I turned to look at her. “How do you know that?”
She glanced in my direction, lips pressed thin. “Because I joined the New Orleans Coven when I first moved here,” my cousin explained. “I thought it’d be like our family, you know? But it wasn’t.” Her tone was cold. “I’m telling you what I know. Colette has two children, both strong hexers.”
“So, she is too?” I reasoned. I didn’t want to deal with any hexes being thrown my way, but if I knew what was coming, I could at least try to prevent it. Or at the very least, not waste my energy trying to dodge their magic.
“Colette Villere is a ritualist,” Merric said with glee. Aveline glanced at him in the mirror and he smiled, all happy apologies. “Oh my gosh I am so sorry I stole your thunder, Av.”
I glanced at him. “How do you know–“
“No.” Yuna’s hand shot forward, her warm palm pressing over my mouth. “Don’t even think about it. One more and I really will make good on my threat.”
The kitsune couldn’t look happier.
“What was that?” Merric asked, one ear swiveling dramatically in my direction.
I didn’t speak. Yuna’s hand dropped and she shot me a warning glare.
“She’s a ritualist,” Aveline agreed, her eyes on the road. “She’s incredibly strong, even if she is getting up there in years. I think you should let Cian handle her, honestly. Or Merric.”
“Pass,” the kitsune said lightly, making me want to rip my hair out. “Hey, why don’t you go take her down, George? After all, you’re the one she kidnapped and put into a messy little dream loop, right? Have we forgotten that already?”
Was it my imagination, or had his voice turned mocking?
I rubbed at an imaginary spot on my jeans, but didn’t reply.
“Let’s just find Cian and–,“
“The Troublesome Trio,” Merric pressed.
“Whatever. Let’s just find the Troublesome Trio and go from there.” I didn’t say anything about the tarot reading I’d done, as I was sure it said nothing about me cheering on someone else as they took down the leader of the witches.
We were silent, none of us feeling the urge to speak as the city disappeared behind us.
“We’re almost there,” Aveline said finally. “Where am I going?”
Merric directed her quickly, unerringly routing her to a long gravel road that ended at a large fence with a sign hooked on it reading DO NOT ENTER in very bold letters.
“Well that’s subtle,” I muttered, as we got out of Aveline’s car. . “This isn’t the way we came in last time.”
The kitsune shot me a very patient look. “They’ve moved from the clearing they started in. Actually…” He looked up, eyes finding the darkening sky. “They’ve moved quite a bit. We’re closest to your lich.”
“They split up?” My heartbeat sped up. “Why would they do that?”
He shrugged.
“What’s the plan?” Yuna asked, sword in her hand. Where did she store it when she wasn’t holding it?
I realized she was asking me. Aveline, too, was looking at me.
Even Merric had his ears twisted in my general direction.
“We’re going to split up,” I said after a moment. “Who’s faster? You, or you?” I pointed to Yuna, then Merric.
They looked at each other curiously.
“Me,” Merric said at last. “Unless I’m mistaken.”
“He’s faster than me on land,” the cecaelia agreed.
“Who’s the furthest from us?”
Another moment of deliberation. Then the kitsune said with certainty. “Cian.”
As he spoke, I started walking. The sun had all-but set, and the trees in front of us were shadowy and near-inscrutable.
With a thought, I half shifted to take advantage of my wolf’s senses instead of relying on my witch ones. I was the first over the gate, scaling it quickly and turning to help Aveline down. Yuna and Merric both cleared it with a jump, no climbing required.
“Point Yuna and us in the direction of Akiva and Indra,” I went on, striding through the trees. Aveline walked on my right, Yuna on my left. It didn’t shock me that Merric kept to himself even now. “Then go get Cian. We need to meet up somewhere.”
“I don’t need him to tell us where Akiva is,” Aveline interrupted. “I can hear him on the wind. He isn’t far.”
“Can we find each other, once we’re safe?” I asked. “We need to figure out what we’re doing together.”
“I would think the hellhound can sniff all of you out,” Yuna agreed. She walked in the direction Merric gestured for her to go, disappearing in the trees.
“See you soon,” Merric promised. In a sudden rush of magic that danced along my skin like a breeze, he shifted.
It was nothing like my own shift. The magic of being a shifter instead of a were meant that the person got to keep their clothes and their shift was instant.
My own was smooth and swift, but not magical.
A nine tailed white fox sprinted past us, only slightly larger than a real fox and incredibly quick. He lunged over logs, branches, and through the trees until finally his glimmering white coat vanished in the darkness.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, George,” Aveline breathed when they were gone. “And I really hope they’re worth it.”
“So do I,” I admitted quietly. “Come on. Let’s go save a lich.”
Chapter 29
Even with my wolf’s hearing it was a few minutes before I could make out the sounds of a struggle. We’d been jogging up until this point, trying to steer clear of natural obstacles and not fall into mud. Every so often, I would misjudge the distance of a low hanging vine or misstep to trip over a log or rock. Thank the Goddess I had werewolf healing abilities.
After a few minutes of very not fun sprinting, I could hear the sounds of a fight. I urged my legs to go faster, noticing that Aveline slowed beside me, though a gust of wind buffeted me as I ran.
The trees thinned, and between
