"What brings you here, Arturo Mazza? I've not seen you in an age." Tarellia motioned to the straight-backed wooden chair beside the hearth. "Sit."
Arturo glanced at Quinn with apology and did, leaving her standing as he would any servant. He clasped his hands and settled them on his lap, bending slightly forward. But though on the surface he might look friendly, something about him reminded Quinn of a tiger ready to strike.
Apparently Tarellia thought the same, for her gaze turned sharp, wary.
"I came upon some information of interest sometime back . . . Martine."
The fae's rocking stopped abruptly, her hands slowly clasping the arms of her rocker. "No."
Quinn had no idea what was going on, but clearly the fae had once gone by another name. Martine. And wasn't happy to be found out.
Arturo leaned back, propping one ankle on the other knee, his body language saying "game, set, match." "I am very good at keeping secrets, Tarellia. And I have secrets to share."
The fae, whose face had drained of color, watched him sharply. "What kind of secrets?"
Arturo said nothing for several moments, letting the silence stretch.
The fae leaned back in her rocker, her grip on the arms easing. "I am very good at keeping secrets, too, Vampire."
With a slow nod, Arturo smiled though the smile didn't reach his eyes. He held out his hand to Quinn, motioning her forward.
"I want you to read my slave, Tarellia. Tell me what you sense."
The fae's eyes narrowed, turning to Quinn with interest. Slowly, she rose to her feet, barely reaching Quinn's shoulder. Taking Quinn's hand between both of hers, she closed her eyes. For minute after minute, she didn't move until Quinn began to wonder if she'd fallen asleep.
Tarellia's eyes snapped open suddenly, and she dropped Quinn's hand as if it had burned her. Whirling toward the fire with quick, jerky movements, the woman pulled down vials and jars from the rough-hewn mantel, then began mixing herbs and what appeared to be oil in a small ceramic bowl on the table beside her rocker, crooning all the while in a soft, singsong voice. This is what a witch should look like, Quinn thought. But Tarellia was the fairy. The real witch in the room could do nothing more than stand there in her leather jacket and watch.
The concoction smelled foul, and Quinn hoped to high Heaven the fairy didn't push her to drink it. To Quinn's relief, Tarellia threw the oil concoction onto the fire in a spitting hiss of flames, then turned back to her, grabbing Quinn's hand once more, her grip surprisingly tight.
Closing her eyes, Tarellia threw her head back and began to croon.
Quinn glanced at Arturo over her shoulder, seeing the small frown between his eyebrows. Clearly, he wasn't sure what was going on, either . . . or didn't like it. Which calmed her own nerves not at all. They stood like that again, frozen, for what felt like twenty minutes though it was probably only four or five. But as Quinn's muscles began to jerk in protest, Tarellia's eyes flew open. Releasing Quinn, she blinked, brushed her hands on her dress, then turned back to her rocking chair with slow, calm movements, and took her seat as if nothing had happened.
Quinn backed away, then turned and tried to pace the tiny room, her restless muscles in desperate need of movement.
Slowly, Tarellia turned to Arturo with eyes that held a hint of wonder. "You've found a sorceress."
Arturo nodded. "None can know."
Tarellia frowned. "She must save Vamp City."
"She will. But Cristoff cannot be trusted not to hurt her. And I'll not have her hurt."
The fae cocked her head with interest. "You defy your master. And one such as Cristoff." A smile bloomed bright and delighted across her face. "Secrets indeed."
Arturo gave a nod, his expression rueful. "Indeed." He glanced at Quinn, meeting her gaze. "She has no control over her power, Tarellia. Most cannot sense that she has magic at all. Why is that?"
The fae's visage had turned calm, serene. "The sorceress is cursed."
Quinn frowned, meeting Arturo's surprised gaze. Cursed? Seriously?
"By whom?" he demanded.
Tarellia gave a small wave. "Are you not familiar with the Levenach Curse?"
Now it was Arturo's turn to frown. "I suspected her of Blackstone blood, not Levenach."
"She has both. It's impossible to say how far back the bloodlines converged. Her Levenach magic is dormant, of course, thanks to the curse. But it would appear that the curse is also strangling her Blackstone magic." She shook her head. "I've never seen a sorcerer with both Levenach and Blackstone blood, so I cannot be sure."
Quinn watched them, her mind awhirl. Magic and curses and sorcerers. Her heritage. Her life. She wanted to shake her head, to deny any of it could possibly be real. And yet, she knew better, now. The whole thing made her stomach ache.
If she was cursed . . .
Her blood pressure began to rise. "Does this mean that there's no hope for my magic? That there's no way for me to renew the magic of Vamp City?" Heaven help her, Zack would die. She slammed Arturo with her gaze. "Why is this affecting Zack?"
He looked at Tarellia. "What effect, if any, might the crumbling of Vamp City be having on her power?"
A thoughtful looked entered the fae's eyes. "Vamp City was created with Blackstone magic, which her Blackstone blood no doubt responds to. But . . ." She turned and peered at Quinn hard. "Two or three years ago . . . what did you do?"
Quinn frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You may have been the trigger. Did you come into your magic then? Attempt a spell?"
"A spell?" Quinn shook her head. "Three years ago . . ." She blinked. "I moved to D.C." She'd lived in Bethesda, Maryland, until Zack started college at GW.
"Within the Boundary Circle?" Tarellia demanded.
"Yes."
The fae nodded. "That's it. The trigger. She is the reason the magic began to crumble after all these years."
Quinn gaped at her. The trapped vampires, the sunbeams breaking through, the humans disappearing right and left-Lily. Zack.
"I did this?" Her gaze swung to Arturo, and she found him watching her with surprised, troubled eyes.
"Not you, per se," Tarellia said. "But your battling magics. Blackstone blood called to Blackstone magic, but the curse somehow infected Vamp City's magic and slowly began to trigger the demise."
"If I leave-move away from D.C.-will the magic stop crumbling?"
"Nothing will stop or reverse the disintegration but the Renewal ceremony, which you will complete using your Blackstone magic."
"But I can't reach it. The curse . . ."
Tarellia held up a hand. "Free the magics, one from the other, and you will have access to your Blackstone power."
"Can you help her with that?" Arturo demanded.
A sad look crossed the fae's face. "No. I haven't the gift, and the only fae this side of the Atlantic who does is aging."
"Tell me, woman," Arturo demanded.
"Vintry. He's been Fabian Neptune's sage for nearly two hundred years."
"How much time does he have?" Arturo asked.
"Days. Perhaps only hours, now. I will know when he dies, and I've not felt his death, but I know it's near."
Quinn looked pointedly at Arturo. "Zack?"
The vampire nodded at her unspoken question. "Is it possible the sorceress could have somehow entangled another in the magic? Someone who accompanied her into Vamp City on a sunbeam."
The fae cocked her head, her mouth pursing. "When it comes to battling magics, anything is possible. Renewing the magic should solve all problems."
Arturo rose. He turned to the fae, his expression grim. "Secrets, Martine. If anyone asks, I sought only your aid in locating the missing sorceress, which you were unable to give me."
The fae nodded, her expression once more tight. "Of course."
"Thank you, Tarellia," Quinn said.
As Arturo ushered Quinn out of the room and house, the sad-eyed fae followed them to their horses, grinning happily. While Quinn mounted, Arturo pulled the two DVD sets and a pack of AA batteries out of one of his saddlebags, along with a large package of Oreo cookies.
The woman's joy knew no bounds. "Oh, this is a fine day, a fine day." As she bounded back into the tiny log cabin, Arturo mounted.
"Are we going to find Vintry?" Quinn asked when they were out of earshot of the small settlement. She was still reeling from the revelation that she was suffering from some kind of curse.
"We? No. I will take Micah. The Gonzaga kovena has diplomatic relations with Fabian's, but the two are not friends. Cristoff has been . . . aggressive . . . in recent years. The other vamp masters do not appreciate it."
"I can imagine." Cristoff's brutality knew no bounds. "If there's not much time, I should go with you."
"No."
"Vampire . . ."
His expression turned obstinate. "Do not demand this of me, cara. I cannot keep you safe there."
"Is he another pain-feeder?"
"He is a pleasure-feeder. And you are not going near him."
His determination to keep her out of harm's way was admirable. And appreciated. But from what Tarellia said, Vintry was nearly out of time. Which meant Zack was, too.
Micah would see her side, she was almost certain. She'd save her arguments for Neo's. Besides, other questions crowded her mind.
"Tell me about the curse."