Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series) (18 page)

"I wish I knew."

"He's worried about it."

"How do you know?"

"I'm not as clouded to him as you are. There were subtle changes in his physiology. He seemed very distracted all the way over here."

"I thought the same. He isn't usually so quiet." I closed the door with a soft thud and turned away. "Why do you think Étoile doesn't want us to know what was inside the packages? The one to Evan too?"

"Probably so no one captures and tortures us for the information," Astra said simply, but her next words really shook me. "Torture isn't something you ever want to experience. Trust me."

"I've been kidnapped and thrown into a cellar," I said, far more matter-of-factly than I felt.

"Eleanor Bartholomew almost dissolved my mind."

I shuddered. "You win."

"My brain was like melted ice cream for months."

"You really, really win."

"Now can we make a plan to find out what the hell is going on that no one wants to tell us about?" Astra asked. She followed me towards the guest bedroom that I planned to offer her. "I know you want answers too."

"Didn't you just say something about getting captured? And what was the other word again?" I asked, putting my finger to my lips and tapping like I couldn't remember. "It began with the letter 't'... tor.. tor..."

"Okay." Astra rolled her eyes. "I might have mentioned torture..."

"That's it. Torture!" I teased as I opened the door and ushered Astra inside. "This was Étoile's room when she lived here. She left all the furniture so I hope you like it."

Astra walked around the large bed and the opulent furniture that didn't quite fit with the rest of my home's furnishings. "It's very
Étoile," she said as she looked out the window, "but I meant what I said... Are we going to invent a plan, or what?"

It took me a few seconds to make up my mind. "We're going to devise a plan," I decided. "I made a commitment months ago to find out what was going on with the demons, and it seems more imperative now than ever. The demons are mixed up in everything and I can't stand by and let
Étoile deal with it alone while I do nothing. Kevin Wyatt trusted me and he died for it."

"Good. You're going to need my help." Astra came to a stop in front of me, her hands on her hips, looking every bit like she meant business. "First thing, we have to get your power reserves up. You cannot function if you drain so fast and I cannot keep babysitting you every time you need a power boost."

"You were not babysitting me!" I sniffed, before I listened to her offer. Recharging my powers faster would be hugely beneficial. I wouldn't have to worry about distances depleting what I could do. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to show you. We need to go outside. Somewhere we can't be observed."

"There are two houses on this street," I told her, as I indicated for her to follow me. She shut the bedroom door behind her and trailed me through the kitchen and out the rear door. "No one ever comes here."

"Gage is across the street," she reminded me.

"And he's on our team."

"Did he share the contents of the package with you?"

I hesitated. "No."

"Gage might be on our team, but he's also playing his own game." Astra stepped onto the soft earth in the small, fenced-in yard at the back of my house and turned around, her face up to the sky. "Can you feel it, Stella?"

I looked around, then upwards. "No..." I started, unsure of what, exactly, she wanted me to feel.

"The earth's energy. It's what I use to recharge. The earth is full of power." Astra kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes into the grass. Then, turning her palms downwards, she closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "All you have to do is call its power into you."

"Can every witch do that?"

"Oh, no, but then, not every witch can shimmer either. Plus, we all know you're a rare witch. You can assimilate other witches’ powers. So even if this isn't natural for you, it will be after you see me do it."

"How come I never knew power could be pulled from the earth this way?"

"Maybe your
condensed education didn't cover it. Étoile and Seren told me you got the crash course. All witches know power can be drawn from the elements. Me? I can draw earth power. Other witches can pull energy from water, wind, or fire."

"Not all of them?"

Astra paused. "I guess, but I haven't seen it."

"Kitty controls the elements."

"She controls the weather. That's different."

"It's made of the elements."

"It's still different. She wields them, but doesn't draw any power from them," Astra insisted. "Watch me; then try."

I watched Astra silently for a moment as she stood still, seemingly doing nothing. Then, when I was about to ask her another question, I saw the shift in the air between her palms and the earth. Energy was being drawn upwards, energy that was converting into magic as it flowed. I stared, utterly fascinated at the simplicity of Astra's actions. If I could harness this energy too, I'd have an unlimited supply. In order to absorb as much
energy as I could harness, I stepped next to Astra, kicked off my boots, and felt the soft grass and earth under my feet. Turning my palms downwards, I waited... and waited. After several long minutes, during which, nothing happened, except for the cool breeze on my face and the slightly damp grass that tickled between my toes. Then I felt the tiniest prickle of earth magic working its way into the thin skin of my palms. It slid inwards, mixing with my magic, becoming a part of it, and seeping through my veins.

"Stop," said Astra, slapping my hands down.

My eyes snapped open. "What the hell?"

"Sorry, I had to stop you. You need to learn to control earth magic. It's too easy to absorb it and not know when to stop. If you absorb too much..."

"I was fine."

"Now you're fine. You need to practice. Slowly, Stella. Don't take too much from the earth. Learn to control the flow first. Try again."

I turned my palms downwards, half-closed my eyes, and waited. This time, the magic sprang up faster, and I sucked it in. After a few minutes, Astra slapped my hands back to my sides.

"Again," she said, after a long pause. We continued like that for half an hour. Me absorbing the power, just getting used to it, then Astra halting the flow. The final time, I snapped the magic away before she could slap my hands.

"Now you're getting it," she said approvingly. "We'll practice again soon. How do you feel?"

I grinned. "Energised."

"Then let’s start on your plan."

The sunroom was a mess of boxes, since I hadn't yet gotten around to sorting them after my family find. "I don't know how many of these I've sifted through," I told her. "I'm supposed to process the entire archives, and no one even knows how big that could be."

"All these boxes here now," she said, waving a hand towards them as we stared at them, "what percentage are they of the documents you're processing?"

"Not even one percent," I said, cringing as Astra pulled a disappointed face.

"How do we find anything? This is like looking for a wand in a... in a..."

"Magical haystack?" I finished, enjoying her company. Sure, it wasn't like we were having a spa day or eating a really good dinner, but Astra was fun company and she had a sense of humour that matched her sisters’. Instead of being uncomfortable in her presence, I was pleasantly surprised to observe her companionable nature. Now that we'd spent a little time together, she seemed more comfortable in talking, even getting a little bossy, as I discovered outside. Astra was nice and she wanted to help, but why? I asked her that very question.

"You don't know what it's like being an outcast," she told me. "No, I phrased that wrong. I know you do. But since you all rescued me from Eleanor, I've been watched constantly. I know I needed it in the beginning because of my breakdown, and because no one trusted me after all the bad things I was forced to do, but I've tried to prove myself ever since. I'm only just starting to feel free again. I feel like me now, and for a long time, I didn't know what that was like."

"And you think the best thing to do is piss off
Étoile by getting involved when she doesn't want our help?"

"No, of course not, but...
Étoile obviously needs help and you've been dragged into this without your consent, and no one is telling you anything. I think they owe it to you to tell you what's happening... Oh, I'm getting this all wrong. It's not about you. At least... I know Étoile is just trying to protect you, same as she does for all of us, but sometimes, she forgets she needs help too. Someone intends to murder my sister."

"Not if I can prevent it."

"I know I can never really redeem myself for everything I've done, but if I can do anything to stop another atrocity from happening, well, that's good enough for me."

"Where do we start?" I asked, offering Astra one of the spare chairs while I took my desk chair.

"We need to figure out what we're looking for; then we need a spell to get to it. We don't have time to sift through all these boxes, looking for a clue. The Amethyst could be blown up in a matter of days." Astra paused, her eyes searching the room. "We need to go at this on a grand scale."

"What do you have in mind?"

"We have to get into The Amethyst's archives."

I blinked. "I've never been inside them. I don't even know where they are kept."

"I do. They're in a sub-level of the building. It's accessed via the library, but we'll need the code to get in."

"Who has that?"

Astra shrugged. "I don't know."

"Okay," I said, pacing to the window and turning back again. "We know what we need is in that archive, but we've both been told not to return to the building; so we have to get into the library unseen, find the access code, get into the archive, use the spell, get the information, and get out of there. There are only a few problems with that plan!"

"So we'll overcome them."

"Who could have the code?" I asked. "Even if we can get into the building, we can't get anywhere without that."

"The librarians will have it."

"And how do I convince them to give it to me?"

"Lie to them."

I sighed. "I hate lying."

"It won't be a big, bad lie," Astra said. "They know you're working on the documents. Tell them you need to access something, or that you left something in there. A little misinformation, a distracted librarian... ta-da! Access!"

"With all the activity there, we should have no problem getting in and out of the building. As far as I know, we're not banned." I paused, something else occurring to me. "We have one other little problem. Kitty arrives tomorrow."

"Then we either go tonight or wait until tomorrow and distract Kitty somehow. We shouldn't involve Kitty unnecessarily."

"Involve Kitty in what?" said a voice at the door.

Chapter Sixteen

"Involve me in what?" Kitty asked again, this time, dropping her bag onto the floor where it landed with a thud.

"Kitty!" I jumped up and hugged her, quite surprised to see her. "When did you get here?"

"I managed to get the last ticket on the train. I say ‘managed,’ but by that, I mean I stuck a spell on some poor ticket guy at Grand Central and scored a seat. On the plus side, I left him with a beautiful, sunny day since he was complaining about the weather."

I laughed at Kitty's explanation. When we first met, she was only just learning to control her weather witch powers. Now she could leave a whole city with a sunny day. It seemed like the loveliest magic to have. Unfortunately for me, I never seemed to be able to get the weather under control, but then I had other talents to develop, not to mention, two jobs to perform.

"Before you ask, I wasn't eavesdropping, but I've got to know. What is it you don't want to involve me in?"

I glanced at Astra. "She should know."

"She probably already does," said Astra.

"Don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me everything; then take me to see Annalise and that scrumptious baby. I have forty-six photos on my cell phone, but nothing beats cuddling a tiny baby. Deal?" She didn't wait for me to answer before adding, "Plus, I already told her I was going to be here and that we were coming over."

"Deal," I agreed, even though there was no particular benefit for me in making the deal. However, like Astra said, it wasn't fair keeping her in the dark. Whatever was going on in the city with
Étoile affected us all. Plus, I reminded myself, Kitty was Étoile's roommate these past few months. She might know something that could aid us, and we needed all the help we could get.

"Hi, Astra!" Kitty embraced Astra warmly before linking her arms through both of ours. "Two roomies again. Just like the old days! After we've finished all that catching up we have to do, since I missed you guys in the city, not to mention, finding out what kind of no good you two are up to, I'm going to tell you about all the recent developments with my new guy. Betcha can't wait! First things first. I’m dying of thirst."

"The city guy?" I asked. "What about Ryan? I thought something happened between you two at the naming ceremony."

"You first," she replied. "What should I know?"

I explained all to Kitty over cold drinks as we sat around the kitchen table. She asked questions here and there about Rockford, and the demons, blinking a lot and gasping. Finally, after I finished, she said, "I knew something weird was going on when Étoile started spending more time at the office. Every time I asked her if everything was okay, she just shut me down. She spent all her time schmoozing with the bigwigs, if I can call them that, and I hardly saw her for weeks."

"It's not like
Étoile to shut people out," said Astra. "We all know she's capable, but is she trusting the wrong people?"

"She's got us," said Kitty, decisively. "And she's not trusting us. Where do we start?"

"Astra and I need to get into The Amethyst archives."

"The archives?"

I waved a hand towards the sunroom. "The place where all those boxes come from. Astra said it's located in The Amethyst's basement, but it's accessed via the library, and we don't have the access code."

"No problem! I do." Kitty beamed. When we gaped at her, she simply said, "I helped out there a few weeks ago and happened to see one of the librarians entering the code. I doubt they've changed it."

"Can it be that easy?" I asked Astra.

She shrugged. "Sure. Maybe we're thinking it's difficult, but in reality, we walk in, try not to make ourselves too obvious, get into the archives using Kitty's code, then simply leave."

"No problem," said Kitty. "People are used to seeing me around there, and it's pretty quiet there at the moment, but..."

"But what?"

"I was just thinking we should go soon. Maybe even tomorrow. The final meeting for the High Council takes place the day after; and then there will be lots more attendees to see the High Council sworn in the following day. If you don't want to be seen, we need to go before then."

"Good thinking," agreed Astra. "We should go first thing tomorrow."

"I only just got here!" Kitty protested.

"Don't worry, we'll be there in seconds," I assured her, "and home again just as fast. We'll shimmer in and out. No one will even know we're gone."

"Famous last words," sniffed Kitty, picking up her cell phone as it buzzed. "Do you even know what you're looking for?"

Astra and I exchanged glances and I sighed. "No, not..." I halted. Yes, I knew, but I also expected it was a long shot. "All we need to find is an unarguable connection between the Rockford pack, Georgia Thomas, Hunter, and Irina. We need to know what their weaknesses are so we can stand up to them. The archives have histories and documents spanning decades, if not hundreds of years. There must be something inside them to help us."

"How is the evil Georgia?" Kitty asked, grimacing.

"Elusive.
Étoile said she went to ground and no one can find her."

"Maybe we can," Kitty suggested. "Maybe your spell can find her too."

"Maybe. We need all the information, anything we can get, tomorrow," Astra added.

"That's tomorrow's plan solidified," said Kitty decisively as she picked up her cell phone, her thumb scrolling over the touchscreen. "Annalise just sent a text message, saying to come over. We can't do anything now so I vote we see our friend. Astra, do you want to come?"

"Do you mind if I don't?" Astra asked, looking from Kitty to me, seemingly uncertain. "I'd like to take a shower and sleep and... she's your friend."

"Aww, you should come," said Kitty, not exactly insistently.

"No, really I... I'm going to work on this spell... the one to search the archives."

I pulled a face. "I really should stay and help."

"No, it's fine. I have a few ideas where to start so I don't think it'll take me long. I'm going to try and blend a foresight spell and a clarity spell with a location spell. Maybe I'll add in a few other things if they come to mind. I'll be fine, I promise; and then I'll probably turn in."

"So long as you're sure..." I started.

"I am and if I need anything, I'll call you."

"Just don't blow anything up," I said, half-joking as I rose.

Astra looked around and I thought a saw admiration in her eyes. "I don't think your house would let me. These wards are good. Really good."

~

"She's really trying," said Kitty as we drove in my car the short distance to Annalise's house. We could have walked, but I was never sure what ran in the woods. We could have also shimmered, since I reboosted my power reserves, but sometimes, it was just nice to do something normal. I noted Gage's house lights were off as we passed by, and his motorcycle was gone, but moments later, I saw it outside The Loup so I figured he was involved in pack business this night.

"I know she is."

"Are you worried? Having Astra in the house?"

"Actually, no. She's been helpful; and when we spoke... she seemed genuinely sorry about everything. If I didn't know what happened to her, maybe I wouldn't want to know, but I do know, and what she went through was awful. Like you said, she's really trying."

"Plus, Étoile and Seren trust her."

"She's their sister."

"They didn't always." Kitty ran a hand through her hair, ruffling it over her shoulders. "I'm not being negative. Astra has visited the apartment a few times and she's really nice. I don't see her as 'that girl' anymore. She's really strong. I admire her."

"Me too. She was fun on the ride here... you know, I just remembered something. When we passed through town, Astra saw a demon walking into a bookshop. I saw the same thing in Rockford," I said as I turned onto Oak Street. "I didn't think anything of it until now. Don't you think that's weird?"

"I'm pretty sure they all know how to read," said Kitty.

I glanced at both sides of the street, looking for a space to park. "I know that, but... why Rockford? Why Wilding? Why would a demon come to two middle-of-nowhere towns for a bookshop?"

"Maybe they're looking for something particular, something they are more likely to find in a supernatural community like this. You said Rockford had a large werewolf population."

"Yeah, a few witches too."

"Same as Wilding. You know, there's one easy way to find out?"

"Go ask," I said, as Kitty nodded in agreement before pointing to a space between two cars. We slid into it and parked. We were several houses away from Annalise, but that was good enough. "I'll go in the morning," I decided. "There will be time before we shimmer to the city."

"I'm coming too. Don't you dare say no. I'm here and I'm in!"

"Baby first," I said. "Are you ready?"

"I am. My ovaries are totally excited." Kitty was out of the car and well on her way over to Annalise's house before I could tell her to wait for me.

I never really thought about whether I was a family person before. After losing my own so early, I didn't have much experience with them, and my foster homes were never much to boast about. Now, gazing down at the sweet, little baby's sleepy eyes had me thinking about my own future.
Could I have something like this?
I wondered, passing the baby into Kitty's eager arms.
My own flesh and blood?

"She is the best," said Kitty, cradling the tiny infant. "So innocent."

"Unlike you two," sniffed Annalise. "Don't think I miss all the rumours just because I'm a stay-at-home mom with a baby cub that wants to nurse twenty hours a day."

"I don't know what you mean," I said, flopping onto the couch.
When did I last relax like this?
I couldn't remember. Annalise sat next to me, one eye constantly on her baby, ever the mother wolf.

"Sure you do. I know big things are happening. Secret things," she mock whispered. "You had to know I'd find out."

"I hoped to keep you out of this," I said, assuming I was going to have to explain things all over again. Clearly, Gage hadn't kept her informed of our trip to Rockford, or what occurred there.

"How?" Annalise tutted. "You and my brother! I knew something happened the moment I saw him, but he wouldn't say a word. But you! You're my friend. How could you not tell me? Are you two together?"

My cheeks flushed and Kitty darted a glance at me. "Gage?" she all but yelled, causing the baby to whimper. She grimaced, "Oops, sorry, but really... you two got it on? Oh my! And I thought my man news was interesting." She lowered herself into the easy chair opposite us, alternating between cooing at the baby, rocking her gently until her eyes closed again, and fixing me with what she probably thought was a penetrating glare.

"I don't want to talk about it. No, I do, but I... I don't know what's going on and I haven't had a chance to think; and Gage and I haven't talked yet and... and... I'm babbling," I faltered.

"What does Gage want?" asked Kitty, cutting to the point.

"He hasn't said."

"He wants you, Stella. He did the moment he met you," said Annalise, sounding weary. She stifled a yawn and continued, "You have got to get things straight with him. I mean it. You two have to talk or you'll ruin your friendship."

"And what about Evan?" Kitty asked, causing my heart to slump. "Are you over him?"

"Urgh," I said, dropping my head into my hands. When no one spoke, I lifted my head again. "What do I do?"

"Don't do anything," advised Kitty as Annalise repeated, "Talk to him!"

"I don't know what to say!"

"Why did you start something if you didn't know what you wanted?" Annalise asked. "Gage isn't just any guy. He's my brother and your friend. You need to be careful. I don't want to see him get trampled or tossed aside when you ultimately realise you don't want him."

"Hey! That's not..." I protested.

"Shhh!" whispered Kitty, pointing at the baby.

I nodded, continuing in a lower voice, "That's not fair! I haven't made any decisions yet because I haven't had a chance to think. Gage is special to me. Really, really special and everything happened suddenly."

"So just the once?" Annalise asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Twice."

"In one night?" asked Kitty.

"Many times on separate nights," I admitted.

"I want to high-five you, but Annalise might take the baby away, and I really think she should be here right now so your love bunny's sister doesn't shout at you."

"I'm not going to shout at Stella," said Annalise, looking at me. "I just want you to be really careful. Please don't start... please don't do anything else if your heart's not in it. I don't want to see either of you hurt, or even worse, hurting each other. Plus, you'll put me in a really difficult position."