A Lonely Magic (25 page)

“Elfie, Quidditch?” Fen said, feeling dazed.

“A flawed interpretation,” Elfie said in her head. “A three-dimensional sport played underwater with multiple goals and multiple balls. The interpreter pattern does its best, but interpreting at speed is imperfect, as you know. I shall provide it with assistance.”

Fen glanced down at the Celtic knot on her wrist. Was Elfie going to change it? But the bug on the back of her hand caught her attention first.

It was roaming, its tiny antennae out and trembling, its color a pinkish yellow.

She glanced up and around, automatically stepping closer to Evander as if she could hide in the shadow of his height.

“I’ve got to get to the place where they’re going to do the ceremony,” she said, voice hurried. “If you want to bring your friend to meet me there, that’d be cool, but I’m supposed to wait there.”

“Awesome!” His grin was huge.

Fen glanced down at the back of her hand. The bug had stilled, its quivering antennae pointed to the right.

“The ceremony’s going to be in the west atrium.” Evander took her hand from his arm and slipped his own down until he could wrap her fingers in his. “Come on.” He started off to the left, tugging her with him.

Fen let her fingers tighten around his hand.

The Val Kyr wouldn’t try to kill her in this crowd, would they? Could they? Was she dragging Evander into danger with her?

And where was Kaio? What the hell was he planning?

New Friends and Old

The atrium was insane.

Shit, it was a castle, the whole place was insane.

But what they called an atrium, Fen called a…

Nope.

She didn’t have a word for it. It was an enclosed courtyard, smaller than the courtyard in the front of the castle, but still spacious. Walls on all four sides held arched doorways on the ground floor and balconies and galleries going three stories up, while the roof opened to the twilight sky. In the center of the space, a raised dais held a rainbow of light, with seven bright beams shooting down from unseen spotlights creating a circle of color.

Water fell at intervals, sheeting down from one story up, two stories up, three stories up, the water filling flowing streams and pools that covered half the surface of the tiled floor, and then spraying up again in fountains, small or tall, in every corner.

The balconies were draped in the tiny sparkling lights that the Sia Mara loved, and filled with people. They leaned over the metal railings, calling out to their friends, waving to the other sides of the room, squeezed together in a jovial camaraderie that reminded Fen of a much friendlier version of a rush-hour El train.

She wanted to turn around and run. She hated crowds.

Evander’s eyes were on her and his grin was gone. “Milady?”

She took a shallow breath and let it go.

She was not going to hyperventilate. She was not. That was all there was to it. Shit, people wanted to kill her and she was going to freak out about being surrounded by safer people? She ought to be grateful she could hide amongst them.

“Are you all right?” Evander asked.

Fen forced a smile. “Just a little crowded for me.”

He looked around the packed atrium.

“I’ll wait here,” she added. “If you want to try to find your friend.”

She could see his chest rise and fall when he sighed. “My mother would kill me.”

“What?”

“For leaving you alone in a place that makes you uncomfortable.” And then he grinned his impish grin and tilted his head at the direction of the stage. “Want to get closer?”

Really, no, she didn’t.

But the question reminded her of times past, other boys, other places. She glanced around with fresh eyes.

Okay, so maybe she was trapped in an insane underwater world with people who wanted to kill her, a friend who was dying or dead, and bullshit rules she didn’t understand at every turn, but this place sort of looked like a club. A seriously cool club, crowded, with maybe a good band coming out soon. She could deal with that. “Let’s go.”

At the edge of the stage, they stopped. He was still holding her hand, his a little sweaty now. People gave them more space than Fen would have expected. Guys who noticed her dipped their heads and made room. It was nice in a way, but she wished they wouldn’t. How was she going to hide with a foot of open space around her?

She shivered. So many people crowded together should be warm, but all the water mist in the air kept it cool. Still, her skin felt itchy, sticky, as if something was on her. Or as if someone was watching her.

She looked up.

Zach, her former neighbor, stared down at her from the second story balcony, his mouth open, his hair mussed in the same attractively disheveled way as always.

Fen froze. She yanked her hand up to her face, bringing Evander’s hand with it. The bug was green. It didn’t have its head tucked under its wing, but it was just kind of meandering, definitely not on alert.

“Oh, fuck,” she whispered.

“Are you well?” Evander’s eyes were wide, startled.

“Yep,” she squeaked, letting their hands drop and separate. “Just, um, yeah. Ah—”

What the hell could she tell him? Not the truth, that was for sure.

But he was frowning and looking worried, so she plastered a smile on her face and said, “All good.” She turned the back of her hand to show him her bug. “Green, see?”

“You have art.” He touched it with a tentative fingertip. “You’re so lucky.”

“That’s nothing,” she said. She was barely aware of the words coming out of her mouth as her brain raced. “You should see my others.”

Zach here.

Was he Val Kyr? Had he been in on the decision to kill her? But why?

If he wanted to murder her, he could have done it in her own apartment any time. She would have let him in. She would have made him a cup of tea, for God’s sake.

“Gaelith gave me this data access pattern that’s fantastic,” she continued. She let her eyes flicker back up to the balcony, searching, but Zach was gone.

Shit.

“You have art by Gaelith Del Mar?” Evander’s tone was reverent. “Oh, man, that’s amazing.” He looked around them. “Damn, I wish my friend could see us. No one’s ever going to believe me when I tell them about this.”

“Go find him,” she said impulsively.

Zach had to be on his way down, either to talk to her or to murder her. And if the latter—well, this sweet kid was not, absolutely not, going to wind up like Remy or Luke. She needed to get him out of the way.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Absolutely.” She put a hand up to her necklace, fingering the copper, resisting the temptation to touch the crystal and scream for help. Last thing she needed was another two dozen people swooping down on her to offer her warm liquids and wrap her in cotton wool. She wanted to know what Zach knew and she wanted to know it now.

“I don’t feel right about leaving you.” Evander looked uncertain.

“Maybe you could pick us up something to drink, too? They’ve gotta have food and drinks here, right? And I’m kinda thirsty.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean not like some of the other parties. The banquet and stuff, that’s tomorrow. But I can find something. If you’re sure you’ll be all right?”

“I’ll be fine.” She stretched her lips out in the brightest smile she could muster, not looking up at the balcony.

How long would it take to get through the crowd?

How long before Zach or one of the Val Kyr showed up?

Evander left and Fen tried to focus. Her fingers twitched with the desire to rub her stone, but she clenched them into fists instead, wishing the damn robe the queen had conjured for her out of nothing had pockets.

Would her ivy hide her if Zach showed up ready to kill her? It wasn’t itching. She didn’t feel wrapped in leaves or punctured by thorns. But maybe he needed to be closer before the ivy could do its thing.

Or maybe he wasn’t her enemy. Maybe he didn’t want her to die.

A bell pealed out, the sound ringing off the walls, and the noise of the crowd grew as people began to move, jockeying for better positions.

Great. That was just great. Where was Kaio? He’d said he’d find her.

Her hand drifted up but she forced it down before she could touch her crystal. She stood on her tiptoes, eyes searching, but she was surrounded by people and too damn short to see over them. And the space the men around her had been giving her was shrinking as more people entered the room.

Up on the balconies, conversations were ending as eyes turned to the ground floor and the dais.

“Fen? Is that you?” The call came from a distance, loud enough to be heard over the noise of the crowd. Fen’s head snapped in that direction in time to see Zach, pushing his way toward her, ignoring the rumbles of dissatisfaction from the men he shoved.

“Hey,” one snapped. “Watch it, stranger. Guest rights only go so far.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Zach said. “I see someone I know.” He reached Fen and, staring down at her, his dark eyes wide with disbelief, added, “Someone who shouldn’t be here. Fen?”

She raised her eyebrows at him, enjoying the sweet rush of relief surging through her. “The one and only.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked.

“Damn good question. I wish I knew.”

“How did you get here? How did you—but you’re not—oh, fuck.” His mouth dropped open as he blinked. For a few seconds, his eyes shifted, lids twitching as if rapid thoughts were shooting through his imagination, until he put both hands over them, pressing his palms into his eye sockets as if he were trying to erase what he was seeing. “Holy shit. I was right. I was right. Fuck.” He breathed out the last word as if it were a prayer, before dropping his hands and saying vehemently, “Those fucking Val Kyr.”

Huh. That seemed like a good sign. Fen’s smile grew friendlier.

“Why did they bring you here?” he continued.

“They didn’t bring me anywhere,” Fen said. “They tried to kill me.”

“Kill you?” Zach half-laughed, half-snorted. “No way.”

“Yes way,” Fen said, her smile disappearing. “What were you doing with them, anyway? Are you a drug dealer?”

“Of course not.” Zach sounded offended, but his eyes flickered away from hers. He stilled, swallowed, and licked his lips.

“Felicia?” From behind her, Kaio’s hand dropped onto her shoulder, his deep voice so close to her ear that she shivered. “Are you well?”

He’d moved through the crowd without anyone making a single murmur of protest, Fen noted. Even now, people shifted respectfully away from the three of them.

“This is Zach,” she said, gesturing with her chin toward her former neighbor. “You remember him, right?”

“Zacharie of House Seznec. Of course.” Kaio’s tone was neutral, but his fingers increased their pressure for a moment before relaxing.

Zach’s eyes were wary. “Kaio.”

“You know him?” Fen demanded of Zach, a little shocked, a lot annoyed. Had Kaio lied to her? Had he known who Zach was this entire time?

“We’ve met, yes.” Zach tilted his head in a movement that Fen thought might have become a bow if there had been enough room around them.

Fen looked up and over her shoulder to glare at Kaio.

His lips curved up but his eyes stayed steady on Zach. “Had he been using his Sia Maran name during his residence as your neighbor, much might have been clear sooner.”

Fen’s glare eased, but Zach’s lips pressed together in a grimace that looked more miserable than hostile.

“What were you doing in Chicago?” Fen demanded.

“You got any idea how hard it was to pull this Great Council together?” Zach’s tone was defensive. “Watchers have been negotiating all over the world for years. And Chicago’s neutral space, as inland as it gets. There were a ton of us there.”

“Mm-hmm,” Kaio said. “Your friend is a Watcher for Ys Ker. A good one. In his second score at it, I believe?”

“Yeah. Another rebellious type, like yourself.” Zach’s grin looked half-hearted, but real. Fen remembered that smile. It belonged to a hot, twenty-something, bike messenger.

Except, no, it didn’t.

She blinked rapidly.

Second score. She’d figured out easily enough that Sia Marans measured time in twenty-year periods and started working at real jobs when they turned forty. If Zach was in his second score as a Watcher, at bare minimum he was sixty-some years old.

Oh-kay. She tried breathing again. No big deal. Made sense, considering Luke was forty, and looked sixteen. But man, Zach’s ass was awesome for a senior citizen. Not to mention the biker legs and the shaggy hair she’d always wanted to stroke out of his face for him.

“Not necessarily the word I’d choose.” Kaio’s voice held a thread of amusement. He let his hand drop from Fen’s shoulder. A crazy desire struck Fen. She wished she could lean into him and let him hold her up. Now that he was here, now that she knew she was safe, her knees felt wobbly.

“Ys Ker. You know how it goes.” Zach lapsed into what looked like a gloomy brood, staring at his feet.

“And meeting with Val Kyr,” Kaio said.

“For my sins, yes.”

“What can you tell me?” Kaio moved to stand beside Fen. His hand dropped into the small of her back, supportive, protective. Holy shit, she’d never realized her back held an erogenous zone. His touch sent little sparkler bursts jolting along her nerve endings.