Chapter 27
“There you are.”
I jumped at the voice and whipped my head to the right. Marc, in his accountant form, emerged from the crowds. He hurried over to me and grasped my upper arms. His amusement faded as he studied my face. “What happened?”
My eyes flickered to the door. “I think I’m ready to go now.”
“My necklace! My necklace is gone!” A large woman swept into the foyer from the west wing, one hand clutching her empty neck and another waving wildly above her head. “Stolen! Someone stole it!”
“I’m ready to go, as well,” Marc replied as he grasped my hand and pulled me toward the door.
People popped out of the woodwork, crowding the entrance hall with their bodies and their questions. Whispered words flitted among them.
“A thief!”
“Surely not here!”
“Whatever will happen to my jewels?”
Lady Worthington elbowed her way through them and reached her guest, where she held up her hands. “Quiet, everyone. I’m sure there’s just some misunderstanding.”
The distraught woman glared at her hostess. “This is no misunderstanding! Someone has stolen my necklace!”
“But who among us would do such a thing?” Worthington countered as she swept her arm over the present company.
Marc ducked the swing as though his life depended on it.
“All of us are known to one another. Perhaps the clasp broke, and the jewelry is to be found on the premises.” She turned to the crowd and clapped her hands.
“Everyone! Begin a search immediately! Leave no stone nor book unturned!”
Marc grinned at me. “You heard our venerable hostess. Outside.”
We slipped out as the crowd dispersed for the treasure hunt. I didn’t need two guesses to know they should have been following us.
Whelan didn’t need two guesses, either, as the servant stepped into our path. His nostrils flared, but this time not in my direction. He frowned at Marc. “Sir, I must insist that you not leave the premises.”
“We’re only obeying Her Ladyship’s orders,” Marc countered.
Whelan scanned his person with his bright yellow eyes. “There is an unusual smell coming off your person, sir. Would you allow me to search you?”
Marc’s eyes widened, and he feigned insult. “You suspect me of something?”
“I do not suspect you of anything, sir, but your scent is not as it should be. There is an item on your person that does not belong to you.”
Marc stared blankly at him before his eyes lit up. “Oh!” He rummaged through his pocket and drew out a napkin. The surface was most definitely soiled by unknown stains. “You mean this?”
Whelan drew back and clasped his hand over his nose. “Sir, what are you doing with that?”
Marc held up the napkin and beamed at it. “Mr. Campbell used this napkin himself, and I admire his business prowess so much that I couldn’t help but snatch his napkin.” He thrust the cloth in Whelan’s face. “Is this what you smelled?”
The servant stumbled back and curled his lips back in a snarl. His muffled growl floated through his fingers. “Sir, you will remove that and yourself from the premises immediately.”
Marc tucked the napkin back into his pocket and shrugged. “Alright. There’s no need to be insulting. Come along, Thorn.”
He looped his arm through mine and led me past Whelan and down the walk.
I glanced over my shoulder and watched the servant recover his composure before he strolled inside.
He shut the door behind him, blocking out the sounds but not the sights.
Shadows flitted across the windows as the party continued its search.
I looked up at my companion. “Did you take it?”
Marc grinned down at me. “Steal what?”
I snorted. “You know what. The necklace.”
He reached into his pocket and drew out a glittering mess of jewels on a gold chain. “Is this a necklace?”
“Wow,” I breathed as I studied the beautiful craftsmanship. A thought struck me, and my face fell. “What if it’s an heirloom?”
“Not this fancy piece,” he assured me as he tucked it back into his pocket. “The design is too recent, perhaps a decade old.”
“You must know a lot about jewelry.”
“Enough to know its value.”
I cocked my head to one side and studied my companion. “Did you ever consider getting a job? I mean, one that didn’t involve plundering and swords.”
He grinned. “You mean like becoming a jeweler and the like? The cramped space would have killed me.” He took in a big gulp of air and let it out.
“Give me a sea breeze and good sails under a bright sun, and I couldn’t be happier.
Besides, I promised Captain Morgan I’d find his-” He jerked to a stop and snatched my hand, tugging me against his side.
I stumbled over my own feet and crashed into him. “What’s the-” A quick look up into his tense face told me shutting up was a good idea.
His sharp eyes swept over the area, searching for something. I strained my ears and eyes, but heard and saw nothing.
And then they stood there. Three of them in their long cloaks and heavy hoods. A fourth sat low on the ground, its long ears and tail twitching. Its golden eyes stared at us with a mocking glint, like it had just cornered a mouse. I had the sudden urge to squeak.
Marc smiled at the trio and their pet. “Good evening, gentlemen. Is there something we can do for you?”
One of them stepped forward and drew out a dagger. A very familiar dagger.
“If it’s coin you want, you won’t find much on us,” Marc insisted as he nodded at me. “My friend here is rather poor, and I left my wallet in my other suit.”
The four slowly stalked toward us. I tried to step back, but Marc kept a steady grip on me. “I don’t think they’re falling for it!” I hissed at him.
“Steady,” he whispered with his smile still slapped on his face.
He kept his gaze focused on the trio and their demonic feline, but I noticed a slight problem with one of his eyes.
It was glowing a familiar blue color. Marc straightened and cleared his throat.
“That’s a very nice weapon you have there, sir, but I’m afraid I don’t deal in daggers. Only this.”
He flung out his arm, and light burst out of his left eye. His deceptive magic collapsed, revealing his true form as the puddles at our feet shot up like snakes out of their holes. Columns of water dove at our foes, who were forced to scatter to dodge the heavy jets.
Marc tightened his grip on my hand and yanked me rightward.
We raced down a side street, and the soft pad of feet made me look behind us.
The cat followed, its white fur glistening in the starlight.
The creature bared its fangs and hissed at us, stretching its face like a viper.
How I’d love to wipe that vicious look off its face.
That gave me an idea. I gathered some air and belted out a fast opera.
Opera wasn’t my specialty, and I pronounced the words wrong more times than right, but the magic didn’t care.
The puddles, trash, and dirt sprang to life, leaping up from the ground and gathering after us like a crowd of rabid music fans.
Some of the magic clumped together, creating crystals about half my size.
The only downside to my warbling was the sound and the complete collapse of my deception.
Our pursuers skidded to a stop, and the leader swept their arm in front of them.
Air blasted from their limb and struck my magic, shattering the delicate water bubbles, but leaving the hardened dirt and stone intact.
One of the other cloaked figures drew out a mallet, but the intricate, Celtic rope-like designs etched into the wooden handle and the faint yellowish glow that emanated from the head hinted at something less mundane.
The wielder swung their mallet down on my floating crystals.
The two magics collided in an explosive union, shaking the air and forcing a wild wake of air outward in all directions.
We were blown forward while our pursuers were blasted backward.
Marc and I tumbled across the ground. He hit the ground running.
Me? Not so much. I landed on my back with a hard slam, and an oomph escaped me along with all of the air in my lungs.
Marc swept me into his arms and continued on our escape. I was dizzy from my hard stop, but I managed to look over his shoulder. Our pursuers were just as persevering as Marc, as they had climbed to their feet and were already racing down the alley after us.
My body was sore from the blast, but our foes were catching up to us.
I only had one chance, and I had to make it count.
I sucked in as much air as I could manage, and then belted out one long, high note.
The air around us reverberated with my magic, and the elements shot out of their hiding places.
The smaller components slammed together to create the large crystals, and they didn’t take kindly to anyone who got in the way of their reunion.
Our foes ran into the paths of my magic, and the elements slammed into them from all angles.
The men were pummeled to the ground, where the rising elements lifted them back into the pulverizing path.
Their cloaks were torn and their hoods thrown back, revealing them as three men covered in tattoos of fancy scrawled script and round designs eerily reminiscent of witch symbols in my world.
Even the cat lost patches of hair, and it screeched like a banshee at every knock.
Marc rounded the corner out of the alley, and I lost sight of our pursuers, but I wouldn’t soon forget the bloodthirsty look in all their eyes.