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She frowned, leaning back against the counter. "After I sensed the cat magic energy on the porch, I exhumed Cromwell's body." She looked at me, pleading for understanding. "You have to believe me—I wouldn't have done so if I hadn't needed to, but we have to know. It was the only way I could trace the energy."
Stunned, I leaned back against the counter. She dug up Cromwell's grave? A werepuma in league with the spider clan? I jerked around, looking over my shoulder at the archway that led to the hall.
"Could it have been Zachary? Is he setting us up for some reason? Do you think he's in league with the spiders? Or the demons? Maybe this is all a trap?" I began to shake. What if this was all a setup? What if we were being herded right into Shadow Wing's plan?
But Camille rested her hand on my shoulder. "I don't think it was Zachary. Otherwise, Smoky wouldn't have suggested bringing him with us. When I reset the wards, I targeted them to trigger if those same energies returned, and they're quiet this morning, so Zach can't be the one."
"Maybe it's a Were from a rival puma clan," I said, thinking. "There are others, though the Rainier Pride is by far the most active and respected, as far as I can tell." I let out a long sigh, wondering how much deeper this mess was going to get. "Did you… is Cromwell still…"
"He's buried again, with a ring of flowers around his body, and coins on his eyes so the boatman will ferry him across the river to the western shore to rest with Lady Bast. Trust me, I said prayers for his soul, and he's safe back in the arms of the Cat Mother again." She paused, then added, "About Zachary… I'm pretty sure he's okay, but just in case he's being used, don't let down your guard. And don't mention the warning or Cromwell to him. We don't want to tip our hands, just to be on the safe side.">Camille didn't look like she minded at all. In fact, she was blushing, and I had the feeling my sister was looking forward to the encounter. Knowing Smoky, he'd make sure she'd enjoy their liaison.
Trillian let out a growl. Menolly flashed him an exasperated look. "Oh for the sake of the gods, will you just deal with it? You don't care if he hurts her, you're just worried she'll like his package of goodies better than yours. And frankly, I think that, even in human form, you can count on Smoky having some pretty elaborate—and impressive—equipment. So you'd better prepare for some hard competition."
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, O Fangstress. Why don't you go stake yourself?" He sighed as he accepted the sandwich I'd made for him. Menolly hissed at him but kept her ground.
I shook my head. "Stop fighting, all of you. We have to do this. There's no other choice, and since Camille holds the key, that's simply the way things are. Do you think we should take Chase with us?"
Camille shook her head. "No, Smoky was specific about who he wanted there. But he did insist Zach come along—said something about since it's his people being slaughtered, he owed it to them to play his part in this journey."
That brought me right back to Cromwell and the threat. "Before we decide anything about who else is going, there's something you have to know. Did Iris tell you already? When we got home today—"
"She told us about the cat and the note," Morio said. His eyes were glistening. "I'm sorry about Cromwell," he added.
"Thank the gods Maggie was downstairs with Menolly," Camille whispered, giving me something new to worry about. "We need to make sure we never leave her unattended, even if it means she spends some of her days down in Menolly's lair or with Iris at the shop."
"So what do we do next? Tell Zachary he's expected to go along with us?" Menolly looked at Camille, then me. "Is there anything else we need to know about you traipsing off to meet the Autumn Lord?"
Camille frowned. "I'll ask the Moon Mother. I'll be back in a moment." She headed outside. As one, Morio and Trillian rose to go after her. Before they could reach the door, Menolly shoved them back into their seats.
"I'll make sure she's safe," she said, slipping out to the foyer as they glared after her. They weren't stupid enough to try anything, thank the gods.
The phone rang while we were waiting, and I picked up to find Chase on the other end. I quickly filled him in on what we'd discovered. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of us including Zachary on the trip out to Smoky's and leaving him behind, but he was trying to play it cool. Honestly, I thought. Men were more trouble than they were worth sometimes, be they FBH, Svartan, dragon, or Earthside Supe.
"I'll contact you as soon as we know more. Meanwhile, don't bother contacting the OIA for a while. It's a mess back in OW right now. If we need help from home, we'll contact Queen Asteria."
"Who?" he asked.
"The Elfin Queen. I told you, remember?" I made a kissing sound and hung up as Menolly and Camille returned to the living room.
Camille paced the length of the room. "The Moon Mother isn't talking, but I know this is the right thing to do. There's something to be learned… and something to be gained, but I can't tell what."
I closed my own eyes, searching the depths of my psyche. And there it was: the same whisper on the wind. We had to go. I had to go. This might be Zachary's story, but for better or worse, we were part of it.
"You're right," I said. "I'll call Zach." I picked up the phone.
"Wait," she said, "there's something else."
I set the receiver down.
"The wards around the land were broken by whoever it was that killed Cromwell. I was too preoccupied to notice when I first got home, but now I can sense that they were negated. Not triggered but eliminated, which accounts for the lack of immediate warning. Whoever was here has strong magic behind them. After midnight, when the moon is strongest, I'll reset them and see if I can find out anything more."
"Negated? That means a butt load of trouble."
For someone to deactivate Camille's wards meant they wielded strong magic indeed. She might have her ups and downs with her spell crafting, but if there was one thing she was good at, it was warding the house and land. I flashed back to Zachary's first visit to my office. He'd mentioned that his shaman couldn't negate the wards, so whoever had deactivated them had to be stronger than Venus. Which meant big trouble for us, since Venus's magic seemed pretty damned potent.
I picked up the phone again. "Since Menolly's not going, we'll leave as soon as we can. When did Smoky say to come out?"
"He said to show up around three tomorrow," Camille said. "I'll go wake Iris and tell her she'll be watching the shop by herself. And she'd better take Maggie to work with her. If you could ask Chase to check in on them throughout the day, I'd appreciate it."
