A/n: Huge thanks to everyone who's commented, parts should be coming reasonably quickly, three will be out sometime next week.
Part 2
Saffron didn't know why she'd agreed to stay in the house. It gave her the creeps. There was something distinctively *wrong* about it, and she knew she wasn't crazy thinking about it. At least, she was pretty sure. But Jessika was the only person who had spoken to her since she had arrived in town, and it seemed only fair to agree.
It was just a house, she told herself. Maybe someone had died in it a long time ago, or an accident had happened to one of the construction crew or something.
Every time she was in there, it seemed to make the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She felt almost like she had to reach to the pendent around her neck, the amethyst, onyx and emerald design she had had as long as she could remember.
^Get over yourself^ she told herself as she packed a few things. ^It's just a few days in a friend's house, that's all.^ If she kept repeating that to herself over and over, maybe at some point, she might actually convince herself to believe it.
"I'd watch out for those Midnight witches while you're there." Her older sister (though only by a year) Miakoda was lounging in the door to Saffron's room.
Saffron frowned a little as she put a few books in her bag. "What's you mean? Jessika's Twilight. They're okay."
Miakoda shook her head, her sky-blue hair shimmering with its coppery highlights. "It's not her I'm worried about. It's that sister of hers."
Saffron had noticed Jessika's sister Nienna giving her funny looks, but a lot of people gave the Iria sisters odd looks when they were around; it wasn't exactly new. Miakoda preferred most times, to blend in with the humans around her.
Saffron herself didn't really see the point. They weren't human, were never human, so why should they try to be something they were not. They were like no other Night Person she had never met. Saffron liked the uniqueness of it.
"I'm sure you're just being paranoid, Midnight witches aren't exactly your favourite people." Saffron looked at her sister meaningfully.
Miakoda straightened, her rainbow flecked eyed flashing angrily, and Saffron knew she'd hit a nerve. Only this time she didn't feel guilty about it.
"I'm only warning you now, or you'll end up like Rydal did." She turned and stalked away, shoulders straight, hair flying. Saffron wondered if the hair was some dramatic magic effect, there was no breeze or anything.
Saffron shrugged and picked up her bag. She knew the whole soulmate thing and Midnight witches were an iffy issue of Miakoda, but it had been her own fault. She'd trusted the bad guys, they'd betrayed her, end of story.
Saffron left her house, walking quickly down the quiet streets to Jessika's mansion in the rich section of town, where all the designer boutiques, fancy restaurants, designer hair dressers, houses to die for were. Where each house had an outrageously expensive car in front, often more than one.
She shook her head and rang the doorbell, hearing a delicate chiming echoing across the huge open foyer inside. The size of the room always amazed her, and who in their right minds in the modern day and age had glass front doors, even if the glass was opaque.
Jessika answered the door, dressed in a clearly expensive yet respectable white DKNY evening dress she had picked up the other week. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head with a jewelled clip, a butler was carrying a suitcase to a white limo that had arrived out front.
"Thanks, come on in, stick your stuff anywhere. The fridge is full, there'll be a maid cleaning and doing laundry at some point, we should be back sometime Wednesday. Apparently we all have to be there half an hour than before we were supposed to. 'Bye!" Jessika waved, and stumbled on high heels to the limo. Saffron pushed the door shut behind her.
She wandered into the lounge, turning on the almost cinema-size TV, flipping through until she found something to keep her interested. She did not get the human fascination with this piece of electric equipment, but even she had to admit, a preview into the lives of other people, even if they were only fictional, could get quite gripping, depending on the programme. After settling on an E.R. episode she headed to find the fridge.
* * *
"And this was given to Nienna by who?"
"A friend of her sister. The friend's name is Saffron Iria. From what it sounds like, she's one of *them*." Claire waited for Deva's response, twiddling her thumbs nervously.
They were in the attic of Deva's old house, where they performed most of their darker rituals. Deva held a knife in her hand, and something small was squirming under a black sheet. Deva was dressed from head to toe in black robes, only her murky green eyes showing. "I know, I saw her already. And we're all set for Sunday?"
"Pretty much, Nienna's family is going out of town until late next week, Saffron is supposed to be house-sitting." Claire's lip curled a little. "She has no clue what's going on."
Deva studied the scrolls for a few minutes longer. Claire waited, a little impatient. Her arms folded, and it was hard not to tap her foot. She had to remember to control herself around someone as powerful as Deva. Her last assistant's head was a trophy on the fireplace downstairs. "As soon as we have her secured, we're going to need someone to guard her." Deva looked up. "Can I trust you to take care of that? Someone like Cash Redfern will do."
Claire nodded and made a face, not particularly thrilled at the idea of bringing in Cash Redfern. An infamous assassin amongst the Night World at the moment, a pet of the council. Supposed to be cold, deadly and heartless. ^Then again, aren't they all?^ she thought as she went into the study and pulled his number from an address book.
There was a final meeting to go over the plan later that night, then on Sunday, the actual ritual could get started. Providing they had Saffron, once they had their sacrifice, and the potions were made, the chanting could start. Unfortunately, it would take some time, or so Deva said.
She would have preferred her own choice of guardian assassin, rather than a snobby Redfern, but since Deva had more or less requested him, he'd do.
"I don't listen to anyone unless the offer is fifty grand or more, so is this going to be a waste of my time?"
Claire had to force herself not to snap something rude at him. "sixty grand for starters, possibly negations depending on whether or not the task is performed successfully."
"What's the task, and who are you?"
"I am Claire Mandrake of Circle Midnight, ever heard of Deva Harman?"
Cash was silent for a few minutes. "I've heard of her. You have my attention.
"The task is securing an Arcobaleno dragon, making sure she doesn't escape for a ritual sacrifice."
"That's it? What's the catch?"
Claire couldn't answer him, mainly because she wasn't entirely sure what the catch was herself. There was another dragon buried under Nienna's house to raise, which was the whole point of the ritual. Why they needed the blood of one to wake the other, she wasn't sure.
"I don't know," she said finally.
"All right, you've got yourself a deal. Where?"
Claire gave him the address. "Be there tonight at midnight." And she hung up before he could say anything else. If Cash lived up to his reputation, everything should go fine. ^Yeah, and involving rituals of death and great power at stake, how often do you think they go smoothly?^ her inner voice pointed out.
Most of the time, Claire's inner voice had a nasty habit of being right, and she had learned, as much as it aggrieved her, to actually listen to it. She picked up her cell phone so the call couldn't be traced, and dialled another number. It never hurt to have a backup around, just in case something went wrong.
* * *
Part 2
Saffron didn't know why she'd agreed to stay in the house. It gave her the creeps. There was something distinctively *wrong* about it, and she knew she wasn't crazy thinking about it. At least, she was pretty sure. But Jessika was the only person who had spoken to her since she had arrived in town, and it seemed only fair to agree.
It was just a house, she told herself. Maybe someone had died in it a long time ago, or an accident had happened to one of the construction crew or something.
Every time she was in there, it seemed to make the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She felt almost like she had to reach to the pendent around her neck, the amethyst, onyx and emerald design she had had as long as she could remember.
^Get over yourself^ she told herself as she packed a few things. ^It's just a few days in a friend's house, that's all.^ If she kept repeating that to herself over and over, maybe at some point, she might actually convince herself to believe it.
"I'd watch out for those Midnight witches while you're there." Her older sister (though only by a year) Miakoda was lounging in the door to Saffron's room.
Saffron frowned a little as she put a few books in her bag. "What's you mean? Jessika's Twilight. They're okay."
Miakoda shook her head, her sky-blue hair shimmering with its coppery highlights. "It's not her I'm worried about. It's that sister of hers."
Saffron had noticed Jessika's sister Nienna giving her funny looks, but a lot of people gave the Iria sisters odd looks when they were around; it wasn't exactly new. Miakoda preferred most times, to blend in with the humans around her.
Saffron herself didn't really see the point. They weren't human, were never human, so why should they try to be something they were not. They were like no other Night Person she had never met. Saffron liked the uniqueness of it.
"I'm sure you're just being paranoid, Midnight witches aren't exactly your favourite people." Saffron looked at her sister meaningfully.
Miakoda straightened, her rainbow flecked eyed flashing angrily, and Saffron knew she'd hit a nerve. Only this time she didn't feel guilty about it.
"I'm only warning you now, or you'll end up like Rydal did." She turned and stalked away, shoulders straight, hair flying. Saffron wondered if the hair was some dramatic magic effect, there was no breeze or anything.
Saffron shrugged and picked up her bag. She knew the whole soulmate thing and Midnight witches were an iffy issue of Miakoda, but it had been her own fault. She'd trusted the bad guys, they'd betrayed her, end of story.
Saffron left her house, walking quickly down the quiet streets to Jessika's mansion in the rich section of town, where all the designer boutiques, fancy restaurants, designer hair dressers, houses to die for were. Where each house had an outrageously expensive car in front, often more than one.
She shook her head and rang the doorbell, hearing a delicate chiming echoing across the huge open foyer inside. The size of the room always amazed her, and who in their right minds in the modern day and age had glass front doors, even if the glass was opaque.
Jessika answered the door, dressed in a clearly expensive yet respectable white DKNY evening dress she had picked up the other week. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head with a jewelled clip, a butler was carrying a suitcase to a white limo that had arrived out front.
"Thanks, come on in, stick your stuff anywhere. The fridge is full, there'll be a maid cleaning and doing laundry at some point, we should be back sometime Wednesday. Apparently we all have to be there half an hour than before we were supposed to. 'Bye!" Jessika waved, and stumbled on high heels to the limo. Saffron pushed the door shut behind her.
She wandered into the lounge, turning on the almost cinema-size TV, flipping through until she found something to keep her interested. She did not get the human fascination with this piece of electric equipment, but even she had to admit, a preview into the lives of other people, even if they were only fictional, could get quite gripping, depending on the programme. After settling on an E.R. episode she headed to find the fridge.
* * *
"And this was given to Nienna by who?"
"A friend of her sister. The friend's name is Saffron Iria. From what it sounds like, she's one of *them*." Claire waited for Deva's response, twiddling her thumbs nervously.
They were in the attic of Deva's old house, where they performed most of their darker rituals. Deva held a knife in her hand, and something small was squirming under a black sheet. Deva was dressed from head to toe in black robes, only her murky green eyes showing. "I know, I saw her already. And we're all set for Sunday?"
"Pretty much, Nienna's family is going out of town until late next week, Saffron is supposed to be house-sitting." Claire's lip curled a little. "She has no clue what's going on."
Deva studied the scrolls for a few minutes longer. Claire waited, a little impatient. Her arms folded, and it was hard not to tap her foot. She had to remember to control herself around someone as powerful as Deva. Her last assistant's head was a trophy on the fireplace downstairs. "As soon as we have her secured, we're going to need someone to guard her." Deva looked up. "Can I trust you to take care of that? Someone like Cash Redfern will do."
Claire nodded and made a face, not particularly thrilled at the idea of bringing in Cash Redfern. An infamous assassin amongst the Night World at the moment, a pet of the council. Supposed to be cold, deadly and heartless. ^Then again, aren't they all?^ she thought as she went into the study and pulled his number from an address book.
There was a final meeting to go over the plan later that night, then on Sunday, the actual ritual could get started. Providing they had Saffron, once they had their sacrifice, and the potions were made, the chanting could start. Unfortunately, it would take some time, or so Deva said.
She would have preferred her own choice of guardian assassin, rather than a snobby Redfern, but since Deva had more or less requested him, he'd do.
"I don't listen to anyone unless the offer is fifty grand or more, so is this going to be a waste of my time?"
Claire had to force herself not to snap something rude at him. "sixty grand for starters, possibly negations depending on whether or not the task is performed successfully."
"What's the task, and who are you?"
"I am Claire Mandrake of Circle Midnight, ever heard of Deva Harman?"
Cash was silent for a few minutes. "I've heard of her. You have my attention.
"The task is securing an Arcobaleno dragon, making sure she doesn't escape for a ritual sacrifice."
"That's it? What's the catch?"
Claire couldn't answer him, mainly because she wasn't entirely sure what the catch was herself. There was another dragon buried under Nienna's house to raise, which was the whole point of the ritual. Why they needed the blood of one to wake the other, she wasn't sure.
"I don't know," she said finally.
"All right, you've got yourself a deal. Where?"
Claire gave him the address. "Be there tonight at midnight." And she hung up before he could say anything else. If Cash lived up to his reputation, everything should go fine. ^Yeah, and involving rituals of death and great power at stake, how often do you think they go smoothly?^ her inner voice pointed out.
Most of the time, Claire's inner voice had a nasty habit of being right, and she had learned, as much as it aggrieved her, to actually listen to it. She picked up her cell phone so the call couldn't be traced, and dialled another number. It never hurt to have a backup around, just in case something went wrong.
* * *