Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series) (21 page)

"I just checked my watch," she said, biting her lip. "We've been here twenty minutes. The spell must have taken longer than I thought. Kitty will be worried."

"We need to go back." I tucked the books inside my bag, along with the loose leaves, and extracted my phone, ready to text Kitty to make another distraction. "No signal. I can't text her. They'll hear the car."

"We'll have to risk it, or see if we can exit at another floor. Can you take some of this? I didn't think there would be so much." Astra showed me her now bulging bag and the sheaf of papers still in her hand. I took them from her, rolling them tightly into a scroll and pushing them into my own overstuffed bag.

As we retreated to the elevator, I looked over my shoulder, checking to be sure we left everything as we found it. I couldn't see any visible differences. Providing we exited the archives without being noticed, it was doubtful anyone would ever know we were there, and the pertinent things we'd taken were unlikely to ever be missed. Astra stabbed the button for the car and the doors slid open with a slight whir. After I flicked off the lights, we stepped inside, the doors shut, and we began our swift ascent to the top of the building. As we traveled, I kept an eye on my phone, but no bars appeared. All I could do was hope Kitty was ready nearby to make a commotion as the car slid to a stop.

I heard Kitty as soon as we stepped onto the area behind the curtains. She was giving loud directions to move this way and that to some unseen person, and seemed to be doing a lot of yelping. As we cautiously exited the curtains, I could see why. It looked like one of the shelving units was ready to topple, no doubt, aided by the gusts of wind Kitty was subtly firing at it every time the librarian wasn't looking. Rather than pretending to help, and risking being asked where we appeared from, I signaled Astra to follow me down a long and circuitous route around the library, eventually bringing us back to the doors. I opened one and banged it shut, then stepped forward into the central aisle.

"There you are!" I called as if we'd just entered. "Kitty, we need to go. We have a... uh..." I looked at Astra, utterly stumped.

"A meeting," she finished on my behalf.

"Five minutes, Kitty!"

The shelf wobbled upright and a few books fell onto the floor. "It looks steady now, Hilde," exclaimed Kitty. "I'll leave you to it."

"Er, yes, thank you. That could have been awful," said the flustered Hilde as Kitty edged away. Reaching us, she power-walked past us and we followed her.

"I heard the elevator," Kitty said, as we entered the corridor. "Why didn't you text me?"

"We didn't take into account the lack of cell phone reception," I explained, feeling chagrined at our oversight.

"Well, it wasn't a problem. I kept Hilde occupied. I would have knocked the shelves over if I had to." Kitty giggled. "It was fun. Naughty, but fun. Did you find what you wanted?"

I paused as an elderly witch shuffled past us before disappearing into the library. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"If we head back to the lobby, we can shimmer away," Astra suggested. "We'll talk at your house. It'll give us a chance to read everything uninterrupted too."

"But you did get something?" asked an eager Kitty.

I nodded, a smile breaking onto my face despite the clamouring of my heart at getting away with our mission. "Yes, I think so, and more."

We had almost reached the lobby when, turning the corner, we walked headlong into Étoile and her assistant, Clare. Her reaction was startled, but when she recovered her composure, she took a deep breath. "I thought I told you three to stay away from here," she half-whispered, drawing us closer, as panic lit up her eyes. "I told you it's not safe. What are you doing?"

"I had to get something," said Kitty. "I forgot..."

"Don't lie to me!"

The three of us exchanged glances. Finally, Kitty shrugged, Astra sighed, and I winced.

"Come with me!" said Étoile, stepping around us. "We were walking to my office. The three of you can tell me what you're up to when we get there. Don't even think about telling me it's nothing. I recognise sneaks when I see them."

I had the feeling that we were being escorted to the headmaster's office as we followed
Étoile and Clare silently, passing no one. Being so empty, The Amethyst had an eerie vibe to it. I was used to seeing a buzzing haven of supernatural souls. I wondered how many people Étoile had sent away; or if it was simply the calm before the brewing storm.

"Tell me everything,"
Étoile demanded again, banging the door to her office shut before leaning against it and trapping us inside. "Start with why you're really here and make it fast. I have a meeting in ten minutes. We're negotiating the final terms of the High Council before signing the documents during the ceremony."

"We should tell her everything," said Astra, glancing at me.

"That's right," agreed Étoile, tapping her foot impatiently.

"I haven't finished, sister. I was going to say we should tell her everything because she probably already knows why we're here."

I blinked at Astra. "Really?"

"She didn't become Council president by being stupid."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," said Étoile, waving a hand towards me. "Start talking."

"We couldn't sit back and do nothing; not when there's a plot to destroy you and all
of this," I started, halting when Étoile held up her hand.

"I told you I was dealing with it."

"You shouldn't have to deal with it alone," pointed out Kitty. "You're not alone. We're all here for you."

I stepped forward. "She's right.
Étoile, we want to help. We came to search through the archives for something that could assist you. Something that could tie all the conspirators together."

"Did you find anything?"

"A connection between Noah Wilde and Tobias Grigg, for starters."

"Who the hell is Tobias Grigg?"

"Noah's cousin and the packmaster of Kevin Wyatt, the werewolf who died trying to get a message to me that said there was a plot against you."

Étoile
nodded slowly. "I hate to admit it since you defied my direct order, but... good work. I often wondered if Noah was using other packs to do his dirty work."

"And Irina is practising magic for Grigg's pack. A friend of Wyatt's told me."

"She wouldn't do anything without Hunter's authorisation," mused Étoile. "Whatever she's doing for the pack, it's at his insistence."

"Is it enough to arrest them before they try to attack?" Kitty wanted to know, but
Étoile shook her head.

"No, it isn't. Stella, the letter you retrieved has been very useful to me. I knew about the plot, but I didn't know when, or how it would be carried out. I still don't know who is going to do it, and we need to catch whomever it is in the act. What I did miscalculate was sending you three away. Clare overheard some people discussing why three of my closest friends and family aren't in the city for the swearing in ceremony."

I looked over my shoulder at Clare. I actually forgot she was there. She gave me a small smile and returned her attention to Étoile. I did the same.

"So, since you are now here, please stay as my guests. I can think of no other way to assure everyone that things are normal while my people hunt for the would-be perpetrators. We'll have dinner tonight in the restaurant, so you can all be seen."

"What are we, your stooges?" asked Kitty, but without any of the harshness of thinking that. "I was kind of hoping to go on a date later."

"No, not one bit. You'll all be protected while you're here. No harm will come to any of you..."
Étoile paused. "A date? Really?"

"He's totally hot," explained Kitty simply. "And he's in town."

"I'd stay even if there was the prospect of harm," said Astra.

"Suck up," said Kitty, under her breath.

Astra shot her a look. "I heard that."

"Perfect," said
Étoile, clapping her hands. "If you bicker like this over dinner, no one will suspect anything is out of the ordinary. Clare?"

"Yes?"

"Take my guests to our concierge and arrange their rooms. I can't fit you all into my apartment. Besides, I'm staying here over the next couple of days anyway. If there's anything else you need, tell Clare."

"Or we'll just magick our things here," I said. "Problem solved."

"If only everything were that easy," replied Étoile.

"One more thing," I started, as Clare opened the door. "Why would a demon want a
horologicon?"

"A horologicon?"
Étoile shook her head, the frown lines deepening on her forehead. "No demon should ever have a horologicon. They should never have access to knowledge of the future, especially as it unfolds in the minutest detail. That would be a dangerous thing. A very dangerous thing."

Chapter Eighteen

"Here's what's going to happen today," said Étoile. The six of us were gathered in her office only an hour after daybreak. Sunlight pooled across the floor and on the back of my neck, and the scent of sweet coffee was high in the air. Kitty was yawning and checking her watch. Clare was perched on the edge of her chair, a notepad on her lap, her pen poised, but so far, she hadn't taken a single note. Étoile kept pacing the pools of sunlight, muttering to herself. When she finally sat down in her desk chair, Astra began walking the length of the room, turning automatically, like a swimmer, as she reached a wall. I was sitting on the low sofa, my eyes trained onto the large stack of documents and books that we attracted with yesterday's spell. Despite our casual demeanour, we were all listening intently as Étoile laid out her plans.

"Stella and Astra, I want you to go through every document," she said, placing both hands on the stack and barely noticing as dust plumed from the old pages. "Find me some ammunition to take down Noah, Hunter, Irina, and Georgia Thomas."

"No problem," said Astra as I nodded, agreeing even if I didn't feel it. Wading through the paperwork would take time; which, despite being narrowed down by a spell, still made finding what we needed like looking for a needle in a haystack. "They won't get away with their plot," Astra added defiantly. After a moment, she raised her fist and shook it as Étoile laughed, the mood lightening for the briefest of moments.

"Damn right, they won't!" exclaimed
Étoile, pushing herself off the stack and circling the desk while she discreetly dusted her palms. "Clare, I want you to send our guards out to inconspicuously search every last inch of The Amethyst. I need to know where I am most likely to be attacked."

"I'll have the guards doubled," said Clare, rising.

"No!" Étoile paused, seeming to collect her thoughts before she continued. "No, leave the guards to their usual routines. I don't want to alert our enemies. We must continue to act as if nothing happened. Commission only a small squad."

"The guards were already set to increase when the High Council is sworn in," pointed out Clare. "Should I change that too?"

Étoile shook her head. "Everyone expects that to happen anyway. Whatever is being planned will already be in place prior to the swearing in of the High Council. We must continue as if everything is normal. Go where you please, keep your eyes and ears open, just as you would any other day in this building. In fact, I want you all to be seen often on the floors. Stella and Astra, step out of my office from time-to-time and make sure people notice you. I want our enemies to believe I know nothing; and that we're all here purely to see the newest High Council come into effect."

"Your other sister is due at noon," said Clare, consulting her cell phone. "Her husband too."

"Excellent. Come into my meeting and announce their arrival. Make sure to say that everyone is here. If news hasn't reached my co-counsel by then, seeing that my sisters and friends have arrived to celebrate the inauguration should be enough to convince them of how secure I feel here. Let's get to work."

"What about me?" asked Kitty as we all rose.

"I thought you had a date. That's what you said when you walked in."

"Still?" I asked, butting in at this latest piece of news. "I thought that was last night?"

"It was. Then he invited me to brunch today and asked me to show him around the building since he has some time off from working with the delegation."

Étoile
paused. "He works for Noah Wilde?"

"Well, sure. Why else would he be here?" Kitty asked.

Étoile ran a hand through her hair and shrugged. "I really didn't think about it, but now you've mentioned it, how high is he in their ranks?"

"Pretty low, I think. He said he just runs errands for his uncle, who knows somebody that knows Noah."

"Okay." Étoile mused that over while we waited for her to come to some kind of decision. "I do have a job for you."

"Cool. I don't mind cancelling my date. We can meet up another time."

"No, go on your date, but I'd like you to ask him a few questions. Get an idea about the others in the delegation. Find out who is just muscle and who has the brains. Whom do we need to watch more closely?"

"How am I supposed to do that?" Kitty wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"You'll think of something. Just pay attention and maybe a clue will click."

"First time for everything," said Kitty as she stuck her tongue out, lightening the mood again.

"And Kitty, be careful. This guy might have the hots for you, but if he gets an inkling that you could have any ulterior motives in your questions, he might be reminded that his loyalties lie elsewhere."

"Noted," said Kitty, her voice grave. "Don't let this kitty get eaten. I'm nervous about that... my palms are a dead giveaway."

"I'll have eyes on you the whole time. Fortunately, your heart rate will be as easily explained as your clammy palms. He'll just think you have the mad hots for him."

Kitty wrinkled her nose and stifled a giggle. "He wouldn't be wrong; but at least, he won't be suspicious."

We were quiet for a moment, all contemplating the gravity of our tasks. Or, at least, I was, before I caught Astra's eye when we both glanced away from the books and papers. There was no time to get this wrong, no time for missing crucial details. If we didn't have some answers for Étoile today, it might be too late by tomorrow. Too late for all tomorrows.

A loud clap from
Étoile made me jump, and a nervous giggle was heard around the room. "Get to work," said Étoile. "Good luck, everyone. We're going to need it."

"Where do we start?" asked Astra, as the room emptied, leaving just the two of us once Clare trailed on
Étoile's heels. "The papers here are a foot deep! Can we even read them all in one day? Even with two of us?"

"I don't know," I replied honestly, reaching for the first stapled set of sheets before handing it to Astra. I took the next set for myself. "I guess we start here and just keep going."

"I'm scared I'll miss something vital. The building will get blown up. Étoile will be dead; and it'll all be my fault."

I shivered at hearing Astra's resignation to her panic. "That's not going to happen," I
told her. "We've come this far. We're going to find a way to get through this, and no one, I mean
no one
, is going to get blown up. Start reading."

Astra looked at me as she took the sheaf, and surprised me by smiling with admiration shining in her eyes. For the first time, in a very long time, I felt in control of something, even if my nerves were fizzling pure energy. "Yes, ma'am."

"Plus," I added, with a shiver, "we both know that Étoile would haunt us for the rest of our lives."

"Oh, man," groaned Astra as she focused on the pages.

It was an hour before either of us raised our heads. "This stuff is fascinating," I said.

"You found something?"

"Nope, but there's all kinds of things about demons and how their magic intersects with ours."

"Is there anything about their kryptonite?"

"Kryptonite?"

"Like Superman. Have you found any weaknesses?"

"Not yet. Only that they aren't stronger than us, like I always thought. They're just different, I guess. Witch magic is every bit as powerful in combat as theirs. Wait... there's something about some herbs that can weaken them, and in the right mixture, temporarily disable their magic."

"Get out! What stuff?"

"I don't know. The pages are water-stained. Maybe Seren and David could decipher them?"

"Whatever these herbs are, you can bet the demons don't want anyone to know about them. How'd the writer find out?"

I grimaced as I scanned the pages. "He or she tortured a demon, by the sounds of it. There's a bunch of details for some experiments... oh, crap!"

"What?"

"The rest of the pages are too stained to make them out. I don't know what happened next."

"We could try the spell we used on your envelope to recreate the pages. If I had the things I needed..."

I set the sheaf to one side. "Let's look at that another time. Have you found anything?"

"Nope. Just some stuff about a family tree. I'm trying to work out whose it is."

"Let me know when you work it out?" I said as I reached for the next sheaf of papers.

"You bet."

Although the papers I picked up were interesting, they didn't say much about our present situation. Instead, they told more history about my ancestor, the witch who loved the wolf. Some parts were a history, and other parts a fairytale, it made for nice reading. When I finished, I set it to one side and reached for a book.

"Aha!" Astra exclaimed. "The witch's history I'm reading is none other than Georgia Thomas’s! Wow, she has some family tree!"

I rested the book in my lap and looked over. "Go on."

"This tree goes way back. I mean, generations. And I found an anomaly."

"What anomaly?"

"Well, a maternal ancestor is missing; and instead, there's just a symbol in its place."

"What does that mean?"

"That's what I wondered. So I was thinking about it... then, I remembered seeing it before, just once. I saw Eleanor Bartholomew write it, and when I asked her, she told me it meant ‘demon.’ It's like a really, really, old symbol. Here, see?" Astra showed me the symbol on the paper, then redrew it, larger and clearer on a clean sheet of notepaper. "You know what this means?"

"Yes," I said, puzzling over the symbol. Astra wasn't the only one who'd seen it before. I had too, but where? "Georgia Thomas has demon blood."

"It's way back, I think, five or six, no seven, generations."

"Would that make her demon blood side weaker?"

"Not necessarily. That said, it might be so weak that it's barely there. Or it could be a dominant strain. We couldn't know without testing her."

"We can rule that out. There's no way Georgia Thomas would give us a blood sample so we can confirm how strong her demon gene is."

"True. I'd love to get my hands on some though, and find out which demon family she might be related to."

"Want to place bets on Hunter or Irina?"

My stomach turned at the thought of Georgia's secret blood relatives. "I don't want to imagine for a minute that she could be related to Evan."

"I guess we'll never know, but we should tell Étoile this. I'll look for more information. This family tree was given to us for a reason."

"So far, all the spell seems to have brought us are partial clues and more questions."

"The night is always darkest before the dawn."

"Things are pretty bad," I agreed, opening the book as I made myself comfortable in the large chair. "Let's keep going."

I jumped when Astra spoke. Checking the clock above the door, I noted only forty minutes had passed, with the sunlight barely shifting from my back slightly over to one side. I repositioned myself, feeling like a cat. "I need coffee," said Astra, throwing her pen onto the desk. "I need coffee more than I need anything else in this world; and I think I found something about the Brotherhood."

"How's the Brotherhood a part of this?"

"I don’t know; I don't understand that either, but the spell brought us this stuff," Astra pointed out as she held up the thick notebook she'd been reading. "I think this belonged to a clairvoyant."

"A fortune teller?"

"No, the real deal. A psychic, or maybe a seer. Some of this stuff is just scribblings, like a diary, and doesn't make much sense. There are a lot of question marks in the margins, and it looks like the writer's handwriting, so maybe things aren't always clear, but there's some stuff that is really clear; and it looks like she had the same vision over and over."

"What kind of vision?"

"Something about defeating the Brotherhood." Astra walked over to me, crouching next to my legs as she pointed to various passages. "This looks like the first vision about burning witches." Astra turned a few pages. "And here is the same vision again, but the witch has changed. Then, the next few pages are more things about the Brotherhood, and there're drawings too."

"That's Hawkscroft," I said, pointing to a poor pencil sketch of a large house. I would have recognised it anywhere. "Auberon Morgan's house. When was this written?"

"There's a date on the front... Forty years ago."

"Forty years ago!"

"Yep. The visions get clearer until they're almost exclusively about the Brotherhood..."

"Or maybe the clairvoyant concentrated all the same visions into this one book," I interrupted.

"That's possible. Every entry is dated by the month and day, with large gaps in between. If we skip twenty pages, we get to the bit about their demise."

"The Brotherhood are finally gone?"

"Well, it doesn't say that, but the clairvoyant writes about a witch who is powerful enough to defeat them. It gets kind of rambling. See here?" Astra picked her way through the pages before tapping her forefinger at one passage. "She starts talking about a prophecy being fulfilled, and a witch who can draw extra power from her circle and the elements to become some kind of ultimate witch. From what I can make out, apparently, this witch has some kind of unique ability to absorb power from anything, thereby integrating any kind of magic and wielding it. She is the Brotherhood's biggest foe and our ultimate weapon."