Demon Song

20

Night turned to morning and I watched every freaking second unfold. My brain had run at full tilt the whole night. I even tried sleeping medicine. Note to self: Drugs that should be taken with food, even if crushed and dissolved in a shake, don’t sit well when there’s only liquid in your stomach. No matter how nutritious the liquid is. The medication insisted on coming back out the way it had gone in, and then I had to drink another shake after scrubbing the taste of bile from my tongue.

But even the unmistakable sounds of vomiting didn’t wake Adriana. I’d offered her a room after we’d stayed up late reading library books. She’d stayed because she hadn’t wanted to incur a mother’s wrath by calling Okalani to transport her past curfew. After meeting the girl’s mother, I didn’t blame my cousin.

I yawned loudly around the house until a second cup of coffee finally got me to a semblance of alertness. I’d discovered that pouring one of the chocolate shakes into the coffee adds the sugar and cream I like, plus a little chocolaty goodness. Strolling down the hall with cup in hand, I rapped on Adriana’s bedroom door for the third time. “C’mon, Adriana. Daylight’s burning. We need to get moving.” I still had to return the rental car. She was going to follow me in my car and then we were going to take back the books we’d finished and see if there were any Dawna had missed.

I’d learned during our late-night reading session that Adriana had been asked to meet with my friend Bubba and find him a new boat. Of course, that was before the rift appeared, but Adriana was a “duty first” sort of person, so I was betting she’d try to fit it in.

Adriana didn’t respond to my knock, but there were … noises behind the door. Either she’d snuck someone into the room and was having really intense sex or something was very, very wrong. I tried the knob, but the door was locked.

Damn it. I really hated the thought of kicking down one of my own doors, but it wasn’t the kind of lock set that used a key.

Sigh.

I put the coffee cup on the floor, far enough from the door that it might not spill during a fight, and put my shoulder to the door. Maybe I could pop the lock without tearing off the whole doorjamb. Supernatural strength is occasionally a good thing. The wood was solid against me and I pushed in tiny increments, feeling the door bow under the pressure. They’re solid-core doors—Vicki built the guesthouse to withstand a Category Three hurricane—so I didn’t have to worry about a thin layer of veneer cracking. By pushing in the exact center, I was hoping the hardware would give way first.

It did.

It was a good thing I had one hand braced on the wall or when the door yielded I would have landed on the floor. There were no intruders or secret lovers in the room, but I ran in because Adriana was on the floor, tangled in bedsheets and thrashing. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and she was making odd grunts and hand motions. I’d seen the same thing before more than once … with Vicki. Okalani’s mother had told me that Adriana was a prophet, the sirens’ term for a clairvoyant. It was one reason she would never be queen. She was apparently a pretty powerful one, too.

I did for her the same things I always did for Vicki. I got Adriana into a sitting position with her back against the side of the bed, propped up by the nightstand. Vicki had once almost choked to death on her own tongue while thrashing on the floor. Then I put a cold, damp washcloth on the back of Adriana’s neck. Vicki always swore it helped her climb back out of the vision to reality.

Then I sat down to wait. Clairvoyants are always the most vulnerable when in a vision. They need to be guarded from danger. It was one reason Vicki had chosen to live at Birchwoods. There were empaths there who would know she was having a vision because they could sense the changes in her emotions and would send an attendant to watch over her.

I’d barely grabbed my coffee and taken up residence in the comfy corner chair when Adriana came to with a start. I didn’t say a word until she reached back and grabbed the washcloth from her neck and stared at it with an odd expression.

“My friend who was a prophet always said it helped her get back to the real world.”

Adriana finally focused on me after long moments of staring. Then she nodded. “It did. Thank you. I’d never considered that such a simple thing could work. It was as though you threw down a rope ladder for me to grab.”

I took a sip of coffee. “You’re welcome. You had a vision?” I’d also learned not to ask Vicki what the vision was about. Frequently she wouldn’t tell me because she either didn’t trust the images or couldn’t interpret them so soon after they had happened. Or the vision might involve me and she didn’t want me to know. Sometimes she’d simply say yes. Only occasionally would she give details. It was often frustrating to be the friend of a clairvoyant, but they desperately needed friends who would simply ignore the visions and give them space. Emma, on the other hand, wanted to be asked about the details. She didn’t get many visions, so she needed help to interpret them. It was often frustrating to be the friend of a clairvoyant, but they desperately needed friends who could give them what they needed—ignoring the visions and giving them space or prodding them to recall everything.

Adriana nodded. “Yes. And now I understand your spirit prophet’s urgency yesterday. It truly is critical that we visit the gentleman in Arkansas. Today.”

Really? “Care to tell me why? What are we looking for?”

She shook her head and dropped her gaze to the floor, her frustration clear. “It’s complicated. There were so many images. But I believe there’s a chance the missing instructions for the horns are there.”

In Arkansas? “That’s a long way from Atlantis. And Serenity.”

She pulled herself to her feet using the bed and nightstand. “Indeed it is. But I’m quite certain. We’re going to need help, though. There’s strong magic involved. I saw multiple threads where we found the instructions but other images of us failing and dying.”

Nifty. “I guess I’ll get on the phone and see who’s available to jump on a plane today.”

Her smile was brilliant as she started to make up her bed. What a nice guest. I stood and walked over to help. “No need. I also saw a certain dark-skinned teenager at our side. But I will need to make a call to the island—if I may use your telephone.”

I sighed as I tucked the burgundy wedding-ring quilt Gran had given me a few years back up under the pillows. “I’m going to need to get a different phone plan. I’ve never had to make this many international calls before. But sure. Go ahead. I’ll get dressed in something more appropriate. Do you have any idea where we’re going? Specifically?”

“That will be a little bit of a problem. It was clear to me that we need to show up unexpectedly or the person who will take us to the instructions won’t show up. He both fears and craves sirens, but his fear is stronger.”

That made me frown. I didn’t like the idea of descending on someone and forcing him to take us somewhere. “That plan borders on kidnapping, you know.”

She shook her head. “Not at all. It’s merely a case of cold feet. Once we’re there, he won’t object.” Then she tipped her head with a little uncertainty in her face. “At least as far as I could see.”

And there’s the problem with visions in a nutshell. “Just so you know, if he does object, it stops there. I won’t be a party to manipulation again. I told you that.”

Her shoulders moved gracefully up a fraction, but she didn’t respond. “I’ll need to get dressed so we can leave soon.” Her eyes flicked to the wall clock shaped like a seagull. “We need to be there in an hour. I’d suggest you find a mage to accompany us.”

With that, she turned and walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. I heard the shower turn on seconds later.

It took most of the hour for her to get ready, while I was making calls and getting my schedule at the office changed … again. This was going to be the worst December for income I’d had in years. Normally I make enough to take a good part of January off, but now I was going to be scrambling. Provided I had any clients left after this many cancellations.

Adriana came out of the bedroom just as Bruno arrived. I hadn’t bothered to call Creede because before he’d left last night he’d said he wouldn’t be available today because of meetings. But Bruno could handle anything that might come our way. He gave her a brief nod as he entered. Her delicate features struggled between amusement and offense. I could understand why—she really did look good. I don’t know if she had dressed to impress Bruno or the man we were going to see, but the turquoise bodysuit I’d loaned her hugged every curve while the hip-huggers with the distressed panels on the thighs fit her to a T. It had actually been kind of fun to go through my clothes with her last night. Neither Vicki nor Dawna wore my size, so we hadn’t done much closet swapping. Adriana, on the other hand, was my identical size and while her coloring was different, everything she tried on from my old color palette not only fit but looked better on her than on me now.

“Good morning.” I stood as he came in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks for doing this. I know it’s short notice.” Then I whispered in his ear, “You should at least say hi and tell Adriana she looks nice. She’s used to people fawning over her.”

He got a startled look on his face and then turned to where she was about to sit down on the couch. “Oh. Good morning, Princess. I’m sorry. I’m a little distracted this morning. You look lovely today.” He paused and then looked me up and down. “You always look gorgeous, Celie. Sometimes I forget to mention it. Sorry.”

I hadn’t actually been fishing for a compliment, but I’d take it. “Thanks.”

Adriana had likewise brightened and dipped her head regally. “Good morning, Mage DeLuca.” She didn’t thank him for the compliment because, as I said, she expects them.

Bruno squatted down by the two shells and carefully ran his hands over the small casting circles that still vibrated around them. “Honestly, I was going to call you back and cancel because I thought you were overreacting … until the news report. Now I’m glad I rented a fast car.”

He must have seen my brow furrow, because he motioned toward the television with his chin. “You should probably take a look while I get these shells ready to travel.”

I hadn’t realized we were taking the shells with us, but I reached for the remote. Adriana turned in her seat with raised brows. A click of the remote made sirens blare and filled the room with flashes of red and green lights. The camera was trained on the rift, which had tripled in size and was pressing against one edge of the barrier.

Oh, fuck a duck.

“That’s the scene at the prison this morning, Tamara. Federal, state, and private mages from all over the world have begun to arrive to shore up the hastily crafted barrier around the rift.”

Bruno let out a little grumble. “It was not hastily crafted. He makes it sound like we threw a plastic tarp over it.”

“We spoke with the FBI situation commander earlier today.”

Rizzoli appeared on the screen.

“Agent Rizzoli, can you explain what we’re seeing?”

I could tell he thought it was a stupid question. I mean, one look and it was pretty obvious what we were seeing. But his facial expression remained calm and blank.

“David, the situation is getting critical. We’re working on solutions to close the rift, but right now our goal is to keep the public safe. The governor has activated the National Guard to keep the curious away and I’ve been informed the vice president is on her way to be briefed by the mages and warrior priests. We’re doing all we can and we would continue to ask the public to stay clear of the area so our people can work without distraction.”

The microphone was pressed closer and Rizzoli backed up slightly. “Are any evacuations planned for nearby cities?”

Crap. That was just what we didn’t need. There’d be no way to get anywhere on the freeways. I clicked the mute button on the remote. “Did you get hold of Okalani? Can she transport us?”

Adriana dipped her head but kept her eyes on the screen. I wondered if she was seeing the fall of Atlantis again as the details from the scrolls she’d read started coming to life. “Yes. Fortunately, once I explained my vision to Mother, she agreed it was best for everyone involved for Okalani to aid us. She’ll be here shortly.” Hmm. Adriana had had to appeal to the queen for Okalani’s services? I wondered if Okalani’s mother had petitioned the queen to stop using her daughter as a royal taxi service. Couldn’t really blame her, but teleportation is a damned handy ability. I bet Adriana had spent a good part of the hour before Bruno arrived talking to Lopaka.

I turned my head back to the television, realizing I had missed whatever Rizzoli had said about the cities. “What did he say about evacuations?”

“None planned at this time.” Bruno had lowered the circles around the shells and was putting them into a thin nylon duffel bag he must have pulled out of a pocket, because he hadn’t walked in carrying it. “But they’re keeping their options open and asked people to keep the radio on for further announcements.” He stood up. “So who’s Okalani? Helicopter pilot? That’s probably the only way we’re going to get to Arkansas in time.”

Adriana and I both smiled, but I answered, “Of a sort.”

And that was the cue. There was a knock on the door and I got up to answer it. I was surprised to see both Okalani and her mother standing outside. Normally, Okalani pops directly into the room. I opened the door and waved them inside. “Good morning, Okalani. Good morning—” I realized I didn’t know her mother’s name. Well, crap.

My cousin came to the rescue. She stood and walked over to touch the woman’s hand. “Thank you for allowing us to utilize your daughter’s time, Laka.”

Laka didn’t seem happy about it. “The queen explained we have little choice. Is it true what they say about another demonic rift?”

I pointed toward the television. Both newcomers’ eyes went wide and they were drawn into the living room to stare at the black, star-filled gash against the bright blue morning sky. Creatures with wings and horns and various colors of scales and fur were prowling inside the barrier—occasionally throwing themselves against the magical border only to be thrown back or burned up by the holy magic. “Merciful waters…,” Laka whispered with both terror and awe in her voice. “Is there no stopping it?”

Adriana was standing beside her, likewise staring at the screen. “We have found what we believe are the Millennium Horns and our hope is our trip today will uncover the instructions on how to use them. You can see why speed is critical.”

Laka’s awed face turned slack jawed. Her voice trembled when she spoke: “You’ve found the horns? May I see them? My grandmother twice removed was born on Atlantis and lived there for a few years before her family moved to Serenity. We have stories handed down of Queen Eris the Just.”

The way she said it was like “King Richard the Lionhearted”—a description so strong, so revered, it became part of the actual name.

Bruno unslung the duffel from his shoulder. “Don’t see why not. In fact, it might not be a bad idea for you both to try blowing them. Especially if you come from an Atlantean line.”

That was a really good point and Adriana’s eyes lit up. “Your mind is sharp, mage. I should call my mother and have her put out the call for those of Atlantean lineage. It may be that one of such birth is required to sound the king conch.”

I raised a finger. “How about we go onto the porch for that?”

Bruno looked a little chagrined as he headed toward the door with us right behind. “Really, we had no idea that would happen, Celie.”

“It was as much my fault as yours, but I don’t see any reason to repeat the mistake. It’s going to be a bad enough day without burning down the house.”

* * *

It turned out to be overreaction, because not a sound was produced. I could tell that frustrated Laka. I think she would have liked to be the one who could blow the horn. Since I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone, it was a little frightening to me to know that someone wanted to stand at the maw of hell in the hope that she could be a hero. Especially with a daughter to raise.

“It is time,” Adriana announced as Bruno was putting the shells back in the bag. “We must go. Now.”

“Except we still have no idea where we’re going. Or have you got that worked out?”

She walked the few steps until she was next to Okalani and touched her arm. The girl’s eyes looked vacant for a long moment and then she nodded. “I think so. At least, I can get us close.”

Bruno said, “Okay. I’ll drive. Where are we go—” My stomach lurched violently and I felt woozy. “—ing?”

The scenery had changed. We were standing on a narrow sidewalk several feet off the ground. On my right a chipped and worn staircase led down to a paved road, and on my left I saw a row of turn-of-the-century brick buildings. I turned to Adriana. “Fool’s Rush, Arkansas?”

She nodded. “I used the computer in your room to look at world satellite images. I couldn’t see the precise building, but there weren’t many restaurants in town. This seemed the most likely.”

The sign painted on a wide, pale blue wood panel read: Come On Inn. Breakfast served all day—’cause we know what time you got to bed last night.

Cute. And probably true in a town this small.

Bruno sounded seriously impressed when he looked down at the pretty teen: “That’s a serious talent you have, young lady. There aren’t many people who can teleport groups. Every agency in the world will want to snap you up when you’re old enough.”

Okalani beamed, but Laka lowered her chin and raised her brows. “After she completes her schooling.”

Bruno rushed to mollify the older woman: “Of course. She’s too young right now. But I do hope you’ll find someone to help her develop that ability. I could give you a few names of instructors.”

Okalani touched her mother’s arm with excitement. “Could I, Mom? I’d love to know more about how my gift works. I do it, but I don’t really understand how it happens.”

Laka looked from her daughter’s hopeful face to Bruno’s calm one. “I’ll think about it. But right now, she’s getting Ds in math. That would have to be corrected before I’d consider any … distractions.”

Bruno was nothing if not a great male role model. He stepped closer to Okalani and put a firm hand on her shoulder. “There’ll be no chance of a teleportation instructor taking you on without above-average grades in math and science. I know enough about the process to know that higher-math skills, like geometry and string theory, are critical.”

Her eyes got wide and her lips pursed into a small o. “I didn’t know that. It’s not that math is hard; it’s just boring. So I don’t do my homework like I should. My test scores are fine.”

Bruno nodded and then addressed Laka, his hand still on the girl’s shoulder: “She’s probably bored because she has an instinctive understanding. You might move her to a higher class that’ll challenge her and see if it helps.”

Laka considered his words, her nod thoughtful. “She always could add things in her mind, even when she was little. Once she counted roof tiles on houses and then multiplied them to find out how many there were in the whole town. She was two.”

Oh yeah. That girl was a serious math geek. I nodded at Laka. “Get her into higher classes. Definitely. She’s going to wind up a math professor or in the space program, even if she doesn’t use her gift.”

Laka opened her mouth to speak, but Adriana beat her to it: “We must go in now. This is the scene I saw.” She’d been looking into the restaurant through a small opening in the gingham drapes over the window. “Please, no one go into broad explanations of anything. But Celia … you’ll need to introduce me properly. This must be handled carefully.”

And then she was through the door, leaving us all to catch up and wonder what the hell she meant by “carefully.” Sigh.

The small bell on top of the door made a pleasant jingling sound and the people at the nearest table looked up. The inside of the diner was clean and simple, with wooden tables bearing blue and white gingham tablecloths that matched the curtains. The walls displayed amateur paintings by locals that were for sale, if the price tags were any indication. Laka held her daughter back in case they needed to get to safety. I doubted it. The only people in the restaurant were Mick Murphy, three females I’d bet were his family, and an older gentleman who must be Mr. Fulbright.

Adriana stood in front of the group silently, looking every inch a princess and future queen. There’s something about the bearing of certain people that screams royalty, no matter how they’re dressed. She dipped her head and shoulders ever so slightly. Fulbright’s eyes went wide and panicked. He looked for somewhere to go, but there was no back exit. If she hadn’t said it was simple cold feet, I’d swear we needed to get the police to dig up his yard looking for bodies.

A pretty chestnut-haired woman with a scattering of freckles similar to Mick’s was sitting at a table with two young girls. They all stared at Adriana with undisclosed awe. Mick pushed back his chair and stood up. He walked toward us with hand out. “Ms. Graves. It’s a pleasure to see you again. A surprise, but a pleasure.”

I held out my hand to shake his. “It’s a surprise to me as well. This trip was sort of sudden. But let me introduce the people with me.” I thought I knew what Adriana was up to and hoped I wouldn’t get it backward. “Back by the door are my friend Laka and her daughter, Okalani.” It wasn’t quite accurate, but what else could I say except friend?

Mick took the two extra steps and shook their hands, playing the good host. I was betting in normal circumstances his wife would have, too. But she couldn’t take her eyes off my cousin.

I touched Bruno’s sleeve. “This is Bruno DeLuca. He’s been a friend of mine for years and is a very talented mage.”

Bruno offered his hand, keeping absolutely silent, and Mick shook it. I touched my own chest. “Of course, I’m Celia Graves. I met Mick Murphy at the Will signing of my best friend, Vicki Cooper.”

Now his wife’s eyes turned to me. “Oh!” Her shock turned to a friendly smile. “Finally we meet, Ms. Graves. I’m Molly Murphy.” She motioned at a redheaded girl of about twelve with pigtails. “This is our daughter Beverly and this little scamp”—she reached across and affectionately ruffled the blonde curls of the younger child—“is Julie.”

“Mom—” Beverly had the look that screamed, Please don’t embarrass me! I’ve worn it many times myself, so I took a moment to smile directly at her.

“Whoa,” she said with a suddenly shocked expression. “You really do have fangs!”

Mick turned and gave her a furious look. “Beverly! That is quite enough.”

“It’s okay. Really. I know it’s a curiosity.” I stepped away and held out a hand toward Adriana, who was starting to get a little antsy. “And this glorious vision is my cousin. May I present Adriana, crown princess of the Pacific siren clan, prime minister of the Isle of Serenity, and future queen of Rusland.” I was hoping I got all that right. I hadn’t a freaking clue what her full title was, but at least what I’d said was all true and hopefully sounded impressive enough. I’d seen the prime minister part on a document in her mother’s office. It made sense, I suppose. The queen couldn’t do everything.

The blonde girl stood and walked forward as though hypnotized until her father caught her by the hand to stop her from actually touching Adriana. “Are you really a princess?” Julie’s voice was a bare whisper.

Adriana gave her a smile that was both kind and loving—just the sort of expression you want to see on a queen on her throne. She must practice to have it down that well. She touched the girl’s hair. “Yes, child. And I believe there’s a chance you are as well.”

Whoa. Come again? I bent forward until I caught Adriana’s eye. “Excuse me?”

Instead of answering me or responding to the shocked looks on the faces of father and daughter, Adriana turned to the old man in the corner, who’d stopped looking frightened but was, instead, staring at the interaction with interest. “Would you care to explain, Mr. Fulbright? There’s a reason you offered your land to the Murphy family, isn’t there? My siren blood can feel yours … and the children’s.”

There was silence all around the restaurant because … well, frankly, she’d managed to stun us all. Fulbright narrowed his eyes and let out a harrumphing sound. When he spoke it was with such a thick southern accent that I could barely make out the words: “So, you’ve found me out, heve you? A royal of the blood, come to finally look for us? Well, y’all are a thousand years too late and I ain’t hepping you. Go tell your mother I said the earth could just eat ya up. You and your bloodsucking cousin, too.”

Adriana’s eyes narrowed dangerously and so did the old man’s. Thin skin all around. Sheesh.

“Okay, hold it. Everybody’s talking in circles here and I’m getting lost.” Adriana opened her mouth to shush me, but I wasn’t going to shut up. I didn’t care that the situation needed to be handled “just right.” I wanted explanations and we didn’t have time for a song and dance.

I stepped away from them all to address the old man: “Look, I’m just a poor California bodyguard who discovered about a month ago I had siren blood.” I lifted my upper lip to show him the full fang view. “I got attacked by a vampire but didn’t die. After that, I discovered that my blood wasn’t only siren with a touch of vampire, but it’s also royal.” I held up my hands like a revival preacher, but my words were sarcastic: “Woo! Lucky me! But guess what? I don’t care. Whatever old score you feel you need to settle with the whole of the siren race, Mr. Fulbright, isn’t my fight. I only want to find out how to stop a demonic rift from eating up my hometown and the people I love. Because if we can’t close it, eventually it’ll be your hometown and the people you love that will disappear. My cousin believes you can help us. The only question is whether you will.”

Fulbright stared at me for a long time and then stood slowly. He was hunched by arthritis and leaned heavily on a plain wood cane. There was nothing fancy about him, from his faded jeans and beat-up boots to his stained straw hat. “Mr. Murphy, I believe you and I should discuss this matter … away from the wimmin folk.”

Wimmin folk? Excuse me? Maybe my face gave away my anger, because I felt Bruno’s hand on my arm. He squeezed like he used to when his mother would talk past me like I didn’t exist. It asked me to please let him handle it. He put the straps of the duffel bag in my hand. I narrowed my eyes and let him have the full force of my outrage. He shrugged.

Fulbright walked out the door and Mick followed after releasing his daughter’s hand. Bruno was the last and closed the door after him.

Molly’s eyes went to the floor and Beverly’s expression was outraged. Poor Julie bolted back to her mother, crawled into her lap, and buried her small face against her mother’s chest. I was betting Julie was picking up either thoughts or emotions from the “men folk” and didn’t much like them. Mick had said she had all the talent in the family.

I gave the others in the room a Pollyanna smile. Brilliant but empty. “Well, that went well.” I snorted. Molly offered a shy smile. Then I touched Adriana’s arm. “Was this the part of your vision where we got killed? Does he come back in here with a shotgun and mow down us wimmin folk?”

One corner of Adriana’s mouth curved up. “Actually, this is the scenario that went well. In the other scenario, I spoke first and he ran out of the restaurant screaming in fear and we never found the cave. I was hoping he’d manage to offend you. You can be quite … forceful when angered.”

“Gee. Thanks.” My smile was more a baring of teeth. Then I turned to the outraged redheaded girl who was stabbing her sandwich with a fork like she wished it was a certain elderly gentleman. She looked humiliated and hurt. “Beverly, I know you’ll still have to live here after we’re gone and will have to deal with people like him every day. You’ll be forced to ignore it for now to keep the peace. But please know most of the rest of the world takes offense at what that man just did. It’s not okay for people to treat you like you’re a second-class citizen just because of your gender.”

Laka finally spoke up from near the window, and there was fury and pride in her beautiful face with its strong African influence: “Or your race.”

“Or your … disability.” Adriana’s voice was as strong as I’d ever heard it. “Let no person tell you you cannot do something. You are siren. And you are human. Be proud of both.”

Molly was shaking her head. “I’ve done our whole family tree—right back to the Magna Carta. I’m sorry, ladies, but we don’t have any siren blood in our family. I know it. Both of our families came from Ireland and England.”

That didn’t matter. Blood spoke to blood, and our words had sunk home with Beverly. Her face was intense, thoughtful, and just a little bit offended by Fulbright’s words and her mother’s response. I didn’t want to get involved in a battle between mother and daughter, so I nodded, grabbed a chair, and sat down. “Atlantis was supposedly due south of England before it was destroyed.”

It took a moment to sink in, but when it did Molly’s face turned stark white. “But why has nobody ever known until now? Surely someone would have said something, put a clue in the records.”

A door jingled and Bruno stepped in the door, speaking as he walked toward us. “Because it came down the paternal line, just like Celia’s.”

Mick followed right on Bruno’s heels. “You said it yourself just a few weeks ago, Mol—how the girls were such a blessing because there’d never been a single girl born on my side of the family that didn’t die in infancy, for as far back as you could find.”

It all made sense now. I took in the scattering of pimples on Beverly’s face and the near-constant tugging at the side of her shirt like she was wearing her first bra. The girl had hit puberty. “Beverly’s gotten old enough that it made Mr. Fulbright notice. I’ll bet he saw you in a store or something and realized you had the blood.”

Adriana looked behind Mick. Her voice wasn’t quite panicked, but her concern was clear: “Where is Mr. Fulbright?”

Bruno tipped his head toward the door. “Let’s go outside and talk.” His eyes flicked past me to the children. Ah. Not for the ears of kids. I hadn’t really liked that about adults when I was a kid. But now I understood the reasoning.

Mick pointed toward the girls. “You two finish up your dinner. Your mom needs to get you back to school. We’ll have to write a late slip as it is.” He walked out of the diner and I watched through the sheer lace curtain as he sprinted across the narrow street ahead of a slow-moving semi filled with bawling cattle.

Molly lifted Julie off her lap and set her in the chair where there was a plate with a sandwich still untouched. “Go on. You heard your father. Finish up.” Molly tipped her head toward Okalani—who admittedly looked younger than her fifteen years. “Would you like something, too, while everyone talks? I have turkey and roast beef or I could make a hamburger on the grill.”

Okalani turned her face toward her mother, asking with her eyes. Yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me if she was hungry. I was constantly ravenous at her age. Laka nodded and Okalani looked back at Molly. “I’d love a hamburger if it’s not too much trouble.”

Then she moved forward into the room and offered her hand toward the other girls. “Hi, I’m Okalani.”

Beverly smiled. “That’s an awesome name. Is it Hawaiian?”

Okalani shook her head and reached for a french fry from a big plate in the center of the table. “Siren. Mom and I live on Serenity Isle.”

Bruno was holding the door for me. As I went out, I set the duffel down on the floor next to the door. I was tired of carrying it. I’d just have to remember to pick it up again before we went … wherever we were going. “Okay, so what’s up with the men folk that us little wimmen couldn’t hear?” I whispered to Bruno in an exaggerated southern accent as I walked past him, and he let out a snort that matched the twinkle in his brown eyes.

God, I missed the laughter in those eyes. I used to stare at them for hours when he didn’t know I was watching.

He put an arm around me and pulled me against him until my head was on his shoulder and we were walking down the sidewalk toward where the others were waiting. “You actually impressed Nathan Fulbright. Said you reminded him of his deceased wife. You have spunk.”

It was my turn to snort. “Yeah, but note the ‘deceased’ part. He kill her for talking out of turn?”

Bruno kissed my temple. “They were married for fifty-two years. Mick said she just died last spring.” Everybody was on a first-name basis already? Apparently there’d been a lot of male bonding out here in a really short time.

But wow. Fifty-two years. That was just impressive. My first thought was, How sweet. My second thought was, Oh, that poor woman. “So did impressing him help us or hurt?”

We’d reached Mick and Fulbright, who were now sitting in a pretty gazebo on the expansive lawn surrounding an old stone courthouse. Adriana took a seat next to Mick. “It helped us. A lot.” Bruno kept his arm tight around my shoulder. It probably looked loosely draped, but there was a tension in it that I hadn’t expected. Bruno nodded to Fulbright. “Okay, what have you already told them, Nathan?”

Nathan deferred to Bruno with a wave of a hand. “You know more about the history, so I figured I’d leave it to you.”

“Well, I lived on the East Coast my whole life, so I grew up hearing legends of the lost city of Atlantis. There was always one expedition or another taking off with some new plan or a new invention to get into the trenches where everyone swore it was. When I went to college, I first wanted to study metaphysical biology. I had a theory that the island had simply collided with a continent and evolution had taken over.”

Meaning, were the Atlanteans just plain folk who lived everywhere now or did they have a unique biology that could be traced—like sirens? Now I remembered this about Bruno’s studies, and I remembered some of our old conversations. I picked up on his idea: “There are, after all, continents with odd angles. France looks like it was slapped on as an afterthought and so do the northwestern tips of Africa and Florida. They’ve all been speculated to be the ‘lost’ island.” I made quotes in the air with my fingers. Raising my arm moved his hand, which slid down to my waist.

Possessive thing today. But that wasn’t surprising, considering yesterday.

Adriana shook her head. “No. Atlantis was most definitely part of the siren empire. Eris the Just was the queen of queens for many centuries. The location has never been a secret from our own people, and I assure you it was nowhere near the supposed locations stated in books. Atlantis was no myth; it didn’t collide, and didn’t sink. It’s not in this dimension. That’s why nobody can find it.”

Bruno nodded. “The dimensional rift is a brand-new concept I’ve never seen anywhere. But I did find evidence that more than a few Atlanteans survived the cataclysm and moved to integrate with other populations.”

Adriana didn’t look happy to admit it, but she tipped her head with a grim face. “Refugees wouldn’t have been accepted on the other siren homelands. They were all deemed to be traitors who nearly destroyed the world. They would have been killed on sight. Living among the humans was the only hope they might have to survive.”

Mick picked up the story. “Then enters a young sea captain named Henry Fulbright. He was master of his own ship at only twenty-two when he came upon an area of horrible devastation. Debris and the decaying bodies of humans and fish made a whole region of the ocean stink of death. Other ship captains warned him against entering the waters for fear of disease, but he needed to get his cargo to harbor before it spoiled. He found a raft of people floating among the dead. His crew nearly mutinied when he insisted on picking up those survivors.”

“Atlanteans?” I asked, and Mick nodded.

“Only six survived the trip back to England. He married one of the women and they settled down to have a family. The men went to work in the town and eventually became landowners with new names, borrowed from the hosts who took them in.”

“Murphy.” My voice was as positive as I felt. “And Fulbright. So you’re both descended from the original Atlanteans?”

Mick nodded. “And, if Nathan’s source can be trusted, he says my multi-great-grandfather was actually the son of Kraystal, the older daughter of Queen Eris. Although she’d sent him away to be killed upon birth, as was the custom, the nanny took the child to a family on the shore to raise as their own.”

Wow. Shades of Moses. Adriana raised her eyebrows, then nodded. “I did find evidence of some family units around the cities on Atlantis. Craftsmen with human wives, mostly, who built the palace. The carving of stone was usually left to the men before they were…” She grimaced slightly. “Discarded.” Nobody likes admitting their ancestors did horrible things. It changes how you remember them. At least she was suitably disgusted. That spoke well of the future of Rusland, where she would rule. “But it would be quite easy to learn the truth on Serenity. We have geneticists who specialize in identifying—”

At that moment, a bright, sharp tone split the air. It was similar to the high-pitched whine of a radio weather alert. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. The other four people in the gazebo dropped to their knees almost simultaneously, with their hands on their ears and pain etched on their features. I turned when I heard glass shatter and that the window of the restaurant had fractured. I raced forward before all of the glass hit the ground and leapt onto the sidewalk just as the tone stopped.

The three girls were sitting at the same table where we’d left them. If you opened the dictionary to the phrase “the cat who ate the canary,” their pictures would be there. My hands were on my hips instantly, but I couldn’t get out a word before Molly Murphy was in the room. “What in the name of heaven is going on out here? A whole tray of glasses just out of the dishwasher shattered right in the tray.”

I fibbed just a bit: “I’m a vampire, girls. I can smell who’s got something to hide.” In a manner of speaking, that was true. Beverly certainly smelled more musky than she had when I’d left, and her pulse was racing a mile a minute under pale, sweating skin.

Molly and I both stared at them until they were literally squirming. Julie broke first: “It was Beverly. I told her not to touch it. I did, Mom.” Now she started rubbing her earlobe and I saw that there was blood dripping down her neck. “That sound really hurt my ears.”

Her mother raced forward the moment she saw the smear of red. “Oh my lord, sweetie!” I very intentionally didn’t step forward.

But I wanted to. This was twice now that I’d gotten twitchy longer before four hours had passed after a meal. I wasn’t liking the trend.

It took a moment for all the pieces to fall into place. Shattered glass, pain in people’s ears, and one person whom it didn’t bother at all. I looked at Okalani. “Did the sound hurt your ears?”

She nodded and I pointed toward the door. “Go see your mother right now and get checked out. Watch out for the glass.”

Okalani nearly sprinted for the door—probably to get out of the line of fire. I looked at Beverly. “That sound didn’t bother you at all, did it?”

My eyes were locked on hers and she finally shook her head just a fraction.

“Was it one of the shells in the bag?”

She opened her mouth and I could tell from her shifting, panicked eyes that she was about to say something to protect herself. I wanted none of it. I held up a hand to stop her and said, “You won’t get in trouble. Just please tell me. It’s important.”

Part of me knew what she was going to say, but every fiber of my being wanted her to deny it. I felt actual pain in my stomach when she nodded with her eyes fixed firmly on my shoes. “Yes’m. It was the orange one. Okalani said nobody could make it blow.”

Bruno and the others came in as I was staring at the ceiling, fighting back tears with my arms wrapped tightly around my body. He took one look at me and pulled me into an embrace. “What’s wrong, Celie? What’s happened?” I gratefully accepted the comfort and dug my fingers into his strong back muscles. He looked around, trying to find the source of my pain. I could see Beverly out of the corner of my eye, doing her best to look small and insignificant—just a girl trying to finish her sandwich. Molly had taken Julie into the other room to check out the bleeding. I knew Beverly was also wondering what was wrong with me.

It was hard to put words to, and I found I was weeping as I spoke: “She’s only twelve, Bruno. It’s not fair. I can’t do that to her—to her family … and her sister. But if I don’t, how could I live with myself? What if there’s nobody else?”

Bruno tensed abruptly, holding his breath as he got it. He always was one of the smartest people I knew. He looked at Beverly over the top of my shoulder. “Was that sound one of the shells? Was it the orange one?”

She nodded, now with more ease but also more fear. She understood that something significant was happening but had no idea what. Likely Okalani hadn’t had time to explain the whole story.

“Holy Mother of God,” Bruno swore forcefully. I looked over to see Adriana likewise stricken, which surprised me a little.

Mick was just looking confused. He crouched down beside his daughter. “Hon, you can’t touch other people’s things. That’s a very valuable artifact, and magical. You could have hurt it. You could have been hurt.”

She nodded. “I know it was stupid, Dad. I shouldn’t have touched it. But nothing happened.”

“Yet—” The word just slipped out, but it made Mick stare at me with renewed worry. He stood in a rush and put a protective hand on his daughter’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Do I need to get her to a doctor?”

It was Adriana who put things in perspective and made his face go pale and trembling: “A priest might be more appropriate, for last rites.”