One Thousand Kisses (29 page)

“
I
can,” Jake said with a frown. No one they knew besides Jake could have done that at a distance. It worried Embor that Milshadred and her allies had managed it, and he could see it worried Jake as well.

Talista was inspecting her fingernails, unconcerned. She was convinced she could do it, too, and Jake and Embor wouldn’t tell her the password.

“Do you have any more questions, Anisette?” Embor asked her. “Your perspective as someone fresh to the issue is useful.”

“I’m glad to be useful,” she responded a little dryly. “Are you sure you need me? You’ve managed so much by yourself. Conspiring with the Drakhmores, teaching Jake to control people, setting up an illegal network, involving my family in treason.”

She may not respect his decisions, but he wasn’t going to lie anymore. “I began this project a year ago. The official investigation had stalled, and I need the Torvals to prove to the truthseekers the AOC board is corrupt. They cannot continue to operate without oversight. They’re our main source of information about the threat posed by the lost ones.”

“He thinks onesies are degenerates,” Talista said. “Present company excluded.”

Everyone ignored Talista’s editorializing.

“What threat?” Anisette unbraided her hair, and the auburn strands fell free. “We’ve sent the lost ones here for eons, and only Jake has learned magic. The first time he really used it, he made a ring. I think we’d have noticed if other onesies attempted spells. There aren’t any prophecies about other lost ones, are there?”

“Not exactly,” Embor said. “As you know, the Seers have said the cause of the Incident originated in humanspace.” Not many outside the Elder Court were privy to the details of those particular predictions. The only reason it had been shared with Talista, Jake and Anisette was because of what happened five years ago.

“That doesn’t mean it was onesies,” Anisette said.

Embor no longer believed lost ones to be criminals, but it didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous. Any information the AOC had about onesies, human technology and anything in humanspace that could affect the Fey couldn’t be filtered or withheld. The Court’s role in safeguarding the Realm was far more important than power plays between government branches.

“Be that as it may, the Torvals have information we need and we must have it out of them. They won’t be harmed, any more than other traitors to the Realm,” he promised Anisette.

“I’d say Em was an evil mastermind if I thought he was evil,” Talista interjected. “Always plotting and scheming and thinking ten moves ahead.”

Anisette finally left the window and sat on the bed. Talista sprang up. “Want my chair, Ani?”

“I’m fine here.” Anisette placed her warm fingers on Embor’s arm. “Does anyone at Court know what you’ve been doing?”

“No one,” he assured her. Talista tidied the bedside table, which consisted of nudging the clock from one spot to another. “I didn’t think it wise to involve anyone there. And now you.” He covered her hand with his.

“I wasn’t practicing magic before. I’d agreed not to.” Jake slipped into Tali’s chair and pulled his wife into his lap. “Embor helped me learn a lot in a short time. Tali’s not great with explaining the science behind the whole thing.”

“You don’t need science to do magic. You just whip it out there.” Talista perched on Jake’s knee, but barely.

“Not really,” Embor said. Talista seemed poised to leap between him and Anisette, though the only part of them in contact was their hands. “While Jake has impressive control, if any other lost ones…whip it out there, the results could be disastrous.”

“The end of the world. Oh no!” Talista declared, bouncing. “The funny part is a wizard really would have done it.”

“Why is that funny?” Embor saw no humor in shattering the barrier between the Realm and humanspace. Not even the Seers could predict how losing the barrier would affect their worlds. It could create a deadly wasteland or obliterate both dimensions entirely.

“A wizard did it means… Oh, you wouldn’t understand.” Talista flapped her hand. “You don’t get the Internet.”

“Nothing changes the fact that no more lost ones can be awoken.” Horace thought any onesie could be like Jake, but Embor didn’t agree. Jake and Tali had introduced him to a number of the unfortunate souls. “Jake is an exception.”

“Did I mention Embor’s got a man-crush on my husband?” Talista asked Anisette.

Since Talista liked to tell everyone that, Embor had learned not to flinch. “If we’re agreed, our next step is to neutralize the remaining Torvals. It’s time to question Milshadred.”

Anisette nibbled on a fingertip before asking Jake, “Will the shadow arts you’re using hurt Milshadred?”

“There’s no pain involved.” Jake and Talista rose.

Anisette slipped her hand free of Embor’s. “Does it have aftereffects? When the Torvals mindwiped me, it wasn’t exactly healthy.”

“I wouldn’t approve its use if that were the case,” Embor said stiffly, feeling the weight of her censure.

“As a licensed healer, these are things I need to know. Do you have a healer in your group?”

“Not one of your skill.”

“I trust no one will object if I examine Milshadred before and after the spell.”

“Don’t worry, Ani,” Jake assured her. “I’m way beyond the hypnotism I did when I worked as a stage magician. We’ve done lots of tests on volunteers, Tali and Embor included. Recipients don’t even realize I influenced them if I don’t want them to. I make the magic painless, odorless, tasteless and totally without residue.”

“But it’s not useless,” Talista finished with some satisfaction.

Chapter Twenty

“Once Jakey gets through with her, she’s going to sing like a canary.” Horace rubbed his hands together as Ani stepped out of the small building where Milshadred was being held. He wasn’t rubbing his hands out of glee but because it was chilly.

Ani zipped up her borrowed jacket and squinted into the wind whipping inland from the Bering Sea. She couldn’t see water, just lumpy tundra and scrub. This particular repository stone was stashed in the largest deadspace on the planet. Alaska. The Icebox.

One of Horace’s nephews guarded the door of the metal building, with others patrolling the premises. The closest human city was Nome. Tali had suggested setting up the base here for the irony, and since no one had any better ideas, they’d made the arrangements and installed the stone. Ani gathered their hideouts were limited by their finances as well as other constraints.

Vegas rarely got cold enough for snow. Ani had wondered why Tali had purchased several parkas. Now she knew.

Master Fey had remained in the building, watching Milshadred’s every move. Jake, Tali, Embor and the rest of the Drakhmores huddled around a picnic table spread with maps and diagrams, rocks weighting them down. Gret typed at a laptop computer while Burly passed around thermoses. Most of the conspirators straightened as Ani approached.

“What’s the verdict on Mildred?” Jake asked.

“She’s healthy for someone separated from the Realm as long as she’s been.” Or she was healthy now. Ani had tweaked her a bit. “She still wants to cut a deal.”

“No deals.” Embor adjusted the sleeves of his suit. While everyone else was in casual clothing—jeans and sweatshirts—Embor had donned human business attire. He didn’t seem affected by the cool temperatures or the headache she suspected he had.

“You’re positive this is the best course of action?” Ani asked one last time. At her request, Jake had hypnotized a Drakhmore first while she watched. It appeared to be harmless as long as the practitioner did no harm, but she still felt uncomfortable with it. “How did you plan to catch the Torvals prior to this?”

“A network of locator spells.” Embor clasped his hands behind his back, his shoulders broad in his tailored suit coat. He could have been a lecturer at some human university, his blond hair queued and his serious expression entrenched. “We routinely search areas under ring influence.”

“What about the deadspaces?” Ani asked. He’d displayed minimal warmth to her since this morning, despite the Drakhmores’ assumption he was her suitor. She hadn’t had the privacy to ask a Drakhmore about the information he’d allegedly learned from the Seers about her.

“I’ve got PIs tracking the Torvals’ known aliases.” Tali’s pink sweater sported dribbles of hot chocolate down the front. “Right after you showed up, a PI got a hit in Key West. I guess they’re worth part of what we pay them.”

“Good thing Tali had those gold coins.” Jake glanced up from a map of the North American continent. Tali had been an avid humanophile and collector long before she ran amuck in humanspace. “PIs are expensive, and ring agents make less than you might think.”

“As do Primaries,” Embor said.

“Particularly when your expenses can’t be legally reimbursed.” Ani tugged on gloves. She was more bundled up than the others, unaccustomed to the cold and wind. During the winter the whole area was covered in snow and ice, and their exposure to the elements would have been much harder to bear.

“What I want to know is,” she continued, “how is your network different from what official search parties can do?”

“Because we’re awesome,” Tali said. “Especially me and Jake.”

Embor accepted a flask from Burly. “Tali’s location spells are better than Realm-manufactured ones,” he agreed. “They cover more ground, they’re faster, they’re easier to globe and they’re precise. I helped her make them.”

“I could have figured it out myself.”

“No doubt.” Embor’s eyebrows flicked, not quite a raise. If she hadn’t spent so much time around him the past several days, Ani wouldn’t have noticed. “And now that we have proper genetic material, we can create spells that search deadspace too.”

“You wouldn’t believe how much power I’ve gained since I bonded,” Tali said. “Having the kids didn’t affect me at all.”

“How much?” Ani asked. This wasn’t an aspect of Tali’s life the two of them had discussed. Pregnancy and parenting had dominated their conversations.

Gret, who, to Ani’s embarrassment, had assured her publicly and repeatedly she had no designs on Embor, half-closed the laptop.

“You don’t wanna ask her that,” she warned Ani.

But Ani had already asked.

“I don’t mean to brag.” Tali flipped up the collar of her sweater with a flourish. “You hear things about bonded pairs, especially a double-high. I bet I could take Em now.” She flexed her fingers menacingly and grinned.

Embor was acknowledged as one of the strongest Fey in the Realm. Ani and Talista had been in the top twenty pairs. That was before.

Tali spread her hands. “Can you believe he won’t fight me?”

“I will not,” Embor agreed. The corner of his mouth quirked. “Nor will I fight Jake.”

“I’m sure there’s no reason to fight.” Ani wondered what private joke lay behind Embor’s almost-smile. The thought that he, Tali and Jake had developed this camaraderie astounded her, even as it gave her a twinge of jealousy.

“Hold your horses, Red. We might yet get your fill of fighting.” Horace slapped the Primary’s shoulder. “Too bad Em let the Torvals steal the control globes.”

The skin around Embor’s eyes and mouth tightened. “We ought not need them with Jake on the retrieval team.”

“Ought not need them if we use guns.” Gret patted her injured shoulder. “It’s personal now. I have a score to settle.”

“No guns,” Embor said with a frown. “We’re not savages.”

Gret and her father exchanged a glance behind the Primary’s back, and Burly dropped the box of drinks onto the table with a thud.

“I can only cast a spell from scratch if we find the Torvals close to a ring or repository,” Jake reminded everyone. “Otherwise it’s dangerous. We need more globes.”

“Globing takes forever,” Tali complained. The only thing she was ever patient with was her children, which was something, Ani supposed. “I know. Let’s transport them to the green ring and Jake can be waiting there to spank ’em good.”

“We have to find them first,” Jake said. “There could be glitches.”

“Piece of pie,” Tali said. “Or is it cake? Doesn’t matter. It’s going to work.”

“Can you tell us about the people helping the Torvals?” Ani asked the Drakhmores.

“They’re fairies. They used globes, and some SOB transported the bar from downtown Key West to the island. They were young, male and female, and trained in magical combat.” Gret opened another file on her computer. “I’ve highlighted likely suspects on my clan spreadsheet.”

“What about leprechauns?” Embor asked.

“Too tall, no red hair, no shamrock irises,” Gret said. “We don’t even know if leprechauns can use globes in humanspace.”

“Probably more cat-damned Torvals.” Horace tossed back the last of his coffee and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Now there’s a clan that needs to be cleansed.”

“Can they use the control globes?” Ani asked.

“The globes are keyed so only Jake and Embor can use them,” Horace told her. “We had a little to-do with Red.”

Tali shrugged. “Our neighbor was lying about his dog pooping in our yard. I just needed him to admit it.”

“I’ve got a finger in the, uh, let’s call it the underground.” Horace slapped Embor’s back again, and the Primary edged away, toward Ani. “If the Torvals show their faces or try to fence those globes, somebody will let us know.”

Embor, without speaking, offered Ani his thermos, steaming with hot liquid.

“No, thank you.” Even from here Ani could smell the bitterness of the coffee. “How long do control globes take to create?”

“Thirty hours, give or take.” Embor stared at the building with Milshadred in it. “I’d like to handle the situation sooner than that.”

“Still got that headache?” Burly asked. “I told you, Hando. Caffeine’s better than those poppers you’ve been using. Drink your coffee.”

Embor frowned. “I’m fine.” But he did sip the beverage.

He wasn’t fine, Ani knew. From the look on Burly’s face, he knew it too. Burly was a foursie, which meant he wouldn’t have enough power to heal Embor’s withdrawals anywhere.

He did, however, have the power to create energy globes.

“You’re his supplier,” Ani accused. “Energy globes can be dangerous. Healers take an oath to do no harm.”

“I ain’t a healer. And the flip side of healing is harm, sweet cheeks.” Burly grinned at her. “Why do you think agony’s an earth magic?”

Why indeed.

Embor turned his attention to her, his eyes as icy as the wind. She shivered. “Did you inform Milshadred we planned to question her?”

Ani nodded. “She said to bring it on.”

Milshadred had been more amused than frightened. The agent was separated from her sibs, in captivity and bound for trial. She’d cracked jokes the whole time Ani had examined her.

“Game on, Mildred.” Jake swung his arms, loosening up. “This shouldn’t take long. I’ll cast so she doesn’t realize she’s been pushed. Less residue that way.”

“Make her quit cussing, too,” Tali said. “I’m picking up her damn bad habits.”

“Yeah, that’s all Mildred.” Jake waved and disappeared into the building.

The Drakhmores returned to the maps as they discussed the best places to search for the Torvals. They’d confirmed the missing agents were nowhere they could scan with traditional spells, which left deadspace. Now that they had sibling DNA to boost the locator, everyone was confident the Torvals had nowhere to hide.

“Talista,” Embor said, “how many DNA globes have you prepared so far?”

“Six.” She pointed at a red and white cooler. “I’m not a machine, you know. Globes are hard to grow.”

“Sorry, Tali. According to my calculations, we need ten to cover the planet.” Gret used a drafting compass to draw circles on a map. “We’ll synch the network in these locations, including Alaska. Wouldn’t it be funny if they were in Nome?”

“It would be convenient.” Embor indicated the trucks in the gravel lot. “The need for transportation spells could be partially mitigated.”

“Who’s running the pool?” Burly asked. “My money’s on Kenya.”

“We’ll get the hit in Hawaii.” A man named Vincenzo loaded pouches and belts with spell globes. “They won’t leave the U.S. This is where the best underground is, and the other continents have less deadspace.”

“I’d pick Hawaii too.” Gret drew a star near the island. “It’s a great honeymoon spot.”

“Are you married?” Ani asked politely. Gret hadn’t spoken of a bondmate, but most fairies married at some point.

Gret laughed. “Hardly.”

“Gret’s not the one who eloped with the Primary.” Horace opened Tali’s cooler and began holding each globe to the sunlight. “Tali, how do you feel about your sister getting hitched?”

“Hello, Gossip Girl. My sister’s not hitched.” Tali smacked the lid of the cooler shut, nearly smashing Horace’s fingers. “There’s nothing wrong with my spells.”

“Then get your butt in gear and make more,” Horace retorted.

Embor cleared his throat and addressed the Drakhmores, his profile to Ani. “Anisette informed me I may have given everyone the impression last night she and I are involved.”

“That’s an understatement,” Burly said. Several others snickered. “If anybody’s running a pool on that, dibs on two weeks.”

Ani stared at Embor, surprised. He hadn’t claimed the Drakhmores’ impression was mistaken. Nor had he denied the affair to Tali this morning. Did he consider them to be involved?

This was news to her. People who were involved tended to have sex, not avoid it.

“There’s no formal agreement,” Embor continued, “between the princess and myself.”

“Imagine that.” Tali dropped a globe in the cooler.

Though he spoke only the truth, Ani’s stomach hollowed with disappointment. What had she expected, that he’d fall to one knee and propose, human-style, in front of Tali and the Drakhmores? Fairies were not so imbalanced. Marriages and relationships were negotiated by both parties.

“Formal agreement?” Horace chuckled. “If what you said about the Seers is true—”

Embor coughed. Gret snatched her father’s shoulder and rattled him. “Dad, shut up.”

“Seers?” Ani asked.

No one said anything. Whatever the truth was, Embor was clenching and unclenching his hands behind his back like he wished he could silence the world.

He couldn’t remember what he’d done last night. How he’d behaved. He didn’t even remember propositioning her. What did he fear he’d revealed?

She touched his arm. “That was one of the things Milshadred tried to bribe me with. Something you learned from the Seers about me?”

Embor gazed down at her, his expression softening. “Anisette, trust me. This needs to wait.”

“I’m tired of waiting.” What could be so horrible it was never the right time to share it with her? What could be so ominous it kept him from making love to her? Was she destined to run afoul of the Torvals? To be banished?