Thrall

by Jennifer Blackstream

  “We don’t know much,” I said, frustrated. “Only that he’s an astral entity that can possess his victims at will.”

  “Do you know why he is targeting Syrian women, specifically?” he asked.

  “No.”

  Moghadam drummed his fingers on the table. “You said he’s possessing the women. Is there any way you could track him that way?”

  “I’m still looking into that,” I admitted. “That magic is somewhat outside my realm of expertise.”

  “I see.” He sighed. “I’m afraid reading tea leaves won’t be much help to you. But if you can think of a way I can help, please let me know. In the meantime, I will work to help whomever I can.” His cell phone buzzed with a text message and he took it out of his pocket, his eyes sliding side to side as he read the message. “Unfortunately, I have to go. Today seems to be a day of emergency meetings.”

  “Thank you for talking to us,” Liam said.

  Moghadam hesitated, then reached out to shake Liam’s hand. “A pleasure, Detective Sergeant. And you, Ms. Renard.”

  He shook my hand too, then paused before walking away. “I would warn you though. In regards to Stafford? I’m not the only one who will judge you harshly for that partnership. Remember, ‘He that lieth down with dogs shall rise up with fleas.’”

  My lips parted as Moghadam walked away.

  Peasblossom snickered under my hair. “Do you think he did that on purpose?” she asked. “Cause Liam’s a dog?”

  “He’s a wolf,” I said automatically. I cleared my throat. “Maybe after lunch we can go back to Foundations. I want to tell the women there that Connor is dead. I don’t know exactly what their contracts prohibit them from saying, but maybe they’ll be more inclined to try and tell us something if they know we found Jamila’s murderer?”

  Liam nodded.

  Just then, my cell phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Shade? Ms. Renard? It’s Dr. Fakhoury.”

  “Aubrey?”

  Alexandra paused by our table, and I mouthed that we needed a minute. Peasblossom sputtered in protest, but I shushed her.

  “I’m glad I caught you. Listen, I don’t have much time. But I wanted to tell you before I left.”

  “Wait, tell me what? Where are you going?”

  “I found someone to break my contract,” Aubrey said, her voice rushed with excitement. “Or rather, someone found me. It’s done, Shade, I can talk. I can tell you everything.”

  In that second, every murder mystery I’d ever read or seen flashed through my head. “Give me his name,” I said quickly.

  “Her name.” Aubrey’s voice lowered, as if even now she was afraid to say it. Afraid of what would happen if she did.

  “Who?” I urged, holding the phone with both hands.

  “Iman,” Aubrey whispered. “Iman Monet.”

  Chapter 12

  My stomach bottomed out. “Iman Monet. As in Arianne Monet’s wife?”

  Aubrey held her breath, as if waiting for the contract to punish her for the revelation. When nothing happened, she let out a semi-hysterical laugh. “Yes. The Emperor lives in Iman. He’s an astral being, but he needs a ‘permanent’ physical body so he can have a life on the physical plane without having to expend the effort to possess and hold a body. He’s anchored to Iman. That’s why he didn’t want anyone talking to Arianne. He didn’t want her looking for him. He didn’t want to risk being discovered.”

  I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “Iman can’t be the Emperor. Arianne is in the Dreamworld all the time, and there’s a lot of overlap between the Dreamworld and the astral plane. She would have seen him in Iman, would have sensed him.”

  “You’re underestimating the Emperor. And Iman. Iman is incredibly powerful, and her shields are nigh-impenetrable. Unless she’s using her power to link two minds together. She becomes part of a chain, and all the Emperor had to do was possess someone while Iman was linked to them. The path to Iman’s mind was open, and he was past her defenses before she even knew he was there. Once inside, he manipulated her memory, and she was none the wiser that he’d ever been there.”

  She took another breath, the words coming faster now. “The Emperor is an astral being, not just a human with psychic ability. He’s pure psychic force. And he decided years ago that the astral plane wasn’t good enough. He wanted physical sensation. A real life, a real body. He possessed people, just for short periods. Until one day the person he was possessing became Iman’s patient. He recognized Iman’s power immediately, and he seized the chance to build himself a back door into her defenses. She’s the perfect thrall because no one would ever think she could be possessed. Even Arianne can’t see into Iman’s mind unless Iman allows it. Which, of course, the Emperor won’t allow when he’s there. And if he leaves her to possess someone else—like Rima—then even if Arianne did see in Iman’s mind, he wouldn’t be there.”

  “You’re telling me he’s powerful enough to change her memories?” I asked, my heart sinking into my stomach. “She doesn’t remember what she does when he’s possessing her?” I shook my head. “But wait, you said he needs her body because that’s how he has a physical life on this plane. But that would mean…”

  “It means Iman has not been living her own life for months,” Aubrey whispered. “Shade, how do you think the Emperor knew Jamila had gone to see Arianne? Iman is a thrall. The real Iman is buried somewhere in her own subconscious, probably living an illusion. She hasn’t been in control since the Emperor took over.”

  “This is not going to go well,” Scath muttered.

  “You’re telling me.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. “Oh, this is not good. Goddess, I hope you’re wrong.”

  “I’ve seen her at the boarding house,” Aubrey went on. “She comes to oversee the girls’ training, and she’s the one who finds them prospective husbands. From the politicians who stay at Suite Dreams. She’s the one who tells them what they will learn, what they will be. What their husbands want.”

  “Prospective husbands?” Liam asked. “What husbands?”

  “What I told you before was only partially true,” she admitted. “The women are trained professionally. They learn a variety of skills, and are educated on a number of topics. And some of them may enter their professional field. But all of them will be sold. Perhaps not a cash exchange, they may be bargained away. The Emperor often talked about professional men’s need for a proper wife, one who can be a true support, someone who won’t embarrass her husband with her ignorance.”

  “He’s the embarrassment,” Peasblossom snapped. She shuffled her feet on my shoulder, and I winced as the static built between her fuzzy slippers and my shirt.

  “It is the one aspect he neglects to tell women before they come here,” Aubrey says quietly. “They are promised permanent citizenship, but he doesn’t mention that the road to that citizenship is marriage to a citizen. Until they’re married, they are given only temporary visas. Temporary fake visas, which can be lost all too easily if the Emperor is displeased.”

  I held up a hand. “All right, we need to talk to Arianne. Whether you’re right or not, it will be easy enough to prove.”

  “Don’t give her any warning,” Aubrey cautioned. “The Emperor could easily leave Iman and return when Arianne’s guard is down. He’s had plenty of time in her head to interfere with her memories. It is one of his more insidious tricks. He can’t rebuild her memory from scratch, but he is very adept at small changes. Seeds of doubt, a little distrust. I’ve seen him destroy strong women.”

  “We’ll go see Arianne in person.” Liam stood up, blue eyes hard as he thought ahead.

  “We’ll have to talk to them together,” I added. “Make sure the Emperor doesn’t have a chance to hide.”

  “You’ll forgive me if I’m not there,” Aubrey said nervously.

  “Of course not. We’ll find you somewhere safe.”

  “No, that’s all right, I have a plan. I found someone w
ho can help me. But it’s best if I don’t tell anyone. I’ll be okay.”

  “What about the tattoo from the Emperor that he uses for spying and possession, don’t you have one, too?” I asked.

  “The contract dictated that I couldn’t remove it myself and had to fight anyone who tried. But then the contract was broken, and after my appointment today the tattoo wouldn’t have been a problem anyway.” She took a deep breath. “I have to go, I’m supposed to meet them at eleven. This is my cell phone number. It’s new, so there’s no way the Emperor can track it. I’ll be getting rid of it soon, but if you need me in the next hour or so, you can call. Good luck.”

  I stared at Liam as Aubrey ended the call. I wanted to stop her, to take her someplace I knew she’d be safe.

  “If she doesn’t want our help, we can’t force her,” Liam said quietly. “We’d only end up wasting resources trying to coerce her to go somewhere and stay there.”

  “This could all be part of some elaborate trick,” Peasblossom argued. “We have no reason to trust her. For all we know, she’s the Emperor!”

  I stood and headed for the door. “If it’s only been a few months, we might still be able to save Iman. We need to find out if what Aubrey said is true. If she’s lying, we’ll track her down later.”

  Liam spoke to Alexandra before we left, and we waited for her to fetch a box of chicken tenders and fries. It didn’t take more than ten minutes, but every second grated on my nerves, wound me up a little tighter.

  Alexandra handed over the food and Liam paid. I must have looked as frustrated as I felt because he fixed me with a stern look.

  “I cannot skip meals. Especially not during a case. And you shouldn’t either.”

  I bit back my response and settled for half-jogging to the truck. Liam didn’t need to jog to catch up to me, since his longer legs covered the distance faster anyway. He opened the box of food and set it on the arm rest in the car, gesturing at it in open invitation to anyone who wanted some.

  I tried to nibble on a fry, but ended up holding it for the duration of the drive. Despite my earlier bravado, by the time we arrived at Suite Dreams, I’d managed to think of seven ways the sorceress could kill me by accident in a fit of rage. It was a testament to my imagination, but I had to give past experience some credit. Arianne had given me a lot of reasons to fear and respect her over our short relationship.

  “Peasblossom, if you wouldn’t mind giving Liam an illusion, just in case someone’s watching the hotel?” I said, forcing my voice to come out lighter and definitely not panicky.

  “Very optimistic of you to think there’s someone scarier worth hiding from when she’s the one you’re going to confront,” Peasblossom observed.

  I ignored her and used a brief spell to disguise myself, changing just enough of my features that I wasn’t instantly recognizable. Scath was sidhe, so she had her own glamour. Peasblossom landed on Liam’s shoulder and a second later, Liam was shorter, with dark hair and a lanky build. Same clothes, but his sleeves were tightly cuffed around his wrists. Unrecognizable.

  “I remember when the smell of lavender used to calm me,” I murmured as we entered the hotel.

  “I don’t,” Peasblossom said. “She’s ruined it forever.”

  “I won’t let her kill you.”

  I jumped at the sound of Scath’s voice. She was closer than I’d thought, and there was something about the confidence in her voice that reminded me I’d never gotten any answers out of my mentor. Unlike Liam, she’d decided to go taller, and significantly more muscular in her glamour. At least she’d magicked Majesty’s pouch to look like a cute pink backpack with a stuffed dog hanging out of it. Nice touch.

  We headed straight for Arianne’s office door, Liam’s badge convincing the person at the front desk not to stop us, despite the fact she wouldn’t have recognized us under the glamour. It did not, however, stop the perturbed employee from calling Arianne to tell her we were coming.

  The door to her office swung open when we were still five feet away, and I stumbled to a halt. “It’s us,” I blurted out.

  The friendly facade Arianne reserved for law enforcement melted from her face with the speed of red juice leaking from a child’s cup onto white carpet. “Inside,” she barked.

  Again, my always-helpful imagination regaled me with all the ways a sorceress as powerful as Arianne could kill me in a fit of temper. Even if she didn’t strictly intend to cause my death. I wondered if the rumors that dream sorceresses could literally leak nightmares when they were upset had any truth to it.

  Arianne barely waited for her office door to close before spinning around, the long flowing skirt of her violet dress curling around her legs as she did. “You have news?” Her gaze darted from Liam to me, and back. “You didn’t call.”

  “We might have some news.” Liam was using his professional voice, the one that could be called on for suicide jumpers, mourning families, or even the press. Calm. In control. “Is Iman here?”

  Arianne’s brow furrowed. “Iman? No, she had an appointment. Why, what’s happened?”

  “I need her expertise,” I said quickly. “It’s very important.”

  “Maybe I can answer your questions. What do you need to know?”

  “It would really be better if we could speak to both of you,” Liam insisted. “Trust me.”

  “I don’t know how long she’ll be.” Arianne crossed her arms, then dropped them back at her sides. “Will you make me wait?”

  Her tone made it very clear what she thought of that option.

  “When was her appointment?” I asked.

  “Eleven.” Arianne pressed her lips into a thin line. “What is going on? What do you want with my wife?”

  Eleven. That was the same time as Aubrey’s appointment.

  “It could be a coincidence,” Peasblossom whispered.

  I tried not to sound like I was panicking. “Arianne, what does Iman do?”

  “She does many things,” Arianne said stiffly. “She’s a counselor, she works at the hospital to reach people in comas or those who for some reason or another can’t communicate.”

  There was something about the rhythm of what she said that made me think there was something she was omitting. “Is that what she was doing today?”

  “I don’t know. She went to the clinic, she could be there for any number of reasons.” She took a quick step forward, crowding my personal space. The scent of lavender thickened between us, and I fought a sudden surge of panic. I did not need more nightmares.

  “What do you want with Iman?” she demanded.

  “What were you going to say?” I countered. “What else does she do?”

  Liam stepped closer to me, not exactly threatening Arianne, but making it clear we needed an answer.

  Arianne’s gaze flicked back and forth between us. “She works with the Vanguard in their witness relocation program. She uses her abilities to transfer the witness’ mind to a new body.”

  “She what?” Liam asked sharply.

  Arianne waved a hand impatiently. “When a human’s brain dies, their consciousness leaves. Their soul is gone. The Vanguard waits for a patient to be declared brain dead and makes sure the paperwork is signed for them to be taken off life support. They then heal the patient’s brain, and Iman transfers the witness’ mind to the new body. The family is given a wooden changeling to bury, and the real body is shipped to a new location and the witness gets a new life.” She paused then added, “Of course there are other ways a body can end up without a soul, but brain death is the most common.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. “I’d imagine these things are classified.”

  “Highly. Iman won’t know who she’s meeting until she gets there, the witness won’t know her. And the Vanguard will wipe the meeting from both their minds to make sure no one can connect the witness to the new body.” She finished talking quickly, flexing her hands into fists at her sides. “If you don’t answer my question—”

&nbs
p; “We need to get to the clinic now.”

  Liam was already moving, and Scath and I took off after him. I could almost feel Arianne’s temper heating my back, but I didn’t look to see if she was following.

  Of course she was following.

  “Do you think she’s in danger?” Arianne asked as soon as we closed the doors of Liam’s truck and he started the engine.

  The threat was gone from her voice, replaced by a pleading tone. The tone of someone who just wanted to know if their loved one was all right. I bit the inside of my lip.

  “I think she’ll be fine, but we need to get to her as soon as possible.” I didn’t want to get into too much detail, so I distracted Arianne as best I could by telling her about the case so far. Her jaw tightened when I mentioned the forced marriages.

  I managed to keep talking until we’d reached the clinic. Not a huge accomplishment since it was only a five minute drive. It wasn’t until we were all exiting Liam’s truck that Arianne brought the conversation back to her wife.

  “You say this doctor told you Iman could be in danger,” she said finally. “What kind of danger?”

  I may have lied a bit at the end.

  “The Emperor is using his telepathic abilities to spy on people,” I said. “Aubrey worried that he may have attempted to compromise Iman. You said so yourself, she performs a lot of different jobs. It wouldn’t have been that difficult for the Emperor to arrange for her to counsel someone while he was in their mind.”

  “You think he may have taken advantage of the bond Iman forms with her patients to infect her.” Arianne quickened her pace.

  “Yes,” I said, trying to keep up. “But since I can’t open my third eye—”

  “I will examine her,” Arianne interrupted. “I will know if he’s tried to hurt her.”

  It didn’t bode well that Arianne had gone immediately to seeing Iman as a victim instead of focusing on the fact she may have been compromised permanently. Arianne didn’t look at all worried that the Emperor could have turned Iman into his personal spy. But then, I suppose that’s what love meant.