Storm Gods - G. Bailey Page 0,48

portal?” I ask him. “I need to get to the town where Ruby’s mum lives. Can you do that?” Kit just continues to look at me. “I’m going to be optimistic and take that as a yes,” I say, setting him down on my shoulder. He proceeds to hide under the curtain of my red tresses.

Goblin in hand, I leave my room and go back downstairs, stopping in the doorway to the backyard. Storm is talking to Michael, sounding surprisingly animated. It’s not until I’m almost to where he is that he even looks away, his face lighting up when he sees me. “Little one,” he says affectionately, planting a quick kiss on my forehead. Extending a hand to Michael, he goes on, “We were just having a fascinating conversation about your neighbourhood politics. I had no idea they were so high stakes.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet,” I tell him playfully. “Just wait until our next-door neighbour finds out there are gods here.”

Storm chuckles a little at that, his eyes landing on Kit. “What are you…?”

“I’m going to bring Ruby back to her mum,” I tell him.

Storm’s purple eyes widen. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I reply immediately. “She needs to be back with her mother, and it will be safer for her now if she isn’t around us. We’ve all got targets on our backs.”

Storm considers for a moment and then nods slowly. “All right,” he says, looking a little uncertain. “Do you want me to summon a tornado?”

“No,” I reply. “I mean, I hope you won’t have to. That’s why I grabbed this guy.” I nod in Kit’s direction. “I’m hoping he can port us there. He needs the practise, especially if he’s going to help us in the future. Besides,” I add dryly, “a tornado tearing through downtown Dublin is going to attract the bad kind of attention.”

Storm chuckles. “Fair enough, Karma.”

“I was wondering if you wanted to come with me,” I tell him. “You were there when we went to visit Emerald the last time. I thought you might like to tag along.”

Storm nods, turning to Michael. “I’m afraid we’ll have to continue this another time,” he says.

“No offense taken,” Michael replies before turning and going back to his personal space. The weather god and I are left to head back inside, where Ruby is just finishing saying goodbye to mum in the entryway.

“Karma,” mum says, her voice sounding a little watery, “Ruby says you’re taking her back to her mother.”

“That’s right,” I reply. “She’ll be safer there.

I can see that mum wants to cry, but she’s doing an admirable job of holding it in. “Be careful,” she tells me. “Take care of her. Take care—” Her voice cracks. “Take care of yourself. I can’t…”

“I know, mum,” I tell her, pulling her in for a brief hug. “I will.”

She doesn’t need to finish the thought, and she doesn’t need to warn me, either. If something happens to my half-sister, I’m never going to recover. Taking Ruby by the hand, I lead her out the front door, with Storm following just behind. She doesn’t have any belongings other than her clothes, and she looks woefully small to my eyes, just another innocent caught up in a supernatural war. Almost as soon as we step outside, I’m struck by a wave of anxiety; this will mark the first time since Hugo’s funeral that we’re leaving the house, and we didn’t use magic to get to the service. If there are eyes on us right now, this will be like lighting a signal flare…but it has to be done.

“How are we getting there?” Ruby asks, eyes wide as we step down from the porch and onto the curb. She’s seemingly oblivious to my nerves, although I can feel Storm’s perceptive gaze on me, and I know he’s thinking the same thing I am.

“By goblin,” I reply.

Ruby gapes at me. “Goblin? You mean like your friend Kit?”

“Right,” I reply, parting my hair with one hand and retrieving the little creature. He lets out a yawn, blinking in the sunlight, and for a moment I wonder if he’ll even be able to teleport us; as powerful as goblins are, he’s still young and has yet to come into his full power. “All right, Kit, you’re up,” I tell him, extending my arms and allowing him to stand in the palms of my hands. “Take us to where Emerald is.”

Kit just stares at me uncertainly before moving forward and biting gently down on