“He’s not here,” Liam said.
“What?” I gasped. “Where is he?”
“I’ve received word from one of my ravens. He’s just arrived in the realm, not far from the Pool of Unknowing.”
“The Pool of Unknowing?” A bolt of awareness shot into my mind, and I closed my eyes as the vision formed—a deep, still pool that looked like the night sky, with swirls of dark violet and blue, dotted with bright, glittering stars. A ring of smooth gray rocks surrounded it, each one as ancient as time itself. Lotus blossoms floated in a cluster in the center.
And there, just beneath the water’s calm surface, was the rune gate—my stone archway, glowing with bright blue runes, lighting the pathway back to my realm. Back home.
“That’s where we’re supposed to go,” I said, never more certain than I’d been in that moment. “That’s where the gateway will be.”
Twenty-Seven
Emilio
Talia was tall and thin, with shoulder-length hair the color of dark red wine and skin that glowed in the moonlight.
She was also two hours late.
I made a show of glancing at my phone, but she ignored it, taking a seat across from me at a table in the abandoned Hannaford Distillery tasting room. They used to do tours and events here, but the place went bottom up years ago. Now it was just another abandoned storefront, perfect for clandestine meetings and shady dealings.
“I trust we’re alone here?” she asked, glancing around the dark room. The only light came from the moon, shining in through the blown-out windows.
She hadn’t specified whether she meant here in the tasting room or here in the general vicinity, so I nodded. She didn’t need to know that Lansky and Hobb were keeping their eyes on me from an abandoned glass factory across the street.
I was fairly certain she had her own backup hidden in the shadows.
“Have you uncovered anything further to back up your claims?” she asked, her pale gold eyes even more devious in the darkness.
“We’ve got people following up on the information from our source, but so far, they haven’t turned up anything.” My sister’s team had combed the beach, searching every pier and boat launch they could find. They’d even contacted a local geologist, but as far as he knew, none of the rocky cliffs contained cave systems.
“Who exactly is this source?” Talia asked.
“I’m not at liberty to—”
“Don’t play games with me, Detective. This is a very delicate situation. I’m sure you can appreciate the need for thoroughness.”
“As I’m sure you can appreciate the need for discretion.”
We glared at each other across the table, neither willing to back down. Talia scared the shit out of me, especially in person, but something was different about her this time.
She was scared, too.
“This is big, Talia. Bigger than Raven’s Cape. Bigger than a few hunters terrorizing a community of witches.”
Talia said nothing.
I slammed my fist on the table, but she didn’t even flinch.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I snapped.
She stared down at my fist for a long time before speaking again, and when she did, her voice was quiet.
Almost… reverent.
“The power in our communities is shifting, Detective. Weakening. Can you not feel it?”
“What I feel is an imbalance left by the witches and other beings who were murdered and stolen from their homes.”
