Blood Magic Page 10

  His mother must have been the War Mage. I wondered where his parents were but I had the feeling it carried the same amount of pain as my other questions.

  Anyway, I took the cane and decided my left leg would be the fake gimpy one. “I don't look old, do I?” I asked.

  “Hey. I do war magic mostly. My, um, expertise doesn't lie in making people look different. Just weapons.”

  “Makes sense.” I eyed the cane. “Can't you make it so it doesn't look like it's for old people?”

  Xavier took the cane again, rubbed his hand over it and muttered again. Another flare of purple light followed and when it faded, the cane was wrapped in some of that decorative duct tape from top to bottom.

  “Hello Kitty?” I asked.

  “I couldn't think of anything better.”

  “Well, that's better,” I said. “I'll close my eyes and lean on you like I'm really, really tired. If that's okay.”

  I heard Xavier gulp. “Of course it's okay.”

  A part of me was glad he was nervous, that he didn't bind us just so he could have a free girlfriend. This whole thing still felt weird, surreal, especially if there had been another girl on the fighting floor not too long ago that he was supposed to bind with. It was best not to get too close.

  Footsteps echoed from far behind us. I sniffed, but the boozy smell of whoever else was down here was gone and these sounded farther away than that, much farther, almost like they were coming from the overgrown corridor we had left. I also caught a raspy cough that sounded like dried leaves.

  “Um, Xavier?” I asked.

  “Don't tell me he's still coming after us,” he said.

  “I won't tell you that. But I will tell you that we had better get up that ladder and onto the street.” I was going to be so, so sick out there. Even the early morning light made me feel like crap and it would only get worse the longer I stayed out. I had to pray for more clouds.

  And most of all, I had to pray that Leon didn't catch up with us on the surface. There was no way I could fight back in the weakened state I'd be in.

  So we scrambled up the ladder, Xavier fastest of all. He seemed so young as he climbed, like a boy scared to death of the monsters in the dark, which was ironic since I was right behind him. No. I wasn't the monster here. Leon was and he was human.

  “He's still pretty far back,” I said, trying not to sound freaked out.

  Xavier opened the manhole cover. The early light stabbed down and I had to squint. My sunglasses would have helped here but there was no going back. We both emerged into another alley, one that was abandoned except for a cat that eyed me for a split second before turning and bolting into the dark space between a Dumpster and a building. Even the animals were running from me like they always had.

  We both stood in the pinkish glow as traffic crawled past the alley. I got into the shadow of the building next to me. It smelled like old pizza and beer. Not a good combo. I let my eyes adjust as my full color vision returned and Xavier slid the manhole cover back over the pit.

  A thought hit me. “You think we can slide something over that? How good is Leon at tracking you?”

  “He's good at telling where Allunna is because she's bound to him,” Xavier said. “He's not a Seer Mage like Elsina. I hope he doesn't go ask for her advice. I don't think she'll give it because she and I really get along, but he might force her. And if Allunna finds us, he finds us. We have to remember that.”

  “Can succubi come out in the day?” I asked.

  “If she's disguised well, yes.”

  “That's awesome.” I eyed the Dumpster. We might have minutes before Leon got here but we did not need to have him following us on the surface. He'd figure out that we'd gone into the sewer and probably gone up the first ladder we found. “Help me push.”

  “Are you crazy?” Xavier asked.

  I had never done this before but after fighting a demon and surviving war magic my confidence was growing. I got on the other side of the Dumpster, scaring the cat again, and pushed. It slid a bit and stopped. My strength was already waning with the early morning. “I need help.”

  Xavier and I both pushed as hard as we could and slowly but surely the Dumpster moved to stand over the manhole cover. He panted when we finished and I stood there, wondering if there was any magic Leon could use to blast it off. I didn't want to stick around for that. The morning light was brighter now and there was a large cloud deck across the sky, but it wasn't moving towards us fast enough. A flock of birds passed overhead as if warning us to hurry.

  “Okay,” I said, putting the cane in my right hand, my fighting hand. “I limp and pretend to be sick. Well, I won't be pretending. I really will be sick. We need to stay out of the direct sun or I'll have a seizure in no time.” I eyed the street, bracing for the worst.

  "Don't worry," he said. "You have Xavier here. We all know about staying in the shadows."

  We left the alley and a dull headache started between my ears as soon as we emerged into the morning light. I wished I'd put on something long sleeved because my arms were already starting to burn. I'd have a horrible burn that even sunscreen couldn't shield me from.

  "We need to buy some clothes," I managed, leaning on Xavier.

  He led me over to the other side of the street, which was still in shadow and would be until about noon. "I don't have any money," he said.

  I swore. "Then we're going to have to be really careful." I let my head lie on his shoulder. It was strong and confident, showing no signs of rejection and pain. I wished I could be like that and not the scared girl that I was all the time, worried about my secret getting out. I didn't understand how Xavier did it.

  We walked slowly as I learned to use the cane and master the fake limp. Xavier reminded me how to walk in a very certain pattern. We crept through the city and drew stares from people trying to get to work and even a couple of young guys who started calling me a retard as soon as they had passed, thinking that I had no way to hear them. I wanted to stab them with the cane sword. I had the feeling that even though it was behaving like a makeshift Hello Kitty cane that it was still more than capable of doing injury--or worse.

  So instead, I kept leaning my head on Xavier. He was a full head taller than me but he didn't draw any stares now that he was out of his trench coat and the leather hat. The headache got worse as we hugged buildings, walked past shops and restaurants, and crossed streets. After about twenty minutes I felt like I was heading into migraine status and my stomach threatened to heave all over the sidewalk. I got light headed and leaned on Xavier for real.

  "I need to get inside. I'm sorry."

  "Hello," an old woman said, leaning out of a door. "You two look tired. Would you like to come in here and rest for a bit?"

  "Sure," Xavier said. "We'll duck in." There was a store next to us in purple and pinks that I hadn't noticed until we were right on it.

  I felt so bad in every way that I didn't protest that Xavier was taking me into what looked like a lingerie shop. We passed rows of bras and panties as we moved deeper into the air-conditioned store. The place was dark, darker than most stores would have been and definitely lacking more windows. That was a plus.

  The old lady moved behind the counter. She looked as if she had been working in here for years. The front of her shirt read Lulu's. Yep. We were in some racy lingerie shop. I checked around to make sure we weren't about to get kicked out, but it really was all clothing even if a lot of it was see-through.

  "Would you like to look for something special?" she asked. "I'm not open yet, but I don't mind letting you look around."

  A Normal girl definitely would have felt heat rising to her face here in the presence of Xavier. He shifted, nervous, and gave off almost as much adrenaline smell as he had right before the fight. "We're just looking," he said, forcing a smile.

  I was able to stand on my own now. This place had no windows at all, which was probably why Xavier had taken me in here, but the perfume was horrendous. Why was a place li
ke this even open this early?

  "Do you have any...clothes?" I asked. "I have really sensitive skin and the s...the heat doesn't do nice things to it. I left my regular shirt at home."

  "Of course!" she said. "The blouses are in the back. Please, let me know if I can help with anything."

  The store was empty but at least I was feeling better, and better. I was even starting to care about how awkward this was.

  Xavier reached out and seized a pair of black lace panties. He grinned. "You ever shop here? My imagination's going. I can just see you in these and they hug you perfectly."

  I slapped him on the arm and I wasn't entirely playful about it. "Do you ever stop being annoying?"

  "It's my gift. Hey, you need a sense of humor to deal with stuff. And I was really wondering."

  I seized a pair of men's underwear that looked more like a string. "This is so you, Xavier."

  Xavier flushed red. "It is not," he said.

  I leaned on the fake cane. "Oh, now it's not funny. So it's a double standard. We might be linked but I am not putting up with you talking about me like that."

  Xavier hung his head. "Sorry," he said. "I was just trying to, you know, lighten the mood."

  "Sexual harassment isn't the way to do it. Didn't I say something about that yesterday?"

  "It was just a joke."

  "Not to me. If we're stuck together, we're going to have to agree not to treat each other like objects."

  "I wasn't treating you like an object."

  "Then act like it."

  Xavier sighed and turned away. I wondered if he was one of those guys that just didn't get it when it came to girls, the same way his grandfather didn't get it about his family. "I'm sorry," he said at last.

  The adrenaline smell died down and the wood smoke returned, but it was more subdued. "Apology accepted," I said.

  "I'll try not to say that stuff anymore. It wasn't...professional."

  "To say the least." So this was all just a business thing. There was nothing real behind it and a part of me pounded the floor with disappointment. Being battle partners didn't have to lead to anything more. Wow, I couldn't decide how I felt about Xavier and it was causing just as bad of an inner storm as everything else, even more than the fact that I'd put the Assistant Mayor in the hospital.

  I didn’t get him. He was so nice one second, and the next he was trying to aggravate me. I brushed past another rack of discount panties and made my way to another one with hanging blouses that were also mostly see through and fishnet. I waited for Xavier to make another comment behind me but this time, he stayed quiet.

  I’d take the progress.

  I sifted through the blouses until I found a puffy black one with a V-neck so deep I wouldn’t dare wear it without the tank top underneath. It would protect me some from the sun. I checked around to see if there were any hats but I wasn’t that lucky. Hats weren’t sexy. Maybe Xavier’s leather one was, a little in a dangerous way, but that didn’t belong in a shop like this.

  “I think that black one will look good,” Xavier said. He had drawn up behind me and I hadn’t even noticed. I was letting my guard down.

  “I think so, too,” I said. At least he was trying. I had to give him that.

  “How much money do you have?” he asked like he was dreading the answer.

  Crap.

  “Um…” I dug through my pocket and closed my hand on change. “Twenty-five cents, maybe?”

  He sighed and glared at me.

  “Well, I didn’t think to grab money before you came in and took me through the portal,” I said, keeping my voice low in case the woman could hear. She was probably close to deaf.

  “You’re right. It’s not your fault,” he said. “I didn’t think to grab any before my grandfather decided to try roasting me alive.” I could hear the anger in his voice.

  We were taking our anger out on each other. That violent urge rose up in me again and I clutched the cane harder. I would not hurt Xavier. I couldn’t if we were so bound to each other. And it was wrong. We were both stressed, so I thought instead. “Maybe we should get away from each other for a bit. Cool off.”

  He nodded. “Good idea. I’m heading down to the bridge for a while.”

  We had passed one two streets back with a small river running under it and a bunch of garbage on its shores where people had spent the night. It might be okay now in daylight. “I’ll follow you when the sun goes in.”

  Xavier left the store without another word. The sun was still out in full force. I was stuck here until the cloud deck made it over. The old woman smiled at him and waved as the door closed, leaving me alone in the store.

  I leaned on the cane again, aware that she was watching me. I checked to make sure the magic was still working, that it was still wrapped in fake Hello Kitty tape. Check. I kept feeling better, stronger as I sifted through more blouses, going through the whole rack and then coming around again. I was going to draw suspicion if I stayed in here too long.

  “Can I help you find a certain size?” the old woman asked.

  “I’m just looking.”

  She came out from behind the counter. Double crap. Maybe she thought I was here, trying to shoplift, so I made up an excuse. “I just want to, um, surprise my boyfriend.”

  The woman lit up and shuffled over even faster. At least she wasn’t giving me The Look anymore. “We have more in the back,” she said. “A new shipment just came in and we’re also liquidating more inventory now that Valentine’s Day is over. I might be willing to drop the price on something special.”

  Perfect. It would give me an excuse to go over more things, let the sun go in, and then leave after I decided nothing would work. The woman waved me to the back of the store and opened an unmarked door. The space beyond was dark and smelled musty and the perfume smell got even stronger. It was stacked high with boxes and boxes and the scent of cardboard mixed in.

  The woman opened the first box with a long fingernail and I leaned on the cane again, keeping the charade up. “How about purple?” she asked. “Do you like purple?”

  “It’s okay,” I said. I was really more into pink, the most Normal color for me I could find, and I said so.

  The woman opened another box, cutting through the tape with her long, red-painted fingernail again and drew out a pair of pink lace panties. “How about this?”

  I remembered my lie. “That might work. How much?”

  “What do you have?” She smiled at me and stared at me so intently that I could see the outlines of her contact lenses.

  I pulled out the quarter and she laughed.

  “Well, I wasn’t thinking that low for this. Let’s check out the clearance stock.”

  “I need a shirt, too,” I said. “I get cold very easily.”

  She looked at me funny and raised one eyebrow. “You don’t seem like the sort who would."

  My alarm bells went off. “I was stupid and wore a tank top this morning,” I said. “I was in a rush and my boyfriend had to walk me to a doctor’s appointment.”

  “You also don’t seem like the type who would need a doctor,” she said.

  Red alert. It was time to go. “Really. I only have a quarter. I’ll come back later with more money and then we can talk.” She was moving to stand in front of the exit and I searched my peripheral vision for another. There was one, but that exit sign glowed red right behind me and it was buried behind a bunch of boxes, two thick.

  And the perfume…it was like Thoreau’s cologne that must be masking something more.

  Her fingernails were longer. Greener.

  I dropped being polite. I lifted the cane and pointed it right at the old woman. Instead of backing off, she laughed. It sounded like nails going down a chalkboard crossed with a cat having its tail yanked off.

  The glamour dropped away in a blink and I held my sword once again, demon blood-stains and all. It reflected the dim orange light of the room.

  She had lured us in here. I was facing another d
ark creature and Xavier was gone, off to go sulk under the bridge.

  Xavier! I thought. His voice had entered my head. He might be able to hear me.

  No reply. The woman laughed again and her skin had taken on an ugly greenish-white tone like a rotting corpse.

  “What are you?” I asked.

  She didn’t answer me. Instead she shuffled back to another box and tore it open with her fingernail that was more like a claw now. Black fabric sat inside. “Why don’t you try our Dark Pentagram line?” she asked me. “Thoreau says you’re the one who can. You don’t know how valuable you are. He needs you, Alyssa. He’s waited for you for a long time. Centuries. No. Millennia.”

  “I don’t get it,” I said, keeping the blade of my sword pointed at her heart. I was locked in a battle arena that the sun was keeping me inside of. I could run or hope for Xavier to get worried and come back, but this shopkeeper had mentioned Thoreau. Things were going south. I struggled to keep calm. I had survived Allunna but that had been with Xavier’s magic. Maybe I could still tap it if I needed it. “What are you?”

  The woman opened her mouth much wider than she could and screamed.

  All the headaches the sun had given me were nothing compared to this. The horrific screech filled my head and threatened to pop all of my brain cells. The world pulsed and went black, then returned, then went black again and blinked. The scream stretched into what felt like eternity and faded at last like an ebbing siren.

  I’d heard of banshees and they were supposed to be a type of demon. People didn’t run into them often and they could blend into society pretty well, which was one of the reasons Normals were scared of all Abnormals. But now it was obvious that I’d met one. The banshee smiled, greener than ever, and clapped her hands like she was waiting for my reaction. Their screams could stun Normals and even put them in the hospital. One had even robbed a bank in the area a few years ago and made the news.

  I shook my head, clearing the last of the pain away, and gave it to her.

  She must not have been expecting me to fight back so fast, because I jammed my blade into her ribcage. Bones cracked and black blood dribbled out as my blade went through her body and sliced through the box of sexy clothes behind her. The sewage smell filled the air, cutting over the perfume and creating the worst stench ever. Rage overtook me.