Horn of Winter (Relic Hunters #5)

Chapter 12

The speed at which I was now traveling meant I only had seconds, if that, to save myself. With fear thick in my throat and my heart racing as fast as I was falling, I reached for the wind, only to hit a thick bubble of violent air. His air, his shield, stopping me from reaching the forces that might save me. If I had time, I might be able to break his barrier, but I didn’t, and the ground was approaching fast, and if I didn’t do something soon, I’d fucking die.

Panic surged but I did my best to shove it away. Did my best to think .

Thunder rumbled overhead, a sound that seemed to echo my desperation. I might not be able to call the wind, but could I call the lightning?

Dare I?

Dare I not ?

The knives slapped into my hands without me really ordering it. I quickly raised one and called to the incandescent fury that lurked within the storm. I wasn’t anchored so this was dangerous, but no more so than hitting the ground at my current velocity.

Lightning flashed around and then through me, making me one with the storm, a being without flesh and substance. I pointed the second knife toward the cottage, directing all that fierceness at the section that didn’t hold the source of the furious whirlwind surrounding me. Bright light flashed out from the blade’s tip, three fierce forks that hit the building sequentially. As deadly missiles of bricks, slate, and wood flew in all directions, the whirlwind surrounding me fell apart. I immediately caught the wind, ordering one thick finger after the car to cushion its tumbling fall and another to halt my speed.

And not a moment too soon.

I still hit with enough force to jar every bone in my body and stumbled forward for several feet before dropping to my knees and plunging the other knife point into the ground. The dangerous energy that still burned through muscle, fiber, and flesh channeled out into the earth, leaving me shaking and weak.

I sucked in several deep breaths that didn’t really help the inner quivering, then pushed to my feet. My legs shook and my knees wanted nothing more than to buckle and hit the ground again, but I locked them tight, determined to remain upright. When I felt secure enough to move, I stumbled forward, my grip on the knives so fierce my knuckles were white. Tiny wisps of jagged light still played around the tips of both blades, a warning the power I’d invited in hadn’t completely dissipated. Thankfully, I didn’t feel in immediate danger of being boiled alive by it.

Which might be famous last words, but still…

I staggered up the steps, stepped through the remains of the front door, and followed the soft sounds of groans to the rear of the remaining portion of the house—a kitchen diner, I discovered as I entered. Dust danced through the air and both the walls and the ceiling were cracked, but the song of the wood in this section was strong, even if distressed.

I swept my gaze around the room, quickly spotting Mathi. He had a cut across his cheek but was pushing into a sitting position and otherwise looked okay. An older man and woman were unconscious under the breakfast counter, while my target lay in an ungainly heap to my right and showing signs of stirring. He was also the one making all the noise.

I hurried over, touched his neck, and said, “You will not use your storm-held gifts in any way from this point on unless I say otherwise, nor will you attack me or anyone else physically. You will also answer every single question Mathi and I ask.”

As my power washed through him, surprise ran through me. Given my aunt’s propensity to use pixie compelling magic on those she employed, I’d expected to find at least some sign of it within the kid. But there was none. Maybe she simply didn’t think he’d be found, or she’d reached the point where she didn’t really care.

He made a low, growly sound of frustration and opened his eyes. They were silver and filled with the violence he could no longer unleash. The whites of his eyes were also very red, suggesting he’d pushed his limits to raise then fling the car and entrap me.

I told him to sit upright but not move anywhere else, then left him to stew in his own insignificance and went over to check his parents. His mom had a nasty cut on the back of her head that was going to need attention, and his father had broken his wrist if its odd position was anything to go by, but other than the dust covering him, seemed fine. I quickly checked their pulses—both were strong, even if a little fast.

I dragged out my phone, called an ambulance and the IIT, then staggered over to Mathi and sat beside him. After driving a knife blade into the slate in the vague hope it would earth me enough to allow the remaining few flickers of inner lightning to dissipate, I said, “Well, that didn’t exactly go to plan, did it?”

He laughed softly. Ruefully. “It would seem that I did indeed tempt Fate a little too much. What did you do to the building?”

“Blew it apart.”

“Obviously, but how?”

“I called down lightning.”

“Which explains the little flickers of energy still dancing around you.” He lightly poked my shoulder with a stiffened finger. “It somewhat reminds me of the effect you get with one of those plasma lightning balls.”

“An effect I hope is fading, because if it doesn’t, I might be in big trouble.” It felt like the heat was retreating, and the blade slammed into the slate continued to pulse, but it might also be a reaction to contained fury sitting across the other side of the room.

“It is.” He paused. “What happened to Henrick?”

“Our angry and rather stupid witch over there picked up the car and flung it. I sent the wind after him, so hopefully I was in time to break the smash back down.”

I’d barely finished when Mathi’s phone dinged. He dug it out from inside his coat pocket and glanced at the screen. “Seems you were. He’s shaken, but fine, apparently. Two tires were punctured when the car landed, so he’s called the RAC.”

“He might want to head to the hospital to get checked out once that’s done. We can catch a cab back.”

“No need. I’ll just call for the company chauffeur.”

As Mathi sent his two messages, I continued to study our captive. To say he radiated fury would be the understatement of the year, but there was no fear in him. Not yet, anyway. Maybe it was bravado, maybe it was simply a matter of not realizing the depths of trouble he was truly in.

Mathi tucked his phone away, then glanced at me. “Shall I do the honors and start the questions?”

I waved a hand towards our felon. “Feel free.”

Mathi gave Tony his best seriously unpleasant smile. “Now, young man, kindly explain to us why you were so eager to attack when all we wished to do was talk.”

Any sensible person would have answered immediately and honestly, even without my magic blanketing him, but Tony and sensible obviously weren’t bosom buddies. He fought answering for several seconds, but in the end had no real option.

“I was warned she was deadly. That she would kill me the minute she realized what I was doing.”

The “she” was accompanied by a chin pointed my way and a bit of a sneer.

“And who told you that?” Mathi asked.

“I only know her first name—Riayn.”

It wasn’t unexpected, but regret nevertheless twinged through me. There’d been a bit of me—a very tiny bit, granted—that had hoped we were wrong, that my closest living relative aside from Lugh wasn’t now hunting me down.

“What were you ordered to do?” I asked.

The sneer appeared again. “Keep an eye on your movements and report back to her.”

“Did she say why?” Mathi asked.

“She said she needed to know your location on an hourly basis, in case her plans had to change in a hurry.”

Did that mean her plans hadn’t yet changed? It certainly seemed to be the implication.

“Which means you must have her phone number,” I said. “Give it to me.”

He did so, though not at all happily. As I tapped it into my phone, Mathi asked, “Did you meet her at any point?”

“No.”

“You have no idea where she’s staying?”

“Not in Deva. I had some friends checking for me.”

“Why? Didn’t you trust your employer?” I said dryly.

“I don’t trust no one.” He sent a dark look his parents’ way. “Even those closest to me can apparently be bought out.”

“More threatened than bought out,” Mathi said. “And no doubt a good portion of the income they get from my company supports their somewhat useless only son.”

“And so they should. That’s what parents do.”

What his parents should have done was slap him upside the head a few times. Maybe that would have shaken some of the attitude loose.

“What else can you tell us about her or her plans?” I asked.

“Nothing.” It was sullenly said.

The lad didn’t like not being fully clued in as to what was going down.

The knife stopped pulsing, so I pulled it free of the stone. From outside came the sound of approaching sirens, and the noise seemed to impinge on the old man’s consciousness. His eyes flickered open, and his gaze swept around the room until it hit me.

Confusion ran through his expression. “Who are you?”

“Mathi’s friend. You should stay still, because I think you’ve broken your wrist.”

“Where did you come from?” He ignored me and struggled into a sitting position, his breath hissing through thin lips. “What happened to my house?”

“She did it,” Tony growled. “She’s the fucking storm witch I warned you about. Did you listen? Fuck no, so here we are.”

The old man’s eyes widened. “Why would you do such a thing? We did nothing?—”

“Which is blatantly obvious where your son is concerned,” I couldn’t help snapping. “He lifted Mathi’s car and flung it a good half kilometer away, almost killing his chauffeur, then he wrapped me in air and tried to slam me into the ground.”

“He wouldn’t?—”

“He did, just as he destroyed the guild’s accommodation wing. Or didn’t he tell you about that, either?”

“Tony?” Bewilderment danced through the old man’s expression. “Is that true?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

The old man simply stared at his son. Said son didn’t seem to care. You reap what you teach , I couldn’t help but think.

Or in this case, didn’t teach.

The sirens stopped out the front of the house. Or what remained of it, anyway. Two medics soon appeared, followed by two IIT officers I didn’t recognize. They’d obviously been briefed by Sgott, though, because they walked immediately over to me and Mathi, took our statements, then told us we could go.

“Hey,” Tony said. “What about me?”

The taller of the two IIT officers cast a wry look his way. “We’ll get to you in a second, lad, never fear.”

“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to her . She magicked me. She needs to release me before she leaves.”

The IIT officer’s gaze met mine, eyebrow raised in query. I smiled and pushed upright, wobbling a little as a wave of weariness washed over me. Mathi caught my elbow, steadying me, then released me. I walked over to Tony and touched his shoulder lightly. “I release you from the restriction of remaining still, but you will follow all directions given by the IIT and answer all their questions.”

“I didn’t mean that. I meant restoring my powers.”

“Oh, those restrictions can stay, as can the orders to not physically attack me or indeed anyone else. Good luck finding a new profession, young man. With your attitude, you’re going to need it.”

I turned and left. It took a few seconds for him to realize I was serious, and for his thick curses to follow me.

“That,” Mathi said as he caught up with me, “was very well done.”

“At least his fucking temper can’t hurt anyone else now. Might also have the side effect of making him a better human.”

“I would think the superior attitude is too ingrained now to be muted. Ah, there’s the car now.”

Said car was almost a carbon copy of his own; the only difference was the color of the chauffeur’s uniform. Once we were seated and on the way back to Deva, I said, “Will you be able to use your access to the IIT’s files to run a search on Martha?”

“As soon as we drop you home. I take it you’ll be resting the rest of the day?”

I gave him a mock scowl. “Are you saying I look like shit again?”

“Totally.”

“Thanks.”

“Welcome.” He paused. “Would something to eat help refuel the well?”

“When have I ever refused food?”

He laughed. “Never, granted, though I’m thinking that, in this case, you’re after something fast rather than decent.”

“There is nothing wrong with a Big Mac and fries.”

“There is everything wrong, but I will concede that I’ll never convince you of this fact.” He leaned forward and added, “Marc, please stop at the nearest McDonald’s.”

A few minutes later, he did so, and I happily refueled while Mathi drank his coffee and did his best to hide his horror. We were on the outskirts of Deva when my phone rang sharply, the tone telling me it was Lugh.

I hit the answer button and said, “Hey, brother, what’s up?”

“Ice, up to our windowsills, that’s what.”

Fear leapt into my heart. “The witch is attacking your home ?”

“No, the fucking museum.”

Mathi immediately leaned forward and ordered the driver to head there ASAP.

“But why—” I stopped.

Rogan was why. The website still had him listed as the head of the department, as they hadn’t yet gotten around to employing someone else or even updating the page.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yes—I ordered the entire wing evacuated the minute I realized what was happening. Where are you?”

I glanced at Mathi, my eyebrows raised in silent query.

“About eight minutes out if the traffic’s bad,” he replied.

“Heard that,” Lugh said. “I’m with Sgott—he’s set up shop in the Queen Vic parking area. A number of witches from the guild are also here, though they’re not having much success stopping the ice.”

“That’s because they aren’t ice witches.”

“True, but they are managing to at least slow its progress. Got something to do with the freezing point of water and keeping the air temp above it. Marjorlaine did say that the slowing could also be partially due to the witch attempting to ice such a large portion of the building and overextending her skills and strength.”

If Marjorlaine was there, the guild had to be worried about unwarranted publicity and the possibility of being held accountable. “I’d vote for the overextending, given it’s unlikely she knows where, exactly, Rogan’s office is.”

“Why would they be going after Rogan? He’s dead. If anything, it’s more likely to be me they’re after.”

“That’s a possibility, but it could also be they’re not aware Rogan is dead—his death hasn’t been officially announced, has it? Aren’t they still waiting for the IIT’s official report?”

“Yes, so maybe our crazy aunt is attempting a two-for-one deal.”

We swept into Deva’s outskirts and continued to drive through the narrower streets with unwise speed.

“Tell Sgott we’re coming in fast,” I said, and gave him the registration number. If he could get a quick warning out, it would at least give us a better chance of avoiding the cops pulling us over before we got to the parking area.

As he hung up, Mathi said, “Are you going to be able to stop the attack?”

I scrubbed my forehead wearily. “I don’t know, but I have to try.”

“You’re not going to be of any use to anyone if you fry your brain out.”

“I’m not going to call on the lightning, just the storm.”

“Because that is so much easier on your body,” he said dryly.

I half smiled. “Actually, the knives do the majority of the work.”

“I no more believe that than you believe I’ll marry for love.”

I snorted but didn’t reply as we neared the museum. The chauffeur slowed down and, once our names were taken, we were ushered through the road barriers the police had set up. A few seconds later, we stopped close to what looked like chaos HQ. I tugged on my coat, then grabbed my knives and climbed out, leaving my purse in the car.

We walked over to where Sgott and Lugh were, the heat in the air increasing with every step. With them was a well-dressed woman in her mid-forties; she had spiky silver hair, dark brown skin, and was surrounded by a thick veil of energy that, while it didn’t fizz with lightning, still felt electric.

Marjorlaine. Had to be.

Sgott introduced us all then said, “Do you think you’ll be able to halt the progress of the ice, Beth?”

“Maybe.” I narrowed my gaze and studied the building critically. “It’s not as thick as it was on the Myrkálfar building.”

“There’s a bigger area though, and after your adventures in Helsby, I’m thinking you’ll not be at full strength.”

“What the hell happened at Helsby?” Lugh asked, his gaze jumping from me to Sgott and back again.

“Just a little destruction via lightning,” Mathi said, somewhat drolly.

Lugh sucked in a breath. “Weren’t you warned?—”

“Yes, unless I was grounded. And I was. Kinda.”

“As statements go, that one is not at all comforting.”

I smiled but returned my attention to the building. There were at least a dozen witches kneeling on the ground, each with one hand thrust into the earth and the other raised. The air around the latter rippled fiercely, a haze that washed over the building in waves.

They were drawing the heat from the earth, not the air as I’d half expected.

“You might want to push your people back, Marjorlaine,” I said. “If events follow the same path as previously, they’re in danger of being hit by slabs of ice.”

“You cannot possibly draw enough power to shatter that much ice.”

“I’m not. The knives are.”

Her gaze dropped to the knives I was holding. “Silver knives cannot dissipate the power at play here.”

“Silver knives can’t, but these are goddess-blessed and part of a triune of power.”

“Indeed? I look forward to seeing them in action, then.”

She didn’t bother controlling her skepticism, and I found myself suddenly understanding why Win disliked her.

I flexed my fingers against the hilts of my weapons, then strode forward with a confidence I didn’t really feel. The closer I got to the building, the warmer the air became. Sweat dribbled down the back of my neck and the side of my face, but I ignored both, concentrating on the building, looking for the launching point. At the Lùtair Enterprises building it seemed to have begun at the main entrance, but here, the ice appeared to be fractionally thicker at the employees’ entrance. I walked around to it and stopped several feet away. The chill coming off the ice crawled across my skin, despite the heat that otherwise pressed around me. Through it, I once again felt the witch.

Felt her fury.

This time, though, she didn’t attack me. She simply withdrew. Totally withdrew.

The ice coating the door and the lower portions of the building instantly started to melt, the thick slabs quickly forming rivers of blue that raced down the wall and flooded the concrete.

Unease stirred through me. Her fury, and her sudden retreat, just didn’t gel.

Something else was going on.

I rubbed my arms uneasily and turned, walking back to Sgott and the others.

“Well,” Mathi said. “That was anticlimactic, especially after this morning.”

“She fled the second she felt my presence.”

Sgott frowned. “That makes no sense, even after what you did at the Lùtair building and at Kaitlyn’s.”

“Perhaps this was merely a diversion.” My gaze shot to Lugh’s. “Darby’s not at your place at the moment, is she?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ll check.”

“Might be wise for you both to stay somewhere else tonight, just in case.”

He nodded and moved away to make the call. I returned my gaze to Sgott. “She might well come back once she thinks I’m gone. It looked as though she’d hacked into street cameras when she attacked the Lùtair building, so it’s possible she’s doing the same here.”

“Even if she has,” Marjorlaine commented. “It’s unlikely she’ll have the strength for a second attack so soon. Not given the energy output she must have employed encasing this building and battling my people.”

And I was betting that Marjorlaine, who hadn’t really witnessed what this witch was capable of with the horn in her hand, was seriously underestimating her.

“Are you able to leave a team of witches here, just in case she recovers quicker than normal?” Sgott asked.

The older woman nodded. “I had a secondary team ready to step in should the battle go on much longer, so they can stay.”

“Good—thank you.” His gaze came back to me. “You and Mathi should go rest. We’ll call you if anything untoward happens here.”

I nodded. While a part of me wanted to remain here and monitor the situation, I was well aware that unless I got some sleep, I wouldn’t be able to battle a gnat let alone this witch or my aunt.

Mathi touched my elbow, but as I turned to follow him back to his car, Lugh got off the phone. I stopped and said, “She okay?”

He nodded. “She’s with her sister-in-law at the compound.”

“Which means she’s safe from any form of reprisal your aunt might be planning, but you are not,” Mathi said. “I would offer you one of our company’s apartments, but given your aunt appears to have done her homework and might well be planning retribution on every single person involved in the Claws quest, that might not be any safer.”

I glanced at him sharply. “If your company’s apartments aren’t safe, then your private residence won’t be either.”

“Indeed, which is why, after I do the requested research on Martha, I’ll be spending the rest of the evening in the encampment.”

Relief stirred, but so too did wisps of amusement. “That wouldn’t happen to be where last night’s hot date is located, would it?”

“Indeed.” His gaze met mine. “I suggest you spend the evening somewhere other than the tavern, preferably with company.”

“I’m quite able to spend a night alone.”

“Yeah, but I’d feel better if you had company,” Lugh said.

“I could fling that right back at you, brother.”

“Then stay with me at Talein’s. He’s meeting me in half an hour with the keys to Rossita’s old apartment. It’s apparently undergoing renovations but remains livable.”

“It’s doubtful your aunt has done such a deep dive into either Lugh’s contacts or Darby’s that she’d know who her brother’s wife is, or where she lived before she moved back to the encampment,” Mathi commented. “It should be a fairly safe option.”

“ Should is not a word I’m about to rely on right now,” I replied. “Besides, by bunking in together, we risk presenting her the irresistible—two targets in the one place.”

“We don’t know for sure she’s coming after me,” Lugh commented.

“We don’t know she’s not, either, especially after that little display at the museum. And remember, she disavowed us both when we presented her with the red knife.” I half shrugged. “I think right now it might be best for me to rent a hotel room for a couple of days.”

If nothing else, with Tony out of action and the guild fully aware of what was going on, she’d find it harder to employ another storm witch at such short notice, even one that was off their books. It should at least give us a day or so free to find and stop both her and Martha.

“Fine, have it your way, but if you get kidnapped or dead, I will not be pleased.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d better go. Make sure you keep me updated on your movements.”

I nodded and kissed his cheek. And, as he strode away, I found myself hoping Riayn’s plans didn’t include kidnapping him to bring me to heel. Because she, more than anyone, knew I would do anything to save him.

Even walk into a trap.

I shivered and rubbed my arms. Fear, not second sight. Or so I hoped.

We returned to Mathi’s car, and he dropped me off at the top of the tavern’s lane after first making me promise to text him once I knew where I was staying. I once again checked in with Ingrid to ensure there were no problems needing my attention, but everything was running smoothly, just as I’d expected. When she finished her update, she added, “Oh, there’s a woman waiting for you in the upper bar. Been there for a good half hour, at least. Told her you might not be back for hours, but she said she wasn’t in any hurry.”

“Not Beira, then?” I said, in amusement.

Ingrid shook her head. “Myrkálfar, by the look of her.”

My stomach dropped. Treasa. Had to be. No other Myrkálfar had a reason to come and see me.

I thanked her and headed up. Treasa was seated in a booth at the far end of the room, close to the doors that led out onto the upper row. After ordering a whisky for myself and a second drink for her—a Veuve Clicquot, I discovered, and one of my favorite champagnes—I headed over and slid into the seat opposite.

“Well, this is a surprise,” I said.

She raised an eyebrow, the movement eloquent and somehow amused, though little of the latter showed in her expression. “I cannot see why given you all but demanded answers before you would even consider the gift so willingly given.”

“I was expecting a text or a phone call, not another personal visit.”

She took a drink then shrugged eloquently. “There are some things best said in person, and you certainly deserve your fears to be allayed in such a manner, given the lengths you went to in saving the Lùtair building.”

“Given it’s my aunt behind these attacks, it behooves me to go that extra length.”

Surprise flickered briefly through her expression. “We were not informed of that connection.”

“Sgott plays his cards close to his chest when it comes to family.”

She nodded. “Meaning revenge is behind these attacks? Cynwrig theorized as much, although Sgott, again, has not confirmed them one way or the other.”

“Given how well he knows Sgott, that should not surprise him. But please, warn your brother to remain safe within the Myrkálfar compound until we can sort this out.”

A wry smile touched her lips and briefly flared in her eyes. “And you surely know Cynwrig well enough by now to understand he is not one for taking orders or following protocol he does not agree with.”

And yet he was following protocol when it came to me. At least at surface level, anyway. “Which brings us neatly back to his gift. Powerful magic lies within it, and we both know it’s designed to do far more than allow non-physical communication.”

She nodded. “It does indeed allow sexual interactions, although the latter is rare, and only available to those who are compatible and/or committed.”

“Well, he and I are not—and never will be—committed, so that leaves us with compatible. Which, given the Myrkálfar can be sexually compatible with just about everyone on the planet if they so wish, kinda makes a mockery of the rarity thing.”

She laughed lightly. “It is certainly true that when we concentrate the full force of our magnetism on someone, there is little problem with compatibility. But it is a weapon as much as a delight, and again, rarely used at full capacity.”

That they used sex as a weapon wasn’t really news, as sex had always been used as a means of information-gathering “Is this bracelet another means of ensuring attraction?”