The Hunt (By Kiss and Claw #2) - Melissa Haag Page 0,48

the shovel and stood back. They sat in a circle while holding it, did some mumble-mumble chanting, mixed some twigs and powders together, then lit them on fire. I watched as they stared at the bowl of water. And…

Nothing.

Lauv spoke after several long minutes.

“We know this spell works. We tested it on Anne’s brother. On you. On Fenris. On the human boy. Each time, we saw your locations clearly in the water. Something has to be blocking Ashlyn. Something big.”

“We thought a personal item would help the spell focus,” Anne added.

“We’re going to need to boost this spell’s power to overcome whatever is blocking her.” Meg shook her head, looking annoyed. “It’s going to take more time.”

I considered the three of them and what they were telling me. What could possibly be blocking Ashlyn? There were some powerful creatures in Uttira. But powerful enough to trick a location spell? I had no idea. I wasn’t that knowledgeable in spells like these girls were.

There was another option. One that I’d been refusing to consider.

“What about Ashlyn’s death? Could that be why you’re not finding her?” I asked, feeling sick for even saying it.

“We thought that, too, which is why we tried summoning her ghost yesterday after the first location spell failed. The summoning spell is one we’ve used since we were little. A safe way to communicate with the dead. They can’t refuse. But she didn’t answer, so we believe she’s still alive.”

“Okay. What is it going to take to strengthen your spell?”

“Nothing you can help with,” Anne said. “We’ll gather what’s needed and try again. If you find anything more personal, we’ll take that too. It can’t hurt.”

“Meanwhile,” Lauv said. “We’ll continue to do the summoning spell daily, just in case. Be here earlier tomorrow for your spell. It’s going to take some time.”

I straightened away from the sink I was leaning against.

“If you can remove my tracking spell and make it so I can’t be tracked again, could someone else have done the same to Ashlyn?”

“We considered that. It’s possible, but it takes some pretty serious spellwork. The likelihood of her finding a druid with that kind of knowledge, who’d be willing to do it for next to nothing like we are, is slim.”

It made sense. The humans in Uttira didn’t have much money because everything they needed was provided. That meant Ashlyn would have no means to pay a druid. But it was still a possibility and gave me a little hope and peace of mind. If Ashlyn wasn’t in Uttira and was smart enough to get a druid’s help to hide, then she’d won her freedom.

In order to be okay with her absence, though, I needed to be sure.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I accepted the shovel back and headed for the door.

“Wait. There’s one more thing.”

When I turned to look back at Meg, she blew some kind of glittery dust in my face that smelled like fish. My vision changed instantly, my anger at the idea they thought to memory wipe me barely contained.

“Explain yourself.”

“It’s only a discovery spell that will help us determine who knows about Ashlyn coming into this bathroom. We need it to wipe their memories of us. That way, if things go sideways, you’ll be the only one to blame for her disappearance.”

Her eyes went wide as mine narrowed.

“What the hell, Meg,” Anne said at the same time that Lauv smacked Meg.

“You will wipe their memories of all of us, myself included,” I said, my gaze sweeping the three. “Or are you stupid enough to believe that I’d keep my mouth shut if the Council started questioning me?” I paused for a moment. “And I suggest you stop considering wiping my mind, too. The Council has a method to undo mind wipes if there’s a need. It’s not pretty for the person involved, but it’s survivable. The Council will get their information, regardless.” My look hardened. “Be discreet and be smart. Find Ashlyn.”

I left the druids in the bathroom, and when the mermaids and sirens in the pool hissed at me, I hissed back. They didn’t dive under the water, though. Instead, they hefted themselves out of the pool. I paused, watching their tails fade and legs appear.

“You’re safer in water,” I said.

One of them twitched in place and hissed at me again. My grip tightened on the shovel.

“Use your words. I don’t understand water snake.”

More emerged from the pool.

“I think that’s enough of that,” Lauv said from behind me.