After another moment, the red glow faded, mist hissing up from the surface. Lorelyn's shoulders relaxed and she straightened as the scrying magick slowly disappeared.
“What did you see?” I asked instantly.
“It doesn’t make sense.” She shook her head.
“Whatever you saw,” said Bezaliel, “please tell us. Anything at all could help.”
She blew out a breath, her brow beaded with sweat. “Scrying doesn’t always give me a clear picture. Since we used the blood and hair of one of the grimlocks, my vision was from his point of view.”
“And?” pleaded Tessa.
“He lives in a cesspool of malice. There are two voices in his head.”
“Two?” I asked. “How do you mean?”
She shook her head, tucking a lock of her hair behind her pointed ear. “I can’t say exactly. One is strong, one is weak. The stronger voice is not his own, but it lives there inside his mind, guiding him.”
“And what is it guiding him to do?” I asked.
She swallowed hard, her throat working as she glanced piteously at Tessa. “To gather food.”
“Goddess, help me,” Tessa cried, burying her face in her hands.
“But this dark master does not simply eat for sustenance. It is the power he gains, that he craves.”
Bezaliel wrapped his arm around Tessa’s shoulder and pulled her against him. “What else did you see, Lorelyn?”
Nodding, she added, “This is the part I believe might be helpful, though I’m not sure how. When I blocked out the voices and focused on my visual senses, it was hazy. But I did see something. There was complete darkness, but inside a small hole or pit of some kind there were balls of light. They were differentsizes—all bright white. One was very small, but the brightest of them all. Before the vision ended, I heard the cry of a baby. Of Saralyn.”
Tessa wiped her eyes and took Bezaliel’s hand. “It was her? You’resure?”
“I’m sure.”She gave Tessa a sympathetic smile.
“What else did you see?” I asked.
“Nothing. But I smelled earth. Musty soil and mildew. It was odd. They’re somewhere dark and enclosed, but it was not a cave.”
“But where?” demanded Bezaliel, his patience gone.
“I don’t know.” Lorelyn exhaled a sorrowful sigh. “I wish I did.”
“What good is your magick if it can’t help us get them back?” snapped Bezaliel.
“Hush.” Tessa squeezed his hand, gentling her voice while still being firm. “Lorelyn has given us the knowledge that our child is alive. That is more than we knew before.”
Bezaliel stood, his expression grim, his face flushed, still riding his anger. “I apologize, Lorelyn. But this isn’t enough.” He moved his gaze to mine. “This won’t help us get my daughter back.”
He stormed from the tent, knocking the flap back with a hardthwack. Tessa hurried after him.
“Do not listen to him,” I told Lorelyn. “We appreciate your gifts, and what they can offer us.”
“But he’s right,” she admitted sadly. “It’s not enough. We need someone with more powerful magick.”
Another silence fell between all of us. Then Jessamine cleared her throat, sitting up straighter beside me.
“I think I know a way.”
All our attention was on Jessamine, her emerald eyes wide with apprehension but also determination.
