Anthem of Ashes: Book 9 in the Spellsinger Series Read online

  I smiled and breathed in deeply; my body settling with the scents and sights that had once been a second home to me. The Grand Beneather Bazaar is both more archaic and more advanced than the human version. Clothing runs the gambit from antique to alien; velvet and silk featuring as abundantly as woven metal and stretch-plastic. Buildings crowded the narrows lanes, looming up to a cut-stone ceiling and festooned with banners proclaiming off-world wares and murals depicting alien landscapes. Scents shifted into sharper, more intense levels; Suparna curries, Kitsune tea, and the thick, syrupy drink called fehr that Dwarves consume in vats. And just to be clear; Dwarves are not a race of Lesser Fey. The mere insinuation that they are even distantly related to fairies makes them rumble in dangerous ways.

  A ferh vendor glowered beside his cart just ten feet away. Despite my abhorrence of the drink, I took another deep breath and savored the sugary aroma. A few feet down from him, a nymph sold fresh flowers imported from Olympus and a hairy riksha—bear-shifters tend to be hairy—sold skewers of spiced meat, some of them raw. The Bazaar has layers to it; pedestrian traffic blending into street stalls that stood in front of permanent shops. Those layers even went up, with stone bridges arching between the buildings—connecting rooftop walkways—and wide balconies stacked up the sides. Beneathers hung over railings and called to others in exotic languages while winged shifters glided off bridges to alight on the ground below. If the human bazaar had been an assault on the senses, the Beneather Bazaar was an all-out war.

  And I delighted in every bit of it.

  This was where I had met Cerberus and where we had run wild for a time. I knew every inch of these stone streets; every shop and every shop owner, although the street vendors changed too often for me to remember. I had rented a small flat in the Bazaar for awhile; Cer and I sleeping on swan-shifter mattresses (they're the best) on the creaking wood-plank floor. We didn't need much to be happy back then; just a place to shower and lay our heads comfortably. He had been fresh from Hades, and I was fresh off the boat from my parents' island. We were both looking for adventure; searching out everything our newfound freedom could give us.

  And we found it. Damn, did we find it.

  Then we got tired of it, just as my parents had predicted. Cerberus turned into a respectable businessman and dragged me with him. Well, respectable compared to what we'd started as. He opened Cerberus Security, and I became his go-to fixer; the one he recommended to clients who needed more than protection. We had made a fine life for ourselves. Upgraded from a flat to an entire building and then moved out of the Bazaar completely.

  “Do you miss it?” Cerberus asked softly as he stood next to me and stared out into the bustle and brawl of the Bazaar.

  “I didn't think I did until this very moment,” I whispered. “Just look at it. Smell it. Hear it.”

  “We had some good times.” He slid a grin my way. “Do you remember our jaunt into the Troll Stretch with the Terrencal Brothers?”

  Out of self-preservation, races tended to live together, parceling off the Bazaar into areas called Stretches. The Troll Stretch was far off to our right; going from the end of the Naga Stretch and looping around to hit the border of the Thunderbird Stretch. It was one of the more dangerous parts of the Bazaar and that says a lot. Only the stupid or the exceptionally strong venture into the Troll Stretch. The stupid don't make it out.

  We had gone in on a lark.

  “We didn't sleep for two days.” I laughed fondly as the memories of Cerberus arm-wrestling Trolls in one of their boulder bars came to mind. “How could I forget?”

  “That's nice to hear,” a male voice drawled. “I like being unforgettable.”

  “Kas,” affection tinged my tone, and I searched the crowded lane eagerly as I moved further into the Bazaar.

  Sure enough, there he was; leaning against the wall just outside the Bazaar entrance. The cat-shifter smirked at me and flung a long hank of his salt and pepper bangs out of his face. The mottled color wasn't due to age but his race. It's the same multicolored mix of a tabby cat's coat; gray, black, white, and a few shades of brown thrown in for good measure. No one knows where the Cat-Shifters came from; they populate the entire planet so even the region they first settled in is a mystery. Several beneathers have tried to wheedle the information out of them, but Cats love to keep secrets. They just smile at you and keep their kitty lips tightly sealed.

  “Girl, it's damn good to see your fine spellsinger ass,” Kasteo Terrencal declared as he pushed off the wall and surged right into my arms. As was his SOP, he tried to give my ass a friendly pat.

  I grabbed his hand before he could and used it to push him away playfully. “Same ol' Kas,” I noted with pleasure. “Still groping women on the street.”

  “Only you, baby,” he purred and showed off a pair of tiny fangs. Then his black stare shifted to Cerberus. “What's up, Dog?” he asked in a gangsta tone.

  “Nothing much, Cat,” Cer gave his customary reply and then enveloped Kasteo in a man-hug.

  “Easy now, you'll set tongues to wagging,” Kasteo exclaimed. “I don't need the ladies thinking I'm chasing a different sort of tail.”

  “You wish you could get some of this tail,” Cerberus teased back.

  “Someone please make this stop,” Torin said dryly.

  “Who are your friends, Ellie baby?” Kasteo undulated his head side-to-side around Cer like a snake, trying to see everyone. “You sure like 'em big.”

  “Probably why she never gave you any play, puss.” Cerberus shoved Kas to the side so he could actually enter the Bazaar.

  “Aw, that's uncalled for.” Kasteo pouted.

  “Kasteo Terrencal, Scourge of Istanbul, meet my guys and my friend, Shava,” I went on to introduce each one of my men to my old friend.

  “Your guys?” Kasteo lifted a brow. “Fuck, girl; Cerberus wasn't lying? I thought the Hound was braying some bullshit. You really do have a bevy of boys at your beck and call?”

  Oh, I like this one, RS declared.

  “Why must everyone try to demean us?” Banning asked Declan.

  “I'm not demeaned.” Declan grinned at the Cat. “Although, I wouldn't say I'm at her beck and call. I do have my own kingdom after all.”

  “No offense, shiny king.” Kas held up his hands. “It sounded good in my head, you know? All the B words and not a bitch in the bunch.” Then he swiveled his almond eyes over to Shava. “So, Shavalina; that's a beautiful name. Although it pales in comparison to your lovely... well... everything.”

  “Forget it, Cat.” Cerberus smirked. “She's a phoenix.”

  “A phoenix?” Kasteo's mouth fell open. Then he bowed like an old world courtier. “An honor, my lady.”

  “Very nice to meet you as well, Lord Cat,” Shava said politely.

  “How's Kosmos?” I asked Kas as he gave Shava a goofy grin.

  “Oh, he's good.” Kas broke his loopy staring as soon as he heard his brother's name. “He's around here somewhere. Kos would love to see you. Where you guys heading?”

  “Over to Icky's,” Cer casually stepped out of the path of a barreling oni (an ogre native to Japan). “Bring him by if you find him.”

  “Will do.” Kasteo shot towards me with his cat-reflexes and kissed my cheek. “See you later, Spellsinger. You let me know if you need another man to get in those hard to reach places that big guys can't touch.”

  “I reach all of her places just fine,” Darc announced as he crossed his arms.

  Kasteo burst out laughing and gave Darc's bicep a pat as he passed him by. “I bet you do, buddy. But I require proof; next time make a video.”

  “See ya, Kas!” I called after him as he wove smoothly through the throng.

  “You ran with cat-shifters?” Banning asked as Cerberus finally navigated us into the stream of pedestrians.

  “When I was young.” I moved past Bann and went to huddle behind Cerberus. “They're good guys.”

  “For thieves,” Cerberus shot over his shoulder.


  “You were friends with thieves?” Darcraxis asked with more interest than irritation.

  “They steal from humans,” came another flippant Cerberus response. “Mostly.”

  “Cer, not cool.” I grimaced at his back.

  “What?” Cer shrugged.

  “They steal from human criminals,” I amended. “Then they sell their goods here.”

  “Lovely.” Torin rolled his eyes. “That makes such a difference.”

  “Hey, we all gotta start somewhere,” I chided him.

  “Yeah.” Cer chuckled. “Of course, the Terrencal Brothers stayed where they started; they're still thieves.”

  “We should have asked Kasteo about the missing phoenixes,” I glanced back over my shoulder and contemplated running after Kas; he'd gone in the opposite direction. But he was fast; super fast.

  “He's not as well-informed as Icarus.” Cer's expression hardened and beneathers practically jumped out of his way; an arrow of space cleared before us.

  People knew me there, but Cer had the height to get noticed and his glare was avoided like a harpy with a headache.

  “Wait. Icky Icarus?” I asked him. “The poisoner? That's who your contact is?”

  “He's a potion craftsman,” Cerberus said pointedly. “Don't refer to him as anything else or he won't speak to you.”

  “Okay,” I used my whatever tone and rolled my eyes.

  “El, Icky hears it all. Trust me; if anyone knows what's happening with the missing birds, he does.”

  “Anyone other than the killers, that is,” Darcraxis muttered.

  Before Cerberus could respond, everything went black. Shadows consumed the Bazaar; a dark so thick that it rendered me blind. The Bazaar held its breath. Beneathers know a magical attack when they saw one or didn't see one, as the case may be, and Bazaar Beneathers know to keep their mouths shut and to very quietly find a place to hide when an attack comes. Better to not draw attention to yourself as you get out of the line of fire. So, the only sounds were the shuffle of my group as we tensed for action and the hushed movement of the crowd around us as they tried to blindly locate cover.

  Then Darcraxis cried out; a sharp sound of pain.

  I reacted immediately and unconsciously; light bursting from my body as if I were a tiny sun. Everyone around me was blinded nearly as badly from my light show as they had been from the darkness. But I was able to see clearly and my stare went straight toward the hooded figure who stood fifteen feet away from us with gloved hands pointed at Darc. I blasted the beneather with a stream of fire as my men came out of their light-blindness and rallied around me; Gage grabbing Darc while the others turned toward my target. But the beneather in a hood simply waved his hand and sent a wall of darkness up between us.

  “Fuck!” I hissed as I glanced back at Darc.

  “I'm fine, my fire,” Darc growled. “Hunt him down and get my darkness back!”

  “Stay with Darc!” I shouted at Cer; I wanted someone who knew the Bazaar to guard him.

  Then I ran straight into the wall of black. My Light shoved it back, but the darkness lasted for only a few steps and then Slate, Torin, Declan, and I burst free. It had merely been a shield to cover the Hood's escape. I ran without direction for a bit before I remembered what Lucifer had said. Then I came to a jerking stop and closed my eyes.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Torin snapped.

  “She's trying to sense the magic,” Slate snapped back at him. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “I got it,” I declared and started to run again.

  I could feel Darc's stolen magic like a storm cloud streaking through the sky. It boiled and bobbed; a restless energy at odds with its new host. And it reached back for me as if I could save it. Even though my Light was its direct opposite, it was also its counterpart. Darkness cannot exist without the light, and this darkness, in particular, knew my Light like a lover. I blasted my magic ahead of me as I sped through the congested aisles of the Bazaar. Beneathers cringed back from it, out of my path, while the Darkness stretched out with slippery fingers that kept sliding out of my grasp. I was nearly there, mental hands clasped tightly around those inky strands, when they were yanked away from me.

  The Darkness disappeared.

  I came to a screeching stop and cursed. It was no use to search any further. Traveling into the Bazaar is impossible but traveling out isn't an issue; the warding had been set up as a repellent only. The beneathers who frequent the Bazaar liked having an easy escape route and, when it comes down to it, no one cares if you want to leave. Except for this time.

  The vanishing act did tell me one tiny thing; whoever that was, they had the power to move around the globe and probably through the Realms. I guess that wasn't all that surprising. If they had the strength to steal Darc's magic, moving about via charm or spell shouldn't be a big deal for them. And they'd been watching us for awhile. I recognized that hooded form.

  “You lost them?” Declan asked gently.

  “Gone.” I nodded. “That was the same person I caught staring at us at the Beneather Ball.”

  “I thought it might be.”

  “You want to share with the rest of the class?” Slate asked.

  “I saw someone in a hood staring at Declan and me when we attended a ball in Venice. I'm certain that was the same person,” I explained. “It gave me a weird feeling, but I didn't see a reason to make a big deal of it.”

  “Except now, your Robin Hood has made another appearance,” Slate concluded. “This time, with Darc's magic in hand.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Did it feel like a Shining One?” Torin angled his face down to search mine.

  “I don't know.” I had to pause to release a shaky breath; my Fire was threatening to emerge, attracted by my fury. “But the magic is rebelling. It doesn't like living in the body that currently holds it, and it certainly didn't like attacking its true master.”

  “Good,” Torin growled. “Maybe it will destroy them. I hope they drown in Darkness.”

  “If it doesn't, I will.” I turned around and started running back to my wounded fiance.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The Terrencal Brothers were waiting for me with the rest of our group when I returned. I nodded to them but didn't stop to speak or even give Kosmos a quick hi; I went straight to Darc. A shop owner—a lovely Kitsune woman with four fluffy tails—had brought Darc a folding chair to sit on and was hovering around him, trying to get him to drink a steaming cup of tea.

  “I am fine; truly,” Darc said with the air of someone who'd had to repeat himself a lot. Then he saw me and stood. “My fire,” he whispered in relief and then pulled me into a hug. “You were gone for so long that I grew concerned.”

  “It was a wild chase.” I stood back to look him over but found no wounds. “Where did he hurt you?”

  “Darkness was employed against me; it was crushing my chest and constricting my breathing. There are no wounds. I am fully recovered.”

  “Are you sure?” I rubbed my palm over his chest as if I could feel the condition of the bones beneath.

  “I am certain.” Darc pressed his hand over mine and stared down at me with an adoring smile. “You don't need to fuss. I've had plenty of that already.”

  I glanced at the Kitsune and sighed. I'd had a bad run-in with the Kitsune Goddess... before the Devil had wild sex with her and then coldly murdered her by sucking her magic away. Aza had been cruel and manipulating, so much so that I didn't regret her death. She had also left me with a sore spot for Fox-Shifters. The way this one was eyeing Darc as if she were already doing intimate things to him—and eyeing me as if she'd like to tear me apart—didn't help.

  “Thanks for looking after my fiancé, Chiya,” I said pointedly to her. “We're good now.”

  Chiya glowered at me. “This one is yours too? Greedy much, Elaria?”

  “Absolutely.” I grinned but it was more of a baring of teeth.

  Chiya took a step back.

  “But
I'll take that tea.” Kasteo sauntered up to her. “We can share it over lunch.”

  “In your dreams, tomcat!” Chiya snapped and strode back into her shop, snatching up her chair as she went.

  Kasteo chuckled as if he'd done something praiseworthy while his brother stepped forward to give me a hug. Where Kasteo is wiry and dark, Kosmos is solid and pale. Even their personalities are a stark contrast to each other. The only resemblance is found in their faces; they both have their mother's ebony eyes.