But no one was lurking on the other side of the gate, and I didn’t see anyone milling around across the street over in the shops in Cypress Mountain either. That was one reason why I’d decided to steal the candle so early in the morning. So that if the Reapers were lying in wait for me in town, I would at least have a better chance of seeing them coming—
A branch cracked behind me.
I yanked Vic out of his scabbard, raised the sword high, and whipped around, ready to attack whoever was sneaking up on me.
But no one was there.
My eyes darted left and right, wondering if the effects of the dreambox dust had worn off sooner than I’d expected and if Aiko had caught up with me after all. With her stealthy Ninja skills, I wouldn’t even see the Protectorate guard coming until she had her sword pressed up against my throat—
“Finally,” a familiar voice muttered. “I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to get here.”
I froze. What . . . what was she doing here?
A shower of pink sparks erupted, flickering in the air like fireflies, and Daphne stepped out from behind a tree.
It took me several seconds to get over my shock. “What are you doing here?” I finally hissed, sliding
Vic back into his scabbard.
“I’m going with you to rescue your grandma, silly.” Daphne rolled her eyes. “Really, Gwen, what does it look like I’m doing?”
An onyx quiver was strapped to Daphne’s back, one that contained a single golden arrow, while a black onyx bow with thin golden strings hung off her right shoulder. Her usual pink purse dangled off her right arm. It was almost as big as her bow was. Instead of a skirt and tights, she was wearing a black leather catsuit with a hot pink zipper and other pink trim accents underneath a long, matching, black-and-pink trench coat. Black boots covered her feet, and her golden hair was slicked back into a ponytail. She’d even gone the extra step of swiping some black greasepaint under her eyes like a football player. The Valkyrie was definitely geared up for a fight. All put together, she looked like some superhero straight out of one of the comic books I loved to read.
“But . . . but . . . but . . .” I sputtered, trying to think of something to say.
She arched a golden eyebrow. “But what? And please don’t give me some lame excuse that you just happened to cut class to go over to the library to finish some homework assignment and then you came running down here to the main gate for no reason at all. I hate to break it to you, Gwen, but you totally suck at lying. I knew the second you quit fighting with Linus that you were going to try to steal the candle yourself. Going all lone wolf is sort of what you do.”
“See?” Vic piped up from his scabbard. “I’m not the only one who can tell when you’re up to something, Gwen. Especially not when that something is as bloody insane as this is.”
“Shut up, Vic.”
I turned my attention back to Daphne. “Yeah, I stole the candle, and yeah, I’m going to trade it for my grandma. But you are not coming with me. No way. It’s too dangerous.”
Daphne snorted. “Please. I’ve been dealing with Reapers a lot longer than you have, Gwen. I know the risks as well as you do.” Her face softened. “Besides, I love your grandma too. She’s like the grandma I never had, since both of mine were killed by Reapers, and I’m just as determined as you are to save her. So I’m going with you, and I don’t want to hear one more word about it.”
“But—”
Pink sparks of magic hissed out of Daphne’s fingertips as she planted her hands on her hips. “Not one more word, or I will take that stupid candle away from you and go give it to Vivian myself. Understand?”
She narrowed her eyes, telling me that she meant business, and I knew there was no way I could convince her to stay behind.
“Okay, okay,” I finally groused. “If you’re so determined to do something dangerous, then who am I to stop you? Especially when you dressed for the occasion.”
Daphne smoothed down her coat. “You’re just lucky I had this tucked away in the back of my closet for a rainy day. And that the coat and the cat suit were both on sale when I bought them.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Only Daphne would be proud of her shopping prowess at a time like this.
“Now, come on,” she said. “Are we going to go get your grandma back or what?”
“Have I told you lately what a good friend you are?” I asked, my voice dropping to a choked whisper.
Daphne grinned. “Nah, but I know. I’m fabulous, darling. Always have been, always will be.”
Truer words were never spoken, but I didn’t have to tell her that.
She already knew.
Daphne and I slipped through the gate and jogged across the street. I started to head for the bus stop, since that’s how I had planned on getting to the address Vivian had sent me, but Daphne shook her head and grabbed my arm.
“The bus? Get real,” she said. “Come on. This way.” She tucked her arm through mine and led me down the street. The shops weren’t open yet, and we were the only ones on the sidewalk. I kept glancing around, still waiting for that Reaper ambush, but it seemed as though Vivian really had wanted me to bring her the candle after all, without trying to take it away from me beforehand. No doubt she wanted me to be there in person to witness Loki’s ultimate triumph. But, thanks to Nickamedes, I had an idea that just might turn the tables on Vivian and the rest of the Reapers. At least, I hoped it would work. That was all I could do.
Daphne led me over to one of the many car lots where the Mythos students parked their expensive rides, since students weren’t allowed to have vehicles on campus.
“What are we doing here? You don’t have a car.” Despite her many, many attempts to beg, bully, and
badger her parents into getting her one.
“No,” Daphne said. “I don’t have a car, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get some transportation for us.”
She walked straight over to a black SUV. The engine was already rumbling, and the driver’s window slid down as we approached, revealing another familiar face.
“Oliver?” I asked, surprised again. “You too?”
He grinned. “What can I say? I like to live dangerously, Gypsy, and you certainly help a guy do that.”
His snarky words made more tears spring to my eyes, but once again, I shook my head and tried to talk them out of this—both of them.
“No,” I croaked. “This is too much. I can’t ask you guys to risk yourselves like this. Not only against the Reapers, but against the Protectorate too. Linus will lock you both up if he realizes you helped me.”