“Checking records on an outclan named Edith,” Alex said from his desk. “And nothing. Nada.”
Eli gave me his battlefield smile. “Puzzles, constructed from ancient mysteries and archaic riddles, bound up in antiquated enigmas.” He lifted his brows, faintly amused. “It’s better than being shot at.”
I took photos of the translations and the journal and sent them to the B-twin Onorios who were dealing with my messes here and back in Asheville, as well as to Koun, though the vamp was still asleep for the day.
Brandon responded immediately, calling.
I answered, “Yellowrock here. Call is on speaker to Eli and Alex.”
Brandon said, “My Queen. Adan was punished many times for misuse of magic and experiments into blood magic. He finally went too far, and was supposed to have been dispatched by the Enforcer of Clan Pellissier. Ka was banished and killed in a shipwreck off the coast of Spain on the way to be trained by two Onorios. Or so it was said.”Or so it was saidwas vamp-talk forit was unproven gossip.
“Where was Bethany living at the time?”
“She spent a lot of time in Europe so she could have been there when Ka was sent.”
“I see,” I said, walking around the sofa in the living room, a slow circle, thinking as I walked. “We know Adan lived. And Sabina saw Ka, or an illusion of Ka, the night the cemetery burned.”
I dropped onto the sofa in the living room and leaned back, pulling a throw over my feet. Eli sat beside me. I asked Brandon, “What kind of black magic would result in a magical skinwalker being separated from her master, and both being sent into exile?”
“There are few overlapping forms of black magic,” Brandon said. “However, in every magical creed and practice, sacrifice, blood, and eating the bodies of the dying while they are still alive has always been the most foul of blood magic and black magic.”
He was right. It was. It was how skinwalkers becameu’tlun’ta. It was how witches went to the dark side. It was the way the Sons of Darkness, both of whom might havebeen among the rare male witches who survived to adulthood, created the vampires. It was indeed the most foul magic.
Quietly he added, “Many believe that is what happened between Cain and Abel. One ate the other.”
That wasn’t canon, so I ignored it, though it was thought provoking. “Who is Malita Del Omo, the woman who wrote the journal? And what did she know about Ka N’vsita?”
“You can ask them yourselves if you wish,” Brandon said. “Malita Del Omo and Soledad Martinez are two of the more ancient Mithrans in the Americas. Both of them studied black magic a century ago, and they now live on an estate near Breaux Bridge. But I’ll warn you. Though they looked fine the last time I saw them and have maintained their physical regeneration, both are mentally”—he hesitated—“unstable. They have lived mostly alone for over a hundred years.”
“I could use a break,” I said.
“I’ll text you their address. I suggest you take the helo. It isn’t far by air, but the drive will take quite some time.” The call ended.
Eli’s cell vibrated and he said, “The address isn’t far as the crow flies, but Brandon’s right. You’d have to go around the swamp. Helo will be faster. It arrived from Asheville sometime yesterday. I’ll make some calls and get it ready to transport you.”
Beast muttered,Beast does not like to fly in belly of stupid bird.
And I didn’t like the way you hurt me when we shifted.
Beast had no comment to that one.
The drive to the New Orleans Lakefront Airport was ridiculous, traffic so dense it looked like Mardi Gras. I was pretty sure I’d hate Mardi Gras. I had successfully avoided the biggest drunken festival since the Roman Bacchanalia by being out of town each year, but this was nearly as bad. Maybe a soul music event or a blues or... whatever. New Orleans had a party every week. This one had brought out the early drinkers, the still-up-from-last-night drinkers, and the twenty-four-hours-a-day drinkers.
By the time Shemmy and I and the other two SUVs in our small cavalcade made it to the private airport, I’d hadplenty of time to think about the implications of Leo being back, alive, and sane. Potential pitfalls and possible problems had played tag in my brain and left me both satisfied and uncertain. Bruiser had warned that Leo might want his city back if he rose sane, and if Leo wanted NOLA, he could have it. That one was satisfying. However, I’d still be stuck with the Dark Queen job. I’d still be the Blood Master of Clan Yellowrock. And I’d still have a primo who was also about to be crowned the emperor of Europe, and who had once sworn to Leo. That was the uncertain part, as I wasn’t sure what relationship Leo and I would have, and that Leo and Edmund would have. When people’s positions changed, so did the relationships forged in the past. But there were no easy answers, and until I had the chance to sit down with Leo, I wouldn’t know anything.
We arrived at Lakefront to find Bruiser, who had beat us there, and the helo, waiting and ready to go.
Mate,Beast thought, and she rolled over inside me as if exposing her belly for Bruiser to scratch.
Down girl,I thought at her.
I waved to Shemmy, dashed over, strapped in, and put on headphones. Takeoff was fast. Once we were in the air, I said to my sweetie pie, “Just so you know that I know—I accept I need protecting because I have too many enemies, and if I’m killed, y’all will be too.”
Bruiser pulled his mic to the front and said, “Yes. Your life, much like Leo’s life once upon a time, is the only thing keeping our world stable and our people safe. I promise to talk to you more so your freedom is protected.”
“Okay. For now. But we both know that Leo being back changes everything.”
“And so does your inability to shift and live.”
