Free Keys and Curses (Shadow Book 2) by Nina Smith

beckoned them over.
    Nikifor moved the short distance and stretched his hands to the fire. They trembled. The Tormentor was not far, he was never far, but he’d won a victory. He felt it in his blood.
    The fairy sighed. “What are you two doing messing about with Freakin Fairies?”
    Flower gave her a wary look. “I’d be happy to tell you if I had a name to call you by.”
    The woman met her gaze steadily. “My name is Ishtar Ishtar.”
    “Ishtar.” Flower frowned. “I seem to–no, that can’t be right.”
    “Did I knock you both a bit too hard on your unusually large heads?” Ishtar scowled across the flames. “You were the only muse brave enough to bring me any news after your so-called king stole my sister away to Dream. I know it’s been twenty-five years, but I’m not that hard to remember.”
    Flower massaged her own temples. “It’s the oddest thing. I know I fought with Bloody Fairies. I know I knew many of you, the whole thing is like a buzz in the back of my mind, but anytime I try to pin a single detail down, I just can’t.”
    Ishtar looked thoughtful. “Sounds like someone’s been messing with you.”
    Flower snapped to her usual inflexible certainty like a spring. “Impossible.”
    Ishtar shrugged. “You keep telling yourself that.” She turned her attention to Nikifor. “And what’s wrong with him?”
    Nikifor met her eyes and was troubled by the similarity to the eyes of the girl in his vision. He couldn’t even begin to frame an answer to her question.
    “He’s a vibe addict.” Flower’s words were clipped and cold. “We came to seek the help of the Freakin Fairies to cure him.”
    “Did it work?”
    “Sort of, until they cursed him.”
    Ishtar chuckled. “You must have been desperate. Freakin Fairies are completely nuts, you know.”
    “Why do you seek our king, Ishtar?” Flower asked.
    Ishtar’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you think? He killed my sister. He must die.”
    Flower and Nikifor’s indrawn breaths were simultaneous and shocked. Flower went for a non-existent weapon. Nikifor fought back a blind panic. “You cannot kill the king!” he boomed.
    Ishtar scowled. “Keep your voice down, Curse Boy.”
    “But he’s right!” Flower shifted onto her knees. “The king is Shadow! You kill him, you bring our whole world to an end!”
    “Says who? The king? He would.” Ishtar slammed a fist into her hand to punctuate the point. “My sister brought the vamp wars to an end by killing the vamp king, and for her troubles she was murdered. She must be avenged.”
    “Hippy Ishtar died of wounds she sustained fighting the vampire king!” Flower snapped.
    “That’s a lie, I was there, I saw her die and I saw the muse king walk away from her!”
    “He would never have done that!” Flower flushed bright red. “He loved her!” She stopped and looked at Nikifor uncertainly. “Didn’t he?”
    “I’m telling you, someone’s messed with you,” Ishtar said, before Nikifor could reply. “You need help.” She turned her gaze to Nikifor. “You, on the other hand-” she paused and heaved a sigh. “You helped my sister. And then she saved your life. I know, because her Freakin Fairy friend told me. He gave me something to give to you, should I ever see you again.”
    “Freakin Fairy friend?” Nikifor’s voice wavered. He searched desperately back through his mind for something, anything, but all he found were whispers and shadows. “What friend?”
    “He had a funny name. Tick Tock or Clockwork or something. He was a Silver.” Ishtar disappeared into the shadowed parts of the cave. She returned bearing a long parcel wrapped in tattered cloth, which she handed over the fire with a certain amount of reverence. “Guard it well, Muse. This is the weapon Hippy Ishtar used to kill the vamp king.”
    Nikifor laid the parcel across his lap and slowly unwrapped it. Firelight danced off a silver handle. The rags fell away from double axe blades gone dull from years