Chapter 15
If anyone noticed the fact that I was zombie levels of tired at the kitchen table the next morning, they didn’t mention it.
Maybe they simply expected me to be practically comatose after discovering a dead body, and I probably would have been.
The fact that I then went on an adventure to resurrect said dead body a few hours later was, apparently, an unnecessary piece of the puzzle.
“Would you like some tea, Wren?” Rhi asked me.
“Coffee. Turbo-charged,” I muttered in reply.
Rhi bustled around the counter for a few minutes, and returned with a hot cup of coffee, which she set down in front of me.
“I’m surprised at you, Wren,” my mom said from the chair beside me. I looked over at her, and saw that she was staring at me with narrowed eyes, like she was trying to read something printed on my face.
“Why?” I asked, my heart fluttering a little with anxiety.
“I thought you’d come storming down the stairs demanding to know what happened to the grimoire.”
I couldn’t believe it. In all the chaos of the previous night, I’d completely forgotten about the grimoire.
I tried to keep my face impassive and my voice calm as I replied, “Give a girl a second, will you? I’m barely conscious yet.
” I took one scalding sip of coffee, and then looked pointedly at my mother. “So? What happened to the grimoire?”
“Well, the good news is that no one noticed the Binding,” Rhi said, as she slid into the seat on the other side of me, with a slight creak in her knees.
“Or if they did, they didn’t mention it.
Personally, I think most of the Conclave knows us well enough to know we wouldn’t let that book out of our sight without tying ourselves to it somehow. ”
“Nothing they can do about it even if they did notice,” my mom added, and there was definite satisfaction in her voice. “It can’t be undone by anyone but a Vesper.”
“Where is it now?” I asked.
“It’s still here, in the library. But we agreed to move it to the lighthouse tonight,” Rhi said.
My stomach dropped out of me. “What? Why?” I gasped.
I suppose it wasn’t all that surprising that I’d have this reaction.
The lighthouse had been the site of one of the most traumatic moments of my life, and that was the only association I had with it.
My mom seemed to be expecting my panic, because her hand shot out and clasped mine, squeezing it tight.
“Wren, it’s okay. The lighthouse has undergone a complete magical stripping down since Bernadette used it. It’s probably the safest place on the Cove at the moment.”
“Not to mention it’s close to the Playhouse, which means the police details can keep an eye on both locations simultaneously,” Rhi added. “Not that they’ll be told what’s inside, of course. No one outside the Vespers and the Conclave know about that.”
I dropped my eyes to my mug and took another sip of coffee. No need for them to know that Nova was in on the secret, too.
“Today, the Conclave will be setting up the magical protections. When they are satisfied with the fortifications, they will let us know it’s ready, and we will take the grimoire there,” Rhi went on. “There we can examine it thoroughly, without fear of discovery or interruption.”
I glanced around the kitchen. “And Persi?”
My mom smirked. “She’s already over at the lighthouse. She says she’ll be damned if she lets Ostara cast a single spell without watching her like a hawk.”
I laughed. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
Suddenly, the phone on the wall—one of the many aspects of Lightkeep that made it feel like it was frozen in time—began to ring.
My mom groaned, and dragged herself out of her chair to go get it.
At the same time, my cell phone began to buzz against my thigh.
I pulled it surreptitiously out of my pocket, and glanced at the notification.
It was a text from an unknown number. I pocketed the phone again quickly, just as my mother’s voice rose.
“What do you mean, gone?” she was saying into the phone, her posture tense and still, like an animal caught in headlights. “How can it just be gone?”
Rhi turned, frowning, to watch my mother. Then she jumped up and ran into the library, returning a moment later with a relieved expression on her face. I knew she was checking on the grimoire which, based on her reaction, was still exactly where it was supposed to be.
But I already knew that whoever was on the other end of the line wasn’t talking about a missing book.
I braced myself, hitching what I hoped was an expression of mild curiosity onto my face.
I saw my mom’s eyes dart toward me several times as she listened.
Then she hung the phone up and turned to face us, all color drained from her face.
“What is it, Kerridwen?” Rhi whispered. “What’s happened?”
“There, um… there seems to be a…” she cleared her throat, “…a mix-up with Jess Ballard’s body.”
“What do you… you mean it isn’t actually her?” Rhi asked, looking suddenly hopeful.
“No,” my mom replied, running a hand over her face. “It’s… it appears to be missing.”
Rhi just stared at her, unblinking. “I don’t… huh?”
“They took the body to Blackleach and Graves, to the morgue. But it’s not there anymore.”
Rhi was so pale, I thought she might faint. I reached out toward her, ready to brace her if she slumped over, but she managed to stay conscious. “Someone snatched her body?” she whispered through white, unmoving lips.
“So it would appear,” my mom said. “That was Maeve. There was no sign of forced entry. She—” The shrill ring of the phone cut her off again, and she groaned.
“That’ll be someone from the Conclave, goddess help us all.
” She answered it again with a wary, “Hello?” as Rhi hurried off to the library again, and returned this time with the grimoire clutched protectively to her chest. Instead of sitting back down at the table, she joined my mother over at the phone, and leaned in close to the receiver so that she could catch what the caller was saying.
My phone began to buzz again. No one was paying the slightest attention to me, so I slipped out of the kitchen, through the French doors, and out into the garden.
My phone kept vibrating as notification after notification popped up.
A quick glance showed me that Nova, Eva, and Zale were blowing up the group chat, but I didn’t open it.
Instead, I scrolled to the first text, the unknown number.
You make it back home okay?
It was Jess, that much was certain. I typed a hasty reply.
Yes, but they know you’re gone. Did you make it out of town?
The reply came quickly. I’m safe. Got out of the B&B without being spotted.
A pause, and then… Do they suspect you?
No, I don’t think so. Not yet anyway.
Did you talk to Nova? What’s the verdict? Are you in, or am I on my own?
I hesitated. This was my chance to back out. I didn’t have to help her. I didn’t have to dig myself deeper into this mess. Then I looked down at Asteria’s charm that I still wore around my neck, even though its spell was long since broken, and knew I’d already made my decision.
Nova’s out, but don’t worry, she’ll keep her mouth shut. I’m in.
There was a longer pause, and then the reply appeared. Thank you.
Telling her she was welcome would be a lie, so instead I typed. When?
As soon as we can. I need to make some arrangements first. Monday night?
My heart throbbed like a wound in my chest. Monday was only three days away. I had no idea how we were going to pull this off with security crawling all over the Playhouse, security that was only going to get more intense now that Jess was missing. My fingers shook as I typed my reply.
Okay. I’ll be in touch. Lay low.
“Wren?”
With a yelp of surprise, I dropped my phone on the flagstones. My mom was standing in the doorway.
“Honey, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I gasped, quickly snatching my phone back up, and making sure my texting app was closed. “Yeah, you just scared me.”
“How much of our conversation did you hear?” she asked.
“Not much, but my friends are blowing up my phone,” I said, holding it up. “They’re saying the Conclave is flipping out because Jess’ body disappeared from the morgue?”
My mom frowned. “How do they know about it?”
I attempted a roll of the eyes. “Come on, Mom, be serious. How often do you successfully hide stuff from me around here?”
She smiled sheepishly. “Touché.” The smile faded at once. “This is a lot. Are you okay?”
I shrugged. “I think so.”
“Because the Conclave will get to the bottom of this, sweetie. We’ll have answers soon.”
The words were meant to be soothing, of course, but all they did was make my heart start pounding like a bass drum.
“Yeah,” I said with a forced smile. “Yeah, I’m sure we will. I’m uh… gonna go get dressed.”
“Of course, honey. I’ll let you know if I hear any news.”
“Thanks,” I said, and headed for the stairs. Once my bedroom door was shut behind me, I pulled my phone out again, opened the group chat, and scrolled the messages.
Z: OMG THEY KNOW
E: they don’t KNOW
Z: my grandmother keeps staring at meeeeeee
E: because you’re probably acting weird just be normal.
N: imagine Zale being normal
oh wait i literally can’t
Cool, so everyone was melting down about as much as I was. This was going to devolve into chaos if someone didn’t take control, and it looked like that person was going to have to be me.
We all need to talk. In person. Can you meet me at Shadowkeep at noon?
Zale and Eva replied at once. It was several minutes of being left on read before Nova finally agreed. I ran up to change out of my pajamas and threw my hair into a ponytail, and then stopped into the kitchen where Rhi and my mom were conversing in low voices.
“I’m headed out,” I said.
“Where are you going?” my mom asked.
“I’m supposed to be opening this morning, remember? Busiest week of the year?”
My mother groaned. “Of course. Shadowkeep. I should have… do we really have to…?”