Magic Undying (Dragon's Gift: The Seeker #1)(8)

I sagged back against the chair, adjusting so that the sword scabbard strapped to my back didn’t poke me.

“But you have to get the demon.” Connor’s voice turned grave. “The potion I give you will only last about a week before your body becomes immune to it.”

Great.

“It’s not a problem,” Cass said. “We’ll get the demon. It’ll be fine.”

“Knock on wood.” I knocked on my head. “Don’t jinx us.”

Cass knocked on her head, too.

“Now that you’re not staggering, I want a proper greeting.” Claire threw her arms around me, careful to keep from touching my poison-stained shirt.

My heart leapt to see her again, and I hugged her tight. Claire was a Fire Mage, and she, too, was dressed in leather, her usual wear for her job as a mercenary. She worked part time at P & P with her brother Connor when she wasn’t off killing monsters.

I pulled back and took in her familiar dark hair and eyes.

“How are you back? It’s impossible,” Claire said.

I opened my mouth to explain, but I honestly wasn’t sure what had happened.

“Quit hogging her,” Connor said.

Claire stepped back. “Fine. Fine. I’m going to get you a snack. You need to get your strength up before you go out looking for this demon.”

Connor stepped forward and gave me a big squeeze.

“So good to see you.” I hugged him tight.

“We thought we’d lost you.” He mumbled against my hair. “Had us worried.”

I pulled back. “Had myself worried.”

“Well, you’re back now.” He grinned. “No idea how, but I’ll take it.”

“That’s about where I am.” My mind raced with what lay ahead of me. “Connor, do you think you could whip me up a couple defensive potions?”

I didn’t have my sword, and if I was going to go hunting big game like the Ubilaz demon, I’d need some weapons.

Connor saluted. “On it!”

“Thanks.”

He spun and headed back behind the bar.

Claire bustled past him, bringing a tray. She set it down on the table. “Vegetarian quiche and a cup of boxed wine. Your regular. Eat that now.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.” P & P’s specialty was the Cornish pasty, a savory treat usually made of meat and potatoes wrapped in pastry, but they tried to keep quiche on hand for me. It was my fave.

Ralph and Rufus had climbed back onto my shoulders, so I gave each of them a bite. I met Claire’s gaze. “Thanks for the wine, but it’ll have to wait since I need to track down that demon.”

“How about an espresso?”

“Amazing. Thank you.”

“Not a problem.” Claire bustled off.

I went to work on the quiche, suddenly famished.

“Okay.” Cass’s voice drew my gaze to her. “Time for some answers. How are you here?”

“I saw you die.” Nix’s gaze was stark, sending a small streak of guilt through me at making her worry.

I’d had no choice—I hadn’t wanted to kick the bucket, but I had. And I’d ended up in hell.

“Yeah, that happened.” I swallowed hard, the memory making my skin prickle.

“Were you in the Underworld? How did you get out?” Nix asked. “That can’t be possible.”

“I don’t really know. But I tore through a portal and ended up outside of town.”

“That’s so weird.” Confusion coated Nix’s voice. “That’s not even possible.”

It was. Somehow.

“What the hell took you so long?” Cass demanded. “We’ve been terrified. It’s been two weeks!”

Two weeks? It hadn’t felt like that long.

“We’ve been searching for you everywhere,” Nix said. “We were onto our last clue back at the shop. If the spell in the amphora didn’t work, we were going to go to the Order of the Magica and the Alpha Council for help.”

“No!” The Order and the Council were the two factions of magical government. The Order oversaw the magic users—Magica—and the Council oversaw the magical beings—Shifters. The Order was a fine organization—they kept us hidden from humans and ensured law and order—but they weren’t so fine if you were a weirdo with unknown powers. Then they thought you were the threat. And in that situation, you never came out ahead. Unfortunately, they would consider my deirfiúr and me to be a threat.

“We can’t let them know what we are.” I wanted to shake them.

We were all FireSouls, and we were all at risk. A few people knew about Cass, but we trusted them, unlike the Order and the Council.

“I know, dummy.” Cass rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t going to tell them the truth. Our secret’s ours. And your new can-escape-hell talent is definitely a secret.”

Emile’s frightened gaze met ours. In addition to being an Animus mage, he was also a FireSoul and was hunted by the Order of the Magica. Just like us. He was one of the very few who knew what we were. We’d rescued him from the Prison for Magical Miscreants about a month ago, and he was still skinny from his time there. His eyes had a haunted look that twisted my heart every time I saw him.