“They’re going to find us in the dark?” I asked.
“I bet they’re going furry.” Airlie giggled. “I love seeing River when he’s being all ottery. What about you and Tanner?”
“So far, I’ve seen him in his wolf form twice and both times were under extremely stressful conditions.” I shut off the light. As my eyes adjusted and my ears tuned in to the rise of night sounds, shuffling bushes and snapping sticks announced the approach of the four-legged druids. Tanner loped into view first. River, with the otter’s rolling gait, was second. He went right to Airlie, rubbing a circle around her ankles and calves. His otter was much larger than the river otters I’d seen since first moving to the island, which made sense. There was a lot of mass to displace.
Tanner’s wolf was bigger, and its fur coat had more dark silver patches than six weeks ago. He rubbed alongside my leg, his back almost the height of my hip. “You’re gorgeous,” I said, grabbing his scruff. He lifted his face and nuzzled the offered cheek.
Airlie and I followed the otter and the wolf, one chattering, one chuffing, through the woods and into the clearing. Both animals looked at each other, then us, and raced for the secluded side of the house.
“Has River let you watch him shift?” I asked. I vaguely remembered Tanner shifting from wolf to naked human on my lawn the night of my post–Blood Ceremony party. And my friend Officer Jack had insisted I thaw an armload of red meat for his post-shift appetite.
“No. I’ve gotten the impression he and Wes and Kaz make the change among themselves with ease. I imagine doing it in front of humans is a rather intimate experience.”
We entered the house. The sewing project had been neatened, the dressmaker’s form set near a corner, and Maritza and Leilani were gone. Cleaned plates were stacked in the dish rack and an explanatory note was pinned to the sheet covering the dress. The witch would return in the morning to work on the other panels.
Christoph appeared agitated. I gave him a hug and asked what they had seen.
“Odd spell-crafting, Calliope,” he said. He carried the scent of decay. I leaned close to his shirt and sniffed, wanting to confirm the smell was clinging to his clothes and wings and not coming from inside of him.
“I’m not sure if that’s what I’m smelling, but I agree it’s odd.” I let him go and surveyed the kitchen counters and the stovetop. The teens had left a note for us to help ourselves, and Harper had added a postscript on the back that made me smile. “Thatch and I talked and we’re good with you and Tanner. Love you.”
I folded the note and tucked it into my pocket.
The covered pot and wok were warm to the touch. I lifted each lid. “Are you ready for dinner?” I asked. “There’re leftovers here, but not enough for the five of us.”
“Ravenous. Let me help.”
Tanner and River entered, clad in sweatpants and T-shirts. I asked them to move the dining table closer to the wall and reconfigure the chairs and odd tables so we could sit together while we ate.
Christoph had taken up his favorite spot in front of the refrigerator, door open and confusion on his face. “Calliope, shall we continue with the stir fry idea? I see a lot of vegetables in here in need of cooking.”
“Toss them in the sink. I’ll rinse and chop if you cook,” I said, pulling out a larger pot.
Half an hour later, we had big bowls of rice, rice noodles, and vegetables. River volunteered to make a batch of his secret peanut sauce, adding a fragrant sweet and sour spiciness to the air.
The five of us seated ourselves across the array of chairs, cushions, and the couch. Christoph shook out his napkin, placed it across his lap, and raised his fork. “Magicals, report.”
Chapter 18
I darted a glance at Airlie and tilted my head toward the front of the house. She nodded and pointed to her chest. I gave her a thumbs-up. “Calliope and I had a bit of an adventure,” she began. “After the three of you left, she and I exchanged…impressions, and decided to explore the property across the street.”
“We took our phones,” I added, leaving out that I’d forgotten to stick my wand in my pocket or strap my dagger to my thigh.
Airlie continued, “We both felt called, me through the waters and Calliope because—”
“Because I want to know who’s behind the blind trusts,” I said. “I really dislike not knowing who owns those two plots, especially given we have proof the Flechettes surround me on the two other sides.”
“I showed Calli how to use a dowsing stick and once we were over the rise, the one you can see from the road, the property flattened out.” Airlie used her hands to illustrate the progression of our adventure. “We saw a house. Old, built in the early 1900s. Dilapidated. But…soulful somehow. There’s a story in that place, but we didn’t get close enough to figure it out. Instead, we continued around the house. We both sensed water flowing underground, and I could feel the presence of a larger body of water. Sure enough, there’s a lovely marsh in the back.”
I took over. “We didn’t get too close to the marsh. There’s a straight path that leads from the marsh to the back of the house, and there’s something there we think needs investigating.” I opened my phone and brought up the panoramic image. “Take a look.”
Tanner and River watched the screen, then handed the phone to Christoph and showed him how to run it again. “When I read the ground, I got sensations similar to what I’d felt the day I walked onto the Pearmain property, discovered the severed heads, and met Tanner.”
“Can you describe it to those of us who weren’t there, Calli-lass?”
“It’s like there’s a
