Killing Time (The Witches of Mingus Mountain #3)

12. Prima Contact

12

PRIMA CONTACT

He’d never heard the woman’s voice before. And yet, it sounded in his head as clear as a bell.

You’re a McAllister. You have to help me.

It disappeared after that, but he knew the voice could have only belonged to one person.

His clan’s missing prima -in-waiting.

Devynn was staring at him as though he’d just grown a second head. “She’s what?”

“I heard her…in here,” he said, and pointed at his temple. “I know it sounds crazy, but isn’t that what you said she could do — call out to her people when she was in trouble?”

“Well, yes,” Devynn replied. She looked past him, almost as if she expected to see Ruby standing in the corridor off to their left, but obviously, it was empty. “I mean, that’s what I heard, and your clan elders acted as if it was perfectly normal. But how could she even know you were here?”

He had no idea. Or rather, although his own magical talent had everything to do with affecting matter, of interacting with the physical world, he supposed he could see how, if Ruby already had a gift for instinctively reaching out to other McAllisters for assistance, she would also be able to sense whether anyone from her clan was near her.

“Can you try talking to her?” Devynn went on, and Seth made an impatient sound.

“I’m not a psychic.”

“No,” Devynn said calmly. “And I’m not a seer, but I had those weird dreams when we were back in 1884. Maybe the amulet is affecting both of us in ways we can’t really understand.”

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to entertain that particular idea. Something about it felt oddly disturbing, as though the very presence of the amulet was enough to alter their abilities, to bend time and space and their minds in ways they could only begin to understand.

Had he been drawn to La Posada because blood called to blood, and he’d somehow known the McAllister prima -in-waiting had been imprisoned here, or had the amulet they’d found in the past pushed him here without him even recognizing its subtle influence?

He was beginning to see why Abigail had called it an abomination.

But he knew he couldn’t allow himself to think of the amulet in such a way, not if there was even the remotest possibility that it might allow him to communicate with his clan’s kidnapped prima -in-waiting.

“Maybe,” he allowed. “If that’s the case, though, maybe I should have it for a minute.”

Not even a second of hesitation.

“Sure,” Devynn replied. She reached into her pocket and drew out the amulet, then put it in his hand and wrapped his fingers around it.

The metal was warm against his flesh, but possibly that was because she’d been carrying it in her pocket this whole time. He’d rather think that than allow himself to believe the artifact had some intrinsic heat of its own.

Another glance around them, but this section of the hotel seemed curiously deserted. If that really was Ruby hidden in one of those rooms, Seth didn’t think it too odd that Jasper — or whatever Wilcox relative had secreted her in this place — might have rented out all the surrounding ones as well so there was no chance of anyone hearing her or realizing anything strange might be happening in this little eddy away from the rest of the hustle and bustle of La Posada.

Ruby, he thought, feeling a little foolish. Was he really trying to communicate telepathically with the prima -in-waiting?

I’m here, she responded. A pause before she went on, I don’t think I know you, though. Are you one of my cousins from Payson or Wickenburg?

This really was working. What in the absolute hell?

But he knew he couldn’t get lost in the madness of it all. No, he had to pay attention to Ruby and try to see if together they could come up with some way to get her out of there before her captors returned.

No, he said. My name is Seth. I’m Charles’s younger brother.

The one who disappeared right after I was born?

Clearly, Ruby McAllister didn’t miss a trick. No wonder in the future she’d led the clan for so many long, long years.

Yes, he replied. I was lost in time with a woman named Devynn Rowe, another witch. Time travel is her power.

But you’re in 1947. Did you come here to rescue me?

He wished it was that simple. Since he didn’t think it would be a very good idea to confess that the main reason she’d been kidnapped at all was because he and Devynn had distracted the elders and the rest of the clan, he tried to answer as obliquely as he could.

We were trying to figure out where Jasper had hidden you, yes, he said. But honestly, our coming to La Posada today wasn’t on purpose. I suppose we just…got lucky.

I think it was something more than luck, Ruby told him, and although her inner voice was youthful enough, something crisp about it made him think of the prima she’d one day become, the woman who’d been at the head of her clan for almost six decades. But I suppose we can worry about that later.

Is anyone with you? Seth asked, figuring the most important thing to learn was whether she’d been left alone or whether Jasper had made sure to keep a guard with her at all times.

Not at the moment. This room is positively thick with spells — nothing I’ve tried has even begun to break them down. She stopped there, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded much younger, like the barely more than a girl she actually was. Jasper Wilcox…he frightens me.

Me, too, Seth thought, although he knew their situations weren’t remotely the same. While the Wilcox primus might visit some kind of magical mayhem upon him in retaliation for interfering with his schemes, it wasn’t anything close to the terrible knowledge Ruby must possess, that Jasper would force himself upon her at the dark of the moon unless they came up with some way to intervene.

Someone comes at night, though, Ruby went on, and now her mental voice sounded a little stronger. It’s been two different people, though. The first night, it was a man just as black-haired as Jasper, but this past night, it was a woman. They were both very powerful, though.

Of course they were. Do the people at the hotel know you’re in there?

I don’t think so, Ruby replied. But it’s hard to say, because Jasper put some kind of enchantment on me that made me unconscious. I woke up here with no idea of how I’d gotten in this room. There hasn’t been a maid or room service, either.

This story made Seth think that someone else in the Wilcox clan must have his same gift of translocation and that they’d blinked Ruby right into that hotel room to avoid any scrutiny by the management at La Posada. Convenient, sure. But if the place was as protected as she’d said, then he had no idea how in the world they were ever going to get her out again.

Are you all right otherwise? Are you being fed properly? Is the room comfortable?

Something that sounded like a chuckle sounded in Seth’s ears. I don’t know if this is the fanciest room here, but if it’s not, it must be close. There’s a fireplace and a sitting area, and the person who’s assigned to watch me goes downstairs and brings up a tray at mealtimes. I’m not starving, that’s for certain.

Well, it sounded as if her prison was a fairly luxurious one. But then, why would Jasper do anything to mistreat her? Seth was sure the primus wanted to make Ruby feel like a pampered guest rather than a woman being held against her will.

As to why she was being kept here, rather than at any one of a number of Wilcox properties, the simplest answer was probably the right one.

Because this was the last place anyone would look.

Still….

Do you think they’re going to keep you here until the dark of the moon? he asked next. I know you were at the cabin first.

You do? she responded, that inner voice now surprised.

Yes, Devynn and I went there yesterday, he said. Adam Wilcox told us you’d been there for one night but were moved.

You spoke with Adam? And he helped you?

Is there any reason why he shouldn’t have?

Another of those mental chuckles. Other than he’s a Wilcox? But no, she went on, not allowing Seth to answer the question, he has kind eyes. He doesn’t seem like the others. So I suppose I can see where he might want to do something to help.

No mention as to whether she’d noticed he seemed to be a little soft on her, and Seth knew he wouldn’t bring up the subject.

At any rate, she said, mental voice now brisk again, I haven’t heard anyone talking about moving me from here — not that I would really expect them to say such things in front of me. But I have a feeling that I was taken to the cabin first because they were still deciding where to keep me permanently, and the place seemed isolated enough that I doubt many people even know it’s there.

That was for sure.

Then it seems as if this is where they mean to keep you until the dark of the moon, he said. Sometime on that day, I assume they’ll move you to Jasper Wilcox’s home where the ceremony will take place.

How do you know that?

Because Devynn and I were in his basement, Seth replied. We saw the altar. He means to do it there.

A silence, and he wondered if what he’d said had upset Ruby so much that she didn’t know how to respond.

But then her voice sounded in his head again, almost amused.

That was bold of you. It sounds like you’re a true McAllister, Seth, and I appreciate you and your friend trying to help me. I’m not sure what you can do, though.

He didn’t know, either. Maybe after he sat down with Devynn, they’d come up with some kind of workable plan.

We’ll figure something out, he said. In the meantime, you just need to sit tight. We still have more than a week until the dark of the moon.

Oh, I’ll sit tight, Ruby responded with one of those mental laughs. There isn’t much else I can do, after all.

Despite everything, he wanted to chuckle as well.

But…. she ventured.

Yes?

How is it that the Wilcoxes don’t know you’re here? Jasper should have been able to detect an unfamiliar witch and warlock in his territory almost immediately.

Because that’s Devynn’s other talent, he said. She can mask people’s witch natures.

He figured it was probably better not to mention the amulet, just to be safe.

Handy if you need to do a little spying, Ruby said. Then I won’t need to worry about you quite so much.

Another question surfaced in Seth’s mind. How could you sense I was here, anyway? Devynn’s gift should have hidden us from you as well.

That’s because I didn’t sense that you were a warlock — I sensed that you were a McAllister.

Seth wasn’t sure what the difference might be, but he also knew it was a matter he could lay aside for now. He’d already spent enough time in silent conversation with the prima -in-waiting, and although Devynn had been keeping watch while they talked, they really couldn’t risk standing here for much longer, not when one of Ruby’s keepers might return at any moment.

We need to go. But I’ll be back as soon as we have a plan.

You know where to find me.

Now he allowed himself that chuckle, even as he broke off the contact — rather like hanging up a mental phone — and looked over at Devynn. Her expression was strained, and he knew she’d also been worried that one of the Wilcoxes might stumble over them while he was communicating with Ruby.

“She’s all right,” he said briefly. “Let’s go.”

Obviously relieved, Devynn slipped her hand into his, and together, the two of them went back downstairs and out to the gardens, doing their best to act like a couple of tourists who were involved in nothing more than exploring the hotel as just one of their stops as they drove across the country. Since no one else seemed inclined to wander outside in the chilly air, the two of them had the place to themselves.

“Well?” Devynn asked, pausing near the footbridge and placing her hands on her hips.

“Like I said, she’s fine,” Seth replied. “It sounds like they have her in one of the bigger rooms. She wasn’t conscious when they brought her here, so she doesn’t know for sure whether she was teleported in, but let’s assume that’s what happened. It would be easier than trying to explain carrying a comatose girl through the lobby.”

A corner of Devynn’s mouth quirked. “Well, unless they made her invisible. It’s not a super-common gift, but there are so many Wilcoxes….”

She didn’t finish the thought, but he got the idea. The bigger the clan, the bigger the chance that all sorts of interesting talents might have popped up amongst its ranks.

“But it sounds like you should be able to just teleport in there and bring her out, right?” she added, and he gave a reluctant hitch of his shoulders.

“I don’t know for sure. She told me the Wilcoxes put all sorts of spells on that room to keep her trapped there.” Seth paused and sent Devynn a piercing look. “Is that what the members of the Wilcox clan do? Use spells? Most witches just rely on their internal gifts and abilities.”

She looked both annoyed and puzzled at the same time. “How the heck should I know? The clan now is very different from the one I grew up in. Sure, I heard that Damon messed around with that kind of magic back in the day, but no one seems to use it anymore — or at least, if they dabble in it, they’re not exactly spreading that information around, if you know what I mean. But I think we have to take Ruby’s word for it when she says there’s some kind of magic going on that we’re going to have a hard time dealing with.”

Well, Ruby hadn’t specifically come out and said that was the case, but he had a feeling Devynn was right. Neither of them had any training in this kind of magic.

“The only person who could probably tell us about it is Adam,” Seth said. “And we don’t even know when he’s going to contact us next.”

Devynn frowned slightly, arched brows pulling together. “No, we don’t. But at least we know where Ruby is now. Does it sound like they’re going to move her again?”

“She doesn’t think so, but it’s hard to say for sure.” Seth paused and looked up at the hotel, standing serene and somehow homey and elegant at the same time a few yards behind them. “It’s a good hiding place — it’s not associated with any Wilcox properties, and although Ruby’s not allowed to come and go, I doubt anyone here is going to ask too many questions if the money keeps coming.”

“Oh, it will,” Devynn said grimly. “Those are two things the Wilcox clan has plenty of — money and magic. And even if Jasper probably doubts that any McAllisters would be brave enough to come into his territory to openly confront him, I’m sure he thinks that having Ruby hidden out here in Winslow rather than right in Flagstaff adds an extra layer of security to the situation.”

True. He and Devynn could come and go, thanks to the way her gift and the boost from the amulet kept them both hidden, but no one else in his clan had that kind of advantage. They certainly wouldn’t be driving even deeper into Wilcox territory to find their stolen prima -in-waiting.

“So…what next?”

“I think we need to head back to Flagstaff,” she said. “We can’t do anything to get Ruby out of here right now, not until we have a better idea of what kind of spells those Wilcox warlocks put on her hotel room to keep her in there. But maybe we’ll have a note from Adam when we get to the hotel.”

Seth doubted they’d be that lucky, but he decided not to argue. The longer they loitered at La Posada without any real clear reason for staying, the greater the chance that someone might take note of them.

Unless….

“Do you think we should get a room here?” he asked, and Devynn stared back at him as if he’d suggested they board a train for the Yukon Territories.

“We don’t have our luggage,” she blurted out, and he grinned.

“Well, we could go back and get it. But it just seems smarter to be close in case they move Ruby again.”

Devynn appeared to think that suggestion over for a moment. “I’m not so sure,” she said, speaking a little more slowly than usual, as though she was mulling each word before she allowed it to leave her lips. “That is, it just seems as if we’d have a much bigger chance of tripping over one of the Wilcoxes if we’re here. Sure, there’s more of them in Flagstaff, but it’s a much bigger place, so the probability is still lower.”

Maybe she had a point there. However, he hated the thought of leaving Ruby trapped here, not when they’d actually managed to stumble onto the place where the Wilcoxes had been keeping her.

Stepping closer, Devynn laid a hand on his arm. “It’s not as if we’re abandoning Ruby,” she said, keeping her voice pitched low even though no one else was around. “We’re just making a strategic retreat so we can come up with a plan. Getting caught by one of her jailers isn’t going to help anything.”

No, it wouldn’t. Also, there was the matter of Adam Wilcox. While Seth didn’t know for sure when they’d hear from the warlock, it probably wasn’t a very good idea to up and disappear before they’d had a chance to speak with him again.

“All right,” he said, knowing how reluctant he sounded.

She went on her toes so she could press a kiss against his cheek…and immediately chuckled and reached up to wipe off the red lipstick she’d left behind.

“Sorry about that.”

He couldn’t help smiling. Something about merely being around Devynn always made him feel better, even though there wasn’t much else about their situation that gave him a reason to smile.

But she was right, though. It didn’t sound as if Ruby was going anywhere soon, and advertising their presence to the Wilcoxes who were guarding her was a recipe for disaster.

No, they’d go back to Flagstaff and regroup…and then do their best to decide where they could go from here.

To Seth’s relief, a note was waiting for them when they got back to the Weatherford.

“A gentleman dropped his off for you, sir,” the clerk said, and handed over a sealed envelope that only said “Mr. and Mrs. Richards” on the outside.

“Thank you,” Seth replied, tucking the envelope into his breast pocket. As much as he wanted to look at its contents, he knew it wouldn’t be a very good idea to do such a thing until they were safely inside their hotel room.

Once there, however, he quickly pulled it out and slid a finger under the flap, loosening the adhesive. The note inside was terse, to say the least.

Mars Hill, first overlook.

6:00 p.m.

He showed it to Devynn, who’d been hovering at his elbow the whole time.

“Do you know what that means?”

She nodded, an acknowledgment that eased the knot of worry in his stomach just a little bit.

“Mars Hill is the big hill just west of downtown. There’s an observatory that was built sometime in the ’20s, I think. That’s why it wasn’t there when we were in Flagstaff in 1884. Anyway, the road up to the observatory has a couple of places where you can park and look out over the city and almost all the way to Winslow or down to Sedona, if the air is clear enough that day. It looks like Adam wants to meet us at the overlook closer to the bottom of the hill.”

That’s what it sounded like to Seth, too.

Only….

“What if it isn’t Adam who sent that note? What if it’s a trap?”

Devynn had been in the process of refolding the paper so she could put the note back in its envelope. Now her brows lifted ever so slightly. “If Jasper and his goons really wanted to trap us, they probably wouldn’t want to do it in such a public place. There are almost always people up there taking in the view unless it’s snowing or raining or something. And at that time of evening, they might be there to catch the last of sunset or to watch the stars come out.”

It definitely wasn’t raining or snowing today. No, the weather had continued clear and cool, and Seth supposed it would be just the sort of evening when people would want to wander up there and look down at the city. If that was the case, they wouldn’t be alone, but he assumed Adam had thought of that already.

“All right,” he said. “Six o’clock it is.”

They didn’t have too much time to kill, considering they’d gotten back from Winslow only a little before five. Having a drink didn’t seem like a very good idea, not when they’d both need to be sharp when they met with the Wilcox warlock, and even if they’d been hungry — which they weren’t, not after their late lunch at La Posada — they wouldn’t have had enough time for that, either.

Instead, they walked back to Wheeler Park, where Devynn told him about her cousin Jake and how he’d converted one of the houses across the street into his own office for tracking down witches or warlocks who weren’t connected with a clan, for whatever reason.

“I suppose there were a few more than he’d been expecting to find,” she said, “although after the first couple of years, that tapered off quite a bit. Still, it showed that there really were people who’d been conceived by a warlock or whatever and had absolutely no idea who they were and where their strange powers had come from.”

Seth had to admit he’d never really thought of such a thing happening, mostly because in his time, members of the various clans spent very little time outside their home territories and therefore didn’t have much opportunity to leave behind children they didn’t even know were theirs. But it sounded as though Devynn’s cousin Jake had done some good work, and once again, Seth had to marvel at how different the Wilcoxes of her time were from those now…or in his past.

Then it was time to drive to Mars Hill. The road leading up to the observatory began only a few blocks from where they were staying, and at first, Seth wondered why they hadn’t walked. But as the road continued to rise and it became clear that it was some ways before they would reach the first overlook, he realized that walking might not have been such a good idea after all.

As he’d feared, a few cars were already parked at their destination, but they were on the far side of the open space at the side of the road. Only one waited near the lower end of the overlook, a vehicle Seth recognized right away.

Adam Wilcox’s big green Buick.

In fact, he was already out of the car and stood leaning against the fender, gazing out over a dusky, purple-hued Flagstaff as though he hadn’t come up there for any reason except to get a good look at the view. As they approached, though, he stood up a little straighter.

“You got my note.”

“We did,” Seth said. He and Devynn paused a few feet away, close enough that they could hear one another but not so close that anyone at the other end of the overlook would have reason to think they were having a conversation.

“We found Ruby,” Devynn said, and Adam sent her a shocked look before he seemed to remember that he was supposed to be gazing at the view and not at her.

“You did? Where?”

Now she gave Seth a sideways glance, as though she wasn’t sure whether she should say anything more. Yes, they needed to tell Adam they’d had some success, just so he wouldn’t keep beating the bushes, so to speak, trying to shake loose some information about where the prima -in-waiting had been taken.

But if they’d trusted the man this far, then Seth supposed they needed to continue trusting him. After all, he’d had plenty of time to betray them if that had been his game.

“In Winslow, at La Posada. Did you have any idea that’s where she was?”

Staring straight ahead, Adam said, “No. Or rather, one of my cousins mentioned that her brother and one of the cousins he’s close with had left early Saturday morning to run some sort of errand, but she had no idea what it was.”

“Probably going to the cabin so they could move Ruby out to Winslow,” Devynn said. “We’re still not sure exactly why she’s there, but I assume it’s because most people wouldn’t think to look for her in a public place like that.”

“It seems like the kind of maneuver Jasper would pull,” Adam replied, his tone almost wry. “If people from your clan did come here, demanding to have Ruby given back, he’d be able to say in all truth that she wasn’t even in Flagstaff. Also, it’s not so far that it would be too difficult to bring her back here in time for the ceremony.”

“Right,” Seth said. “Was there something you wanted to tell us, though? That is, you must have left us that note for a reason.”

Adam glanced around, but one group of people had already gotten into their car and were beginning to back out onto the road, and another couple also seemed as if they were packing it in, with the man opening the car door so his companion could climb inside. At any rate, it didn’t seem as if anyone was paying much — if any — attention to them.

“At work this morning, I was trying to think of the best person I could talk to, someone who would have no reason to feel particularly loyal to Jasper, no matter how they might seem on the outside. And then I thought of my cousin Lana.”

“Why her?” Devynn asked.

“She’s been in love with Jasper forever. Like him, her magic revolves around magic itself, so to speak, so she’s spent a lot of time studying it and strengthening her gifts, thinking that would be the thing to bring them together. Some people would probably say they were too close cousins to be together, since she’s a direct descendant of Jeremiah’s sister Emma, but Lana would always argue that it didn’t matter, that Rebecca had already given him a son and all she cared about was being a good and faithful wife to him.”

Seth found himself shaking his head. “That’s the one thing I can’t seem to understand, no matter how much I try. Why would anyone want to marry a Wilcox primus when they must know it’s nothing more than a death sentence?”

A thin smile, and Adam replied, “Everyone wants to think they’re the exception.”

Maybe so, but it still made absolutely no sense to him.

“Also,” Devynn put in, “things are different in my time, but my mother told me how the Wilcox women used to view being with the primus as a necessary sacrifice to keep the line unbroken. It was kind of an honor, I guess.”

Some honor, Seth thought, dying before your time because of a curse a crazed witch placed on the clan decades before you were even born.

But this wasn’t the time to ponder the Wilcox clan’s admittedly odd quirks. No, he needed to understand why Adam thought his cousin Lana was somehow key in all this.

“Okay, I suppose I can see why Lana might be upset that Jasper went to all this work to kidnap the McAllister prima -in-waiting. But I still don’t quite get why she might be able to help us.”

Adam flickered a glance at Devynn, as if wondering why her companion was being so dense. However, his tone was even enough as he replied, “Like I said, Lana’s gift is magic itself. She’s a very, very strong witch…and she’s extremely annoyed with Jasper right now.”

A pause, and the Wilcox warlock smiled.

“As they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”