Elemental Dreams: An Urban Fantasy Series (The Eldritch Files Book 9)

by Phaedra Weldon

  "No," Ivan said. "We haven't seen him. He went out to get drinks, but when we noticed the Witches in the Quarter, we left Bell, Book and Candle and came here. But we haven't seen him. Have you?"

  Crwys didn't exactly want to tell them that he'd been the one to hunt Dáinn down and take him into the swamp. Especially if something happened. "Maybe he's still out getting beer?"

  "But he told you about Lizzie?" Dharma said.

  His eyes immediately burned when he heard the name. The name his beloved had told him to name their child. The child he thought had died. "You…you named her Elizabeth?"

  Everyone nodded.

  "And she's healthy?"

  Nods.

  "Please…tell me."

  They invited him into the parlor where everyone took turns telling him about the events that took place after he took Samantha's body. He also felt worse about his attack on Dáinn and shocked when he learned it was Tas that dug up the grave, but didn't find a body there.

  "You didn't move her?" Ivan said.

  "No." He rubbed at his face. "I screwed up. I so screwed this up, didn't I? And now she's missing. There's been nothing?"

  Ben spoke up from where he stood to the side. "We thought we found a trail leading from the estate into the woods, but it disappears. We can't find her. And though we don’t know for sure the Witches don’t have her, we’re sure enough to look into other possibilities."

  "That's why Arden and the others aren't here," Dharma said. "They wanted to make sure none of the other realms had taken her. They should be back soon."

  Ivan moved to the side and his eyes glowed green. He held out his hands and moved them as if sifting through feeds on a computer tablet. His expression was tense.

  "Ivan?" Dharma slowly approached him.

  "There's…" Images, blurred and indecipherable, moved between his hands, visible to those with magic sight. "Crwys…there's something you haven't told us." Ivan gestured to the computer in the corner of the room. It came on abruptly and as the screen switched on they all stood and walked to it as images popped up in different sizes. All of them were images of something flying in the sky. Some were good shots, and others very blurry. But all of them—all of them—were of a dragon.

  A familiar looking Dragon.

  "Is that…" Levi pointed to the screen. "Is that Lethe?" he turned and looked at Crwys.

  Then everyone looked at him. Crwys sighed as he stood and put his hand on his hips. "I don't know. I saw something in the sky when I was arguing with Dáinn. He saw it too and we both thought it was Lethe. Or he did at first, but he insisted Lethe was dead."

  "She is dead," Thea said. "Her room's empty."

  "It's not," Crwys said. "I was there before Sam's death. In fact, Sam was there. In Lethe's room, and it wasn't the dead thing it should be."

  Thea stepped back. "It—it wasn't?"

  "No."

  The house phone rang, startling everyone. It'd been a long time since Crwys heard that sound and watched as Dharma picked up the receiver behind Arden's fan backed chair. "Gypsy Gardens." She frowned and looked at Crwys. "Just one moment." She punched a button on the multi-button base. "It's for you."

  "Me?"

  "Yeah. It's a man. He said he needed to talk to you."

  "Wait—" Levi said.

  But Crwys held up his hand and went to the phone. He took the receiver from Dharma and put it to his ear. He looked at Ivan and nodded. Ivan smile and returned the nod. The Cyber Witch was tracing. With the push of the blinking button, he said, "Holliard."

  "Ah, we speak again, Detective."

  Kingsley Thorn.

  Ivan motioned for everyone with a phone to take it out. He held out his hand and a strange, undulating string of 0s and 1s moved about the room, going from phone to phone and then moved into the phone Crwys spoke on. Abruptly everyone could hear the conversation as it came through the speakers of their phones. Ivan motioned for them to spread out and go into the other room so as not to make an echo.

  "I told you to leave me alone."

  "Yes I do remember. I also remember you insisted there had been no child."

  "I told you before—"

  "Listen to me, Detective Holliard. And after a thorough investigation, we did unanimously agree that there never was a child and our source was wrong."

  Crwys wasn't sure if he was happy, or worried about this decision. "So that's why you bothered Arden, visited Kyle and broke into my apartment?"

  "Ah. I see your friends have been filling you in on what's been happening while you were on your mourning tour." Thorn said something to someone but Crwys couldn't make it out. "As to the reason we spoke to Mr. Kendrick and sought out your apartment—we are looking for Sam's Arcane."

  "Thorn, as you were told by me and countless other people, Sam's Arcane was removed by the God Mother. No one has it."

  Thorn laughed. "Ah…Detective. Now, let's not play games. We're both educated men. And we both know there is no such being as a God Mother."

  That statement actually felt like nails on a chalkboard to Crwys, especially since God Mother gave 'birth' to him, in a sense. "Thorn, I'm afraid I don't share that belief. God Mother is real. And she made Sam a Cowen."

  "I don't believe that."

  Crwys paused. "What do you want?"

  "I told you what I want. And I have something I can exchange for it." He paused and then Crwys heard voices again. "I'm sure you remember the bow and arrow Emily showed you in Frankfurt?"

  He clenched his teeth. "Yes I do."

  "And I wondered if the arrow worked on all Dragons and not just you as Arden Vervain insisted?"

  Too late Crwys realized what Thorn was insinuating. "Where's Dáinn?"

  "Feeling the pain you felt." Thorn laughed softly. "He's fading faster than you did, I'm afraid. I don't think he's accustomed to this sort of punishment. Or it could be the arrow is more powerful than what he can stand. Either way, we're draining him, since I heard your blood wields all sorts of power. Like replacing the Cyber Witch's eyes?"

  On that, Ivan peeked back into the room and Crwys looked at him. "You let him go."

  "Bring me her Arcane, Holliard."

  "I told you we don't have it!"

  "Then I suggest you find it. I doubt Dáinn has much longer to live." He disconnected.

  Crwys slammed the phone down as the others filed back into the room. "Did you find where he is?"

  Ivan nodded. "He's at the Cleric Office, the Church across the lake. He's not hiding. He wants you to find him."

  "Crwys," Thea came to him, wide eyes. He knew she and Dáinn were always teasing one another, and often came to blows sometimes, but Dáinn was the mediator between all of them. He was the one that always, always, brought them together. "You can't let them do this to him! He's a Dragon. They're nothing but Witches!"

  "With Artemis's arrow," He said as he put his hands on her upper arms to comfort her. "Right now, we have to come up with something to pass off as Sam's Arcane, and I don't have any ideas."

  There was a brief silence, then Ivan spoke up. "I do."

  NINETEEN

  It wasn't planned that Arden and Kyle would return to Gypsy Gardens seconds before Tas and Bastien. But it was at the front door the two couples met and quickly discussed that each of their prospective meetings met with denials of taking little Lizzie, with promises to help in whatever way they can to look for her with offers of aid. After feeling a bit better at ruling out the two more powerful of the realms, and yet feeling loss because she still didn't know where Lizzie was, Arden opened the door into her house.

  She was instantly accosted by Dharma in hysterics. "ArdenardenyouhavetodosomethingIcan'tfindthemandIvantookthecarandtheacesareoutlookingatsomethingtheyfoundinthesouthareaoftheswamp—"

  Arden immediately slapped her hand over Dharma's mouth. The young Water Witch's Water Elemental was soaking everything in sight and the rug beneath their feet, Arden's very expensive Persian, squished when she stepped on it. There was also the famil
iar scent of brimstone, ash and fire… "Dharma, you have to get hold of yourself. What the hell's going on?"

  Bastien said it first, "Crwys has been here, no?" He started moving about the downstairs, looking from room to room.

  Tas put her hand on Dharma's shoulder and tried to calm her down. "Just take deep breaths. That's good. Relax…"

  Dharma did as she was told and composed herself, squeezing Tas's hands. "Thorn called—he has Dáinn."

  "What?" that announcement pulled Arden away from fretting about her rug. She moved up next to Tas and faced Dharma. "What do you mean has Dáinn?"

  "She used one of Tas's arrows…" Dharma didn't look at Arden when she said it, and instead looked at Tas.

  Arden felt the old guilt slap her in the face and stepped back. Everyone knew it'd been Arden who shot Crwys over a year ago, wounding him, and handing him over to the Faeries and a blood thirsty leader, Brendi. It was a mistake she had worked very hard to atone for, and hoped that everyone had forgiven her. She'd always suspected Crwys had, but wasn't sure if Sam had. And if Samantha had lived, she doubted the woman ever would. Arden had nearly killed the love of Sam's life. That was a hard sin to erase.

  And now…another arrow had been used to take another Dragon, one she found herself seriously attracted too. Arden knew how painful the arrows were, and what they could do to a Dragon. She looked at Tas and saw the pain in her eyes as well, because Tas had made them a long, long time ago. Created them as a commission for Ra. Arden cleared her throat. "I thought…I thought the arrows only effected Crwys."

  Tas shook her head. "The set I gave to Ra did. But there were more. One for each of us, I'm afraid. You can tell which Dragon they're for by the color of the feather on their ends."

  Dharma moved her hands away. "You created weapons against your own family? All of them?"

  "I was asked by the God Mother to do so, child." Tas rested her arms down at her sides. "I did as she bade me. But I also believed the arrows were lost."

  "Apparently Kingsley Thorn already knew this," Kyle spoke up. "And knew which Dragon to use the arrow against. What else did he say, Dharma?"

  She told them about Thorn wanting Sam's Arcane, and about him not believing in God Mother.

  Arden's reaction was to stumble. "That's heresy."

  "A lot of you don't believe in God Mother," Tas said in a soft voice. "And She knows this. Keep going, Dharma."

  "Well, we know the God Mother took Sam's Arcane, but the idiot wouldn't believe it. He wouldn't even consider he was wrong! So Ivan came up with an idea to turn the Malleus Maleficarum into a pendant. You know, to make it look like one of Sam's necklaces."

  Arden put up her hands. "Wait…what? You took the what and did what?"

  Dharma repeated herself.

  "I don't understand," Tas said. “That book he made out of a jump drive? He’s made it into a pendant?”

  Arden said, "Yes. I’m sure he thought of it because the whole thing’s made of Arcane.”

  "The idea is sound," Tas said.

  "No it's not." Arden put her hands on her hips. "Let me spell this out. That book, even though it's a copy, contains a shit-ton of spells. Incantations. Forgotten litany. It's a storehouse of magic and an abuse mess-up waiting to happen in the wrong hands. Now, convert that sucker into raw Arcane, that Arcane is now fueled with those spells, and all that magic. Make a pendant for that bastard to wear and with his will—" She leaned her head in toward Tas.

  The Earth Dragon put her hand to her mouth. "No…"

  "Yeah. Basically that means they gave him exactly what he wanted. Powerful Arcane." She looked at Dharma. "What happened?"

  "They went to the Cleric Office—that's where Thorn wanted to meet. Ivan and I stayed here to keep in touch with the Aces and keep everyone in the loop. And then Ivan lost contact with all of them."

  "Them is who?" Tas asked.

  "Thea, Crwys, and Levi. Figured the three of them were pretty much bad asses."

  "But Ivan went looking for them."

  Dharma nodded. "Yes. And then I lost contact with him."

  "How long ago?" Kyle asked.

  "Not long. Maybe twenty minutes?"

  Kyle looked at Arden. "We have to get to the Cleric Office."

  "That'll take an hour in traffic," Arden folded her arms over her chest.

  "Not if I take us." Tas stepped back. "I'll be out in front, waiting. I can take up to four people."

  "You're not leaving me," Dharma said.

  Arden did a count. "Me, Bastien, Dharma and Kyle. That should do it."

  "Then get what you need in accoutrements or spells or whatever it is you use. If you're not out in five, you stay here."

  Everyone was ready in two minutes. Kyle grabbed his conjure bag and a quick change of clothing. Jack ran up to them before Kyle got on Tas's back and gave his lover a quick kiss and elicited a promise to be careful. "You just keep looking for Lizzie," he told Jack and then took Bastien's hand as the Alpha helped him up.

  Arden had already ridden atop Tas before, as had Kyle, but for Bastien it wasn't a pleasant experience. He sat up front with a bird's eye view, with Arden behind him, then Dharma, and then Kyle. For most of the flight he kept his eyes closed and concentrated on not falling off.

  The trip took less than fifteen minutes as they landed near the church, dropping onto the ground at five feet as Tas transformed into human form before she herself landed on two human feet. They brushed themselves off and headed around to the steps leading up to the church's front. The first thing that unnerved Arden were the lack of Clerics keeping watch. That was a bad sign.

  The door was unlocked. Bad sign two.

  And when they ran down the elaborate, marbled halls of the Cleric part of the building, they discovered the bodies of robed Clerics. Some alive—some not.

  Big ass bad sign number three.

  One of the bodies they came upon was Emily Pearson. Arden bent down beside her and checked her pulse. It was weak but there. She put her hands over the woman's ample bosom and sent energy into the woman's center, healing what felt like internal injuries…yet there weren't any outward signs of a struggle. Emily gasped and flailed and tried to punch Arden in the face, but Bastien moved in front of Arden and held the woman's arms down.

  "Chill, Emily," Arden said and then lowered her voice when she heard it echo in the hall. "What happened?"

  "Arden?" She looked around and spotted Kyle, and then looked into the handsome face of Bastien the wolf. She recognized him and her eyes widened.

  "Emily," Arden said. "Focus. We're here to help."

  "Help?" She looked around Bastien to Arden. "Do you realize that maniac is….a maniac?"

  "You mean the one named Thorn you've been goo-goo eying all this time?" Kyle said in a less than friendly tone.

  "Not now, Kyle," Arden said. "Where are they? Where is Dáinn?"

  That's when Emily's eyes grew even wider and she pulled at her wrists still in Bastien's grip. "He's dying, Arden. That maniac is killing a Dragon! You don't kill Dragons!"

  That much they could agree on. "Where?"

  "In the mirror…they went through the mirror!" Emily's voice rose sharply and then she passed out, her head hanging back, held up off the floor by Bastien's death grip on her wrists.

  "You want me to wake her? I can, no?" He set her down and raised his hand.

  "No, no," Tas reached out and grabbed her lover's arm. "That won't be necessary."

  "Mirror?" Kyle moved away from them. "What mirror? Does she mean a gate?"

  "Maybe," Arden stood. "She can't mean the one in the Cairn."

  "You mean a mirror gateway?" Tas said.

  "Yes. See," Arden narrowed her eyes. "There was a large, antique mirror in Dryden's office. And I remember seeing it in Cosgrove's for a while. But it wasn't there the last time I was there with Sam."

  "Where would they move it?" Dharma asked.

  "Somewhere…where no one would look for it. Or find it." Tas snapped her fingers. "Does this pla
ce have a basement?"

  "It does. Spooky place. But I can get us there. You have to access it through Dryden's—I mean Cosgrove's office. Follow me. Dharma," she put her hand out. "I need you to stay with Emily."

  "Why? She's fine."

  "I know. But please…stay here and make sure? And keep a lookout in case things go wrong."

  Dharma looked put out and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine." Her Water Elemental appeared and crossed her arms over her chest as well.

  The image would be cute and adorable, if there wasn't a man's life on the line. Arden motioned for everyone else to follow her.

  Cosgrove's office was just down the hall to the right. The door was open and the office empty—

  Except for the man slumped over his desk.

  Cosgrove.

  Bastien went to him and placed two fingers on his neck. "Alive."

  "Good. Now," Arden looked around and spotted the outline in the ornate wood work on the wall behind the desk. She put her hand on it, hoping her access was still in tact.

  It was and the door moved in and slid to the side.

  "James Bond," Kyle muttered as they filed through.

  The group went down a single flight of stairs until they were in a large room, with metal shelving and lots of books. In the corner was the mirror and a canvas on the floor in front of it.

  "Is this place like Sam's basement used to be?" Kyle asked. "It's kinda not really here?"

  "No, the water table here is lower." Arden approached the mirror and tentatively put her and through the smoky surface. "It's still open." She looked at them. "Are we ready?"

  Everyone gave a nod and Bastien put his hand on Tas's shoulder. She put her hand on his. Arden thought of her brief encounter with Dáinn and hoped they would find him alive. Please.

  She stepped through first, followed by Tas, then Kyle with Bastien in the rear.

  It was where they stepped into that caught their breath.

  "Where in the hell are we?" Kyle said a little too loud. Arden winced when her nephew's voice echoed off the high, cavernous walls.

  And it was a cave, illuminated by dozens of floating orbs, spells cast by Clerics. She didn't know this place, but the smell of water surrounded them, along with the pinch of decay and the sound of more water. Here she had power…she could feel it coursing into her skin, felt her Water Element squee.