Night Seeker

Chapter 6

Rhiannon and Kaylin just grinned when we came out from the broom closet, and I realized everyone had heard us. There was no way to prevent our voices from echoing in such a large space. My father diplomatically avoided me, while the others immediately scrounged for something with which to busy themselves.

Kaylin motioned to the door. “We’d better get a move on.”

I nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Grabbing my coat and my weapons, I followed him and Rhia outside, where Rex and Chatter were burying the bodies of the other day-runners under the snow and ice. There wasn’t much else they could do with them for now. Rex was holding an arm from the guy who’d managed to go boom, and Chatter was staring at the scattered remains, a quiet, pensive look on his face. He’d told me that he didn’t like to use his natural form-a pillar of fire-because of the fury that possessed him. Now I understood his reluctance. He’d been terrifying in his destruction.

“We’re taking my car, right?” Kaylin headed for the black Mercedes that he’d tricked out. I nodded, following, with Rhiannon behind me. I called shotgun while Rhiannon slid into the back behind me. As we edged out of the warehouse’s parking lot, I realized that even though we’d just been here a few days, this place had become a safe haven. I dreaded leaving it, because I had no clue what might be out there waiting for us.

As we turned onto the highway-the warehouse was right on the outskirts of New Forest-a fear flickered in my heart. What if we didn’t make it back? What if, when we returned, we found the town had vanished, like some magical Brigadoon, along with Grieve and my father and Luna and Peyton? They were my family, my clan, my tribe.

I turned around in my seat. Rhiannon stared at me with haunted eyes. Without a word, she reached forward and we clasped hands.

“I love you, Rhia.”

She bit her lip. “I love you, too, Cicely. In all of this…the one good thing is that you’ve come home. I missed you so much.”

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, wishing away the darkness and the eternal winter we’d been plunged into. What if we don’t make it back…

You will drive yourself mad if you think too much. Do not worry-you will return to New Forest, and the town will be here, Cicely. And so will Myst. She’s waiting. This is a pivotal time in the history of the vampires and the Fae. And you are right at the helm in this uneasy little war. Ulean brushed my cheek, her slight breeze comforting.

Highway 2 wound through wooded land, a valley that acted as a vast ravine between the jagged foothills of the Cascade Mountains and, to the west, beyond a series of rolling hills and a swath of land, the I-5 freeway with the bustle of big-city life. Seattle was a vastly different city than Los Angeles had been…or San Francisco or any other number of cities my mother and I’d drifted through. I could live in Seattle and be happy.

The snow grew heavier the farther we got from New Forest. We were headed east, toward the mountains, but Myst’s reach was extending. The entire western half of the state was feeling her chill.

Trying to push thoughts of the Winter Queen out of my mind, I turned my attention to the upcoming meeting with Ysandra. Would she be pissed that we had lied to her? Or would she understand once I told her what had really happened to Heather and explained why we’d scrambled for a cover story? Would she be able to help us? Would she be willing?

No sense borrowing trouble before it lands on your doorstep, Cicely.

Once again, Ulean soothed my ruffled feathers. We didn’t even know if the Consortium’s help would be worth anything. They might turn out to be so much hot air. Or a bureaucratic nightmare. But we had to try.

Kaylin cleared his throat. “Rhiannon, are you okay? Now that you know about Leo?”

Rhia rested her elbows on the back of my seat, her chin on her hands. After a moment, she let out a long breath. “Honestly? I don’t know. My heart is breaking. It’s hard to accept that I’ve been living a lie without knowing it. But I wonder, if all along, I sensed it would never work out. If I really search my heart, maybe I knew we’d never get married. That could be why I kept putting off choosing a wedding date. Leo was always pissed by my hesitation but something held me back. Some aspect of self-preservation… some inner light within me…saw through his illusions.”

“I am so glad you found out before it was too late.” I turned again, struggling against my seat belt, to try to kiss her forehead, then returned to solemnly watching the road ahead.

Rhiannon wasn’t done, though. Apparently Kaylin’s question had offered her permission to talk about the situation. “But did I really find out in time? From what Erik said, Leo is out to kidnap me. I have to stake him if I’m ever to be free. Once he gets an idea in his head, he won’t let go. Frankly, the thought of him out there, wanting me, scares me to death now that I know he’s a vampire.”

She said it so casually I almost missed the gist of her meaning. When her words registered, I sucked in a deep breath.

“You really plan on staking Leo?”

Solemnly, she nodded. “Yes. I don’t think there’s any other way to be free from him. It’s almost as bad as my mother, except my mother didn’t ask for it-she did it to save Peyton. Leo-he wanted to become one of those monsters. He chose the path. And he did it for glory and money and power. He’s going to be far more dangerous than Lannan, mark my words. Lannan likes to humiliate, but he’s behaving himself around your father and Grieve. Leo doesn’t have that much restraint.”

“Lannan’s been alive for thousands of years. He has more control over his actions, though he’s far more powerful than Leo can possibly be at this point.”

“True, but Geoffrey is Leo’s sire and mentor. That makes him dangerous. Geoffrey is as powerful as Lannan, isn’t he?” Rhiannon frowned. “When you get past one or two thousand years…can another thousand make any difference?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. Lannan’s older than Geoffrey, and chances are he could be the Regent if he wanted to be. But Lannan doesn’t want the responsibility.”

Kaylin flipped the windshield wipers to high speed as the snow began to fall thicker and faster. “Not to change the subject, but I don’t like this. This storm is setting in to be a bad one. We can’t spend a lot of time talking to the Petros woman-I want to get home before too late, and the roads are going to be bad. They’re already icing up even though it looks like they were plowed this morning.”

Even as he spoke, the car swerved and he eased into the skid, avoiding a fishtail as he lowered the speed and leaned forward to look out the window, keeping his eyes firmly on the road. The windshield wipers were going full speed but could barely keep up with the snowfall.

“As I said, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

“That seems to be the general theme of our life lately, doesn’t it?” I glanced at the map on my phone. “Penny’s Pit Stop is near the entrance to the town. Take the exit leading to North Kelsey Street, then turn onto West Elizabeth. The restaurant should be a block or two down from there.”

Kaylin glanced over his shoulder briefly at Rhiannon. “Fasten your seat belt again, please. We’re in dangerous territory. Ice and sleet on the road, snow coming down. I really don’t want to worry that if we have an accident, you’ll go sailing through the back window or something.”

Rhiannon settled back in her seat and fastened the belt. Another two slip-and-slide moments, and another fifteen minutes put us on the streets of Monroe. It felt odd to enter a town that wasn’t under siege, at least not yet. But if Myst wasn’t stopped, she would spread the cancer of the Indigo Court in this direction, and eventually, everywhere. Thanks to Myst’s long winter, it seemed like we were headed toward another “Little Ice Age.”

But as we entered Monroe, the constriction in my chest loosened and for the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe as I looked out the windows. No vampires were out and about yet-but vampires weren’t the danger here. No, the holiday shoppers went about their lives, blissfully unaware of the war going on just a stretch down the highway.

A glowing neon sign in the parking lot of Penny’s Pit Stop cut through the gloom. The brilliant blue and yellow lights led us into the lot, which had been plowed earlier, but the empty parking spaces were beginning to cover over again. Kaylin gingerly parked in a spot that seemed the least likely to keep us prisoner.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief-we’d actually made it here in one piece-I slipped out of the car. Almost immediately, I was hit by the cold, my breath sucked out of me in one quick rush. I snuggled my jacket tighter around me, and covered my nose with my hand, trying to warm the air before it hit my lungs. Rhiannon and Kaylin joined me, and we hurried across the compacted snow toward the entrance and pushed through the door.

The blast of heat was like honey on warm bread. It oozed over me and I let out a long sigh, breathing deeply. The ache in my side eased as I was able to take a full breath without the slashing cold driving deep into my side.

“Welcome to Penny’s Pit Stop. I’m Rae-Ann. May I help you?” The hostess hurried over, though one glance around the place told me that Penny was going to be taking it easy tonight. Only three tables held patrons, and one booth had a woman sitting in it-Ysandra.

I pointed to the booth. “We’re here to meet her.”

As Rae-Ann led us through the carpeted dining room, quiet music played in the background. It wasn’t wet-dream elevator music but classical, and it soothed my thoughts as I tried to relax.

Ysandra looked as prim and proper as I remembered-with a high-button, ruffled yoke shirt in a rich plum that contrasted with her black skirt. Her blond hair was pulled back in a chignon, with lacquered chopsticks holding it in place. A pair of leather driving gloves were neatly folded across her handbag. And it was a proper handbag, double strap, designer by the looks, in classic ecru.

She wore half-glasses, and if I tried to put an age on her, I’d place her somewhere between thirty and seventy, which pretty much meant I had no clue-she didn’t look old but she didn’t feel young. Ysandra was one of the magic-born and a very powerful witch. We slid into the booth as she gestured for us to join her. As she closed her menu, she smiled.

“Kaylin, Cicely, Rhiannon-I’m pleased to see you again.”

The waitress waited until we were seated before handing us menus.

“Please, my treat. Have a bite to eat.” Ysandra glanced at the three of us. “Peyton isn’t joining us?”

I shook my head. “Family business. Her father returned. He’s been gone since she was young.” Not sure how to approach what we were about to tell her, I glanced through the menu.

The waitress waited, pencil poised over her pad. “Do you need a few minutes, or do you know what I can get for you folks?”

Ysandra nodded at me. “Please, go ahead.”

I folded the menu. “Cheeseburger, please, with a salad instead of fries. And hot chocolate. I’m allergic-anaphylactic-to fish and shellfish. Please tell the chef.”

“You got it, honey. And I’ll make sure the chef knows about your allergy.” She jotted down a note on the pad.

Rhiannon handed her the menu. “Chicken soup and grilled cheese. Hot chocolate sounds good.”

“And for you, hon?” She turned to Ysandra and I stifled a giggle. Anybody who called Ysandra “hon” was a brave, brave woman.

Ysandra apparently thought so, too, by the look on her face, but she was polite enough to avoid commenting. “A bowl of your creamy potato soup and turkey on rye, please. No mayonnaise. Butter instead.”

The waitress nodded, jotting it down. She looked over at Kaylin and a slow smile spread across her lips as she drank him in. I glanced at him. He’d been handsome when I met him, but ever since the night-veil demon awaked in his soul, his charm had increased.

“Burger and fries. A large glass of milk.” He gave her a half wink and she hurried off, giggling.

“You have a way with the ladies, young man.” Ysandra gave him a measured smile. “How does your wife feel about your flirting?”

I sucked in a deep breath. Time for the truth. “Yeah, about that. We have a lot to tell you, and I’m not quite sure how to start. It’s complicated.”

“Perhaps at the beginning? That’s generally the easiest, most direct route.” She folded her hands, patiently waiting. I could feel a slight hum of energy surrounding her.

Magic…she’s using some sort of magic. Ulean swept by.

Can she sense you?

I don’t know. She is a powerful witch, but I cannot fathom where her powers lie.

I glanced at the others, then steeled my courage and dove in, telling her-as briefly as I could-how I’d been called back here to find Marta dead at the hands of the Indigo Court, the Thirteen Moons Society defunct, my aunt turned into a vampire, the Summer Court rousted from their woodlands, Myst taking over the Golden Wood, myself embroiled in a lopsided deal with Geoffrey and the vampires, Lannan’s hold on me, and the burning of the Veil House. She remained silent as I continued to lay out the fallout from the whole mess.

“When you showed up the other day, we were afraid-we didn’t know what to tell you and I’d been ordered to keep my mouth shut by Geoffrey. We panicked and Kaylin thought we’d appear more stable if we told you we were married. The truth is, we’re not and we have no plans to be.”

I sat back, shutting my mouth as abruptly as I’d opened it. I’d kept a few things from her. I did not tell her about the heartstones. I wasn’t ready to, not until we found Lainule’s gem and returned it to her.

Ysandra’s expression remained calm as the waitress set out our drinks, but I could feel the wheels turning at a furious pace. After a moment, she withdrew a sheaf of papers from a briefcase sitting by her side. Pushing them across the table, to me, she handed me a pen.

“Fill these out. Now. I’m authorized to offer a special dispensation and induct you directly into the Consortium in case of an emergency. And I think we’ve long passed that state. We’ve known about some of this for a long time but haven’t had the chance to investigate it. Had we realized how bad it’s gotten, we’d have already been into New Forest. With the town under siege, and since you are Marta’s heir, that makes you the magical authority for New Forest. We need to seal this officially and bring you and your Society into the Consortium. Have you picked a name for yourselves?”

I nodded. “The Moon Spinners. We’ve held a couple of brief rituals to bind ourselves, but that’s all we’ve had time for.”

“Then the Moon Spinners it will be. And all you need is the consent of all members. Their names, please? List them on that field there. And also, you need to list the person whom you would choose to lead the group should something happen to you. Do not select your cousin. Do not ask why.” She pointed to several blank lines on the form.

As I stared at the form, my mind reeling, Kaylin cleared his throat.

“It does not bother you that we aren’t all of the magic-born? Peyton’s half-werepuma. Grieve is…well…Cambyra Fae and Indigo Court. Chatter is Cambyra Fae. Even Cicely here…”

“Yummanii, magic-born, Were, contrary to rumor, we do not care about heritage as long as the applicant wields magic in some form and is willing to abide by the Consortium’s rules.” She let out a long sigh. “This will also protect your lover from being targeted by our members. Because the moment you sign that form, the Indigo Court becomes the enemy of the Consortium.”

“You don’t need to check out our story?”

“Oh, trust me, I know you are telling the truth.” A sly smile fluttered across her face.

Deciding not to press the matter-I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer anyway-I paused, my pen hovering over the form. “The vampires already own me. Can I legally sign this contract as well as the one with them?”

“Unfortunately, Geoffrey’s contract will not be nullified by the tricks he attempted to pull. However, your contract with the Consortium does not conflict with your connection to the vampires, and we are not claiming you as an employee. We are requiring you to swear an oath not to betray us, but that should not conflict with your servitude to the Vampire Nation.” She grimaced even as she said the words.

I hung my head. “I did what I had to.”

“I never said you made the wrong choice. We all do what we have to when duty calls. That is one of the hardest lessons in life. Sometimes we are required to do what we do not wish to do. Sometimes we sacrifice our own happiness for the good of the whole.”

We fell silent as the waitress brought our food. The smell was tantalizing-it had been a while since we’d had a decent meal, but I still felt awkward, as if I’d confessed dirty secrets to Ysandra. As the waitress spread out our food, I toyed with my burger.

“Eat. You need the strength. I am not judging you, Cicely.” Ysandra’s voice was gentle and the look on her face, concerned.

She speaks the truth. Give her a chance. This one’s energy is helpful and powerful. She speaks only when she’s thought through her words. She says what she means. As Ulean gusted around me, Ysandra shivered.

“Cicely, would you tell your Elemental to hold off on the breeze? It’s cold enough outside without bringing the storm in here.” Ysandra winked at me.

I jumped. “You know I have a Wind Elemental? How did you find out?”

“I think the question is more how can I not know?” She spooned her soup, properly and with a sense of authority. “Eat. Then finish the paperwork and we’ll be off. The sooner I get back to the Consortium, the quicker we can discuss how we can help you.”

I bit into my sandwich, holding it with my right hand as I finished filling out the forms with my left. I had a feeling some of the horror stories I’d heard of the Consortium had been exacerbated by those who had been rejected by the organization.

Rhiannon swigged down her drink, then opened the pamphlet that Ysandra handed her. “Rules and bylaws?”

Ysandra nodded. “There is an expected level of decorum. Once a member, during any time when you officially represent the Consortium, you must abide by certain regulations. This means that any function the Moon Spinners attend as a group, you are attending as members of the Consortium. It also plays into your magical business, Cicely, and that of Peyton’s. There are ethical standards you will be expected to abide by.”

“Somehow I doubt we’ll be needing those rules, since both our businesses went up in smoke when the Veil House burned.” I smiled ruefully. “We can rebuild, but it’s going to take money, which we don’t have. And we have to eliminate Myst first. If we went back now, she’d just send her Shadow Hunters after us again.”

Ysandra dabbed the side of her lips with her napkin. “Money is not necessarily an issue. The Consortium has its own worldwide financial institutions for our members. We issue our own credit cards, make loans, offer complete banking services-everything you could possibly need. Open only to members, of course, and their immediate families.”

Startled, I laughed. The sudden turn in the discussion seemed so alien from what we’d been discussing. “Do you offer a free toaster with every new account?”

Ysandra chuckled as she tucked the papers into her briefcase and handed me a certificate, already prepared, with the Moon Spinners name, and my own, on it. “No, but we offer a free prosperity charm or a dozen green enchanted candles. Will that suffice?” And with that the tension seemed to break and we all relaxed and finished our meals.

Kaylin glanced at his watch. “We’d better get moving. It’s growing dark, the roads are treacherous, and the danger increases after dark.”

As Ysandra began to stand, I stopped her. “You had the certificate already prepared. And you seem…I don’t know…when we told you about Myst you were quiet, but you didn’t seem terribly surprised.”

Her gaze flickered from my face to Rhiannon’s, then to Kaylin’s. “The Consortium makes it our business to know everything we need to know. I knew that I’d be giving you that certificate today. One of our seers told the Council that it would be necessary. And…as to Myst…as I said, we’ve always known about the Indigo Fae.”

I must have looked startled because she laughed lightly and touched my arm. A tingle raced through my body like a jolt of lightning-not painful but not exactly pleasant. But it was strong enough to leave me jarred.

“The vampires think they have an exclusive hold on that knowledge, but they are mistaken. The Vein Lords have long considered themselves to be the top of the food chain, but they have never crossed the Consortium. They have no real clue about the power our Society wields. And we intend to keep it that way until the day they choose to waken the sleeping dragon.”

Her lips stopped moving, but I could still hear her inside my head. Cicely, know this: If push comes to shove, the vampires could never win against us. And we should prove a sturdy force against Myst. We have an elite task force with whom I will discuss this situation. That is all I can tell you for now. Keep the knowledge to yourselves, and do not tell Lannan Altos or any of the vampires. But look for us to send help shortly.

I glanced at Kaylin and Rhiannon. They, too, wore surprised looks and I had the feeling they’d heard everything I had. We all nodded.

As we headed for the door, I asked, “What magic do you work with? You are one of the magic-born, correct?”

She nodded. “I am. I work with pure energy. The energy of thought, of communication, and of lightning.”

I pushed open the door and we headed out into the snow. As we were about to separate, her to her car and us to ours, a growl-low and threatening-alerted me.

Incoming. Werewolves. At least five.

Shit! I hadn’t been prepared for a fight. My belly was full and I was already tired from the altercation with the day-runners earlier. I whirled around to see the pack headed for us.

“Werewolves!” They didn’t look like they were from the Lupa Clan. In fact, they looked even surlier and nastier.

“I smell the stench of magic-born.” The tallest one stepped forward and-before I could say or do anything-he threw a punch my way, hitting me in the stomach and knocking me back into a snowbank.

Kaylin had his shurikens out within seconds, and Rhiannon jumped back, squinting as she whispered some chant. I struggled to my feet.

Ysandra, on the other hand, simply placed her briefcase and bag down behind her in the snow and held up one hand, palm toward the lycanthropes. They jostled for position, but within a moment a shockwave raced through the air, knocking all of us on our butts. The werewolves looked startled, nervous.

Kaylin grabbed Rhiannon and helped her up, then me.

Ysandra simply stood where she was.

“You have a choice.” Her voice was even and so scary cold that it frightened even me. “You can turn tail and leave us be, or you can lose your hearing forever, along with your equilibrium. If you don’t think I can do it, you’d be sadly mistaken. I am no youthful witch, new to her magic.”

One of the werewolves started forward, but the leader shook his head, grabbing the man by the arm. “She’s Consortium,” was all he said, and the five began to back away, hands in the air.

“Get in your car and drive out of here now.” Ysandra gave a little nod to us. “Do as I say.”

“But will you be safe if we go?” We couldn’t just leave her standing there.

She let out a cold, harsh laugh that seemed incongruous with her looks. “Do not let appearances deceive you, Cicely. Trust on instinct rather than what you see.”

Kaylin motioned to the car. “Get in. Do as she says.”

I started to protest, but Ulean swept around me in a spinning vortex.

Do as Kaylin says. Do as the witch says. She is far more than you perceive-I can see her energy now and it is frightening in its power. She could destroy the werewolves’ hearing with a whistle, she could rupture their eardrums with one clap of the hands. She does not need our help.

The intensity of Ulean’s thoughts hit me like a brick. She wasn’t joking. I nodded, backing up to the car, keeping one eye on the werewolves who stood near their trucks, staring at us. Rhiannon and I climbed in as Kaylin turned the ignition.

Ysandra called out something-I couldn’t quite catch what because I was too busy gawking rather than listening to the slipstream-and the werewolves turned, jumped in their trucks, and peeled out of the parking lot.

As we headed in the opposite direction, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Ysandra picked up her briefcase and bag like nothing had happened, daintily stepped into her sedan, and within seconds, she’d driven off into the night.