Panther Prowling

  “Yes, that’s a good thing. Okay, what will you have? I’d better get my ass out of this chair or I’ll never want to get up.”

  Camille ordered chicken noodle soup and a cheese sandwich and one of Marion’s cinnamon rolls. I ordered chili and a ham sandwich, and a couple of her chocolate chip cookies. As she took off with our order, I cleared my throat.

  “Why haven’t you suggested calling Daniel to see if the name Jay Miles rings a bell? Ten to one he’s the link between Leif and Daniel.”

  “Oh, I figured that one out, but if we supply Daniel with Jay’s name, our cousin may just decide to head over there and put a bullet through the man. And Daniel going up against a necromancer? Not such a good idea. No, we’ll wait for a bit until we can make sure Daniel doesn’t do something stupid.”

  I nodded. That made sense. With a sigh, I turned on my phone, pulled up the WeatherApp, and glanced at it. “Hell, Marion’s right. The storm is going to be nasty. Thunder and lightning, the works.” I glanced back at the windows. Outside, the rain was pounding down again. “The leading edge has apparently been coming in for a few days and we never really noticed.”

  “I thought it was typical January weather. Why are you so upset? It sounds bad, yes, but we’ve been through worse.” Camille sipped her tea, cupping her hands around the hot mug with a sigh of satisfaction.

  I frowned. Why was I so unsettled? I searched my thoughts, my gut . . . but the answer, whatever it was, lay out of reach. I shook my head. “I don’t know. All I can tell you is the storm is going to be worse than they predict.”

  But the truth was, I had the feeling that somehow the storm was going to help Jay Miles and whatever plans he had for the sword.

  Chapter 14

  Iris and Hanna had heard about the storm and they were preparing for it by the time we arrived home. We were in an all hands on deck situation. Shade still wasn’t home, so I went down to Iris’s with Camille to help the guys shutter the glass panels of the greenhouse.

  Our land was fifteen acres of lovely wooded land, including Birchwater Pond. But the tall timber of the Pacific Northwest had shallow root systems, which made for falling trees during windstorms. The heavy rains would saturate the ground and loosen the roots. There were plenty of trees close enough to both our houses that they could easily smash the greenhouse flat. We couldn’t protect against our roofs—that really wasn’t an option without clearing out a lot of healthy shade—but we could do our best to protect against ancillary damage.

  I still felt uneasy about the storm, though I hadn’t mentioned my concerns to anybody else. The rain had let up a little, but it felt like the quiet interlude before something big. As we helped fasten plywood against the walls of the greenhouse, I kept my ear cocked, wondering what I was even trying to hear. By 3:00 P.M., we had weatherized both Iris’s house and our home as much as possible.

  Camille stood back to look over the front porch. We’d taken down the string of white twinkle lights we always kept around the porch. Smoky and Trillian had unhooked the porch swing from the chains and set it in a sheltered area so it wouldn’t smash back against the house.

  We’d also remembered to stow the trash bins. We were responsible for dumping our own garbage and recycling, but that didn’t mean we wanted it scattered across the lawn if the wind came in and knocked over the bins. Camille had also covered her magical herb garden with another layer of mulch and a plastic tarp with a few holes punched in it for air, weighting it down with bricks along the edges.

  “I guess we’ve done everything we can. Anything else you can see that might become flying debris?” She glanced around the yard. “Make sure all the tools are put away. We should also make certain we have enough water in case the power goes out and the pump stops.”

  “I’m on it. Vanzir, help me? We need a lot of water for this crew.” Morio took off, followed by Vanzir.

  “The cars are parked away from the trees, so that’s done. Medical supplies are out where we can find them? What about food?” Camille consulted a checklist. I had to hand it to her; she was organized.

  “Hanna’s taking care of that. Somebody should go check with Iris and Bruce. He stayed home today from the university. He didn’t have any classes this afternoon anyway. Make certain they have everything prepped.” I glanced over to Trillian. “You want to take care of that?”

  “Sure thing.” Trillian headed around back.

  Smoky cleared his throat. “I’ll bring in wood for the fireplaces.”

  Camille and I glanced at each other. She shrugged. “I guess now we just wait and see if the storm materializes. Let’s go make sure enough candles are in place.”

  As we headed inside, I decided to broach my fears. “Do you think . . . Ever since Marion told us about this storm, I’ve had a bad premonition that there will be some sort of really nasty connection to the sword. I don’t know how or what, but I’m worried, Camille.”

  She frowned as we headed for the door. “Do you have any idea of where the connection is?”

  Shaking my head, I closed the door behind me. “No, that’s the problem. It’s so nebulous. I wish I could say, ‘I think Jay Miles is going to use it to help Einar escape,’ or something like that. But it’s just this sense that the storm will be working against us somehow. Not like the sentient storm in Otherworld, but just—it’s bad timing, you know?”

  As we headed into the kitchen, Hanna looked harried. Her hair was back in a single braid, and she was stirring three different pots of food on the stove. The kitchen was a cacophony of scents, so muddled that I couldn’t make out any one thing in particular. The oven was on, too, and three baskets of rolls sat on the sideboard, still warm.

  “Need help?” Camille moved in and checked the rolls. “Want me to bag these and put them away?”

  Hanna nodded, wiping her forehead. “Please. I watched the weather report after you called about the storm. We’re smack in the path, so I’ve been cooking up anything that might go bad if the power goes out. I’ve got a pot of chili, a pot of spaghetti sauce, and a pot of stew simmering. If need be, Iris and Smoky can chill down what food is in the refrigerator, but they cannot provide the electricity to cook with and I’d rather limit how much I have to grill. There are lemon bars and chocolate chip bars in the oven. They should be ready to take out in five minutes.”

  She went back to tending the food while I held the bags and Camille filled them with rolls. Given the rate at which we ate, we bought ingredients in bulk and Hanna and Iris shared the baking duties once a week, making enough bread for everybody.

  After we finished up, and went to check on the candle and battery supply, Camille motioned for me to sit down with her in the parlor.

  “Let’s take a break and I’ll go into trance and see what I can find out.”

  She leaned back, closing her eyes. Her breasts slowly rose and fell with her breath, and the energy around her felt sparkly, like she was vibrating on a different level. I wondered if that’s what happened to me when I moved into my Death Maiden aspect.

  Five minutes later, she slowly exhaled a long breath and opened her eyes. “The storm isn’t sentient, that we know, but it’s dark and it’s big and it’s rolling in. I think, given what I’m sensing, that any necromancer or sorcerer who has access to a supercharged weapon could probably channel the power of the storm. If we were only a few days closer to the new moon, this would be the ideal time to recharge the horn—the extra oomph would probably increase the amount of time I could use it before it drained.”

  “So you think I might be on to something?”

  She thought for a moment. “You know who might be able to help us? He has a great deal of experience with ancient weapons.”

  I frowned. I had a feeling I knew who she was referring to and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to go there. “You aren’t talking about . . .”

  “Yeah, the Merlin. It’s a half
-hour drive out to Talamh Lonrach Oll. We can get there, talk to him, and get back long before the storm hits. It’s not due in until the middle of the night, is it?”

  I shook my head. “Are you sure you want to bring him into this? And what about Aeval? You really want to talk to her right now, after what I saw?”

  I was scrambling for excuses because I didn’t like dealing with the Fae courts. I didn’t feel comfortable around them, and I didn’t trust them. I knew I had to get over it at some point. Camille was inexorably mixed up with them and that was just the way it was, but right now? Not so thrilled about the idea.

  “Until she decides to tell me about her and Vanzir—if she ever does—it’s none of my business. I’m not going to bring the fact that I know about them to her attention.” She jumped up and took my hand, pulling me to my feet. “The sooner we head out there, the sooner we can get home.”

  I sighed, letting her push me into the hallway.

  “I’ll just pop in the kitchen and tell Hanna where we’re going and to expect us back for dinner. If we leave now, we should be able to get home by seven at the latest.”

  As she vanished, I shrugged into my coat, feeling decidedly grumbly. I was worried about Shade, but there wasn’t a damned thing I could do right now about it. I grabbed my backpack and made sure I had my phone, and when she returned, I held out her coat.

  “All right, but we’re taking my Jeep and I’m driving.” At least I could focus on the road instead of letting my thoughts wander to places better off left alone. Like what Shade’s family might be saying to him, and what the prognosis on his powers would be, and just what this storm might enable Jay Miles to do with the sword.

  As we headed out, the rain started in again and the sky was darkening up at an alarming rate. Menolly would be getting up shortly and I was actually glad for that. She was incredibly strong and capable in a crisis, and I always felt safer when she was around.

  As we wound through the back roads to avoid rush-hour traffic, Camille’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Chase.”

  “Maybe he has some info about Miles.”

  She answered. “Hey, Chase . . . right . . . okay, tell me and then e-mail it to me, please. I’m in the car . . . Talamh Lonrach Oll—we need to ask the Merlin a few questions. He might know a little something about possessed swords.”

  She laughed. “Really? . . . Okay, what else? . . . Who? You’re kidding. Yeah, I remember them, all too well . . . Cozy little club, aren’t they?” Suddenly, she didn’t sound amused. “All right, thanks, Chase. We’ll see you tonight. Have you heard about the incoming storm? . . . Good. Yeah, would be good to have extra men on tonight . . . What? Okay, be sure she lets Menolly know.”

  As she punched END TALK on her phone, she turned to me.

  “Okay, he’s e-mailing me all of this in case we space out some of it. First, Jay Miles checks out as human. He’s got a shady past, is suspected in several art thefts, etc., and he’s suspected of being a fence but nobody has ever proved anything. He also is part of an FBH fraternity—not college, but one of those lodges. He’s part of LOT. The Loyal Order of Thunderbirds. They’re a magical group, according to rumor, and the membership roster also included—get this—Van and Jaycee.”

  I blinked and almost skidded across the road. Those were two names I hoped I’d never hear again. Jaycee and Van had been sorcerers who had been running a covert Wolf-briar business until we’d busted their asses and taken them down. Wolf-briar was a drug used on Weres, and it was created by torturing and dismembering alpha werewolves.

  “Then whatever organization it is can’t be a good one. Not with members like that in their ranks. Especially if it’s a magical group. Okay, so he’s suspected of being a fence, and he belongs to an underground group that housed known psychopaths. What else did Chase say?”

  “He found a couple addresses for Miles. I should have them in the e-mail. Jay Miles has a public persona, though. Delilah, he may belong to LOT, but he also is a board member on the Seattle Race Against Cancer organization. They run a marathon every year to raise funds for cancer research. And Jay Miles is a benefactor of that group. He’s friends with a lot of society people, so we have to walk softly on this one.” She frowned. “I wonder just how private LOT is. Chase said the only reason he has Miles’s membership recorded is due to an informant during the Wolf-briar incident.”

  Camille pulled her tablet out of her purse. We’d all taken to carrying them, after Roman gifted us with them at Yule. He’d bought the three of us—and Nerissa—iPads, as well as perfume. I wasn’t sure what his personal gifts to Menolly were.

  She tapped away, frowning. “There isn’t a lot on the Net about it. Rumors, looks like . . . hmm . . . searching doesn’t reveal a great deal of info here. Wait . . . .” She paused, clicking on a link. “Here’s a mention. A woman by the name of Sandra K.—no last name given—wrote a self-published book called Magical Orders of the Fire. It contains a list of organizations, and LOT is listed in here. I’m buying this book. Maybe there’s more info that can help us.”

  As she downloaded it, I took the turnoff to Talamh Lonrach Oll. The rain was growing in intensity, and if it was this bad now, I dreaded thinking of what it would be like later when the winds rose. As it was, they were mild now—about five to ten miles per hour, but I knew what was coming and my stomach felt unsettled from it.

  It took us forty minutes—ten more than usual, because of traffic—to reach the Sovereign Fae Compound. As we parked and headed over to the guards, I sincerely hoped they had a covered buggy ready and able for us. But all of them were in use.

  “I’m sorry, Lady Camille, but with the weather so bad, all carriages have been in use all day.” The guard tipped a sympathetic smile to us. “We do have one horse left, but he won’t take two riders.”

  “How far of a walk is it?”

  She grimaced. “It will take us a good fifteen minutes at least. We’d better get a move on. I didn’t come all the way out here just to turn around and go home.” With that, she set off and I hurried to keep up.

  We were drenched within the first couple of minutes, but my sister was resolute. She was wearing heels, but she didn’t complain—the woman could walk in stilettos better than I could in flats. The pathways were cobblestone, and slick, but she still managed it without turning a heel, though I had a feeling she’d be asking for a foot rub later.

  It took us twenty minutes rather than fifteen—the rain worked against us—but we arrived at the great Barrow Mounds where the Queens held court. The Merlin was staying in the Court of Dusk and Twilight, where Morgaine ruled. Except Morgaine was curled in a fetal position in her room. At least metaphorically.

  We approached the gate, and the guards, peering at us closely, recognized Camille. She was well known out here and her reputation seemed to be growing with every month. I had the feeling there were some butt-monkey hurt feelings running under the surface.

  Camille was Otherworld Fae, half-human, yet obviously Aeval’s pet. She was also destined to become the first Earthside High Priestess for the Moon Mother. A position like that didn’t come without breaking a few eggs along the way, even if you didn’t realize you were the one breaking them.

  “We’re here to see the Merlin.” Camille shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her, but seeing that our clothes were saturated, it did nothing except squeeze a little water out to run down her arms and legs.

  “Come in. Sit by the fire.” One of the guards looked furious. “I cannot believe you were allowed to walk all the way in the rain. The gatekeepers are newly trained. I apologize to you, and your sister.”

  “No, no . . . don’t scold them. But if you could find us a carriage back to the parking lot, we’d really appreciate it.” Camille brightened as we came to the fire that was burning merrily in the huge fireplace. The guards motioned to a servant, who took our coats.

 
“Bring towels, blankets, and hot tea immediately.” He turned back to us. “I’ll tell Lord the Merlin that you’re here.” Apparently, the Merlin had acquired a new title, too.

  “Thank you.” I nodded as he turned to go, then pulled Camille over to the bench right in front of the flames. We huddled, warming our hands against the raging heat that filtered out to fill the huge chamber. But no matter how hot the fire, the Barrows always seemed chilly to me during the winter. And they were stuffy during summer. I didn’t think I could ever stand living here, and was grateful that Camille’s path wasn’t my own.

  A moment later, a woman brought out towels and a couple blankets for us, and another, a tea tray with tea and cakes. They looked to be woodland Fae, and they smiled gracefully as they set out the cups and saucers and took the towels, helping us dry off as best as they could.

  The cakes were yellow, with the flavors of apricot, honey, and vanilla, and they were dusted with what tasted like powdered sugar.

  They melted in my mouth. “Hanna has to learn to make these.”

  Camille nodded, licking her fingers. “I’ll ask for the recipe.”

  At that moment, the Merlin came in. When he went about the town, he dressed in jeans and a shirt, much to Aeval and Titania’s dismay, but out here, he wore his robes. They were green, with brown leather trousers. His hair grazed his shoulder blades, a deep burgundy mirrored by his beard. A few strands of gray mingled in, the only sign that he was as old as the hills. He had a Romanesque nose, and faint wrinkle lines creasing his brow.

  “Lady Camille, Delilah, what brings your company to me on such a stormy evening?” He motioned for us to stay seated, but he remained standing.

  Camille swallowed the last of her cake, and gave him a courteous, but respectful bow of the head. “We need your advice, if you should have any.” As she ran down the events of the past few nights, including the devil-wraith, the Merlin’s expression went from pleasant to nigh-exasperated.