CHAPTER X

When Anya returned to the place where she had left off the search the evening before, she found the protection spell still in place, something she intended to try to remedy. From what Anya could figure, the existence of the shield meant there was someone behind it, probably the people she was hunting, and she was determined to break through to them one way or another.

It took Anya a long time before she was able to sense how many people had been inside the protection-spelled area. The moment she could tell no one was there any longer, Anya gave a muffled scream of frustration. Even then, Anya hadn’t been able to break through all the layers that made up the conjuring. In a raging fit of temper, Anya chanted words to help bring down the barrier so she might be able to latch onto something from the inside of it. Anya had hopes that if she was able to sense the essences of those who once lived in this place, she would be able to track them.

Anya hadn’t expected her conjuring to act the way it did. First, her words set off sparks as they came into contact with the barrier. The surface of the spell then glowed a bright yellow, and the letters that formed the conjuring attached to the prior one that had created the boundary. Anya watched with silent fascination and wondered what she had done to cause this effect. A few moments later, the protection spell her enemies had placed around their home gave a flash and disappeared.

Where once there had appeared to be nothing but primal forest, now a quaint little log cabin nestled near several towering pine trees. Anya didn’t need to be told that the house was empty. She already knew this. Whoever had lived here had fled, which meant they knew they were being hunted, and whatever advantage she’d thought she had was lost. As far as Anya was concerned, their absence gave her the right to enter the house and look for any information she might be able to gather.

Anya turned the doorknob on the front door to find that it was unlocked. There wasn’t even a spell left behind to keep her out. This meant there was nothing to stop her from going through the building and everything in it. Anya’s elation came to a quick stop when she noted the interior of the cabin was devoid of anything usable to track them. There was no sign that anyone had ever lived in the building; not even ashes lay on the hearth to show that a fire had been used to keep people warm in the past.

Anya stormed through the empty chambers as she wondered where all the contents had gone. Surely the inhabitants hadn’t taken everything with them, and if they had, how had this been done? There had been no time for anyone to pack the entire contents of this house before leaving. After a thorough examination, she was ready to give up any hope of finding a physical article to tie this spot to anyone, yet she knew better than to stop looking. Something was off.

With a vicious curse, Anya released her inner Demon. It was time for her to get serious in her search. “The hunt is on. I sense the prey. Show me what happened here, so I may follow the trail they left behind.”

The cabin creaked as if the building was being attacked by a gale-force wind. Despite this, the building continued to hide its secrets. It was only as Anya’s power began to threaten to tear down the structure and set fire to the wood that made up the cabin itself, that the house relinquished its story.

Anya watched as Talion and Corolon spoke words to conjure the emptiness that now surrounded her. When the two Elves had finished, Lyra and Raine came into the room to inspect the men’s handiwork. The girls looked astonished at what had been done to their home. Corolon and Talion held out their hands to take Raine and Lyra’s. A moment later, Corolon opened a gateway, they all walked through to the other side, and the opening closed, leaving Anya to mull over what she had witnessed.

“Whoever these people are, they are able to create portals, although those don’t seem strong enough to remain open for any length of time.” Anya wondered just what they were. She definitely didn’t believe in extraterrestrials. Considering this matter, she opened up her sense to see if she could track where these people had gone. The weak trail was already growing old. However, enough residue from the original conjuring remained for her to pick up the thread leading to where these people went.

The image of Anya’s prey’s destination was easy to identify, although it was not the type of place she frequented. To get to them, she was going to have to travel to Colorado, and, to make sure she went to the right resort, she conjured the address. Then she swore. “Another cursed ski resort. Well, at least I know where they went. Aspen.”

It took Anya a precious hour to call the airport, hire a private jet, pack, and then leave. Aspen was only an hour flight from where she was, but she still didn’t want to waste a moment in case those she was following moved on. If Anya missed her prey, the trail they left would be cold and difficult to pickup again.

By the time Anya arrived at the airport, she had rethought her strategy. If these people had moved on, she would need transportation available at her fingertips so she could get to the next destination, and then perhaps even beyond that. Anya was not about to let her quarry get away now that she had them in her sights. With this plan in mind, Anya walked up to the counter of the airline she had chartered a flight from and asked to see the manager. As luck would have it, she didn’t have long to wait.

A middle-aged man walked out of the back office area shortly after Anya spoke to the receptionist and addressed her. “You wanted to talk to me?”

Anya gave a curt nod and then dove into her reasons for calling him out of his office. “I realize that I only booked your plane for one flight, but what are the chances that I can keep it on hand to make other trips upon demand?”

The manager took stock of Anya’s appearance and then lifted a file from the desk before him. There had not only been papers for Anya to sign in the folder in order to secure the flight she was about to take but also an audit on her finances to tell him how secure her account was.

Anya knew what the airline manager was doing when he checked her file, and she doubted if he would find anything out of order. Anya had always made sure her finances were in good shape. She had learned as a child to guard her credit and reputation. Haltom had hammered into her the importance of having a good name even more than life had.

As the manager closed Anya’s file, he smiled at her and replied, “I can’t see why that can’t be arranged. Keep in mind that this type of service comes at a price.”

Anya laughed. “And I am sure it is a hefty one. However, I am looking for something, and I am not sure where I will be flying to next before I find it. This is part of a scavenger hunt. Every time I make a step, it will be to gather a new clue to get me closer to my goal.”

This time the manager frowned as he warned, “What you do off the plane is your business, but keep in mind that we still need to follow the guidelines of our profession and industry. The pilot can only fly for a set number of hours at a time before he has to shut down. When you have a destination lined up, you will need to warn him where he is to go ahead of time because he will have to log a flight plan. If you are going to be leaving the country, everyone has to have a valid passport on them. We don’t do anything illegal with our equipment.”

Anya nodded her understanding even as she flashed her passport at the airline executive and lightly commented, “I never travel without it. Nor am I doing anything illegal, so you have nothing to worry about.”

The manager gave a satisfied nod and then left to write up the paperwork this job was going to need. From what he could figure, there was no deadline, which could mean the plane would be booked out of service to anyone but Anya for the foreseeable future. It was a very lucrative venture.