Chapter 12 #2
“It didn’t occur to me that they might be involved. I haven’t heard their name in years. It was only during the fight that I realized.”
“With them pissing off so many people with their fake currency, I’m surprised nobody’s taken them down by now,” Cowboy said.
“Maybe they’re like the Dread Pirate Roberts,” Gage suggested.
I was the only who laughed.
“No other Princess Bride fans?” Gage asked in disbelief. “That’s a shame.”
“You think these are seven different sorcerers from the original group of Coranians?” I asked.
Gage shrugged. “Or a mix of originals and replacements.”
“It’s doubtful. The Coranians can’t be killed by any weapon. It’s one of their key traits.”
“Well, Mordred bled all over the square,” Cowboy said, “so they can be injured.”
“Which is why I aimed for his cheek.”
“That was your intended target?” Cowboy asked. “Huh. And here I thought you missed.”
“I only wanted to break Urien’s concentration. He’s the most powerful.”
“Honestly, though,” Gage said, “who names their child Urien? I can’t imagine that went down well on the school playground.”
“Maybe the bullied became the bully,” Vale said, then paused. “You said they can’t be killed by any weapon. Define weapon.”
“That I don’t know.”
“Have you encountered them before?”
“Indirectly.” As far as I knew, no one had been assigned to deal with them, likely because they kept their heads down and didn’t stay in one place very long.
Back then, the Coranians hadn’t been in the business of trying to claim land.
Their interest in the stones was curious.
If they’d made a tactical change, it could cost them.
I couldn’t report them, nor could I risk Vale or anyone else reporting them.
An official complaint would garner attention from the very powerful beings I was desperate to avoid.
“Why would they want Savannah?” Gage asked.
I gestured to our surroundings. “Why not? It’s coastal. Good weather. Pretty. They’re fae; they’re fond of pretty.”
“But even without my declaration, they must know this land is protected,” Vale said.
I shrugged. “Maybe they heard the Protector would rather be shopping the souks of Marrakesh than defending his family seat.”
Vale cast a sidelong glance at me. “Blaming the victim?”
“It’s possible your reputation is a security risk.”
He scoffed. “Now you sound like Gage.”
I whistled. “Beauty and brains? Gosh, Gage, you really are the whole package.”
Gage fluttered his thick lashes. “Maybe next time you and I can grab dinner and let these bozos duke it out with sorcerer fae.”
Vale’s hands curled into fists. He looked ready to thrash Gage.
“We need a plan to deal with the Coranians,” I said, in an effort to redirect Vale’s thoughts. “If they’re planning to take over Savannah, you need to nip it in the bud.”
Vale’s eyebrow curved. “We? Since when do you have an interest in the mainland?”
“If they seize Savannah, there’d be nothing to stop them from extending their reach to the island. Your risk is our risk.” For the sake of the Neighbors, I was still connected to the mainland whether I liked it or not.
Vale snorted.
“What?”
Smirking, he shook his head. “Nothing.”
“What about your impressive library? Any books that might include a reference to Coranians?”
“What’s wrong with the internet?”
I clasped my shirt. “You can’t be serious.”
“The internet is an endless repository of information.”
“Only information that’s been fed into it. The kind of information we can find between the pages of ancient books like yours…that’s not online.”
“Then I guess I have another project to assign.”
“This isn’t a book report, Vale. This is intel and we need it urgently if you expect to hold on to your territory.”
“Is this your way of volunteering to help?”
“I thought it was obvious I’d be helping. I told you—a risk for Savannah is a risk for Evermore.”
Vale motioned to the envelope of enchanted money still on the ground. “Gage, take that to Harriet and see if she can use it to trace our new friends. Cowboy, I want you to beef up security around the city.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“You and I will head back to my headquarters and look through the reference books, unless you’re about to turn into a pumpkin because it’s after midnight.”
“I can manage with a cup of coffee.” Vale’s library was a bookworm’s dream. If I had to set foot on the mainland again, perusing those stacks would almost make the trip worthwhile.
Almost.
The Protector of the Region’s headquarters was a gorgeous historic home that overlooked one of Savannah’s picturesque squares.
It was the kind of place you stepped inside and felt immediately at home, despite the fact that it belonged to a demigod.
In my experience, demigods and their ilk weren’t known for instilling warm and fuzzy feelings.
Most of them were cold and indifferent to human suffering, which was why they treated mortals like fodder for their enjoyment.
The world was their game board and people were the pieces.
Humans’ perceived weakness was arguably the reason for the Old War of Attrition.
The Fates and the gods decided that mortals were easier to control than the fae, so they sided with humans and forced the fae underground to the Sídhe, where most of their ancient race still resided—with occasional exceptions like the Coranians.
“First and foremost, I want to know how to kill them,” Vale said.
“Sounds like your father talking.”
He glowered at me. “It’s not for bloodlust, Maya. It’s for the safety of the territory. If they can’t be killed by weapons, then what are the options? There has to be something.”
I hated the idea of more violence. Once upon a time, it had been my way of life, but I’d escaped that world by the skin of my teeth. Tonight’s brawl brought up old, uncomfortable feelings I’d tried to suppress.
The scent of leather calmed my nervous system.
Vale’s library was my favorite room in the house, not that I’d explored every nook and cranny.
Bookshelves that went from floor to ceiling, a cozy fireplace, upholstered furniture, thick tomes filled with knowledge, and a hidden bar were only a few of the reasons I longed to lock myself inside and never return to real life.
In an ideal world, I’d have a library of my own, where I could quite happily wile away the hours with my nose in a book.
This was not, however, an ideal world. Far from it, in fact.
I noticed Vale watching me closely. “Don’t worry. I won’t dog-ear a page or anything.”
“It isn’t that.”
I turned to give him my full attention. “Then what?”
“You look almost happy. I swear I saw your mouth start to turn up at the ends.”
My mouth automatically shifted into sour mode. Contrary, thy name is Maya.
“It wasn’t meant as an insult. I like that you’re enamored. I wasn’t sure you were capable of it.”
“I’m not here to be enamored. I’m here to research.” With exaggerated movements, I began to explore the books in the Celtic history section.
Vale seemed to recognize that he’d hit a nerve and scanned books at the opposite end of the room.
It wasn’t that I was offended; I didn’t mind being identified as a book nerd.
It was the reason for my rapt appreciation that bothered me.
The lack of a formal education beyond elementary school.
I’d developed a love of reading early on, and that was ripped away after my father died, along with the rest of my childhood.
During my time on the road, I’d pick up books wherever I went.
The Fates called me “skoulíki,” which was Greek for “worm.” Bookworm.
One of their preferred punishments was burning whichever book I happened to be reading when I displeased them.
They were Cinderella’s stepmother on steroids.
“Anything?” Vale asked.
“Not since the last time you asked me, five minutes ago.” I shut another book. “I’m beginning to think you don’t have the type of reference materials we need.”
“I’ve been advised the fae weren’t of interest to my brother.”
“Then your brother was a fool. The fae should always be of interest.” The Fates never took their finger off the pulse of fae movements, not since the end of the Old War.
“They haven’t bothered this area in centuries,” Vale continued to argue. “He had no reason to worry.”
“They’ve been biding their time. Gathering strength.”
“You sound like you know them well. Are you sure we need books?”
“I told you; I don’t have direct experience with Coranians.”
“We could try the public library.”
I frowned at him. “First the internet, now the public library. Vale, you disappoint me.” An idea bloomed. “I can try Stella’s library. I’ll take a look and report back to you if I learn anything.”
“Wait. You can insert yourself into my project, but I can’t insert myself into yours?”
“Sounds like a personal problem.”
He ignored the joke. “Stella already showed you her books were mostly leather-bound romance books. Maybe Harriet can help us.”
Harriet Jefferson was a local witch and close friend of Vale’s who owned The Mad Harriet, an Alice in Wonderland-inspired tea shop located a block away.
“No offense to Harriet, but witches don’t tend to know much about fae.”
“Harriet isn’t a typical witch.”
I thumbed to the next page of the book. “Even so. Besides, you have her working on the enchanted money. That alone will keep her busy.” I stopped short as my gaze landed on the word “treaty.” “I found something!”
Vale came to stand at my shoulder. “About the Coranians?”
“No, but it explains why they’re after the stones.
” The page discussed how the original treaty that granted the fae the right to the mortal realm had been chiseled onto a stone tablet.
During the Old War, the gods and the Fates learned of a prophecy that said the fae would reclaim their lands when the pieces of the tablet were joined together once more.
The fae had apparently enchanted the tablet, so the gods tried to destroy it.
The magic couldn’t be undone, however, so the pieces of the tablet were distributed and hidden around the world.
No wonder the Coranians were so determined to claim the fake stone from Vale’s team. Stella’s stone from the monolith treaty was one of the pieces they needed to reclaim the land. When forged back together, the world would be theirs.
“The Coranians must’ve encountered other pieces during their travels and decided to assign themselves a new mission,” I said. “Or they’re working with Thornborn.”
“We need to take back Stella’s stone.” Vale frowned. “I tried to send them away. What if they leave before we can find it?”
“They won’t,” I said. “They still don’t know your stone is fake, and they need every piece of the tablet to fulfill the prophecy.” And then the fae would return in full force. We may have won the fight tonight, but I had an uneasy feeling an even bigger battle was on the horizon.