Siphon Magic Read online

  5

  Kale tensed. Vera clung to him in the darkness, hands knotted in the back of his sleep-rumpled shirt. Granted, they were standing in the middle of the kitchen, facing off against an intruder, and Vera was more-or-less using him as a shield, but still. After the bloody mess the day before, she’d threatened to stab him in his sleep if he ever touched her again. At the time, he’d taken it as a good sign. It meant she was okay. The way she trembled against him now, maybe he’d been wrong. Had he damaged her resilient spirit?

  “It’s okay, Vera. He’s just a friend.” Kale spoke gently despite clenching his fists. “Grab the lights, Addamas,” Kale said to the shadow of a man. “Why are you lurking around my home in the middle of the night?”

  “It’s basically morning. I was getting some food. I’m starving.”

  They all squinted against the sudden flare of light.

  “You couldn’t put on some pants first?” Kale asked with a shake of his head.

  “Nope, they crinkle the fur. Besides, it’s not like anything’s hanging out.” Addamas wagged his eyebrows, and then caught Vera sneaking a peek at him from behind Kale. “Hiya, girly.” He winked at her.

  “What are you?” Vera asked, following the trail of tattoos up Addamas’s arms with her eyes. Tattoos Addamas got to mask his deception marks back when he and Kale were not so friendly.

  “I, pretty girl, am the sexiest satyr in all the world.”

  Kale rolled his eyes, but Vera eased up on his shirt so he kept his mouth shut.

  “Do you want to kill me and all humans?” Vera asked bluntly.

  “Nah.” Addamas didn’t flinch at the unfiltered question. “Definitely not you. I mean, some humans, sure. But mostly just the douchey ones.” Addamas leaned back against the counter and popped a grape into his mouth.

  “I know the type.” Vera took a cautious step away from Kale.

  “Addamas spends a lot of time in your realm,” Kale said. “It’s one of his favorite places.”

  “You can travel to different realms? I didn’t think that was allowed. Kale says the gates don’t work like that.”

  Kale didn’t miss the pointed look. Or the additional step she put between them. There’s my girl. Well, not his girl, just the fiery girl he’d come to know.

  “He’s right,” said Addamas. “Hopping gates is impossible. Luckily, I’m no ordinary duck. I can create my own pathways and bypass those suckers.”

  “Ah. So you’re not normal either,” Vera said with a frown, which Kale did not understand.

  “Nope.” Addamas beamed. “I’m one-of-a-kind. It used to drive Mr. Guardian here completely mad. But he’s gotten over it.”

  “Speaking of driving people mad, where’s Mimi?” Kale asked.

  “It’s possible she’s following a false trail across the human realm, trying to locate the world’s most badass tracker,” said Addamas innocently, scratching the back of his neck.

  “She doesn’t know you are here?” Duat. Mimi is going to be pissed. “Why do you do that to her?”

  “She’s sexy as hell when her coat gets all ruffled.” The satyr was shameless. “Don’t worry, though, she’s probably already figured it out and found the pathway I left for her. She should be back here any time now.”

  “Vera, this idiot is trying to find the unnatural that’s hunting you,” said Kale. “But don’t get used to him. Mimi’s going to eviscerate him when she gets here.”

  “Has found,” Addamas corrected. “Already done, my brother.”

  “You found him? I can go home now?” asked Vera.

  It was the first real smile Kale had ever seen from the girl. And she aimed it at Addamas.

  “Soon,” said Addamas. “Just waiting for the unnatural to lead us to the rest of the horde so we can get his master too, sweetheart.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Vera said sharply.

  Addamas sobered and Kale bit back a smile. It was going to be nice having someone else on the receiving end of Vera’s hostility to commiserate with.

  “My apologies,” said Addamas sincerely, ditching his devil-may-care charm and trademark teasing.

  “Wait, horde?” Vera asked as Addamas’s words sank in. “There’s more than one of those monsters out there?”

  “Unfortunately, there’s always more than one,” Kale answered as gently as he could. No need to mention just how many more he suspected.

  “But don’t worry, girly. We’ll get rid of them all.” Addamas held out a hand in a gesture he’d learned hanging out on Earth. “By the way, it’s nice to officially meet you, Vera.”

  “You too,” Vera replied, stepping forward to take the offered hand. “Sorry I threw a knife at you.”

  Kale nearly choked.

  “No worries. I’ve got impeccable reflexes.” Addamas demonstrated his prowess by throwing his arms about like a fool, pretending to catch invisible blades.

  Vera let out a soft giggle.

  What the actual helheim?

  “Which is a good thing for me,” said Addamas. “You’re quite the knife-thrower.”

  “I’ve been practicing.” Vera fidgeted with the hem her shirt. “Between the monsters chasing me, being held captive, and that horse attacking me...”

  “You’re not a captive,” Kale clarified.

  “Have you let me leave?” Vera challenged. “Yeah, that’s called holding someone captive, Scotchie.”

  “Understandable,” Addamas said with amusement. “I’d be practicing too if I were you. If you’d like, I can show you a couple more tricks. Not even that flesh-eating, demon-spawned horse will bother you anymore.”

  Vera’s mouth popped open.

  Damn the satyr to Tartarus.

  “Flesh-eating?” Vera squeaked.

  “You are completely safe around Ferrox,” Kale assured.

  “Ferrox probably wouldn’t like Vera-flavored snow-cones,” Addamas added helpfully.

  “What does that mean?” she asked.

  “You are too sweet,” explained Addamas. “Like undiluted alohra juice. Great stuff, by the way. I love it straight up. But for some, a little whisky makes all the difference. You have alohra juice in the human realm right? I can never… No, that’s right. Your realm has…”

  “Apple juice?” Vera suggested.

  “Exactly. It’s like the concentrated stuff in those freezer boxes.”

  “Gross.” Vera scrunched her nose with disgust.

  “Ferrox would think so too,” Addamas said. “That horse likes his juice diluted with wickedness. The more, the better. You’re so sweet, you’d literally make Ferrox sick.”

  “So Ferrox won’t eat me.”

  “Oh no,” Addamas agreed. “He’d have left your carcass for the buzzards for sure.”

  Kill me, Kale groaned silently.

  And end the show? Negative, good buddy. This is hilarious. Of course Ferrox was listening in.

  Vera’s mouth moved up and down like a grounded fish. Nothing came out.

  “Ferrox was never going to kill you,” Kale said. “He was only making sure you didn’t run away. He was a bit heavy-handed because he was mad at me for making him stand guard in the first place.”

  “You made him do that?” Vera turned a disconcerting shade of purple.

  “I didn’t tell him to be a brute about it. I just needed you watched,” said Kale.

  “You can talk to him like with Mimi?” asked Vera.

  Addamas looked over at Kale curiously. If the satyr opened his mouth, he wouldn’t have to wait for Mimi to kill him. Kale would do it.

  “Not exactly. Uh, Ferrox’s mind is linked to mine,” explained Kale.

  “You’re telling me you talk to a demon horse in your head? Were you in his head when he chased me down? How about when he tried to take off my hand for lunch? Did you laugh about it together afterward too?”

  Tell her you didn’t laugh, that was all me, said Ferrox.

  Not helpful.

  “Well, you can both go screw yourselves,”
Vera announced.

  Ouch. I’d rather not if it’s all the same, said Ferrox.

  “Shut up,” Kale told Ferrox. Except it was out loud.

  Addamas’ lips twitched when Vera flipped Kale off and marched to her room before Kale could explain himself. Kale decided he’d rather be back in Hel or Duat or Avici. Any of the underworlds would do.

  Diyu is nice this time of year. The man-bit harvest is always at its peak right now.

  Kale slammed the door on Ferrox, severing their link.

  “Stars above,” Kale said slowly.

  “You done trying to carry on multiple conversations?” Addamas asked. “Cause you are clearly not that talented.”

  “That was a train wreck.”

  “Understatement. But hey, I do like your new redhead. She’s feisty.” Addamas hooked a thumb toward Vera’s room.

  “Huh?” said Kale.

  “She’s spunky. Or hadn’t you noticed?”

  “Yes, Dam, I noticed.” Kale shoved both hands through his hair. “This has been the longest five days of my existence. But her hair’s brown, nearly black, not red.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I need you to show me where the unnatural’s territory is,” said Kale.

  “Oh good. Avoidance. That’s a new tactic for you,” Addamas said sarcastically. “I left a path to the place open for you. You can make your own way back once you’re done looking around. I’m going to crash for a while.”

  Kale’s stomach fell. “Where’s that pathway?” Kale swung around to look for it out the front windows, but he couldn’t see it. “Where did you leave the path, Dam?” Kale asked urgently and rushed to the next window, but it wasn’t there either.

  “Calm down.” Addamas was staring at Kale as if he’d lost his mind. “I know how to secure a path. It’s one-way only. From here to there. No one can get to the meadow. Your Vera is safe.”

  “But Vera can get out. The girl can see paths.” Kale was already headed for Vera’s room, Addamas on his heels. “If she sees that path, she’ll assume it’s the one for Mimi you were bragging about. A path to the human realm.”

  Kale barged through the door. Vera was gone.

  “The path I left for Mimi leads to Heliopolis, not here. I knew the extra step would piss her off, which is why I did it.” Addamas nodded at the pathway visible through Vera’s open window while the sun came up through the trees. “That path does go to the human realm, right to the unnatural’s territory. It’s the path I set for you. I didn’t know.”

  Kale went out the window. It was faster than going back through the cabin.

  “I’m truly sorry,” Addamas said when he caught up a minute later, carrying Kale’s sword. He must’ve grabbed it before following after Kale. Addamas held out the sword and Kale took it.

  “You couldn’t have known. Vera’s leg’s still healing anyway, so we’ll catch up to her before she leaves the path. She’ll live to run away another day.”

  Kale and Addamas ran easily beside each other along the path, their breathing unlabored.

  “How many times has she run?” asked Addamas.

  “I’ve lost count.”

  “Seriously, has any girl ever tried so hard to get away from all your hotness?” Addamas laughed a little.

  “Yes,” Kale replied darkly.

  Addamas winced. “You know I didn’t mean that. None of that is on you. It’s on those siphon bastards and that enchantress wench.”

  “I didn’t want to see it. That’s on me. So I’ll spend the rest of my eternal life making amends for it.”

  “Even if that means protecting a pain-in-the-neck siphon girl who could end the world someday?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your only crime was being blinded by a beautiful woman. More people than you are guilty of the same. You deserve a life, man,” said Addamas.

  “I have a life.”

  “Not a real one… I do have this cousin who’d be perfect for you. She’s no nymph but—”

  “Dam?” Kale interrupted.

  “Yeah?”

  “Shut up for five minutes and I’ll think about it.”

  “Done.”

  Addamas fell silent. Kale glanced over. The idiot made a motion of locking his lips and throwing a key over his shoulder. Then the satyr batted his eyes at Kale. Stars, why was this taking so long? The girl couldn’t have gotten this far ahead of them… Unless the little faker’s leg is healed. Hel. Kale had ignored her deception marks. He’d thought she was planning another runaway attempt. Since he knew she wouldn’t get far, he hadn’t worried. After Kale dragged Vera back to the meadow, they were going to sit down and have a nice long chat until all the deception marks she’d been collecting lately cleared up.

  Addamas yelped and crashed to the ground under an attacker. Kale spun around. Addamas was flat on his back, Mimi’s claws extended at his throat.

  “Hey Mimi,” Addamas said. “Where’ve you been?”

  The mountain lion growled, and then began to stretch, craning her neck upward. Addamas splayed a steadying hand on her side. There was a crackling blur that lasted only a moment before a fierce woman replaced the animal. The ends of her blunt-tipped black hair swayed by her chin as she knocked Addamas’ hand away from her bare ribcage. Mimi balled up a fist and decked the satyr.

  “Do you know how many nymph houses I had to go to?” Mimi asked. “And you were here the whole time.”She punched him again. “That one’s for Sheahna.”

  “Mimi,” Kale called out and was rewarded with all of that fury turned on him. “He deserves it, don’t get me wrong, but we need to get Vera before the unnatural does.” Kale gestured down the path.

  “You let her get away?” shouted Mimi. “I’m going to kill you both.”

  Mimi leaped off Addamas. She was back on four legs by the time she landed on the path and tore off.

  “Hurry up,” Kale told Addamas, not bothering to help him up. “If Vera dies, Mimi will never forgive you.”

  “Damn me to Tartarus,” moaned Addamas from the ground.

  Kale started to laugh, but just then, Vera’s distant scream echoed up the path.

  Vera hadn’t emerged from the path into a forest as she’d expected. Instead, she was surrounded on every side by sheer rock facings the same color as a prairie sunset. She’d grown up less than a hundred miles from the Badlands, so she recognized the striated formations. Odds were, she’d drop dead from dehydration long before she stumbled across a way out of the dusty clay canyons. Her best bet was tucking tail and heading back to the meadow. She didn’t want to be responsible for the annihilation of all mankind, but she wasn’t prepared to die without a fighting chance either. There was no way to fight a desert. But it was too late. The path had disappeared. It had spit her out and left her there. Vera’s stomach fell. She would’ve been better off if she’d died falling out of that tree.

  Tears of frustration welled in Vera’s eyes. Her body’s way of wasting precious fluids on stupid emotions. The sun was well overhead, heating the crown of her head and leaving pitiful little shade along the canyon floor. Vera angrily blinked away the tears before they fell. All right, going back wasn’t an option. Standing there was a guaranteed death sentence, though, so that wasn’t an option either. Time to get over it and move forward. A little ways off to the right, one of the canyon walls had crumbled, leaving a slope of crushed rock. If Vera climbed high enough, maybe she’d get lucky and see a road. Lady Luck had to give her a win eventually.

  The unnatural made no sound as it came up behind her.

  “You smell sweeter than I remember,” he said, tangling a hand in Vera’s hair.

  Vera screamed. The unnatural wrapped a dirty hand around her throat, silencing her. He lifted Vera by the neck until she was at eye level with him. Her legs flailed while she clawed unsuccessfully at his fingers. When he slammed her against the wall of the canyon, it knocked the fight out of her. Vera’s vision swirled and her ears rang. The unnatural pressed up against her, pinni
ng her against the rock wall. Only then did his hand loosen so Vera could drag in shallow sips of air. Barely enough air to keep from passing out. A single disgusting finger ran along Vera’s jaw while she sucked in tiny breaths. Vera gagged from the smell of sweat and the feel of the unnatural’s touch. The finger traveled down her neck and dipped into the collar of her shirt. The ringing in Vera’s ears became a wail.

  Suddenly, a shadow landed on the unnatural. He jerked back from Vera, dropping her in a heap. The shadow snarled. Mimi. Latched onto the back of the unnatural’s neck with jagged teeth, the mountain lion used her claws to shred the unnatural’s skin and hide. With a bellow of outrage, the unnatural balled up a fist and swung it wildly behind him. It grazed Mimi’s shoulder. The cat cried out around a mouthful of flesh but did not let go. If the unnatural got its meaty hands on Mimi, he would crush her. Vera wanted to call out to Mimi, to tell the animal not to bother, to just run and save herself, but her throat couldn’t form the sounds. She needed to distract the unnatural long enough for Mimi to get away. Using the crevices of the rock face as handholds, Vera hauled herself to her feet. The world spun. All Vera could do was hang on and wait for it to stop.

  Vera’s vision cleared just in time to see the bloodied unnatural twist around and land a blow on Mimi’s head. One solid hit was all it took. The cat’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she slid to the ground, knocking up a cloud of dust where she landed. Mimi’s side twitched once. The cat did not move to get up. An ache punched through Vera’s chest. The unnatural didn’t stop. With a feral roar of triumph, he kicked Mimi in the ribs. She flew a few feet and slammed against the rock wall with a wet crack. After that, she was still. Vera’s arms and legs gave out. Sliding back to the canyon floor, Vera gasped for air. The unnatural bared blood-stained teeth. He ran a hand down his face, spreading gore in stripes down his neck and chest, wearing it like a badge of honor.

  Vera braced herself when the unnatural turned on her, but he did not approach. Something on the canyon ledge above had captured his attention. There was a soft clacking. She followed the monster’s gaze. Above, perched a white bird with a hooked beak. The bird was bigger than Vera. It hopped from the ledge with a trill, not bothering to extend its wings, and landed gracefully between her and the unnatural. The unnatural stumbled back. Amazingly, the bird seemed unconcerned by the monster’s presence. It focused solely on Vera.