Witching Time (The Wild Hunt #14) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,57
and given how much most of the guilds dislike necromancers, they consider it a dangerous volume. If you belong to some of the guilds, you’re not supposed to own it or use it.”
“I’m pretty sure the reason they hid this temple is that, given the nature of the god and the fact that he can and does call for sacrifice, they probably didn’t want any flack from their neighbors.” Kipa frowned. “What would an earth witch be doing with a book on death magic?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if Reyas dabbles in that or not. But I’m confused. I was sure we’d find Aida’s remains here, but I don’t see any sign of her body. Which puts us right back at square one.”
“My lord,” one of the guards said. He was standing near the coffee table. “The floor sounds different over here.”
“What?” Kipa crossed the room, frowning. “The floor is concrete. How can it sound different?”
“I don’t know, but it does. It sounds hollow.”
Kipa motioned for the guard to help him and they moved the coffee table, then rolled back the rug. There, below where the table had rested, was a set of double doors flush against the floor. The handles were inset, handgrips carved into the wood. The guard gave Kipa a look, and Kipa nodded. He opened the trap doors. They slammed against the floor on either side, exposing a dark entrance into an underground chamber. Dust flew up, making everyone cough.
“Shine a light down there,” Kipa said.
The guard squatted on his heels, shining a flashlight into the opening. It looked like a typical basement, with boxes and trunks showing through the gloom.
“Shall we go down?” I asked, pausing as something caught my eye. A mist was rising at the bottom of the stairs. I knew immediately what it was.
“Aida.” We were close, I could feel it.
I took the guard’s light and, shaking off Kipa’s warning, began to descend the staircase. I wasn’t afraid. There was nothing to be afraid of down here. The autumn wight couldn’t enter this space, at least not the basement—a sense of solitude and gentle magic filled the air. Aida’s spirit was awash with lilac and moonbeams, with silver and selenite and all things sacred to the Great Mother.
I held my breath as I entered the small room. There were no other exits that I could see. A moment later I was standing at the bottom. The spirit slowly moved back, and now I could see the girl’s form in it. She was encased in the mist, wearing it like a shroud.
I looked around the room. To the right was a table with a chair. Behind those sat what looked like a porta-potty. To the left was a cot with moth-eaten blankets and a pillow on it. And lying on the bed was the remains of a young woman.
What was left of the skin had dried, paper thin and flaking. Hair was still attached to parts of the scalp that was left, flowing down her shoulders. She wore a dress that sagged over the bones. While her skull and most of her body looked bare, here and there I could see patches of dried skin stretched over parts of the bones.
“I found her,” I called up the stairs. I made my way over to the skeleton, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed. Whether she had been killed outright, or died here, I didn’t know. I couldn’t see any obvious damage, like a blow to the skull or dried blood. The bed was covered with corpse stains, but I had the feeling it was discoloration from her body as it had decayed.
Kipa joined me, skirting past the spirit with a courteous nod. “Well, what should we do? Call the cops?”
“I don’t know. Though if her mother killed her, maybe they can find her and bring her up on charges. Let me call Ember and Herne. They might have some advice.” I pulled out my phone, but reception sucked.
“Go outside to make the call. Take two of the men with you to watch for the autumn wight.” Kipa rested his hand on my shoulder, gazing down at the body of the girl. “Sometimes I hate people.”
“Sometimes I do too. Will you call Ember and Herne? I want to sit with her for a moment. Maybe I can move her spirit on, now that we’ve found her remains.” I gazed up at him. “Please?”