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“I am not here to play games. I’m Ysandra Petros, from the Consortium, and you’d better answer me quickly if you have any wits about you.”
Oh crap. The Consortium. Had they gotten wind of Myst? Geoffrey’s warnings came rushing back as a swell of panic rose up. I had to get her inside. We couldn’t chance her sensing something from the Golden Wood.
“Come in. Yes, I’m Cicely. Please, let’s get out of the cold.” I hastened her inside and showed her into the living room—the parlor now being a place of business. “I’ll be right back. Would you like some tea?” Without waiting for a yes or no, I hurried into the kitchen, yanking off my coat and gloves and tossing them on the table. A spark of good luck: Everybody was still gathered around the kitchen table eating.
“Trouble with a capital T. We have a member of the Consortium out there. Chatter, don’t you dare come out. I’ll handle this—we have to hustle her out before she finds out about Myst. Geoffrey warned me about the Consortium and on this, I trust him fully.”
The color drained out of Rhiannon’s face, and both Peyton and Leo let out little gasps. Chatter frowned, but said nothing, and Kaylin sat there with a smirk on his face. He slowly pushed himself to his feet.
“I can be useful in this matter,” he said.
“Are you insane? You’re bound to a demon. Doesn’t the Consortium feel it necessary to bind demons or something like that?” I stared at him, wondering if he’d gone bonkers.
He shrugged. “Perhaps they do, but I am not so easily read, not by magic-born and not by yummanii. Trust me on this, as you trust Geoffrey. Tell her I’m your husband.”
Without a clue as to what to do, I nodded. “Then make a quick pot of tea and bring it in, please. I offered her tea for some godawful reason.”
I washed my hands, then hurried back into the living room, where I found Ysandra sitting primly in one of the chairs. She glanced up at my entrance.
“I’m sorry. My . . . husband“—the word rolled oddly off my tongue, but for some reason I had the feeling Kaylin knew what he was doing—“will be in with tea in a moment. Please, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?”
Though her visit was anything but an honor, there was no good way to ask her to leave without catastrophe. I’d told Geoffrey the truth when I said I knew about the Consortium. They were a powerful community, and one in which I did not wish to be embroiled. But it looked like I wasn’t going to get my wish. At least not right now.
“Heather Roland owns this house?”
“Heather’s my aunt, and she’s away on a sabbatical. My husband and I are staying with my cousin, Rhiannon, who is Heather’s daughter. We’re house-sitting.” The mixture of truth and lies rolled out one after another, and I prayed she didn’t have a truth spell handy.
“I see. Is Rhiannon available? I’d like to talk to her, as well.” Ysandra blinked, and it was obvious her request was a demand.
I cleared my throat. “Of course; wait here, please.” I hurried back into the kitchen, where Kaylin was finishing up the pot of tea. “She wants to see Rhiannon as well. I told her that you and I are married and house-sitting with Rhia, because Heather’s away on sabbatical.”
Rhiannon, still pale, nodded, and followed Kaylin and me back into the living room. She motioned for us to put the tea on the coffee table and graciously reached out to shake Ysandra’s hand.
Kaylin nodded, giving the woman a short bow, then sat after Rhia and I positioned ourselves on the sofa. “Miss . . . ?”
“I am Madame Ysandra Petros. You must be Rhiannon Roland?”
Rhia nodded. “Yes, you’ve met my cousin Cicely, and this is her . . . husband, Kaylin Chen.”
“Ma’am,” Kaylin said, pouring the tea. “Sugar, milk, or lemon?”
“Lemon. Thank you.” Ysandra accepted the cup and sniffed the steaming beverage, smiling for the first time since she’d arrived. “Tea does a body and soul good, with the horrible weather we’ve been having.”
“What can we do for you?” I asked, after giving her a moment to warm her hands on the china cup.
“There have been rumors of strange activity in this area—odd magical happenings. And we’ve not heard from one of our members in a long time. Marta Vekos. I stopped in at her house but nobody’s home and so I thought I’d come over to ask Heather what’s going on.”
Ysandra seemed to relax a little, but I knew better than to be caught off guard. She was taking in every nuance. I could tell because she was doing exactly what I’d trained myself to do while growing up. Uncle Brody’s rule number fifty-four: Become hyperaware of your environment. The skill had kept me alive more than once.
I put on a sad face. “Marta was killed by wild dogs a couple of months ago. At least the police seem to think there’s a pack of wild dogs on the loose. She left me her business. If you’d like to see what I’m doing with it, we can go into the parlor.”
A flash of pain echoed across the woman’s face. “Marta is dead?”
Rhiannon nodded. “Yes, and the Thirteen Moons Society has fallen apart. She was the heart and soul holding it together. A number of the elders moved on. Her daughter, Anadey, and granddaughter took over her house.”
We were dancing with the devil, but at least we knew it.
Ysandra let out a soft sigh. “So that’s why my summons went unanswered. Anadey has little love for the Consortium and would not have notified us.” After a momentary pause, she added, “Marta was a good friend of mine. She will be sorely missed. But seeing that you inherited your business, you are responsible for taking the appropriate actions. All magical businesses must be registered with us, and the owner must join the Consortium.”
