Broken Dolls: An Urban Fantasy (The Telepathic Clans Saga Book 3)

by BR Kingsolver

  “You’ve named a succubus as your heir?” I blurted out, surprised.

  He smiled. “We prefer the term Druid, though I know the other word is used outside Ireland. But yes, a truly unique young lady, Maureen’s daughter.”

  He seemed to study my face. I squirmed a bit under his gaze, not sure what he sought.

  “I think you’ll meet her,” he said, and a shiver ran through me at his tone and the look on his face. “She attracts people. She’s an even more powerful telepath than you are.”

  That surprised me. I had never heard of anyone with more than fifteen Gifts, and there aren’t many telepaths I would hesitate to match. I thought about it. A succubus with an additional six Gifts could possibly be stronger than I am.

  As I took my leave, he said, “I assume you didn’t bring anything appropriate for dinner this evening.”

  I shook my head. Hell, I didn’t even own anything he would consider appropriate to wear for a formal dinner. “That’s okay,” I said, “I can eat in the kitchen.”

  “No, you can’t. I’ll have Morrighan find something that will fit. You’re kin, not a servant, Rhiannon, and in this house you’ll sit at table.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I’d never understood why he treated me the way he did. My puzzlement must have shown on my face.

  “Rhiannon, I’ve known your mother for seventy years, and my Lady and I have always considered her a good friend. We’ve engaged her services several times, and she’s always acted on our behalf as if she were part of the Clan.”

  A brief flash of anger crossed his face, and I could feel the anger with my Empathy, but he suppressed it.

  “Your father hasn’t acted toward you with honor. You’re kin to my wife, and we do take honor seriously. I spoke to Corwin about this once, and was very displeased by his response.”

  Corwin O’Neill is my grandfather, my father’s father, and Lord of Clan O’Neill.

  “You are capable of great things,” he continued. “I want you to consider O’Byrne a friend. No one truly knows the future, and what we do now can change it.” He paused for some time, then softly said, “Rhiannon, you’ve always treated me not just with respect, but something more. An old man appreciates that.”

  Ashamed of myself, I made mental note to stay in touch. I owed him at least that much.

  Morrighan awaited me in the hall. Looking me up and down, she said, “I might be able to find you a dress, but I won’t promise how well it will fit. What size shoe do you wear?”

  We went upstairs and rummaged through closets in several rooms. An old gown of Maureen’s proved to be almost large enough in the chest, although displaying more cleavage than I think the designer planned, but it was a bit short. Her shoes were too small. I thought it was a little weird that clothes from a woman dead sixteen years were still hanging in her room. A dress from another closet was good for length, but I was afraid I’d split the zipper even if we got it closed. The top was woefully inadequate.

  In the end, we took the dress of Maureen’s to a seamstress and Morrighan begged her to add some lace for length. She did in just a few minutes. Taking me to her own room, Morrighan sorted through a jewelry box to find accessories for me. My cream shoes, the only heels I’d brought, didn’t match the gown, but she decided they went well enough with the green of the dress.

  I’d never sat at table in such a formal setting, but I managed not to disgrace myself. Afterward, the women and men retired to separate parlors and Lady O’Byrne introduced me as her niece, which technically I am. After the obligatory glass of sherry, which I despise, Morrighan approached me.

  “Would you care to retire to a more comfortable setting?” she asked with a grin. “The hunting here at the estate isn’t too bad, though I’m rather tired of the selection. Or we could go to a pub I know near Wicklow. It will have a band and the hunting there is usually quite delicious.”

  “That sounds good,” I smiled a genuine smile for the first time in hours. “I’m really more of a pint-in-a-pub type of girl. This sort of formal decorum isn’t really comfortable.”

  She chuckled, “I can tell. Did you bring a hunting dress? If not, I’m sure we can find something in Maureen’s closet, but it will probably be out of date.”

  I realized she had made a common mistake. “I thought I’d told you. Morrighan, I’m not a Druid. I’m more than happy to go pub-hopping with you, but I’m not a hunter.”

  Her face blazed crimson. “I apologize. I guess I just assumed ...”

  I shook my head. “I have an aunt and a cousin who are. Both my great-grandmothers were. I didn’t get the Gift, just the looks. But as to a clubbing dress, I do have something appropriate.”

  Morrighan chuckled. “I’ve seen a picture of your great-grandmother, and you certainly did get the looks.”

  I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that. I assumed she meant my father’s grandmother. I had never seen a picture of the old witch and she’d died about the time I was born.

  When I came downstairs wearing a green one-shoulder micro-mini dress, the reactions were fairly typical. The men openly gaped. I’m used to women turning a bit green, but Morrighan surprised me. Instead of seeing envy, or worse, the suppressed anger of jealousy, she smiled so big I thought her face would split.

  “May the Goddess protect the men of Ireland,” she exclaimed. My mood lightened and I returned her smile. I was beginning to like her.

  Half an hour later, we headed out in a limo with four Protectors. A van with more Protectors followed us. Morrighan said Lord O’Byrne had ordered around-the-clock security for all succubi after the events in the States and Myrna’s disappearance. Two of the security personnel were women, I assumed so we could safely go to the ladies’ room.

  “You put up with this kind of security all the time?” I asked Morrighan.

  “Yes, but after a while you forget it’s there.”

  The pub was a lot of fun. A sign near the entrance bragged that one of the international guidebooks proclaimed it the best bar in the world. I would enjoy checking out the competition, purely as a scientific study of course. But this one was certainly as much or more fun than any place in London.

  We grabbed a table in a dark corner, and Morrighan proceeded to draw in her prey. She boosted her Glamor and used Influence to pull in the men she targeted.

  A pleasant-looking young man with a sizeable bulge in his pants drifted over and asked me to dance. Out on the floor, he locked in his fate by neglecting to notice I had a face. If he had been nicer, I might have been tempted.

  I danced, flirted and had a good time. Morrighan took two men in our booth, blurring the minds of anyone who shifted their attention in her direction. She was glowing like a light bulb.

  I was always amazed at how such elegant women turn into such blatant predators, using and discarding men like rubbish. It seemed out of character, but my Mum had told me when I asked about my cousin’s behavior, “It’s another side of their character. Don’t ever forget a succubus is dangerous. They tip to the killing edge faster than the rest of us. Treat them like a mama bear with cubs.”

  I drifted into another room, and in little more than an hour, won two hundred euros playing darts. I don’t know why men always seem to think it’s luck and I’ll start missing. I’d spent as much time in pubs as the most dedicated alcoholic, but I only had two pints the entire evening. Besides, I cheat.

  ~~~

  Chapter 4

  Before we drove to Dublin the following day, Morrighan hauled me back to the seamstress. “Lord O’Byrne’s orders,” she said.

  The seamstress told me to strip and measured every part of me. “I’ve been told to ensure you can dress appropriately when you come to visit,” she said.

  I don’t need to spend too much time out in the sun. I can just visit O’Byrne to have my face turn red.

  On the way to Morrighan’s flat, I told her, “I can’t conduct a proper investigation with all this security. I need to be able to move fast, quietl
y and discreetly. Riding around in a limo with a van full of Protectors is not discreet. I’m going to rent a car so I have some independence.”

  In response, she made a call on her mobile.

  “There will be a car waiting for you at my place,” she told me. “Rentals are traceable. If something happens to this one, Lord O’Byrne won’t be upset.”

  I wasn’t going to argue with her.

  Morrighan had a spacious three bedroom flat near Leinster House, the Irish Parliament building. She showed me to a bedroom with attached bath and handed me a key. She also handed me a set of keys for a Cooper and a credit card to pay for petrol.

  “So where do we start?” she asked.

  “By you changing into something less conspicuous,” I answered. “This is a different kind of hunting.” I showed her the change of clothes I carried in my shoulder bag, the travel dress and low-heeled pumps. “Bring something that is multipurpose and that you can change into quickly. I use this dress for everything. It also needs to be something that won’t offend a vicar.”

  “Understood,” she said with a smile.

  ~~~

  We drove to Trinity College, parked off campus, and walked to the student residential complex to see Myrna’s roommate. Adele Callahan was a pretty nineteen-year-old with three Gifts. She’d never be very strong, but my first impression was that she was bright, very earnest, and worked hard to maximize what the Goddess gave her. She’d grown up in one of the villages surrounding the Wicklow estate, so I assumed she’d had good training.

  “Adele, this is RB Kendrick. Lord O’Byrne has engaged her to look into Myrna’s disappearance,” Morrighan introduced us.

  *Why don’t you find us some sandwiches or takeout for lunch. Something we can eat on the go.* I sent to Morrighan in a mental spear.

  *Are you trying to get rid of me?*

  *You are such a perceptive woman.*

  She smiled and excused herself. I looked around the room. Two narrow beds, two desks, two closets, posters on the walls … it looked like a typical dormitory room. They hadn’t changed any since I was at Oxford. Hell, they probably hadn’t changed much since Lord O’Byrne was at Oxford.

  “Why don’t you tell me about the last day you saw Myrna before she vanished?” I said, sitting down on the bed opposite Adele.

  Adele gave me an ‘earnest’ look, trying to show me she wanted to help.

  “She was getting ready to go out. I don’t know if she had a date or she was just going out hunting,” she started. There was a slight eye shift and a tic when she said she didn’t know if Myrna had a date.

  I stopped her. “The first time you saw her was in the evening?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Start with the morning. Tell me everything you can remember for the whole day,” I said.

  “Well, we got up and went to breakfast. We had an exam in English Literature,” she said. “I’d been up late studying.” The statement about studying was accompanied with an expression of … distaste? annoyance? irritation?

  “Do you always study hard?”

  “Oh, yes. I study hard for all my courses.”

  “Does Myrna study very hard?”

  The expression resurfaced. “Well, she gets good marks.”

  “But she doesn’t study very hard,” I stated.

  She shook her head. “I guess she doesn’t have to. Things seem to come so easy for her.” The girl’s shields were pretty tight, but emotions a strong Empath could read leaked through. The envy or jealousy this girl had for Myrna was strong and right on the surface.

  “So did you see her after the exam?”

  “Yes, we went to lunch, and then I had another exam in the afternoon. She said she was going to the library.” An even stronger expression of annoyance, irritation, distaste, and stronger jealousy.

  “What was she planning to do at the library?”

  She blushed, looking away from me.

  “She was going to meet a man?”

  Adele managed to meet my eyes. “I’m not a prude, Miss Kendrick.”

  I kept silent, waiting for her to continue. The silence stretched until she became uncomfortable.

  “Look,” she said, “I’m not uncomfortable with sex, but I’ve never been around a succubus before. She’s just so … so open, so predatory. Sometimes she has sex with several different men in the same day. I tried going out with her a couple of times,” her face flushed bright red, her voice scaled up half an octave and her speech became faster, “and she just shags them and leaves them lying on the floor, or in an alley, or wherever else she decides to do it. It’s disgusting.”

  I noticed that Adele wasn’t hung up on using the word Druid. I could understand that. The behavior she was describing didn’t sound very religious.

  I kept my voice even. “So the next time you saw her was when she was getting ready to go out?”

  “No, I saw her at dinner. Then we came back here. I had a date and we got ready and that was the last time I saw her.”

  “Did you both leave at the same time?”

  She flushed again, dipping her eyes.

  “Adele, what did you do after she left?”

  Her head jerked up and she stared at me with wide eyes, guilt pouring through her shields. I took a guess.

  “What’s her password?”

  Her eyes widened even further and she jerked as though I’d slapped her.

  “Adele, I don’t care if you like her or not. But we think she may be in danger. Do you hate her so much that you hope she gets raped or killed?”

  Her face scrunched up and I thought she might start to cry. “I don’t hate her,” she whispered. “I don’t wish her any harm at all.”

  “Then you need to help me and stop feeling so guilty about thinking she got what she deserved.” If I actually had slapped her, I couldn’t have broken her down more thoroughly. She started crying.

  “God, I’m such a terrible person. I really did think that,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

  I crossed the room and sat on the bed next to her, gathering her into my arms. I waited until she cried herself out.

  “You’re not a terrible person. I think it’s natural to be somewhat jealous of someone who’s so smart and beautiful and seems to get everything she wants so easily.” At least, that’s what women have been telling me all my life. “But I need your help to find her. Will you help me?”

  She nodded. “You want her password?”

  “Yes, and I want you to show me all the things you read on her computer and any online accounts. I want you to show me all the other secrets you poked your nose into. And if you help me and tell me everything, no one will ever know. I’ll never tell anyone.”

  “Not even Morrighan?”

  “No one. Not Morrighan, not Lord O’Byrne, not Myrna, not even the Goddess.”

  “Okay,” she said tearfully. She got up and moved to the desk I assumed was Myrna’s. Sitting down at the computer, she typed in a password and I had the keys to the kingdom. “It’s ‘succubusblues’” she told me.

  I chuckled and took her place at the keyboard. “Adele, it’s not very nice to snoop in other people’s stuff,” I said. She nodded. “But it’s not your fault she’s missing. I know you’re jealous of her, but you really haven’t done anything wrong. Just remember in the future, because someone is pretty and smart doesn’t mean she’s better than you are. Jealousy will eat you up. You’re pretty and smart and you work hard. Just worry about Adele and stop comparing yourself to others. You do that, and you’ll be happy and it won’t matter what anyone else does. Okay?”

  She nodded again. In a quiet voice, she said, “I guess you know a lot about people being jealous.”

  “Yeah, and it never hurt me, only them.”

  We spent the next twenty minutes going through Myrna’s files and online profiles. The girl had been pretty active. She was lucky she was so smart. She didn’t have time to study.

  *I have lunch. Can I come up?* Morrigh
an sent.

  *Yeah. Did you bring some for Adele?*

  *Yes.*

  *You’re hired. When you get here, either play church mouse or leave. No questions.*

  *???. On my way.*

  Morrighan came in and started pulling food out of a bag and putting it on Adele’s desk. “Chicken, ham or beef?” She asked and then passed out the sandwiches.

  “I managed to hack Myrna’s password,” I said between bites. “Adele has been giving me hints as to where to look based on conversations they had.”

  Adele shot me a grateful look, which Morrighan didn’t miss, but she didn’t say anything. I scrolled down through the emails. Three addresses leapt out because of the volume. One was from an online dating site, one from a woman named Meara, and the other from a man named Brendan O’Driscoll with a government email address. I pointed them out to Morrighan and Adele.

  “Meara is her friend, another Druid,” Morrighan said. Adele nodded. “Brendan O’Driscoll is an MP from County Cork.” At that revelation, Adele’s eyes grew wide.

  “Adele?” I asked.

  “I knew she had an older man. She was very proud of it, but she never said his name. A Member of Parliament? Wow.”

  I clicked through a dozen emails from the dating site. “Recognize any of these?” I asked.

  Adele looked through them and pointed out two. “I think she met those guys.”

  I checked out Myrna’s sent mail, and matched her messages with the boys from the dating site. But the man she planned to meet the night she disappeared was Brendan O’Driscoll.

  “Can you get us in to see him?” I asked Morrighan. She nodded, a grim expression on her face.

  “Spill,” I said. “What’s the problem with him?”

  She glanced at Adele. “It’s okay,” I said. “Adele won’t tell anyone anything, right?” Adele shook her head emphatically. “She’s going to help us in any way she can. You can trust her, Morrighan.”

  *God, you’ve got something on her already?*

  I winked at her.

  Taking a deep breath, Morrighan said, “O’Driscoll is a telepath. He isn’t aligned with any of the major Irish Clans, but he’s rumored to be close with the Gordon Clan in England.”