Vintage Soul (14 page)

“Le Duc's journal?” she asked.
 
Her brow creased in a slight frown.
 
“Why?
 
What is it?”

“You may be hell with crystals,” he laughed softly, “but I see history isn't your forte.
  
Le Duc was an odd one. The journal he left is very thin, and concerns only a single spell – the
Perpetuum
Vitae Potion.”

“The
Perpet
…eternal life?”
 

Donovan nodded.
 
“Le Duc never tested the potion, and because of certain tenets of the ritual, it's now forbidden magic.
 
Apparently someone has decided that the rules don't apply to them.

“I remember now,” she said thoughtfully.
 
“Le Duc was killed by a vampire, wasn't he?”

“Yes.
 
He was trying to acquire the final ingredient for his formula – the vampire's blood.”

“Then Vanessa…”
 
Amethyst's words trailed off, and Donovan nodded.
 

“Yes, she's going to be part of the potion.”

“But, why her?” Amethyst asked.
 
“I mean, there were plenty of others at that party, older and more powerful.
 
Why would he choose Johndrow's lover?”

“I don't know for sure,” Donovan replied.
 
“She's beautiful.
 
Maybe our thief is something of a romantic?
 
Maybe he likes the idea of having a beautiful, ancient, powerful prisoner to gloat over.”

“But, won't he hurry to finish this?
 
Surely he knows that you, or someone like you, will be on his trail?
 
There are protections to prevent detection, but they can only work so well, and for so long.
 
It's just a matter of time until we find him…”

“Not we,” Donovan said.
 
“I will do it.
 
I've been hired to do it, and, as I told Johndrow, I'd have done it anyway.
 
I don't like having my things taken.”

Amethyst's eyes sparkled again.
 
“Yeah, you certainly had it all under control tonight.
 
What was I thinking, offering my help to a big, strong cowboy like you?”

Amethyst looked up at him then, wide-eyed, and batted her lashes.
 
If Donovan had had a drink he'd have tossed it at her.
 
As it was, all he could do was laugh.

“You missed all the best parts,” he told her.
 
“I don't believe they'd ever seen an elemental summoned, for one thing.”

“You summoned an elemental in an alley?”

“Under it,” he corrected.
 
“It was
Pachacama
,”

“Incan,” she commented, sipping her wine and watching him over the rim.
 
He knew she was flirting, and he wished he had time to let her know how well it was working.

“Yeah – not the most powerful available,” he said, “but I didn't have much time.”

“Why didn't you have the elemental take
them
and then banish it?” she asked.
 
“They'd have been stuck pretty well, I think, and they'd have had plenty of time to think on the error of their ways while they waited for the sun to rise high enough to hit the alley.”

Donovan stared at her.
 
It was a use for the spell he'd never even considered, and the simplicity of it felt like a smack in the middle of his forehead.
 
His surprise must have shown, because she laughed again and drained her wine, gesturing to the barman for a refill.

“Yeah, you have it all under control,” she teased.
 
“I told you men were no good at this sort of thing.”

Donovan shook his head bemusedly.
 
“Whoever took the book, and Vanessa, is going to more than he has so far to complete the ritual.
 
There are ingredients he's going to need.
 
That's why I wanted to see you.
 
One of the things he'll need is a matched pair of Timeline crystals, and they have to be very special.
 
They have to be a perfect harmonic pair.”

Amethyst put down her glass and stared at him.
 
All trace of humor had left her expression.

“There is only one matched set like that on this continent,” she said.
 
“It's mine, and it's securely locked in my vault.”

‘”I know,” he said softly.
 
“Like I said, that's why I needed to talk to you.
 
I know your security is flawless, but I'd have said that about mine, as well…couldn't hurt to take some extra precautions.
 
I know how rare it is to find both a timeline crystal and to have it flawless.
 
How much less likely is it to find a matched pair?”
 
He shrugged.

Amethyst was no longer paying the slightest attention to her wine.
 
Her specialty was stone, crystals, and talismans.
 
She had the finest collection in existence of all three of these specialties, and she was very protective of both the collection, and her secrets.
 
Donovan has asked too much more than once and run into the stone wall of her stubborn streak, and he saw it boiling to the surface now.

“You think he can get them from me?”
 
It wasn't a question, but more of an accusation, and Donovan sighed.

“I'm not saying that, and I think you know it.
 
I'm saying that he wants them, and that I know you may be the only source that exists in the world.
 
He must have a plan for how he intends to get his hands on them when the time comes, or why go to the trouble to gather the other ingredients and get the dogs on his trail?”

She didn't look impressed with his logic, but Donovan saw she was at least considering it.

“What else does he need?” she asked.

Donovan gratefully changed the subject.
 
“He needs bone marrow dust from a particularly difficult to find Priest.
 
There's only one grave in the area – I did some research.”

He told her about his meeting with the collector,
Windham
, and what he'd learned from that exchange.

“So, no one has tried to collect it for him yet?” Amethyst asked.

“I don't think so,” Donovan said.
 
“I'm going after it myself.”

She stared at him in shock.
 
“Why?
 
Donovan, if you think that's the only source locally, why not just destroy it, or secure it somehow?
 
Why go out into the open like that and put yourself at risk?”

“Because,” Donovan replied, “I don't just want to stop him from creating this potion, I want to catch him.
 
I want my book back, and I'd like to collect the fee for bringing Vanessa back as well.
 
I know she can take care of herself, but even the best of us gets in over their head now and then.”

This brought another quick snort of laughter from Amethyst, and with a sigh Donovan picked up her glass and took a drink of her wine.
 

“Laugh it up,” he said, returning her glass.
 
“But promise me you'll keep an eye out for this guy?
 
I wish I could figure out who it is.
 
I can't imagine any of the major players involving themselves in something so risky, and I don't remember anyone with a crow.
 
That bothers me more than anything.
 
I thought I knew everyone in the craft that called this city home, so either I was wrong, or it's an outsider.
 
Either way, it's bad.”

“The crystals are safe, Donovan.
 
When I'm not home, my apprentice Lance handles the wards.
 
It's part of the fee he pays for instruction, and he's very meticulous.
 
As for your rogue magician, I have a thought on that.”

Donovan wanted to ask more about her apprentice, but he remained silent as she continued.
 
He remembered Lance Ezzel, a tall, powerful young man with bright, piercing eyes and hair that was an odd, platinum blonde – almost white.
 
He'd been with Amethyst for several years, and seemed bright enough to go the distance.
 
She wasn't a patient teacher, and she was reluctant to part with her secrets at the best of times – the price for apprenticeship must have been tantamount to becoming her live-in cabana boy.

“You remember that guy Cornwell?
 
Alistair Cornwell?”

Yanked from his thoughts of Ezzel, which were wandering toward jealousy, Donovan blinked.

“Cornwell?
 
Vaguely.
 
Wasn't he sort of a 'poseur' with delusions of personal grandeur?”

Amethyst laughed again.

“You've been spending too much time in the louder part of this club.
 
You're beginning to talk like the kids over there; you need to spend more time in adult company.”

Donovan met her gaze levelly, and this time it was Amethyst who looked away.
 
He smiled.
 
They both needed some time, and when this business was over, he intended to make a point of finding it.

“Anyway,” she said, blushing slightly, “Cornwell had a little power, but not much sense.
 
He came to me several times demanding that I share things with him, or loan him crystals for his experiments.
 
He always wore crazy robes, like he'd stepped out of some King Arthur movie and though he was Merlin.”

“Yeah, I remember him,” Donovan said.

“Well,” Amethyst continued, “don't you remember his familiar then?
 
It was a ratty old crow named Asmodeus.”

Donovan started.
 

“Yes!
 
I remember now.
 
The thing looked like it should have taken its last flight a few decades back, but I do remember it.
 
He came to me once wanting a charm that would split the bird's tongue so it could be taught to mimic speech.
 
As I recall, he wanted to teach it to say ‘Nevermore.'
 
He used to carry it around on his shoulder, even out on the streets.
 
I warned him against it, but people just saw a crazy old man in ragged clothes and a half-dead bird.
 
In
California
, who's going to notice something like that?”

“I haven't heard anything from, or about him in years,” Amethyst said.
 
“I suppose he might have studied…gained some power here and there?
 
Maybe you and I aren't the only two he pestered.
 
He's been out of the local scene long enough to turn his life around and actually learn something.
 
He did have the gift, just not the patience, or the personality, you know?”

Donovan nodded.
 
It made sense.
 
All the times he'd spoken to Cornwell, the man had seemed harmless enough, but he'd always been seeking.
 
First one spell, then another, then just ingredients, and always with questions about this and that book.
 
Donovan was known as the leading expert in the area on ancient texts, so he'd never thought twice about the queries, but had he ever given away the existence of Le Duc's journal?
 
Could he be responsible for this whole mess, just because he couldn't keep his mouth shut about old books?

”I don't suppose you have any idea where I might find Mr. Cornwell?” Donovan asked.

“Nope,” she said, finishing her second glass of wine.
 
“I'll ask around.
 
I have to be going.
 
I want to go check the wards on my vault, and to let Lance know there might be a new threat.”
 

She hesitated, then stepped around the table and leaned close. She let her hair drape down over his head and teased her tongue across his earlobe.
 
“You be careful, cowboy,” she whispered.
 

Donovan took a deep breath, fought the sudden rise of heat that flushed through his nervous system, and sate very still.

“I really don't think there's any danger of a break in at my place,” she added, “but I'll put some extra effort into security, just in case.
 
I'm sure if Lance and I put our minds to it, we can design something new that will surprise anyone who thinks they have a plan for getting in.
 
I almost hope he tries.”

Donovan thought about Kline and the description of how he'd lain broken and battered on the floor.
 
He hoped that their thief stayed far away from Amethyst and her crystals, but if not – he hoped it was Lance who was on duty when the visit took place.