Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Harley Merlin, #6)

“Are you out of your mind?” one of the men wheezed up at Finch, who held a burning ball in his hands.

“Security magicals have no place here.” Finch launched another attack. One burst of Fire hit the bar floor, scorching a hole in it.

“We don’t want trouble. We’re just here to drink,” the second guy shouted.

“Find somewhere else!” Finch sent out another fireball, while I sent out a vibration through the floor that shot up in a tree. It knocked aside the table as it exploded through the hole I’d already made. If Finch is trying to get all eyes on us, it’s working.

“Stop before you do something you’ll regret!” the first guy warned.

Finch grinned through Pieter’s face. “When the end of the world comes, those who follow the system will be the first to fall. When Katherine rises, you will suffer. She will soon reign supreme, and I’d rather be on the winning side than end up dead in the dirt with you losers.”

I cast a subtle glance at the corner and found that Naima was watching us, though she remained in her seat. Her amber eyes flashed with curiosity.

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you,” the first guy hissed as he ducked out of the way of the Water tornado. He held his phone to his ear, evidently calling for backup from any security magicals in the area.

Finch turned to me. “Run,” he whispered.

Turning tail, we sprinted for the door, down the cobbled street, and up the stairs through the kiosk, with Finch sending a couple of magical smoke bombs over his shoulder for good measure.

Yeah, if that didn’t get her attention, nothing will.





Fifteen





Finch





Harley and I ducked down a side alley between two buildings. Up the street, our followers pounded the sidewalk and missed us completely. They looked pissed. And they’d be calling for their pals to come help.

We pressed up against the wall. The shade from an oak tree cast its darkness on us and kept us out of sight. It had been a bold move, but it’d definitely caught Naima’s attention. As I peered up the alley to see if anyone was doubling back, laughter burst from my throat. I couldn’t help it. It hit me like a punch in the stomach. I sank down onto the ground, howling.

“Ah man, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.” I wrapped my arms around my chest as I collapsed in hysterics.

Harley stared at me as if I’d lost my mind, a faint hint of a smile on her lips. She was dying to laugh. I could tell. She had to see the funny side of this. We’d just smoke-bombed two off-duty security magicals for the sake of getting into the Cult of Eris. It was insane. And hilarious.

“Oh come on, you’re allowed to laugh.” I jabbed her playfully in the leg. “Stop being such a coven drone.”

She snorted. “A coven what?”

“A try-hard. Someone who takes covens too seriously. Wade’s the perfect example. He was born a drone, poor sucker.” I grinned at her. Let’s push some buttons. My favorite pastime.

“Hey, Wade isn’t a drone!” she protested. “He’s broken his fair share of rules and done plenty of things you’d probably go crazy over. He helped break you out of prison, remember?”

My laughter subsided to a wheeze. “You got me there. He did good.”

“Yeah, well, don’t call him that again,” she said, catching her breath. The smile remained on her lips. She was amused, she just didn’t want to show it. Hell, she probably agreed with me. Wade was the epitome of the upper-class elite. He’d been as indoctrinated as me, learning how to stand in line and obey. Maybe Harley was good for both of us. You’re getting soft, Finch.

“Fine. I won’t call your boy a drone.”

“Much appreciated.” She looked down at me, and her smile widened.

I laughed. “You totally agree with me.”

“I mean, he’s getting better at bending the rules…”

“Must be your good influence.”

She rolled her eyes. “Now I know you’re mocking me.”

“Only a little.”

“How’s your Ephemera?” She nodded to my pocket.

I took out the small orb. The gem inside was still glowing brightly. “All good. Looks like Krieger did a good job ramping up their power. I reckon I’ve got a couple more uses.”

“Well, don’t go overboard.”

I grinned. “Yes, Mom.”

We both turned as footsteps approached, and a dark figure cast a shadow down the alleyway. For a second, I worried the security magicals had come back. They hadn’t. It was the same hooded figure from the bar. Naima, for sure. I’d have known that face anywhere. For a moment, I forgot I’d shifted into Pieter Mazinov and wondered why she didn’t look shocked to see me. And then I remembered she had no recognition of this face at all. Good.

During my time in the cult, nobody had messed with Naima. Her temper was short and always leapt toward violence before anything else. Right now, she stood as imposing and fearsome as ever. Terror gripped me unexpectedly, in case she had somehow figured out what I was doing here. She’d finish the job that Kenneth Willow hadn’t been able to, in an instant, if she sensed who I really was. The only thing keeping me from making a run for it was Harley. She’d told me that they’d overpowered Naima twice before. With her pumped-up powers, I hoped she could again, if she had to.

It changed my view of Naima completely. As I looked at her with fresh eyes, I realized she didn’t frighten me anymore. Instead, I felt sorry for her. Katherine was her world, and Katherine didn’t give a damn about anyone but herself. Naima was trailing after the impossible. If she kept on trying to seek validation and affection, it’d destroy her, too. Katherine wasn’t capable of returning such feelings. I doubted she ever had been.

“Who are you?” Naima cut straight to the point.

I got up and dusted myself off. “Pieter Mazinov, and this is my sister, Volla.” I stuck out my hand for her to shake. She eyed it but didn’t take my hand. All people, aside from Katherine, were beneath her.

“I know of you. I thought you were mauled to death by polar bears.”

“That was the story. The heat on us was too much; it was the best thing we could do to get the bounty hunters off our tail.” I didn’t miss a beat. “We’ve been keeping a low profile, to keep up appearances. But then we heard about Katherine and her cult, and we had to come out of hiding. We want to join.”

Naima flashed her fangs. “Why?”

Harley stepped up beside me. “Because of Katherine’s success so far. I don’t see anyone else actually doing something about the state of the system. She’s a total badass. She’s actually getting stuff done. She killed the freaking president of the UCA!” She wore a twisted smile on her new face. Attagirl. “If there’s a reckoning coming, we want to be on the right side. We’d be idiots to stay on the sidelines when she could bring people like us to glory.”

“I was rather impressed with the way you handled yourselves in there,” Naima said after a short pause. “But that is not enough to gain access to the Cult of Eris. We have had a great deal of trouble regarding moles sent from the magical authorities, and it is very tiresome to have to execute them. We will not be making similar mistakes again.”

“So you won’t let us join?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

She shrugged. “You are not on my list of potential candidates, who have been personally headhunted by Katherine herself. So, no, you will not be permitted to join her ranks. I imagine you have no way to prove that you are not spies, and so you are not worthy of our time.”

Well, that didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. I’d seen plenty of people brought into Katherine’s ranks who were way less useful than the Mazinov siblings. I was totally stumped. How were we supposed to convince Naima to let us in now? I’d had one route, and she’d blocked it. Not that I was giving up. I was itching to see Katherine again, and not in a good way. Nothing would stop me from succeeding in my mission. I guessed that grim determination still ran deep in both of our veins.





Sixteen





Harley