Ritual Space

by Viola Grace

  “What will happen if you destroy the altar?”

  “Nothing. It was a focus to make the crack between worlds. The problem is how to do it? I can’t use magic, so that is out; I guess I can ask the forest to do it.”

  “I could shatter it with magic.”

  Adrea looked at him in the shadows and smiled. “You are a detective, not a demolition man. This is my world now. I need to get used to asking it for what I need.”

  “Very well. I am here if you need me.”

  Adrea flexed her hands and tried to remember what Neadra had written. She knelt next to the altar made of marble bricks. She made her hands into claws and thrust them into the ground, asking for what she wanted.

  There was silence for a moment, and then, the dark forest rustled. Coils of stiff tendrils crept from the soil and locked into the foreign object. They grew around it, and a crack made Adrea move back. The next moment, the altar disappeared in a puff of rock dust and flying shards.

  Adrea braced for the impact of the shards, but a barrier manifested at the moment of explosion.

  Luning was at her side, his hand extended, and it was obviously his magic holding back the continued breakage of the rocks as the vines tore it apart and pulled the pieces deep into the ground.

  Her companion sighed and slowly lowered the shield. “So, you didn’t really have a plan.”

  She looked at the pale shards being consumed by the woods around them. “Not really.”

  “Well, do you need to blow up the herbs as well?”

  She frowned. “No. I am going to look into what they were summoning. There isn’t anything out here and a trip to the dark forest isn’t something folks normally engage in. There are other environments that are more suitable to this kind of thing, but this one provides the best concealment.”

  “You just answered your question.”

  Adrea nodded and got to her feet, brushing her hands on her thighs. She sent a mental thank you to the trees around her, and the following rustle told her that they had answered. “Weird.”

  “What?”

  “I am still getting used to the idea that I have been fused to the world around me on a permanent basis.”

  “I imagine it takes some getting used to.”

  “You have no idea.” She walked over to the plant segments and looked at the leaves. “This isn’t right.”

  “What? What does it summon?”

  “Nothing. This is a collection of herbs to use in a stew. They are tasty, but no mage could do more with this than increase or open breathing passages.”

  She asked the forest to consume it, and when she heard the sharp sound of glass breaking, she looked closer. A sharp spike of glass had been contained in the bouquet.

  “Oh, my. Okay, that was unexpected.”

  Luning leaned over her shoulder. “What was it?”

  “A spike of glass. It looks like one of the ceremonial daggers that my aunt has in a display case. I will look for it when we go back to the house. If that was meant for me, this is much more serious.”

  She turned and headed back to the motorcycle. He was right behind her.

  Her hands were shaking as she gripped the handles of the bike. He didn’t say anything, merely wrapped his arms around her, and soon, they were off.

  She parked outside the house and headed into the living room, looking into the flat, framed display of ornamental daggers.

  Luning was amazed. “How did I not see that before?”

  “I didn’t want them on display. They are all cursed and very deadly.”

  “Cursed?”

  “Oh, yeah. Lives and souls have been taken by these. Damn. It is missing.”

  “What is?”

  “The drainer of magic and souls. The Tyima dagger. The smallest nick of that glass can drain a body of everything and leave it a hollow shell.”

  He looked sick. “That was just lying out there?”

  She swallowed. “It was.”

  “How do you know about it?”

  Adrea looked at the missing spot in the display case. “I studied all of these daggers when I was here during the summers. Sending me to Ritual Space was like sending me to camp, but it was free.”

  “And you chose to read up on cursed daggers?”

  “Sure. I went through a morbid phase that thankfully ended when Blueberry arrived. He was going to be sacrificed to help a woman get pregnant, but she couldn’t kill him and that is what helped her spell. She sent Neadra flowers at the beginning of the next summer.”

  Luning blinked. “Why does he have a blue streak?”

  “I honestly thought that would have rubbed off by now, but I was making blueberry pie and crushing blueberries for a sauce to put over the pie and ice cream when it was done and he came hopping in. I splashed the hot blueberry sauce on his little head.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Neadra wiped his head and washed him off, but the blue turned bright, and it stayed. She said it was fate marking him. I thought I was just clumsy.”

  Adrea fought a smile when she realized how quickly Luning could distract her. It was a skill of his, and she was beginning to appreciate it.

  She thought about Blueberry and how he should have been long gone by now. It was less than thirty seconds until he was hopping up next to her. She cuddled him and relaxed at the feel of the small, warm body.

  Luning got a call, and he spoke softly. When he hung up, he said, “The detective is at the gates.”

  She nodded and opened the gate. “He can come in.”

  He smiled brightly. “Excellent. Did you want to meet him here?”

  “I will be out on the porch.”

  “Good. Is Blueberry coming with us?”

  “He is.” She held him, and he settled against her with a dignity peculiar to blue-splashed bunnies.

  She walked out to the porch and took a seat on the swing. She was gently rocking back and forth when the detective walked up the steps.

  She smiled. “Good afternoon.”

  Luning made the introductions. “Detective Rells, this is the curator of Ritual Space, Adrea Morrigan.”

  Detective Rells smiled; his blond hair gleamed with health and his dark-brown eyes sparkled. “I am pleased to meet you, Ms. Morrigan. May I ask you some questions?”

  “Sure. My lawyer has okayed it, so ask your questions.” She stroked Blueberry’s head and smiled vacantly.

  Luning was staring at her in astonishment, and a smirk began to form on his lips when the questioning started.

  “Do you know who killed Neadra Yoder?”

  “No.”

  “What do you know about her death?” He leaned forward, his notepad out and his pen at the ready.

  Adrea sighed. “She was killed by someone she knew. He stabbed her. After that, she told him that he could not get what he wanted, and then, she laughed at him. He stabbed her two more times.”

  “How do you know this?”

  Adrea sighed and kept stroking Blueberry. “Because I went to where she was killed and the building showed me. The meditation house is not arranged for holding a soul, but it didn’t like the violence or the blood.”

  “The building showed you?”

  “Yes. You are a mage; you can wiggle your fingers and summon dinner. Is it so weird that a building connected to the most serene places on earth would not like getting a murder on that serenity?”

  Luning laughed before he stifled his amusement.

  Rells made a few more notes before asking her the questions she had been waiting for.

  Chapter Eight

  “Do you know of anyone who wished your aunt ill?”

  Adrea nodded. “Well, there is the curator of Enchanted Valley; she didn’t like Neadra. That is probably because she is trying to start up a new version of this kind of a space and she isn’t very good at it.”

  Rells nodded. “Anyone else?”

  “My father. He wanted to inherit this space
, but that was never going to happen.”

  Rells perked up. “He is the eldest in the family?”

  “Oh, yes. But he isn’t suitable to take this place over.”

  “Why not?” Rells was writing frantically.

  “He’s male. Ritual Space can only be run by a woman. It is the way it has always been. The land fits into our lives neatly. There is no chance for that to happen with a male.”

  Luning asked, “Has it ever been tried?”

  “Yes. Once. Neadra told me that he had gone mad within a week. The family had to kill him and give the property to his sister. It was not our finest hour.”

  “When was this?”

  She squinted, “I believe it was in the sixteenth century.”

  “Oh. Okay. So, your father thinks that Ritual Space is his right?”

  “He used to. I mean, he was pretty mad at me in the hospital.”

  “Hospital?”

  “Oh. I was working in a teashop when Neadra was stabbed. I felt every strike, and I passed out. I woke up in the hospital with my hair and eye colour altered and knowledge that I was needed at Ritual Space.”

  “What did your father say?”

  “He asked how long that I knew I was Neadra’s inheritor. He was furious that I was wearing the sign of inheriting the property. My mother just stared at me without saying anything.”

  Rells gave her a commiserating look. “That must have been difficult.”

  “Not nearly as bad as Christmas. That was rather ugly.” She realized something. “I must have been out of it for a while. My parents live in Arberg.”

  Rells looked surprised. “I thought you lived in Danforth.”

  “I do; they don’t. It was why it was so convenient for them to bring me here for the summers. It was half an hour away.”

  She cocked her head. “Is there a record of how they got to Danforth so quickly?”

  Rells nodded. “After you were taken to hospital, there was an emergency transport for them.”

  “Okay. That explains it. I am just amazed that they came. Last year, I had appendicitis, and they didn’t show up. Neadra did, but my parents didn’t.”

  Rells inclined his head. “Right. Do you know anyone else who might have had ill feelings toward your aunt?”

  “I have a list of folks who are barred from the property, but it couldn’t have been any of them.”

  “Why not?”

  Adrea looked at him and realized he wasn’t keeping up. “She wouldn’t have let them through the gates. Her killer was either someone that she let in or someone who could force his way in without her feeling it.”

  Luning chipped in, “Someone either very familiar or very powerful.”

  Rells scribbled it down on his notepad.

  Adrea stroked Blueberry and waited for the next question.

  “So, do you hate your parents? Did you manipulate Neadra Yoder into naming you her heir?” He had gone from affable to intense.

  She blinked, and her mouth opened in surprise. “Um, no, I don’t hate my parents. I don’t like them, and they don’t like me but that isn’t unusual. As for Neadra, she chose me. My attorney has the details, but she chose me as the most suitable family member to take over this property and all it entails. I give you authorization to quiz Mr. Grant for any information on the matter that he is willing to give up.”

  “You accepted this property, knowing it would create a rift between you and your parents?”

  She stared at him intently. “I felt my aunt murdered, I woke up in hospital with the marks of this place on me. I wasn’t given a choice to accept or hand it off to someone else. It doesn’t work that way.”

  Blueberry was vibrating with irritation. It was coming off him in waves. Adrea heard a low growl, and she looked down at the bunny. His ears were back and his teeth were exposed.

  “Detective, you have worn out your welcome.”

  He looked to Luning, but the other detective shrugged. “She is speaking to you as a courtesy, and you have just stepped over the line.”

  Adrea got to her feet. “I am only going to talk with Detective Luning or members of the XIA in the future. The Mage Guild at large is sorely disappointing.”

  “Ms. Morrigan, that is not your call.”

  She smiled tightly. “As curator of Ritual Space, it is. I am sure they will be more than capable of investigating this, and I would dearly love someone who had already met my aunt to come in and talk about her with me. It seems the mages just liked to use the property for their own ends.”

  She stepped toward him, forcing him to back toward the stairs of the porch. “Goodbye.”

  Rells stepped back and stumbled as the herd of bunnies moved to trip him.

  “The captain will call you.”

  She smirked. “I am sure he will. I don’t give a rat’s ass. This place is split between jurisdictions. I am not a mage, but I am not quite a human. Yeah, the XIA is what I want investigating this.”

  The bunnies screwed with him the entire way back to the gate. She locked the property the moment he left. The rabbits flooded back, and she resumed her comfortable seat on the porch swing.

  Luning was rubbing his face, and his phone was in his hand. “Yes, sir. No, sir. Well, it was when Rells told her that she schemed to get control of the property, sir. Give the team my number, and we will be waiting.” He hung up.

  “Is this going to get you in trouble?”

  He chuckled. “No. Rells is another matter. He is about to get a lecture on the etiquette of dealing with the bereaved when those members inherit ancient, powerful magic bestowed by the deceased years before they met their end.”

  “I wonder if he will understand.”

  “Whether he does or not, you are getting your wish. The XIA is getting the murder, and they are far more interested in finding an answer than the mages are.”

  She stroked Blueberry’s chin. “It will give you a chance to take a break and go do whatever it is that you do when you are not skulking in shadows.”

  He chuckled. “I live in the shadows.”

  Adrea looked at him with her limited knowledge and came to a conclusion. “You are not completely human.”

  “Nope. I will give you five bucks and go for burgers if you guess right.”

  She frowned and then grinned. In her thoughts, she forwarded her request to the bunnies. They swarmed his feet, sniffing and examining.

  Luning smirked. “That is cheating.”

  Innocently, she looked at him, making her eyes as wide as possible. “What is? The bunnies just want to say hey.”

  The rabbits sent back images of trees, images of rock and a babbling brook.

  Every child was taught the basic families of extranaturals or extranormals. She could only guess at, “Mountain nymph?”

  His eyes widened. “In all my years, no one has ever guessed that.”

  She sighed. “Fine, but am I right?”

  He winked. “I will let you know after I take my break.”

  The answer was going to have to wait.

  It was dusk before the XIA arrived, which made sense as they had nocturnal team members. Luning had gotten a call and wandered off half an hour ago. Adrea had been enjoying her moment of silence.

  He returned to the porch and smiled. “They are here.”

  She blinked. “I know. Someone is knocking.”

  “Knocking? I don’t hear anything.”

  She tapped the side of her head. “In here. I recognize the request, and they are on their way in.”

  “Recognize it?”

  She gave him a look. “It is all new to me, but the property recognizes them, so they are coming in.”

  Blueberry scrambled off her lap and made for the shrubs with the rest of his people.

  “I am guessing that a predator is on the way.” She got to her feet and brushed her hands over her skirt.

  Luning headed down the steps when the three men appeared
on the path.

  Adrea was about to join him when her phone buzzed. The caller ID told her it was Gera.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Adrea. I am ready to send things through if you want to go to the reception area and open the gateway.”

  “Oh. Sure. I will head right out.” She hung up and grinned, trying not to clap excitedly.

  She was down the stairs and sprinting past the gathering of men a moment later. “Sorry, Luning. My stuff is here.”

  The skirt was a little tight as she ran, but her quick stepping got her to the arrival area in three minutes.

  The pressing on her mind was definitely a request for access. She skidded to a halt and focused on a point a few dozen metres away. With a deep breath, she authorized the entry and watched the magic gateway appear.

  The XIA officers and Luning were behind her as the moving team began to haul her clothing and possessions through the gate. Three additional gargoyles were assisting and moving her items in large quantities.

  Gera smiled and thanked them when the pile was in Ritual Space. She remained in the space while the others returned through the gateway.

  Adrea denied access to the gate, and it closed. “Huh. So that is how that works.”

  Gera grinned. “I will bring this into your house.”

  Luning cleared his throat. “We can help.”

  The men looked at him in surprise and then shrugged. The golden man with dark hair and pointed ears chuckled. “Sure. We can ask questions on the way.”

  The boxes were marked and very heavy, but Gera and the others managed to haul them all into the house in about twenty minutes.

  Gera inclined her head. “I will be on my way. Will you let me out of your airspace?”

  “Oh. Sure. Of course.” Adrea frowned. “Remain low over the wall. I will open a window for you.”

  “Excellent. Well, gentlemen, it has been delightful sweating with you.” Gera winked, extended her wings and took to the sky.

  Adrea watched her and focused on opening a window about twenty feet square, right in front of Gera.

  When Gera was gone and the energy was back where it should be, Adrea turned to the XIA. “Introductions?”