by Viola Grace
There was a pause. “My condolences on the loss of Neadra. We have heard and our community mourns.”
“Thank you. Well, I don’t wish to talk business if you are unready to do so, but if you wish, I have the next full moon from tonight available for that wedding you wish to host. The entire property will be at your disposal, and by then, I should be able to open the gateways you need.”
“Thank you. We will be attending the funeral.”
“It should be announced shortly. They know what killed her; they just don’t know who.”
“That is always the one folks have problems with.”
“So I am beginning to understand, and we are the ones left behind.”
“You have a community who will be there for you, just let us be.”
“I look forward to meeting you in person. Consider February the twenty-second yours.”
“Thank you. Have a serene day.”
“Be tranquil and serene.”
Adrea hung up the phone and felt a little bit better.
The next call was all business. She explained that it would be two weeks before she could take in a client, and the caller hung up on her.
“Well, that was easy.”
She checked on her phone, and the charge was complete. It showed the two missing calls. “Huh, they must have called Hyl.”
She contacted the coroner, and she was told that the body of her aunt was ready to be released. They had obtained all the information they could from her.
The call to Mr. Grant confirmed that he was having the body picked up and handled according to Neadra’s wishes. The funeral would be announced later in the day.
He asked Adrea if she would get the clothing for Neadra to be buried in, and Adrea agreed. He would send a courier in a few hours, and she would have the clothing ready for him.
The calls were relatively easy on her. She trotted upstairs and picked out the outfit that Neadra had pointed out a dozen times as the one she wanted to be buried in. Neadra had been born in Victorian times and wanted to wear her dress complete with bustle and hook and eye boots. She would go out in her beautiful bottle-blue outfit, and the silk would make her glow.
Adrea smiled as she packed the clothing in a small suitcase with care to keep the lines straight. Neadra was fussy about her appearance; it wouldn’t do to have wrinkles.
She latched the case closed and carried it downstairs. After this, there was the funeral. She couldn’t do anything else for Neadra but find her killer.
With her mind turning cold, she set the case down in her living room and headed outside. It was time to face the murder scene.
Chapter Six
The detective was right behind her as she stood on the wide deck surrounding the meditation house.
“This was supposed to be a peaceful place. It was supposed to give people a sense of serenity. That someone invaded this space to take her life is nearly sacrilege.” She spoke to him but didn’t look at him.
The crime-scene tape was gone, if it had ever been there. From the moment she had identified the site, she hadn’t looked at it. The blonde wood door and bamboo panels gave the feeling of lightness to the space.
“You do not have to do this. The investigators are finished with the space, but crime-scene cleanup can be called.”
Adrea shook her head and kept her focus on the door that could not lock. “No they can’t. When I have confirmed that there is no further value to this property, it will be absorbed and a new meditation site will be here. It will be a good spot, a clear spot to commune with one’s soul again.”
His voice seemed surprised. “You will destroy it?”
“I will do nothing. I will simply tell the property that it no longer serves its intended purpose. It will take care of the rest.”
She inhaled and exhaled slowly. With a stiff posture, she took a step into the brightly lit building where her aunt had breathed her last.
Detective Luning followed her.
The marks left by blood struck her as if she was feeling those same strikes to her torso again. She fell to her knees but kept conscious.
In her mind, she could see a dark figure. It was the soul she was seeing and not the body. That was the point of the meditation house; it showed you the state of your soul.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. I am just dealing with the attack. I can’t believe it was only yesterday.”
“Well, without your call, she wouldn’t have been found, and we wouldn’t have been able to begin the investigation.”
She caught her breath and tasted the blood in the air. “Glad to help.”
The marks that Adrea could still feel had all been delivered with Neadra standing on her feet.
“What are you thinking? Say it out loud.”
She glanced at the detective and blinked at what she saw. A kernel of white energy was surrounded by grey and a thin line of black. She had never seen an aura like that before.
Adrea rose and walked to a few feet away from where Neadra had been stabbed. “She was kneeling in her daily meditation. I run, she meditated.”
Adrea knelt and mimicked her aunt’s pose. It was like she could feel her aunt with them.
“The door opens.”
Adrea turned her head toward the door, but she kept her eyes closed, seeing the memory that wasn’t hers as it happened.
“It is someone she knows, but she has never seen him like this. His aura is dark. Midnight black shot with poison green. She gets on her feet to greet him, and he rushes in, blade out.”
She was on her feet now and swaying. “The first strike of the three was enough to kill her, but she hangs on. She laughs at him. It won’t get him what he wants. Nothing can. The next two strikes are in anger, and she falls.”
She dragged another breath in and waited for the fading of the pain that would tell her that her aunt was dead.
She looked to Detective Luning. “Will they tell me when this place can be removed?”
“I will make sure of it.”
“Good. She is still here. Traces of her. Her death is not the part of her I wish to remember. I want to remember her life.”
He nodded and seemed to come to a decision. He put his arm around her shoulders and escorted her out of the building.
She leaned into him and relaxed for a moment before following his lead. Outside, the smell of blood lingered in her nostrils for a moment, and then, she clenched her fists.
“It was a male. Six foot one. He is a mage or has recently been doing spell work. He had rage against her. Wanted something from her, and she laughed and said he would never get it. That amusement that she felt was real. She was exceptionally ladylike, but that was her fuck you.”
He chuckled. “I will call the guild the moment you are settled. When did you last eat?”
She frowned. “I had an apple before my run, I think. I don’t need much food. The property feeds me.”
“You need solid food. Come on. I will see what I can find.”
He shepherded her into her home and to the table in the kitchen. He held her chair for her and went to the fridge.
“Why are you being nice to me?” She propped her head on her fist and watched him assemble ingredients for an omelette.
“You are a witness and a victim, of sorts. It was also pointed out to me that this property is a vital source of practice for the guild. Your aunt used to allow the guild to take it over for a few days and run spell games. Practicing attack and defense.”
Adrea smiled. “She would never let me be here for those days. She was worried about me interfering or falling in love with a young mage defending his team. She had a very romantic view of the world and was constantly on guard against romantic love.”
He whisked the eggs together, and he pulled out a frying pan. “Iron?”
“Specially made cast iron. It is bog iron that has been melted once and made into a pan. It isn’t suitable for anythin
g other than cookware, but it works just fine. Brittle though. I broke one once when I was seven or eight. I got a lecture, and Neadra took me to the forge to watch it being melted and remade.”
“So, what is the deal with metal?”
“It is multiple things in the same body. Neadra couldn’t use them. Everything here has a single source. Plastic is the only exception.”
“Why is that?”
“Because it isn’t something when it is broken down to its components. The chemicals are liquid and gas but nothing usable or natural on their own. It can be burned into a gaseous—if toxic—form with little effort.”
“Extremely odd.”
She chuckled as he stood by the oven. “You work with the Mage Guild. Odd is in your daily activities. When will you be ready to leave here and return to your normal duties?”
“Tired of me already?” He glanced at her with a smile.
“It isn’t that. This is hardly a dangerous situation.”
“Are you sure about that? A person known to your aunt walked up to her and stabbed her in the chest and had enough magical skill to fake it as a suicide here in the house.”
He poured the eggs into the pan. “If they didn’t get what they wanted from her, they might try and get it from you.”
She shivered and hugged herself while he loaded the veg and cheese into the pan.
“I had been trying not to think of that.”
“There will be an officer or detective of the Mage Guild or the XIA here around the clock until this murder is solved.”
“The XIA?”
“Yes, they have a history here as well. I believe some of their members enjoy this facility as well.”
“Well, they are on the approved-client list. I just have never had any exposure to them. Do they really have teams that use at least three branches of the extranormal population?”
“They do. I have worked with a few of the local teams as a human counterpoint. They work very well in their unit.”
She nodded. “Okay. I can deal with that. Mr. Grant said that the body was released today. He is going to be sending someone by to get clothing for her. I picked out one of her favourite outfits.”
He got a plate and expertly folded the omelette out onto the wooden surface. He set it in front of her with a flourish, and she smiled. “Thank you.”
He explored a little and found the forks. It was a lesser flourish, but still impressive. She took the fork and repeated her thanks.
The food was pretty good. It needed some seasoning, perhaps some fresh herbs, but other than that, it was just what her body needed. She could almost hear her cells shrieking with relief. Adrea might be able to survive on the energy of the property, but her body didn’t like it.
Detective Luning got a call while she was eating, and when she set her fork down, he asked her, “Is there a way for Mr. Grant’s assistant to get into the gate?”
“Oh, of course.” She released the front gate. “It’s open.”
Adrea got to her feet and quickly washed her plate and the utensils that the detective had used. When the knock sounded at the front door, she set everything on the draining board and followed Luning to the front door.
He opened the door and asked the young gargoyle woman for identification. She turned her arm over and showed the glyph that marked her as one of the Granite clan. Adrea smiled and got the suitcase.
“Thank you for coming. Here are the clothes that I think she would have chosen.”
“Thank you, Ms. Morrigan. Do you have a preference for her hairstyle?”
Adrea smiled. “She was always partial to a Gibson Girl.”
The woman smiled and pressed her palm to Adrea’s shoulder. “I am sure that Harkox Funeral Home can manage it. My grief joins yours. Neadra was a wonderful woman.”
“I didn’t get your name.”
“Gera. Gera Grant. I work for my father. This is my direct line. Call me if you need anything. My father has stated that I am to be at your beck and call.”
Adrea took the proffered card. “Thank you, but I don’t want to abuse anyone’s good nature.”
Gera grinned. “I get paid for it. Don’t worry. Ritual Space is one of our family’s oldest, if not the oldest client. It is a profitable account and requires very little effort. We deserve to work a little.”
Adrea thought for a second. “Well, if you don’t mind, I will text you a grocery and clothing list. You should have it by the time you are back in town.”
“No problem. Did you want us to pack up your apartment and bring everything here?”
Adrea was stunned. “You can do that?”
“Of course. We are acting on behalf of your corporation. We can do all kinds of stuff.”
“Definitely. Definitely bring all my stuff.”
Gera laughed. “Text me so I have a specific order to attach the bill to, and I will do your bidding. We can have your wardrobe here by the end of the day. Faster, if you can open a gateway.”
“I haven’t done that yet.”
“You have to start sometime.” Gera shrugged. “It was lovely meeting you, and I look forward to working with you in the future.”
The gargoyle bowed, flaring her wings out, and she left with the suitcase in hand.
Luning closed the door, and he raised his brows. “You look excited.”
“I will have my own underwear for tomorrow morning. You have no idea how happy I am right now.”
With a grin, she dashed upstairs, heading for her phone with the business card clutched in her fingers.
It was time to start working on making this place her home and not just her prison.
Chapter Seven
“Mr. Grant explained the situation to the captain, so he will be sending someone to question you again.”
Adrea looked up from her frantic texting, and she nodded while her thumbs continued to work.
“Okay. Whatever I can do to help. As long as Mr. Grant knows I am being questioned.”
“Confirm it with him if you like. He has agreed to it as you have a rock-solid alibi, being in public and rushed to hospital, as you were.”
She grimaced and looked down at her screen, adding the question to her note to Gera.
“Okay. There. She has a list of essentials. Now that you have woken my stomach, it is making demands.”
Her phone chimed.
Yes, Father authorized them to talk to you. They are looking for suspects, so give them anyone who has acted out of character.
Adrea smiled at Luning. “Yeah, I am good to talk to them. For now, I need to check the book. I have to figure out how to open a gateway.”
She returned to her aunt’s room and picked up the book, carrying it to her own bedroom. She sat on the bed and read the directions on how to allow those who were distant to come through to the property.
It was simple. She merely had to let herself relax and feel the knocking and then answer the door. Invited persons would always text or call first, and from there, she would know to stand in the arrivals’ yard to open the gate.
It seemed easy, and Adrea definitely hoped it was.
She closed the book and left it on her bed, heading downstairs. She was on the second flight when she felt a punch to the abdomen. Something was in the property and trying to get out.
She gripped the railing and groaned as the agony tore through her again.
Luning was at her side in seconds, and he lifted her up, carrying her down the stairs to the living room, setting her on one of the couches while she fought what was going on.
She gripped Luning’s hand as the pain tried again. This time, she tensed and forced it down, slamming it back.
She sat up and closed her eyes, looking for the source of the pain. Flashes of the dark forest appeared in her mind, a small altar and a few herbs were next to a coiling mist of darkness.
The moment she was under control, she murmured. “I need to check something.”
>
“I am coming with you.”
She shrugged. “As you like.”
She set her phone to vibrate and left the house, heading for the main gates. Her bike was there. She was going to need it to catch that wisp of smoke before it disappeared.
She got on, started it up and looked at Luning with challenge in her eyes. “If you want to come along, get on.”
He scowled and got on behind her.
She smiled as she clued in to the fact that he hadn’t been on a bike before. “Arms around my waist, feet up on the pegs. Lean when I lean.”
His long arms wrapped around her waist, and she paused at the feel of him against her back. That was a lot of muscle.
Adrea got herself back to the mission, and they were away, ripping down the trails and through the property to the dark woods.
Luning did pretty good. He only threw her off balance a few times. When she rumbled the bike to a halt and put the stand down, he eagerly hopped off.
She chuckled and followed him.
“What are we doing?”
“I am looking for the altar and the dark spirit that has been trying to claw his way out of me.” She sighed. “I mean, out of the property.”
“And you decided to come here without backup?”
“I have you.”
“Before I invited myself along.”
She winced. “Yes?”
He sighed. “Which way?”
Adrea closed her eyes and looked into the darkness. “There.”
She walked into the dark woods with confidence, sliding her body through narrow gaps in trees. How he managed to follow her, she didn’t know, but Luning was behind her every step of the way.
“How can you see where you are going?”
“This is me. Apparently, this is my lower abdomen.”
She heard him chuckle and had to admit it sounded funny.
After pressing through the thick woods, they stumbled into the clearing. There it was where it shouldn’t have been. The altar and the herbs were together, just like in her vision.
The column of mist wasn’t there anymore, but she wanted to remove all parts of the altar.
“Something was summoned in the hours that there was no curator. It managed to crack a window, and it is still trying to fight its way into this world.”