Chapter 25
A figure stepped out from between the trees. It was Reina.
My eyes narrowed, why did I need to meet Reina in the middle of a forest? I doubted I was going to like the answer. I hadn’t really even seen her since the council meetings, and then I hadn’t really spoken to her.
“Leave,” she ordered Felix, who looked at me miserably before obeying and walking back in the direction of the path. I stared after him as the panic I’d been fighting bloomed in my chest.
“Felix!” I called after the retreating figure, but he didn’t look back. I turned to Reina instead.
“What’s going on?”
She flicked her long hair and tutted with impatience. “I’m not messing around answering stupid questions, all I want is the moonstone,” she said with no preamble. “Give it to me now and you can leave.”
I let out a breath as it all became clear. “You want the ring.”
She rolled her eyes at me as though I'd been slow on the uptake. “Yes, I’ve been to quite a lot of trouble to get it, so imagine how irritated I was to discover that you had it all along.”
I frowned as a nasty suspicion grew in my mind. “What kind of trouble?”
A spiteful smile played around her mouth and then she pouted, batting her eyes at me in a parody of an innocent little girl. “Well the Keeper was very unwilling to tell me anything about it.”
I felt the shock take root in my belly and shuddered as the chill of it seeped into my bones. “It was you,” I whispered in disbelief. “You’re the murderer.”
She shrugged, like it was of little importance. “Oh he was the only one … I don’t know anything about the others. But now I’ve told you, I’m afraid I won’t be able to let you go.” Reina smiled cheerfully and inspected her long red nails. “Though, if you give me the ring now, I promise I’ll make it quick.”
I started to back away. “I’m not giving you the ring.”
“Oh I think you will,” she said with a smirk.
“It won't even work for you, you silly bitch, you're not a Corbeaux.” I didn't know if that was entirely true but for a moment there was uncertainty in her eyes. Not enough for her to change her mind though I realised as she moved closer.
“I'll never give it to you.”
She hissed and it was a cruel, strange noise that made my heart thunder in my chest. “Well then, I suppose I’ll just have to take it from you.”
Without uttering another word she stepped closer and the air whipped up around her. A blurring motion whirled around her body, her hair blew fiercely across her face and her clothes fell to the floor as she changed into a huge, writhing black snake. I quailed at the sight and started to back away again, but Reina moved too quickly, blocking the way. I yelled and shoved my hands forwards, throwing a spell that made the ground shudder and explode, forcing her backwards. But before I could recover and take advantage, Reina was back. She spat and I saw glistening droplets of venom fly past and hit a tree, which bubbled and smoked like acid, eating into the bark. I stared at it with mounting horror, I was in deep trouble.
Bunching up its muscles, the snake lunged forwards but I threw myself to one side and her momentum carried Reina forwards and into the undergrowth. I staggered over branches that snagged at my skin and tore at my clothes until I came to a large granite boulder that was half buried in the ground. I turned, keeping my back against it.
My eyes flickered desperately from one place to another, looking for an escape, looking for her. Where was she? I heard her furious hissing before I saw the glimmer of coal-black scales, and I sent out the same spell again. It was better this time and exploded with more force, sending splinters of wood flying against her thick skin. With my back to the rock I threw the same spell again and again, but while it kept her at a distance, it just wasn’t stopping her. I felt venom fly past, just missing my face, the poison frothing on the granite surface. I tried to throw fire spells at her, one after another, but she was so fast that every time they hit, she had already moved. The best I could manage was to keep her away from me but that was only going to work for so long.
Despite the cool night air casting a breeze through the forest, sweat was dripping from my face and I was losing energy. I realised, with fear wrenching my gut, that this was deliberate. Reina was wearing me down, making me use all my magic and strength before she finished me. The light had faded now, and it was getting harder and harder to see her. I didn’t know what to do. I fought exhaustion as she flew at me again and again, each time darting quickly away and avoiding my increasingly feeble spells with ease.
I knew I still had one chance left, to try the spell that Remé had talked me through earlier that day. It was more than likely I’d screw it up and kill myself too, but at least I’d have a chance to take the bitch with me. Besides, from the looks of things I had little choice. I couldn’t let her get the ring and she wasn't letting me out of here alive. I pushed my hair quickly out of my face as I saw her coming back and took a breath. Throwing my hands forwards I recited the words Remé had told me and pushed the spell towards her with everything I had.
For a moment the world seemed to hang, suspended. The acrid stench of smouldering undergrowth and the sickly sweet scent of magic stung my eyes and obscured my vision until tears streamed down my face. And then everything was happening in a blur of movement and noise as the spell left my hands with a ground shaking roar of magic. Despite the power behind it the creature was still moving forward, getting closer and closer - the spell simply wasn’t working. I closed my eyes, stubbornly ignoring the panic that was stealing my breath and making blood thunder in my ears and focused instead on the energy that blazed through my body. There was a blast of air and a crackling, electric rush as the magic increased and blazed from my hands. Pain seared my flesh and my bones felt molten beneath my skin. I cried out, falling to the ground and knew I had nothing left. I could do no more. All that was left was to prepare for what must come next, when to my astonishment the smell of burning and the copper tang of blood thickened the air. In front of me the monstrous thing wavered before collapsing to the ground, writhing and thrashing wildly, sending plumes of deep purple smoke spiralling into the air. I tried to breathe - to calm my thundering heart - but my chest seemed to be held in a vice. I just sat there stupidly, on the forest floor, paralysed with horror as the obscene thing twitched and finally stilled, and the world became quiet again.
She was lying face down with her head twisted unnaturally to the side, eyes staring blankly out into the trees. The image of her charred body, once again a woman’s body, burned like a brand into my mind as reality hit me. The knowledge of what I’d done was overwhelming and I felt bile rise in my throat. I swallowed hard, somehow pulling myself to my feet and stumbling away from the body, before turning back and realising that I couldn’t remember which way I’d come. I was lost.
Fear gripped me. What would I do if the police found the body, how could I explain? I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and walked around frantically searching for a signal. I stabbed at the buttons, fingers trembling so much I had to try three times to get it right and hoped, hoped so much that he was going to pick up. I let out a cry of relief when I heard his voice.
“Jéhenne, where are you?” He sounded frantic.
“Corvus I need help,” I said, trying not to sob and failing badly. “I’m in the middle of a forest and I can’t find my way out and … and Reina’s dead… I killed her! Corvus, I killed someone!”
“I’m coming, Jéhenne, don’t worry… it will be alright.”
The sound of his voice was reassuring, and I tried to stop crying but I was exhausted and scared. “B--but … you … d--don’t know… where I am,” I stammered.
“I will always know where you are, my heart.” I closed my eyes, overwhelmed.
“Corvus,” I said, forcing the words out, trying to get it straight in my head. “It was Felix. He brought me here in his car. It was a trap and Reina attacked me. She wanted the ring.?
??
My anger at Felix made me feel a little stronger. I couldn’t believe he’d left me to die.
“Are you hurt?” he demanded. I could hear the underlying fear in his voice.
I realised I was shaking, my arms clutched around my body. “I had to use a lot of magic … I’m just tired and a bit bruised … nothing serious. But I’m scared, Corvus. Please, can you find me?”
“I’m coming,” he promised, and I was about to hang up when I heard a movement.
“Wait,” I whispered. “There’s someone else here, oh God!” I began to panic again and my legs started to tremble.
“Jéhenne!” he shouted, his voice full of desperation. 'Get out of there now! I’m coming.”
“Hurry,” I begged, and the phone went dead.
As I stared desperately out into the night, something else moved in the darkness. Every nerve ending strained with the desire to run as far and as fast as I could - but I knew that if I ran, they’d hear me. I crouched down behind a tree, holding my breath against the scream building in my chest. Minutes passed and I was starting to think that maybe I’d been lucky, when suddenly he appeared out of the shadows and stepped carefully over a rotting log to where I was standing.
“I saw Reina …. you killed her!” He was wide eyed, incredulous. “I thought that she would …” He stopped, looking at me with awe.
I was simply numb with shock and could do no more than scurry backwards as he moved closer, holding his arms out pleadingly. “Jéhenne I couldn’t refuse her. She made me bring you to her. I didn’t want to, I promise.” He was watching me, like he expected me to forgive him. “I couldn't kill you myself, I told her that.”
“Oh, well that’s alright then,” I said bitterly. “You're too much of a fucking coward to murder me yourself, you just kidnapped me and left me here to die. But you didn’t want to so it doesn’t matter!” I screamed. I was close to hysteria now and struggling to keep a grip on my sanity.
He reached out, catching me by the shoulders.
“Get away from me!” I shrieked and struggled to get free, but he was far too strong. I was exhausted after the fight with Reina but I couldn’t give up, sooner or later he’d realise I was the only witness to what he’d done and it would be better if I wasn’t around. And then out of the darkness something smashed into him with such force that I fell to the ground. There was a dreadful snarling noise as I looked across, dizzy with shock and exhaustion to see Corvus crouching over Felix with his fangs bared.
“Corvus, no!” I shrieked.
He didn’t move, but I saw his eyes flicker over to where I was laying.
“He brought you here to die, Jéhenne, and now ... I’m going to kill him.” His eyes were black and the expression on his face was something I’d never seen before. He looked every inch the monster Gran had said he was as he turned back to Felix. “And I’m going to enjoy it,” he said with a cruel smile.
He snarled and I heard Felix whimper with fear.
“Please Jéhenne,” he pleaded, tears streaming down his face. “Please don’t let him kill me.”
“You don’t deserve to live!” Corvus roared and lifted him like a broken doll, throwing him across the clearing. His body slammed into a massive tree and I heard Felix scream, the crack of bones and then Corvus was on him again.
I scrambled to my knees. “Corvus if … if you do this I’ll never be able to forgive you.”
He looked round at me in astonishment. “He left you to die!”
“I’ve already killed one person tonight Corvus,” I said, trembling with fear and the horror of the scene I was facing. “I can’t have his death on my conscience too, no matter what he’s done. Don’t do it, he’s not worth it … I need you … please.”
For a moment he looked at Felix with utter loathing and I could see his desire to kill blazing in his eyes, the next moment he was beside me. He gathered me up in his arms, pulling me against his chest. I was overwhelmed, relief and exhaustion stealing what was left of my courage. I buried my face in the soft material of his shirt and clung to him, never wanting to let go. He planted kisses all over my face, ignoring the dirt and the strong scent of magic that clung to me.
“You’re alright, you’re safe,” he murmured. “I’m here.”
I shivered and he held me tighter. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Felix was climbing to his feet, holding one arm limply against his side and watching Corvus at the same time.
“Jéhenne,” he began.
Corvus’ eyes flashed and he growled, the sound rumbling through me, stealing my breath with the power I could feel in him, his furious need to protect me. “How dare you speak to her!” The rage behind his words made my heart thud erratically all over again and I grabbed hold of his shirt. He stared down at me, a question in his eyes.
“You really don’t want me to kill him?” He sounded totally disbelieving, and not a little hopeful.
I shook my head, I needed to get away from here. “He’s not worth it. I just want to go. Please?”
Corvus nodded and scooped me up off the floor, holding me tightly against his body. I clung to him, with my arms wrapped around his neck. As we turned I caught sight of Felix’s face, watching me. “I don’t ever want to see you again, Felix,” I said, aware that my voice was harsh, echoing through the dark of the forest. “Leave, and don’t come back.”
“Be warned Nagual,” Corvus growled. “If I so much as catch your scent again - you will die.”
I saw his expression as we left. It was agonized, but I didn’t care.
I closed my eyes as the world blurred around us and then suddenly stopped. We were at the gates of the Château. “Where do you want to go Jéhenne?”
Corvus looked down at me and it would have been so easy to just stay with him. But I couldn't, not yet. I could hear the hope in his voice, but I was too tired to deal it. Too tired and shocked to do anything but cry and sleep and pretend it had all been a bad dream.
“Rodney’s,” I mumbled, feeling bad. “I want to go back to Rodney’s.”
I felt him sigh but he kissed my forehead. “Anything you want, my heart, anything at all.”