I pulled my hand away and went back through the window.
“That’s not it,” I said, forcing an edge of disappointment into my voice. “This is really starting to piss me off.”
“Shall we move on to the next one?” Azriel asked, then silently added, We cannot risk leaving it there too long, just in case your ploy fails.
I know. But we can’t retrieve it until we do something about Myer. I wearily rubbed the bridge of my nose. I was beginning to get a headache, and it was no doubt entirely due to tension. Out loud, I added, “I need a coffee. Why don’t we head back to the café, and resume this in half an hour?”
The only way to deal with her might be to kill her. “Hunter’s deadline is little more than two hours away—”
I don’t want to kill her. It was somewhat weird to have a conversation on two very different levels. “I know. But if I drop with exhaustion, that isn’t going to find the key, either.”
“She may not see it that way.” And there is little other choice.
“Right now, I’m beyond fucking caring. I need coffee.” I hesitated, then glanced around the room and said, “And if you’re listening, Myer, feel free to mention my sentiments. I’m beyond caring about that, too.”
There was no response—but given she was on the astral plane rather than this one, that was no surprise. I returned my gaze to Azriel.
“Baiting Hunter, even via our watcher, is not a wise idea.”
“Yeah, well, she can’t fucking kill me until we find the key, and if she kills anyone else, she’ll never get it.” I glanced over my shoulder. “And you can tell her that, too, if you like.”
“Enough, Risa.” If Hunter has killed her brother, she is well beyond any sort of reasoning. Do not goad her into an action everyone will regret.
I sighed and stepped into his arms. Fair enough. “Home, James.”
He whisked us back to the café. I headed downstairs and made myself the largest mug of coffee I could find, then helped myself to some chocolate mousse cake and went back upstairs.
So, Myer, I said, as I plonked down on my office chair and munched on the cake.
Azriel moved across to the window and stared out. As I said, I really don’t think there are many options.
And I really don’t want to kill her if I can avoid it. I paused to take a sip of coffee. What if I knock her unconscious and bind her? From what Markel said when I killed Krogan, I think wherever they’re astrally traveling from, it’s a place only they access.
It is a very dangerous ploy.
I know, but I really don’t want to have too much blood on my hands at the end of all this, Azriel. Not when it’s the likes of Krogan and Myer, who are really only doing their job.
I can understand the desire, but in war, there is sometimes little other choice.
We aren’t at war, I wanted to say, but the fact of the matter was, we wer
e battling dark forces who wanted to either destroy this world or control it, and if that wasn’t war, then what was? I finished my cake and licked the mousse from my fingers. The only trouble is, to know where her physical body is I’m going to have to astral travel, and she’ll suspect something is wrong the minute I step onto the plane.
Can you not travel from where you are? It would be less obvious.
I can try.
Then do so. And be fast, in case she becomes aware of what is happening.
I drank some coffee, then put my mug on the table and closed my eyes. There was no time for finesse, no time to find calm and inner peace. I quickly went through the process that would take me onto the astral plane, and in very little time felt the pull of my soul as it came away from my body.
I immediately imagined myself standing in front of Myer’s physical body, and even as I pulled fully free from my flesh, the plane blurred around me; then I found myself in a small, dark room. Myer was short and dark haired, with muscular arms and scars down one side of her face. She lay on one of half a dozen beds that were in the room, none of the others of which was occupied.
I glanced around, the tension running through me reflected in the vibrations beginning to roll across the nearby plane, creating an odd sort of thunder. I flexed imaginary fingers, trying to calm down, yet knowing I couldn’t stay here long. Myer was far more adept at astral traveling than me and might just realize something odd was happening back at the café. If she decided to travel to wherever I now was, the shit would really hit the astral fan.
I spotted a heavy-looking metal door and imagined myself on the other side of it. In the blink of an eye I was. There was a security checkpoint in this room, complete with iris and body scanners, and a guard armed to the teeth. They weren’t taking any chances with the safety of their travelers—which made me wonder how in the hell Markel had gotten rid of Krogan’s body.
I moved on, past the scanners, following the shadowed corridor. I couldn’t travel in Aedh form to this place if I didn’t actually know where in Melbourne it was located.