Chapter 14 Talon
TALON
The pawnshop building looked like it should have collapsed years ago. If I were being honest, this whole part of town should have been condemned long ago. A neon sign glowed in the window with half of the letters burned out, casting a sickly palette through the streaked glass.
I stepped inside first, holding the door for Maze, Candra, and Jenson.
The stench of old paper, rust, and wet stone hit me at once.
Relics lined the shelves of an old bookcase, some humming faintly with magic.
Maze’s careful scan confirmed what I was thinking.
While the relics that didn’t process power appeared to be nothing more than trinkets, the magical ones could be deadly in the wrong hands.
Maze studied the wards around the entrance. I watched her as she noted every tripwire, alarm, and arcane lock braided through every surface. The place was a fortress disguised as garbage.
Jenson took the lead, moving with the same calm he used in a fight.
We wound our way to the back counter, where the owner lounged behind reinforced glass and a tangled mesh of security cameras.
He looked fae around the edges—ears almost too sharp, skin the color of wax paper under poor light, brown hair slicked back to hide a receding hairline.
His eyes darted over us, lingering on Jenson for a beat before shifting to Maze’s face.
My presence didn’t faze him much, but he couldn’t hide his nervous twitch when Candra stepped forward.
Jenson rested his hand on the counter. “We need a word, Wolford.”
The man’s mouth formed a smile, too fast and too forced. “Didn’t expect you back so soon. Or with such… company.” His gaze flicked to Maze, then to me. “You’re with the Valens now? Congratulations.”
Man, news traveled fast. I really shouldn’t have been surprised as I was. The magical community was worse than a small-town grapevine.
I stepped in, making my voice cold but polite. “We’re not here for a social call. We’re looking for a relic—one I’m sure you’ve heard rumors about. It’s called the Severing Stone.”
Wolford’s fingers drummed on the counter once, then stopped.
The silence stretched. Power curled at the edge of my senses.
Tiny defense spells flared, primed to go off if he moved the wrong way.
I held my position, keeping my wolf in check.
Show any aggression, and the man would vanish or unleash whatever he had hidden in this rat’s nest.
His voice slid out, slippery and quick. “Never heard of it. I deal mostly with small-timers these days. Magical artifacts haven’t crossed my hands in years, not since the last raid.”
I pressed him. “You’re lying. Even the black market is buzzing about this thing. Don’t waste our time, Wolford.”
He shrugged, widening his eyes, tilting his head in the way fae liked to feign innocence. “I’d help if I could. I don’t like trouble in my shop. Especially not the sort that gets Valkyries and shifters riled up. But I don’t have what you’re looking for.”
Candra’s attention sharpened. I sensed her magic flare, the subtle pulse of her truth sense swirling in the air. She cocked her head, gaze narrowing. Her voice cut through the owner’s next words. “That’s not true. You know more than you’re saying.”
Wolford’s fake charm cracked. He leaned away, hands rising slightly, eyes flicking to the side exits. He didn’t bolt, but the tension ratcheted tight.
Maze circled the room, careful not to touch anything. The old wood groaned under her steps. I saw her eyes track a flicker of movement along the doorframe, with runic marks glowing faintly. Even the coat rack had a spell humming in its base.
Candra ignored the unease flooding the room. “I have the power to sense truth, Wolford. You can keep lying, but it won’t work on me. Tell us what you know about the Severing Stone. Or I’ll let Jenson break your wards one by one and see how long you last with your defenses gone.”
Jenson flashed a thin, mirthless smile. The shop owner paled.
Wolford’s lips pressed thin. The man weighed his options, then dropped his gaze.
“Fine. I’ve heard it mentioned. Nothing solid.
Just the usual chatter. Some heavy hitters in the market are trying to find it.
Nobody knows where it landed, only that it showed up in a private collection a few months ago and then disappeared again. ”
Maze’s voice carried across the room, cool and sharp. “Who else has come asking?”
Wolford hesitated. “A few beings have come around. I say beings because I don’t know what they were. They were cold. Wrong. The way they looked at me, like I wasn’t even a person.”
Eitrborn. The personality matched.
Candra’s posture relaxed, just slightly. “That’s true.”
Wolford exhaled. “They asked about the stone by name. Said they’d pay any price for it. I sent them away—told them if anyone brought it in, I’d keep it aside. But I haven’t seen the damn thing, I swear it.”
Jenson’s eyes flickered in my direction. The man believed he was safe now.
I kept my gaze locked on him. “If you see them again, or if anyone brings up the Severing Stone, you contact us. Do not try to use the stone or deal with these creatures yourself. Understand?”
The owner nodded, sweat beading at his hairline. “Understood. I like breathing, Alpha. I don’t cross shifters. And I definitely don’t cross Valkyries.”
The room seemed to hold its breath for a handful of seconds.
Maze finished her circuit, pausing near a wall of darkened display cases cluttered with broken grimoires and fae jewelry.
She shot me the smallest of nods—nothing suspicious, nothing dangerous, but every hair on my body stood on end, anyway.
The anticipation was suffocating. A storm was coming.
The wolf inside me prowled beneath my skin.
We’d just started for the door when it exploded, sending a cascade of glass and loose relics crashing to the floor. Cold air ripped through the musty shop, followed by the stench of synthetic magic and eitr. I didn’t need to turn to know what was coming.
A dozen eitrborn poured into the shop, moving with coordinated, unnatural precision. They wore hoodies, jeans, and boots as if trying to pass as human, but their movements were anything but. Their faces were blank. Eyes black as pitch, not reflecting a hint of soul or mercy.
Maze dropped into a defensive stance, power shimmering at the surface of her skin.
Jenson tensed beside her, already reaching for his blade.
Candra’s hand hovered over her own weapon, magic coiling at her fingertips.
The shop owner dropped straight to the floor behind his counter, scrambling out of the line of fire.
The eitrborn fanned out, filling the room, bodies moving as one.
There was no sound but the low hum of their combined magic, and the shatter of glass rolling across the uneven floor. My wolf surged forward, ready to fight, ready to kill. The odds didn’t matter. These things couldn’t be reasoned with, couldn’t be bargained with. It was a waste of energy trying.
One made eye contact with Maze. Its head tilted, lips parting just enough to show darkened gums. “Target located,” it said, voice flat. “Eliminate threat. Secure asset.”
The rest moved in, arms rising, claws already extending from their hands.
Power crackled through the shop. Paint peeled from the walls as wild surges of eitrborn energy slammed up against the wards, setting off a cascade of shimmering light as the shop’s protection spells tried to counter the attack.
Jenson shifted, placing himself slightly in front of Candra, making the Valkyrie glare at him. Maze conjured a shield of raw will, her eyes burning brighter with every heartbeat.
I pulled my magic to the surface, ready to slam the nearest eitrborn with a pulse of grounding energy. Every muscle in my body tensed as the first wave came at us.
The eitrborn charged, pushing through the narrow aisles.
Cramped shelves rattled, relics tumbling as claws and fists slammed into the wooden supports.
The lead monster lunged at me, arms stretching farther than I thought was possible.
I’d never seen anything with the power to stretch their bodies like that.
That only proved how little we knew about the bastards.
Calling my grounding pulse, I threw it at the beasts.
The magic ripped around the eitrborn, forcing its attack to slow.
Jenson moved past me in a blur, blade already in motion.
He anticipated the eitrborn’s counter two full seconds before it happened, ducking under it and slicing the creature’s neck so clean the head rolled off and bounced into a pile of cursed books.
The body collapsed. Black blood hissed as it hit the floor.
“Left! Maze, two coming for you—” Jenson’s voice carried sharp and clear, cutting through the chaos.
Maze pivoted, energy flaring from her core.
She stared straight at both attackers. Her Command of Will power unfurled into a wave of pressure so strong it nearly slammed me backward.
The two eitrborn froze mid-step, jaws slack, eyes dulling to blank.
Candra darted forward, efficient as always, her blade punching through both heads.
They didn’t even react. Their bodies slumped, blocking the next monsters behind them.
More eitrborn crashed through the back entrance, claws and teeth gleaming.
The shop’s wards flickered. They were designed for thieves, not magical fights, but the wards held just enough to channel the chaos.
I felt static in my bones, the thrum of every spell Jenson, Candra, Maze and I launched clashing with the poison-charged air.