Blood, Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter Thirteen

For the first time since the formation of Faerie, the Silverleaf clan buried one of their own.

The call for vengeance was immediate and unanimous. They were eager to execute some vampires, and from what I could tell they intended to kill every vampire and necromancer connected to my father, from Lovely Laura on down to the lowliest minion she controlled. The scary part was that they could do it too, which made me wonder why Dorian had been stupid enough to try to attack me while I was within Castle Silverleaf. Sure he might ensure his position as Oberon if I was out of the way, but what good is the position when everyone he associates with is dead? All-the-way dead, not the average, everyday vampire dead.

My cousins were busy planning their elaborate revenge, and I had to admit that angry, bloodthirsty Portia was the most frightening thing I’d ever seen in my entire life. Listening to her describe their plans in her sweet, sing-song voice was even more disturbing than watching the glee in the imp’s beady eyes as it recounted the plane crash it’d caused.

They were going to kill everyone, and it was going to be glorious.

My weapon training continued, but my heart was no longer in it. Lex spent most of his time with me, consoling me when I needed it and just generally keeping me sane-which was a tough job considering all the worries buzzing around in my brain. I wondered if I had gone after Dorian, would Tybalt still be alive? What if I failed the third test? What if Dorian became Oberon? Would I have to spend the rest of my life in Faerie, hiding from him? Would the vamps infect Faerie and spread through it like a plague?

All that stood between me and the answers was the final test.

One moment I was enjoying a peaceful sleep, safe in my bed, wrapped in my lover’s arms, and the next I found myself standing in the middle of the earthen room beneath the faerie mound of the Underhill clan. For a heartbeat I thought it was a dream-one of those horrible walking-down-the-hallway-of-your-high-school-while-naked-without-your-homework nightmares-but with a quick glance down I discovered I was wearing my usual clothes, and with a pinch to my arm I proved to myself that it was real. After adjusting my top hat I let my hand rest on the hilt of my rapier as I surveyed my surroundings.

This time the cavern had been lit with a series of glowing spheres floating along the ceiling throughout the room. There wasn’t a dragon, but three other people stood near me, one of which was Lex. I reached out and took his hand, and he gave mine a reassuring squeeze. Cecelia of the Silver Crescent stood in front of us, looking as serene and perfect as ever, and on the other side of her stood my father, dressed in his somber black robes with a dour expression on his face.

I snarled at him, filled with rage and grief, and Lex tugged me closer to him before I could do anything. I wanted nothing more in the world than to fulfill my oath and see Dorian dead.

“Stay where you are, Catherine,” Cecelia warned. There was a subtle threat in her voice that made me pause. Balling my free hand into a fist, I took a deep breath.

“What is he doing here?” Dorian asked, pointing an accusing finger at Lex. “He has no right to be here.”

“Actually, he has every right to be here, but that is not your concern,” Cecelia informed him. “Each of you has progressed this far. This will be the final trial. Recent events have reminded the council of an important aspect of the position of liaison: the ability to survive an attack by one’s enemies. Your objective here is simple: to live. The test begins now.”

“What the hell-” I began to protest, but Cecelia vanished from view. Dorian wasted no time in turning on me. Without a staff this time, he conjured a ball of fire and whipped it at me. I flung my arms up to protect my face as my shields snapped into life, surrounding both me and Lex and deflecting the fireball so that it bounced back at him.

“Dumbass!” I shouted as he dodged out of the way. Shoving my anger down into the pit of my stomach, I resisted the urge to draw my sword, and instead poured more strength into the protective barrier.

“Now that’s just mean spirited, Dorian,” Lex scolded. The silver spear appeared out of nowhere again, and he held the weapon in front of him. One by one the glowing lights overhead winked out, plunging the room into darkness. “Guess they forgot to pay the bill.”

“Looks like it,” I agreed. I moved closer to Lex, and we stood together in the darkness as I debated our options. I could cast a light spell, but it’d weaken my shield. Sadly my lightstone was sitting in my apartment with a lot of my other trinkets, so that option was out. Though the darkness was terrifying, we were safe in my magical bubble, and if we were real lucky some big bad monster was out there eating my dad in one tasty bite right now. That deserved a victory cigarette, didn’t it?

Dragging my smokes out of my pocket, I placed one between my lips and then held up my lighter, flicking it on. The small circle of light revealed my father inching close, a dagger in his hand. Startled, I forced myself not to flinch, and continued to light the end of my cigarette, blowing a stream of smoke in his direction. The smoke hit the invisible wall of my shield and curled back toward me, and I smiled.

“If you light yourself on fire again, I’m not pattin’ you out this time,” Lex warned me dryly.

“So noted,” I replied. “Careful, Dorian. You might hurt yourself with that thing.” Dorian lunged toward me, swinging his weapon, and it bounced off the barrier with an audible crackle and a small flash of light. “Not so tough without your evil trinkets, are you?”

“Your mother thought her shields would keep her safe. She was mistaken,” he informed me in an annoyed growl as he rubbed his wrist. “It takes more energy to protect two people. You’ll tire soon enough.”

My anger surged and the flame of my lighter shot two feet high. I nearly dropped it in response, but instead I took my thumb off the button and killed the fire. “Well, my shields are plenty tough, and you’re out there in the dark, completely unprotected, with whatever icky bad the faeries decided to throw at us. I’m just gonna stay in here and enjoy my smoke. I may even conjure up some popcorn while I wait.”

“How do you know they put anything in here with us? Maybe we’re meant to kill each other.” His voice circled me, and I tried to follow the source.

“Works for me, I’m all about killing you. But I’m still willing to put money on the icky-bad theory, say, fifty bucks? Hey, how fried did that dragon leave you? Original recipe or extra crispy?”

An annoyed hiss sounded in the shadows, and I knew I’d hit a nerve. Another flash of light and a crackle of energy behind me alerted me when he took a second swing at my shield. Still no damage. If the darkness didn’t attack him soon, it was going to be a really long test.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Even if the monster out there in the dark doesn’t get you, the Silverleafs will. They’ve got extra excruciating plans for you and all your fanged friends.”

Dorian’s stinging retort was interrupted by a loud roar that shook the ground and echoed off the walls. I paused, blinking in surprise, and then slowly lifted the cigarette to my mouth and inhaled a long drag. “Ooh, that sounds bad.”

“Cat, I think your daddy owes you fifty bucks.” Lex chuckled.

I doubted it could be another dragon lurking in the dark. The council wouldn’t pull the same trick twice. Puffing away at my cigarette, I listened intently for a clue as to what was going on outside the safety of my shields. The low drone of chanting indicated that my father was casting some sort of spell, and the awful stench of necromancer magic wafted toward me.

“You smell that?” Lex asked me, his voice low.

A new scent wove its way through the smoke and necromancy, surrounding me from all sides. I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I sniffed the air, and it took me a moment to identify the unfamiliar and unpleasant aroma.

“Yeah. Sulfur.” It’s not magic, but instead it’s a smell that clings to summoners who delve too deeply into their art, desiring faster, more potent power. The mark of demonic taint. This changed the game-I’d never tested my shields against such concentrated evil, and there was an excellent chance they wouldn’t hold against a demon. What the hell was wrong with the Council, anyway? Letting demons loose in Faerie, had they completely lost their minds?

“We’re going to need some light to work with,” Lex informed me.

“Right.” Dropping the butt of my cigarette, I ground it out beneath my boot and wiped my hands on the legs of my cargo pants. Rummaging through my pockets as the gloom pressed in around me, I found my box of matches and struck one against the side of the box. A tiny flame leapt to life, and I held it aloft above my head.

“Light of life, of right, and pure,

Push back the night, let good endure.

Burn bright for everyone to see,

As I will, so mote it be!”

A sphere of pure white light swelled from the tiny match and then hovered like a spotlight above our heads, illuminating the entire room. My father stood several feet away, two skeletons at his side. It was obvious he’d raised them with some components he’d carried with him, they couldn’t have been native to the area. Their bones were bright white, as though bleached, and they swayed back and forth with soft creaking sounds as the bones rubbed together. Awaiting their orders, no doubt. Disgusting.

A trio of oily shadows loomed behind them, gliding forward, and I screamed in reflex. The demons hadn’t taken a form, and really hadn’t needed to while concealed in the dark. Realizing they had an audience, the creatures began to form arms and legs, heads and necks popping up out of their torsos like macabre toasters. My stomach flip-flopped and I turned away from the sight, only to discover half a dozen shadowy figures forming behind me.

Lex charged the demons, stabbing his spear through the closest one. There were a lot of them, and I knew I had only a few moments before one got past the guardian. I needed extra help if I was going to stand a chance against them. With shaking hands I fumbled through my pockets, grabbing a pouch of salt and a flask of water. Pouring the salt and water into my cupped left palm, I drew my rapier and sliced the blade through the mix. Blood welled as I broke the skin and it stung so badly my eyes watered, but I coated the entire length of the blade with the combination of blood, water and salt. Heart pounding, I held the sword before me and attempted something I’d never done before: I invoked a goddess of battle.

“I call the Morrigan, great Raven of Battle,

Bringer of Death,

Guide now my hands, my blade, and my breath.

Let my weapon be blessed, let it strike true,

Bring an end to the shadows, their evil undo.

Your daughter invokes you, your favor be won,

Heed now my call, let my will be done!”

My breath hitched in my throat for an anxious second, and then power slammed into me so hard and fast I staggered and nearly fell. The blade of my rapier glowed with mystical fire, and I heard the screeching caw of a raven echo around me, strident above the noises of battle. I tightened my grip on the rapier’s hilt, let my shields fall away, and charged the nearest demon with a bellowing battle cry.

As I’d been trained to do against vampires, I stabbed for the heart of the torso, but the oily shadow seemed oblivious to the hit. Demons can’t be killed, only banished back to their realm, and that required words in addition to weapons.

“Go to hell!” I shouted, drawing my blade down through the torso with all my strength. The edges of the cut hissed and smoked, and finally the demon dissolved into icky black ooze that puddled tar-like on the ground. I turned toward the next demon and was struck hard in the shoulder, knocking me several steps back as I struggled to regain my balance. I caught a glimpse of my father battling his demon, and one of his skeletal minions clattered to the ground in a useless pile of brittle bones.

Lunging forward, I stabbed at the shadow, missing it as it danced out of the way. The dark figure continued to improve itself as time passed, looking more and more human in shape and form. It eluded my attacks, swiping at me and managing to catch me soundly across the jaw once. Black, unseeing eyes formed in its face, and fangs in its mouth. Vampire, the old fear shivered down my spine, and the demon took the opportunity to sweep my feet out from under me. I hit the ground hard, and my breath whooshed out of me in a painful rush. The rapier fell from my grasp as my top hat tumbled from my head. Unable to move fast enough I stared up at the monster as it leapt on top of me. It snapped its fangs at my face like a rabid dog and I struggled to push it off.

I shoved my injured palm against its face and grunted, “Get out.” The demon’s greasy flesh smoldered and smoked as the last one’s had. Pushing hard, my hand sunk into its skin, almost burning through its skull.

“Say goodbye,” I said. The demon began to collapse, and I rolled out from under it, scraping the disgusting ooze off the front of my clothes. Lex struggled with three demons off to my left, and I glanced around to see how my father fared in his fight, but I only spotted a second pile of bones with an oil slick next to it.

“Goodbye,” Dorian said from behind me. Before I could react I felt the blade of his dagger stab through the small of my back, all the way to the hilt. “I had hoped you would be a greater challenge than your mother. How disappointing.”

I would’ve screamed if I hadn’t been so surprised. He withdrew the blade, which hurt as much coming out as it had going in, and I collapsed face forward into the dirt. For a moment I lay stunned, unmoving, and then a sharp kick to my side rolled me over onto my back. I stared up into the face of my father as he knelt down and buried his blade deep into my stomach, a pathetic gurgle my only reply. As he looked down at me I could see myself in his face-the brown of his eyes, the arch of his brow. There were no happy memories associated with the face of my father, no dimly remembered holidays or birthday parties. I knew he never loved me. There was no sorrow there, no pity. No mercy.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Lex struggling to finish off the final demon-his back was turned to me, and he had no idea I’d fallen. Dorian left his dagger buried in my belly as he stood, and I reached weakly for it. “You thought you could be Titania. Stupid witch, your kind isn’t strong enough to hold it. Maureen certainly wasn’t.”

“At least I’m not a monster like you,” I countered, my voice weak and strained. My fingers fumbled as I tried to grip the hilt of the dagger, and he began to speak the words of a spell-a killing curse that would end this and make him Oberon. I’d come so far, only to lose here.

Suddenly he broke off and dodged out of the way as a silver spearhead split the air where he’d been standing. Furious, Lex moved in a blur as he drove Dorian away from me. The only thing that kept my father from becoming a necromancer shish-kebab was his shields, and I knew those wouldn’t last long.

I tugged on the hilt, but I couldn’t remove it, my hands too slick with blood… Blood. Dammit, I was a witch, I could fix this. Heal, I thought as I tugged the dagger free. Heal. The word repeated over and over through my mind. Blood flowed from the two wounds, but I was sure I could feel them beginning to close with a wave of stinging energy. I lurched to my feet and snatched up my top hat and rapier, the blade still glowing with divine magic. With the hat mashed securely down on my head, I stumbled toward Dorian.

The demons were gone. Lex must’ve finished off the last of them while Dorian was stabbing me. Too focused on each other to notice my approach, the guardian and the necromancer faced each other, trading snarled threats. I edged close to them, raised my rapier, and shouted my father’s name. Surprised, he whirled toward the sound of my voice, and I stabbed my father through the heart.

The rapier hesitated for a moment at the barrier of his shield before plunging through and piercing his chest. Black fire spread from the blade and engulfed him in a hissing whoosh. Withdrawing the weapon, I watched as Dorian collapsed to the ground, writhing in the throes of terrible agony. Screaming, he tried to extinguish the magical flames.

“I am not my mother. My will is stronger, my blood more potent.” I stood over him, and I took a long look at the rapier. The blade continued to glow with ethereal fire, and I turned my gaze back to Dorian. “I am Titania, and I am your judge. You murdered my cousin because you wanted this position. You murdered my mother because she hindered your plans to live forever. This ends here.”

Lunging forward, I plunged the rapier through his chest and pinned him to the ground, ceasing his attempts to fight the flames. I wavered, unsteady from my injuries, but then I felt Lex slide a steadying arm around me. Dorian looked up at us in terror, and I watched him with grim determination. Without remorse I spoke the spell that sealed his fate:

“The laws of nature you sought to breach,

Now your judgment you have reached.

Punishment for your evil deeds times three,

To set the spirits of the wronged free.

The end of your life’s thread has come,

Let Titania’s justice now be done.”

It was not a peaceful death by any means, but Dorian had no right to one. Plucking the Justice card from the band of my top hat, I dropped it onto my father’s chest and the edges curled and blackened. I left the rapier and stepped away from the body, leaning into Lex. My legs buckled, and he scooped me up.

“Hold on, honey, I’m gonna get you out of here,” he assured me. I closed my eyes and gave a silent prayer of thanks to the Morrigan for her aid, and when I opened them again we were in the Underhill great hall, standing in front of Cecelia and the council.