I guessed he and Tobe shared the most common ground of any creatures in this place. Neither of them was a mindless beast, banging against the glass to get out. Quetzi had been the result of an Aztec warlock’s mighty Purge, and he had emerged extremely powerful and intelligent. However, where Tobe was gentle and kind, Quetzi didn’t have the same inclinations. At least, that was the suspicion, based on the legend that preceded him.
“I wonder what’ll come out when I have my first Purge,” I mused aloud, watching Quetzi.
“You are a strong Santeria. I imagine it will be impressive.”
“You think?”
He nodded, his mane bristling. “I’ve done this long enough to have a sixth sense about these things.”
“I think my first one might be on its way,” I admitted.
Tobe seemed surprised. “That is somewhat early for you, I should think. You are powerful, but you don’t use your abilities as often as others might,” he said. “The average is once every five years, after reaching adulthood. You’ve only undergone three years, if I am not mistaken?”
“Nearly four.”
“At least you’re not one of the poor souls who Purges every year. Still, that may be why you’re having trouble sleeping. All of that toxic energy building up inside you—some internal discontentment, of mind and body, is to be expected.”
I nodded. “Yep, I can pretty much feel four-ish years of toxic waste gathering inside me like a nasty ball of grime. It’s like someone came in and replaced my blood with syrup.”
Tobe chuckled. “I will be here to help you through it, when the time comes.”
“You better.” I flashed him a smile.
“I wonder how the Dempsey Suppressor will affect Harley’s ability to Purge,” he said a moment later. “She’s rather powerful, even with that device fitted. We saw a glimpse of it today, during the pledge. There were several moments when I feared for my life, and I know I wasn’t the only one.”
“A big, burly bestia like you? Get out of here. You weren’t scared.”
His whiskers twitched. “Very well, I feared for your lives.”
“Much appreciated.” I laughed. “From what I’ve seen, Harley is determined to learn the ropes as quickly as she can, to harness her powers at their full capacity. Mind you, I know from experience that that’s one hell of a way to end up with rope burn. Not that I can blame her. I’d do the same in her place. It’s got to be frustrating, to have all this mojo and not be able to do anything about it, through no fault of your own.”
“I imagine so.”
“She’s eager to have the surgery to get the Suppressor out, ASAP. It’s just a matter of Krieger giving her a time and a place.”
Tobe sighed. “I thought as much.”
“You don’t think she should?”
His amber eyes stared into the distance. “I can understand the desire, but I worry that it will make her as vulnerable as it will make her powerful. It will intensify the target already painted upon her back.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
Truth be told, I saw a lot of myself in Harley. We both spoke our minds and weren’t afraid to stand our ground. I admired her determination to get the Suppressor out, but I worried about her too. Harley was smart as a whip yet driven by a stubborn streak that could get her into trouble. I knew it, because I shared the same streak.
Based on what Finch had said, Katherine Shipton was coming for Harley. If Harley didn’t know how to properly defend herself, Katherine would finish the job she’d started nineteen years ago. An end to the Merlin clan, once and for all.
Six
Santana
With my head still all over the place, and more on edge than I’d been before my chat with Tobe, I left the Bestiary and wandered down the hallways toward the living quarters. I had a few hours to kill and figured a nap would be as good a way as any to make the time go quicker. Besides, if I wanted to make it through the evening patrol without keeling over, I needed some shuteye. The Orishas were particularly loud today. Now that I’d spoken to Tobe, I got the feeling their increased chatter had something to do with my one-way ticket to Purgetown. They repelled the gathering darkness.
I staggered to a halt as a door swung open on the left, narrowly missing my face. Raffe, hunched and visibly raging, stormed out. He didn’t see me as he strode up the hallway, his hands balled into fists. Leonidas followed a moment later.
“Get back here now!” Leonidas roared.
I ducked behind the door.
“Why?” Raffe whirled around. “You’ve said everything you have to say. I don’t want to hear anymore.”
“You will listen to me!”
“No, Father, I won’t. I’m not your punching bag to lay into whenever you feel like it. You’ve made it very clear how worthless you think I am—I’m not going to hear any more of it. Go home!”
Leonidas squared up to his son. “Get back in this room this instant. I’m not done.”
“Well, I am.” Raffe shoved his father hard in the chest, sending him stumbling backward with inhuman force. Leonidas dusted himself off, but I could tell he was scared. Raffe’s “condition” terrified his father—that much was obvious. As much as I hated to see Raffe warring with the djinn, it seemed like the only protection he had, the only weapon powerful enough to use against his father.
“Calm down, Raffe,” Leonidas urged, his voice tight with anxiety. I had no sympathy for the arrogant asshole. It took something intensely personal to rile Raffe up to the point where his eyes glowed red. Whatever Leonidas had said or done, he’d evidently earned Raffe’s fury. Apparently, it wasn’t just Raffe who had serious issues with Leonidas—the djinn seemed to equally dislike him, feeding off the dysfunction.
It burned me up inside to see Raffe’s suffering. If my eyes could flash red, they’d be doing it right now. An empathetic fire of fury.
“I’m calm,” Raffe spat back. “Can you just leave me alone now? I don’t want to be around you.”
Leonidas sighed. “Very well, but this is not over, Raffe. You and I still have much to discuss. This coven is unsuitable for you, and I won’t have you drag the Levi name through the dirt. I realize you feel some juvenile urge to get back at me for all the harsh lessons I’ve been forced to teach you, but you will thank me one day.”
“I doubt that.”
“Why must you resist me?” Leonidas edged around his son. “I’m asking you for very little—a bit of surveillance, in order to keep your rogue friends in check. Why do we always have to be in conflict? Why can’t you just do as you are told?”
“Because I don’t agree with anything you say or do.”
Leonidas shook his head. “I have some business to attend to with Alton. I will leave afterward, but I will be back. This matter is not finished. There might be rules in place to forbid me from removing you from this coven, but I will figure something out in due course.”
With that, he walked back into the room he’d come from. His entire body was shaking with barely concealed fear, and he wore a sullen expression. Clearly, he didn’t like being sent away by his son, but he didn’t dare defy Raffe in case the djinn emerged. Up ahead, Raffe remained frozen to the spot. He hadn’t seen me behind the door. With rage in his eyes, he pivoted on his heel and headed up the hallway.
“Hey! Raffe!” I hissed, hurrying past the open door. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leonidas pacing the floor of a dark, mahogany-walled office. I hadn’t seen the room before, but that wasn’t surprising—the coven was massive. It’d take me weeks to check what lay behind every single door, and I didn’t have the time or the desire. Still, Leonidas wasn’t supposed to be here anymore. Alton had led the Mage Council out of the Aquarium with the exact intention of making them leave. Clearly, something had happened on the way out.
Raffe turned around slowly, his midnight eyes flashing a deep crimson. “Santana… sorry, I didn’t see you there,” he muttered. “Do you mind if we keep walking? I don’t want to be anywhere near that office.”
“No problem.”
I followed Raffe up the hallway, turning right at an intersection. He seemed to know where he was going, but I had no idea. Right now, I just wanted to be there for him while he processed whatever had happened with his father.
“Everything okay?” I prompted.
He rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head from side to side. “Not really.”
“Your dad?”
“You heard that, huh?” he said bitterly.
“I thought he left with the others from the Mage Council.”
“Nope, he decided to corner me outside the banquet hall and lead me to the Council Chamber,” he explained, his features twisting in fury. “Nobody’s used that stuffy office for years. He just wanted to drag me somewhere away from everyone else so he could let me know just how disappointed he is with everything I am, and everything I’m doing. Oh, and then to top it all off, he asked me to spy for him and told me he wanted me to leave San Diego. You know, the usual.”
“I’m sorry, Raffe.” I really was. My own family problems were rainbows and goddamn butterflies compared to his. “I hate seeing what he does to you.”
“Nobody riles me up the way he does. He knows just how to get under my skin. I guess years of practice have made him a pro.” His face contorted, revealing someone who looked exactly like Raffe but wasn’t quite him. The mirage disappeared a moment later, Raffe’s chest heaving with the exertion of shoving djinn-boy back down again.
He paused in front of a doorway and pulled a thin, silver chain out from under his t-shirt. A key dangled on the end. I’d never seen it before. His hands shaking, he slotted the key into the lock and turned it. A click sounded in the room beyond.
Glancing down the corridor, I realized we weren’t far from the training halls, and yet I’d never noticed this doorway before. It practically blended into the rest of the wall, melding in a seamless camouflage. Puzzled, I followed Raffe through a narrow hallway just after the door, which ended in a spacious, windowless chamber. Sitting in the center, glowing slightly beneath a single orb of light, was a big glass box, almost identical to the ones kept in the Bestiary. Charms and runes were etched along every edge, some shimmering in the faint light. The only difference I could see was that there were several holes in the outer shell, and a thin veil of energy danced across each one.