When I texted Kipa, asking if he could come over, he texted me back saying that he would be held up until at least nine p.m. I told him I’d see him then, and headed back to my car. I had gotten rid of my Toyota Camry because every time I saw it, I couldn’t get rid of the memory of Pandora flagging me down for help. For some reason, I had thought nothing of seeing her on the side of the road, and had slowed down on my way home from Ember’s. She got in the car, saying very little. All the way to my house I had felt like something was wrong, but I couldn’t seem to frame the question of why. And then, as we pulled into my driveway, everything had become a blur. I didn’t remember anything else until I woke up in the cavern under Mount Bracken.
So I had traded in my Camry, which I had loved, for a Subaru. It wasn’t exactly my style, but it was a sturdy car, with plenty of room for Raj in the back, and the best thing about it was that it didn’t send me into a flashback when I saw it.
I arrived home, holding my breath until I made it into the foyer. Locking the door behind me, I was relieved to see the alarms were still functioning and hadn’t been triggered. Raj was sitting on the sofa, watching TV, and he bounded over to greet me.
“Raven have a good day? Raj watch TV and eat cookies.” He beamed at me.
Gargoyles were incredibly intelligent, but in a vastly different way than humans, and Raj’s interactions with me often made me wonder if he had been stunted developmentally. Given that a demon had owned him from birth, there was a good chance that he had experimented on my poor Raj, but whether Raj was normal for a gargoyle or not didn’t matter. I loved him because he was my buddy and friend. And I’d take care of him until the end.
I gave him a hug, kissing him on the forehead. “Raven had a good day. Raven enjoyed seeing Llew in the shop again. Did everything go okay here? Raj was all right today?”
Raj nodded, his head bouncing like a bobble-head toy. “Nobody came. The ferrets made a racket.” He wandered back to the TV. Raj was a couch potato, and he loved TV with a passion. He’d watch anything and everything, just so long as it was happy and upbeat. I had recently found him watching Musical Weddings, a show where four couples spent twelve weeks in trial marriages with each other—much like musical chairs. Every two weeks they changed spouses. The cat fighting and jealousy were over the top, but Raj watched happily, hoping for a happy ending for everyone. I didn’t bother telling him it was probably rigged. He enjoyed rooting for the couples he thought were the underdogs.
I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I wandered into the kitchen anyway, finding a bag of chips that I had hidden behind some canned beets. Raj hated canned beets, and I knew he would never look there even if he managed to get the cupboards open. I poured the chips into a bowl and carried them into the living room to share with him.
Raj began to describe who the different couples were, along with a few odd comments that led me to wonder if he’d been watching Runway Divas, a virtual fashion show, lately.
“Piper’s dress looks like she found it in a thrift store,” he said offhandedly, doing his best imitation of RuPaul. “And honey, that ain’t good.”
I swiveled, staring at him. “Um…okay. What makes you say that?”
“Dennis said it, and Raj likes Dennis. Raj wants Dennis and Piper to get married.” Then he shushed me, and went back to watching intently.
A chime sounded, announcing that someone was texting me. I glanced at my phone, wiping my hands on a paper towel to get the oil off of them. It was from Trinity.
hey raven, do you want to catch a drink at the burlesque a go-go?
I glanced at the clock. It was barely six. Kipa wouldn’t be over for three hours. i can meet you for a couple of hours. see you there in twenty minutes.
I stood, turning to Raj. “Raven has to go out for a couple hours. She’ll be home by eight-thirty. Kipa is coming over later tonight to spend some time with Raven and Raj. Raj will be okay?” I handed him the bowl of potato chips.
He nodded, still staring at the TV. I touched up my makeup and made sure that my hair was brushed, then slung my purse over my shoulder. Placing my foot on a chair, I tested my dagger sheath that was firmly buckled around my thigh, sliding Venom back into it. Venom was my blade, and she had a poisonous bite. We worked well together, and I never went out without her now, although I caved when it came to the Sun & Moon Apothecary. Llew had specifically asked me not to wear weapons in the shop, and I respected him enough to abide by his ruling. When I got there, I took Venom off, stowing her in my purse, peace-bound. When I left, I made sure she was firmly against my thigh again.
I checked to be certain the wards were activated, and I also double-checked the magical security system. Then, waving to Raj, I locked the door behind me and headed to my car. The motion sensors flashed on the moment I set foot on the porch. It cast a bright light across the driveway, and as I headed for my car, I saw Trefoil and Meadow sitting outside in their yard. I wandered across the street to say hello.
“Hey, what’s hanging?” I had come to like them, and I actually felt more secure with their presence in the neighborhood. They belonged to the paramilitary branch of LOCK, the Library of Cryptic Knowledge. I had recently discovered that LOCK was secretly run by the Force Majeure, the most powerful magical organization in the world. That Trefoil and Meadow O’Ceallaigh were in the military branch gave me more of a feeling of security.
Meadow looked up, red hair sparkling under the evening sunlight. She and Trefoil were brother and sister, members of the magic-born, and although I had never seen them in action, I knew just how powerful they could be.
Standing, Meadow stretched and yawned. “Hey, we’re fine. How are you?” She frowned, and once again I felt like I was in the spotlight. I was beginning to hate the fact that so many people knew what had happened to me. It wasn’t that I wanted to keep it a secret, it was just that everywhere I turned, somebody either wanted to help me or tiptoe around me.
“Fine. I went down to read at the shop today. I’m going to be gone for a couple hours right now, so if you’re around, would you mind keeping an eye on the house? I have the wards set and I also have the security system set, but I’d still feel better if I knew someone was paying attention. I should be back around eight-thirty.”
She nodded, her expression grave. “We’ll be around. We decided we wanted to do some star watching tonight, so we should be out here all evening. Have fun and we’ll see you in a while.”
Trefoil waved at me as I murmured “Bye” and headed back to my car. As I drove out of the neighborhood, everything felt so normal, and yet so different. And I knew we wouldn’t be back to normal for a long time, if ever.
The Burlesque A Go-Go was jumping, and I waved at the bouncer as he motioned me through. I was a regular, friends with the owner, and everybody who frequented the nightclub knew me. As I entered the bar, the lights fell away and a dark ambience glittered over the room. The Vulture Sisters were up on stage dancing, a Gothic belly dance that made me think of birds of prey—which they actually were. They were Ante-Fae, like me, but they were much more predatory and they made no move to hide the fact.
I glanced around, looking for Vixen. Vixen was the owner of the club, and they were sitting over in a corner chair as usual with Apollo—their Golden Boy—by their side. Tonight, Vixen was wearing a top hat, a pair of leather pants, and a slinky shirt open to their waist. Gender-fluid in the truest sense of the word, Vixen shifted form each day, depending on what they felt like being.
I headed over to the table, motioning to the waitress as I did so. “A Blueberry Warble, please.” The milkshake was fortified with blueberry liqueur, and it was the newest thing on the menu. It came quickly.
“Raven, my love. Sit down.” Vixen pushed the chair out from the table with their foot. They never flirted with me unless they were in male form, which I found interesting.
“I can only stay for a couple of hours. Trinity’s meeting me here.”
A shadow passed across Vixen’s face. “Are you still hanging out with the Keeper of the Keys? He’s not healthy for you, Raven. While he may have saved your life, he’s still a form of Mesmer, and you shouldn’t trust him.”
I let out a sigh. Lately, every time I got together with Vixen and Apollo, they tried to talk me out of hanging out with Trinity. They didn’t like him, and Vixen only tolerated his presence in the bar because of me.
“I don’t see what’s wrong with him. And if you don’t tell me, I’ll never know what it is you have against him. Trinity’s in a class on his own, I grant you that. But aren’t we all? All of the Ante-Fae and the Exosan?”
The Exosan were members of the Ante-Fae who liked to interact with humans. I was one of them.
“It’s not that I don’t like him, but chaos follows him as sure as frost follows the autumn. And Trinity can’t control his chaos. And sometimes I think he revels in the fact that it goes awry.” Vixen narrowed their eyes, leaning forward. They lifted their drink and took a slow sip from it, then deliberately set it down and held out their hand to me. I placed my fingers in their palm and they wrapped my hand with their warm one. “You should talk to Herne about Trinity. I’m sure he’ll have more information that he’s willing to share, but let it be known that I go on record as saying I don’t like that you hang out with him. I imagine that your lover isn’t exactly thrilled with the idea either?”
While Vixen was polyamorous, they knew that I wasn’t. And they knew Kipa well enough to know that he didn’t like sharing his partners.
“I’ll deal with it in my own way. We’re fine. Kipa understands that I’m going through something that you can’t possibly know anything about. I’m dealing with memories that—”
“Don’t start with me, girl,” Vixen said, lowering their voice. “You know very little about my history. Don’t spout off at the mouth until you know more. I’ll stop pressing you about Trinity, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I was about to answer back when I noticed the door open and Trinity entered the nightclub. I stood. “Since Trinity’s presence causes you so much concern, I’ll talk to him at a different table. See you later, Vixen. You too, Apollo.”
Apollo merely nodded, but Vixen shook their head, scowling.
As I headed across the dance floor, weaving through the throng of dancers and partiers, I couldn’t help but wonder if Vixen was right. Was Trinity dangerous? Could I trust him? I still knew very little about him, even though he had saved my life and we’d started hanging out together more. But there was something about him—something unfettered and free that made me want to run by his side. I wasn’t that attracted to him, not on a physical level, but his fearless attitude did appeal to me, and for now, it felt just what the doctor ordered.
Trinity leaned against the bar, waiting for me.
“Raven,” he said, motioning to me, and I slid into his embrace, giving him a peck on the cheek before I sat on the bar stool next to him. We had only known each other for a short time, but it felt like forever. Trinity was carefree, and he wasn’t attached to anyone, although he did seem to care for a number of people. Unfettered, Trinity came and went as he pleased.
“Hey Trin.” I sighed, glancing back at Vixen and Apollo, who were both watching us. “They’re not happy about you being here.”
“Not my circus, not my monkeys. I pay my tab, and I don’t cause any brawls. If Vixen doesn’t like me, they can toss me out on my ass, but I’m not going willingly just to save them some trouble.”
He arched one eyebrow and I grinned. The dark liner around his eyes was natural and gave him a roguish, Goth look, not quite the raccoon-mask look, but close. He had black hair that fell down his back in a braid, and he was wearing a pair of black leather pants and a black velvet jacket with ruffled sleeves and gold military buttons. Formfitting to the waist, the lower part of the coat flared out, and there were gold and blue stripes on the shoulders. Trinity was like a combination rock star–pirate in his style, flamboyant as hell but it came naturally to him, so it didn’t seem affected.
I had been hesitant to ask, but finally I decided that I needed to know. I trusted Vixen and Apollo, and I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t like Trinity.
“I need to know why Vixen doesn’t like you.” Finishing my milkshake, I motioned to the bartender and ordered a glass of red wine.
“They have their reasons,” Trinity said, his answer far from reassuring.
“Are you going to tell me those reasons?”
He shrugged. “I might. Why do you want to know?”
“Because Vixen and Apollo are my friends, and their opinions matter to me. If they don’t like you, they’ve probably got some reason and I’d like to know why.”
“Why didn’t you ask them?”
“Because I want to hear your side of the story first. There are always two sides to a story. I like you, Trinity. And I owe you big. You helped Ember save my life.”
“Not necessarily. When you think about it, Merlin saved all of us. I was just along for the ride. I’m glad you survived, though.” He gazed at me, his eyes clear. That was one thing I could count on, Trinity almost always told the truth. He might be a master of persuasion, but he didn’t lie to get what he wanted.
“Just tell me, all right?”
He played with his glass for a moment, then pushed it back toward the bartender. “Another, please.” Looking at me again, he said, “Raven, I’ll make you a bargain. I’ll think about telling you why Vixen and Apollo don’t like me, if you’ll come exploring with me. I found something.” He held up a keychain, dangling a copper key from the end. By my estimation, the keychain had more than one hundred keys on it. It rattled as he toyed with it. While I knew it had to be heavy as hell, he treated it as if it were light as a feather. That’s one thing about the Ante-Fae, we were all fairly strong.
I caught my breath. Trinity collected keys to all sorts of outlandish places, and there was something magical that he did with them, although I didn’t know what yet. He was also a Mesmer, and could entrance humans with his suggestions. While his glamour didn’t work on me, it didn’t go unnoticed. I did find him mesmerizing and hypnotic, though, and I liked being around him.
“What do you say? One journey tonight. And then I’ll tell you my secret—possibly.” He grinned, tilting his head in a dare.
I let out an exasperated sigh but nodded. “All right. One journey, in exchange for one secret.”
“Possibly.” Trinity tossed a fifty-dollar bill on the table, then motioned for me to join him as he sauntered out of the door.
“Are you going to tell me your secret?” I asked as I drove in the direction he wanted to go. We were headed for the Worchester District, the most haunted area of Seattle. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of running into more spirits, but if we did, we did.
“Oh no, you get your secret when we’ve finished our journey.”
“So, does your new key lead to a mausoleum? A grave?”
Trinity shook his head. “Nope, it’s not actually a new key. But I did discover a new secret, and I think you’ll like it. You’ll just have to wait and see.” He paused for a moment, then added, “How is Kipa doing? How are you two doing?”
I pressed my lips together for a moment. As tired as I was of people asking me that, I felt like I could talk to Trinity. He didn’t judge, just listened. I couldn’t even talk to Llew about my relationship right now, because Llew was fixated on the idea that if I just asked for therapy, everything would be all right.
“Kipa’s all right. We need to make this quick because I’m meeting him at nine back at my house. And I’ve broken too many promises lately to stand him up again tonight.” I sighed, pausing. Finally, I added, “The truth is that I’m both afraid I’ll lose Kipa, and I’m afraid he’ll stay. Because if he stays, he just might realize how messed up I am. I don’t want him to know how badly this fucked up my mind. He’s worried enough as it is.”
“We’re almost there. Traffic’s light tonight.” Trinity leaned back in his seat, sliding his hands behind his head. “What does Kipa think about our friendship?”
I glanced at Trinity, then back at the road. “I think he’s jealous. I told him he has nothing to worry about, that you and I have no romantic interest in each other. I trust I’m right on that, aren’t I?” Trinity and I had never really discussed our sudden friendship. But I wanted to make sure that he was on the same page I was.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to try to jump your bones. Not that you aren’t attractive, but right now, I’m not particularly interested in getting involved with anybody. I don’t fuck my friends because I don’t want to lose them and inevitably, when I sleep with a woman, she always seems to want more than I have to offer.” He pointed to a side street. “Over there.”
The Worchester District of Seattle was old and falling-down decrepit. Spirits gathered here, especially in some of the older buildings that had housed the mentally ill at a time when mental illness was treated as a dirty secret, and some of the private boarding schools for delinquents that had been shut down when their unorthodox punishments were brought to light.
I parked at the end of Broadfen Avenue near a sign that read “Dead End Street.” As we locked the car and began to walk down the road, I realized that the entire street seemed to be abandoned. The road was lined with apartments on either side, all of them dilapidated and empty. The buildings were silent and dark, their courtyards overgrown.
The buildings to our left and right had once been apartment buildings—two long rows of them on either side. They were brownstone brick, and they bore fading signs that read “Broadfen Townhouses.” The windows were broken from people throwing stones, and the doors were boarded up with rotting sheets of plywood. Broadfen was a short street, and up ahead, I could see that it ended at a chain-link fence.
As we approached the fence, I could see that beyond the Broadfen brownstones on either side, there were buildings that looked to be part of some complex. When I squinted, I could see a fading sign on the end of the one on the right that read “UCHV—Building B.” Another building kitty-corner to the left of the garden looked similar. Obviously, we had found some sort of complex. But that wasn’t what caught my attention. No, what drew my focus was what lay beyond the chain-link fence.
There was a garden there, between the two long buildings, spreading out in a square like a courtyard. On the other side of the garden I could barely see—through the tangle of trees and foliage—another building that ran lengthwise to the garden square.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I just discovered it yesterday. Let’s explore the garden!”
The fence was low, about three feet high. To the left, right before the fence, was a pile of broken concrete that littered the road. There was no gate.
Trinity leaped over the fence with no problem. He turned as I clambered up to the top of the concrete debris. He held out his hand, steadying me as I cautiously placed my left foot on the fence. Trinity caught my other hand as I balanced on the metal rail before swinging down to the other side. Letting go, he held his finger to his lips and we crept into the overgrown garden.
I glanced around. The chain link ran the entire perimeter of the garden, which was sandwiched between the four buildings—the one in back of us belonging to the Broadfen brownstones.
Square, the lot was about twice the size of my backyard. Even from where we were, I could see vining maple and ivy growing up the walls of the buildings. In the garden proper, there was a riot of flowers and shrubs, along with a giant maple tree, several lilacs, and knee-deep grass and ferns that blanketed the ground. A riot of wild roses and foxglove poked out of the knee-high grass. The lilacs were done and gone, but the scent of the roses filled the air, intoxicating me, their blossoms were so fragrant. In the center of the garden was a stone bench, barely visible in the thick grass and ferns that covered the ground.
“How did you find this place?” I asked, looking around, delighted. It was like a hidden oasis in the middle of a dismal part of the city.
“I like to take long walks. I go on treasure quests to discover the hidden wild places of Seattle. You need to be cautious—I’ve seen a few nixienacks around here, but they tend to come out more during the day rather than in the evening.” Trinity led me over to the bench. “Have a seat.”
I sat down, trying to relax as I leaned back and drew a deep breath. Trinity was kneeling nearby, sorting through a pile of discarded objects. I closed my eyes, thinking that I should be relaxing given the beauty of the garden, but instead, I felt a dark pall looming over my shoulder. I turned toward the building on the opposite side, staring at it.
The buildings that surrounded the garden were long silent, abandoned like so many places in the Worchester District. But even though the living had left them behind, I could feel the dead moving inside. There were throngs of them here, crowding the spiritual highways.
I watched the building closely. It was gloomy, large and taciturn, and the longer I looked at it, the more nervous it made me. I frowned, staring at one of the upper windows that overlooked the garden. There was somebody watching me, and it made me uncomfortable.
“What was that building used for?” I asked.
Trinity glanced up from the debris pile. “I think it was an infirmary or something. I’m not sure, though. Why?”
“There’s something there. I mean, there are ghosts all over the place around here, but there’s some spirit in that building that feels…trapped? I want to say trapped.” I worried my lip, both wanting to go explore, and yet being afraid to do so.
“It’s not Pandora, is it? Trying to charm you again?” Trinity was standing now, pushing his jacket back to reveal a wicked-looking blade strapped to his belt.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I think someone in there might need my help.”
At that moment, a piercing shriek raced through the astral, almost knocking me over with its fear. I jumped back, trying to catch my breath. There was a spirit in trouble, and the sound of her terror rang in my head.
Trinity’s eyes widened. “I heard it too.” He paused, then glanced at his phone. “Come on, we should leave. You need to get home.”
“But I want to check it out—” I started to say, then stopped as Trinity pushed me toward the chain-link gate.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here,” he said. “I just thought you’d like the garden.”
I protested again that I did like the garden, and that I thought we should explore the building, but Trinity wouldn’t hear of it. He hustled me back over the fence and toward my car, and before I could say a word, we were on the way back to the Eastside. I wanted to ask him more about the building, but I could sense that he truly regretted taking me there and I knew I wouldn’t get a clear answer. I knew, too, that I wouldn’t get an answer to my question about his secret, so I let both thoughts drop as I focused on driving. But my mind was back in the secret garden, back with the wandering ghosts, and I knew that I’d return.