"Please do. I know you love all things regarding witchcraft and the occult, so I've been looking out for them at estate sales. They're quite sought after, you know, but you're welcome to browse them even if you don't want to buy."
"Thanks, I'd like that." I left the shop, wondering what a horologicon was, and returned to the car where Astra waited for me, and she immediately asked me what I discovered.
"He said the demon was looking for a horologicon. I don't even know what that is. Do you?"
"Yes, I do," Astra grimaced. "Although, they're very rare. It's a book of events, that are all time specific. It changes by the hour so it can mean different things at different times, but is generally reliant on the events that preceded it."
"Like a psychic book?" I asked, frowning. I was thinking about the first and last time I saw a book of that ilk. It was loaned to me by a young witch who approached me for help, a witch who had fallen afoul of Georgia Thomas.
"Yes, that's essentially what it is. Why would a demon want one?" Astra mused. "It's a rare witchcraft artifact. Demons don't have any uses for such a thing."
"Clearly, this one does. Anyway, he didn't find one, but the owner said he's searching for one in case it turns up."
"Hmm. Unless he's got some magic in his veins, he won't recognise it. A horologicon won't reveal itself to just anyone. My guess is, the demon realised that too."
"Maybe we'll find one in the archives," I said, pulling the seatbelt around me and buckling it. I drove us home, wondering if we were doing the right thing in our plan to infiltrate The Amethyst. If we were caught, Étoile would be furious that we defied her specific orders. If we found nothing, it might result in the end of the High Council.
"Of course, we are," said Astra.
"Sorry, didn't mean to let that slip."
"Actually, you said it out loud. Your thoughts are very guarded today. Maybe I shouldn't ask, but is it because I can scent both demon and werewolf on you?"
"What?" I nearly crashed the car into a parked vehicle, wrenching the wheel straight at the last moment. I didn't receive any satisfaction in seeing Astra gripping the edges of her seat and hearing her squeal.
"It's faint. It'll be gone soon. What were you doing with them?"
"I think I'll take a shower before we go to the city," I said, more to myself than to my passenger.
"You're very red," said Astra. "I thought Wilding was going to be boring! What else do you do when no one is looking?"
"Nothing! I don't do anything! And for your information, the werewolf is our neighbour, Gage, and the demon is..."
"Oh!" squeaked Astra, clapping a hand to her mouth. "Evan?"
"I really can't keep any secrets!"
"I won't tell anyone, I promise! Unless one of them tried to kill you? Did either of them?"
"No, though Gage is mad at me; and Evan and I are definitely mad at each other."
Astra reached over and patted my knee. She sounded every bit like Étoile when she said, "But they didn't try to kill you."
"Nope."
Thankfully, Astra didn't ask any more questions; but I could tell from her not-quite relaxed posture, and the way she darted the occasional glance at me that she was still curious. She wasn't the only one. Despite a sleepless night spent thinking about the evening's events, I still had no solid conclusions about why Evan would warn me to stay away from Rockford. If he were so enmeshed in demon politics, and if he were the traitor, which the letter claimed he was, shouldn't he have been glad to get rid of me? Maybe, I decided, he had some inner conflict left over from our relationship that kept him wanting to protect me, or remove me from the situation, while he and his new buddies sought the ultimate power.
"Any luck?" Kitty asked as we walked inside. She put her magazine down and waited.
"We know what the demon was looking for, but not if it's related to anything," I said.
"But it's definitely interesting," added Astra, not bothering to remove her coat. She did however, take her tote bag to the bedroom, returning a moment later with it looking lighter. "The demon was looking for a horologicon."
"I've heard of them," said Kitty. "There's a book in the library about them. They're very rare."
I brightened. "Really?"
"Yep! Let's grab it while we're there. Are we ready to go? I've been ready for an hour, and I gotta say, my palms are all sweaty."
I looked at Astra. She nodded, so I did too. "I'm ready."
"Don't drop me!" said Kitty, pulling on her own coat and bag before we closed our hands in a circle. Astra was still giggling when we reappeared in The Amethyst's lobby.
~
The library was exactly as I remembered. Rows upon rows of shelves, with each section marked by a small bronze disc, and stuffed with books. It seemed someone had been making an effort to tidy up the texts, but I still felt a low hum of magic emanating through the room, the source of which, I was sure, were some older texts. Fortunately, the library appeared empty beyond the sole librarian who perched behind the desk. The three of us fanned out, ostensibly to search for a book like any library patron, but a few minutes later, we reconvened at the far end of the library, confirming we were the only ones there, bar the librarian.
"The elevator to the archives is over there," Kitty said, pointing to the thick velvet curtains that spanned the wall behind the librarian's desk. "I'm sure there are other entrances, but this is the only one I've ever seen. It leads directly into the archives."
"If we call the car, the librarian will notice," pointed out Astra. "We need a distraction."
"Leave that to me. I'll keep her distracted and you can text me when you're ready to come up again, and I'll think of something else to get her out of the way," said Kitty, glancing towards the librarian's station. "I know her. She's not the brightest, although she is helpful."
"We'll need the code," I whispered.
"Three, one, one, two," said Kitty.
"Cross your fingers they haven't changed it," I said as Astra and I drew away behind the shelving, leaving Kitty to approach the librarian. They had a short, but confusing conversation about something Kitty wanted to find; then I heard Kitty persuading the librarian to follow her out of the library. "That's our cue," I said, nudging Astra.
The elevator doors lay only a few feet behind the velvet drapes. With Astra casting a light spell to illuminate the space, we looked around. Several boxes were stacked in what appeared to be a waiting area. I recognised the bad tape job on some of them; those boxes had come from my house, and obviously, still waited here to be returned to the archives. Perhaps this was the place they were transported from after they were retrieved from the basement? It was a question I would have to save for another occasion, since we were running out of time.
"The code," whispered Astra, hovering the light from her palm under the key panel. I punched it in, and, for one long, heart-stopping moment, nothing happened. Then came the sound of machinery whirring. Seconds later, the doors slid apart and we stepped inside the small car. I scanned the small array of buttons, deducing that the elevator didn't stop at the majority of the building's floors. This wasn't surprising, given that a number of the lower floors were rented out, saving only the upper levels for the Council's business. Beyond the library, on the seventeenth floor, there was a choice of three levels for the Council, and one basement level. I hit “Basement” and the doors slid shut.
"This is a long way down," said Astra as we descended rapidly.
I didn't answer, but merely nodded as we continued our descent. Finally, with a quick jolt, the car stopped and the doors opened onto a small, darkened landing. With Astra using her illumination magic, I felt my way across the walls, looking for a light switch as the doors closed. "There goes our ride," I said.
"I don't hear it moving," said Astra, leaning towards the elevator shaft. "I think it stays here until it's called again."
"Good. I don't like the idea of being trapped down here." As I spoke, I found a cold, square panel. I flipp
ed the first switch, then the second. The lights flickered on above us, then began to click on and on and on, spreading much further away.
We weren't standing on a landing, as such, but rather, what appeared to be a confined area that was cleared, leaving room for a small table and a couple of chairs. An old-fashioned reading lamp with a curved glass shade was on top and there was a leather writing pad. Beyond them, boxes and shelving spilled out further than a football field.
"How does anyone find anything here?" I asked out loud.
"That's why we have spells," said Astra, dragging a chair out and sitting in it. She plunged her hand into the large bag she dropped onto the table and extracted her notepad. "Ready?"
"Yes."
"Good. I've tried it out on all kinds of things around your house, and it was successful every time. Do you have the list of what we're looking for?"
"Here." I said, pulling it from my jeans pocket. "We need to find the connection between the three main conspirators, as well as their weaknesses. Do you really think we can find all that here?"
"I can't think of a better place; can you?"
"No," I said as Astra dropped her bag onto the reading table. I waited silently as she began to chant the words. After the first complete spell was spoken, I looked around, fully expecting something. Halfway through the second pass, the air began to change, a subtle vibration swimming through it that only increased as Astra completed the spell with a third pass. Finally, in the distance, I saw several objects winding their way towards us until a couple of books and several sheets of paper landed at my feet. A few more plastered themselves to my upper body, and a book thumped against my stomach before falling to the floor. Astra had a similar issue with several more items.
"Did it work?" asked Astra.
"You bet," I said, plucking a piece of paper from my chest and scanning it. "This is Tobias Grigg's family tree. Notice anyone familiar?"
"Noah Wilde," said Astra, planting her finger over the name. "They're cousins. There must be close pack ties between his pack and Tobias's."
"Tobias is probably working for Noah. Noah knew he wouldn't be able to do anything directly, not after the reprimand he got from Étoile. And look at this," I said, thumbing through the book that unexpectedly hurled itself at me.
Astra looked up briefly, her eyes quickly returning to the texts she held. "What is it?"
"It's about the Brotherhood. It looks like ten years ago, someone started to write about how to defeat them. It's got a lot of stuff about their history too." A gasp from Astra made me pause.
"I just checked my watch," she said, biting her lip. "We've been here twenty minutes. The spell must have taken longer than I thought. Kitty will be worried."
"We need to go back." I tucked the books inside my bag, along with the loose leaves, and extracted my phone, ready to text Kitty to make another distraction. "No signal. I can't text her. They'll hear the car."
"We'll have to risk it, or see if we can exit at another floor. Can you take some of this? I didn't think there would be so much." Astra showed me her now bulging bag and the sheaf of papers still in her hand. I took them from her, rolling them tightly into a scroll and pushing them into my own overstuffed bag.
As we retreated to the elevator, I looked over my shoulder, checking to be sure we left everything as we found it. I couldn't see any visible differences. Providing we exited the archives without being noticed, it was doubtful anyone would ever know we were there, and the pertinent things we'd taken were unlikely to ever be missed. Astra stabbed the button for the car and the doors slid open with a slight whir. After I flicked off the lights, we stepped inside, the doors shut, and we began our swift ascent to the top of the building. As we traveled, I kept an eye on my phone, but no bars appeared. All I could do was hope Kitty was ready nearby to make a commotion as the car slid to a stop.
I heard Kitty as soon as we stepped onto the area behind the curtains. She was giving loud directions to move this way and that to some unseen person, and seemed to be doing a lot of yelping. As we cautiously exited the curtains, I could see why. It looked like one of the shelving units was ready to topple, no doubt, aided by the gusts of wind Kitty was subtly firing at it every time the librarian wasn't looking. Rather than pretending to help, and risking being asked where we appeared from, I signaled Astra to follow me down a long and circuitous route around the library, eventually bringing us back to the doors. I opened one and banged it shut, then stepped forward into the central aisle.
"There you are!" I called as if we'd just entered. "Kitty, we need to go. We have a... uh..." I looked at Astra, utterly stumped.
"A meeting," she finished on my behalf.
"Five minutes, Kitty!"
The shelf wobbled upright and a few books fell onto the floor. "It looks steady now, Hilde," exclaimed Kitty. "I'll leave you to it."
"Er, yes, thank you. That could have been awful," said the flustered Hilde as Kitty edged away. Reaching us, she power-walked past us and we followed her.
"I heard the elevator," Kitty said, as we entered the corridor. "Why didn't you text me?"
"We didn't take into account the lack of cell phone reception," I explained, feeling chagrined at our oversight.
"Well, it wasn't a problem. I kept Hilde occupied. I would have knocked the shelves over if I had to." Kitty giggled. "It was fun. Naughty, but fun. Did you find what you wanted?"
I paused as an elderly witch shuffled past us before disappearing into the library. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"
"If we head back to the lobby, we can shimmer away," Astra suggested. "We'll talk at your house. It'll give us a chance to read everything uninterrupted too."
"But you did get something?" asked an eager Kitty.
I nodded, a smile breaking onto my face despite the clamouring of my heart at getting away with our mission. "Yes, I think so, and more."
We had almost reached the lobby when, turning the corner, we walked headlong into Étoile and her assistant, Clare. Her reaction was startled, but when she recovered her composure, she took a deep breath. "I thought I told you three to stay away from here," she half-whispered, drawing us closer, as panic lit up her eyes. "I told you it's not safe. What are you doing?"
"I had to get something," said Kitty. "I forgot..."
"Don't lie to me!"
The three of us exchanged glances. Finally, Kitty shrugged, Astra sighed, and I winced.
"Come with me!" said Étoile, stepping around us. "We were walking to my office. The three of you can tell me what you're up to when we get there. Don't even think about telling me it's nothing. I recognise sneaks when I see them."
I had the feeling that we were being escorted to the headmaster's office as we followed Étoile and Clare silently, passing no one. Being so empty, The Amethyst had an eerie vibe to it. I was used to seeing a buzzing haven of supernatural souls. I wondered how many people Étoile had sent away; or if it was simply the calm before the brewing storm.
"Tell me everything," Étoile demanded again, banging the door to her office shut before leaning against it and trapping us inside. "Start with why you're really here and make it fast. I have a meeting in ten minutes. We're negotiating the final terms of the High Council before signing the documents during the ceremony."
"We should tell her everything," said Astra, glancing at me.
"That's right," agreed Étoile, tapping her foot impatiently.
"I haven't finished, sister. I was going to say we should tell her everything because she probably already knows why we're here."
I blinked at Astra. "Really?"
"She didn't become Council president by being stupid."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," said Étoile, waving a hand towards me. "Start talking."
"We couldn't sit back and do nothing; not when there's a plot to destroy you and all of this," I started, halting when Étoile held up her hand.
"I told you I was dealing with it."
"You shouldn't have to deal
with it alone," pointed out Kitty. "You're not alone. We're all here for you."
I stepped forward. "She's right. Étoile, we want to help. We came to search through the archives for something that could assist you. Something that could tie all the conspirators together."
"Did you find anything?"
"A connection between Noah Wilde and Tobias Grigg, for starters."
"Who the hell is Tobias Grigg?"
"Noah's cousin and the packmaster of Kevin Wyatt, the werewolf who died trying to get a message to me that said there was a plot against you."
Étoile nodded slowly. "I hate to admit it since you defied my direct order, but... good work. I often wondered if Noah was using other packs to do his dirty work."
"And Irina is practising magic for Grigg's pack. A friend of Wyatt's told me."
"She wouldn't do anything without Hunter's authorisation," mused Étoile. "Whatever she's doing for the pack, it's at his insistence."
"Is it enough to arrest them before they try to attack?" Kitty wanted to know, but Étoile shook her head.
"No, it isn't. Stella, the letter you retrieved has been very useful to me. I knew about the plot, but I didn't know when, or how it would be carried out. I still don't know who is going to do it, and we need to catch whomever it is in the act. What I did miscalculate was sending you three away. Clare overheard some people discussing why three of my closest friends and family aren't in the city for the swearing in ceremony."
I looked over my shoulder at Clare. I actually forgot she was there. She gave me a small smile and returned her attention to Étoile. I did the same.
"So, since you are now here, please stay as my guests. I can think of no other way to assure everyone that things are normal while my people hunt for the would-be perpetrators. We'll have dinner tonight in the restaurant, so you can all be seen."
"What are we, your stooges?" asked Kitty, but without any of the harshness of thinking that. "I was kind of hoping to go on a date later."
"No, not one bit. You'll all be protected while you're here. No harm will come to any of you..." Étoile paused. "A date? Really?"
Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series) Page 20
