by Ally Shields
“Fine with me. I wanted to talk with you about Dona anyway. I’ll help you open.”
They headed up front, and Ari explained her plan to leave the kitten with Andreas. They talked while they worked, setting baskets of dried herbs out on the counter and arranging a display for the day’s special: bundles of dried periwinkle.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Claris said. “Dona’s already used to the house and everybody who lives there. It sounds like Andreas and his staff like her. It’s a perfect plan.” She paused in taping the sign for the periwinkle in the window. “The part I don’t get is why it’s necessary. Why are you moving back to the apartment? I think your stay has been good for both of you. You’ve been fighting a lot less than usual.”
Ari jerked up her head. “Do you think so?” Now that she thought about it, Claris might be right. Why was that?
“I do. In spite of everything that’s been happening, you seem happier, more grounded. I think the credit goes to Andreas.”
Hmm, yes. There was that word again—grounded. Granting him that level of control wasn’t exactly comfortable, but at least she wasn’t panicked by it. A smile tugged at her lips. Maybe it was the regular sex, especially the make-up sex. Not that she was going to mention that to Claris, not right now. Or maybe it was how he woke her from her nightmares.
Ari sighed. She’d miss him all right. Dating just wasn’t the same.
The shop door rattled again, and Claris ran to unlock it this time. Ari watched her friend turn on her professional persona. The crisis was over for the moment. Ari edged toward the back door, waving good-bye when Claris looked her way. Ari would call and check on her tonight, after hours. That’s when the loneliness would set in.
She stooped to pat Hernando’s head as she passed through the greenhouse. “Take good care of her, old man. She could use a little cuddling right now.”
The Siamese blinked his cornflower blues at her, as if he understood. Insight had always been a cat thing.
* * *
Ari caught Gabriel and Andreas by surprise that evening when she suggested Gabriel should visit Claris.
As he often did when things got personal or awkward, Gabriel slipped into the lighthearted persona from his youth. “My lady’s wishes are always my command, but why the change of heart?” He spoke in the lazy drawl of a Regency gentleman.
“I think you are right to ask. I would not trust her.” Andreas glanced up from the reports he’d been studying at his office desk. “What devious plan do you have in your head, madam witch?”
“You’re both so suspicious.” She regarded them over the top of the travel magazine she’d been flipping through while waiting for Andreas to finish his work. “I think Claris could use a little cheering up.”
“I don’t understand.” Gabriel eyed her. “I thought I was the last person you’d want to comfort her. What’s bothering her?”
“Girl stuff. Do you have to know everything just to be a sympathetic friend?”
Gabriel sighed. She could almost hear him going over the possibilities in his head.
He looked at Andreas. “Any idea what this is about?”
“Not a clue. Except I’m sure you are being suckered.”
“I have no doubt of that, but it’s not as if there’s a lot to do while we sit around waiting for somebody to attack us.” He looked back at Ari. “I would like to know what I’m getting into if I choose to go.”
She ignored him and pretended to read.
“Hmm.” Gabriel tilted his head to study her. “It must be the boyfriend. The wizard. What has the idiot done now? Oh, never mind. You’re not going to tell me.” He gave Ari a pointed look. “But why me?”
She set down the magazine. “You guys are friends, aren’t you? Sometimes it just helps to have a male perspective.”
“You didn’t feel that way a few days ago.”
“I changed my mind.”
Gabriel smiled and strolled toward the door. “Very well. I can play the consoling friend. In fact, it will be my pleasure,” he added with a sly wink.
Ari ignored the implication. She understood Claris’s real feelings now, and Gabriel had lost his power to rile her. “Have a nice time.”
Andreas chuckled at her nonchalance. “What are you up to?” he asked, the moment Gabriel was gone.
“Nothing.” When he cleared his throat, she added, “OK, Claris had a fight with Brando. A bad one. She’s really upset, and Gabriel can be charming. Besides, she told me she’s not falling for Gabriel.”
“I could have told you. So could Gabriel.”
“He did.” Ari frowned. “In fact, I guess you both did. But now I’ve heard it from Claris. I trust her to know her own feelings.”
“I am glad that is settled. We do not need imaginary problems. Now that you have set events in motion to fan Brando’s jealousy, what else do you have planned for tonight?” His smile robbed the words of censure.
“I only want to help. It’ll be all right. At least I hope so.” She stood and walked over to lean against the edge of his desk. “I’ve been waiting for you to go home, but it looks like you’ll be busy a while. I still have patrol, and I don’t want to skip because I’m checking every night for the coven. I can’t believe the High Priestess has just gone home. Is there something you wanted me to do?”
“No, I was only interested in your plans.” He nodded toward the papers in front of him. “I will be tied up here for several hours.”
“I can take a hint.” She stood. “I’ll see you at home later.”
“I do not like you patrolling alone.”
“I’ll be quick. One swing through the circuit, and I’ll head home.”
“Be careful.”
“Always.” She half-expected him to contradict her, but he was already absorbed in the documents he’d been reading.
Ari slipped out the side door, exiting into the alley. A sense of apprehension hit her immediately. Cloying, a dark energy. She turned south, then east, angling toward Goshen Park. If the witches were back, she wanted to know about it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ari entered the park’s west gate, circled the swan fountain, and headed into the maze of forest paths. Her witch senses tingled, and she stayed alert to every movement, every sound. The magical disruption was more obvious here, away from the influence of the strident voices of humanity and the everyday Otherworld energy that teemed in the bar and club areas.
And yet, it felt no closer. It was like the entire city was enveloped in a fog of unhappy spirits.
Ari continued her sweep of the park, taking the time to check the most isolated trails. When she’d been down every path and found nothing unusual, she conceded that Goshen Park was clear. Frustrated, she turned toward the Vampire Strip, still looking for the source of the gloom dogging her steps.
Her cell phone rang.
“We have another intruder,” Gabriel announced. “She won’t give us a name, but I think it’s the Indian girl you’re looking for.”
“Intruder where? In the caves?”
“The tigers caught her sneaking into Spirit Cave. I came right over. What do you want me to do with her?”
Ari thought quickly. The PD, the club? “Take her to my office,” she finally decided. Official yet not too official.
They disconnected, and she called Ryan. “Where are you?” She heard loud voices and music in the background.
“Having a beer with friends.”
“Are you sober enough to do an interview?”
“After only two beers? Come on. What’s happening?”
She explained. “Gabriel thinks it’s Dyani, but she’s not talking to him. They should be at my office in a few minutes. I’d also like to bring in Hawkson. We’ve questioned this woman before without any luck. Maybe she’d talk to a shaman of her tribe.”
Ryan sighed. “You know how much I hate to involve civilians. But I guess it’s worth a try.” He gave a reluctant laugh. “I might as well agree, since you’ll do
it anyway. I’m leaving now.”
Ari immediately rang Hawkson, but an automated voice picked up on the third ring. Letting everything go to phone mail appeared to be his regular habit. She left a detailed message, hoping he would check his phone mail soon. If anything could spike his interest, questioning a potential source of the stone’s location should do it.
By the time Ari was off the phone, she’d reached the Magic Hall and the modern Cultural Center that held her office. Gabriel walked in with Dyani while Ari was still making coffee. Ryan was right behind them.
“Well, Dyani, this is unexpected. I thought you’d left Riverdale,” Ari said while they were getting settled at the conference table. Gabriel pointed the sullen young woman to a chair on the far side of the table. If Dyani tried to bolt, she’d have to vault the table or run over one of them to reach the door.
Dyani’s nut-brown features set in a mulish look. “You can’t forbid me to be in town.”
“No, we can’t, but you knew the vampire caves were off limits. That’s trespassing,” Ryan said. “It’s illegal, which makes it my business.”
“Why were you in there?” Ari asked.
“Why do you think?”
“This isn’t a guessing game.” Ari’s face hardened. “Just answer the question.”
“I don’t think I have to. Maybe I should talk with an attorney before—”
“Good idea,” Ryan said, interrupting. “When we’re finished, you’re free to talk to anyone you want. At the moment, you’re not under arrest. We’re just having an informal chat.”
“Then I assume I’m free to leave.” Dyani stood, then paused at the sound of a knock on the office door. Before anyone could answer it, the door opened, and Hawkson’s large frame filled the entrance.
“You called me.” His gaze went to Ari but shifted immediately to the Native American woman.
Ari rose to her feet. “This is Dyani. We had intended to talk with her about Blackhawk’s bloodstone, but she says she wants to leave. Perhaps she would change her mind for a shaman.” Ari noticed Dyani’s ill-concealed reaction to the word shaman, so she stopped and let the word hang.
Hawkson’s gaze never wavered from Dyani’s face. “It would be good to talk. Will you stay?”
She looked uncertain, as if trapped somewhere between an engrained respect for the shaman and her own self-interests. Finally she nodded, and everyone sat down.
Ari started the conversation, filling Hawkson in. “Dyani was found near Spirit Cave tonight. Although she’s denied knowing the bloodstone’s exact location, I think she was there looking for it.” Ari looked at Dyani. “You know something you haven’t told us.”
The young woman pressed her lips together, shaking her head.
Hawkson frowned, his intense gaze causing Dyani to flush. He said something in their native tongue, and her color deepened.
She looked up at him. “You really are a shaman?”
“Yes. The spirits have blessed me in that way. In other ways, they have not. I have a special interest in the bloodstone. My family is inflicted with an illness that only the bloodstone can cure. If you help us, you could save many lives.”
“I don’t know why everyone thinks I know where it is.” Her voice lacked conviction, and Hawkson didn’t say anything for a full minute. When he did, it was as if he had not heard her denial.
“The bloodstone has great meaning, my child. It is sacred to our people. Anyone defiling it would be subject to the wrath of the spirits that inhabit it. No shaman could lift such a curse.”
Ari held her breath, afraid to break the spell Hawkson was weaving. She watched Dyani’s face pale. The young woman was afraid. That only confirmed she was hiding something.
Dyani unfolded her tightly clutched hands and reached into a pocket of the light windbreaker she wore. She pulled out a folded paper, laid it on the table, and pushed it toward Hawkson. “Read this. Then you’ll know everything I do.”
Itching to grab it, Ari quelled her impatience.
Hawkson unfolded the paper, smoothed it on the table, and skimmed the beginning sentences. He looked up. “This is Blackhawk’s letter.” The disappointment in his voice mirrored Ari’s feelings. “I’ve seen this. I have a copy.”
Dyani’s response was unexpected. “You saw an altered copy. This is a true copy of the original.”
Copied, changed, and re-copied. Not complicated at all. All it required was a home scanner and a few minutes of time.
Hawkson read through the letter twice before handing it to Ari. His voice remained steady but his hand trembled. His eyes brimmed with emotion. “It contains the additional instructions we need. Read it for yourself.” He speared Dyani with a glance. “Why would you conceal this?”
She hunched her shoulders. “I needed the money,” she said in a small voice. “I want to leave the reservation, make my own life. The old ways are not for me. The money from the stone would help me start over.”
“Many young people leave the reservation,” Hawkson said, “but you cannot leave behind who you are.”
Ari read through the document and quickly found Blackhawk’s instructions. She read the new part aloud. “Follow where the arrow flies and pull down the sky.” She frowned. “It’s in the ceiling?”
“How do you hide something in solid rock?” Ryan asked.
“Maybe it’ll make more sense when we look.” Ari glared at Dyani. “Are you withholding anything else?”
“That’s it. Honest.”
Ari was about to question her further when Hawkson unexpectedly broke in. “I believe her. She’s told you everything.”
“Is that a shaman thing or a gut feeling?” Ari eyed him.
“A little of both. Our young ones are caught between two cultures—the world they see on TV and the world of their ancestors, but most of them respect the old spirits. Dyani would not lie to a shaman.”
“Good enough. Ryan, why don’t you stay here with our guests while Gabriel and I go to the caves? We’ll bring back anything we find.”
Everyone started talking at once. It was a good, practical idea, but no one agreed with her except Gabriel. Ryan refused to be left out of the discovery, which left no one to watch Dyani.
“Ok,” Ari said, quieting them with her hands. “I guess we all go.”
While they were on the way, she called Andreas to join them and bring flashlights. The vampire guards would be uncomfortable with such a large party if Andreas wasn’t with them. He agreed to meet at the collapsed entrance. As they made the short hike of ten blocks from the office to the cliffs, Ari kept glancing over her shoulder. She still had that creepy feeling from earlier in the evening. If anything, it was stronger now. As soon as the bloodstone was safe, she’d make another patrol of Goshen Park.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Is something wrong?” Gabriel whispered, when Ari looked over her shoulder again. Dyani and Hawkson were talking; Ryan was on his cell phone.
“Don’t you feel it?”
Gabriel frowned, looking up at the wisps of cloud edging across the moon. “I thought it was my funky mood.”
“Maybe we’re all just jumpy. You weren’t this quiet earlier. Did something happen at Claris’s?”
“No,” he said with a wry smile. “Hence the funky mood. I behaved myself, being friendly and supportive, as you wished. Claris was definitely glad to see me, but when I gently gave her my spiel about just remaining friends, she quickly agreed. Too quickly. I don’t mind telling you it was nearly a mortal blow to my ego.”
Ari snorted. “Cheer up, Casanova. At least you earned good karma.” She glanced up the path as they approached the cliffs. “Looks like Andreas beat us here.”
The vampire prince waited beside the dwarf at the cave entrance. When introductions were completed and Ari had filled him in on the details of Blackhawk’s letter, Andreas handed flashlights to her and Hawkson. “I hope we have better results tonight. Is everyone ready?” he asked. “Watch your step over this rough sectio
n.” He entered the tunnel, and the others followed, winding through the cavern maze until they arrived at the Chamber of Ages.
Ari couldn’t shrug off her oppressive mood. She uneasily scanned the eerie landscape. If anything, the cavern seemed more mysterious tonight. The limestone formations loomed as if they were the stone spirits of mythical beings.
“Any activity?” Andreas asked the guards.
“Nothing, sir. It’s been quiet.” The guard’s reassuring words were interrupted by a loud clanking from the direction of Spirit Cave.
“Stay at your post,” Andreas ordered the guards. Everyone else rushed into the tunnel, nearly colliding when Andreas came to a sudden halt. “The fire shield is up again.”
The rogue coven. So it was their dark presence she’d felt.
Ari pushed to the front of the group, spoke the necessary words to vanquish the spell, and snapped her fingers. The fire disappeared, but Andreas still barred the way. “If the witches are inside, is it safe to enter?”
She pushed past him. “Safe or not, I’m going in there. The rest of you, stay here.” She centered herself, wrapped her magic around her, and climbed into the cave. Andreas followed her; Gabriel was behind him, then the others. So much for staying there.
The High Priestess stood near one wall watching two women attack the ceiling with pick axes. Seven witches stood across the room from her; two of them, including Avery, the woman from Cincinnati, held machine guns. The coven had come prepared.
“Stop right there,” the High Priestess ordered. “Dyani, come to me.”
Ari’s jaw dropped as the young tribal woman stepped forward. She hadn’t seen this coming. Gabriel seized Dyani by the arm to stop her.
“Don’t look so surprised,” the priestess said. “Didn’t you wonder how we were always one step ahead of you? Although she held out on us, too, until she couldn’t do it alone. Dyani, come.” The High Priestess turned a glittering look on Dyani, and the woman struggled against Gabriel’s hold.
