Public Enemies (27 page)

“Combat trial, huh?”

A growl sounded low in the wolf's throat and it crouched to attack. I wasn't ready to fight; I had no weapons, but that didn't stop me when I went up against Dwyer. So when the wolf charged I raced after it. The animal was too quick at first for the Cyclops with its ponderous club. When it slammed the spiked weapon into the ground, the earth trembled, and I tumbled backward before getting close to it. In the movies, the heroine would do a wildly improbable aerial flip and land on its back, smash berry juice into its eyes to blind it long enough for her to tear its throat open with her bare hands.
I
had a hard time rolling fast enough not to get stomped in two. Without my spirit familiar, my fighting prowess was just a hair above rudimentary. While I knew how to strike, fall, and block in theory, reality was a lot more chaotic, plus Raoul was never actively trying to crush my skull when we sparred.

The wolf wasn't faring any better now, especially with its hurt paw. When it nipped at the Cyclops, the creature knocked it five feet back with the club. I reacted instinctively, diving forward to take the killing blow. I only knew that I'd saved the wolf and its blind loyalty would be its doom. Agony exploded in my spine, and the world went dark.

When I woke, I was on the sooty stone floor in Govannon's workshop, cradled in Kian's lap. Tentatively I moved, checking for permanent paralysis. But there was only phantom pain, so I sat up, feeling nauseated and shaky. Raoul gave me a hand when Kian tried to hold me longer, and Govannon watched us, his weathered features impassive.

“I'm sorry,” I said, unable to hold his gaze. “I couldn't defeat the enemy. So I botched the last challenge.”

“Who said you failed, lady?”

“Huh?” Startled, I glanced up to find the god of the forge smiling.

“Your first instinct was to protect the weak. The point of these challenges was not to test your combat prowess but your
worthiness
to wield one of my weapons. Training will make a warrior queen of you, but I needed to learn of your heart.”

“So you'll forge this for me?” Hesitantly, I proffered the box, unable to believe that failure was what the god wanted.

“It will be my pleasure. I'll be some while in the shaping of it, so if you've any special requests, you'd best make them now.”

Since I was still processing, I glanced at Raoul and Kian. “What do you think?”

“Are you offering an enhancement?” Raoul asked.

“Indeed. This
will
be a special weapon, but I can't make the wielder immortal or anything so extravagant.”

“Can you protect me from other immortals?”

Govannon paused, thoughtful. “Make it more difficult for them to harm you? Yes.”

“That might give me the edge I need, along with my spirit familiar. I'm not sure if this counts, but it would also be helpful if it didn't always look like a weapon. Because if I can't carry it, the most powerful blade won't do me any good.”

“Noted,” Govannon said. “And, no, that's a feature.”

Like Raoul did in the beginning, I bowed low, waiting for the smith to dismiss us.

He didn't waste much time in doing so. “The three of you should wait in the house. Feel free to eat or sleep, as the need strikes. Oh, and if you could feed my pets, that would be good.”

Unexpectedly I found myself standing outside the workshop with Kian and Raoul. Who looked slightly worried. “… Pets?”

I was wondering what kind of animals the god of the forge might keep too, but when we went in through the back door, I was surprised by the homey feel. He had lace curtains in a delightfully old-fashioned kitchen, complete with fluffy white cat sunning itself on a pale latticed chair. When it spotted us, it meowed indignantly and pawed its empty dish. Glad to have something to do, I rummaged in the cupboards until I found a few cans of cat food. When I turned on the electric opener, four more cats came running from elsewhere. It was the cat-pocalypse for a while until we found dishes for everyone and gave them breakfast, lunch, or whatever this was. I'd completely lost track of time and the pallid winter sky gave little sign. Checking my phone told me this was actually dinner; I was apparently out for a while.

“Are we vulnerable here?” Kian asked, after the cats settled down.

Raoul considered for a few seconds, then replied, “Less than we were in Boston. If Edie pressed Dwyer hard enough to take his heart, then he's licking his wounds and recouping his strength. But there's no doubt he'll strike as soon as he's confident of victory.”

“He won't underestimate you again,” Kian warned.

“That's fine. While he's recharging, my spirit familiar is too.”

That prompted me to check the compact.
Shit. I can barely see the faint outline for Cameron's face.
It would likely be a week or longer before I could count on the kind of strength and protection he'd offered during the fight. Belatedly it occurred to me to wonder if he was okay. Apart from being dead, that was.

“Cameron?” I whispered.

At first no reply came.

But Rochelle said he's always with me.

“Did I push you too far?”

Two very faint raps.

“Sorry. I got carried away.” I stared at his faint outline in the compact for a few more seconds before closing it and putting it away.

Kian was watching me, his expression dark. “You … talk to it?”

“He's a person.” Or he was.

“Someone who hurt and humiliated you, Edie.”

And the dog-girl video was the last straw, the thing so bad that I couldn't move on from it. Back then I had no idea what pain was. I didn't think my life could get worse—I thought if I could make the people who hurt me suffer a little—it would all go away. But that didn't change anything, and their pain only made me feel horrible. Then my mom died … and now my dad was gone. Taking a deep breath, I forced away the ache of guilt and sadness.

Once I have a weapon from Govannon, I'll be better prepared to face Dwyer. And get my dad back.
Wedderburn and Allison were trying to locate him for me, but I couldn't just sit and do nothing in the meantime. There was no telling what Dwyer would do, if my dad refused his offer of employment. And I couldn't imagine him quietly accepting the job from someone who'd kidnapped and terrorized him.

Assuming he's not already dead. Assuming Dwyer didn't cut out his heart in retaliation for what I did.

Cold sweat broke out all over my body.
No, I can't think that way. I can't panic. I need more information. I need to be logical.

With the cats fed, I needed to keep my hands busy, so I put the kettle on to boil. In Govannon's fridge, I found lots of cheese. Since he presumably didn't
need
to eat, he must love the taste. Fortunately for us, there was also bread, so I made toasted sandwiches to go along with the tea. By the time I got the food on the table, the rising hysteria was coiled into a tight knot in the bottom of my stomach.

Trying to stay calm, I said to Raoul, “What about Fell? I don't know anything about Dwyer's partner. Same with Mawer and Graf, actually.”

“Fell … in the simplest terms, is a god of death. But that's deceptive. Across cultures, he's been male and female, king and/or queen of the underworld, so he's both. And neither. It depends on his mood how he or she presents.”

“And Death is aligned with the sun god? Huh.”

Kian sat down beside me, adding milk and sugar to his tea cup. “You think that's weird?”

“I guess I associate Wedderburn more with death, though he's technically on my side.”

It occurred to me to wonder why Buzzkill wasn't here … if he'd missed me running out with Kian and Raoul.
Or maybe he is … and he's spying silently.
I risked a paranoid look around.
The cats would probably react to an invisible killer clown, right?
But they were all sprawled on the floor around the table in various no-dignity poses. A large Maine Coon was licking its belly.

Raoul said, “From what I've been able to figure out, agreements don't always occur as you'd expect from the stories. The rivalries, however, sometimes do.”

“Like the gods of winter and sun going head to head?” I guessed.

“Exactly. Fell is running his own game against the goddess of fertility, counting on Dwyer for backup.”

“Oh, so the fact that Fell didn't help Dwyer during
our
fight might cause conflict?” That was an interesting insight.

Raoul shrugged. “It's possible, but I suspect Dwyer's shamed by taking such a loss.”

Propping his chin in hand, Kian frowned, but it was a contemplative expression. Fortunately he seemed to have gotten over me talking to Cameron. “So there are multiple games going on, even amid tangled alliances.”

“There are hundreds.”

That made more sense to me than there being some organized mass competition with one single judge ranking a final winner. But the sheer scale was insane and overwhelming. All of my misery came about because I'd gotten between Dwyer and Wedderburn. Period. They were determined to use me, move me like a pawn on a board.

“Okay, so what about Mawer and Graf?”

Raoul ate half his sandwich before he spoke again. “Mawer was a catalyst who struck a deal with Wedderburn and he asked for immortality as his first favor.”

“How did that work out?” I could imagine.

“Wedderburn flash-froze him and put his name on the sign.” The somber light in Raoul's dark eyes told me he wasn't kidding.

“Damn. I'm glad I didn't ask for that.”

“No shit,” Kian muttered.

Remembering, I said, “But Mawer witnessed my mom's death contract.”

Raoul nodded. “Mawer witnesses
everything
. But he can't do anything. Wedderburn has a twisted sense of humor.”

“Yikes.” Kian shuddered.

Raoul went on, “Graf was the god of war. I only met him once.” A wholly involuntary shiver worked through him. “That was enough. You might not believe it, but of that duo, Wedderburn is the nice one.”

Considering my mom's grim fate, I feared to contemplate what War might do for the sake of the game.

 

THE AGE OF CATS & HEROES

We didn't see Govannon again for two days.

Before my phone died, I sent messages to Davina, Jen, Vi, and Ryu. I let the first two know I'd be out of school for a while, and Davina called me right back.

“Are you okay?” was her first question.

I glanced around the forge god's living room, which was oddly decorated with tons of commemorative plates. “I'm intact, working on getting my dad back.”

“All right. I just had to hear your voice and make sure something terrible wasn't using your phone or wearing you as a skin suit.”

Shivering, I said, “You are seriously disturbed.”

“Do you blame me? Darkness is stalking you, girl.”

She wasn't wrong. “For now I'm among friends.”

“Let me know if there's anything I can do.”

While I said I would before we hung up, basically I was lying. It was time for me to admit the truth; my involvement in the immortal game meant I had to cut ties with most of my normal life. Kian was the exception since he knew as much as about it as I did. As for Jen and Davina, I had to find a way to let them go without hurting them.

Turning to Raoul, I handed him my phone. “I need you to pretend to be my dad. Tell them you're pulling me out of school for emotional reasons—that I'm having trouble dealing with my mother's death.” That was certainly true.

Nodding, he made the call. Kian wore a heavy look as he realized what I was doing.
Yeah, I'm moving into this world. I can't straddle the line anymore.
My marks didn't respond, so apparently my education didn't play a huge role in my invention. Blackbriar would be crushed to realize that without their prestigious diploma, I could still create some pivotal technology. Working with my dad was supposed to be key, so Wedderburn better get his ass in gear and figure out where Dwyer was holding him.

“Yes, this is Alan Kramer, calling in regard to Edith's education.” Surprised, I glanced over at Raoul, who had completely lost even the faintest hint of an accent. He didn't sound much like my dad but the office staff wouldn't know that. “Yes, I'll hold.”

They apparently connected him to the headmaster, and he relayed my version of events. Raoul listened to whatever they had to say on the other end of the line with a grave, suitably parental expression, as if the director could see him. That was kind of funny. It didn't take long to wrap things up.

“They've agreed to accept your assignments online and to set up remote testing for you.”

“Wow,” I said, surprised.

“You can return whenever you feel ready.”

I gave a tired smile. “Why not? I'll put it on the to-do list.”

“He said as long as you turn in work and take the tests, he doesn't see why you can't receive your diploma in May since you've been such an exemplary student and there are extenuating circumstances.”

That was nicer than the headmaster had ever been to me in person. But maybe he looked up my academic record … which
was
impressive. Before I could respond, the back door banged open and Govannon strode inside, filling the whole house with the scent of hot metal. It came from his very pores, not from the weapon he was holding.

“I haven't made anything so fine in a thousand years. Thank you, lady, for the chance to serve my life's purpose once more.” His humble tone made me feel weird.

“Uhm. You're welcome. Thanks for helping me.”

“My pleasure. They say we have passed beyond the age of heroes, but I hope time is a wheel and that I shall yet live to see the cycle start again. Perhaps with you, lady.”