Cate Tiernan [Balefire 03] A Feather of Stone (epub)

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.I’ve been worried.I feel like I need a backup plan.Like we all need a backup plan.What do you say?”“What do we say to what?” Manon asked, eyebrows drawn together.“Forming an alliance,” Axelle said, impatient.“The three of us.If we know that we’re guarding each other’s backs, we might be able to relax a bit, not worry so much.I mean, we’re dealing with the Treize here.Who among them can you trust?”“Yes, I see,” Sophie said slowly.“I don’t know what Daedalus is planning,” said Axelle, putting her empty glass on the coffee table.Her stomach felt pleasantly warmed by the Cointreau.“I don’t know what anyone is planning.I want to talk to everyone, away from Daedalus.I want us, at least some of us, to be standing together when his plan goes down.”“That makes sense,” said Manon, looking at Sophie.“Well, you think about it,” said Axelle, standing up.She smoothed her Lycra skirt over her hips and slipped her feet back into her high-heeled sandals.She remembered the horrible, ugly shoes everyone wore during World War II and shuddered.“Think about it, talk it over, and let me know, okay?”“Okay,” said Sophie, walking her to the door.“Thanks for coming to talk to us about it.”Axelle paused, one step down, and looked up at Sophie.“You and I are different and always will be,” she said.“After this drama is over, we might not speak again for sixty years.For the most part, I don’t care what your life is like or what you two do with it.But if this situation is dangerous, if Daedalus is planning to use us for something, the way Melita did, then we need to stand together, tightly together, you know?”“Yes.” Sophie nodded, seeming sad again.“Okay.So, later.” Axelle went down the stairs and out onto the quiet neighborhood street.She took a deep breath, then stopped to light a cigarette.Goddess, that had been hard.It was so much harder to be sincere than to spin a web of half-truths that wouldn’t hold up to the light.It was so unnatural.She shook her head, blew out a long stream of smoke, and headed to her car.ClioThais would take some convincing.That much was clear.I needed to come up with Thais-like reasons for her to do it.Like, if she were alive long enough, she could figure out how to cure cancer.Something like that.Or if we were immortal, we’d never have to worry about anyone attacking us again.We could laugh at muggers and light posts.How could she not want that, and right now?I would talk to her about it later and maybe do some more research.But first I had my other quest, my other spell.In my vision of Cerise dying at the rite, I’d seen runes and sigils glowing on the ground for a split second, right before the lightning hit.They had burned like fire.Some of them I’d recognized—some I hadn’t.But they all had to do with Melita’s spell—“Clio?”So much for my sensing skills.I jumped at Nan’s voice, then turned to see her in the doorway of my room.“Sorry—didn’t mean to startle you.” She looked a bit bemused that she’d been able to.“Working on my ROA,” I said, gesturing to my Book of Shadows, the notes spread everywhere.“Then I hate disturbing you,” she said.“But could you do me a favor? I’m showing Thais some basic centering spells, and I’ve realized we’re all out of blue candles.I really think they’d help.”“You want me to run to Botanika?” I said, loving the idea of getting out.“Would you? If you get the candles, we can keep working till you get back.”“Yeah, okay,” I said, sliding my feet into some kitten-heeled mules.I did it slowly, hoping Nan wouldn’t wait for me.She smiled and headed back downstairs, and I whipped over to my bed, shoved all my notes back into my BOS, then spelled it and put it on my desk, very casual looking.I took a page of unknown symbols and stuck it into my miniskirt pocket, then hurried downstairs.“Back in a few,” I said, passing through the workroom.“Thanks, sweetie,” said Nan.“Be extra careful.”“Gotcha.” I grabbed my purse and car keys and headed out the front door into the night.It was warm but not awful, and I was thrilled to get out for a while.I’d been so housebound lately, what with all the Cinderella-ing, coupled with the humiliating lack of boyfriend.I mean, I always had someone around.But not since I’d met Luc.No, since that whole train wreck, I’d been alone, pathetically advising my sister on date-wear while I sat home knitting.Okay, well, metaphorically knitting.I drove down Magazine Street to Botanika.Inside, I got myself an iced latte, then took it into the store section.They had the best collection of occult books in New Orleans, which was saying something.First I looked in the spellcraft section.I found a couple of books that were a bit over my head, but even they dealt with spell forms I’d heard of before: the basic “cast circle, call on elements, delineate spell and its limitations, call power, enact spell, disband.” Familiar stuff and then some variations, including an interesting one that relied on natural limitations, like phases of the moon.It seemed somewhat risky to me, but nothing hit me as very dangerous or dark or super-powerful.I glanced around, but no one was paying attention to me.There was another, restricted area of the book section: a short, dark passageway lined with bookshelves.At one end was a fire exit.A gold cord and a sign blocked entrance from the store.Not open to minors, due to the sensitive nature of the works within.I slipped under the cord.My eyes adjusted almost immediately to the dim light.Small, faded paper labels identified some shelves.There were sections for Biography, Spellcraft, Grimoires, Books of Shadows, Witch’s Tools, Tantric Power, and so on.Biography of a Dark Witch was one title, and my eyes widened with interest.But first I needed to see what else was here.Don’t Invoke Danger seemed pretty forbidding.There were more: Celestial Omens, Personal Power, The Thin Line Between Light and Dark, and one titled simply Dark Magick.All of them looked incredible, and I couldn’t believe I’d never been in here before.Actually, I wasn’t sure they would sell me any of them anyway.I could try.But I wasn’t finding anything about immortality, channeling lightning, or something.I would know it when I saw it.I didn’t have much time.Nan would give me only so long, then call my cell phone, worried.I would have to come back another time.Quickly I stooped down and looked at the dark-spined books on the lower shelves.Many of them were in different languages.Curious, I pulled out one called Mastering Life, which I thought might be about immortality.It kind of was, but it didn’t seem to parallel Melita’s spell in any way.A book called Forbidden Symbols caught my eye, and I pulled it out.Flipping through it, I saw one and then two of the unknown sigils from my vision.I tucked the book under my arm.I would try to buy it, and if they wouldn’t sell it to me, then I’d come back later and copy its information.I was about to leave when I saw a thin, falling-apart volume shoved toward the back of one shelf.I could see it only from above—at eye level the other book’s spine covered it.I eased it out carefully, its binding practically crumbling in my hands.Once it had been dark red, but now it was so old and grimy, it was almost black.I opened the cover.Being the Personal History of One Hermann Parfitte; and How He Learned to Subvert the Power of Others, I read silently.Subvert the power of others? Bingo.That was more like what Melita had done.I tucked that book under my arm too and stood, and just as I did, a rush of heat and awareness made me think—Richard.I whirled and saw.Luc.Watching me from the entrance of the restricted area.As usual, a flush rose in my cheeks and my heart started beating fast [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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