Night Vision (30 page)

I gazed into her eyes, and my resolve gave way. The older woman opened her arms and I fell into them, sobbing against her shoulder as she patted my back.

“We will take care of this, Cicely. We’ll find her and go after her.” After a moment, she pushed me back by the shoulders, and the prim magical adept was back. “Dry your tears. Crying has to wait. We don’t have time for tears.”

I struggled to catch my breath and, as Luna pressed a couple of tissues into my hand, dried my eyes and blew my nose.

Ysandra looked around. “What are you doing?”

Luna faced her squarely. “I’m going to cast a Locate spell.”

Ysandra cocked her head. “What tradition are you using?”

“Family. My family has several innate abilities, and one is to find lost people. We go through our ancestors for the
energy.” There was something about the way she said it…I couldn’t catch the meaning, but Ysandra seemed to understand, because the Consortium member blanched, pulling back.

“Ancestor magic…you realize how much those spells can cost you?” Ysandra almost sounded afraid.

Luna let out a slow breath. “I know. Trust me, I know. But this is the only way. We can’t afford to let another night pass without finding Rhiannon. They want Cicely to show up tonight in the town square by eight o’clock or they’ll turn Rhiannon. You know they’ll do it, too.” Luna shrugged. “I’m not going to let that happen. Since the Consortium won’t engage a seer for us, it’s up to me.”

Ysandra pressed her lips together, a thoughtful look in her eyes. After a moment, she gave one short nod. “As you wish. What backup do you need? This isn’t one of the spells in my repertoire, but I can provide energy to help. Just let me know what you want me to do.”

Luna laughed softly. “Be prepared in case anybody comes through whom we don’t want in here. You know what these spells can conjure up.”

“Are you in danger if you do this?” I broke in. No matter how much I wanted my cousin back, I couldn’t let Luna put herself in danger in order to rescue Rhiannon and I was getting the distinct impression this spell was far more powerful than I had first thought.

Luna shook her head. “Don’t sweat it. There’s always danger when you run family magic and you’re yummanii. Magic for our people works different than for the Fae or the magic-born. It’s more unpredictable, and we are more easily possessed and entranced.”

I had heard this but had never had the opportunity to really sit down with any magic-using yummanii to discuss it. And since I’d met Luna, our lives had been focused on fighting Myst and not much of anything else.

“I didn’t know that. Then how do you get up the courage to use your magic, if it’s so chaotic?” But even as I asked, I
realized my question was moot. My mother had run away from her heritage, but most of the magic-born embraced their gifts. There was no reason why the yummanii wouldn’t do the same. “Never mind. What do we do next?”

Luna motioned to Ysandra. “I don’t usually work in a magical circle unless it’s a powerful ritual, like the one my sister did for Grieve. But for this spell, I think we should call the veils of protection. Can you do that without interfering with the resonance of my magic?”

Ysandra nodded. “Yes, protection grids and veils are pretty standard across most magical systems. Especially since my magic is of the pure form, as in purest sense—while I can call the lightning, my energy tends to be that of magical force, untouched by any specific elemental nature.”

“Then set up a veil that allows spirits from my past to come through but no others. I’m a good medium, although I don’t often talk about it, but I don’t want to fight off all the ghosts looking for someone to give them a voice.” Luna turned toward the stairs. “I’m going up to take a quick ritual shower. If you would ring the table with salt, then cast the veil of protection, that’s all I need.” With that, she was off.

Grieve and Chatter had moved to one corner of the room and were talking in low, soft tones. Ysandra motioned me toward the kitchen.

“Show me where the salt is. I don’t care for poking around through others’ drawers. You never know what you might find.”

At first I thought she was joking, but as we entered the kitchen, I glanced at her and realized she meant every word.

“We had twenty-pound bags of salt until the Veil House burned, but I believe it was ruined in the fire.” I began rifling through the cupboard, coming up with a box of sea salt. “Will this work?”

“Yes, that will be fine.” She paused before turning back to the living room. “Cicely…did Luna explain what the
spell might do to her? The way payments work in the yummanii magical world?”

I shook my head. “No, but she seemed pretty solemn when she first told me about it.”

“When did she bring it up?”

“When we were at the Consortium, while we were waiting for the Council to come back with their decision.” I frowned. “Ysandra, just how dangerous is this for Luna?”

Ysandra paused, the box of salt in hand. She let out a low breath, then gave me a little shrug. “The danger with this type of magic is that every time one of the yummanii seeks the help of their ancestors, they run the danger of being possessed by the spirits who come to their summons. If the spirit is determined, they can take over the body—walk in and set up shop.”

“Is that the only danger?”

She headed back into the living room. Over her shoulder, she said, “No. If the spirits don’t possess them, there’s a chance the magic will. And there are no guarantees what that will do to them. Kaylin’s night-veil demon? That demon can be tame compared to what the magic can do to the yummanii if it claims them. Luna’s a powerful bard, far stronger than she realizes. But I don’t think she’s done this sort of spell before. I suppose,” she added, “we’ll just have to see what happens.”

As she began to pour the salt in a circle on the hardwood floor, I backed away, letting her focus. We needed all the protection we could get, but now my worry was for Luna. I wondered…did Luna have any inner demons that would leave her prey to the magic coming through her? And even if she couldn’t withstand it, did we really have a choice at this point?

When Luna returned, she was wearing a long black dress, belted with a silver belt. It was off the shoulder, velvet, and hugged her curves. With her hair trailing down her back in black ringlets and her dark eyes ringed with silver, she looked positively magical. Luna was around thirty-five, and for once she didn’t look vulnerable but experienced and softly aware.

She motioned to the table, where two chairs were waiting. Ysandra took her place in a third seat, in the northern quarter of the Circle. Peyton, Grieve, and Chatter sat outside the Circle, where they wouldn’t interfere with the flow of energy. I sat opposite Luna, my back to the east, while she sat in the west, facing me. The crystal ball rested in front of her, and as she lit the black candle, the flame sputtered and caught fire.

I waited for her instructions.

After a moment, she began to hum…a long tone, haunting and distant, and then it became a melody, weaving in and around the room, encircling and braiding its way through the air.

Ulean, what is she doing?

She is calling on the spirits. Her voice is the lure, baiting them to come to her aid. The ancestor spirits, they do not give help freely. They must be wooed, persuaded. Sometimes cajoled. And then they exact a price—there is always a price to pay when sourcing the spirits.

That frightens me. Will she be all right?

Time will tell, but there is no stopping the ritual now. She has cracked the portal; she cannot close it at this point.

I focused my attention on Luna again, watching for any sign that she might be in trouble. I still didn’t know what I was supposed to do, but she would tell me when it was time.

Outside, the sky had clouded over, dark and thick, and now, with a crack of thunder, snow lightning lit up the air, and then huge flakes of snow began to swirl down in a frenzied dance. The lightning flashed again, the low rumble of thunder making me want to jump. My nerves were on edge; I felt raw as flesh stripped from muscle, like a swarm of bees were grazing my skin with their stingers. Shivering now, I struggled to remain still, to not disturb Luna’s trance.

And then a soft whoosh swept though the room and something was there, with us, in the Circle. A presence, weighing down on my shoulders, thickening the air till it was so dense that I couldn’t catch my breath.

But Luna didn’t seem to notice. She was bent over the table, her gaze focused on the crystal ball. Her hands barely cupped its sides as a thin mist began to swirl inside the crystal, and then it rose out of the ball to filter into the room.

It was viscous now, and my lungs worked at a ragged pace. I’d never experienced asthma before, except for the anaphylaxis when I got hold of fish, but this was all too reminiscent of the latter. I gasped, unable to force enough air into my lungs. I couldn’t tell if the others were suffering, but then Luna brought her head up, her gaze locking mine, and I realized that it wasn’t Luna looking at me, but someone else, from behind her eyes.

“Whom do you seek?” The voice that echoed out of her cut to the bone, vibrating far too deep to be her own. It was
masculine, smooth but forceful, and as each word reverberated into existence, it echoed for a moment, then was gone as if someone had snatched it away.

As the question hung there, I realized it had been aimed at me. I tried to calm myself so I wouldn’t stumble over my words.

“I need to find my cousin Rhiannon, the Summer Queen.” I wasn’t sure whether to go on and explain what had happened, but my lips pressed shut, and it occurred to me that whoever I was talking to, he might just have a broader vista of knowledge than I did. If he needed me to elaborate, he would ask.

Apparently, the spirit did not. After a moment, the voice boomed out through the room again. “Look where time strikes in the heart of the village. Look for the dungeons deep within the ground.”

We had a poet on our hands, apparently. I waited, again unsure about whether I should say anything else. And then there was an uneasy laugh, and Luna stiffened, her eyes glowing with a pale blue fire.

“There are secret ways in, through the alleys and down into the streets. Be cautious, for the creatures from the heart of the world walk there, emerging from their lairs, and even the blood-drinkers fear them and steer toward the light.”

And then, with another sigh, Luna’s mouth opened and the spirit spoke once more. “Daughter of the son of the son of my daughter…this one is talented and can speak for the dead…and so she shall.”

With another whoosh, the presence rose out of Luna in a visible cloud and vanished from sight. Luna collapsed on the table, almost knocking over the candle. I grabbed it before it fell, managing to keep it alight. Ysandra hurried to Luna’s side. She felt for Luna’s pulse, then motioned for me to blow out the candle.

“Lights—one of you outside the Circle turn on the lights, and bring us some water and brandy if you have any in the house.” Ysandra leaned Luna back.

Luna was unconscious, but she was murmuring something, and Ysandra slapped her gently across the cheeks. Luna began to open her eyes. “Here, you stand beside her, make sure she doesn’t fall out of her chair while I open the Circle and bring her the brandy.”

As I quickly obeyed, my mind flew to the spirit’s words.
Look where time strikes in the heart of the village
…What did that mean?

As Peyton stepped into the now-opened Circle and handed Ysandra the bottle of brandy and a glass, she caught my attention.

“I know where he’s keeping her,” she said. “I know what the riddle is referring to. The clock tower—the one across from where they killed Rex. They’re hiding beneath the Abby Theater.”

“Crap! You’re right—you have to be!” I wanted to run off, to head out and rescue my cousin right this instant, but first we had to take care of Luna.

At that moment, she began to come around as Ysandra held the brandy to her lips, dribbling a few drops into her mouth. A moment later, she blinked and Ysandra motioned for her to hush, to say nothing, but to finish the drink.

After a few minutes, in which we all waited, tensely, Luna cleared her throat, and when she spoke, it sounded almost as if she had laryngitis.

“What…I don’t remember anything about what happened. Did we get an answer? Did anyone come through?”

Ysandra stared at her, a grave look on her face. “Yes, one of your ancestors most definitely managed to speak through you, and we have our answer as to where to look. But Luna…”

Luna paled. “What is the price? Did they say what the price will be?”

Ysandra nodded. “Yes…although it was only hinted at, I know what they are talking about. The dead will start hounding you—you are to be one of their speakers. You have a natural talent for it, and now they know that. This is heavy magic, indeed, and not one that is borne lightly. I’m
afraid we’re going to have to do some focus work teaching you how to strengthen your warding and personal barriers of protection.”

Closing her eyes, Luna let out a slow breath. “I said I was willing to pay the price. I guess…they are taking advantage of that.”