Casually Cursed (29 page)

“Um, no,” I said, waving away a bug that buzzed by my ear. “Why do you ask that?”

She shook her head. “Thought you were working on a concealment spell.” She nodded at the collection of dried herbs and vials of liquid on the counter.

Were some of Edie’s list of ingredients for a cloaking spell? So that if she managed to escape, the Conclave operatives wouldn’t be able to track her? That would come in handy.

Bryn added three small books to the assortment and paid for it.

We left, and in the back of the cab a small voice said, “Hello, tricky twin. How are you?”

I jerked my head to find Shakes sitting by the back window. The buzzing in the store hadn’t been a bug. I should’ve known!

“I hear you’ve got two copies of the wolf amber,” he continued. “Give me one.”

I leaned close. “How did you find me?”

He grabbed a handful of my hair and shook it. “Followed the faery magic. Royal said Kismarley said to look for you in London near the witches’ stronghold.” He wrinkled his nose. “Cities stink.”

“What makes you think I have an amber?”

“You stole the first copy from her in the Never, and the tree-talker faery said he gave you the other one he made.”

So the amber I’d taken from Kismet’s pocket had been fake. Had she known all along that I’d taken it? Or did she realize it later? Was she furious with me?

More important, what had the queen done to her after I escaped? Had Ghislaine punished her for my crimes?

“Is my sister okay?”

“Tamara,” Bryn said, casting a meaningful glance at the taxi driver, who was giving me a funny look in the rearview mirror, since to him it probably seemed like I was talking to my shoulder.

I stared straight forward, but turned my head slightly so I could continue my conversation with Shakes.

“Well?” I said.

“She’s sunset, but still golden.”

“Sunset? What does that mean? I don’t understand faery slang,” I hissed in a whisper.

All I knew about sunset was that it came at the end of the day. I didn’t want Kismet to be at the end of anything. She was young. She had her whole life ahead of her.

“She’s a warrior. One of the toughest ever. Did you expect her to freeze up like a possum? To shake like a deer? To hide like a rabbit? She’s Halfling, but she got the brave half of both sides, human and fae. She says the queen broke the sovereign’s sacred vow to protect the Never. She called for any full fae not under an oath to the queen to challenge the high lady of the land before the sun next rises.”

I gasped.

“What sacred vow did the queen break?” Bryn asked, whispering too.

“She let it slip to the human that the ancient ambers were hidden underground, not even realizing he had a reason for coaxing secrets from her. Then her new lover found the cave and tried to destroy them! If the queen’s assassin hadn’t stopped him, the light might have gone out of the Never.”

“Why can’t Kismet challenge the queen herself? She’s probably the only one who could defeat Ghislaine.”

“Only full Seelie fae can challenge the queen, because, if triumphant, the challenger would rule the Never. The law doesn’t allow for a creature of mixed magic to sit on the throne.”

“If no one challenges the queen and she stays in charge, can she accuse Kismet of treason?”

“She already has. She says Kismet has the wolf amber and didn’t bring it home to the Never. Ghislaine declared that an act of treason. The punishment is death or a lifetime in iron chains. As long as Ghislaine rules, Kismarley will never see humanside again.”

I swallowed, biting my lip. “I have to go back.”

Bryn shook his head.

“Yes, when Edie and Andre are safe, I’m returning to the Never to help Kismet.”

“Good, twin. That’s what I hoped you’d say,” Shakes said.

SHAKES HUNG FROM
my purse strap as we entered the Savoy. I kept my arm dangling, hoping no one would spot him. No one seemed to. That’s where Bryn’s good looks come in handy. When he’s around, people aren’t going to waste their time looking at handbag straps when they could be staring at him.

In the room, I took the impostor amber from its pouch. Shakes flew over, peering down to examine it.

“Nice work that Osmet does! He’s included the body of a fallen fae and a hair of the dog inside. And he’s infused some fae magic within. It’s a lot like the original!”

“Hair of the dog?”

He looked at me suspiciously. “You don’t need to know. You’re not trustworthy. Humans are tricky.”

“Fae are the tricksters! My sister let me think I stole a real-life amber relic, and I gave it to some witches as payment for our aunt, who’s a prisoner.”

“Witches,” he scoffed. “What do they know of original magic? They won’t know the difference!”

Bryn bristled.

“Kismet had Oz make the second replica so we could trick the witches with it. But who is the first amber for?” I asked. “Surely the queen wouldn’t have been fooled by a fake?”

Shakes didn’t answer.

“The Scottish wolves,” Bryn said.

Shakes put a tiny knife to the pulse in Bryn’s throat. “What do you know of it, wizard?”

“Only what I’ve guessed. Kismet was sent to recover an ancient amber that the wolves were protecting. She stole it, but the wolves have been hunting her ever since. She had Oz make a fake amber to give them, figuring they wouldn’t know the difference.”

Shakes glared at Bryn. “Sneaky wizard! Quit that cleverness or I’ll poke a hole in your dumb blood pipes.”

“Shakes, listen, you’re not loyal to the werewolves, are you?” I asked.

“To a pack of dogs? No way.”

“But you are loyal to my sister, right?”

“To the death,” he shouted, raising his arm and then thumping it on his chest. The tip of his blade cut his chin and he yelped. He dabbed his bleeding jaw with his sleeve. “To the death and to the blood,” he added. “I’m not pureblood. Royal’s from the queen’s line, but he’s a bastard, too. We’re mixed-blood, free fae. We pledge our fealty to whomever we choose. We chose Halfling Kismarley. She’s mean, but worthy. That’s the best kind of mean.”

“Shakes, listen: I can’t help Kismet unless I understand what I’m dealing with. You said hair of the dog. The wolf amber is called that because it has a werewolf hair inside?”

Shakes studied me for several moments. “If you’re a traitor against the queen, good. If you’re a traitor against your twin, I’ll make you pay.”

“I’m not!”

“You’d better not be,” he said with narrowed eyes. He flew up to my face, squeezing my nose with his tiny hands while he peered into my eyes. After a few moments, he said, “All right, then. There are five original tree-stones. Two are pure fae. One is for the Seelie, with a small faery inside clutching a bit of gold. One is for the Unseelie, with a tiny dark faery clutching a chip of onyx. One amber is for the dogs. It has a faery clutching a strand of werewolf hair. One amber is for the undead. That tiny faery clutches a chip from the first vampire’s fang. The last amber, the newest, has a pixie who wears a crimson gown that was dyed with a drop of blood from each of the first witches, the traitors.”

I nodded, thinking things over. “So the wolf amber contains the magic that gives werewolves the ability to shift. But since they don’t practice magic, they won’t be able to tell that the faery magic in this copy isn’t the original magic that supplies them.”

“They won’t be able to tell. Dumb dogs,” Shakes said.

“So we can use this copy as leverage.”

He cocked his head. “What’s that? Payment?”

“No, we can use it to barter with the werewolves. They want their amber back. They’re really strong and fierce. They can help us save my sister. In exchange for this.”

His jaw dropped. “She’s in the Never.”

“Yes.”

“They’re not.”

“But they could be. I can take creatures in and out. It’s the only kind of magic of mine that works right.”

He sucked in a breath. “You’re crazy, Halfling. You’d try to lead a pack of wild dogs that would like to rip your throat out? You’d try to tame and trick them into being your army, an army that you’ll march into the heart of Seelie magic?”

“Um, when you put it like that it sounds kind of—”

“Crazy,” Bryn said, using exactly the word I’d been thinking.

“Too right. It’s madness!” Shakes shouted, shaking his fist. “And brilliant! I’ll do it. I travel with you.”

“For God’s sake, no,” Bryn said.

“I’m sorry,” I said, kissing Bryn’s frowning lips.

“No,” he repeated.

“Let’s go!” Shakes yelled, grabbing a clump of my hair and swinging from it like Tarzan from a vine. His insane enthusiasm made me smile.

“The wolves aren’t the only part of my plan,” I told Bryn.

The room spun suddenly and I almost fell. Bryn caught my arms and steadied me.

“You’re not well. You’ve been dizzy on and off since we returned from the Never,” he said.

He was right, but I said, “I’m okay. I just need to rest for a minute.”

He kissed me gently. “Your magic tastes different,” he said.

I threaded my fingers through his so our rings touched, and his magic rolled over me. He was exactly the same . . . perfect. I felt steadier after touching him.

Merc licked my ankle, looked up at me with his head cocked, and then strolled into the bathroom.

Yeah, a soak would do me good.

“Um, let me think over the details of my plan. Everything is moving so fast.”

*   *   *

I SAT IN
the claw-footed tub with my chin on the lip, looking up at Merc, who sat on the edge of the sink. The black and white tiles of the floor were elegant and stylish.

Edie would like it here
, I thought.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Merc,” I whispered. “Going back to the Never, that could be out and out suicide.”

Mercutio didn’t disagree.

“But what else can I do? Just walk away?”

“How are you?” Bryn asked, pushing the door open. He had a small book with a snakeskin cover.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a volume I bought at Magic Calling. You know the collection of herbs Edie wants? Some are for a sleeping potion, like you thought. The rest, I suspect, are for this,” he said, holding out the book.

At the top of the page there was a sketch of a woman in smudged black ink, and over her image there were three other images done in green, purple, and blue colored pencil. The page smelled like roses and musk, and the spell was for a glamour. It called for all the ingredients Edie wanted, plus a couple of others, vervain and elderberry.

The spell also called for a piece of jewelry to be dipped in the herbs and then topped with salt. The witch dusted her lips with sugar and salt, and then drank hard apple cider and whispered the spell into a flame. The candle’s glow would reflect the spell onto the witch when she donned the anointed jewelry, and the glamour would last until she took it off.

“Of course,” I said. “I should have guessed. Everyone always says Edie was great at glamour spells. With this kind of spell, she could disguise herself as a Conclave operative and walk out the front door of headquarters without anyone recognizing her.”

“And Andre? He won’t be able to cast a spell using earth magic.”

“Could you write one for him using celestial magic?”

“I don’t think they’ll let him onto the roof to draw power from the stars. And I’m willing to bet that wherever they’re being kept is pretty well insulated, so that unsanctioned spells will be impossible to cast. Andre did tell me that he knows where there are theoretical gaps in security, but he wouldn’t try to exploit those on his own.”

“I know Edie’s probably restless and anxious to get out of there, so maybe she hasn’t thought it all through, but that’s where we come in. We’re going to help her.”

“How?”

“I’m thinking,” I said.

“You know if she tries and fails, if she’s caught, the Conclave will tighten security.”

“Yes, but I feel like right now is our best chance. The president is letting me in and out because of the delay in the authentification. People aren’t hassling me because they know I’m allowed to be there for hours. I think I can smuggle the herbs in.”

Bryn set the book down and sat on the lip of the tub. He picked up a washcloth and washed my back for me. “So, Mercutio, what does Tamara need to tell me?”

When neither Mercutio nor I said anything, Bryn added, “It’s all right for her to keep secrets from other people, but husbands and wives should confide in each other. About everything.”

Mercutio purred at me.

“Yeah, Merc, okay.”

Mercutio hopped down and sauntered out of the bathroom. The water had cooled and it made me shiver. I sat back and turned on the tap for the hot water.

“Come in,” I said.

Bryn stood and stripped out of his clothes. He lowered himself into the tub in front of me. I worked up some lather between my hands and then ran them over his back.

“Something has been wrong since I left the Never. I don’t know if there was poison on an arrow or the queen’s dagger that got into my system . . . or maybe it’s the broken connection with Kismet, but I don’t feel normal.”

“If you were poisoned by the fae, the longer you’re humanside, the more likely you’ll be to heal.”

“Maybe. Too bad I don’t have time to wait and find out.”

“Going back immediately isn’t a good idea. We need to research ways of protecting ourself against fae magic. It won’t do your sister any good if we’re captured and put under the queen’s spell.”

“Ghislaine’s kissing spell didn’t hold me,” I said gently.

Bryn scowled, shutting off the tap. The room became so silent that it was hard to bear. “What are you saying? That I’m a liability?”

“No way. Never. I’m saying maybe it’s more dangerous for you than for me.”

“You couldn’t have gotten out of there without me. I took you out on that water path.”

“I know. But I also know you’re afraid to get close to the queen. I don’t blame you. It’s okay to stay out here this time.”

“You are not going without me,” he said fiercely. “And it’s incredibly foolish to rush in without a plan.”

I squeezed his hands tight. “I can’t feel my sister anymore. I have to go back now, when the queen can be challenged.”

“Who do you think you’re going to convince to challenge her? Crux is dead. Your father swore an oath to protect Ghislaine. Kismet is a Halfling, and Halflings can’t challenge the queen for power because they can’t rule. Everyone else there is a stranger to you. There is no way you’ll be able to get someone to challenge a spiteful and dangerous monarch who’s proven she’s willing to torture, humiliate, and kill her enemies. What can you possibly think you’ll accomplish by going back?”

“That’s exactly the reason I have to get Kis out! Or try to.”

“Kismet’s a spy and an assassin who grew up in the Never. If she can’t escape, what chance do you think you have of rescuing her?”

“I have to try.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do! Even if I fail, I have to try. Kismet has to know that I didn’t abandon her. I have to prove that she’s as important to me as everyone else in my family.”

“Listen—”

“Nobody’s ever fought to protect her, Bryn. She’s my twin sister. She came back to get me out. And what did I do? I stole from her and left her.” I bit my lip and shook my head as tears welled up. “Even after I’d almost lost her because I helped Poppy before her. Don’t you understand?”

“I do. I understand, but your sister is tough. She doesn’t need you to rescue her.”

“I think she does.”

“Listen, time moves differently there. Slower. You can rest and recover. We can spend a week or at least a few days preparing, doing research.”

“There are no answers out here. We’ve read the Conclave’s stuff on the Never. We know more than they do.”

“Going in blind could make things worse. Give me a few days at least.”

“I can’t, but you stay humanside. Learn what you can. If I don’t return, come after me.”

Bryn ran a hand through his hair. “You used to trust my judgment. We worked together. Do I have any say in this at all?”

I rested a hand against his cheek. “I love you more than anyone.” I bit my lip and swallowed hard. “I love you more than anybody—I promise. But I have to be brave because I know what has to be done. I feel it.”

“You’re sure, huh? I hope so, since you’re gambling with both our lives.”

He pulled back and got out of the tub. As he walked out of the bathroom, I rubbed my eyes. I knew it wasn’t fair to drag him back there, and if something happened to him I would regret it forever. But I couldn’t leave her underhill alone and a prisoner. I just couldn’t do it.