Duck, Duck, Noose Read online

  Everyone piled in after me. Faas ended up in one seat beside me, and Tallie on my other side. Marcos, Frode, and Maya took the back row, all seeming uncomfortable to be so near to each other. Maya’s injured leg seemed to be a little better this morning, though her attitude hadn’t improved. She sat with her arms crossed, sullen, hiding half her face behind her dark curls.

  After a quick introduction, our driver, Caroline, dutifully ignored us, her attention entirely on Alejandro. I had a feeling he was going to have a hard time parting ways with her once we reached Spokane. If only she knew what type of life she’d be trying to get herself into.

  I checked my cell phone and tried Mikael’s number one last time as the van pulled away from the curb. Voicemail once again, as expected.

  Faas fidgeted beside me as the van made its way down the main stretch of town toward the highway. I didn’t blame him for being nervous. I was nervous too. Just three hours and we’d reach Spokane, then we’d trek through the woods in search of an entrance. There were two that I knew of. One where I’d been taken the night I was kidnapped, and the other where James and I had escaped after Estus had him torture me. We’d try the prior first, as it wasn’t far from the small house where I used to live, then the latter, which was deep in the woods, and would require an all day hike to reach.

  At a sudden thought, I turned around to face Maya.

  She looked back at me suspiciously.

  “I just remembered that you were once part of Estus’ clan,” I explained. “Even if you were only there as a spy, you still probably knew where some of the Salr’s entrances were.”

  She frowned. “Yes, I know of a few.”

  “Any that would be good for sneaking in?”

  She raised an eyebrow at me. “You’ll actually trust any information I give you?”

  I deflated at that. I really shouldn’t have even trusted Maya enough to leave her alive, but . . . “I trust that you want Estus dead as much as I do,” I stated simply.

  She nodded. “I know of several entrances, not that Estus was the one who let me know. Aislin tended to divulge more information than him. She was a cocky little bitch, not as paranoid and cautious as Estus.”

  “Would any of them be good for sneaking in?” I pressed. “I was unconscious when I arrived through one, so I don’t even know where it leads, and the other was near the center of the Salr. The one we escaped through,” I added poignantly, subtly reminding her that I was referring to the exit where she and Sophie had abandoned me to James’ loving care.

  She quirked the corner of her lip, but didn’t comment. “All the entrances are going to be watched,” she explained instead. “Do you remember how to find the one you went through when you were first taken? Maybe it’s a lesser used portal. I imagine Estus will be keeping a special eye on any entrances Aislin knew about. He hasn’t managed to recruit all of her people to his side, and likely fears retribution from some.”

  “But Estus didn’t kill Aislin,” I countered, confused.

  Maya smirked. “Tell that to the rest of the clan. By all appearances, Estus and Aislin were in the middle of a war. When she disappeared, everyone just assumed it was Estus’ doing.”

  “Hrmph,” I replied, deep in thought. “It makes sense, I suppose,” I said finally. “Estus is probably still telling his people they’re in the middle of a war. I wonder how many know the truth.”

  Maya snorted. “Girlie, I don’t even know the full truth. I knew Aislin was after a certain charm, then you found it, and she was gunning to get it back from you. Then we all heard word of banshees in Ireland, while at the same time Alaric allegedly swore fealty to Aislin and was going to bring you to her. Next we knew, Aislin was dead. She had a connection to all of her people that allowed her to track us, but it went both ways. When she died, we felt it.”

  I frowned, considering Maya’s viewpoint. Caroline continued to chat happily with Alejandro, paying little mind to our hushed conversation.

  “Alaric went to Aislin when he was trying to find me,” I explained. “Tallie helped him track me.” I glanced at the woman in question beside me, then back to Maya. “But Aislin found me too, along with Estus. They were working together all along.”

  “Then Aislin died, and Estus lived,” Maya stated blandly, obviously desiring further explanation.

  I turned my gaze to Marcos’ impassive face. I just couldn’t help it.

  “No shit?” Maya muttered, catching on. “Killed by her own pet necromancer?”

  If Marcos minded being referred to as a pet, it didn’t show.

  “It’s complicated,” I explained.

  I wasn’t about to tell her that Marcos had been possessed at the time. I felt uncomfortable talking about Mara with others. Almost like it was somehow a betrayal of her memory. I was willing to share certain things with Alaric, and some with Mikael, but the sharing stopped there.

  Marcos turned his bored gaze to me. “I do not see why we are sneaking in at all. Let us take his Salr by force and be done with it.”

  I glared at him. “I won’t risk Alaric and Sophie being killed.”

  “Killing Estus’ people while our force is so small would do little good regardless,” Faas interjected.

  I turned around in my seat to give him my attention.

  “We’ve been over this,” he sighed. “We will instill doubt in his people, thin his ranks, then go in for an undeniable victory once the odds are all stacked in our favor.”

  I smiled at him.

  His eyes widened. “Why on earth are you looking at me like that?”

  I chuckled. “I’ve just never heard you sound so Viking-ey.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Focus, Madeline.”

  I snickered again, then turned my gaze back to Marcos. “I agree with Faas. We are already taking a huge risk going in unprepared. I don’t want to unnecessarily lose any lives.”

  He sighed. “Why not? I could simply reanimate them.”

  I blinked at him in surprise.

  His face remained straight for several seconds, then he burst out laughing, while everyone stared at him in shock.

  “Did he seriously just make a joke?” Maya asked in disbelief.

  I stared at Marcos as he continued to laugh. The necromancer made a funny. If I hadn’t been present to witness it, I never would have believed it.

  15

  The ride to Spokane was a long one. We’d exhausted all venues of conversation, and had planned our next course of action to death. None of us could seem to agree on exactly what we should do, so as de facto leader, I had to make the final choice.

  I chose to check out the entrance I was originally kidnapped through, as per Maya’s suggestion, and I chose to sneak in, rather than to attack with force. We couldn’t bring the banshees into the Salr, but Marcos had gotten fully charged at the cemetery, and I found that I had too. Having the banshees around really had boosted my power more than anything else. I could feel it coursing through my veins. I could protect myself if need be, but would it be enough to help us escape with Alaric and Sophie in tow? I wasn’t sure, but we had to try.

  Tallie was going to stay above ground while we entered the Salr, a solitary messenger to spread word of our capture should we fail to return . . . if she could even find anyone to spread it to. At the very least, she’d be able to track us if we were moved. Our plan would put me underground with Faas, Frode, Marcos, Maya, and Alejandro. Frode and Alejandro were good back up to have with their elemental powers, but Maya unfortunately was a bit useless. She could fight, but she didn’t have any extra powers to make her stronger than average.

  The van came to a stop as we reached my old neighborhood. I’d had to direct Caroline down the residential streets I knew by heart. I’d lived in my tiny house alone for years, and now I was about to see it again, if only briefly. Our true goal was the Salr entrance a few miles into the woods behind the house.

  I took a deep breath as Frode slid open the van door. One by one we stepped out onto the street
to stand near my old driveway. It felt strange to be back where it all started. Back where I’d still thought I was human, even though I’d twice accidentally killed other humans with a single touch. It was also technically the place where Alaric and I had first met, though he’d been my kidnapper at the time. He’d been acting on Estus’ orders, but I still gave him a hard time about it, even after we’d ironed out the kinks in our relationship. The flood of memories that passed through my mind as I exited the van made me miss him all the more.

  There was a white car parked in the driveway of my old house. The world had moved on without me. My landlord had found a new renter, and likely hadn’t divulged that the previous tenant was currently a missing person. To society, and the few friends I’d had, Madeline Ville was likely dead. No one knew that I was doing my best to save the world from a tyrant filled with the pure energy of chaos.

  I found that I preferred it that way. My old life was behind me, and I could admit I’d left behind very little. I’d left behind the freelancing work that I didn’t particularly enjoy, and eating alone every night. I’d left behind occasional calls from friends trying to get me to come out, all the while knowing I’d just give them some excuse to stay home. When I was kidnapped and told that I was Vaettir, I’d thought my life was over, when in reality, it was just beginning.

  Faas cleared his throat, startling me out of my silent reverie. He glanced at my old house, then back to me. “We should get going.”

  I nodded, feeling almost close to tears for some reason as I looked at the white siding and gray roof of the little home. “Let’s go,” I agreed.

  “We could at least get dinner,” I heard Caroline argue.

  I turned to see her pulling on Alejandro’s arm while he desperately tried to disentangle himself from her.

  I suddenly felt horribly guilty. We’d used the poor girl for a three hour car ride, six for her since she still had to travel back home. We’d given her cash to cover gas, but it was still an entire day wasted. It had been her choice, but still, I sympathized. She wasn’t even going to get a date out of the deal.

  Alejandro turned his gaze to me, his eyes pleading for help, as Caroline continued doing her best to persuade him.

  I turned to Faas. “Aren’t you going to defend your boyfriend’s honor?” I asked loudly, figuring a fake boyfriend would invite fewer questions than a fake girlfriend.

  Faas balked, but Alejandro instantly caught on.

  “Come on sweetie,” he pleaded, gazing at Faas with loving eyes. “I’d only hoped to make you a little jealous.”

  Faas glared at me, then marched right up to Alejandro, grabbed either side of his face, and planted a big kiss on his lips.

  It was then Alejandro’s turn to balk.

  “Your little ploy worked,” Faas stated apathetically, still holding onto Alejandro’s face. “Now let us be off to consecrate our love.”

  Caroline looked back and forth between the two of them, utterly flummoxed.

  I tried not to laugh. “Let’s go lovebirds,” I announced. “Times a tickin’.”

  I waved goodbye and said thanks to Caroline, though she still seemed to be in shock, before turning away to walk down the sidewalk, finally able to let loose my grin. I heard Maya whisper to Caroline that she was better off, before falling into step behind me. Everyone else followed.

  A few seconds later, I heard the van’s engine start, and turned to see Caroline speed away in the opposite direction. She really was better off. People that hung out with us tended to get killed, or at the very least maimed. She’d dodged a bullet.

  The sun slowly began to set as we all marched down the street. I zipped up my black jacket and shoved my bare hands into my pockets, wishing for gloves and a scarf. My purse was across my shoulders, nestled against my side. It contained the pair of daggers Mikael had given me. I briefly considered wearing them at my hips, but dismissed the idea. I’d reconsider once we were in the woods, away from human eyes.

  We all continued walking in silence, no one discussing the task ahead. I’d say I hoped we’d find the entrance quickly, but really I was just hoping we’d find it at all. Alaric had once told me it had been sealed, but I was pretty sure that had been to keep me from looking for it. The only problem was, I hadn’t known where to look for the entrance from within the Salr, and I was fuzzy on where I should look for it within the forest. I’d been carried on my back toward the entrance, with my eyes facing the sky, and had been in quite a panic at the time. The only thing I had to go on was the faint memory of how far we’d traveled, and in what direction. Our saving grace was that we had two people that could sense energy with us. Between Faas and Tallie, if the entrance was there, we’d eventually find it.

  Several houses from where we’d started, I turned left down a narrow path that led into the woods. Really, we could have just cut past my old house to exit through the backyard, but I didn’t particularly want to risk getting the police called on us. We had enough problems.

  Everyone filed into line behind me, and soon we left the rows of houses behind as we ventured deeper into the foliage. I could sense the banshees as we walked, though they remained out of sight. If I needed them, they could swoop in at a moment’s notice. Unfortunately, magical wards kept them from swooping into the Salr with us.

  I continued walking in the general direction of where I thought the entrance might be, keeping my worries to myself. When we were far enough away from the houses, I stopped to retrieve the daggers from my purse, sliding the sheathes onto my belt at either hip.

  Faas raised an eyebrow at me, but didn’t comment. He held no weapons, at least that I could see, but he was far more effective without them. A blade in his hand would only impede him.

  I started walking again, silently praying that I was going in the right direction. My boots crunched over dry pine needles, accompanied by the sound of a nearby owl, just becoming active for the night. Just a normal evening walk in the wood, folks. Nothing to see here.

  A few minutes later, Tallie was suddenly beside me, her hand on my arm. “Someone is near,” she whispered.

  Everyone fanned out around us. If Tallie claimed someone was near, she meant one of the Vaettir. She wouldn’t have been worried about a human.

  A small form tiptoed out from behind a tree further down the path. She was tiny, the size of a child, but I knew in reality she was ancient. Her translucent long hair mingled with her diaphanous white dress as she approached. Her skin seemed almost as colorless as her hair in the dim evening light. No shoes adorned her feet, which seemed to barely touch the ground as she walked. She smiled as I stared at her, revealing sharp little teeth.

  “Sivi,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

  She took a few more steps, closing the remaining distance between us.

  Frode moved to my side, opposite Tallie. “You know her?” he questioned.

  I nodded. I knew her all right. Not only was she Kira’s sister, but she’d made many attempts to sway me to her cause while I was in Estus’ Salr. She wanted revenge on the humans too, and with a sudden start, I realized why she was so hell bent on her plan. It wasn’t because of what the humans had done to the Vaettir as a whole, as I’d initially thought. She believed the humans had killed her sister.

  Sivi’s lilac eyes held amusement. “I knew you’d return as soon as I’d heard Estus had taken Alaric prisoner. You only knew of this entrance, and the one you escaped through. This one was easier. I’ve been waiting up here for you every day.”

  “So what do you want?” I questioned, doing my best to sound bored and not at all afraid. “If you’re still part of Estus’ clan, you know he now has the charm.”

  She nodded. “Yes, and it seems his plans fit with mine quite nicely.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yep, so I must ask again, why are you here?”

  “Curiosity, mostly,” she admitted as she took in my entourage. Her gaze darted back to me. “I’ve heard you have banshees.”

  “What of it?”
I asked instantly, not wanting to waste any more time.

  She moved past me, and I turned to watch her approach Marcos. She circled around him, looking ridiculous with the huge height difference. His eyes remained on me the entire time, a subtle question in his eerie gaze.

  “You’ve made some interesting friends, Madeline,” she observed. Her attention next moved to Faas. “Three executioners in one clan. How strange.”

  “Is this impish woman important?” Faas questioned. “Or shall we move on?”

  Sivi’s playful gaze suddenly shifted to ire. “Fine,” she snapped. “I’ll leave you to fumble about as you search for the entrance.” She raised her nose into the air as she aimed her cold gaze at me.

  I shrugged like it didn’t matter, though really we couldn’t just let her leave to warn Estus of our arrival. “Do as you please,” I bluffed.

  She turned to walk away.

  “By the way,” I added, halting her progress. “Kira is looking for you.”

  Sivi whirled on me, her face contorting like a feral animal. “How dare you speak that name!” she shouted.

  Tallie and Frode both closed in at my sides again, as if afraid Sivi might pounce on me with those sharp teeth of hers. Their fears were likely justified.

  I forced a smile onto my face. “I only speak her name because she asked me to call her by it.”

  Sivi glowered. “Kira is dead,” she stated.

  “Little green haired girl, about yay tall.” I held my hand around lower chest height on my body. “Has a penchant for making the plants grow?”

  The shock on Sivi’s face was worth the entire uncomfortable conversation. “Where is she?” she gasped.

  I shrugged. “She came here with us, but we got separated during Estus’ ambush. I don’t know where she is now.”

  Sivi lifted her hands and cracked her bony knuckles, one by one. “He told me she was dead,” she snapped. “He said he saw her burn!”

  The he she was referring to had to be Estus. He’d probably lied about Kira’s death to recruit Sivi to his clan.