“What’s the Av Rek got to do with it?” Alex narrowed her eyes.
Quinn shot Sarah a warning look.
Dammit.
Sarah shouldn’t have mentioned Bes’tal. She was just too tired to keep track of the lies.
“You two look warm enough.” Alex’s response was an abrupt turn, made more so when she rose to her feet. “I think it’s time you go. If you want to file a police report, be my guest.”
“That’s it? You’re not going to help us find her?” Quinn’s tone was incredulous.
“I’m not going to help you do anything, sport.” She squared off with him. “Go be a hero. Get yourself killed. It makes no difference to me. What I do is witch business, and is therefore no business of yours.”
“So, you’re going to do something, you just won’t to tell us what?” Kai said, rising.
“And neither will Sarah if she wants to stay a member of Coventry House.” Alex cut a challenging gaze in Sarah’s direction.
Sarah held her features neutral, knowing full well she’d risk expulsion if it meant saving Eden. But would it? The best shot Eden had was if Sarah and Alex worked together to find her. What happened after that…didn’t matter. Not until Eden was safe. If Alex’s agenda in finding her best friend was punishment, then so be it. She’d use Alex’s rage if it led to Eden’s safe return.
Alex took Sarah’s silence as assent. “See? Witch business. And I’m in the mood to conduct some, so my hospitality is at an end.”
Alex moved toward the door, but Quinn gripped Sarah’s arm.
“You know you can’t trust her. Not when it comes to Eden.”
Sarah laid her hand on his. “But you can trust me.” She cast her glance toward the door, an indication he should do as Alex said and leave. “We’ll talk later, okay?”
Quinn answered with a small nod and dropped his hand, but still held Sarah in his gaze. “There’s only so long I’m going to wait before I tell Eden’s parents.”
“If we don’t come up with a plan, I’ll make the call myself.”
As Quinn left, Kai approached. “What about us? Will we talk later?”
Sarah softened as she looked into her dark eyes. “Do you want to?”
“Do you want to?”
Sarah shook her head, frustrated. “I’m too tired for games, Kai. I don’t even know which end is up anymore. How am I supposed to know what I want?”
Kai pressed her lips together the way she always did when she’d decided not to express something. “We’ll talk when you’re ready,” she said finally.
“Thanks.” Sarah’s smile was small but grateful.
When Kai had gone, Alex closed the door. “I thought they’d never leave.” She strode to Sarah and gripped her shoulders tight. “Remember earlier when you said you were tired of keeping secrets?” Alex’s spell delved the depths of Sarah’s mind and made her gasp. “Leave nothing out.”
Chapter 7
Words tumbled from Sarah’s lips in a torrent of confused confession. One part of her mind reeled at how to stem the flow while the other spoke so quickly, her lips could barely keep up.
“Okay, enough.” Alex held up her hand, and Sarah stopped mid-sentence. “I know I said not to leave anything out, but I don’t need the details of your weekend with Kai. I think I’ve gotten the gist.” Sarah blushed scarlet as Alex continued. “So, Eden consumed Bes’tal…”
She stood and began pacing.
The truth spell had released its hold, but Sarah wanted to clarify. “Only part of him. She used his own power against him.”
If Sarah didn’t know better, she might have thought Alex’s expression was one of respect. “Ballsy move. Completely stupid and stamped with Eden’s signature arrogance, but…ballsy.”
“All that mattered was stopping Bes’tal.” Sarah would be damned before she’d let Alex deny the sacrifice Eden had made to save Coventry House. “It worked, didn’t it?”
Alex waved away Sarah’s response as though it wasn’t important.
“And you have no idea why Eden took off? You weren’t just saying that for Quinn’s benefit?”
“What? No,” Sarah said, affronted. “I’d never lie about something like that.”
Alex rolled her eyes. “Sure, you wouldn’t. Unless Eden told you to.”
“Sounds like we’re done here.” Sarah stood.
Alex continued as if Sarah hadn’t spoken. “Did you notice anything unusual about the magic bouncing around the inside of that mountain today?”
“There was a lot of it?” Sarah said.
“A metric ton,” Alex replied. “But that’s not all. It was dark. Pitch black, in fact.”
Sarah bristled. “Eden would not dabble in dark—”
“Easy, Fido. You can stop barking. I’m not saying it was Eden. I’m saying something dark is after Eden. Something powerful enough to make Mikel betray his oaths to the Council. Assuming he even meant those vows when he took them, I suppose… But either way, Mikel was a badass witch. He hid it behind that milquetoast manner, but you don’t get on the Council without serious skills. He must have been promised some major mojo to risk kidnapping Eden.”
“So, you believe her?”
“That Mikel was a traitor? Yes. Both you and Eden are clearly liars based on your long list of confessions a few minutes ago, but…neither of you are purposely evil.”
Sarah chose to ignore the “purposefully” part.
“I can’t go to the Council with this. Not yet. There’s no way to know who else might be comprised.”
“So, what do we do? How do we find Eden?”
“We don’t,” Alex said firmly. “Kai is right—she left with Ash willingly. And now that I know about your little excursion to the black market, I won’t bother explaining the concept of power as currency.” Sarah’s cheeks grew hot, but she couldn’t muster indignation at being made to finally tell the truth. Look where secrets had gotten them. “That’s part of the residue I sensed around him—Ash was using someone else’s power.”
“And that was only part of the residue?” Sarah said slowly.
“There was something else. Something about him I can’t put my finger on. Yet. But the point is, Eden made a choice. Whether it was the good and noble choice she convinced herself it was, or one that’s about to blow up in our faces…remains to be seen.”
“So you’re just going to leave her out there alone with a guy whose sister tried to kill us?”
“She trusted him enough to go with him—”
“Or was terrified enough of whatever happened in that cave that it seemed the only choice.” Sarah’s voice rose. “People who jump off burning buildings don’t jump because they aren’t afraid—they do it because the alternative is even worse.”
Sarah fought back against the tears threatening to spill. She didn’t know what would convince Alex that Eden was in trouble, but she knew for sure crying wouldn’t help her case. Her best friend was out there somewhere, so terrified of the flames, she’d jumped. Sarah wouldn’t abandon her. Eden never gave up, and neither would she.
“If you want to try another location spell, do it. Do it as many times as you need to before you accept she’s gone. And if you want to call Eden’s parents or the police, I can’t stop you, but think… Eden left the way she did for a reason. The question you have to ask yourself is whether you trust her.”
“And you’re saying you do?” Sarah cast a disbelieving glance.
“I don’t have to. She’s not my best friend.” Alex’s tone was firm, but not entirely unkind. “My priority is Coventry House, and the safety of the sisters still here.”
“And you have a plan for that?” Sarah asked.
“I’ve got a step one.”
Sarah pressed her luck. “Which is?”
“We go back—tonight—before the Council catches wind of the magic that was flung about and mobilizes their own investigation, which I, as only acting High Priestess, will not be privy to. We sift through everything and figure
out what the hell Mikel was trying to do in there.”
“And then what?” Sarah asked.
“What part of ‘I’ve got a step one’ was confusing?”
“Okay.” Sarah hoped saying it out loud would firm her resolve. “We go back.”
It wasn’t the risk of further cave-in she feared, nor being caught by the Council or even another traitor. It was the flash of knowing she’d felt as soon as Alex had said the words. The certainty they had to go back, and the equal certainty that doing so would set in motion a chain of events that would be impossible to undo.
Chapter 8
The redheaded woman cast a predatory gaze and stepped forward.
Eden’s heart pounded in her chest. She reached for magic and found scraps. After the market and the glamour, she was tapped. Where was Ash when she needed him?
Eden shoved the woman, meaning to knock her out of the way and make a break for it, but she wouldn’t budge. Instead, the attacker pushed her backward into the lavatory. She crowded in behind and slammed the lock shut.
“You can’t kidnap me on an airplane.” Eden’s eyes were wide with incredulity.
“All is possible through the Blackest Sun.”
The woman pulled a small vial from her pocket. Its contents didn’t glow, but recent events had taught Eden never to trust crazy people with vials.
Her muscles reacted instinctively, Bes’tal’s skill with fighting embedded deep.
Eden twisted her attacker around in the tiny space and wrapped her arm around the woman’s neck, yanking her close. The woman clawed at Eden’s forearm, but Eden held fast and slipped her other arm behind the woman’s head. The would-be attacker flailed as Eden applied pressure to both sides of her neck. Seconds stretched, but before Eden had counted to ten, the attacker went limp.
Eden set the unconscious woman on the toilet and leaned back against the wall. She watched her own reflection, trying to catch her breath.
Once she had, she checked to make sure the woman was still unconscious then bent as low as the confined quarters allowed, hands hunting for the vial. Her fingers wrapped around it, and she straightened, holding the small flask up to the yellow light. It was made of amber-colored glass and filled with liquid. Eden pulled out the stopper and took a cautious sniff. The fumes went straight to her head, making Eden see stars.
She quickly replaced the stopper and took some deep breaths to clear the lightheadedness.
Nothing magical after all. Just good, old-fashioned chloroform.
Almost wholesome, really.
Eden fished through the woman’s pockets and found a handkerchief. She held her breath as she doused it in chloroform and held it to the woman’s nostrils. With any luck, the woman wouldn’t wake up until they’d landed. After a few seconds, she discarded the handkerchief then resealed the vial and slipped it into her pocket.
Her next order of business was figuring out how to extricate herself from the bathroom without anyone noticing she was leaving behind an unconscious woman on the toilet.
She needn’t have worried. When Eden slid open the lock with a cautious hand and poked her head out, the majority of the plane’s occupants were still asleep, and no one stood waiting to use the lavatory.
Back at her seat, she found Ash reading something on his phone.
“Hope I didn’t take too long.” Eden’s voice dripped sweet venom as she slid past him and into her seat.
He didn’t glance up from his screen. “I considered checking on you, but I know how you value independence.”
She snuck a glance at what he was reading and saw a series of texts written in a foreign language.
“Well, your instincts are spot on.” Eden buckled her safety belt. “Truly.”
Ash must have caught the sarcasm in her tone because now he did glance up. “Oh?”
“Just more crowded than I expected.” Eden’s smile was tight.
Ash’s eyes narrowed. “What happened?”
Eden shot a glance at the guy who’d listened in on their last conversation but found him now wearing headphones. She lowered her voice anyway.
“You know what they say about redheads—total nut jobs, am I right?”
Ash narrowed his eyes. “Where is this redhead now?” He seemed as though he were fighting the urge to jump out of his seat and go hunting.
“Asleep. Sort of. With any luck she’ll stay that way until we land.”
“I don’t believe in luck.” Ash released his seatbelt and rose to his feet.
“Folks, we’re starting our descent and expect to be on the ground in approximately twenty minutes. Please remain in your seat for the remainder of the flight.”
When the pilot finished, Ash hesitated but finally retook his seat.
“What were you reading?” Eden’s flicked her eyes toward his phone.
“There’s been a…development.”
Eden’s flesh pebbled. “What kind of development?”
“Remember when I told you the stones were seals, and there were only eleven in the cave?”
“Yeah. And the one I had got crushed to bits, which means there’s one left hidden.”
“Exactly.” Ash paused. An expression of fear—the first Eden had seen grace his features—flashed on his face.
“And?” Eden’s heart was in her throat.
“Someone just found the thirteenth stone.”
Chapter 9
Once Sarah had agreed to return to the cavern and search for clues, Alex dismissed her.
Eager to leave, Sarah bolted, almost plowing straight into Skyler in the hall.
“Sorry.” Sarah avoided eye contact and stepped wide.
“Whoa.” Skyler swung her gaze from Sarah to Alex, also emerging from her study. “What the hell happened to you two?”
“Oh.” Sarah put a self-conscious hand to her hair.
She’d done her best to shake out the dirt from the cave, but she hadn’t yet showered or even scrubbed her face, and a glance down reminded her that her clothes were still covered in dust.
“Spelunking.” Alex bared her teeth.
“In…winter?” Skyler knitted her brow, clearly trying to figure out if Alex was kidding.
“It’s the best time to go,” Sarah said brightly. “You get the whole cavern to yourself.”
Honestly, Alex couldn’t come up with a better excuse?
“The two of you…went spelunking.” Skyler waggled a finger between them. “Together.”
Alex’s lack of love for Sarah and Eden was not a secret. That cold-weather spelunking was more believable than the two of them doing something together spoke volumes.
“Sarah, I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” Alex’s eyes were heavy with meaning until she turned to Skyler when they flashed with heat. “What do you want, Skyler? Why were you coming to see me?”
Sarah took her cue to exit—grateful, for once, for Alex’s overbearing presence.
Once in her room, Sarah wasted no time stripping off her clothes and taking a hot shower. As she toweled off, her eyes caught on the door that led to Eden’s room. She wrapped herself in a robe and paused, fighting the urge to knock. Not needing to filled her with sadness and worry.
Where is she?
Sarah entered Eden’s room, and the only answer she had to the question was not here. But it felt like she was—as though her best friend would come barreling through the door any second, late for some volunteer committee meeting.
Sarah approached the desk and opened the top drawer, wary of invading Eden’s privacy but knowing what was at stake. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for as she began rifling, but then it was in her hand. Eden’s passport.
She’s still in the U.S.!
Not that the United States wasn’t huge, but it did narrow the possibilities considerably. As soon as the comforting realization arrived, it fled.
It’s Eden. She could probably spell herself a passport, and who knows what Ash has up his sleeve?
A knock at Eden’s door stoppe
d Sarah’s flow of thoughts and froze her in place. It was silly to be scared, but something about being caught in Eden’s room made her feel queasy.
Another knock.
Sarah put the passport back and closed the drawer. “Come in.”
Paige opened the door and stepped inside.
“Hey,” she said. “What are you doing in here? Where’s Eden?”
“Returning something I borrowed.” Sarah smiled. “Eden’s not due back until Sunday.” It was the Friday after Thanksgiving, which meant that excuse would work for two more days. Maybe three if no one noticed Quinn was already home. “What are you doing back so early?”
Paige sighed, exasperated. “Every year, we make a rule about no politics at the holidays, and every year my sister and I make a bet about who will be the first to break it. Turns out, this year, it was me.” Paige shrugged and flopped into the armchair in the corner. “Once the bickering started, I had the strangest sensation—something that had never occurred to me before.”
“Interesting,” Sarah said. “What was that?”
“I don’t need this crap. And more importantly, I don’t have to take it. So, I left.”
Sarah’s smile was genuine, remembering her own realization that had kept her from subjecting herself to the same situation at her family’s holiday dinner. “How did that go over?”
“That’s the beauty of it. I didn’t stick around to find out.” Paige leaned forward. “I was coming to see if Eden wanted to practice. How about you? Up for a little battle magic sesh?”
It had been Eden’s idea to teach Sarah and Paige the fighting spells only older sisters were allowed to learn. They’d had to keep their lessons secret, but the risk was worth taking, and Eden was a fount of knowledge.
Sarah’s strength was slowing returning, but not nearly enough for advanced spell work.
“I was actually on my way out. Maybe tomorrow?”
Sarah would be up to it by then, and she had the distinct impression she shouldn’t let her fighting skills get dull any time soon.
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