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CHAPTER EIGHT

I stop halfway up the stairs, pretending to adjust my heels as I wait for the supernaturals behind me to pass.

Then I reach for one of the spells attached to my waist, passing my index finger across it as I cup it in my other palm.

At my touch, my golden handwriting appears.

I whisper the spell to myself: “Lovely ladybug locate the lost lady.”

The leaf curls and folds around on itself, reforming into the shape of a glowing crimson ladybug, its tiny transparent wings a glittering blur as it flits ahead of me.

I follow it with quick steps, reaching the second level loft that lines the perimeter of the building and opens to the dance floor below.

Massive cubes glow in each corner, and circular chairs line each side. To my immediate left, a pink cube, the size of a small room, glows iridescent. It’s pretty but takes up too much space to be a mere decoration. It’s large enough that I wonder if supernaturals are inside it.

I race after the ladybug as it zips to the right, passing a circular couch and two swing chairs—both occupied—before I approach the next corner cube, a purple one this time.

Striding along the row of soft-looking chairs that line the long edge of the building, I quickly assess the couples sitting in them. Mother Kadris is unlikely to be here with someone. A witch like her wouldn’t compromise herself with random dalliances.

I halt outside the next corner cube, which is a soft neon blue color.

This one is open at the front, and I’m surprised to see that it has padded leather walls inside with a bed reaching all the way to the walls on each side.

Colorful pillows are scattered across the bed’s surface.

It confirms my suspicion that the purple one is closed because someone is inside it.

Given the number of couples sucking each other’s tongues nearby, I’m surprised this one is empty.

I hurry after the ladybug as it continues to flit past the next corner and all the way back to the pink corner cube I first stopped beside.

It suddenly bursts into a cloud of crimson glitter that sprinkles the floor, falling like my hope of finding Mother Kadris.

What now?

I fight my growing frustration—and lose the battle.

My instinctive magic rises like a boiling mass inside me, confused and unhelpful. I try to use it to reach out for her location, but it’s like reaching into an abyss. Every time I close my eyes, all I see is darkness.

Feeding my worry into my fists, I bunch them in my skirt as I study the cube in front of me.

Wait a minute…

The cube is open and a petite woman sits on a couch inside it in a short off-the-shoulder dress barely reaching her thighs. Waves of deep black hair fall beyond her waist, holding hints of red glinting in the light as she turns in my direction.

Her fingers are laden with rings, but it’s the pack of cards she holds that draws my attention. Her grip on the cards is deceptively casual, and the air of power around her is deliberately controlled.

She must be a card mage, a powerful one, which means she’ll protect her cards with her life. It also means she could read the cards to find out where Mother Kadris is…

I mentally debate the wisdom of asking a stranger for help, but the strong aura glowing around her draws me inside the cube.

It’s only once I step through the entrance that I realize I cut in line. The supernaturals milling around the entrance as they wait for a card reading let me pass.

Perhaps I can thank the air of dangerous desperation around me for that.

As soon as I step beyond the entrance, magic takes hold behind me, making my senses fire as the cube closes, a wall forming that drops us into silence.

Trying not to react to the suddenly confined space, I meet the mage’s eyes. “Blessings on your power,” I say. “My name is Tansy. I need your help.”

I stumble over my request. Asking for help has never been my strong point, but I clear my throat, lower my voice, and force myself to continue. “I need to locate a witch who has feasted on souls. She’s hiding at this Ball. Can you tell me where she is?”

The mage considers me carefully, a light of curiosity entering her eyes.

Her hands shift across her cards, an almost imperceptible movement.

Whether or not she’s heard of Mother Kadris, a witch who feasts on souls will be a dangerous creature.

I’m sure the mage thinks I’m reckless—or equally dangerous—to be looking for her.

She crosses one leg over the other, her thigh-high boots accentuating the shape of her legs. I envy the way she wears her clothing. She’s confident, comfortable in her power and her body. I wish I could be the same.

Just when I think she’s going to deny my request, she nods. “I’m Katya. I can find what you seek.”

I take a seat on the other end of the couch. The cards hum in Katya’s hands, a curious energy that makes me both nervous and hopeful. I try not to let it show, hiding my desperation behind a blank mask I learned from the assassins. Their emotions are always closed off.

“Can you tell me where she is?” I ask.

“Yes.”

Relief rises inside me, but Katya pauses. I suspect she’s regretting helping me. I haven’t told her why I’m looking for Mother Kadris, but the light of intelligence in her eyes tells me she doubts things will go well for me tonight.

“Well?” I sit forward, the ruby-red rose on my shoulder dipping toward her.

Katya taps the topmost card with her index finger, as if she’s considering whether or not she should tell me. “Will finding her this evening give you peace?”

I meet Katya’s eyes. “Nothing will give me peace. But finding her will give me closure.”

She hesitates another moment, then says, “Perhaps you should visit the rooftop. I understand there are conversation pits up there. In one, you shall find your witch. But tread lightly. A witch who has feasted on souls is potent.”

I push to my feet, still bunching the dress into my fists.

“Thank you,” I say, taking a deep breath. “For your help.”

She tips her chin at the door, and I step toward it, the magic in the cube taking hold and revealing the opening once more.

Outside, a man with the aura of a dark wizard has appeared, waiting to go inside. I shiver, wondering for a moment if I should stay, but I’m certain a mage as powerful as Katya will be able to handle any situation that might arise.

It’s time for me to face Mother Kadris.