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I stopped and flung open the door. Stane and Ilianna were right behind me, Ilianna taking the lead as we ran—or in my case, limped—for the main entrance.
They were waiting for us. Three witches, their hands clasped in front of their tunic-clad bodies and their faces serene.
“You cannot enter here,” the oldest of the three said. An almost unearthly halo of blue seemed to shimmer around her—meaning she was a teacher, a nurturer, a caretaker.
So why was she turning us away?
“Kiandra,” Ilianna said, her face emotionless as she stopped and bowed slightly. “We are in dire need of your help. One of our party has been taken, and—”
“I know what you need,” the older woman said, “and you will not find it here. To provide you with protection will endanger the lives of all those within.”
“And yet by turning us away,” I said softly, “do you not break one of the very basic rules of your order?”
Her gaze swept to me. The sheer level of power evident behind her gray eyes had the instinctive part of me shivering. “We are not turning you away. We are simply saying you cannot enter this building. This is a center of learning and a safe place for historical documents. What chases you could jeopardize all that we hold within.”
“But you have no objection to us staying within the halo of the Brindle’s outer ring of protection?” Ilianna asked.
Kiandra’s gaze briefly left mine, and I couldn’t help feeling a slight sense of relief. It was short-lived.
“You may stay,” she said, her gaze back on mine. “And if the dark witch attacks, you will be protected. However, the halo was never designed to protect you from what now hunts Risa.”
“So the Brindle couldn’t protect us from the Aedh even if we were allowed inside?” The answer was pretty obvious from what she’d already said, but it never hurt to get clarification.
“No, it cannot.”
I nodded and glanced at Ilianna. “Then we’ll make camp here until we get Tao back and the consortium is dealt with, then we’ll leave.”
She frowned. “But that could take a few days—”
“I doubt it,” I cut in. “In fact, I’m betting that Stane’s phone will ring any moment now.”
And right on cue, it did. “Shit,” he said, digging his phone out of his pocket. “Sometimes you’re very scary.”
“No, she’s just her mother’s daughter.” As Stane walked away to answer the phone, Ilianna glanced back at the three women and bowed again. “Thank you for your time, Kiandra. We shall endeavor not to inconvenience the workings of the Brindle.”
Kiandra smiled, but it held very little warmth. “Your friends will not be here long enough to be a burden. And you, Ilianna, are welcome within anytime you wish.”
Ilianna’s smile was ghostly, but just as cold. “You know my answer to that.”
“I do. But there will come a time when that answer will change. We shall be waiting.”
Ilianna didn’t answer, and the three women turned and walked into the scented shadows of the Brindle. I blew out a relieved breath and glanced at Stane. He wasn’t saying much, just listening, but his cheeks were stained red and his free hand was clenched.
After several more seconds, he said, “All right,” then hung up and turned around. “They want a trade.”
“Well, I guess that means Tao is still alive.”
“He is. I talked to him. The witch has bound his fire somehow, and he’s chained with silver.”
Silver was deadly to a wolf. Silver shackles might not provide death as quickly as a bullet, but they would irritate and burn his skin, and the longer they were left on, the more the metal would eat away at him, destroying his flesh and poisoning his system. “What time did they want to meet?”
“Midday.”
I glanced at my watch. It was nearing eleven now, so we had just over an hour. “Okay, let’s contact Rhoan—”
“No!” Stane said, voice holding an edge of panic. He took a deep breath, then added, “They said if we involve the police or the Directorate in any way, shape, or form, Tao will die.”
“Stane,” I said, holding fiercely on to the fear and trying to ignore the twisted sense that everything that could go wrong surely would. “Unless we get this right, he’s going to die. This consortium has played hardball up to now. I doubt that’s going to change.”
