by Cutter, Leah
Kai gave an exasperated sigh. “Rilke would never leave without this. Not ever. She’ll go insane, quickly, without it.”
“So if that’s here,” Orlan said slowly. “Then where’s she at?”
“I don’t know,” Kai admitted. “But I got a bad feeling about this.”
“Can you find her?” Orlan asked as Kai swept the rest of Rilke’s things back in her handbag.
“I don’t know,” Kai said. “I’ve been trying to find her sister without much luck. And now, well, maybe the Taoists have two sirens.”
Should she just wander? See if Rilke somehow popped up? That didn’t feel right. The Taoists had hidden Gisa, they’d hide Rilke as well. Where else could Kai search?
When Kai looked up at Orlan, he still held a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills.
Kai held out her hand for them.
“Darlin’, you know that’s just wrong,” Orlan said, though he easily handed over the money.
“I’ll try to get you a consulting fee for your help in this,” Kai promised as she tucked the money back in Rilke’s bag. “Once we find her.”
“Where do you want to start looking?” Orlan asked.
Kai considered the bottle of Rhine water still laying on the rug. “I’m not sure. I might just—”
A quiet snick came from the door to the hallway.
Shit. Who was that?
Orlan grabbed Kai’s hand and pulled her quickly to the far end of the living room. Another door stood there, one Kai hadn’t noticed before. A gauzy curtain hung over it.
It had an old-fashioned key lock on it. Orlan was on his knees with two picks an instant later.
Dang. Kai didn’t know the boy had skills. She felt her heart grow warmer.
Then Kai glanced back. A dark shape moved into the room, tall and graceful, then a second. Even through the gauze, their white heads looked strange and out of place.
Damn Taoists.
They moved immediately to the bedroom. Kai heard a long zipper being unzipped, followed by muffled sounds.
The priests were going to make it look as though Rilke had checked out, so no one would notice her missing, or go looking for her.
A distinct click came from the door Orlan worked on. He was on his feet and pulling Kai through a moment later.
But a dark figure had already appeared in the living room, coming their way.
Kai slammed the door behind them, grabbed Orlan’s hand, and took off at a run through the identical suite. She banged through the door to the hallway and headed toward the far end.
Orlan tried to slow her. “The elevator.”
“Stairs,” Kai said through gritted teeth. If they were gonna to talk about her priorities, then they were also gonna to talk about him trusting her and not trying to talk when she was finding things.
A loud ringing bell sounded as soon as Kai pushed through the emergency exit.
At least this time, Orlan didn’t hesitate when Kai pulled them up the stairs.
They’d be expecting them down below.
Up one flight. Door was locked, of course. Just as they crested the second flight, a tourist stuck his bald head through the door, into the stairwell.
Kai raced up and caught the door, pulling it open and out of his hands.
“What’s going on?” His white tank was stained, and his blue-and-beige plaid shorts barely clung to his hips.
“’Scuse,” Kai said as she pushed past him.
Orlan slammed the door shut behind them. “Smoke,” he said hoarsely, then coughed deliberately.
Kai started running down the hallway, dodging past the guests who now stood there.
Orlan followed, but he now had his phone out.
“Who you calling?” Kai asked as she slammed into the second stairwell, doubling the alarm.
“Fire, police, ambulance,” Orlan said. “Hold up.” He paused, halfway down the stairs.
“We’ve got to move,” Kai said, gritting her teeth.
“Those priests won’t want close attention anymore than we do,” Orlan said as he swiped his finger rapidly across the screen. “They’ll leave with the crowd, just as we will.”
More sirens pierced the air. From the corner of the stairwell, a mechanical voice came over the loudspeaker, “Please evacuate the hotel. This is not a drill. Please find the nearest stairwell and leave in an orderly fashion.”
Orlan looked up from his phone and grinned. “I think we should do what the man said.” The door above them banged open and people started flooding the stairwell.
“I agree,” Kai said and they joined the flow as they more-or-less orderly made their way rapidly down the stairs.
Outside, Kai hurried them past the police cars rapidly pulling up and the officers running inside.
“Are they gonna know it was us who pulled the alarm?” Kai asked. She knew it was some kind of offense, and even here in New Orleans they were likely to throw her in jail.
“Not in about ten minutes,” Orlan said, standing still again and working his phone.
Tourists streamed past them, going further down the street, being directed by surprisingly prepared hotel staff.
When the dark figures of the priests emerged, Kai looked away and turned Orlan as well.
The priests ignored them, though, as well as the well-meaning staff, and walked directly out, into traffic, and away. They each carried two very expensive looking pieces of luggage.
As soon as they got around the corner, Kai tugged at Orlan’s arm. “Come on. We have to follow them.”
Orlan resisted for a moment before he said, “Got it.” He made an extravagant gesture on his phone, then hurried along beside Kai.
“What did you just do?” Kai asked.
“Emergency systems,” Orlan said smugly. “Basically, everything’s fucked and ain’t no one looking for us.”
“Good,” Kai said. Though she felt bad for wasting good men’s time, she’d rather not get caught.
The priests were easy to follow as they pushed through the crowds heading toward the commotion.
“What do you see?” Kai asked Orlan quietly.
“Two guys in funky Chinese robes,” Orlan said.
“They look…human?”
Orlan glanced at Kai before he answered. “Yeah. Tough, though. Wouldn’t want to meet one of ’em in a dark alley alone, you know?”
“Trust me, you really wouldn’t.”
When the priests turned up Canal Street, Kai wondered if they were going back to the Floating Court, particularly when they turned left and started going through the business district.
Then they made another left, down a smaller street. It was a pocket of decay: The building at the corner was long abandoned, while beside it was an empty lot, fenced and full of weeds and garbage.
Where were they going?
When they turned down yet another, more quiet street, Kai’s spine started to tingle. She glanced over her shoulder, then did a double take.
Half a block behind them, another priest trailed after them.
“Shit,” Kai said, digging out her phone. “They’re following us following them.” She was glad she’d not only added Manuel’s number, but put it on speed dial.
“I need the cavalry,” Kai told Manual as soon as he picked up. She told him to pick them up at an intersection three blocks away, in a more populated area, so they could keep walking while waiting for him. She didn’t feel like just stopping.
Manual promised to be there in minutes.
“Come on,” Kai said. They started walking more quickly. They passed the street where the first set of priests had walked down.
The priests who had been in front of them were nowhere to be seen.
Orlan and Kai hurried. The priest behind them kept pace easily, gliding with inhuman ease.
Once they reached a more populated street, Kai felt a bit of relief, but she knew they weren’t safe yet. Small shops selling tourist knickknacks, tiny grocery stores, and other small businesses lined the s
idewalk. Cars bumped past them on the cracked, one-way street. Only a few other people idly walked.
Just as they reached the next corner, the original two priests showed up, coming at a ninety-degree angle toward them.
“Look,” Orlan said quietly as they waited for traffic.
Across the street, yet another set of three priests had just shown up.
Luckily, so did Manuel.
Kai had the cab door open before Manuel pulled to a complete stop. “Go, go!” she called as she pulled Orlan in behind her.
As they passed the priest who’d been behind them, he turned slowly, watching them with beady red eyes.
Kai could still feel those eyes on her back even after they’d left the priest far behind.
* * *
Manuel let them off at the north end of the Quarter. The emergency vehicles had messed up traffic too much to let the taxi get any closer to Kai’s office.
Orlan kissed Kai on the cheek as they said their goodbyes. “I got to make sure the systems at the hotel are all wiped clean,” he said. “And I’ll go check for temples. See if I can find some place where those dudes in the robes won’t stand out.”
“That’s most of New Orleans,” Kai teased.
“Only during Mardi Gras. And Halloween. And the Jazz Festival. And—okay. Maybe you’re right. I’ll see you later?”
“Yes,” Kai said. She had to call Papa, and maybe her aunts, and talk to Amita as well.
Slow-moving tourists crowded the street, bringing all traffic to a crawl. Kai didn’t mind. She let herself drift, seeing if her senses tugged her one way or another. The afternoon hadn’t cooled off any. Blasts of cool air flew out at her when she walked by an open door. Bourbon Street had its party and music going, of course. The smell of cake and fried food hung deliciously in the air.
About a block away from her office, Kai stopped at a diner. The tables were open and shiny, and the staff were far too perky. But Kai felt like a treat, and this place fried their pecan pie on the grill, serving it warm with ice cream.
Despite the crowds outside, most of the tables were empty. A slim boy with “Joe” stamped across his nametag bounced up to take her order.
“Slow day, huh?” Kai commented.
“Tourists are pulling out,” Joe said.
“What? Why?” Kai asked, dread suddenly filling the pit of her stomach.
Joe waved toward the TV hanging over the smoking grill. “Ingrid’s been upgraded from a storm to a hurricane.”
Chapter Nine
The pie sat heavily in Kai’s stomach, sweetness cloying the back of her throat. She hurried to her office, climbing the ratty stairs, wondering if they’d survive a bad storm, or if she got stuck up here, whether she’d not be able to get down. Would she be stuck on a rooftop, rushing waters below, no help coming for days, if the storm hit?
Usually, the clutter made Kai’s office feel homey and lived in. Now, she saw it as merely a mess, like what Ingrid might leave behind: ruined debris, things just thrown together by wind and rain.
Kai sat in her captain’s chair and leaned back. What should she send with Papa? Everything? Nothing? He could only carry so much in his truck.
Not like she had that much to start with.
Kai finally fished her phone out of her bag and called Papa.
“Hey, darling,” Papa answered, after just one ring. “I was just thinking I should call you.”
“I called you first,” Kai teased, his warm voice making her smile.
“So how you doing?” Papa asked. “You find that woman you were looking for?” he continued easily, as if he hadn’t been upset with her the last time they’d seen each other.
“No, not yet. But I will,” Kai said.
She had to. The price was too high if she didn’t.
“I know you will,” Papa said. “You were the most stubborn child when you wanted to be. Free and easy as a breeze, then you’d dig in your heels and try to make the whole world stop.”
“I know, Papa. I was a handful,” Kai said, having heard it before. “Anyway. You were talking about going to see Aunt Bella and Aunt Zeline this weekend?”
“Yeah,” Papa replied slowly, drawing the word out.
Kai put her feet on the floor, into the golden sunshine. Hard to believe there was a storm coming. “You should probably go do that. And…be prepared. For a longer stay.”
Even through the silence, Kai felt Papa’s worry pouring through the line.
“You sure, darling?” Papa asked finally.
“Not a hundred percent, no. But if this storm hits, it’ll be a bad one.”
“How bad,” Papa asked flatly.
“Worse than Katrina,” Kai said, shivering suddenly in the humid air.
Another long pause came. Kai wiggled her toes in the sunshine for a moment before moving them to the shade; it was just too dang hot.
“What time am I picking you up?” Papa asked.
“What do you mean?” Kai asked. Did they have dinner plans that she’d forgotten?
“It’s Friday night. The roads will be all backed up. So we should probably leave in the morning. Early—at least, early for you.”
“Papa, I’m not going with,” Kai said.
“Excuse me?” Papa said. “Didn’t you just say this storm was gonna be worse ’en Katrina if it hits?”
“Yes, Papa, I did. So you need to be out of town, be somewhere safe,” Kai explained.
“Darling, I’m not leaving without you,” Papa said quietly.
Shit. How could she explain this to him? “Papa, I got work to do here. I’ll be safe. I promise.”
“What, finding that woman? That’s not your job. Give it to the cops.”
“Yeah, it is,” Kai said, holding on to her temper. Papa was just worried about her. “Finding her is more important than me leaving.”
“Then I should be here to help you,” Papa said firmly. “Your family should be here with you.”
How could she get him to leave?
A sudden thought came to her.
Damn. It was gonna sting, but better that than Papa staying and drowning.
“I’ll have family,” Kai said slowly. “I found Mama.”
The silence lengthened out between them, then Papa surprised the hell out of Kai.
He laughed.
“I should have known you’d find her someday. It’s always been what you’re good at.” He paused. “How is she?” he asked, his voice suddenly sounding much smaller and further away.
“She’s in a mess,” Kai said honestly.
“You tellin’ me she’s involved with this white woman’s disappearance?”
“Maybe, Papa,” Kai admitted.
“Then you just bring her along, too. She’s gonna need family, too.”
“She won’t come,” Kai said. Mama hadn’t just left—she’d never planned on staying.
A jagged silence flowed between them.
“It’s like that, huh,” Papa said.
“’Fraid it is.”
“Well, when you see her, tell her she’s still welcome for BBQ. Anytime.”
“I will,” Kai lied. Mama had already made it abundantly clear that Papa meant nothing to her.
How could he?
She was xita.
They said their goodbyes, with Kai promising to call every day.
Then Kai sat and thought about where she should go next.
She couldn’t go to the court and ask for help. Mama had said she wouldn’t help. Plus, those damn priests were there. It wasn’t safe.
Caleb wouldn’t help. He was done—maybe for good.
But if not the court, where would the priests hide the sirens? Maybe she should call Orlan and ask about his progress searching churches.
Kai closed her eyes and thought about New Orleans, all the neighborhoods, picturing them one by one. Bywater. Garden District. Uptown. Metarie. French Quarter. She kept hoping that one of them would tug on her senses, but nothing drew her attention, not one of them.
After several minutes of fruitless poking, Kai opened her eyes.
The prince stood in her doorway, as if summoned there.
“Your Mama’s disappeared,” he said.
* * *
“What happened?” Kai asked as she brought the prince further into her office.
Damn it. What was his name? Zhi something. She only remembered Jimmy.
He looked like a Jimmy. He wore a small-checked, red, blue, and white short-sleeved shirt, with beige shorts that hung down to his knees and had several pockets. On his feet, he wore mid-calf white socks and his black sandals. The outfit screamed tourist.
“Come on, sit down,” Kai said, leading him to one of the guest chairs. He still smelled like temple incense, sweet and spicy, and gave her the feeling of cool, faceted gem stones. “So what happened? Did you go to her rooms and find the place torn apart?”
“No.” Jimmy grimaced. “Her rooms are gone,” he said earnestly.
“How can her rooms be gone?” Kai asked. “What, is the court like Hogwarts Castle or something?” She didn’t see how that was possible, with staircases moving and hallways disappearing, then reappearing.
“Like what?” the prince asked, confused.
“Like—never mind. Tell me exactly what happened.”
“I went to talk with your mother—to ask about you, really—but her rooms aren’t there anymore.”
“Is the door still there?” Kai asked.
“Yes. The outside, round door. But when you open it, there’s nothing beyond it. Just…a void.” Jimmy shivered, obviously disturbed.
“How did she do that?” Kai asked, feeling overwhelmed. Now she had to find Mama, too?
“No one knows,” the prince admitted. He looked at Kai expectantly.
“I don’t know how she did it,” Kai assured him. “I only met her the one time.”
The prince nodded thoughtfully. “She kept track of you, you know. Told the court about your business, here. How strong your powers had grown, while you still had such strong ties to your human family.”
Kai would bet she hadn’t really started paying attention until the prince here had shown an interest in the human world.
“Does the court want me to find Mama?” Kai asked, dreading his answer, but feeling like she had to ask. Why else had he come to find her?
“Why would we want you to do that?” the prince asked, puzzled. “She’ll come back on her own.”
