Read Online Changeling on the Job: A Changeling Wars Novella by A.G. Stewart - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: A.G. Stewart
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hurt…”
“Just do it.”
I did. A spurt of blood gushed out as soon as the blade left her shoulder. I pressed the blanket to the wound. I noticed, curiously, that the blood from my shoulder had trickled to my fingers, making them red and sticky.
“He got you too,” she said, her gaze going to my left arm.
“Yeah,” I said. The room seemed to spin a bit. “If that’s not Maarten of the Daelus family, who is he and what does he want with a daemon geas? Who is ‘she’ and why will she be pleased?”
“You’re the brains,” Anwynn said. She closed her eyes, her breath rasping in her throat. “At least you think you are. Figure it out.”
I waited until the flow of blood from Anwynn’s shoulder had slowed, which didn’t take very long. Grushounds were tough beasts. And then I saw to my own wound. It was deep, but not to the bone. I found my first aid kit and bandaged it. I really needed stitches, or some of Kailen’s magical healing, but this would hold for now.
That man had both the kelpie heart and the victim. If I didn’t move quickly, he’d complete the blood rite and enact the daemon geas, and I’d have another dead mortal’s blood on my hands plus the Arbiter breathing down the back of my neck.
“Chris also worked at the county jail,” I said, slowly. I pulled some needle and thread from my junk drawer. “I’m going to sew you up, so stay still.”
I picked black thread and tied a knot. The motions were orderly, soothing. “The daemon geas grants magical powers to those who can control them.”
I stitched the wound closed as Anwynn clenched her teeth.
“He covered his face for a reason other than disfiguration and other than hiding from me.” I stopped. “Oh. Oh no.” The blood drained from my face, my heart thumping at my ribs like a bird that’s been caged too long. “I know where I’ve seen him before.” I tied the knot off quickly, my fingers trembling.
Anwynn struggled to her feet. “Enlighten me.”
“This was back before I bonded you,” I said. “Kailen had taken me to meet my biological parents for the first time. My father wasn’t there, because Grian had already abducted him. There were Guardians in my parents’ home, and their leader was corrupt, taking favors from Grian in return for doing her bidding. One of the Guardians with her…it was him. He could have been just doing the bidding of the leader, but I’m beginning to think the corruption of the Guardians ran deeper than that.
“He didn’t hide his face from me in the marketplace. He was hiding from the other Guardians. They’d recognize him, and they’d have questions on why he’d want the ingredients to enact a daemon geas. I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. He’s not trying to take advantage of the power vacuum left by Grian’s imprisonment. He’s trying to restore things to the way they were.”
Anwynn shook herself, painting my living room with more little spatters of blood. “The daemon geas is for Grian.”
“Yes. He means to set her free.” Merlin had taken away Grian’s magic, and since he was a Changeling, no one but me could undo this. But someone could grant her new powers, and Grian was Talented in mind magic. She had the skill and the willpower to control a daemon geas, if anyone did. “We need to get to the jail. Now.”
“Yes, because we’re both in good condition for a fight.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, I felt all the aches and pains from two battles. My left hand hurt, the wound in my shoulder throbbed, and all the thin cuts from the sprites burned and itched. I changed one of my windows back to glass. A thin, sallow light shone through. The sun had begun to rise.
I was tired.
“Well, I don’t have a choice in the matter, so that means that you don’t, either. We’re going.” I grabbed my keys from the countertop and went for the door.
“I had better get a television after all this,” Anwynn said as she limped after me.
I called Gomez
“Just do it.”
I did. A spurt of blood gushed out as soon as the blade left her shoulder. I pressed the blanket to the wound. I noticed, curiously, that the blood from my shoulder had trickled to my fingers, making them red and sticky.
“He got you too,” she said, her gaze going to my left arm.
“Yeah,” I said. The room seemed to spin a bit. “If that’s not Maarten of the Daelus family, who is he and what does he want with a daemon geas? Who is ‘she’ and why will she be pleased?”
“You’re the brains,” Anwynn said. She closed her eyes, her breath rasping in her throat. “At least you think you are. Figure it out.”
I waited until the flow of blood from Anwynn’s shoulder had slowed, which didn’t take very long. Grushounds were tough beasts. And then I saw to my own wound. It was deep, but not to the bone. I found my first aid kit and bandaged it. I really needed stitches, or some of Kailen’s magical healing, but this would hold for now.
That man had both the kelpie heart and the victim. If I didn’t move quickly, he’d complete the blood rite and enact the daemon geas, and I’d have another dead mortal’s blood on my hands plus the Arbiter breathing down the back of my neck.
“Chris also worked at the county jail,” I said, slowly. I pulled some needle and thread from my junk drawer. “I’m going to sew you up, so stay still.”
I picked black thread and tied a knot. The motions were orderly, soothing. “The daemon geas grants magical powers to those who can control them.”
I stitched the wound closed as Anwynn clenched her teeth.
“He covered his face for a reason other than disfiguration and other than hiding from me.” I stopped. “Oh. Oh no.” The blood drained from my face, my heart thumping at my ribs like a bird that’s been caged too long. “I know where I’ve seen him before.” I tied the knot off quickly, my fingers trembling.
Anwynn struggled to her feet. “Enlighten me.”
“This was back before I bonded you,” I said. “Kailen had taken me to meet my biological parents for the first time. My father wasn’t there, because Grian had already abducted him. There were Guardians in my parents’ home, and their leader was corrupt, taking favors from Grian in return for doing her bidding. One of the Guardians with her…it was him. He could have been just doing the bidding of the leader, but I’m beginning to think the corruption of the Guardians ran deeper than that.
“He didn’t hide his face from me in the marketplace. He was hiding from the other Guardians. They’d recognize him, and they’d have questions on why he’d want the ingredients to enact a daemon geas. I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. He’s not trying to take advantage of the power vacuum left by Grian’s imprisonment. He’s trying to restore things to the way they were.”
Anwynn shook herself, painting my living room with more little spatters of blood. “The daemon geas is for Grian.”
“Yes. He means to set her free.” Merlin had taken away Grian’s magic, and since he was a Changeling, no one but me could undo this. But someone could grant her new powers, and Grian was Talented in mind magic. She had the skill and the willpower to control a daemon geas, if anyone did. “We need to get to the jail. Now.”
“Yes, because we’re both in good condition for a fight.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, I felt all the aches and pains from two battles. My left hand hurt, the wound in my shoulder throbbed, and all the thin cuts from the sprites burned and itched. I changed one of my windows back to glass. A thin, sallow light shone through. The sun had begun to rise.
I was tired.
“Well, I don’t have a choice in the matter, so that means that you don’t, either. We’re going.” I grabbed my keys from the countertop and went for the door.
“I had better get a television after all this,” Anwynn said as she limped after me.
I called Gomez
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