Chapter 26

H arrow had climbed down from the tree and was busy keeping a wary distance from Kierce by the time I returned with the news Little had bolted on us. He kept his eyes to himself, never glancing anywhere in her vicinity. That was the smartest thing he had done the last twenty-four hours for sure. Much as I wished I could brush past him and head upstairs, I had to stay.

"You left Audrey behind and went on a stakeout without notifying anyone of your whereabouts."

"I had Audrey hide a tracker in the sole of her shoe." He pulled a twig from his hair. "I can locate her."

"Are you serious?" That was news to me. "Why didn't you lead with that?"

"My phone had trouble connecting to the tracker. Magical interference is my guess. I didn't want to say I had a fix if it didn't work. Then I got here and…" He made a vague gesture toward me. "Then Josie…" Another wave up the trunk of the tree. "This was the first opportunity I've had to share."

"Have you told Carter?"

Before he could answer, her black truck appeared around the bend, barreling toward us.

"Do you want to come?" Harrow kept his head down. "It's your case. It'll be your collar."

"I'm not a cop," I told him then checked with Kierce. "Are you in or are you out?"

We might have struck a temporary truce with Harrow, but I wouldn't force Kierce to share air with him if he wasn't comfortable with Badb in close proximity to her maybe attacker.

Misty gray eyes drank me in. "You have to ask?"

"All aboard," Carter called through the crack in her window.

Harrow trotted over, got up front next to Carter, and belted himself in.

"No," I murmured, lost in Kierce's gaze. "I don't think I do."

Sliding his fingers in mine, he tugged me into a jog to the truck, and we climbed onto the backseat.

"I've got a general area." Harrow held his phone so Carter could see it too. "West Harris Street."

Downtown Savannah. An area I tried to avoid at all costs because of the Society's chokehold on the necromancers who lived there. This hunt was off to a great start.

One hand on the wheel, the other in a cheddar puff bag, Carter asked, "What's on that street?"

"Bartow House, Sorrel–Weed House, Battersby Tenements, and a million other things." He zoomed in as best as he could. "The dot hasn't moved in the last two hours, per the timestamp on the program. I've had a visual on it for twenty minutes." He panned more lenses that failed to divine an address. "It's early enough for tours at the historic homes, which makes it unlikely she's being kept in one."

"Several have basements," I pointed out, "but they're often part of the tours."

Most museums and homes had security or security cameras, which made those even less likely.

"West Harris runs along the northern edges of Pulaski, Madison, Lafayette, and Troup Squares." Harrow angled his chin in my direction, but he didn't make eye contact. "Anything worth checking there?"

A series of subterranean tunnels crisscrossed the city. Some led to the river, which gave rise to the locals claiming pirate captains once ordered their crews to carry drunken men through them and onto the ship to serve in times when their numbers were low. More than likely, they were used to transport slaves. As rampant as yellow fever had been during the 1800s, there were rumors aplenty that some tunnels were used to hide bodies from survivors to keep citizens in the dark about how bad things had gotten. The 1820 epidemic wiped out a tenth of Savannah's population, so I could see why the powers that be at the time decided to conceal the truth to prevent mass hysteria.

"Not as far as I know." I raised my eyebrows. "Kierce?"

"Tunnels once connected the squares," he said, "but the Society allowed them to fall into disrepair."

Knowing the Society's penchant for hoarding the best resources for themselves, I wouldn't be surprised to learn they only wanted everyone else to believe that. "How were they accessed?"

"The granite monument to Chief Tomochichi in Wright Square."

"Wait." Carter scowled through the windshield. "I thought he was buried under that boulder."

"Chief Tomochichi was buried in the center of Wright Square," Kierce said, "beneath a pyramid of stones in the Yamacraw custom. All that remained by 1883 was a dirt mound topped with a decorative planter, which eased the minds of those who decided to erect a monument to William Washington Gordon atop the burial site. Amid public outcry, the boulder came a year later. A gift from Gordon's daughter-in-law, Nellie Gordon, who was appalled at the desecration of the chief's final resting place."

Awestruck to understand he might have been there to witness those events unfolding, I nonetheless got the feeling he had cut himself short. "What aren't you saying?"

"The monument never should have been allowed to rise above a documented gravesite. Had they truly regretted their actions, they would have removed it. Not sat a rock beside it and affixed a plaque to it."

I savored the burn of his indignation, recognizing something of myself in him. "I agree."

"So," Carter cut in, "assholery of the city's founding fathers aside, the boulder is just a rock."

There was nothing left to say to that, so I nudged Harrow for an update.

"The tracker is accurate within thirty feet if your target is inside a building. Outdoors, the range jumps to around one hundred feet. Audrey must be indoors for the location to be this spotty. That means we won't know we've found her until we're on top of her." He rubbed a hand over his head. "Do you think tunnels are the answer?"

"There are as many tunnels under the city," Kierce said, "as there are historic homes in Savannah."

"I can call in backup at dusk." I braced my palm on the seat. "Spirits can sweep a larger area faster."

"Audrey might not have that long." Harrow bit out a curse. "I never should have left her alone."

"Nothing for it now," Carter muttered. "Do we wait for dark or canvass and hope for the best?"

"There's one more option." I glanced down at my hand. "Know any good tracking spells, Harrow?"

Stuck in the fibers of the dark seat fabric gleamed a single blonde strand of hair.

"No." Harrow looked like he would rather chew glass. "But I'll try my best."

There were no guarantees Little would lead us straight to Audrey, but I had a hunch we would find one if we found the other. We could comb over the truck and see if our luck held and we found a backup hair. I crossed my fingers we wouldn't need one, that the power Josie had sensed in Harrow would get it done.

But, as Vi had taught me, raw talent was no match against a trained adversary.

Carter pulled into the nearest vacant parking spot on the street then waited for instructions.

"What do you need?" I offered him the hair. "Other than this?"

As Carter threw the truck into park, it rocked back, and a prickle of foreboding swept down my spine.

A blur teased the corner of my eye, and I turned my head in time to catch Little scampering away.

The pint-sized stowaway had slipped into the bed of the truck without even Carter noticing this time.

"Forget the hair." Kierce traced my line of sight. "All we have to do is follow her."

On his chest, Badb began struggling, and he released her from the baby sling. She balanced on his thigh, gazing up at him, then picked at the door handle with her beak. When that got her nowhere, she fluffed herself up to twice her size and screamed at him while brushing the door with the tip of an outstretched wing. They were having one of their wordless conversations, an argument this time, and he was winning if her tantrum was anything to go by. Badb was not a fan of the word no .

"Hey." Carter twisted around in her seat. "Quit that before you ruin the leather."

"We can't let Little get away." Harrow opened his door fast, relief plain on his face. "I'll go after her."

"Badb will lead." Kierce's sigh rustled her feathers. "We can pace her."

"Excellent." I exited at the same time as Carter. "Let's get moving."

Badb launched herself into the sky as soon as she had a clear opening. The first flaps of her wings lacked her usual grace, but as she worked out the stiffness, her movements turned fluid again. Kierce closed his eyes, his head downcast, his lips moving. I wondered if he was praying for her, or if that was how he communicated with his god. But I didn't want to intrude.

Silver gleamed in his eyes when he lifted his head, and he set out at a brisk jog without a word.

I fell in beside him, forcing away the notion it might be nice to run with him sometime, and kept watch. I wasn't certain how alert his other senses were while he was linked to Badb this way—I hadn't known this was even possible—but if he couldn't talk, I didn't want to risk him getting run down by trollies, carriages, bikes, or cars.

This time of day, streets got clogged fast with tourists and the various modes of transporting them.

Little was too far ahead for me to get a visual, but I could just see the black dot in the sky that was Badb.

"That kid can move." Carter brought up the rear. "She's quick when she wants to be."

"When you're smaller than everyone else, the best way to protect yourself is to run away."

"Ah." Carter huffed out a laugh. "Is that the voice of experience I hear?"

"Hell no." Harrow, who hung back behind Kierce and me, laughed. "Frankie ran toward the fights."

Nostalgia, fickle thing that it was, threatened to loosen the angry tangle in my chest, but I held on tight.

"The fights ran toward Matty and Josie," I explained, "so I did too."

A stream of words passed Kierce's lips that sounded like no language I had ever heard spoken.

He canted his head toward me and repeated himself, his eyes distant and unreachable.

"I don't understand what you're…" I rubbed the ear nearest him, and I understood. "Badb lost her?"

"She's waiting for us at the entrance to a piercing shop."

"I know the one you mean." I called our destination over my shoulder. "You guys go around back in case she noticed Badb. Kierce and I will go in the front."

"What?" Carter tilted her head. "I didn't catch that."

"Frankie." Harrow sped up, grasping my elbow. "You're not speaking English."

"I can only speak English." I let him drag me to a stop. "And very bad Spanish."

Kierce didn't slow down, and the shine in his eyes never dimmed. I couldn't afford to lose him. I had to go. The second I tugged on my arm, Harrow released me and stepped back, but his confusion was evident. I would have to deal with the language barrier later. Little took priority.

Waving at them to follow and be quick about it, I caught up to Kierce. I waited until we reached the shop before pointing Carter and Harrow toward the rear of the building, hoping that made it clear. Their twin expressions of confusion struck a nerve, but we could hash it out later. The fruit glitterfying my blood must be to blame, but I wasn't sure I wanted to explain that yet. For Josie's sake.

As Kierce pushed into the shop, I could only hope Carter and Harrow were in position.

"Hi." A short woman with curling purple hair rounded the counter. "Can I help you, sugar?"

Before I could fret her noticing his metallic eyes, I realized she wasn't looking at him.

She was staring through him.

To me.

"I lost my little sister." I wished I had a photo of Little. "I thought I saw her duck in here."

"We don't pierce kids without a parent present." Her smile lost some of its warmth. "It's Georgia law."

"Oh, I didn't mean that." I backpedaled as fast as I could. "Maybe she asked to use the bathroom?"

"No one rang the bell." She indicated an old-fashioned brass bell on the counter. "I was doing inventory, but I didn't hear the door either." She glanced at the cute chimes hung above it. "The bathroom is through there if you want to check."

"Thanks." I admired the vintage arrow flashing washroom in pink lights. "Cute sign."

"Thanks." Her smile returned full force. "Since he retired, Daddy makes them to keep out from under Momma's feet."

"I'll bear that in mind." I snatched a card from the holder on the desk. "I might have a job for him."

"Ask for Billy when you call," she said to my retreating back, confident I would do just that.

Kierce beat me to the bathroom, but he waited for me to check the unisex stall for her.

"Empty," I reported after stepping out. "Let's check the exit."

Hoping it didn't trigger an alarm, we pushed out the door into an employee parking lot.

"Any luck?" Carter eyed me warily. "There's been no movement out here."

"She wasn't inside." I watched relief trickle through her expression. "You understood that?"

Now that I stopped to think about it, the piercer had heard me fine too.

"Yeah." She squared off against Kierce. "Did you do that to her?"

"He doesn't understand you—" I began then snapped my mouth shut when he said, "No."

Harrow and Carter exchanged a weighted glance while I slid in front of Kierce.

"You're speaking English again." I fisted his shirt to hold him steady. "Your eyes are back to normal."

"You comprehended the divine tongue." He cradled my face between his palms. "You spoke it."

Warmth unspooled through my middle from the way he drank me in. "That's what we were doing?"

"How is it possible?" He stroked my cheeks with his thumbs. "You amaze me."

"I can't take credit." A flush rose up to meet his fingertips. "I didn't know I was doing it."

"Are you sure the kid wasn't hiding under a counter?" Carter bulled her way between us. "She's human. There are only so many plausible—what the actual…?" She gripped my shoulder. "Do you see that?"

From this angle, I had a view of Kierce, which was nice, but didn't explain her shock.

Knocking his hands off me, she cranked my head around until my neck popped in her panic.

"Ouch." I rubbed my nape. "I don't see—" I stumbled back a step. "Oh. Oh no. That ain't right."

From the shadows, a pair of golden eyes glowed from Little's cherubic face. That I could handle. The way she clung from the wall of the neighboring building, skittering on all fours like a spider with a doll's head, that— Well, I'm not ashamed to admit it threatened to launch me into Carter's arms.

What? Dolls are creepy. It is known.

"I thought she was human." Harrow took a wary step forward. "That, whatever it is, isn't human."

Had she always been this way? No. She had been human. Once. Just…not anymore.

A creepy smile curving her kewpie lips, she scuttled up to the second floor where she smashed a window and climbed in. Screams poured out through the open windows as we charged around the piercing shop to the front of the house next door.

Harrow kicked the door in before I could lift my hand to knock.

"Get behind me." Carter shoved me back, covering Harrow as he cleared the living room. "Upstairs."

The two officers rushed the stairs toward the source of the screams, leaving Kierce and me on the front porch.

A dull thump drew my attention to the building next door in time to see Little climb over the roof.

"Definitely not human," I muttered, tugging on his arm. "Come on."

Kierce's eyes grew mirror bright as Badb sped past in pursuit of the girl.

All I could do was run after him when he broke into a sprint to keep up with Badb's reporting.

As we ran, I sent Carter updates using voice to text so they could catch up to us, but I couldn't risk taking my eyes off Kierce to check for replies. He was zoned out again and not responding to my voice or touch.

We trailed the creepily nimble girl to the end of West Harris Street where she leapt across Purse Street. I gawked as she hit the roof of the Georgia State Railroad Museum and clambered out of sight. The feat made me dizzy for a spell, and I wasn't even the one who had done it.

Thanks to my years of practice climbing the gates at Bonaventure, I didn't slow down when I hit this one. I was over it in a minute, and Kierce was already running when my shoes hit pavement on the other side.

Too bad no one had left a toddler leash at the shop. I sure could use one right about now.

We veered into the old brick Central of Georgia Railway Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities.

The museum was lauded as the most complete antebellum railroad complex in the United States, which was nice and all, but it gave Little endless places to hide in train cars and behind heavy machinery.

For it to be this quiet, the place must be closed today. Thank heaven for small mercies.

Little's mad dash must have ended overhead. Kierce hadn't moved since?—

Never mind.

There he went again.

Glass shattered above us, and Kierce plunged through a cut-out in the brick wall into a courtyard where a freestanding smokestack towered over the facilities. Easily a hundred feet tall, maybe more, I pictured Little as King Kong swatting biplanes while hanging off the chimney that formed the majority of the historic structure. Below it sat a water tower. I think. Probably? The bottom section were fancy privies. And I do mean fancy . As in sixteen buttresses framing brick barrel vaults that housed the former latrines. Back in the day, they had been the height of luxury.

When Kierce didn't budge for a hot minute, I ran a circle around the smokestack but couldn't spot Little. However, I did see Harrow and Carter, which was almost as good.

"Where did she go?" I watched as Badb landed on top of the chimney. "I don't see her."

A slow blink later, Kierce's eyes were gray rather than silver, and he answered me. "She went inside."

Only one of the sixteen chambers remained open to the public for viewing. A quick check inside proved, unless Little leapt into the ancient drain leading into the cistern, she hadn't gone that way. The pipe was wide enough, three feet or so in diameter, but the bottom was clogged with dirt and debris.

Warmth encased my spine as Harrow joined me in the tight confines of the privy. "There's magic here."

Hope thumped hard against my ribs. "Can you tell where it's originating?"

"I'll need a closer look." He leaned against me, into me, and his breath hit my ear. "The drain."

"Back out," I said tightly, "and I'll get out of your way."

"Sorry," he murmured, withdrawing much faster than he wedged himself in.

Outside I breathed easier as Harrow returned for whatever the inspection required of him.

"So." Carter sidled up next to me. "Burst into spontaneous foreign languages often?"

"This would be a first." I wondered what other surprises were in store for me if Kierce was right about me metamorphosing. "What did it sound like?"

"Water flowing over stones," she said without hesitation. "Fluid. Very fluid. Unearthly."

That fit with what I recalled from the few seconds I heard it from Kierce before comprehension sank in.

Behind us, Badb on his shoulder, Kierce conversed with his crow. Not an unusual sight in and of itself.

Except they were staring at me, heads bent together, discussing a topic that left Kierce befuddled.

When they noticed me watching them, Badb launched into the sky.

"I found it," Harrow yelled, his voice echoing.

"They already knew we were here," Carter grumbled to me. "Now they know we're coming."

Wiggling out of the entrance, which was a bit tight for a man his size, he rubbed his hands together.

"There's a glamour cast over the pit concealing a ladder to the right side that leads into a tunnel."

"One of the exhaust flues maybe?"

"This was dug out beneath the structure." He curled his fingers. "With claws."

"This day keeps getting better." I glanced around our motley crew. "So, who wants to go first?"