I couldn't stop the bitterness in my voice, and Tao's gaze narrowed. "Is there something else going on you're not telling me about?"
"No." He didn't look convinced, but then, I guess he had known me a long time. "I'll call you when we find anything."
"You'd better."
I turned to Azriel. He caught my hand unasked, drew me to him, and whisked us through the fields to the Brindle. I handed him the box, suspecting the Brindle would not react kindly to Aedh magic being taken into its midst, then ran up the steps and into the foyer. A geyser of golden sparks followed me as I ran through the shadows.
A gray-clad woman appeared. "Please, there is no need for haste—"
"There's every need," I bit back, but I nevertheless slowed. "I urgently need to see Custodian Zaira."
"I do not think—"
"Risa, what draws you here in such a state?" The familiar voice was as soft as the shadows around us and just as powerful.
I glanced past the gray-clad young woman and watched the willowy figure approach. Kiandra wasn't only the woman charge of the Brindle, but one of the most powerful witches I'd ever met. "I need to speak to Zaira urgently."
"As Indara was no doubt about to tell you, Zaira is not on duty today." She stopped several feet away and studied me. The power so evident in her gray eyes, was breathtaking. "Is this about Ilianna?"
"Yes. She's been kidnapped, and we suspect magic is being used to stop anyone from finding her."
"And you wish us to find her by tracking the magic itself?"
"Yes. I have no idea if it's possible—"
"It is." She tilted her head, and just for an instant it felt like she was seeing into my mind, reading all my hopes and fears. Judging me. My breath caught somewhere in my throat, and I found myself hoping I came up to scratch. After a moment, she added, "This way."
Once again I was led through the Brindle's quiet, shadowed halls and into yet another area I'd never been before. This one felt and looked far older than the other areas I'd visited, and power seemed to ooze off the walls. It was almost as if the centuries of spell making had infused the old stones with a magic all of their own.