Pickup Styx (10 page)

“I have never seen him without it.”

“Okay. That’s good. You father was smart, a hunter.”

I nodded.

“If he escaped and didn’t wish to be tracked, he would’ve left everything behind, including the ring. He knows you have access to witches and would use the ring to track him.”

Sebastian had a point. If Father wanted to disappear, he would do a good job of it.

“So, if your father is alive, the ring might still be at the house where he was held captive.”

I frowned. “Perhaps. But if someone stole the ring and is now murdering fae, how would we know the difference? I would think Father would keep a low profile to ensure a surprise attack, not kill helpless subjects. Why would he draw attention to himself by random killings?” I looked around the quiet, dark forest again, but I still saw no signs of life. No animals, no insects—nothing except stillness. What type of magic could I not detect?

“Unless he gave it to whomever he was working with,” Sebastian said.

“Why would he do that?”

“Distraction. If we’re chasing our tails, no one is guarding Selene.”

“But she’s already dead. I don’t see the gain.”

Sebastian rolled his neck. “He doesn’t know that.”

I scratched my jaw. “We have less than twelve hours to find him and stop this before she gets back and he actually can hurt her. I won’t let her go, Sebastian.”

“The fastest way to find your father is to find the person working for him. Maybe there’s something we missed in Smaragdine.”

It only took a few moments in my father’s quarters to locate his ring. I tossed it to Sebastian. “Any other ideas?”

“Did he only have the one?”

“That I ever saw. I have mine.” I flashed my ring at him. “The only other ones were my mother’s and my sister’s, and they were wearing them when they died.”

“Could another one have been forged?”

“Only direct descendants get the crest.”

“What about illegitimate descendants?”

“You mean Jaron.” I shook my head. “I highly doubt Father gave anything to a half-elf.”

“Jaron is the only one you know about. There could be others. Do you really know?”

I ran my hand through my hair. It was possible. If one illegitimate child, why not two or ten? Then again, it was hard to imagine my father that way. “I don’t think the Abyss is filled with my half-siblings.”

“There only needs to be one who wants to take the throne. Look what Jaron wanted and managed to do.”

“With your help,” I couldn’t resist pointing out.

Sebastian nodded and pressed his lips together, looking dutifully ashamed.

We continued looking for clues, correspondence, anything that might point in a particular direction, but there was nothing. No indication that my father had been dealing with anyone. “Do you think the witches could trace my blood? Father might be able to leave behind his possessions, but we share blood.”

He looked over at me. “Probably not without Selene.”

“The coven is strong.”

“But are they strong enough?” Sebastian thought about it for a moment. “If we could get her grandmother, maybe they have chance.”

I didn’t love the idea of taking Edith away from Selene, but if it would help, we had to try. “You get the girls. I’ll get Edith.”

I went to Sy first. He agreed to sit with Selene and Frost so Edith could come with me. Edith took more convincing.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying with my granddaughter.” She remained firmly planted in her chair, clutching knitting needles.

“But this is for Selene too,” I said gently. “Sy will be with her.”

She glared at Sy leaning against the fireplace. “Don’t you have a job?”

“Nothing that can’t wait,” he said. “You know I love Selene. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Edith looked doubtful. “Yeah, you’ve done a great job of that so far.”

Sy stiffened. “I’m not overbearing. Selene has to live her life.”

“She’s the only family I have.”

“Then I guess you shouldn’t have cursed her.” Sy’s eyes flashed.

Edith stabbed her knitting needles into the ball of yarn, and I felt a very familiar collecting of energy in the room, similar to what Selene did before she brought down buildings. “Edith, if you want to protect Selene, you need to come with me.”

It took a moment, but finally her face relaxed. She set the yarn aside and stood with dignity. “I will come back. God help you all if anything happens to her while I’m gone.”

Frost huffed with impatience and set her book to the side. “She’s already dead, people. What do you think’s going to happen to her aside from a little decay?” We all looked at Selene, searching for signs of decomposition.

“Relax.” She waved a dismissive hand. “I have her for twelve hours. After that . . . ”

Edith and I left Sy chatting with Frost like they were old friends. We all met back in my father’s quarters. The coven sat on one side of the room and Edith stood on the other.

“What’s she doing here?” Jessica asked.

Devin nudged her. “How did things go with Selene? Nothing has happened, has it? I’ve been having the strangest dreams.”

“Everything went as expected with Selene.” I forced a smile I didn’t feel. “We brought all of you here because we need help. My father has escaped—or we think he has. We need you to help us track him.”

“How?” Leslie asked, sending Edith a wary glance.

“My blood,” I said. “I know we’re all worried about Selene, and things have happened in the past that may make it hard to trust some members.” I looked at Edith and she stared at the ground. “But you are the people she’s closest to. Each of you love her in your own way, and she needs your help.”

I waited for them to each nod, Jessica going last as she continued to glare at Edith.

“When Selene makes it back, and I have to believe she will, the last thing we need is for my father to attack her. I don’t know if he is planning anything for certain, but I can’t take the risk. He has held a grudge against her for too long.”

“Blood will be tricky,” Devin said, chewing on her lip.

“Bloodlines take you in a lot of different directions,” Leslie added. “It isn’t like we can pinpoint a particular strand of DNA.”

“Just say what you all mean,” Katrina said. “We need Selene.”

“That’s why I brought Edith.”

“There’s no way in hell,” Jessica said. “Last time we did spells with her, she had us cursing Selene without knowing it. Find another way.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I wouldn’t hurt my granddaughter,” Edith finally spoke.

“Oh, besides, you know, the last time,” Katrina said, eyes bright with emotion, foot tapping rapidly.

“Wait.” Sebastian held up his hand. “We all know what happened then.” He looked back and forth between Edith and the girls. “I think it’s time to let that go and work together. You all want to help, and right now, this is the most help you can give. Can you put aside your differences for the greater good?”

“How can you trust her?” Katrina asked me. “Look, I was all for Selene talking to her grandma before she died, but I don’t think we should let that woman’s magic anywhere near here. She is bat-crap crazy.”

“The spell will have nothing to do with Selene. We are dealing with me this time, and Sebastian is right. Edith had the best intentions last time. Jaron perverted those intentions into something to suit his agenda, not hers.”

Katrina and Jessica didn’t look convinced.

“I am asking you to do this.”

“We’ll try,” Devin said, stepping between them. “It will be okay.”

Leslie stepped up and took Katrina’s hand. “We’ll be extra careful that nothing goes wrong this time.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “I wish Selene were here.”

“Devin, what was the last dream you had about Selene?” Katrina asked.

I hadn’t heard that she’d had a dream about Selene. Devin’s dreams came true more often than not.

“It really wasn’t clear enough to make sense.” Her expression looked far away. “It was a dark place filled with screams and misery. Someone was crying. Maybe a baby, maybe Selene, I really don’t know. Then I saw her fall to the ground, blood on her hands, while a man yelled behind her.”

No doubt the beginning was the Underworld. A stab of worry twisted in my stomach. But was the second part of her dream here or there? “Did the yell sound like me?”

She gave me a helpless gesture. “I really couldn’t say.”

Katrina looked like her thoughts were similar to mine. Anyone could be stabbing Selene, including my father. “We’ll do it,” she said.

“Thank you.” I ran a dagger across my palm and squeezed blood into a bowl. This had to work. Eleven hours and counting.

“Have you lost your mind?” Simon said. “You can’t go back there.”

“I’m not leaving him.”

“But there’s nothing you can do to help him. Do we need him to get out?”

I didn’t need Corbin to get out, but I also had no idea how I could help Simon escape and told him as much. If he wanted a chance, we had to have Corbin.

“We’ll figure something out as we go,” he said.

I clenched my jaw. That was unacceptable. I’d brought Corbin here. I wasn’t leaving him. “We’ll see about that. Wait here.” I took off back up the bridge, staying close to the wall.

Corbin was talking to Minos like he didn’t have a care in the world, though two demons still held him by the arms, waiting for instruction while their tails swished behind them and their distorted faces said they were looking forward to whatever was coming.

“Punishment? You’ve got to be kidding. You aren’t going to let one little transgression get in the way of what was a beautiful friendship, are you? Let bygones be bygones.”

“I should put you in the river until the water tears the flesh from your bones. I allowed
you
to feed here because
you
delivered more than you ever took, but there are rules. Even for vampires. You need to be taught your place.”

“You got what you wanted in the end. I lost and you won. Order remained, and I have been punished. I want to mend the bridge, Minos. That’s why I came back.”

Minos stared down at Corbin with unblinking yellow eyes. “Then tell me, how did you get here? I closed your passage. There is no way you got through.”

“There’s more than one way to skin a human.”

A grotesque smile oozed onto Minos’s face. “You want to be forgiven, Corbin, and I want to forgive you. Prove you are worthy. Bring me the witches who helped you get here, and all will be forgotten.”

“Open the passage back up and I will.”

“We both know that isn’t necessary.”

“How would you propose I do it?”

“Invite your friend out.”

My heart stuttered. Corbin was as still as a corpse. “What friend would that be?”

Minos looked past him toward me. “The witch. The one behind you. I cannot see her, but I feel her energy. Bring her before me and all is forgiven.”

Corbin glanced back, but not at me, his face completely closed and blank. “I don’t see anyone.”

“Games will not do, Corbin. I know she is there. Bring her to me now, or you go in the river and I hunt her myself.”

“The years have made you paranoid, Minos,” Corbin said.

Minos nodded once and the demons lifted Corbin, oblivious to his struggles, and carried him toward the river’s edge.

I slipped my necklace off, gripped it in my hand, and blocked the demons. “No. I’ll come forward.”

Minos laughed gleefully. “You came out to play after all. Step before me so I can get a look at you, little witch.”

“Put the necklace back on,” Corbin hissed.

“Let Corbin go,” I called out.

“Very well.” Minos waved a hand and the guards disappeared, dropping Corbin to the ground. “Many try to sneak out, little witch, but few try sneak in. What do you hope to gain in there?”

Minos didn’t seem like the type who was looking for a long answer or the type to be sympathetic. I held his piercing gaze for a moment while I boiled down what I was doing here to the base reason in my mind. “Life.” That was the essence of it. I was here because I wasn’t ready to die. I wanted a chance at happily ever after.

A black film slipped over his eyes, but an instant later they were back to their putrid yellow. He made a slurping noise that made my stomach turn.