Darkness Unmasked

“Shame it couldn’t also keep Lucian at bay,” he muttered.

“A sword would,” Azriel commented, voice as flat as his expression. “And I know two that would gladly cooperate.”

“He does make an excellent point,” Tao said, then held up his hands as I opened my mouth. “Yes, I know. We can’t do anything until Ilianna is safe. But that doesn’t stop either of us from wishing the worst on the bastard, does it?”

“You can’t wish anything worse on him than I am, trust me.”

I couldn’t stop the bitterness in my voice, and Tao’s gaze narrowed. “Is there something else going on you’re not telling me about?”

“No.” He didn’t look convinced, but then, I guess he had known me a long time. “I’ll call you when we find anything.”

“You’d better.”

I turned to Azriel. He caught my hand unasked, drew me to him, and whisked us through the fields to the Brindle. I handed him the box, suspecting the Brindle would not react kindly to Aedh magic being taken into its midst, then ran up the steps and into the foyer. A geyser of golden sparks followed me as I ran through the shadows.

A gray-clad woman appeared. “Please, there is no need for haste—”

“There’s every need,” I bit back, but I nevertheless slowed. “I urgently need to see Custodian Zaira.”

“I do not think—”

“Risa, what draws you here in such a state?” The familiar voice was as soft as the shadows around us and just as powerful.

I glanced past the gray-clad young woman and watched the willowy figure approach. Kiandra wasn’t only the woman charge of the Brindle, but one of the most powerful witches I’d ever met. “I need to speak to Zaira urgently.”

“As Indara was no doubt about to tell you, Zaira is not on duty today.” She stopped several feet away and studied me. The power so evident in her gray eyes, was breathtaking. “Is this about Ilianna?”

“Yes. She’s been kidnapped, and we suspect magic is being used to stop anyone from finding her.”

“And you wish us to find her by tracking the magic itself?”

“Yes. I have no idea if it’s possible—”

“It is.” She tilted her head, and just for an instant it felt like she was seeing into my mind, reading all my hopes and fears. Judging me. My breath caught somewhere in my throat, and I found myself hoping I came up to scratch. After a moment, she added, “This way.”

Once again I was led through the Brindle’s quiet, shadowed halls and into yet another area I’d never been before. This one felt and looked far older than the other areas I’d visited, and power seemed to ooze off the walls. It was almost as if the centuries of spell making had infused the old stones with a magic all of their own.

We made our way through the dimly lit corridors, each one getting progressively smaller and darker, and eventually stepped into a room that appeared little more than an antechamber. The air was rich with such a riot of scents that my nose twitched and I didn’t even bother trying to sort them all out. There was power here, too, and the force of it made my skin itch and tingle.

“Wait here,” Kiandra murmured, waving an elegant hand toward the two small chairs that were positioned on either side of the doorway. “You are not an initiate and therefore cannot follow me into the next room. I will see what magic there is to be found.”

“It won’t feel like human magic,” I said. “Because it isn’t.”

She didn’t ask what type of magic it could be, but then, given she appeared to know all about my key quest and the forces that fought for control of both me and them, maybe she didn’t need to.

Without further comment, she turned and walked into the next room. The door closed behind her with a heavy click, leaving me alone in the silent shadows. I sat for all of three seconds, then got up and began to pace. I couldn’t help it. So much of what we could do next depended on the information Kiandra did—or didn’t—find for us.

It seemed to take forever. I didn’t have my watch or phone, but I guess the reality was closer to ten minutes. I spun around as the door opened and she reappeared, a slight haze of smoke and magic accompanying her as she walked toward me. Her expression gave little away, so it was with some trepidation that I asked, “Did you find her?”

She stopped and clasped her hands in front of her. Her expression held an odd sort of excitement. “Ilianna is with child?”

I closed my eyes for a moment and swore internally. If Kiandra knew, then Ilianna’s mother would more than likely find out sooner rather than later. Given her desire to see Ilianna join Carwyn’s herd, I wasn’t entirely sure how’d she react. Or, indeed, how Carwyn would.

“It’s more than possible. The man who holds her is an Aedh—”

“And her child will be as you are: born of two worlds, powerful in magic, and gifted with foresight.”

I frowned. “I’m not—”

“Just because you do not acknowledge such things does not mean they do not exist or that you are not capable.” She paused, her gray eyes glowing molten silver with the shadows that held the room hostage. There was more than just power in her gaze now. There was excitement. “The old ritual site on Mount Macedon would not have acknowledged you in the manner that it did if it were not so.”

The site had acknowledged me? When? Then I remembered the odd sense of watchfulness and the feeling that the trees themselves were sentient. Remembered that I’d been able to become Aedh when the magic of that place barred all such beings entry.

“Ilianna may not choose to keep—”

“She will,” Kiandra said, with a certainty I couldn’t help but believe. “Because she knows, as I know, that this child has been a long time coming, and a long time needed.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand—”

“No,” Kiandra agreed. “But Ilianna does. There are many reasons she ran from us. What she witnessed when young was the excuse but not the truth.”

I rubbed my forehead wearily. Fate, it seemed, had been brewing her plans for us all for a very long time. “Look, right now, all I want to do is rescue her. Did you find her?”

“Yes. And you were right—great magic holds her.”

“Meaning we won’t get past it?”

“Meaning that neither you nor your dark defender will. It is aimed at energy beings rather than mere flesh and blood.”

“So Tao and Carwyn would get past it?”

“I suspect so.” She hesitated. “There are beings within who guard her, but I could gain no true sense of them. They may or may not be human.”

“Well, neither are Tao and Carwyn, and both are pretty pissed off right now.”

She nodded. “It may be enough. Just tell them not to go in all guns blazing, because that will have dire consequences.”

For Ilianna, I thought, not for them. I swallowed and nodded. “I’ll pass on the message.”

She nodded. “She is being held in an abandoned warehouse in Link Court, Brooklyn. The magic lies within the building, not along the perimeter.”

“Meaning they’d need to be wary of other security measures?”

“Yes.” She moved past me and led the way back through the warren of shadowed, powerful corridors. When we neared the front door, she stopped and lightly touched my shoulder. “Be careful, Risa Jones. There are more games being played than you realize.”

My smile was almost a grimace. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“There are two people in your life who are in reality one, and their deception goes deeper than you think.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

She half shrugged. “What I see is not always clear. But I would suspect that a shape-shifter of some kind has entered your life.”

“There is—he stole the first key. It’s tracking the bastard that is proving the problem.”

“Then perhaps you should start looking closer to home.”

I frowned. “Are you saying it’s a friend?”

She hesitated. “Acquaintance, perhaps. As I said, these things are not always clear.”

Then I wished she hadn’t mentioned it, because now I’d be looking at everyone suspiciously and suspecting the worse. But I forced a smile and said, “Thanks. I’ll keep an eye out.”

She nodded and, with one eloquent gesture, ushered me out of the building. But I was aware of her gaze as I ran down the steps, and it made my back itch. She knew more than what she’d said; of that much I was sure.

Azriel appeared near the bottom step. “You were successful?”

“Yes. Now we just need to plot our next move.”

“Back to your apartment, then.”

“No. I need to go see Aunt Riley. She’s the expert in this sort of stuff. As much as I hate to do it, I think I need to bring her in rather than risk using only Tao and Carwyn.”

“And once again, you do something thoroughly sensible. There is hope for you yet, I think.”

I grinned. “Don’t say that too loud. Wouldn’t want the word getting around and spoiling my reputation.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” He wrapped his arms around my waist, dropped a kiss on my nose, then zapped us across to my aunt’s.

To say our sudden appearance in the middle of her living room was something of a surprise would be the understatement of the year. I waited until she stopped swearing, then dropped a kiss on her cheek. “And good morning to you, too.”

“Well, it was a good morning until you scared the life out of me and made me spill my coffee.” Amusement teased her mouth and lit her gray eyes as she walked into the open kitchen area and grabbed a cloth. She tossed it to me, then added, “Seeing as I have to make a fresh cup, do you want one?”

“No, I haven’t the time.” I bent and wiped up the spillage. “I’m actually here for help.”