connected to my father, from Lovely Laura on down to the lowliest minion she controlled. The scary part was that they could do it too, which made me wonder why Dorian had been stupid enough to try to attack me while I was within Castle Silverleaf. Sure he might ensure his position as Oberon if I was out of the way, but what good is the position when everyone he associates with is dead? All-the-way dead, not the average, everyday vampire dead.

My cousins were busy planning their elaborate revenge, and I had to admit that angry, bloodthirsty Portia was the most frightening thing I'd ever seen in my entire life. Listening to her describe their plans in her sweet, sing-song voice was even more disturbing than watching the glee in the imp's beady eyes as it recounted the plane crash it'd caused.

They were going to kill everyone, and it was going to be glorious.

My weapon training continued, but my heart was no longer in it. Lex spent most of his time with me, consoling me when I needed it and just generally keeping me sane--which was a tough job considering all the worries buzzing around in my brain. I wondered if I had gone after Dorian, would Tybalt still be alive? What if I failed the third test? What if Dorian became Oberon? Would I have to spend the rest of my life in Faerie, hiding from him? Would the vamps infect Faerie and spread through it like a plague?

All that stood between me and the answers was the final test.

One moment I was enjoying a peaceful sleep, safe in my bed, wrapped in my lover's arms, and the next I found myself standing in the middle of the earthen room beneath the faerie mound of the Underhill clan. For a heartbeat I thought it was a dream--one of those horrible walking-down-the-hallway-of-your-high-school-while-naked-without-your-homework nightmares--but with a quick glance down I discovered I was wearing my usual clothes, and with a pinch to my arm I proved to myself that it was real. After adjusting my top hat I let my hand rest on the hilt of my rapier as I surveyed my surroundings.

This time the cavern had been lit with a series of glowing spheres floating along the ceiling throughout the room. There wasn't a dragon, but three other people stood near me, one of which was Lex. I reached out and took his hand, and he gave mine a reassuring squeeze. Cecelia of the Silver Crescent stood in front of us, looking as serene and perfect as ever, and on the other side of her stood my father, dressed in his somber black robes with a dour expression on his face.

I snarled at him, filled with rage and grief, and Lex tugged me closer to him before I could do anything. I wanted nothing more in the world than to fulfill my oath and see Dorian dead.

"Stay where you are, Catherine," Cecelia warned. There was a subtle threat in her voice that made me pause. Balling my free hand into a fist, I took a deep breath.

"What is
he
doing here?" Dorian asked, pointing an accusing finger at Lex. "He has no right to be here."

"Actually, he has every right to be here, but that is not your concern," Cecelia informed him. "Each of you has progressed this far. This will be the final trial. Recent events have reminded the council of an important aspect of the position of liaison: the ability to survive an attack by one's enemies. Your objective here is simple: to live. The test begins now."

"What the hell--" I began to protest, but Cecelia vanished from view. Dorian wasted no time in turning on me. Without a staff this time, he conjured a ball of fire and whipped it at me. I flung my arms up to protect my face as my shields snapped into life, surrounding both me and Lex and deflecting the fireball so that it bounced back at him.

"Dumbass!" I shouted as he dodged out of the way. Shoving my anger down into the pit of my stomach, I resisted the urge to draw my sword, and instead poured more strength into the protective barrier.

"Now that's just mean spirited, Dorian," Lex scolded. The silver spear appeared out of nowhere again, and he held the weapon in front of him. One by one the glowing lights overhead winked out, plunging the room into darkness. "Guess they forgot to pay the bill."

"Looks like it," I agreed. I moved closer to Lex, and we stood together in the darkness as I debated our options. I could cast a light spell, but it'd weaken my shield. Sadly my lightstone was sitting in my apartment with a lot of my other trinkets, so that option was out. Though the darkness was terrifying, we were safe in my magical bubble, and if we were real lucky some big bad monster was out there eating my dad in one tasty bite right now. That deserved a victory cigarette, didn't it?

Dragging my smokes out of my pocket, I placed one between my lips and then held up my lighter, flicking it on. The small circle of light revealed my father inching close, a dagger in his hand. Startled, I forced myself not to flinch, and continued to light the end of my cigarette, blowing a stream of smoke in his direction. The smoke hit the invisible wall of my shield and curled back toward me, and I smiled.

"If you light yourself on fire again, I'm not pattin' you out this time," Lex warned me dryly.

"So noted," I replied. "Careful, Dorian. You might hurt yourself with that thing." Dorian lunged toward me, swinging his weapon, and it bounced off the barrier with an audible crackle and a small flash of light. "Not so tough without your evil trinkets, are you?"

"Your mother thought her shields would keep her safe. She was mistaken," he informed me in an annoyed growl as he rubbed his wrist. "It takes more energy to protect two people. You'll tire soon enough."

My anger surged and the flame of my lighter shot two feet high. I nearly dropped it in response, but instead I took my thumb off the button and killed the fire. "Well, my shields are plenty tough, and you're out there in the dark, completely unprotected, with whatever icky bad the faeries decided to throw at us. I'm just gonna stay in here and enjoy my smoke. I may even conjure up some popcorn while I wait."

"How do you know they put anything in here with us? Maybe we're meant to kill each other." His voice circled me, and I tried to follow the source.

"Works for me, I'm all about killing you. But I'm still willing to put money on the icky-bad theory, say, fifty bucks? Hey, how fried did that dragon leave you? Original recipe or extra crispy?"

An annoyed hiss sounded in the shadows, and I knew I'd hit a nerve. Another flash of light and a crackle of energy behind me alerted me when he took a second swing at my shield. Still no damage. If the darkness didn't attack him soon, it was going to be a really long test.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Even if the monster out there in the dark doesn't get you, the Silverleafs will. They've got extra excruciating plans for you and all your fanged friends."

Dorian's stinging retort was interrupted by a loud roar that shook the ground and echoed off the walls. I paused, blinking in surprise, and then slowly lifted the cigarette to my mouth and inhaled a long drag. "Ooh, that sounds bad."

"Cat, I think your daddy owes you fifty bucks." Lex chuckled.

I doubted it could be another dragon lurking in the dark. The council wouldn't pull the same trick twice. Puffing away at my cigarette, I listened intently for a clue as to what was going on outside the safety of my shields. The low drone of chanting indicated that my father was casting some sort of spell, and the awful stench of necromancer magic wafted toward me.

"You smell that?" Lex asked me, his voice low.

A new scent wove its way through the smoke and necromancy, surrounding me from all sides. I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I sniffed the air, and it took me a moment to identify the unfamiliar and unpleasant aroma.

"Yeah. Sulfur." It's not magic, but instead it's a smell that clings to summoners who delve too deeply into their art, desiring faster, more potent power. The mark of demonic taint. This changed the game--I'd never tested my shields against such concentrated evil, and there was an excellent chance they wouldn't hold against a demon. What the hell was wrong with the Council, anyway? Letting demons loose in Faerie, had they completely lost their minds?

"We're going to need some light to work with," Lex informed me.

"Right." Dropping the butt of my cigarette, I ground it out beneath my boot and wiped my hands on the legs of my cargo pants. Rummaging through my pockets as the gloom pressed in around me, I found my box of matches and struck one against the side of the box. A tiny flame leapt to life, and I held it aloft above my head.

"Light of life, of right, and pure,

Push back the night, let good endure.

Burn bright for everyone to see,

As I will, so mote it be!"

A sphere of pure white light swelled from the tiny match and then hovered like a spotlight above our heads, illuminating the entire room. My father stood several feet away, two skeletons at his side. It was obvious he'd raised them with some components he'd carried with him, they couldn't have been native to the area. Their bones were bright white, as though bleached, and they swayed back and forth with soft creaking sounds as the bones rubbed together. Awaiting their orders, no doubt. Disgusting.

A trio of oily shadows loomed behind them, gliding forward, and I screamed in reflex. The demons hadn't taken a form, and really hadn't needed to while concealed in the dark. Realizing they had an audience, the creatures began to form arms and legs, heads and necks popping up out of their torsos like macabre toasters. My stomach flip-flopped and I turned away from the sight, only to discover half a dozen shadowy figures forming behind me.

Lex charged the demons, stabbing his spear through the closest one. There were a lot of them, and I knew I had only a few moments before one got past the guardian. I needed extra help if I was going to stand a chance against them. With shaking hands I fumbled through my pockets, grabbing a pouch of salt and a flask of water. Pouring the salt and water into my cupped left palm, I drew my rapier and sliced the blade through the mix. Blood welled as I broke the skin and it stung so badly my eyes watered, but I coated the entire length of the blade with the combination of blood, water and salt. Heart pounding, I held the sword before me and attempted something I'd never done before: I invoked a goddess of battle.

"I call the Morrigan, great Raven of Battle,

Bringer of Death,

Guide now my hands, my blade, and my breath.

Let my weapon be blessed, let it strike true,

Bring an end to the shadows, their evil undo.

Your daughter invokes you, your favor be won,

Heed now my call, let my will be done!"

My breath hitched in my throat for an anxious second, and then power slammed into me so hard and fast I staggered and nearly fell. The blade of my rapier glowed with mystical fire, and I heard the screeching caw of a raven echo around me, strident above the noises of battle. I tightened my grip on the rapier's hilt, let my shields fall away, and charged the nearest demon with a bellowing battle cry.

As I'd been trained to do against vampires, I stabbed for the heart of the torso, but the oily shadow seemed oblivious to the hit. Demons can't be killed, only banished back to their realm, and that required words in addition to weapons.

"Go to hell!" I shouted, drawing my blade down through the torso with all my strength. The edges of the cut hissed and smoked, and finally the demon dissolved into icky black ooze that puddled tar-like on the ground. I turned toward the next demon and was struck hard in the shoulder, knocking me several steps back as I struggled to regain my balance. I caught a glimpse of my father battling his demon, and one of his skeletal minions clattered to the ground in a useless pile of brittle bones.

Lunging forward, I stabbed at the shadow, missing it as it danced out of the way. The dark figure continued to improve itself as time passed, looking more and more human in shape and form. It eluded my attacks, swiping at me and managing to catch me soundly across the jaw once. Black, unseeing eyes formed in its face, and fangs in its mouth.
Vampire
, the old fear shivered down my spine, and the demon took the opportunity to sweep my feet out from under me. I hit the ground hard, and my breath whooshed out of me in a painful rush. The rapier fell from my grasp as my top hat tumbled from my head. Unable to move fast enough I stared up at the monster as it leapt on top of me. It snapped its fangs at my face like a rabid dog and I struggled to push it off.

I shoved my injured palm against its face and grunted, "Get out." The demon's greasy flesh smoldered and smoked as the last one's had. Pushing hard, my hand sunk into its skin, almost burning through its skull.

"Say goodbye," I said. The demon began to collapse, and I rolled out from under it, scraping the disgusting ooze off the front of my clothes. Lex struggled with three demons off to my left, and I glanced around to see how my father fared in his fight, but I only spotted a second pile of bones with an oil slick next to it.

"Goodbye," Dorian said from behind me. Before I could react I felt the blade of his dagger stab through the small of my back, all the way to the hilt. "I had hoped you would be a greater challenge than your mother. How disappointing."

I would've screamed if I hadn't been so surprised. He withdrew the blade, which hurt as much coming out as it had going in, and I collapsed face forward into the dirt. For a moment I lay stunned, unmoving, and then a sharp kick to my side rolled me over onto my back. I stared up into the face of my father as he knelt down and buried his blade deep into my stomach, a pathetic gurgle my only reply. As he looked down at me I could see myself in his face--the brown of his eyes, the arch of his brow. There were no happy memories associated with the face of my father, no dimly remembered holidays or birthday parties. I knew he never loved me. There was no sorrow there, no pity. No mercy.