Page 26

Breathing heavily, Martin looked more like a bull shifter as he came through the doorway, hand reaching out and flipping a nearby light switch. The room wasn’t flooded with light, but it was now lit well enough for me not to run into anything else.

“You’re not easy to follow,” Martin grumbled, his breathing settling. “I nearly ran Jima over. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him shift that quickly before.” Walking further into the room, Martin glanced around. His wide eyes were quickly followed by a veil of sorrow, hinting we were somewhere he hadn’t expected, somewhere he’d rather not be.

Following his gaze, I noted the quiet beauty of the space. The walls were a pale, sky blue, the furniture appropriately suited in warm shades of creams and whites. Gray throw pillows, blankets and a rug laid about the room, along with a few hints of sunny yellow. The space was so light and bright that it was difficult to believe it was completely underground, not a hint of direct sunlight.

“Whose—”

“Alethia,” Martin said, voice clipped.

I’d heard that name before. No longer one of the missing. Alethia, along with several other members of the Magical Usage Council, had been found. All deceased, murdered by Tenzen Huxley.

While the name was familiar, I wasn’t sure what species she’d been. “What was Alethia?”

Martin swallowed hard, remaining by the entrance, as if moving further inside was a line he wouldn’t—or perhaps couldn’t—cross. “Wind elemental. She… Alethia was kind. Steady.”

I took another, more appreciative look around the room. “I should have guessed that.” The colors reflected the individual who’d once called this space home.

Martin’s smile was strained. “I always found comfort here. Now…I haven’t been inside since…” Martin’s words faded as pained silence took their place. That sorrow was replaced first by confusion and then anger. “There’s something here?” Martin finally took another step into the room. “Something Huxley hid?” Righteous fury filled those words.

“I’m not certain.” Walking back toward the fireplace, I laid a hand on the stone covering the chimney leading up and out of the Magical Usage Compound. “I don’t know if this was something Alethia treasured or something of Huxley’s.” Blue flames licked my fingertips, allowing me to hear the song a little better. Flinching, I pulled my hand back and doused my flame. “Whatever it is, it’s furious and sad.” Far and away, Hikaru’s tail remnant had moaned with sorrow and loss. This was different. The loss was there, but overriding that emotion was a well of anger.

Striding further into the room, Martin came up even with me. Without giving it much thought, I reached over and entwined our fingers. Martin didn’t shake me off. His responding squeeze showed his appreciation. “If that’s the case, then I can’t imagine it’s Alethia’s treasure. I could always be wrong. Gaia knows I was wrong about Huxley.”

And that right there would be the cross the remaining members of the Magical Usage Council would have to bear going forward. Betrayal didn’t end when the betrayer was dealt with. It wormed its way deep into the soul, making the victim of said betrayal second-guess their judgment. Martin would always wonder if he was reading someone correctly, if they could truly be trusted. And it wasn’t just Martin. Keir suffered the same malady, as did every other survivor who’d trusted Tenzen Huxley and paid the price.

“If Alethia had been less than you remember, then chances are Huxley wouldn’t have found it necessary to eliminate her.” My words were meant to comfort. Martin’s stiff muscles and razor-sharp jawline made me wonder if I’d missed the mark.

I didn’t have time to contemplate my possible snafu because Martin asked, “Where is it?”

Releasing Martin’s hand, I reached up and placed my palm on the fireplace stones. “There. Behind my hand.”

Martin’s head tilted to the side, his eyes narrowed and contemplative. “Within the flue?”

I shrugged. “Possibly.” I rubbed the back of my neck, landing on why Martin thought that odd. “Whatever it is must be heat resistant. That is, assuming Alethia used the fireplace.”

“Oh, she used it all right.” Martin walked the perimeter of the fireplace before squatting down and poking his head into the firebox. “Hand me my phone.” One of Martin’s arms waggled in my direction, his fingers flexing. “It’s in my back pocket.”

I could see the outline and slipped my fingers into Martin’s pocket. “You really do have a wonderful ass.” I couldn’t have stopped the words if I’d tried, and honestly, I didn’t try at all.

Martin cursed as his head hit something hard inside the firebox. Snickering, I placed Martin’s phone in his outstretched fingers. A half-ass “thanks” slipped through Martin’s lips before the inside of the firebox lit up, courtesy of the flashlight app on Martin’s phone.

“See anything?” I asked, reluctantly giving up my view of Martin’s ass so I could lean in closer.

“Maybe? It’s not a straight-up shot. I mean, it is, but there’s a dark area about a third of the way up. It might be some kind of shelf. I’m not sure. I can’t reach it in my humanoid form. I could try and reach in with my branches.”

Panic squeezed my heart. “Don’t.”

Martin pulled back, his arms covered in soot, black smudges on his cheeks. “Don’t? Why? Do you know something I don’t?”

I shook my head. “Not for certain. I just know how it feels, and it’s not…great.” It was a lame way to describe the festering anger still coursing through me. “Let me transform again. I can get a look at it in my wisp form. We can decide what to do from there.”

Sitting on the hearth, Martin skeptically eyed me. “You sure? How is that safer?”

“I can look without touching.” Martin still didn’t look convinced. “It’s safer than your idea,” I countered.

Elbows planted on his bent knees, Martin hung his head before his gaze found mine again. “I’m not worried so much about what’s up there. You’ll need to be in your wisp form again. You haven’t said, but I’m guessing this time went better. Is that a guarantee going forward?”

Crouching so we were on eye level and Martin didn’t have to crane his neck any longer, I placed my hands on his forearms. Truth be told, I hadn’t had much time to consider what we’d just done. “It went better than well. It was…” I cocked my head toward the fireplace. “It wasn’t the only song I heard, but you managed to temper the others enough that it was enough to keep my wisp’s full attention. I didn’t feel like I was going to fragment. I didn’t feel pulled in different directions. Even if you can’t diminish the other songs, I’m close enough to this one that it should be a scream. This treasure will block the others out now that I’m within its space.”