Page 35 of Fatality on the Field

I watch the twins grab the doors at the front, and we all head inside to go upstairs together. This has been one hell of a winter break for me, and I’m a bit eager to see if the others found anything of note at the Keeper’s compound.

After all, it is Christmas or whatever here, and maybe we’ll get some sort of present after all.

twenty-one

MORGANA

Anton’s head lifts as he stops touching the small animal, and he wrinkles his aquiline nose. “They’re in the elevator. The small bit of magic X and I cast on it before we left is supposed to warn us if people push the button to our floor while we’re in our rooms. It’s not foolproof, though, because skilled magic users would sense it and disarm it fairly quickly. We didn’t have time for something complicated.”

KK smiles, looking happy as Dottie and the bigger bird approach to meet the roo. “It was a smart idea even if it’s not perfect. Right, guys?”

“Yes,” Jasper says begrudgingly from his chair. “Hopefully, whatever they found will give our guests an idea of what they can hunt for in the capital. Going there with little more than an idea and determination won’t be easy.”

I’ll be damned; that son of a bitch is actually being less of a dick consistently now.

“We know we need to find Reb and snoop around for clues,” Archie says. “Plus, we know that there are definitely some rich demons who are supporting the twins’ dad and the dumb guy who works here. That’s not nothing, Prince.”

I give him a nod as I admit, “It’s more than I started with when I hunted down Magnus. All I knew is that he’d done awful things and betrayed me, so he had to die. It wasn’t very well thought out, but I found him anyway. I didn’t have a hacker or even a magic user, just hard work and old-fashioned research.”

Lucas grins proudly. “But you’re the exception, babe, and that wasn’t in Hell. I assume that has to be much harder. The cities are bigger here, right?”

“They are, and the Capital is fucking insane, my dudes,” Salem says as he walks in with a drink and yet another snack for my friend. She takes them, smiling softly at the panda, and he turns back to everyone else. “Like, the way buildings and shit tower into the sky like they’re going to touch the barrier to the surface is gonna really shock the shit out of you guys who haven’t been here before.”

“Faerie has large urban sprawls in places, and since, like Hell, we have magic, the way cities are built in some places can be intimidating. However, there are also very rural towns and cities that would remind you of how humans write fairy villages as well. It’s a mix, depending on which court and where you go.” Li leans against me as he adds, “Rogue should definitely go there to get in touch with her Unseelie roots, as should your missing male.”

The door beeps, and we all look at it, waiting for the other group to enter with their triumphant victory. Instead, the visual we get is a haggard group of supes that look tired and frustrated. Iggy and Slade make a beeline for where I’m sitting with Lucas and Liam, dropping on the floor at our feet. They don’t seem to notice the new animal playing with the other two, which makes Kaspar snicker from behind us.

I lean forward, placing my hand gently on Slade’s face as I murmur into his ear, “It didn’t go well?”

“Not even a little bit,” Iggy replies before my siren can answer. “I’ll let someone else talk about it, though. I’m pretty wiped.”

It takes a minute for Oriel, the twins, the shark, Xerxes, Rogue, and the fiery fox to settle into their places in the circle. None of them look happy, but Iggy seems the worst off, which worries me a bit. Once they’re scattered along the couch, floor, and chairs, I look at them expectantly and say, “Alright, who’s going to tell us why you’re empty-handed and looking like you went through a blender?”

“Me,” Rogue says quickly. “Because I’d prefer this be a summary, not a tale spun to entertain.” She winks at the pretty demon and then grins at me. “So, long story short, we did a bunch of Care Bear stare shit to open the book, and along the way, your siren figured out that the damn thing was a trap. We pulled back in time to keep it from wasting us, but your professor over there revealed a big, nasty secret that he was using to force it open. That’s why he looks the worst and also why he didn’t want to take center stage for once.”

Blinking, I nudge the guy with my foot. “Is that true? What the hell kind of secret are you hiding that has you thrashed while everyone else is basically okay?”

Iggy’s head drops, and I almost feel his reluctance. “My family has a big secret, and it’s been handed down for generations. More than you’ve been alive, Morgana, and telling the rest of you this means you all must understand what will happen if it leaks out even a tiny bit.”

“His dad will take him, and they will keep him hidden, tortured, and drained until he’s dead,” Slade says as he looks around the room. “Many of you have admitted to having evil parents like mine or Iggy’s, so you know that if he says that’s what will happen, it’s true.”

Surprisingly, the demon prince is the first to speak. “I believe it because I’ve been there. Most of my brothers have, in various ways, so the concept is not unfathomable to us.”

“My father is a hard man,” Slash grunts. “Not as hard as the king.”

Damon gives Iggy a pointed look. “Luca and Lola have done things that would make normal supes vomit. Some of you were in the party house, so you’re aware. We get it, Prof.”

Sighing, Iggy nods. “Okay, I give in. Somewhere, in the distant past, one of the Briarton mages had offspring with a demon. It was a very, very long time ago—long enough that it was one that has powers that are rare in our realm, which means they are definitely rare in yours.”

Jasper squints at him, tilting his head. “The demonic powers from the exiled or extinct demons became that way so long ago that your family lineage is impressive. However, that doesn’t answer the question—not entirely.”

“As I told the others, the genetic traits of demon blood have always been recessive. It shows up randomly, without notice, and those who get the powers show it young. What they present with is varied, but it frequently revolves around death. There have been other classifications over the centuries, and the Briartons always capture, cage, and use the mage who has them until they die in captivity.”

Mother Medusa, that’s... no wonder he’s such a fucked-up guy.

“Why aren’t you locked up, then, Iggy?” I mumble. “How did you elude it?”

He looks over his shoulder, his expression blank. “My necromancy revealed itself when I was five, but despite my father and the coven’s worst efforts, they couldn’t force them to come out again. I figured out how to keep that from happening, even under extreme circumstances. But I used them today to open the damn book.”