Witching Time (The Wild Hunt #14) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,46
had no qualms about attacking others. We had to find out what it was and boot it from her body before she hurt someone. I also needed to ask Rain if we could come out after dark to look for Aida’s body. I had the feeling that once we found that, we’d have answers to several puzzles. And answers were what we needed.
Chapter Ten
The rest of the day went by in a blur. I read for seven people, then folded up the cards and tucked them away.
“I’m going to find Rain and ask her a few questions,” I told Llew, who was selling the last of the charms he had brought.
“Good.” He nodded. “Once I finish here, I’ll head over to the house and check on Marigold.”
I slid out from behind the booth and took a deep breath. The rain had been sporadic all day, and right now, it was sprinkling again. I hugged my cloak snugly around me and began to look for Rain. I found her in one of the tents where there was a preserves contest going on. She was watching, but not judging, so I stood off to the side, motioning to her. She sidled away and followed me out of the tent, leading me to a nearby awning where we could stand out of the rain.
“How are you doing?” I asked, even though I knew it was a feeble question.
“Okay, I guess. As okay as I can get, given what’s going down. What am I going to do?” she asked, lowering her voice. “I can’t keep Marigold tied up, but if I let her loose, whatever is in control of her could easily kill us.” She was trying to hold back tears.
I took her hands, holding them firmly as I closed my eyes for a moment. I wished I knew how the Elven therapists siphoned off emotion to calm their patients. It had helped me so much and I wished I could do it for others. But since I couldn’t, I just squeezed her hands.
“I wish I knew what to tell you.” Then I paused. Something was tapping at the back of my brain and I tried to remember what it was. “Hold on, give me a moment…” I closed my eyes again, straining to catch the whispers that felt like they held some sort of an answer. And then, I remembered.
A few years back, I had been acquainted with a couple. The husband was a wolf shifter, and his wife was one of the magic-born. The husband had been possessed by a minor demon, and the wife hadn’t known how to help him. She had sent him away to be cared for, to some place where he couldn’t hurt himself or anybody else. Where had she sent him, though?
“Let me make a phone call.” I pulled out my phone. I remembered the wife had been named Ronita, and the husband, Jacob. What had been her last name? Elsten?…Felsten?…Halston! That was it. I dialed information and asked for a Ronita Halston’s number. Within thirty seconds, the operator connected me with her.
“Hey, Ronita? I don’t know if you remember me, but this is Raven BoneTalker.”
Ronita let out a little gasp. “Raven! I wondered whatever happened to you. I’m so happy to hear from you. How are you?”
We had drifted apart, but only because she was caught up dealing with her husband and I had been going through a number of issues with Ulstair at the time.
“First, I’m so sorry that I haven’t kept in touch. I’d like to remedy that. Second—how are you doing? How is Jacob? And third, to be blunt, I’m calling because I need the name of the place you sent him when he was possessed.” I wasn’t about to pretend that I had just decided to call her out of the blue. She’d see right through me. I’d rather be honest, and all three of those points were the truth. I really was sorry we had lost touch.
She laughed, easing my worries. “Hey, we were both in rough patches in our lives. Things happen and people drift. I’d love to get together and catch up. As for me, I’m fine. And thank the gods, Jacob is better. He’s back home now. We figured out how to detach the entity from him. As to your question, I sent him to Shadow Oaks Safe Haven. They’re in Federal Way. And I definitely recommend them, if you need someone to care for a loved one.