Chapter 40
ERDIKOA
Rory’s neck burned as she stepped out of the shower, and she promised Caius a slow death again for biting her like a rabid dog. Sure, the sentiment turned her on, but it hurt like a bitch.
She had an inkling he’d do it again once it healed, but she had an idea to put an end to it. The last thing he said before the soulscape ended plagued her. “Find information on the soulscape magic.”
He looked desperate when he said it, so it must be important. She’d already asked her father to search for books about Aeternums, and if there was information on soulscape magic, it would have been there. She needed to think of something other than combing through books at the library.
Lost in thought, she floated down the stairs and into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, only to find Sam holding out a steaming cup.
“Thank you.” She sighed and took a drink, hissing when it singed her tongue. “How’d you know when to make this for me?”
He picked up a glass of raw eggs, and Rory had to look away. It was too early to throw up already. “You are loud when you move around.”
She blew on her coffee and threw daggers with her eyes. “I am not. Do you have supermystic hearing?”
He ignored her and gulped down his breakfast. “Supermystics are not real.”
She snorted, unable to help herself, and hoped he never changed. “Who was the woman you spoke to in the store last night?”
Sam had parked directly in front of the convenience store, and the front of the establishment was all windows. She watched him at the checkout, speaking to a woman who looked to be in her thirties, smiling at her like a love-struck teenager.
He ignored the question and left the kitchen, but she hurried after him, trying not to spill her coffee. “Who was she?”
“She was no one,” he said dismissively.
“I don’t need your powers to know you’re lying.” She planted herself in one of the oversized chairs across from him because he took up half the couch.
“I met her at the Lux Palace,” he answered reluctantly. “She is a maid and agreed to report anything of value.”
Rory watched his face for any clue about what he felt for the woman. The way his face looked when he spoke to her suggested she was more than an informant. “She’s cute.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed, but his face remained impassive.
The odds of him telling her were slim to none, so she changed the subject. “You’ll never believe what Caius told me last night.”
This caught his attention. “He went out drinking with my mom, Kit, and…” Her voice trailed off as something occurred to her. Why didn’t she think of it before? “Kit.” She set her coffee down and jumped up. “Kit!”
Sam looked alarmed. “Did she die? Why is that a good thing?”
“No, she’s not dead. What is wrong with you?” She ran into the office, looking for a computer. “Why is there an office but no computer?”
“Why are you yelling Kit’s name?” he questioned as he watched her run around.
“Her parents are the best historians in the realm,” she said, grabbing her phone to search their names on the essenet. “Do you know her parents’ names?”
Sam tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. He usually had it pulled back halfway or in a low bun, but not today. Maybe he hoped to run into that woman again.
“Why do you need a historian?” he asked, clearly annoyed.
“The last thing Caius said last night was to find information on the soulscape magic,” she explained as she searched for historians on her phone. Did historians have netsites or did they work for companies?
Sam stayed quiet as Rory typed away. “Dammit,” she hissed. “I don’t even know her last name.”
He sat back down on the couch and said, “Her parents’ names are Meena and Kellin Cooper.”
She glowered at him. “Why didn’t you tell me when I asked?”
“I am telling you,” he deadpanned, and she wanted to ask to see his wings so she could pluck them bare.
Typing their names into her phone, she asked, “How do you know that?”
“She, your other friends, and your mother are researching ways to break the magic barrier.” He dug a hair tie out of his pocket and pulled back the top half of his hair. “When Caius asked for her help, she told us to ask her parents, and I looked at her file for their names.”
Rory’s face was blank to hide her thirst for murder. “Why didn’t you look them up?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“I had more pressing matters, and breaking the magic barrier is impossible,” he replied. “It is a fool’s errand.”
A netsite popped up with their names, and she almost jumped up and down. It was an article about their contributions to one of the largest museums in the city where they worked. Rushing into the office, she jotted down the museum name and address and stuffed it in her sweatshirt pocket.
“The museum opens soon.” She hopped on one foot as she struggled to put on her sneakers.
Sam sighed and grabbed his boots, tugging them on. “Any other pointless errands to run while we are out?”
She ignored his sour tone. “Yes. We’ll go after talking to the Coopers.”
Rory pulled her hat low before she and Sam walked through the revolving door of the museum and made a beeline to the information desk.
She couldn’t enjoy the splendor of the place, but she made a note to come back later for a tour.
The young man at the desk looked up with an easy smile. “How can I help you today?”
“We need to speak with Meena and Kellin Cooper,” Rory said, foregoing pleasantries.
The man typed something into his computer and clicked around before twisting back to them. “Did you have an appointment?”
“We do not,” Sam said, his booming voice echoing around the large room, making the man behind the counter flinch.
“They don’t see anyone without an appointment,” he informed them, avoiding Sam’s menacing glare.
“We are friends of their daughter, Kit, and it is important that we speak with them immediately,” Rory insisted. She wasn’t above tying this guy up if she had to.
He nodded meekly and picked up the desk phone, dialing quickly.
“Hello, Mrs. Cooper. There are two people here to see you and Mr. Cooper.” He paused, listening to the other person.
“No, they do not have an appointment, but they said they are friends of Kit’s, and it’s important.
” Another pause. “I will bring them right away.”
He stood and walked through the desk like air. An Eidolon. “Right this way.”
Rory tried not to react to the absolute cluttered chaos when they entered the Cooper’s massive office. Books littered the shelves, some thrown haphazardly on top of stacks of other books turned every which way.
Pillars of books, folders, and papers were on the floor, as well as a few tables. The only things clear were two desks on the back wall and a lighted glass case filled with relics and paintings.
“Please, come in,” a woman said as she wove around stacks and tables. She was older and taller, like Kit.
A man pulled two empty chairs from a back room and set them in front of the desks before sticking his hand out when Sam and Rory approached. He was impossibly tall and a spitting image of his daughter. If Rory didn’t know who she was meeting, she would still know this was Kit’s father.
“Kellin Cooper,” he said, shaking their hands. “This is my wife, Meena.”
He was kind and soft, whereas she was suspicious and curt, just like Kit. Rory pressed her lips together when they tried to curl into a smile. “We appreciate you agreeing to see us. I’m Rory, and this is Sam.”
“I understand you know our daughter,” Meena said, getting to the point. “When did you meet? We know all of Kit’s friends, and you are not one of them.”
Rory looked at Sam, who nodded his head. At this point, she would either be killed by Gedeon or saved by Caius, and the only way to make the latter happen was with their help. Telling two more people her true identity wouldn’t matter at this point.
She removed her hat and looked up, watching their faces pale. Meena stood firm, but Kellin stepped back. “Aurora Raven.”
Nodding, she began talking, telling them her story. How she knew Kit, what Caius was to her, how she was back in Erdikoa, the threat Gedeon posed to not only her and Caius but the realms, and what Caius told her to find. When she was done, she held her breath.
The two wore matching blank expressions before Meena burst out laughing.
“You expect us to believe that?” She looked at her husband, who had shifted his gaze to Sam.
Rory could practically see the wheels turning in his head, but he stayed silent.
Meena, still laughing, turned back to the duo.
“I admit, you look like The Butcher, and that was a convincing tale, but nothing you said is possible.” Her laughter died down, and her face hardened.
“And I do not appreciate you using my daughter’s name for attention. ”
Sam stood and looked around before silently picking up entire stacks of books and moving them to clear a space.
“Don’t touch our things,” Meena admonished.
Kellin clasped her arm. “Meena,” he cautioned. “Just wait.”
Before she could reply, Sam turned to her, and his wings shot out. They were the widest Rory had ever seen them, and if she didn’t know Sam, she would have pissed herself.
Kit’s parents made sounds of surprise. Or fear. Rory wasn’t sure.
Kellin stepped around the desk in a daze. “Samyaza.”
“What?” Meena squawked. Her head snapped to Rory. “You’re telling the truth.”
She nodded. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. When I was still in Vincula, Kit told me about you, and Sam said she’s helping Caius research.”
“Your daughter asked me to find you,” Sam told them. “She thought you could help.”
Meena smoothed her shirt down and pulled her shoulders back. “You cannot blame us for questioning the validity of your story. We are experts in our field, and according to the texts, what you’ve told us should be impossible.”