I showed them the talisman that Chase had found.“There’s something about this that I don’t trust.I need to find out what it is.I think Chase may have inadvertently opened up a can of worms.”
Menolly stared at the disc, then hesitantly picked it up.She shivered.“Magic.There’s a lot of magic in that little scrap of metal.”
“That’s what I think, too.But what kind of magic?Iris found this book at the shop, so I’m going to spend the evening looking through it.”I showed them the grimoire.“Delilah, do you think you can search the internet to see if you can find anything?”
She nodded.“Yeah, though there’s so much arcane information that hasn’t made it online yet.But I’ll look.”
At that moment, Iris peeked through the arch into the living room.“Dinner’s ready.”She handed Menolly the bottle of blood.“Here you go.”
“Thanks,” Menolly said, slipping into her leather jacket.She was tiny, as petite as Delilah was tall and I was buxom, She grabbed her keys.“I’ll be home around three,” she said, heading out.As she left, I carried the disk and the book to the table.I might as well get started now.
CHAPTERTHREE
By the end of dinner,I’d gotten nowhere.Delilah began to clear the table.We took turns helping Iris with the cleanup.
“Nothing yet?”she asked.
I shook my head.“I can’t find anything, so far.Of course, this book is three inches thick, and it’s a copy of a handwritten text, so reading isn’t exactly swift going.I think I might call Asheen.”
Asheen was a friend of mine back in Otherworld who was also a witch, except her magic worked without a problem.She was a lot older and more experienced than I was.
“You think she might know?Do you think it’s Earthside magic?”
“That, I’m not sure of.I think Chase stepped into some sort of interdimensional space, which means it could be anything, from anywhere.But I’m not sure what else to do.I don’t want to just forget about it.I have the feeling Chase is in danger and I don’t feel comfortable just blowing it off.”I frowned, standing up.
Iris glanced over her shoulder at me.She was wrapping up the leftovers from dinner, though there weren’t many.We all had huge appetites and—unless she made a huge pot of spaghetti or something like that—there wasn’t usually much left.
“I think you should follow your instincts.I don’t like the look of it, either, and if you know someone who might be able to shed some light on it, then I say go for it.”She handed Delilah the tray that the sandwiches had been on, then carried the leftover food to the refrigerator.“I can tell you, Chase’s energy felt different, and I don’t think he realized it.”
“You noticed that, too?”I asked.
She nodded.“I have the feeling something hooked its claws into him.”
“I’ll go put in the call now.”I headed up the stairs to my study, where the Whispering Mirror was located.It stood in the corner, covered by a black velvet cloth.About three feet tall by about two feet wide, the oval mirror was set within a silver frame.The metal had been mined from the Nebelvuori Mountains back in Otherworld, where the dwarves delved deep into the bowels of the world for precious metals and gems.The silver had a natural magic to it, which helped with the operation.
The magic of the Whispering Mirrors was activated by voice, and allowed us to communicate with both our family in OW, but also the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.Chase had a Whispering Mirror, too, at home, but I had the feeling he avoided it as much as possible.
I sat on the bench in front of the mirror and said, “Camille.”
After a moment, the mirror began to fog over, and then I said, “Asheen,” and gave the coordinates to contact her.
Another moment, and the image of a woman appeared in the mirror.She was older, though the Fae seldom showed their age until they were at least a thousand years old.Her hair was caught up in a chignon, and she was dressed in a gossamer gown.Asheen was fairly high up in the Coterie of the Moon Mother—the religious order I belonged to.
“Camille,” she said, sounding surprised.“How are you?”
“Fine, I guess.It’s sure different over Earthside,” I said.“I’m getting used to it, though.In some ways, it’s easier to blend in here, even though I’m half-Fae.There are so many mixed backgrounds here… For the most part, it doesn’t matter.”
She gave me a soft smile.Asheen knew what my sisters and I had been through back in Otherworld, given our mixed heritage.“I’m glad you feel comfortable.What can I do for you?”
I brought out the disc.“A friend stumbled into what I suspect is a natural portal.When he was in there, he found this, and I’m trying to figure out what it is.”I held it up.“The energy feels disturbing…I think he might be in danger from it.”
Asheen leaned forward as I held the disc up to the glass.She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then abruptly stiffened.“Tell me, who touched it first?”
Uh-oh.By the look on her face, whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
“Chase did.Our friend.He brought it to my store this morning to ask me about it.”I waited, trying to be patient.Unfortunately, that wasn’t one of my skills.“Why?”
“That disc is a tenzar.A curse-keeper.”She gave me a sympathetic look.“Over here in Otherworld, they’re only used by sorcerers.I’m not sure about Earthside.”