Anne and Deidre squealed with delight, gave Morgan another hug, and chased each other down a long corridor. Their innocent laughter was like sweet music in Morgan’s ears, a strong reminder of what she was fighting for. The children were happy here. Their confidence grew with each passing day, knowing they were cherished, nourished, protected andencouraged to follow whatever path they chose. Bringing the apprentice Wizards to this enchanted wonderland had been a good decision. Too bad they could not stay.
The Trolls’ compound had existed undetected for hundreds of years and its location shared by only a select few. Yet as long as Vlad searched for the missing Wizards it risked discovery. It was a cherished sanctuary that Morgan vowed to protect.
She eyed the lovely Troll who sat down across from her. She realized for the first time that not only had Cassandra exchanged the hideous gown she’d worn on the island for a long flowered skirt and lavender sweater, but she’d spoken out loud. If possible, Cassandra was even more radiant than on the island. Clearly, Wizards had spent at least a millennium underestimating these unique people.
Morgan poured herself a cup of tea. “I was taught female Trolls could only communicate with their minds.”
Cassandra added cream and sugar to her own tea, eyes sparkling over the rim of her cup. “You are learning many of our secrets. I’m sorry we felt the need to keep them from you all these long centuries. The most important, of course, involves speech. A long-established habit, I’m afraid. All the women of our tribe share the ability to speak with their minds as well as with their tongues. The gift has kept us safe for centuries. Once we reached this compound, there was no longer a need for the pretense. We are protected here by powerful warding spells.”
Pretense. The word stuck in Morgan’s throat. She'd told Rowan she needed to leave to evaluate her findings regarding the Wizard found at Gas Works Park. Another pretense. She knew the cause of death. Rowan’s suspicions were correct. The Wizards had been poisoned with a powerful enchanted potion that weakened them enough that their eyes could then be removed. What she needed to do was find out the source, who was making it, and if there was an antidote—and a motive. Thequestions weighed her down, nearly crushing her, and her hand trembled, clattering her cup in its saucer.
She set her tea down, and sank back against the soft contours of the chair. “How can you swallow all the intrigues, half-truths and lies? They threaten to choke me.”
“Like all women, surviving and protecting our children is our reward,” Cassandra said, her voice steady and sure. She raised a delicate eyebrow. “Were you able to learn anything from the Fire Wizard?”
At the reference to Rowan, Morgan sat forward and drew in a breath of air, composing her thoughts. She heard the old woman set her knitting needles on a side table and reach for her tea. Morgan lowered her voice and tilted her head toward the woman. “May we talk freely?”
“Only friends dwell here,” Cassandra responded with a smile.
Morgan leaned closer toward Cassandra, with only the table separating them. “It is far worse than Caitlin or I first thought. At first, we believed Vlad was targeting only the female Wizards for reasons known only to him. After today, I suspect his plan is much more ambitious. I believe he targets anyone who speaks out against him.” She hesitated. “I recognized the Wizard who was murdered. Finn McDougal. Caitlin spoke of him often as a friend to female Wizards and an outspoken critic of the Talons and the Grey Council.”
Cassandra’s hand trembled and her cup clattered on the saucer. “I know him as well, and he and Caitlin were more than friends and advocates for change.” She set the tea on the tray. Her gaze drifted over to the old woman, whose cup was poised halfway to her lips. Cassandra continued, her voice quivering. “He and Caitlin spent time here last summer.”
Morgan straightened, piecing together the bits and pieces of comments she and Caitlin had shared over the course of the last few months. Morgan had been so absorbed in her own thoughtsand pains she had not recognized what Caitlin was trying to say. She swallowed. “Finn and Caitlin were lovers. I should have known.”
Cassandra reached over and patted Morgan’s hand. “Do not blame yourself for not realizing what was happening between them. She didn’t want you to know. They shared a dangerous secret. Consummating love outside of Bealtaine is forbidden. Finn was a gentle soul, a friend to us all and vocal in his distrust of the Grey Council, the Talons, and especially Vlad. He will be missed. We will see he is buried with honor. Have you told the Fire Wizard your suspicions that Vlad might be responsible for the deaths, even as he claims to be searching for the killer?”
Morgan shook her head slowly as she tried to reconcile the secret Caitlin had kept from her. “Not yet. It is possible Vlad is not acting alone. To accuse him now, without proof, could drive the real mastermind underground. We must discover the motivation and how many are involved.”
The old woman coughed, and Cassandra rushed over to her, rubbing her shoulders and talking to her in whispers.
Morgan rubbed her own forehead, knowing the throbbing pain she felt was the weight of the responsibility she’d undertaken and the realization she’d failed her best friend. She reached out to her tea but drew back. She’d lost her taste for the warm beverage, and her taste for the woman she had become. She should have done more.
The Trolls, Caitlin, and Finn had all recognized the fight they faced. They had spoken out against the evil and been murdered. The female Wizards’ deaths from heart attacks were difficult to prove as foul play. Finn’s, however, was a different matter. If her theory was correct, the substance used to poison him—and make it look like the work of a Rogue—must be located. No excuse could be given for using a poison powerful enough to harm a Wizard. Even the Talons would show no mercy when the crimeand its architects were exposed. Or that was her hope. Was it a false hope?
She was raised to believe that the Talons and the Grey Council existed to keep the peace between the factions of the magical community as well as to protect female Wizards. What if she had been wrong all these years?
The only way to double-check her theory was in her library in Ireland. Perhaps that was the answer. Being in Rowan’s company had proved harder than she’d anticipated. She would be able to think more clearly without him distracting her.
Cassandra rejoined Morgan, refilling her cup. “There is something else that troubles you, milady, I can feel it.”
Morgan met Cassandra’s gaze. “I overheard a detective I know discussing a compound that was laced in a substance that might have been used to poison Finn. If it is what I fear, I believe Finn was poisoned by an ancient substance Wizards believed was destroyed centuries ago. If I’m to find an antidote, I’ll need to leave for Ireland immediately. All my resources are there.”
“You may not need to go so far, milady. As you know, Wizards once used my people as their personal servants and scribes. One of our many duties was to duplicate your records.” She winked. “We always made secret copies for our own use. There is an extensive library on our compound, and you are welcome to whatever you need.”
“Thank you.” Morgan forced a smile, battling the dark shadows and disappointment that crashed against her. Cassandra’s offer derailed her excuse to run, to retreat to Ireland with the pretense of searching for an antidote. She was pathetic. Not worthy of the title of “milady.” Not worthy to be anyone’s leader.
She stood and moved toward the window, easing the drapes aside. The full moon drifted between the clouds and a chill wind swept over the dark waters of Lake Washington. There werestrange forces in the atmosphere. She was not the only life force feeling unsettled and uncertain.
She did not want to believe the deaths of the female and male Wizards were linked. Yet every instinct pointed to that as a definite possibility. She would help Rowan discover the truth. When all was accomplished, she would appoint someone to replace her as a leader and retreat into seclusion.
Thinking of Ireland reminded her of how much she had loved and lost in the Emerald Isle. It was there, during one of the Wizard’s Fertility Festivals, that she and Rowan had met and fallen in love. They defied the rules and met secretly on the magical island of Hy-Brasil, off the coast of Ireland, that appeared only once every seven years. It was there she had learned she was pregnant with Rowan’s child.
Cassandra touched Morgan’s shoulder. “I’m a good listener, milady.”
Morgan squeezed Cassandra’s hand. “Perhaps later. First, I’d like to visit the library. I have a mystery to solve and not much time for doing so.”
Cassandra’s smile spread over her delicate features as she motioned to the old woman who sat beside them. “Then I believe you will need more than the resources in our library. Milady, may I present the oldest living female Wizard, Danu of the Waters.”
