I couldn’t wait to try the spell until I got to Bank’s. It was my first level five and I needed to read it more than I needed a pint of ale. The street lights were the only illumination and half of them were smashed, so I felt a sufficient level of privacy. I stepped into the shadow of a doorway and unfolded the half sheet of paper.
On a dark moon night, before Venus descends…
I stopped reading because I felt a twinge of guilt. Cate was waiting at Bank’s and I promised I’d read it with her. I folded the paper and jammed it back in my pocket.
I headed toward Blood Alley, Bank’s current location, thinking about how we should use the spell. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a fairy talking to a human. My attention twisted away to follow the sound and dragged my body with it. I made an effort to be casual about it but there was no one on the street to notice so I didn’t try too hard.
I slipped into a doorway next to Trounce Alley and leaned to peek into the darkness. A flower fairy, Lily Clan I think, was leading a human woman into the shadows of an alley. The fairy had cast a glamour, and I could see the shimmer, but I couldn’t see what he was projecting because of the shadows. The woman was gazing up at what she must have seen as his face, about three feet higher than where the top of his head really was.
When they were a few feet in and just past a dumpster, the fairy offered a glass vial; the woman knocked the contents back like a shot of tequila. I stepped into the alley keeping to the wall curious about what was going on. I noticed a tall shape lingering in the shadows at the other end. My attention came back to the woman. She collapsed on the ground her back arching, a keening escaping her throat. I started to step forward, hoping I could help. Then, knowing it was too late, I retreated to the shadows.
The fairy stood watching, then reached into his bag and retrieved a jug. He looked at the shadowy figure who nodded and gestured toward the woman. I saw the human’s spirit rise, the lavender mist unmistakable. The fairy captured the spirit in the jug, careful to gather every wisp.
What the hell was going on?
I leaned against the brick wall. Now more than ever I needed to keep out of sight of the other two. The keening faded and the woman gave a gurgle as the last trace of her spirit escaped her body. I watched as the fairy placed a cloth over the top of the jug and stepped toward the hooded creature. A pale hand reached out from under the cloak and took the jug.
“Where is my payment?” The fairy hissed.
A ripple of laughter came from under the hood. “You fairies are so impatient. It will be the death of you at some point.” The pale hand extended again, passing a vial of glowing amber liquid back. “Here, be careful. Do you know what to do with it?”
The fairy sighed. I could imagine his eyes rolling. “Yes, I remember.”
“Tell me.”
“I rub it on her.”
“All of it,” the voice under the hood snapped.
I wondered what the liquid would do for the dead woman. Then the fairy put the vial in his bag and I wondered who he meant by ‘her’. He started walking toward me, so I ducked behind the dumpster.
“Goodnight, then.” The figure turned to leave by the other end of the alley. I got a glance of a pale face and a curl of red hair in the lamplight.
Now what were the Sidhe trading with fairies? And, why did that woman have to die?
I was alone again. I slipped over to the body; a quick glance showed me she was young. I threw a charm at the dumpster and the lid lifted. I placed the body inside, hoping no one would notice.
Killing humans is not a good thing. If they find out we exist, we become a threat and they’ll hunt us. Last time that happened the Vampires were destroyed, not just here in Vancouver, everywhere.