Light and Shadow Read online

  Who was I to question why he needed out of the house? Maybe Meira’s growing up bothered him, too.

  Not feeling super talkative, but in the need for exercise, I led our small procession, Charlotte at my side, toward town hall and my Sidhe friend.

  It was a beautiful day, the leaves fresh on the trees, the beginning of summer just around the corner. A few deep breaths helped raise my spirits as did the memory of Quaid’s visit the night before. Sure, he may have lied to me about the blonde, but no way was I letting it ruin the fact I had a great time.

  How grown up of you, Syd.

  Galleytrot lay in the entry, big head on his paws as we entered through the green glow of the Sidhe wards. He looked up as we did, nose lifting, sniffing. I reached out to him, gave his ear a scratch on the way by, only to hear him grumbling to himself.

  “Quaid,” he said.

  Oh no he didn’t. I withdrew my hand, suddenly cold despite my rising temper.

  I already told you to mind your own business. My mind snapped against the black dog. And I meant it.

  Galleytrot shut me out, rising to pad toward the archive, ignoring me. We’d had this argument already. About Liam. Galleytrot’s concern was touching, but irritating at the same time. Liam was a big boy and knew perfectly well I was in no position to be his girlfriend.

  I’d told him enough times. I just wished he’d listen.

  Happy mood now tainted with anger and a bit of guilt, I stomped my way through the door, Sassafras scampering ahead of me to take his favorite chair. I had a brief after-image of him in human form, draped sideways over the arm, one foot up on Liam’s desk, a book in his hands and had to shake my head as the silver Persian curled up into a ball, tail tucked around him and stared at me with glowing amber eyes.

  “Syd!” Liam rushed toward me, hugging me, a book pressed uncomfortably between us. “You must be psychic.”

  “Sorry?” I rubbed at my breastbone where the spine of the thick, brown leather book had made an impression.

  Liam grinned. “I was just about to call you. You have to read this.” He pulled me into his office toward a cluttered old desk of heavy, carved wood in Sidhe motif. Piles of parchment and books lay everywhere, his only nod to the present his silver laptop open to one side, a spinning vortex screensaver making me dizzy.

  He pressed me down into the chair I usually took, the velvet seat shaping almost perfectly to my butt as he laid the book in my lap with something like reverence. One scan of the scrolling handwriting and I shook my head, looking up into his excited hazel eyes, green flecks winking at me.

  “You know I don’t share your ability for languages.” I let my fingers trace over the writing, feeling something familiar about it, but not able to make a connection just yet. “What is it?”

  Liam set one hand on it, not taking it from me, the pressure of his touch weighing the book more heavily on my legs. “It’s maji,” he said.

  Maji? We knew so little about the magical sect, long since extinct, or so it was believed. I knew almost nothing of their history, until the chamber under the vampire’s mansion was discovered. I did know they used to be the big boys, until their power started to fade, but came up empty when I tried to remember why.

  Liam finally took back the book, stroking the side of the page as he smiled down at it. “This was written by one of their scientists, a powerful and brilliant woman named Iepa.”

  Okay, why did that name make me shudder? Not in a bad way, but as if I should know what it meant?

  Freaky. And yes, I was used to freaky, but then again, did anyone really get used to freaky?

  It did prompt me to recall my dream from last night, though. Which struck me as odd. “Why are you researching the maji?”

  Liam sank against the desk, open book cradled against his chest as he frowned a little. “I’m not sure. I was looking into Sidhe court rituals when I stumbled on this by accident.” He tapped the cover with one hand.

  Sassafras perked immediately while Charlotte twitched where she leaned against the wall behind me.

  “There are no such things as accidents in a place like this,” Sass said. Hmm, true. The archive almost had a mind of its own, showing the seeker exactly what was sought from the endless stacks going back into who knew where.

  “Sass is right,” I said. “This is too much of a coincidence.” The misty form I’d seen, the ancient feel of her, the way the veil seemed new, not old. The woman in my dream. Was she somehow tied to the maji? Or was she really some random nightmare I remembered because I woke up from falling? Just in case, I told them all what I’d dreamed about, Charlotte silent though she’d heard it before, the others tensed as I wrapped up.

  “My falling dream,” I said, eyes on Sass. “The Demonicon one.” He’d comforted me a few times since, so he knew what I was talking about and I didn’t have any secrets from Liam.

  Well, I did have one. But I wasn’t going there right now.

  “I thought you said it was nothing?” Charlotte’s soft tone cut nonetheless.

  “I guess I was wrong.” I turned to see her lips twitch. Yeah, she could have her private little laugh fest.

  “Why the falling dream in conjunction?” Sassafras stood up, ears flickering back and forth, his gaze lost in the distance. “Or is there a correlation between the two?”

  I didn’t want to think about my falling dream though he mirrored my thoughts. “I think the more important question is how valid is the warning?”

  Liam frowned over the book. “You said it was like the veil was new, like you were making it. Could this woman have been controlling it, not you?”

  “What are you suggesting?” Sassy’s ears flickered, whiskers twitching.

  “I don’t know,” he smiled, embarrassed, cheeks flushing from it. “Just a stupid theory.”

  “Spit it out,” Galleytrot said.

  Liam cleared his throat. “What if she was maji?”

  That was a stretch, wasn’t it? Or was it?

  Sassafras nodded, nose wriggling as he thought it over. “From what little we demons know, it might make sense. Worth exploring, anyway.”

  Galleytrot chuffed softly. “The Sidhe respected the maji,” he said in his rumbling voice, the echo of thunder from a rainstorm rolling through me when he spoke. “Considered them beyond nobility. Almost as gods.”

  Well that was interesting. “Why’s that?”

  He shrugged his great shoulders, red fire dancing in his eyes. “I don’t know,” he said. “Only that my handlers were almost afraid of them.”

  The arrogant Sidhe? Afraid? Even more interesting.

  “You met them?” Liam closed the book and set it aside, though one hand never left it, fingers steepled on the cover.

  “One,” the hound said. “A woman. And her very presence made my blood go cold.”

  Liam was nodding, flipping the book open. “They were beyond Spirit,” he said. “Iepa knew she made others uncomfortable.”

  I shook my head, frowning. “There’s nothing beyond Spirit.” Or so I’d been taught.

  Sassafras grunted softly, tail twitching. “And in all your nineteen years of accumulated wisdom, you’ve learned everything there is to know, have you?”

  I hated it when he did that. “Okay then, smarty pants,” I said. “What’s beyond Spirit?”

  Liam saved Sassafras the trouble of answering. “They are outside Spirit,” he said. “Pure Universal energy. According to Iepa, they were literally the hands of creation.”

  “Were?” I felt my hands clenching together as the wavering image of the woman I’d seen in my dream hovered in my mind’s eye. “Where did they go?”

  Liam looked suddenly sad, the book thudding shut. “They fell when the sorcerers attacked.” I felt my stomach ripple with something unpleasant. “The maji were pure creation power, without offense. The sorcerer’s sect was offense only, drawing power from the world around them, destroying what they used to fuel their magic. The maji didn’t stand a chance against them.�
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  The compulsion to get up, get up, GET UP was so strong I found myself on my feet and heading for the door before Liam was through speaking. I forced myself to stop at the threshold and turn to the others.

  “I’m going to the mansion,” I said while the pull of it grew stronger. “Coming?”

  As I turned once again, giving in to the need of whatever led me, I heard Quaid’s voice in my head, telling me not to go looking for trouble.

  If trouble would leave me be, I’d be happy to take his advice.

  I wasn’t surprised to find out I was far from alone, either.

  ***

  Chapter Five

  We were a quiet bunch heading back to the house. Liam was lost in thought and his own inner geeky excitement, grinning at me from time to time, a kid on his way to a toy store. Galleytrot padded beside him, tongue lolling out, Sassafras perched on his wide back. I almost told him to get down, but just rolled my eyes.

  This town was weird on its own. A silver Persian riding a giant black dog wasn’t going to be news.

  And Charlotte? Well, she was Charlotte. Chatty Cathy, that one.

  Naturally, when we piled into the van waiting in my driveway, I was stuck driving. Not that I minded. I liked to drive. But there were too many of us to fit in a normal-sized car, so I was forced to take the family minivan.

  Yup, really cool, Syd.

  I still missed Minnie, my turquoise and white Mini Cooper, cursing the Dumont brothers, Jean Marc and Kristophe, under my breath yet again at the memory of my exploding car. Jerktards. While their attempt to kill me had failed, thanks to Charlotte’s timely arrival, I secretly wished she’d shown up before they’d gotten their greasy little hands on it.

  And while riding the veil was more fun and I probably should have just pulled my companions all along behind me to speed the trip, to be totally honest, there were times a girl just wanted to drive a car.

  Galleytrot leaned through the gap between the front seats, Charlotte firmly belted into the passenger’s side, and breathed his earthy smelling breath on me. Not that I normally minded, but his head was the size of three dogs and was very fluffy, black fur brushing against my cheek.

  “You said there was writing on the walls of the maji chamber?” His tongue swept out to lick his chops, making me shudder and cringe sideways. I loved the big mutt, but he was creeping me out.

  Guess I just wasn’t used to having him so close anymore.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Gram said it was maji, so I took her word for it.” My attempts to reach her and tell her where we were going fell on empty air. Wherever Gram was, she didn’t want me interfering.

  Fine, leave me out of important stuff yet again and see what kind of trouble it brings.

  Bitter? Who, me?

  Galleytrot retreated, much to my relief, Liam taking his place.

  “I can’t wait,” he said, magic so tightly wound it made me nervous. Didn’t they realize I had to concentrate to drive? “I can’t believe I didn’t think of exploring the cavern under the mansion before.”

  More coincidence?

  “You’re certain the vampire’s human servants won’t mind our intrusion?” Sassafras sat in Charlotte’s lap, every once in a while standing up and putting his paws on the dash so he could look outside, chattering at a bird or some other interesting thing moving past. He hated it, but he was still a slave to his cat nature at times.

  “I’m sure.” Well, mostly sure. I’d only been to the mansion once when the sun was up and the Council not occupying the property, shortly after Mom’s trial. I’d shown up a few minutes too early to say goodbye to Uncle Frank and Sunny. The clan butler, for lack of a better term, had been very gracious and didn’t hesitate to let me inside.

  Mind you, now that I thought about it, then it had only been minutes to dark and I was alone. Maybe carting a vanload of paranormals, one of them a werewolf, into Sebastian’s house while he was still asleep wasn’t a good idea.

  Too late. I pulled into the driveway and checked the clock on the dash. Just after 2pm. We had hours yet before vampire wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey. I shrugged to myself as I parked in front of the big main door. If we weren’t allowed in, we’d come back later. A pain in the rear, but we’d survive.

  The moment I knocked, the door swung open and my worries were extinguished as the tall, slender man in the black suit on the other side smiled at me and held out his hand to take mine with real warmth.

  “Coven leader,” he said. “Welcome.”

  I gestured behind me as the gang trooped their way up the stairs. “I hope it’s okay,” I said. “We want to have a look at the chamber under the house.”

  He bowed to us, still smiling. “Of course,” he said. “At your service.” He pulled the door open wider, wavy black hair streaked with liberal gray glinting in the sunlight shining over the marble floor. More confident, I entered, Sassafras darting around my legs and into the house while the rest followed more slowly.

  The big door thudded shut behind us as I turned to face the butler. He gestured with slow grace toward the wide hallway I remembered. “My lord has instructed me to allow you entry at any time,” the butler said, striding along beside me as we moved deeper into the house, past carved wooden doors along a carpet so red and plush it felt like walking through clouds.

  “Thank you.” I struggled with his name. I knew it, didn’t I? Been introduced before. Shaun? Stanley?

  I sucked at people.

  “Stewart, coven leader.” His smile was soft, kind. How did he know I couldn’t remember? “Here we are.” He paused by the door as memory gripped me. The last time I’d stood here, Gram waited for me on the other side, Mom’s trial in full swing. I half expected the crazy old lady to be there again, disappointed to find the room empty.

  “If there is anything I can do,” Stewart said as he bowed again. “Please, do not hesitate to ask. And if you are still here when my Lord awakes, I’ll inform him of your studies.”

  “Thank you, Stewart.” I found myself smiling back as he turned and walked away in his same long, slow stride, eating the distance, until he was gone around the corner.

  Charlotte was already at the wall, hands reaching for the stones when I joined my posse inside the large room. I ignored the fancy furniture, the walls lined with bookshelves and what were probably priceless paintings and tried to follow Charlotte’s hands as she pressed the right combination. Good thing one of us remembered. I’d been watching, but Gram had been too quick for me. Charlotte selected each slotted piece with precise confidence. Within a tense moment where Liam practically quivered in anticipation, the floor beneath us groaned and dropped away, revealing a set of stairs.

  “After you.” Liam tried the gallant thing, but I just laughed.

  “You’re kidding, right?” I gave him a gentle shove and watched as, grinning like a little kid at Christmas, he trotted fearlessly down the steps and into the darkness below. Galleytrot went after him, Sassafras waiting for me at the top, tail wrapped around his paws. I bent and lifted him into my arms without thinking and was a little surprised he didn’t protest.

  “What’s wrong, Sass?” I stroked his fur while he shivered slightly.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “There’s something…”

  He was right again. I felt it too, now he’d made me aware. It could have been the mix of my magicks kept me from noticing it at first. And my initial visit was wrapped up in fear for Mom and anxiety over Gram’s plan. But now, standing there with myself in balance and with Sass’s attention to focus mine, I became acutely aware of the pressure of something, as though walking down the stairs would be the equivalent of going under water.

  “Did you want to wait up here?” I half-bent to put him down only to have him swat me.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” He growled softly, though made no attempt to leave my arms. “Well? Are we going or not?”

  I laughed under my breath as I descended, the underwater feeling dissipating as I passed the third
stair. Was there some kind of protection on the staircase? Likely. Though there didn’t seem to be one on the mechanism controlling it. Odd. But at least Sassy wasn’t shivering any longer, so he must have noticed the release as well.

  By the time I joined Liam at the bottom, his green Sidhe magic lighting the way, I was a little creeped out. Not by where we were, but by the memory of why I’d been here last time. I knew Gram was a good enough Necromancer there was no way even a smidge of the echoes of the people she’d raised would be hanging around. But, on the other hand, she’d pulled a large number of ghosts out of the gray place where they lived. Even someone as talented as her could have made a mistake.

  But no, I was lying to myself. It wasn’t the ghosts she raised making the hair stand up on my arms or driving me to form a large ball of witch light I shoved before me like a beacon. It was the ghost who latched onto me when the doorway first opened, the one I was responsible for, the one I blamed myself for.

  Alison. Part of me feared there might be part of her still here. But worse, that the monster she’d become might use this place as a hideout. Meeting up with blood-sucking Alison’s echo, now a twisted and black creature influenced by Ameline Benoit, in a dark and creepy underchamber hidden below a vampire lair was the stuff of horror movies.

  The ones where the heroine dies in the end.

  I almost yelled at Liam not to go into the side chamber. Wasn’t the handsome guy always the first one to bite it? Instead, I shook myself internally and got a freaking grip. Sometimes I had to remind myself I didn’t have to worry about horror movies.

  I was way scarier than any Hollywood creature, thanks.

  A breath of air passed over me as I walked into the circular room, but it was welcoming, almost a blessing, as though someone bent to kiss my cheek. I relaxed instantly, my witch light floating up into the darkness, lighting the room like a sparkling chandelier. I was proud of my control, considering a few short years ago I could barely shield a lit candle for more than ten seconds before distraction killed the flame. But no one paid attention to how awesome my skills had become and, with a little shrug for vanity, I let it go.