A Darkness Strange and Lovely (18 page)

And worse—far worse—all the Parisian ladies who came to see its pilot.

At the first tap against my bedroom door that afternoon—hours after Laure had left—I swung the door wide, already saying “Land sakes, I thought the world had forgotten about . . .” I let the words die, for it was only the dressmaker with a frazzled assistant and a wealth of fabric in tow. My shoulders dropped. Had I alienated Jie by snapping at Joseph? I had searched for her after Laure left, but according to the man at the hotel’s front desk, she was away “on business.”

The dressmaker and her assistant bustled inside, and without even asking, they dragged me to the center of the room and began to undress me down to my petticoats. Once my gown was off, they set me atop a stool and then subjected me to a tirade of pins, needles, and lace. Madame Marineaux—true to her word—wanted me to have a magnificent ball gown in an eye-catching scarlet. The Marquis had already paid for everything: the silk, the gown, and the hard work.

I couldn’t help but love it. It was neither a color nor a cut I would have selected for myself, yet the low neckline accentuated my feminine figure, and the scarlet made my skin positively glow.

“That dress suits you,” a man drawled.

Oliver.

I spun on my stool, startling the assistant, and found the spry demon dressed in his usual charcoal suit, his stolen top hat clasped in his hands and his yellow eyes shining with mischief.

“How did you get in?”

“The door wasn’t locked, and”—he bared his teeth in a grin—“I’m
quite
stealthy.”

“Well, you cannot be here,” I said over the annoyed clucking of the dressmaker. “I’m half dressed—”

“Yet fully covered.”

“—and you’re a man—”

“Some might argue otherwise.”

“—in a lady’s bedroom.”

“Though obviously these women don’t care.” He motioned to the dressmaker and assistant, who were far more concerned with the effects of my unexpected twirl than with the pretty-faced young man lounging in my doorway.

“You should have knocked,” I added with a glare. “And where have you been for the last two days?”

“It’s barely been more than a day, El. Stop being dramatic.”

I growled as the dressmaker tapped my ribs. I flung up my arms so she could mercilessly stab me with more pins.

“I’ve been working, as agreed.” Oliver draped his hands behind his head. “Gathering clues, keeping an eye out for Marcus . . .”

“Marcus?” Fear—and hope—awoke inside me. “Is he here?”

“I haven’t seen him if he is. I am merely on the lookout for him since clearly
you
are too busy to worry about your safety.” He motioned to the dress, a single eyebrow quirked.

“I
need
this gown. Madame Marineaux wants me to have a stunning gown for the ball tomorrow night—”

“Who?”

The dressmaker spun me around, so I had to look over my shoulder to keep talking.

“Madame Marineaux. She’s the most fascinating woman I have ever met, Oliver. She’s been to all sorts of places and . . .” I trailed off. His eyes were cold. “Wh-what?”

“You have enough time to gallivant with Parisian ladies yet stopping
les Morts
or dealing with Marcus is entirely too much to ask.”

I pulled free of the dressmaker and whirled around to face him. “Are you angry at me?” I asked incredulously.

“Egads, yes! If you’re going to gallivant, El, I would like you to bloody well gallivant with me.” He scratched the bridge of his nose, his face set in a scowl . . . and looking so much like Elijah.

I sighed through my nose, glad I hadn’t mentioned Laure’s surprise visit to Paris—or my time spent with her. It would only serve to make him more jealous. “What do you propose we do together then?”

“Search for
les Morts
, read through your letters so we can figure out what Marcus is after, train your powers . . .” His words faded and he fixed his yellow eyes on me. “Any preference?”

I swallowed, suddenly breathing fast. Train my powers—I wanted that. My whole body wanted that. But I made myself ignore it and heed Joseph’s warnings. “We should deal with
les Morts
. If I want the Spirit-Hunters to help me with Marcus, I first need to stop
les Morts
.”

“Or,” Oliver said, inspecting his fingernails, “you could simply build up your power and then stop
les Morts
and Marcus with magic. You could learn to fight.”

The hairs on my arms pricked up.
Learn to fight
. Oh, how I needed it. Needed to use this energy inside me. To use it to fight. To use it to
hurt
 . . .

“No!” I snapped. The dressmaker flinched, and Oliver’s brows drew together. I waved for the dressmaker to continue, and then, with a deep breath, I fixed my eyes on Oliver. “No. I will not train.”

Oliver didn’t react, though I could have sworn his yellow eyes almost glowed. “And may I inquire why not?” he asked calmly.

“Because I promised Joseph—”

“Oh, did you now?” He clasped his hands behind his back and ambled two steps toward me. “Because I distinctly recall a promise you made to me. A
binding
one. So unless this promise you gave to Joseph is on the same . . .” He glanced off, as if searching for the word. Then his eyes shot to mine—and the irises were definitely a brighter gold than usual. “On the same
scale
as our promise, then I urge you to forget the one you made to him.”

I swallowed. “You mean my death.”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” He sighed, and all of his poise vanished. “Bloody hell, Eleanor, you have only two months to free me, and it’s not some simple spell. It requires a great deal of training to master.”

My stomach knotted, and I gazed down at my right hand.
I’m sorry, Joseph,
I thought.

But the truth was, I wasn’t sorry. I
wanted
this—and judging by Oliver’s growing smile, he knew precisely how much my body craved more magic.

“All right, Oliver.” I squeezed my fingers into a fist. “You win.”

Chapter Thirteen

A half an hour later, with the dressmaker and her
assistant gone, I made my way to the front of the burned Tuileries Palace, where Oliver had told me to meet him. The day had turned dreary—overcast and damp—and now that the balloon was gone, there was little to draw visitors to the gardens.

“We have to be careful,” he said as I approached the palace’s crumbling grand front doorway. His head swiveled as he checked for any observers. “The police don’t like people in here—though they really only patrol at night, when the bummers crawl in. I don’t see anyone now.” He motioned for me to follow, and together we crept inside.

The charred floors were laden with weed carpets, and shimmers flickered in the shadows. Gooseflesh rippled down my body.

“There are a lot of ghosts here,” I murmured as we picked our way over a toppled wall.

“It was a big fire,” Oliver answered, guiding me down a hallway. Our feet crunched over the rubble.

“Can we talk to them?” I waved to the shadows. “To the spirits?”

“No. I told you that.”

“You said I couldn’t talk to spirits on the other side of the curtain. You never said I couldn’t reach ghosts on
this
side.”

He grunted and tugged me through a shattered window into an open courtyard. “These aren’t spirits. They’re merely pieces of souls. Stuck here. They have no voice, no memories. The Hell Hounds don’t even bother them.”

“Oh. That’s rather sad.”

“Death is always sad business to the living.” He exhaled loudly. “Why else would people want the
Black Pullet
?”

“What do you mean?”

His mouth bobbed open with disbelief—but it quickly transformed into a smirk. “You don’t know what the
Black Pullet
is, do you?” He stopped walking, and the breeze swept through his curls. “All this with Elijah and yet you have no idea what he sought.”

Bristling, I stomped my foot. A cloud of charred dust swirled up. “You’re right. I know nothing about it. I haven’t
wanted
to know.”

Oliver’s expression turned grim. “Refusing to understand what Elijah became—refusing to learn about what he wanted and why . . . that won’t help you. You have to let him go, El—let go of whatever memories you have. When he died, Elijah wasn’t the boy you grew up with . . . or the man I f—” He broke off. “The man I knew. The person he became wanted the
Black Pullet
. Wanted immortality and endless wealth. You
have
to accept that.”

No, I don’t.
My memories of Elijah were all I had left of my old life. My life with a father, a brother, and . . . and a mother who still cared. I bit my lip and bowed over to wipe the dust off my skirts. “So is that what the
Black Pullet
does then? Give one immortality and wealth?”

“Yep.”

I lifted back up. “Well, no wonder Marcus would want it.”

Oliver stiffened. “Marcus wants it?”

“Yes. He told me after he took Elijah’s body—”

“Blessed Eternity, El! No wonder he’s after your letters!
Le Dragon Noir
was the only text in the world that explained how to find the Old Man in the Pyramids. That was one of the reasons Elijah was trying to get his hands on the missing pages.”

I winced. “Which means when Elijah sent you to Cairo, he
did
know that . . .”

“That I would fail to find the Old Man? Yes.” Oliver sat back, his jaw tightening with anger. “Elijah
wanted
me out of his way. That’s something
I
have to accept.” He snorted, a humorless sound. “Of course, as you told me on the boat, all those key pages from
Le Dragon Noir
are now gone—destroyed by your wonderful Joseph. And that leaves me with an unfulfilled command and only one place in the
entire
universe with a clue to finding the Old Man.”

“My letters,” I whispered.

“Think about it, El. If you want to stop Marcus, then there’s only one solution that I can see: you have to figure out what secrets are locked in Elijah’s letters.”

“But they’re all gibberish.”

“Not if you know what you’re seeking.” He splayed his hands on his chest. “Remember, I was Elijah’s demon.
I
would know what to look for. Give me the letters, El. I can help.”

“Can you? Is
this
why you’ve wanted the letters all this time? To . . . to chase the
Black Pullet
?”

“What?” Oliver’s voice was barely above a whisper. “How can you say that? If all I wanted was to find the
Black Pullet
, I would have
stolen
those letters a long time ago. Yet I haven’t, El. I have kept your trust. I won’t deny those letters mean something to me, but it has nothing to do with the P
ullet
.”

“So what
does
it have to do with?” Then it clicked—something else he had said clicked firmly into place. “Your command,” I breathed. “Your final command from Elijah is unfulfilled, so it still drives you. You
have
to find the Old Man in the Pyramid.”

He twisted his face away.

“Does it hurt you to resist it?”

“Yes,” he whispered, emotion thick in his voice, “but I keep hoping that if you learn necromancy and free me, then the command will end. Or if I could just find this Old Man—before Marcus does—I can fulfill Elijah’s final order. Then this constant ache will stop. And
then
,” his voice turned into a snarl, “I can destroy the bastard who stole Elijah’s body.”

But to free Oliver—or destroy Marcus—I would need to train my necromancy. I wet my lips, almost relieved that I
had
to train if I wanted to help my demon.

No!
I screamed at myself.
You can’t practice necromancy! You promised Joseph.

A frustrated groan slid from my throat. What was happening inside me? Why were my heart and my head in such disagreement?

Oliver’s forehead knit with concern.

“Go on,” I said shakily. “Let’s find a place to . . . to train.” I gestured for him to lead the way, and he pulled me through a crumbling doorway and into a grand hallway. In one corner a wide staircase curled up . . . only to stop halfway, with a pile of smashed marble beneath. Overhead, the gray clouds floated somberly by.

I found a broken column and eased down. Oliver insisted on first dusting off his own broken column—“Do you know how hard it is to get limestone off a suit?”—before finally settling across from me.

My stomach grumbled. “What a shock,” I said drily. “I am hungry.
Again.
”

“It’s part of the necromancy, you know.”

“Yes, I guessed that. Whenever I do a spell, I find I’m famished afterward.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You’re only famished when the spell wears off—and you will stay famished until you cast another.”

I tensed. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying you cannot make that hunger go away unless you train.”

“So, this”—I patted my stomach—“is a craving for more magic? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Oliver didn’t reply, but the wariness in his eyes told me all I needed to know.

“So I
am
like an opium addict?” My voice grew high-pitched and sharp. “I need more spells to feel good? To feel normal?”

“You’re too bloody strong. I didn’t expect this to happen so quickly. You have a lot of magic to control, but it means there’s a lot of magic to control
you
.”

“You knew this would happen. You should have told me! I don’t want to be
addicted
to necromancy, Oliver.” I jumped to my feet and staggered to the foot of the broken stairs. I wanted . . . no, I
hungered
to destroy Marcus—that was all—but what was the price?

I pressed my hands to my face.
Stupid Eleanor.

Footsteps thudded behind me.

“What if I do magic the way Joseph does?” I demanded, my hands muffling my words. “Will the hunger stop?”

Oliver strode in front of me and pulled down my hands. Everything about his expression—from the slant of his brow to the sag of his lips—was apologetic. “I don’t know if that will stop the hunger, El.”

“But I would be using electricity—external power instead of my own.” I searched his face for an answer. “Would that end this . . . this addiction?”

“Perhaps,” Oliver said, his nostrils flaring. “But then you’ll be using electricity. A magnificent idea in theory but ultimately absurd.”

I gulped. I remembered thinking something similar at Madame Marineaux’s—about how inefficient the influence machine was.

“There are limits to what you can do with electricity,” Oliver continued, releasing my hands. “You cannot make a phantom limb, you cannot cast a dream ward, and you certainly cannot defeat Marcus.”

“Why not?”

“Because it is
weak
, Eleanor.” He lifted his chin imperiously. “Electricity isn’t
natural
. It’s . . . it is a fake power.”

“How do you know?” I asked. “Have you ever used it?”

“No,” he spat. “And I never will. Setting fire to my veins? It will
change
me. Kill me. And for what? A single blast of power that I can’t even control. I use real magic, El. I am
made
of soul, and using my power is as safe and natural as breathing. Just as your magic is.”

“But my natural magic is addictive.” My voice came out quick. “And in the end I’m limited. I only have so much spiritual energy inside of me.”

“But you can enhance your power, El.” He drew back his shoulders. “And you
can
control the cravings. Without Joseph’s method.”

“How?” I breathed.
“How?”

“Supplement your magic.” He took a step toward me, staring straight into my eyes. Not once did he blink.

He looked dangerous.
Demonic.

“Blood,” he whispered. “Sacrifice.”

For half a second I considered the words. But then the weight of those words careened into me. I staggered back. “No, no,
no
.” I lifted my hands. “You told me you didn’t approve of sacrifices.”

“I don’t mean human.” He sniffed. “Spiritual energy is in the blood of any living thing, El. Simply drinking the blood of an animal will—”

“Stop!” cried a high voice from another room. “Stop!”

Gravel skittered, and Oliver and I whirled around just as Jie hopped through a burned-out window and into our room.

“Did I hear him right?” She stared at me, her eyes huge. “Are you talking about sacrifices? And necromancy?” She punched a finger toward Oliver. “And did he call himself a
demon
?”

“J-Jie,” I stammered. Where had she come from? “I can explain.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” But when I tried to say something, I found that my mouth would only spring open and closed. I turned a desperate face to Oliver, but he looked as stunned as I felt.

“Well?” She planted her hands on her hips. “Say something, Eleanor. Is he really a demon?”

I nodded slowly. All the blood left her face. “Oh God,” she whispered, shaking her head and backing up. “I have to tell Joseph.” She spun on her heels, spraying pebbles, and hurried toward the nearest doorway.

“Wait!” I darted after her. “Please—I’ll tell you everything. Just don’t tell Joseph.”

She paused. “Why not? He’s already worried about you—and you know he is. He told you to stay away from black magic.”

“But I have no choice!”

“You
always
have a choice,” she snarled.

“No. I
don’t
. I would have died had I not used my magic, had I not bound myself to Oliver.”

She retreated two steps and gasped. “You
bound
to it?”

“Him,” Oliver snapped. “I am a—”

“Shut pan.” Jie bared her teeth at him. Then she turned to me. “I’m telling Joseph about this.”

“No!” I lunged for her. “Please! Let me . . . let me at least explain.”

“I don’t want to hear any explanations from you.” Her eyes roved over me, repulsed. Betrayed. “You know a demon is causing
les Morts
. What if it’s him?”

“What?” Oliver straightened. “How ridiculous—”

“Really?” She thrust her chin at him and then at me. “For all I know, you’re
both
raising the Dead
.
”

“Jie!” I reared back. “How can you
say
that?”

“Easy. We think a demon is murdering these people, and what do you show up with? A
demon
. And on top of that, you’re learning necromancy. It’s not a hard conclusion to make—especially when the moment you came to Paris was the moment
les Morts
started rising again.”

“No.” I grabbed the sides of my face. “Jie, you know me! I’m not a murderer!”

“I
knew
you,” she spat. “And that Eleanor wouldn’t do necromancy. But fine.” She threw her hands up in defeat. “You wanna keep secrets from me, then keep ’em. But Joseph has to know about this.”

“And I’ll tell him!” I blurted.

“Why should I trust you?” she sneered. “You’ve lied to us—lied to
me
.”

“No!” I shouted, anger rising over my fear. “It’s
not
Oliver. It can’t be Oliver. He was in America. With me.”

She shook her head, her lips clamped tight. “You’re a necromancer now, Eleanor, and that makes us enemies.”

Then, with a final jaw clench, she pivoted around and burst into a run. I immediately shoved after her. Oliver shouted for me, but I didn’t hear. I had to stop Jie. Had to make her see things
my
way.

I pushed my legs faster. By the time I reached the open courtyard, I had broken into a full sprint. My ankles twisted on loose stones and white dust puffed onto my skirts, yet Jie stayed far ahead.

So I ran harder. My lungs seared and my vision turned hazy, yet still I ran—out of the ruins and into the gardens after Jie’s shrinking figure. Flowers blurred in the corners of my eyes as I barreled onward, aiming for the street. For the hotel. For the almost-vanished Jie.

By the time I reached the hotel, my body shaking, I had given up.