by Keri Arthur
“When Elizabeth disappeared,” Daniela was saying, “her friend and familiar—Isabelle Sarr—went with her. I find it a rather large coincidence you and your friend have the same first names and family coloring of our missing witches.”
“Elizabeth and Isabelle aren’t exactly rare names.” Monty’s voice was dry. “Last time I was up in Canberra, the place was littered with witches bearing those names.”
“You will also have noted how rare it is for a Marlowe witch to be hanging around with a Sarr.”
“I’m not a Marlowe,” I said, voice even despite the increasingly violent churning in my gut, “no matter how much I resemble one.”
Daniela’s expression was disbelieving.
“Well, if the other Elizabeth is here,” Monty said, drawing her attention away from me again, “she might be hard to find. There’re plenty of places within the reservation where a person intent on remaining unfound can hide.”
“We suspect her hiding is being done in plain sight,” Daniela said. “And we’ve traced her as far as Peak’s Point.”
It was all I could do to stand still, to not react. We’d been driven out of Peak’s Point by the Fitzgerald brothers—who were more carnival tricksters than actual witches—and had left them with a parting gift involving rats. Their response had been to send a sharpshooter after us—and if he’d managed to track us here, then it was no surprise a tracer had.
Something neither of us even thought about, Belle said, mental tone gloomy.
If she talked to anyone, it would have been the brothers rather than the sharpshooter. He’s locked up in Melbourne. They’re not.
Ashworth had never really told us how much prison time the brothers had been given, but they’d certainly be serving it in Canberra, as that’s where the main witch jail was located.
“Pike’s Peak is a fair way from the Faelan Reservation,” Monty commented. “Why are you so certain she came here?”
“I interviewed the two men who hired a sharpshooter to take Ms. Grace out.” Her gaze flicked to me. “And they swear you are the person in the photo.”
A cool smile touched my lips. “Meaning you’re choosing to believe two charlatans convicted of attempted murder over both my statement and the evidence of your own eyes. In which case, I guess there’s no point in me saying anything else, is there?” I glanced at Monty. “If you need anything else—or if you find something belonging to the missing woman and want me to attempt a tracing, you know where to find me. In the meantime, I’d better get back to work. Pleasant meeting you, Ms. Sarr.”
Oh, pleasant and yet catty at the same time, Belle said. Bravo.
Nothing I say or do is going to make a difference now. As the old quote goes, ‘the end is nigh.’
I turned and walked away. And, no matter how much I wanted to race back upstairs and down the bottle of Glenfiddich I had stashed in my wardrobe, I forced myself to remain behind the counter and serve as if there was absolutely nothing wrong. As if my safe little world wasn’t on the brink of utter collapse.
Monty and Daniela stayed for another half hour, the two of them chatting in a friendly enough manner. Things had quietened down by the time they departed, so I left Penny with orders to call me down if things got hectic again and headed upstairs.
Belle handed me a large glass of whiskey. “Whatever happens, happens. It’s no use worrying about it now.”
I gulped down half the drink, felt the burn all the way down to my stomach. It didn’t entirely calm the churning but it did go some way to easing it.
“I’ve spent most of my adult life worrying about it, Belle. I doubt that’s going to change now.”
She laughed softly. “No. But at least we’re not alone.”
I couldn’t help smiling. “No, because Monty will definitely use any excuse, big or small, to stand by your side.”
She took a swipe at me, and I jumped back with a laugh. Whiskey sloshed, threatening to spill over the sides of the glass. “Hey, careful, we can’t waste good booze on the floor.”
“If you’re not careful,” she said, her expression severe but her eyes filled with amusement, “I’ll tuck the bottle on top of the highest cupboard possible, where you’ll never reach it.”
“There are such things as ladders, you know.” I took another drink, my smile fading. “I know we can’t avoid what’s coming, but I really would like to get some warning of it.”
The last thing I wanted or needed was to walk into the café one morning to find my father or husband waiting for me.
“That’s not likely to happen, given they definitely mean us harm.”
I waved my free hand around. “And do you really think these spells will stand up against the combined might of two of the strongest witches in Canberra?”
“If it was just our magic, no. But it’s not, is it?”
“True.” I finished the remnants of the whiskey and held out the glass for a top up. “As much as I know Monty will pass on any information he has, I seriously doubt he’ll be informed of either my father’s or Clayton’s movements.”
“No.” Belle pursed her lips. “You know, now might be an ideal time to come totally clean with Ashworth. He and Eli have a lot of contacts in Canberra that aren’t related to either of our families, and they could just be the eyes and ears we need up there.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “You’re right, but after so many damn years of hiding—”
“It’s nice to have people to confide in,” Belle said softly. “Nice to have people we can trust.”
It was. “I guess if the shit does hit the fan and we come out the other side okay, you can finally contact your mom again.”
“Yes.” She paused. “I do miss her.”
I knew, and felt guilty about that, even though I was well aware Belle had never regretted any of the choices she’d made. Not then, not now.
I finished the second glass of whiskey. “I’ll ring Ashworth and see if they’re available for a chat tonight.”
Belle squeezed my arm. “It’ll be all right. Really, it will.”
I smiled and nodded and didn’t believe a word of it. Ashworth answered on the fifth ring. “If you’re calling for an update, I’ve got squat. You need to talk to your ranger rather than me.”
A smile touched my lips. “That’s a statement I’ve heard before.”
“Monty?”
“Yes. And it may just be that there is no more information for Aiden to share.”
Ashworth grunted. It was not a happy sound. “To what do I owe this honor, then?”
I hesitated, and then said in a rush, “I was wondering if you and Eli were available after dinner. I need to talk to you both about something.”
“That sounds serious.”
“It is.”
“Wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that stray tracer witch I saw Monty with, would it?”
“You don’t miss much, do you?”
“I may be getting old, lass, but there’s nothing wrong with either my eyes or my senses.”
I smiled. “I never said there was. I’ll bring the cake if you provide the coffee.”
“Done deal. Any time after eight will be fine—Eli should be finished teaching the kids by then.”
Eli had fully thrown himself into reservation life and was now helping to coach the local kids’ cricket and football teams. Apparently he’d been pretty good at both when he was younger and had only quit playing regional cricket in his forties after a rather nasty fight with two rogue witches had left him with a shattered right hip and a warning from the doctors that high-impact sports were now out of bounds.
“I’ll be there. Thanks, Ashworth.”
“I think it’s way time you started calling me Ira, lass.”
I smiled. “It just sounds… wrong.”
He snorted. “You’re a strange one sometimes.”
“Which is why you like me so much. See you soon.”
I hung up and met Belle’s gaze. “Are y
ou coming?”
She hesitated. “I think it better one of us stays here. I don’t trust that witch one iota.”
I raised my eyebrow. “You think she’ll break in magically and snoop?”
“Yes, if only because she’s a Sarr, and we’re not exactly well known for following the rules.”
“True.” Although Sarrs not following the rules had been a major factor in our escape. “I wish there was some sort of spell to stop prying magic.”
“If there is, Monty would know it.”
My eyebrows rose again. “Are you actually volunteering to contact the man and ask for help?”
“I wasn’t volunteering to do any such thing.” Her voice was dry. “And he’ll need to teach us both, as it’ll take the two of us to weave it through the current connections.”
I nodded. “Of course, there’s no saying such a spell would keep my father or Clayton out.”
“Probably not. In fact, it might be better if it didn’t, simply because we’ve a chance of holding our ground within the café thanks to the multiple layers of spells and wild magic. I’m not sure that’ll be the case outside.”
I doubted it would be the case inside, but I guess we’d find out soon enough. I finished the rest of my drink and rinsed the glass out. “I’d better head downstairs and help Penny close up.”
“I’ll finish checking Gran’s indexes for anything else on Empusae, then head over to the storage to grab the books. That way, the SUV is free tonight if you want to use it.”
“I’ve had two large whiskies in short order—I think I’d better walk.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You’re not going to Aiden’s tonight?”
“He’s got another meeting with the council, so depends on what time that finishes. If it’s too late, he’ll just stay up at the compound.”
Amusement touched her lips. “We’re talking about a werewolf with an extremely high sex drive. It won’t be too late.”
“It might be for me.”
“Yeah, right. Believing that.”
I grinned and went downstairs. By the time I headed over to Ashworth and Eli’s, flags of red and gold were staining the evening skies and the night air was crisp, holding a vague promise of rain. Their place was a beautiful old miner’s cottage that still held all of its original features, even though it had been fully renovated and contained all the mod cons, including solar panels and central heating. I knocked on the gorgeous old paneled front door and heard the echo of footsteps approaching.
“Perfect timing,” Ashworth said as he opened the door. “Eli’s just put a fresh pot of coffee on.”
He stepped to one side and waved me in. I walked down the central corridor—the walls of which were soft gray with white accents on all the lovely old fretwork—and entered the kitchen living area that dominated the entire rear of the house.
Eli swooped in, gave me a hug, and then relieved me of the cake box I was carrying. “And what sweet delights have you brought us to drown our sorrows in?”
“Banana bread cheesecake, Toblerone cheesecake, chocolate caramel slice, and a couple of slices of black forest cake.”
“Damn, this witch must be very bad news indeed.” Ashworth pulled out a chair to seat me, then walked over to gather plates and forks.
“She is. Or will be.”
Eli raised his eyebrows. “Meaning this visit is due more to your prophetic abilities than anything she’s said or done?”
I grimaced. “It’s a mix of both.”
“Well, wait until we all get comfortable, and then you can tell us everything.”
Which, once we all had a strong cup of coffee laced with a dram or two of whiskey, was exactly what I did. About my family, my forced marriage, how Belle had been my savior, and what we’d done since then to conceal who we really were.
Everything.
Neither of them immediately said anything by the time I finished. Then Ashworth—big, gruff, grumbly Ashworth—walked around the table, pulled me to my feet, and wrapped me in the biggest, sweetest bear hug I’d ever had. Tears filled my eyes and tumbled over my lashes. Belle was right. We weren’t alone. With Aiden, Monty, and now Ashworth and Eli, we’d not only a safe harbor and people who would stand with us, but I’d found the family I’d been searching almost my entire life for.
“Dear God, lass, to think the two of you had to go through all that when you were still so young,” Ashworth murmured. “After such a betrayal, it’s no wonder you were so reluctant to trust anyone.”
I nodded, then took a deep, somewhat shuddering breath and pulled back. Eli silently offered me a tissue, and then wrapped me in a hug before I could use it.
“We’re here for you,” he murmured. “No matter what it takes. No matter what we have to do. You know that, don’t you?”
His words heralded in another round of tears. “Sorry,” I hiccupped eventually. “I think all the booze I drank earlier has weakened my emotional control.”
“Lass, you’ve been so wound up—so guarded—these last twelve years, it’s a wonder you’re not a crying mess on the floor. I would be.”
It was an image that had amusement bubbling. “I seriously doubt it.”
Eli grinned, produced another tissue, and lightly patted my cheeks to soak up the remaining tears. “Believe it. He’s a softy at heart—cries in movies all the time.”
I smiled. “So do I. Maybe we’re related somewhere in the distant past.”
“Given the intermingling of Ashworth and Marlowe blood over the decades, it’s quite possible. Sit, lass, and I’ll grab us all another coffee.”
“And I’ll serve up the rest of those cakes,” Eli said. “Because this is definitely a two-cake problem.”
I smiled and reclaimed my chair. Once our coffees were refreshed and the additional cake had been served, Ashworth said, “Right, first things first—we need a means of tracking their movements.”
“They’ll fly rather than drive,” Eli commented. “And they’ll no doubt get their secretaries to make the bookings.”
“Unless they want to keep their visit to Melbourne secret,” I commented. “Few people know about my marriage, remember.”
“It’d be interesting to discover just how they managed to bury the documents,” Eli said. “All marriages by law have to be entered into the witch registry, and that’s an open document that’s regularly checked to ensure there’s no close blood ties. If your marriage was buried, then they either bribed or spelled someone—and the latter would be an extremely dangerous step for someone who values their reputation as much as either Clayton or Lawrence.”
“I have no doubt my father is arrogant enough to believe his actions would never be questioned.”
“While it’s true both he and Clayton hold great power, they are also not without enemies, and some of those are not to be messed with.” Ashworth scooped up the last bit of black forest cake and munched on it contemplatively. “All the same, I have a friend who works in the registry office; might see if he can discreetly follow it up. It’ll be a handy thing to know come the confrontation.”
A shudder ran through me, and I hastily gulped down whiskey-fueled coffee. It didn’t do much to chase the chill away.
Eli reached across the table and briefly squeezed my hand. “The other thing we need is a warning they’re on their way, and that may be harder.”
“Unless, of course, we can discreetly rope in the Black Lantern Society,” Ashworth said.
“Who are?” I asked.
“Basically, a secret society of witches, werewolves, and vampires who work behind the scenes to right wrongs and bring justice to those who escape it.”
“Sounds more like a vigilante group than anything else.” And while I wanted Clayton and my father out of my life, I didn’t want them dead. Even if, in the deepest of my dreams, I imagined Clayton dying in a thousand different, horrible ways.
“It’s… whatever it needs to be,” Ashworth said. “They mostly don’t go as far as vigilantism, though.�
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Mostly also meant it wasn’t totally off the books. “It can’t be too secret if you and Eli know about it.”
“We know because my sister is one of its matriarchs.” Ashworth grimaced. “Of course, she doesn’t know I know.”
“She will if we ask for her help,” Eli said, amused. “And she won’t be pleased.”
Ashworth waved his hand. “She owes me a favor or two.”
I frowned. “I don’t want either of you to get into—”
“Lass, I took an oath to uphold the law. What happened to you is not only against the law, but also against common decency. Even if we weren’t friends, I’d be helping you.”
I blinked once again against the sting of tears. “Thank you. Both of you.”
Eli nodded. “We’ll start putting out feelers tomorrow. We can formulate a plan of action once we’ve got everything in place.”
“What about Monty?” I asked. “He’ll want to help—”
“No doubt,” Ashworth said, “but he’s your cousin, and given they obviously suspect you’re in this reservation, any move or request he makes will be analyzed and checked. It’s far better if he remains out of the loop as far as this goes.”
“He won’t like that.”
Amusement crinkled the corners of Ashworth’s eyes. “Aye, he won’t, and I can’t say that makes me unhappy.”
I smiled and scooped up the last of my cheesecake. “He spent a good deal of time with Daniela today, so I’ll get the lowdown on her from him tomorrow. He might have picked up something useful.”
“Unlikely,” Eli said. “Aside from the fact tracers are very good at playing their cards close to their chests, she’d have come here knowing who all the players are, what their relationships were, and who she needed to keep an eye on.”
“Meaning she’ll be watching the café?” I asked.
“And most likely tracking your movements. At least for a few days in order to confirm or deny her suspicions.”
I snorted. “I don’t do a whole lot more than work in the café and spend time with Aiden. Spelling isn’t a major part of my life.”
“If she’s a strong tracer, she doesn’t need to see you perform magic; she just needs to be close enough to see it within you. The deeper kernels of your power signature haven’t altered—”