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“Perhaps. I’ve placed you and Lazarus in the old, northern wing. We’ve had some problems with the roof and the area there is dank and not nearly as welcoming as you deserve. I’ve made it known that I’m placing you there on purpose. Xavier and others of his thinking believe it’s a slight to place you in such a less than welcoming area of the château. It was also a recent decision. As far as everyone else knew, I’d planned on housing you in the southern wing, near my own rooms.”

I grinned at Grandmother’s cunning. “So, no one would have thought to place listening devices in the northern wing.”

“That is the hope, but it is not certain and I would not expect it to remain so.”

My grin only widened. “I think I have a couple more friends that can help out there.”

One of Grandmother’s eyebrows raised. “You seem to have made a plethora of friends, grandson.”

“One can never have too many,” I answered while placing a soft kiss on my grandmother’s forehead. “And I’ve lost too many over the past year to ever take the ones I still have for granted.”

“I’m sorry,” Grandmother said. “I’ve heard rumors. Whispers really. I was uncertain what was true and what was exaggerated idiocy.”

My chest constricted. While I didn’t know what, exactly, Grandmother had heard, I had a feeling it wasn’t half as bad as what had truly happened. “It was bad” was all I could say. “We can speak of it another time.” Right now, I needed to keep my mind focused on the here and now. I needed to work on solving a problem I might truly be able to solve instead of lamenting past mistakes and loss.

“Go then,” Grandmother said while squeezing my shoulder. “Lulabelle told you I will be there when needed. She spoke true. Eldon is already safe. Find your sister and do the same. Together, we will protect what is left of my daughter—her offspring.”

“I will do my best,” I answered.

“I know you will, Keir. You always do.”

I wasn’t certain I deserved such praise. The past spoke a different story. I was determined to make certain the future lived up to Grandmother’s expectations.

Twenty

Lazarus

“This place stinks,” Hikaru said while holding the sleeve of his shirt to his nose, covering it. “Smells like mold. In fact, I think I see at least three different varieties of fungi in that corner alone. Ugh. I’m glad Niki isn’t here. Warlocks aren’t as prone to disease as some species, but I wouldn’t want to chance it.”

“Thanks for coming,” Jima said. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, legs dangling and kicking back and forth. “We really appreciate it.”

Hikaru beamed. “Of course!” Eight tails happily danced behind him, the ninth a mere nub of insanely mischievous promise. “Niki would have come too, but he’s a little busy right now.” Hikaru rolled his green-gold eyes dramatically. “He’s always busy,” Hikaru pouted. “Running the Warlock Council is turning into a lot more work than I thought it would be. Niki’s terribly bad about delegating. He has some trust issues.” Hikaru said the last like it was a conspiracy.

“Such things are always more difficult when you’re trying to do it correctly,” Keir offered. “Especially when having to simultaneously root out the rot.”

Hikaru bounced on his clawed toes. “You got that right. Those warlocks are a rotty bunch.”

My lips twitched. I wasn’t certain ‘rotty’ was the correct word or even a word at all. Regardless, Hikaru got his point across.

I hadn’t been nearly as surprised as I should have been when Keir returned from talking with Lady Usha and immediately reached for his phone, pulling up Warlock Nikodemus Holland’s number. The warlock had answered and asked Hikaru to deliver what we needed.

“Did you bring the charms?” Keir asked, earning him another dramatic eye roll.

“Of course I did. Jeez, what do you take me for? Some two-tailed kitsune?” Digging around in his pocket, Hikaru held the charms in his clawed fingers. “Since they’re Niki’s work, you know they’re good. Once activated, no one will be able to hear a peep outside the created barrier.” Rummaging around in another pocket, Hikaru pulled out half a dozen more. “I brought extras just in case.”

He laid them on the bed beside Jima who picked one up and twisted it between his fingers. “Should we activate one now?” Jima asked.

Keir and I shared a look before he nodded his assent. Jima activated the charm. I felt a small pop surround me before silence reigned.

“Grandmother said it should be safe, but we can’t be certain,” Keir said.

Hikaru gave an exaggerated nod. “Beyond Niki’s charms, there’s nothing magical here, but I can’t say if there might be some nasty piece of human technology lingering about. There’s no magic there for me to detect. It’s so unnatural.” Hikaru shivered and I didn’t think it was an act.

Scrounging around in a back pocket, Hikaru pulled out a different-looking charm. “Niki sent this along too.”

“What does it do?” Jima asked.

“It keeps you safe.” Hikaru bopped Jima on the nose as if he were a precocious child. Jima’s narrowed eyes and swat indicated he wasn’t all that impressed. Twirling the charm between two clawed fingers, Hikaru grinned. “It creates a barrier around you. No one and nothing can get in or out.”