felt it withdraw like it was being snapped backwards. It was the strangest thing I had ever experienced and I shuddered. Everyone else seemed to be ignoring it.
“She’s trying to find a signature,” said Marc in a low voice, as he sidled up to me and nodded at Mary who still had her hands pressed to the shattered wall, “like a crime scene investigator would for a bomb. Magic has a signature too.”
I nodded, trying to appear like I understood. The magic I had just felt had seemed alive – perhaps that was what a signature felt like.
“But she didn’t find one?” I asked.
Marc shook his head and explained, “That’s bad. Very bad. It means we don’t have a clue who attacked us and whoever it is, must be extraordinarily strong to get through the defences here.”
Étoile found us again. Her dress was stained with a large splotch across the skirt. I thought it looked like blood. Her hair and makeup, however, had not changed one bit. I vaguely wondered how she could appear so perfect amongst the strife. “They’ve wound new wards around the apartment,” she told us, including me as much as Marc. “We should be safe for the short term, but Steven’s right. We can’t stay here much longer. I expect they’ll make a decision about where we are going very soon.” She seemed nonplussed, as if she already knew what the decision would be, but she didn’t seem at all convincing when she added, almost as an afterthought, “Don’t worry. You will be safe.”
“We have been infiltrated,” began Robert, his voice solemn as he addressed the untidy clan. Some of the guests had remained seated on the floor as others pressed what I thought were healing hands to wounds. Everyone looked dusty and tired after the skirmish. “Our safety has been breached. Stella, at first light you will be transported to another of our sanctuaries. It’s a safe house of sorts and you will be able to live there out of harm’s way for a while at least. Étoile and Marc will take you there and stay with you. You are under Étoile’s protection.”
Étoile and Marc nodded in agreement. Clearly, they knew something I did not but I would ask them later. I wasn’t enthused. What good was a safe house if apparently the headquarters could take a blast with no notice? And why was only Étoile my protector, and not Marc? I would have to ask later.
“We’re only sorry that we were not able to host you longer,” concluded Robert, moving towards me after delivering verbal orders to several members of the party. It sounded like he was telling them all to go to ground as soon as possible. “We’ll retire for the night. Thank you for coming.”
And just like that, we were dismissed.
Before I had chance to protest, Étoile piloted me out of the room, her hand firm on my elbow, which I was seriously thinking about covering up seeing how it was being used as some sort of quasi steering wheel for my body. I was so floored by the brevity of the pronouncement that I didn’t know what to think. Étoile put her arm around me again and was patting me rather absently while I drew in a breath.
“Stella?” I turned around to see Steven follow us outside the room. He signalled to follow him to one side, away from the entrance doors towards which people were amassing. He flapped a hand at Étoile and Marc so they lingered a few feet away. When we were at the hallway that led to the bedrooms, he extracted a slim blue card box from under the overcoat that hung across his arm, which he held out to me. Cautiously, I took it.
“In my other life,” he started, “I’m a lawyer. I worked for your parents and when they were declared dead, I wrapped up their estate. I kept these for you in the hope that one day we would find you and I would personally be able to give these to you. It’s mostly paperwork but there are some other bits and pieces that I thought you might like. There are some instructions too. Oh, nothing of immediate importance after all
“She’s trying to find a signature,” said Marc in a low voice, as he sidled up to me and nodded at Mary who still had her hands pressed to the shattered wall, “like a crime scene investigator would for a bomb. Magic has a signature too.”
I nodded, trying to appear like I understood. The magic I had just felt had seemed alive – perhaps that was what a signature felt like.
“But she didn’t find one?” I asked.
Marc shook his head and explained, “That’s bad. Very bad. It means we don’t have a clue who attacked us and whoever it is, must be extraordinarily strong to get through the defences here.”
Étoile found us again. Her dress was stained with a large splotch across the skirt. I thought it looked like blood. Her hair and makeup, however, had not changed one bit. I vaguely wondered how she could appear so perfect amongst the strife. “They’ve wound new wards around the apartment,” she told us, including me as much as Marc. “We should be safe for the short term, but Steven’s right. We can’t stay here much longer. I expect they’ll make a decision about where we are going very soon.” She seemed nonplussed, as if she already knew what the decision would be, but she didn’t seem at all convincing when she added, almost as an afterthought, “Don’t worry. You will be safe.”
“We have been infiltrated,” began Robert, his voice solemn as he addressed the untidy clan. Some of the guests had remained seated on the floor as others pressed what I thought were healing hands to wounds. Everyone looked dusty and tired after the skirmish. “Our safety has been breached. Stella, at first light you will be transported to another of our sanctuaries. It’s a safe house of sorts and you will be able to live there out of harm’s way for a while at least. Étoile and Marc will take you there and stay with you. You are under Étoile’s protection.”
Étoile and Marc nodded in agreement. Clearly, they knew something I did not but I would ask them later. I wasn’t enthused. What good was a safe house if apparently the headquarters could take a blast with no notice? And why was only Étoile my protector, and not Marc? I would have to ask later.
“We’re only sorry that we were not able to host you longer,” concluded Robert, moving towards me after delivering verbal orders to several members of the party. It sounded like he was telling them all to go to ground as soon as possible. “We’ll retire for the night. Thank you for coming.”
And just like that, we were dismissed.
Before I had chance to protest, Étoile piloted me out of the room, her hand firm on my elbow, which I was seriously thinking about covering up seeing how it was being used as some sort of quasi steering wheel for my body. I was so floored by the brevity of the pronouncement that I didn’t know what to think. Étoile put her arm around me again and was patting me rather absently while I drew in a breath.
“Stella?” I turned around to see Steven follow us outside the room. He signalled to follow him to one side, away from the entrance doors towards which people were amassing. He flapped a hand at Étoile and Marc so they lingered a few feet away. When we were at the hallway that led to the bedrooms, he extracted a slim blue card box from under the overcoat that hung across his arm, which he held out to me. Cautiously, I took it.
“In my other life,” he started, “I’m a lawyer. I worked for your parents and when they were declared dead, I wrapped up their estate. I kept these for you in the hope that one day we would find you and I would personally be able to give these to you. It’s mostly paperwork but there are some other bits and pieces that I thought you might like. There are some instructions too. Oh, nothing of immediate importance after all
Similar Books
