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"I don't know." I looked at my cousin. "Do you remember anything you said? Any images that might have been running through your mind when you were channeling whoever that was?"
Rhiannon rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead, squinting in concentration. "I think . . . I remember seeing something. But I'm not sure what to make of it. I was standing in a forest that was bathed in dark blue. The silhouettes of the trees were silver and barren . . . surreal. Real, but yet, not quite. And there were nets . . . webs? . . . stretching through the branches."
Just where had she been?
"Anything else?"
"Yes," she said softly. "A woman was standing there. A tall, thin woman. Her arms reminded me of a spider's legs, all jointy and spindly. She was dressed in a diaphanous gown. The woman stretched out her arms and a cloud of sparkling mist rose from her body."
Rhiannon hugged herself. "She looked at me, and when she smiled, her teeth were sharp, like tiny needles. She had black eyes--like a vampire's--except there was a swirl of stars in them. Her hair was long and black, and she wore a silver circlet on her head. When she saw me, she crooked her finger and said, 'Join us.' And the horrible thing is . . . I wanted to. I wanted to go to her."
I stared at her. "I don't like the direction this is taking."
"What's that?" Rhiannon pointed to my hand.
I glanced down. For a moment, I'd forgotten that I was holding Aunt Heather's necklace. I silently handed it over to her.
"This is my mother's necklace," she said softly. "Where did you find it?"
"By the fern." I shook my head, warning her back. "There's blood there. Not much but . . . I think . . ."
"They've got her." Leo winced. "Just like Elise. Whoever's doing this, they're systematically getting rid of the Society. Which means all the magic-born around here may be in danger. But why?"
"They aren't just taking the magic-born. People from all walks of life are disappearing." Rhiannon frowned. "Heather was keeping tabs on the disappearances. The strange thing is, the cops haven't been doing anything--they keep hemming and hawing, stalling. I'd think they were in on it but . . . that sounds outrageous. Maybe they're being influenced, though."
"Which means at best, they may ignore us. At worst, they may hinder us. What do you guys think? Should we head into the forest? Look for Heather?" I stared at the trees, knowing in my gut that we wouldn't find any sign of my aunt. Whatever--whoever--had her, wouldn't leave us a trail of breadcrumbs. And we might encounter more of the creatures like the one that had attacked me.
Rhiannon stared up at the treetops, a single tear running down her cheek. "There's nothing we can do for her right now. If we go looking for trouble, we're bound to find it, and we aren't prepared. We'd better talk this through before charging off on a rescue mission. Find out what my vision meant, if we can. See if LeAnn will help us. You need to meet with the lawyer. Maybe Marta had something among her supplies that will help us."
Leo nodded and put his arm around her shoulder, kissing her gently on the cheek as they turned back to the house. I paused.
"I'll catch up. I'm going to send out the word for Grieve first." When they gave me a worried look, I reassured them. "I'll be careful. I promise."
Leo shrugged, leading Rhiannon toward the house. I turned back to the wood and took one step onto the path, feeling the hush descend the moment I crossed the border.
I closed my eyes, praying that the creep-show Fae who had attacked me was long gone. After a moment, I caught the scent of a passing breeze and focused on tapping into the slipstream. For a moment, everything seemed normal and then, the next thing I knew, something yanked me onto the breeze and I went hurtling through the woods at a breakneck speed, like an otter caught in the roaring current of a powerful river.
The trees, the undergrowth, the path were all a blur as I sped along, buffeted like a leaf in the wind. I tried to disentangle myself from the current, but found myself wrestling with something holding me tight. And then I caught sight of a face, carved in ice, captured in a haze of mist. A snow Elemental, with concave eyes and a crazed laugh on its lips.
Let me go. Please let me go . . .
The lace-winged creature tightened its grip, squeezing me so hard I thought a rib might break. Then, with another laugh, it let go and I tumbled toward the ground, flailing as I went. We'd been high in the canopy--I was going to break my neck. But as I careened toward the forest floor, my fall slowed and, like a feather, I drifted back down and . . .
. . . back into my body.
Blinking, I looked around. I was right where I'd been standing when the Elemental caught me up.
You mustn't stay here. That one is old, and I can't fight his strength. This is his territory. If he took you body as well as soul, I couldn't stop him. Ulean's whisper cloaked me like velvet fog.
Shivering, not understanding what had just happened, I cautiously forced a thought into the next wisp of breeze floating past. Grieve, Chatter. We need you. My aunt has disappeared. Something in the woods took her. Please, help us.
When there was no answer, I turned and hurried back to the house. I didn't have to look back to know that the owl was watching me from high in one of the cedars as I raced across the lawn.
Chapter 4
A quick call to LeAnn proved our fears.
"I can't help you," she said over the speakerphone. "I wish I could but I have my baby to think of. I'm sorry, but I've resigned from what there is left of the local Society. It's over, Rhiannon. Your mother, along with Elise and the others, they're probably dead. I suggest you get the hell out of Dodge while you can. By tomorrow, my family will be two hundred miles away, and safe." She hung up without even saying good-bye.
