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“Thank you.”
I stepped through the doorway. The foyer wasn’t exactly inviting, even in the daylight, but at night, its sheer size seemed to weigh on the shadows, so that they almost appeared to loom over me. It was a weird sensation—almost as if the walls themselves were standing in judgment of not only me, but all those who walked past.
I very much suspected I would be found severely wanting. At least at the moment.
“This way,” the woman said softly.
She led the way down the long hall. The energy of this place was so strong that every step was accompanied by a spray of golden sparks. The old-fashioned electric sconces threw just enough light to ensure we didn’t run into the walls, but they did little to otherwise lift the shadows.
The young witch led me into the visitors’ waiting room, told me to wait, then went through the door behind the small desk and closed it firmly behind her. I knew from previous visits that you didn’t get past this area without either a witch escort or special dispensation from Kiandra, but I was a little surprised at being held here this time. I’d have thought Ilianna’s mom would have been here given I’d mentioned it was urgent.
That she wasn’t probably meant we were all panicking over nothing.
No, that dratted inner voice whispered, you’re not.
I crossed my arms and began to pace. Several minutes crawled by, ratcheting up my tension and frustration. When footsteps echoed in the hall outside, I swung around and all but ran out—and almost collided with Ilianna’s mom in the process. Only quick reactions on her part kept us both upright.
“Risa,” she said, her soft tones holding a hint of surprise and perhaps amusement. “This is not a place where speed is required.”
I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I know, and I’m sorry.”
She nodded. Ilianna had inherited her palomino coloring and her shifting abilities from her dad, as Zaira was human. But Ilianna had the same powerful green eyes as her mom and right now they’d narrowed considerably. “What can I help you with?”
“Two things.” I hesitated, but there was no easy way to say it, so I just came straight out with it. “First off, we think something has happened to Ilianna.”
Zaira frowned. “Mirri called earlier looking for her, but I didn’t get the impression that she was in any way worried.”
Then Mirri was better at containing her concern than I was. “I know. But Ilianna hasn’t turned up for her date with Carwyn, and we can’t get her on the phone.”
The older woman smiled, although there was a slight edge of tension emanating from her now. “Well, given she isn’t too pleased about our matchmaking efforts, her standing him up again is not entirely surprising.”
I was shaking my head before she’d even finished. “Not this time. Mirri said she was determined to talk to him about the match.”
“Talk him out of it, you mean,” she said. But the tension in her ratcheted up several more notches. She studied me for a moment, then abruptly turned and walked away.
“Come along, child,” she said over her shoulder, when I didn’t immediately follow.
I hurriedly caught up. “I was hoping you could do a scrying or location spell for her.”
“A location spell won’t work.” She opened a door and walked into another dark hall. “She learned to divert such spells at a very early age.”
There was an odd mix of annoyance and pride in her voice. I half smiled. “How young?”
She hesitated. “She was twelve. Even at that age it was evident she was very gifted.”
“So why wasn’t she ever asked to become a custodian?”
Our footsteps beat a sharp tattoo against the marble floor, and the sound echoed in the hushed shadows that surrounded us. I half wondered if we’d wake anyone up. I knew from past experience that there were at least two dozen witches staying here at any one time, some of them permanent residents like Kiandra, and some, like Ilianna’s mother, here only when rostered on for duty.
Zaira turned left at the end of the hall and started up some stairs. Lights flickered on as we approached, then went dark once we’d passed, and there wasn’t a sensor to be seen.
Zaira gave me a quick but nevertheless shrewd glance over her shoulder. “She did begin training as a custodian, but her tenure was brief.”
I knew that. I also knew she’d seen something that scared the hell out of her. “She has mentioned that, but she’s never said why she left.”
“No, she would not.” We entered another hall. For a moment I thought that was the end of the conversation, but she surprised me by adding, “This place, and all the wisdom it holds, is not only protected by magic, but sometimes by steel and bloodshed. Ilianna witnessed a latter event and was too young to understand the necessity.”
“She’s not too young now.”
