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  “Excellent,” he said.

  Things were finally looking up. I told Dana the good news, and we high-fived each other.

  -o-o-o-

  AT DINNER, I described my tree-hugging experience for Gill. He only laughed and shook his head. “Ian’s a terrible influence on you, I’ve known he would be from the start. That’s why I warned you against returning here. Dana,” he grinned mischievously at my sister, “you be sure to stay away from him.”

  That was bullshit, and his grin challenged me to call him on it. Earlier in the year, I’d been planning to live with Gill and Katie so I could be Travis’ nanny and learn from the great master. But they encouraged me to learn from Ian instead. And it had paid off in spades.

  I gave Dana a one-armed hug. “She could do a lot worse. Senility has finally caught up with you, Texan. You should probably sell your mansion on the cliff and live out your declining years here. That way, I can protect you from all the people you’ve lied to and otherwise pissed off over the last century.”

  He laughed for a moment. After wiping tears from his eyes, he said, “Ian’s not the only crazy Indian in this crazy state. Dana, wait until you meet another whack job I know. Goes by the name Sequoia. He spends his days walking up and down the North Coast. At night, he sleeps on the beach or back in the bushes.”

  I’d heard about the Yurok medicine man but hadn’t met him. The Great Spirit somehow protected him from any and all comers. It sounded like a nice trick I’d love to learn. “Whatever works, works.”

  He glanced at my sister and rolled his eyes. Then he said to me, “Can’t argue with that logic.”

  One of the other Holar masters approached him and asked for some confidential advice. Gill followed the guy to an empty table where they sat and chatted.

  When Gill returned, he said, “I’ve got to call someone in France, and it’ll take a while. Before I do, I wanted to tell you I’ve found a detective in Boston who might be able to help you find Cara. He grew up in Québec, so he knows the territory. The guy worked for Boston PD for years. Quit in disgust when the department made it harder to knock around suspects, but I figure you’re looking for a tough guy. Going after Breaux isn’t going to be a walk in the park.”

  “That’s putting it gently,” Dana said.

  Gill handed me a slip of paper with the name Henri Dubois’ written on it with a phone number. I did want a professional detective, and I needed somebody who could take care of himself. Going after powerful sorcerers was an ugly business. “Thanks so much. I’ll call him tomorrow.”

  Then Laura asked Philippe, Katie and me to tell him about the trip to the redwoods. The other two had spent only a half-hour wandering in the drenching rain before returning to the bus, but they’d seen a lot more of the park than I had. I needed to get back there and explore the rest of that magical place.

  When we finished talking about the park, Katie patted my forearm. “Don’t let the bugs and bunnies distract you from the real source of fighting power, the guild. Holar witches across the country will help you if you ask. They collectively know more than you could learn in two lifetimes. To get you started tomorrow, Gill wants you to meet with a few witches who he claims could take him down on a good day.”

  What else could I say but, “Great!”

  All in all, it had been an excellent day, the first I could remember since I’d freed Dana. Back at our suite, Philippe and I sipped a glass of sauvignon blanc and hoped for more days like that one, all leading up to a glorious family reunion.

  -o-o-o-

  Wednesday, March 3rd

  BEFORE OUR MORNING run along the beach, Ian pulled me aside. “Listen, I’ve got bad news, and I’m telling you flat out not to go after Breaux.”

  My stomach sank. The boss didn’t go for melodrama. Something was seriously wrong. Things had been going so well, but I’d known it couldn’t last. “What’s up?”

  He stared straight into my eyes. “You heard what I said, right?”

  Damn, this sounded like real trouble. “I get it. Leave him alone. What did he do to Cara?”

  Ian shook his head. “Nothing, thank the gods, at least nothing I’ve heard. He issued a challenge to you. He’s offering to fight you for power at a neutral site tomorrow night.”

  No more looking. That was terrific. I might not need a detective after all. “Hey, works for me.”

  Ian put his hand on my shoulder. “Moira, just to be clear, as your master I’m telling you no. He’s too dangerous. When you’ve become much stronger, you can go after him. Definitely not tomorrow. And in case it matters, Gill and Sadie agree with me.”

  I owed allegiance to all of them, so magic wouldn’t let me disobey. But I could bitch. “What makes you three so sure I can’t beat Breaux?”

  “Simple addition. Gill knows somebody who knew the witch Breaux beat in Cleveland. That witch was stronger than you are now, but Breaux beat him. So, the sorcerer has their combined powers now.”

  All of my energy drained away. “Maybe I could toughen up quickly. Take a strengthening potion.”

  Ian just shook his head. “That’s crazy talk. If a magician could find power in a bottle, don’t you think I’d be doing that instead of constantly working my ass off? We all would.”

  Couldn’t disagree, so I approached the problem from a different angle. “We don’t know what horrors Cara is forced to endure. Maybe we don’t have time to make me stronger.”

  “Like you said, we don’t know. Maybe she’s not suffering at all. It sounds to me like Breaux is infatuated with her for the moment. Maybe he’s treating her like a princess.”

  I snorted. That was ridiculous. Sorcerers were evil, and I wasn’t giving up the idea of fighting for her sooner rather than later. “I could go back to the redwoods and stay with the old tree until I’ve pumped myself up enough.”

  “You’d have to hug that tree weeks, not hours.”

  I growled at him. He wasn’t going to back down. A wave of nausea flowed through me as I conjured up crazy images of Breaux beating Cara. “Can I ignore his challenge? Will I be able to fight him later?”

  “Of course. He’s trying to goad you into attacking before you’re ready. Wait a few weeks or months. That’s the smart move.”

  Before I could argue again, he ran down the dimly lit driveway toward the street. I tried to keep up, but his news had sapped most of my strength. I’d been training so hard, and I still wasn’t anywhere close to my goal.

  Philippe and Laura hung back with me. I struggled to stay within fifty yards of the main group. Luckily, neither of my friends tried to give me a pep talk. They simply stayed close. When I occasionally stumbled, Philippe stretched out a steadying hand.

  From time to time, I glanced over at the ocean and worried. It hadn’t tried to kill me lately, which meant it was overdue. I needed to stay alert. Although I was developing some kind of relationship with nature, natural disasters happened too damned often.

  By the time we returned to the inn, I’d burned off most of my surprise and disappointment. The time for moping was over. Had to work harder until I could beat Breaux, and Cara would have to hang on.

  -o-o-o-

  AT BREAKFAST, I texted the Boston detective to find a good time to call. He suggested Skype. Ian’s helpful and handsome assistant, Lee, promised to show me how to use it. I realized in a flash that he’d be perfect for Dana.

  Unfortunately, Ginger, a gorgeous blonde with the personality of a king cobra, had already sunk her fangs into him. I was undeterred. Ginger wasn’t much of a fighter, so no threat to Dana or me. Lee just needed to have his eyes opened to better romantic possibilities.

  After we finished eating, I brought Dana along as Lee took me to his office.

  The guy quickly established a video link for me to meet Henri Dubois. Then he and my sister sat off camera on a sofa while I introduced myself to the detective.

  He was a big shouldered, middle-aged man with a broken nose and a s
car on one cheek. His black hair was liberally sprinkled with white. It would’ve been easy for him to fix his appearance with glamor, so I assumed he preferred the rough and tumble look. I definitely needed someone who could take care of himself.

  When I asked him about his background, he said, “I grew up in a magical family, mademoiselle, deep Holar roots. When my parents divorced during my teens, I followed my mother to Boston. She quickly married an American, and she and I became citizens. I wasn’t much for schooling or working with my hands, so I entered the police academy. At the time, I fit right in.”

  To check on Gill’s story about Henri leaving the department, I asked, “Why’d you give up a steady paycheck?”

  “After I spent a decade on the force, our leadership changed. The new chief cared more about a criminal’s rights than a victim’s suffering. And I was tired of hiding my powers. So, I set up my own agency and specialized in going after the worst of the dark magical world. It’s worked out better than I’d hoped.”

  It all sounded good. “Can I get a few references from past clients?”

  He rattled off several names and phone numbers. I stopped him after the third.

  Then I explained in brief how I was trying to get Cara back from Breaux and how I’d screwed things up in Vegas. I wanted to be sure Henri knew what he was getting himself into.

  He asked lots of questions which I answered as honestly as I could. I sure didn’t want him to run into trouble because I sugarcoated how tough the case would be.

  In the end, he said, “I’m happy to take you on. I’ll need a twenty-thousand-dollar retainer, and I’ll bill you monthly once the retainer is exhausted. For such dangerous work, I charge a thousand bucks an hour.”

  Cara was priceless. “No problem. Let me check your references before you get started.”

  He paused for a moment. “Absolutely. Let’s say, for the sake of discussion, that you do hire me. What would it be worth to you to get her back with no muss or fuss, ma petite?”

  I thought about how much I’d like to avoid dealing with Breaux myself. I’d offered Wang seventy grand for my sister, and I would’ve paid far more. “I’d be happy to give you a half-million-dollar bonus.”

  Henri snickered. “Not me. I’m not powerful enough, but I know a senior Holar witch in Chicago who is. I can work with him to recover Cara. He should be more than satisfied with a half-million.”

  The money was nothing. “Sounds great, but I’ll need to check out the witch you’re talking about.”

  “Fantastique, mademoiselle.” He gave me the Chicago witch’s name and contact information.

  I said, “When I’ve spoken with your references, I’ll text you to confirm our arrangement. You can give me the retainer payment details then. Thank you so much for offering to help.”

  He waved and closed the video link.

  I glanced over at Lee and Dana to get their reaction, but they were paying attention to each other, not me.

  Chapter 10

  I CLEARED MY throat.

  Both looked at me and blushed.

  While I was happy to see they were making a connection, I’d hoped they’d give me their independent opinions about the detective. “Did either of you pay any attention to my conversation with Henri?”

  Lee blushed redder. “Sure, I heard everything…almost.

  That was obviously a lie, but I let it pass. He and Dana did look comfortable leaning in toward each other.

  But I had serious work to do. “What did you think of him?”

  “Seems like a tough guy,” Lee said, “good for a nasty job. Check his references and make sure he’s not bullshitting you.”

  “You bet.” I stood from behind the desk to leave, and they started to get up.

  “No,” I said. “Stay comfortable. Lee, Dana is having a little trouble understanding how this clan operates. I was hoping you could help her. You’ve always been so generous with your time.”

  Dana grinned at me like she understood my matchmaker scheme. He was a terrific guy, and she’d be hard-pressed to find any better companion within the clan. Why wouldn’t I encourage them to get to know each other?

  “It’ll be my pleasure to help,” he said.

  I waved goodbye, and they waved back, still on the sofa.

  With any luck, I’d put two people together who’d enjoy each other’s company, and if I managed to piss off his current love interest, who’d never been nice to me, all the better.

  -o-o-o-

  IN THE FEW minutes before my next sparring session with Frank, I called all three references Henri had given me. All had used him to manage a serious sorcerer problem, and in each case, he’d performed beautifully. One sweet elderly woman did complain that he hadn’t been as deferential to her as she’d expected, particularly given how much he’d charged.

  When we talked further, she told me that Henri was no gentleman, but he had quickly recovered the woman’s granddaughter from a sorcerer who’d kidnapped and raped her. That had cost the grandmother a hundred grand, but in the end, she was delighted he’d succeeded after the cops had given up.

  I sent him twenty thousand bucks and asked him to get started. He replied, I’ve already begun. Will keep you informed. Regards, Henri.

  Hope bloomed inside my heart. Cara might be able to join us soon. I practically flew to my next training session.

  -o-o-o-

  AFTER OUR AFTERNOON run, I met Gill, Ian, and all the out-of-town witches for happy hour at a bar on the waterfront. Although a cool breeze blew from the north, we sat on the patio.

  I’d never liked meeting strangers, particularly not a bunch at the same time, but I’d promised Gill I’d suck it up. When we sat, I made sure to position myself between my two mentors. We had a great view of the waterfront, including seals swimming just offshore, so if the conversation got too dull, I could focus on the scenery.

  Three of the out of towners were men. The two women were senior witches from California who’d known Gill for many years.

  I sat across from one of them, Olympia Papandreou, who happened to be a white-haired Greek woman and belonged to the Erbater guild. She and her father, who was sitting next to her, lived on the Lost Coast in Northern California.

  When we got to talking about water sports, she told me about how much she enjoyed sea kayaking. The way she described it, it sounded like a lot of fun, but I told her about my only experience with kayaking on the ocean months before, up near Gill’s house. A marauding shark had attacked out boat, terrifying me, but Ian had levitated me out of danger.

  Her eyes twinkled as she laughed with me about that crazy experience. It hadn’t seemed the least bit funny at the time, but my memories seemed to soften as time passed.

  Her dad, Hector, was a tall and muscular Greek warrior, and he broke into our little conversation. Although he was in his eighties, his hair remained coal-black. Glamor, no doubt. A touch of vanity.

  “Moira,” he said, “there’s a rumor going around that you’re Bloody Mary.”

  His comment caught me by surprise, but it certainly wasn’t any secret within our clan. To humor him, I switched to my gladiator persona for a moment. Olympia gasped when she saw my short, blood-red hair and scarred face. Her reaction convinced me to switch back to my inconspicuous self.

  His booming laughter echoed off the windows behind us. “It’s true! I’m a huge fan.”

  Olympia’s brow furrowed. I wasn’t sure what to make of his comment or her reaction. Although I’d had lots of asshole sorcerer fans back when I was a slave, he was the first witch who’d told me he watched gladiator fights. “Okay, good to know. You realize I was forced to fight back then, right?”

  Hector’s smile didn’t waver. “That doesn’t mean you couldn’t enjoy the experience. I always love a good battle. My great-grandson and I have watched many of your matches on closed-circuit TV. We love the way you wipe out most of your opponents and strut around afterwards. You’re a very im
pressive warrior.”

  I was filled with a mixture of perverse pride and shock at the idea that someone decent enjoyed the carnage. Confused, I glanced over at Gill to see his reaction. Unfortunately, he was talking to the woman on the other side of him and hadn’t seemed to hear Hector’s comment. Then I looked at Ian. He looked up slightly, as though rolling his eyes. I assumed that meant I shouldn’t take Hector seriously.

  So, I looked back at him and shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat. It wasn’t all fun and games, though. I managed to get the crap beaten out of me dozens of times, even though I eventually won most matches. In fact, as I think back about it, I can’t say I enjoyed the experience much.”

  He kept blathering on, as though he hadn’t heard me. “I remember last December when you won the heavyweight California championship. That was a battle royal.”

  Olympia lowered her head and covered her eyes with one hand. I couldn’t tell whether she was about to scream at him or burst out laughing. I wavered from one extreme to the other myself, and when I glanced at Ian, he shook his head slightly. He didn’t want to call out the fool.

  In an even voice, I said to Hector, “Actually, my opponent dislocated my shoulder that night. It hurt like a bitch, and I couldn’t wait to get to the healer.”

  He sighed. “You hid your pain beautifully, like all real fighters do. Teddy and I laughed out loud when you twirled your finger in the air, prancing around the ring as you claimed the spoils of victory. What a woman!”

  Maybe he hadn’t noticed that I’d twirled my left arm and index finger because I couldn’t lift my right. I’d hid my suffering because I hadn’t wanted anyone to see weakness. Fortunately, the healer took care of me quickly that night, but I still cringed occasionally when I recalled that championship.

  Ian squeezed my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “Please don’t throw the wine bottle at him. He’s too stupid to recognize how horrible that world is. Hector’s a great warrior but doesn’t have much common sense.”

  “Papa,” Olympia said to him, “that’s enough. Tell Moira about Elysium, which you helped our family build so long ago.”