Chapter 20

Centralmarket, Oldtown

Elisabeth glared at the two women who stood in the doorway of her suite of rooms. She vaguely recognized the woman with the red hair. The Sabina Coven’s enforcer.

“What’s going on? Did my sisters send you? Look, I don’t care what the aunties want. I can’t go back now. I’ve got a problem to fix. A really serious one.”

The two women looked at each other, bewilderment evident in their expressions.

The tall red-haired one who looked vaguely familiar tried to interrupt. “Look, you misunderstand. We just need your...”

Something about the blond woman was different. Elisabeth pushed up her glasses and peered at her. “You’re a shifter, aren’t you? Gosh, I’ve never met one of you. It’s an honor. Does it hurt when you shift? I imagine it does. In the movies, all that bone realignment looks painful. Take Jacob Black, for example...”

“Not as painful as this,” The Shifter woman muttered.

Elisabeth took a breath. “Wait, now I remember you. You’re Katherine Keenan, Sabina’s enforcer. Why would the Aunties send you of all people after me? That’s a puzzle for sure...”

The tall red head calmly reached into her big handbag, grabbed the ornate orb and dangled it in front of her. Elisabeth’s attention instantly fixed on it.

Her breathless barrage of questions stalled.

“Attend me,” she snapped.

Nevermore flew out from wherever it was hiding and Buttons came out from underneath the bed and leapt into her arms.

Together, the three stared at the egg-shaped orb.

The two visitors stared at her.

“Sweet mother save us, Mistress Katherine. Where did you get this?”

“We retrieved it from the bodies of a were-hyena clan. We need you to unlock the wards so we can find the owner. You can, can’t you? From what I remember in school, the Law of Contagion holds true for a while. We need to know where it came from.”

Elisabeth was careful not to touch it. “It’s a filthy, wicked thing. Are you sure you want to unlock it?”

Came the thought from the raven. “Fledgling, it smells like the hex.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Tell me Katherine, what do you know about druidic spell-craft?”

Katherine gave her a puzzled look. “What are you talking about?”

“The druids derived spells from the old magic that the daemon-folk from Niflheimr Realm practice. The books call it the blood magic of the old gods. It’s forbidden and has unexpected aftereffects, so the covens forbid its study. The Red Queens would instantly show up at the doorstep of the coven that crossed the line and used it. You can recognize it right away because the aura of the magic glows purple in the aether. It smells of blood and brimstone—as does this artifact.”

Niamh spoke up. “Wait, you mean demons are real? Like demons from hell?”

“No, daemons from Niflheimr. It’s one of the four realms. Like Earth is one, so is Alfheim, the land of the Sidhe.”

“What’s the fourth?”

“Annwfn. Not much is known about that place. Some say that was where the legends of angels originated.”

“Okay. Does that mean you can’t help us find where this came from?”

“Oh no, I can tell you that for sure. I just wanted to say that this artifact is of Daoine Sidhe manufacture but some being has altered or shielded it with druidic spell-craft. I can sense that there’s some awful stuff in there.”

The dragon sisters swept into the room and interrupted the conversation.

“I see you have guests, Mistress Van Horn.” Guang eyed the two women suspiciously. “Did you complete the task I set? What did you find?”

“You know I didn’t,” Elisabeth said, her voice tart. “Mistress, when were you going to tell me about how a demonic hex got inside your bank? The self-same hex that ensnared your harmonizer. She’s still trapped in there. I can still hear her screams.”

The dragon woman gave a slow blink. A nictating membrane slid across her yellow eyes that had sudden flickers of fire in the depths.

“You are as good as advertised, witch.”

“Mistress, you have bigger problems than you know. The thing is mushrooming. It was crafted so that the more it devours—the bigger it grows—the hungrier it gets. It is only a matter of time before it envelops the entire bank. Give it enough time. It will take the entire city.”

“Can you end it?” The dragon woman’s voice was calm, but Elisabeth could sense the desperation that lurked underneath.

“I don’t know is the truthful answer. But these two may provide a clue to the player who set it.”

The elder sister turned her attention to the two visitors.

“Introduce me to your friends.” She made a slight signal. Her sister left the room to return with a tea cart laden with snacks.

Elisabeth gestured to Katherine. “Mistress, let me introduce Katherine Keenan. She is a 12th circle spell-crafter from the Sabina Coven in Emory. She is one of their enforcers. Katherine, please meet Guang Pang, eldest of the Dragon Banker’s daughters.” Elisabeth’s gaze shifted to Niamh. “I’ve not given Mistress Katherine a chance to introduce my other guest.”

Katherine spoke up formally, “Mistress, this is Niamh Harpe. She is an enforcer for the Were-kin Council. She and I are partners, charged with investigating a series of murders in Northmarket.”

“I see. You must be Selwyn’s granddaughter. He sent word he was sending someone. You two are no doubt responsible for the recent event in the Shambles. Formidable. The Ebonflayer Clan are, or I guess I should say were extremely dangerous. They won’t be mourned. Why are you here?”

Niamh looked at Katherine. At her answering nod, she held up the Orb.

The Dragon gave no reaction except a slight widening of her amber eyes and a tightening of her mouth. She made a motion with one delicate hand, which Niamh interpreted as a request for the tale of its discovery. After another glance at Katheryn, she launched into a concise explanation of the events in the Shambles.

The elegant banker sat in silence for a long minute, digesting the story.