Ritual Space

by Viola Grace

  Luning sighed. “This is Agent Kel, Agent Hix and Agent Dark.”

  The vampire bowed. “My name was originally Dirk, but my maker asked me to change it. Dark is my current designation.”

  Hix smiled. “I have offered my services to the XIA because I am a people person.”

  Kel snorted. “And he is a gryphon. I am but a simple elf.”

  Adrea inclined her head. “I am a shut-in dependent on the good graces of those such as yourselves to find my aunt’s killer. Have you read the file?”

  Hix nodded. “We have, and we knew Neadra. She spoke fondly of you at every opportunity.”

  Adrea relaxed. “Well, in that case. Thank you for coming. Would you like to see the crime scene?”

  The men looked at each other in the glow of the porch light, and they nodded as one.

  It was time to return to the meditation house, and this time, do it right.

  Chapter Nine

  It was almost fun to watch the XIA agents at work. The shifter sniffed, the undead examined the blood and the fey closed his eyes to sense the energy around him.

  Adrea kept herself outside the door to reduce the chance of them seeing her aura. She was a little embarrassed by it.

  Luning was next to her, watching the agents move around the space to get the sense of it.

  She had to ask, “So you have worked with them before?”

  “Yes. They are the team I am most often sent out with.”

  She nodded. “So you trust them?”

  “I do.”

  “Then, go and take a break. I will be fine. Since our foray into the woods, I feel all right.”

  Luning made a face and then nodded. He went in and spoke to the agents. When they seemed to agree with him, he left, whispered, “Behave,” and disappeared into the shadows again.

  Adrea could feel him in the area, but she couldn’t see him. It was odd. It was as if he melted into the shadows around them, and at this time of night, there were plenty.

  Kel turned toward her. “Can you come in and describe the events?”

  She winced. “I can relive them. This is the last time I will do it. I have felt the death enough.”

  Hix nodded. “We understand.”

  Dark gestured. “Come in; we don’t bite. We have all eaten this evening.”

  She snorted. “That is not what I am worried about.”

  She stepped forward and looked at them through the filter of the meditation house. Hix burned gold with flickering flames of dark impulses.

  Kel was a cool green-gold with a light fuzzing of grey around him in a halo and Dark was not. A brilliant scarlet with bright flares of white streaking across it. She could not have imagined that result. Aside from the blood lust, he was a really good guy. No wonder Hyl trusted them.

  She settled where she had knelt earlier and opened her mind to the space around her.

  Her aunt’s soul walked her through the murder again. She could see the agents behind the shadow as she spoke to it and got to her feet. When the stab came, she swayed and taunted her attacker. As the final thrust struck her abdomen, she dropped heavily to her knees.

  Kel was watching the spectre of her aunt die, but Hix took action. He lifted her and carried her out of the meditation house.

  She dragged in a deep breath. “Thanks for that.”

  “Not a problem. You are having an exhausting week.”

  She chuckled weakly. “This is day two. I can only imagine what the weekend will bring.”

  “Don’t speculate. It could be complicated.”

  Adrea nodded and leaned her head against his shoulder before she realized what she was doing. She jerked upright with a jolt. “Sorry.”

  “For what? You are exhausted. We told Hyl we would take care of you. So, we will. Relax and rest if you can.”

  She shuddered and relaxed in his arms. Sleep overcame her. It had been one murder too many.

  Voices were murmuring around her, and she sat upright. She was on the couch in the living room, and the agents and Luning were in the room with her, holding a low discussion of what they had seen.

  Light skimmed through the drawn drapes. Dark was sitting in a corner, cuddling with Blueberry. In fact, all of her fluffy companions were in the room. Hix had a large grey rabbit in his lap, and Kel was stroking two tiny whites.

  Luning was cradling a large brown rabbit as he leaned against the fireplace. He smiled at her, “Good morning.”

  Kel got to his feet and went into the kitchen with two bunnies in one hand. When he returned, he had a glass of water and two content companions still with him.

  She smiled. “Thanks. Good morning. I hadn’t realized how tired I was.”

  Hix nodded. “You have engaged in a transformation. It is hard on the body. Believe me.”

  She laughed. “I believe you.” Adrea gulped the water down in seconds.

  Kel asked her, “Would you like to know what we saw?”

  She set the glass down on a table that hadn’t been there a moment earlier. She was surprised that there wasn’t a coaster, and then, there it was. She laughed. “Yes, please. Tell me what you saw.”

  Dark lifted his head and spoke in a drowsy voice. “There is evil stalking this place. It hungers for power, and it wants freedom. I know both of those sensations very well.”

  Kel nodded. “I sensed power, old and twisted. It was driving the evil.”

  Hix quirked his lips and cocked his head. “And I saw two creatures fused with power. One had surrendered to it, and the other was merely wrapped in it. Neadra was vulnerable because the property had not invested itself in her.”

  Adrea stared at him. “What?”

  “I know melded beings. It is sort of my thing. The Neadra that I saw in that projection was not fully melded to the power that she controlled. It was a tool, and she was the curator of this property, but she was not completely part of it.”

  “That isn’t possible. She was the curator here for over a century.”

  Hix shrugged. “I know what I see, and you have the same level of amalgamation that she did. The property is listening to you, but it has not joined with you.”

  She rubbed her forehead. “Right. I am going to have to look into that.”

  Hyl nodded. “I can call the guild and see if there is anyone who can offer advice on this.”

  Kel chipped in, “Call the Gangers. They have access to nearly every magical document on the east side of the continent. Now that Benny is an agent for the XIA, they are eager to share their knowledge.”

  Hyl scowled. “I have not met her team yet.”

  Hix grinned. “I will make the call. I have been to the Ganger home for a few events. Emile is a charming... man.”

  The gryphon got to his feet and walked into the kitchen, pulling out his phone as he went.

  The room fell silent with only the light snuffling of the bunnies.

  Hix returned and sat down. “They are happy to help. They will find all the information on the curators of Ritual Space and bring it to you, as you are currently confined.”

  “Lenora Ganger?” Adrea blinked.

  “Yes. Have you met her?”

  “No, but I have spoken to her. She is arranging her daughter’s wedding.” She got to her feet and walked up to her office, retrieving the booking book.

  “Here. In two weeks, Lenora Ganger booked the entire property for her daughter’s wedding. Funny, I hadn’t realized it. It had already been written and then erased.” She sat and tapped the page.

  Hix chuckled. “They had to go on a covert mission. It wasn’t sure that they would be home in time. If she booked it again, they are definitely going to be back.”

  Kel grinned. “Excellent. It is going to be quite the party.”

  Dark chuckled. “We will probably be working.”

  Hix sighed. “Sorry.”

  Adrea frowned. “Why can’t you get the evening off?”

  Kel snickere
d. “Because Hix isn’t affected by the full moon like some of the agents are. We work a lot of full moons.”

  “Ah. Well, I hope that I don’t have to do anything other than open the gates for that night. I am clueless.”

  Luning smiled. “It will be fine.”

  She flipped through the book and checked the long-term bookings. “Huh.”

  Luning cocked his head. “What?”

  “I was sure that the Mage Guides would camp out here now and then.”

  Dark chuckled. “They are afraid that one of their little ones would wander off and get eaten by something.”

  Adrea snorted. “Not likely. Not unless the bunnies go feral.”

  Her stomach growled, and Luning nodded. “Right. I will go on a grocery run. Time to get things normalized around here.”

  She smiled, found her phone and sent him a fast text with her shopping list.

  He looked down, raised his brows and shook his head. “I don’t know if I can find this many herbs.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I can take a look in the gardens. I was just never allowed to fuss with them when I was little. Find what you can, and I will look for the others.”

  He nodded and left.

  The moment she let him out of the property, she looked at the three XIA agents. “Okay, what the hell is Luning?”

  Dark grinned, Kel looked surprised and Hix cackled.

  Hix asked, “You spotted that, did you?”

  “We were in the meditation house. I can see all of your auras, and his was a little odd.”

  Hix snorted. “It would be. He is a mage, but he is from Sekron.”

  She rubbed her forehead and tried to remember her geography. “The city of shadows and death?”

  Kel looked surprised all over again. “Yes.”

  Dark laughed. “That is where I met Luning a few years ago. My maker is in the king’s court, and I was working security. The king hired Luning to take out a few of those who threatened his reign. They were quickly and quietly dealt with.”

  That should have surprised her, but she had seen it. “He’s an assassin.”

  Hix piped up, “And law enforcement.”

  “Okay. I can deal with that. As long as I am not on his agenda, I have no problem with it.”

  Hix chuckled. “I wouldn’t say you aren’t on his agenda, but you aren’t in any danger.”

  Kel snorted. “By the way. Nice call getting us in here instead of the mages. They are not very accepting of other forms of magic.”

  Adrea shrugged. “It was a reflex. I knew that something magical had killed her, so it was where my brain went. I don’t have a lot of exposure to the XIA in my daily life.”

  Dark looked at her with his sleepy gaze. “What do you do?”

  “I did work at a tea and herb shop. Now, I hang out here.” She got to her feet. “That reminds me, I am going to check and see what the gardens have to offer.”

  Kel sighed. “I will go with you.”

  She chuckled. “I am just going out back. There isn’t any danger unless the bunnies revolt.”

  The elf didn’t comment but remained on her heels.

  She walked into the bright morning sun and inhaled the green scents of the garden.

  “This is impressive.”

  “Neadra was an avid gardener. I am far more interested in the herbs and leaves than fruits and vegetables.”

  She walked through the garden and to the drying shed, pulling out a small obsidian knife and walking around Kel back toward the herb patch.

  She cut some lavender, some chamomile and a bit of lemon balm.

  Kel watched her as she continued to harvest far more than she needed.

  When she got up and carried the bundles to the drying shed, he caught on.

  “You are going to dry them.”

  “I am. I am also going to source seeds for other plants that I am used to dealing with. I am also going to make a pot of tea with these fresh herbs, but it will be a little different than the one made from dry.”

  “Fresher?”

  “Less flavourful. It is weird, but I prefer the dried plants for tea.”

  She tied off the three bundles and hung them from the rack suspended from the ceiling for that purpose. The handful of herbs left was gathered, and she was going to return to the house when a doorbell rang in her head.

  “What the hell?” She followed the energy pattern of the sound and approached the meeting grounds with Kel at her back again.

  To her astonishment, when she opened the portal that was knocking, a demon walked out.

  Chapter Ten

  The demon was carrying two armloads of books and a charming woman was holding onto his arm.

  “I apologize. Ever since he got free, his demon form has been activated by the touch of strange magic. Once he is used to you, it won’t happen. Hello, Adrea. I am Lenora Ganger. This is my husband, Harcourt.”

  Adrea blinked. “Pleased to meet you.”

  She stepped forward and offered her hand to Lenora and then to, when he shifted the weight of the books to one arm for a moment, Harcourt. The moment she touched him, he became a debonair human male.

  She smiled. “Well, the suit makes more sense now.”

  He grinned. “Thank you for your calm. I have had a few recent issues with my appearance. It is slowly coming under my control, but I can’t guarantee it from one day to the next.”

  Lenora wiped a tear from her cheek. “You look just like her.”

  “The magic took care of that. I used to be a brunette. Would you care to join me inside? I see you have a wide selection of books, and I would love to see what you have brought me.”

  Harcourt inclined his head. “Lead the way.”

  She turned, and Kel was right behind her. He held out his arms to Harcourt. “Mr. Ganger. I can help with that.”

  “Thank you, Kel.” Harcourt dumped half the books on him, and as a group, they walked back to the house.

  “Let’s go in the back. I have a vampire napping in the living room, and I don’t want to sear him with sunlight.”

  Lenora chuckled. “Dark is sturdier than that.”

  “You know them?”

  Harcourt chuckled. “Hix brought his team over to the last family barbeque. He’s Lenora’s cousin four times removed.”

  She nodded. “Right. Of course.”

  Lenora grinned. “You will get used to it. The magical community is surprisingly inbred.”

  Kel piped up, “Just look at Benny.”

  Harcourt demoned out for a moment before he calmed. “Sorry. Still getting used to that. Don’t insult my daughter, Kel.”

  “No insult intended, Mr. Ganger. Benny is one of a kind.”

  Adrea led the way around the back and in through the garden. “Gentlemen, we have guests. I believe you know the Gangers.”

  Hix got to his feet and came over to kiss Lenora on the cheek. “You are looking lovely.”

  Kel snorted. “Romeo, these books are heavy. Move it.”

  Adrea patted the kitchen table. “Put them down here.”

  She asked for a larger space in the kitchen and a larger table, and everything started to shift.

  Lenora and Harcourt stood together, and everyone watched as the space expanded, chairs grew up from the floor and the table widened to suit up to eight people.

  “I will be back in a minute. Have a seat.”

  Everyone took positions around the table, and she went to get the herbs from the drying house.

  She returned to her guests and felt a knock on her mental door. She opened the gate to Hyl. “Hyl is on his way in.”

  Hix nodded. “Good. Kel, put the water on to boil. I found the tea set.”

  She took her handfuls of herbs, rinsed them in the sink and then stuffed them into the huge pot. She poured the boiling water over them and wiped her hands dry.

  “All right. You have some books for me to look at?”


  Harcourt smiled. “This was a challenge. The Ritual Space information is hard to find. We asked our house to see what it could find, and these are all the results.”

  “Well, I am on a crash course here. We had better get started.”

  Harcourt pulled a book and opened it to a page with an image of the pyramids. “This book is in High Goblin.”

  Adrea took a look at it, and to her delight, the words shifted and became something she could read.

  The words borrowed power appeared multiple times on the page as it described the unfettered access to the ancient site without leaving home.

  The next book was in the language of leaves. Elvish. It described the use of the new forest and dark forest for meditation and celebrations.

  The next book was in another language, and the pages were written in blood.

  The tomes they were handing her were huge histories. She looked at the pile, and a small, ragged, leather volume called to her.

  She dimly knew that Hyl had returned, but she needed to learn more.

  She stopped Harcourt when he would have handed her another large book, and she slipped the small book out of the stack where it had been pinned.

  Adrea opened the book, and everyone in the room faded away.

  She was floating in the air. Her feet didn’t touch the ground. A woman in glowing robes with long white hair and piercing blue eyes approached.

  “So, finally one of our line has bothered to seek the origins of our home.”

  Adrea swallowed. “I am not seeking the origin; I just need to understand.”

  “To understand, you must know where we came from.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Darathrea, daughter of Athrea the knowing. One of your ancestors.”

  Adrea absorbed that. “So, not a lot of variation on naming the girls, then.”

  “We needed a tie. The names were the easiest way.”

  “Well, how did it start?”

  “My mother, mother of seven daughters, all with magic, was widowed in an area where mage craft was not desirable. She wanted her daughters to master their magic enough to hide it, so she created the ritual area where only the invited could come. Power was borrowed from ancient wonders and natural magical spaces. She mirrored it using simple enchantments that used her blood as a focus.”