Cloud City (Anna Strong Chronicles #9)

From the corner of my eye, I see Prendergast inching his way toward the door.

Sophie sees it, too.

"Oh, you don't want to go, Steven," she purrs. "Remember, this is mainly for your benefit. And when it's done, you can be the one to correct the family history you're so bent on protecting."

He looks at me. "What does she mean?"

"Don't ask me. I'm just like you. Along for the ride."

My tone is deriding but one look at her setting out candles and crystals on the five points of a star hand drawn on the floor of a bar and I understand his instinct to get the hell away from Sophie.

"How did she get you here?"

His eyes flick to her. "She said she'd make it worth my time."

So he came because of greed. Should have known.

What about me? What am I doing here? There's concern for Jonathan of course, and my curiosity to see how she's going to pull this off. Truthfully, the opportunity to meet and talk with Leticia peaks my interest, too.

Then vampire tempers my enthusiasm with a quiet reminder.

Sophie hates all vampires. Be on guard. Make sure she doesn't intend to send you off with Jonathan. Remember: magic always exacts a price.

Points well taken.

Sophie is finishing her preparations. She looks up once at Prendergast, notices the furrowed brow and the way he's tapping a nervous left foot. "Get a drink," she tells him. "It may help you relax."

His expression is at first leery, but within two seconds, he's behind the bar and uncapping a bottle of scotch. He fills a tumbler and takes a long pull.

"Take it easy," Sophie says, standing. "I said I wanted you relaxed, not comatose."

Prendergast pays her no heed. At his third pull, Sophie takes the glass from his hand and leads him to the star, beckoning me to follow.

She positions us around the star, each of us between a point, close but not touching. She waves a hand and the candles ignite. I see Prendergast's shoulders jump and have to suppress a smile.

He ain't seen nothing yet.

Sophie begins to chant. A low, melodious tune that is mesmerizing in its simplicity. Her volume neither increases nor decreases and yet it's as if the music fills the room, becoming a fourth presence that is tangible. Then it is more than perception as a mist swirls around us, moving to the rhythm of Sophie's voice. The mist takes on all the colors of the rainbow, mirrored in the crystals now shining like golden orbs on the floor.

My breath catches. It's so beautiful. Fear for Jonathan, the possibility of danger, all fade. I'm transfixed by what I see. Music you can touch. My hand lifts, fluttering through the mist, causing ripples that ebb and flow like the tide before settling once again into their original patterns.

The cadence of Sophie's chant quickens, the pitch drops. The mist changes, too. Primary colors fade, replaced by shades of charcoal and grey. There's a chill in the room now. An edge that has a dampening effect on the mind as well as the body.

A shudder shakes my shoulders. I'm aware of Sophie next to me. When I look at her, she has her arms outstretched. Her eyelids flutter. I want to grab her, shake her. There is danger here. This is what vampire reminded me of.

Before I can move, the crystals spark, bursting into flame. They form a circle, so close heat singes my feet, forcing me to take a step back. Prendergast jumps back, too. Sophie alone stands with the flames licking at her feet and ankles. She doesn't flinch. Only her voice changes, rising with the flames, intoning a command.

There is a blinding flash as the flames leap upward followed by a crack that shakes the floor and reverberates like thunder.

Prendergast claps his hands to his ears.

I can't move, frozen by the specter that appears in the circle of flame.

A girl with an hourglass figure and long blonde curls.

She blinks at us, confused, shielding her eyes from the blinding light surrounding her.

It's not until the light fades and the flames retreat into their crystal orbs that she lowers her hand and stares out.

"How the hell did I get here?" she says. "And who the fuck are you people?"