Mortal Ties wotl-9

by Eileen Wilks

  Cullen would kill to study whatever spells were laid on those walls. Unfortunately for both of them, she was the one that had been grabbed, not him. But she and Sean weren’t the only ones who’d been taken prisoner. “Are those three the only people you’ve seen since you were snatched? Alycithin and the two elves?”

  “That’s all.”

  “Someone else was kidnapped. At least one other person.” Adam King and maybe Rule. Maybe more.

  “Maybe the others did that.”

  “Others?” she said sharply.

  “Alycithin is in some kind of competition with another of the sidhe, or maybe a group of them. I don’t know what they’re all after, but apparently Robert has agreed to do something for the other group, and Alycithin wants him to do it for her instead.” He shook his head. “It was a shock to find out he was alive.”

  “This other group takes hostages, too?”

  He spread his hands. “I’m guessing about that, but hostage-taking is how her people do business. It’s SOP, like a contract would be here. Alycithin wanted to use me as a bargaining chip with Robert. She didn’t expect him to laugh at the idea. Robert and I,” he added wryly, “are not close. I got the impression she thinks you’ll make a better bargaining chip.”

  If he was telling the truth and Friar wasn’t here…if the halfling woman intended to sell Lily to Friar…then she had time. She didn’t know how much, but some. She really wanted to believe Robert Friar’s brother was as sincere as he seemed, and that was about as bizarre as the shiny silver window. “You’ve learned a lot in the short time you’ve been here.”

  “We dine together and chat. It’s all very civilized. I know,” he said ruefully, maybe reacting to her expression. “It’s strange. They’re strange. You’re taking all this very calmly.”

  “You seem pretty calm yourself.”

  “I wasn’t when I first woke up. Freaked out all over the place. I’ve had time to accept what I can’t change. It helps that she promised that her people don’t dispose of mistakes.”

  “You believe her?”

  “Oddly enough, I do.”

  Not so odd. A smart kidnapper wanted his or her hostage calm, convinced he would live if he obeyed. It sounded like Alycithin was a smart kidnapper. Persuasive, too. “You said you dine with them. In here?”

  “No, if I accept their invitation I’m escorted into the other room. If I don’t behave, they freeze me.”

  “Freeze you?”

  “I can’t move.” His jaw clenched tight enough to make a muscle jump. “I hate it. My body stops being mine. I…but they can’t do that to you.”

  “No.” It sounded like a spell Rethna had used. The sidhe lord had pointed a finger, and zap! His target couldn’t move. His flunkies hadn’t seemed able to that. Other really nasty things, but not the freezing. “You said ‘they.’ Do they all have the ability to freeze you?”

  “I…assumed so, but it was the orange-haired elf who froze me. Does it matter?”

  “It might. Elves all have some body magic and some illusion magic, but they specialize in one or the other. One who’s aces at body magic won’t be that strong at illusion, and vice versa. That freeze spell—I think it’s something only a body magic expert can do. What does the other room look like?”

  “It’s maybe twenty-five feet by fifteen. Chairs and a couch at one end, dining table at the other. Two doors on the wall opposite this bedroom, but I don’t know what’s beyond them. The kitchen’s on this side. I think this is an apartment or a condo—something about the layout makes it seem like one.”

  “You haven’t seen outside?”

  “The windows are weird in there, too.”

  Lily looked around the room again. Nothing jumped out at her as a potential weapon. Nothing suggested a means of escape. She might as well deal with what her bladder insisted was a pressing situation. “I need to use the restroom.”

  “Sure. The shower works, there’s shampoo, and you’ve got your own toothbrush. I told them humans did not share some things, so they brought another one. There’s a closet off the bathroom. No hangers we might use to poke their eyes out, but there’s a closet, and they brought some changes of clothes for you.”

  “Considerate kidnappers.”

  “All part of their code. From what Alycithin said, I think it’s like the Geneva Conventions. We have to be fed, clothed, and housed decently. I gather there are a lot of rules about that.”

  “The Geneva Conventions outlaw the beating or torture of prisoners.”

  “They’re not allowed to do that. They can freeze me or take my boots, but they can’t hit me unless I attack one of them.”

  Had Jasper lied about Adam being hurt? About him being taken in the first place? Or was the “other group” not following their version of the Geneva Conventions?

  Friar, of course, wouldn’t follow any codes that didn’t suit him. Lily nodded thoughtfully and headed for the bathroom.

  The bathroom door locked. It was the push-button kind, easy enough to jimmy or bust, but it locked. That was a surprise. Mozart was playing in there, too. Otherwise it was as ordinary as the bedroom, if lacking the sort of detritus that accumulates in a lived-in space. On the narrow strip of counter next to the sink she found a small stack of washcloths, Ivory soap, and Colgate toothpaste. Two toothbrushes, one slightly damp from recent use, the other still in its plastic wrapper. Ordinary towels were draped on a towel bar. Suave shampoo in the tub enclosure. The closet was a small walk-in and empty except for two small, neat stacks of clothes—Sean’s things on the left and hers on the right. They’d provided her two pairs of jeans, two pairs of panties, two T-shirts, and two bras, all in her size, which was creepy. No shoes or socks.

  She emptied her bladder, splashed water on her face—her headache was easing off some—and turned on the shower. She did not strip and get in, though. She stood next to it and said very quietly, “Drummond.”

  THIRTY-FIVE

  AT the very tag end of December, the sun didn’t make it over the horizon until after seven. Rule stood at the window looking out at a city still wrapped in predawn twilight. That was plenty of light for his eyes, but there was nothing worth seeing.

  He wanted coffee. He’d started to make some, but thoughts of Lily crashed down, and he’d left the little kitchenette to stare out the window. He hadn’t thrown anything, though he’d wanted to do that, too. It would worry his men and wake up Jasper, who was asleep on the couch that had been intended for Cullen. He wouldn’t be using it. He was in a helicopter.

  “Why,” Grandmother had announced, “is your sorcerer down here? He should be overhead, looking for the magic these bad elves are using.”

  Rule had explained that Cullen had been charging the charms they might need.

  Madame Yu had raised her eyebrows. “Are they charged now?”

  “Yes,” Cullen snapped, “but they aren’t enough. We’re going up against magical heavy hitters. We need—”

  “More than you will have. You have power and some skill in using it. You do not have the decades or centuries of training and knowledge these elves have. You will not make up that lack in the next few hours. Instead you will search for evidence of their magic.”

  “Do you have any idea how much magic there is in a city this size?” Cullen had demanded. “There’s two major nodes here and two minor ones, and all the ley lines pouring out from them. Plus there’s the randomized magic pouring in from the ocean, the power puddles that collect everywhere—”

  “You are telling me all magic looks the same?”

  “Of course not, but…” Cullen had stopped. Rubbed his head. “Maybe, if I wasn’t too high off the ground and if they were doing some powerful spellcasting…but they won’t be casting major spells every minute.”

  She had sniffed. “Elves use magic as we use electricity. Constantly.”

  Madame Yu’s journey here hadn’t been quite as simple as she’d seemed to expect. Commercial flights didn’t depart that late. In the
end, Rule had called Ruben, telling him they needed Madame Yu here because she was in touch with Sam. Which was true, if incomplete. Even Ruben didn’t know everything about Lily’s grandmother…but then, who did? Ruben had arranged for military transport, which turned out to be an Air Force C21-A—a Learjet, in other words, the kind reserved for VIPs. Rule didn’t know how Ruben was going to justify that in his budget, but he was grateful. Li Lei Yu had arrived at San Francisco International Airport about two this morning, as erect and indomitable as ever.

  By three o’clock, Rule had brought her up-to-date. He told her everything, ending with what they’d learned about Hugo—which now included the name he’d been born under. Given a little more information, Arjenie had come through. Anson “Hugo” Bierman was a naturalized citizen. Born in Germany fifty-five years ago, he’d immigrated to the United States with his parents. He’d never officially changed his name to Hugo, but had begun calling himself that about the time he was kicked out of high school for fighting, truancy, and theft. He’d used a multiplicity of surnames since then, but always with Hugo for his first name.

  The next bit of information had come from Special Agent Bergman. Hugo had managed to pile up some very large debts to some very bad people. Gambling debts.

  Jasper had confirmed Rule’s hunch. Hugo knew about Jasper’s habit of using FedEx trucks to stash a stolen item until it was convenient to reclaim it. He could have followed Jasper on the night of the theft, seen where he put the prototype, and gone back for it.

  The question was, had Hugo already passed the prototype on to Friar? Or was he holding on to it, trying to jack up the price? Jasper suspected the latter. “If he’s given up on keeping his word, there’s nothing left but greed.”

  Cullen had received his assignment first. Rule chartered a helicopter for him to use to look for sidhe-type magic—which meant, Cullen said, formed magic of unusual power, clarity, and intricacy. Unless he got really lucky, that would be a long, slow business. Maybe impossible, he’d grumbled. But worth trying.

  Then Madame Yu sorted out the rest of them.

  Tony was to allow his Lu Nuncio to coordinate the scent hunt and look for the person who’d tipped Tony to Hugo’s location, since the police seemed sadly incapable of finding him. Rule was to contact Ruben, who was to do whatever was necessary to expose the absence of some of the sidhe from Washington. Beth was to stay here, in this suite—it was unforgivably foolish for her to be anywhere else. Jasper was to get some sleep.

  Jasper had protested politely—people were polite to Grandmother; something about her forced it on you—that he could not possibly fall asleep yet. She’d looked at him sternly, though Rule had glimpsed the pity the sternness was intended to hide. “You are Rule’s human brother.”

  “Uh…yes.”

  “You are not lupi. You cannot be up all night and be any good tomorrow. Sit,” she told him, pointing at the couch. He had, though it looked like he’d barely refrained from rolling his eyes like a resentful teenager. She’d sat beside him, nodded once, and touched his face.

  He’d dozed right off.

  Rule’s eyebrows had climbed. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

  “Shh. I put him to sleep. I do not keep him asleep.” She’d studied Rule a moment. “You, I think, will not sleep. Instead you will go run. As wolf.”

  He’d told her that was unforgivably foolish. He needed to be here, coordinating the search. Besides, he was a target, and perhaps she hadn’t noticed, but his shoulder had a hole in it. “Then run on three legs, and do not be seen,” she’d snapped. “You do not help Lily by staying on this edge. It is cutting you. I will coordinate. You go run.”

  He had. After he talked to Ruben one last time, he’d slipped out the secret exit with Scott and Mike. The three of them had run in a nearby park. When he got back, Madame Yu and Beth were asleep in his bed, Jasper was sleeping on the couch—someone had found a blanket to toss over him—and Rule’s head was clearer. His shoulder ached like crazy but his mind was working better.

  The wolf didn’t like waiting any more than the man did, but he was better at it.

  Rule abandoned the gray window and went to the tiny kitchenette—more of a closet with appliances, really. He’d Changed twice. With or without coffee, he needed to eat. There was little to choose from; those who stayed at this hotel expected others to cook for them. He grabbed three energy bars, downed one in three bites, and was contemplating the coffeepot when he heard footsteps.

  Beth stood in the doorway blinking sleepily and hugging herself. She wore a pair of flannel pj pants with a pink T-shirt that read HYPERBOLE IS THE BEST THING EVER! The sight of her clutched at his heart. She looked so like Lily, yet so different. Beth’s face was rounder. She had her mother’s mouth, while Lily’s was a feminine version of their father’s. But her nose was the same as Lily’s, and her ears, and her neck. She and Lily were exactly the same height.

  Her eyes were dark and shadowed and lost. “I guess there’s no word,” she said.

  “Nothing yet.” She had two missing—her sister and the man who, for better or worse, she was in love with. “We’ve got a lot of people working on getting them back, Beth. Both of them.”

  “I just wish there was something I could do!” She rubbed her arms as if they were cold. “I don’t have anything to contribute. We don’t need a kick-ass graphic about evil elves. We need to find the real evil elves and kick their ass, and I’m no good for that.”

  Rule was supposed to be good for that. So far he was batting zero. “You could have a cup of coffee with me.”

  “Yeah, that’s a big help.”

  “It won’t help Lily. It’s…she loves coffee, you know that. I couldn’t make any this morning because she isn’t here. I started to, but I…have a cup of coffee with me.”

  Beth’s eyes filled. She came to him and hugged him and put her head on his chest and sniffed. He hugged her back, and it helped.

  A MISTY shape materialized in the bathroom the moment Lily said his name, but it took several seconds to form into a man. Then Drummond was scowling his usual scowl at her. “I thought you were never going to call me.”

  “You—” She stopped and tried again, this time silently. You couldn’t show up until I did?

  “Not all the way. There’s something weird about the walls. It’s like Clanhome in here. Not as bad, but a real pain.”

  Wards, probably. If they can make the walls act like a combination intercom and iPod, they can probably set really strong wards. Can you find out where “here” is?

  “What do you think I’ve been doing while you napped? We’re on the third floor of a seven-story building. It’s stucco, an older building, well maintained, in a residential area. The address isn’t anywhere I can go to see it, and we’re in the middle of the block. I can’t go far enough away to read the street sign. We’re not close to the water. I don’t see any landmarks I recognized, but I don’t know San Francisco.”

  It wasn’t enough, but it was something. Good. That’s good. What about when they brought me here? Did you see which way—

  “No. When you go in cars, I can’t…” He looked embarrassed, as if she were making him admit to something vaguely shameful. “I tatter. I can’t hold together at all. So I don’t know how the hell you got here. Not the route. They loaded you in the back of a gray 2007 Honda CR-V, California license 5FLT230.”

  You got the license plate! Lily itched to write it down. Nothing to write on or with, so she wrote it with one finger in her palm to help her remember. “Did you see who was driving?”

  “Sure. Pointy-ears drove, furface rode shotgun.”

  Lily jerked, startled. One of the elves could drive a car? But the sidhe delegation had only been here for two weeks. How…but Alycithin had spoken English to Lily, hadn’t she? American English, and that hadn’t come from her translation charm because those didn’t work on Lily. Lily reached out absently and touched one of the walls that were currently playing Mozart’s Piano Sonata in
C Major. They’ve been here a lot longer than two weeks, haven’t they? Long enough to learn the language, learn to drive, and set this place up.

  “Looks like it. Listen, if you want to…” He gestured at the shower, which was filling the little room with steam. “Go ahead. I’ll wait in the other room, keep an eye on that guy. Friar’s brother, right? I caught some of what the two of you said. Snatches. I, uh…” His scowl tightened a couple of notches. “I was just yanking your chain before about watching. I don’t do that shit.”

  She hadn’t intended to shower, but maybe she would. It might clear the last of the drug-induced headache. Might help her think. Okay. That would be good. No, wait. You said ‘they’ loaded me into the Honda. Did you see her clearly? The halfling, I mean.

  “The furry woman? Yeah, of course I saw her. You want to be careful if you go up against her. She’s strong. Lifted you up like you didn’t weigh anything.”

  Now that was interesting. Lily was pretty sure no one but her and Drummond had noticed Alycithin at all. Okay. Thanks. I’m going to take a shower while I’ve got the chance.

  Drummond faded back to mist, which made him blend in with the steam from the shower. Well, either he’d left like he said he would or he hadn’t. Being seen naked was not the biggest problem on her plate. Lily stripped quickly and stepped into the tub.

  It felt ungodly good. For several moments she just stood beneath the stream of hot water, blessing plumbers everywhere. Who needed magic when you had indoor plumbing and plenty of hot water? Then she let her hands go through the automatic stuff with the shampoo while her mind got busy.

  When Mike and Todd and everyone else went tumbling down, Lily had felt a wall of magic smack into her. The thing was, she’d felt that kind of magic once before. Not as strong, but the same kind. That time it had been Arjenie Fox standing with her hand on a car’s windshield while everyone around her passed out.