Runaway Mortal (3 page)

I shook my head as the sick feeling intensified. “No, I don’t.”

“So then what are you willing to give up in exchange for the information you need?”

“Anything,” I blurted out, then reconsidered my answer. “Well, anything except my friends and family, or my kidneys.”

“Unfortunately, I have no need for any of those things.” Valeska studied me in a way which made me avert my gaze in discomfort. I wracked my brains trying to figure out what I could exchange with her—my wakizashi, maybe—when she spoke again. “Maybe there is something you could give me.”

My ears perked up at that and I glanced over at her again. “What?”

“It’s called a blood promise. It is an ancient witch tradition.”

“What does that mean exactly?” I had been warned that witches could be tricky. There was no way I was going to make a promise to give away my first born child or something insane like that.

“You will make an oath to me that if I ever call upon you for a favor, you will do as I say, regardless of any reservations you might have at the time.”

I wasn’t a moron. That was a big ask. She wasn’t being specific about what the favor would entail.

“I don’t know.” I trailed off.

“You do not have to do anything you do not wish to, but our paths have already been laid out for us. We are destined to meet again, Katerina.”

“You could ask me to do
anything
.” I put a stress on the last part.

“I could.” Valeska’s expression didn’t change. “But that doesn’t mean I will.”

As I let her words sink in, I went over my options—there weren’t many left for me. If those SRECON agents had found me once, they’d be able to do it again easily. Okay, so I had no options left; I’d just have to take a huge, stupid chance on this.

“Fine.” I nodded. “I’ll do it.”

With a smile, Valeska stood up and hobbled towards a cupboard in the back where she rummaged around for a few seconds. She returned carrying a knife and a small, wooden bowl with weird symbols carved on the outside.

I eyed her cautiously, and my hand shot to my wakizashi as she resumed her seat and placed the items on the table. “What’s that for?”

She took the knife and used the pointed end to pierce her wrinkly flesh. A small drop of blood fell into the bowl. “This is how a blood promise is made.” She handed the knife to me and pushed the bowl across the table.

So maybe the “blood” part should’ve been a dead giveaway, but I hadn’t taken the meaning quite so literally. I stared at the tiny drop of blood in the bowl, hesitating as every impulse in my body told me not to do it. There was something dark about what she was asking me to do.

Reluctantly, I pushed the knife into my finger and winced as it stung my skin. I reached for the bowl and let it catch a small drop of my blood.

Valeska swiftly took the bowl away and placed it under the table before pulling out a deck of large cards from the folds of her silks.

“Are we going to play strip poker?” I asked, trying to lighten the darkness of the situation that had transpired seconds ago.

Ignoring my question, she held out the cards to me. “Shuffle these and think of what you wish to know, and then hand them back to me.”

Wiping away the blood that was still dripping from my finger, I took the cards from her and shuffled them, trying to focus on why I was here.

I want to know who killed Avangelista Melkane.

Valeska’s eyes sparked as though she had heard me, and a shiver ran down my spine as I handed the cards back to her.

“Now-” Valeska’s eyes went wide and the cards dropped from her hands and fell onto the table in an arc. A single card lay face up, which seemed weird to me, but before I could study it properly, Valeska clutched my hand in a vice grip.

“What’s wrong?” The words died on my lips as my eyes shot to her face.

The whites of Valeska’s eyes were visible as her head rolled around precariously on her neck at weird angles, like she was having a seizure. She was shaking so hard that my entire body was shaking along with her.

“Valeska!” Panic seized a hold of me as I tried to free my hand from hers. I wanted to do something to help her, but I was so frozen with fear that nothing was coming to mind.

“
Neither Hell nor Heaven born
.” Valeska’s voice came out in a low chant, her eyes still unseeing.

She didn’t seem to be here anymore. Was she having a vision? Should I call 911? Did 911 ha
ndle witch related emergencies?

Cast out because of Hallowed Scorn

Hidden on the earthly plain

Where sky meets earth, and earth meets pain

When more than one is magnified             

The ancient power cannot be denied

Wandering minds, metal, and flame             

But broken the power won’t stay the same

When truth and lies break all the ties

Only will the Mortal Blade choose a new ally

Then without warning, Valeska’s body went limp and she slumped to the side, her hand falling from mine.

Chapter Three

I wasn’t going to lie; for a few seconds I really thought Valeska was dead.

Overdramatic, I know, but after the strange rhyme and the violent fit she’d just had I wasn’t sure what to think.

Thankfully, she twitched, filling me with relief at the discovery that she was still alive.

“Valeska?” I asked uncertainly, leaning forward in my seat—well, cushion—to study her.

Her unnerving blue eyes flew open and she sat up, seeming irritated. “What is it?”

My eyes grew wide as I gaped at her. “Uh, you just had a seizure. Are you okay?”

Valeska’s stared at me like I was on crack. “A seizure? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I was starting to freak out a little now. “Are you messing with me? Is this some sort of joke? You just had a seizure and starting chanting a rhyme and-”

“A rhyme?” Valeska’s entire demeanor changed. She bowed her head as though my words suddenly had more weight to them. “What was the rhyme about?”

“Um.” I wracked my brain, trying to remember the words from the rhyme. “Something about Hallowed Scorn, and there was a thing at the end about the Mortal Blade.”

The Mortal Blade—I knew what that was. It was from a supernatural fairy tale my mom had read to me when I was younger.

“The Mortal Blade?” Surprise, then fear, flashed across Valeska’s face for the quickest moment. Her reaction to a magical object from a fairy tale made no sense.

She reached across the table and placed her hand on my forehead. A white-hot heat slammed me in the center of my head before spreading throughout my body. My skin began to tingle uncomfortably, and then all of a sudden the words that Valeska had chanted minutes ago, imprinted themselves into my mind.

I lost control of my body as my mouth moved on its own. Panic swelled up in my chest as something took over me—I’d never felt so helpless before; present but locked away from myself.

Neither Hell nor Heaven born

Cast out because of Hallowed Scorn

Hidden on the earthly plain

Where sky meets earth, and earth meets pain

When more than one is magnified             

The ancient power cannot be denied

Wandering minds, metal, and flame

But broken the power won’t stay the same

When truth and lies break all the ties

Only will the Mortal Blade choose a new ally

It felt like someone had doused my head in a bucket of freezing water as I finally regained control over my body. Fear coursed through me as I shot to my feet and stared at Valeska who looked just as shaken as I felt.

“What the hell was that?” I demanded. Losing control of my body, of my choices, was something I couldn’t handle.

“I remember now.” Valeska’s voice sounded weak as her electric blue eyes focused on me. “I had a vision.”

Vision? Holy hell, it was like an episode of
Supernatural
.

“What did you see?” My voice rose in panic. I didn’t enjoy feeling helpless, and I was completely out of my depth here.

Valeska’s brow creased. “I saw you lying on the ground. There was blood on your face and a flurry of sound around you. And there was metal and fire, and an angel’s touch.”

At the mention of blood, I started feeling sick. I knew a vision sounded like something that was make-believe, but in my world a witch’s vision was priceless. My mother wouldn’t have sent me to Valeska otherwise.

“And that rhyme was part of it?” I asked, trying to distract myself as I resumed my seat on the cushion.

“It was a prophecy, silly girl.” Valeska’s voice had strengthened and she seemed to be back to her normal self again. “An ancient prophecy that was told thousands of years ago.”

“A prophecy?” My brows rose in surprise. We were back to
Harry Potter
.

“Yes, a prophecy was made long ago about a child and a legend,” she said, her voice so low that I had to lean forward to hear her. “
The Legend of the Triad
tells of three magical objects created thousands of years ago by the Heavens, the Earth, and the world below.”

My ears perked up at the mention of the legend—it was a familiar story to me. “Yes, I’ve heard of it. It’s a fairy tale my mom told me when I was a kid. So what?”

“It is not simply a fairy tale. It is a story that has been told throughout generations.” Valeska continued. “When brought together, the three objects give the bearer unimaginable power. Since the objects cannot be easily destroyed, long ago, Parlum separated them to avoid anyone acquiring such a level of omnipotence.”

I decided to go along with her fairy story, even though I wasn’t sure where she was going with this. “So where are they now?”

“The prophecy is ancient, but the events of it appear to be coming into effect now. I believe that it is guiding you to a Triad object; the Mortal Blade.”

A shiver ran down my spine as the final line of the prophecy came back to me.

Only will the Mortal Blade choose a new ally.

“How is this supposed to help me?” I had risked a lot to get to Valeska, yet I didn’t seem to be any closer to getting the answer that I needed. “I need to know who killed her.”

“You are special, Katerina Lyrille, this is just a sign that great things are about to happen to you, you just don’t realize it yet. I cannot tell you why the fates have chosen this path for you, but somewhere along this path you will find the answer that you seek.”

Another shiver ran down my spine at Valeska’s words.

“So what does this all mean? Where do I find this Mortal Blade?”

“
Hidden on the earthly plain; Where sky meets earth, and earth meets pain.” Valeska pointed at the single tarot card that lay face up. “The Hierophant. It expresses the need to conform to social structure and tradition.”

I had completely forgotten about the tarot card.

Staring down at it, I saw a large figure in a red robe sitting on a throne, holding what looked like a fancy scepter. Two people were kneeling in front of him—possibly worshippers.

“How do you figure that?” I met her with a blank stare. I wasn’t following.

“This card,” Valeska continued, “represents an institution which allows access to something sacred.”

My heart sank as I caught the meaning behind her words. “An institution like…” I trailed off, hoping that my gut instinct was wrong.

“Like a school,” she finished for me, “like
Esteré Academy for the Gifted and Talented.”

Her words stunned me into silence. A powerful magical object was at my school, the very place I had run away from. This was too much to process in one sitting.

“So,” I finally said, trying to wrap my head around the idea, “you’re saying that this all-powerful object of legend is hidden at my school and no one knows about it?”

Valeska shook her head slowly. “I never said no one knew of it, I simply said that it could be found there. Only a few special people would be able to acquire it.” She gave me a meaningful look.

My mouth dropped open. “What are you saying exactly? That I’m this
special
person? That I should go back there? I left school for a reason! Shouldn’t your cards have told you that?”

“Sometimes running away takes you back to the very place you left behind.” Ignoring my outburst, she continued calmly. “Your journey will come full circle. The answer to your question will be found there. Fate has chosen this path for you.”

Fate was a twisted bitch.

I was going back to school. Damn it.

“A part of you must want to go back. You have friends there who have risked a lot for you, don’t you?”

Valeska obviously already knew the answer and was trying to affect me. I pressed my eyes shut, trying to clear my head. Her words had hit a nerve. I did want to see my friends again, and if going back to school was going to help me find this Mortal Blade and give me my answer then what else could I do?

Once again, I didn’t have a lot of options.

“They’ll imprison me as soon I go back,” I said in a whisper. “I ran away. I look guilty by default.”

“I do not see imprisonment in your future. They are still gathering evidence against you, are they not? You must find the Mortal Blade and see where it takes you. The cards are never wrong.”

“How am I supposed to know that finding the Mortal Blade will help me?” I opened my eyes and saw her watching me intently with her electric blue ones.

“Your mother would not have sent you to me if she wasn’t certain that I would be able to point you in the right direction.” Valeska’s tone was firm. “I have helped your mother in her darkest hour. Trust in what I have told you, trust in the prophecy.”

My head was too full of my thoughts, warring with each other, to even ask what my mother had come to her for. There was so much I didn’t understand, and every second seemed to present me with more questions and less answers.

“And if you are still unsure, the Hierophant,” Valeska said, pointing at the card again, “represents the balance of three. That triple sceptre is a symbol of his dominion over the three worlds.”

Hidden on the earthly plain; where sky meets earth, and earth meets pain.

The three worlds.

Fate really did have a screwed up sense of humor.

***

When I finally stepped out of Valeska’s shop, it was just after midnight. Wellton seemed like a ghost town as I stole through the dark alleyways and headed back towards the hotel I was staying at.

My finger still throbbed from where I had cut myself with the knife. My head was throbbing too, mainly because I was trying to shake off the bad feeling that lingered from gaining no answers and only finding riddles.

Then I’d gone ahead and sold my soul to the devil, or whatever that blood promise thing had been. My mom had told me to be smart, but sometimes I made stupid decisions. Now I had to find an ancient object of legend I wasn’t even sure existed.

The chill of the night air seeped through my coat and into my skin, and I wrapped my arms around my body as I finally broke out onto the main street. The hotel was a few blocks away and I stuck to one side of the street, allowing the shadows to engulf me.

Only I could get myself into a situation where I had to go back to the one place I had run away from. Even if I proclaimed my innocence from the rooftops, no one would believe me. No one except my friends, and they didn’t have a lot of sway.

There was a dull ache in my chest as I thought of them.

Annaliese Taliesin and Mishelin Delling were as opposite as two people could be. Anna was an angel with the ability to teleport; insecure about her power, obsessive about studying, and always followed the rules. On the other hand, Misha was an ectra demon— with the ability to use electric-based magic—who was a complete rule-breaker and did things without thinking them through. She was the extreme version of me.

When the hotel loomed up ahead, I quickened my pace, eager to be out of the cold. The hotel was a rundown, Victorian-style mansion that had been converted into a cheap bed and breakfast. It probably couldn’t pass a health inspection, but it was a good place to hide out because it blended in with the other mansions on the street.

The receptionist nodded at me as I entered, but I was too lost in my thoughts to return the greeting as I took the stairs to the first floor where my room was.

As I fished for the room key in my pocket, my hand brushed against something soft. A feather. It was Valeska’s parting gift to me. I had no idea how a stupid, purple feather was supposed to help me, and all she’d was, “This will help you when you are in need. You will know what to do with it when the time is right.”

I felt like the entire encounter with her belonged on a t-shirt:
I met a witch and all I got was this purple feather.

And a prophecy that made no sense.

Sighing, I made my way down the corridor to where my room was located at the end. About halfway along, I stopped and looked around. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up like they usually did when I got a bad feeling about something.

I glanced up and down the hall and noticed three sets of wet footprints leading to my door. My three visitors had been out in the rain recently, and I could bet my purple feather I knew who the footprints belonged to.

SRECON had found me. Again. Man, they were good.

My first instinct was to get as far away from them as I could, but then a thought occurred to me. If SRECON was trying to get me back to school anyway, it made sense for me to hitch a ride with them.

Convinced that this was the best way to return to school, I strolled towards the door and pressed my ear against it. It was silent on the other end, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still inside. SRECON didn’t give up the hunt so easily.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside, anticipating an ambush. The room was dark, but before I could reach for the switch, the lights came on.

Loire was three feet away from me, glaring back at me with those slate blue eyes. To add to the pressure, his short-sword was pointed right at my face. If I didn’t hate him so much, I’d compliment him on it. The hilt was a beautiful gold with vibrant green ivy winding around it—the work on it was incredible.