Darkest Knight (8 page)

Xenia flushed and her jaw dropped. “Chalice, please don’t tell Aurora.”

“I won’t if you promise not to sneak whiskey from Zeke’s liquor cabinet again.”

Her head bobbed as if perched on a spring.

“Rusty?” Dale asked. “Will you show us your ability?”

Rusty stood, her eyes revealing her pride for what she could do. And she should be proud. Controlling fire was a powerful talent she put to good use. There was no doubt she’d saved thousands of lives not to mention forests and buildings from going up in flames.

She stared hard at the candle on a coffee table. Seconds passed and nothing happened. Scowling, she cupped her hands in front of her, then clapped. Still nothing.

“Rusty, what’s wrong?” Xenia asked.

Eyes glazed, Rusty glared at me and said, “My ability. It’s gone.”

I felt my heart lodge in my throat. Some charms and cursed objects were known to exact payment for the help they offered. In this case, I believed the Viking horn of breath had taken Rusty’s ability in exchange for giving back her life. “Are you sure it’s completely gone?” I asked her.

“You’re the one who stuck that disgusting horn in my mouth,” Rusty said, her tone close to a growl. “You tell me.”

“It could be temporary.” At least I hoped so.

“I thought you knew all there was to know about charms and curses.” Rusty gazed down at her students, eyebrows raised. “That’s why you’re here, right? To teach these girls how to defend themselves with magical objects?”

Of course, that’s why I was here. I didn’t appreciate Rusty’s sarcasm, but I understood her shock at the sudden loss of something so important. I imagined it felt the same as losing an arm or a leg. A vital piece of yourself suddenly gone.

Dale’s eyes widened. “What happened? What’s going on?”

“Nothing much.” Rusty’s eyes hardened to marbles. “I died the other day and Chalice brought me back to life.”

There was a collective gasp from the little group.

I didn’t defend, object or deny. Rusty needed to vent, and if that involved mocking me, I could take it. Up to a point. I was big enough to accept responsibility, but I didn’t want these squires to get the wrong idea. Not about me, necessarily, but about the charms they’d be using to protect themselves.

“Apparently there’s a price for resurrection, huh, Chalice? Kind of too late for buyer’s remorse though,” Rusty said.

Xenia shook her head and the rest of the girls blinked, looking confused.

“I didn’t know the horn of breath had strings attached. I’ll fix it.”

“Fix it?” Rusty asked, her forehead puckered with an ugly frown.

“There has to be a way to return your powers.” All the girls stared at me and I threw up my hands. “I still have the horn that gave you your breath back. The key must be there somewhere.” Or so I wanted to believe.

Rusty struggled to compose herself, but I saw her hands were shaking. “You’ve been nothing but trouble since the day you got here, Chalice.”

I stood from the chair I’d been sitting in, my muscles bunched with tension. “Prescribing charms is still new for me. Give me a break.”

“You don’t deserve a break.” Rusty stepped closer to me. She stood at least a head taller and I had to crane my neck to meet her glare. “You’re a menace to the order. You’d have made a much better gargoyle than you do a knight.”

I was starting to get angry. “I’ve vowed to do right by the order. I’m here to help, and I’m here to fulfill my mother’s legacy.”

Rusty’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “By letting your family’s bloodline die after nine centuries?”

To say that barb didn’t hurt would be a lie. “I honor my mother and the knighthood with my life.”

“There’s no honor in destroying a lineage.” Rusty put her hands on her hips. “You’d rather bear disgusting baby gargoyles than be the blessed vessel for a future Hatchet knight.”

Heat engulfed my neck and I knew my tattoo would have been on fire by now had I not broken the curse it symbolized. I gulped air to try cooling off. “I know you’re upset, Rusty. You don’t mean what you’re saying.”

She snorted. “Like hell I don’t.”

We glowered at each other and from the corner of my eye I saw Xenia hop to her feet and rush from the room.

Rusty’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe what I heard about your mother was true.”

If she said one bad thing about my mother I’d make sure she lost more than just her powers. I felt the weight of the knife sheathed between my shoulder blades.

“What was that sorcerer’s name?” Rusty’s eyes rolled as if she tried to think of the answer. “Oh, yeah. Gavin. The Vyantara’s head honcho and your mother’s lover.”

I sprang at her.

It was totally impulsive and completely driven by some primal part of my brain. Anything having to do with my mother was a sensitive issue. To hear the name of that sociopathic sorcerer and my mother in the same breath sent me over the edge. I couldn’t stop myself.

The knife was in my hands so fast I barely registered my fingers wrapping around the hilt and my thumb springing the latch to pop the blade.

Lucky for me Rusty was just as fast. She kicked my hand so hard the knife went flying, the blade lodging firmly into the wall behind me. A good thing no one was standing there or they’d be shish kebab right now.

Her hands fisted my short hair and I did the same to hers. I wrapped her long tresses around my fingers and yanked her down to floor, where we rolled around like a couple of TV wrestlers. I focused on holding her head away from me so she couldn’t bite my ear off. She came pretty close a couple of times.

“What the hell is going on in here?” my grandmother yelled as she stormed into the room and grabbed me by the arms. She tried pulling me away from Rusty, who had no intention of letting go.

Now it was three of us on the floor with my grandmother on top trying desperately to pull us apart. I was expecting the water hose at any second. But instead it was my grandfather who broke up the brawl and sent both Rusty and I sprawling to opposite sides of the room.

“Enough!” he shouted. “What’s wrong with you two? Now’s not the time for fighting.” He glowered down at the two of us as we lay gasping and bleeding and literally growling in rage. “Stop it, both of you.”

A sudden bright light flared in the middle of the room and the silver veil rippled like a lake disturbed by skipping stones. An enormous angel emerged, his white hair floating around him in graceful waves that looked peaceful and terrifying at the same time.

I glanced over at Rusty, whose eyes had gone wide and her face drained of color. She looked scared, and I knew for a fact it wasn’t me she was afraid of. This angel frightened her.

“No,” she said quietly. “Please, Harachel, I promise to be good. I won’t fight anymore.” She tried to scoot backward on the slick wooden floor, but the angel easily reached down and grabbed both her arms to haul her to her feet.

He wasn’t exactly gentle about it and despite my rage a few minutes earlier, the instinct to protect my sister made a sudden and unexpected appearance. “Leave her alone,” I said. “Can’t you see she doesn’t want you touching her?”

“What she wants does not matter,” the angel said, his deep voice strong enough to make the pictures on the wall shudder in their frames. “She needs to calm herself. I am her guardian and I will help her do that.”

I just bet you will.
I wasn’t sure why I didn’t trust him. He was supposed to be one of the good guys, but then again, Aydin was assumed to be a bad one. It’s best not to judge a book, or an angel or gargoyle, by its cover.

I prepared to stand and felt a firm but gentle hand clutch my elbow and guide me to my feet. Rafe gave me a stern look, though his eyes held a deeper understanding of what I sensed. He felt it, too. My skin went cold. He jerked a warning nod and I held my tongue.

The angel Harachel pulled Rusty into his arms and lifted her like she weighed no more than a rag doll. If he ever dared treat her like one he’d be hearing from me. Turning to face the veil, he slipped through it and the shimmering surface vanished as if it had never been there.

The room became quiet as a tomb.

My grandmother sighed and pressed her hand against her forehead. “You girls gave me a migraine.”

“Sorry,” I said, aware that I’d been apologizing a lot lately.

Aurora shook her head. “It’s fine, Chalice. That fight was bound to happen sooner or later. Rusty has been jealous of you since the day she heard how you broke your curse and killed that gargoyle.”

“Can we hear the story now?” one of the squires asked.

I’d totally forgotten about the squires. I could only imagine what they must be thinking.

“Honey, I don’t think Chalice is up to it right now,” Aurora told her. “Class is over. You’re all dismissed for the day.”

While watching the women disperse, I touched my lip and winced, then saw the blood on my fingers. I didn’t remember Rusty hitting me. It all happened so fast.

“Let me see.” Aurora leaned over me to study the top of my head. She whistled. “Oh, dear. I’ll have to remind Rusty to cut her nails. She raked you pretty good.”

As soon as she said it my head began to hurt. I’d be healed by morning, but that did nothing for me now. I wanted aspirin. And a shower. And a nap.

“You’re not off the hook, young lady,” Aurora said as she released my head and backed up a step. “You must learn to control yourself. You’re dangerous with a knife.”

I stared down at my feet. “I know I need to work on my self-control. Rusty pushed my buttons and I pushed back. It won’t happen again.”

“I know you mean well, dear, but if you’re anything like your mother, it
will
happen again.” She held me by the chin and gazed into my eyes. “Work harder than your mother did to restrain yourself. Her impulses were what got her killed. I don’t want the same to happen to you.”

I started to say something, but she abruptly turned and walked away, her steps solid and determined. She meant what she said. And so did I.

nine

I COULDN’T GET RUSTY OFF MY MIND. AN
entire day had passed and she had yet to return from her trip through the silver veil. She wouldn’t be in trouble if I had kept my temper. Maybe Rafe had some pointers on how I could do that.

Natalie continued to sleep, but my grandmother had managed to spoon some soup and high-protein milk shakes into her. She’d also taken on the unpleasant duties of diaper and linen changing. The woman was a saint. A pang of pride made my eyes sting and I blinked. I’d become far too emotional lately, which was out of character for me. Six months ago I could block my feelings, but my world was different now. I finally had something, and several someones, to feel deeply about.

“You need to talk to me?” Rafe asked as he walked into my room.

He had heard my thoughts and that shouldn’t have surprised me, but it always did. I should be grateful. But I appreciated him more when my resentment toward his attitude about Aydin didn’t irritate the hell out of me.

I sat on my bed with my back slouched against the wall, knees pulled to my chest and arms hugging my shins. I gazed up at him and said, “What’s going on with Rusty?”

He glanced at the foot of the bed. “May I?”

I nodded.

He sat and turned slightly to face me. “She’s being counseled by her guardian.”

I frowned. “I don’t trust that guy.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I’m worried he’ll hurt her.”

Rafe shook his head, a lock of perfect blond hair falling over one eyebrow. “He will not. But Harachel is strict and demands stellar behavior. Maybe I should be more demanding of you as well.”

I suppressed a growl and sat up straighter. “Don’t even think about it.”

A small smile tilted up the corners of his mouth. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Smart man. “So why are you so different?”

“I’m not.”

Rafe stood and stepped to the window to gaze out at the night, which was finally clear of snow flurries. Stars glittered against the inky darkness, which made Rafe’s silhouette even more pronounced. “Angels of the Arelim are as different from each other as you humans are. We have our good points and our bad ones.”

“You’re angels,” I said. “You’re supposed to be the epitome of goodness.”

He chuckled. “Says who?”

“Says Christmas.”

He laughed harder. “You watch too much television.”

“I know.” I laughed, too. “So bad angels become fallen ones?”

“Sometimes.” He turned toward me so the window was at his back. “Those who father children for the Hatchet knights definitely do, unless they choose to have their wings clipped so that they can become human. All angels have a choice.”

“And the fallen ones? What choices do they have?”

He hesitated before saying, “I don’t know much about them.”

I wished he did, because I wanted to know more about my father. Barachiel had helped me escape the Vyantara fatherhouse, and I considered that a good deed. If all the Fallen were evil, my father never would have done what he did.

“I think it’s fair to say the Fallen serve their own interests, whatever those may be.” Rafe approached my bed again. “Is that all you wanted to know?”

“Yes,” I said, then leaned forward. “I mean no. I’d like you to teach me self-control.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Like how to stop myself from acting out my anger,” I explained. “You helped me learn to balance my senses so they won’t take me over and I was hoping you could do the same for my temper.”

He rubbed his chin and studied me. “Perhaps. But only on one condition.”

Conditions made me nervous. “Depends on what it is.”

“Fair enough.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Chalice, all I ask is that you never shut me out again.”

“Even when you insult the man I love?” Though I had to admit I’d acted childish. My emotions were balanced on a knife’s edge and Rafe had pushed me over. I’d meant to teach him a lesson, but he was supposed to be
my
teacher. I could learn a lot from him.

His jaw muscles tightened and his eyes narrowed, but he expressed the same self-control that I wanted for myself. “Yes, even then.”

I sighed and said, “I’ll do my best.”

* * *

“Quin!” I shouted when I greeted him at the door.

“Hey, you.” He gathered me in his arms for a hug. “Long time no see.”

It had only been a few weeks, but he was right. It felt like ages. “I know. I’ve missed you.”

Quin grinned, his bespectacled eyes bright with optimism and his sandy hair sticking up in a stylish cowlick. That was new. He was a couple years older than me and quite British. I’d first met him on a kidnapping assignment when I was still working for the Vyantara. He was the one I’d been assigned to kidnap but, when I’d wound up saving his life instead, we’d become allies.

“I missed you, too.” He gave me a quick squeeze and let me go. “So are you all settled in?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes and no. I think I’ve already worn out my welcome.” I told him everything that had happened over the past few days, from the burned-down farmhouse and forest fire to Natalie’s brush with death and then the awful fight I’d had with Rusty. “Now I need to redeem myself.”

“Let’s see if there’s anything I can do to help.” He led the way to the storage room that held Aydin’s collection of charms. He dug into his jacket pocket and came out with a key, which he deftly plugged into the hole beneath the doorknob. But he didn’t have to turn it. The door swung open by itself. “That’s odd.”

“I must have forgotten to lock it when I was here last.” I fiddled with the knob and tested the lock. “Because it’s working fine now.”

Quin shrugged and glanced at the stacks of boxes and crates. “I catalogued every one of these before bringing them here.”

“Quite a project.”

“You’re telling me.”

“What can you tell me about the Viking horn of breath?”

He grimaced. “No more than you already know. You’re the one who stole the bugger.”

I sighed. “Unfortunately, its history is vague. I need to know if there’s a way to make it give back Rusty’s power.”

His brow furrowed in thought. “You’ll have to find a shaman with a background in old Nordic magic.”

“Do you think Elmo would know of someone like that?” Elmo was a mutual friend who owned a coffee shop in Denver favored by the fae. He was an elf with ties to the land of Faerie beyond the green veil. It was another realm beyond the human one, just as the black veil harbored demons, and the silver veil was home to the Arelim and the innocents who needed sanctuary.

“I don’t know if he does, but it can’t hurt to ask.”

I added that to my to-do list. Though I wasn’t sure when I’d get the chance to ask him since Halo Home was my virtual prison for a while. Elmo didn’t have a phone so I couldn’t call him. I supposed I could write him a letter if I had to.

I scanned Aydin’s charm collection, remembering the day I’d hastily grabbed that stupid horn. Though I didn’t totally regret it. After all, Rusty would be dead right now if I hadn’t used it on her. There might even be something here that could counteract what the horn had done, but I felt pretty sure Rusty would refuse whatever I found. I now knew that charms worked differently on knights than they did on full-blooded humans.

I heard a scraping sound in the far corner of the room. “Damn. We have mice?”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Quin said.

I smirked. “Of course not. Your ears aren’t as sensitive as mine.” I thinned the mental barrier around all my senses so I could pinpoint the whereabouts of the rodent, and that’s when I smelled it. Alcohol.

Hands on hips, I said firmly, “Xenia? Get your ass out from behind those boxes right now.”

Silence.

My nose twitched with another scent that confirmed the intruder’s identity: Xenia’s pungent perfume that smelled like rotting gardenias.

“Give it up, Xenia,” I said.

Some of the crates and boxes shifted as a figure on hands and knees emerged from behind them. Xenia stood and brushed at the dust bunnies clinging to her sweater, though they blended naturally with the matted yarn that twisted through quarter-size holes from neck to hem. “Hi,” she said with the flash of a grin.

She gazed up at Quin and her eyes suddenly brightened, as did her smile. “Hello.”

Frowning, Quin crossed his arms and didn’t return her greeting.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked.

“Looking around.” She started backing her way to the door. “Sorry to intrude. I’ll leave you two alone.”

My nose twitched again as the scent of old wood drifted out from the pocket of Xenia’s jeans.

“Hold it right there,” I said. “Hand it over.”

She blinked. “Hand what over?”

I made a
gimme
gesture with my hand and she sighed. Her small, pale fingers slid into her pocket and pulled out a bracelet made with oak tiles linked together by tiny, tarnished silver roses.

It was a Celtic bracelet and each of the seven tiles was marked with a rune. Together the runes predicted a day’s events from dawn until dusk. The rune symbols changed every day. It was a very powerful charm that could easily be abused in the wrong hands.

Xenia dropped it in my outstretched hand.

“Do you know what this is?” I asked her.

“Pretty?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, it’s very pretty. But it’s not simply a piece of jewelry. It’s a very powerful charm.”

“I…I uh…” she stammered, and shoved her hands in her pockets. “I didn’t realize. I just thought it was some old stuff in storage.”

I nodded. “It’s old stuff and it’s being stored, but each object here has a special purpose. Some of these things can protect you, or help you. But if used the wrong way they can hurt you.”

“Like the one that hurt Rusty.”

“Exactly.” I stepped behind the boxes and crouched down to retrieve the rusted metal box that had held the bracelet. “This is nothing to fool around with. Understand?”

She nodded. “Can I go now?”

My eyes spotted movement from underneath Xenia’s sweater. She quickly covered the spot with her hand and coughed. “Wow, the dust in here is bad.”

I held out my hand again. “What’s under your shirt?”

“Nothing,” she said, taking her hand away. “I swear.”

Whatever it was jumped again. I lunged at her and reached my hand down the front of her sweater.

“Hey!” she said, trying to push me away.

My fingers wrapped around the object I suspected and my heart jerked with dismay. Xenia had tried to steal my pet. She’d almost taken Ruby.

I opened my hand. The jewel-encrusted frog gazed up at me with shining ruby eyes and chirped. I petted her head with the tip of my finger. “Hello, Ruby.”

“That’s its name?” Xenia asked, excitement in her voice.

“Yes, it’s Ruby and it belongs to Chalice,” Quin said in a steely tone that sounded nothing like him. “How dare you try to steal from someone who’s here to help you.”

I imagined Xenia had done this kind of thing before. I was like her at that age, only I hadn’t stolen things for myself. I’d stolen them for a sorcerer who’d sworn to have me killed by the creature bonded to me if I didn’t do what I was told. Xenia was under no such pressure. She stole for the hell of it.

Xenia’s expression made a sudden transformation from awe to rage in under ten seconds.

“You think you’re better than me?” she asked.

What the hell? Dealing with these women the past few days made it clear why I had so few girlfriends. They made no sense. “No,” I said firmly. “Do you think you’re better than
me?
”

“Yeah, I sure do.” She stalked to the door and Quin stepped ahead of her to lean against it, barring her way out. “I was called here. I’m special. And I’m not like you or Rusty or any of those other bitches pretending to be squires.”

“Aren’t you a cheeky little thing,” Quin said, his lip curled in distaste. This was a side of him I hadn’t seen before. He’d never been so outspoken in front of me.

“You’re not helping,” I told him.

He grunted and glowered at Xenia. Was there some history there I didn’t know about?

“I’m not like you or anyone else here,” Xenia went on.

“Good to know,” I said calmly, feeling proud of myself for not losing my cool. “Care to share your divine purpose with the rest of us?”

“No.” She glared at me, reminding me of yesterday’s confrontation with Rusty. I wasn’t about to go through that again. “It’s none of your damn business.”

Okay, so she’d gotten caught and was obviously used to getting away with the stuff she stole. I should expect her to be defensive. But there was something else here, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. And it worried me.

“Maybe we should discuss this with Aurora,” I said.

Her face suddenly changed to that of a scared little girl. “Chalice, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what got into me.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and looked remorseful. “I never should have picked that lock. When I was a kid I had to steal to survive, sell what I could to buy food. That’s the only life I knew and old habits die hard. I didn’t mean to—” She broke out in tears, the gasping kind that caused hiccups.