Blackbird Crowned (The Witch King's Crown #3) - Keri Arthur Page 0,8
rather than a witch.”
“But that’s—”
“Don’t say impossible, because there’s been a ton of recent events that have proven there’s no such thing as impossible when it comes to this sort of shit.”
He half laughed. “True enough. Is the woman still alive?”
“Yes, and the sword is now inactive. Nex and Vita burned the demon from the blade.”
“I didn’t know that was possible.”
“Neither did I until it happened.”
“Have you called Jason yet?”
Jason was the man in charge of the preternatural team working the case, and a good friend of Luc’s. “Not yet. I thought I’d better give you the heads-up first.”
“Thanks, but there’re plenty of Durants out there, and not all of them play on the right side of the tracks. There’s nothing I can do that Jason can’t.”
“That’s not why I called you first.”
“Then why?” He paused. “You have her name?”
“I do.” I hesitated again. “It’s Noelle Durant.”
“My sister? No, it can’t be. She wouldn’t—”
“Luc,” I cut in softly, “there’s a picture of you and a group I presume to be your family on her phone.”
The silence seemed to stretch on forever. I climbed out of the van, shoved Noelle’s phone into my pocket, and walked back toward the shop. The rain ran like tears down my face.
“Is the phone in a case that’s pink and decorated with diamantés?” he asked eventually.
“Yes.”
He swore. “I gave her that for Christmas last year.”
“I’m sorry, Luc.” Which seemed a totally inadequate statement, but I knew he’d understand the intent behind it.
“So am I.” Footsteps echoed down the phone line—he was on the move. “Look, I don’t care how, keep her at the shop. I’ve a friend with a helicopter who owes me a favor, so it won’t take me much longer than the preternatural boys to get there.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks.”
The line went dead. I took another of those deep breaths that didn’t do much to ease the churning in my gut, and pushed open the shop’s door.
Mo was behind the service counter making a pot of tea. She’d obviously swept up the broken glass but Noelle remained where she’d fallen, though a rolled-up coat now lay under her head and a blanket had been draped over her body. Obviously, Mo had decided she wasn’t going to wake any time soon.
Mo briefly glanced at me as she poured tea into her cup and my mug. “Anything?”
I leaned against the counter and tugged off my sodden boots and socks. The flagstones under my feet were unexpectedly warm. It was almost as if heat was rising up from the earth. “Her name’s Noelle. She’s Luc’s sister.”
Mo’s eyebrows rose. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “He’s currently on his way here via helicopter. He wants us to hold her until he arrives, even if the preternatural team want to whisk her away.”
“And you’ve rung them?”
“Not yet. I figured he had the right to talk to her first.”
“I’m not sure Jason and his crew would agree with that. Biscuit?”
She held out the opened packet of Chocolate Hobnobs, and I plucked out a couple. Given it was unlikely we’d get back to sleep anytime soon, the crunchy, oaty goodness at least made a vague pass at being breakfast food.
“I’ll call them in half an hour. That way, they should arrive the same time as Luc, depending on where exactly they are at the moment.” I accepted the mug she pushed my way with a nod of thanks.
Mo leaned back against the counter. “I’m thinking once this particular mess is sorted out, we should make an effort to find the king’s sword.”
I wrinkled my nose. “And how exactly are we going to do that? Fly around England with the ring in our claws, waiting for it to spotlight where it lies?”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Not a bad idea but one that will take altogether too long.”
“We could go ask Vivienne for clarification. I mean, she’s the Lady of the Lake and she made the goddamn sword. She has to know where it is.”
“If Vivienne had been inclined to tell us, she most certainly would have already.”
“Old goddesses,” I noted, “are very annoying.”
Mo laughed. “Always. But I was thinking there might be a more ready reference to hand.”
I frowned. “Like what?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you forgetting the old book of fables you bought back from Jackie’s after she was attacked?”
Jackie was a longtime friend of Mo’s, and a witch who’d been studying and documenting the Witch King’s line for almost as long as she’d been alive. She was also one of the two people guarding