Darkness Unmasked (DA 5) (24 page)

Soon there was nothing left. Nothing but scorched plaster and melted carpet. Amaya’s flames retreated back to the steel, and her roar became little more than a contented hum. If she’d been a cat, I suspected she would have been purring. Loudly.

I sheathed her, then rubbed my arms. It didn’t do a lot against the chill still invading my limbs. “Would she have felt the death of her young?”

“I do not know enough about her kind to say for sure, but it is a possibility.”

“Meaning she might not turn up for her performance tonight.”

“If she has more young to feed, she might have no choice.”

“Meaning it would be helpful if we knew more about the breeding habits of the Jorõgumo—if that’s what this thing is.” I bit my bottom lip for a moment. “I wonder if the Brindle witches can tell us anything about them.”

“Given they are the keepers of all witch knowledge, it is more than likely they could.”

“Then that’s where we’ll go next.” My phone rang, the abrupt noise making me jump. I took a calming breath, then hit the
ANSWER
button and said, “Mirri, what can I do for you?”

“You haven’t heard from Ilianna, have you?”

I frowned. “No. I thought she was supposed to be meeting you. Didn’t you have that date with Carwyn tonight?”

“That’s the thing—she hasn’t turned up.”

My heart began to beat a whole lot faster. “What do you mean? Has she backed out again?”

“No. At least, I don’t think so. She was pretty determined to hash everything out with Carwyn tonight.” She paused, and even through the phone’s tiny screen, her worry was evident. “Risa, I think something has happened to her.”

Chapter 9

For a second I swear my heart stopped. Just thinking that something had happened to Ilianna made my stomach churn so badly, it felt like I was about to vomit. Damn it. I
couldn’t
lose Ilianna. Not when there was a very real possibility we would lose Tao.

Panic surged, thick with fear, but I somehow reined it in and said, “Have you tried calling her?”

“Of course—”

“What about Tao? Or her parents?”

“Yes and yes. No one’s heard from her, Risa. She’s just gone. Completely and utterly disappeared.”

No, I thought, swallowing heavily against the bile rising up my throat. She hadn’t disappeared. She
was
somewhere. It was just somewhere Mirri couldn’t find.

“What about the hospitals?” As much as I hoped she hadn’t been hurt, it was always a possibility, and certainly one we had to consider before we pressed the panic button too far.

“Also checked. Nothing.”

At least that was
something
. I took a quivering breath and released it slowly. “I’ll find her, Mirri.” I hesitated. “What about Carwyn?”

“He’s here with me at the restaurant. He’s got a friend in the police force he’s going to hit up for any information that might come through official lines.”

If it came through police sources, then it wouldn’t be good. But Mirri knew that just as well as I did. “I’ve got to go across to the Brindle, so I’ll talk to Ilianna’s mom. Maybe she can scry for her or something.”

“It’s worth a shot.” There were tears in Mirri’s dark eyes. “You don’t think something bad has happened to her, do you?”

“No.” I gave her a reassuring smile and hoped it didn’t look as forced as it felt. “I’m sure it’s just something dumb—like her phone running out of charge and her car breaking down.”

A tremulous half smile touched her lips. “She does have a habit of letting her phone run out of charge.”

“Yeah, she does.” But rarely to complete emptiness. “We’ll find her, Mirri. I promise you.”

“Let me know the minute you hear or find anything.”

“I will.”

She hung up. I pocketed my phone, then glanced at Azriel. “I don’t suppose you could do a sweep and see if you could find her.”

“I’ll try.” He studied me for a moment. “What do you plan to do?”

“Go to the Brindle, as I said. I vaguely remember Ilianna saying her mom was on night shift this week, so I can kill two birds with one stone.” My stomach tightened as the words left my mouth. Damn it, she
wasn’t
dead. I’d know. Surely to
god
I’d know. I hesitated, then added, voice a little hoarse, “If she
were
dead, would you know?”

“No.” He hesitated. “But I could find out if you wish.”

“That would be good. Thanks.”

He nodded and disappeared. I took another of those calming breaths that did jack all to calm, then called to the Aedh and got the hell out of there. I left the Ducati where she was—right then, I didn’t particularly care if Rhoan saw it or not. All that mattered was getting to the Brindle and talking to Ilianna’s mom. If anything
had
happened to her, surely she’d be the one person who
would
know.

I zoomed through the night with all the speed I could muster, reaching the Brindle in record time. I shifted shape, splatted with my usual inelegance onto the carefully manicured lawn in front of the building, then thrust to my feet and pulled the remnants of my clothes into some semblance of order as I ran for the front steps.

The Brindle was a white, four-story building that had once been a part of the Old Treasury complex. It had been built in the Victorian era and was both beautiful and grand in design. It wasn’t until you neared the steps and felt a tingling caress of energy against your skin that you realized this place was very different from its brethren. It was the home of all witch knowledge, and it was protected by a veil of power so strong that it snatched away the breath of those who were sensitive to these things. I’d never considered myself overly sensitive to magic, but I’d always been aware of it. This time, though, the feeling was weirdly different. It wasn’t just awareness—it felt like the power of this place was alive. Fingers of energy crawled across my skin, its touch sharp, electric. It made my flesh itch—crawl—and almost felt as if it were testing me. The Brindle didn’t suffer evil to enter, but it had never troubled me in any way before.

So why the change? Did it have anything to do with the key quest or what the Raziq had done to me?

Possibly. And yet Kiandra—who was the head witch at the Brindle—had told me that as powerful as the magic around the Brindle was, it could not stop the Aedh from entering. Logically, therefore, it shouldn’t be able to stop me. But then, I wasn’t full Aedh. I was both flesh
and
energy.

That will change,
an inner voice whispered darkly.

I shivered, but thrust the odd premonition out of my mind and took the steps two at a time. The huge—almost medieval-looking—wood and wrought-iron doors had been closed for the night, so I walked to the left side of the massive entrance and pulled the discreet cord. Deep inside the building, a bell chimed. I waited, and after a few minutes, footsteps approached. One door opened, revealing a brown-haired, slender, tunic-clad figure. It wasn’t someone I’d met before.

“I’m sorry, but we’re closed for the night.” Her voice was soft, gentle. Raised voices were rarely used in this place of power.

“I know, but I need to speak to Custodian Zaira, please.” I hesitated. “It’s urgent.”

“I’m not sure that she’s here—”

“Then check,” I cut in. Then, at the flash of annoyance that crossed her face, added, “Please. Tell her it’s Risa Jones, and it really
is
important.”

Her gaze swept me assessingly; then she nodded and closed the door. I listened to the retreat of her footsteps and wondered whether she was simply walking away or doing what I asked. After a few minutes, I heard her talking. Misplaced mistrust, I thought, and gave myself a mental slap. After a few minutes, she returned and opened the door, wider this time.

“Zaira has agreed to see you. Please, come in.”

“Thank you.”

I stepped through the doorway. The foyer wasn’t exactly inviting, even in the daylight, but at night, its sheer size seemed to weigh on the shadows, so that they almost appeared to loom over me. It was a weird sensation—almost as if the walls themselves were standing in judgment of not only me, but all those who walked past.

I very much suspected I would be found severely wanting. At least at the moment.

“This way,” the woman said softly.

She led the way down the long hall. The energy of this place was so strong that every step was accompanied by a spray of golden sparks. The old-fashioned electric sconces threw just enough light to ensure we didn’t run into the walls, but they did little to otherwise lift the shadows.

The young witch led me into the visitors’ waiting room, told me to wait, then went through the door behind the small desk and closed it firmly behind her. I knew from previous visits that you didn’t get past this area without either a witch escort or special dispensation from Kiandra, but I was a little surprised at being held here this time. I’d have thought Ilianna’s mom would have been here given I’d mentioned it was urgent.

That she wasn’t probably meant we were all panicking over nothing.

No,
that dratted inner voice whispered,
you’re not
.

I crossed my arms and began to pace. Several minutes crawled by, ratcheting up my tension and frustration. When footsteps echoed in the hall outside, I swung around and all but ran out—and almost collided with Ilianna’s mom in the process. Only quick reactions on
her
part kept us both upright.

“Risa,” she said, her soft tones holding a hint of surprise and perhaps amusement. “This is not a place where speed is required.”

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I know, and I’m sorry.”

She nodded. Ilianna had inherited her palomino coloring and her shifting abilities from her dad, as Zaira was human. But Ilianna had the same powerful green eyes as her mom and right now they’d narrowed considerably. “What can I help you with?”

“Two things.” I hesitated, but there was no easy way to say it, so I just came straight out with it. “First off, we think something has happened to Ilianna.”

Zaira frowned. “Mirri called earlier looking for her, but I didn’t get the impression that she was in any way worried.”

Then Mirri was better at containing her concern than I was. “I know. But Ilianna hasn’t turned up for her date with Carwyn, and we can’t get her on the phone.”

The older woman smiled, although there was a slight edge of tension emanating from her now. “Well, given she isn’t too pleased about our matchmaking efforts, her standing him up again is
not
entirely surprising.”

I was shaking my head before she’d even finished. “Not this time. Mirri said she was determined to talk to him about the match.”

“Talk him out of it, you mean,” she said. But the tension in her ratcheted up several more notches. She studied me for a moment, then abruptly turned and walked away.

“Come along, child,” she said over her shoulder, when I didn’t immediately follow.

I hurriedly caught up. “I was hoping you could do a scrying or location spell for her.”

“A location spell won’t work.” She opened a door and walked into another dark hall. “She learned to divert such spells at a very early age.”

There was an odd mix of annoyance and pride in her voice. I half smiled. “How young?”

She hesitated. “She was twelve. Even at that age it was evident she was very gifted.”

“So why wasn’t she ever asked to become a custodian?”

Our footsteps beat a sharp tattoo against the marble floor, and the sound echoed in the hushed shadows that surrounded us. I half wondered if we’d wake anyone up. I knew from past experience that there were at least two dozen witches staying here at any one time, some of them permanent residents like Kiandra, and some, like Ilianna’s mother, here only when rostered on for duty.

Zaira turned left at the end of the hall and started up some stairs. Lights flickered on as we approached, then went dark once we’d passed, and there wasn’t a sensor to be seen.

Zaira gave me a quick but nevertheless shrewd glance over her shoulder. “She did begin training as a custodian, but her tenure was brief.”

I knew that. I also knew she’d seen something that scared the hell out of her. “She has mentioned that, but she’s never said why she left.”

“No, she would not.” We entered another hall. For a moment I thought that was the end of the conversation, but she surprised me by adding, “This place, and all the wisdom it holds, is not only protected by magic, but sometimes by steel and bloodshed. Ilianna witnessed a latter event and was too young to understand the necessity.”

“She’s not too young now.”

“No.” There was a smile in her voice. “But she
is
incredibly stubborn. I fear she will not come back to us until Kiandra leaves.”

Meaning Kiandra was the one who had done the bloodshed, obviously. Still, it was odd. Ilianna wasn’t the squeamish type; nor was she illogical. And she was certainly more than capable of understanding the necessity to sometimes use force to protect what was, basically, the spiritual home of witches here in Australia. There
had
to be more to the story.

“So what did she see?”

“That, I’m afraid, I cannot tell you.”

I guess I had to be thankful she’d told me as much as she had, although it was certainly frustrating to pick up a little more knowledge and yet know there was a whole lot more to uncover.

We continued on down the darkened hall. This was an area I’d never been through before and, if it had been day rather than night, I might have slowed and had a good look around. As it was, I could barely see anything more than the darkly stained wood panels that lined the hall.

“What was your other reason for coming here?” Zaira asked.

It took me a moment to remember. “Oh. Yeah. Do you know anything about Jorõgumos?”

She frowned. “I am by no means an expert, but I
can
tell you they are particularly nasty spirits.”

“That,”
I said grimly, “they are.”

She shot me a glance. “Meaning there’s one active here in Melbourne?”