Chapter 18
Melaina’s tiny face was still red and blotchy from crying. "What do you mean, Jean-Marc? What did you find?"
I settled into the rocking chair with Melaina to nurse her and Nyssa before they started screaming.
Her weight was warm and solid against my chest. She latched on immediately, and I felt her tiny hand knead against my skin.
Mom positioned Nyssa at my other breast, and Nyssa began nursing eagerly. They were hungrier than I anticipated.
Through the earbud, I heard rapid typing and my son's exhausted voice. "I've been monitoring the Corvus server since you infiltrated their offices. When Parker opened those portals to pull Taverner out, they created a massive magical signature that was routed through their system."
Aidon moved closer with Thaniel cradled in one arm. Nyssa's shadows danced up to his and twined with them. Both glowed a bit brighter as if they’d downed a Five-Hour energy shot.
"Which means?" I prompted, running a finger over Nyssa's downy hair.
"They were using Corvus equipment to stabilize the dimensional magic," Stella's voice cut in as she joined us in the nursery.
"Yes,” Jean-Marc agreed. “They're still using active Corvus resources."
I had to will my heartbeat to calm. It might be the answer we needed, but I couldn’t believe they would be dumb enough to keep using them. "Are they at a Corvus facility?"
"From the spikes in their network, I would say they are," Jean-Marc confirmed. "And I believe I know which one."
"This will be easier to discuss if we’re all on a video call and I don’t have to fill Gammy and Nina in. I’ll call from the kitchen in five minutes," I told Jean-Marc as Stella took Melaina.
“I’ll be waiting for your call,” Jean-Marc promised.
Mom took Nyssa as I got to my feet. Thaniel seemed content, but I would need to feed him soon. Aidon carried Thaniel, and we headed down. "What's he found?" Aidon asked quietly.
"A location." I chuckled when Nyssa let out a loud burp on Mom's shoulder. "Which means we're about to do something incredibly stupid."
Each step down to the kitchen sent fresh pain through my chest. Clio's healing magic could only do so much when your magical core was close to burning out from destroying the Scythe. The acrid smell of burned magic and spent ammunition still hung in the air. It was a poignant reminder of the battle that had been on our doorstep. At least this time the house wasn’t destroyed.
I couldn’t handle more construction. The triplets didn’t sleep enough as it was.
Stella propped the tablet on its stand and opened the conferencing app.
Her blonde hair was still matted with ash and blood.
Nana stood beside her, methodically cleaning her shotgun.
They’d both been invaluable during the fight.
I didn’t like Nana being in the thick of things, but it was easier to have her with us than to worry about her sneaking out to help.
Tarja jumped onto the counter and sat nearby. Her tail began lashing. "Call him," my familiar prodded as Thaniel began fussing.
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t gonna skip you, buddy,” I told Thaniel as I took him from Aidon.
Stella pressed Jean-Marc's contact as Thaniel latched on. It was a good thing my body had gotten used to producing a lot of milk. My oldest son’s face filled the screen a second later. The dark circles under his eyes made him look years older than twenty.
“I tracked several locations, but only one of them has a massive energy expenditure,” he explained as if we were continuing the conversation.
He pulled up a map before I could ask. There were seven red dots pulsing across the country. Then he typed something on the keyboard, and one of the dots flared brilliant orange. The exact color of the corrupted magic.
"That one lit up with active dimensional magic half an hour ago," he said. "Massive power usage. Someone's running serious spellwork at those coordinates."
"Where is it?" Aidon appeared behind me. His presence was solid at my back.
Jean-Marc zoomed in. "Upstate New York. In the middle of nowhere." He paused, and I saw the hesitation in his face. "It's the original research facility. Where Taverner's lab fire happened."
The breath left my lungs. "Her daughters died there."
"The building was supposedly torn down forty-eight years ago." Jean-Marc pulled up thermal imaging. Heat signatures bloomed beneath what should have been empty ground. "It seems they rebuilt it. Underground. It’s hidden beneath the ruins."
Stella's fingers flew across her keyboard. "Look at this power consumption. That's industrial-scale magical usage. More than most supernatural communities use in a year."
"That's the idea I'm not going to like?" I asked, though dread was already pooling in my gut. "Following the power signature?"
"That's part of it." Jean-Marc's expression shifted. "The part you won't like is that this is obviously a trap. She wants you to come. She's probably been waiting for us to find this."
"He's right," Tarja said into my mind. "She has a nasty plan in place for you and Aidon."
"I know." I said it loud enough for everyone to hear. "But what choice do we have? She's going to keep coming for the babies. Tonight, tomorrow, next week—she won't stop until she has them or we stop her."
Aidon's hand found my hip. His grip was tight enough to hurt. Through our bond, I felt his exhaustion mirroring my own. "We can't leave the babies undefended. Not after what just happened."
"We won't." Stella closed her laptop with a decisive snap. "We split our forces. Some stay, some go."
Nana snorted. "And who decides who gets the suicide mission?"
"I’m going." The words came out before I could second-guess them. "She wants me. She'll expect me."
"Not without me." Aidon's grip tightened until it bordered on painful.
"The babies need you here. Your godly powers—"
"Are useless right now." His eyes flashed black, and shadows flickered weakly around his hands. "I'm as depleted as you are. If we're walking into a trap, we do it together."
I pulled my hand free, rounding on him. "You are not risking yourself when—"
"When what? When I could stay here safely while you get yourself killed?" His power pulsed, scraping along my spine. "After everything we've been through, you think I'm letting you face Taverner alone?"
"She's not going alone." Stella stood, her blonde hair catching the light. "I'm coming too."
"Are you sure?" I asked my best friend. She and I had been on every case together. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine not having her with me. More so than Aidon. She was my good luck charm and a badass. "You have your own—"
"My own what? Family to protect?" Her laugh was sharp. "Those babies upstairs are my godchildren. You think I'm sitting this out? Not a chance."
"I'm going too," Nana announced, checking her ammunition. "I want to be there when she gets her ass kicked."
"The four of you should go." Mom pointed at me. "You got out of her first trap. You can get out of this one, too. The rest of us stay here with the babies."
"Mollie—" Aidon started.
"Don't." Mom held up her hand. "Jean-Marc can guide you through their security remotely. I'll have every witch in the coven here within the hour. Selene's already calling in favors. We'll have this house so warded a god couldn't break through."
As if summoned, Selene appeared behind Mom, phone pressed to her ear. "The rest of the coven is coming, and Tseki and Murtagh are coordinating the shifters. Murtagh's calling in his old pack. We'll have twenty wolves here by dawn. Layla is recovering."
Clio walked in the back door. "Layla will be fine in a few hours." Her eyes saw too much when they landed on me. "You're not fine. Your magical core is close to burning out from destroying the Scythe. You need rest, not another battle."
I handed Thaniel to Aidon when he finished nursing and covered myself. "I'll rest when Taverner is dead."
Tarja's voice sliced through my mind. "If you push too hard, you'll burn yourself out completely. Permanently."
"I’ll get some rest while we travel," I insisted.
Through our bond, I felt her frustration sharpen into something else. Fear. But underneath it was acceptance. She knew I had to do this.
"You can do that while we go over possibilities so you’re ready to fight them," Mom said.
The kitchen exploded into motion. Clio pulled Aidon and me aside. "This isn't going to fix the drain on your cores. But I can stabilize you enough that you won't collapse mid-fight."
“Anything you can do for us is appreciated,” I assured her.
The warmth of her magic seeping into my chest made me gasp. It was kinda like a hot pad when you had bad menstrual cramps. Energy flowed into me, making me feel lighter somehow.
"You need to keep in mind that you will have thirty minutes of peak performance," Clio said quietly. "After that, you'll be running on willpower alone. Don't waste it. And do not push yourself."
“I never do,” Aidon told her. I didn’t bother because we all knew that was my standard setting.
The sharp scent of ozone and old magic hit me as Mom materialized in the doorway of our Sanctuary, her arms loaded down like she was prepping for the apocalypse. I hadn't even heard her slip away.
"Nina's packing tactical gear," she announced, shifting her grip on what looked like half our apothecary—potions, protective charms, an emergency medical kit that had seen better days. "You're not going in there unprepared."
My pulse kicked up a notch. "Is she pulling out those enchanted cargo pants?" The ones she'd haggled over at the magical market like her life depended on it, insisting they were an investment.
Mom's expression went flat, that special brand of are you seriously asking me this right now that only mothers have mastered. "That's a safe bet. She got them for you for times like this."