Taliesin Ascendant (The Children and the Blood) (34 page)

For a heartbeat, the Blood wizard didn’t move. And then magic slammed down.

The other wizard slumped dead to the ground. Ignoring the body, the Blood flicked a hand at the wall. Blue light curled across the bricks, tracing shimmering words.

Ashe stared, her confusion mounting.

The Blood wizard strode away.

Speechless, Ashe turned to Nathaniel, but the man appeared as lost as she felt. Swallowing hard, she looked back at the alley, watching the Blood disappear around the corner.

“Call Elias,” she ordered.

Without another word, she headed for the access hatch.

The metal ladder rungs clattered beneath her feet as she descended the tunnel to the building interior. The roof access door squealed in protest as she shoved it open, but nothing in the hallway beyond stirred at the sound. Erratically patterned carpets softened her footsteps, and plastic sheeting draped the interiors of the offices along the hall.

Tossing her a heated glance, Nathaniel pushed by her, taking the lead. Gripping his cell, he passed information to Elias in terse statements while scanning the hall as though expecting more Blood wizards to burst from the plaster.

A doorway swung open behind them, a portal whirling to life in its frame.

Ashe spun, fire leaping around her hands, while protective barriers surged around the guards. Retreating, Crystal dug her fingers into Ghost’s arm as they both cringed in pain.

Elias stepped out, his gaze already sweeping the hallway before he made it fully from the portal. Spotting them, he strode swiftly down the corridor.

“
What
happened?” he said to Nathaniel, as though asking the man to repeat himself.

Feeling every second between them and the Blood, Ashe turned, heading for the exit.

“Like I said,” Nathaniel growled as he started after her. “We found one.”

Her mind racing, Ashe ignored Elias’ continued questions as she burst past the stairwell door. Cold cement surrounded her as she rushed for the first floor, and when she reached the landing, the open door to the alley made it easy to determine which way to go.

At her back, Nathaniel ordered her sharply to stay put and then shoved by her, giving her no chance to argue. Descending the short flight of steps to the alley, he checked either exit to the street and then scanned the rooftops.

Scowling, Ashe waited. Of its own accord, her gaze slid to the words on the wall.

Elias’ brow drew down at the sight. “What the…”

“What is it?” Crystal asked behind them. “What happened?”

Ashe glanced back. The younger girl craned her neck, anxiously trying to see past the wizards.

“The Blood wrote ‘Death to Taliesin’,” Ashe said.

Crystal stared at her. Ashe’s gaze flicked to Elias, but the bafflement on his face was answer enough. If any Merlin were working with the Blood, this was the first he’d learned of it.

“Where’s Mud?” she asked.

“I sent him back,” Elias said distractedly. “With the others. He wouldn’t stop panicking at the idea of Blood wizards nearby.”

He blinked in disbelief at his own statement, his gaze not leaving the iridescent words.

By the alleyway exit, Nathaniel motioned for them to follow. Without a word, Ashe headed out the door, leaving Elias to come behind.

Pedestrians ambled along the sidewalks and parked cars lined the road. Desperately, Ashe scanned the street, trying to find the Blood wizard amid the mess. Clutching Ghost’s hand, Crystal came up and peeked around the edge of the brick building.

“There,” the girl said, pointing.

For a heartbeat, Ashe couldn’t see what the girl had spotted, and then the crowds parted. By a shop three blocks away, the Blood wizard turned and disappeared into another alley.

She started forward only to have Nathaniel grab her arm. Furiously, she tugged it away again.

“Taliesin,” he whispered. “One block south.”

Grimacing, she melted back against the alley wall. At her side, Nathaniel’s hand flexed as he watched the street, waiting to strike.

A moment passed. It seemed like an eternity. She could almost feel the Blood wizard escaping.

Nathaniel checked around the corner. “All clear.”

She followed him from the alley.

Three Taliesin rushed from behind a nearby building.

Her breath catching, Ashe froze. Without pause, the wizards dashed full speed across the intersection and down an adjacent street, running as though for their lives.

Brow drawing down, she looked to Nathaniel, but though he seemed cautious, the man just nodded in the direction the Blood had gone and then started walking. Drawing a breath and burying her confusion, Ashe followed.

At the mouth of the alley three blocks down the road, Nathaniel paused, glancing at her. Grudgingly, she fell back as he looked around the building’s side. After a moment, he eased into the alley and then motioned for the others to follow, never taking his eyes from the narrow passageway.

Frustration surged as she came around the corner. The alley was as empty as she’d feared it’d be. Mouth tightening, she looked to Nathaniel and jerked her chin at the turn of the alleyway ahead. He nodded.

A shout rang out behind them.

From atop the building across the street, a Taliesin wizard plummeted toward the ground, his arms windmilling frantically as he fell. On the roof, another Taliesin stood, watching.

Crystal gasped and ducked her face into Ghost’s shoulder as, with a sickening thud, the man hit the ground.

Pedestrians screamed. The wizard on the rooftop turned and walked away.

Ashe stared.

Nathaniel touched her arm, breaking her shock. Grimfaced, he gestured to the turn ahead. Swallowing hard, she nodded, determinedly ignoring the look he gave Elias and the guards.

Nothing moved in the next alley. Cautiously, they approached the opening to the street, and regret showed on Crystal’s face after she peeked around the corner.

“I’m sorry,” she said helplessly.

Ashe shook her head, disappointment rivaling the remnants of her alarm. “Not your fault,” she said, watching the road. Apartments built into the husks of century-old buildings lined the road, with newly planted trees dotting the curbs. By the base of a stairway, small children played under the watchful eye of a young woman, while from another apartment, an old lady emerged, leading a fluffy dog by its bright pink leash.

Crystal didn’t look comforted. “But he was the first one we’d–”

The sound of shattering glass carried through the open window of the building across the street.

Nathaniel shoved Ashe behind him. Mirroring the motion, Ghost pulled Crystal back protectively, his eyes locked on the window.

The crashing stopped. A heartbeat slid past.

A young Taliesin dashed out the apartment building door. Leaping from the steps to the ground, he stumbled and caught himself on the sidewalk before charging down the road.

The Blood wizard rushed out after him.

“Go!” Ashe cried.

Nathaniel motioned to the guards. The men took off, magic rising around them.

Trees and wrought iron stairways blurred as she chased them. Cars skidded to a stop as the wizards raced across the road and dogs barked madly as they passed. Up ahead, the young man ran for all he was worth, his arms and legs straining to give him more speed.

The Blood wizard never looked back.

Skidding around a corner, the young man darted between two apartment buildings. The Blood sprinted after him, barely pausing to catch an iron railing and whip himself around the turn.

Immediately the guards slowed, and Ashe stumbled to keep from rushing into them. A crash sounded between the buildings, and across the street, a couple with a stroller paused in confusion before shrugging and moving on.

“Stay back,” Nathaniel ordered, pushing her aside as he came up and glanced around the corner.

He jerked back as another crash shuddered through the ground. Crackling violently, a burst of electricity shot out between the buildings and struck one of the young trees, killing it instantly.

“Take the Blood alive,” Ashe whispered.

The look Nathaniel gave her made the conditional nature of his agreement abundantly clear.

They crept around the corner. The cobblestone path between the brick apartment buildings bisected the block through to the other side. Narrow windows faced the gentrified alley, with iron-railed porches extending from each. Leafy vines twined around the balconies even at ground level, providing cover as Ashe and the others inched closer.

The young man hadn’t made it far. Pinned to the wall, he struggled in the grip of two much larger Taliesin. Livid red marks discolored his face, and one eye was swollen. A few feet away, the Blood stood, regarding him thoughtfully.

“It doesn’t have to be like this, you know,” the Blood said. “Just give us the information we want, and it’ll be over.”

“Screw you,” the young man spat.

“We’ll find your uncle, boy. Or someone else will tell us what we want to know. And then we’ll have them, and you’ll still be dead. So just give up. Tell me where to find the Taliesin council, and I’ll make it quick.”

Behind the cover of the vines, Ashe glanced to Elias. Incredulity showed on his face as he stared at the group. With blatant deference, the two Taliesin waited for the commands of a man who appeared utterly human, while defiantly, the young man tried to hide his fear.

Cautiously, Ashe took her eyes from the Blood and looked back at Crystal and Ghost, jerking her chin at them. Swallowing, Ghost nodded and then pulled Crystal with him as he retreated behind the protection of the corner.

“Go to hell,” the young man said.

Shaking his head, the Blood sighed. “Have it your way.”

Electricity twisted around his fist. The young man recoiled, turning his face aside.

The Blood gasped as his own magic raced away from him and then back again. Crackling past him to strike his Taliesin companions, the electricity sent the wizards howling to the cobblestones. More magic followed, silencing their screams, and from behind the foliage, Nathaniel and the guards charged out.

Eyes wide, the young man looked from the Merlin to the Blood.

“Don’t!” Ashe yelled.

Lightning arced from his hands. The Blood wizard crashed to the ground.

Shoving from the wall, the young man made a dash for the alley exit, only to skid to a stop as the guards cut him off. Turning sharply, he lunged in the opposite direction, but Nathaniel and Elias were there.

Magic flared and then vanished.

Terror overwhelmed the defiance in his eyes.

“W-what…” he stammered, his gaze darting across the men surrounding him.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” Ashe called, rising from behind the vines.

He barely gave her a glance. “Which one of you did that?”

No one answered.

“Dammit! Which one of you is the…” He trailed off, his gaze going to the two Taliesin. His brow twitched fitfully and then a trace of bravado crept onto his face. “Just do it then.”

“Why are the Blood after you?” Ashe asked him.

He ignored her.

Elias grimaced. “She asked you a question, kid.”

Still quivering despite his brave front, the young man scoffed. “So what? You Merlin bastards think I’ll spill just because you’ve got a pretty girl asking the questions? Well, screw you.”

Elias paused and then glanced to Nathaniel, his eyebrow twitching up.

“What? You the one in charge here?” the young man snapped at Nathaniel. “What’re you waiting for?”

Nathaniel looked to Ashe and she could see the question in his eyes. She hesitated, and then bowed slightly.

With derision that was more forced than arrogant, the young man chuckled.

Face darkening, Nathaniel glanced to the guards. “Check the area. He could be stalling.”

Two guards broke off, moving to either end of the alley. Warily, Ghost and Crystal peeked around the corner and then slowly approached.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” the young man sneered.

“What’s your name, brat?” Nathaniel snapped.

“Fuck you.”

“Charming,” Elias retorted. “Speak to the king that way again and you’ll wish we’d left you to the Blood wizard.”

Magic twisted around Elias’ fist and despite his bluster, the young man paled. His gaze darted between them.

“Luke,” he allowed.

“Why are the Blood and Taliesin attacking each other?” Nathaniel asked.

“The what?”

Ashe’s eyes narrowed. She glanced to Nathaniel and Elias.

A dry look flickered across Elias’ face. “The man who nearly killed you,” he elaborated.

“Bastard works for you,” Luke said, adopting a dismissive tone. “You tell me.”

Elias scoffed. “He had your Taliesin buddies kowtowing to him, kid. Try that answer again.”

“And say what? You think I don’t know he’s working for you? Your girl tried to stop me from killing him, for pity’s sake.”

Ashe started to speak, and a sharp gesture from Nathaniel cut her off.

“She tried to stop you because we wanted information, you Taliesin pissant,” he growled, striding toward Luke. The boy retreated till his heels bumped the brick wall. “We’ve been hunting his kind for longer than I care to tell you, and he was the first one we’d found. So yes, she didn’t want you to kill him. And before you suggest that bastard worked for us again, I suggest you think long and hard about how exactly it will feel to have your own magic kill you.”

Jaw clenched to keep it from shaking, Luke glared into the larger wizard’s eyes.

“Why are your kind and Blood wizards attacking other Taliesin?” Elias asked.

Luke’s gaze flicked over to him, taking on a derisive cast. “
I
don’t know.”

Irritation surged in her at his tone, but Nathaniel just took another step forward.

Struggling to hold onto his scorn, the young man pressed harder into the wall. “I swear, alright? I actually don’t know. The bastards just cornered me and–”

“What was that about your uncle and the council then?” Elias pressed.

Luke’s face tightened, though he buried the fearful expression with lightning speed. “Hell if I know,” he replied, his tone more dismissive than ever.