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Twenty
Craning my neck, I stretched the tight muscles, regretting not bringing my pain-relieving cream with me. Three hours and I had no new information on Genevieve DuWant or her kids. A few people had filtered in and out of the library since it opened, but I was still alone enough to cast my spell.
Seven crosses, seven times. Betwixt and between and intertwined. Show me the tree that spawned from thee. Blood to blood, so mote it be.
Ms. DuWant’s author bio included her seven children, so I figured this was as good a place as any to start. I’d laid a copy of a US map on the table and sprinkled it with some of the black salt I always kept in my bag. Staring excitedly, I watched the granules move across the parchment, settling in mounds on four different places. That meant three of her children were either no longer with us or resided overseas.
I leaned down to find the one closest to me.
Tapping a finger to the spot, I wrote down the name of the town on my notepad: Augusta, Maine.
I typed the destination into the computer, smiling as I read about the quaint little town. A route came up on the screen, mapping the distance between here and there. It was only three and a half hours away. I still didn’t have a name to go on but figured I could use another locater spell once I got there to narrow things down.
Sitting up, I rolled my neck and stretched my back again, my eyes landing on a dark shadow in the corner.
Roarke stepped out from behind the nearest stack, still dressed in all black but in modern clothes and without his cloak.
“Fancy meeting you here.” He dropped into the seat beside me, as real as any other person in the library today.
“What are you doing here?” I shifted the map to hide my open book and notepad, swiping the discarded salt onto the floor.
“Yes, well, when my queen doesn’t show up in the dreamscape all night, I’m forced to hop over to make sure she’s okay.” His voice remained light, but I didn’t miss the twitch in his jaw or the tension hidden beneath his words.
“I’m sorry. I had some… important things to do. Besides, I didn’t realize my presence was required every single night.” I shifted in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest.
I didn’t want to start a fight, especially with Keelyn’s eyes plastered on the two of us from across the room. She dipped her head, raising a brow in appreciation as she eyed Roarke like a hawk.
I smiled and gave her a little shrug, hoping she’d leave us alone.
Turning back to Roarke, I held his gaze, waiting to hear how much trouble I’d caused.
“Hi. I’m Keelyn, head librarian here. And you are?” Keelyn’s arm jutted past my shoulder, aiming directly for Roarke.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you.” He shook her outstretched hand but didn’t offer his name.
Luckily, Keelyn didn’t seem to notice. “I haven’t seen you here before. Are you a friend of Milly’s?”
Roarke looked to me, giving me a chance to spin whatever story I wanted.
“He is. Yes. An old family friend from out of town.” I lied.
Keelyn’s eyes held mine, her ice-blue stare shooting daggers of doubt straight into my veins.
A beat of silence hung in the air, then… “Well, any friend of Milly’s is a friend of mine. Again, it’s nice to meet you.” Keelyn turned and walked back to her desk without another word. Though, lord knew I’d probably hear about this later.
“So what are these important things you needed to take care of?” Roarke’s gaze drifted to the table and the papers in front of me, settling on the computer screen. “What’s in Augusta, Maine?”
Panicked, I reeled back through the text I’d read about the town. “Merkaba Sol,” I blurted out.
“What?”
“Merkaba Sol. It’s a great metaphysical shop Mama used to take me to when I was little. I’m in need of a few important supplies and had to double-check if they had them in stock.”
My muscles tightened, the lie causing them to cramp as I internally cringed. I was back to praying the Weaver couldn’t read my mind.
Roarke leaned in, whispering in my ear. “You know we could just visit in the dreamscape, and I can will you back anything you need.”
I thought about his offer, wondering when the last time was that he paid for anything in the real world.
