Pretty Spelled by K.A Knight
Atlas
We have to kill Lilith.
There is no other choice. I know that. It’s the reason I travelled to the museum where the weapon that may be able to help us is. I found it in my research over four months ago, but I never wanted to tell them. I never wanted to use it. Now we have to. Each step without her hand in mine is agony. Each breath in rubbing at the raw wound of my shattered heart. I am a walking, open wound.
“So tell us again how you know about this…” Remi trails off.
“Khopesh,” I finish for her.
“Right, khopesh.” Cassandra nods seriously and then looks over at me. “What’s a khopesh?”
Bella laughs, wrapping her arm around her. “Oh, my sweet, summer child, it’s a weapon.”
“Yes, but what kind?” Dabria asks, and I groan. Why have I been left with the women? I feel like a giant among them and very out of place. I have also somehow ended up holding Remi’s bag as she pulls weapons out and straps them on. My brothers ordered me to stay here, saying they could handle this. They are buying tickets, checking out security in Khalid’s case, and talking to workers. They said they could blend in easier than me, but all apart from Khalid, I don’t see how. It could have something to do with the magic burning around me in a never-ending torrent, which I cannot tame.
“It’s more like we are babysitting you,” Alejandra offers, and Mira giggles as I glare down at them. Ever since we united to help Lilith, the family bond has tripled. It also seems that our powers have started to filter through my brothers’ women, as if they are sharing them, ever since Lilith appeared anyway, and a lovely new one is telepathy.
“You talk a lot more in your mind than you do out loud,” Mira comments and then steps closer, laying her hand softly on my arm. The only reason I don’t pull away is because I can feel the lack of passion—it’s more of a sisterly love—in her touch. Those green eyes lock on me. “I hear the broken song of your heart,” she whispers so the others don’t hear us. “Let me help you?”
“No.” I pull my arm away gently, shivering from her touch. She may be family, but only Lilith gets to touch me. “I want to feel it. It makes it real,” I reply, staring down at her. She doesn’t look away until we hear footsteps, and one by one, my brothers reappear. They greet their mates, Calder lowering his head and listening to Mira. His gaze slides to me for a moment, and I stand taller under his regard, ignoring the worry in their eyes.
“Stop focusing on me. What did you find?” I snap, and they share looks as if I can’t see them, but I ignore it. I know I look crazed, I feel that way as well.
“I bought us tickets to get in, and Khalid shifted and walked through. The blade isn’t on display. After sneaking into the back, we found it there in a glass case getting ready for display. Our best bet is to avoid the security cameras, have Khalid go in the back as a delivery worker, and swipe a keycard—”
“No,” I snarl.
“No?” Slate echoes, his eyebrows raised.
“No. Khalid and I will go through the back—”
Ciar snorts. “No offence, brother, you don’t exactly blend in.”
I throw him a glare. “Khalid will shift, and I will magic us some uniforms and control it. Once there, we do not need keycards. I have found modern technology does not like ancient magic, it tends to fizzle out. We get in and get the sword. Kyro and Cassandra will wait here just in case. The rest of you will be in the museum blending in. Once we have it, we’ll regroup here, and I will transport us home. Understood?” I order, sweeping my eyes across them. I don’t know if it’s a good plan or if they simply don’t want to argue with me, but they all nod.
Khalid kisses Remi, and we silently head across the busy road before the museum. It’s early morning, barely even open, but the traffic is already queued up and horns are honking. The smells of the subway, of so many humans bustling around, and food being cooked saturates the air. They are talking on phones, laughing. It all hits me, and my nose twitches, but I surge ahead. I prefer solitude than cities, but we have to do what we have to do.
We cross the road, and I follow Khalid around the back of the giant museum. I found out through contacts in the underground that the khopesh was being shipped here after being sold. If they knew the magic and power it held, they would try to destroy it, not display it, but it makes it easier for us. Up until about two years ago, it was in the possession of a very bad, dark magic user who I would not want to tangle with. I heard stories of him, even saw him once in the fights in Russia, and it was when I saw the weapon and learned of its history.
It intrigued me, so I researched it more. It’s an ancient weapon from Egypt, with its origin in death and sacrifice. It was tainted by all the blood spilled on its blade, trapping souls and powers until it became one of the strongest magical artifacts in the world. It’s capable of great damage when you know how to use it. I thought that we may be able to use it against Lilith since she’s old magic and dark, just like the blade. They may cancel each other out, because it’s clear we can’t do this the normal way.
We wait in the side alley, leaning against the wall. I watch the street as Khalid waits for prey. We only have to wait ten minutes until a half asleep, smoking employee stumbles down, ready to get started on work. I grab him, and a second later, Khalid has him knocked out and his skin ripples and changes before me. I will never get used to that. He even has his clothes. I, on the other hand, scan the garb and recreate them on me, adding a hat and tugging it down to cover my face. My magic should interrupt the cameras, but I can never be too careful. It is, after all, how conspiracy theorists and believers try to prove that magic and aliens exist. The flashes of interruption from a supernatural.
I nod at Khalid, and we walk slowly around the corner, our heads down as we chat. We don’t rush so we won’t stand out in case there are any workers. There’s a silver locked gate, but a simple zap of my magic has it unlocking with a buzz and letting us in. I close it behind us, and we cross the employee car park to the loading doors. Both huge shutters are closed, but there is a door with a ramp partially wedged open, and I follow Khalid to it.
He slips through, but I have to open the door farther and turn to get inside, but once there, he tugs me behind a huge rack filled with wooden boxes and presses his fingers to his lips, and then I hear it. Talking, the clack of heels. The woman stops at an open box in the middle of the room, checking the contents and talking on her phone, clipboard in hand. We wait, impatiently in my mind. My heart beats faster, and I clench my fists. I need to move, to do something. Just standing here has memories crowding my head, the sound of my mate…
Shit.
Khalid’s hand lands on my arm, his eyes narrowed, and he moves closer, whispering, “You’re not here. Think of something else. A happy place, a place no one can reach you. It’s you and Lilith, the sea is crashing, the sun is shining. She’s laughing in that adorable way, her dress trailing as she runs, dragging you along after her. Remember how her breath catches when you say her name. Feel the sun on your skin, the sand under your feet. Smell the ocean and the breeze. Feel it, brother, let it transport you away and calm your heart.”
I frown but close my eyes and imagine it. It helps, and when I crack open my eyes again, I’m calmer, and he’s smiling sadly. I frown in question, and he looks away for a moment before turning back to me. “It was how I survived Mother and Father,” is all he says before stepping back. I stare at my brother, wondering what his happy place was, and anger on his behalf fills me. He had to find a happy place, an escape from the pain, at such a young age.
We wait there for another five minutes before the woman finally walks away. Khalid lets out a breath and darts from behind the racks. I follow after him, and he moves through the back space easily, knowing where to go. My sly assassin brother is comfortable, confident. Such a far cry from the broken boy I left behind.
I should have never left. I should have kept us together. All of us should have tried harder, because no matter how much I was hurting, they were as well. Our family was broken for centuries, I can’t change that, but I can keep us whole now. I’m just thankful to Remi for healing him and helping him love himself again, for finding the warrior that was always there, always underneath. Out of all my brothers, they always say I’m the strongest, but it’s a lie.
Mishal overcame more than I could have ever imagined. He shares his head with a whole other person.
Ciar was born with a thirst, one so strong, it could have made him a mindless feeder, a monster draining the life of others, but instead, he used it to better himself. To make a life for him and his mate, he refrained from killing, even when it was easier than stopping.
Calder survived betrayal, the loss of his sister, of his family. It might have jaded him, but when it mattered, he was able to open his heart once again and make himself vulnerable, the strongest trait of all.
Slate was trapped in his animal form for so long, he could have given in, become feral, grown into the monster our parents always wanted, but he didn’t. He fought, and he stayed no matter how many years it took. How much it hurt.
Kyro managed to find the happiness and laughter in life, even when it seemed bleak. He managed to remain in the sun when the dark wanted to consume him.
Khalid… Khalid overcame the utter evil and darkness in this world that left him scarred. He survived what no other would have, including me. Their strengths astound me.
If only my family knew their true strength lies not in their powers, not in being gods, but in the humanity running through their veins, the humanity their mates help boost, love, and embrace. When I’m gone, I know they will be okay, and it helps me breathe easier. Khalid stops at two large metal doors with a keypad to the left and a camera with a blinking red light turning towards us.
He looks at me, and I blast both. The camera light flickers off, the keypad beeps, and then the doors swing open. Khalid grins at me. “Knew you were useful for something, brother.”
“Get in there,” I murmur, ignoring his joke. He whistles as he heads inside, and I follow. It seems like a clean room, with the floor being a spotless tile, the walls too. There are bright LED lights overhead and a vault at the back. Rows upon rows of glass containers feature different objects—books, weapons, and masks. You name it, they have it.
“How do we find it?” Khalid murmurs, staring at the giant room.
“We follow the magic,” I reply. “Watch the door.”
Kal nods and leans back against it as I close my eyes and center myself, sending my magic out into the room in searching tendrils. I get a small burst back, and I turn and begin to walk, following it, trusting my senses to avoid the other containers.
I keep following it to the back of the room, only opening my eyes once I feel the pulsing of dark magic. When I open them, I see the khopesh in the glass box. Its blade is dull with time and rust. It looks ancient, which it is, but as I watch, black smoke escapes it—the trapped magic. I can feel the crying of the imprisoned souls within. I don’t know how the humans can’t sense it, but I’m doing them a favour by taking it off their hands. I spot the blinking light in the glass casing, probably an alarm.
I send a wave of magic to disrupt the system and hope it works as I gently press my fingers to the glass and start to lift, my breath hitching as I wait in case it goes off. When no sound is heard, I slowly lay the glass case on the one next to it and reach inside, lifting the weapon from the silk overlay. It feels weak, brittle, but this weapon has survived centuries of war and death, changing hands and dark magic.
Turning to Khalid, I keep it firmly in my hands, countering the dark magic trying to seep through to my skin to mix with my own. It’s unknown if the magic turns users dark, or if users are already dark and it simply amplifies it, but I won’t be risking it, not with my family here. None of them will be touching it, barring me.
We go out the same way we came in. Luckily, we don’t run into anyone, and by the time we get across the road, the others are trickling back as well until we are all standing in a circle. I carefully put the blade in a bag I brought with protection stones and herbs and tie it to my hip.
“Okay then, now—” Remi stops, pulling a phone from her back pocket, which continues to vibrate.
“You have to answer,” Kyro teases her.
“No shit,” she mutters and then looks up. “It’s my council contact.”
With a sigh, she answers it and puts it on speaker. “Hunter,” a strong voice calls out, “I have a contract—”
“Uh-huh, you can take the contract and stick it up your arse and fuck it,” she snaps. “You tried to kill me.”
“Not me,” he retorts. “The council did, their orders, I’m simply a messenger like you. Plus, we have new leadership, and she is calling in all hunters.”
“Why?” Remi asks.
“Because the world is going to hell,” he almost yells. “Zombies, supernaturals, all rebelling. Wars and battles are breaking out. It’s going to be a bloodbath, and then we will be ruined. Your contract is simple. Kill everything causing chaos and help figure out what the hell is happening.” We all share a look.
“I’ll make her a deal, put her on,” Remi orders.
“She is the leader of our—oh my god, sorry,” he squeaks, and a moment later, a purring female voice comes over the phone.
“This is Dawn. I don’t know your name or who you are. I know you worked for the old council, so you know how much of a cunt they were—”
“Little monster,” comes a deep voice laced with mirth.
“What? They were. I’m not them. I’m trying to stop what they have been doing, but two days into my fucking reign, chaos breaks out, and you clearly hate those old fuckers as much as I do. So what will it take to gain your help?” Even my eyebrows raise. Who is this new leader? Someone asking for help? That doesn’t usually happen.
“A deal, my freedom from you all. I’ll help stop this” —she winks at me, knowing we are already doing it— “and I’m free from your service.”
“Deal,” Dawn says without question. “It’s an archaic practice anyway, stupid, fucking old pricks,” she mutters. “When it’s over, come and see me, okay? I know you were around a lot longer than most others, so you might be able to give me some advice on how to help change the laws and our people for the better.”
“Who are you?” I demand.
There’s silence. “Name’s Dawn. Skinwalker, god fucker, and monster collector at your service. Now, I’ve got to go and kill some fucking people over politics.” She hangs up, and we all turn to stare at Khalid, who smiles slowly.
“My people are the best,” he remarks.
“I guess we better find some of Lils—her people,” Cassandra offers, wincing over the name and throwing me a look when I jolt. Dabria nods, and Mira hums.
“But how?” Alejandra queries with a frown, her hand held tightly in Slate’s. “I could try and trace the magic—”
“You guys are cute. We do it the same way you find everything,” Bella suggests, and Remi grins at her. I should have known those two would get on.
“You follow the sounds of screams and bloodshed?” Remi finishes, and they share an evil little smile, which even has my brothers looking concerned. Well, apart from Ciar, who stares at her lovingly, as if it only makes him love her more. Bella touches the whip at her hip. “I’m raring for a good fight. Let’s go let off some steam, shall we?”
That’s when I get an idea, one to send fear into the woman who has possessed and killed my mate. She should know we are coming for her. She should know that she won’t get this world. It’s ours, and she will die at my hands, knowing the one man who wanted to keep her alive will be her demise.
An evil smile tips up my lips, and even Remi and Bella look worried this time.
Good.
She took my wildflower. I’m going to take her soul.
