by Hall, Linsey
Every single one of them leapt to their feet and rushed out into the night. The bartender—a woman I didn’t recognize—glared at me.
Quinn stepped up beside me. “Now, was that necessary?”
“I don’t know, but it felt good.” I carried Carrow toward the large armchairs by the roaring fire and set her down in one of them.
The ghostly hound lying in front of the flames lifted his head to blink sleepily at us. I ignored the beast. Kneeling at Carrow’s side, I gently patted her pale cheek. “Carrow, wake up.”
Eve, Mac, and Seraphia joined us, the two cursed women taking other chairs. Cordelia appeared a moment later, sitting on the floor at the base of Carrow’s chair. Concern gleamed in her dark eyes. I felt it happen. Is she all right?
“I don’t know.”
Cordelia twisted her little paws and climbed up next to Carrow on the chair. Squeezing her fluffy bulk onto the seat, she stared up at her.
Quinn appeared a moment later, a small vial in his hands. He uncorked it and handed it to me. “Smelling salts.”
The fumes were enough to make my eyes water, and I gently wafted it under Carrow's nose as Cordelia cringed away.
Carrow gasped and sat upright, smacking the salts away from her face. She looked around, her expression confused and eyes frantic. “What happened?”
“You passed out at the tower,” I said.
Everyone hovered around, staring at her in concern.
She blinked, her expression calming a bit. “I remember. I remember.” She rubbed her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “Just let me think.”
The bartender came up with a tray of beers and set them on the small table by one of the chairs. “You look like you could use these.”
“Thanks, Kate,” Quinn said. “Do we have any sandwiches left from earlier?”
She nodded. “I’ll bring them out.”
Carrow’s eyes flickered open. “It’s the sorcerers.”
“The sorcerers?” I frowned. “Just like Madame Duvoir said.”
“Exactly.” Carrow nodded. “She said that the curse could only be placed by a sorcerer, and I saw Ubhan’s office in Black Church when I asked what had cursed the building.”
“He did it?” Seraphia’s eyes widened. “But he’s on the Council.”
“Exactly. They’re up to their eyeballs in secrets,” Mac said. “And this cursed tower is one of them.”
“But the tower was cursed before Ubhan was born,” Eve said. “Otherwise, we’d remember it.”
“I don’t know how he is involved, but he is.” Carrow rubbed her arms. “If we want to break the curse on the tower, we need to get into his office and find out what, exactly, is going on.”
Can’t we just blow up the tower if it’s such a problem?
I looked at the little raccoon. “Not advisable.”
She looked at Carrow, clearly hoping to get a different answer.
“What he said.” Carrow looked at me. “It’s midnight. Now would be a good time to break into his office.”
“Ubhan is notorious for working nights,” Eve said. “He’s called the Owl of Black Church because he’s always swooping around in the dark, being creepy at odd hours.”
“So he could be there right now.” Carrow frowned.
“Let me make a call.” I stood. “Perhaps I can find a good time to break in.”
Carrow nodded, and I strode across the room, raising the comms charm on my wrist to my lips. “Miranda?”
“Yes?” She answered immediately.
“Will you check the schedules at Black Church? I need to know a good time to try to get into Councilor Ubhan’s office.”
“Yes, just a moment.”
I waited while she consulted our sources. We had access to private council information, and while we might not know everything that went on in the meetings, we at least knew when those meetings would be held.
She returned a few minutes later. “An official from Glasgow is coming tomorrow morning. They’ll all be in the main meeting room then. Apparently, it’s a big deal.”
“Perfect, thank you.” I cut the connection and returned to the group by the fire.
They seemed exhausted as they sipped their beers. Carrow looked up at me. “Well?”
“Tomorrow morning.” I relayed Miranda’s information.
“It’s for the best,” Eve said. “We need to rest.”
Carrow leaned toward Mac and Seraphia. “How do you feel?”
“A little better, maybe,” Mac said. “But weird, too.”
“Like I’m pulled toward that tower,” Seraphia said.
“Exactly.” Mac nodded emphatically.
“Me, too.” Carrow frowned. “But I’m not cursed like you guys.”
“It’s strange,” Eve said. “But I think I might feel it, too.” She laughed dryly. “Maybe I’m just easily influenced.”
“Why is this all happening now?” Seraphia asked. “I believe the pages were torn out of the book long ago. And that tower was definitely hidden long ago. There’s no way that it was done anytime within the living memory of the residents.” She looked at me. “Begging your pardon.”
I nodded. “Your point is sound, though. Whoever did it could erase my memory, but not that of the whole town.”
“As for why it’s happening now…” Carrow’s face was pale. “Maybe it’s me. I’m the new one here. Maybe I triggered it somehow. Perhaps with Orion’s Stone.”
“There’s no known connection right now,” Quinn said. “This isn’t your fault. More likely, this is something Ubhan has done.”
Carrow opened her mouth to protest, but Mac cut her off. “I agree. You’re going to fix this. It’s not your fault.”
Eve leaned forward. “Tomorrow, we’ll find the answers in Ubhan’s office. There’s got to be something there that tells us how to finish breaking the curse.”
Carrow nodded, worry still in her eyes. I reached out to touch her but pulled my hand back at the last second. We needed to keep our distance. Now, especially.
15
Carrow
The next morning after a night in my own bed—alone—I waited at a café table tucked behind a vine-covered trellis. My coffee sat before me, untouched, and the newspaper I held went unread. The morning sun beat down brightly, and I watched Black Church for any sign of movement.
The massive building sat on the other side of the square, and I’d chosen a table at one of the many cafés that lined the open space. It was perfect for watching the front doors of the church.
Council members had gone inside regularly since I’d arrived, but I’d yet to see Ubhan walk in. Considering he was a night owl, he might not have left last night.
Quinn strolled up, looking casual and perfect for a day out. He grinned when he saw me and sat down. “So glad you could join me for our date.”
I gave him a cheeky smile. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Quinn, Grey, and I were planning to break into Ubhan’s office this morning while Eve stayed behind to care for Mac and Seraphia. Since Grey wasn’t the type to enjoy a morning coffee on the square—it would draw attention if he sat around like a normal person—Quinn and I were pretending to be on a date.
Not that anyone was looking that closely at us. But Grey could hear us through our comms charms, and I had a feeling that Quinn would flirt with me just to annoy him. He didn’t realize the truth of our dire situation, and I wasn’t about to tell him.
“The coffee is excellent,” I said to him as the waitress approached. “My cappuccino is the best I’ve had in town.”
It was a lie, but the waitress smiled, as I’d hoped she would. Better to have her on our side. Quinn placed his order for the same. After she’d left, I gave him a quick update of what I’d seen.
As soon as the visitor from Glasgow arrived—in a kilt, according to Miranda’s sources—we were going to make our move.
The waitress returned with Quinn’s coffee, and he thanked her before she left. Instead of drinking it
, however, he pressed his fingertips to his comms charm to turn it off and nodded for me to do the same.
I frowned at him, knowing that Grey wouldn’t be able to hear us, but did as he asked. “What is it?”
“Are you sure about this thing with the Devil you have going?” His voice was pitched low enough that no one else could hear.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and Carrow—he’s dangerous. Too dangerous.”
“I know he is. But he’s not a threat to me.” To himself, maybe, because I had a feeling that he would walk right into hell to spare me, but he was not dangerous to me.
Quinn frowned. “I don’t like it.”
I scowled at him.
He raised his hands in apology. “But it’s not my place to have an opinion on it, I get it. I like you, Carrow, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
A bit of warmth pushed aside most of the annoyance. “I get it, Quinn. And thank you for caring. I understand that Grey has a certain…reputation around town. But I’m fine.”
He nodded and turned to the church. “Let’s keep a lookout.”
“Great.” I uncovered my comms charm.
Grey’s voice drifted out, quiet yet concerned. “Is everything all right? The line died.”
“Everything is fine,” I said.
A slight frown tightened Quinn’s lips, but he said nothing as he gazed at the fire-darkened exterior of Black Church. The structure looked ominous against the bright blue sky.
I spotted a man wearing a kilt striding toward the front doors. “He’s here,” I murmured, but loudly enough for Grey to hear. “Meet you soon.”
Quinn paid for our coffees, and I stood, grabbing the bag full of potion bombs that Eve had given me. We left holding hands for good measure. I assumed no one gave a damn about Quinn or me, but you never knew who might be watching.
We strolled along the edge of the square, and I gazed into shop windows as if interested in the wares. Slowly, we made our way closer to Black Church and ducked into a narrow side street. I tried to make it look like I was pulling Quinn in to make out with him, but I had no idea if the effect worked.
From the scowl on Grey’s face, it was at least somewhat effective. The vampire stood in the shadows of a small intersecting alley, still as a statue and dressed in simple black tactical wear that would make running and fighting easy.
Quinn removed three small vials from his pocket and handed them around. “Drink these. Eve made them. They’ll make it so that it’s difficult for anyone who sees us to remember our faces. But it only works for short encounters, so if you have a conversation, it won’t work.”
“Thanks.” I swigged it back, appreciatively. It would be a big help with any admin staff or guards that we came across in the halls.
“Come,” Grey said. “My contact is waiting.”
Though we’d broken into Black Church through the dwarves’ underground tunnels last time, we didn’t have that option now. The Council had blocked off that secret entrance into their dungeons.
We followed Grey down the side streets, working our way to the back of Black Church. He’d said he had a contact in the kitchens, and they were going to let us in the back.
A young man stood outside, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against the brick wall. His apron was scattered with flour, and his face was sullen.
“This guy?” I asked skeptically.
“He wants out,” Grey said.
“Out?”
“Out of Guild City. After he does this for us, he’s going to make himself scarce for a while.”
“The perfect candidate, then.” It made sense. If the Council found out that he’d sneaked us in, he’d end up in jail.
The back street was empty, so we hurried toward the kid. He gave the Devil a look, then turned and pressed his hand to the door. Magic sparked around his palm, and he pulled it open, the cigarette hanging from his mouth as he held out his free hand to Grey.
As Grey strode through the door, he passed the kid a thick envelope—cash, no doubt—and our accomplice grinned.
I nodded at him and walked through, Quinn bringing up the rear. The door shut quietly behind us, and I could imagine the kitchen boy already hightailing it for one of the gates at the edge of town. I hoped he had a damned good time wherever he ran off to.
The hallway in which we stood was quiet and dark.
“The kitchens are near here,” Grey murmured. “They keep a staff since so many Council members spend all day in their offices.”
I shifted the bag over my shoulder, reaching inside for a stunner. The smooth glass ball fit perfectly in my hand as I gripped it loosely.
Grey met my eyes and raised an eyebrow.
I grinned. “Just in case.”
“You know the way to Ubhan’s office?” Quinn asked.
“Yes,” Grey said. “We’ll drop you at the main meeting room on the way.”
“Perfect.” Quinn nodded. He was going to deploy an alarm on the doors that would alert us when the meeting was out.
As we slipped silently through the halls, the thrill of the chase raced through my veins.
We were going to get him.
I didn’t know how Ubhan was involved, but he was. And there were answers here.
Our footsteps were silent as we hurried down the hall, three shadows that stuck close to the wall. Grey led the way, as he knew the layout well, and I took the middle. Behind me, Quinn moved with lethal grace, making it easy to imagine him as a panther.
Faint footsteps sounded up ahead, and I peered around Grey’s shoulder. A hallway joined with our current one. Someone was headed in our direction. My heart rate jumped, and I tightened my grip on my stunner bomb, ready to throw it.
A guard dressed in black tactical wear like Grey’s appeared in the intersection. Shock flashed across the man’s face when he spotted us.
“Intruders. You shouldn’t be back here.” He raised his hand, magic sparking around his palm, and hurled the blast at us.
Grey lunged forward, dodging the blast and punching the guard in the face.
The man’s head snapped back, and he staggered. Grey grabbed him before he fell, hauling him upright, but the man sagged, unconscious.
“Nice hit,” Quinn said, sounding impressed.
“Thanks. Carrow, can you get his belt?”
I quickly unhooked it, and Grey turned him around. Wrapping the guard’s wrists together, I bound them tightly behind his back. Then I knelt and untied his shoelaces, binding his ankles together in a triple knot he couldn’t reach even if he tried. Last, I took the knife Quinn handed me and used it to tear off a strip of his shirt to gag him.
“There’s a closet here.” Quinn held open the door he’d found, and Grey stuffed the unconscious body inside.
The whole ordeal had taken less than a minute, and we were on our way once more.
When we reached the main foyer that led toward the meeting room, Quinn peeled off. “Listen for the alarm,” he said, his gaze on mine. “And good luck.”
“You, too. Get out of here after you’ve deployed it. Don’t get caught without backup.”
He nodded, then looked at Grey. “Take care of her.”
I raised my eyebrows. “How about we take care of each other?”
Quinn grinned. “Sure.”
“Boys.” I shook my head as he hurried toward the doors he planned to set with a trigger-based alarm.
“This way.” Grey’s voice was low as he led me down another hall and up a wide staircase to the next floor. “I believe his office is over here.”
There was no one about as we walked, but I kept my senses on high alert. Tension hung heavy in the air as we moved through the old stone corridors, our footsteps silent on the wide wooden floorboards. Tapestries and dim sconces dotted the walls, giving the place an ancient feel.
At the end of the hall, we reached a wide door marked with Ubhan’s name. The script was gold and gaudy, and I raised a
n eyebrow. “That’s very appropriate for him.”
Grey’s lips twitched as he inspected the door, hovering his hands over the wood. Intricate carvings decorated the stone surrounding the frame. I’d bet my last adult juice box there was a spell on this door.
“It’s enchanted,” Grey confirmed. “Protective spells to lock it.”
“Good thing I came prepared.” I reached into the bag Eve had packed for me and withdrew a small silver stone, a spell reader. Hopefully, it would give us an idea of what protected his office.
Carefully, I ran it over the door, holding it close to the wood but not so close that it touched. When I ran it past the carved stones around the door jam, it vibrated slightly. I pointed to the spot. “The enchantment is there.”
“Can that stone break the protection charm?”
“Eve said that it can break some charms, but not all. This seems to be too strong.” I glanced down the hall, my heart racing faster. We were exposed. Any second, someone might walk by.
“The carvings on the stones say something, but I can’t decipher it,” Grey said.
“Same.” There were twelve of them, each about ten centimeters square, positioned at regular intervals around the door. I pressed my fingertips to one, calling on my magic. How do we open you?
I had a vision of myself stepping on one of the stones set into the floor in front of the door, but nothing about the carved stones around the door jam. They were important, though. I could feel it.
I withdrew my hand. “Let’s ask the others.”
I took my phone from my pocket and snapped a picture, then texted it to Eve with a note that said:
The protective spell on Ubhan’s door. Any idea how we get in?
My phone buzzed with a reply about thirty seconds later:
Seraphia says they are the months of the year, written in Sanskrit. Press them in order.
The end of the text included the translations for the months.
“Thank fates we have a friend who’s a librarian.” I raised my hand, ready to press the stone.