Sterling gestured for me to lead the way. The kitchen was accessed through the open entryway we’d seen from the living room. I glanced into the open fridge and, seeing the mess inside, closed the doors. The kitchen was decked out in stainless steel appliances. I wasn’t aware there was a stainless steel, Keurig-style coffee maker, but she had one. Fae are notorious coffee and tea fiends. The dishwasher, sink, stove, and oven were all less than a year old.
A stainless-steel table with two chairs sat near a wall-sized window that overlooked more of the splendid garden behind the house. In the far wall was a door leading to a staircase which descended to the garden. The only other door was beside the table. The high-set window in the door showed a small pantry beyond.
On the table, amazingly unmolested, sat a closed laptop. I could see the power cord running underneath the table to a wall outlet. Sterling immediately walked over, took a chair, and opened it.
While he began clacking keys, I walked around the kitchen, checked the shelves above the stainless-steel counter and stove, and frowned at the puddles on the wood floor. Something about this room nagged at me.
To be thorough, I walked over and opened the pantry door, not expecting to find anything except another mess. The pantry was narrow, with floor to ceiling shelves full of canned and jarred goods.
I blinked and looked again.
On the right side, the shelves ended halfway to the back of the pantry, and a mirror illusion masked a set of stairs leading down.
“I’m going downstairs,” I called to Sterling over my shoulder.
“Very well. I am making progress on her laptop, so I shall continue up here. Summon me if you need,” he replied, almost absently.
“Don’t tell me you do computer hacking on the side?” I joked.
“Who do you think invented hacking in the first place?” he answered.
I didn’t know if I should laugh or take him seriously. Instead of responding, I stepped into the pantry and went to the stairs.
The illusion made the first few steps a bit disorienting as my mind adjusted to passing through shelves and foodstuffs while descending, but then the stairs spiraled, and I saw the ground floor’s foundation and the basement’s ceiling.
For the second time that day, I was momentarily confused by what my eyes conveyed to my brain. I cautiously went down another two steps without blinking. My eyes were transfixed on what was ahead and below.
The basement was a single, large room that might have comfortably housed a man cave, a working garage, or a craft area. The garage door took up the entire west wall. A large tree grew in the middle of the floor, next to a shallow pond. The rest of the space had grown wild.
I could see roots and plants coming from under the garage door and the walls. Halfway down, the steps were covered in green, springy moss. Mushrooms, nightshade, ferns, ivy, philodendron, and other flowers I didn’t know the names of grew everywhere and easily covered 70 percent of the space. It was as if I had entered an underground garden, albeit one with small windows and glowing rocks.
It reminded me of some of the gardens I’d seen while living with my mother in her realm. I was a necromancer, but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy nature and greenery. There could be no death without life, after all, and even the death of plants could be captured and used for small, simple spells.
As I moved cautiously forward, the garden called to my fae instincts, and I found myself relaxing. My caution increased, but all I could sense were plants and the insects needed to pollinate those plants.
The unexpected garden was a clue about Althea. More than a little power and skill were needed to create such a garden, inside, where no sunlight reached. It also required a fae with a ‘green thumb.’ If Althea Kerr didn’t return to her sanctuary soon, I suspected the plants would begin dying, and I didn’t want to think about what might visit when that began to happen.
Walking softly around the room, I noticed an abundance of small, glowing mushrooms. They reminded me of the ones the Unseelie fae brought to my mother’s Court on the rare occasions they wanted to bribe her. Admittedly, the bribes never worked, but the mushrooms had created a stir among the fae.
Since I was the daughter my mother acknowledged, and the only one who survived into adulthood, I had seen the fungi up close. The mushrooms in Althea’s garden were similar, yet different. I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a few photos. Because of the odd lighting, they weren’t the best, but they weren’t horrible, either. If Sterling didn’t know anything about the mushrooms, I’d send the photos to Dad. If Dad didn’t know anything, I’d be visiting my mom sooner than I planned. She would know what they were.
When I returned to the kitchen, Sterling was sitting back in the steel chair, arms folded across his chest, looking at the laptop screen.
“I find this fae’s enjoyment of stainless steel amusing and fascinating. It’s as though she wants to embrace her kind’s greatest weakness. Unless it’s obsession over what one can’t have,” he mused. “Her browser history and search results are mostly about gardening, stainless-steel fixtures and appliances, and details about the materials companies use to make steel.”
“Maybe she’s making sure there isn’t any cold iron or iron shavings in the steel she orders for her kitchen,” I suggested. “Having objects that burn her skin while she prepares a meal or hot beverage wouldn’t be much use.”
“Very true,” he agreed. He leaned forward, tapped a few keys on the laptop and clicked the track pad. “She visits the common, human social networking sites, and has a lot of stainless-steel items on her Pinterest board. She’s also visited a few dating and Anime sites. And she has several emails from Nick, inviting her to join his coven. He sent links to the coven’s Instagram page, their Facebook page, his Twitter account, and even an old MySpace page.”
“He’s probably trying to con her into joining his fan group, with the intention of stealing the amulet,” I said. Pulling out the photo, I showed it to Sterling, though I didn’t give it to him. I tapped on the other woman in the photo. “The girl? She’s one of Nick’s groupies. She was with him when we met at the Clocktower. Nick probably knew nothing more than that the amulet was powerful. The girl would know exactly how much Nick knows. She might even have some useful information, since I suspect this girl and Nick were more than friends.”
“Considering all of these dating sites were set up to meet other women, I agree with that theory,” Sterling rejoined. “As for the rest, I recognize her, as well. Shall we follow this lead?”
“Seems to be the best option,” I replied, nodding. “If Xantos is throwing his hat into this mess, I wonder who else is trying to find the amulet? I’ll contact Alesio and Roland later tonight. At the very least, I’ll get Alesio to agree it’s in his best interest to keep his fingers out of it, along with his entire clan.”
Alesio Salvatori was the head of the local vampire cabal. Since vampires are undead, I had a lot of sway over the ones in my area. Alesio and I had come to a truce long before we became uneasy friends. I say ‘uneasy’ because he didn’t completely trust me since I wouldn’t need a lot of energy to decimate his entire cabal. I had threatened to do it a few times when his newer vampires were causing trouble for the local humans.
Roland was the alpha of the local werewolf pack. We were on far better terms than I was with Alesio. I suspected it was because I’d never threatened to kill Roland. “You have some interesting business associates,” Sterling mused. “Very well. You reach out to them, I shall inform my own contacts.”
“I have an interesting career,” I joked. Pausing, I tapped the top of the laptop’s open screen. “Can you pull up Althea’s Facebook page? Maybe there’s a clue about where we can find the girl in the photo.”
Sterling smiled approvingly, and I watched as he pulled up our missing fae’s Facebook photos. As he began scrolling through the plethora of images, I looked over his shoulder. There was something about the background of several photos that seemed very famili
ar. It didn’t take Sterling very long to find a picture of Althea with her mystery friend. Unfortunately, she hadn’t tagged the girl or mentioned her name in the post, so Sterling did the next logical thing: he pulled up the list of people who had liked the photo.
Thankfully, our mystery girl had liked the photo, and she had used a photo of herself for her profile picture.
Her name was Maura Robinson, and as soon as Sterling pulled up her page, I knew where the photos had been taken. She listed her profession as ‘waitress,’ and the photos were taken in her place of employment.
“Have any plans for the evening, Sterling?” I asked, staring at the photo of the girl who was probably Althea’s girlfriend.
“Nothing I can’t postpone.” His voice was slightly deeper, and my body responded to the memory of the last time he’d used that tone.
Oh, my. Now I really didn’t want to do anything work related. I would much rather take him home for a repeat performance of the previous night, though I suspected he wouldn’t do the same things twice, which intrigued me.
“You, sir, are evil,” I said. It had been a very, very long time since I’d been unable to control my thoughts and my body’s reactions, and I realized how much I missed the game. “I’m pretty sure we can find out how to talk to her at Fellhaven. While there, we can talk to Mark and his wife, Jen, about why they hired Universal Manpower. We might even be able to talk to Roland and Alesio, too.”
I would have preferred to skip it all in exchange for other strenuous activities. He really shouldn’t have had this sort of effect on me, but I’d be damned if I knew how to stop it. Then again, I really didn’t want it to stop anytime soon. At some point, I was going to have to contact Piero and tell him he’d been right; I’d been missing out on a lot and hadn’t truly been living until now.
“Evil, good…points on a compass that has no true North,” Sterling said dismissively, but I could see the smirk he was hiding from me via his reflection on the laptop screen. He continued, “Were you proposing we spend some time in the chaotic neutral atmosphere of Fellhaven?”
“The photos were taken at Fellhaven,” I replied with a smile. “I think, if we go soon enough, we’ll have time for activities of mutual enjoyment later tonight.”
Sterling closed the browser, cleared the history, and shut down the laptop. He stood, smiled at me, and offered his arm.
“Shall we?”
* * * * *
Chapter Ten
Did I mention I love my basement? Very rarely do I ever bring anyone into it, even if the chatterbox skull wasn’t around. The place doubles as my sanctum, my safe room, and my haven with a noisy roommate.
Sterling might have suspected my bringing him into my lower lair was significant; he was respectful and smiled at lot. I kept glancing at him, gauging his reaction to the place, so it’s possible he was playing to my emotions. Perhaps he did like it; time would tell. He spoke of little details that impressed him for example, my honoring old ways that made his heart feel that all was not lost on new generations.
And then, the irresistible force met the immovable object.
“You’ve finally brought someone down for my approval,” Maekyl said loudly.
“I require no one’s approval,” Sterling rejoined. “However, I would prefer to have the invitation of this basement’s occupant, even if I already have that of the owner.”
Oh, hell, I thought. The battle lines are drawn.
“Ooooooo! Wit and manners,” Maekyl cooed. “Trying to rile me by suggesting I am but a lowly squatter, here at the mercy of the young, for you at least, lady? That she allows me to stay here out of the kindness of her heart?”
“I’m suggesting nothing,” Sterling said cheerfully. “I did not, for example, ask if you take credit for all the books in this delightful library. I haven’t challenged your fragile and frayed sense of over-extended worth.”
The growl from Maekyl shook anything that wasn’t well bound or welded.
“A mighty grumbling to make a mess you conveniently have no body with which to clean it up,” Sterling retorted, adding a staged yawn for effect.
“I was wise enough to shed my mortal form instead of retaining my vanity.” The voice of Maekyl reverberated around the room. “I find it amusing that you don’t show your true age, although I suppose looking like Father Time, with a beard as long and stony as your deficiencies, isn’t appealing to females or males who are young enough to be your tenth removed descendants.”
“You got sloppy and died. You’d possess a body if enchantments weren’t in place to keep you from it.” Sterling still sounded bored. “The fact that I display any age shows how well I understand dealing with humanity and similar races. Were Cat to put you out on the streets, you’d get passed around by a bunch of drug addicts who found you amusing. That is, until they got distracted by something else.”
Silence filled the basement.
I had absolutely no idea what to say, so I waited, excited, intrigued, and worried.
“I like him.” Maekyl’s voice came only from the skull, now. “You can bring him by anytime.”
“I like him as well,” Sterling said. “But it’s best if you don’t leave us alone.”
“Agreed. I don’t think the world would survive a day of you two alone,” I stated, still unsure how I felt about the two of them liking each other, or at the very least, being civil. Gods only knew what I’d hear from Maekyl once we were alone. “Have you found out anything about who is destroying my hiiri, Maekyl?”
“To begin with, there have been far more of them killed than you heard about.” Maekyl adopted his usual rhythm and tone—low, slow, and pleased to show off what he knew. “The witnesses and impressions, however, make me wonder if they are deliberate killings. The few dragons who were nearby when some of the hiiri perished tell me their energy was not employed for destruction or malice.”
That caught me off guard. Although dragons and some other beings can sense or smell energy and its manipulation, I’d never expected to hear that the destruction of hiiri was anything but intentional and premeditated.
“What manner of spells were used?”
“A great deal of will was used, along with energy, and the energy was unbalanced,” Maekyl reported. “From what I’ve gathered and my own experience? Someone was trying to force the hiiri to do something and used too much power.”
“An amateur,” Sterling surmised.
“Precisely so. An amateur who, somehow, was able to channel far more power than she or he was used to tapping,” concluded Maekyl.
Despite what most people thought, the ability to use Magick was not that common. The ability to have enough to do more than light a spark was even rarer. What Maekyl said stunk of Nick and his dragon’s blood.
“Could it have been from someone who made a Deal with a demon?” I asked cautiously. If that were the case, I’d much prefer finding them before they figured out how to use the Magick they’d been granted. Hellfire is great, as long as it isn’t aimed at you.
“Oh, yes. A deal for power, using an artifact, consuming dragon’s blood or other potions, being touched by a god, or even possessing the body of a more powerful practitioner. Any of those scenarios would fit what happened,” Maekyl replied.
“Or a demigod seeing how far they can push their limits,” Sterling added. “You may not have dealt with that particular bit of irritating business.”
“I heard about Morgana Le Fey first learning to stretch her abilities,” Maekyl replied. “But I wasn’t witness to that. I was in what is now Romania, being hunted by an elvish princess.”
“Most were elsewhere, hiding away or being destroyed,” Sterling said. “However, weren’t you around for the Black Plague?”
“Excuse me, but before you two get lost in comparing history, can you tell me if the hiiri are still being destroyed?” I interjected rather forcefully.
“Many hiiri remain, and while some have vanished, the attacks have ceased,” Maekyl rejoined, h
is voice tinged with irritation. The skull visibly pivoted away from me and toward Sterling. “Ah, the Black Plague! Such feasting in those happy days. Are you telling me that was the work of a demigod?”
“The disease was the result of a demigoddess trying to become a god by evolving rats into humanoid form. They were to be her army for domination on the mortal plane. She wound up weaponizing the fleas instead,” Sterling recounted.
“Oh, my. But she obtained power from the deaths, didn’t she?” Maekyl asked, his voice gaining excitement and some giddiness.
“I will leave you two to it,” I said, adding a sigh. “I have actual work to catch up on, since we cannot go to Fellhaven until dark.”
Sterling gave me a short bow and smiled.
“Stop pandering to her beauty and tell me what happened!” Maekyl said impatiently.
I went over to my most comfortable chair and turned on my laptop. The way those two were going on, I could at least get my solved cases and invoices filed and sent.
Checking my email, I noticed that among the usual requests for appointments and updates, there was an odd one. Someone wanted to know how much I would sell Maekyl’s skull for.
Hmph. If Maekyl tried to interfere in my time with Sterling again, I might offer the interested party a bargain.
* * *
Even though listening to Sterling and Maekyl was interesting, I was glad when the sun set. It wasn’t hard to tell when it happened, as I had a clock that displayed when the sun rose and set and tracked the phases of the moon. It had been a gift from my mother on my fifth birthday. I’d loved the clock then, and I still loved it now. Maekyl, however, was not happy when we departed for Fellhaven. Not that I cared; I’d finally have Sterling to myself again, at least for a while.
Since Mark and Jen didn’t allow teleporting or any other Magickal means of arrival on the property or in the building, we had to drive to Fellhaven. Sterling drove, and his car was pure luxury, with heated leather seats, an internet connection, a sunroof, and an amazing stereo system with every feature imaginable.
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