Duck, Duck, Noose Read online

  “What is your opinion?” Mikael whispered in my ear.

  Faas and Aila both watched our near silent conversation. Aila didn’t seem to mind not being included, but Faas was scowling as he glanced between us and Marcos.

  I thought back to my conversation with Marcos, and all he’d divulged about Hecate and what her plans were. As far as I knew, we had the same end goal, but conversely, he might be capable of achieving that goal without my help, especially if Hecate was truly willing to lend her energy. Although, I had a feeling she was only powerful enough in this world to exist in more of an advisory capacity. If she had powers like Mara, the Morrigan, possessed after we’d summoned her, Marcos would have never followed Aislin, nor would he have allowed us to take him prisoner.

  That memory led me back to the fact that Marcos had been the one to remove the key from me, to place it inside Estus and Aislin. Even if we didn’t trust him, we needed him, and we’d have to give him access to power at some point.

  My mind made up, I turned and placed my mouth near Mikael’s ear and replied, “I think if we have to trust him at some point, we may as well start now.”

  He nodded, accepting my judgement.

  “Although,” I continued, still keeping my voice down, “that does beg the question of how we intend to acquire extra power. I can’t drain energy like Faas, nor am I a true necromancer like Marcos, so I can’t gain energy from the long dead. I kind of need some fresh kills.”

  Mikael seemed to think for a moment. “Can you not gain energy from your banshees? If you allow them to recharge with the energy of the long dead, then you could recharge from them.”

  Damn, he was right, and that once again led back to my need for the banshees to gain power. It was just like trusting Marcos. I’d have to do it sooner or later, so I might as well do it sooner when we could really benefit from it.

  “Okay,” I breathed, feeling nervous. “So first stop, a big old cemetery.”

  Mikael grinned. “A fitting beginning to lead to Estus’ end,” he snickered.

  All I could do was sigh and hope he was right. Estus had to die. If we succeeded in our plan, he’d become fertilizer for the roots of Yggdrasil, and wouldn’t get to experience the unleashing of magic and the old gods into the mortal world. His end would only mean the beginning to more chaos, but I’d take permanent chaos over living in a world where Estus reigned supreme any day of the week.

  10

  I opened my eyes slowly, then jolted awake when I realized we were no longer in the air. Light streamed in through the windows, but gave no clue to the time of day. At one point we’d landed to refuel, but I’d barely woken up to note where we were or what day it was. Now we’d touched down for a second time, which meant we were in Washington State.

  “Rise and shine, morning glory,” Alejandro said as he grinned down at me. His long, dark hair was still tousled from sleep, but he either didn’t notice it, or didn’t care.

  Frode stood beside him, without a strand out of place in his blond braid, hanging over his shoulder like a dead snake.

  I glanced at the seat beside me. It was empty.

  “Where’s Mikael?” I grumbled as I lifted my hands to rub my tired eyes.

  “He and Aila are getting everyone’s weapons out of storage,” Alejandro explained. “He wants us armed and ready the moment we step off the plane.”

  I nodded, then forced myself to stand.

  Everyone else still milled about the cabin around us, waiting for Mikael and Aila to return. Faas had left his seat to join his sister in conversation. Maya, Rose, and Dominic stood near the back of the plane, arms crossed and not talking to anyone.

  I turned my attention back to Alejandro and Frode. “I’m guessing you two are supposed to stay with me until Mikael returns?”

  They both nodded.

  “Well then hopefully waiting outside of the bathroom door is good enough,” I commented, then hurried past them toward the flimsy, plastic door of the restroom.

  I’d always thought the having to pee a lot thing only happened later in a pregnancy, but recently when I had to pee, I had to go right then.

  By the time I exited the tiny bathroom, Mikael and Aila had returned. After handing everyone their respective weapons, Mikael approached me with two large, sheathed blades in hand, each almost as long as my forearms. The sheaths had metal clips on the backs, made for sliding over a belt.

  I looked at the blades in his hands in question. “You know I’m just as likely to fall and stab myself with one of those as I am to actually stab someone else.”

  “Humor me,” he stated with a smile, then slid a sheath onto my belt near each of my hips.

  I felt odd with the heavy blades on me, like I was going to whack things with my hips as I walked by. “Aren’t we supposed to wait until we leave the airport to bust out the weapons?”

  “We’re at a small, private airport,” he explained, “not commercial.”

  Finished handing out her portion of the weapons, Aila came to stand at Mikael’s side. She lifted a cell phone up in front of her face. “There are three graveyards near here,” she informed us. “Does it matter which one we visit?”

  I shrugged. “It matters more what time it is. It’s easier for the banshees to gather energy when it’s dark.”

  Aila glanced at the phone again, then dropped it to her side. “Five forty-one pm.”

  I cursed under my breath. If we had to wait until evening to gather power, that meant we’d be losing another day. Since we’d flown through the night, that meant Estus’ ball was only three days away. I was hoping we might pop in early, leaving him less time to prepare whatever he was planning.

  “We have time,” Mikael assured in response to my sour look.

  I sighed. “Estus could be torturing Alaric and Sophie as we speak. I’m sure time is passing much differently for them.”

  Mikael put a hand on my shoulder, then turned me to walk down the aisle ahead of him, toward the exit. I reached the open door and was nearly blown back by the cold wind. I snugged my short, black coat a little tighter around me, then walked outside onto the platform. Instead of a narrow corridor to lead us into a building, we just had a stairway mounted on a small vehicle that was meant to drive from plane to plane to release the passengers.

  I made my way out onto the stairs, holding tight to the railing as the wind whipped my loose hair around my head. Mikael and Aila followed shortly after me as the others filtered out of the plane. The surrounding tarmac was mostly empty, save a group of people waiting below us, and several huge, black SUVs.

  “Umm, Mikael?” I questioned as I came to a stop, halting everyone’s progress behind me.

  He leaned forward over my shoulder. “They’re with us,” he assured.

  I nodded, then continued down the steps, feeling uneasy about the prospect of even more people joining our ranks, though that was our goal. I guess I just didn’t expect Mikael to already have so many people in place.

  The group at the end of the stairs was composed of four men and a woman. Three of the men and the woman were unloading things from the bottom of the plane. The man not aiding the others waited by the bottom step. He was of asian decent, tall and slender, though obviously in good shape. His short, black hair was styled with gel that held against the strong winter winds. He wore one of those casual white suits, a bit loose and made of thin fabric, that looked good on very few men, but he pulled it off quite nicely.

  He offered me a hand as I reached the last step, which I dutifully ignored. My boots clacked as they hit the tarmac, followed by Mikael and Aila, then everyone else. I moved to the side, making way.

  “Silver,” Mikael said to the man as he moved to stand at my side, “you would dare attempt to touch the Phantom Queen?” There was sarcasm in his tone, but also a hint of seriousness. It was a tone that said, you didn’t really do anything wrong, but still, back off.

  I watched the exchange silently, wondering where a man got a name like Silver, then moved aw
ay as Faas beckoned me to follow him.

  Faas leaned close to my shoulder as we moved away. “Silver runs Mikael’s affairs here in the States,” he whispered. Since we were about the same height, the gesture was a lot more comfortable than when Mikael did it. “He made our travel and lodging arrangements.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to take another look at Silver and Mikael’s ongoing exchange, surprised Mikael would put that much trust in anyone other than Aila.

  At my perplexed expression, Faas explained, “Silver is even older than Mikael. They’ve known each other a very long time.”

  My jaw dropped as we turned around to wait side by side. Mikael was over a thousand years old, so that made Silver, well, ancient. I suddenly regretted that I’d snubbed his hand. My regret wasn’t necessarily logical, it just felt a little odd to snub someone who’d seen so much more than I had. He’d lived through the Crusades, the Renaissance . . . everything, and I’d just snubbed him. I tilted my head in thought. Mikael had lived through all of the same events, but he was a different story. He pretty much begged for regular snubbing.

  Tabitha came to stand on my other side as Faas and I continued to observe Mikael and Silver.

  “I’m starving,” she announced, seeming a bit bored with the entire scenario.

  At her words, my stomach growled, and both siblings simultaneously looked down at it.

  Faas tsked at me. “Madeline, you know keeping up your physical energy is a necessity to maintain your magical energies.”

  I rolled my eyes at him, cheated of making a catty remark as Mikael and Silver approached us. Behind them, I noticed most of the others carrying luggage to the SUVs.

  Mikael stopped in front of us, addressing Faas. “You’ll ride with us, along with Marcos,” he instructed. “We’ll need to begin our planning. We’ll first head to the hotel, then we’ll leave for the cemetery at nightfall.”

  I sighed, wishing nightfall were closer. “Why a hotel? Are there no vacant Salr near here?”

  Mikael tsked at me. “Staying at a hotel will make us more difficult to find. All of the Salr are likely being watched by Estus’ people.”

  Faas glanced to where Marcos stood, guarded by Frode and Aila. “You truly intend to include him in our plans?”

  Mikael’s expression turned cold. “You truly intend to question your Doyen?”

  Instantly cowed, Faas bowed his head in acquiescence, then marched past me to do as Mikael had bade him.

  Mikael turned his attention back to me. “Madeline, this is Silver,” he introduced, gesturing to the man beside him. “One of my oldest colleagues.”

  This time when Silver offered his hand, I took it.

  He gave my hand a gentle shake, then withdrew. “She tastes like death, and the earth,” he commented, glancing to Mikael. “I can sense nothing else.”

  I frowned, not sure if I’d just been oddly insulted.

  Mikael turned his gaze to me. “Silver is a very different kind of empath,” he explained. “Whereas you sense emotions, he senses a person’s true nature and intentions . . . among other things.”

  I really didn’t like that the first thing he’d sensed about me was death, but I kept my mouth shut. I followed beside Mikael as Silver led the way to the nearest SUV. Faas joined us as we reached the vehicle, along with Marcos, Aila, and Frode.

  Frode offered to drive, while Aila took the front passenger seat. The rest of us piled into the back to plan. I ended up sandwiched between Mikael and Faas in the middle row of seats, while Marcos and Silver sat behind us.

  As Frode started the ignition and steered the vehicle to follow the line of other SUVs, which had all begun to move, Faas and Mikael turned around partially in their seats. The leather creaked with their movements as Frode turned the heat on full blast. I frowned and looked down at my lap, realizing I was the only one who had put on my seatbelt.

  With a huff, I turned in my seat as far as the belt would allow, making my knees touch with Mikael’s. From the awkward position I could see Marcos, but would have to either crane my neck uncomfortably to see Silver, or turn the other way entirely, pushing my knees up against Faas’ instead.

  “I’ve sent word to the smaller clans,” Silver explained while Frode pulled the SUV out onto a tree-lined highway. “We should have a decent force by morning.”

  The sight of the tall redwoods put me at ease. The Pacific Northwest would always be home, even if most of my time spent there was either in solitude, or fighting for my life.

  Mikael nodded. “More will be coming from Ireland and Europe,” he explained, ignoring everyone except Silver. “We’ve recruited a few of Aislin’s people, and hope to use their presence to sway more to our side.”

  There was a moment of silence where I imagined Silver nodding, though I couldn’t see him.

  Mikael turned to me, and his expression softened. “You need to eat something before we visit the cemetery. I want you at your best when you return the banshees to full power. Faas will remain by your side at all times, just in case.”

  I turned around in the other direction to face Faas, putting my back to Mikael.

  “I will be able to weaken you, if need be,” he assured.

  “That will not be necessary,” a cool voice stated from behind us.

  I turned my body back to Mikael to turn my head toward Marcos.

  Mikael mirrored me, his expression cold. “And why is that?” he asked, not quite masking his sudden irritation.

  Marcos smiled. “Madeline is the Phantom Queen. I assure you, she has the power to live up to her name.”

  “That’s the point,” Mikael countered. “She could easily live up to that name, but she is much more than that. She mustn’t forget herself.”

  Marcos nodded. “If that is your worry, I will gladly aid her.”

  “No,” Faas snapped, just as I replied, “How?”

  Ignoring Faas, Marcos answered with his eyes on me, “You could give me partial control of the banshees. My talents are aligned with the old dead, while yours are more in tune with death itself.” He glanced behind me at Faas. “You could aid her as well, and not by draining away her power. Phantoms are composed of lingering energy. You could serve to weaken her force, or to make it much, much stronger.”

  I suddenly felt ten times more nervous. “This seems like a really bad idea.”

  I turned back to Mikael to find him deep in thought.

  I stared at him. “Don’t tell me you’re actually considering having the three of us work together? Aren’t you the one who didn’t want to give Marcos any power?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but we must assess the risks and possible gains. If what he’s saying is true, we could quite possibly use the banshees to save many lives. If the three of you could join forces, and give the banshees unrivaled power, few would dare stand against us.”

  I let out a shaky breath. “There are so many buts and what ifs inherent in that statement that I don’t even know where to start.”

  “It is unnatural,” Silver interrupted. “There are rules. If such a force came into being, fate would destroy it.”

  Before I could ask just what he meant about fate destroying things, Mikael countered, “Fate is already all but destroyed. Madeline’s existence goes against fate itself. The Morrigan was no goddess, yet here her energy sits.” He gestured to me. “And she has somehow ended up in the presence of both Faas and Marcos, who are both willing to aid her. If such a union simply could not exist, we would never have gotten this far.”

  “We cannot trust him,” Faas snapped. He sounded as shocked as I was that Mikael was actually considering Marcos’ suggestion. “He will steal the banshees and kill us all.”

  Mikael turned calm eyes to me. “No,” he said evenly, “he will not. Madeline could easily beat him if she tried.”

  My jaw dropped. “Why this sudden change of heart?”

  He smiled softly and turned in Silver’s direction. “You said Madeline tasted of death and the earth,” he explained. He
turned back to me. “You are many things. I thought perhaps your true nature was associated with emotion since your empathy is so strong, but Silver only tasted those two things.” He glanced at Silver again. “What do you sense from Marcos?”

  There was a moment of silence, then Silver answered. “Very little. I sense power, and a taste of the grave. He is empowered by those who linger, long after their bodies have turned to dust. His emotions are almost non-existent. I also sense that he is goddess-touched.”

  My eyes widened. Did he mean Hecate?

  “Now what about Faas?” Mikael asked.

  “Energy,” Silver answered instantly. “He is the balance between life and death. The energy that animates, and that eventually leaves the body cold.”

  “But with Madeline,” Mikael continued, “you simply tasted death, and the earth.”

  I whipped around so I could see Silver’s face as he answered, “Yes. She is not the lingering spirits, nor is she the energy she has the power to release. She is death itself. The very thing that holds the fabric of the world together, and allows life to exist, even briefly. She is the earth, insomuch as it is a part of the endless cycle of life and death.”

  I still wasn’t sure what Mikael was getting at, but it was making my heart flutter nervously. He put a hand on my shoulder, then slowly turned me to face him, pulling my attention away from Silver.

  “Madeline,” he began, waiting for me to fully meet his eyes. “Your powers have confused me from the start, but I think I finally understand. It’s really quite simple, and I should have figured it out as soon as we learned you were descended from the Morrigan. The rest of us are mere children of the traits we embody. I am skilled at manipulation, but I am not manipulation itself. Alaric is skilled at war, but he is not war. He is simply a man with certain inclinations and skills. You are not a woman blessed with the gift of death. You are death. You are the missing piece in the puzzle that the Morrigan had previously composed. You are like the key, or the Norns. A pure element of nature. Truly, you cannot even be considered Vaettir.”