Page 46 of Sacrifice

Michaels stared at the mysterious stew and grimaced. “What is it?”

Jesper feigned a look of pain. “Not cat, if that’s what you’re insinuating. I know the owner.” He nodded to a large, round man with ruddy cheeks behind the bar. “He’s one of the Fae.” His eyes scanned the room. “They all are.”

“What exactly are we doing here?” asked Michaels. He broke off a piece of bread and dipped it into the bowl. There was a noticeable lack of cutlery and to his disgust everyone else was eating with their hands.

“I followed the Reaver here two days ago,” Jesper said in a low whisper. “He’s been to the Daliborka.”

The Daliborka Tower was the headquarters of the Cabal, a dark faction of the Fae that were opposed to the human occupation of their world. Its leader was a lycanthrope by the name Skovanka.

“He’s been to see Skovanka?” Michaels asked, taking a tentative mouthful of the stew. It was tasty at least.

Jesper shushed him, putting one finger to his lips. “Names are powerful, especially when we’re so close. I spoke to one of the Fendarii. They told me they have been called to conference, that the heads of the various houses of the Cabal having been arriving from all over.”

“The Fendarii?” There were so many different species of the Fae, Michaels could never keep them all in his head.

“The trail guardians,” Jesper reminded him, raising an eyebrow. “The keepers of the shadow paths.”

“Ah, yes.”

The Fae had their own paths for travelling the planet. Michaels had accompanied Jesper along some of them. A magical network of paths that spanned the globe, allowing them to travel long distances in a matter of minutes. Most were connected to standing stones or ancient woods, but he’d also seen Jesper appear out of mirrors. It was quite disconcerting.

“So, there’s been some kind of convocation,” Michaels continued. “I take it this is not usual?”

Jesper shook his head. “Not in a thousand years. The dark houses may despise humans, but only slightly less than they hate each other.”

“I need you to find out what they are planning.”

Jesper winced. “I thought you might say that. Can’t you just drop in? You know, go all host invisible and check it out?”

Michaels shook his head. “I cannot meddle in the affairs of the Fae.”

“Hah! But it’s okay to send your minion into the lion’s den. Do you know what Skovanka does to anyone that crosses him?”

Michaels pointed down at his stew. “I believe he’s partial to fawn.”

Twenty-Six

Eve waitedfor everyone to go to lunch. If she was going to do this, there really needed to be no-one else around.

She’d been wearing Gran’s pendant for a few days now, beneath high-necked jumpers to keep it hidden. Wearing it felt naughty, like something she shouldn’t be doing. It was so ostentatious and, she suspected, so valuable, that wearing it was like strolling around with a 10-carat diamond on your finger. But therewasmore to it. Initially, the effects were subtle, but over time, she was noticing an undeniable boost to her energy.

With its gold in contact with her chest, Eve automatically stood straighter and felt stronger. Observing herself, she could clearly see that her skin had taken on a kind of radiance that no make-up would ever have achieved, and mentally she was having some kind of epiphany of clarity.

She felt powerful. There was no other way of putting it. What those powers were, she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Not yet.

Eve took the pendant from around her neck and held it up to the case where Ishtar’s crown sat on the head of a beautiful mannequin. It had been Rupert’s idea to help bring the goddess to life, although the model was last used in an exhibition aboutCleopatra and still looked distinctly like the Queen of Egypt rather than Babylon.

Her grandmother’s star glowed with the same warm light as the crown, and holding them closely together like this, it was obvious they were made from the same ancient metal. They belonged together.

Eve checked around for onlookers one last time, opened the display case, and slipped her pendant from its chain.

The top of the crown had an inconspicuous empty setting, a detail she’d noticed, staring dreamily into the case the previous day. There was a thin opening in the design which, on further inspection, turned out to have structure around it. Trusting her instincts, Eve slid a point of the star into it and lifted the crown from the mannequin’s glassy eyed head.

The star sat securely in the setting. It was a perfect fit.

Eve’s heart rate quickened. The star sparkled, catching light in every facet, brighter and brighter the longer she looked. Her fingers buzzed against the gold. Reuniting the crown and the star had forged a connection, she was sure of it. The Crown of Ishtar and her star. The desire to place it on her head was overwhelming.

She closed her eyes and lowered it slowly into position.

---