Eventide (Meratis Trilogy Book 2) (35 page)

His foot had caught on a human hand.

Chapter Twenty-Two

A
pparently enthralled by Jeff’s reaction, it took a moment for Jasmine to register that his curses were not the primary concern. She bent down next to the hand and unearthed it, continuing up the arm to the shoulder. The hard rain had pushed away most of the fresh-packed earth, and the poor man, buried under the bridge like a troll, was starting to come back to the surface.

Over the worst of the shock, Jeff knelt down over to help, brushing dirt off the man’s face. Jasmine moved to the other side and grabbed him by the armpits, lugging him out of the hole.

“Shit, shit, shit,” said Jeff as the details of the face came into focus. “Fuck.”

It was Harold, his eyes still open, staring blindly ahead.

Jeff sat back on his heels and buried his face in his hands, coughing as he inhaled a bit of mud. He saw three patches of blood on Harold’s chest, suggesting knife wounds, but none of the damage appeared to be from the front. The poor bastard had been stabbed in the back.

“What does this mean?” he asked.

Jasmine came back around and crouched beside Jeff. “That someone is lying to us.”

“The Spider lies dead?” The first part of the Sister’s words fell into place.

“But the rats run free,” Jasmine murmured. She got to her feet and brushed the worst of the mud off her hands and knees.

She ran off while Jeff remained with the body, wondering where she’d gone and if he could have gone with her.

She was back in a minute or two, three Feldallian guards behind her.

“Take this man to the medical ward,” she ordered. The guards obeyed, taking Harold up the stairs into the Keep, his hands dangling at his sides, knuckles scraping the ground.

When they reached the foyer, Maggie was just crossing the corridor from the Haunt to upstairs. She smiled when she saw them and stopped with concern as she noticed the dead man being brought in.

“What happened?” she asked.

“It’s the first counsellor’s man,” Jasmine explained.

Maggie’s mouth fell open and she spun on her feet to stare after the guards. “How horrible. Did you hurt him during your fight in the dungeons, do you think?”

“Only if I stabbed him three times in the back and buried him under the bridge,” Jasmine replied. “I don’t know who was in the dark with me, but it certainly wasn’t that guy.”

“But then who stabbed you?”

“A couple of rats.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing. You were right about the spell. Raul’s pets shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

“That’s a relief,” Maggie sighed. “More of those eagles showed up while you were gone. We managed to shoot them down, but it seems Raul got bored letting us sit in peace. I was just about to pay Brady a visit like Jeff asked. Care to join me? Maybe with his help and a good map you can figure out where on the southeast road he might be hiding.”

They climbed the stairs to the library, Maggie knocking softly on the door. Jeff tapped his foot, impatient for the scholar to answer. It was well past time Brady be dragged out of whatever spell-casting witchcraft he was doing and joined the real world. Well, real-ish world. Jeff still wasn’t quite ready to give up that belief yet.

“Brady, it’s Maggie. Jasmine’s here too, and Jeff. Open the door.”

No reply.

“Brady, let’s go. I know you’re probably right on the cusp of a long chat with Talfyr, but we have a bit of an emergency and need to access your books.”

Still nothing.

Jeff took up the task and brought his fist down against the wood. Then he tried three more times.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “It worked last time.”

“Maybe he’s gone further into the trance,” said Maggie. “I’ll try something else.”

She took a deep breath and lowered her hands, palms level with the ground. Then she braced herself and ran into the door, breaking through the lock.

Jeff and Jasmine exchanged a look of surprise before they turned their attention to the library.

After the effort to get in, at first glance it didn’t look like anyone was home, Brady was nowhere to be seen, and the candle on the desk had burned out, the remaining wick a blackened husk.

They moved further into the room, Jeff heading towards the windows to make sure they were secured, and that Brady hadn’t done anything stupid.

On his way past, he caught a shadow on the floor. He opened the curtains to let in the fading twilight, the faint glow spilling across the room, revealing Brady’s unconscious body.

“Oh gods,” Jasmine gasped and ran around to the other side of the desk, throwing herself down to brush his hair out of his face, resting her ear against his mouth. “Brady, what did you do?”

Jeff stared down in shock, his mind going automatically to the image of Harold’s dead corpse. He feared the worst, but every now and again—though not as often as it should have—Brady’s chest rose and fell.

“I thought you said the ritual trance wasn’t dangerous,” Jeff said to Maggie.

“The research says it’s not! I did look into it, just like I promised you I would, and nowhere does it mention fainting as a side-effect.”

Jasmine gave Brady’s shoulders a shake, but the man didn’t move, his head lolling to the side. “Maggie, I don’t think he fainted.” She sounded frantic, her voice more shaken now than it had been at the sight of the dragon a stone’s throw away.

Jeff got closer, kneeling down to check Brady’s pulse. Weak and sporadic.

Maggie shooed him away, snapping her fingers next to Brady’s ears. No response. She opened his eyelids and blew gently, but he didn’t blink.

“Not good,” she said.

“Is it a coma?” Jeff asked. “Did he hit his head falling down?”

He ran his fingers around Brady’s skull, but there was no blood, no apparent injuries.

“Wake him up, Maggie. Please? Can you?” Jasmine asked, still shaking Brady’s shoulders.

Maggie reached for her hands and pulled them off him. “I’ll do what I can, pet, but I don’t know what he’s done. His mind may be stuck in the trance, in which case we can’t bring him out of it too suddenly or the shock might hurt him.”

“Then what do we do?”

Maggie chewed on her lip, blue eyes filled with worry. “Jeff, help me get him up and on the sofa. May as well start by getting him comfortable.”

Jeff slid his hands under Brady’s shoulders while Maggie grabbed his feet, and together they lifted him and shuffled over to set him down on the burgundy sofa, the task easy thanks to Brady’s recent fasting.

As her hands brushed Brady’s bare skin, Maggie jerked away as if she’d gotten a shock.

“What was that?” she asked, rubbing her fingers together.

“What?” Jeff asked.

She took Jeff’s hand and rested it on Brady’s arm. “Don’t you feel that? Hear it?”

Jeff closed his eyes and listened, but he could feel nothing except the cold, dry skin beneath his. He shook his head.

Maggie’s blue eyes focused on Brady, her initial concern morphing into outright fear.

“It’s not possible,” she murmured, running her hands down Brady’s arms and under his shirt over his chest. Her eyes closed and her lips moved with silent words.

Jeff sat back on his heels and looked at Jasmine, who watched her friend from the easy chair with rapt attention, her gaze flicking towards Brady every couple of seconds to see if Maggie’s gestures caused any change.

“Oh no. Oh no, oh no,” Maggie moaned. The air tingled with a sudden electricity that ran over Jeff’s skin, and then she dropped her elbows onto the cushions next to the scholar and buried her face in her hands.

“Maggie, what’s going on?”

“I’m such an idiot,” the enchantress said. “But how could I know? I doubt if even
he
knew.”

The more she talked to herself, the more Jeff saw the growing impatience on Jasmine’s face. To stop her from lashing out, he stepped in, taking Maggie’s hand in his. “Maggie, tell us what’s wrong.”

“It’s not the dragon. It’s Raul!” she wailed. “The spell, the Kemisan spell.”

Jeff felt his face scrunch up in confusion. “Brady’s not an enchanter, why would the spell affect him?”

“It goes after the talent, Jeff, the innate ability. Brady must have latent magic no one knew about.”

“So what does this mean?” Jasmine asked. “Can’t you cast the same spell you cast on yourself? Put a guard around him?”

Maggie nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I can try, but ….” She sniffled. “Honey, it might be too late. I don’t know if we can bring him back.”

Jeff wished he could be strong and support Jasmine, but his own shock was too great. He could only share her expression of silent awe, as though believing that if they stared long enough at Maggie, she would take back what she said. But she only continued to shed her tears and pat Brady’s hand. Over the last twenty-four hours, the scholar’s skin had gone from white to grey; his cheeks appeared sunken. His lips were chapped and raw, his hair lank and greasy. Jeff thought of Brady’s dizzy spell in the tower, realised how similar it had been to Maggie’s in the Haunt. It grew harder to doubt her theory.

A gentle knock rapped the door, and Jeff and Maggie turned towards it, Jasmine sinking to the floor to take Brady’s hand.

Venn stood in the doorway, her black outfit looking newer and blacker, courtesy of the Feldall servants. “I heard yelling.”

Maggie stood, wiping tears from her face, and then she straightened her skirts and smoothed her hair, made sure her corset was aligned properly. Gestures of someone who didn’t know what they should do.

“I have to get the books for the spell,” she said aloud, as if saying it grounded her. “And then I’ll get Jayden. He should know. You’ll watch ….”

She gestured her head towards Jasmine, and Jeff nodded. With a slow exhale, she hurried from the room, Venn coming slowly into it.

“What happened?” she asked, keeping her voice low so only Jeff could hear, although she could have yelled and he doubted Jasmine would have noticed.

“We think Raul’s got his claws in him. Maggie’s not sure if he’s going to make it.” His voice hitched as he said the words aloud. He didn’t want to believe it.

“I’m sorry,” Venn said, with genuine sympathy. “He means a great deal to you both?”

“Yes, he really does.”

“Even more the pity then.” She wandered closer to the nearest table and flipped open one of the many books on top, rolling through the pages at random. It looked like she was building up to a question, so Jeff stayed quiet, keeping an eye on Jasmine, who was brushing Brady’s hair out of his face. He wanted to go over there and be with his friend, but knew he had to give Jasmine this moment.

“Did you …” Venn started, and he shifted his focus back to her. “Did you find anything? At Treevale?”

Jeff stared at her eyes, but she kept her gaze intent on the book. “I didn’t see anything of your sister’s, Venn. She’s gone, and I think anything left of her is buried under more rock than we’ll ever be able to move.”

Venn forced a nod, her larynx bobbing as she swallowed. “I understand. I didn’t expect—I just thought I’d ask.”

Jeff struggled with whether or not to give the woman a hug when Jayden and Cassie rushed into the room, stopping abruptly when they saw Brady on the sofa.

“It’s true? He’s dying?” Jayden asked, tact forgotten in his concern.

“He is
not
dying,” Jasmine argued, keeping her back to the room.

Jayden chewed on his lip and approached his sister. He rested his hand on her shoulder. “No, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

At her brother’s display of kindness, Jasmine’s defenses slipped, and she lowered her head to Brady’s hand as her shoulders shook with heavy sobs. Jayden looked to Jeff in amazement, not sure how to react.

Cassie stepped in and sank down beside Jasmine, wrapping her arms around her.

Free from his burden, the warrior went over to Jeff. “Maggie mentioned Raul? I couldn’t really understand the rest because she was trying not to cry.”

“We’re all surprised. It turns out Brady must have a magical side no one knew about. Raul’s been draining him all this time, like with Maggie.”

Venn pressed her lips together, focusing harder—if possible—on her book.

Jayden picked at the hawk crest on his chest. “Maggie said the spell was general, over an area, not directed at anyone specifically. Do you think Raul knows?”

“About Brady? I think he suspected. It makes sense now, why he’s always been so keen on getting him on his side. He used to mentor him, for fuck’s sake, he must have seen something that caught his interest.”

“Shit.” Jayden sighed. “And here we thought we had this all under control.”

“I hate to say it, but it gets worse.”

The warrior’s jaw flexed as he ground his teeth. “Tell me.”

“Harold’s dead.”

That drew Venn’s attention away from her book, and both she and Jayden stared at Jeff with blank expressions. Neither them of them spoke, but their silent questions battered Jeff until he didn’t know where to begin.