by Deanna Chase
The door swung open, and steps clattered on the stone floor.
Madam Tempest rounded the corner wearing a red velvet robe and black lace-up boots. Her white hair was piled on her head in an elaborate braid. If it hadn’t been for her red face and angry expression, I’d have thought she looked magnificent. Instead, she just looked downright sinister with her tight lips and icy glare.
“Ms. Calhoun. You had better have answers, otherwise you’re in for an extended stay.” She glanced at my swollen belly and scowled. “Dammit. Blaine, take them to the interrogation room on the fifth floor. Make sure there’s water and something to eat.” And without waiting for me to say a word, she spun on her heel and disappeared into thin air.
Pyper turned to me, her eyebrows raised. “That was an interesting trick.”
I just shrugged. All I cared about was a bathroom and whatever they had for snacks. The peanut was hungry again.
“I’m not answering any questions until I get a bathroom break,” I demanded, refusing to sit down in the interrogation room.
“Ms. Calhoun, I don’t have the authority to—”
“Do you want me to go right here?” I glared at the young witch who was wringing her hands. She couldn’t have been more than twenty and was obviously completely out of her element. If I didn’t get a restroom soon, we were going to have a situation on our hands. “Have you ever been pregnant?”
“No, ma’am.” She bit her bottom lip and eyed my belly.
Ma’am? Was she serious? I was only about ten years older than her. But that was the south for you. “Then you have no idea what it’s like to have a melon sitting on your bladder, do you? Get me to a restroom now, or you’re gonna have to clean up my mess.”
“I’d do what she says if I were you,” Pyper said with a nod “Last week we got caught in traffic, and let’s just say that car is still at the professional car wash getting detailed.” She smiled sweetly at the witch.
I bit my cheek to keep from laughing. Her story was a complete lie, but it was worth it to see the witch pale as she looked at me. I shrugged.
“Come with me,” she said, grabbing my arm.
My wrists had been bound with magical bands, keeping me from using my magic, but at least they were free and I wasn’t shackled like a hardened criminal.
“Just don’t try anything,” the young witch pleaded. “If anything happens, they’ll blame me and lock me up next.”
“Why? What’s going on?” None of this made sense. Pyper and I hadn’t done anything to warrant this treatment, except for maybe having a strange fire-breathing dog hanging around. But even that didn’t warrant this level of crazy from the council.
“I can’t…” She glanced around, her eyes wide, and lowered her voice. “It’s better if I don’t talk about it.”
I placed a light hand on her arm. Even though my empath abilities had been dampened due to the bands on my wrists, it wasn’t hard to figure out that this witch was on the verge of panic. “It’s all right. You can tell me. I’m not the enemy. What’s your name?”
“Kinsley.” She glanced over her shoulder and then nodded to the unmarked door in front of us. “That’s the restroom.”
Relief rushed through me, and my eyes started to water with pure relief as I hurried in. “Oh, thank the goddess.”
When I finally emerged, feeling like a new woman, I found Kinsley leaning against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest and staring at the floor. As I washed my hands, I glanced over at her. “You can tell me whatever it is that’s bothering you, you know. I’m a good listener.”
She let out a huff of humorless laughter. “If I tell you, I’ll lose my job, but if I don’t, I won’t be able to look at myself in the mirror anymore.”
I froze, water dripping from my clean hands. “It sounds like there’s something important I should know.”
She raised her head and stared me straight in the eye. “It’s about your friend, Harper.”
I blinked. I’d just met Harper. I’d hardly call her a friend. But I wasn’t going to tell Kinsley that. Whatever she had to say, I wanted to hear it. “What about her?”
“She disappeared, and the council thinks you had a hand in it.”
“Disappeared?” I asked with a small gasp. “What do you mean? I saw them haul her away.”
She nodded. “Right. They locked her in a holding cell while they were processing her. And when they came back to get her for questioning, she was gone.”
I frowned, trying to understand what I had to do with any of this. “How long ago was that?”
After clearing her throat, she cupped her mouth with one hand and whispered, “It happened right before they dispatched Fitch and Myers to pick you up. They think you had something to do with it.”
“Me?” I practically yelled as I straightened my shoulders. “How could I—?”
“Shhh!” She pressed her hand over my mouth. “If they find out I told you anything, I’ll be in that cell beside you.” After a moment, she removed her hand and took a step back.
“Right.” I narrowed my eyes and studied her. “Why did you tell me?”
She shrugged. “You just seem… I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like something you did.”
The way she said the words made me think that her feeling might be more than just normal intuition. Like maybe she had some sort of supernatural power that let her read people’s energy or intentions or something. “Well, you’re right. I don’t know anything about that. I don’t even know why she was arrested.”
Kinsley studied me intently and then shook her head. “That’s not the entire truth, is it?”
I bit back the chuckle threatening to break through. She was a truth seeker. Interesting. “It’s mostly the truth. All I know is what was said when she was taken. Something about ‘seeking to unleash the dragon,’ whatever that means.”
“Okay,” she said with a nod. “I buy that.”
“Kinsley,” I said, wishing I could read her energy. “Are you a witch?”
“Nah.” She stared down at her feet, her face flushing pink. “I just… I can sense things.”
I’d been that girl. The one who could only sense things about people. But when I met Bea, she helped me uncover my hidden talents, and it turned out I was a powerful white witch. And even though my magic was cut off at the moment, something told me the girl in front of me was oozing with some sort of power. There was a lot more to her than just sensing truth. “Have you ever tried to explore your abilities? See if there’s more to tap into?”
A pained expression flashed over her face and she started to shake her head, but suddenly she froze, and her eyes widened. “We have to go.” Grabbing my arm, she started to pull me out of the restroom. “Madam Tempest is on her way.”
“So?” I asked as I let her guide me back to the interrogation room. “She didn’t seem to be in a hurry before.”
“She was dealing with something important. Come on. I’ll be in trouble if you aren’t there.”
I should have been annoyed. After hours of waiting and being denied a restroom, I shouldn’t have wanted to help any of them, but Kinsley had shown compassion when it was clear she was disobeying orders. So I quickened my pace, and as soon as we slipped back into the interrogation room, I touched her arm. “My offer stands. If you want to explore your power, find me when this is over.”
“Why?” she asked, her tone incredulous. “After the way you’ve been treated… I’d think you wouldn’t want anything to do with anyone here.”
I gave her a gentle smile. “I have friends who work for the council. Nothing is black and white. I know there are good people here.”
She returned my smile with a genuine one of her own, nodded to Pyper, and then disappeared.
Pyper raised one eyebrow, silently questioning the exchange.
“She’s just a kid doing her job,” I said, eyeing a cup of water and a sad-looking packet of crackers on the table. There was a discarded plastic wrapper and empty cup
in front of Pyper. Clearly someone had brought us some rations. It wasn’t nearly enough to wipe out my hunger, but I grabbed the crackers anyway, ate them like I was a starving woman, and gulped the water entirely too fast before I said, “Kinsley’s a kid with a unique ability. I’d love to explore what else she can do.”
“Why?” Pyper leaned back in her chair.
“I don’t know… I guess—” Shaking my head, I let out a small laugh. “I think she reminds me of me before I embraced my witchy side. Only not quite as clueless. I just think her ability is interesting.”
“You want a project,” Pyper said. “You haven’t been working the past few months, and now you’re bored. Life isn’t exciting enough.”
I glanced around the white room. “All signs say otherwise at the moment.”
“Yeah, yeah. We both know we’ll be out of here this afternoon. One way or another. Since we didn’t do anything, they have no reason to keep us here.”
“Or so you think, Ms. Rayne,” Madam Tempest said from behind me.
I turned and eyed the white-haired woman. She’d just appeared in the doorway, her lips set into a grim line.
“Madam Tempest,” I said, not bothering to hide my irritation. “Want to tell us why we’re here? It’s not exactly standard practice to arrest the white witch of New Orleans without grounds, is it?”
“White witch,” she said, her tone taking on an air of derision. “Your status has no bearing here, Ms. Calhoun.” She waved a hand. “Have a seat. We have things to discuss.”
“No bearing,” Pyper mimicked. “Isn’t that fun?”
I shot her a look that said not now and took a seat at the table. At least the plastic chairs were more comfortable than the wooden bench we’d been sitting on earlier. “Well, I’m on pins and needles. What is it you think we did?”
She sat across from us, placed her forearms on the table, and clasped her hands together, staring me down. “I need to know where Harper Spelling is. It’s a crucial matter to the city, Ms. Calhoun.”
Half a dozen responses were on the tip of my tongue, but I bit them back. The council wasn’t to be trusted. They’d already proven to be one of the paranormal entities who played by their own rules. “I’m not saying anything until I have representation.”
“We aren’t the NOPD, Ms. Calhoun,” she said impatiently. “Lawyers won’t help you here.”
“No, but witches who understand the legalities of the paranormal world will. I want Lucien Boulard or Beatrice Kelton before I say another word.”
“What she said,” Pyper added, pointing at me.
Madam Tempest glared at both of us. “I’d rather you didn’t play games with me.”
“Games?” My eyebrows shot up, and my irritation flared. “You think I’m playing some sort of game with you? I’m seven months pregnant, Madam Tempest. I have been actively trying to stay out of magical matters ever since the dragon soul debacle. In fact, all I’ve been doing the past few months is planning my best friend’s wedding, her bridal shower, and her bachelorette party. Today we were buying novelty dildos at an adult shop, and that was the first time we met Harper. How could I possibly have any idea where she is?”
The council witch’s lips twitched into the barest whisper of a satisfied smile.
Dammit. I wasn’t supposed to say anything, was I?
“Only you can say for sure why you might know where she is.” Tempest reached into a pocket of her red velvet robe and extracted a small notebook. “Your name, address, phone number, and a sketch of you is in this book we confiscated from Ms. Spelling. You are listed with a handful of other people who are labeled as dragon leaders. Everyone else’s names have been crossed out. Yours is circled.”
“Dragon leader?” I glanced at Pyper, noting the confusion I felt was mirrored in her expression. “You know the only interaction I’ve ever had with dragons was when dealing with Conor. I’m a witch, not some dragon leader, whatever that means.”
She glanced over her shoulder and said, “Kinsley? What do you think?”
My head snapped up, and I spotted the young witch who’d escorted me to the restroom. She’d somehow slipped back into the room without my noticing. I glanced at the bands on my wrists and scowled. That never would’ve happened if my magic weren’t neutralized. Not that I’d said anything that she couldn’t hear. I just hated that I hadn’t sensed her.
“She’s telling the truth,” Kinsley said so quietly I barely made out her words.
“And her friend? Does she know anything?” Tempest asked.
Kinsley shrugged. “Doubtful, but you haven’t directly asked her.”
“Ms. Rayne,” Tempest said. “Have you had any dealings with Harper Spelling at any time other than this morning at her place of business?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Pyper said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. “You do realize that I don’t have magic, right? There’s no way I’ve had anything to do with dragons.”
Tempest nodded. “I am. You’re a medium though, correct?”
“Yes.” Pyper sent me a questioning glance.
I shrugged, having no idea why the witch was asking about her abilities.
“Good. You’ll both be working for the council until this case is solved.” She held out her hand to Kinsley, who passed her a folder.
“Wait, what?” I asked, sitting forward. “I’m giving birth in a couple of months. I’ve already taken leave from my job.”
“Then you won’t have any conflicts to keep you from tracking Harper down.” She placed a sheet of paper in front of me and one in front of Pyper.
Pyper grabbed it and scanned the sheet. Just as I picked mine up, Pyper let out a curse and said, “Are you kidding me? If we don’t bring her in, we’ll be charged with obstruction and assault of a council witch?”
“What?” I quickly found the terms of the contract. Basically she wanted us to find Harper, turn her over to the council, and then we were free. If not, they’d lock us up and make us wait for a council trial. I’d spend the last two months of my pregnancy in the council jail. “Obstruction of what?” I demanded.
“Obstruction of our investigation of course,” she said as if it were obvious. “You did take the dragon familiar in without notifying us, didn’t you?”
“I knew that dog was a familiar,” I said under my breath.
She nodded. “You should have brought her in right away. She could be the key to finding Harper, and now she’s just running around the city, a danger to everyone if she decides to unleash her fire.” Tempest tapped the paper in front of me. “Sign the contract and you and your friend are free to go. If not, I’ll have Kinsley get your cells ready.”
“Shit.” Pyper ran a hand through her dark hair. The blue streak in front fell over her left eye as she scowled. “You realize I have a business to manage, right?” she asked Tempest. “I can’t just run around the city, looking for some girl you couldn’t even keep locked in a cell.”
“Your business will have to find a way to run without you. Either way, you’ll be unavailable for the foreseeable future.” Madam Tempest got up. “I’ll give you a few minutes to weigh your options.”
She swept out of the room with Kinsley right behind her.
“They can’t do this,” Pyper said, jumping to her feet and pacing around the room. “We’re basically admitting guilt if we sign these forms.”
“You’re right, but I don’t see that we have any other choice, do you?” We were innocent but even if we did get a lawyer to fight this, the council would drag out the proceedings for months, leaving us locked up for who knew how long. The council didn’t operate the same way as the mundane legal system. They tended to do whatever they pleased, and I couldn’t let that happen, not while pregnant. My head started to spin. The cracker and cup of water hadn’t done anything to help my blood sugar. If we didn’t get out of there soon, I was going to pass out.
“I’m going to demand to see Lucien or Bea or even Julius
before we sign these forms.” She let out a low growl. “I understand her obsession with you, but why does she want me?”
“It’s for your medium gift,” that quiet voice said again.
I jumped and nearly slid right out of the chair. “Holy hell, Kinsley. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Because I can talk to ghosts? What does that have to do with anything?” Pyper asked, her eyes glued to Kinsley.
“I have the files on Harper,” Kinsley said as she took a seat. “But I can’t let you see them unless you sign the contracts. Trust me. Your gift is going to come in really handy.”
“You mean the reason we’re here at all is because Tempest wants Pyper and not me?” I asked hopefully. It would be nice for a change to not be the one that was always attracting all the trouble.
Kinsley let out a humorless laugh. “No. You’re the witch who contained a dragon a few months ago. You’re just about the only one anyone here thinks can contain this situation. Believe me when I say she won’t let this go until you sign on.”
“What could she possibly do besides slap us with these bogus charges?” Pyper asked, still pacing.
“She can delay the hearing.” Kinsley glanced at me. “And I think she will, despite Jade’s condition. There’s too much at stake. She’ll do anything it takes to get what she wants.”
“And that is?” I asked.
“Harper. The council needs to bring her in. As soon as possible.”
Pyper finally stopped pacing and asked, “What did she do?”
Kinsley glanced from Pyper to me and then back at Pyper. “She set a curse in motion to unleash the dragons.”
“What does that mean exactly,” I asked. “What dragons?”
Her lips formed a thin line, and she seemed to contemplate whether she was going to tell us or not. But then, finally, she took a deep breath and said, “The ones that were awakened two months ago when the dragon got loose and called them home.”
6
In the end, we didn’t talk to anyone. Not Lucien. Not Bea. And not Julius. However, after we signed the paperwork and were released, all three of them plus Kane were pacing the front lobby, waiting for us.