Page 14 (1/2)

Turning away fro stairs two at a ti him back When he crawled out of the space, he wiped his hands on his jeans and sighed Only one place here left to look for themirror: the Council left to find in the burned rubble, then set the candle aside and walked toward the corpse

Sabelle searched yet another suolds, trie tassels, all of which had been ripped off and tossed to the floor It was stately despite its disarray, even e arets that Bram would salivate over, were he conscious to appreciate the display A large fireplace, blackened fros strewn about set the mood A robe littered the floor, just beneath a convenient hook on the back of the door

MacKinnett had used this roohts, even He’d always been a scholar, and despite the destruction, his essence perical theory and huhtstand had been slaht filled her with an anger she could barely understand or contain

But she couldn’t succumb to emotion now They didn’t have time They had to warn Camden, then she had to convince Ice to leave here If they hadn’t found it, she had a terrible feeling the Anarki would return to search again for theher head, she moved to his fireplace and searched beneath theaway the soot, she crossed the rooa, either inside the ar out of options If Mathias had found MacKinnett’s secret transcastingsuch a device would be bad indeed She thanked God again that she had seen fit to hide his ic, after the black cloud had sed him She’d feared the house’s defenses would be weak, and she’d been right

With a weary sigh, Sabelle bent and righted the night table, retrieved the books and put them back in place Then she opened the drawers Virtually nothing in thelasses A date book from several years past A few pens

She shoved them back inside the open drawer As she did, the top of her hand brushed so

Exciteht table and set it on the nearby rug Then she flattened her palm and slid it across the panel above the open cavity There! Soonal, like Braers around the edges, she pulled once, twice … finally it came free

Quickly, she extracted it And sly carved in stone It looked like a paperweight or soht affix to a mantel for decoration She knew better, for Bra

She rubbed her hand across the top three times clockwise, one counterclockwise Suddenly, it popped open, much like a human female’s compact Sabelle jumped to her feet and opened her mouth to shout for Ice She closed it This was Council business She was acting on her brother’s behalf Cah to know she would never lie about MacKinnett’s death Ice … given his reputation as an anger-fueled madman, perhaps she’d be better served to talk to Caed, not uncoes appeared six other crests and one symbol at the top, which she assumed allowed one to reach all the other Councilled to recall the exact crest belonging to Camden’s family But the memory wouldn’t come What did she recall about the Council? Protocol Yes, the Council loved that, and it saved her now

The eldest ly, his falass near the top Spencer’s would be just beneath his O’Shea’s and MacTavish’s she recognized beneath that Which led to Caone black Sabelle hoped, prayed, it displayed thus on all the e

The Rion faray He was ill, very ill She’d shoved aside worries about him since she’d cried at the bed-and-breakfast in Mon her ht to worry

Shoving the thought aside, she focused on what er to Camden’s sy ready to shout When he saw her face, he closed his mouth and sent a puzzled frown instead

"Lady Sabelle You have MacKinnett’s ht, girl?"

Thank God, she didn’t have to explain a great deal "Yes, I have his mirror Yes, he’s dead My brother is unwell" She sed "I know you don’t wish to hear this None of the Council does, but Mathias and the Anarki attacked and killed Thomas Burned him alive" Her voice cracked "All his huray brows knitting "You’re prattling nonsense, girl Mathias is in exile"

"Was in exile He killed Auropha and George MacKinnett and … and now he’s finished off Thomas The entire house is in shambles The Anarki symbol has been branded into all the women’s bodies"

Camden hesitated, the shook his head "No Hoould Mathias possibly have gotten free?"

"I don’t know, and right now, I don’t care I hailed you and you alone because I think Mathias eous! That is irunt of frustration "It’s not only possible, it’s likely Look!"

Holding the glass away froether, she slowly scanned the annihilated bedroom, then made her way out the door, down the hall, to the bodies in the first roo the out of options

Once she pointed the mirror toward one of the human fery brand on her naked, intimate skin, she heard Camden’s indrawn breath

"Dear God," he breathed

She flipped the ain "He attacked my home as well Destroyed it, I’m certain Mathias struck Bram with a terrible spell that I cannot reverse Please"

"I--I … Mathias cannot be back I aht such a monster?"

"Just keep yourself safe That’s all I ask We believe Mathias killed MacKinnett so that he could put himself on the Council You are the only other member without an heir"

Cahed her next words carefully Secrecy had been vital to Bram’s efforts thus far … but MacKinnett’sShe only hoped honesty would reassure Caency of the situation