Chapter 11

11

T he rain refused to stop throughout our trek.

Below us, cradled in the valley, sat Eahsea and the giant castle, now a pinprick in the distance. Both of us were able to see clearly in the dark with a little shift to focus our eyes.

Although the going went slow, we steadily hiked over the ridge of the mountains and cautiously down the other side.

We stopped only when we weren’t able to keep going.

I’d flown over this area before, on my way to meetings with the Claw & Fang. And in truth, it would be so much easier to shift and take the next leg of the journey from the air.

But I couldn’t leave Onyx behind and he couldn’t shift yet. As fast as Noren traveled on four legs, I refused to be separated.

This stretch of forest, as far as I knew, was entirely uninhabited. It would take several days for us to cut through the wilderness. Luckily, we all knew how to survive.

I’d gone on several excursions with my pack in the human world, as had Onyx. And with Noren adept at catching prey, it was only a matter of time and pushing through the exhaustion to make our way forward.

It took days for us to cross through.

Days of walking through beating rain and eating whatever we could forage or Noren caught, without the benefit of a fire. Any sort of light in the darkness would bring attention to us.

Three days of constant vigilance and hustling as fast as Onyx’s ruined body could travel until the trees began to thin. My panic had subsided long enough in the forest for me to recognize when it returned full blast.

Weary, filthy, and ready to drop, I held out a hand to stop Noren and Onyx when the watery outlines of buildings swam into view. I blinked to make sure it wasn’t an illusion but the vision held.

Shit, we made it.

“Finally,” Onyx muttered under his breath. “Civilization.”

“It doesn’t mean the inhabitants are friendly.” My voice came out as a croak.

“I think it’s safe to assume they’re not.” Onyx flashed his teeth at me. “We stay on our guard, get in, get what we need, and then right the fuck back out again.”

I seconded the motion and my stomach gave a pitiful yelp for food.

The road in front of us cut through the town but it was empty.

The transportation system in Faerie had always struck me as wonky. A train had taken us from the portal into the inner city when I first arrived. There were cars, yes, but they didn’t run on gasoline or anything like in the modern world. I’d never seen an airplane in the sky.

Most fae biked in the city or took the train when they needed to go a longer distance. If we could somehow find a car, if Onyx managed to operate it, we’d cover more ground.

My exhausted brain latched onto the idea and sank its teeth in. “Do you know how to work a car?” I asked.

We crouched low and watched people on the street making their way through the drizzle. At least the weather wasn’t as bad today.

“I can manage,” Onyx replied. “I’m used to biking everywhere, but right now it might be nice to rest the legs a little bit.” He shifted his stance and winced.

If he looked like the living dead, how terrible did I look?

Yeah, we needed something to fit all three of us. Noren was fast but I didn’t like the idea of him running behind us if we were to steal a horse or something.

The thought sounded so ridiculous, even inside my head, that I swallowed over a giggle. I imagined myself trying to ride the thing with Noren perched on its backside like some kind of familiar, straight out of a cowboy flick.

Absolutely not.

“This might not be a big town but surely it’s so far outside of the city that they have cars. Do you know what it’s called?” I didn’t remember any of the names of the smaller villages outside of Eahsea, and without a map, I was guessing.

“At this point, I don’t even know what I’m called. Let’s hurry up and find something, okay? Can you use that thing?”

I lifted the Totalis into the light. “Of course. I’m not running at full capacity but this will help amplify my magic.”

As long as we made it a fast trip, I reasoned, gesturing for Noren to stay hidden in the bushes until we gave the signal.

I smoothed my hair down and behind my ears but my clothes were trashed. Nothing I could do about it now.

Onyx was half dead as we traversed through the underbrush and out the other side of the thicket. The pavement beneath my feet felt foreign after so many days in the forest. We moved into step beside each other, both of us keeping a watchful eye out for any kind of suspicious behavior.

We were the crazy ones here. Several fae took one look and discretely crossed to the other side of the road.

Someone had to have a car. The statement repeated like a mantra in my head.

No matter where we looked, the houses neat yet a few of them in need of repairs, we saw no sign of transportation. How would I be able to steal something if there was nothing available?

Panic lifted in my blood and my awareness rose like hackles. Even the fine hairs on the back of my arms stood to attention.

There weren’t many people out in the rain. Which worked in our favor.

A fae couple passed with umbrellas lifted high. Another couple bore magical shields of hardened air above their heads to keep the water from touching them. I only saw a handful of others walking open and unbothered in the weather.

This little town had small elements of what made Eahsea charming. There were no flowers in bloom outside of several boxwood shrubs in planters. The houses were uniform, more modern than others I’d seen, and the road boasted several potholes.

If I ignored the magic flames burning in sconces lining the road, I could have been anywhere in Virginia.

Once you fell outside of the king’s immediate scope, keeping things in repair wasn’t quite as important.

We kept our heads down, the rain driving against the back of our necks.

A flash of chrome caught my eye and I held out a hand to stop Onyx, jerking my head to the side. Nestled between two buildings was a vehicle.

I fought the urge to rub my hands together. Finally!

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I think it’s a good enough choice, if we can get it to move without a key.”

He blew out a breath. “Leave it to me.”

The Totalis felt like it weighed a thousand pounds in my pocket. “Actually, I think I’ve got this covered. Watch my back. I’ll knock on the front door.”

Onyx reached out and grabbed my elbow before I moved. “Tavi, are you sure it’s a good idea?”

No. I wasn’t sure about anything at this point. I only knew we needed to do something and I had a better chance of stealing the car than he did.

“It’s going to be fine,” I assured him. “Watch out for me, okay?”

Steeling myself, I drew in a deep breath that almost made me dizzy. I could do this. I had to do this because we were tired and hungry and out of options. Which left us with only one option, really.

Thievery.

The door to the small cottage opened at my approach and the fae woman staring at me had three eyes. Two of them were in the normal spots but the third rested on her brow bone, the iris a dazzling shade of amethyst purple.

“Yes?” She sounded skeptical already. She’d probably seen us lurking around outside and eyeing her car.

I flashed her a grin and reached slowly into my pocket for the Totalis . Its familiar sensation of ancient magic mingled with my own and the exhaustion fell to the back of my mind. I focused my intent on the woman with three eyes, scanning her energy, isolating it from the magic of this world and latching on.

I can do this .

“I need your car, please,” I said with a tight smile. “Hand over the crystal to make it work. It’s okay. You can trust me.”

The woman stared at me for a long moment, blinking in surprise. A familiar pall fell over her features. “You want my car?”

“Yes.” I pushed my magic into her even more.

My powers were waning. I needed food, sleep, and water. I needed too many things to be able to feel like my old self again, and after days of travel the dizziness had started back. My empty stomach flipped queasily.

Barbara’s witchy Band-aid wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Get me the crystal for the car,” I urged. “You can trust me. I need it.”

Her eyes clouded over and a flash of guilt took me by surprise. This was a stranger, an innocent person.

“Tavi!”

Hearing my name almost broke my concentration and I tuned Onyx out. Until movement from behind resulted in the sound of footsteps closing in on us.

“Hey. Hey! What are you doing? Who are you?” A couple stood on the sidewalk only feet away from me.

I kept my back to them and cradled the tool tighter against my chest. “Nothing is going on. This woman is giving me her car.”

I tried to push the wave of manipulation out wider to encompass their energies and came up against a wall. Even with the Totalis , I didn’t have much magic left in me to utilize.

Onyx appeared at my side, his face pale and grim. “It’s time for us to go now. Forget the car.”

“Get away from the house,” the male continued. “We’re calling the FIB!”

His concern broke through the spell I’d cast and the three-eyed fae slammed the door in my face. We’d been made.

“Tavi, now .” Onyx was half a second away from tossing me over his shoulder and running, which we both knew would be impossible for him in his current state. He sagged heavily against the front porch stoop, white-knuckled.

I nodded and we took off in a quick jog, turning around several corners to try and lose the couple.

“Someone saw you,” he added breathlessly.

“You were supposed to be keeping a watch and make sure I wasn’t interrupted,” I said.

And I had failed. Which somehow didn’t make me feel any better about using my powers against good people. It was the same kind of shame I’d felt after using it on my friend back at the Halfling Academy, Nora Kwan.

I wasn’t sure how long we jogged until Onyx stumbled. “I’m sorry.” He ducked his head. “I can’t go anymore. I’ve gotta stop.”

His face twisted in an agonized grimace and he gripped the wall like a lifeline.

This wasn’t a time for me to give in to the strain, or my own desperation and tears.

I was the only one who could get us out of here. “Okay.” I drew in a shaky breath, forcing my mind to head down a dozen avenues of possibilities.

What the hell should we do?

I ushered Onyx into a tight alcove between two buildings, partially hidden from the street by a portico. “Okay, you stay here. I’m going to fix this.”

He shook his head. “There’s nothing for you to fix, Tavi. We’re not going to be able to steal a car.”

My brow furrowed. “Watch me.”

I just needed a little boost and I’d be able to make my cognitive manipulation work, I knew it.

It was too much of a risk to head back to the last car we saw but there had to be another even in a small town like this one.

Keeping my head low, I trekked down the streets, my magic a thin reed keeping my features blurred if not disguised. It was the best I could manage on my hunt and my heart beat frantically at every dead end. Or in this case, every empty driveway.

Claribel had driven a car so I knew they existed, and not just for Bureau workers.

Finally, between a restaurant and a cobbler’s store, I saw one. A little two-door thing painted a vibrant yellow like a buttercup. I suppressed a groan. We’d be super conspicuous in it but Onyx couldn’t go any further.

And I highly doubted we’d make it far with him strapped to Noren’s back. The direwolf was massive but Onyx was a fully grown adult shifter. Not light by any means.

Before I gave in to my doubts, I went up to the car and tested the door, and found it unlocked. My throat constricted as I slid into the driver’s seat.

There was no typical ignition slot to slide in a key but rather a small indentation in the center of the dashboard.

I searched underneath the seat, in the center console, and anywhere I could think of where the owner might have stashed the necessary crystal but I came up empty.

I glanced out the window, nervous sweat beading along my hairline and upper lip.

Too late to turn back now.

I brought the Totalis out from my pocket and held it up.

Cognitive manipulation worked on fae and humans.

Could it work on inanimate objects if I had the artifact with me? Time to figure it the hell out.

I pressed my hand to the empty slot and dove deep for my magic until it twined with the artifact. Once I was relatively sure I had a handle on things, I sent the magic out into the car.

“Start,” I whispered. Hardly daring to listen in case it didn’t work.

It probably wouldn’t work and I was wasting my?—

The engine roared to life as the Totalis warmed in my palm, pulsing with power.

Fuck having someone give me the crystal.

I let out a triumphant whoop and hurriedly pressed my foot to the pedal, throwing the car into reverse and peeling out of the driveway before someone came running.