Sandy nodded. “It would make the most sense. The trouble is we have to find the entrance, and then make our way through the labyrinth to where she’s hiding.” She didn’t sound nearly as confident as she had before.
I glanced at the sky. “We don’t have that long. I sure as hell don’t want to be caught belowground with a vampire who would like to see me turned into yesterday’s news. Besides, if she’s not alone, we’ll be in deep shit. Remember, our blood is like candy to them. We don’t want to tempt fate.”
Sandy pulled out her pocket watch. Witches usually had trouble wearing watches. Our energy fields put a stop to all sorts of electronics. Though as long as we didn’t sit right next to them, we managed just fine with TVs and stereos. But watches were another matter. Sandy, however, had managed to find a pocket watch that didn’t stop around her. One of the Tinker Fae had made it for her, and had enchanted it to work even around her magical field.
“It’s already three-fifteen. We have forty-five minutes. I think you’re right, we’d better call it quits for the day. Or at least, we can hunt for an entrance but come four o’clock, we get back to the car. And if we find the entrance, we mark it so that we can come back at sunrise, after they’re asleep, and have all day to hunt around for them.”
“Good idea. Where do we start? It makes sense that there’s an entrance inside the estate, but I don’t want to get caught breaking and entering. You know that they’re going to have wards and alarms set up. Given that, there should be at least one outside entrance. Otherwise, Rachel and her cronies wouldn’t have found it.”
I cast a glance around, looking for any obvious entrances. “Maybe there’s a small Barrow around here? Wherever the Fae tend to congregate, chances are you’re going to find a Barrow.”
“Yeah, or a portal on a tree. Let’s have a look at the trees closest to the estate.” Sandy waded through the snow over to one of the large firs that shadowed the hall. As I watched her go, I realized that we were leaving tracks.
“You realize that even if it snows all night, we’re leaving breadcrumbs behind? The snow won’t fall fast enough to cover our trail.”
Sandy shrugged. “Well, we’ll just have to hope they don’t look too hard. Or don’t care. After all, we could just be visitors interested in the Arborview Society who didn’t know that Durholm Hall was closed today. Right?”
I didn’t share her optimistic outlook, but decided to play along. There wasn’t much else we could do. I followed her over to the fir and we examined the trunk of the tree. Nothing. Five trees later, I was beginning to think this was a stupid idea and that we were wasting our time.
“You know, there are hundreds of trees. By the time we examine them all, the snow will be gone and we’ll be staring summer in the face.” I wiped my forehead with one of my gloves. The exertion of tromping through the snow had worked up a sweat, and the chill from the air had turned that perspiration into a clammy, cold trickle of water that was dripping down my face.
“Then what do you suggest?” Exasperated, Sandy rested her hands on her hips. “You don’t want to break into the house, so this is the next best thing I can think of.”
I snorted. “Really? You seriously think we could waltz into that place without any repercussions?”
She squeezed her eyes shut, then blurted out, “No. I’m sorry, I’m just frightened for you. I think Rachel’s out to kill you and I want to find her first. This is bringing up flashbacks of the Burning Times. I remember when the witch hunters were chasing you. I managed to stay undercover most of the time, but I remember what it was like, wondering if they were going to trip you up and if I was going to lose my best friend. My blood-bound sister.” She lowered her voice. “Maddy, vampires scare me. I admit it. I stood by you when you ran as Mad Maudlin. I’ve tried to be supportive because Aegis seems like a pretty good guy, but vampires scare the fuck out of me.”
I waded through the snow over to her side and wrapped my arm around her waist. “Most of them scare me too. I’m being careful with Aegis, but I promise you, he’s different from the majority. But tromping around in the woods looking for a secret entrance to an underground lair, and doing it in three feet of snow? This just isn’t feasible. We have to think of a better way. Come on, let’s head back to my place and get ready for the Esbat.”
A thought struck me as we made our way back to the car. “Maybe Aegis knows about the tunnels. We can ask him.”
“You really think he’ll tell you if he thinks you’re going after Rachel?” Sandy frowned. “I think he’s scared enough of what she might do to you that he might lie. You can ask him, but I’m not betting on the truth there. However, there’s another possibility.”
As we got into the car and I started up the heater, grateful to be out of the falling snow, Sandy fastened her seat belt and then let out a long, slow breath.
“Lihi? I need you.” She grinned at me as we waited. “She’s got a wealth of knowledge and is very astute about finding out things I need to know.”
A moment later, the homunculus appeared. Lihi yawned, stretching as she fluttered up, her wings gently flapping, and then sat on the dashboard of my car.
“You rang?”
“Lihi, you see that mansion?”
Lihi nodded. “It’s rather hard to miss, considering we’re parked right in back of it.”
“It’s called Durholm Hall. Maddy and I need to know about a set of secret tunnels running beneath it. We need to know where the outside entrances are. I’d like you to check into it, but be cautious. Vampires are involved.” Sandy fumbled through her purse, then pulled out an especially beautiful Herkimer diamond about the size of my thumbnail. The double-terminated quartz crystal shimmered, prisms reflecting within it. “If you find out before the end of the week, you can have this as a bonus.”
Lihi’s eyes widened as she reached out to run one perfectly formed, tiny hand along it. “Oooo, that’s so pretty. On the job, boss!” And without another word, she disappeared.
“She does love her crystals,” Sandy said. “I’m not sure what the homunculi do with them, but they’re a prized commodity in their community.”
“Are they demons of some sort?” I wasn’t clear on what the homunculi were. “They aren’t like golems, are they?”
“No, they’re not artificially created. They bear their young live. That much I do know. But I don’t think they’re demons, either. I believe they inhabit the same realm as the djinn. Bubba might know. Or I can ask Lihi. I don’t think she’ll be offended.”
“You mean, she’s never mentioned her home before?” I found it odd, but then again a vast number of the Pretcom kept to themselves. The Otherkin were cagey, and spreading around knowledge about one’s nature led to vulnerability.
Sandy shook her head. “No, she never has. I just know that one day when I decided I needed a magical assistant and cast a Summoning spell, she was one of the ones who appeared to apply for the job. I got along with her best, so we made a pact.”
“How many did you interview?” I started the ignition and eased out of the parking lot. It was close to three-forty-five and I wanted to be long gone by the time the vampires rose. We’d be safely back in my house by sunset.
“I talked to three homunculi, one brownie, and a couple of house sprites. But Lihi and I hit it off from the beginning.” Sandy frowned. “Rachel can’t get in your house, can she?”