“That's what we assumed. It holds valuable objects. Ancient artifacts, works of art. Religious and historical texts. It seemed the only logical reason for what took place here.”

  “What was taken?”

  Esras shook his head. “From what we've gathered, nothing.”

  Tharnel looked back over her shoulder. “As I told the co-regents, so far we’ve observed only destruction.”

  “What about gems?” Cassie said. “Or talismans?”

  “Both are stored here,” Tharnel said. “We’ve only just started taking an inventory. But, so far, none appear to be missing.”

  They continued down the hall, soon passing more doorways, the scene inside each room one of utter violation. One held more toppled and smashed statues, another artwork torn from their frames and strewn across the floor. Yet another held smashed glass cases that looked to hold jewelry and items of clothing. Within each room, a team of monks had already started dealing with the mess, presumably determining what might be salvageable.

  As they walked deeper into the archive, Cassie continued to feel that skin-prickling edginess. The same complex magical signature that, so far, she’d been unable to identify. In and of itself, that didn’t surprise her. She already knew who was behind the attack. What she found interesting was that, the farther they went, the stronger the feeling got. As if she could somehow feel where their energy had been focused.

  She pointed toward a doorway at the end of the hall. “What’s in there?”

  “That room holds the library,” Tharnel said.

  They entered that space to encounter another scene of total destruction. Books and scrolls lay everywhere, piled in mounds and scattered across the floor. The shelves holding them had been knocked over in rows, as if there’d been an earthquake. But what mattered most was that, within that space, the lingering energy skyrocketed. Cassie’s skin more than prickled now. It burned as sweat dripped from her brow. Somehow she knew, in her very core, that this had been the true focus of the invasion.

  She stopped and turned to the others. “Here,” she said. “This is where you’ll find something missing.”

  Tharnel’s violet eyes peered into her own. “What makes you say that?”

  “Just call it a hunch,” Cassie said. “Tell your people to look for any books that may have mentioned the Triplex Dea.”

  Chapter 22 - Julia

  I stood at my living room window, watching the last rays of sunlight disappear behind the apartment buildings across the street. It had been three days since I’d imagined myself stumbling upon Phoenix’s funeral only to learn that he was alive, and then ending up at what amounted to an impromptu Shadow Order meeting. Since then, I’d followed Beatrice’s advice and done my best not to get myself killed. I’d kept a low profile, barely leaving my apartment unless I absolutely had to. But now, as I watched the flow of students below, heading out to grab some dinner or some beers, as the sound of their talk and laughter drifted up to me, I decided enough was enough. I had to get out, if even just for an hour or two.

  I wasn't foolish enough to think that I was perfectly safe. I knew about the coven attack. Cassie had called late last night when she got home. By this morning, I knew she’d been gone again. I’d just felt it, like I always did when Cassie left the realm. She’d probably gone to see Esras. Maybe it was childish, but she could come and go. So why not me?

  Soon, I was outside cutting up Shafer Street toward West Broad, shuddering against the cold breeze but still happy to be out. Right now, I needed to be around regular people. I needed to go somewhere for a glass of wine, or maybe a coffee while I read a book on my phone. I needed a few minutes of normal. Without magic, or witchcraft, or concerns over supernatural threats. In other words, what I really wanted was to go back in time.

  “Hey, stranger! Where you been keeping yourself?”

  My head snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice. Kim smiled back at me, a girl I’d met in one of my classes. She stood flanked by two friends. I’d met them months ago too, on Kim’s birthday when we all went out for Mexican food.

  I gave them a little wave. “Hey, guys.”

  “I heard you took some time off,” Kim said. “Is that true?”

  “Yeah. Just the semester, I think.” Unless I get murdered by a supernatural psycho.

  Kim sighed. “God, some time off sounds perfect right now. This semester is killing me. Hey, we were just heading to the Village Café. Figured we’d grab a pitcher. Feel like coming?”

  I was about to say, “Hell, yeah. Let’s do it,” when an image flashed into my mind. I saw a wall of flame with a woman walking through it, that image quickly followed by one of Phoenix being rammed through with a spear. So, instead I said, “Actually, I’m supposed to meet someone.”

  Kim’s eyes flickered with disappointment. “No worries. Shoot me a text sometime, okay?”

  I set off walking again, feeling a disappointment of my own. I’d wanted to go more than I’d realized. Still, I just couldn’t risk it right now. Not because of myself, but for Kim and her friends. The fact was, I remained a danger to others. So I could forget about my little dream of going back in time. Or moving forward, for that matter. Right now, I was stuck in limbo.

  Lost in thought, I kept walking past the restaurants and bars, most of them full already or getting close. Suddenly, I realized it was Friday. Damn, I’d been so out of it lately. Of course, not without good reason. First, there’d been the horrific scene at Lapidarius, followed by that first attack. Then I’d moved into a new apartment, thinking things might just be okay, only to end up witnessing Phoenix’s murder. Then, of course, there’d been the discovery that I’d been adopted and that my birth mother was some long lost stranger. No wonder I was a total mess.

  Still, once again my mind returned to those flashes that Blair had somehow pulled out of me. That young woman looking down at her child. Right, Hannah looking down at me. And, of course, those words she’d spoken.

  They must never know what you are.

  Was it possible that I’d retained those memories from when I’d been a baby? And, if so, just what the hell was I?

  Suddenly, I realized just how far I’d gone—past the campus area of the city and even past the part of Broad Street that always felt sketchy at night. I’d walked a mile at least, possibly two. I was about to turn back when I noticed lights in the distance, and then the sound of voices. A crowd had gathered out on the sidewalk, a big crowd from the looks of it, and I squinted through the darkness trying to get a better look. It could be anything, I told myself. It was a Friday, after all. This was a city, where there was always plenty going on. Besides, what did it matter?

  But then a feeling rippled through me. An inner voice telling me, Go there. It’s time for you to know.

  Know what?

  I waited for an answer, but my inner voice chose that moment to fall silent again. Still, in that moment, I realized that coming out tonight hadn’t been about having cabin fever. Another feeling had been simmering beneath that restlessness, one telling me that something was out there waiting for me. Something that I needed to face even if I might wish I hadn’t.

  I thought one more time about turning back, but then kept walking. Soon, I could see the crowd more clearly where they stood packed onto the sidewalk in front of the National. Most of them were my age or younger, the excitement in the air palpable. I picked up my pace, walking past a group of people just getting out of their car.

  “You guys are going to thank me,” a girl said. “This is going to be amazing!”

  “I swear, she levitates people,” a guy said. “It’s fucking insane!”

  My heart started pounding as I drew closer to the concert hall. I knew before I looked, of course, but there it was plain to see. On the theater’s marquee, big bold letters spelled out the name of the band performing tonight. Andastra.

  A different kind of chill rippled through me this time, one that slithered down my spine. This just couldn’t be happening. Blind spot or not, why would my instincts have let me get this close? If anything, my psychic senses should have warned me off. They should have told me to stay in tonight, or to have made a different choice before and accept Kim’s invitation. Anything but this.

  At that same moment, my eyes locked onto him where he stood at the outside of the crowd. He stood close to the street, alone, his manner detached, as if he too was just observing. Sensing my gaze, he turned and looked. Piercing blue eyes locked onto mine.

  I dodged behind a cluster of people, then spun around and started walking fast back in the direction from which I'd come from. I told myself that I’d seen enough, that I knew what I needed to know. Yes, that was the guy from my dream. The same guy who’d gone up against Andastra in that alley. But that didn’t mean he was on my side. For all I knew, he too was hunting me, trying to get his hands on that same prize.

  I picked up my pace even more, stopping just short of running to keep from being noticed. I cleared one intersection, walked a block and crossed the street again. As I kept gaining more distance, I slowed my pace and my pulse finally started to relax again. There were fewer people around me now, but that was perfectly okay. I’d felt way more vulnerable being near that crowd. Just a few more blocks to go now and I’d be getting close to the school again. Then I could just—

  “Excuse me.”

  I jumped back, fear surging through me as a figure stepped out of the shadows.

  Then he spoke again. “Can you help me out?” Bloodshot eyes stared back at me from within a wrinkled old face. The guy shuffled closer, his clothes dirty and ragged. “I just need some money for the bus.”

  Oh my God, it was just an old homeless guy. My heart had nearly leapt from my chest. I tried to catch my breath. “Sure, I might have something,” I stammered.

  I reached into my pocket and passed off a couple of dollars. The guy mumbled his thanks and wandered off again.

  After that, I kept going, soon walking back along the campus part of Broad. I started to breathe easy now that I was close to my apartment, surrounded by people coming and going. I made room on the sidewalk as two girls walked toward me, both oblivious as they stared down at their phones. Rude much? They were almost past when one of them bumped me, causing me to stumble. I turned, about to say something when a hand locked around my arm.

  A split-instant later, I was in an alley with my back pressed to a brick wall. I faced two women who I’d just mistaken for college students. Obviously not, given that they’d whisked me off the sidewalk with supernatural strength and speed. My heart started hammering again, the sound of it filling my ears. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  They looked back at me, their eyes glowing. One had black hair, the other red. Both had pale, milky skin.

  “I think that’s her,” the dark one said.

  Before I could even register it happening, the redhead grabbed hold of my face, pinching my cheeks between her long fingers. She grinned as she examined me, her fangs gleaming as she tipped my head back to expose my neck. “I’m so tempted to feed on this one,” she purred. “Just to see what makes her special.”

  The other one spoke firmly. “No. We need to do as we were told.”

  A few seconds passed, then the redhead let go and stepped back. “Fine,” she huffed. “Let’s take her.”

  Magic! I thought. I need to summon my magic!

  Still, I remained frozen, terrified and caught utterly off guard. I had no idea how to summon what little power I had.

  “Shh. You just need to relax,” the dark-haired one crooned. “Don’t worry, we’re your friends.”

  “That’s right,” the redhead said. “We’re your best buddies.”

  The dark-haired one spoke again. “I’m Christina and this is Peyton. We just want to hang out for a bit. That sounds okay, right?”

  I knew about vampire mind control, what they called “influence.” So I knew exactly what was happening, even as a fog began to settle over my brain. The back of my neck tingled, that sensation spreading out over my scalp. I felt myself start to relax, my heartbeat slowing.

  Christina smiled, her fangs no longer frightening. “Exactly. You get it now. I’d never hurt you. You know that, don’t you?”

  I felt my head move up and down as I nodded. “Of course,” I murmured. “I know that.”

  “She’s way too weak,” Peyton said. “It can’t possibly be her.”

  “We’ll find out,” Christina said, her glowing eyes still pinned on mine. “What do you say we take a walk? Just the three of us. I bet you’d like that wouldn’t you?”

  Again, I felt myself nod. My voice came out soft, my words more mumbled than spoken. “Yes. I’d like that. Let’s go for a walk.”

  I moved as if in a dream as the three of us left the alley. We walked down the street, Christina on one side of me and Peyton on the other.

  Christina spoke softly once more, her voice a soothing, comforting purr. “We’re going to go see another friend now. You’ll like her, I promise.”

  My scalp tingled once more and I liked that feeling. I liked the sense of calm spreading through me, like I'd been given a narcotic.

  From what felt like a million miles away, I heard Peyton laugh. “Like that’s her,” she said. “Hey, freak, wave to everyone around you. Go on, pretend you’re a queen.”

  I lifted my arm, keeping it stiff and straight as I smiled at those passing by. I angled my hand back and forth in what I imagined being a royal wave.

  Peyton burst out laughing again. “Oh, my God. I love this! Why did we ever think it would be bad?”

  I didn’t know what she meant, but it didn’t seem to matter. I heard people laughing, but that didn’t matter either. Christina spoke softly at my ear again, while the three of us waited at a crosswalk. “We’ll be there soon. Then you’ll meet your new friend. Doesn’t that sound good?”

  I nodded. “Yes. That sounds good.”

  The world remained glowing and fuzzy as the three of us crossed through an intersection. We kept walking down Laurel Street, heading toward the Altria Theater, the bright lights of the marquee reminding me of something that I knew should bother me, but I couldn’t make the connection.

  “She’ll be here in a moment. She said to wait in the parking lot.”

  It was Peyton who spoke, but not to me that time. I saw the flash of her phone as she closed out her screen.

  “It will just be a moment,” Christina said. “You’re having fun, right?”

  I didn’t have to look to know that she was speaking to me, as that euphoric tingling spread once again across my scalp. “I’m having fun,” I said. “I really like this.”

  Peyton snorted, but I didn’t mind if she laughed. She was my friend, so it was okay.

  “There she is,” Christina said. “See?”

  I watched as a car approached, sleek, long and black as it rolled into the parking lot to stop right in front of us. A woman got out. She was tall, thin and much older, closer to sixty. She looked somehow familiar, and I could swear that I knew her. But that didn’t make sense. Christina said I was just about to meet her.

  “We think this might be her,” Peyton said.

  The older woman looked at me as she narrowed her eyes. Then she grinned. “You’ve done well, girls. Baphomet will be very pleased.”

  Christina spoke softly beside me. “Now, all you have to do is get into the car. Here, Julia, I’ll even get the door for you.”

  I got into the back as Christina slid in beside me. Peyton got in on the other side. The older woman got into the front and started the engine. She started driving toward the street. “Baphomet will be very pleased,” she said again. “Very pleased indeed.”

  Suddenly, a strange light flashed before us in a quick burst of green. A man now stood in front of the car. He raised his hand and an arc of electricity streaked toward us. The car bucked and the engine died. Blue smoke billowed up from beneath the hood.

  I turned to Christina. “Is he our friend too?”

  I wanted to hear her voice again, but her eyes met mine, now wide with panic. “Shut up, you fucking idiot.” She jerked away and screamed, “Who the hell is that?”

  The spell broke and my heart leapt into overdrive as I realized what was happening. In that same instant, I recognized Sarah Wellingsford. She gripped the wheel hard and kept trying to restart the car. Then she gave up and hissed, “Whoever that is, we need to kill him.”

  She jumped out as Christina and Peyton did the same, leaving the doors thrown wide open. The man stepped back as they closed in upon him. His gaze flicked back and forth between them, then locked onto me where I sat in the car. His voice punched through the air. “Julia, use your powers! Use them now!”

  For just one remaining instant, I didn’t make the connection. Then I realized what I should have from the start. Light! My power was light!

  I sprang from the car, magic rising within me, my veins suddenly thrumming with power. I locked my eyes onto the vampires, who’d just spun around to face me, and thrust out my hands to launch a white-hot blast of light which drove them to their knees. They screamed in agony as they tried to cover their faces.

  Somewhere nearby, a woman called out, “Look! What the hell is that?”

  Then I heard one say, “What’s she doing? She’s blinding them!”

  I didn’t look to see how many others might be watching. I didn’t dare break my concentration as I kept my power trained on Christina, Peyton and Sarah Wellingsford. Did I enjoy watching them squirm and cower, maybe just a little bit? Yeah, I have to admit I did. Hadn't Christina just called me a fucking idiot? Why yes she had, come to think of it.

  Then I heard him again, his voice firm and deep. “Julia, come to me. You need to trust me.”

  I was pinned with nowhere to go. My only choices were going to him or trying to run, and I knew I couldn’t possibly outrun vampires. In that same instant, Sarah started to rise, her face a mask of pain as she uttered an incantation. Then I remembered. She wasn’t just a vampire. She was also a witch. A damned powerful one, from what I'd been told. Suddenly, red light flared at her hands, fiery orbs that started to expand.

 

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