“Nothing seems out of place,” Julian said, looking around and shaking his head. His voice was a whisper, as if he might wake someone up. “You said that if he was here, you would be able to sense him.”

  “I should be able to,” Reg agreed. “But I’m not getting anything. I haven’t seen, heard, or felt him here. Just… his absence.”

  Julian nodded his agreement. They continued to explore the house. Every room, even those that did not appear to be in regular use. There was a big central fireplace that, when lit, would heat the entire first floor, with glass doors facing into each room. Perfect for a firecaster. There was a narrow door and set of stairs leading down to what must once have been a root cellar or filled with shelves of preserves, but stood empty now, a dark, low-ceilinged place that Reg wanted to get back out of as quickly as possible. The last thing she needed was spiders in her hair. She had never fully recovered from the visions and spiders she had encountered while investigating a previous case.

  Julian led the way up a large staircase from the first floor to the second, into nice, bright, airy rooms that looked down on the woods. He went first to the master bedroom and looked at the neatly made bed and other tidy furniture and decor. Reg looked from behind him. Davyn wasn’t a messy, careless bachelor, leaving clothing, plates, and beer cans on the floor. It looked like he had just made the bed, tidied everything up, and stepped out of the room a moment before. The bed glowed slightly with a purple aura. On a bedside table was a picture of Julian laughing. A picture that made him look so relaxed and attractive that even Reg would have looked at him twice. Julian stared at the room, then turned around to look at Reg, a red flush rising from his throat to his ears. She shrugged and pretended not to notice his embarrassment.

  “He’s not in here. I guess we should check outside. The woods. Maybe he went for a walk and twisted his ankle. Or was kidnapped by a witch in a gingerbread house.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  Reg looked at him, frowning. Why wasn’t that funny? Just because he was worried that something had happened to Davyn? “Don’t tell me that witches really do build houses out of gingerbread and kidnap people who walk by. None of the witches I know would do anything like that.”

  “No,” he shook his head in irritation. “But all fairy tales begin with some truth.”

  They left the bedroom and quickly checked the other upstairs rooms. Even Davyn’s home office was neat and tidy. No stacks of papers in his in basket. No open books and scrolls spread out over his desktop. All neat and contained, just like every other part of his life.

  “You may not be familiar with them,” Julian said, as they walked down the stairs to the main floor again, “but there are witches and warlocks who are a danger to those who encounter them unaware. They may not physically consume them, but…” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t want Davyn to cross paths with one of them.”

  Reg might not be aware of them?

  Had Julian been that clueless when he had been investigating her or had he forgotten what he had known at the time?

  “But they have rules they are supposed to follow,” she reminded Julian. “I know, I’ve met them. Or one, anyway.”

  He turned his head to look at her, then led the way out the door. Reg shut the door and focused on the tumblers to relock it. No point in leaving it unlocked so anyone could wander in. Did Davyn have his keys with him, wherever he was? Or had he left those at the house too, and the police now had them in evidence? If he did come back home, would he be able to get in? Maybe he had a key hidden somewhere nearby. She scanned the ground and the area around the door for one, but wasn’t drawn to any particular rock or other object.

  “There are not a lot of them left. Did Davyn know about this witch?”

  “Warlock,” Reg advised. “I’ll say he did. He’s in Davyn’s coven.”

  Julian cocked his head at Reg in surprise. “Are you sure? Maybe we’re not talking about the same thing. It is something of a taboo amongst the magical community…”

  “A power drinker,” Reg said baldly. She hated the fact that it was a taboo topic. How were people supposed to discuss real dangers when some silly tradition forbade it?

  Julian’s face was pale. He nodded. His lips were light pink, almost bloodless. “A power drinker,” he agreed. “Davyn has one in his coven?”

  Reg nodded. “Corvin Hunter. You’ve met him.”

  “Hunter… yes, during your investigation…” Julian shook his head. “I did not realize what he was.” He smiled, and his voice went up in pitch. “All of the rare and endangered creatures around Black Sands! How did the two of you manage to find each other?”

  “They’re rare too?”

  Reg guessed she had known that. More than one person had referred to them as a dying breed. As far as Reg knew, Corvin was the end of his line. He had inherited the power from his father.

  “Maybe not as rare as sirens,” Julian said with a shrug. “But, yes, they are not seen very much anymore. They have been rooted out of many magical communities. Hunter is lucky to have survived in Black Sands.”

  “Everyone seems to treat him just fine. I mean… no one is trying to kill him, as far as I know.”

  “Fascinating. I must talk to him. Get his history. Preserve what knowledge he has before it is lost.”

  “I’m sure he’d be happy to have an audience. It doesn’t take much to put Professor Corvin into lecture mode.”

  Reg led the way into the trees, following a path worn in the grass. “I thought that it was mostly passed father to son, though. I didn’t know that there were women with it.”

  “Rarer than their male counterparts. But they do exist. I know of a few that we have locations on. Three, maybe…?”

  “But none here.”

  “No. I didn’t even know of Hunter. Though maybe I should have guessed from his name. Chances that there would also be such a witch in these woods are…” Julian stared into the densely growing trees, “very slim. And if so, probably a relation of his.”

  “And Davyn would probably know about her.”

  “Possibly. They do not generally mix with the community. They have been shunned and excluded for many centuries.”

  “But now they can even lead a coven.”

  Julian glanced at Reg. “Perhaps.”

  “Corvin is trying to be elected leader to replace Davyn.”

  “He’s the one? Davyn said that someone was running, but he never said he… was cursed that way. Sort of burying the lede.” Julian tapped the side of his leg restlessly as he walked. Reg split her attention between looking back at him and ahead at the thick forest. Had the police had dogs out there to search for Davyn? With how dense the woods were, they would need dogs to do a thorough search.

  “What did Davyn tell you about Corvin running for the leadership? Did he say what he thought about it?” Reg ventured.

  “He was open to someone else taking over. He didn’t seem too happy about Hunter being the one. I didn’t understand why until now.”

  “Yeah. He didn’t say what he thought about it to me, but I know Corvin, so… maybe he was afraid word would get back to Corvin if he said anything to me.”

  “You are close friends with this soul drinker?” Julian asked in surprise.

  “Not… friends. He’s always trying to charm me. To get my power from me. But I won’t let him.”

  “How would Davyn’s words to you get back to him, then?”

  “Because… we’ve been connected. We are bound together. I can’t keep him completely out of my thoughts. So I guess if Davyn told me he didn’t want Corvin to take over, Corvin might hear that from me. Even if I didn’t mean him to.”

  “You must practice keeping him out of your thoughts.”

  “It doesn’t work. He has held my powers. He has given me strength and taken it from me. He’s been in my head too much for me to lock him completely out. Believe me, I’ve tried. I don’t want him reading me.”

  “He has held your powers?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “You can’t keep him out… Is the opposite true? Can he keep you out?”

  “Umm… I don’t know. Not completely, I don’t think. But I try to stay away, not to test it. If I am in his mind, then he is in mine.”

  “That is fascinating. A siren and a soul stealer. Which is stronger?”

  Reg didn’t want to think about that. It wasn’t a question that she wanted to answer. She was a few yards into the woods, and then she stopped. Julian came to an abrupt halt behind her, almost running into her. Reg looked around, seeking out any magic, any spells used in the woods, any trace of Davyn. She had just been in his house, steeping herself in the imprint Davyn left behind. She was at her strongest and should be able to tell which way Davyn had gone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Reg blew her breath out slowly and looked around. She closed her eyes and tried to relax every muscle in her body. Other than those needed to stand upright and keep her body alive.

  Where is Davyn?

  She sent the question out into the ether. A breeze blew through the trees, playing with her hair and causing goosebumps to rise on her arms and neck.

  Did Davyn come this way?

  The spirits normally attached to her were quiet, also listening for an answer. Reg sent her thoughts out, searching for spirits that inhabited the woods. There must be some consciousness nearby who knew Davyn, his routines, where he would go, and maybe where he had gone. Some spirit must have observed him as he moved around his property, in the house and the woods. Must have watched him kindle fires and perform rites and rituals. He was the spiritual leader of the coven, so he must have had plenty to do. He wasn’t just a half-hearted warlock who liked to play with fire occasionally. He was involved in the lives of the members of his coven.

  The breeze swirled around her again. Reg raised her hands, fingers spread wide, and let the wind blow through them, trying to capture the words. The wind or something on the wind was speaking to her. But the whispers were too quiet to hear. Too insubstantial.

  Reg began to walk again, taking the worn pathway deeper into the woods. Julian followed her but, for once, had the wisdom not to speak and question her. Maybe he could hear the questions she sent out to the universe or hear the wind following her and whispering to her as she strode deeper into the wood. Or maybe he was just interested in the crazy lady fluttering her fingers in the breeze and walking with her eyes mostly closed.

  The path branched several times, but Reg had no difficulty staying on the right course. She knew without a doubt which way the path and the wind were pushing her.

  They came to a clearing in the woods. It was, as far as Reg could tell, a perfect circle. There was no sign that the trees had been cut down or the undergrowth cleared by hand. How long had Davyn been coming to this place? Reg made her way to the middle of the circle, where there was a long, smooth slab of rock. It had scorch marks and bumpy drips of wax here and there. Candles on an altar. A firecaster’s offering. Reg sat down in front of the rock. She knew she should probably kneel, but she wasn’t praying there. She wasn’t making an offering of her own, just trying to see what Davyn had done there. What his intentions had been and whether he had been worried or afraid. If someone had followed him there. If he was there in the woods somewhere or farther afield.

  Julian stood back a respectful distance, watching Reg and looking around at the circle of trees.

  Reg touched the rock. The cool, smooth surface felt good under her hand. She put both hands on it and heated the rock. She wasn’t sure why, but she followed her instincts. She knew that Davyn would have told her that she could not play with fire alone and needed to follow the rules he had taught her. And she wasn’t going to break them. The last thing she wanted to do was burn Davyn’s grove to the ground. That would not make him happy.

  The rock heated steadily under her hands, the heat spreading evenly throughout. She worried as it got hotter that it would crack, the heat finding the cracks and imperfections in the stone and expanding them. But it was quite warm, almost glowing under her touch, and did not split.

  Where is Davyn?

  The wind blew hard through the clearing. Reg listened to it. But no matter how hard she looked or listened, the answer was the same.

  Not here.

  But Davyn had to be somewhere. Maybe she was having trouble finding him because he had cloaked himself. But she needed to reach past that veil and find him.

  Davyn saw a crack of light in the darkness. He stared at it, trying to will himself to be able to see it, to sense who was on the other side of the door.

  A wind swirled around him, making his cape flap wildly and chilling him to the bone.

  Davyn. Davyn.

  It was Reg. He was sure that it was Reg’s voice. Not loud enough for him to hear more than the whisper of his name, but he was sure she was there. He concentrated, trying to send her a message. Reg’s psychic powers were very strong, and she had read him inadvertently before. He knew that she could hear him if he intended her to.

  Where are you, Reg? I’m here.

  The wind grew stronger. If he had been speaking aloud, the words would have been ripped out of his mouth. But the wind couldn’t steal his thoughts.

  She was there. She was somewhere close by.

  He didn’t know where he was. He had been trying to figure it out every time he awakened the first time and found himself in that cold, dark place. He hadn’t gotten any closer to determining whether it was underground or in a building. Or maybe he was wearing a blindfold, though he didn’t think that was the case. At first, he thought he had been drugged, and maybe he had been in the beginning. But he was clearer now and, if he tried hard enough, he believed he could reach Reg.

  Reg found herself in nothingness. Cold, black nothingness. She could no longer feel her legs or bottom resting on the mossy ground. She wiggled her fingers, feeling for the breeze that had been guiding her earlier. The wind wound its way around her fingers and surrounded her body, moving faster than any wind had the right to. She wasn’t prepared to take on a hurricane.

  The darkness was disorienting. Reg tried to open her eyes to see the glade around her, but she wasn’t able to see anything. It was as if she had been pulled from the clearing, sucked by a vacuum into the dark nothingness of outer space. Only there was no light from stars or planets around here either. Maybe it was like being sucked into a black hole.

  But she still existed. If she were in outer space, the air would have been sucked out of her and she would have been floating frozen and lifeless.

  “Reg. Reg Rawlins.”

  Fingers dug into her arm. Someone shook her body, trying to take her out of the dark place she had ended up in. Reg peeled her eyes open. It felt like it had been years since she had opened them last, and even the shadowy, dappled light of the clearing was so bright it sliced into her brain.

  “Reg!”

  She tried to nod and to speak. Julian crouched beside the altar stone, staring into her face, trying to get a coherent response.

  “I’m here,” Reg croaked. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

  Julian heaved a huge sigh of relief. “What happened? You just went into a trance. I didn’t know if I should do anything. If I should try to bring you out of it or let you be.”

  “It was just for a minute,” Reg assured him. “I would have woken up just fine.”

  He shook his head. “It wasn’t just a minute.” He looked at his watch. “It’s been almost an hour.”

  Reg rubbed her arms, cold in the shadows of the clearing and the wind that kept racing around and around her. “An hour?”

  “Yes. I left you alone to start with, but… I don’t know how long you would have stayed that way if I hadn’t tried to wake you up.”

  “An hour… I guess that was long enough.”

  “What happened? You had a vision. Did you see Davyn? Do you know where he is?”

  Reg rubbed her forehead and thought about it, trying to translate the impressions and sensations she’d had into words. It wasn’t easy.

  “He was there… somewhere close by. I could feel him. Hear him in my head.”

  Julian’s face brightened. He clutched Reg’s arm. “You could? Where is he? Do you know where to find him?” He looked around the clearing.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure where I was.”

  He shook his head. “What do you mean you don’t know where you were? You saw something. You must have a clue, at least.”

  “I was… in nothingness. There wasn’t anything to see.”

  “But he was there. So… he’s still alive. Right? You were still earthbound.”

  Reg wasn’t sure. She rubbed the back of her neck and shoulders, trying to relax her muscles. Julian wasn’t making it any easier to process with his questions. “I’m… yes… he is still alive. I could sense him. He didn’t feel like a ghost…”

  It had been hard for her to tell the difference as a child. Ghosts and living humans were both equally clear to her, and it was confusing that foster parents and other children could only see some of the people around her. They had played along when she was still very young, like adults frequently played along with children and their imaginary friends. But as she got older, that had stopped. People told her to stop playing around or making things up. They told her that she was too old for imaginary friends. When she didn’t stop, they started sending her to doctors and therapists. Some of them believed that she needed to express herself using these stand-ins to work through her trauma and let her talk about them in therapy. Others thought, especially as she got older, that she was experiencing psychosis and needed medication and intensive treatments to banish the hallucinations.

 

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