Scattered Magic (The Sidhe (Urban Fantasy Series) Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: S. Ravynheart, S.A. Archer
chamber around him rose until he emerged in the tower’s basement. Dark and quiet.
Jhaer cast a layer of Glamour over himself, rendering him invisible to all but those rare beings with the most powerful magical vision. Unarmed except for his magic and his combat skills, Jhaer prowled with graceful silence up the stairs to the first floor. A pair of Redcaps drank from banged-up tankards. Blood, from the smell of it. As broad and mountainous as trolls, Redcaps served as brutal thugs for those who could control them.
No point in sacrificing his stealth at this stage. Not until he’d verified Aoife’s presence. Even with their acute sense of smell, the Redcaps likely missed the scent of his Sidhe blood, with their faces crammed in their tankards.
The design of the tower appeared to be nothing more complicated than single rooms, one stacked on top of the next. Wooden floors divided the hollow stone building into levels. An open staircase spiraled up the inner wall.
The soft soles of his boots whispered no sound on the stone steps as Jhaer hurried through the trapdoor to the next floor. Not much there except a heap of rickety, discarded furniture, at least to the naked eye. Not with his own ears, but through micro-vibrations in the stone wall, Jhaer detected the faint sound of breathing. He was not the only one using Glamour, it seemed.
Jhaer remained perfectly still, picking up every nuance. Two distinct sources. The breathing remained regular. Even. No breath holding. No quickening of the intake. The fey hidden around him remained unaware of him. Windows at the compass points of the round room looked out over the paths leading to the tower with perfect lines of sight for long-range weapons and magic. Body heat spread over the stones in two of the window wells. If he had to guess, both lookouts were doing their jobs, leaning out of the windows. They wouldn’t be guarding their backs. Not if they counted on the questionable vigilance of the Redcaps.
Simultaneously, Jhaer pried loose a couple of rocks from the mortar at the top of the window wells. With the force of a cannon blast, he swung the loose rocks through the opening of the windows. Jhaer heard the cracking impact against skulls. Rather hollow sounds, he noted. The Glamour for both fey dissipated. One hung half out of the window, his head bashed in. The other slipped out and landed with a muffled thud outside.
The noisy drinking of the Redcaps on the floor below didn’t falter. Apparently, the sound passed unnoticed by them.
The stairs above Jhaer ended in a wooden trapdoor, dropped down into place from above. He listened to the sounds filtering through the floor and the stones. Movement. Pacing. Ever so slowly, he pushed at the trapdoor, testing it. It was not latched. Lifting it just a crack, he could see along the east curve of the tower. Unfortunately, that provided him a view of nothing but an empty wooden table and a couple of spindly chairs.
The pacing faltered. He’d been made. Jhaer knew half a second before the shout. A full second before the sweep of fire flooded overhead and licked through the crack at his face. He yanked the trapdoor down until the initial roaring rush silenced. From below, the snarls of the Redcaps responded.
Chapter Five
Hanging out with a vampire while she feeds on someone is kinda like being in the room while your best friend makes out. It is awkward as hell. Not that the guy Selena was feeding on wasn’t totally hot. He reclined against the arm of the settee, black shirt unbuttoned and open to reveal the sculpted perfection of his musculature. One of his strong legs was bent and against the back of the settee. The other stretched out so his foot rested on the floor. His hands fisted in Selena’s sleek blond hair. The vampire was all over him, but the guy didn’t seem particularly aroused, unlike most vampire prey.
His stubble appeared a couple days old, but it was probably more of a fashion choice than laziness. It
Jhaer cast a layer of Glamour over himself, rendering him invisible to all but those rare beings with the most powerful magical vision. Unarmed except for his magic and his combat skills, Jhaer prowled with graceful silence up the stairs to the first floor. A pair of Redcaps drank from banged-up tankards. Blood, from the smell of it. As broad and mountainous as trolls, Redcaps served as brutal thugs for those who could control them.
No point in sacrificing his stealth at this stage. Not until he’d verified Aoife’s presence. Even with their acute sense of smell, the Redcaps likely missed the scent of his Sidhe blood, with their faces crammed in their tankards.
The design of the tower appeared to be nothing more complicated than single rooms, one stacked on top of the next. Wooden floors divided the hollow stone building into levels. An open staircase spiraled up the inner wall.
The soft soles of his boots whispered no sound on the stone steps as Jhaer hurried through the trapdoor to the next floor. Not much there except a heap of rickety, discarded furniture, at least to the naked eye. Not with his own ears, but through micro-vibrations in the stone wall, Jhaer detected the faint sound of breathing. He was not the only one using Glamour, it seemed.
Jhaer remained perfectly still, picking up every nuance. Two distinct sources. The breathing remained regular. Even. No breath holding. No quickening of the intake. The fey hidden around him remained unaware of him. Windows at the compass points of the round room looked out over the paths leading to the tower with perfect lines of sight for long-range weapons and magic. Body heat spread over the stones in two of the window wells. If he had to guess, both lookouts were doing their jobs, leaning out of the windows. They wouldn’t be guarding their backs. Not if they counted on the questionable vigilance of the Redcaps.
Simultaneously, Jhaer pried loose a couple of rocks from the mortar at the top of the window wells. With the force of a cannon blast, he swung the loose rocks through the opening of the windows. Jhaer heard the cracking impact against skulls. Rather hollow sounds, he noted. The Glamour for both fey dissipated. One hung half out of the window, his head bashed in. The other slipped out and landed with a muffled thud outside.
The noisy drinking of the Redcaps on the floor below didn’t falter. Apparently, the sound passed unnoticed by them.
The stairs above Jhaer ended in a wooden trapdoor, dropped down into place from above. He listened to the sounds filtering through the floor and the stones. Movement. Pacing. Ever so slowly, he pushed at the trapdoor, testing it. It was not latched. Lifting it just a crack, he could see along the east curve of the tower. Unfortunately, that provided him a view of nothing but an empty wooden table and a couple of spindly chairs.
The pacing faltered. He’d been made. Jhaer knew half a second before the shout. A full second before the sweep of fire flooded overhead and licked through the crack at his face. He yanked the trapdoor down until the initial roaring rush silenced. From below, the snarls of the Redcaps responded.
Chapter Five
Hanging out with a vampire while she feeds on someone is kinda like being in the room while your best friend makes out. It is awkward as hell. Not that the guy Selena was feeding on wasn’t totally hot. He reclined against the arm of the settee, black shirt unbuttoned and open to reveal the sculpted perfection of his musculature. One of his strong legs was bent and against the back of the settee. The other stretched out so his foot rested on the floor. His hands fisted in Selena’s sleek blond hair. The vampire was all over him, but the guy didn’t seem particularly aroused, unlike most vampire prey.
His stubble appeared a couple days old, but it was probably more of a fashion choice than laziness. It
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