else. “The question is how. How did he manage to do it and where does he have them stashed?”
I couldn’t consider the fact that Myrddin might have killed them all. I simply couldn’t.
“I might not be Myrddin Emrys, but I cast powerful locator spells,” Sarah said. “If they were dead, I would have found the bodies. My guess is they’re not on this plane. You’re right. He’s hidden them somewhere and we need to find them.”
That was precisely the point of this evening’s meeting. We needed to figure out how to find them before Myrddin did whatever the hell he was going to do. “Are the academics on their way up? I had Albert send us some scones. Hugo prefers a proper British tea service.”
“They should be here any minute.” Sarah sighed and turned back to face me. Her hair was slightly longer than the pixie cut she used to wear but it was still a vibrant color. Seafoam green was the flavor of the month, and it suited her well. “I’m concerned that Myrddin caused this problem so he’s going to be the one to fix it. I heard he’s down in his new temple preparing to work a couple of spells with Nimue. We might find out he’s done all of this so he can be the hero.”
I hadn’t considered that, but it sounded like something Myrddin would do. “You can’t tell if he’s worked any magic?”
Frustration clouded her expression. “Of course he’s worked some magic. It’s what he does. But something is wrong. Not with him. With the whole building. The problem is I know something’s off. I can feel it. But I don’t know what it is. It’s like there’s a ward up, but I’m not sure what it’s doing.”
“When did you start to feel this way?”
“Yesterday,” Sarah said. “But I didn’t want to disrupt the wedding. You were kind of a bridezilla.”
It was fair and I knew it. “Describe the feeling. I don’t feel anything at all different.”
“It’s subtle.” Sarah pulled out one of the four chairs and sank down. “It’s almost like I’ve got a cold. You know that sensation you get when it’s first starting to settle into your chest? You’re not coughing yet, but you feel the slightest bit of weight pressing down.”
Or she could simply be getting a cold. Her daughter, Mia, had been sniffling this morning. I’d already mentally braced myself for Lee and Evan to get sick. The rest of the kiddos had either Fae or wolf constitutions, and nothing would get through those immune systems. “Have you seen a doctor?”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed and I was reminded how good with hexes she was. “I’m serious, Z.”
I held up my hands in apology. “Okay, not a cold. Then what is it? Is it some weird kind of ward? One you’ve never seen?”
“I kind of thought I’d seen them all, but if I had to guess, that’s what I would say it is.” She pulled her teacup closer but didn’t take a drink. “It doesn’t stop magic. I worked a couple of spells and they went great.”
“White magic?”
“And dark,” she replied, meeting my eyes with a bit of challenge. “I wanted to make sure both kinds work. I’ve kept up my skills. I know Felix wouldn’t approve, but I still practice.”
Her husband was a fallen angel, though not for the stereotypical reasons. He hadn’t gone bad. He’d fallen in love with his charge and joined her for an earthly life. He could be prudish when it came to the darker magics, but I didn’t have his faith in the universe. “Good. We might need it. Don’t think for a second I won’t call on you to use all that mojo if Voldemort decides to play rough.”
Her eyes rolled. “No one’s here. You can call him by his name.”
I had to be careful. “I have to think that he’s everywhere. We don’t know that this ward you feel isn’t more of a spell that allows him to hear everything we’re saying. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
She shook her head. “I know he’s better than I am.” She held up a hand when I started to argue. “No, he’s forgotten more magic than I’ll ever understand, but I promise you I would know if he got through my wards. He might be able to do it, but he couldn’t hide the fact. I ward with my own blood. Never tell Felix this, but every inch of this building is protected with my