Why couldn't she still hear Phoedra screaming?
At the back door, she burst through to the rear loading area in time to see Phoedra slumped over the shoulder of a big guy with a full tattoo sleeve and green hair. He tossed the girl into a van, jumped in after her, and it peeled off.
Reese leaped off the steps and raced after the van, using every ounce of extra demon juice she had, but the van blurred, then disappeared.
Had someone cloaked it? She didn't think so since cloaking should be more immediate. Either you're cloaked or you're not.
Same with teleporting.
Had the van driven into a bolthole?
Reese stopped and stared at the empty space where the van had been. She mentally reviewed everything she'd seen so she didn't forget any details.
One major detail hit her between the eyes.
Phoedra's kidnapper had a green Mohawk.
Joey-the-jerk was not human.
Chapter 14
--------
Atlanta, GA - Storm and Evalle's building
Energy strummed through Quinn, threatening to break free if he had to sit silently for one more minute of this seance. At what point was it over, and how would he know if Lanna was in real trouble?
She'd stopped shouting about Phoedra, and although she still breathed rapidly, she'd begun to calm.
Quinn took in Mother Mattie, who had yet to say anything but kept her attention bouncing from Lanna to Adrianna and back.
No help there.
Looking over at Evalle, he found her sitting forward, with her elbows on her knees and one knee bouncing. Storm put his hand on her thigh, calming the busy leg.
Quinn spoke to Evalle telepathically. How can we know Lanna is safe?
Evalle's bright green gaze shot to his. She replied in the same silent way. You have to trust Lanna. Caron stopped by for just a moment when Lanna and Mattie arrived. Caron told Lanna that this was the next step she had to take. From what Caron was saying, Lanna is a powerhouse who can handle this. She just needs her confidence back as a person. Lanna doesn't appear distressed physically. She's only reacting to what she's seeing. Just sit tight for a little longer and maybe we'll have a way to find Phoedra.
I will wait a little while, he conceded.
Lanna lifted her head and opened her eyes, which were a normal blue color again.
Quinn's patience was shot to hell. "Are you okay, Lanna? Do you need to stop?"
Mother Mattie hissed, "Silence."
"Not if I think she's in danger."
"I am fine, Cousin. Please give me a minute." Lanna squeezed his hand again and sounded strong. She asked Mother Mattie, "Are you hearing everything?"
"Yes. It sounds like Phoedra is in danger. Do you remember any of it?"
"Not much, but I do remember a man stalking her."
Quinn asked, "Could you tell if the woman with Phoedra was a friend or helping the man?"
"I do not know. I may need questions when I am seeing into the water."
Mother Mattie said, " Adrianna has been prodding you, which seems to help."
"Good." Lanna's gaze went to Adrianna, whose head was bent forward.
The Sterling witch must still be in her trance state.
Closing her eyes again, Lanna whispered words more to herself than anyone else. In less than a minute, she opened her eyes, which were bright crystals once again, and leaned forward.
Adrianna's head lifted. Her eyes were also shut. "What man follows Phoedra?"
Lanna studied the water with her blind-looking eyes. "Three men. Not human. Maybe ... trolls or warlocks. They have powers. Very foggy. Hard to see faces."
What are they doing, Quinn wanted to shout.
Lanna tensed and rocked forward then back. "Can not see her."
Maybe his daughter had escaped the stalker.
Lanna was showing the first real signs of stress, even if Quinn was the only one who could recognize it. He'd seen this young woman grow up and she was cracking around the edges.
Kellman shifted his grip on Lanna's hand and said, "I'm here. You're safe."
She visibly relaxed.
Well, damn. Quinn would have to allow that the young man could be important to Lanna's recovery, just as Evalle had suggested.
He could feel Evalle's eyes on him, so Quinn glanced over.
Evalle had a warning eyebrow lifted. She feared he'd overreact again.
Quinn sighed, resigned to accepting that Lanna was no longer a child. Any remnants of childhood clinging to her had vanished during Grendal's vicious attack.
"Where did you go?" Lanna asked the water.
Adrianna turned her head in a way that said she was focusing hard on something. "Where is she?"
Clearly Lanna and Adrianna had their own conversation going on. Would Adrianna recall any details once she came out of her trance?
"Men have ... van at brick building first. No more. They are ..."
Jerking upright and blinking her eyes until they returned to their normal color once more, Lanna said, "I know where Phoedra is, Cousin. She is in this country, but very far away. You must go fast to find her."
His heart tried out for the drummer position with the Guns N' Roses band. He said, "Just tell me where and I'll head to the airport immediately."
"Where is she?" Adrianna called out louder and in a sharp tone.
Everyone turned to the Sterling witch.
Evalle walked over and put her hands on Adrianna's shoulders. "Hey, Lanna is done."
Adrianna lifted her face and snarled in a different voice than hers, "Where is the girl? Tell me now!"
Mother Mattie reached into a pouch at her waist that Quinn hadn't noticed. She pulled out a pinch of something and shouted a blistering string of words when she threw the sparkling dust at Adrianna.
The sparkles swept up as if on an invisible wind and dusted the top of Adrianna's head.
The Sterling witch's face twisted. Breaking away from the hands of each twin, Adrianna grasped her head, jerking back and forth. Sweat glistened on her face.
Kellman stood up and helped Lanna to her feet.
When Adrianna finally stopped struggling, she dropped her hands. Evidently Mother Mattie's dust had broken her out of the trance.
Sounding panicked, Adrianna asked, "What did I say?"
Evalle told her the gist of what happened.
"Why didn't anyone stop me or ask what I was doing?"
Confused, Mother Mattie said, "I thought you were prompting Lanna."
"No." Adrianna shook her head, looking not a bit happy. "I could hear some of what was being said, but it turned into a mash of voices in my head."
"But you were asking Lanna questions," Evalle argued.
"Not me. Veronika. She was listening in through me. You have to keep me as far from Phoedra and Lanna as possible."
Quinn hadn't thought this could get any worse.
What a foolish thought. He said, "I'll leave Evalle and Storm to figure this out, but I want Lanna safe."
Storm had stepped over next to Evalle. "She will be. Lanna is staying with us."
Adrianna stood, a bit wobbly, then pulled herself together with that core of steel that made up her backbone. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do until Veronika is caught, but no one should trust me with any information."
Evalle said, "Don't go hiding from me. It's going to take all of us to stop Veronika."
If that were even possible, but Quinn would not give voice to the negative thought.
"Right now, I'm going home where I can think."
"You shouldn't be alone," Evalle argued.
"I have Witchlock," Adrianna said as if that were her nuclear defense. "If I have to unleash it on her, I will, but right now I need some time to think. I'll run a blood ward around my house using Witchlock. If Veronika gets through that, then nothing you or anyone else can do will stop her."
"I'll walk you out." Evalle left with Adrianna.
After a moment, Storm said to the room, "She's o
ut of hearing range now."
Quinn pulled Lanna into a hug. "Lanna, you are amazing. Thank you for doing this. Give me the location. I'll have my driver here by the time I get downstairs and he'll take me straight to the airport."
She swung a sad gaze to him. "No, Cousin. You do not understand. That is not fast enough. You must go there now."
"You mean ... teleport?"
"Yes. The men are using a bolthole. One is looking to make deal with someone. I did not see where they went. I heard one say they would not stay long. A lot of voices." She clutched her forehead with her eyes clamped shut. "They are in building with boards on windows and sign that says NO TRESPASSING. Bricks are faded yellow. Not painted in much time. It is near a ... uh." She looked to Kellman. "What is place American football played here?"
"The dome."
"Yes!" Lanna snapped her fingers. "Phoedra is near dome with ... letters on it." She closed her eyes, concentrating hard. "B ... O ... and I think maybe K."
Quinn asked, "Bok or is it Book?"
At the same time, Kellman and Kardos said, "The BOK Center."
Kellman added, "It's an indoor sports arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma."
Lanna beamed at them. "Thank you for being here."
The boys grinned like idiots.
"I am sorry, Cousin. I wish I could teleport you, but I am not good for that distance."
He grabbed Lanna. "You have done astonishingly well. Thank you for that. I don't want you doing anything else. Just stay safe for me while I'm gone."
"I will."
Bloody hell. Quinn wasn't even sure he had the right place. Was that location correct or some distortion of what Lanna had seen? She said Phoedra was near this dome structure and in a building with signs warning against trespassing.
Probably hundreds of those in any major city.
That building could be in any direction from the dome.
It mattered not. Quinn had to find Phoedra before those men opened another bolthole.
Chapter 15
--------
San Diego, California
Reese stomped around a moment, cursing the reason she had no powers. She could have saved Phoedra, but no.
How was she going to get that child back?
She finally started walking across the back parking area of the shops as she sorted through her limited options.
She snapped her fingers. Quinn had said if she ever needed any help, just ask. She'd get her car and head to Atlanta. The only problem was the time she'd lose getting there and finding him.
That was assuming he'd know someone who could find Phoedra after the girl had traveled through a bolthole.
How many beings could open one of those?
A flock of crows descended on her, creating a swirling cloud of black.
"You can't be serious," she groaned. Reese was in no mood for this crap right now.
The swirling black band of feathers widened.
A giant raven glided down and turned into a man clothed in a dark sport coat, slacks and black pullover. Yaahl had left the top of his mountain peak in Haida Gwaii Islands west of Canada. There stood the raven god of the Pacific Northwest Haida tribe. Her mother's tribe, which had booted Reese a long time ago.
White glowed around the black centers of his eyes. He was upset about something.
Tough shit. Reese wasn't having such a good day either.
He was also the person who had taken Reese's powers after she lost her baby.
No time like the present to piss him off.
She started in, "You're in a bad mood and I'm in a hurry. I'll make this easy. Either give me my powers right now or get out of my way, Yaahl."
"You lost her!"
"Who?" He can't mean--
"Phoedra. Who else? How could you let them take her?"
That just shot her pissed-off level into the stratosphere. "Because I couldn't stop preternaturals. In case you forgot, some asshat stole my powers. Why do you even care?" Her mind flashed with images of Kizira. "Wait a minute. Is this your fault?"
Looking stern, he admitted, "Yes."
Shaking her head, Reese muttered, "I should have never gotten out of bed this morning, because reality isn't supposed to be weirder than a dream. Okay, start from the top. How do you know Phoedra?"
"We do not have time to waste. You need to--"
"No, dammit." Reese charged up to him. "I've had it. For years you withhold my powers and put me through bullshit games. You send me after Kizira's body and now you know about Phoedra? I want to know what you know and I want it now. Everything about this freakin' stinks."
"Some things are not for you to know. You have to find Phoedra." This time he said it more as a plea than a demand.
"I fully intend to, but I'm not leaving here blind on some crazy errand for you again. Time to come clean."
He gave her his best intimidating look.
She crossed her arms and waited.
"You are impossible."
She gave him a pithy look. "Thank you. It's nice to know my best qualities are recognized. Come on. How do you know Phoedra?"
"Her mother gave her into my safekeeping as an infant, and asked that she grow up like a normal child until the time came for her to accept her heritage."
Oh, crap. "Let me guess. Her mother is Kizira."
"When did you find that out?"
"Just a little earlier when Phoedra went to see a psychic who tried to call up her parents."
"What? Where was that?"
"Oh, that's right. Your pack of flying minions couldn't see inside a building. Back across the street."
"Taking Phoedra to a psychic was a stupid thing to do."
"Me? No, no, no. You not telling me who she was tops anything I've ever done. The bloody Medb might have her now."
"I don't think so."
"Why not? It makes perfect sense."
"Did you see warlocks?"
She was not arguing with him when Phoedra was still at risk. "I don't think so. Looked like bounty hunters to me."
"Why would they target her?"
"Phoedra liked this guy Joey, but he was with the group who grabbed her. She told me she was having premonitions, but I didn't know she was a child of the Medb so I didn't take it seriously. Hey, don't give me that look. You're the all-knowing one here."
"Continue."
"Phoedra told Joey about her premonitions, which I'm thinking might be actual visions. He must have detected some sort of power around her." That's when Reese reminded Yaahl, "If I had my powers, I might have known, too."
"Precisely."
What he wasn't saying hit her between the eyes. "You withheld my powers because I was around Phoedra?"
"No. I bound your powers because you were reckless. Allowing you access to your powers would have ended with you dying many years ago. I have kept you alive."
"I'm trying to dredge up some appreciation, but not feeling it."
Yaahl stared down at her as if pondering something. He said, "The Medb and trolls are stirring up a storm of trouble in the southeast. It appears they're trying to bring the preternatural world out to humans."
"Are you kidding me?"
"I do not joke about such things."
"What's that got to do with finding Phoedra?"
"Due to all the trouble, VIPER is shorthanded. They brought bounty hunters in to cover the shortage, and they're sending them out nationwide."
"I thought VIPER banned bounty hunters for the most part and approved their use only on occasion."
"That is correct, but it appears something significant has changed in VIPER. Due to that, there's no telling what else the bounty hunters are doing now that they have run of the country. Phoedra may have been taken by one of them."
"Wouldn't your crows know?"
"I task my minions with keeping me informed of general situations I'm interested in. I did not send them for specifics. That issue is significant only if it relates to Phoedra. They reported she was with you when she was kidna
pped."
What a bunch of snitches. Reese realized something else. "Does Donella know about all this?"
"Yes. She is one of my guards for the girl."
That could mean Donella was some type of nonhuman.
"Why did Donella work a job?"
"Because I was tasked with giving Phoedra as normal a life as possible."
Reese could argue that Phoedra had a safe life, but not a normal one, because Donella didn't want the girl out of her sight when she was home. She made sure Phoedra excelled in school, but limited the people she could spend time with, pretty much to just Reese.
That's why Reese had tried to give Phoedra some freedom and allow her to just be a kid. Reese had mixed feelings on all of this crap with Yaahl, but not about knowing Phoedra.
She'd never regret having gotten to know the young girl and would hurt anyone who stopped Reese from finding her.
Yaahl asked, "How did Phoedra vanish?"
"I'm thinking a bolthole based on the way the van was slowly swallowed into invisibility."
"If that's the case, I feel Queen Maeve and Cathbad do not have Phoedra. They would have teleported away. It could be someone working for Macha since she would never dirty her hands, or ..."
"It could be a third party like a bounty hunter just filling a ticket for any of them, or another player we don't know anything about." Ready to get rolling, Reese said, "I'm going after Phoedra immediately, but first I need all that you have on her."
"You're not in a position to make that demand."
Reese cursed vividly and asked, "Can you send your minions to find her?"
"No, whoever took her has gone somewhere they can't follow."
"You suck, Yaahl."
"Careful with that tone."
"No!" she snapped. "You were supposed to watch out for her. Well, she's gone and you need my help, because I will find her and get her back. Are we clear?"
He gave her dark look. "Very well. I hear a bargain coming."
"Not this time."
That shocked him silent.
Score one for the low woman on the totem pole. Reese explained, "I'm not bargaining with Phoedra's life."
His face went blank. "One shock after another from you today."
"Be careful. That almost sounded like a compliment, but don't get carried away. We're not done." She hated to ask for anything, but this was for Phoedra. "Could you help me for once?"
Yaahl angled his head in a very bird-like manner as if trying to process what she was saying. He nodded once. "Of course I will help. What do you need?"
"I have no idea who I'm going up against, but they're clearly nonhuman. Would giving me back my powers be too much?"
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