changeling chronicles 03 - faerie realm (9 page)

“Thanks for nearly killing me, asshat,” I said, lurching to my feet. Or trying to. Too late, I found my wrists and ankles were bound tight with rope.

“Ivy Lane,” hissed the guy in front of me, baring his teeth in a wolf-like gesture. “You’ll pay for what happened to Briana.”

“What?” I said, totally bewildered. My head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton wool, and my physical body reminded me of its presence with a hundred aches and pains. They’d beaten me while I’d been unconscious. I leaned forward and pain stabbed me in the ribs. Ouch. From what I could see, I lay in a room, or a cell, with earthen walls covered with wood in some places and a ceiling about ten feet high, also covered in wooden slats.

“Briana is dead,” said the Shifter Dude One.

I raised my palms. “I didn’t even know Briana, I swear.”

“She was killed by one of the faeries, thanks to you.”

I shook my head, which made the pain worse. “Huh? How’s it my fault? I don’t own the faeries. Pretty sure they want me dead, actually.”

Shifter Dude Two stepped forward. Like the first guy, he was heavyset with an unshaven jaw and shaggy black hair. He held a sword in both hands. A familiar-looking sword.

“Give that back, dickhead. Irene is mine.”

“You named your sword?” The two men exchanged blank looks.

I sighed. “Just tell me what I’m supposed to have done, so you can untie me and we can put this mess behind us. What do you say?”

“I don’t think so,” said Shifter Dude One.

Typical. My first date in months and I managed to get myself captured right before. I fought against the bonds, but they didn’t give, and all I managed to do was rub a layer of skin off both my wrists. I gave him a glare.

“Tell me what I did so I can defend myself. Then untie me and give me my sword back.”

“You’re working with the half-faeries,” said Shifter Dude One. “I saw you on their territory.”

“I got kicked
off
their territory. I work for the mages, and most of my cases involve dealing with shithead faeries. I’d have offered to help you solve your murder if you hadn’t tied me up.”

“We don’t need your faerie magic,” said Shifter Dude One. “If you and the faeries are planning another invasion, you’ll have to go through us.”

I snarled impatiently. “Why the hell would anyone want another invasion?”

“You tell me.” He pressed his foot to my ribs. I yelped. Definitely bruised or broken.

Shifter Dude Two, meanwhile, dropped my sword with a clattering noise. His head bowed, and growling noises came from his throat. I tried to shuffle back, but hit a cold, earthy wall.

“For god’s sake,” I gasped. “He’s about to shift. Get me out of here before we’re both—”

Shifter Dude One growled, his lips peeling back from his teeth, which were rapidly elongating. Oh, fuck me sideways.

Fur sprouted from his knuckles, spreading upwards. His clothes were buried beneath fur, not tearing but disappearing—a detail I might have found interesting if I wasn’t trapped in an unknown enclosed space with two transforming shifters.

There was no way to reason with a shifter in beast form.

Come on, magic. I need you.

I fought against the bonds, using fear to fuel the magic burning around me. Blue light erupted and my hands burst free, just as two huge wolves leaped at me.

I ducked and one wolf soared over my head, colliding with the other. Ha. Shifters had once lived in packs, but ultimately found their beast instincts won out and they ended up killing one another. I didn’t mind if these two tore each other to shreds.

Blue threads wrapped around my hands. I directed the magic at my ankle bonds, freeing my legs, and lunged for my sword.

A clawed foot stomped down inches from me. One shifter had overpowered the other. Drool dripped from its curved teeth and the manic glow in its yellow eyes told me it no longer recognised me—it only saw a human. A target. Prey.

My sword skittered out of sight under the beast’s claws. I ducked and rolled as it dived, landing right in the path of the second. Jaws snapped, and terror shot through me, masking the pain stabbing me in the ribs.

The growls and snarls from both shifters reverberated around the enclosed space. Packed earth walls meant we must be underground. That’s why there was no door.

I looked up. Between rough slats, the full moon beamed down, lighting the wolves’ jet black fur. I rolled to the side to avoid another strike, pain driving into my ribs again. I needed a weapon. My sword—

The first shifter blew warm, stinking breath into my face, its teeth snapping close enough to touch my throat. I punched it in the jaw, which probably hurt me more than it hurt the wolf. Hitting a shifter was like punching a steel fence, but it distracted him long enough for me to get a second punch in, this time underneath his chin. He shook his head, dazed, and I shot a blast of magic at the other shifter. I didn’t have enough control to judge the impact, but didn’t much care if it killed the guy or not.

Blue ignited the air, showing me handholds on the roughly dug-out walls leading up to a gap in the roof. I dove for my sword again, my hand closing around the handle. At once, the magic dulled down, and the shifter I’d knocked back got to his clawed feet.

I darted forwards, aiming for the walls. I’d really rather avoid killing them, if just because the other shifters had a reason to hate me already. Instead, I’d leave them in here. Was this place some kind of underground bunker for transforming? Probably.

As soon at the thought crossed my mind, one of the shifters lunged at me again, swiping at my legs. I didn’t dodge in time, slowed by my injured ribs. Pain flared up both legs from deep gashes.
Ouch.

I swung my blade, again slowed down by the pain biting into my ribs. Spots winked before my eyes. Fuck. How was I meant to climb like this?

Blood spurted from a wound on the shifter’s arm, and he roared. I slashed again, getting the second one in the leg. But they had me backed against the wall. I’d have to incapacitate them if I wanted out.

With my non-sword hand, I fired magic at the first shifter and stabbed the second in the shoulder. He sank, howling, one leg useless. The second flew back in a burst of blue light. For a brief moment, the vision of the faerie with Summer magic played behind my eyes again. A female figure haloed in green light. I blinked it away, slashing with my blade again. Metal sank through fur and flesh, and the beast howled.

“Stay here and think about what you’ve done,” I muttered, grabbing the wall’s handhold with my free hand. Sheathing Irene at my waist, I clambered up, cursing through my teeth. Pain made my vision waver.
Hang on, body. Pass out later.

My fingers dug into earth. Snarls followed my steps. The shifter. Crap.

I hung on grimly as the wall trembled with an earth-shaking crash. Bloody shifter was trying to shake me loose. Head spinning, I hauled myself up, higher, and over the edge onto level ground. I rolled to my front, regretting the movement when the world spun and danced around. Gathering one final burst of magic, I fired it into the pit. Two howls sounded.

“Shouldn’t have fucking kidnapped me,” I said, but all that came out was an incoherent croak. I shifted onto my back. The sky seemed unnaturally bright, the moon a giant staring eye. A cough rattled my body. Wetness rose at the back of my throat. I’d broken more than one rib. My hand reached into my inner pocket, fumbling for the healing spell I kept tucked inside my coat. I tugged that, and my phone loose. I couldn’t see to hit the call button, but the healing spell activated in a flare of blue, adding to the light already around me. Faerie magic.

The world danced around some more, and the next thing I knew, Frank was beside me.

“Please say I’m not dead.”

“No. You crossed over again. You should probably stop doing that.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” I glared down at the shifters lying in the bunker below. At least my magic had done some damage. “Asshats. Why kidnap me right before they transformed?”

“They didn’t seem like the brightest bulbs,” said Frank. “How exactly do you plan to get out of here?”

“Clearly, by having a conversation with you,” I snapped. “I missed my date and got the crap kicked out of me.” I tried to mimic the way Frank had shoved me back into my body earlier, but felt a weird disconnection. Had I let go for good?

“What are you doing?”

“Looking around,” I said, examining the grey smoke on either side of me. “Can you put me in touch with the murdered shifter? I know she’s here. Unless she’s already over the veil. We aren’t near the Ley Line. It’s safe.”

“Meddling with death is never safe, Ivy Lane.”

“Yeah, all right. Safe by comparison, then. There’s a nasty killer out there. Where’s Briana?”

“Ivy Lane,” said the necromancer, a hint of disapproval in his voice. “Do you have any idea how many people die every day?”

“No, and I probably don’t want to. But this place is localised, isn’t it? People who die in this city come to you. There are other necromancers in different parts of the world—even in this country.”

Frank sighed. “Technically, yes. Death itself has many layers and few linger on this side.”

“She recently died, so she must be around here.
Please.
This is important. The killer might have stolen a powerful talisman which could rip the veil apart again.”

Frank gave another sigh. “I’ll see what I can do. I’m not the only necromancer here, you know. The others might not like it.”

“Tough goddamn shit.” I winced as a weird sensation of falling tugged at my feet. “Wait a minute. I think I’m—”

I fell back into my own body, starting upright. Someone stood over me… a tall someone. I scrambled away, hands catching on something sharp. Spell fragments. I blinked, my vision clearing in the brightness of the moon. Vance bent over me, a concerned frown on his face.

“Why… what are you doing here?” I sat up properly, brushing bits of the spell circle and dirt off my legs. “How’d you find me?”

“Used a tracking spell after you called me and made incoherent noises into the phone.” He sounded more worried than amused, though. “I didn’t expect to find you so far from town. What happened?”

“Got myself kidnapped by two dickheads who accused me of working with the faeries. I hit them. A lot.” I pushed to my feet. The shifters had moved me further from the suburbs than I’d thought—way out in the countryside. The mile wide field was broken by low stone fences. Behind me, the shapes of houses rose and fell, silhouetted against the indigo sky. I pointed at the shape of the underground bunker. “They’re in beast form and probably unconscious. Don’t go in there.”

“They should be reported,” said Vance, the hint of a growl in his own voice.

“You can’t arrest them in shifter form,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. My hand came away covered in dirt. So much for our date. “Next time I’ll be the one to rescue you, I swear. I’ll even carry you out.”

His mouth quirked a little. “I’ll keep that in mind. You need to get home. It’s not safe here.”

“Yeah. Good advice. Where even are we?”

“On the boundary of shifter territory. How badly did they hurt you?”

Vance’s concern stabbed me in the chest. I hated lying to him. All I’d wanted was a stress-free date. But I couldn’t keep this a secret, and he’d been fine with my last earth-shattering revelation.

He wrapped his hands around mine, then we stood on my road, outside my flat. I drew in a breath, and explained where I’d been all evening, ending with my impromptu trip into Death. Twice.

Vance’s eyes darkened with every word. The air grew colder, biting at my arms. My heart sank.

“Uh, anyway,” I finished. “I want to see if I can talk to necromancer dude again—”

“Don’t.” The word whipped out, striking me.

I stepped back. I’d hardly seen him this angry. Not at me, anyway. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

“You passed over the veil,” said Vance, in a flat, cold voice. “Into
Death.
There’s a reason non-necromancers aren’t allowed to do it.”

“Relax, Vance. The necromancer dude—”

“Is already dead,” said Vance. “And a bloody fool, whoever he is. He should know better than to bring someone who isn’t even an apprentice over into Death.”

“I did it myself,” I said. “Accidentally. Come on. The answers are over the veil. I
need
to talk to the ghost. If we find the killer, we might find who stole the talisman.”

“If your vision was any indication, the shifter couldn’t see her attacker.” The air grew heavy and thick with tension. “When you said you went looking for the killer, I didn’t think you meant crossing the veil. Necromancer apprentices have a one in twenty chance of never waking up from their first attempt, and that’s with the proper precautions in place.” He spoke with all the emotion of someone reading from a textbook, but fury simmered in his eyes.

“Vance, I—”

He turned away, and I caught a glimpse of scales creeping up his arm. “I have to report this to the council. Please stay out of trouble for one night.”

And he disappeared.

I swore at the cacti Isabel had brought out onto the lawn earlier, kicking the gate open. Whether Vance approved or not, I needed to know who the killer was. And if passing over the veil would get me answers, I’d do it again. Sure, the rational side of me knew what I’d done was risky as hell, accidental or not. But… dammit. The faeries had killed someone. The shifters had blamed me for the murder and wrecked my date. On top of that, I still hadn’t solved the bloody vow.

A howling sounded from the flat’s top floor. Okay, maybe someone was having a worse night than I was. Aside from the dead shifter.

The thought was no consolation whatsoever.

CHAPTER EIGHT