She saw everything from that night at the dojo from Jamie’s point of view: the teachers turning on the students and physically attacking them while under the influence of a dark spell, and the black fog that filled the hallways and caused the survivors to report it as a bio-weapon attack. Kelsey felt the jolt of fear that ran through Jamie upon seeing one of the shadow creatures approach Jennifer Redwine, who had been dragged down the hall.

  The gray fog came flooding back in and threatened to block her view of the memory. Whatever Tina had given him to make him forget, it was tenacious. Kelsey drew even more power from the amethyst ring and beat back the haze. She “zoomed out,” so to speak, to get a view of things happening around Jamie that he had been subconsciously aware of that night. She saw one of the shadow beings near Jennifer, and thought of how brave Chris was to rush to her defense. The poor girl was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

  Or, was she?

  Kelsey drew closer to Jennifer. A small tattoo stood out on her left wrist--a blackbird. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. Her father’s journal recorded a blackbird symbol, and the same one was engraved on the Grimoire she found in the invunche cave. Kelsey backed away from the “Jennifer” in the memory when she realized that the shadow creature wasn’t approaching the other woman in order to attack her--it was listening and receiving orders from her.

  “Oh my God…it was you.”

  As if hearing her, Jennifer Redwine turned her head and gazed directly at Kelsey. But that was impossible--this was Jamie’s memory of a past event. Kelsey was merely an observer to an event that had already played out, yet that look Jennifer gave her…

  Kelsey felt a pull in her center and she flew backward, through the gray fog, and back to consciousness. Her eyes snapped open, and she wiped the sweat from her brow. Jamie opened his eyes and gasped.

  “Kelsey?”

  Her heart pounded in her chest. “Jamie…”

  He shot up in his seat. “I remember what happened at the dojo.”

  Great.

  “Jamie, there’s something I have to--”

  “What the hell were those things? You saw them too?”

  There was a knock at the door. Kelsey got up and rushed to open it. Any interruption was better than having to sit down with Jamie and explain how monsters and ghosts were real--and she had the misfortune of being born into a family that saw it as their duty to deal with them.

  “Meredith,” Kelsey said, noting the feminine figure on the other side of the glazed door, “do you need something?”

  Just as she reached for the door, a skull-splitting headache nearly brought her to her knees. The door opened, and Kelsey’s sense warned her to back away. Jennifer Redwine stood in the doorway. Her red hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders, and she wore all black. She held a silver blade pointed directly at Kelsey. The knife radiated with such power that Kelsey could already feel her chest tightening in response. She gasped for air.

  Jennifer made her way in, glancing around the office before determining there were no other threats. “Kelsey…before you think about doing anything, I want you to know that I could have hurt that receptionist down the hall--but I didn’t.”

  She grunted, trying to keep her legs steady and her mind clear. “Am I supposed to thank you for that? Especially after what happened to my father?”

  Jennifer waved her other hand and the door shut behind her. She motioned for Jamie to stay seated when he attempted to stand. “I didn’t want anything to happen to your father. It was the Night Lord.”

  “Then why are you doing this, Jennifer? Why are you serving the Night Lord?”

  The young witch waved her hand again, and Kelsey heard her file cabinet in the corner shake and groan. “I’m sorry, Kelsey.”

  “No!” Kelsey had stashed her purse in that file cabinet--and in her purse sat the satchel with the missing pieces of her father’s mind. She made a move toward the file cabinet, but an invisible force hit her sideways and slammed her into the wall. Her shoulder and the right side of her face crashed against a hanging photo frame. Fear clutched her chest as she watched her purse flip out of the top drawer and the satchel float out toward Jennifer. She caught the satchel and slipped it into her pocket.

  “The Veritas Society has a stone I need, no thanks to you destroying my invunche cave. It’s a teardrop shaped bloodstone--deep green, with red flecks. Bring it to me, and I’ll give these soul pieces back to you.”

  A rush of anger filled Kelsey, but she knew if she made a move against her, that she risked her father’s mind for good. “Jennifer, whatever the Night Lord promised you, he’s only going to use you and destroy you. He’d never share power with you.”

  Jamie cleared his throat. “Jen…those shadow monsters at the dojo--you brought them there?”

  She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand. Just make sure I get my stone by tomorrow night.”

  “Why don’t you let us help you?” Kelsey slowly moved forward, holding up her hands to show she worked no magic. “Is the Night Lord forcing you to bring him the bloodstone? Are you his servant?”

  Jennifer’s lips curved into a half-smile, and a chuckle escaped her throat. Her voice grew cold and she glared at Kelsey. “He’s my father.”

  11

  “H-how is that possible?” Kelsey’s voice quivered and broke.

  The door swung open, and Jennifer backed out. She repeated a phone number where Kelsey could reach her. Jennifer swept the blade in an arc, and its incredible wave of heat hit both Kelsey and Jamie, sending them tumbling backward. Kelsey scrambled and got back up, her hand lit up with the shimmering magic of her shamanic tattoos, but Jennifer had already fled. She let out a cry of frustration.

  Jamie got up and slowly approached her. “We need to go to the police.”

  “No! They won’t be able to help us.”

  He motioned toward the door. “What about that detective…Yim? I caught the last part of your conversation. Maybe he can help.”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “No? Did you just see what she did? And did I mention that she kicks everybody’s ass at the dojo? She’s dangerous, and we’re clearly dealing with a crazy bruja.”

  “I’ve got to check on Meredith.” Kelsey rushed out of her office and down the hall. The office manager, Meredith, lay at her desk asleep. Kelsey reached out to check for any injuries or curses, but it looked like she was only hit with a sleeping spell.

  Kelsey balled her fists. “We need to head down to the Veritas Society.”

  “Well I’m sorry, count me out.”

  “Okay, I understand.” It would’ve been hypocritical of her to try to get him to join her after lecturing Chris about not getting involved. But now that Jamie had his memory back about the events at the dojo, she wasn’t sure about turning him loose just yet. She had no clue if he would call the police himself or blurt everything out to anyone who’d listen. It shocked her that he wasn’t having a meltdown.

  Jamie approached her and clasped her hand in his. He stared directly into her eyes. “I know you need to help your father, but after that, you don’t owe anyone anything. Don’t waste your life on this. Trust me.”

  Her hand slipped from his. “Part of me wishes I could just walk away. But I realized a while ago that I’d be walking away from who I am.”

  He frowned. He looked angry, but not at her. “Be careful, okay? Call me if you need me, but I can’t go down to the Veritas Society.”

  Maybe he knew more about all this than he led on. As Kelsey watched him leave and head out the front door, she wondered if he knew something about the Society that could help her. That is, if he wasn’t already involved with it.

  Kelsey sped down Wilshire toward the building Tina had brought her to last night. She hoped Lu still hung around the building, because she would need backup when trying to convince Morrigan--and by extension, the Veritas Society, to let her borrow the bloodstone. And, damn it, if she needed to, she’d steal it. If they wanted Jennifer, they could have her. She would deliver the witch hog-tied and with a bright bow, if they fancied it. All she wanted was her dad restored and for this nightmare to end.

  It took her nearly ten minutes to find a parking space, as drivers crammed their cars into the parking structure and a steady flow of people drove in and out. Many of them looked like business types, and a few were uniformed delivery men. She wondered if they all belonged to the Veritas Society, or if it was just a tight-knit, exclusive group.

  She found the nearest elevator and pushed the button for the eighth floor, the same as she had seen Tina do. She stepped out into the immaculate hallway with its bright recessed lights and light gray carpeting. She passed three doors before halting at the fourth one to her right. A placard engraved with “Veritas Security Consulting Group” hung squarely in the middle of the door.

  Kelsey’s stomach tightened as she turned the knob and entered. When she had arrived the other night with Tina, the waiting area was empty. Now, a short woman with dark hair, wearing cat-eye glasses, sat at the reception desk taking phone calls on a headset in between sips of hot coffee. She could beat Tina any day in the pale girl department. Kelsey heard fingers clacking against computer keyboards and papers rustling in the cubicle area. A couple of figures stood in the sectioned-off office to the left, its glazed walls much like the door at her own office.

  “Good afternoon, can I help you?” The receptionist adjusted her cat-eye glasses and smiled at Kelsey.

  “Hi, I’m here to speak with Morrigan.”

  The woman’s smile faded. “I think you have the wrong office, hon.”

  Kelsey rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but froze when she felt a cool sensation run from the top of her head down to the tips of her toes. It made her feel exposed and vulnerable. “Were you just probing me?”

  “What can I help you with?” The receptionist nonchalantly took another sip of coffee, exposing her electric blue nail polish and a talisman ring she wore on her right ring finger.

  “I’m not a threat.” Kelsey gestured toward the office on the left, which she assumed belonged to Morrigan. “I just need to ask her a question. I was actually here last night talking with her.”

  “Wow, you’re a shaman? I haven’t seen your type in here before.”

  Kelsey noted her genuine interest. “Yes, my name’s Kelsey.” She opened her envelope purse and pulled out a business card, handing it to the receptionist.

  The woman took the card with a gentle hand and let out a little gasp. “Sweet. Transpersonal therapy is your front, eh?”

  “I do it for real. You…can come for a session any time.” She flashed a faux smile. All she really wanted was for the woman to shut up and get Morrigan on the phone.

  The receptionist held out her hand. “I’m Jackie.”

  Kelsey shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. So…I know I didn’t call ahead, but I had some information that she’d want to hear directly from me.”

  Jackie leaned in and pushed up her glasses. “I heard about what you’re doing. Good for you, hon.”

  “Thanks.”

  She pounded a button on her landline phone and adjusted the microphone on the headset. “Aquino, I’ve got Kelsey Diviner in the waiting area. And it sounds pretty urgent.”

  A tall, middle-aged Hispanic man in a suit stepped out of the office that she assumed was Morrigan’s. He had black hair with a few strands of gray sprouting from the front. He approached Kelsey with a neutral face. “Hi, Kelsey, I’m Xavier Aquino. I’ll take you to Morrigan.”

  To her surprise, he led her toward the exit. “I thought that was her office over there.”

  “No, it’s mine.” He pressed the down button on the elevator panel and gestured for her to step inside. After joining her, he pulled out a black RFID access card and held it up against a reader. The elevator shuddered and began its descent.

  Kelsey backed away when she noticed a holster and gun. “You’re a cop?”

  Xavier faced her and raised an eyebrow. “FBI. If you want to talk to Morrigan about your father, she’s not going to give him to you until your task is complete. You do understand that?”

  She crossed her arms. “I bet you’re the same agent who went in and took all that evidence from the police. Did you torch my dad’s car too?”

  “I’d be happy to return it all and let Detective Yim come and arrest you.”

  Point taken. “How is my father? Really?”

  He studied her with his piercing, dark eyes. “He’s fine, considering the shadow god’s attack on him. I can assure you that our goal is his--and your--safety. There aren’t a lot of shamans in this region of the world, especially since the Night Lord’s been offing some of them.”

  The thought of the Night Lord and his attacks, his predatorial stalking of shamans, made her feel queasy. “And he’s being helped by a shadow witch. Jennifer Redwine.”

  “Hmm. So there is a witch.”

  The elevator jolted to a stop and the cool head-to-toe sensation ran through her again. The steel doors opened, and a quick glance confirmed that they stood beneath ground level. They stepped out into a large open area with a marble ceiling and a large beautiful fountain. A long hallway was on the opposite end of the area, leading away from the fountain, and there were two doors--one on the right, the other on the left--reinforced with iron. They hummed with magical protection.

  “What do you do down here? What’s the purpose of Veritas?”

  Xavier led her past the fountain and down the long hallway. “I’ll explain it to you this way, Ms. Diviner: your father trained you because you have the skills and tools to help others, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, for four hundred years we’ve been acquiring the knowledge, skills, and tools to help protect the world against threats like the Night Lord, or rogue witches, and in some cases, dangerous items.”

  They reached the end of the hallway, and it opened up into another area filled with people working at dozens of desks. Those grouped on the right pored over ancient texts and tomes, while the people grouped to the left worked on laptops. A second level stood at the other end of the area, and it looked like a library with rows of bookshelves. In the center of the second level stood a surveillance room filled with flat screen monitors. A man wearing a headset observed the screens. Some displayed footage of politicians and dignitaries in different countries, while another showed a man in a desert environment cataloging a cache of arcane weapons.

  She gestured toward the grand sight. “And what does all this have to do with my friend, Christopher Salters? What did he do to get on your radar?”

  Aquino sized her up before speaking. “Has he ever told you about project LZ-1?”

  It was probably the one Chris said Veritas had tried to steal from one of his facilities. Kelsey shook her head. “No, what is that?”

  “Something no man should ever possess. Your friend is no angel, Ms. Diviner.”

  Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lu Aye step out from among the bookshelves with a worn book in his hand. He grinned at Kelsey and approached.

  “Lu,” Xavier said, placing his hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “She’s here to see Morrigan.”

  Lu nodded and addressed Kelsey. “I’ve been authorized to take what you’ve gathered from the soul retrieval and heal your father’s mind. If you trust me to do this, I’ll take care of it.”

  “I can’t…”

  Xavier spoke up. “Kelsey, Lu is a healer god. This is your best chance if you want it done now.”

  “At this point I probably would’ve said yes, but the soul pieces were taken. There’s a shadow witch working with the Night Lord. Her name’s Jennifer Redwine, and she says he’s her father. She confronted me at my job today, and I thought she was going to kill me and Jamie.”

  Xavier’s eyes widened. “This wouldn’t happen to be Jamie Huerta, would it?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Yes.”

  He sighed and ran his hand over his mouth. “He’s my nephew. So, that’s where he went off to this morning.”

  Kelsey scowled at him. “Look, he’s fine, and now I’m starting to understand why he didn’t want to come down here.” She faced Lu and addressed him. “Jennifer took the satchel. She says she wants the bloodstone in exchange. I was wondering if we could make some type of bargain with her.”

  Xavier and Lu exchanged looks. Lu held up the worn book he had been carrying and opened it. “Jennifer wants the bloodstone because she’s enacting a ritual.”

  That didn’t sound good. “What type of ritual?”

  “According to this text, one that would bring the Night Lord out of the spirit world and over to this side.” Lu showed her a drawing from the book. It depicted a tall, bony man devouring people. The stars in the drawing’s sky looked bent and twisted; a sign of the unnatural order disrupting what should be the harmonious pattern of the universe.

  Kelsey wondered what Jennifer meant about the Night Lord being her “father” if he had been trapped in the spirit world for a long time. “But how does that fit in with what Jennifer told me?”

  Lu closed the book. “The shadow god wasn’t always locked outside this world. When he did walk the earth, he took a bride. It would make sense that one of his descendants would want to be his vessel.”

  “She thinks he’s going to give her power and take care of her.” Kelsey brought to mind the desperate look in Jennifer’s eyes, the items she had collected in her cave, some of which had nothing to do with spells but seemed to be present out of sentiment. She probably believed she had a connection with the Night Lord.

  Lu shook his head. “Remember when I was in the spirit world with you, and I told you how I was able to enter and leave that realm without having to leave my body behind?”

  “Oh, no…” Kelsey’s hands balled into fists at the realization. The Night Lord planned to use Jennifer’s body to attain a true physical form to slip in and out of the spirit world like Lu. And Jennifer thought she was claiming her birthright.

 

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