The Sweet Scent of Blood

Chapter Forty-Five

I took a deep breath and stepped into the arena, then stopped. Hannah’s boots would only slow me down now. I bent down and pulled them off as the barrier shimmered into place behind me and the Earl disappeared, as did the entrance and the distant Hugh and Rio. Damn. The magical dome had expanded even more, and once I started moving, I’d have no way of knowing where I was—or how to get out.

I started running round the outside, my bare feet slapping against the blue-rubber floor. Above me the plasma screens displayed the fight, Hugh and Rio moving in a silent, vicious ballet. After a few minutes, my lungs were screaming for air: the corset didn’t leave much room. I was debating with myself whether to stop and take it off when I caught sight of a figure sitting further in towards the centre. And lying next to it was another.

Breathing and the corset could wait.

As I got closer, the sitting figure jumped to her feet. A cap of white-blonde hair shone under the stadium lights, and white shorts and a low-cut bikini top showed off her curvaceous figure. For a moment I didn’t recognise her as Toni—either she’d been to the goblin hairdresser’s again, or the massive head of hair she’d always sported had been a wig. I was betting on a wig; it made sense—all the time she’d spent hiding in plain sight, trying out different disguises.

Toni jerked her arm up and green light shot from her fingers.

I hurled myself to the side. The stun-spell winged my shoulder and pain arced down my arm. Gasping, I rolled up onto my feet and kept running towards her.

She threw her arm up again.

Again I dodged, and the lightning-flash of green streaked away over my head. Now I was only feet away, close enough to see the spell-stone glowing in her hand. And close enough that this time she couldn’t miss. I only had one chance: I had to crack the next stun-spell before it knocked me out.

I focused, searching for the spell’s centre.

‘You just don’t know when to quit, do you, Hon?’ Toni yelled.

My heart raced. Gold glowed under my skin. Toni swung her hand up. I could see the bright blue of her eyes. Toni had never had blue eyes in all the time I’d known her. I ducked under her arm and slammed her to the ground, forced power into the spell. She thumped me on the back, crashing the spell-stone against my body. The stone exploded like a firework, a gold-and-green fountain shooting into the air, the colours flared and tiny slivers of jade cascaded down around us.

I’d cracked it.

I sat up, straddling her waist. ‘Sorry, Hon,’ I laughed. ‘Guess your magic’s not all it’s cracked up to be today.’ A bad pun, but the best I could manage under the circumstances.

Toni screamed with rage and swung her other hand, aiming for my head.

‘Oh no you don’t’. I grabbed her wrist, then squeezed it until she dropped a hunk of jade the size of a grape. Snatching it up, I focused and smashed it against her forehead.

She went out in a burst of green fizzing light.

‘Ouch. That’s gonna leave a nasty bruise.’ Finn’s voice was hoarse.

I swivelled round. He was lying on his side a few feet away, his hands forced behind his back and shackled to his ankles.

‘Nothing she doesn’t deserve.’ I shot him a fierce grin, rubbing at the aftershocks sparking along my stunned arm. Then my relief changed to worry as I took a good look at him.

His eyes were sunken, his skin pale and waxy-looking and the sleek sable hair covering his flanks had lost its sheen. The wounds down his chest and stomach had stopped bleeding, but they were still raw. His horns had shrunk to small triangular bumps, almost hidden in the matted blond of his hair. And the spell swirled through him like a malevolent grey fog.

‘The bitch’s got the keys,’ Finn whispered.

‘That’s going to make it easier then.’

Toni’s breathing was steady, like she was in a deep sleep. The white shorts and top were leather, and glove-smooth. I slid off her and shoved her over onto her side so I could get to the small bump in her pocket: two small silver keys, both set with crystals. I allowed myself a tiny moment of satisfaction as I tossed them in the air and, ignoring the burning sensation, caught them in my hand.

When I turned back to Finn his eyes were closed. I touched his cheek and his skin felt hot and clammy. I smiled as he opened his eyes.

‘Hugh?’ he whispered.

I glanced up at the nearest plasma screen. Rio had sunk her fangs deep into Hugh’s neck and was worrying at him like a rabid dog, but Hugh looked unconcerned. He’d trapped her in a bear hug, his thick muscled arms crushing her torso. I guessed that neither was gaining on the other, thanks to the Earl ‘keeping an eye on the situation’.

‘He’s holding his own just now,’ I said. ‘What about you?’

Finn gave me a tired wink. ‘Thought I’d hang around and catch the show. That bit was the best so far.’ A coughing fit shook his whole body

‘Can’t say I’m impressed.’ I leaned over him. The gem-studded shackles were held together by a short silver chain. ‘Let’s get you out of these.’

‘Not yet, Gen,’ he whispered.

I sat back sharply on my heels. ‘Why not?’

‘Stupid bitch didn’t realise ...’ He sucked in a wheezing breath, ‘the shackles are muting the spell.’

‘Got it,’ I said, understanding. I had to remove the spell first—the last thing I wanted was for Rio to be able to snag a last-minute magical power boost from Finn that would kill him and Hugh both.

I risked another look at the screens. Rio had Hugh face-down on the ground and was pummelling his head. I hoped the Earl’s attention wasn’t slipping. I pressed my lips together. Nothing I could do about it yet.

Now for the difficult bit.

The Earl might think removing the spell would be a piece of cake, but it was going to be more like trying to swallow the whole giant-sized gateau in one suffocating mouthful. I needed something to help the spell go down. The brownie’s magic should do the trick—if I could get it to come out and play. I rested my hand on Finn’s shoulder, wincing at the feverish heat of his skin—he certainly needed the comfort more than I did—and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I conjured Agatha’s voice in my mind.

A brownie’s touch goes to them that needs it.

Pink and orange motes floated before my eyes. I pictured my kitchen, and the salt in its cardboard container. I started throwing the motes at the salt, splattering them like paint, focusing my will. C’mon ... come on ... It had to work. Focus, I told myself, chewing my lip as my stomach knotted ... There was a thud, and something stung against my legs. My eyes flew open.

The salt had arrived—but the container had split and the salt was spread like white sand across the blue-rubber floor. Still, I’d called it. I punched a fist in the air. One down, two to go.

I grabbed a large pinch of salt and held it to Finn’s mouth. ‘Open up,’ I told him gently, ‘it’ll help unstick the spell.’

He stuck his tongue out and I touched the salt to it. He shuddered and forced himself to swallow, pressing his lips tight together. I grimaced and hoped he wasn’t going to sick it up. I watched him for a moment, then gave him some more.

I stroked Finn’s arm and called the next thing I needed. My stash of liquorice torpedoes arrived without the plastic jar, raining down like enormous hundreds and thousands. I stuffed a handful in my mouth and sighed in relief as the sugar hit my system and made it easier to concentrate. Calling the vodka felt almost effortless after that. I even managed to land the bottle upright. I drank a scant mouthful, then gathered up more salt, poked it in the bottle and shook it up.

Finn watched me through half-closed eyes, a pinched, disgusted expression on his face.

I gave him a sympathetic look. ‘Think of it like a margarita without the lime.’

‘Hate margar—’ Another racking cough interrupted his complaint.

I ignored him and when it stopped, I tipped the bottle up and trickled the salty mixture into his mouth until it was gone.

The grey fog raged and boiled around Finn. It was making me queasy. What if I tried to take the spell and it didn’t work? I pressed my hands to my stomach, which felt like it was caught in a vice—Oh wait, I was still wearing the fucking corset! I yanked at the laces. Skin to skin was always better for magic anyway. I pulled the loosened corset down over my hips, taking the net skirt with it, and kicked the clothes away. The spell felt like greedy grabbing hands, wanting more, all the time. What if, rather than absorbing it, the spell consumed me instead?

‘I’m going to undo you, Finn.’ I clutched the silver keys, feeling them burn against my palm. ‘I don’t know what’ll happen when I call the spell.’

He moved his head slightly in agreement. Leaning over, I unlocked the shackles and pulled them apart, freeing him. I slung them out of the way. Finn groaned in pain and curled in on himself. For an instant I saw something black at the base of his spine. His tail? Then it was gone.

Moving carefully, I lay down behind him, gently spooning along his back. His heart beat fast and shallow against my breasts, the hair on his flanks was rough against my thighs, his shoulders clammy beneath my cheek. The smell of sour berries caught at the back of my throat and I swallowed back my tears.

This had to work.

I hugged him tight and called the magic.

The grey fog surged up and over me. I opened myself to it, inviting it in. It rushed through me, spiralling fast, whirling me into a vortex. I let go of Finn and rolled, over and over, spinning the grey with my body. Gold drops sparked, running like thin golden streams through the whirlpool, draining away at its centre. I poured more gold into the vortex and the streams turned to torrents. Gasping for breath, I stopped rolling, then threw myself into reverse, forcing the torrents to funnel up from where they flooded away. The whirlpool started to slow and the gold and grey bands coalesced and stretched into long sticky strands that set like a cage of cooling sugar ... and trapped the spell. I stopped rolling and lay there for a moment, my pulse speeding with anticipation and fear.

I shattered the cage.

The spell crumbled into dust that drifted sweet into the air and I floated on a golden haze. Tiny perfect black pearls of magic floated with me.