by Krista Walsh
“It’s a big if,” Daphne said. “We would need to lure the minions out first.”
“Tell them we have the orb?” Gabe suggested.
Zach shook his head. “I don’t trust what they would do to Molly if we played that sort of game. We need to find out where she is.”
Daphne rested her chin on the heel of her palm. “I wish we had a way to get in touch with her. Let’s face it, she’s our best source of information at this point.”
Allegra noticed her fingers tapping a rhythm against her thigh and she stilled them, her frayed, unpracticed patience nearly at its snapping point. Her demon was prowling inside her mind, debating escape, and she drew it back under control. She felt the cold brush of Matthew’s hand hovering over her shoulder, supporting her, but not even his calm presence could subdue the heat under her skin. “Why should I care about some teenage girl who was stupid enough to let herself be taken? I came here to seek help with my dreams and make them stop. I have no desire to be involved in some sort of kidnapping.”
Daphne narrowed her eyes at her. “If we work together to solve one problem, we can solve the others.”
Allegra rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “That sounds like a horrible excuse to ask for my help when I’ve come to ask you for yours. I do not appreciate the manipulation.”
“Allegra…” Matthew said for her ears alone, and shame washed over her. She’d come here for a purpose, and she was alienating the only people she believed could help her achieve it. But some habits were difficult to break, and her intolerance of people was one of them.
She had no time to clear the air before Zach dropped his fist on the table. “You don’t need to be here if you don’t want to, succubus. We can do this just fine without you. Some power is growing over this city that now has a book with all our DNA codes, which it could easily use to destroy us. I don’t want to give them any more time to use the information than they’ve already had. If you want to sit here and complain about the risks, or how much effort it will take, or how much you don’t want to break a nail, I don’t want to hear it. Go home and enjoy your dreams. Otherwise, shut up and pitch in where you can.”
His eyes had taken on a deep red glow as he spoke, and at the sight of his rising demon, despite her renewed determination to work with these people, Allegra’s surfaced to challenge him. Her nails elongated into talons that dug into the material of her dress and her fangs pierced her bottom lip. A scene played out in her mind of slamming him down on the table and taking him right here, devouring his soul, which she was sure would be rich and delicious, even if it would not satisfy her otherworldly appetite. The thrill egged her on, and the room took on a golden haze as her power surged.
“Hey,” Daphne shouted, but Vera had already risen to her feet and grabbed Allegra’s arm. Allegra jerked to free herself, but the vengeance demigoddess’s strength was greater than hers, and the effort did nothing but wrench her shoulder. Allegra hissed at her, but Vera just stared back, her gray eyes calm and neutral.
Across the table, Gabe had stood and stretched his arm out in front of Zach. Daphne’s hands were covered in their golden glow.
“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” a soft-spoken voice cut in.
Allegra’s gaze flicked toward the archway that led to the living room, revealing Vera’s business partner, Ara.
Despite the concern in her voice, irritation crackled in her eyes.
“I only ask because your raised voices are scaring Molly’s parents. I’m trying hard to keep them calm, so if you wouldn’t mind staying quiet or taking this fight somewhere else, I would appreciate it.”
Her disgust nudged Allegra’s demon, but the interruption had given Allegra’s rational mind a chance to get control over itself. She turned to Matthew with a sense of desperation, braced to see disappointment in his eyes, but all she found was a gentle reassurance. He brushed his lips over her brow, and she breathed through the tightness in her throat until her calmness returned. She was so tired, and all of this restraint was wearing her thin.
Once her vision cleared and her heartbeat slowed, she returned to her seat and folded her hands in her lap. She hated this. She had to stay in better control if she was going to do her part, and not allow some overzealous self-important angel-demon to set her off so easily.
She glared at Zach and watched as the red scales on the backs of his hands receded and he sat down. Only then did Daphne release her magic, and the other three settled into their chairs.
“Thank you,” Ara said, and she returned to the living room. Allegra heard her saying, “I’m so sorry for that. Don’t worry, everything is fine.”
She frowned at the platitudes. Honesty would be more help for the girl’s parents than sweet little lies. It would be wise of the dryad to warn them that their chances of success were small. How could they possibly be “fine” if this small group of misfits couldn’t get through a single conversation without wanting to tear each other apart?
It was a mistake coming here, she thought, but even as the words crossed her mind, she knew she’d had no other choice.
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way,” Daphne grumbled, “what do we propose to do next?”
Allegra huffed. While Zach’s speech had piqued her fury, she couldn’t deny that he had a point. She couldn’t go home and let these dreams strip her of whatever sanity she had left, and she couldn’t deal with the problem on her own. If she wanted their help, if she wanted to rid herself of the cage that kept her here, she would have to play by their rules. For now.
“You say we need to approach all of these elements as one problem instead of individual ones,” she said, wanting to prove she’d been listening. “But how do you intend to move forward? So far, all I have heard are suppositions. What is your plan?”
Vera cleared her throat, and all eyes turned toward her.
Allegra experienced another flashback to their time in the locked room. Back then, Vera had commanded a quiet authority as a woman who rarely spoke but led with calm rationality. The strength of her neutrality seemed to have vanished since the last time they’d met, however; as though something within her had shaken loose, and she hadn’t yet been able to rediscover her stability. Was it the Gorgon-Fae that had caused such a whirlwind, or something else? Allegra didn’t much care. She just hoped the change wouldn’t prove to make her a weak link.
But when Vera spoke, it was with such steady assurance that Allegra’s fears faded to the back of her mind.
“As it happens,” Vera said, “I have an idea.”
9
Vera stared around the table. Nerves popped and snapped in her stomach, making it difficult to sit still and exude the confidence she wanted to show.
Her idea was feeble at best, but Allegra’s point was valid. At this point in time, they had no idea how to move forward, and they couldn’t afford to waste another hour sitting around in debate.
Now everyone was staring back at her, waiting for her idea to blow them away. Once upon a time, she might have believed she was on top of things enough to offer the perfect solution, but in the last few months, she’d grown to realize how little control she had over her plans. Perfection was an illusion, one that was so easily stripped that putting too much value in it was enough to shatter your entire sense of self.
She’d been working hard to find her grounding again after learning that lesson in such a catastrophic way.
If it weren’t for Gabe’s support, she was sure she would have lost her mind over her failure to track down Lozak and the other demons who had walked away with her Book of Universes. Not a day passed that she didn’t ask herself if she’d made a mistake by giving in to them, and not a day ended without her accepting that she’d made the only choice she could. She couldn’t have sacrificed Gabe to them. But she wouldn’t stop until she reclaimed the book and prevented those monsters from making use of it.
“What are you thinking, Vera?” Gabe asked, when the silence in the room continued.
Vera pressed her lips together, hoping they thought she was putting her words in order, not trying to muster her courage.
“Daphne made the point that if we were able to get in touch with Molly, we could get an idea of where to find her. I think I might be able to make that happen.”
Daphne’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
Vera nodded. “I would have mentioned it earlier, but I can’t guarantee it will work. Typically, my psychic connections are made by my clients, not by me, but with so many of Molly’s effects in this house, it might be possible to reverse the pathway. With some concentration, I might be able to create a link.”
She didn’t mention the fact that her connections to her clients had been shaky over the last couple of weeks. Maybe it was because she was exhausted, still mentally recovering from the torture she’d endured under the hands of the Horrigen demon, Rega, or maybe she was just beyond tired of other people trying to control her schedule when all she wanted was some time to get her life back in order. Whatever the reason, the number of vengeance contracts she’d accepted had dropped drastically since Lozak had walked away with the Book of Universes, and she couldn’t find it in herself to feel bad about it.
Once this nightmare was resolved, she would work to restore her role in maintaining balance in the world. For now, it was taking all her effort just to hang on to it in her own life.
Gabe rested his hand over hers, and his silent show of support did more to bolster her strength than anything else the others might have said.
Zach pushed himself to his feet and loped out of the kitchen into the living room. Vera watched him leave, perplexed.
“Where does that man think he’s going?” Daphne asked. She’d risen half out of her seat when Dana and Fred rushed into the room, Zach close behind them.
“Do you mean it?” Dana asked, taking hold of Vera’s hand. “Do you think you can reach her?”
Vera’s mouth went dry. She wanted to grab Zach by the throat and throttle him for saying anything to these people and getting their hopes up. She hadn’t intended to involve them at all until it was a done deal.
Not wanting to escalate the high emotions running through the room, though, she simply shot Zach a glance that would have sent a lesser man running. He just drew back his shoulders, the scars on the right side of his face curling with his scowl.
“If we want them to provide something of Molly’s that you can use, they have to know about this,” he said.
Dana squeezed Vera’s hand tighter, and Vera returned her attention to the girl’s parents. They were both staring at her with such hope and terror that she didn’t have the heart to crush them.
She released a breath and used her free hand to pat the top of Dana’s. “My mother didn’t call us semi-goddesses for nothing.” Her throat clenched at Susan Goodall’s tongue-in-cheek joke for their position down the bloodline. Enough power to do the work, but not enough to make it into the mythology textbooks. Her mother had died to protect Vera. The least Vera could do was try to help this mother avoid the same pain. “I’ve been known to work a miracle or two. I can’t make any guarantees, but let’s see if we can make this happen.”
“What do you need?” Dana asked.
Vera glanced at Fred, who stood behind his wife with the same hope in his eyes, but no little skepticism and uncertainty as well. She guessed that, unlike Molly’s mother, he was new to the otherworld. Unfortunate way for him to have his eyes opened.
“I think it would be easiest with something that meant a lot to her. Something she would have kept with her often, particularly during any emotional turmoil. That sort of item would retain a lot of her personal energy.”
Fred frowned at her description, clearly wanting to believe but wary of his wife relying on the possibility too heavily in case Vera failed. Vera squared her jaw and straightened her shoulders, determined to prove him wrong. If she concentrated enough, really searched and followed the line of energy, she could track down the girl. She had to believe it, or she’d never succeed.
“What about Grungy?” Steve spoke up from the archway. He’d approached without Vera being aware of it, Ara standing by his side. It was well past eleven o’clock now, but he’d still made no move to go home.
“Grungy?” Gabe asked, an eyebrow arched over the frame of his sunglasses.
Fred nodded. “Molly’s stuffed bear. She’s had it from the time she was born. She usually keeps it on her bed, but I haven’t seen it recently. It might still be there.”
“Perfect,” Vera said. “If someone could get it, I’ll get started.”
She set her hands in her lap, palms up, and focused on her breathing, drawing out her inhale and extending her exhale. Her limbs grew heavy, though her mind remained firmly in the kitchen as she waited for the bear to arrive.
Dana rushed back in a few minutes later, the worn and tattered bear in her hand. It had once been a deep purple perhaps — traces of the original material appeared near the seams — but years of contact, mouthings, and grubby fingers had faded it to a puce. At least it smelled clean when Vera took hold of it.
“Now what?” her mother asked.
“Now I need to concentrate. It would probably be best if you waited in the living room. If I’m able to make contact, I’ll pass along your love to her.”
Tears streamed down Dana’s cheeks. “Is there any way that I could — could speak with her? Through you?”
Vera rested her hand on the other woman’s arm. “I’m sorry. The connection is through a psychic link that would be nearly impossible to extend to a third party, and depending on the situation, it might be dangerous to extend it too long. But I’ll make sure she’s all right. Hopefully she’ll know where she is, and we’ll be able to go and fetch her as soon as I finish.”
Fred put his arms around his wife as she swayed. Ara stepped forward to take Dana’s other arm.
“Come back and sit in the living room,” she said. “The teapot is empty, but I think it’s time we move to something stronger, don’t you?”
“I’ll get the brandy,” Fred said, his voice husky.
Ara brushed her fingers over Vera’s shoulder. “Be careful,” she said, softly enough that human ears wouldn’t hear it.
Vera’s throat tightened as the family retreated to the living room. She couldn’t imagine the fear and pain they must be feeling over all of this. The only person in the kitchen who might even come close to understanding was Zach, but in his case, Vera suspected he was being eaten up by guilt more than anything else.
She exhaled sharply and relaxed in her chair, the bear firm in her grip.
“All right, let’s see if I’ve managed to talk myself into a royal corner,” she mumbled.
“You’ve got this, babe,” Gabe said. He kissed the top of her head and sank into his chair beside her. “What do you need us to do?”
On Vera’s other side, Allegra had crossed her arms and was glaring through the proceedings as though this were the last place in the world she wanted to be. Daphne and Zach were sitting together at the other end, both of them staring intently her way.
“Just be quiet,” she said. “This connection will likely be tenuous until I find her and she allows me to make full contact. I’m worried that the slightest distraction might pull me away.”
“Could you not simply try again if you fail?” Allegra asked.
“I’d give it my best, of course,” Vera said, “but this sort of exploration takes effort. I’ve never done anything like it, and I don’t know how draining it will be.” She sighed. “I’ll definitely want a cup of tea after this one.”
“I’ll get it ready once you’re gone,” Gabe said.
He’d witnessed enough of Vera’s summons to know how this worked. The first time, she’d awoken to find him in a panic that she’d lapsed into some kind of coma. Since then, if he woke up before she did, she’d find a cup of tea waiting for her on the bedside table. So many reasons for her to love this man.
Vera’s stomach coiled as she once more turned her focus toward her breathing and worked to deepen it. Self-consciousness over her audience at first prevented her from finding the calm she needed, but when the others remained quiet, she was able to ignore them and think only of the energy drifting off the stuffed bear.
Steve had made a good suggestion. So many emotions surrounded the bear that Vera could almost picture Molly sitting at the table with them. She sank deeper into the current and followed it through the room into the hallway between the kitchen and the living room. The farther the energy stretched, the more her mind stretched with it, until she stepped out of her body onto the plane between this world and the spiritual one.
Unlike her experience when the client made contact, where the world appeared the same if distant, as though she’d simply stepped into someone else’s perceptions, her vision took on a shimmery gray hue. Objects around her were where she remembered them being, but slightly askew, at times floating in midair, or disproportionate — a miniature vase with massive flowers that swallowed the corner of the room; a picture on the wall that was narrowed on one side, but wide on the other. It was surreal, but somehow…familiar.
With a start, she realized she’d explored this particular plane before, when the women of the Collegiate had bent her mind to their will in her dreams. The revelation was almost enough to pull her back into her body, but she grounded herself and took up her pursuit of Molly’s signature as it traveled up the stairs toward her bedroom.
Here, the energy split off to touch all of the young woman’s belongings, and Vera struggled not to lose herself in the jumble. The path couldn’t end here, even if it was becoming harder to follow.
The energy seemed to swirl around a particular area of the room, and Vera recognized it as the spot Gabe had identified as the point of entry and escape by the men who had taken her. The same sort of rift that Gabe used to get around. He was upset that one of his kind was in league with these demons, she knew. She worried how deep the anger would settle within him, and how much they would need to hold him back from running rashly into the problem, putting everyone at risk.