She graciously nodded at the three, then took a seat at the end of the table. “I stopped out front to examine the driveway. You’re right. There is a strong signature there and it is of divine nature. It’s terribly chaotic and there’s a malevolence about it that leads me to think we’re dealing with one of the gods of chaos.”
I paled. “It can’t be Typhon, can it?”
Morgana shook her head. “If Typhon landed in Raven’s front yard, there wouldn’t be anything left of the neighborhood. No, but there is that malign element to it.” She paused, then sighed. “I found out some particularly disturbing information this morning. The case you’re on? The serial killer case?”
“Yes?” Herne asked, looking like he didn’t want to hear the answer. I knew exactly how he felt. Events felt like they had just gone into a freefall, and one of our friends was caught up in the vortex.
With a grave look, she said, “It isn’t just happening here. I’m getting reports from all over the world that necromancers and bone witches are being targeted. It seems there is a systematic attack on those working with the dead. At the same time, reports of the dead rising are increasing. It occurs to me that since bone witches and necromancers can control the dead, and they’re being targeted, then someone’s trying to remove impediments to controlling spirits and…well…corpses, for what you will.”
“Typhon,” Angel whispered. “You said that he would bring the dead with him. Could he be sending out…I don’t know…scouts to pave the way?”
“More along the lines of emissaries. We told you that some of the gods are aligning themselves with him. Especially the gods of chaos.”
“Excuse me?” Llewellyn looked like he was about to faint. “Who’s Typhon? And what the hell is going on?”
“I’m afraid you’re about to be let in on a secret you really don’t want to know,” Morgana said. “Trefoil and Meadow, how much do you know about this?”
Trefoil looked at Meadow, then said, “Some. LOCK knows about Typhon. While some of the researchers haven’t been notified, some have. I think you should know what we do for the organization.”
Meadow nodded. “I think you’re right, Tref, considering what’s happening. We belong to the paramilitary side of LOCK. We answer to the Force Majeure and they occasionally send us out on missions when there’s a grave danger that cannot be controlled on local levels. We were sent here to keep an eye on activities surrounding the dead and we report directly back to the Council. LOCK, as you know, was created by Taliesin, who belongs to the Force Majeure. Therefore we are directly under their control.”
“My father is the current leader of the Force Majeure,” Morgana said. “He’s Merlin.”
Meadow blushed. “I didn’t make the connection,” she said. “Forgive me, my lady.”
“Nothing to forgive,” Morgana said. “I didn’t even think about my father being part of this. I haven’t heard from him in a while. That was shortsighted of me. So the Force Majeure sent you here to keep an eye on the signs that Typhon is nearing?”
Trefoil nodded. “Yes, we’re advanced scouts, you might say. And it seemed handy being across the street from a born bone witch. Since Raven was born a bone witch, and her mother is one of the Bean Sidhe, we thought she might notice some of the increased activity and be able to help us if need be.”
“No wonder you jumped on the house so quickly when I put it up for rent,” Kipa said.
“We had been looking for a place near her for a while.” Meadow bit her lip. “So what is this about a targeted attack on necromancers?”
Morgana sighed, pulling out her phone. She checked her notes and said, “I’m afraid it’s true. We’re getting reports from all over the world that necromancers, bone witches, and mediums who specialize in talking to spirits are being killed. Most just outright, not in as horrific a way as your victims here have been. We think that Typhon has sent emissaries into the world to destroy the opposition, so to speak.”
“Crap. Then our killer is just one of many,” I said.
“Right. The gods had decided to enlist all of those working with the dead in our fight against him. We’re scrambling to enact safety measures for those still alive. We’ve had reports of more than two hundred deaths so far and it’s just increasing.” She shook her head. “This is a blow we didn’t expect.”
“What are you doing to keep them safe?” Llew asked.
“We’ve put out the word through some of the magical guilds that they’re to allow the necromancers and bone witches access, so we can keep an eye on them. We’ve been getting some resistance, but the guilds won’t fight the gods for long, not when my father steps in. All the other agencies of the hunt—Mielikki’s Arrow, Odin’s Chase, and Diana’s Hounds—are sending their agents into the guilds to discuss matters. In fact, I was about to call a meeting with the Wild Hunt for just that reason.”
“What are we going to do about Raven?” Kipa asked, his face ashen. “Do you think that the killer has her? Do you think it’s truly one of Typhon’s emissaries?”
I glanced at Herne. I had the feeling we were both thinking the same thing, given the revelations that Morgana had dumped on our shoulders. “We need to speak with Eldris again. I’m pretty sure that whoever Typhon’s emissary for this area is, is working through the Spooks. That’s the only place in Seattle that most of the necromancers and bone witches gather.”
“One thing,” Trefoil said. “That signature out there? It’s definitely feminine, and I’d say someone who’s batshit crazy.”
“Let me call my father.” Morgana abruptly stood and headed toward the hallway, pulling out her phone.
I was trying to take everything in that it happened. All of the sudden, we had gone from a simple serial killer to an emissary from Typhon, who—along with others—was sweeping through the world attempting to kill off anybody who could deal with the dead. And that meant that Typhon’s emissaries were everywhere.
“If they’re killing off those who deal with the dead, what else are they going to do?” Talia murmured.
“I wonder if Raven’s still alive,” I whispered.
“The killer usually dumps the bodies on Monday, so I think we can assume that Raven is still alive. Unfortunately, our serial killer, or emissary if you like, has a thirst for pain.” Yutani stopped, as if suddenly realizing what he had just said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“No, we know you didn’t. It’s just—it’s Raven out there. Viktor,” I said. “Can you call Erica and see if she’s heard anything about the APBs?”
“I’ll do that right now,” Viktor said, pushing back his chair and pulling out his phone. “While I’m at it, I can get an update on Sheila’s attacker.”
While he called Erica, I stared at my plate, moving the food around. I had lost every ounce of my appetite. Herne, who was sitting next to me, reached out and took my hand. I looked at him, needing the reassurance in his eyes, but I was surprised to see that even he looked shaken.
Viktor returned, shaking his head. “They found Raven’s car. It was ditched on a side street near the entrance to the 520 floating bridge. Erica’ll let me know if they find any prints. But given what Morgana said, somehow I doubt they’re going to be able to place any fingerprints they might find.”
“How’s the search for Sheila’s attacker, and how is she?”
“The hospital called me this morning with an update. She’s going to be all right, but she still can’t even attempt to talk. As far as the freak who slashed her, Erica said they’re on his tail.” Viktor pressed his lips together, remaining surprisingly calm.
Morgana returned at that moment. “My father will be here shortly. Herne, he wants you to pick him up a list of supplies.” She handed him a paper.
“Grandpa is coming here?”
Trefoil almost choked on his coffee. “Grandpa? You call Merlin Grandpa? One of the most powerful magicians ever?”
“Well, he is my grandfather.” Herne glanced over the paper. “What’s
he planning?”
“Don’t ask, just follow directions. Meanwhile, Ember?”
“Yes, Morgana?” I stood, ready to do whatever she needed.
“We need to go into Raven’s ritual room.” She glanced at the others around the table. “Angel, I need you, too.”
Angel blinked. “Me?”
“Yes, I need two of Raven’s friends who are close to her. But Kipa’s too emotionally involved. Meanwhile, Llewellyn, you and Trefoil cordon off the energy signature. We don’t want anybody disrupting it. Kipa, go with Herne. It will keep you occupied. Meadow, my father asks that you go print off any information that you received from the Force Majeure.”
“What should we do?” Yutani asked. He motioned to Viktor, Talia, and himself.
“Call Eldris,” I interjected. “Tell him we need the fucking truth. We need to know anything about a woman who joined the Spooks within the past few weeks.” I paused. “Last night, I saw Raven talking to a woman. She seemed deep in conversation.” I thought back to the evening before. “She was beautiful with a capital B. She had long blond hair, she looked highly toned, and she was wearing leather pants and a black sweater. I remember her because she was so stunning.” I shook my head, suddenly realizing I had fallen into a reverie just thinking about her.
“What the hell?” Herne asked.” You just flickered in and out. Not physically, but I could feel you slipping away.”
“He’s right,” Morgana said. “Yutani, make the call now. I want to hear what this vampire has to say, and if he tries to blow you off, give me the phone.”
Yutani brought out his phone and punched in a number. “I need to talk to Eldris. Please tell him this is Yutani from last night.” He paused for a moment then added, “Call him to the phone. It’s an emergency.” Another pause. “He’s going to want to talk to me—”
Morgana yanked the phone out of his hand. “Listen to me,” she said, her voice echoing, a steel will behind it. “Call your master to the phone or I will personally come down there and tear your club apart. And you’d better believe that I can do it.”
I found myself terrified. And then I realized she had forced magic into her voice, magic that could travel through the phone lines.
A moment later, she spoke again. “Is this Eldris the vampire? Owner of Fire & Fang?” It was her turn to pause, and then she said, “I want to know whatever you can dredge up about a woman involved in your necromancers’ group, the Spooks. You either tell me what I want to know, or I destroy your club… This is Morgana, goddess of the Fae and the Sea. I would highly recommend that you not question my authority or authenticity… Good, very good. She was there last night, talking to Raven BoneTalker. She wore black leather pants, a black sweater, had long golden hair, and apparently was about as hot as you can get.”
By now we were all watching her, transfixed on her side of the conversation. I could just imagine Eldris squirming in his seat and it made me smile, despite all the strain we were under.
“You don’t say? Do you know anything else about her? You’d better tell me.” Morgana paused once more, then finally said, “All right. But if I call you back, you answer. Give me your personal number. Now.” She motioned to me and I found her a pen and notepad. She scribbled something on it, then said, “I trust you will cooperate with my son Herne, and all members of the Wild Hunt from now on. In fact, you and I might want to have a conversation sometime soon. I’m sure you would make a most helpful informant. And I wouldn’t spread that around.” Laughing gently, she finished the call and handed the phone back to Yutani. But there was no mirth in her eyes.
“Did you find out anything?” Herne asked.
“I found out too much. You and Kipa go get the things on that list. Get back here as soon as you can. Llew, you and Trefoil get out there and preserve the magical signature. Everybody scramble.” She motioned for me to lead her toward Raven’s ritual room. Angel followed, looking apprehensive.
Once we were in the room, Morgana shut the door, then turned to us. “I know who your killer is. And she’s definitely one of Typhon’s emissaries. I had a suspicion when you described her, but I was hoping I was wrong.”
“Are you going to keep us in suspense?” I asked.
“You’re going to wish I would, but no. You have to know. I’m afraid were going to have to conscript Llew into working with us. He can’t find out about all of this and just go off on his merry way. At least Trefoil and Meadow are already on our side.” She paused, shaking her head.
“Who are we up against?” I asked.
“Remember I told you how some of the gods have taken Typhon’s side? Some of them are greater gods and some are lesser. And it appears he has taken some of the lesser gods and appointed them as emissaries. The person who stole Raven away is none other than Pandora.”
I stared at her, unable to say a word.
“You mean Pandora as in Pandora’s box?” Angel whispered.
“None other. And Pandora is as dangerous, chaotic, and crazy as they come.”
Chapter Seventeen
Pandora. Surely, someone had made a mistake. But as I gazed into Morgana’s brilliant eyes, I realized that she wasn’t joking. There was no smile behind her words, no hint of levity. I sat down on the floor near Raven’s main altar, gazing at a massive crystal ball that was set on a pedestal next to the altar table.
“Surely you’re not talking about…” I paused, knowing the question was futile. “Why would she work with Typhon?”
“He’s the father of chaos, even more so than Loki or a number of the other ancient gods. Pandora loves tormenting humans. Although your myths about her are off track as to her origins, the fact remains that she carries the world’s ills in her bag and lets them loose whenever she feels like it. Down through time, Pandora has found one way after another to plague the human race. She considers humanity her play toys. It doesn’t surprise me to find her mucking about with ways of destroying this world.”
“Why does she hate humanity so much?” Angel asked. “I thought she was human.”
“Common misconception. Pandora’s original name was Anesidora. She’s one of Zeus’s daughters. He sent her to Earth because of Prometheus’s love for humanity, as an antithesis.”
“And she’s here, now.”
“Pandora is beauty incarnate, but beneath that beauty lurks a heart of stone. From the time she was born, Zeus trained her to be his weapon. He nicknamed her Pandora so that the humans wouldn’t know who she was, and he gave her the gifts of chaos and destruction. You’ll notice she carries a bag with her. You’ll never be able to get it away from her. In that bag are some of the worst glitches and misunderstandings the world has ever seen.”
“Does Zeus know she’s working for Typhon?” I asked.
Morgana frowned. “That’s hard to say, but it makes sense. She has neither conscience nor compassion.”
“Can she be killed?” I was afraid I knew the answer to that, but I needed to ask anyway.
“No,” Morgana said. “The best you can hope for is to temporarily banish her. But it won’t hold forever, and Pandora has a long memory.”
Feeling thoroughly defeated, I slumped back against the wall and rested my head, closing my eyes. “How do we chase her out?”
Morgana shrugged. “That’s what we’re going to ask my father about. Along with several other things. He has faced most of the gods at least once.”
“So what do we do now?” I asked.
“Llew had the idea to do a Location spell. I am much better equipped for that, and I can call upon Arawn and Cerridwen for help. I wanted you two here because, even though Kipa’s her boyfriend, I consider that you and Angel have the strongest connection to Raven.”
“What about Raj?” I asked.
“I don’t want to frighten him. And I don’t think he would be able to focus the way I need him to. Ember, you and Angel join hands with me.” Morgana placed the statues of Arawn and Cerridwen on the floor in the center, before taking her place. An
gel and I formed the other two points of the triangle around the statues.
“Why don’t you just go see them in Annwn?” Angel asked.
“I could, but that would take longer than this. And I would have to take both of you with me. You’re going to be the anchors, connecting Raven’s energy to me. I want you to both think about her. See her in your mind’s eye, visualize her as clearly as you can. Don’t let go of my hand for any reason unless I tell you to.”
She took my hand, my fingers began vibrating as her energy flowed through me, through my other arm and into Angel’s hand. I heard Angel gasp, but brought my focus back to the image of Raven. I tried to block out everything I could except for her form, for the sound of her voice. Even as Morgana began to speak I held tight to the thought of Raven.
“Oh most gracious Arawn, Lord of the Dead. Cerridwen, Keeper of the Cauldron, I summon thee. I, Morgana, goddess of Fae, goddess of the sea, stand before you. I need your help, and I don’t have time to come visit you in person. Please, appear to me. Be here now.”
Her voice thundered and it felt like it shook the very walls. I braced myself, continuing to hold tight to her hand and to Angel’s. I couldn’t help but open my eyes as the flow of heavy magic swept around us.
I stiffened, every hair on my arm standing at attention. As I looked around, I saw a mist rising from the statues, forming what looked like a mirror. At that moment, Angel opened her eyes and she trembled, but said nothing.
Overhead, within the border of the portal, a figure appeared.
A black skeletal king, massive, he had red eyes and wore a long silver cloak. As he stepped through the portal I saw that he was almost transparent, and I wasn’t sure whether he was really here.
Before I could even take him in, a majestic woman appeared. She, too, came through the portal, and moved to the other side. Her hair was caught into braids that hung down the front of her dress, and she wore an elegant rust-colored gown with a hunter green apron over the top. Around her head was a golden circlet of Celtic knotwork. I struggled to keep Raven in mind as I watched Arawn and Cerridwen appear.
Sun Broken: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 11 Page 18
