We’d been holed up at the fort as the city regrouped. Word that the Fates had fallen had led to chaos in the Twin Cities, though. The magical community was choosing sides and doors were closing. Hecate had promised to make the world burn, and she was a goddess who kept her word.
Mortals as well as the magical were fearful. Rumors of dark rituals, human sacrifices, even a serial killer were whispered in the mortal world, while the magical world concerned itself with the news of Hecate’s escape.
Hell’s Belles was still standing, but had been deserted. Nobody knew where Bernie was, or if she was even still alive. A mortal stood on the corner with a sign proclaiming, THE APOCALYPSE IS NIGH.
I’d warded the boundaries of the abandoned fort and we started making preparations for an attack that never came.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“You wounded her,” Ambrose reminded me. “She might be too weak to fight.”
“But wounds heal,” I replied.
He hoisted a five-pound bag of salt. “Where do you want this?” he asked me.
“The old mess hall for now,” I told him. “Naomi and Talbot are working on a demon cocktail.”
“Does it matter?” Talbot asked glumly. “Hecate will just bring more demons.”
“If there was only a sign of where the harpy’s feather is, we’d have a chance.”
“Claire’s been scouring the Book of Fates,” he pointed out. “All we know is that Morta had it. She hid the harpy feather, obviously.”
“But where?” I slapped a mosquito that was trying to suck on my neck.
“Nobody has a clue,” he said. “I think the secret died with the Fates.”
“And whose fault is that?” Naomi snapped. It was the first thing she’d said all morning. She was huddled on the cot.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“Yes, you did,” she accused. “You came to Minneapolis to get your revenge.”
“At first I wanted to kill the aunts,” I said. “But that changed.”
“Yet my mother and aunts are still dead,” she said. “And my father.” She turned her face to the wall.
“My mother is dead, too,” I replied. “Instead of arguing, we need to fight. Or have you given up?”
Her shoulders tensed, but she didn’t reply. I knew my question had hit home, though, when she got out of bed. “I’m going to see if I can help Claire.”
Talbot murmured something in her ear and then kissed her gently before she left.
“What did you say to her?”
He choked back a laugh. “I suggested, diplomatically, that she might want to bathe.”
A series of honks told us that Ambrose had arrived back with supplies. We went outside to help him unload.
“Any luck?”
He handed me a ten-pound bag of beans. “The shelves are almost wiped clean. The tornado scared the mortals and now they’re stocking up for emergencies.” He had to be careful which stores he went to. Some of them had already been taken over by Hecate’s demons.
“I like beans,” Talbot said cheerfully, but his father’s next words wiped the smile from his face.
“Trey Marin is missing.”
“You think something happened to him?”
“I think someone happened to him,” he replied. “No one has seen him since he met with the other House leaders.”
“What did Luke Seren say?”
Ambrose shrugged. “I didn’t ask him.”
“You think Luke is behind Trey’s disappearance? But Luke said he was on our side.”
“That’s what he said,” Ambrose said. “The question is do you believe him?”
“Why would Luke want to kill Trey?”
“Trey has been coming to your defense with the other Houses,” Ambrose said. “He’s done everything but take out an ad. Hecate would want that threat removed.”
“What about Johnny Asari?” Talbot said. “I wouldn’t put it past him to screw us over.”
“Anyone else you can talk to about Trey’s whereabouts?” I asked.
“His niece,” Ambrose said. “But maybe you’d like to speak with her personally.” He gave me a sly smile.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I laughed. “I’m persona non grata with Willow right now, but if anyone knows where Trey is, it’d be her.”
My mind was still worrying on the question of the harpy feather.
“I need to go into the city,” I said. “There’s someone I need to see.”
He didn’t bother telling me I’d probably get killed. He didn’t have to. We’d been taking turns patrolling the city, searching out the demons preying on mortals and magicians alike. Any demon worth his salt would be itching to kill me. Hecate probably promised bonuses to whoever managed to kill me.
I needed to see Ruth Delaney. She was a fortune-teller. Maybe that was enough that she’d be loyal to Lady Fortuna. Loyal to me.
Ruth had a small shop not far from where Zora’s used to be. The palm-reader symbol hung discreetly in the window, but other than that, it looked like a high-priced tea shop.
I peered through the window. She was alone. The store was decorated in white lace and blue floral prints. It looked like a doily convention.
Ruth sat on a blue silk divan and sipped a cup of tea. She set it down abruptly when I entered.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Are you crazy? There are demons everywhere, searching for the son of Fortuna.”
“I know that, but I need your help. I want a reading, Ruth,” I said.
“Not here,” she said. “Meet me at the Greyhound station tomorrow. Fitch will come with me.”
“It has to be early,” I told her. Demons didn’t particularly like the sun, although they could walk in it, if needed.
Customers entered and we both froze, but it was a group of mortal women. They gave me curious looks as they browsed. I must have looked out of place in the frilly shop.
“I’ll take some of the Earl Grey,” I said. It was the only excuse I could think of.
Ruth wrote something down on a receipt pad and then rang me up. “Your receipt, sir.” I stuffed it in my pocket.
I was a block from her store when I nearly collided with Luke Seren. “Nyx,” he hissed. “What are you doing here?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Looking for supplies,” I lied.
He modified his tone. “Forgive me for my anger,” he said. “I was concerned about your safety.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said.
“Did you happen to see Ruth today?” he asked.
“I went to her shop,” I said.
“Why?” His questions were setting me on edge.
I studied him for a moment. “My cousin has just lost her mother,” I said. “I thought maybe a cup of tea would brighten her day.”
“Ah, yes, of course,” he replied. “Tea is a wonderful restorative.”
“Yes,” I said. “We’re all recovering from the betrayal.”
He flinched, but recovered quickly. “Betrayal?”
He knew something. “Only a very few people knew where Hecate was imprisoned.”
“Maybe you should look to Johnny Asari for that,” Luke suggested.
“How would Johnny know?”
He made a steeple of his hands. “How do I put this delicately? Pillow talk.”
I slammed him against the storefront wall. “Are you accusing my sister of something?”
“No, no, of course not,” he said. “It’s just…”
I set him down. “Spit it out.”
“Don’t you find that you tell your secrets to those you love?”
I stalked away without answering. I waited to get back to the Dead House to read Ruth’s note. She’d written down an address and time. Six a.m. at the bus station on Hawthorne.
The next morning, I got a ride with Ambrose. We’d scraped the Eternity Road logo off the side of the van and repainted it. Now the van looked like a million other white delivery vans, instead of a bull’s-eye for demons.
Ambrose dropped me off six blocks from the meeting point. He was headed out to replenish our zombie chow and maybe find some extra food and supplies for the rest of us.
The Greyhound bus station was only a few blocks from Hell’s Belles. I’d reluctantly left my leather jacket with Talbot and felt naked without it, but it would have made me stand out like a sore thumb. I borrowed one of his hoodies. I hoped it would obscure my identity long enough to find out what Ruth could tell me.
As I walked along Hawthorne, I noticed Tria Prima symbols on most of the buildings. Despite my best efforts, Minneapolis was in thrall to a demon goddess.
The magical world hadn’t waited long before choosing sides. Hecate hadn’t given them much choice. Besides, I wouldn’t bet on me, either.
I took a seat on a metal bench that faced the entrance and settled in. I waited for three hours, but Ruth and Fitch never showed up.