Infinite Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Huntress Book 5) (8 page)

“Is this the same man who tried to destroy the Museum of Magical History? Who threatened my home?”

“The very same,” Aidan said. “So you can understand why this is important. And we’ll replace the transportation charms. On my honor.”

“And you’ll pay my fee for scrying,” Aethelred said.

Aidan inclined his head. “Of course.”

“A very hefty fee.” Aethelred’s blue eyes gleamed. “I have my eye on a beach cottage.”

“Of course,” Aidan said.

“Good.” Aethelred set the paper bag of pasties on the table and sat on the ratty armchair, then gestured for us to sit on the equally ratty couch. “What do you want to know?”

“Three things,” I said as I sat. “Victor Orriodor is apparently seeking a greater power as part of his plan to destroy the Alpha Council. What does that mean? And what kind of protections does his home in Transylvania have? Are there prisoners inside?” I didn’t say what kind of prisoners, as even Aethelred didn’t know I was a FireSoul. My concealment charm wouldn’t let him see that information about me.

“Your villain lives in Transylvania?” Aethelred chuckled. “Of course he does. Well, I can look for these things, but I make no promises about what I will be able to see.”

“Thank
 
you,” I said.

Aethelred sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. It was all I could do not to bounce my knee impatiently. Seers couldn’t see everything, but what they could see was true.

After a period of time that felt like a century—I checked Aidan to see if his dark hair had turned white—Aethelred sat forward and opened his eyes.

“I cannot see much about his plans for the Alpha Council or the greater power that you mention,” he said. “That’s quite oblique, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s the best I’ve got, though.”
 

“All I can say is that I get a dark feeling about it. Whatever he is seeking is dangerous. I believe he wants to use you and your two friends Phoenix and Delphine to get it. That is all I could see.”

I knew that already, though I nodded gratefully.
 

“But I could see his home in Transylvania. I believe it is his primary residence now. And I think it’s something you’d like to see as well.”

“How can we see it?”

Aethelred got up and shuffled toward a large mirror tucked into a corner. The ornate gold frame was covered in a thick layer of dust, but the glass was clean. I followed him to the mirror, Aidan at my back.

Aethelred reached out a gnarled hand and touched the glass. When he closed his eyes, a smoky image appeared in the mirror. The gray haze coalesced to form shapes. Soon, a massive fortress was visible, perched on craggy black mountains. A dim moon peeked out from behind hazy clouds.

“Whoa,” I breathed.

It was the scariest, most intensely fortified place I’d ever seen. My skin prickled as I looked at it, as if the castle’s protection charms were so strong they reached through the glass. Slowly, the image zoomed in, as if Aethelred were concentrating on specific parts. Figures began to appear, demons standing on the ramparts, armed with swords and bows.

“Holy shit, there’s a lot of them,” Aidan said.

“Exactly.” Aethelred removed his hand and stepped back. “I couldn’t count the number of guards, there were so many. There are also prisoners in the dungeon, though there are protections on the fortress that prohibited me from seeing inside.”

“That’s a problem,” I said.

“That whole place is a problem,” Aethelred said. “I could feel the evil in it. Normally, my visions only allow me sight. But this was stronger. Worse. You need to stop that man. Whatever he wants, it is very, very bad.”

We said goodbye to Aethelred, but didn’t speak to each other until we reached the car. Once I’d climbed in and shut the door, I turned to Aidan.
 

He spoke first. “The only way to stop Victor is to bring the fight to him. If we wait until he attacks, he’ll have the upper hand.”

“We could try going to the League of FireSouls for help. Rescuing FireSouls is what they do.” I’d met the League just last week. They were a secret organization dedicated to protecting our kind. My parents had been part of their number. “But there really aren’t enough of them. Only nine.”

Aidan nodded sharply. “That’s not enough. We need the Alpha Council. They have far greater numbers than the League.”

“You’re right. And this is the Alpha Council’s fight. Victor is after
them
. They’re the ones who killed his innocent parents and turned him into a monster.” I winced. That sounded a lot like victim blaming. “That’s not to say they deserve to have him after their blood, but they should help with this. They’ve handled FireSouls poorly in the past, and this is the result.”

“They can help us break through the guards,” Aidan said. “Let them fight Victor, who is after their blood, while we go rescue the FireSouls in his dungeon. We can get them out of there while the Alpha Council is busy with Victor.”

“It’s a good plan.”

Aidan wearily scrubbed a hand over his face. “But it’s risky. I don’t want you near the Alpha Council unless you have to be.”

“So we’ll go warn them about what Dermot is up to and request their help.”
 

“There’s no
we
,” Aidan said. “I’m still going alone to request their help.”

I bristled, wanting to be involved with every step. But he was right. I could blow this for us if they figured out what I was.

“Okay.” I nodded. “But you’ll wear a comms charm so that I can hear what’s going on. And I’ll be nearby in case you need help.”

“Fine. Good solution. This will work.”

“I hope so.”

CHAPTER FIVE

The sun was setting as we pulled up to the Fairfield Airport, which was located on the outskirts of Magic’s Bend.
 
The airport was tiny, and having Aidan’s private jet made things even easier. We’d fly into a small airport run by supernaturals over in Scotland, thereby avoiding customs and lines on the other side of the journey as well.

Nix and Del were waiting on the tarmac when Aidan and I pulled up. I’d called to tell them our plan and to ask them to bring my bag. They’d left Emile with Connor and Claire.

Aidan stopped the car near the jet.
 

“I’ll see you on the plane,” Aidan said. “I need to go check with the pilot about takeoff.”
 

“Sure.”

Aidan and I climbed out of the big SUV. He handed his keys to his assistant, who’d also met us, then set off for the plane. I headed over to Del and Nix.
 

“Get some good info?” Del asked as I approached. She had a bag slung over her shoulder, and her black hair spilled over the pink, U-shaped airplane pillow slung around her neck.

“Yeah, before it all went to shit.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”
 

“I lost control of my power and dropped a house on Dermot and his guards,” I said. “They’re all dead.”

The words made bile threaten to rise in my throat. Aidan’s men had called us when they’d arrived a few minutes ago, letting us know they’d found an Order of the Magica cleanup crew at Dermot’s house. They’d asked some questions and learned that everyone in the rubble was dead. But at least they didn’t know who’d destroyed the house.

“Damn.” Nix grimaced.

“Yeah. I’ll update you with what we learned on the plane.”

“Sounds good.” She handed me my overnight bag. “Here’s your stuff.”

“Thanks.” I took the duffle from her.
 

“So we’re off to the Alpha Council headquarters?” Del asked.

“Aidan is. I’m backup in case he needs help.” I glanced at Del’s airplane pillow, knowing where this was going. “No need for you to risk being around them.”

The Alpha Council had proven how gung-ho they were about capturing FireSouls. I’d first seen Emile a couple months ago when they were dragging him off to the Prison for Magical Miscreants. I didn’t want my
deirfiúr
anywhere near them.

“Ha,” Nix said. “You can forget that right now. We’re going with you. Even if we don’t go inside.”

“Yeah,” Del said. “Letting you handle this on your own is no longer okay with us. We’re a team, remember?”

I grinned. There was no point fighting them, and they could handle themselves. “All right.”

Nix held up another bag. “Anyway, I’ve already packed my best kilt.”

“And I’ve got my pillow.” Del poked the pink fluff around her neck.

“Who can argue with that?” I said.

“Then off to Scotland!” Del cried.

The plane took off without incident, for which I was grateful. There’d been so many shocks and ambushes lately that I was wired for them.

After a dinner of lasagna and wine that the plane’s catering company had provided, we discussed Victor Orriodor and what Aidan and I had learned from Dermot and Aethelred. Nix and Del agreed that we’d need the Alpha Council’s help if we wanted to attack Victor on his home turf. There were just too many guards to do it alone.

Our priorities would be freeing the FireSoul prisoners and destroying Victor.

Until now, I’d been so busy trying to survive that the possibility of other captured FireSouls had been distant. Now I had confirmation. And a massive amount of power I could use to free them.

“Right, I’m headed to bed.” I rose. “You guys good out here?”

Del glanced around the private jet like I was crazy. There were two big couches near the back, each draped with cozy throws.

“I’ll persevere.” Del petted the pink airline pillow around her neck. “And I don’t think I’m going to need this fellow.”

I left Del and Nix to stretch out on the couches in the main cabin and headed to the small bedroom at the back of the plane. There were perks to dating the owner. Though honestly, I’d have been with Aidan even if he were a pizza delivery guy.

I slipped into the dimly lit room. Aidan had preceded me and was already standing by the bed in his tight boxer briefs.

The fabric clung to him indecently, and it was hard to keep my gaze on his face. Apparently shameless was my middle name.

“Are you objectifying me?” There was a smile in Aidan’s voice.

I jerked my gaze up from where it’d been glued to his rigid abdomen and grinned.

“You can hardly blame me.” I gestured up and down his body. “You’re standing there all…”

He grinned, then climbed into the bed. I stripped down to my t-shirt and panties and climbed in next to him. He tugged me against him and held me, my back pressed to his wide chest. I flicked off the bedside lamp and leaned back. In the sudden dark, all the problems we faced loomed larger.

“We’ll save them, right?” I asked.

“Yes.” His voice sounded so sure that it comforted me. “And we’ll reunite them with their families.”

“Good.” I relaxed against him.

His warm lips had dipped to my neck, tracing along the sensitive skin. I shivered.

“And then we’ll go away on a trip,” Aidan said. “Just you and me.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He nipped my neck, his teeth sending a shudder of pleasure through me. I rolled over to face him and looked into his eyes. It was nearly dark in the room, but there was enough light that I could see the glint of gray.

“So, this is all very stressful,” I murmured.

“It is.” His voice was rough.

“But I can think of a way to relieve some of that stress.” I pressed a kiss to his strong jaw. “But you’ll have to promise to be quiet.”

He groaned low in his throat, an animal noise that vibrated against my chest.

“You promise?” I asked. “No sound. Your plane doesn’t have the best soundproofing.”

His strong hand gripped my waist and tugged me to him. He was warm and hard against me, his big body dwarfing mine. Aidan might be bigger than me, but I was the one in control right now.

He dipped his head to mine and feathered his lips across my own. “I promise. But I’m not sure you’re going to manage it.”

I grinned. “I’ll do my best.”