He hesitated for a moment. 'I don't believe that a seer is the solution. If I had, I would have consulted one myself. Seers are not always what they seem, and seldom give the help you need.'
'Yes, well, the bottom line is that I said I'd find that statue in the amount of time you have left, and I intend to do just that. Now please step out of the way and allow me to do my job.'
His jaw tightened. 'I'm removing you from the case.'
'Too late. I've accepted the retainer. I'm going to find the statue,' I said, trying to step around him. He grabbed for my arm. I backed up until I was out of reach.
'Sam, you can't do this,' Clare said, closing in on me from the other side. Her face was puckered with worry, the remains of a flower clutched in her hand.
'I can't? Watch me,' I said calmly, determination seeping from all the gaping holes Paen had left in my soul.
'There's no way out of here,' Finn said, moving so he stood next to Paen. 'We're not going to let you endanger yourself with a seer, Sam. Come to dinner and we'll talk about it.'
I smiled, just smiled at Clare and Finn. Paen I couldn't look at without wanting to scream, sob, and rip all his clothes off in order to have my wicked way with him. Instead of any of those, I reached out and found the opening to the beyond, slipping through it before anyone realized what I was doing.
I heard an echo of my name, but it was distant and tinny, as if spoken from a long way away. I had to pass through Paen to get to the door, an act that almost brought me to tears with the pain of rejection. For one brief moment, time held its breath as my soul merged with his. Like the other times we'd merged, it was so right, so perfect I didn't want to leave. For a moment, I allowed my love to shine bright. Paen reeled in surprise. With a cry of anguish that ripped from my throat, I tore myself away from him and left the office, waiting until I was at the edge of the founded area to slip back to reality.
Paen tried a few times to mind-speak to me, but I barely had the strength to walk away from him—there was no way I could argue my feelings with him. After our last merging, he'd be well aware of the depths of my emotions, and I knew he wasn't happy about them. In a move of sheerest self-preservation, I put up a mental do not disturb sign, and blocked his mind from mine.
It took a good half hour of solid persuasion to get the name and phone number of an area seer from Jake, but after I told him I would rather sacrifice my own soul than lose Paen's mother's, he caved and gave it to me.
'Just remember that a seer's services come at an exorbitantly high price,' he advised as he wrote out a name and phone number. 'She'll ask you for something very precious indeed. I hope you're prepared to lose something that matters to you.'
'I'm immortal now,' I said, pocketing the slip of paper. 'I can afford to lose a few years of my life.'
'Just because the seer that Brother Bartholomew used demanded seven years of his life does not guarantee that's what this seer will ask of you,' he warned, concern filling his eyes.
I gave his hand a squeeze and kissed his cheek. 'Thanks for everything, Jake—both the name and the worry. But you can relax. I'm not suicidal, nor overly stupid. I'll only barter something that I can do without.'
He shook his head as I left. 'That's not how it works, Sam. Just remember that whatever the price she asks, it's bound to be too high. Try to get it down to something that won't deprive you too much.'
I thanked him again and walked to the corner where there was a pay phone. Three minutes later I was running to a taxi stand, having managed to get an appointment with Kelsey Franklin, local seer.
Chapter 14
The ride out to Rosslyn Chapel, where the seer arranged to meet me, wasn't overly long, but it seemed to take a couple of lifetimes. I was nervous, unhappy about having shut out Paen, but determination to see the job through (not to mention a wee touch of pride) kept me from bolting as I paid off the taxi, and looked through the gloom at the old stone building in front of it. Scaffolding along one side indicated that some restoration work was going on. Heeding the seer's instructions, I walked around to the side, where she told me a door would be left unlocked.
I glanced at the sky as I stepped into the building, wishing for approximately the five hundred and seventeenth time that my personal magnetism didn't stop watches. I guessed it to be after seven, which left me roughly five hours until deep night. I'd have time to meet the seer, engage in negotiations, and hopefully run out to pick up the statue from wherever it was being held. If the demon who talked to Paen was right after all, and Owen Race had it… well, I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.
'Hello?' My voice was hushed and somewhat hoarse. I stepped into a side aisle of the chapel, goose bumps prickling on my arms as my footsteps echoed eerily on the uncarpeted stone floor. 'Anyone here? Mrs. Franklin?'
My voice echoed as well, sending little shivers down my back as I moved toward the main aisle. The chapel was built of a beautiful cream stone, twin rows of tall, intricately carved pillars flanking the dark wooden pews that filled the center part of the chapel. Candelabras with electric candles stood at each pillar, lighting the chapel with a warm golden glow that extended upward, to the high gothic arched ceiling, also elaborately carved with faces, figures, and ornaments. No light shone in through the stained glass windows, but I could see that they would be beautiful in sunlight. I paused for a moment, focusing my thoughts, and allowed the essence of the building to tell me its story.
'Whoa,' I said softly, closing myself off from it. 'You've got a lot of history.'
'It was built in the mid-fifteenth century,' a voice said from behind me. I spun around to see a woman slightly older than me, with long, waist-length braids of red that bobbed gently as she walked toward me, pulling off her raincoat before setting it and her purse on the nearest pew. 'Founded by Sir William St. Clair, the last St. Clair prince of Orkney. You are Samantha Cosse?'
'Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you.' I offered my hand, relieved to find that the seer was made of flesh and blood, not some cold creature of the dark powers. Although I'd never met one before, I'd heard stories of how powerful they were… and how that power could be turned against the person seeking their help.
'We are alone, so you needn't fear we'll be interrupted,' she said, waving me into a pew.
'Er… you're sure no one will come in?'
'I'm on the board of the Trust that owns the chapel. It is closed at this time of night, so no one will disturb us,' Kelsey said, taking a seat and folding her hands on her lap. She was rather brusque and businesslike, but didn't give off any vibes that set my warning system off, so I sat next to her. 'You said you wished to patronize my services. What price are you willing to pay for them?'
I bit my lip. 'I suppose money is out?'
She nodded. 'My time is valuable. I expect to be paid well for it.' She eyed me for a second. 'You are part elf. In a normal situation, I would ask you for a score of years.'
'A score?' I tried to keep from looking too surprised. 'A Diviner who recommended you to me said he only had to give you seven years for your services. Has inflation struck or something?'
She didn't crack a smile, just looked at me with a vaguely impatient expression. 'My fee is dependent upon the individual who seeks assistance. As one with elf blood, your life span is greater than a mortal's, thus you would be asked for more in payment. But as you are also a Beloved…' Her voice trailed off as she scrutinized me.
I was suddenly very uncomfortable, feeling no little bit like a butterfly that had been pinned and was being examined with a magnifying glass. Self-preservation in the form of a distraction from the unnerving examination had me asking, 'How do you know I'm a Beloved?'
She gave me a dismissive look. 'You seek an object of great importance.'
'Yes, I do,' I said, thinking of Paen's statue. Although I wanted to find Mr. Race's manuscript as well, the statue took precedence in my mind since failure would mean an unspeakable tragedy for Paen's mother.
'The price for my services will be your soul.'
'
'You would sacrifice another for yourself?' she asked, raising one finely shaped eyebrow.
