Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Ihovered outside the entrance to Metal her pieces were shown in galleries all over the state. I knew she’d been approached to explore featuring work across the country, but she’d declined.
If you wanted to stay under the radar, I guess working in a small town would do it. Unfortunately for her, Ari was way too talented not to blow up. The perils of genius, I guess.
I inhaled and pushed the boutique door open.
The familiar smell of bergamot and rose teased my senses.
She had a diffuser going somewhere that pumped the scent through the store.
When I asked about it once, she’d given me a small bottle, and told me it relaxed customers. Then she grinned conspiratorially.
“The more relaxed they are, the more they buy.”
Not that she ever had trouble selling anything she made. Ari was hella talented.
I liked Ari. A lot. The thought of her giving Mom something designed to kill a god didn’t sit right with me.
The woman in question was working with a customer when I walked in. When she spotted me, her face lit up in a smile and she waved.
I waved back, but something on my face made her smile falter. Her brow furrowed and she held a finger up. I busied myself with perusing her new stock.
Ari worked in metals. Silver, brass, bronze, gold, titanium—any type of metal you wanted, she sourced it. She focused on sculptural jewelry, things you won’t find elsewhere. I owned several pairs of her earrings, most in mixed metals.
She had a back area where she sold gemstone jewelry, none of which I could afford. Or I could afford it if I became a one-meal-a-day faster for a month or so.
The woman Ari was helping paid for her purchase and hurried out.
Ari’s face was wary. “Is this a conversation we should take to the back?”
“I’m afraid so.”
She nodded, a haunted look appearing in her silvery-gray eyes. “Alright then. Give me a moment.”
Ari locked the shop door and pulled the shades. “Come on then.”
We walked past the gemstone area and back into a comfortable and tastefully decorated office.
Ari motioned me inside and shut the door with a wave of her hand. “Please, sit.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid I know why you’re here.”
Ari, like most fae, had an ethereal look to her.
Evie was one of the few exceptions to this rule.
My best friend was a stunner, but her beauty held an earthier, more human look, and after everything, I wondered if that had less to do with her fae heritage and more to do with her connection to the world.
Evie seemed more tethered here than anywhere else.
Ari stood out among even the fae. She was tall and willowy, with dark hair and light eyes. Her face was heart-shaped with the tiniest dent in her chin. High cheekbones dusted with a shimmer of color lent her a slightly feline look. The woman was stunning, but she was humble.
And from the way she slumped into her chair and sighed, the woman was tired too.
“Which weapon?”
Ah. So she did know.
I dug into my purse and pulled out a small velvet bag and tossed it to her. She caught it and dumped the contents onto her desk.
Ari stared at the iron shards, some still flecked with Cernunnos’s blood. Magic the smell of iron and copper rose in the air. Her eyes went molten silver. As I watched, the shards began to wiggle as if Ari shook the table underneath. The blood dried and flaked, falling away from the metal.
“This weapon struck someone extremely powerful.” Ari’s voice sounded deep and otherworldly. “Who possesses the Star of Scathach?”
She waved her hand, and the shards fell to the table. Her power died, and when she looked at me once more, her eyes were back to their normal silvery shade.
“I was hoping you could tell me who should have the weapon.”
Ari rubbed her hand over her face. “Scathach. If the weapon is not in her possession, the warrior must be dead.”
Grief flickered over her face. “You know who has it, don’t you?”
I nodded. “My mother.”
Ari frowned. “Why would your mother be in possession of a god killer?”
She blinked, her attention going to the blood on the table. “Oh gods. Does this belong to Cernunnos?”
I smiled faintly.
Ari paled. “Is he on his way here?”
“He’s been surprisingly chill about almost dying in a witch’s backyard, so I don’t think so.”
The fae slumped and let out a slow breath. “I’ve just come to this place and…I like it here. I would stay if I could.”
The haunted look on her face struck a chord. I knew what it was like to have to run all the time. “He will not be the one to force you to leave. I promise.”
Actually, I had no idea, but it was a good sign he hadn’t come with me.
“Can you tell me what the weapon does? Besides the obvious one?”
Ari nodded. “I made the Star for the warrior millennia ago so she could retire in peace. Some of the gods were angry that she refused to keep training our young warriors, but Scathach was tired and only sought respite.”
She frowned at the shards. “The weapon is damaged. I do not know if the functionality will be the same. Our weapons are not fragile, but striking someone like Cernunnos with one is ill-advised unless you’re in a life-or-death situation.”
I grimaced. “To be fair, she was.”
Her eyebrows flicked up in curiosity. “How does Cernunnos fare?”
“I had to dig iron shards from his skin, which made him grumpy, but he seemed whole and hardy afterward.”
Ari closed her eyes in relief. “Good. I would hate to cause Evie pain. Does she know?”
“No.” I leaned forward. “And we are not going to tell her. Cool?”
Ari blinked. “Err. Of course. But if she asks me directly, I will not lie.”
“Doubtful Evie will find out you’re some legendary fae weapon’s maker and come at you with a Hey, did your weird Star weapon almost kill my dad?, but if she does, I’ll give you that one.”
“Fair.” She reached under the desk and came up with a large purse. “We must find the weapon and properly store it or return it to Scathach if she still lives.”
I stared at her. “Um. We?”
Ari’s sharp nod made me nervous. “Yes. We. I am its maker. A fae weapon will never resist its maker’s call. If I’m close enough, I can retrieve it.”
My phone buzzed. “Fine, but only if you’re cool with hanging around Lords and gods. They seem to be all up my butt these days.”
A ghost of a smile flickered over her mouth. “I am well acquainted with the gods, Moira. Though I wish to be in peace, a damaged fae weapon in the wrong hands cannot be ignored.”
My phone buzzed again as Ari rose from her chair.
“Come, gods touched. Let us go.”
I froze for a second. Ari had never referred to me as such. Only Cernunnos. The fae must see something around me others didn’t. One more thing to worry about. I put that one firmly in the investigate later category.
“Don’t you need to keep the shop open?” I worried when I shut my tea shop down during the day and couldn’t imagine how much money Ari might lose if she closed early.
She shook her head. “The residents here are used to my temperamental ways. I am an artist and shut the shop down when whimsy or creativity take me. No one will question me.”
My phone buzzed one more time.
“Do you need to get that?” Ari asked.
I pulled my cell out. Soren.
Call me.
CALL.
CALL NOW!
I swore under my breath and called. He answered on the first ring.
“There’s something wrong with my wolves. Everyone is sick.” The panic in his voice was evident.
“And you?”
“Fucking fine,” he growled. “Has to be the witches. Can you get here soon?”
“Not sure how I can help with food poisoning—”
“Moira, godsdammit can you just—”
“I can get us there,” Ari said quietly.
I added supernatural hearing to her powers list.
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
Soren hung up without another word.
Ari watched me. “Want to fill me in?”
“Not really.”
She chuckled. “Witches and poisoning?”
“Soren put his dick in multiple places he shouldn’t and pissed off a dangerous coven. They hired my mother to help them, and of course, she had an ulterior motive.”
“To find you?” Ari tilted her head. “You do have the sense of someone hiding in plain sight.”
I said nothing.
“Moira.” Her voice turned contemplative. “You and I are the only ones in this shop. I thought we were coming to form a friendship. Is this not the case?”
Dammit. It was the case. “You don’t bare your soul to new friends. They’ll run away screaming.”
Ari grinned. “No need for soul baring,” she promised. “But a little bit of honesty is always a good start.” She held open the door. “Let’s see. You know I’m a fae weapons maker.”
“Noooo…” I drawled. “I know you’re one of two fae weapons makers who can create things that kill freaking gods.”
Ari sighed. “Alright. Let’s meet in the middle then. We don’t have to bare our souls, but we should share one hard fact about ourselves.”
“No fair. I already know yours, so you don’t have to do anything.”
Ari crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. My father is a god. He’s a real dick, and I hate him.”
I had a feeling she wasn’t one of the lesser fae. “Please tell me it’s not Cernunnos.”
Ari laughed, her eyes sparkling. “No. Evie is not my sister. His name is Goibnui. My gift comes from him.”
“And your mom?”
She shrugged. “No idea. All I know is she’s fae.”
“Are you hiding from him?”
She grimaced. “Not quite. We exist in an uneasy peace. He, and I suppose Cernunnos now, are the only ones who know where I am.”
I gestured to her jewelry. “You’ve grown too popular. Won’t be long before others figure it out.”
“I don’t do interviews and I have an anti-tech charm installed in the shop.”
“I just got three texts.” I held up my hand. “Anyway, we have to go. Soren is freaking out.”
Ari held out her hand. “With Cernunnos around, I’m sure you know the drill.”
As soon as our fingers interlaced, Ari’s cold magic swept over my skin and we were gone.