The Weight of a Wing (The Stolen Wings Book 1) (21 page)

The nightclub vibrated with energy. Loud music boomed from
the speakers, and bright lights flashed through the fake smoke. Shadows danced
along with the patrons in the hazy atmosphere. There had to be over a hundred
people jumping to the maddening beat.

“The next generation is so doomed,” Rafe said to no one in
particular. He scanned the crowd with narrowed eyes. Several scantily clad
girls smiled at him, showing interest. He answered with a grin but kept moving.
“Are you sure she’s here?” he asked Vale, who was also checking out faces.

“Yes. I was told she likes to experience life to its
fullest.”

“I’d say…” Rafe changed direction, having felt something
familiar. All the while, he made sure Alise and Cassie were not far behind him.

The crowd parted in front of Rafe and Vale, as if
intimidated by their presence, and there it was: a couple kissing fervently.
Although they stood in the shadows, they glowed like they had thousands of
spotlights aimed at them. The Witch.

Rafe made a face. “She could be his great-great-great …
great-grandmother!”

His words made the girls chuckle, and they looked out from
behind him.

The Witch must have heard it, too. She ended the kiss with a
bite on the young man’s lower lip and turned to face them, her short,
frosted-white hair twinkling in the light. Her eyes gleamed mischievously, her
shapes and curves put on display by the skintight, sparkling outfit. This was
no girl, but a woman who didn’t bother to hide her strengths and assets. Or
maybe this was the disguise … a disguise within a disguise.

“That’s why I wouldn’t kiss you, boy,” she said.

Rafe took no offence at the appellative. She was way older
than he was, at least by several centuries. In spite of her young appearance,
this was one of the old Witches, and he respected her for that. However, he
needed her help, and he was prepared to do whatever it took to get it.

“Lya?” He called the Witch by her real name.

“Why are you bothering me here, boy?”

“We’re on an official mission, and we require your
assistance,” Vale said.

The Witch took a long, estimative look at the Guardians,
ignoring all the agitation around them as if they stood alone in the room. Then
her liquid eyes passed over Alise. Although she didn’t say anything, there was
a hint of recognition in the way her delicate eyebrows arched up slightly. It
could have been an illusion, though.

“I’m going out to get some air,” she said and grabbed the
young man she had been kissing by the collar. “Don’t go anywhere.”

He watched her with adoring eyes as she walked away. The
world could end and he wouldn’t move. He was besotted with her.

Rafe shook his head, sensing the charming spell wrapped
around the man. He signaled for the others to follow him. “I like her,” he said
when they reached a poorly lit corridor. The Witch was just disappearing
through a door at the other end.

“She’s dangerous,” Vale said.

“That’s exactly why I like her.” Rafe grinned, pleased to
have found a worthy ally. The human girl and damaged Fairy didn’t count.

He pushed the door open, and they found themselves in a back
alley. Small groups of people smoked while speaking quietly to each other.
Nice
place to get some fresh air.
They discovered Lya leaning against the only
working lamppost in sight. It was as if she
wanted
to attract everyone’s
attention, like her shinny skimpy outfit and bold attitude weren’t enough.

As they approached her and entered the light, all other
sounds remained somewhere in the distance. Ah, a privacy spell. That was nice.

“Can we talk now?” Rafe asked more politely, grateful for
the protective veil the Witch had created around them.

“What do you need?” Need, not want. She acknowledged there
was an issue at hand, and she owed the Council the courtesy to at least try to
help, but she didn’t put herself under their orders.

Smart woman
. Rafe expected nothing less.

“We need to find someone,” he said.

“A tracking spell? That’s why you bothered me?” Lya rolled
her eyes. “That’s beginner stuff. You should be able to do it. Hell, even your
Fairy over here should.”

“She did.” Rafe armed himself with patience while he shifted
his weight to the other foot. “But then we lost him. Now we need to find him
again.”

“You’ve got to be better than this if you’ve been sent on a
mission here.”

“That’s what I told them,” Alise said.

Payback for refusing to chase Gorem over into The Mists?
But she didn’t understand. Nate’s freedom depended on their capacity to obey
orders and not cross over to that side once they had been forbidden to do so.

Rafe’s hackles rose when confronted with the Witch’s
patronizing tone, and Alise’s quip didn’t help, either, but he managed to keep
his temper under control. Too much depended on this, and he always delivered
under pressure. He had been sent over here because he
could
do the job.

He wanted to say something, but Lya tapped her booted foot
on the pavement. “Enough. I don’t have all night, boys.” Everything in her
stance said she had better things to do with her time. Rafe believed her. There
was music, dancing, and a certain human waiting for her.

“The person we are looking for is not on this side,” Vale
said, taking control of the conversation. “He’s already crossed over to The
Mists. We have no jurisdiction there.”

“Then how is having me track him down going to help you?” Lya
asked.

“The Council sent us to you because you can do magic between
worlds. We were hoping you could somehow draw him back here.”

Rafe was impressed. Vale hated lying, but when he did, he
was fairly convincing. Their orders were to bring Gorem and Alise back. The
Council had certainly not sent them to any Witch. If Lya suspected something,
she didn’t voice her concerns, but her heavily made up eyes narrowed.

“Does this have anything to do with the missing wings
business?” The Witch’s gaze slipped over to Alise.

Cassie shifted uncomfortably.

“The culprit is our target,” Rafe’s said.

“Target,” the Witch repeated with a faint chuckle. Anyone
knew what that implied. They were going for the kill. “Even if I brought him
back here—” She tilted her head, “—he won’t die here.”

A chill ran down Rafe’s spine. Some Witches were known for
being able to look into the future. He didn’t know if this one could, but she
surely acted like it. “Let us worry about that.” The look on his face was a
warning that he was not in the mood for playing games

Lya held his gaze for a long moment before her eyes slipped
back to Alise. She watched the Fairy with interest, her gaze intense, going
beyond the earthly appearance—the dark hair pulled back in a long ponytail, the
tight sleeveless top with a covered back but a generous cleavage, the leather
pants, and spiked heels—and seeing something neither of them did. She looked
right through Alise, and a corner of her mouth twitched.

“You should be dead,” she said matter-of-factly.

Alise cocked her head. In those heels, she was taller than
the Witch. “But I’m not.”

“I can see that,” Lya murmured. “Interesting. He might have
finally found what he was looking for. Could it be?”

“What
is
he looking for?” Cassie asked.

For the first time, the Witch settled her gaze on the
shorter girl. “The Mouth of Truth.” A tiny little hint of amusement glinted in
her eyes. “And you’re using it on me? You’ve got some guts, little girl.”

Cassie pursed her lips, refraining from saying anything, but
her gaze didn’t lower.

Her stubbornness made Lya roll her eyes. “Wings. He wants
wings. A certain pair of wings.”

“Are Alise’s wings the ones he needs?” Cassie pressed.

“They could be, but the future is still uncertain on that.
The prophecy–”

“What prophecy?” Rafe asked.

“
One day, a pair of wings will change the world,
” the
Witch quoted. “It’s never specified what kind of wings is required. Therefore,
your guy will turn out to be either a hero or the most vicious murderer of our
time. That’s all I can tell you.”

Cassie wisely closed her mouth, which made Lya smile and nod
in appreciation. Rafe almost thought she thought kindly of the human girl, but
he knew better than to let that façade fool him. “Will you help us?” The
question came out more like a demand.

Lya tilted her head. “This is personal to you, isn’t it?”

He tilted his head in return. Rhetorical questions didn’t
need answers.

The Witch leaned forward, studying his eyes. The breath
caught in Rafe’s throat. He felt like she was looking right into his soul, but
he didn’t flinch. Whatever she saw in there, he wasn’t ashamed of it, and he
was desperate for her help. They all were.

“I see…” She pulled back, and Rafe could breathe easily
again. She looked at the others with a different kind of interest. “Wherever this
path will take you, you will fight until the end,” the Witch murmured as if
talking to herself. Oddly, it sounded like she admired that. “And you will save
her one time too many.” She smirked, decided on the course of action. “Okay.
I’m game.”

Witches. Throw them a bundle of tangled threads, and they’ll
move heaven and hell to untangle them just to prove they can. It was like
dangling a string in front of a cat. They always took the bait.
Well, that
was easy
. He debated whether to tell her about Fabian. Witches and Wizards
didn’t see eye to eye, but they also didn’t go against each other. It might
earn them some points if he let her know.

“There’s something else,” he said. “He has a Wizard helping
him, and he’s not sticking by the rules.”

“Of course he does. How else could he achieve all this?” The
Witch grinned knowingly. “I appreciate the intention, though.” She gave him a
slight nod in acknowledgment. “I will bring your target here for you, even if
that won’t be of much help. I will not engage the Wizard. That’s not my
problem. And, just so you know, the Wizard has his own agenda. You need to be
prepared.”

The Guardians bowed their heads, accepting her terms. They
were lucky she had agreed to give them any help at all.

“Very well,” Lya said. “We need a meeting ground. An open
site…” She tapped a finger over her glossy lips. “Make yourself useful and put
your mind to work,” she told Alise. “Where would you like to die?”

Joke or not, Alise handled it better than her companions
did. She kept her eyes on the Witch, careful to avoid the shocked look on her
friend’s face, and focused on the issue at hand. “An open site, preferably
deserted… The Palas! It’s a construction site.”

Rafe reckoned she knew the place like the back of her hand,
having heard the girls talk about it on several occasions. That was
well-thought-out indeed.

Lya took her time considering the suggestion. In the end,
she nodded. “All right. I’ll see you there before dawn.” She headed to the
club’s back door. The meeting was over.

“Wait,” Cassie said with a little, but determined voice, and
they were startled to see the Witch turn to watch her expectantly. “What’s a
Mermaid’s song used for?”

“Lots of things…” Lya pondered, smiling slightly, “if you
can catch it.” She appeared to be done talking, but Cassie’s fixed gaze begged
her to continue. Somehow, she gave in to the silent plea. “A Mermaid’s song is
one of the most wonderful things out there. It awes and destroys those who
listen to it. Why?” She didn’t need an answer to that. “Is this what he told
you?” She glanced at Alise once more. “It seems to me he’s already used his
Mermaid song, don’t you think?” Her smile was anything but nice when she turned
on her heels and opened the door.

“Do you need a ride?” Rafe called out after her.

The Witch waved a hand without looking back. “I’ve got my
own ride!”

Rafe chuckled quietly.
A car? Or the man waiting inside?
Probably
both.

She disappeared inside the club.

 “Well, at least we know she won’t be late,” Rafe said. He
paused. “Anyone trust her?” He looked around, but no one hurried to nod. “No?
Good.”

“We should go check out the place,” Vale said, “so there’ll
be no surprises. We can’t rely on her. She already said she wouldn’t help fight
against the Wizard. We need to be prepared for anything.”

“Indeed.” Rafe nodded. “Vale, I’m dropping you and Cassie
off at the Palas. This is not a good time to leave her alone. Alise and I are
going to do some last minute shopping. We need more ammo.”

Alise shifted in the passenger’s seat. Something about this
whole affair didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t figure out why. It was past
midnight during the week and the traffic was light. Few vehicles left the city
at this hour.

 “Do you think he’ll give us more of that blasting stuff
that worked so well on Fabian?” Rafe asked.

 “It’s his business. He can always use more clients,” Alise
said.

“I get that. But will he give us
more
?”

“How much more?”

“A lot more,” Rafe said. “Gorem will feel Lya’s pull and
alert Fabian. It’s what everyone with a Wizard at their disposal would do. And
he’s strong. We need to take him down before he hurts anyone. Gorem might not
care what happens to him, but Fabian surely does. Whatever his personal agenda
is, we won’t be safe unless we catch both of them.”

Alise found no fault to his reasoning. Personally, she
believed she had reached the point where she was never going to be safe again.
She was surprised he had included all of them in that statement and not just
her. She had been alone for so long, it felt strange to have someone on her
side. “How much do you think you can hold?”

“I don’t know. Four? Five? I’ll have to wait and see.” He
shrugged, paying more attention to the road than to the subject itself.

“That’s too much,” Alise said. “You had two for what? Twenty
minutes? And you felt like a furnace, like you were going to explode.”

“But I didn’t. And I still have some of it left. I’m getting
used to it,” he said.

“It’s not enough to get used to it. That stuff is powerful.”

“Oh, I know it is.” Rafe grinned and flexed his fingers on
the steering wheel. The suns flared on the back of his hands.

“Stop that.” Alise placed her hand on top of his. “This
isn’t a game.”

“It never was to begin with,” he murmured under his breath.
He kept his hand in place, allowing hers to rest on top until he had to pull
over in front of the greenhouse. “Here we go…”

The gate was closed but not locked, so they slipped into the
yard like two shadows, watching their steps on the concrete alley that
surrounded the main building. A neon light flickered somewhere in the back,
putting their orientation skills to test. Rafe drew out his blade, and a soft
glowing light surrounded them.

“We come in peace,” he whispered as he forced open the door
to the greenhouse. The lock gave in with a click, and the door opened without a
sound.

A dog let out a sleepy bark from behind the fence. Other
than that, there was no sign that anyone was aware of their presence there.

The breeze rushed in, making the plants’ leaves hiss and
tremble as they walked in. The plants turned, as if they were watching them.
Alise closed the door behind them and followed Rafe’s guiding light. The aisle
was long—too long. They should have crossed the greenhouse twice by now.

“Stop.” Alise placed a hand on Rafe’s back.

He froze in place, immobile. “What?”

“Wait.”

She turned around, scanning the surroundings, her eyes
half-closed. She knew plants. She could tell them apart from the illusions. Two
steps to the right placed her hip against a heavy rack. “Here.”

The word acted like a trigger. A light went on, and the
scenery changed. They were once again in the middle of the greenhouse, next to
the blue hydrangea she had healed. The plant still looked a little sad, but
cheered up when she reached her hand to it.

Rafe’s blade was instantly out.

“Nice to see you … again,” a voice chuckled from behind a
palm tree, and Elronicus made his appearance with a smile dancing on his lips.

“We apologize for the entrance,” Alise said.

“You sure know how to make one,” Elronicus said. “We do have
a phone, and there’s a bell at the door, you know?” The old man was still
smiling.

“We wanted to keep you on your toes,” Rafe said. He took his
time putting the blade away, making no effort to hide it. The old man had his
magic, lots of it, but they weren’t defenseless. “You’ve been here a long time.
We feared you might get rusty.” He smirked.

“Fair enough.” At his age, Elronicus had seen plenty,
including cocky Guardians who didn’t know any better. Wisdom came with time,
and he had plenty of that … among other things. “What brings you here tonight?
I don’t suppose you’ve come just to test my security system.”

Rafe leaned casually against one of the racks. “We’ve come
for more.”

“More? Already?” Elronicus’s eyebrows shot up on his
wrinkled forehead. If it was an act, it was a good one. “No. It’s not my
business.” He raised one hand in apology. “My business is to provide you with
more…” His voice trailed off, and he looked pensively at them.

“Is there a problem?” Rafe asked.

“I’m just wondering if you can afford the price. That’s
all.”

The words might have been genuine, but the way he held his
hands together showed his concern was not.

“Let me worry about that.” Rafe grunted, and the dark look
he gave the old man would have put anyone off arguing.

The concealed threat in Rafe’s voice was met with a sigh.
“Ah, that’s what they all say. Sometimes I think I’m in the wrong business. Oh,
well. Wait here. I’ll bring you what you need.” With small steps, typical for
the old age, he disappeared behind the bigger plants as smoothly as he had
appeared.

“That went well, don’t you think?” Rafe said
conversationally.

“Yeah, except for the fact that he’ll increase the price now
that he knows we’re desperate,” Alise said.

“We’re not desperate.”

“Try to tell
him
that.” Alise made a face, thinking
about the price and wishing she didn’t care.

Rafe didn’t reply. He stood there, silent and unmoving,
watching as she touched various plants around her without a particular goal in
mind while waiting for their host to return.

First, came the glow. Elronicus was carrying a big sphere
the size of a human head in his hands. The pulsing light made eerie shadows
dance on his wrinkled face. “This is all I’ve got for now. Please, help
yourself. Take as much as you want.”

“Thanks.” Rafe grinned, eyeing the sphere, and let his
fingers run through the light.

Alise made a step forward.
Too easy
. The magic slowly
got absorbed by the suns in Rafe’s palms. It looked like he was able to control
the process, but she couldn’t be sure. It was too much, too soon, even if he
was
taking his time.

“Is this safe?” Rafe asked the old man. By now, he held both
of his hands close to the light.

“Absolutely … as much as magic is ever safe,” Elronicus
answered with a shallow smile.

“I thought so.” Rafe’s frown could have been either a sign
of discomfort or a reaction to the truth.

His body radiated in the dim light of the greenhouse, his
system busy processing the magic and turning it into something it could use. It
pulled Alise towards him. The artificial magic she could pass by and look the
other way, but this was too close to the real stuff, and she found it hard to
resist. Her hands reached out before she could consciously command the move,
and they stopped a few centimeters short from touching him. The magic passed
through the air that separated her palms from his jacket. She swayed in place,
her fingers itching to achieve the contact.
Maybe later if there’s time
.

When the sphere reached the size of a large fist, Elronicus
cleared his throat. “I will, however, require payment up front for this one.”

“What is it that you want?” Rafe asked, still focused on
absorbing the magic.

“I will not ask what you need all this for, but please
correct me if I’m wrong…” Dark eyes fixed him from above the oval-shaped
glasses. “You need it to fight someone … someone powerful by the look of it. On
this side, it can only be a Wizard or a Witch. And, given the business I’m
running, I know everyone in the area who might be involved. Tell me. Is Lya one
of them?”

Is the Witch one of his clients, too?

“It might be.” Rafe nodded noncommittally. “Get to the
point.”

“I want you to give her a blow…”

“You want me to kill her?” Rafe looked up. “There’s not
enough magic in here to do that.”

Fabian had just returned, and Lya was arguably stronger, so
Alise tented to agree.

“No, just a little blast. The size of the pulsars I gave you
the last time. I want her gone for a couple hours.”

“Leaving me with a pissed off Witch on my tail when she gets
back? That doesn’t sound like a good deal to me.”

Elronicus grinned. “If you accomplish your mission, you
won’t be here when she gets back.”

Maybe, but they had no guarantees. And an angry Witch would
follow you not only to the end of the world, but also to the end of any
other
world.

Something shifted on Rafe’s face. “Okay. We have a deal.”
And with that, he sent what was left of the pulsar flying into the old man’s
chest.

Both Alise and Elronicus gasped, but only one of them
remained standing, the other slumping to a heap on the floor.

“Why did you do that?” She stared at Rafe as they stood over
the fallen body that looked much smaller curled up in a ball.

“I’m blasting the Witch like we agreed, but I’m not letting
him take advantage of the time window. That was
not
part of the deal.”
Rafe shook his head. “I hope she’ll keep that in mind the next time we meet.”
It didn’t sound like he put much faith in it. He fished the car key from his
pocket and tossed it to Alise. “You drive. I feel like my skin will peel off if
I move too much.”