“Because the keys can only be found and destroyed by someone of his blood, and because his flesh form was ripped from him by the other Raziq, he can no longer interact with this world.”
“It takes powerful magic to rip the flesh being from an Aedh,” Azriel commented. “If they are capable of that, we had better move. Now.”
There was a note of urgency in his voice that hit the rest of us like a storm. I glanced at Tao, but he was already up. “I’ll grab Stane,” he said. “You want some shoes or will your feet be too sore?”
“Grab me a pair of boots and some fresh clothes.” I wasn’t about to run around barefoot and half naked as well. I gulped down the rest of the burger. Ilianna was finishing up on my feet. “What do you think our chances of being invited into the Brindle are?”
Ilianna said, “Scant to none. But we can try, all the same.”
“Then we’ll contact your mom on the way over there. If not, we’ll have to think of somewhere else.”
Though I doubted anywhere else would be safe from the Aedh. It would just take them a little longer to find us.
Tao came out of my room carrying a backpack and, a heartbeat later, Stane appeared out of the spare room. He looked rumpled and unwashed, his face haggard and the shadow of a beard decorating his chin. But there was a victorious light in his eyes.
“God,” I said, “don’t tell me you cracked it?”
He shoved his overnight bag on the table but kept hold of his laptop. “We now have the names behind the consortium,” he said, and his sudden grin was infectious. “James Trilby, Garvin Appleby, and John Nadler. But the even bigger news is, one of them has a sister who’s a witch.”
“It couldn’t be that easy,” Ilianna said.
“But it is,” Stane said. “The sister is one Margaret Trilby, and three years ago she was banished from the Brindle all-witch society because she was practicing blood magic.”
“Margaret Trilby is the name of the witch who raised the soul stealer?” Azriel asked.
“Yes,” Stane said, looking over his shoulder. “You know, it’s somewhat disturbing to see my uncle standing so calmly in the middle of the room. Especially given I know it’s not my uncle, but a reaper.”
“I cannot help what you see,” Azriel said with a slight shrug. “It is your subconscious that dictates my form, not anything I actively do.”
Stane grunted. “Now that we have the names, what are we going to do with them?”
“The logical step,” Tao said before I could open my mouth, “would be to give the information to Rhoan.”
“He’s not equipped to deal with black magic—”
“No,” Ilianna agreed, “but the Directorate is. They have some very powerful witches in their employ, and I know for a fact they’ve dealt with blood witches before. It is the best option.”
I tossed my phone into the pack Tao handed me. “But it means I’m not a part of the resolution.”
And I wanted that. Needed that. For little Hanna’s sake—and for mine.
Ilianna wrapped a hand around my arm and squeezed gently. “I know. But as you said, right now we’ve got bigger problems.”
I blew out a frustrated breath, then nodded slowly. “Okay, let’s get out of here. Tao, you drive. I’ll ring Aunt Riley—” I stopped and frowned. “How come she’s not here? Does she even know I went missing?”
Hell, Mom would have sensed something had happened to me, and the first—and only—person she would have rung was Riley.
Tao grimaced. “Both she and Rhoan were here. Madder than hell and ready to tear up the world to find you. Azriel convinced them to let him do the finding.”
That raised my eyebrows. “Really?” I said, looking at him. “How in the hell did you conduct that miracle?”
“I can be persuasive when I want to be.”
“Riley basically considers me one of her own. There’s no way in hell she’d be convinced to let someone else do the hunting.”
He shrugged. Matter closed, obviously. “Please, we must be going. We have delayed here too long.”
Again, his words held an edge that motivated. I grabbed my Coke and gulped it down so quickly the gas rose back up my throat. I smothered the burp, then stood. Pain slipped up my legs and I grabbed at the table, swearing softly. I hadn’t felt a damn thing when I was on the run in the tunnel, but maybe fear had killed all other sensations. Now, though, normal programming had resumed. And in this case, that meant feeling all the aches and pains—not just my feet, but the dull ache somewhere deep inside where the Aedh had bludgeoned and ripped.
Tao wrapped an arm around my waist and half supported me as we headed for the door. Ilianna had disappeared, but reappeared moments later with a bag. If the bits hanging out were anything to go by, it was stuffed more with an assortment of magical detritus than clothing. We locked up, ensuring all the sensors and cameras were active, just in case anyone other than the Aedh tried to get in, then walked—or in my case, hobbled—down the stairs.
Ilianna’s Jeep was closer than my SUV, so we piled into her car and headed out. Azriel wasn’t with us in flesh form, but the heat caressing the back of my neck suggested he was still very much present.
Once we were on the road and there was no indication that we were being followed, I grabbed my phone and called my mom.
“Risa,” she said, voice heavy with relief. “Are you okay? The vibes I’m getting suggest you’re hurt.”
“I tore my feet up on some glass. Nothing to worry about.” I hesitated, waiting for her to denounce the lie. When she didn’t, I added, “How are you? Did you sort out whatever was troubling you?”
“Ris, you’ve got far bigger things to worry about right now than me.”
“You’re my mom,” I retorted testily. “There is nothing—and no one—else that matters more to me.”
“And, my darling girl, I feel exactly the same. Which is why you need to get to the Brindle as quickly as possible. They’re out to get you.”
Fear snaked through me. “Who?”
She hesitated. “I’m not sure. But it’s dark and it’s dangerous. Get to the Brindle, Ris. All of you.”
“We could swing by the house and pick—”
“No!” she said, and the alarm in her voice had my apprehension rising. “Don’t. There’s no time—and no need. There are some things you can run from, Ris, and some things you can’t. Yours is the former, and mine the latter. I accepted mine a long time ago, but I need to know you’re safe—”
“Oh fuck. Mom, I’m coming—”
“Don’t! You have one chance—one slight, slim chance—to reach the Brindle and safety. Take it, because it just might mean the difference between life and death for one of your friends. I can’t see who, but someone’s life really does hang in the balance. Promise me you will go there, Ris, not here.”
“Not if it means abandoning you—”
“Coming for me would be a waste. I won’t even be here when you arrive.”
“Mom—”
“You’re overdramatizing my problem,” she cut in gently. “I assure you, compared with what’s headed at you right now, my predicament is practically a picnic.”
I didn’t believe her. I couldn’t believe her. Fear for her safety was a deadweight in the pit of my stomach, and right on top of it sat the sick sensation that something bad was about to happen. To her—and to us. Yet I couldn’t deny the urgency of her warning and the growing need to get to the Brindle. I didn’t want any of my friends hurt, but she was my mom. If I had choose one or the other, then my mom was going to win every time.
And yet, if I tried to go to her, she would go elsewhere. And whatever was about to happen to her would still happen no matter where she was.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I closed my eyes and rubbed them wearily. None of this was helping the ache in my brain. “Maybe you should leave home. At least if you’re out, you have the Fravardin to protect you.”
“This is not something they can help
with.”
Meaning either that it wasn’t a personal threat—and therefore didn’t require the interference of the Fravardin—or that it was beyond the ability of the Fravardin to protect her. After all, they weren’t infallible. Mom’s brother had died despite their protection.
“Promise to be careful, all right?” I said wearily. “I’ll call when I get to the Brindle.”
“Good,” she said. “Just tell Tao to put his foot down.”
“Heard that, and obeying,” Tao murmured, and a second later the Jeep surged forward.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said, and hoped like hell that I could. “Love you lots.”
“And I’ll love you forever,” she replied softly.
The ache in my heart and the fear in my gut grew worse as I hung up.
“Trouble?” Ilianna said, her expression worried as she faced me.
“Probably. But she won’t tell me what.”
“Then get Riley on it.”
“Oh, I’m about to. You’d better call your mom and warn her we’re coming in fast and could have trouble on our heels.”
“She hasn’t even said we’re welcome—”
“My mom said get there, so get there we will.”
Ilianna looked dubious, but she nevertheless dialed her mom. I called Aunt Riley.
The first words out of her mouth were, “Fuck, Risa, I’m going to kill you for scaring me like that.”
I laughed, although the sound had an edge that almost sounded like hysteria. “It’s not like I actually planned to get kidnapped or anything.”
“But going to a meeting without backup? That was stupid.”
Yeah, it was, and I’d do it again if it meant getting answers—not that I’d ever admit that to her. She’d lock me up and throw away the key. “It was my father, he had answers, and if I didn’t go alone, he wouldn’t have appeared. You would have done exactly the same thing.”
“That is not the point.”
It was the point, and we both knew it. “The name of the witch raising the soul stealers is Margaret Trilby. Her brother is one of the men behind the consortium threatening the shop owners, then buying up their property.”
“Stane got this for you?” she said, surprise in her voice. “If so, maybe he needs to work for the Directorate. They can always use a decent hacker.”
Stane snorted softly. “Yeah, like I’m ever going to work for someone like the Directorate when I’ve spent half my life hacking places like that.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Riley said, half smiling. “Where are you now? Not going after that consortium or the witch, I hope.”
“We’re running for the Brindle. It seems the safest place right now given we’re not sure if the Aedh are going to come after me again.”
“What’s the Brindle?”
I blinked. Aunt Riley always seemed to know everything, so it was a surprise that she didn’t know about the Brindle. “It’s the witch repository, and the most magically protected place in Melbourne.”
“Then running there sounds like a good plan,” she said. “It’s better to leave cleaning up this mess to Rhoan. And maybe Quinn can sort out something to help with the Aedh.”
I hoped he could, but I wasn’t about to hold my breath waiting. “Look, I’m still worried about Mom. I don’t suppose you could go visit her tonight, and keep her company until I can sort out something else?”
“Sure,” she said, “but she was pretty strong with her assurances that nothing untoward was about to happen.”
“She’s lying. She mentioned having accepted this a long time ago. That sounds ominous to me.”
“Oh,” she said. Then, “Oh!”
Again, alarm rose. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said, and this time she was lying. “I’ll head over there now.”
“Please be careful. I have a really bad feeling about this.”
“Just what I need,” she muttered. “You and your mother could scare half a lifetime out of a person with your bad feelings.”
I smiled, as she’d no doubt intended. “Well, according to Uncle Quinn, you’ve got plenty of lifetime left in you, so that’s not going to be a problem.”
She snorted softly. “He’s another one who seems intent on scaring me half to death. Did you know he’s taken up skydiving? What the hell is that all about?”
This time I laughed. “He wants to know what it’s like to fly.”
“He owns planes and spaceships and he’s half Aedh. He flies all the time.”
“It’s not the same.”
She grunted, and the amusement faded from her face. “Send Rhoan the information on the names you found ASAP, and let me know when you get to the Brindle. I’d hate to have to raid them for no reason.”
“I will. And thanks.”
She gave me a smile then hit the DISCONNECT button. I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. The sick fear twisting my stomach hadn’t eased any. In fact, it had probably gotten worse. By asking Riley to go over to Mom’s, I’d put her in the path of whatever was about to hit Mom.
But she’d cope. She was the one person in this world—besides my mom—whom I had complete and utter faith in. She was a guardian, and a whole lot more. If there was anyone who had any hope of saving my mom—and herself—then it was Riley.
“Feeling better?” Tao said, his gaze meeting mine in the rearview mirror.
I grimaced. “I’ll feel a whole lot better when morning comes and everyone is fit, healthy, and in one piece.”
“Amen to that,” Ilianna said as she hung up the phone. “Mom said there’s no official approval for us taking sanctuary at the Brindle, but if we happen to turn up on the doorstep, the Brindle’s perimeter magic will at least give us some protection until we get a yea or a nay.”
And that was better than nothing. I pulled up Uncle Rhoan’s number, then glanced at Stane. “Could you send all the information you have about the consortium and Margaret Trilby to this number?”
Stane said, “You’re going to be sensible and let the Directorate handle it? Color me surprised.”
I elbowed him. “It’s the safest thing to do.”
“It is, which is why I’m surprised. I had the distinct feeling that you wanted a finger or two in that particular pie.”
“She does,” Tao said before I could. “Which is why you and I will be keeping a close eye on her until the Directorate has cleaned up the mess.”
Exasperation ran through me. “I’m not going—”
“I can taste how much you want to be a part of the resolution, Ris, and I’m more than a little acquainted with your determination.” His gaze met mine in the mirror again. “But even if the Aedh weren’t out there hunting you, you’re not trained for that sort of work.”
“Nor would you really want to witness it,” Ilianna murmured. “Death is never a pleasant sight, and execution even less so.”
I stared at her for a minute, then said, “You’ve seen someone executed?” God, we were closer than sisters, and yet this was something she’d never, ever even hinted at.
She shrugged, like it was nothing, but the flash of horror in her gaze gave the game away. “It’s the reason I walked away from the Brindle, but this isn’t really the time to get into it.”
Wow, I thought, surprised. Who’d have thought the Brindle would have such a bloody skeleton in its closet—especially given the witch creed and threefold rule?
“Okay,” Stane said, “Information sent—”
The rest of his words were lost under the sudden squeal of tires. The Jeep slewed sideways, skidding on the wet roads as Tao battled for control. We half spun, then came to a rest hard up against the side of the truck that had rocketed out of a side street.
“Fucking idiot!” Tao yelled, hanging out the window. “Watch where you’re going next time.”
The man in the truck gave us a one-finger salute. Tao flung open the door and was half out by the time I lurched forward and grabbed his arm.
r /> “Don’t,” I said, voice urgent with the fear that was growing inside. “It doesn’t matter. We need to keep moving.”
“But that idiot could have killed us!” He ripped his arm free from my grip, but nevertheless climbed back into the car. “Get his license plate. The least I can do is report his stupid driving.”
“I will. Just get mov—”
The rest of the sentence died in my throat as I stared through the windshield. There were things coming at us. Half-human, half-animal things.
“Oh fuck,” Ilianna said. “Tao, move!”
He didn’t answer, simply threw the Jeep into reverse and planted his foot on the accelerator. The wheels spun slightly on the wet roads, then gripped, and the Jeep lurched backward. We were fast, but those things were faster.
“Stane, get down,” I said as I leaned over the front seat and shoved Ilianna down into the front foot well.
“I can fight,” he said. “I won’t cower behind a seat while you and Tao make a stand.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but I simply didn’t have the time. Despite our speed, those things were on us. Two of them landed on the roof, denting it alarmingly as their half-claw hands scrabbled for the doors.
Stane and I moved as one, slamming the door locks down. Tao spun the wheel and the car swung sideways, riding up on two wheels briefly before dropping and lurching forward. One of the shifters on top of the car tumbled backward, hitting the roadside hard but scrambling to his feet almost immediately. A heartbeat later he was back on top of the Jeep, his claws tearing into the metal and barely missing Stane’s head.
A third shifter hit the front of the car, its fist smashing into the windshield, cracking the glass. Tao swore and braked hard. The creature grabbed the wipers, trying to hold on, but the abruptness of the halt sent him flying, the wiper going with him.
Again, Tao planted his foot, cutting across a traffic island then hurtling down the wrong way of the road. Ahead, horns blew and cars swerved out of the way. But the things on top of the Jeep clung like glue.
The creature’s claws tore deeper, peeling back the car’s roof. Stane swore and twisted around, kicking upward at the talons. The creature snarled and lashed out, his claws raking Stane’s leg. The metallic tang of blood tainted the air.