by Holly Ice
I frowned. How did Julian ken about a summoning? Had he researched spirit that thoroughly when he took my case? Even Lyall said it was an area he didn’t ken so well.
‘What happened?’ Shane asked. ‘Did she tell you anything useful, anything we can use to find her?’ His voice was tight, growly.
Sweet warmth pooled inside me. As prickly as he got, it was all to help me. I smiled. That bristling protector was all mine. And unless I was imagining it, his frown was a touch lighter. Maybe he’d needed a more positive mission.
‘She was more aware than the previous woman. I felt she saw me. But I didn’t get much out of her before I woke.’
‘She’d make a great witness,’ Julian mumbled.
I stared at him. That explained that weird gleam.
I hadn’t thought of anything beyond helping her escape.
He was thinking ahead to how she might speak for me, how she’d be hard to influence after what she’d been through. And I had to admit, it was kind of perfect.
That kind of magical thinking might just get me out of jail.
One problem. A big one.
‘I don’t ken where she is. She wasn’t sure where she’d been put. She said Russell McKee had her, but her room didn’t even have a window.’ Like my cell.
Shane slid his shaky hands into his pockets.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked.
He averted his eyes. He’d shrunk in on himself, his claws withdrawn.
I put my hand on his knee, wondering what to say. Mood swings like that wouldn’t happen unless he was hiding things. That, I knew from experience. He needed to talk to me. Or his family. Holding all this in wasn’t good for him. But how could I get him to talk when I was hiding so much myself?
‘I can work with this.’ Julian straightened and collected his things. ‘See you in court.’ He left.
I ran my teeth over my lip, my chest tight.
Now that Julian was gone, I only had a few minutes before my guard returned. Finding out what was wrong with Shane and fixing it wasn’t the kind of thing that worked best when rushed.
‘I’m sorry. I ken this isn’t what you wanted.’
He’d known his great uncle was holding women from my first vision. Or he at least had to accept it was a strong possibility. So why such a strong reaction now?
I linked my hands behind his neck and felt him heave in breath.
‘It’s probably not just Russell, is it? It’s organised. What if my dad knew?’
I dropped my arms. He was so stiff.
‘Why think that? He left the company and moved away years ago.’
‘Exactly.’ Shane’s eyes were hard. ‘He took us away from all of it and he hinted it was something to do with the business.’
‘That could be any number of things.’
Shane clasped his hands into fists. ‘When you were in the news, and when the trial was announced, he demanded I leave you to it. And I know it wasn’t for the school or Uncle Eugene. He wanted me out of the headlines. What better reason than to protect a secret he knew about? To distance us from it?’
I smoothed his top. ‘He probably doesn’t want to see you hurt.’
Shane sighed. ‘He had to know something. Even an inkling. Moving us away with no warning like that… this is the only thing I’ve found that’s a big enough reason.’ He nodded. ‘I should talk to him.’
‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ And not just because we were in the middle of my trial. I winced. I didn’t want to say this aloud, but… ‘If he kens something, talking to him might endanger the women they’re holding.’
If I hadn’t done that already, talking to Julian, I didn’t want him doing it, however much broaching the possibility might hurt.
‘I can’t do nothing! If he knows…’ He took my hands, my small fingers dwarfed by his, then planted a kiss on my forehead. ‘I need to think. See you after today’s testimony.’
I tried to hold him with me, but he pulled free and left. Did his lip tremble? Gads, I wished I could spend the day talking through the options with him, but if I called him back and got into it now, I’d be dragged back to the defendant’s pew, likely when I’d just torn another emotional scab.
No. I’d think it through over the day. And tonight I’d try to visit the woman again. If she summoned me, I could summon her. If I got through, I’d trusted the right people. And I’d get answers.
Chapter 5
What. A. Day. Justin’s partner, the man so sure I murdered my friend and almost murdered him, took the stand via video link. From his hospital bed.
Julian tried to throw out the video as an overly emotional appeal, but Tibor overruled.
And the sight of that guy, his face and arms almost totally covered in bandages from the flames which had engulfed Justin… aye. Even I felt bad. And I knew he was lying.
The crumpled, disaster of a day kept crashing through my mind on repeat.
All the drama and pain overshadowed the poor quality of Mack’s testimony. Especially with the prosecution harping on and on about his injuries and telling him he could take a break at any time.
Mack was on watch with Justin when they were attacked, but he hadn’t seen anyone before the flames took him to the ground. And after, all he’d seen was a raven.
The prosecutor reasoned I was the only witch in Scotland at the time with a raven familiar, but wild ravens weren’t unknown in Edinburgh, and with his skin burnt to a crisp, I doubted Mack looked close enough to see the magical glow of a familiar.
But try telling the coven that.
I sighed and shoved the trial-related junk out of my mind. And then everything else. But the dark thoughts kept multiplying. Snippets of insults, accusations, slanted accounts of what I’d done. Russell’s threats.
And then there was Shane. I think I’d convinced him not to confront his father yet but I wasn’t sure. Which was why it was all the more important to talk to the imprisoned woman again.
What are you doing? Your face is screwed up like you’re constipated and trying to pass a stone.
Thank you. What a delightful image. That undid all my good work. I sighed and chucked the next few thoughts from my head. I’m trying to clear my mind.
And failing.
As usual, so helpful.
You can’t force it. Let the thoughts come and let them go, but don’t linger on them or try to attack them for being there.
I stiffened. That… actually made a lot of sense. I stopped chucking thoughts away. I let them come and didn’t scrutinise them or think on them, and eventually they left. The passing of thoughts through my mind was almost peaceful, like a stream. I wondered if I should thank Lyall, and let that thought go just as quickly.
Soon, the thoughts slowed to a trickle, then a drip, and my mind sank into a strange blankness. A comforting nothingness. All I felt was my breathing, my body against itself, my clothes, the bed.
My muscles loosened, and I reached out, beyond myself, as if looking for something with my inner eye. All I saw was darkness. I cast the net wider, and wider.
I didn’t see anything. I didn’t feel anything either. But then a bright light scorched my eyes. I crashed back to my cell, cursing.
What the hell was that?
I rubbed my eyes and blinked hard against the afterimage.
You Saw something?
A flash of light. Like the sun.
Was it multicoloured?
Maybe, aye. It hurt bad enough I hadn’t looked that closely. Is it her?
Spirit summoning wasn’t something I ever had reason to use. But from what my family passed down, the lights are spirits you can connect to.
So it probably was her. I blew out my breath. I hadn’t got her killed yet.
I’m going back in.
Good luck.
Once again, I let thoughts flow and relaxed until I was in a quiet state.
I cast my nets out farther and quicker this time, knowing roughly where I’d found that light, and I braced myself.
There.
I focused on the edges of the light through eyes I sort of squinted. But the light dimmed and kept dimming as I got closer, so I gave it more of my focus, until I Saw things in the darkness.
A large figure on a small bed, breathing hard. A dim light outside the room.
I crouched by her pillow. She was the same woman I’d seen in my dreams, but this time I could see my hands. I was more present. Perhaps because I controlled the connection? She had said something about no energy…
‘Are you awake?’ And I could talk! Big improvement. I grinned, but it quickly slipped.
She was sopping wet. Sweat poured down her head and collected in her joints, leaving wet patches on her grimy shift. Was she ill?
‘You came,’ she whispered. ‘Knew you’d work it out.’
I barely heard her voice, it was so quiet.
I leaned closer, wishing I could offer her meds, or water or tea. ‘I realised the connection went both ways.’
‘Good. We can talk now.’ She groaned and sucked air through her teeth. ‘Not the best timing.’ She held her stomach, her muscles clenching.
That’s when I saw the sheet was wet around her groin, too. She was in labour.
‘Is no one here with you?’
‘Not until the evening check-in. But that’s not important.’
‘Of course it is! You’re in labour!’
I tried to touch the blanket, but my hand went through. I wasn’t really there. But I couldn’t watch her go through a birth by herself. Anything could happen.
She cursed through another contraction. ‘My family should know I’m trapped here. What they’re doing to us, that they take the babies away.’ She closed her eyes, breathing hard. Almost panting now.
I swallowed hard. They took the babies away, but where? Were they trafficked, or taken into foster care in the human world? My stomach squirmed. Demi-fae blood in recent ancestry would be a huge boost to the resulting witch’s powers. If the babies went into the human world, it’d more than explain the increase in Cognatas among throwback witches, and the extremely high level of fae DNA in the Cognata throwbacks we’d tested.
‘Your family? Are they spirit fae, like you?’ I had to find them, help her get out that cell.
A quick flash of a smile crossed her lips. ‘Ask what you mean.’ She grimaced as another contraction rolled over her. ‘I’m a banshee.’
We hadn’t learned much about banshees in class but I knew their magic only worked near the family they’d linked themselves to, and the banshee’s presence boosted their family’s magic in exchange.
Even without the close bond that grew between banshees and their families, her people would be missing her.
‘Thank you. That helps. Did you find out where you are? Anything I can use?’
‘They drugged me when they brought me here.’ She closed her eyes and gripped her thigh through another contraction. ‘It’s not Riga or Cesvaine. But it’s Latvia. No planes or ships.’
‘They?’
‘Russell’s business. His men check on me, and the truck they first put me in had the McKee logo on the side.’
I opened my mouth to ask another question, but the door rattled, and I was thrown back into my body.
I swayed and collapsed onto the bed with a grimace. My legs had gone to sleep, and the circulation was returning with a vengeance. But that had nothing on the pain of a natural birth with the dangers and hardships of those disgusting conditions.
You’re back.
I rubbed life into my tingling legs.
Lyall cocked his head. So, did you learn anything?
She’s definitely a banshee. And she’s not in Riga or Cesvaine. But she’s not abroad either.
And her family?
She wants to get to them, but – shit. I didn’t get their name.
We’d been interrupted before I got back to that.
I need to go back and ask. But someone came in, and it felt like I was thrown out.
My head was throbbing, like my brain had gone a few rounds with a cricket bat.
Did they arrive while you were talking?
Aye.
Then she broke the connection so they didn’t see you. Spirit summoning can create a vision of the absent party in the meeting location, like an apparition or a ghost.
That explained how I saw myself and how I interacted with the objects and people in the room, too.
How will I ken when it’s safe to contact her again?
She won’t let you into the connection if it’s not safe.
I didn’t realise she had that much control over how it worked. I’d not had the conscious thought of letting her into my dreams.
Though, maybe that’s why she’d found me when I was asleep. I wasn’t conscious then and I’d be expecting strange events and people. Dreams weren’t supposed to make sense.
My heart clenched. How long must that poor woman have waited each night to talk to me? I had to help her.
She’s in labour, so it’ll be a while before I can contact her again. They’ll have someone with her.
If this is her second child there, it’s been over a year. Her family will be looking. Though they may not be vocal about it. A missing banshee would be an embarrassment.
I grimaced as I stretched my legs. I might have an idea. I’d have to go back on some things and eat some humble pie, but…
* * *
Julian met me in our usual meeting room the next morning.
He set his briefcase on the table but didn’t sit. We didn’t have time to loiter.
‘What’s changed?’ he asked. ‘Have you thought of something I should know or something I can use?’
‘Those people contacting you…’
His eyes widened. ‘You’ve reconsidered?’
I raised my hand. ‘Don’t get too excited. I want to find one family.’
He frowned. ‘Why be so selective? If you want to help your case, you need to help as many people as possible.’
I huffed. ‘I’m not sure I can make this work on demand yet. Failing them would do more harm than good. But I am sure I’ve Seen one particular woman. The woman from the summoning I talked about. We might be able to find her. She’s a banshee. Maybe someone who contacted you is connected?’
‘Which family?’
‘I wish I knew. But she had black hair and green eyes the colour of emeralds.’
Julian checked his watch and tutted. ‘We can’t keep the coven waiting.’
‘I ken. Can you help?’
He sighed. ‘I closed most routes of enquiry when you were so vehemently against it but I can do damage control and some quiet digging. How long do you think the banshee has been missing?’
‘She said this was her second bairn in imprisonment. So over a year, at least.’
He grimaced. ‘Awful as that is, it helps. Most banshees don’t stay missing long. I’ll look into it.’ He picked up his briefcase. ‘Ready for another day?’
‘Ready as I’ll ever be.’
Eugene was next, which was sure to be a doozy. The prosecution had been layering muck to see what’d stick. Sadly, with my reputation, most accusations were like superglue.
And after Eugene, the witnesses were people I’d barely met, way less relevant to the case. They’d take no time to question. And they all spoke for the prosecution.
We didn’t have any star witnesses or compelling evidence to prove my innocence. The prosecution’s argument was so much stronger. I needed this banshee. And I was nearly out of time.
* * *
I pinched my nose as my guard opened my cell. Another night inside. Another night thinking through all the things that’d gone wrong. All the people I could’ve explained things better to, or avoided, or protected. But agonising over how I’d do things better now didn’t help anyone. Least of all Cameron or the banshee.
‘Now? Okay. She’s contained,’ my guard said.
At first I thought she was talking to someone in the hallway, but then I reali
sed she’d pressed the button on her radio. They never used that thing.
‘What’s going on?’ They weren’t allowing Russell through again, were they?
PE Teacher walked out of sight. But as her footsteps dulled, others grew louder.
Someone shorter than Shane came along with smart, shiny shoes and… a patterned waistcoat. Julian. I dropped my shoulders and let the tension go.
What was he doing here? It had to be urgent. He’d never visited me after a trial day.
He stopped in front of my cell. ‘I may have a way to win your case.’
‘I’m listening.’
‘A group reached out. Perhaps through the enquiries I made yesterday…’ He spread his hands. ‘I think you should talk to them.’
‘I’m only interested in one family. Is this them?’
‘I don’t know, and I doubt they’d admit it if they were, but they could really help you.’
‘How?’
‘They have connections to multiple coven members.’
‘And you think they’d use them to help me?’ I snorted.
‘At least let me arrange a meeting.’ He raised a finger. ‘With the understanding that if you See or Sense nothing helpful, that’s life.’
‘You think they’d honour that?’
‘It’s an introductory meeting. You can sound each other out, see if it’s a good fit. Maybe you See something, or you don’t. No obligation.’
I frowned. ‘They’re being this flexible?’
He nodded. ‘That’s what makes me think it’s a good fit. They’re missing someone. For three years.’
‘And you’re not sure who it is?’
‘No. They’ve not specified if the missing woman is fae, human, or witch, but she has black hair and green eyes, and at least three families associated with this group have a banshee. The Meyers, Delvauxs, and the Virtanens. So there’s a good shot these are the right people.’
I twisted my lip between my teeth. If they had connections, I could use them to game the system and force a just result. If they followed through. If they didn’t use those same connections to push for my execution. But it wasn’t all about me. Justin died for this and the banshee was counting on me. Getting this right was important. If only the whole thing wasn’t a minefield.
