Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
By the end of dinner, I’d gotten nowhere. Delilah began to clear the table. We took turns helping Iris with the cleanup.
“Nothing yet?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I can’t find anything, so far. Of course, this book is three inches thick, and it’s a copy of a handwritten text, so reading isn’t exactly swift going. I think I might call Asheen.”
Asheen was a friend of mine back in Otherworld who was also a witch, except her magic worked without a problem. She was a lot older and more experienced than I was.
“You think she might know? Do you think it’s Earthside magic?”
“That, I’m not sure of. I think Chase stepped into some sort of interdimensional space, which means it could be anything, from anywhere.
But I’m not sure what else to do. I don’t want to just forget about it.
I have the feeling Chase is in danger and I don’t feel comfortable just blowing it off. ” I frowned, standing up.
Iris glanced over her shoulder at me. She was wrapping up the leftovers from dinner, though there weren’t many. We all had huge appetites and—unless she made a huge pot of spaghetti or something like that—there wasn’t usually much left.
“I think you should follow your instincts. I don’t like the look of it, either, and if you know someone who might be able to shed some light on it, then I say go for it.
” She handed Delilah the tray that the sandwiches had been on, then carried the leftover food to the refrigerator.
“I can tell you, Chase’s energy felt different, and I don’t think he realized it. ”
“You noticed that, too?” I asked.
She nodded. “I have the feeling something hooked its claws into him.”
“I’ll go put in the call now.” I headed up the stairs to my study, where the Whispering Mirror was located.
It stood in the corner, covered by a black velvet cloth.
About three feet tall by about two feet wide, the oval mirror was set within a silver frame.
The metal had been mined from the Nebelvuori Mountains back in Otherworld, where the dwarves delved deep into the bowels of the world for precious metals and gems. The silver had a natural magic to it, which helped with the operation.
The magic of the Whispering Mirrors was activated by voice, and allowed us to communicate with both our family in OW, but also the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Chase had a Whispering Mirror, too, at home, but I had the feeling he avoided it as much as possible.
I sat on the bench in front of the mirror and said, “Camille.”
After a moment, the mirror began to fog over, and then I said, “Asheen,” and gave the coordinates to contact her.
Another moment, and the image of a woman appeared in the mirror.
She was older, though the Fae seldom showed their age until they were at least a thousand years old.
Her hair was caught up in a chignon, and she was dressed in a gossamer gown.
Asheen was fairly high up in the Coterie of the Moon Mother—the religious order I belonged to.
“Camille,” she said, sounding surprised. “How are you?”
“Fine, I guess. It’s sure different over Earthside,” I said. “I’m getting used to it, though. In some ways, it’s easier to blend in here, even though I’m half-Fae. There are so many mixed backgrounds here… For the most part, it doesn’t matter.”
She gave me a soft smile. Asheen knew what my sisters and I had been through back in Otherworld, given our mixed heritage. “I’m glad you feel comfortable. What can I do for you?”
I brought out the disc. “A friend stumbled into what I suspect is a natural portal. When he was in there, he found this, and I’m trying to figure out what it is.” I held it up. “The energy feels disturbing…I think he might be in danger from it.”
Asheen leaned forward as I held the disc up to the glass. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then abruptly stiffened. “Tell me, who touched it first?”
Uh-oh. By the look on her face, whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
“Chase did. Our friend. He brought it to my store this morning to ask me about it.” I waited, trying to be patient. Unfortunately, that wasn’t one of my skills. “Why?”
“That disc is a tenzar. A curse-keeper.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “Over here in Otherworld, they’re only used by sorcerers. I’m not sure about Earthside.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “What do they do?”
“They hold curses. They can be programmed to release the curse on the next person who touches the disc, or at a specific time. I’m afraid your friend has been cursed, if I’m reading the energy right.
” Asheen sighed. “I have no idea what kind of curse, or how deadly. You’ll have to figure that out.
And there’s no way to negate it until you know what you’re dealing with. ”
I sucked in a deep breath. Chase was in danger, but there wasn’t anything I could do. At least, not yet. I tried to think. “So, how do I figure out what kind of curse hit him?”
Asheen thought for a moment. “I’m afraid the normal ways don’t apply to you, so let me think.”
Normally, I’d be insulted, but she was right. My magic fritzed out at the most inopportune times, and I usually had to adapt my spells, or the chance of them backfiring was too great. I scrambled, trying to think of some solution.
“What about me finding someone to help? There are a number of Otherworld citizens running around over here. And there are a plenty of Earthside witches—some human, others mixed blood.”
Come to think of it, Iris knew plenty of people and she might be able to help. At least I had some resources at hand.
“I think that’s a good idea. Whatever the case, remember its shape and general form. Tenzars are growing popular over here.” She paused, then a shadow crossed her face. “Tenzars are popular among the Brotherhood of the Sun.”
“That figures,” I said, shuddering.
The Brotherhood of the Sun was a cult of sorcerers over in Otherworld.
They hated the Coterie of the Moon Mother and were all too eager to suppress women’s rights.
But so far, they confined themselves to the Southern Wastes—the deserts that were rife with rogue magic.
The Grove of the Moon Mother was north, near the city of Y’Elestrial, where we’d been born.
Even with the growing antagonism, it seemed unlikely that the Brotherhood could do much to the priestesses without being stopped before they marched their way north.
“I’d take care of this sooner than later,” Asheen said.
“Tenzars are dangerous—they’re difficult to create and used for serious business.
I doubt if your friend was deliberately targeted.
It sounds to me like it was a trap set for someone else.
But now, it’s been triggered and your friend’s going to pay the price unless you do something. ”
My stomach dropped. “Thanks. I’ll talk to Iris.”
“How are things going, other than this?” Asheen asked.
I spent a few minutes catching up with her, but closed out the call sooner than I usually would. I needed to talk to Iris.
Iris was making a pot of tea, and Delilah was in the living room, watching Jerry Springer. What she saw in the talk show host confounded me, but she was sprawled on the sofa in her pajama shorts and a loose T-shirt, an afghan draped over her legs, stuffing her face from a bag of Cheetos.
“You have orange fingers,” I said, shaking my head.
Carrying her tea, Iris joined us. She handed Delilah several napkins. “Don’t you dare get the sofa dirty,” she warned, giving Kitten a long look. As she settled in one of the oversized chairs—which dwarfed her small stature—she leaned her head back against the cushion. “It’s been a long day.”
“And it’s about to get longer,” I said. “We need your help, Iris.”
She groaned and turned to look at me. “What’s up?”
I dropped into the rocking chair, letting out a long sigh.
“I talked to Asheen about the disc that Chase found.” I held it up.
“Turns out this is a magical trap—it triggers a curse on whoever picks it up. So, Chase has been cursed. But she couldn’t tell what kind of curse it contained.
I need to find a witch over here Earthside who might be able to figure it out.
Given my fritzy-assed magic, Asheen suggested that I avoid trying to figure it out on my own. ”
“And you need me to find you a witch? Does it have to be a witch? Can it be just anybody who can feel out magical energy?” Iris sipped her tea.
How she managed to stay so calm eluded me.
I’d never seen her angry, not in the six months since she’d moved in with us.
I had the feeling she could be a hellcat if roused, but so far, she’d handled everything with equanimity.
She just laughed when Delilah got into her ribbon drawer and scattered them all over the house.
“I don’t care. I just need to know what kind of curse it triggered on Chase, and hopefully, what we can do about it—” I paused as the phone rang.
Iris went to answer, then turned to me, holding out the receiver. “Chase.”
Frowning, I took the phone. “Hey Chase, what’s up?”
“There’s something in my apartment,” he said. “I’m staring at it and it’s staring at me.” He sounded like he was about to choke on his words.
“What is it?” I motioned to Delilah, mouthing the words, Get dressed.
“It looks like a large frog—the size of a medium dog—and it’s wearing a fez.”
I blinked. “A what?”
“A fez. It’s a hat that a number of fraternity orders wear. Never mind, it’s a frog wearing a hat and clothes, and it’s staring at me like I’m lunch.” His words were becoming increasingly more strangled.
“We’re on our way.” I knew where Chase lived, and given the time, rush hour traffic shouldn’t be too bad. “Meanwhile—try to keep it at a distance.” I slammed the phone down and whirled. “Chase is in trouble. We need to get over to his house.”