The Dutiful Witch (The Ward Witches) (14 page)

“
I'll call the magazine,” Melanie responded. “And then I'll call the hotel.”

“
I'm going to Washington personally,” Seb said resolutely, surprising no one.

“
I'm going with you,” Skylar pitched in immediately, which did surprise them. She grinned wryly at the startled faces. “She is family, and she gave me a great gift. I can't stand by if there's anything I can do. I can shoot a gun, and I've got fire magic. I'm going.” When Justin opened his mouth, she silenced him with a wave of her hand. “Yes, I'm pregnant. But I'm not far along, and I wouldn't be at all if it weren't for Fiona. I'll take some of the potion that Melanie hadn't used, and I'll be careful.”

“
Alright,” Justin capitulated. “But you're the one telling Leo.”

“
I'm going too,” Casey said resolutely.

“
No. You're the computer expert here. You're going to put all of your attention into checking any channels you can find for word of Fiona. I know you found some sites you thought might be forums for the Dark Order. Forget the caution you were using in not breaking in immediately. Hack it and see what we can find out. You're also going to be in charge of communications. It'll be up to you to make sure that everyone know what everyone else is doing at all times. Can you do that?”

“
Yes sir!”

“
Good. Theresa, Mark, Brian, and Martin, you're going with Seb and Skylar. Theresa and Mark will be in the car with them. Brian and Martin will drive separately so you have greater mobility. I'm going to call the Coven and the police there and get them up to speed. Hopefully the police will work with us so that we can put her captors in jail when we find them. Everyone else is going to work on securing the Coven House. Redman threatened the family, and he might interpret the entire Coven as Seb's family. I don't want to sacrifice the safety of the Coven as a whole.”

Seb hadn't even thought about how the other members of the Coven could be in danger. It was a good thing Justin was on top of the situation.

“
Everyone going to Washington, go pack your bags. It's an eight hour drive, so you all need to get out of here as soon as possible so you don't have to drive as much at night. We'll get the cars packed out in front in thirty minutes so Skylar can go pack too. Dismissed.”

The air was solemn as they filed out of the room to do what they needed to do, leaving Casey and the agents who were staying behind in the ops room.

Thirty minutes later, they were waiting for Skylar. Since she had had to go back to Ward Manor to pack up her things, it was taking her more time than it took the others. Seb felt anxious to get on the road, but at the same time, he was glad Skylar was coming. He loved Fiona more than anyone else, but he was also realistic in knowing that some things were best handled woman-to-woman. Seb had also packed some of Fiona's things, just in case. It had given him something productive to do, but he was feeling painfully helpless.

Melanie came out to talk to the assembled group who were all waiting silently on Skylar.

“
I just got off the phone. Fiona did the magazine interview. She arrived at nine and left at eleven. She didn't make it back to the hotel.”

“
I got the message at two, and it's three thirty now. We'll hopefully get there by eleven thirty, but that means Redman could have had her for about twelve hours.”

“
Then let's get on the road,” Skylar said, getting out of her car and hefting a shoulder bag over her shoulder. “Sorry I took so long.”

“
Good travels,” Justin said as everyone got in the cars. “Call me and Casey with anything, no matter how small.”

“
Sure thing,” Seb said for all of them. They got on the road, and unlike when Fiona drove with Tim, the cars were both silent.

159

CHAPTER TEN

Fiona woke gradually, unsure of where she was. She had a hard time getting her eyes to open, but she could tell she was on a very soft bed, even nicer than her hotel room. The thought startled her enough to get her eyes open.

The room was nicely decorated with a painting of a family at the lake on one wall. In addition to the four poster she was on, there was a large red sofa and a coffee table. It wasn't anywhere she had been before, and since she didn't remember getting there, she was instantly suspicious.

Fiona then realized someone had undressed her and redressed her in just a flowing white robe, complete with hood. Not only had her privacy been violated, but she recognized the robe as the same as the ones the Dark Order members had been wearing when they were captured. She allowed herself a minute or two of panic before righting her thoughts.

161

THE DUTIFUL WITCH

She had clearly been captured by the Dark Order. The first order of business was to see if she could get out in hopes that they left something open. Her room had no windows and only one door, so she got up and tried the knob. Locked, of course. She might be able to break it open somehow. Fiona looked around the room for something to use to open the door and for a potential weapon of some kind.

But someone had heard her attempt at the door, and the key in the lock opened her only escape route before she had found a weapon.

The man who came in was probably about thirty with short brown hair and flat green eyes. Unlike her, he was dressed casually in blue jeans and a Red Sox t-shirt. He was reasonably attractive, but there was something about him that turned her stomach. When she looked at his aura, it was a sickly black, like overused car oil. She shouldn't have been surprised based on where she was, but she had never seen an aura quite that bad.

“
Hello Allegra,” he said, closing and locking the door again behind him.

“
You!” She spat, recognizing his voice immediately.

“
We haven't been introduced. I'm Eric Redman,” he continued as if she hadn't said anything.

“
But you're so young! I thought you were much older.”

“
Ah, a common mistake. When your parents joined the Order, my father was in charge. Unfortunately, he was murdered twenty five years ago. But don't worry, my sweet,” he stroked a finger down her cheek and jaw. She tried not to shiver in repulsion. It wouldn't do to anger her unwanted host this early. “I've revived his organization, and we're running stronger than ever. Most of the old guard has joined us again, and we have plenty of new recruits. Your parents are here too, and they're so excited to see you again. I've built a strong empire for us, you'll see. I wanted to make sure you'd be so proud of me when I brought you here.”

“
So the Dark Order has only been active a short while?”

“
I've spent about the last three years building it back up. But the basic structure is old indeed.”

So all the time she had spent as a child running from the Order had been for nothing. They hadn't even been looking for her! The Redman who changed her was long dead!

“
Why were you saying that this was an empire for us? What's going on, Redman?”

“
Call me Eric, please. I've been getting ahead of myself. You and I are meant for each other. Our parents started the process when we were children thirty years ago or so. But we were separated, and now we're back together again. We will soon complete the grand plan when we get married, and you'll be here to rule as the Queen of the Dark Order. You were meant for this. Since you popped back up in Boston, I've kept track of you closely. I love you, Fiona, and we'll be great together.”

“
If you've kept track of me, you know I'm married already.”

His face flashed angrily. “That bastard will be dealt with. He dared to place his hands on you, and for that he will pay. But since you seem to be attached to him, I will be merciful.” Her heart stopped. Oh Seb! “I contacted him and told him that I will let him live if he severs his bond to you. He seemed very receptive to my proposal when I told him that I'd start collecting his family to use for my sacrifices if he didn't do what I asked. By this time tomorrow, we'll be free to marry. Of course, he won't live much longer anyway because I can hardly allow a strong elemental witch like him to live. His blood will make for a powerful sacrifice. But to pay him back for forcing you into a bond, he will watch his family die first, one by one.”

He was deadly serious, and she didn't want to anger him. Who knows what he'd do to Seb or the other Wards? Fiona realized quickly that she needed to pretend to play along until she could escape or do something to protect her family. “Why do you need to hurt them? I'm here with you now; we can forget the past as we build the future together.” She swallowed her distaste and placed her hand on his upper arm.

“
No no, my sweet. It will be poetic justice that your first sacrifice will be one of those Wards who were trying to corrupt you. I think we'll start with the fire witch so we can give you her powers.” Not Skylar!

“
When will I get to meet the others?”

“
Not yet, my dear. You've just arrived, and I need to make sure that their brainwashing is cleansed from your mind before we let you out alone. Don't worry, once we sacrifice the fire witch, you'll be ready to take your proper place by my side. But for now, I will send in your parents. They really want to get to know you again after you were so terribly taken away from them.”

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and left, locking the door again behind him.

She didn't want to see them. But fighting without a weapon or a plan wouldn't accomplish anything. So she'd see them, and she'd even pretend to be excited. She knew that if Eric had contacted Seb, he'd come for her. Seb loved her. But a nagging voice in her head said that it might be better if he didn't. If Seb came, he'd put the whole family in even more danger. But Seb was the kind of man who would come for her, no matter the risk.

While she was thinking, the key scraped in the lock again. The people who came in looked too old and haggard to be her parents, but blood magic could age a person if they didn't have regular access to sacrifices. If the Order had been broken down for twenty five years, it would have been much harder for them to find enough blood to keep their youth. But if she looked closely, the woman looked remarkably like an older version of her sister.

“
Allegra?” The man asked, looking incredulous. “You're so beautiful.”

“
Oh Mitchell, she's definitely ours. She's got your eyes.” She turned to Fiona. “I'm so glad you're here now. I understand you're probably not ready to see us as your parents yet, but I hope we can work on getting to know each other.”

“
I'll certainly try.”

“
And we're so proud that you're going to be Queen. Eric loves you, and he'll take good care of you. He's been preparing for your arrival for years, and we're all so happy it's come now.”

She accepted a hug from her mother, wishing she could wash the stink of her aura off. Then she was hugged by her father.

“
I'm awfully tired.”

“
Unfortunately Eric had to drug you to get you here safely.” Fiona wanted to scream that it didn't make sense to drug her to make her safe. “It'll wear off soon. We'll be moving to another location soon as well, so you should get some rest and get your strength back. We'll see you again soon.”

She was really as tired as she said, and shortly after her parents left again, she fell asleep on the bed, barely even bothering to pull the coves over herself.

Due to fast driving, Seb and the others made it to the hotel at ten thirty despite rest breaks and a quick drive thru for dinner. They all agreed that looking for Fiona needed to wait until morning, when they could talk to people who might have seen her and get a fresh look around. Theresa and Skylar shared a room, and did Seb and Brian, and Mark and Martin.

Seb went through the motions of putting his clothes in the closet then carefully refolding Fiona's things in his suitcase. They took turns in the shower so they wouldn't have to do it in the morning when they could be out looking. But when Seb had done all the fiddling he could think of, he couldn't stop pacing around the room. Fiona was missing, and that meant that he hadn't protected her. He was her husband, and he couldn't keep her safe. What good was he as a husband if he couldn't even protect his wife?

Brian gave him a steady look. “It's not your fault.”

Seb rounded on him. “Like hell it's not!” He quickly realized how hostile he sounded when the other man was only trying to help. “I'm sorry. I just keep thinking about her, and I feel so helpless.”

“
Don't think about it like that. Think about being here so that we can find her. We're being proactive. She's a strong woman, and she'll be trying to get free in her own way. But if you don't calm down and get some sleep, you won't be of any use tomorrow when we have the chance to help her. Here, I brought some Tylenol PM in case you needed a little help, and it seems you do. And as you know, I'm a water witch, so I can make the sedative work extra well and help you get a full night's rest. Don't argue with me on this one.”

“
What if we do a dreaming connection like Justin did to Melanie when she was kidnapped?”

“
Those always work with the other person entering the air witch's body. Leave her a note on the bedside table, and if by some chance she dreams her way into you, you'll have a message for her. But I wouldn't count on it because I'd bet that the Dark Order caught how Melanie communicated with Justin and prevented that from happening again.”

“
You're right. Give me the pills.”

While he waited for the pills to take effect, he wrote a short note to Fiona saying that he loved her and was in Washington to find her. Then, with both the pills and Brian's magic working on him, Seb fell into a dreamless sleep.

Seb woke up with the alarm, surprised that he had, in fact, slept a full night.

“
Thanks for the help last night,” he said to Brian as he got dressed.

“
No problem. Did she visit you?”

“
No. But now that we're rested, we can fight stronger to rescue her.”

“
Exactly.”

At eight thirty, they all convened in the hotel's dining room for breakfast. Since they had established that Fiona was taken between the magazine interview and the hotel, they didn't feel the need to ask the hotel any more questions than Melanie had the day before. The hotel was already on notice to call Melanie if any messages arrived for Fiona or if they knew anything else.

Mark was going to drive around town, starting from the magazine office and circling outward around the city as best he could manage. Theresa and Martin would be with him, using their air magic in shifts to cast feelers for Fiona's presence. They took her hairbrush to amplify their ability to sense her. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything of Tim's to use to look for him.

Skylar, Seb, and Brian would go to the magazine and re-interview the people there to see if they remembered anything like the direction Fiona and Tim were headed when they left. Then they would do a thorough search of the ways Fiona and Tim might have used to get back to the hotel.

It didn't take Seb long to figure out that the people at the magazine didn't know anything else. They were in an office building, and all they knew was that Fiona and Tim went downstairs at around eleven.

The security guard in the lobby couldn't help either. He apparently saw so many people that he couldn't recognize Fiona and Tim from their pictures. The security cameras all turned off from around ten thirty to noon. The guard couldn't explain it and tried to apologize, but the witches knew that the Dark Order was responsible. At least that meant they were probably on the right track.

Seb walked the perimeter of the building, casting about with his air magic. He couldn't sense Fiona, Tim, or any blood magic users, but there had been so many people through the area that he wasn't surprised. The three then began a thorough search of the area, looking everywhere for signs of a struggle.

Seb got lucky in an alleyway near the office building. He felt a small hint of Fiona's magic, and he followed it to a pile of garbage bags. Nestled under the stack was the emerald necklace he had given Fiona just a few days earlier. The clasp was broken, which must have been why it had been left behind. His heart clenched. She wouldn't have left this behind if she had a choice or a chance. He called the others over to see his find.

“
So they were probably taken from here,” Skylar surmised, looking around.

Brian saw two water bottles that caught his attention in particular. He held them up to the light. “These have both got traces of rohypnol.”

“
Date rape drug. So someone they trusted enough to give them drinks drugged them,” Seb said, looking at the bottles  “I can't get a reading off of them.”

“
But now we know where they were taken,” Skylar pointed out. “And if they were drugged like that, they wouldn't have made it far on foot, so they must have gone by car.”

“
Unfortunately, there's been a lot of cars through here over the last day,” Brian said glumly.

“
But it's still something,” Skylar insisted. She called Justin with the news, and he agreed with Skylar that something was better than nothing. He also brought up the question of why witches used rohypnol to incapacitate Fiona and Tim when they had magic at their disposal. Justin also said that as of the last update, Martin and Theresa hadn't found anything of note but were still looking.

“
What's our next step?” Brian asked.

Seb pulled out a list on his phone. “I've got the suspected Dark Order hideouts here. Since the local Coven has refused to look at them, we're going to go take a peek. They're all farms, like the places we found back in Boston and Maine. Hopefully we'll be able to sense some blood magic coming from one of them, and hopefully they will have imprisoned our missing witches there.”