Anthem of Ashes: Book 9 in the Spellsinger Series

by Amy Sumida

  “I'm so sorry, Odin,” I said gently. “I really don't want it to be Osamu.”

  “I can't protect a traitor.” Odin's tight shoulders drooped. “I have to hunt a fellow leader.”

  “We have to talk to Osamu,” I corrected. “We still don't know that he's guilty. He could have a reasonable explanation.”

  “For buying basilisk venom?” Odin grimaced. “I would very much like to hear his reason for that.”

  “Exactly. Let's start with tracking him down. I can—”

  “I've already tried, Elaria,” Odin interrupted me. “I used hair and clothing that I found in his chambers. He's got himself warded.”

  “Damn,” I whispered.

  “Isn't your spellsong stronger than a ward?” Slate asked.

  “It is,” Torin said confidently. “She got through Thomas' wards.”

  “Thomas wasn't a witch leader. We all have limitations.” I shook my head. “I can still try, but I doubt I'll be able to see past Osamu's ward if Odin's spell, powered by personal items, couldn't.”

  “There's more,” Torin said to Odin. “Cerberus' contact informed us of rumors of a new race of Beneather; a fire-wielding race.”

  “Osamu already has Fire magic,” Odin murmured.

  “And he knows about the Beneath,” I added as I tried to work through it.

  “Of course, he does,” Odin said in confusion. “Why is that of note?”

  “The new race doesn't seem to know about the Beneath,” Cerberus explained. “And they are definitely not Osamu. Icky said these were new beneathers, not witches.” He glanced at me. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “I don't know. I can't decide if they're all connected or not.” I looked from Cer to Odin. “What does Osamu, this new race, the missing Phoenixes, and Darcraxis' Darkness have in common?”

  All I got were shrugs and baffled looks.

  “Oh, yeah; Darc was attacked in the Bazaar,” Cer added. “By a person using the Darkness.”

  “And they were too short to be a shining one,” Declan took some delight in delivering that bit of news. “It was either a slim, short man or a woman.”

  “So, it's not the Shining Ones who are after you.” Odin stared at Darc pensively. “Darkness stolen, Fire murdered, ashes and witches missing, and a new race of Beneather. This is a Gordian knot I can't undo on my own. Come with me. We need to speak to the other leaders; the ones we know we can trust.”

  Odin turned on his heel and led us through the hallways of the Coven's manor. Witches drew back, out of his way, as he strode forward with the grim air of an executioner. Odin was out for blood; the growing possibility that yet another witch had turned traitor was threatening to make him go berserk like the Vikings he used to hang with. His naturally stern features were set in homicidal lines and all of his muscles had bunched up with tension, giving him the appearance of a Pitt Bull ready to bite.

  We found Vivian first; teaching a class for advanced students. Odin ended the lesson with a slash of his hand and drew the Witch Leader of Water out with another concise movement. Vivian joined us without a word, and our group moved out to gather our final member.

  Glinda was on the roof, meditating in the way of Air Witches. She hovered above the stone near the ledge, arms out as if hugging the sky. Her auburn hair streamed around her along with the wispy layers of her silk gown, only the toes of her suede shoes peeping beneath, feet pointed toward the ground but not touching it. Her eyes were closed, her expression blissful, but as we approached both of those things changed. Her eyes shot open, their blue a perfect match for the sky above, and her expression hardened.

  “There is smoke on the wind,” Glinda Goodweather announced as her feet gently settled on the roof's gray surface; a ballet dancer coming down from relevé. “I've seen a new power rising within it.”

  “Great, cryptic generalities,” Banning muttered.

  “There is nothing general about what I'm saying, Blooder,” Glinda moved to a collection of stone benches nearby and waved her hand to indicate that we should join her.

  “Before you start with your airy, non-generalities,” Odin growled, “let me tell you why we're here. Osamu has been spotted around several of the locations where Phoenixes have gone missing and, just today, has purchased basilisk venom.”

  “Neither is damning,” Vivian noted calmly as she settled gracefully onto a bench, skirts rippling like water.

  “He is also missing, along with several of his closest and most powerful witches,” Odin added. “He has warded himself from detection; a ward strong enough to deflect a personal link.”

  “We always ward ourselves when working magic,” Vivian continued to defend him. “He's probably crafting.”

  “That's what worries me,” I muttered.

  “Darcraxis had his magic stolen,” Odin announced next. “And then was attacked by an individual using that very magic in the Grand Bazaar today; the same place where Osamu purchased his venom. The attacker was Osamu's size and build.”

  “Still not a smoking gun,” Vivian protested.

  “Back to smoke,” Glinda pounced on the segue. “I have seen the birth of a new magic.”

  “Yes; Fire magic,” I interrupted. “A new race of Beneather has been seen. We think they may be connected to the missing Phoenixes.”

  “Then why are you implying that Osamu is involved?” Vivian asked pertly, her shimmering fall of pale hair wisping around her as if she were underwater.

  “And why do people keep interrupting me?” Glinda blustered as her hair did a more billowy bounce than Vivian's.

  “I feel your pain,” Slate muttered.

  “Because we don't have the time for protests or prophecies,” Odin snapped. “Phoenixes are being murdered and a thief is hunting Darcraxis with his own magic. We do not want a murdering thief holding the Darkness; that would be bad for all of us.”

  Glinda and Vivian sighed and exchanged a long look.

  “I know where Osamu is,” Vivian confessed.

  “And I know where to find this new race,” Glinda added with a smug smile.

  “Which do we pursue first?” The women asked together.

  “As much as I'd like to get some answers out of Osamu, I think we should look into these new beneathers first,” I said with a questioning look at Odin.

  “I agree,” Odin said to my look. “I think they're our best bet for finding the Phoenix murderers.”

  “So, are we going to California?” I asked Glinda.

  Her smug look vanished. “How did you know that?”

  “That's where they've been spotted the most,” Cerberus explained. “Where in California are we headed?”

  “San Francisco,” Glinda offered grumpily.

  “Anyone up for some sourdough? It will be excellent for sopping up the blood of our enemies.” Cerberus rubbed his hands together eagerly.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  We used a traveling stone to jump to Kyanite and then I handed my stone to Glinda so she could direct our travel to San Francisco. Witches, the powerful ones, can travel around the Earth via their elements, but it takes a lot of energy. It was easier for us to use the Shining One mode of travel, even if we had to go to Tír na nÓg first.

  We came through the Veil and stepped out in a narrow alley; stone and steel surging up around us. A sharp slap of modern humanity after the seductive beauty of Kyanite. The adjacent street bled its noise over us; not as narrow as the alley but close. A delivery van had nowhere to park so it had simply stopped in the road and idled as its driver jumped out with a cardboard box and a clipboard. Luckily, it was early enough in the day that only a few cars came by, swerving around the obstacle as if it were a common occurrence.

  Our group cautiously crept out onto the sidewalk and eyed the sporadic passerby, who eyed us back suspiciously. Although we'd been at it for hours, it was just the start of the day in San Fran and the meager foot traffic shuffled by in ones and twos. Sunrise still blushed the horizon and a chill breeze slashed
through the streets, whipped up from the bay. A man with a head shaved in strange patterns held hands with a woman whose hair rivaled the vibrancy of exotic parrots as they hunched down in their leather jackets as if they were in Minnesota instead of California. A few more unique individuals peppered the sidewalks, but most of the pedestrians were people in business suits or casual jeans and sweaters. Despite the colorful hairstyles spotting the scenery, our group garnered the most attention.

  Well, with the array of male beauty, the charisma of a phoenix, and the enchanting looks of the female witches in our party, I suppose that was to be expected. But we needed to be a little less noticeable if we were going to do some recon.

  “Declan, can you make all of us a little less pretty?” I asked him.

  “You want me to ugly us up?” Declan asked in horror. “Sweet stones; why?”

  “Not ugly, just not so...” I waved my hand to encompass Cerberus' mass and Shava's breathtaking appeal.

  “Gorgeous?” Cerberus winked at me. “Or was mouthwatering the word you were looking for?”

  “Yeah, you're hot, Hellhound,” I gave my friend his due or I wouldn't hear the end of it. “Now, get over it.”

  “We need to be inconspicuous,” Odin took over. “I can manage a spell for myself but if it's simple for you to cast an illusion, Declan, I'd rather save my energy.”

  Declan sighed dramatically and waved his hand. We went from celebrities to commoners. I looked everyone over and nodded; perfect.

  Declan's stare landed on me with sad acceptance. “Covering your beauty is the greatest tragedy.”

  “Can it, Romeo, it's just an illusion; your illusion, no less.” Cerberus slapped Declan on the shoulder. “She's still under there.”

  “Watch it, He-Man,” Declan—who now looked like one of the many businessmen striding down the street—brushed off the shoulder of his suit. “You may look like a teenage boy but you still hit like the Hound of Hades.”

  “As if you can't take it.” Cerberus crossed his arms and the stiff leather jacket he now wore creaked. He blinked, looked down at himself, and gaped at his slender limbs in outrage. “You made me a gangly teenager?”

  “It's just an illusion. Can it, Cerberus,” Declan tossed Cer's words back at him with glee.

  “How do you know who He-Man is?” I asked Declan.

  “I know things, sweetheart.” Declan winked at me.

  “He comes over to your house in Hawaii to hang out with me sometimes,” Gage blabbed. “We watch TV together and drink beer.”

  I looked from Gage to Declan in shock.

  “Gage, I must teach you about the importance of retaining an air of mystery.” Declan shook his head.

  “Ever since he gave us that mating present, we've gotten closer,” Gage said to my look, ignoring Declan altogether. “We're buds now.”

  “Oh, that's nice.” I smiled at them.

  “Yeah, yeah, good times. Congrats on the bromance.” Cer twirled his hand in a rolling movement. “Move it along, Gidget.”

  I surveyed our group. Declan had made us into a nice assortment of average humans of different ethnicities and ages; doubtless inspired by those he'd noticed on the streets. We'd be able to spread out and search for the new beneathers while blending in.

  “Okay, where do we find them?” I asked Glinda.

  “My vision directed me to that building.” Glinda pointed across the street.

  “BioSci Research?” I stepped further onto the sidewalk and stared up at the building. “That can't be right.”

  “I assure you, it is,” Glinda huffed indignantly. “My visions are never wrong.”

  “But that's a human company,” I protested. “They specialize in biotech research.”

  “Biotech?” Darc asked.

  “Modifying living organisms,” I explained. “It's a wide field of research; everything from making crops more resilient to cloning animals.”

  “Why would you clone animals?” Darc asked in fascination.

  “To feel like a god.” I winked at him, and he chuckled.

  “The perfect place to unlock the secrets of Phoenix ashes,” Odin declared in revelation.

  “The murderers are humans?” Banning asked in surprise.

  “Icky did mention that possibility,” Cer reminded us.

  “Or they're beneathers working at a human lab,” I added the more likely option. “I get that humans would have the most to gain from the ashes, but they'd have to know about Phoenixes first. And Phoenixes are one of the most secretive Beneather races on Earth.”

  “A Beneather scientist,” Odin said with wonder. “That would do it. A person like that would not only be interested in researching Phoenix ashes, but would also know the benefits to be had by harnessing their power.”

  “I'm burning that building down!” Shava snarled, making her soccer mom façade look terrifying.

  “Whoa.” Odin grabbed Shava's arm before she headed across the street. “We don't know who the guilty party is. It could be a single individual who may not even be in the building at the moment. You'd be murdering innocent people.”

  Shava's jaw clenched as she released her breath roughly through her nose. “Fine. Then what do we do?”

  “It's early; there won't be a lot of employees at work yet,” Cer noted. “We could go in now and search the place.”

  “You want to search through twenty floors or more of research labs and offices?” I asked him. “That'll take us all day.”

  “You got a better idea?”

  “Yeah; we wait. As you said; it's early. If the new beneathers do work there, they'll probably come in soon.”

  “And they'll be easy for us to spot,” Odin added. “They'll be the only humans with magical auras.”

  “You can see auras?” Banning cocked his head at Odin and a dreadlock fell across his face. He pushed it away with a deep umber hand and a little, surprised chuckle.

  “I'm a witch,” Odin said as if that explained it. The words seemed snotty coming out of the elderly man's visage Odin now sported.

  “Oh, right. Sure, Professor X,” Banning said dryly and rolled his new dark eyes at me.

  “Professor?” Odin frowned and looked at his wrinkled hands before rubbing them over his bald head.

  “How many of these new beneathers are there?” Vivian asked.

  “My vision showed me a pyramid,” Glinda said. “I assume that means; three.”

  “Why do you ask?” Odin sharpened his faded blue eye on Vivian. He had two eyes now, but only one of them focused on her, the other remained stationary.

  “Because there are two humans with fiery auras walking up to BioSci right now.” Glinda nodded toward the building.

  Everyone jerked around to see a couple of ordinary humans step up to the front doors of BioSci. Two men, both with shades of brown hair and wearing simple suits. One was swarthy and the other was the kind of pale that burned at the barest hint of sunlight. Nothing screamed beneather to me until one of them went to open the glass door by its steel handle and a tiny flame shot off his pinky. He jerked his hand back and shook it until the fire went out while his friend blocked him from view. Then they headed inside with worried glances around them.

  “Declan, make Shava and I into a couple of beautiful women in suits,” I said quickly.

  He glanced at us and it was done.

  “Thanks,” I murmured as I grabbed Shava's hand. “The rest of you stay here.”

  “Elaria!” Torin growled.

  But Shava and I were already heading across the street.

  “Just act as if you belong,” I whispered to her as we hurried toward BioSci.

  When I opened the door, someone grabbed me from behind, and I turned to see a blonde woman in a black suit staring at me imperiously.

  “I thought you might need a witch's sight,” Vivian's voice came out of the woman's sultry mouth.

  “Good thinking.” I opened the door and ushered us all inside.

  We strode across the marble
foyer with lifted chins and a swish in our walk, making the security guards salivate and settle into shocked staring. No one asked us who we were or where we were going; they were too busy fantasizing. An elevator dinged just as we reached the bottleneck that directed traffic toward four elevator cars. I led the ladies through the small crowd and stepped up behind the men we were after. They moved into the cab, and we followed. A sharp turn on their heels and the swarthy one lifted his hand to hit the elevator button but then he noticed us. His hand hung limply in midair, hovering over the number 16 before it finally jerked into action and tapped the button. As they gaped at us, I blocked the way while Vivian pushed the button to close the doors.