Shattered Circle

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Ailo took a step and nearly fell. Talto rushed toward her. With her sister’s arm supporting her, Ailo found walking much easier. They made it to the door. Talto looked back. “You come with us, Sil.”

“Why?” Ailo asked. “She needs to—”

“We need time,” Talto explained. “Get back to kissing the guard,” she added over her shoulder to Silhouette.

The sisters were down the stairs and stumbling toward the entry when they heard the clacking sound of Risqué’s heels. Talto spun around, pulling Ailo with her as if to watch the striptease Silhouette had started for the guard.

Risqué traipsed into the room and stopped dead.

“What gives, Sil?”

Both the Offerling and the guard jerked at the sound of her voice. “Why aren’t you with the kid?”

Silhouette didn’t answer, but she did move away from the guard.

Risqué stomped forward and grabbed the discarded shirt from the floor. “I’ll be damned if I’m gonna wear a shirt and let you streak around here. What if Goliath saw you?”

Risqué turned back toward the doorway. Seeing Ailo and Talto loitering a few feet within the room, she scowled. “You two can go do your voyeuristic skulking somewhere else.” She pointed at the doorway.

Ailo pulled Talto with her and moved for the door. She felt her sister’s thoughts via her grip on Talto’s arm and knew the youngest had stuck her tongue out at Risqué. Ailo stopped short of passing through the doorway and watched what happened.

“Seriously, Vinny. Don’t let them loiter like that,” Risqué said.

He glanced at his phone. “Don’t let who loiter?”

Risqué rolled her eyes. To Sil, she said, “Next time an Offerling wants to waste my time, you tell them to kiss off.”

Sil’s expression dropped into confusion. “She said it was important.”

“She was wrong. I assume the kid is still out?”

“She didn’t make a sound.”

“Like you’d know from down here.” Muttering not quite under her breath, Risqué stomped up the steps to the court witches’ suite and punched in the code.

Ailo put to memory the pattern that unlocked the door. Only then did she follow Talto across the stage.

“Did you find out what gift the girl received?” Talto asked.

Ailo nodded gravely. “The girl is a ward-breaker.”

“Ward-breaker,” Talto repeated in a whisper. “Amazing. She’s . . . she’s . . . invaluable.”

“She’s a tool,” Ailo said sharply. “Nothing more. Menessos did this for a reason.”

“We have to call Liyliy,” Talto said.

“I’ll do that,” Ailo said, taking out her phone. “You get to work on the computer aspect of our plan. Find out who runs the funds of this place. Read them. Open a new account. Learn how to make transfers.”

Talto nodded and hurried away.

Ailo stepped into the shadows and opened the phone. She did not call Liyliy, however. Instead, she called Persephone Alcmedi and, knowing no one would answer, waited for the voicemail.

“Hello, witch. I know you’ll wonder why I’m calling. I just want you to know that your pet vampire is quite busy. You see . . . he placed a spell upon someone, an in signum amoris spell. It gave him a measure of control and could possibly have been used to salvage his position as Haven Master, but that someone reversed the spell to be rid of it.” She giggled frighteningly. “He had to find another way to exert leverage over this someone. Don’t get me wrong—his intentions were pure when he rescued the child. But he’s not one to overlook an opportunity when it presents itself.” She paused. “Now the child is his guarantee. Should he ever need to exert some control over this someone—and you have to admit, bad eventualities do follow her around—he’ll be able to play this someone like a harp, plucking at her here and there until she’s doing exactly as he wishes.” Mirthful laughter taunted into the phone. “How does it make you feel, witch, knowing that she belongs to him now? Knowing that because of you she will live among the undead forever?”

Ailo hung up.

• • •

Talto walked up the stairs and made her unhurried way to the media room she and Ailo had been sitting in earlier. The Beholders were still there playing cards, so she slinked down the hall to a dark, private corner and took out her phone. Many minutes had passed; enough for Ailo to have called Liyliy. But something felt off to her. She dialed Liyliy.

“Did Ailo just call you?”

“No. Is she not with you?”

Talto’s expression darkened. “We are separated at the moment.” If Ailo did not do as she said she would now, how could she trust Ailo with the plan they were about to put into action? Worrying over this, Talto realized that Liyliy was panting. “Are you all right? Why are you out of breath?”

“I am hurrying to the place where I am to meet someone.”

“You are walking?” Talto remembered how her sister had been limping when she entered. They had healed Liyliy’s leg, but still, she had been through much tonight. Talto wished she was there to help Liyliy. She wished she was anywhere but here in this dreadful haven under the control of the one who put them into the stones. Her hand strayed to the chain about her neck. “Why did you not transform and fly?”

“I have tasted blood this night, but a sip only. I struggled with Mero to gain my exit, and now I do not have the means.”

Talto sniffled. “I’m sorry we couldn’t do more.”

“Do not cry, Talto. You did all you could. I’m nearly there. Go on. Tell me what has happened.”

“Ailo evaluated the girl.”

“And?”

“She’s . . . ” Talto wondered if there was any reason that Ailo would keep this news from Liyliy. It was good news, valuable news. It’s worth making this a secret only if she is planning on being devious to Liyliy . . . If her loyalty to Liyliy is fading, I’ve no hope.

“Talto?”

“The girl is a ward-breaker.”

Silence.

“Liyliy?”

“Praise all that is darkly glorious, Talto! This is beyond fortuitous. Truly.”

Talto grinned. “And we have a plan for Menessos.” She shared the details. “Should we progress with that or do you think we need to change things considering what we know about the child?” She hoped Liyliy would want them to abandon their other plan. Talto was not fond of any plan with the possibility of being tortured by Menessos or abandoned by Ailo.

“You are so brave, little one. You don’t know how proud I am of you right now.”

“But the plan?”

“Go ahead with it. You will likely create the distraction that allows us to abduct the girl. But do not worry, we will not forsake you, little sister. With her in our possession, they cannot keep us from saving you.”

• • •

Liyliy heard the fear in Talto’s voice. She knew the youngest of them would not have come up with such a plan, and she knew Talto was scared, but Liyliy could hardly contain her excitement long enough to reassure her sister.

At the word “ward-breaker” Liyliy’s heart leapt. The child could be used to free her sisters from their bondage. And what was more, this little girl could free them all from the influence of the necklace Mero had created to bind them with originally. If her sisters were successful in transferring the cash, and they were able to keep these funds from the authorities, they would have the means to build an army against their enemy. If that was unsuccessful, the girl could be used to get them into bank vaults.

Either way, they would have money, and money would do much to buy the aid of those who also hated Menessos.

I might not need Giovanni much longer.

She saw the van ahead, parked right where they had agreed. She was eager to sit and rest. “I must go now, Talto. We will talk again soon.”

• • •

Giovanni sat impatiently in the back of the van. The small amount of blood he had sipped from Adam, the driver, had bought time, but it was not enough to sate him.

Liyliy was late and he was hungry.

Then his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it free and connected to the wiretap device on Ailo’s phone. He listened as she left a taunting message for the witch and realized it was Persephone Alcmedi that Ailo had called earlier about the park. But he did not understand what she meant about the child living among the undead forever.

Had Menessos Made a child?

The pieces only started falling into place for him when, moment’s later, Talto made a call to Liyliy.

The news fascinated him. It stirred a desire for control so deep it swept him back in time for a moment, to the days of his true life, when he’d commanded an army. In his mortal days, when men lived and died at his command, he had known great power. Wielding magic, he imagined, must feel like having that supremacy had felt.

He had no magical ability of his own, but he could make grand use of a ward-breaker.

He’d be unstoppable with her in his control.

He wasn’t about to let his enemy possess and direct that kind of limitless resource—but he’d have to strike fast, while Menessos still thought no one knew about the girl’s power.

Adam turned in his seat and tapped on the glass that separated them. “Liyliy is coming, sir.”

“Start the engine. We must return downtown. To the Blood Culture.”