I was so shocked I was speechless.
With Estacio dead, we’ve lost a valuable lead—one of only two, really—to the Coven. His murder (I am assuming he didn’t die of natural causes since Jester was contemplating who the ‘killers’ were) strongly suggests that he really IS involved with the Coven, because it would be too damn convenient for him to die on the very night the AG decides to haul him in for questioning. It also suggests that whatever information he had would be damaging enough that he needed to be eliminated. This also meant that he wasn’t useful enough for them to be kept alive.
Suddenly, a lot of the little things I’ve felt were strange fell into place.
Chief Hogar and his collaborators. The underground party. The exploding glass. And now, our suspect’s dead body.
“Are you alright, dear?” the Commander asked me gently, but there was steel in her knowing gaze. I didn’t realize
“It would be easier for you if you cooperate during the interrogation,” I said, stepping forward. “Depending on the information you provide, your sentence might be—"“You don’t scare me, witch,” he said the last word like a curse.“I should. I’m the one who’ll be interrogating you, after all,” I said, looking him in the eyes. “I am offering you a chance, Chief Hogar. I actually don’t think you have anything to offer us that could be worth a reduced sentence, but I’m an optimistic person.”I turned to each of the captured traitors with the coldest gaze I could muster, the same look I used when I was Princess Lavinia during the finale of Bonecastle Life. In that scene I was sentencing to death the mastermind who had killed my entire family and nearly plunged the country into civil war.“Estacio is dead because he had information that the other side didn’t w
The moment I settled in beside Jester inside Agent Alveston’s vehicle, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I didn’t dream. Whether it was because of Holly, or because I was too tired to even dream, I don’t know.It felt like I had closed my eyes for just a second, then the next thing I knew, Jester was gently shaking me awake.“Did I fall asleep?” I asked, once again waking up to see his handsome face over mine. Seriously, this is the third time in twenty-four hours. Was I an angel in my past life? What did I do to deserve such a blessing?“Obviously,” he replied, ever so rudely.“You could have princess-carried me like before,” I suggested. Next time, I won’t respond so he’ll have no choice but to do so.Jester snorted. “I only carry the injured and dying. Last time, you were both.” But he held out a hand to help me down from the vehicle, which I gladly accepted. AG vehicl
Jester’s warning was, of course, completely ignored.Had it been any other situation, the members of the Fourth would have listened to and obeyed their Vice-Commander unconditionally. In the few months since occupying his position, Jester had proven himself to be more than capable of holding the title, and had gained the respect (if not admiration) of his unit. His combat proficiency and masterful command of his Summoned creatures made him a reliable agent in the field. His diligence and no-nonsense attitude produced good results and kept the rowdier agents in line. And the consistently cold and brutally honest rejections he dealt to the women (and some men) who wanted to try a bit of office-romance were also well-known and unofficially documented. To date, there was a total of nineteen defeated souls wandering around the HQ, some perhaps looking for easier hearts to conquer. Many more chose to silently admire him from a distance, seeing the failure of their colleagues
Jester was not impressed. “You know, you can give the Commander a run for her money when it comes to vague pronouncements,” he said with raised eyebrows. “Give me a name, or we’re leaving now.”“I don’t know his name! I would have told you if I knew,” the dwarf snapped. “I don’t even know what he looks like, but I know he’s one of them—whoever killed Estacio, it’s either him or someone who works for him.”“So, you don’t know anything after all.”“Wait, no, that’s—please, let me explain—” the dwarf struggled to rise from his seat, but the spells kept him in place. “Miss Vega! You’ll regret it, I know you will, if you walk away now! Please—”The desperation in his voice was sincere enough to make Jester pause—but it was Alisa’s hand on his arm that made him turn around.‘I think
Alisa went white. Jester couldn’t blame her. Having someone tell you to your face that they wanted you dead isn’t a good experience. He should know—he had been receiving death threats since before he came to Earth, and most of them came from people he had once considered family. So Jester spoke up, completely unfazed. “Are you threatening us? You’re showing incredible pluck for someone in your situation.” “I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to her. The Vega princess,” he spat, hate and disgust rolling off of him with every word. The old dwarf leaned forward. “I hate your family, Miss Vega. Did you know that? I hate people like you the most. You use your wealth and influence to make everything go your way! You trample over those who oppose you or are of no use to you. You pretend to be righteous and honorable, but I know that’s all a façade. You break the law, but you never pay for your crimes. Your family built an empire of lies and blood and you’re no different—”
I was hungry. I realized this after I finished scrolling through all the messages Bea, Sirel and Montana had left me throughout the night. I hadn’t realized until after I talked to Conrad that I hadn’t checked my phone since I arrived yesterday morning. So many things have happened, and it’s been barely more than a day. I became an official member of the Fourth Special Unit, was accused of being a spy and had a banned spell cast on me by the guy I like, after which I had to be knocked out because I lost control of my Gift and put a lot of people in danger. When I came to, Jester introduced me to one of his Summoned creatures, and had to explain to me the real situation behind the Wane and what the Fourth was really investigating. I then got to meet the team the Commander put together to counter the threat of the Coven, got dragged off to Oren for my first mission, and when we finally got back to HQ and I had some rest, I got yelled at by the criminal we had captured and near
Jester decided it was best if he went home for a day or so. He was curious (and maybe a bit suspicious) about the renovations his mother kept mentioning whenever he called. Alisa owned their building now—anything was possible.He weighed his options as he made his way to the Commander’s office.Considering the situation, it didn’t seem like the captured criminals had any more information to give. And even if they did, he was certain Agent Alveston could handle them. Agent Kaye and Agent d’Or were fully occupied with coordinating with both the police and the TWMO in apprehending the rest of Estacio’s crew and checking for anything that could give them a clue about what the Coven was really up to. Agent Boris was devoting himself to tracking down the silver pieces Hogar had mentioned, while Diane and Dr. Hansel were studying the ring that Hogar claimed was made from Anomaly remains. Alisa was dividing her time between helping Agent Boris coa
Jester chose not to comment on his mother’s advice. For some reason, it had sounded almost like a plea.So instead, he pulled out a small bundle wrapped in paper. It was the object Alveston had gone to retrieve—earning him a black eye from its keeper—and Cressida’s eyes widened when she recognized what it was.“So, your elf friend succeeded,” she said, taking the package.“Not without difficulty, I’m told.”“No, I don’t imagine that little minx would have been glad to give this up. Even though she doesn’t know what this really was.”Cressida unwrapped it. Inside was a rectangular slab of black rock, roughly the same size as her palm. On one side was an engraved design of an eye and a star, sparkling as if drawn on with golden ink. A Wishing Stone. It was basically pure power in the form of a tacky paperweight. And there were only six of these in existence. T
Jester swiped his hand to the left. The wall before him tore itself up and crumbled to dust before being sucked into a void known as Jorus, exposing the figures inside.Only two people remained standing. One was a familiar figure, tall and broad, with a white mask covering his face. The other was leaner, smaller than the masked man, with a handsome face and cold, dead eyes. This man held in his arms a woman with golden hair in a fancy red dress. The features of her beautiful face were obscured by the blood seeping from her head, and around her slender neck was a fiery tattoo, like a necklace of thorns painted on her skin.A curse mark, in its most potent form.Alisa. His Alisa.Everything in Jester fell still, and whatever rationality he had left was burned away by fear and fury.*****An explosion of black—an oppressive, all-consuming darkness surrounded them in the blink of an eye. This darkness was unnatural. It wasn’t a darkness born from a lack of light, rather, it felt to him li
Jester had several misgivings about attending the Finale as Alisa’s date. He had to dress fancy. He had to listen to a rabid crowd scream his name and fight the urge to run away. He had to let the paparazzi take pictures without breaking their limbs. He even had to stop scowling.But the Finale was important to Alisa. She had asked him to come, and he knew if he did, it would mean the world to her, so how could he refuse her?At first, it wasn’t so bad. The suit was surprisingly comfortable, and though it was fancier than what he was used to wearing (it had a cape, for crying out loud) at least it was in black and grey, and not—gods forbid—egg-yolk yellow or neon green (like what he saw some of the other guests were wearing). Their red-carpet entrance was also quickly over with, and like what Aisha had said, all that was left to endure was the small-talk.It only took a few minutes after Alisa left, though, for Jester to realize he could only bear with this situation in her presence.
TEN MINUTES BEFORE EVERYTHING WENT TO HELL, VIP SECTIONAn intense tremor shook the Stadium, accompanied by alarmed yelling and swearing and the sound of shattering glasses as surprised guests dropped to the floor or crawled under the tables. Before the shaking even stopped, an alarm ripped through the air. Colin felt a foreboding sense of deja vu when he recognized what it meant.CODE BLACK: ANOMALY BREACH DETECTEDLOCKDOWN PROTOCOL IN EFFECT. THIS EVENT IS HEREBY CANCELLED. ALL GUESTS AND RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN WITHIN THE BORDER. PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND FOLLOW EVACUATION PROTOCOL.The last time M’lonia had a Breach was nearly fifty years ago. Not only were there fewer active Faults in Ellenis as a whole (when you compare it to Earth or Oren), but the Elven capital of M’lonia was literally in the middle of nowhere, and under miles of sand and bedrock to boot. Some studies have claimed that the possibility of a new Breach forming in an area without a history of a Fault decreas
I suddenly stopped feeling bad for my PA when I realized why she was so on edge.They were hiding things from me again. They knew—Bea, Dad, Jester, they all knew—how much I hated that.“Give me my earpiece,” I said to Freya, pointing at the tiny purse on the couch beside her.“You have to focus on the Finale.” Bea said, snatching it away before Freya could even reach for it. “Forget what I said about New York. Right now, focus on the show, and when everything’s done, you can go and cuddle up to Jester as much as you like and have that talk.”“And if I say, ‘No, I don’t want to go to New York?’”Bea wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Come on. Be reasonable. It’s just a health break…”I narrowed my eyes at her, focusing on Bea’s emotions.How suspicious. There was concern for my health, certainly. But strangely, Bea seems to be more focused on my safety rather than the possibility of me relapsing into anorexia. Then, there’s the thing about Sir Merrion following me around on the orders of the King
It was Jester who first stepped out of the car.Broad-shouldered, long and lean, he wore the dark grey suit Alisa had picked out for him, and it fit him like a dream. Unbeknownst to the stylists, the white shirt he was wearing underneath was actually his AG suit, which he had adjusted to copy its appearance. He told Alisa it just felt wrong for him to wear normal clothes when out in public, and convinced her to let him use the suit. Draped over his shoulders was the luxurious cape trimmed with black fur and embroidered in gold that Holly had waved under his nose, and in the flashing lights, the gold thread shimmered.From LeBlanc’s position on the balcony, and with the help of his favorite camera, he could see very clearly why Alisa Vega had fallen for the AG rookie. Had he been into men, LeBlanc himself would have fallen head-over-heels and off of a cliff for him. The build, the figure—there was no angle from which you could take a photograph that wouldn’t flatter him. And that face-
LeBlanc thought that West Park Stadium had never looked more like a treasure chest than it did tonight. It was bright, and shiny, and loud—and the people inside it were equally so.For most of the normal people in the three worlds, the Fashion Week Finale was a show you watch on your holo-screens. But now, LeBlanc was a part of it. He was there in the flesh.He had been fortunate enough to be invited to the Finale as a guest by his editor, and though he was not strictly required to work during the event, the photographer in him could not resist slinging his favorite camera over his shoulder. Fashion Week was like an all-you-can-eat buffet for him—there was no way he was passing up an opportunity to photograph the elite of the elite of the fashion world, in all their splendor. Of course, he would not be allowed to publicize any of his photographs unless he gains consent from his subjects. But he didn’t mind. He didn’t pursue photography for the money or the potential connections he cou
It didn’t take very long for someone to knock on the door and remind them that Alisa had things to do, and places to be.In reality, it had only been about three hours since they left the others in the drawing room. Emotionally though, to Jester it felt like an entire day had gone by. In a mere three hours, Alisa had gone from ‘angry-girlfriend’ to ‘sweet seductress’ to ‘vulnerable, guilt-ridden, accidental murderess’ and finally, now she was ‘the-show-must-go-on, high-fashion supermodel with a probable eating disorder’, and he sat in bed watching her reapplying her makeup and slipping on those icepick heels.As if she hadn’t been crying her eyes out and dripping snot over his shirt a few minutes ago.Alisa is more than just a pretty face, strutting around in glamorous outfits and smiling for the cameras. She was more than just the Vega name and the influence that goes with it. She’s also more than just a girl with a powerful Gift.Alisa—his Alisa—is lovely, complicated, and unique. S
Things went back to normal almost immediately after that. That mugging incident never happened again, and it was easy to forget about something horrible if it’s not happening directly to you. Marcus was his usual possessive self, and I should have had no expectations otherwise. He changed my memories, so of course I don’t have a proper recollection of what happened. There shouldn’t be any reason for me to feel uneasy with him.But I did. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew what was really going on. I think Marcus could tell, too. He became even more obsessed with keeping me by his side. There was even a rumor at school going around that he and I were dating secretly, because he’s always holding my hand.I’m sure that Aisha told you Marcus needed physical contact to reinforce his Gift, right? I think at that time Marcus was still testing the limits of his Gift. He was afraid of being apart from me because he wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t remember things I shouldn’t.
We found ourselves in bed again…though not in the same way as we were a few hours ago.For one thing, we were dressed. Jester now had on a pair of pants and a new shirt, though it was mostly unbuttoned—I hadn’t realized that when he pulled off the first one, it had ripped a little from our eagerness. He said normal clothes were just built too fragile, and he was used to it.“Wow,” I said drily, “How many girls got you ripping your shirt off for them to say you’re used to that?”Jester kissed my forehead. “Just one.”“Really.”“I have the physical strength equal to a hundred humans, Ali. That’s what I meant.”“I know. I was just teasing,” I said.“Huh. Stop trying to distract me.”Resigning myself to the inevitable, I cuddled up to him as I thought about how to begin.Half my hesitation comes from the fact that I still couldn’t wrap my head around what just happened a few hours ago. I’ve always wanted to know how it would feel to kiss someone and touch someone and be so intimate—withou