Soul Gem Collector 5 Chapter 9

“What is--” Janel started as she peaked into the box to see what laid on the pastel tissue paper. Her hands flew up to cover her wine red lips and muffle a scream as her emerald green eyes grew wide. Then she spun into the waiting arms of Tas then buried her head into the fox girl’s shoulders as a sob crawled up her elegant throat.

“No!” Aylara squeaked, and her small mouse ears twitched as she backed away from the horrific box. Her small, white tail flipped behind her as she glanced around like someone would come out to kill us any moment.

Noura gasped as she backed away from it, and tears made of flame gathered in her eyes, though she didn’t pull her coal colored eyes away from the mangled corpse present. She blinked the tears away then shook her head a few times as if she couldn’t believe what she saw and then moved to wrap her arms around Janel’s waist for comfort.

My heart pounded in my chest, and sweat slicked the palms of my hands as I realized that the Korlems had sent the creature to threaten me. I quickly closed the box shut so the girls wouldn’t have to see it any more than they already had, and then I checked over my shoulder to make sure no one had seen us, but there wasn’t anyone nearby walking through the campus by my lab.

Ferox whimpered in the back of my mind even with the morbid gift hidden from his sight, so I told him to check the surrounding area just in case there was someone in the woods behind my laboratory. The chamrosh whined but stuck his nose into the air to give a quick sniff. The faint smell of rotting flesh came from the box to mingle with the fresh scent of the trees that surrounded the back of my laboratory. When he was sure that there were no predators, the little creature curled in on himself in the back of my mind and covered his nose with his tail.

“Let’s get this inside,” I said once I was sure there was no one around.

The last thing we needed was for Otso or Cad to stroll over and see that the Korlems had sent such a clear threat to us. Cad would probably use it as an excuse to attack me again, and I was not in the mood for the little blond Elvenborn’s threats or posturing. He would probably see the monkey as a sign that he had permission from the Korlems to avenge his dead best friend. Not that he knew I was the one who had killed him, but I was about to marry Valerys’s ex-fiance and if the Korlems were angry, he would take it upon himself to avenge them.

Noura lifted her arm from around Janel’s slim waist, and then the djinn beauty snapped her fingers. In the blink of an eye the ground beneath us faded away then turned into the hard floor of my lab as we reappeared inside. The gift from the Korlems was nestled between empty glass bottles on one of my many work benches while we were on the opposite side of the room.

The dark skin and curls of Noura’s Diaflorian disguise had been replaced with the fiery skin and hair that she preferred when we were alone. A blue, flaming tear rolled down her cheek as she mourned for the pitiful creature. She swiped a hand through her flaming locks then wiped at the tear as worry took the place of grief.

Janel had gathered herself, and she had taken a step away from Noura and Tas as she wiped her hands over her robes. Her eyes were still glued to the gift, but she looked more offended than upset.

Taslyn’s red fox tail swished behind her, and the white tip curled in on itself, while the fluffy fur started to smooth back down. She was still close to Janel but her long black claws had extended from her human hands as her anger grew. With a deep breath she retracted them and then released the rage that I had seen in her bright amber eyes until she was calm, though through our psychic bond I could still feel the hatred that bubbled under her skin.

Aylara wrung her hands as her long tail curled and uncurled behind her. Despite the locked windows and doors, her bright red eyes darted around the lab like she expected an assassin to creep out and kill us all.

“Do you think they know you released me?” Noura asked.

“What if they found out we were the ones who blew up their shipment to the Iron Dwarves?” Aylara squeaked.

“They might have traced that phone call back to you,” Tas said as she narrowed her amber eyes.

“Or they could have found out we’re getting married,” Janel said. “It does look like a wedding present…”

“It could be any of those,” I muttered.

I turned to look at the pure white box again, the gold lettering stood out in the lamplight, while the contents inside continued to make Ferox nervous. Mentally, I pet him and tried to call him down but my own nerves were not helpful. At least he still hadn’t picked up any other scents.

“Tas,” I said as I turned to my sexy fox girlfriend. “Are the wards still in place?”

“Yes,” she said. “No one has been inside.”

“Good,” I said. “There aren’t any listening spells right?”

If there were, we were already screwed, though there was no way of being sure what the Korlems knew. If they had discovered everything we had done we would probably be dead. Though I had already taken out one assassin that they had hired to find out who had killed their nephew, I wasn’t sure I’d be so lucky the second time.

“I don’t see any,” Tas said.

Her large black pupils dragged me in as they scanned the box and the rest of the laboratory for any spells or magical auras. They slowly returned to their normal pinpoint while her amber iris glowed with the remnants of her magic.

“We should get rid of that,” Janel said as she jabbed a finger at the offensive package. “I don’t care if it is a gift.”

“Right,” I said. “I’ll get the furnace started.”

“No need,” Noura replied.

With a snap of her fingers the large furnace roared with orange and yellow flames that licked the inside of the large metal contraption, and the heat rolled over me even from where I stood a few feet away. She snapped again, and the box appeared within the depths of the fire. Black tendrils of paper curled in on themselves until the loathsome present started to melt into the bottom of the furnace.

“Okay,” I said as I tore my eyes away from the sight.

I had to keep calm even though all I wanted to do was take my girls and run to the mountains, since no matter what I had to keep them safe. We could regroup after we were out of the city, or we could go directly to the King and try to get an audience with him, though, we would probably be laughed away without any real evidence.

“It looked like a wedding gift,” Janel said the obvious again.

“If they knew about anything else, we would be dead,” Tas said as she plopped down on the silk couch that Noura summoned.

“Yeah,” Aylara responded. “We would have just disappeared.”

“That is much better than the alternatives,” I said with a smile that I didn’t feel. “And you’re right. It was wrapped up like a wedding present.”

“I can’t believe that Argent and Matheson would box something like that,” Janel huffed, and she sat next to Tas and put her tanned arms wrapped around her thin waist.

“The Korlems probably just put it in one of their boxes,” Tas said, and her fluffy red tail twitched behind as she took off her black velvet jacket to reveal her pale muscular arms. She draped the garment over the back of the couch then pulled her long red braid over her shoulder.

I walked over to Janel then knelt down in front of her to cup her cheeks in my hands before I pressed a kiss to her lips. The day had gone so well with the bridesmaids dresses, Janel’s outfit, and even mine. She had practically glowed when we left the Leronds, and I hoped the present wouldn’t ruin the rest of her day.

“We need tea,” Noura said with a nod as she snapped her fingers. “It will help us calm down while we make a plan.”

A golden tray appeared at Janel’s shoulder and then floated gently down so my Elvenborn fiance could take one of the blue porcelain mugs. A purple tea wafted steam into the air, the scent of the lavender overcame the gamey smell of the still burning monkey’s corpse, and already I could see Janel’s delicate shoulders relax.

A tinkling sound broke the momentary silence, and my heart started to pound in my chest again as I fished out the burner mirror that Mr. Kay had given me. I turned so he would only be able to see me and the massive cauldrons I had to grind the sulfur and coal with in the handheld device’s reflective surface, so I answered.

“Mr. Kay,” I said as the icy blue eyes of the Elvenborn looked back at me.

“Zayre, I need an update on the black powder,” the older man said brusquely.

The white tufts of hair around his pointed ears seemed to stick out further than usual, and dark circles stood out against his pale white skin. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days as he lifted a paper cup up to his lips to slirp at what was probably a strong dose of beanbrew.

“Uh-h-h,” I stuttered. I’d expected him to ask about the box, not about the order of explosive powder he wanted me to make for the Iron Dwarves. “It’s going well. Everything is almost ready.”

I needed to keep calm. If he had been the one to send the monkey, I had to make sure he didn’t plan to send someone to kill me as well. I could handle his rage about the wedding between Janel and I, but if he knew that I had freed the Djinnis or that I had made a call to the King’s guard I was in a lot more trouble. Though, he probably would have brought that up first, and we wouldn’t be on the burner mirror he had given me.

“Good,” the man groused as he took another sip of his beanbrew. “We’ve got a lot of… pressure… to finish these projects, Zayre. Let’s get to it. Update me as soon as you can. I’ll speak to you--”

“Oh!” I blurted before he could hang up.

“What?” he asked, and his eyes twitched as he glared at me.

“I wanted to thank you for the… unconventional… wedding gift,” I said. “Have I done something to upset you and the family?”

“What are you talking about?” Mr. Kay snapped. “What gift? What wedding?”

I glanced to the couch where all of my girls sipped their tea, then towards the furnace where the box and its contents had almost burned away to leave nothing but ashes. My next words would have to be chosen carefully if I didn’t want to reveal anything that he didn’t already know.

If they hadn’t been the ones to send the package than someone had impersonated their seal. I wasn’t sure which he would be more upset about, my marriage to his dead nephew’s ex-fiance, or someone who posed as part of the family to send me a morbid gift. But I needed to know if they had sent the gift and how much trouble we were all in so I could plan for us to either disappear or keep up with our plans to take down the Korlem family empire. Preferably before they had sold the Iron Dwarves all they needed to attack the River Kingdoms so I could fulfill the destiny Taslyn’s tarot cards had foretold.

“Listen, Zayre,” the Elvenborn noble said. “I have enough going on without sending you a gift for whatever wedding you’re talking about. The only thing we’ve sent you is the order for the chymicals, which I presume you’ve already received if the order is going well.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath in and out. Lines spread out from his tired eyes, and the frown on his face looked like it was permanent, it was like he had aged ten years since the last time I had seen him.

“I have gotten that order,” I said. “I’ve already started to grind the materials down.”

“Good,” he sighed, and his shoulders sagged a little with relief. “You need to make sure that shipment is perfect. Sorry for being… grouchy. Our clients are breathing down my neck, and they will not be happy if their black powder is not exactly what they’re looking for. You’re an alchemist. I expect it to be up to par or there will be consequences. We cannot disappoint them again.”

“Yes, sir,” I said as I nodded my head. “I apologize for thinking you sent the wedding present. It’s just...the box had the Korlem family seal.”

“It what?” his voice had grown disturbingly calm as his blue eyes flashed with rage.

“Yes, sir,” I said. “It was from Argent and Matheson. Someone left it outside of my laboratory while I was out. The seal had your emblem on it, but the contents were… disturbing. I thought I might have done something to anger the Korlem family.”

“And why would you think it was a wedding present?” Mr. Kay asked.

“Because I am getting married a week from Starday,” I hedged. “And I had not been informed of any other party you would like me to attend. Since it was from Argent and Matheson I thought you might have gotten me clothes for the wedding.”

“Why would I get you clothes?” the Elvenborn snapped. “Is that a human tradition? Don’t answer that.” He held up his hand then tipped his cup of beanbrew up and drank until it was empty. “I’m assuming it wasn’t clothes if you thought it was disturbing.”

“No,” I said.

“So what was it?” he snapped.

“It was,” I started. “It was a monkey. It’s hands were cut off and put on its chest like a flower. Its tail was shorn off and put over his face like a mustache and… and the tongue had been cut out then stuffed back in its mouth.”

I hoped that whatever message the present was supposed to relay wasn’t something that Mr. Kay would recognize. If it hadn’t come from him then someone wanted me to think that the Korlems were angry with me. That could have been Otso or Cad, especially after I had used the yellow light in the duel to force them to bow to my will. Though I wasn’t sure why Otso would have joined Cad’s plan to involve his adopted family in the scheme.

“That sounds like something the Rusanos would do,” the noble sighed.

“The Rusanos?” I asked.

The empathic vampire family was supposed to have a truce with the Korlems, but they had sent one of their assassins to kill Mr. Kay. It had been my job to take him out, which I had, and then I trapped his soul in an amethyst. But as far as anyone else knew, he had been killed by Tanow Llwyd, the Korlem’s assassin, in a battle that had killed them both. I had captured Tanow’s soul as well and had gained his ability to see auras, but nobody besides my girlfriends knew any of that.

“Yes,” Mr. Kay said. “They’re still mad about their assassin.”

“But why would they come after me? How would they know?” I had enough on my plate without becoming a target for a powerful noble family with connections and the ability to become invisible. I wasn’t sure that I could protect my girls from both the Rusanos and the Korlems, so I have to be sure that the Korlems didn’t find out about my secret, or rather, secrets.

“Damn,” he grumbled. “They probably found out you were in our employ. I thought we kept it very confidential. Do you want me to send protection to watch over you and your laboratory?”

“No,” I said.

The last thing I needed was Korlem goons outside of my laboratory. Even with Taslyn’s wards, it would only be a matter of time before they discovered what we were up to. If they saw Noura, then they would know that I was the one that released their Djinnis, and then they would go from a protection detail to professional killers.

“I need to make sure that our investment is safe,” Mr. Kay said. “We can’t have anyone attacking you.”

“I’ll just let the campus security know,” I said. “If it was the Rusanos they were probably just trying to make you look bad.”

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at me through the mirror, and I felt sweat start to bead on the back of my neck.

“Fine,” he said after a long pause. “But let me know if anything at all happens. We cannot afford to lose another shipment of black powder, and I can’t afford to have you hurt or killed. You are important to our family, Zayre.”

“I’ll double my wards against unwanted guests,” I reassured him.

“Good, good,” he muttered.

He relaxed after I reassured him, and the frown on his lips tipped up into a small smile as his eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Congratulations on the wedding,” he said. “Who is it to? Aylara hasn’t told me anything about you proposing.”

My stomach did a flip and I looked to the breathtaking Elvenborn that I was engaged to. I wish I hadn’t said anything to Mr. Kay about the gift, especially since he hadn’t even been the one who sent it. If he found out that I was engaged to his dead nephew’s ex-fiance I wasn’t sure what he would do.

I had hoped that I could keep it a secret from the Korlems until after I had already dismantled their crime ring and exposed their treason to the king. At the very least he might fire me, and at the most he may decide to dispose of me. Then there would be no one to stop the Iron Dwarves when they attacked the River Kingdoms.

“Well?” the man said when I didn’t answer.

“It’s…” I mumbled, and decided that there was no way out of it, I had to tell him, but if Dame Fate was on my side, I would still be valuable enough to keep around. I needed to gather the evidence that would expose their whole operation and that meant I needed to stay in their employ until I had recorded the meeting with the Iron Dwarves. I took a deep breath as I steadied my nerves. “I’m engaged to Janel Lerond.”

Mr. Kay just stared at me through the mirror, he was so still I thought that the device had somehow frozen, but finally he blinked. Both of his eyes twitched as he took a deep breath then let it out. A muscle in his jaw pulsed when he ground his teeth together but he nodded his head as he thought through what he wanted to do.

I held perfectly still despite how fast my heart beat in my chest. I wasn’t sure if Ferox could tell if the Elvenborn meant me harm through the burner mirror, but the chamrosh didn’t seem worried. The lack of worry from the creature gave me hope that maybe the conversation would not end with me in a ditch somewhere.

“The elvenborn who was engaged to my missing nephew?” he asked in a low, tight whisper-hiss like he didn’t want anyone else to hear him.

His attention was so focused on me, I felt that he could see through every lie I had ever told him. I didn’t want to answer him but it was only a matter of time until he found out, and if I hadn’t brought their organization down before then I would lose every bit of trust I had managed to gain. There was really only one option, I had to tell him the truth, and hope that I was valuable enough that he wouldn’t kill me.

“Yes,” I said around the lump in my throat.

It took all of my willpower not to look at Janel or the others as they shifted on the couch. Everything hung on his response, not just our plan to expose the Korlem’s illegal dealings, but my life and Janel’s as well. I was sure they wouldn’t make her disappear, since her family was wealthy enough that they wouldn’t want to make them an enemy, however I was just a human.

“We’re keeping it small,” I lied. “I’m not sure how the Rusanos even found out about it.”

The vampiric family had probably been invited by Lady Lerond, since my fiance’s mother was determined to have a massive wedding, even if Janel and I had told her several times that we wanted something small. They might have sent the gift with the Korlem’s seal to force my hand and tell them in hopes of a rift between the family and their new explosion expert. They were probably still upset that their assassin had been killed, despite the fact that the Korlems had lost a man as well.

“Of course,” he said. “A crossbow wedding.” He nodded his head as if he had come to a decision. “I’ll keep this from my brother for as long as possible, since it might annoy him. We have more important things to worry about for right now. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Relief washed through me, and I let out the breath I had been holding in a rush. Dame Fortune was clearly on my side, all I had to do was keep the Korlems happy until I could bring them down, and prevent the war the Iron Dwarves planned to bring to the River Kingdoms.

“You just make sure that the black powder order is perfect,” Mr. Kay continued. “The present from the Rusanos will stay between us as well.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache.

I knew the Korlems were already in trouble with the Iron Dwarves after my girls and I blew up the last shipment of the black powder I had made. They had lost a ton more money when I helped release Noura and the other Djinnis from their underground pleasure club. I would almost feel bad for him if he wasn’t such a treasonous criminal.

“I’ve secured a private alchemic laboratory for your demonstration on the Windsday two weeks from now,” the Elvenborn said as a change of subject, and I snapped back to attention. “I’ll send a carriage for you at sundown.”

His icy blue eyes were locked on me, and a threat lingered in their depths as he looked at me.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be ready by then.”

“Good,” he said. “I expect you to bring Aylara with you. Leave your wife at home. I don’t need my brother potentially having an outburst.” He ran a hand over his head while the frown pulled back on his lips. “Your product better be perfect if I’m going to keep this wedding of yours from my brother. And you let me know immediately if the Rusanos send you any more gifts.”

“I will,” I said.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you,” he started. “But you do not want to fail me.”

“Yes,” I said. “The black powder will be ready, and I will have the demonstration for you.”

“Right,” he said. “Good. Enjoy your nuptials then.”

The mirror went black, and I flipped the cheap burner closed with sweaty hands before I stuffed the device into one of the pockets of my heavy leather jacket. I couldn’t believe that call had gone as well as it had, and I looked over at my girls as they lounged on the couch next to the still burning furnace.

“That went better than I thought it would,” Janel said as she stood and came to wrap her arms around me. “At least Valerys’s father won’t know about our wedding until after, and it doesn’t seem like they were responsible for the monkey.”

“It did go better than I expected,” I said before I leaned down to press a kiss to Janel’s wine red lips.

Her lips parted and my tongue met with hers as I pulled her slender body to press against mine. She moaned, and I stiffened against my pants, my need to feel and taste her grew, but I still had to test my new lightning powers.

“We still don’t know who sent the monkey, though,” I said when we parted.

“It was probably the Rusanos,” Janel said. “They’ve always hated the Korlems. They’d definitely use this as an opportunity to make them look bad.”

“It could also be Cad,” I grumbled.

“He would do something sick like that,” my fiancé said with a roll of her eyes.

“No matter who it was,” I said. “We need to be careful. They could be watching the lab.”

“Hopefully we can keep the wedding hidden from anyone else until after the demonstration,” Taslyn said as she stood from the couch.

“We need the recording if we are going to convince the King,” Aylara agreed.

“Mr. Kay said he would keep it from his brother,” I said. “And I’m sure he doesn’t want any more trouble than he already has.”

“I’m going to make a potion for the spy spell,” Taslyn said while she had put on her usual long black cloak. She pulled the hood up over her head, and her red ears twitched as they came out of slits cut into the top.

“I’ve got some clients I need to see, so I’ll walk out with ya,” Aylara said as she popped up, and her white tail swayed behind her as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her baby pink pantsuit. Her movements made me think the petite mouse girl had rebounded from her earlier fear once she knew the Korlems hadn’t discovered our secrets and she wasn’t in danger, and that brought me a bit of joy.

“Sure,” Tas said.

“I was going to try out my new stone,” I told my sexy fox girlfriend.

“Right,” she sighed. “Okay. I’ll go home after.”

“Well I’m still going,” Aylara said. “You guys try not to hurt yourselves.” She waved her hand at us then unlocked the laboratory door and left us behind.

“I think the box is finished burning,” Noura said as she got up off the couch. With a snap of her fingers the fire went out to reveal nothing but ashes in the suddenly chilled furnace.

“Thank you,” I said with a grin. “Why don’t we go try out my new powers?”

She returned my smile as her fiery skin darkened and her curls turned into dark hair that bounced when she walked towards me. “That sounds like a good idea,” she said. “I can summon us dinner while we watch.”

“Ooh!” Janel cheered. “That would be wonderful. Dinner at sunset with a lightning show.”

“That does sound romantic,” Tas smiled at her companion as she grabbed her hand and tugged her after her. “Do you think you could shield us, Noura? I don’t want a repeat of the mosquitos.”

“Definitely not,” my Elvenborn fiance said with a shiver as she took Taslyn’s hand then grabbed mine with her other.

“I can do that,” Noura said while she took my free hand.

Together we walked out of the back door to my laboratory to the area where many of my former colleagues had done their more explosive experiments. The green moss was pockmarked with blackened spaces and mounds of dirt from where I had practiced pulling up stalagmites with Mr. Limey. Trees backed the space, grown in an effort to deaden some of the noise from the alchemist’s experiments.

My girls walked over to their usual spot in the green moss and sat down on the silk couch that Noura summoned for them. Trays of food appeared on a low table in front of them, glass bottles filled with colorful fizzy liquids were huddled in the middles, and a shield shimmered into place around them.

“We’re ready,” Noura said as she lounged back.

Tas pulled out her notebook then licked the end of her pencil with the tip of her red tongue. Her amber eyes focused on me before her pupils dilated to become large black pools that drew me in.

I shook my head and then turned away to focus on the ruby I had stuffed into my pants pocket. My nerves were on edge as I tried to push away the sight of that mutilated monkey. After a quick check in with Ferox to make sure there was no one around, I reached into the ground and pulled up a large stone wall from the earth so I could use it as target practice.

The ruby in my pocket grew warm as I connected to the power inside of it. I knew the red stone would be an offensive spell, so I took the stance I had learned in my battle magic classes and held my hands in front of me to form a ball of lightning. Tingles crawled up my body then down my arms, it was just shy of being painful, but not more than I had shocked myself in my experiments.

Arcs of blue and yellow light started to form between my outstretched palms as I thought about the form I wanted the raw lightning to take. It curled for a moment, the movements reminded me of the snake spirit that it came from, but then it spun in on itself to become an erratic orb. When it was the size of a grapefruit I released it towards the slab of stone before the rogue strands of lightning could pull the whole thing apart.

It flew forward and slammed into the rock to leave cracks along its surface, blackened veins spread out from the point of impact, then the wall wobbled and broke in half. The powers returned to the stone so I reached into my pocket to see how much of the swirling sparks remained.

As soon as my fingers curled around the ruby, my little chamrosh guardian started to growl, and I glanced up to see a flash of blond hair disappear behind a tree.

“Cad,” I huffed. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t come around the laboratory anymore.”

“I was just out for a walk,” the snooty Elvenborn responded as he stepped out of the woods with Otso right behind him.

“Well keep going,” I said. “Unless you want a repeat of the other day.”

“When you cheated?” Cad snarled.

“We were just passing through,” the large bearman said as he put a massive paw on his companion’s shoulder. “Congratulations on learning to control lightning.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Did you get your weapon fixed by a professional?”

“Yeah,” Cad said with his chin in the air. “And they did a better job than you ever could.”

“I’m sure,” I muttered.

“See you around,” Otso bobbed his large head and then dragged the small Elvenborn behind him around the side of the laboratory.

“I think that’s enough practice for tonight,” I said when they were gone.

“You did wonderful,” Noura said as she stood. “Did you want to join us for dinner?” She motioned to a spot between her and Janel as Tas stood.

“I would love that,” I grinned.

“I’m going to work on those potions,” Taslyn said as she straightened her black dress then put her notebook in her wicker basket.

“Be safe,” I said before I pulled her in for a kiss.

“I will,” she ran her tongue over my lips and I groaned as she stepped away. “I will see you in the morning.”

I watched her go with regret, though I did love the way her round ass bounced underneath the clinging fabric of her dress and the way her tail swished behind her. When she was gone, I took my seat between Janel and Noura.

The lightning had been powerful but the orb had been hard to hold together and if I had held it any longer I was sure it would have fallen apart. At least Mr. Kay had accepted my wedding to Janel and was none the wiser to our other plans. Now all I had to do was figure out how I was going to protect my home against Cad and Otso, since I had no idea when they would try their next attack.