Read Online Gods and Swindlers (City of Eldrich Book 3) by Laura Kirwan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Laura Kirwan
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said nothing.
Meaghan nodded. “It’s the iron thing, isn’t it? It was the iron smiths who put the hurt on you guys. Well, I got news. You got bigger problems than one blacksmith and his thoroughly pissed-off wife.”
The thing’s eyes widened.
“Huh. You’re more scared of her than him.” Meaghan smiled. “You should be. If it were up to her, you’d already be dead. She really doesn’t like you guys.”
“Who?” John, no longer bare chested, asked, as he headed down the stairs with two mugs. “I was cold. I had to get a shirt and then make more coffee.”
“We were chatting about Terry and Steph. He’s scared of Steph. Don’t suppose you know why?”
“Uh . . .” John handed her a mug. “She is very scary?”
Meaghan sighed. “You’re going to tell me eventually.”
“I don’t know the whole story.”
Meaghan took a sip. He’d gotten the cream and sugar exactly how she liked. “Mmm. That’s good. And you know more than you’re telling me.”
“Uh . . .”
She smiled up at him. “I get you’re protecting him. It’s sweet. Infuriating, but sweet.”
The elf squinted at John. “You. You are a Fahrayan.”
“Was a Fahrayan,” John said. “We are human now.”
The elf twisted its mouth in a humorless grin. “Not all of you.”
John’s coffee mug slipped from his hands with a crash. “What are you saying?”
“Would you like your wings back?”
John gasped. “Who are you?”
Too late, Meaghan noticed John was looking at a point about two feet above the elf’s head. “John, no, it’s—”
John gasped and fell to his knees.
Meaghan ran to him.
John, still kneeling, wrapped his arms around her, his body shaking. “I can feel them. My wings.”
Meaghan glared at the elf. “What did you do?”
“I gave him a taste of what he lost.” The elf smirked at her.
“Stop it,” Meaghan shouted as John clung to her, sobbing. The red fury rose up in her mind and she could see herself smashing the elf with Terry’s sledgehammer. “Stop!”
She dimly registered the sound of feet clattering down the basement stairs, shouting, and then the elf’s shrieks again, before the sound was shut off like a radio. In the welcome silence, John’s sobs seemed to grow louder.
Meaghan felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Lynette standing beside her.
“Where is everybody?” Lynette asked. “Who’s been guarding it?”
“Natalie was here,” Meaghan said in a rush, “but it started shrieking, and Owen hit it with the saucepan and knocked it out, and told us it would be out cold for a while, so I thought it would be safe. Then John came downstairs.”
“Where’s Natalie?”
“Upstairs,” Meaghan said. “Taking a shower.”
“Where’s Owen?” Lynette asked, frowning.
“Um . . .” You promised not to tell. “Around.”
“Damn it,” Lynette said. “What happened to Gretchen?”
“She put a spell on it to make it sleep and then went home.”
Lynette gestured toward John. “What did that thing do to him?”
“Made him feel his wings again,” Meaghan said.
Lynette gasped. She’d been there the day John had escaped from Fahraya with bloody stumps where his wings had been. She’d help dress his wounds and had watched the aftermath. “We’d better call Terry.”
Meaghan nodded. “As soon as I get John upstairs.”
Chapter Ten
L YNETTE CALLED GRETCHEN , who zapped herself there in moments. Natalie, her hair still wet from the shower, joined them. The three witches put up multiple spell walls. With Lynette standing by with a stunning spell, Gretchen and Natalie trussed the elf as tightly as they could with the steel chain and strung from it every piece of iron and steel they could find, including several rusty cast-iron skillets Russ had picked up at swap meets but hadn’t cleaned yet.
By the time Meaghan got John to her bedroom, he had calmed down quite a bit, enough to object to being removed from the basement.
“I am fine now. It
Meaghan nodded. “It’s the iron thing, isn’t it? It was the iron smiths who put the hurt on you guys. Well, I got news. You got bigger problems than one blacksmith and his thoroughly pissed-off wife.”
The thing’s eyes widened.
“Huh. You’re more scared of her than him.” Meaghan smiled. “You should be. If it were up to her, you’d already be dead. She really doesn’t like you guys.”
“Who?” John, no longer bare chested, asked, as he headed down the stairs with two mugs. “I was cold. I had to get a shirt and then make more coffee.”
“We were chatting about Terry and Steph. He’s scared of Steph. Don’t suppose you know why?”
“Uh . . .” John handed her a mug. “She is very scary?”
Meaghan sighed. “You’re going to tell me eventually.”
“I don’t know the whole story.”
Meaghan took a sip. He’d gotten the cream and sugar exactly how she liked. “Mmm. That’s good. And you know more than you’re telling me.”
“Uh . . .”
She smiled up at him. “I get you’re protecting him. It’s sweet. Infuriating, but sweet.”
The elf squinted at John. “You. You are a Fahrayan.”
“Was a Fahrayan,” John said. “We are human now.”
The elf twisted its mouth in a humorless grin. “Not all of you.”
John’s coffee mug slipped from his hands with a crash. “What are you saying?”
“Would you like your wings back?”
John gasped. “Who are you?”
Too late, Meaghan noticed John was looking at a point about two feet above the elf’s head. “John, no, it’s—”
John gasped and fell to his knees.
Meaghan ran to him.
John, still kneeling, wrapped his arms around her, his body shaking. “I can feel them. My wings.”
Meaghan glared at the elf. “What did you do?”
“I gave him a taste of what he lost.” The elf smirked at her.
“Stop it,” Meaghan shouted as John clung to her, sobbing. The red fury rose up in her mind and she could see herself smashing the elf with Terry’s sledgehammer. “Stop!”
She dimly registered the sound of feet clattering down the basement stairs, shouting, and then the elf’s shrieks again, before the sound was shut off like a radio. In the welcome silence, John’s sobs seemed to grow louder.
Meaghan felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Lynette standing beside her.
“Where is everybody?” Lynette asked. “Who’s been guarding it?”
“Natalie was here,” Meaghan said in a rush, “but it started shrieking, and Owen hit it with the saucepan and knocked it out, and told us it would be out cold for a while, so I thought it would be safe. Then John came downstairs.”
“Where’s Natalie?”
“Upstairs,” Meaghan said. “Taking a shower.”
“Where’s Owen?” Lynette asked, frowning.
“Um . . .” You promised not to tell. “Around.”
“Damn it,” Lynette said. “What happened to Gretchen?”
“She put a spell on it to make it sleep and then went home.”
Lynette gestured toward John. “What did that thing do to him?”
“Made him feel his wings again,” Meaghan said.
Lynette gasped. She’d been there the day John had escaped from Fahraya with bloody stumps where his wings had been. She’d help dress his wounds and had watched the aftermath. “We’d better call Terry.”
Meaghan nodded. “As soon as I get John upstairs.”
Chapter Ten
L YNETTE CALLED GRETCHEN , who zapped herself there in moments. Natalie, her hair still wet from the shower, joined them. The three witches put up multiple spell walls. With Lynette standing by with a stunning spell, Gretchen and Natalie trussed the elf as tightly as they could with the steel chain and strung from it every piece of iron and steel they could find, including several rusty cast-iron skillets Russ had picked up at swap meets but hadn’t cleaned yet.
By the time Meaghan got John to her bedroom, he had calmed down quite a bit, enough to object to being removed from the basement.
“I am fine now. It
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