Endless Magic (Stella Mayweather Series Book 6) (11 page)

"I can send someone else. Astra and Seren can collect it."

"No, it has to be me," I told her, recalling the picture of my hands reaching for the book. "I don't think the book can be found by anyone else."

"You're sure?"

"No, but the book is, and it’s never been wrong before. I need to get it; otherwise I don't know how to find the answers we need, not without alerting everyone to what we're looking for."

Étoile gave a slow shake of her head. "It's too dangerous."

"I can take back up with me. I can be there and back in under an hour."

"You don't even know where this book is hidden."

"I can use divining crystals... or... or Seren and David could write a spell."

"It's too risky."

"I could take Evan." I threw it out there; he was the most dangerous person I knew, the person on whom I could absolutely rely for my safety. And someone The Brotherhood knew better than to screw with. I'd already thought to ask for his company on another mission and I didn't need to remind Étoile that we could be in and out of my house without being seen; she was well aware of our talents. All I could do was fix her with a determined look and hope she acquiesced. "I need to do this," I told her after an uncomfortable minute of silence passed. "That book has the answers; and only I can find it."

"What's your plan?" Étoile asked, barely concealing a sigh.

"Evan and I head directly to my house. We shimmer inside. As soon as we retrieve the book, we shimmer back here. That's it."

"And your precautionary measures?"

"We tell no one. No one even knows we left The Amethyst. If The Brotherhood are watching the building, they'll never detect our absence. We'll be back before anyone even misses us."

"What does Evan think of this plan?"

"I haven't told him yet."

"You better ask him. I'll need to speak with you both."

I nodded, taking that as a sign that Étoile was seriously considering letting me go. I wondered if I would have gone anyway, without her permission. The daring little swell in the pit of my stomach told me I would. Étoile might have been my elected president, but she wasn't my captor, or my keeper. That reminded me, "I'm reading my medical file and I still want this tracking chip removed."

"You can read the file. The chip is non-negotiable."

"Everything is negotiable."

Étoile fixed me with a steely look, which I returned just as easily. "It can be removed once we're sure your health isn't compromised in anyway."

"Deal, but I want to be kept updated on all the readings." I held up my medical file, using it to give Étoile a little wave as I left the office, and nodding to Clare. I was sure she would face Étoile's wrath for the mistake of leaving the file out in the open, but I couldn't care less. Clare was complicit in keeping that secret from me, and it was only through luck that I discovered the truth. If I hadn't knocked over her paperwork, I would never have known about the implanted chip. Tucking the file into my bag, along with the horologican, I slung it over my shoulder before using my hand to palpate each arm. There it was; a tiny, little bump in the back of my left arm, just under the skin and barely noticeable.

  I had to keep my annoyance in check. If I didn't, who knew what could happen? Maybe I'd shake the windows out of the building. The rational part of me understood Étoile's motives: of course, she wanted to keep me safe. Yes, it was puzzling. That little block in my mind concealing something potentially so awful that I may never want to know what it was and I hadn't known it was there until now. However, that fiercely autonomous part of me still wanted to be party to anything involving me. I insisted on being the queen of my own body and refused to let anyone else make my decisions for me. The chip was a small price to pay for that.

By the time I reached Evan, he was alone in his room, and my anger was fizzling rather than sizzling. Even so, he knew immediately that something was wrong.

"It's nothing," I told him, stepping inside. "A minor disagreement."

"Something you want to talk about?"

"No, it's done for now."

"You know where to find me," he said, thankfully letting the issue drop.

"I do. I'm not sure I like what you've done with the place." I looked around his room. It was far from a non-descript, bland room now. Instead, Evan had tripled his large stack of books from the Council's archives. They were spread across his desk and a strange arrangement of photos and documents were tacked to his wall. I thought it looked like the murder board of a fanatic serial killer, the type I often saw on TV shows. It was nothing like the neat, orderly Evan I knew, but then again, hadn't everyone changed?

Running my hands over the books, I noted the titles. They included everything from a history of dark magic, to necromancy, and defence magic to offensive. "What is all this?" I asked.

"Research. I'm preparing our training schedule."

"I thought you were just going to ambush me and throw bombs." Evan smirked and I felt myself deflating. "Oh, you were! Evan!" I squeaked.

"The enemy won't call ahead so you can prepare. You'll need to defend and attack on instinct."

"My day just seems to get better and better."

"Since this isn't a social call, what do you need?"

"Your help."

"I figured. What am I helping you with this time?"

"I need you to be my bodyguard, and maybe someone to do the heavy lifting with the shimmering," I said, cutting directly to the chase. All the research would have to wait until I had the next puzzle piece.

"Go on."

"I have to retrieve something from my house and I need your help to get there and back, safely and undetected."

"It isn't something that you can call to you? Or delegate to someone else to retrieve?" Evan guessed.

I nodded. "No, it's something only I can get."

He pondered that, his face indecipherable. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible. It's very important."

"Are you going to tell me what it is? Or is this another mystery trip?"

"I will tell you, I promise."

"Is it something dangerous?"

"No, but its value is rather high. That's all I can tell you until we get back. I'm sorry."

Evan shrugged, like it was of little importance. Whether that was owing to my apology, or because I wouldn't tell him, I didn't know. Instead, all I could do was wait patiently while he stared at me, his eyes assessing mine. Finally, he reached out a hand. I placed mine in his as he said, "Let's go."

"Now?"

"Sure."

"Don't we need to plan?"

"Is it something that needs planning?"

"I hate it when you answer a question with a question! Plus, I need to return my rucksack to my room. I don't want to carry it with me." I started to move towards the door. "Give me ten minutes and we can go, and Evan?"

"Yes?"

"Don't tell a soul. We have to be prepared for anything."

"Believe me, I'm a lot more prepared than you."

I tugged open the door, turning to face him at the threshold. "What do you mean? I'm prepared!"

"I meant, you haven't even buttoned your blouse properly. This button is messed up." Evan reached for the placket of my blouse, loosening the button on my chest and popping it open. I couldn't wrench my eyes from his as the radiance of his hands infused my body, sending warm shivers down my spine as he buttoned my blouse.

"Thanks," I whispered. My voice caught in my throat, recalling other times when this would have happened a lot differently.

"Anytime." He smiled down at me, stepping closer, until all of me was caught in the orbit of his heat. My cheeks flushed, my lips parted... and a flash of movement in the corner of my eye broke the moment.

At the end of the corridor stood Gage, glowering like a thunder cloud as he turned away.

Chapter Twelve

My home was covered in a fine layer of dust. I spotted a cobweb still in mid-construction above the television in the living room, with a fat spider clinging to the middle. "Begone," I whispered, waving my fingers until it vanished. Dust motes hung in the air around us, disturbed by our sudden materialisation. That was thanks to Evan who insisted I save my power. The air smelled stale, and large, white sheets covered my furniture. It was just like the day I first arrived, carrying little more than a key and a scrap of paper with the address.

"Seren and Astra didn't know when you were coming back," Evan said, noting my frown at the covers. "They packed up the best they could."

"In case I never returned," I finished, not needing an answer. Evan didn't give one. We both knew what the score was. I disappeared and no one expected to ever see me again. I wondered what I thought about while I was captive. Was I afraid? I knew I would have missed everyone. Did I think about Evan while I was gone? Part of me was still grateful my only memories of that time were what I saw played right out of my head, at the same time as everyone else. I didn't have a chance, nor the will, to delve any further into the subject during my private time.

"Can you get the thing?" asked Evan as he crossed to the windows. He pulled aside one curtain just a fraction and surveyed the outside.

"I don't actually know where it is," I admitted.

"Best hurry. We don't want to be here too long."

"Something wrong?"

"I don't know. Probably just anxious, given the circumstances. You best find whatever it is as fast as possible."

I turned away from him, wondering where to look first. I should have asked the horologican for a better clue than simply the images of my house before it ended with my finding the book. I should have asked it to pinpoint a location. For all I knew, it could have been buried six feet beneath the house, or hidden in the rafters, or behind a false wall. I should have asked for more time too, so Seren could have prepared a location spell for me. At least, I had the foresight to grab my divining crystal from my room before we shimmered. "I'm not sure how long this will take," I told him as I reached into my pocket. My fingertips grazed the cool crystal and I tugged at the silver chain, pulling it out.

"Won't it be wherever you last placed it?" Evan asked with a grin at his joke.

"Haha. I didn't put it anywhere. Someone else did."

"Call them."

"I think they're dead."

Evan dropped the curtain, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern. "There is definitely something important you're not telling me. What is it? I can help look. It might save us time."

"It's a book. A very old book."

"Title? Author?"

"Neither."

"Big? Small? Is it..."

"I don't know! I've never seen it!" I interrupted before he could ask another question.

"We're looking for a book you've never seen before, without an author or title," Evan mused before blinking. It's funny when you catch a demon by surprise. It's almost as if he couldn't believe something bypassed him, not when he’s so big and scary. Evan might only have had half the demon lineage, but the expression on his face just then was exactly the same. "It's a horologican," he said, sounding surprised.

"Yes. I was told there was one here and I need to retrieve it. It's important."

"I know that, or we wouldn't have potentially risked our lives to come here to get it, but a horologican? It's not Chyler's. I know you saw that one before."

"Chyler's is at the hotel. She only arrived to give it to me when The Brotherhood sent their message. I thought it was the one I needed, but apparently, there’s another one here with the answers, and it showed me actually opening it."

"The one you need? For what?" Evan's voice lost the jovial, conversational tone it formerly held, and turned sceptical, if not annoyed.

"Can I explain this later, please?" I implored, "We don't have much time. I'm going to divine its location."

I waited for his smart reply, insisting that he know exactly what I needed the book for, but Evan wasn't listening. Not to me, anyway. I opened my mouth to say his name, but he held up a forefinger, gesturing for me to wait.

"Someone's here," he said. "I think we activated something by materialising here."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I don't want to send my magic out in case I trigger something else. Find the book while I check things out." Evan disappeared.

I was glad not to be alone in the house. Even with Evan annoyed, he was a comforting presence. Despite his heat signature lingering, icy chills ran through me. As I glanced towards the door, I could see my past shadow self crossing to open it, laughing, with the phone in my hand. I had to close my eyes and cover my ears to stop the sound of me screaming Evan's name.

Then, arms surrounded me and I struggled, fighting to free myself as tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Stella! It's me! Stop fighting!" Evan spoke softly in my ear as I struggled, straining to register what he was saying. I wasn't being kidnapped. I was okay. Somehow, I'd fallen back into my memory. "What happened?" I whispered. "It was so real. I don't know what happened."

"Shush. It's okay. I was only gone a minute or two when I heard you scream. I thought someone had gotten inside." 

"It was a flashback. I saw myself answering the door. I saw Auberon..."

"Shh." Evan pulled me against his chest, laying his hand protectively across the back of my head. "He isn't here. Flashbacks are part of the healing process. It's your mind’s way of dealing with the trauma."

"But you said someone was here... It felt so real."

"I didn't see anyone, but yes, I think someone has been watching your house, just as we expected they would. Can you find the book? I'd like to leave as quickly as we can. You're safer at The Amethyst."

"Yes, yes, I... I was going to do that. I'm ready."

"You're sure?"

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, steeling myself as my cheeks dried. This could not be the moment I snapped. I had a task, and I intended to complete it. The whole supernatural world was relying on me to find this artefact; or they would be, if they knew about it. Some of them would, no doubt, want to kill me for it.

I shook out the divining crystals chain, letting it fall between my fingers. Slowly, I began to turn it into a circle, having no idea if it would work. All my previous attempts at locating lost items involved knowing what the thing or person was, while moving the crystal over a map. Never before did I try to find something that I couldn't envisage or in such a relatively small location.

Starting in the living room, I sent searching magic into the chain. I waited as it infused the crystal before I began to spin it in slow circles as I moved around, concentrating on the book being found.

I tried not to look at Evan as I walked back and forth across the room, while the crystal dispersed its magic energy as it moved. When I noticed him nudge the curtains aside once more, I willed myself to focus on the task, and not what could be waiting to attack us. Whatever was agitating Evan was not my concern now. My only priority was finding the book.

"It's not in the living room," I told him. "I'm going to check the kitchen, and then the bedrooms."

"Go ahead," replied Evan, turning to move to the door. He rested his ear against it, listening for something I couldn't fathom.

Passing quickly into the kitchen, I repeated the divining process, circling the crystal across the floor and then over the countertops. I made sure I checked under the table and even around the fridge. Nothing.

Frustrated, I moved into my bedroom next, and then the guest rooms. Each time, the crystal refused to exert any pull.

"Any luck?" asked Evan, appearing silently behind me, and causing me to jump.

"Nothing. Maybe I'm doing it wrong."

"I doubt that."

"Why?"

"Because you had excellent teachers and an innate talent for magic. Keep looking. Where's left?"

"The bathroom, the sunroom, the dining room. What was that?" I took an involuntary step towards the window as something moving fast caught my eye.

"Werewolf."

"Oh?"

"I called them when I checked outside. They sent a small patrol to circle the house, out of sight."

"What do you think is out there?"

"I don't know."

Another thought dawned on me. "People know we're here now."

"I didn't say you or I were here; I just said we got a report of a magical surge near the house and someone local needed to check it out."

"Oh. Good thinking."

"Do the sunroom next and be quick."

"It has full-length glass windows. I'll be seen there."

"I checked when you were in the kitchen, and someone drew the curtains there too. I think you'll be fine. It's better to do it now while it's still light than when it's dark. Any light that’s on will cast shadows."

"Point taken."

After a mere few minutes, I discovered the sunroom was also a dud. There was no horologican secreted anywhere within it, although I did take a moment to appreciate how neat and tidy it appeared without all the disintegrating piles of Council archive boxes. I wondered who, if anyone, took over my job in my absence. That was something I hadn't even thought about, and now my head was filled with the momentous task at hand I had to file it away for future thought. "I'm starting to wonder if the horologican was lying to me," I said, returning to the living room where Evan waited. "Or I got it wrong somehow."

"How often is that thing wrong?"

"Never, to my knowledge, but I've never asked it to help me like this before." I swung the crystal as I spoke, amusing myself by turning it in circles before swinging it into the air, when it suddenly pulled taut. We both stared up at it, suspended mid-air. A gentle tug from the crystal tightened the chain wrapped around my fingers.

"Is it supposed to do that?" asked Evan.

"I don't know." The crystal tugged again, drawing the chain completely taut. I stepped forwards and the crystal floated away at the full length of its chain. I took another step and the same thing happened. So, I took another, then another, following the crystal until gradually, it levitated above me. Raising my hand firmly above my head, I stepped into the small dining area attached to the living room. It was a space I rarely used since I mostly ate in the kitchen, and it was now bathed in the late afternoon sun.

Dragging a chair out, I stepped on it, loosening my grip on the crystal. The chain hung stiffly, rather than floating away, and the crystal didn't move from under the beam where its point rested. Whatever it wanted me to find was up there, but I wasn't nearly tall enough to see. Even with the chair, I still had to stand on my tiptoes to reach one hand up to the beam. I patted the wood, touching the small gnarls formed long ago in the wood, and layers of dust coated my fingers. I patted as far as I could reach to the left and then back again to the right. At the join was a small cavity. Taking a deep breath, and hoping there weren't any spiders, I slipped my hand inside and felt a small package. Easing it out with my thumb and forefinger until I could grasp it, I gave it one last tug before it was free. The crystal dropped and so did I. I closed my eyes, using my hand to cover my face for the impact that never came.

"Gotcha," said Evan, as he set me on my feet. My heart was thumping with anticipation that happily gave way to relief.

"Thank you."

"That it?" We stared at the brown paper parcel in my hand. I eased the twine knot open, letting it fall to the floor, then peeled back the paper. Judging by all the dust and the ancient cobweb covering it, it must have been up there a long time. The paper fell away, revealing a thick, little book covered in multicoloured leather and finished with iron embellishments that wrapped around the spine and edges. They joined in the middle and created a fastening. It opened as I brushed my thumb across it and the pages fluttered. Colours, like none I'd even seen before, seeped from it, drifting around us like smoke.

"I've felt magic imbued in books before, but this is something else," said Evan, totally awed.

I tried to bounce a finger off a swirl of pink as it wafted past my nose, but my finger slipped right through it. I felt the magic despite its absence of physical form; the colours similar in substance to air. I could see it, feel it, and pass my fingers through it, but I couldn't touch it. I started to turn the page when I saw a flash of fur streaking past the window, heading for the front of the house. "The wolves are getting closer," I said. "I thought you told me they were patrolling out of sight."

"That's what we agreed. Do you have somewhere to put the book while I check out front?"

"Yes, I can fit it here," I said, tucking it inside the inner pocket of my jacket. It nestled against my chest, not exactly comfortably, given its hard edges and metal embellishments.

"There's a werewolf on the lawn," said Evan, thumbing the curtain open a fraction. I stooped next to him, peeking, and watched the werewolf bend on its front legs, touching its nose to the ground. There was something very familiar about the markings.