“Oh, hey, Savannah. How are you this beautiful summer morning?” she asked.
I felt my cheeks heat at her words because it was clear that she predicted what would happen last night. “I’m great.”
“Hmmm. I think we should talk more about your answer later, but right now I have some important stuff to tell you about our mutual frenemy, Rhiannon. Apparently, she’s been around as long as Rhys and she likes to cause trouble. The only reason we haven’t heard of her before now is because she always gets someone else to do her dirty work, mainly a vampire named Macgrath. Margaret, that’s the British witch that Kerry told us about, said that it’s surprising she came to us herself. Her usual M.O. is to send Macgrath or another intermediary and never show her face.”
I felt a cold finger of dread drag along my spine as Ava spoke.
“How is she trouble?” Rhys asked.
“She shows up and people disappear. Usually they’re creatures with unique or strong powers. Witches, vampires, and shifters who are special or unusual in some way vanish not long after they meet with her intermediary or Macgrath. She also buys a lot of property and it’s usually associated with a place of magical power, sacred places.” Ava sighed. “I hate to say it but it sounds like she’s a power whore to me. She’s extremely strong and I think that her activities have something to do with that. It also means she’s probably after you, Rhys. The legends aboutanimavoreshint that if your soul can be consumed so can your ability to siphon the souls of others. The soul of a supernatural being carries their essence, their power, which means she can then gather even more power.”
I glanced at Rhys and saw how pale his face had become. “Essentially she intends to do what Cornelius did,” he murmured. “She’s going to build her power base to the point that she’s unstoppable.”
“Maybe,” Ava replied. “I agree that she wants to build her power base, but she doesn’t strike me as someone who wants to rule as a god. Her agenda seems to be strength and wealth. Everything she does makes her richer and more powerful, yet she doesn’t show her face. She doesn’t have the ego of a despot. If she did, she wouldn’t rely mostly on her minions to do her dirty work. She would want people to recognize her and fear her. I think she has different motives for gaining power.”
“I think you’re right,” I interjected. “Her goal is to be stronger but she doesn’t want to be worshipped. She wants to be acknowledged and loved, but not by an entire population. She only wants the adulation of a certain person or persons. I could feel it when she was at the store. She’s angry and she’s hurt and she’s allowed those feelings to fester for hundreds, if not thousands of years.”
“Great,” Ava replied. “We have a witch with anger management issues and a craving for power watching our every move. Nothing to worry about.”
“At least we have a better understanding of what she wants,” I stated. “If we understand what she wants, then we can find a way to deal with her.”
Ava sighed. “I miss the old days when we could take care of a witch by binding her when she misbehaved. Now you have to provide proof and ask special permission from the council of high priests and priestesses.”
“We’ll deal with her,” I said. “Together.”
“All right, well Margaret gave me some ideas of where to look if I wanted to know more about Rhiannon. Including the old myths because apparently the woman has been around long enough that they’re probably about her,” Ava stated. “Rhys, please thank Kerry for her help with this.”
“I will,” Rhys agreed. “Surely there is something else we can do to help.”
“There is, but I need more information before we discuss it. I’ll be in touch,” she promised.
“Bye, Ava,” I said.
“In the meantime, enjoy yourselves.” She gave a wicked laugh and hung up.
My face hot, I looked up at Rhys. His pensive expression made me forget my embarrassment at Ava’s innuendo. “Hey, are you okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine.”
I gestured to the pan of eggs that I’d made that were likely cold now. “Are you sure you don’t want some breakfast?”
“Actually, I think I do,” he replied.
As I put the eggs on plates and warmed them up, I tried not to worry about what the future might bring and enjoy the moment.
When the time came, I would be glad that I did.
