Blackbird Broken (The Witch King's Crown #2) - Keri Arthur Page 0,11
the phone down and walked out. Luc had made it very clear that his work as a Blackbird—the traditional protectors of witch kings—and his duty to the crown and the current queen were all he cared about or wanted in his life. The next step—if there ever was to be a next step in our so-far nonexistent relationship—had to be his. I’d certainly made it clear enough what I wanted.
We finished our pizza, topped it off with some chocolate, and then I settled down to watch some late-night TV while Mo slept. I must have drifted off fairly quickly, because a sharply ringing phone woke me hours later. I opened my eyes and was met by daylight.
“Tell them to bugger off,” Mo muttered. “It’s too damn early to get up.”
I groped the bedside table between us, found her phone, and discovered it was seven, which wasn’t that much earlier than our usual weekday waking time. I hit the answer button and said, a little groggily, “Hello?”
“Mo? That you?”
“No,” I said, not immediately recognizing the woman’s voice. “It’s Gwen.”
“Ah, the paradox. It’s her friend—Jackie. Is she around?”
“She’s asleep.”
“Then you need to wake her. I’ve got some news she’ll want to hear.”
“I’m not waking her without good reason. She gets grouchy.”
The mysterious Jules Okoro—who wasn’t a relative of my mother’s as far as we could ascertain—was an indirect heir to the Witch King’s crown and, with the death of Gareth and Henry, now the only one ahead of Max. Why they were being killed instead of those whose bloodline could be traced back directly to Uhtric or even Layton was something Jackie had been researching.
Although did it even matter anymore, given the sword had been claimed?
Mo sat up and made a give-me motion. I handed the phone to her, then tossed the comforter aside and padded into the bathroom to check my clothes. My jeans and sweater were still damp, but my underclothes and shirt had at least dried. Demon scent still clung to everything, though. I grimaced and tugged them on regardless. I had a feeling we wouldn’t be hanging about for long, and smelly clothes were better than no clothes when we got to wherever Jules Okoro might be.
Once dressed, I unplugged my phone and then glanced at the screen. Luc hadn’t replied to my last text, and that niggled. Which was stupid and irrational, but then, when it came to desire, irrationality seemed to be a common theme in my life.
I shoved the phone and charger into my pocket and headed out. Mo was in the process of getting dressed.
“So where are we going?” I walked across the room and opened the window. The clouds were thick and gray, and the cold air filled with the promise of rain. Flying into a storm was not one of my favorite things to do, but it wasn’t like we had any real choice.
“Thornaby.”
“And that’s where, exactly?”
She tsked. “Your knowledge of our great country is shocking.”
“Maybe if I ever do get to your age, I’ll know all the little places. In the meantime, where the hell is it?”
She laughed. “Over near Stockton-On-Tees.”
Which didn’t make me any wiser, but I kept that to myself. “How come he was so hard to find?”
“He was adopted as a babe—his legal surname is now Martin.”
“Any record of his real parents?”
“According to the hospital records Jackie found, his mother’s name was Hanna Okoro. No mention of a father. The mother disappeared from the hospital the day after he was born.”
“I take it she was never seen again?”
“No.”
Not a good sign. “Are there any theories as to why?”
“The retired nurse Jackie tracked down said it was obvious the girl had undergone major trauma.”
“As in mugged? Or raped?”
“Unclear. But she said the girl was covered in old scars, had the look of a frightened animal, and spoke gibberish. That’s the only reason the nurse remembered her. She also said she wasn’t entirely surprised when the girl disappeared.”
“I gather the security cams were checked at the time?”
“Yes. It appeared she was dragged away by two invisible men. Or maybe even women. It’s hard to guess gender when they’re invisible.”
Invisibility spells wouldn’t hide the stink that came with demons, nor the click of steel-clad elf claws on floors, and that meant her abductors were probably human. Or, more likely, half human. “I take it her family were contacted?”
“Eventually, yes, and that’s where it gets really interesting.