Excitement surged through me, but it was tempered by panic. I had no doubt one of those things was the key to the second gate, and if she had it narrowed down to the four of them, then it wouldn't take her very long to find the correct one.
Damn it, we were so close! All we needed was the where and the who…
We didn't get it. The clouds closed over the image, then faded away. It was all I could do not to scream in frustration.
Adeline sighed and pulled her hands from ours. "I'm sorry, but that's all I could get. As I said, this is not the usual way I use lithomancy."
"Thanks for trying, Adeline. At least we know she's out there." To Azriel, I added, Could you transport us to that study?
No. There wasn't enough information. All we saw were bookcases and a safe. It could be anywhere.
I slumped back in my chair and wearily rubbed my eyes. Damn it, why couldn't things just go our way for a change? "How are we going to find the location of that place?"
"You could always try astrally."
I frowned. "How could that help?"
"Well, for astral travel, you simply imagine where you want to be. It's not the actual address that matters."
I abruptly sat up. "Of course." I could transport myself to that study, and from there, gather enough information for Azriel to take us there.
"It would be best, however," Adeline continued, "if you did it here, where I can keep an eye on events and intervene if need be."
Which Azriel could not, if something happened. It certainly made sense, but I still asked, "Why? I mean, it's not like she could sense my astral presence, is it?"
"Many witches can, and you've already mentioned the possibility that this woman is a dark sorceress. And while you should be safe enough from any form of magical attack originating from this plane, if she is a dark sorceress, it would not be beyond her skill to mount an attack astrally."
"Which I have no doubt she would do if she in any way suspected my presence."