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“Risa,” Mirri said, her cheeks flushed and her clothing more than a little disordered. “We weren’t expecting you.”
“Clearly,” I said, amused. “Do you want me to come back in half an hour or so?”
Her cheeks grew warmer. “No, no, of course not. Come in.”
She stepped back and opened the door wider. I stepped through, my gaze sweeping the neat but small living area, admiring the comfortable old couches and the lovely old rugs that dotted the worn floorboards.
Mirri peered past me. “Reaper, if you’re there, please materialize. We have a no-ghost policy in this apartment.”
“I am hardly a ghost,” Azriel commented as he gained flesh inside the room.
“When you’re here but not here, you might as well be. And it’s rude, you know. Sort of like eavesdropping.”
He didn’t comment as Ilianna came out of the bedroom, her expression exasperated as she tied the sash of her dressing gown.
“You really do have an impeccable sense of timing,” she said. “What the hell do you want that couldn’t wait?”
I grinned. “I did offer to come back in half an hour.”
She snorted disparagingly. “You may like it rushed, but I don’t. To repeat, what do you want?”
“What do you have on hand that I can use to ward off hellhounds and other possible nasties?”
She blinked. “And why would you be needing that?”
“Because I’m off to Mount Macedon to track down the witch who possibly raised the Maniae. The Brindle warned me that she might use dark magic to protect herself.”
This time her surprise was more evident. “The Brindle helped you?”
“Yes. Kiandra herself gave me the information.”
“That’s one way of dealing with a problem without getting a threefold backlash.”
I raised my eyebrows. “It was more than just a grab at a golden opportunity. They were actually helpful.”
“Wow.” Ilianna thrust a hand through her blond mane. “The Brindle actually helping an outsider? Things have changed. However, back to the problem at hand. Azriel’s armed with a super-duper shiny sword. Why can’t he take care of any potential threat?”
“Because I may not be able to get inside the sacred site in which the witch shelters. Have you made any progress on creating this void the Aedh spoke of?”
Ilianna’s gaze ran past me, and her green eyes glinted with sudden amusement. “You just can’t say his name, can you?”
“I could, if I wanted to, and if he was important enough.” Even I was surprised at that. His voice might have been even, but there was definitely an undertone of antagonism. He added, “But that is neither here nor there. The void?”
“Is a work in progress. Unfortunately, there’s no way to test its working without actually using it.”
Azriel glanced at me. “Then the witch’s solution could prove to be perfect.”
“What solution?” Ilianna asked, before I could say anything.
“Kiandra basically gave us permission to use the old Mount Macedon site as a bolt-hole.”
Mirri whistled. “Even I know that letting outsiders use a sacred site like that is a rather big deal.”
“It totally is,” Ilianna breathed, then shook her head, her expression concerned. “And it makes me wonder just what the hell the Brindle has seen coming. Although maybe we’re better off not knowing.”
I hadn’t actually thought about Kiandra’s sudden generosity, but now that Ilianna had mentioned it, it did seem strange. Trepidation stepped through me—and it spoke ill of what was to come.
I rubbed my arms and said, “Weapons for demons?”
