by CJ Flynn
“We are also investigating. When we arrived, we found this woman exactly as you see her now.”
“Untie me,” Golda commanded. “We're clearly on the same side, and I want to take a look for myself.”
I stared at her for a long moment, wishing not for the first time that we’d brought along a telepath. I couldn't tell if she was lying or not, but she seemed too forthright to be straying too far from the truth.
Finally, I nodded at Daniel.
He reached behind her and snapped the zip-ties apart. Golda lifted her arms back to her front, rubbing a little at her wrists.
“You have two minutes,” he said.
She stepped forward and bent down towards the young woman. She touched a faint red line on the side of the blonde woman's neck and frowned.
“She has been under the persuasion of a vampire,” Golda said, turning to face Daniel and me again. “Do you know who is responsible?”
I nodded. “We have a theory.”
“Someone is using an extremely powerful bit of dark magic here,” she said, looking down at the woman with a look of deep sadness. “It is fading, but I'm afraid she will likely have permanent damage.”
“Is there anything we can do?” I asked.
Golda shook her head. “I can break the last of this persuasion, but I can't do anything about the black magic.”
“Now?”
She nodded, looked right at me, and uttered words that sounded a lot like “Black Gin.”
Chapter 9
I woke up to an empty kitchen, save for Daniel, and the faintest pink light peeking through the windows.
My limbs woke more slowly than my mind and I started to panic as I realized what the pink light meant. I struggled to my feet and went to Daniel, who was crumpled by the table. I shook him gently, but he didn't stir. I looked at the windows again and back at Daniel. I leaned back from him and slapped him as hard as I could across the face.
His eyes flickered, flaring with his red aura as he awakened. “What's happened?” he asked, struggling to move.
“I'm not sure. There's no time to figure it out, either. The sun is rising.”
Daniel's eyes went wide. He held his hand out to me and I grasped it, trying to pull him as he pushed off the floor. He got up on shaky feet and I saw his eyes glaze over.
“Are you alright?” I asked, sliding around to support him underneath his arms.
“I need to get somewhere safe. Now.”
We stumbled towards the door, our limbs crashing together as I opened it and led him back to the garden. I debated calling for a car, but knew there wasn't time. It had taken us less than ten minutes to get here when we were both sure-footed. There was no telling how long it was take us to get back to the safe house, or how long there was until true sunrise.
We made it to the street and started down the sidewalk. We passed a few people, including an old woman who clucked her tongue and mumbled something about drunken youngsters before heading on her way. I lurched with the effort of helping Daniel down the sidewalk. He was heavy, stumbling, and slowly losing consciousness.
“Not much further,” I said, trying to keep my voice light despite how hard I was breathing.
I saw a deeper red appear at the horizon as we carried on, and finally the townhouse was in sight. Daniel let out a cry as we stepped out of the shadow on a building and into the crosswalk. The light was starting to seep over the horizon and I saw a deep, charred gash appear across Daniel's side and shoulder. I yanked him into the shadow of another building, but there was no escaping the final crosswalk.
Fresh searing wounds appeared across him as we stumbled closer to the safe house. Finally, my feet found the concrete stairs and I dragged him up with me as he pushed himself using the cast iron rail.
I unlocked the door and pulled Daniel across the threshold just as a ray of light appeared in the square over the top of the building. I slammed the door shut and listened as a strange mechanical sound echoed throughout the house. Across every window I could see, shutters slid out from narrow cavities and slammed shut across them. We were plunged into blackness.
“Blood.” His voice echoed in the foyer.
My heart thudded. Surely, he didn't mean—
“In the fridge.”
I stumbled along the hallway towards the kitchen, and fumbled for a light switch. The warm overhead lights flared to life in the kitchen, which now seemed narrow and closed in because of the shuttered windows. I opened the fridge and was surprised to find not only IV bags of blood in a plastic box, but a small assortment of regular human food. The local arm of the organization had stocked supplies, exactly as Daniel said they would.
I grabbed one of the IV bags and hurried back to the foyer, where Daniel was still sprawled out and only semi-conscious. I ripped out the plastic stopper from the bag and let some of the thick blood dribble into his mouth.
He let out a hiss and sat up, taking the bag from me. I stepped back as he guzzled the bag. It seemed so methodical, nothing like the vampire stories I'd read so long ago, or even like the donor booths that the European vampires favored at their parties. The IV bag absurdly reminded me of a kids' juice pouch and I had to stifle a giggle as I watched him finish.
His skin color seemed normal, and the wounds from the sun were starting to heal. They were still glistening and angry, but I could see the burned flesh beginning to mend. I took the empty IV bag from him and helped him off the floor.
“Can I help you downstairs?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, thank you.”
He started to take a few steps, but it was immediately clear that he wasn't yet strong enough to handle a staircase. I wrapped my arm around his waist again and helped him towards the stairs. We descended slowly; each step seemed grueling for Daniel.
Finally, we made it to one of the downstairs bedrooms, and Daniel collapsed onto a bed. I knew some of the vampires still maintained coffins, but most of them just kept light-tight sleeping spaces. Daniel was thoroughly modern—no coffin carrying required.
I watched for a minute as his eyes drifted shut. He was a good-looking man; I'd thought so the first time I'd laid eyes on him. His cheeks were angular, and he had striking, cold blue eyes that pierced everything they saw. A change overcame him as the sleep took hold. His lips relaxed, and the tension melted away from his face. The fresh supply of blood had put a little color in his cheeks and I remembered how comforting and warm he had felt on our return trip from Paris. I had been wild and lost with the emotions of the events at Lillith's stronghold, but that desire to kiss Daniel had come from somewhere deeper.
I smiled a little as I watched him. He looked normal. Not at all scary or threatening. I wanted to touch him, to see if his normally cool skin felt more human while he slept, but I didn't dare.
The panic that had settled in my stomach when I'd seen the dusky rose sky gleaming over the rooftops of Savannah finally subsided. We were safe, for now.
* * *
My normal schedule called for sleep during the daylight hours, but I was too wired by the events that had transpired.
As soon as I was sure Daniel would be okay, I retreated to the only made-up guest room and settled in to attempt to trace both the blonde woman and the witch, Golda.
It took me some time to find them—they were still in the city, but Golda was using some kind of misdirection spell that kept messing up my senses. Finally, I narrowed them down to a block of apartments north of the city. I knew I would be able to find them once I was closer, so I set about figuring out the rest of my plan.
First, I placed a call to Ernie Haden, who answered on the second ring.
“Allie?”
“Yes, hi. I was wondering if you had a minute?”
“Of course. What can I do for you?”
“I'm in Savannah. We're tracing a lead on Ben, and I need some help. Do you have a contact within the local Coven here?”
There was a pause of the line. “The Savannah Coven might not b
e safe right now.”
“What's going on?”
“There's been some dissent amongst the Elders about permissible magic. One of the Elders is a woman named—”
“Let me guess,” I interrupted. “Golda.”
“I take it you've had the pleasure of meeting her?”
“I wouldn't call it that.”
“She runs an apothecary out of her home, a small cottage in downtown Savannah.”
I sighed as more pieces clicked into place. We had been in her home, and had probably caught her off-guard, but she had been a very effective liar. I tried to figure out what her role in all this was. The old woman had tricked me, but she hadn't been emanating any of the dark energy that surrounded the blonde.
I told Ernie what had happened during the night.
“I want to send you one of my enforcers,” Ernie said, after I had given him all the details. “Witches have always been the Druids' best allies, and you're going to need help to navigate whatever is going on there.”
I tried to find a reason to turn him down, but I knew we needed help. It was clear that Imala wasn't acting alone, and most of Sorrell's resources were tied up in Europe. Funds were unlimited; people were not.
“That's fine,” I finally said.
“She'll be there by nightfall. Try to get some rest, if you can. I have a feeling you're in for a long haul, Allie.”
“Thanks, Ernie.”
I hung up the phone, trying to figure out what else I needed to do before attempting to get some sleep. My brain retraced the events at Golda's cottage, and I remembered the phone I had taken off the blonde. I wandered over to my jacket and rifled through the front pockets.
It was still there.
I slid my finger across it, but it still demanded a passcode. I grabbed my own phone and sent a text message to Olivia, asking for help. Within a few minutes, she was texting me back with long instructions to access the recent calls and contacts.
I finally worked it out and the recent call list popped open. There were three calls to Ben's phone, two on the twenty-ninth, and one on the thirty-first.
Interspersed with those calls were incoming connections from an unknown number. I checked the call times—they ranged from just ten seconds to more than twenty-five minutes.
I flipped over to the contacts and scrolled until I found one that looked helpful.
I selected “Mom” and held the phone to my ear.
A woman with an English accent answered after three rings. “Hello, darling!”
I didn't answer.
“Darling? Hello? Hannah? Are you there?”
I kept my silence, cataloging the name she had used. Hannah.
The line went dead, and I shut the phone off before the woman could call back.
I tossed it onto the desk and stripped off the clothes I'd worn to Golda's. I grabbed a long t-shirt out of my bag and climbed into bed, thankful for the shuttered windows.
Chapter 10
Ernie's enforcer arrived just after nightfall, exactly as he'd promised. I was mildly surprised to come face-to-face with Eba again, the woman who had delivered his message to my home in New York.
“Hello again,” she said, as I gave her entrance to the townhouse. “Ernie filled me in on the situation, so I only need an update of anything you've learned since then.”
I was thankful for her no-bullshit demeanor. She would probably work well with us.
I motioned for her to follow me to the kitchen, where Daniel was waiting at the table. He'd awakened from his long sleep in perfect condition and extremely pissed off.
“Daniel, this is Eba. Ernie Haden's enforcer.”
He nodded and returned his gaze to the smartphone in his hand. I knew he had sent a long email to Camilla Pierce, requesting information on the Savannah Coven, but it seemed too early for her to have replied.
“I don't know anything else, except for the name of the woman that Golda seems to be holding hostage. Her name is Hannah.”
“This is the woman that Imala seems to hold under persuasion?”
I nodded. “Though I'm not certain she's still doing that. Hannah has some remaining energy from Imala, but it's faded drastically since I first traced her.”
Eba nodded once. “Very well. I've sent a message to a trusted contact who is affiliated with the Savannah Coven and I expect word for her at any time. They're already discussing Golda amongst the Elders, and they may make a decision on how to go forward tonight.”
“I still can't connect how she's involved.”
Eba shrugged. “We do not have all the pieces.” She settled into a chair across from Daniel and pulled a thin laptop from her bag.
“Is she the witch hiding Imala?” Daniel asked. “Or somehow helping her in another way?”
I shook my head. “I don't think so. I didn't get any sense of dark magic from her—whoever is hiding Imala is probably working with some pretty dark forces.”
Eba nodded. “I agree with your assessment, Allie. We've had our best searching for the source of the magic, and we can't find it yet. My contact's hope is that Golda will give them some real insight, but there's no guarantee.”
Just as she finished her statement, her phone rang. She picked it up before the second ring and excused herself to the living room.
I watched her leave the room before turning to Daniel. Anger still coursed in his eyes, and I could see a faint aura even though I was trying to block him.
“It's not your fault,” I said. “I believed her, too.”
Daniel scowled. “It is my job to protect you, Allie. I should never have untied her.”
I held up my hand. “Don't start right now. We work together, and we keep a watch out for each other. We both fucked this one up.”
He looked doubtful, but he didn't voice further disagreement. He had barely spoken two words to me before now, and I hoped I'd be able to snap him out of his foul mood before we had to make our next move.
Eba came back in. “That was my contact for the Savannah Coven. Golda won't talk. They're taking her to England.” She delivered her news as if she was telling us about a droll telemarketing call.
“England? Why?” I asked.
“To sit trial by the Coven of the Crows.”
Duh.
“You're going to have to fill me in,” I replied. “I'm new to all this.”
“The Coven of the Crows is the main ruling body of the Witches of the West. Golda was found to be using a spell to keep this Hannah woman hidden, which is strictly forbidden, unless it's being used for protection. She must explain her transgressions.”
I pushed my chair back and stood from the table, frustrated that Eba hadn't volunteered this information first. “Did they find Hannah? Is she awake?”
Eba shook her head. “They found her, but she will not recover from what Imala did to her. The Witches of Savannah will care for her until other arrangements can be made.”
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I had been hoping that Hannah would be able to provide some useful information, but the hope had dwindled. My only chance of finding Imala might be finding the witch who was hiding her.
“I plan to go to London for the proceedings, and I think you should accompany me, Allie. Typically, we do not allow non-witches to attend, but you have an issue with Golda that can be addressed within our system.”
“She won't go alone,” Daniel said, a glare on his face.
“She won't be alone. She will be with me.”
“This isn't our jurisdiction,” I said, looking over at Daniel. “I should go alone.”
He stared at me before giving a curt nod. “Fine. You and Eba will go to the Coven without me, but I will accompany you to London. I will make the arrangements.”
I stifled a groan. 6 flights in 7 days. And now we were going international.
Chapter 11
I was beginning to lose sense of time. We arrived in London during some part of some day, and were whisked immediately in an SUV to an estate on the
Jurassic Coast. The Channel was just coming into view as the sun began to rise and I felt a momentary panic that caused me to look to the back of the SUV. Sorrell's organization owned several of the weird vehicles—they were a cross between a limo and a box van. The passenger area was as swanky as anything Sorrell operated, but there was a light-tight compartment at the very back of the vehicle.
Daniel was stowed away there now. Our trip timing was exactly right for the time of year, but he'd still been secured away when we'd left for the airport in Savannah, and when we arrived in London. Safety precautions, after what had happened with Golda.
