Where is it?
The ever-present rainbow was gone. It was still and dark in the vault, without so much as a whisper of sound or energy. Cool, dim, silent, and utterly without the ebb and flow of life around her. Had she used more than she’d planned with the eggs, or with Talos? Had she burned herself out by attempting such drastic healing twice in a day? Another vivid memory—of her grandmother, lying on the bed exhausted after a day of wandering the streets, healing the sick. Baba had never done more than one or two wax readings and five eggs in a day. “To do more is risking much,” she would always say.
But this sickness could infect the rest of the hospital in a short time, so Mila turned her eye inward.
There was a wall there, just past the door. She could see it now. It was tall and dark and imposing. Had it always been there? She couldn’t remember, but it didn’t seem right. Could this be the memory block, the thing that was keeping her from her past?
Why would her mother do something like that? What would possess her to hide an entire childhood away from her own daughter? Was there something behind the wall that was terrifying, that she
shouldn’t
try to resurrect? That was the problem with memories. If you didn’t remember the what, you didn’t remember the
why.
The whisper sounded loud in the quiet room. “But I can’t let myself be bowed by fear of the unknown. That’s not fair to Suzanne.”
She stepped forward in her mind toward the wall. Already there were chinks from where bright lights flowed. She pushed against the wall and realized that instead of hard and brittle, it was squishy and sticky, like taffy chewed too long. Revealing the past could take
years
if she had to pull them out one at a time.
Or she could burn it away in one blast with magic.
The moment the thought struck her, something behind the wall screamed for her to do it. Was the eagerness she suddenly felt a good thing, or a bad one?
Suzanne moaned in pain, bringing her back to the problem at hand. She had no choice. The child would die if she didn’t remember whatever it was that was eluding her.
Mila opened herself and took a deep breath. She called on the power she’d felt flow through her. It connected with people in the hospital and beyond … one by one. With a force of will she didn’t realize she was capable of, she threw a ball of energy the size of a small sun against the sticky wall in her mind. There was a shudder as new magic met old and then fire seared her mind. Wave upon wave of memories, good and bad, flowed like a tsunami—her life flashing before her eyes. Pain erupted in her head like a migraine from hell itself, and she wondered how she was even still standing.
And then she realized she wasn’t—
“
W
ha … hap’n?” Mila’s eyes opened. She was in the back seat of Candy’s SUV, with her friend giving her a worried look from the driver’s position.
She couldn’t seem to fumble words around in her head and her tongue felt two sizes too big for her mouth. Her head was pounding enough that even her eyes seemed to be throbbing.
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Tal’s voice was harsh as he spoke through the open door. He climbed into the SUV, slamming the door behind him with enough force to make the vehicle rock. Candy flinched, but it was all Mila could do to keep the contents of her stomach
in
her stomach where they belonged. She let out a little whimper of distress, but there was no sympathy in his eyes.
“It’s family business—and none of yours,” Candy snapped. “Don’t you have criminals to catch?”
Mila blinked at her friend, her jaw slack from utter shock. It was a deliberately rude thing to say and Candy was
never
rude.
“Well, it
isn’t
any of his business.” Candy answered Mila’s look.
Talos’s eyes narrowed and Mila felt heat filling the car in a rush that didn’t help her nausea. “You’re hiding something. I felt the magic. And anyone could have
smelled
the result of the working. Where did you take the girl? Your niece’s doctor is in an uproar, berating the nurses for letting a patient leave without permission. Your sister-by-marriage is practically hysterical because her child is missing. She keeps babbling about her husband and
witchcraft
.” Apparently, that was a bad, bad thing in his world, because his voice dropped by several notes and took on a threatening tone. “I ask you again—
what happened?
”
He was staring at Mila now, his eyes practically boring holes into her skull. It was a very aggressive expression, and it made him look dangerous as hell. Mila could actually feel him gathering his will, and wondered if there was a spell he could cast to force someone to reveal what they knew.
Candy slapped her hand on the top of the seat to get his attention. “Stop it! She doesn’t know. She was unconscious, and my brother waited to leave until after we’d brought her out to the car.”
He turned his head ever so slowly, away from Mila and toward Candy, who squirmed under the intensity of his glare. But her lips were pressed shut, her expression mutinous.
“What …
happened?
” It wasn’t a spell, but there was a force of will behind his words that was almost as compelling.
“Candy—” Mila’s voice was stern. Talos might not be part of the human authorities, but he was a cop—a magical cop—and magic was at the root of this. Whatever was happening was dangerous. She knew it without question. The snippets of memories had become full-length feature films in her head and a thrill of fear sang through her at the mere thought of the vicious illness that had been consuming Suzanne. He might be able to help, but only if they trusted him.
Candy looked helplessly from one to the other. If she was looking for a sign of weakness, she didn’t find one. The two were absolutely united in their demand for the truth.
In the end, she caved. “Fine. But I don’t know much.” She turned to Mila. “We heard a crash and came through the door to find you collapsed on the floor. Tim ran to get Baba. When she got to the room she told me that you’d be fine, but we needed to get you away from the hospital, that all the sickness there would just drain you more. So Tim brought you out to the car. She also told us that they needed to take Suzanne to a specialist, someone who would know all about her illness, and who could keep her isolated so that it wouldn’t spread. Tim agreed, so they left to take her to Viktor’s house for treatment.”
“So that
what
wouldn’t spread? What did she say was wrong?” Mila was almost frantic to find out. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” She turned her head to face Talos. “I blacked out because I was able to break through whatever mental block had been put on me, but the power overwhelmed me. I didn’t mean to scare anyone—especially the doctors. I just wanted to help her.”
“It wasn’t anything I’ve ever heard of, Mila. It has a weird name, it almost sounded … I dunno, maybe like
his
kind of thing. She called it Teen something-or-other.” Candy gestured toward the man in the passenger seat.
Talos’s expression turned grim and his hands clenched into fists almost involuntarily. A fine trembling began in his muscles and the color dropped out of his cheeks. Mila suddenly realized he wasn’t angry anymore. He was
terrified
.
“Was it
Tin Czerwona?
” He said it so it sounded like
teen chairvona
and she immediately recognized it as a Ukrainian term, but she didn’t understand what it meant.
Candy blinked with surprise and nodded. “That’s it. Is that bad?”
The eerie calm of his voice stilled her friend’s breath at the same moment Mila’s heart dropped into her stomach. “If you consider Armageddon bad, then yes.”
“
Y
ou don’t have to keep following right at my back, you know.” Mila shrugged back her shoulder as she inserted the key in the door. She expected to bump into Tal … and did. It wasn’t just the fact that he was being so pushy physically, either. His annoyance, born of fear, had created a rippling wave of heat that was quite literally melting the snow around them both. It was nice at first—took the place of the faulty heater in the car, but now she was sweating.
“Like hell I don’t.” The words were uttered in a near whisper through gritted teeth, as he held his ground despite her nudge. “It’s bad enough that your grandmother snuck out right under my nose, but if Candy hadn’t broken under questioning, I never would have known about a potential plague to both our people.” He shook his head and let out a small growl as she turned the knob. “
Tin Czerwona …
and she didn’t say a
word!
”
Mila stepped through the door, shrugging off her jacket before she even made it past the entry rug. “She didn’t
break under questioning.
You make it sound like there were bright lights and rubber hoses involved. Candy’s a good, honest woman … as is Baba. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason why she took Suzanne to Viktor instead of telling your OPU, or whatever the letters are.” She draped her jacket over the armrest of the nearest mahogany spoonback chair and put her purse on the seat. Then she took a moment to settle her nerves by running her fingertips along the clean lines of the dark wood. The chairs had always been her favorites—and her love of them, along with everything else in the house, was apparently what made Lillian leave it to her.
Footsteps sounded upstairs and they turned their faces expectantly toward the stairs. Alexy rounded the corner and started down toward them, still dressed in his heavy woolen cloak. Either he’d just been out or was ready to leave.
“O.P.A.—Overworld Police Agency. And there’s
no
reason good enough to take that sort of risk.” He strode forward, intentionally bumping her shoulder even though she wasn’t in his way. But he had a point, so she didn’t rise to the bait of him being pushy. “Alexy, we’ve got trouble. You’re not going to
believe
what happened out there. How did you do contacting your guildercent friends? We’re going to need every pair of hands we can find.”
Alexy didn’t meet his eyes. He clopped to the bottom of the stairs and walked right by them, stopping only when he was close to the front door. “Didn’t try.” That pulled Tal up short and he raised questioning brows. After a long moment, Alexy finally let out a harsh breath and looked at him, one hand on the doorknob. “I’m going back, Tal. I didn’t think it would be fair to leave before you got back, but I’ve got to go back and face the music—try to salvage some small part of my career.”
“What are you talking about?” Tal’s face was a study in astonishment. “You can’t go
back.
I told you … there’s corruption in the highest levels. You’ll be put in prison and your career really
will
be over. And that’s if you survive to see a hearing before the king.”
The other man let out a snort that was equal parts derision and anger. “Yes,
you
told me. I have
your word
… nothing else. Tal, you’re like a brother to me, but you always do this. You believe every negative thing you hear about the system, and pass it on as gospel. How many times have we finished up a case, risked everything to follow your hunches, only to discover that your predictions of doom simply didn’t happen?” There was a long moment of intense staring between the two men. Tal looked away first. “You have good instincts … I’ve always said so. But nobody’s showed up here, out for blood, while you’ve been gone. No queue of troops to arrest us. No notices in the human media about a killer at large to panic us and make us run right into an O.P.A. net. Who’s to say Kris wasn’t playing a practical joke on you? Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Tal paused, his blue eyes moving from flashing anger to unease. “I … she wouldn’t do—”
Alexy shook his head sadly. “Wouldn’t do that? Bloody hell, Tal, we’re talking about
Kris
here—the woman who glued the toe of one of your boots to the backside of Captain Sommersby’s trousers during training! Netted you a week of scrubbing stone floors with your own toothbrush, if I remember correctly.” He fastened the neck hook of the cloak and let out a slow breath. “Look, the longer we’re gone, without word, the worse it’ll be for us. We’re in a brownout now, or I’d contact someone using my mark. But the magic scan took all of my focus power, so I’ll have to go back on foot. I’m going to leave you my focus and the scan, just in case you’re right and I’m walking into a trap.” He apparently surprised Tal with that admission, especially when he smiled and winked. “Like I say, I do trust your instincts. But I’ve got my master’s trials next week. I can’t risk not being there for them. I’ve spent years getting ready to become a master craftsman. I’ll be the first in three generations of my family. Even prison’s better than going back to the third ring as a failure. I won’t go back there, Tal.” The intensity in his eyes, the determination, was something Mila had seen before—often in a mirror. He wasn’t budging, no matter what the consequence, and she realized she respected him for it.
Talos nodded seriously, his shoulders now slumped in defeat. “I know you won’t, old friend … and you shouldn’t have to. It never occurred to me that it might be one of Kris’s elaborate jokes, but you’re right that she’s done worse. You go if you must and say whatever you have to about me to keep your position and your place in the trials. I know you’ll do well.” He smiled with a warmth Mila hadn’t thought him capable of just moments before.
Alexy gave a tolerant, slightly amused shake of his head. “You know better than that, Tal. I’d never implicate you. I’ll just tell the truth. Nothing beats the truth. Say it loud and often enough and the right people will hear it. I’ll tell them what we know about Vegre and what we saw here, and that’s it. I don’t have to mention this house or the gate if you don’t want me to. That way, you can keep searching without interference. I can come up with some excuse why you’re still here, or say I simply don’t know where you are.”
“In a few minutes, that’ll be true. I got a lead at the hospital. I was going to tell you about it, but at this point, it’s probably better if you don’t know.”
It seemed odd to her that he was giving up so easily, considering how concerned he was that Suzanne not reach his home world. But if he was hiding something … some other reason to let his friend leave, he was really good at it. Regardless, Alexy nodded agreement with a grateful look. “Well, I should be going. It’s a long walk back to Castle Rock and it’s not getting any warmer outside.”
That made Mila reach for her purse. “Geez—I didn’t realize you were planning on
walking
. Castle Rock’s like fifteen
miles
from here.” She pulled out the wad of bills Candy had given her earlier and peeled off a hundred, then walked over and handed it to Alexy. “At least take a cab to wherever you’re going, and get some dinner while you’re at it. Consider it thanks for wasting your afternoon here while we went to the hospital.”
That brought a wide grin. It dissolved away the worry that had been etched on his face and made her realize that a smile was his normal state. “Food … and warm travel? I’d normally decline on pride issues, but my stomach just overruled my integrity.” He hooked a finger her way and tipped his head toward Tal. “Hang onto this one if you’re going to be up here much longer. A woman of means is worth keeping nearby.”
A laugh bubbled up before she could stop it. “Hardly a
woman of means
. You’re just benefitting from my selling a few eggs.”
A searing hot hand on her shoulder made her flinch. She turned to see Tal’s face in suddenly intense lines. “Eggs? What sort of eggs?”
She shrugged and then pointed toward the fireplace. “Pysanky. I design and sell eggs as a hobby … like that one on the mantel there.”
While it wasn’t one of her most elaborate designs, the black-on-white design was striking. Even though displayed very plainly on a block of lacquered wood, the hen’s egg commanded attention. Tal was drawn toward it, but before he took more than a single step, he apparently remembered that Alexy was ready to leave. Pulling his attention back to his friend, he held out his hand. “Luck to you, then, old friend. I pray I’m wrong about the situation. You’ll let me know for certain when you can?”
Alexy gave his friend a warm smile. “You know us dirtdogs, mate. If you’re not floating in the air somewhere, I can get a message to you.” On seeming impulse, he reached down and grabbed a handful of soil from the potted jade tree on the small table next to the door and dropped it in the top of one boot. “This’ll keep me in touch better than anything. I can communicate through the soil here. Just talk to the tree to reach me. I can’t imagine they’ll take my boots even if they toss me in irons. Too cold this time of year.” Alexy then reached out his hand. But instead of the simple handshake Mila was accustomed to, they clasped each other’s forearms tight and held for a long moment. The sense of brotherhood; comradery between them was obvious. “Stay safe, Tal. Know that I’ll be working back home to bring Vegre to justice and to bring you home a hero for your efforts at the prison.”
Tal let out a small chuckle. “I failed, Alexy. He got away without a scratch. They don’t hand out badges of heroism for that.” But then his jaw set and she could see a fierce determination fill his eyes. “But I
will
bring him back, and with the Tree as my witness, I will make him pay for the pain he’s caused.”
“I know you will. And that’s why they’ll be unfurling the banners on your return.”
Even after the door closed behind him, Tal stood for a long moment silently, apparently lost in his own thoughts. Mila wasn’t quite sure what to say or do. The scent of cinnamon and herbs was still strong in the air, and she wondered whether Alexy had been drinking tea while they were gone to infuse the fragrance in the air so far from the kitchen. The seconds ticked by on the old grandfather clock in the corner. The tiny whir of movement that always accompanied the minute hand just before the hour struck broke the frozen moment. While she didn’t mind if he continued to gather his thoughts, there wasn’t much time to grab the things she needed before driving to the cave. At least she remembered where it was now. That was something. She turned and moved past Tal. He didn’t budge, didn’t even seem to notice her movement. Moments ago, that would have thrilled her because he’d been so annoyingly in her face and angry. But now … there was something different about this stillness that worried her.
It wasn’t until she was finishing putting on heavier socks that she finally heard him moving around downstairs. The sound felt almost comforting, in a weird way. Maybe it was because she was so accustomed to the absolute silence in this big old house. Sela was so seldom home, after all, and now she was—
Sela. I hope you’re safe, wherever you are.
“Mila, what manner of witchery is this that you’ve crafted?” Tal’s voice floated up the staircase. He wasn’t yelling, but something about the words caused her to hurry and finish putting on the heavy leather boots she’d pulled out from the back of the closet.
By the time she reached the top of the stairs, she could hear a strange chirping. No, more a humming—like a recording of sopranos being played too fast. She tipped her head past the bannister when she reached the bottom of the stairs and found Tal staring in awe at the little pysanka on the mantel. But it was no longer a simple black-and-white egg. It was glowing with the strength of a hundred-watt bulb and vibrating in the indentation that kept it upright on the block of wood. It wasn’t the vibration that was making the noise, though. That seemed to come from within the egg, as though something was alive inside … and struggling to get out.
She walked up to it and stared alongside him. “What did you do to my egg? Why is it glowing and humming like that?”
He turned his head and raised his brows. “I was going to ask you the same thing. Is something wrong with it?”
She found herself shrugging and shaking her head. “I don’t know what could be
wrong
. It’s just an egg. It’s not like it’s a bomb or anything. Or, at least, it didn’t used to be. Could it have something to do with this whole mess? The weird portal thingy or Sela?”
That gave him a thoughtful expression and he reached into the pocket of his slacks. She suddenly realized he’d removed the cloak he’d worn since he’d arrived. The charcoal-gray shirt he wore matched the cloak perfectly, but seemed made of pure silk. It flowed and stretched over his muscles like a living creature that was even more entrancing than the egg. That seemed just
wrong
, though, so she focused her attention back on the thing that could very well turn her house into a smoking pile—with her underneath.
Tal removed the fire opal and held it out toward the egg.
“Lapaty.”
The word startled her, because it was not only Ukrainian, but one of the words Baba had used over and over when she was a child. It meant “catch” and she could still remember trying to wrap her tongue around the language—so strange sounding to her little American brain. Even when Baba had changed the letters from Cyrillic to the ones she recognized, they weren’t pronounced the same. The ‘a’s were too hard, the ‘y’s were actually soft ‘i’s and the ‘i’s carried the sound of ‘ch.’ Even Candy had picked up on it quicker than Mila. But she still recognized the words when she heard them, even if she had to concentrate to re-create the word later.