Whoa. Ignore that.
"Cops found her body in Virginia Highland near Murphy's. Not a mark on her. So I snuck in to hit her with Lex's juice, to find out if she was walking and could tell me anything else."
"And she was?" Daniel asked.
"Well, see…" Joe gave me a lopsided grin. "There was this kid who walked into the morgue and caught me in the act. Funny thing about him was, he had these two women with swords protecting him."
"Dags!" I put my hands to my heart. "That's how you met him? I didn't know that. I just knew you two seemed friendly when you made him bring me coffee at the hospital."
"That's how we met. But here's the thing." He glanced at Daniel and then back at me, and then pointed at Tamera. "She wasn't astral walking. She was dead. And that juice of Lex's actually brought her back into her body. Only, rigor had already set in."
Oh gross. "You brought a soul back into an already decaying body?"
Joe did not look happy. "I realized it too late. But I didn't know how to get her back out. So then Dags stepped in, did some light show with his hands, and voila." He held out his hands. "She's alive. Body's fine, if not a little pale. Tamera Moultrie is back in the land of the living, with little to no memory of how she died, or if she was killed, who did it. But she did have the memory of me and Dags in the morgue. So I took her out of there so I wouldn't get caught, and Dags ended up in a room for a few hours."
Daniel moved from behind the chair to my side. "Joe, are you saying that little guy actually reanimated…a corpse?"
"I don't know what he did. I just know that it was a mistake. And it was my fault."
"Why was it a mistake?"
"Because that—" he pointed at Tamera "—ain't right. She ain't right. And she hasn't been right since she's been back. She disappeared on me that night, and then a few months later she shows up on national TV. New hair, new look—I didn't even recognize her—and she's spouting off about occult leaders and working for the CCT."
I looked at Tamera. And I had to admit, there was something way creepy about her. The fact she threw that knife at Daniel with no hesitation. It was as if she didn't care. "So…why was she in the basement of that house? Why were those Powers holding her?"
"I have no idea," Joe said. "I wanted to ask her that. So I went to her room. Bad mistake." He slumped forward, his shoulders lowering. "And when I realized she was loco in the head, I tried to get away from her. Came back in here, and she followed me, and then you two came in." He pointed at Daniel. "Sorry about the knife. She'd been waving that thing at me for a good ten minutes. I'm glad it was you."
I knew he meant that in the best possible way. So did Daniel. He turned and lifted Tamera into his arms. "Where is her room? I'll go put her back in her room and maybe see if they'll restrain her…I mean, since she came at me with a knife."
"Good idea." Joe gave him her room number, and we both watched as he carried her out.
When I looked back at Joe, he was looking at me. "What?"
"You and Daniel okay?"
"Okay? Well, yeah. We're fine. Why wouldn't we be?"
"Zoë, he left you in the cold. Alone."
"Inanna already explained that to me. It's okay. Look, you just worry about you. And, I have some more news." I sat on the bed beside him and started retelling the meeting with my dad, as well as the one with the other Revenants. By the time I finished, we were facing one another on the bed.
"The Destruction Eidolon is not in my apartment, so even if they do mess the place up like they did Nona's, they won't find it. The two the Society had are the Command and Possession, and those combined would force Dags to do what they wanted him to do."
"Even past Maureen's manipulation?"
"I dunno." He rubbed his chin. "And you've got yours hidden?"
"Mmhm. Same as you. Not in the apartment."
"Well, we can assume they've already looked. And I agree with the Revenants—they're going to start taking people to find them. Their targets will be those of us who have them. I don't think they'll go after Nona—they already have the one she owned."
"Well, they must've thought they were at her place for some reason. I mean, I'm pretty sure Rhonda would have thought they were there. That's assuming she's working for them because this Dominion is overshadowing her."
"Zoë…" Joe had that tone. I didn't like that tone. That tone had always preceded bad news. And I really didn't want more of it right now. "About the wards at your mom's house. "
"Yeah? Someone busted them down."
"Not busted. Remember how I described them? Someone actually came and removed them. A clean removal."
I stared at him.
"And the only people who could do that would be me, your mom, and Rhonda."
"What are you saying? Because I know Mom didn't lower those wards, and you didn't, so that means…Rhonda did it. That much I figured out."
"Yeah." He reached out and took my hands in his. His were warm. And strong. "Zoë, I was there when the wards were built. The three of us had access, and we made sure that no Ethereal creature bent on harm could pass through that barrier. And if one did commit harm, then it would be tossed out. I even built in a pipeline to the Abysmal just to make their life a little more interesting." He paused. "In order to be inside that house, Rhonda couldn't have an Ethereal in her Veil."
I blinked. "She…she went in there to take the soul cage."
"Right. She did this after she started talking to herself. Which leads me to believe that the Dominion isn't in her Veil without permission."
I pulled my hands away. "You…you think she invited him to be there? That… Joe, that means she lowered those wards over a week ago and she left Mom vulnerable…by her own volition."
Joe nodded. "Zoë, Rhonda's not being overshadowed against her will. She's working with the Dominion. And she doesn't care who gets hurt."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Joe checked himself out of the hospital with advice from the doctor to take it easy and get more rest. Daniel succeeded in getting Tamera locked down, and Joe came along and made it official by filing a report and complaint with the staff that the woman had come at him with a knife. I signed the complaint as a witness. Daniel didn't—that whole wanted-fugitive thing.
We took the car Jason loaned Daniel, a huge black SUV. Yeah, not like that was conspicuous. Joe drove, though, just in case any cameras took pictures of drivers at red lights. I sat up front with him while Daniel sat in the back. We decided to retrieve the Eidolons for which we knew their locations, just in case we needed them if this rogue Dominion came after us.
Joe started in first. "I'm surprised you listened to your father."
"He was there in Mom's room," I said in a small voice as I watched the sights go by. "He looked upset. I have no idea how long he'd been there. I never…got the impression he was talking to impress, you know? Before, it was always like he was showing up for someone. But not this time."
"It's hard to plot evil while you're at your ex-wife's bedside," Daniel said from the back.
I agreed. "Yeah, which is why I don't have any trouble believing the Seraphim doesn't have Dags and Rhonda. Zacharel does. But where?"
"My guess is, in a place so heavily shielded, we can't find them." Joe said. "Though… when I get a bit more sleep, I'd be willing to try a little divination."
"You serious?" I looked over at him. "You think you could find them like that?"
"Why not? It's helped me find a lot of skels." He turned down Piedmont and then down a side road where parking was allowed. Atlanta Botanical Gardens were nearby. I'd never been in there. Maybe when all this was over, I could get Dags to take me there.
See? Positive thinking. Well, I had to have that kind of thinking. Otherwise I'd go Wraith and scare little people up and down the road. Merry fucking Christmas.
No, wait…
"What's the date?"
"Uh…" Daniel unbuckled after Joe stopped the SUV. "December twenty-ninth."
Oh, no
way. "It's nearly New Year's?"
"Sorry, Zoë. I'd wanted to show you New Year's in Montreal."
I unbuckled, too, and noticed Joe's rather odd look before I reached to open my door. But Daniel was already out and opening it for me. "Thank you. It's okay, Daniel. Things happen." He helped me out, and we locked the SUV up and faced the hill of Piedmont Park. Sunset was five-thirty. It was six o'clock. There were still walkers in the park, enjoying the clear night. Even though it was cold as all hell.
I still wore my dad's coat. I didn't want to take it off. A little because it was a piece of my dad—but mostly because it was warm.
Joe had changed into the same clothing he'd had on when he was admitted, so he had his leather peacoat, plaid shirt, and jeans and boots. Daniel looked nice in his jeans, sweater, and long coat. He looked so…
I don't know. Urban fantasy hero-y.
We stood on the side of the road, side by side. "I can't believe you hid it in Piedmont Park," Joe said.
"Yeah, well, I figured this was the last place anyone would look."
He turned and looked down at me. "You don't think that attack you and TC faced the other night wasn't them looking for it here?"
I shook my head. "No…I don't think so. I don't know why they attacked that night. It was a stupid thing to do. But I wouldn't put it past them to show up again. I think we're being dumb if we think we're not being followed. Or watched."
"She's right," Daniel said. "I can't see them…but we can feel something here. In the park."
"'We' as in Inanna?" Joe said.
Daniel turned to look at Joe, and Daniel's eyes went solid black. The First Born echoed in his voice. "Yes, detective. There is something here."
"Well, I'm pretty sure it's not my dad," I said.
"No," Inanna/Daniel said. "It has more of the feel of First Choir."
Now that I knew what that meant, the statement felt a little odd. "First Choir…" I narrowed my eyes up at Daniel. His face was just visible in the park lights. "But a Dominion is Second Choir. You sure you're not getting Second?"
"I'm positive. The First Choir beings are much like us. We're mirror images of each other, though they would never admit to this." He held up a hand and looked around. "If we're going to find your Eidolon, I suggest we do it now. They know we are here."
"They?" Joe said as he started down the hill toward the lake. "Who is 'they'?"
No one spoke until Joe pointed to the gazebo overlooking the lake. "There you go."
"Yep. But we have to get closer. And I have to Wraith."
"That's going to draw more unwanted attention."
"So…I guess you boys will have to protect me?" I grinned at them as we neared Lake Clara Meer and the gazebo.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I had the jitters as I walked into the gazebo knowing there might be something from the First Choir lurking about. The setting sun cast everything in a yellowish glow. Clear sky, no snow or rain or sleet in the forecast. Although, as my mom always said about Georgia, "Don't like the weather? Wait a minute."
"Inanna." I looked up at Daniel and saw she was still front and center. The black eyes. The subtle shift in his features. Something much darker. But among all of the Revenants I knew, Mephistopheles was still the scariest. "Dad said the First Choir was made up of the Seraphim, the Thrones, and the Cherubim."
"Yes."
"Cherubim? You mean little naked babies?" Joe asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Cherubim are definitely not little naked babies," Inanna/Daniel said. "They are the Seraphim's guardians. And they're the most powerful of the Ethereal hosts." She looked down at me. "You're sure you want to retrieve the Eidolon now? We can wait for a better time."
"No. I want to know it's in my possession. And once we have it, then Joe can use his divination on it."
"Why can't he just use it on the one he possesses?"
Joe spoke up. "Because I've handled it. Touched it. If I try and use it, there's a large chance it'll just keep pointing back at me. I need to work off of something that doesn't have me all over it."
Inanna didn't seem reassured. "I don't think we should do this right now…. They're too close."
But I didn't want to listen. I wanted the stone with me.
I forgot to slip off Dad's coat when I shifted. To my surprise, it shifted along with me, only it seemed to change the color of my swirls. The mark on my arm had a faint brownish tint to it, making the image appear bronze. It feel like it was going to hinder me.
"What's wrong?" Joe asked.
"Ah…nothing. Hey, Joe, when this is over, we need to go get that stuff that was in your Veil."
"Huh?"
Oh shit. I realized I hadn't told him. "You noticed your Veil's gone, right?"
"Yeah. I just assumed all that junk was back at Nona's house."
I figured now wasn't the best opportunity to tell him what I'd done with it. I glided out of the gazebo and out over the lake.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Joe said from the concrete bridge beside the gazebo. "You hid it over the water?"
I shot him a bird and continued hovering just over the lake until I'd moved a ways from them. I couldn't tell someone exactly where it was—I just knew where it was. And abruptly, it was beside me. A fixed state between the worlds. I thought about the jewelry box again. A box within a box.
After a few deep breaths, I held out my hands and concentrated on the slight blurring in the air in front of me. Sort of like a field distortion. Wow. That sounded smart, too. Maybe this Wraith gig was increasing my IQ?
A few seconds passed before the box became a dull shadow floating in front of me. In the center of that box rested the blue stone, still attached to the silver chain.
"Zoë!"
I heard the clang of metal just after Joe's warning. Risking a glance back at them was probably dangerous. I could hear and sense from the scuffling noises and the cussing that Joe and Daniel were under attack by what I hoped were just Powers. Powers they could handle. Dominions? That took a whole different kind of weapon.
Mine. And Dags.
I reached my hand inside the gray box and grabbed the Eidolon. More clanging, and I realized they were gonna draw attention to themselves with all that sword fighting. I also wondered where Joe had gotten a sword.
Once I had the Eidolon, the box faded away. I didn't know if it'd still be there later or, since it wasn't holding anything, if it would just collapse in on itself. I flew up, hoping it would get the Eidolon out of danger and distract the Powers so Joe and Daniel could escape.
I glanced down and my jaw dropped. Ten Powers? Holy shit! I watched Daniel for a few seconds, marveling in his swordsmanship. It was something I'd seen in Montreal, and knew it wasn't really his ability, but Inanna's. Or one of her hosts.
When I looked back to where the box had been, something else was in its place.
I don't think I'd ever really seen this sort of thing before. The huge, football-field-long wings were a dead giveaway that it was Ethereal. The fact that it had six of them was a bit more confusing. It had the face of a twelve-year-old girl. In fact, it had my twelve-year-old face. The rest of her body was pretty much hidden by the plethora of wings and feathers.
I didn't know what it was, but I knew what it wasn't. It wasn't something from the Second Choir. Abruptly, she was in my face.
"Give that to me," the little winged girl said in a voice that would have made James Earl Jones happy.
This just wasn't right.
"No," I said, and backed up a few feet. "I don't know who the hell or what the hell you are. This isn't yours, it's mine." I felt something else creeping up over my shoulders from behind and realized it was fear.
Nah, scratch that.
Terror. The same kind of terror I remembered when I battled the Horror. That thing had had my face as well.
Wait, was this a Horror? Was that it? Was this the one Innana was talking about? The other Irin that was changed?
&nb
sp; The thing sneered at me. "How dare you compare me to something so base as a Horror? Pathetic magic for a race of beings that should be kissing the Seraphim's feet."
Okay. Got it. I knew what this was now. I was a Catholic, although a non-practicing one. Six wings? Oh yeah…I knew what this was. I nearly peed my pants.
This was a Cherubim.
It'd chosen to take its legendary form. The one all the angel books talked about. My Dad's words came back to me. "You never want to face a Cherubim, Zoë. They are ruthless and will sacrifice whatever is needed to protect and provide for the Seraphim. Even kill."
Time to haul ass.
I spread my own wings and prepared to shoot straight up, but something—later I surmised it was the tip of one of the wings—struck me from behind and knocked me into the water like a flyswatter smacking a fly. I went down and into the cold depths.
Luckily, I didn't feel that, but what I did feel was a jarring against my jaw, and I was dizzy, as well as a bit weak. I shook my head and looked up through the water. The thing was just hovering there, waiting on me to emerge.
Get away from it! You can't win against one of those!
Inanna! I get the picture. But I don't know how to evade it.
They can't enter a physical body—and that means a physical body of anything. You're in a body of water. Follow that out of here!
Good plan!
I dove as deep as I dared and ignored all the nasty-ass schmutz that was in this lake. Geez, did most of Atlanta piss in this place? They sure as shit dumped their garbage in it. And as I swam, I turned and looked up….
Shit, the thing was following me. Keeping up with me.
I still had the Eidolon in my hand. I didn't have time or energy to focus building a new box, and if the Cherubim couldn't go into the water, then I'd just leave the thing down here. I dove down deeper, to where it'd be pretty hard to see me, and found an old rusted coffee can. I buried it in the muck, put the coffee can on top of it, and then moved on. I checked, and she was still following me, just above the water's surface.
Dominion: Zoë Martinique Investigation, Book 6 Page 17