The Salvation: Unseen Page 0,38

asked.

“I talked to Damon,” Stefan told her.

“You did?” Relief flooded through Elena, mixed with a slightly miffed feeling: Damon had called Stefan, but not her? After all the messages she had left him? “Is he okay? Where is he?”

“He’s fine,” Stefan said. “He’s in Monaco.”

Monaco. Glamorous, full of life. Sounded like Damon. But then, why the angry, anxious emotions that had streamed—were still streaming—through the connection between them? “Did he get my messages?” she asked hesitantly. “And the e-mails?”

“He didn’t say,” Stefan told her. “We didn’t talk for very long.”

Elena frowned. “Well, why—” But Stefan was avoiding her eyes, his face closed off tightly. There was something he didn’t want to tell her. Elena bit her lip. Maybe she should let it rest for now. “I’m glad he’s all right, anyway,” she said. “And wait till you hear what we figured out.”

Andrés cleared his throat and broke into a grin, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “We were talking over the situation,” he said, “and I thought of something that may help. Once, back when I first came into my Powers, I needed to trace an animal spirit who had been making trouble in town. The problem was, no one knew who the spirit was: She could have taken any kind of human disguise. My mentor, Javier, and I worked together and I learned how to do, er …” He waved his hand impatiently, looking for the words. “I guess you’d call it a vision spell? I was able to channel my Power through something we knew the spirit had seen in the past and find my way back to what she was seeing in the present.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Stefan said.

Elena bounced on her heels, tugging at his sleeve in her excitement. “If we find something that we know Solomon has looked at, Andrés might be able to see what Solomon’s looking at now!” she exclaimed. “We could figure out where he’s hiding!”

“But we don’t know what he’s seen,” Stefan said, frowning. “The things that happened here, with Sammy and my stave, he must have compelled humans to do.”

“The ice?” Elena wondered. “He wasn’t there, but he must have seen it somehow, right? Could we use the windows, or the bed …?”

Andrés was shaking his head. “I think it has to be something more specific,” he said. “Something Solomon actually laid eyes on, rather than controlling from a distance. And something recent, so a lot of people haven’t seen it since he did. Too many people have been in and out of this apartment since then.”

There was a baffled silence as they all thought.

“The car accident,” Stefan said suddenly. Andrés and Elena stared at him, and then Elena began to smile.

“Of course,” she said. “He would have watched, wouldn’t he? That open road, surrounded by tree cover. It would have been easy for him.” She got up and disappeared into the bedroom. “I haven’t worn this shirt since that day,” she said, coming out with a white shirt in one hand. “I washed out as much of the blood as I could, but it still needs to be dry-cleaned.”

Andrés took it from her, turning the soft fabric over in his hands. “I’ll try,” he said. “Help me. The more Power we can put into this, the better.” Elena took his hand and they both closed their eyes. For several moments, the only sound in the room was their breathing, deep and slow and in time with each other. Stefan held perfectly still.

Elena’s blue eyes and Andrés’s brown ones flew open at the same moment.

“Shining metal,” Andrés said. “A young girl, fighting a tall dark-haired man. No, they’re working out, very formal movements. A big open room.”

“That’s what Jack’s seeing, not Solomon,” Elena said instantly. “Jack saw me in that shirt, too. He must be training with his team.”

“Okay, yes.” Andrés’s eyes were tracking back and forth rapidly, but Elena was sure he wasn’t seeing the room they were in. “A library. Wooden tables, books. Oh, this one feels familiar. Meredith.” He swallowed and tried again, his eyes moving faster. “Oh! I’m seeing through Stefan’s eyes now.” His gaze focused for a moment, snapping out of the trance. “That was curious, seeing myself from outside.”

“Try again,” Elena said. “Push past the people you recognize if you can. I think, other than Jack, Solomon would be the only stranger.”

“Okay.” They closed their eyes and breathed together for a moment, then began again. This time Andrés didn’t speak immediately, his eyes moving