The Sweet Scent of Blood

feet across, but from the entrance it was more like a hundred-acre field. Hugh and Rio were small figures in the distance and Finn was still nowhere to be seen. I frowned, then realised the disparity had to be something to do with the magic containing the dome. I hurried forward.

The Earl caught my arm. ‘Not so fast, my dear. We have other things to discuss first.’

Oh yeah, the blackmail bit.

‘Once you have the spell, Genevieve, please bring it to me. I would hate to find my concentration slipping, thus allowing Rio to win her fight.’

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. ‘I thought you said she couldn’t win without the aid of the spell.’

‘My dear, I can encourage the troll to fight, but I can also make him—what shall I say? A sitting duck.’ He smiled.

Fear fluttered inside me. Did he really have that much power? To make Hugh just stand there while Rio killed him? Well, that worry was for later; first I had to find Finn.

‘You’d better point me in the right direction,’ I said finally.

‘Try not to take too long.’ The Earl gestured towards his left. ‘And one more thing. Please try not to injure the witch. She could still be useful.’

Of course, Toni the witch, my ex-friend, would be there. Who else would be guarding Finn while Rio, her sucker sweetie, was fighting? Only never mind not injuring the witch, how was I going to stop her harming me? After all, she was the one with all the spells hidden up her sleeves.

Chapter Forty-Five

I took a deep breath and stepped into the arena, then stopped. Hannah’s boots would only slow me down now. I bent down and pulled them off as the barrier shimmered into place behind me and the Earl disappeared, as did the entrance and the distant Hugh and Rio. Damn. The magical dome had expanded even more, and once I started moving, I’d have no way of knowing where I was—or how to get out.

I started running round the outside, my bare feet slapping against the blue-rubber floor. Above me the plasma screens displayed the fight, Hugh and Rio moving in a silent, vicious ballet. After a few minutes, my lungs were screaming for air: the corset didn’t leave much room. I was debating with myself whether to stop and take it off when I caught sight of a figure sitting further in towards the centre. And lying next to it was another.

Breathing and the corset could wait.

As I got closer, the sitting figure jumped to her feet. A cap of white-blonde hair shone under the stadium lights, and white shorts and a low-cut bikini top showed off her curvaceous figure. For a moment I didn’t recognise her as Toni—either she’d been to the goblin hairdresser’s again, or the massive head of hair she’d always sported had been a wig. I was betting on a wig; it made sense—all the time she’d spent hiding in plain sight, trying out different disguises.

Toni jerked her arm up and green light shot from her fingers.

I hurled myself to the side. The stun-spell winged my shoulder and pain arced down my arm. Gasping, I rolled up onto my feet and kept running towards her.

She threw her arm up again.

Again I dodged, and the lightning-flash of green streaked away over my head. Now I was only feet away, close enough to see the spell-stone glowing in her hand. And close enough that this time she couldn’t miss. I only had one chance: I had to crack the next stun-spell before it knocked me out.

I focused, searching for the spell’s centre.

‘You just don’t know when to quit, do you, Hon?’ Toni yelled.

My heart raced. Gold glowed under my skin. Toni swung her hand up. I could see the bright blue of her eyes. Toni had never had blue eyes in all the time I’d known her. I ducked under her arm and slammed her to the ground, forced power into the spell. She thumped me on the back, crashing the spell-stone against my body. The stone exploded like a firework, a gold-and-green fountain shooting into the air, the colours flared and tiny slivers of jade cascaded down around us.

I’d cracked it.

I sat up, straddling her waist. ‘Sorry, Hon,’ I laughed. ‘Guess your magic’s not all it’s cracked up to be today.’ A bad pun, but the best I could manage under the circumstances.

Toni screamed with rage and swung her other hand, aiming for my head.

‘Oh no you don’t’. I grabbed her wrist, then squeezed it until she dropped a hunk of jade the size of a grape. Snatching it up, I focused and smashed it against her forehead.

She went out in a burst of green fizzing light.

‘Ouch. That’s gonna leave a nasty bruise.’ Finn’s voice was hoarse.

I swivelled round. He was lying on his side a few feet away, his hands forced behind his back and shackled to his ankles.

‘Nothing she doesn’t deserve.’ I shot him a fierce grin, rubbing at the aftershocks sparking along my stunned arm. Then my relief changed to worry as I took a good look at him.

His eyes were sunken, his skin pale and waxy-looking and the sleek sable hair covering his flanks had lost its sheen. The wounds down his chest and stomach had stopped bleeding, but they were still raw. His horns had shrunk to small triangular bumps, almost hidden in the matted blond of his hair. And the spell swirled through him like a malevolent grey fog.

‘The bitch’s got the keys,’ Finn whispered.

‘That’s going to make it easier then.’

Toni’s breathing was steady, like she was in a deep sleep. The white shorts and top were leather, and glove-smooth. I slid off her and shoved her over onto her side so I could get to the small bump in her pocket: two small silver keys, both set with crystals. I allowed myself a tiny moment of satisfaction as I tossed them in the air and, ignoring the burning sensation, caught them in my hand.

When I turned back to Finn his eyes were closed. I touched his cheek and his skin felt hot and clammy. I smiled as he opened his eyes.

‘Hugh?’ he whispered.

I glanced up at the nearest plasma screen. Rio had sunk her fangs deep into Hugh’s neck and was worrying at him like a rabid dog, but Hugh looked unconcerned. He’d trapped her in a bear hug, his thick muscled arms crushing her torso. I guessed that neither was gaining on the other, thanks to the Earl ‘keeping an eye on the situation’.

‘He’s holding his own just now,’ I said. ‘What about you?’

Finn gave me a tired wink. ‘Thought I’d hang around and catch the show. That bit was the best so far.’ A coughing fit shook his whole body

‘Can’t say I’m impressed.’ I leaned over him. The gem-studded shackles were held together by a short silver chain. ‘Let’s get you out of these.’

‘Not yet, Gen,’ he whispered.

I sat back sharply on my heels. ‘Why not?’

‘Stupid bitch didn’t realise ...’ He sucked in a wheezing breath, ‘the shackles are muting the spell.’

‘Got it,’ I said, understanding. I had to remove the spell first—the last thing I wanted was for Rio to be able to snag a last-minute magical power boost from Finn that would kill him and Hugh both.

I risked another look at the screens. Rio had Hugh face-down on the ground and was pummelling his head. I hoped the Earl’s attention wasn’t slipping. I pressed my lips together. Nothing I could do about it yet.

Now for the difficult bit.

The Earl might think removing the spell would be a piece of cake, but it was going to be more like trying to swallow the whole giant-sized gateau in one suffocating mouthful. I needed something to help the spell go down. The brownie’s magic should do the trick—if I could get it to come out and play. I rested my hand on Finn’s shoulder, wincing at the feverish heat of his skin—he certainly needed the comfort more than I did—and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I conjured Agatha’s voice in my mind.

A brownie’s touch goes to them that needs it.