Faerie Magic by Emma L. Adams

half-faerie, his voice shrill. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was told—I was supposed to…”
    “Spit it out,” I said. “Did you mean to kill that Mage Lord or not?”
    A moment passed. His head dipped. “I was told I was invincible. Wanted to test it out. The guy insulted me.”
    A hissing noise escaped Vance, and all the air in the room seemed to go thick, taut with energy.
    “Who told you that you were invincible?” he asked quietly.
    “Don’t know his name. He came to the market last weekend.”
    “And he sold you something?” Vance had clearly come to the same conclusion as I had. “A substance that enhanced your magic?”
    He shook his head. “Not magic. Faerie blood.”
    Alarm zinged through me. “To make you immortal. Right?” Damn. Would the rumour ever die?
    “How’d you know?” The half-faerie’s eyes flickered over to me. “The blood. It wasn’t right. Something went wrong. I’m not all powerful. It’s…” He shook all over, the back of his head resting against the wall.
    “So you drugged yourself with a substance you thought was faerie blood?” said the Mage Lord. “Where did the seller get it from?”
    If it was the real deal… but no. It wouldn’t be. Plainly, someone had tried to capitalise on the half-faeries’ desperation after the veil closed and Velkas left. And now people were getting killed over it.
    “I don’t know.”
    The Mage Lord took one step forward. Careful, measured to show the light gleaming on the side of his blade. “You took the drug, then you stabbed the mage. Did anything happen in between? Did anyone else take it?”
    The half-faerie’s whole body flinched back at the sight of Vance’s weapon. “Didn’t see. Guy was at the market. He might have sold it to other people.” He turned away from the Mage Lord to regard me with red-rimmed eyes. “What’s with you? The magic’s all over you.”
    I froze. Vance didn’t look at me, but he moved forward until he stood between me and the half-faerie.
    “Have you nothing else to say, other than that you had every intention of committing murder?”
    “I—I—don’t hurt me. Please.”
    “You murdered a Mage Lord,” said Vance. “You didn’t think you’d be let off with a slap on the wrist, did you?”
    Frantic head-shaking. I knew what was coming, but didn’t look away. The sword flashed out. Blood spattered the wall, and the half-faerie’s head collapsed onto his chest.
    “There are more pleasant ways to kill people,” I said, swallowing. “You don’t need to prove you’re the scariest mage around. Everyone knows already.”
    He turned to me. “You don’t think he deserved to die?”
    “I think you should have pressed him further,” I said. “Plainly, someone gave him the illegal substance. He might not have been acting under his own power. Not that it makes murder okay, but really, the person selling the drug’s equally to blame.”
    “I’m a Mage Lord. My position leaves no room for second guessing. The Mage Lords have the weight of the entire supernatural community on our shoulders—and yes, that includes the half-faeries.”
    “They’ll hate you now,” I said. “Just saying.”
    Instead of responding, he made for the door. “I’m going to talk to the other mages. If possible, collect a blood sample, to make sure it’s the same drug.”
    “If it is, it’s travelled a long way,” I said. “Like I said—we need to know who’s selling it. Screwing people over is one thing, but making them go batshit insane is another.” And there’d been one witness to the first killing… Alain.
    I sighed. “I need to speak to Alain. She might have seen something. But I wasn’t kidding about the kelpie almost eating me alive the last time I went near her place. I can’t just waltz into their territory again, but nobody will give me permission to be there.”
    “I can,” said the Mage Lord.
    Great. Here I was, forced to depend on him again. But what choice did I