Heart Search (49 page)
Let’s GO!
Brazos insisted, turning his head and nearly glowing yellow green eyes at her.
Brazos insisted, turning his head and nearly glowing yellow green eyes at her.
Ready!
Mica wiggled her butt a little as if settling.
Mica wiggled her butt a little as if settling.
“I don’t think Fams are allowed in the driver’s seat,” Camellia said.
Two astonished cat faces, whiskers twitching, eyes round, stared at her.
What!
Brazos said.
Brazos said.
No!
Mica said.
Mica said.
“We can, of course, go back inside and ask the ResidenceLibrary. It would know,” Camellia said.
Mica hissed.
I want to go NOW.
She hopped into the passenger seat and lifted her nose to see out the front window, as if she was ready to be chauffeured.
I want to go NOW.
She hopped into the passenger seat and lifted her nose to see out the front window, as if she was ready to be chauffeured.
With cat grumbles, Brazos moved to sit beside Mica. Camellia shut the door, circled the glider, opened her door, and slid onto the furrabeast-leather seat. She closed the door. “Webbing on all,” she said, and they were encased in physical and spellshield safety webs. She didn’t touch the steering bar to pull it out of the console.
“Nav on,” she said, blessing the few times she’d ridden to rituals with the Licorices. She was sure she knew enough to get where she was going. She wanted no other witnesses than the FamCats. A square three-dimensional projection appeared. Camellia licked her lips. “Follow voice instruction.” She’d just lean back in the comfortable seat and trace the gilt thread to Laev’s HeartGift. “Down the gliderway to the gates of T’Hawthorn estate and turn north.”
The glider eased forward with little motion.
How fast does it go?
asked Brazos.
asked Brazos.
“I don’t know, and we aren’t going to find out. You’ll have to ride with Laev for that,” Camellia said, murmured to herself, “Not through CityCenter, good.” She looked at the expectant cats. “This is a treasure hunt.”
I can find anything,
Brazos boasted.
Brazos boasted.
I can find anything,
Mica said at the same time.
Mica said at the same time.
“I think I’ll be able to find this by myself, but thank you for your help.” A few minutes later they were out of the estate and cruising north. “This may take a little while,” Camellia warned. The Fams didn’t answer; they were busy looking out the window.
Goes faster than feet,
Brazos said.
Brazos said.
And see more than teleporting, can only teleport to where we’ve been.
Mica rotated her ears.
Seeing lots of new places!
Mica rotated her ears.
Seeing lots of new places!
Camellia figured they were good to ride without complaining for a few more minutes at least.
The city itself was beautiful. Flowers were in full bloom, and there were plenty of parks and groves and Temple grounds that showed furled leaves ready to open. Spring was like a goddess in a green petticoat trailing through Druida.
Some minutes later, the glider wove down one last narrow alley and stopped. The stands descended and they rocked to a halt. Camellia stared at the gray stone building.
What is this?
asked Mica.
asked Mica.
“I think it’s a multiple-living-unit building. Apartments.”
Brazos grunted.
Like MidClass Lodge?
Like MidClass Lodge?
“That’s the most well-known place of this type, yes,” Camellia said. If she hadn’t wanted her own grassyard and garden, she’d have lived in MidClass Lodge.
Not as nice as MidClass Lodge,
Mica said, and Camellia realized the cats had explored more of the city than she’d thought.
Mica said, and Camellia realized the cats had explored more of the city than she’d thought.
Door open!
commanded Brazos and his door lifted. Camellia pushed hers up, too, stepped out. Silence lived in the alley. She said a couplet that encased the glider in a spellshield, then walked up to the building, up the stairs, to see a stone lintel with a Hawthorn branch above it. A sudden premonition shivered through her. She would bet that Laev owned this building.
commanded Brazos and his door lifted. Camellia pushed hers up, too, stepped out. Silence lived in the alley. She said a couplet that encased the glider in a spellshield, then walked up to the building, up the stairs, to see a stone lintel with a Hawthorn branch above it. A sudden premonition shivered through her. She would bet that Laev owned this building.
And she would bet that Nivea had known that.
During his short trial, Feam Kelp had made wild accusations against Laev . . . that he had neglected his wife, had let her die alone. The Residence had sent holospheres of the last illness of Nivea Sunflower Hawthorn that contradicted this, but Feam hadn’t believed them. He accepted nothing but his own views as the truth. The fact that Feam had been Nivea’s lover had not been openly stated, but it was obvious.
Now Camellia was going to find the secret meeting place between Feam and Nivea, a lover’s bower, and it filled her with dread.
She didn’t want to see a place where infidelity had flourished. Where two people amused themselves at Laev’s, and the Hawthorns’, expense.
But she wanted Laev’s HeartGift and there was only one way to get it.
Thirty-three
T
he cats had already mewed the standard spellshield down, the door
open, and were standing in the small atrium sniffing lustily.
he cats had already mewed the standard spellshield down, the door
open, and were standing in the small atrium sniffing lustily.
Mice!
said Brazos, and he took off.
said Brazos, and he took off.
Mica glanced at Camellia, down the hallway where Brazos had disappeared. Camellia understood, if given a choice of hunting mice or a treasure, the cats would choose mice. “Go.”
Mica projected,
Wait for Me!
to Brazos.
Wait for Me!
to Brazos.
The gilded cord led up the stairs. At the top there were only two doors, so the apartments were large. Her senses tugged her to the left. The hallway was tinted a dark gold with brown trim, Nivea’s colors.
When she reached the sturdy oak door, she laid her fingertips on the wood,
knew
Laev’s HeartGift was beyond. No fancy spells shielded the door. She opened it to a sunny yellow room furnished with luxurious pieces that she would never have been able to afford. Neither would have Feam. Furrabeast leather of the finest grain. Carpets straight from Chinju, and not one, but stacked atop each other for the softest of cushions for the feet. The art on the walls had Camellia’s eyebrows raising . . . holographic sex-party scenes.
knew
Laev’s HeartGift was beyond. No fancy spells shielded the door. She opened it to a sunny yellow room furnished with luxurious pieces that she would never have been able to afford. Neither would have Feam. Furrabeast leather of the finest grain. Carpets straight from Chinju, and not one, but stacked atop each other for the softest of cushions for the feet. The art on the walls had Camellia’s eyebrows raising . . . holographic sex-party scenes.
She slipped inside, pulled the door shut after her. How much would seeing this hurt Laev? She didn’t know. Her first impulse was to take care of clearing the whole place out without telling him. Would that be sparing him or not?
The bedroom was tinted peach that would have complemented Nivea. The bed was elegant cherry and draped with gauze. Very pretty, but Camellia’s nostrils pinched at the thought of what must have occurred there. The breaking of marriage vows.
Yes, she was judgmental, so what? She firmly believed that if vows were made, they should not be broken, otherwise why make them in the first place?
She could call the Clovers and have them dismantle the apartment. Marching to the right corner, she threw open the door and breath stopped in her throat. This room was a shrine to Nivea.
In each corner were holos projection of Nivea in a specific costume . . . summer, autumn, winter, spring, smiling and waving.
Camellia shuddered. Each wall held a holo painting of the dead woman, and as Camellia narrowed her eyes, she saw the sheen of tiny glass bubbles in the wall that meant at least one mural was programmed into it. “Show mural.”
A naked Nivea plunged up and down on an equally bare Feam. “Stop! Erase!” The action halted and sickness swirled up Camellia’s throat.
“Erase!”
Nothing happened. “
E-rase!”
There came a hum and the mural faded. Camellia found herself panting and leaning against the doorjamb. No one should have seen that. She did a little cleansing spell for the room, a calming spell for herself.
“Erase!”
Nothing happened. “
E-rase!”
There came a hum and the mural faded. Camellia found herself panting and leaning against the doorjamb. No one should have seen that. She did a little cleansing spell for the room, a calming spell for herself.
She felt a throbbing from Laev’s HeartGift. It was near.
Jewelry was set out on an altar . . . cuff bracelets rather like marriage bands, long dangling earrings of golden topaz or yellow diamonds, an amber drop necklace. Again, because of the quality and value, Camellia was pretty sure that Laev had given the gems to Nivea. What should Camellia do with them?
Her mouth dried.
There was a tall, narrow, triangular cupboard in the corner for ritual tools and holiday altar dressings. The piece was dusty, the wood dry and slightly warped. Near the top, she sensed Laev’s HeartGift.
Everything else in the room and all other thoughts faded. The HeartGift itself was shielded. If not, the pure sensuality imbued in the piece when it was made would draw Camellia—as Laev’s HeartMate—into mind sex with him.
She tried not to think about when it was made . . . the night after they’d met in JudgementGrove when he was seventeen.
Laev’s Passage had sparked that day, Camellia’s triumph at winning the case had spiraled wide to snare him, to ignite HeartMate vibrations between them . . . which he’d attributed to coming from Nivea.
Camellia brushed the air before her face as if waving away bitemites. No more thinking of that. No more regrets. The past was now and ever would be in the past. She had a strong hold on the future if she had the courage to grab it. And, finally, she’d summoned that courage.
She focused on the door to the cabinet, placed her fingers against it, and felt shielding Flair. Frowned. Was the door trapped to explode or destroy if she tampered with it? She should call in an expert. Or contact Laev through their link.
But that wasn’t the way she wanted to do this. She wanted to bring his HeartGift to him as . . . proof that she loved him? As price of forgiveness? Neither of which he demanded. Both of which were self-serving. She put a hand between her breasts. Self-serving or not, this action was something she needed to do to be right with herself, and that was enough damn analysis.
She closed her eyes and felt the HeartGift. It warmed her with sexy desire for Laev, but she ignored that. She felt the mass of it, the general shape, the subtle throb of
its
shielding. A headache began to gnaw, but she pressed on. Yes, she knew the shape, knew the shield, knew the mass. It was tilted, jammed on the smallest top shelf near the ceiling. She . . . could . . . shift . . . it.
its
shielding. A headache began to gnaw, but she pressed on. Yes, she knew the shape, knew the shield, knew the mass. It was tilted, jammed on the smallest top shelf near the ceiling. She . . . could . . . shift . . . it.
The cupboard door buzzed ominously just under her physical hearing. She leapt across the room. The door exploded out.
Camellia dived for the floor, but no splinters hit her. After a few gasping breaths, she tilted her head so an eye was above her protective arm. Pieces of the wooden door were slowly drifting to the floor. Objects on the shelves rocked but did not fall.
Nothing in the room was harmed.
She caught her breath. Of course. Feam Kelp would not have wanted anything in the room to be harmed. If a person—
What happened!
both Mica and Brazos screeched mentally.
both Mica and Brazos screeched mentally.
Camellia amended her thought. If a being, person or Fam, had tried to physically open the door, or was close, within about sixty centimeters, the blast would have been fatal. But she’d survived.
Two cat bodies hopped on her heavily. Mica ran along her legs and over her butt to sit beside Camellia’s head, touch noses, and lick her face.
Brazos, heavier, bounded along her until he sat in front of the corner cupboard staring up at it and curling his tongue in that extra sense cats had.
Thing at top smells very strongly of Laev.
He turned an approving gaze on Camellia, still stretched out on the floor.
You found it!
Then the cat squinted his eyes at her. Glanced around and seemed to notice the shards of the door.
Messy about it.
Thing at top smells very strongly of Laev.
He turned an approving gaze on Camellia, still stretched out on the floor.
You found it!
Then the cat squinted his eyes at her. Glanced around and seemed to notice the shards of the door.
Messy about it.
Mica glared at Brazos.
My FamWoman is wonderful
.
My FamWoman is wonderful
.
With a grunt, Camellia levered herself up. The door fragments hadn’t harmed her, but she’d felt a concussion of Flair and would have bruises from her dive.
Mica yowled, staring at the hologram of Nivea as the Queen of the May.
What is SHE doing here? Don’t like, don’t like, no!
What is SHE doing here? Don’t like, don’t like, no!
Brazos was at the altar, nosing the jewelry.
This smells of Laev, too, but mostly of bad-smell woman and scary madman.
This smells of Laev, too, but mostly of bad-smell woman and scary madman.
“Nivea and Feam, right,” Camellia said, shaking out her limbs and saying a small spell to clean grimy smudges off her clothes. Tilting her head, she extended her senses to see if anyone in the area was interested in what had just happened. She felt only a few people, went to the window, pushed aside the drape, and looked out and saw no one. “It would have been a long time before this place was found.”
No reason for Laev to see these rooms.
This place is BAD,
Brazos said, and the cats trotted away. Then shredding noises came from the direction of the bedroom. Linens and the bedsponge.
Brazos said, and the cats trotted away. Then shredding noises came from the direction of the bedroom. Linens and the bedsponge.
Camellia found an old-fashioned scrybowl and called T’Hawthorn Residence. It confirmed that the Hawthorns owned the building and was outraged that Nivea and Feam had been using the place as a clandestine assignation hideaway. Camellia insisted on handling the refurbishing of the place herself, and won her first argument with the entity.
She translocated the jewelry to the T’Hawthorn Residence cache and was informed that Laev
had
purchased it for Nivea. The Residence ended the scry by informing her that Laev was concerned she wasn’t there.
had
purchased it for Nivea. The Residence ended the scry by informing her that Laev was concerned she wasn’t there.
She’d delayed as much as she could. Now she had to face the HeartGift. She walked slowly to the cupboard and looked up at the top shelf, just within reach.
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