"If they are not more powerful than me, then yes."
Good to know. Although knowing he could kill the Aedh and actually doing it were two entirely different things. And I had a feeling that when it came to my safety, he would only step in to keep me alive if it suited his purpose.
I glanced back at Ilianna. "What we need now is Tao's location."
"I can do a location spell, but what good will that do us?" She frowned and glanced at her watch. "We have less than an hour. That's not enough time to find and free Tao before Stane has to meet them."
"Agreed. So we deal with whoever—whatever—is guarding Tao, and then wait for Stane and his guards to arrive."
"And if it's that easy, I'll eat my hat." Stane thrust a hand through his already disheveled hair. "But right now, it's the most sensible plan we've got."
"If you think that's sensible, then you've both got rocks for brains." Ilianna took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "First things first. Protection circle, then a locating spell."
She spun and walked to the car, rummaging through her bag and returning with her athame. She glanced at me. "Step back. And don't say anything."
I nodded and limped over to the trees. Azriel's warmth burned into my back and I suddenly wondered what those within the Brindle would think of having a sword-carrying reaper standing in their front yard.
Ilianna raised the athame, holding it forward and slightly to the right of shoulder height. Facing east, she drew a pentacle in the air, then said, "Masters of the Watchtowers of the East, Masters of the Air; I wake and summon you to witness my works and to guard the Circle."
She turned to the south, then west and north, repeating the pentacles and beseeching the masters of fire, water, and earth for their protection. A light wind sprang up, teasing the ends of her hair and tugging lightly at her clothes. Then it died, replaced by a sense of watchfulness.
She sat cross-legged on the ground and began the finding incantation. I glanced at Azriel. "Where will the soul of the Charna go when you kill her? Hell?"
He glanced at me. "Why would you think she would go to hell?"
I shrugged. "Because she's played with evil and will now pay the price?"
He shook his head. "She didn't play with evil. She summoned it. There is no purgatory for her, no moving on after paying penance. She will simply end."