The Golden Lily: A Bloodlines Novel

by Richelle Mead

  “I only just found out she came to see you two,” added Dimitri. He stopped pacing and glanced between us. “Did she say anything at all about where she was going?”

  “No,” I said. “Things didn’t exactly… end well between us.”

  Dimitri nodded. “Adrian implied the same thing.”

  I looked up at Adrian and could tell he didn’t want to get into it any more than I did. “We had an argument,” he admitted. “She was trying to push Sydney into some experiments, and Sydney refused. I jumped in when Sonya kept pushing, and finally she just took off. Never said anything about where she was going.”

  Dimitri’s face grew darker. “So, anything could’ve happened. She could’ve been taken right outside on the street. Or she could have gone somewhere and been abducted there.”

  Or she could be dead. Dimitri was speaking in terms of her still being alive, but I wasn’t so sure. The hunters who had jumped us in the alley had seemed pretty intent on killing her then and there. If she hadn’t come home last night, the odds seemed good they’d found her then. Twenty-four hours was an awfully long time to keep a “creature of darkness” alive. Studying Dimitri’s face again, I knew he was well aware of all of this. He was simply operating on the hope that we had a chance to do something, that we weren’t powerless.

  Resolved, Dimitri strode for the door. “I have to go talk to the police.”

  “Missing person report?” asked Adrian.

  “That, and more importantly, to get a search out on that car. If she was taken…” He hesitated, driving home the fear that lurked in all of us. “Well. If she’s hidden away somewhere, she’s going to be very difficult to locate. But it’s a lot harder to hide a car than one woman. If the police can get its description out there, we might get a clue if it turns up.” He started to open the door and then glanced back at us. “You’re sure you don’t remember anything else she said that could help?”

  Adrian and I reiterated that we didn’t. Dimitri left, giving us unnecessary instructions to alert him immediately if we thought of anything or—if by a miracle—Sonya showed up. I groaned once he was gone.

  “This is my fault,” I said.

  Adrian looked at me in surprise. “Why on earth would you say that?”

  “Sonya came here—left when she wasn’t supposed to—because of me. Because of my blood. Who knows what would’ve happened if I hadn’t refused? Maybe a few minutes difference, and the hunters wouldn’t have been around. Or maybe if she hadn’t been so upset, she would’ve been able to defend herself more.” A million memories tumbled through my head. Sonya making the lily grow for me. Sonya talking to the queen on Adrian’s behalf. Sonya showing me pictures of bridesmaid dresses. Sonya working diligently to stop Strigoi and redeem herself. All of that could be lost now.

  “Maybe, maybe, maybe.” Adrian sat down near me on the couch. “You can’t think like that, and you sure as hell can’t blame yourself for the actions of some crazy paranoid fringe group.”

  I knew he was right, but it didn’t make me feel any better. “I should call the Alchemists. We’ve got ties to law enforcement too.”

  “Probably a good idea,” he said, though his words were a little halfhearted. “I’ve just got a bad feeling about those guys. Even if… well, even if she’s alive, I really don’t know how we’re going to find her. Short of some miraculous, magical solution.”

  I froze.

  “Oh my God.”

  “What is it?” he asked, looking at me in concern. “Did you remember something?”

  “Yes… but not what you’re thinking.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. No, no, no. The thought in my head was crazy. I had no business even considering it. Dimitri had the right idea. We needed to focus on normal, concrete methods of locating Sonya.

  “Sage?” Adrian lightly touched my arm, and I jumped at the feel of his fingertips against my skin. “You okay?”

  “I don’t know,” I said softly. “I just thought of something crazy.”

  “Welcome to my world.”

  I looked away, conflicted about the decision before me. What I was contemplating… well, some might argue it wasn’t so different than what I’d done before. And yet, it all came down to the fine line between doing something by choice and doing something because I had to. There was no question here. This would be a choice. An exercising of free will.

  “Adrian… what if I had a way to find Sonya, but it went against everything I believe in?”

  He took several moments to answer. “Do you believe in getting Sonya back? If so, you wouldn’t be going against everything you believe in.”

  It was odd logic, but it gave me the nudge I needed. I took out my cell phone and dialed a number I almost never called—though I certainly received texts and calls from it all the time. An answer came after two rings. “Ms. Terwilliger? This is Sydney.”

  “Miss Melbourne. What I can do for you?”

  “I need to see you. It’s kind of urg—no, no ‘kind of’ about it. It’s urgent. Are you at the school?”

  “No. As shocking as it is, I do go home on occasion.” She paused for a moment. “However… you are certainly welcome to come to my house.”

  I don’t know why that made me uneasy. After all, I spent plenty of time at Clarence’s. Surely a vampire’s sprawling estate was much worse than a high school teacher’s home. Of course, said teacher was also a witch, so I wasn’t certain if I could expect a boring suburban flat or a house made of candy.

  I swallowed. “Do you keep a lot of the same spell books at home that you do at school?” Adrian arched an eyebrow at the word spell.

  Ms. Terwilliger hesitated for much longer this time. “Yes,” she said. “And more.”

  She gave me her address, and before I could even hang up, Adrian said, “I’m coming with you.”

  “You don’t even know where I’m going.”

  “True,” he said. “But lack of information’s never stopped me before. Besides, I know it has something to do with Sonya, which is good enough for me. That, and you looked scared to death. There’s no way I can let you go alone.”

  I crossed my arms. “I’ve faced scarier things, and last I checked, it’s not your place to ‘let’ me do anything.” There was such concern in his face, however, that I knew I wouldn’t be able to refuse… especially since I was kind of scared. “You have to promise not to tell anyone what we’re going to do. Or talk about what you see.”

  “Damn. What’s going on, Sage?” he asked. “Are we talking animal sacrifice or something?”

  “Adrian,” I said quietly.

  He grew serious again. “I promise. Not a word, unless you say otherwise.”

  I didn’t have to study him to know I could trust him. “Okay, then. But before we go, I need your hairbrush…”

  Ms. Terwilliger lived in Vista Azul, the same suburb Amberwood was in. To my surprise, the house really did look quite ordinary. It was small but otherwise blended in well to its older neighborhood. The sun had long since set when we arrived, and I was conscious of the school’s approaching curfew. When she let us into her house, I found the interior a bit more in line with what I’d been expecting. Sure, there was a TV and modern furniture, but the décor also featured a lot of candles and statuary of various gods and goddesses. The scent of Nag Champa hung in the air. I counted at least three cats in the first five minutes and didn’t doubt there were more.

  “Miss Melbourne, welcome.” Ms. Terwilliger took in Adrian with interest. “And welcome to your friend.”

  “My brother,” I said pointedly. “Adrian.”

  Ms. Terwilliger—fully aware of the Moroi world—smiled. “Yes. Of course. You attend Carlton, correct?”

  “Yeah,” said Adrian. “You’re the one who helped get me in, right? Thanks for that.”

  “Well,” said Ms. Terwilliger, with a shrug, “I’m always happy to help star pupils—especially those who are so diligent about keeping me in coffee. Now then, what’s this urgent matter that
brings you out at night?”

  My eyes were already on a large bookcase in her living room. The shelves were filled with old, leather-bound books—exactly the kind she always made me work on. “Do you… do you have a spell that would help locate someone?” I asked. Each word caused me pain. “I mean, I know they’re out there. I’ve come across them in my work a couple of times. But I was wondering if there was maybe one that you’d recommend over another.”

  Ms. Terwilliger laughed softly, and I looked away. “Well, well. This is definitely worth a late-night visit.” We were in her dining room, and she pulled out an ornate wooden chair to sit down. One of the cats brushed against her leg. “There are a number of location spells, certainly—though none are quite at your level. And by your level, I mean your constant refusal to practice or better yourself.”

  I scowled. “Is there one that you could do?”

  She shook her head. “No. This is your problem. You’re going to do it. You need to.”

  “Well, not if it’s beyond me!” I protested. “Please. This is a matter of life and death.” That, and I didn’t want to taint myself with her magic. Bad enough I was encouraging her at all.

  “Rest easy. I wouldn’t make you do it if you couldn’t handle it,” she said. “To make it work, however, it’s imperative we have something that can connect us to the person we’re looking for. There are spells where that’s not necessary—but those are definitely out of your league.”

  I produced Adrian’s brush from my purse. “Something like a strand of hair?”

  “Something exactly like that,” she said, clearly impressed.

  I’d remembered Adrian’s complaint about Sonya using some of his personal items. Although he apparently cleaned the brush regularly (and really, I’d expect nothing less from someone who spent so much time on his hair), there were still a few lingering red strands. Carefully, I plucked the longest one from the bristles and held it up.

  “What do I need to do?” I asked. I was trying to be strong, but my hands shook.

  “Let’s find out.” She rose and walked into the living room, studying the shelves. Adrian turned to me.

  “Is she for real?” He paused and reconsidered. “Are you for real? Spells? Magic? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I drink blood and control people’s minds. But I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

  “Neither had I until a month ago.” I sighed. “And unfortunately, it is real. Worse, she thinks I have a knack for it. Do you remember at all when one of the Strigoi in your apartment caught on fire?”

  “Vaguely, but yeah. It kind of all got brushed aside, and I never thought much about it.” He frowned, troubled by the memory. “I was out of it from the bite.”

  “Well, it wasn’t some freak accident. It was… magic.” I gestured toward Ms. Terwilliger. “And I made it happen.”

  His eyes widened. “Are you some kind of mutant human? Like a fire user? And I use mutant as a compliment, you know. I wouldn’t think less of you.”

  “It’s not like vampire magic,” I said. Some part of me supposed I should be pleased that Adrian would still be friendly with a “mutant.” “It’s not some internal connection to the elements. According to her, some humans can work magic by pulling it from the world. It sounds crazy, but… well. I did set a Strigoi on fire.”

  I could see Adrian taking all of this in as Ms. Terwilliger returned to us. She set down a book with a red leather cover and flipped through the pages before finding what she wanted. We all peered at it.

  “That’s not English,” said Adrian helpfully.

  “It’s just Greek,” I said, skimming the ingredient list. “It doesn’t seem to require much.”

  “That’s because a huge part of it is mental focus,” explained Ms. Terwilliger. “It’s more complicated than it looks. It’ll take you a few hours at least.”

  I took in the time on an ornate grandfather clock. “I don’t have a few hours. Too close to curfew.”

  “Easily remedied,” said Ms. Terwilliger. She picked up her cell phone from the table and dialed a number from memory. “Hello, Desiree? This is Jaclyn. Yes, fine. Thank you. I have Sydney Melrose out here right now, helping me on a very crucial project.” I nearly rolled my eyes. She was perfectly aware of my last name when she needed to be, apparently. “I’m afraid she might be out past the dorm curfew, and I was wondering if you’d be kind enough to allow an extension. Yes… yes, I know. But it’s very important for my work, and I think we can all agree that with her exemplary record, she’s hardly the type we need to worry about abusing such privileges. She’s certainly one of the most trustworthy students I know.” That got a small smirk from Adrian.

  Thirty more seconds, and I was free of curfew. “Who’s Desiree?” I asked, once Ms. Terwilliger hung up.

  “Your dorm matron. Weathers.”

  “Really?” I thought of stout, motherly Mrs. Weathers. I never would’ve guessed her first name was Desiree. It was the kind of name I would associate with someone sultry and seductive. Maybe she had some scandalous life outside of school we didn’t know about. “So, do I have an all-night pass?”

  “Not sure I’d push it that far,” said Ms. Terwilliger. “But we certainly have enough time for this spell. I can’t make it for you, but I can help you with the ingredients and supplies.”

  I tapped the book, forgetting about my fear as I scanned the lengthy list. Details like this put me back in my comfort zone. “You have all of these?”

  “Of course.”

  Ms. Terwilliger led us down a hall that branched off from the kitchen, where I’d expect to find bedrooms. One room did indeed give us a glimpse of a bed as we walked by, but our eventual destination was something else altogether: a workshop. It was kind of what you’d get if you crossed a wizard’s lair with a mad scientist’s lab. Part of the room had very modern equipment: beakers, a sink, burners, etc. The rest was from a different era, vials of oils and dried herbs, along with scrolls and honest-to-goodness cauldrons. Plants and herbs lined the sill of a dark window. There were two more cats in here, and I was pretty sure they weren’t the same ones I’d seen in the living room.

  “It looks chaotic,” said Ms. Terwilliger. “But I daresay it’s organized enough, even for you.”

  Upon closer inspection, I saw she was right. All of the plants and little vials were labeled and in alphabetical order. All of the various tools were equally identified, enumerated by size and material. The room’s center was a large, smooth stone table, and I set the book down on it, careful to stay on the page I needed.

  “What now?” I asked.

  “Now, you construct it,” she said. “The more of it you do on your own, the stronger your connection will be to the spell. Certainly come and get me if you have trouble with the ingredients or the directions. Otherwise, the more of your focus and concentration that goes into this, the better.”

  “Where are you going to be?” I asked, startled. As much as I disliked the thought of working with her in a creepy, arcane lab, I disliked the thought of being alone here even more.

  She gestured toward where we’d come from. “Oh, just out there. I’ll entertain your ‘brother’ too since you really do need to do this alone.”

  My anxiety increased. I’d protested Adrian’s original request to come here, but now I wanted him around. “Can I at least get some coffee?”

  She chuckled. “Normally, I’d say yes—particularly if you were just doing grunt work to build an amulet or potion. Because you’ll be using your mind, the magic will work much better if your thoughts are free and clear of any substances that affect your mental state.”

  “Boy, that sounds familiar,” muttered Adrian.

  “Okay, then,” I said, resolving to be strong. “I need to get started. Sonya’s waiting.” Provided she was still alive to wait.

  Ms. Terwilliger left, telling me to get her when I was on the spell’s last stage. Adrian delayed a moment to speak with me. “You sure you’re okay with all of this? I mean, from
what I know about you and the Alchemists… well, it seems like you’d actually be pretty not-okay with this.”

  “I’m not,” I agreed. “Like I said, this goes against everything I believe—against everything they’ve taught me. Which is why you can’t tell anyone. You heard her passive aggressive remark about me not practicing? She’s been on me for a while now to develop my so-called magical skills, and I keep refusing—because it’s wrong. So, she has me research spell books for my independent study with her, in the hopes of me learning by osmosis.”

  “That’s messed up,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

  I gave him a small smile. “Well, I want to find Sonya. So I do have to do this.”

  He gave me no smile in return. “Okay. But I’m just going to be out there—having a tea party with her cats or whatever it is she has in mind. You need me? You yell. You want to leave? We go. I’ll get you out of here, no matter what.”

  Something clenched in my chest, and for a moment, the whole world narrowed down to the green of his eyes. “Thank you.”

  Adrian left, and I was alone. Well, almost. One of the cats had stuck around, a sleek black one with yellow eyes. It was lying on a high shelf, watching me curiously, like it wondered if I could really pull this off. That made two of us.

  For a moment, I couldn’t move. I was about to willingly work magic. All the protests and arguments I’d given Ms. Terwilliger were like ash in the wind now. I started trembling and felt short of breath. Then, I thought about Sonya. Kind, brave Sonya. She’d devoted so much energy and time to doing the right thing. How could I do any less?

  As I’d noted to Ms. Terwilliger, the spell was deceptively simple. It didn’t require half as many steps as the fire amulet. I had to keep water simmering in a copper cauldron and add different ingredients to it, most of which were clear oils that had to be measured with exacting care. The air soon grew heavy with the scent of bergamot, vanilla, and heliotrope. Some of the steps had the same ritual redundancy I’d done before. For example, I had to pluck thirteen fresh mint leaves off one of her plants, dropping each leaf in one at a time while counting them off in Greek. Then, when they had simmered for thirteen minutes, I had to remove each one with a rosewood spoon.