Grim Haven (Devilborn Book 1) (12 page)

Cillian Wick walked down the middle of the hall, Marjory and Asher on either side of him. They paused at each guest room they came to, Marjory on the left, Asher on the right, and placed a palm against the door before moving on.

Cooper stepped forward, as if to interfere, but I held him back. Instead I stopped and put my ear to one of the doors they’d passed.

I could hear guests inside. A man asking a question, something about dinner that night. A woman saying something in reply, laughing as she did.

They’re fine.

Cooper had stopped with me, but he was watching Marjory, Asher, and Wick, still making their silent way down the hall.

“Trust me,” I whispered. “They know they can’t hurt us. They’d have attacked you by now, if they could.”

“So what are they doing? Why are they even here?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t quite sure what their game was yet. “Trying to spook us?”

He smiled, just the tiniest bit, and leaned forward to whisper even more softly into my ear. “Then I don’t mind telling you, it’s working.”

I watched our enemies, nearing the end of the hall now. It was so tempting to just attack them while they were within reach. Even for me. I could only imagine what it was like for Cooper, who’d apparently been dreaming his whole life of a chance to hurt Cillian Wick.

And vice-versa, for that matter. Did Cillian know that the carriers kept their sapwood seeds on them at all times? Did he trust my magic, or his companions, or whatever their plan was, so much that he could resist just reaching out and trying to take it?

“Maybe that’s it, then,” I said. “They’re trying to provoke us. Marjory was Miss Underwood’s best friend. She knows the hotel. It’s possible she understands the magic I’ve been working here. They may want to draw us into trying to hurt one of them, as a way to break the protection spell.”

“Good thing you warned everyone that this is a defense-only operation,” Cooper said.

I nodded and gave him the sternest look I could manage. “Just you remember it.”

Cooper glowered at Wick, who was smiling at him. They were coming back our way. Cooper looked like he was ready to spring, but all he said was, “Your hotel, your show. For now.”

Just then, a family turned into the hall, two young boys running in front. The kids passed Cooper and I, but stopped dead when they saw the trio of terror.

Cillian grinned and put his hands on his knees, bending toward them. “Well, hello there. On vacation, are you? What will you be doing while you’re here?”

“Ian, Jake, don’t talk to strangers,” their mother said. She didn’t even bother putting a polite twist on it.

Their father stepped forward. “Can I help you?”

There shouldn’t have been anything suspicious—especially in the South—about a kindly, possibly sickly old man making vacation small talk with a couple of excited kids, in the presence of their parents and other witnesses. Maybe he was lonely. Maybe they reminded him of his own grandsons. Or maybe he was just nice. Under normal circumstances, the couple probably would have chatted him up for a while. Even told him all about their boys.

But they must have felt what I did, even if only subconsciously: power.
Angry
power.

It was emanating not from Cillian, but from Asher and Marjory behind him. They were trying to work magic to harm these people. Cursing them.

Why, when they hadn’t tried to hurt us?

Because civilians make easier targets.

Asher caught my eye, and flicked his tongue at me. Disgusting pig. It was all I could do not to attack him.

Which was probably exactly what he wanted. But now more than ever, I had to stick to my defense plan. I gathered up my own power, and pushed my will outward as hard as I could, focusing on the words of one of my spells.

All are safe at the Mount Phearson Hotel.

My magic wasn’t especially strong outside my stories, as a rule, but I’d already infused so much energy through the hotel. All I needed to do was tap into it.

All are safe at the Mount Phearson hotel.

I felt my force of will pushing against Marjory’s and Asher’s. The air was thick with pressure. One of my ears actually popped. The moment felt like it stretched on for ages.

And then time moved again. The hostility faded as quickly as it had come, and Cillian straightened up, cupping an ear and smiling at the boys’ father.

“What’s that?” Wick asked.

“I asked if we could help you with something,” the father said, but his voice was less firm now. He seemed confused.

“No, no,” said Wick. “Got two grandkids just about their age, is all. Sorry to have troubled you.”

The family moved on without saying anything more, and Cillian kept walking up the hall toward us, his companions beside him.

Cooper stepped in front of me as they approached, but he needn’t have bothered. The three of them kept their apparent vow of silence. They didn’t so much as look at us. They rounded the corner and started down another hallway, repeating their routine with the doors.

I followed behind them, placing my own palm against each door Marjory or Asher touched.

All are safe at the Mount Phearson Hotel.

In the meanwhile, Cooper texted the others, making sure they understood how important it was that they not get aggressive, no matter how they were provoked. I’d expected Wick and Marjory to come after us. But they were going after guests. If the protection spell fell apart, a lot of people could get hurt.

That won’t happen. I’ve made sure of it, and I’ll keep right on making sure. All are safe at the Mount Phearson Hotel.

When they’d finished their tour of the second floor, Cillian, Marjory, and Asher went down to the lobby and resumed their seats in front of the fire, calm as you please. They still hadn’t spoken a word, apart from Wick’s interaction with the family. Not even to each other.

I saw no sign of Lance, but Agatha was behind the desk. “There was nothing going on,” she said defensively when I approached her. “And Lance had a conference call he needed to take. He’s upstairs in our office.”

“That’s fine, but I need you to keep an eye on them,” I said, jerking my chin toward the rocking chairs. “Text me if they so much as change seats.”

Agatha nodded, and Cooper and I went to see what was going on with the others. We found Wendy outside Colonel Phearson’s Pub, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. The restaurant was almost ready to open, and already had a menu hanging outside its locked doors.

Gathered around the menu were Elise Minnow, a plump, sweet-looking woman with kitten stickers all over her minivan, and two other women who must have joined the Garden Club after my time. One of them was a stranger to me; the other was Jessica Glass. As best I could tell, they were chatting about the salads as though they were about to go in and grab a table.

They didn’t turn in our direction, or acknowledge our presence at all. The hallway was otherwise deserted.

“I tried to tell them it’s not open,” Wendy said in a bored voice that was probably intended to mask the real anger I saw in her face.

“Have they said anything to you?” Cooper asked.

“Not a word,” said Wendy. “Although we have exchanged a few hand gestures.”

“They seem to be trying to get a rise out of us,” I said.

“Well, it’s working.” Wendy lowered her voice. “I can feel their ill will, wrapping itself around the place. I’m doing my best to counteract it, but it’s pissing me off, which is not helping me send out positive energy.” She shrugged, a little sheepish. “I shouldn’t let them get to me, but I have a history with some of these bitches.”

“I know just how you feel,” said Cooper.

“In this case, so do I,” I said, looking at Jessica. “But we can’t afford to let them get to us.” I looked back at Wendy. “I don’t know how much Cooper told you over text, but we have a theory that Marjory understands the magic I’ve woven here, and they’re trying to provoke us into breaking the protection spell.”

“Like a shield they can bring down.” Wendy nodded as though that made perfect sense, which made me feel a little smarter. But then she said, “Well, what’s the harm in letting them? I’m up for a fight.”

“I’m not,” I said. “Not here, not today. Not with—”

Cillian Wick and a sapwood seed in the same building
.

“Not with so many guests around,” I went on. “They tried to curse a family in the hall upstairs. I stopped them, but…” I gestured with my hand, indicating that it might have been iffy.

Wendy sighed. “Well, your call.”

“For now,” Cooper said, echoing his words from the second floor.

“How long have they been standing there?” I asked Wendy.

“Maybe ten minutes. Before that it was mostly just a bunch of walking back and forth.”

“Did they try to hurt anyone?”

“No, but we haven’t encountered many people, in this part of the building.”

“Do you mind hanging out a little longer?” I asked. “I want to check on Lydia and Phineas.”

Wendy said she was fine, so Cooper came with me. We stopped back at the desk to check in with Agatha.

“They’ve talked to each other, but not to anyone else, and they haven’t moved.” Agatha leaned in, her expression that of someone about to confess something shameful. “Probably you just put me in mind of all this supernatural stuff, but I will say… the guests don’t seem to like them. Those seats in front of the fireplace would normally be full, on a gray, rainy day like this. But everyone’s giving them a wide berth.”

She gestured at a family walking through the lobby, and I saw that it was the same people from upstairs, with the two boys. They walked around the far edge of the room, avoiding the fireplace, before leaving through the front doors.

“See how much distance they put between themselves and those rocking chairs?” said Agatha. “Like animals who just sense something is off.”

“Something’s off, all right,” I said. “Although in that family’s case, they have a reason. That’s ill will they’re sensing, and you’d be wise to steer clear of it yourself.”

Agatha shrugged at that. “Not so fond of Marjory Smith as to volunteer for a conversation with her, anyway.”

“Have you seen Wendy’s friends? Lydia and Phineas?”

“Nope.”

We tried the back hallways, and then the second and third floors. We passed Falcon Wick on a back staircase, coming down as we were going up.

He and Cooper both stopped dead when they saw each other. They wore identical expressions that suggested they wanted nothing more than to tear each other’s throats out.

I tensed, ready to intervene if I had to.

Falcon forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. Then, like all the rest of them, he walked on without a word.

Cooper was practically snarling as he watched him go. “We should follow him.”

“You go. I’ll keep looking for Lydia and Phineas.”

“I don’t like the idea of splitting up.”

“Wendy’s alone, and you were fine with that,” I pointed out. “We have our phones if we need them. Go. But Cooper—”

I waited for him to turn back toward me. “Only to keep an eye on him,” I warned. “Do not engage.”

His look was not reassuring, but I let him go.

I found Lydia and Phineas on the third floor, coming out of a supply closet.

Phineas raised his hands when he saw me, like a criminal who’d been caught in the act. “I swear, we were not, you know, taking a break in there.”

But I shook my head. “I know the attic stairs are through there. The question is, how did you guys know it? You seem to know the hotel pretty well.”

Phineas smiled his lopsided smile. “That’s a long story.”

“Best told over drinks,” added Lydia.

I considered the strange couple before me. How was it that they had these ties to the Mount Phearson—and to Max Underwood—yet I’d never seen them before?

A lot seems to have happened, while I was away. How much did you two have to do with that?

“I get the feeling you have a lot of those,” I said. “Stories, I mean, not drinks.”

“I have plenty of both,” said Lydia with a laugh.

“What were you guys doing up there?” I asked.

“She was burning sage,” said Phineas. “Lucky we didn’t set off the smoke alarms.”

“Two of those Garden Club people were in this hallway,” Lydia said. “I couldn’t tell whether they’d been up in the attic or not, so I figured I’d just try to disinfect the whole area.” She made an encompassing gesture with her left hand as she said
the whole area
, and I noticed for the first time that half her ring finger was missing. She wore her wedding ring on her middle finger instead.

Yeah, I’ll just bet you have a lot of stories.

Out loud I said, “Good thinking, thank you.”

We went back to the lobby to find Marjory and Asher, both Wicks, and the whole Garden Club—maybe eight or nine of them—gathered near the front entrance. Wendy and Cooper stood by the desk with Agatha and Lance, watching them.