“We have to risk it.”
Hades nodded, his eyes shadowed. “Yes.”
“Hey!” Mac’s voice sounded from the end of the alley. “What are you creepers doing back there?”
Tall and lean, she sauntered up to us. Eve accompanied her, her pale pink hair gleaming in the low light that filtered between the tall buildings on either side.
Their expressions were set and determined, and I had a feeling they weren’t going to lighten up until we’d defeated Chronos.
Join the club.
“We’re coming up with a plan,” I said.
“Good.” Eve nodded. “How can we help?”
“I’m not sure you can,” I said. “Besides some potion bombs, perhaps.” Although, I probably didn’t need them now. Last time I’d been there, I’d done just fine with my magic alone.
“Where are you off to?” Mac asked.
“We need to go to Kamarina to speak to my grandmother.”
“The Oracle?” Eve asked.
I nodded. “It’ll be dangerous because Poseidon guards the temple now. But I need to ask her about my bound magic.”
“I can help with that,” Eve said. “Follow me.”
She turned to go, but I grabbed her arm. “What do you mean?”
She looked back at me and winked. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and helping you contact an Oracle is one of them. Now, come on.”
I shared a quick glance with Hades, and he nodded. Anything that helped us avoid Poseidon would be welcome.
Eve led us through the alley and out into the crowd, cutting across the busy main street and into more back roads that provided quieter passage. She deftly avoided the areas that had iced over, but every time we passed one, I shivered.
After a few minutes, we reached a little ancient building tucked into one of the darkest, narrowest alleys in Guild City. The cobblestone street was little more than a ditch, and water snaked down the middle of it. The Tudor structure was tall and narrow, the brick front pressed between two of the white plaster buildings that were more common in town.
“Come on up.” Eve pressed a hand to the blue door, and magic sparked around her palm. The door opened inward, and she led the way up some narrow stairs to a red door. It opened same as the blue, leading into an attic flat.
Hades had to duck his head to fit under the low sloped ceiling, and Mac’s blonde hair nearly brushed it. Eve, who shared my short stature, had no problem hurrying into the cluttered space.
I turned and took it all in. Light filtered through small, diamond-paned windows at the front of the room, illuminating the cluttered tables full of books and potion-making equipment.
Hades moved to the center of the room, where the ceiling was high enough that he could stand, and took up position, watching Eve as she worked.
“What is this place?” I asked. “I thought your workshop is at Guild City tower.”
“And before that, you had the shop near my place,” Mac said.
“Which is now covered in ice.” Eve shrugged. “So it’s good I have a backup. Supplies like mine are valuable and rare. I needed a place to hide them.”
“From us?” Mac asked, sounding hurt.
“Oh, don’t be a ninny,” Eve said. “Of course not. But you know I’m on the outs with my court. They’d love to get their hands on some of my kit.”
Mac nodded, understanding gleaming in her eyes. I didn’t know much about Eve’s past, but I did know that she was a fae without a court, which was why she was in our misfit guild. Like shifters, Fae were pack creatures. Without the companionship of their kind, they often went insane. Eve wasn’t, as far as I knew, but it also wasn’t easy to be an outsider. Why she did so, I had no idea. But now wasn’t the time to ask.
Still, it made me feel like a shite friend for never getting to know her better.
“Anyway,” Eve said. “This place comes in handy in emergencies.”
“Of course,” Mac said. “Like the ever-so-common emergency of half the town freezing over.”
“Half the world,” I corrected. “Let’s not downplay how much I’ve screwed this up.”
“Well, we’re going to fix it.” Eve darted around the room collecting various potions and lighting a small blue fire under a silver cauldron. “This won’t take me long. Once you drink it, you’ll go into a trance and, with any luck, you’ll be able to visit your grandmother.”
“Was this possible before?” I asked. “Could I have spoken to her?”
“Not when I thought she was human, no.” Eve huffed a laugh. “I’m no medium, that’s for sure.”
“Thank fates for that,” Mac said. “Last thing we need is a bunch of dead people trying to break up movie night.”
I waited impatiently as Eve worked, breathing deeply of the floral scent of the concoction she was making. A moment later, she cursed. “Damn it, I don’t have enough.”
Worry twisted within me. “What is it?”
She held up a tiny green sprig. “This Harrowvane is too small.”
“Let me try.” I walked toward her, taking the tiny green plant. Silky soft leaves sprouted off a narrow stem, and little red buds tipped it.
My magic was still weak from using it to revive Cordelia, but this was a small job. I fed my power into the little plant, feeling its life force respond. The stem lengthened and the leaves grew.
“Careful not to let those buds open!” Eve warned.
I nodded, pulling back on my magic at the last moment. This kind of precision work was good practice. When the plant was twice its size, I met Eve’s gaze. “Is this enough?”
“It is, thanks.” She grinned. “If you ever need a job, you know where to find me.”
“Ha. With the amount of work waiting for me at the library when I return, I’m going to be full up.”
If I returned. I could be trapped in Tartarus.
The idea sent a shiver down my spine. I should tell Hades that I was fading. It was the same curse he’d had—he might know how to help.
No.
He needed to focus on stopping Chronos and helping those who’d been frozen, and I didn’t want to distract him. I’d deal with my own problems.
Eve returned to her work, and we waited in silence. I could feel Hades presence like a flame at my back, and I turned to him, unable to help myself.
As expected, his gaze was on me.
“Check the window,” I said. “Do you see any ice?”
“I don’t feel Chronos, no.” He turned and looked out onto the street. “I see no ice, either.”
“You can feel him?” Mac asked.
Hades nodded. “I can feel his power as it expands and nears me.”
I shivered, turning back to Eve. Soon, I would hopefully see my grandmother. Even though we were meeting because I needed help with something awful, I was excited just to see her.
“There!” Eve turned from the cauldron and held out a tiny glass full of steaming liquid. “I’ve finished it.”
“All I do is drink it?” I asked.
“And maybe sit down,” Eve said.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Hades moving toward a chair. He picked it up and brought it to me as Eve handed me the glass. It smelled strongly floral, almost medicinal, and I met her gaze. “It’s going to taste gross, isn’t it?”