Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

B efore I could activate my portal crystal, Tegan said, "We need to find the Soul Compass. That's got to come next." The certainty in her voice reminded me of when Eve had one of her gut feelings.

"I'm good with that. Once we get back, you can do your thing and we will hunt it down," I assured her.

I did one last scan of our surroundings before I activated the portal crystal. We didn't need any nasty surprises following us through. We'd never hear the end of it from Lucinda if that happened. The top of the temple still hummed with residual magic. I could feel it tingling at the edges of my senses. It was like an annoying itch I couldn't quite scratch.

"I'll do it now," Tegan replied, stopping me as I had just started pulling my portal crystal out.

Tegan's focus had already shifted inward, and she closed her eyes. She extended her hands, and a faint glow emanated from her fingertips. It cast an eerie light on the rooftop as the rest of us watched her. The energy around us seemed to gather, swirling toward her in an invisible vortex. I watched, fascinated despite myself, as the glow intensified .

After a few moments, Tegan's eyes snapped open. "It's in New Orleans," she blurted excitedly.

"New Orleans? Seriously?" I let out a snort of laughter. "Of course, it's in the city of ghosts and vampires. It's somehow fitting."

Eve snorted and then patted Tegan on the back. "I owe you a drink for saving us from having to encounter Lucinda and Caton again. There's a house in the French Quarter reserved for council use. A few years ago, there were a lot of problems with the vampires and the council needed a safe place to portal. Or so Caton claimed. My guess is that he wanted to establish it for selfish reasons. Because Nishi is a member, she can use it without having to ask first."

"Where is it located?" Tegan asked with a frown.

"Royal and St. Ann," Eve replied. "Can't miss it. Looks like a haunted mansion straight out of a Gothic novel."

Tegan shrugged. "I'm not sure if it's close to where I felt the compass, but we will figure it out when we get there."

Faith pulled out her phone, fingers flying over the screen. "I'll text Greyson and tell him to send us to the house on Royal." She looked up, grinning. "I love how he's basically our magical Uber now."

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Let's just hope he doesn't leave us stranded in the swamp."

"He would never do that to me. There's a reason he's doing this for us at all when he wouldn't do it for any of the other council members," Faith countered.

I waggled my eyebrows. "He's doing it because he loves you."

She snorted and said, "Activate the crystal. He's ready."

I did as she instructed, and the familiar sight of the light appeared. A second later it flickered, and the air in front of us shimmered. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the disorienting sensation of stepping through .

"Ready?" I asked, though I wasn't entirely sure I was. I could really use a break from the constant portalling.

"Not really, but let's go," Damon said. His voice was tinged with the same mix of exhaustion and determination I felt.

We stepped through the portal and the world around us twisted and warped before snapping back into focus. We found ourselves standing at the entry of an unfamiliar house. The scent of magnolias greeted us along with the distant sound of jazz music. The wooden floors creaked under our feet as we moved to investigate the room to our right. It was a living room with antique furniture. The high ceilings were adorned with intricate crown molding, and the walls were lined with rich, dark wood paneling. In front of us, a grand staircase wound its way to the upper floors. It was gorgeous, but felt haunted.

"Welcome to Gothic Central," I muttered as I took everything in. "I half expect a ghost to float down those stairs any minute now."

Faith snorted. "If only we were that lucky. Ghosts can't touch the living, so we wouldn't be in danger of being attacked."

"What about possession? It would suck just as badly to have a spirit controlling me," I pointed out.

Eve shivered. "That's an unpleasant thought."

Damon gave us a look. "You guys think of the oddest things."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Coming from someone who's as old as dirt, I'll take that as a compliment."

Tegan ignored us and closed her eyes. Her face scrunched in concentration. "The Soul Compass is a few blocks away," she announced, eyes snapping open. "We need to move now."

"Lead the way, relic hunter," I said, gesturing dramatically toward the door. "Let's get this show on the road."

We stepped out into the humid New Orleans night and the sounds of the city washed over us. The streets were alive with music and laughter. It was a stark contrast to the haunting stillness of the council house. The architecture of the French Quarter surrounded us. The homes were colorful facades with wrought-iron balconies, shuttered windows, and lush greenery spilling from hanging baskets. The air was heavy with the scent of blooming flowers and the faint aroma of spicy Cajun food.

As we walked, I admired the details of the houses we passed. Ornate ironwork wrapped around the balconies, and gas lamps flickered at most doorsteps. I loved the way their warm glow lit the sidewalks. The rich history of the Quarter was like a living thing, and each building was a testament to a bygone era. I fell in love with the French Quarter as we followed Tegan's magic. I made a mental note to make plans to take a girls' trip there sometime soon.

We stopped next to a particularly beautiful home with a vibrant blue door and ivy creeping up its walls. "Nice place," I remarked.

Eve nodded in agreement and said, "I bet those walls are hiding thousands of stories. You can feel the history in this city."

Tegan was as focused as ever. She ignored our comments and worked her relic hunter magic. Her hands were out, palms up, and her eyes were closed. A faint glow from her star trail emanated from her fingertips and spread outward like ripples in a pond. The air around us seemed to thicken. It became charged with an electric energy that made the hair on my arms stand on end.

I glanced at the others. Eve's eyes were wide, and her breath was shallow. She was looking tired again. Faith was fiddling with her kubotan with an eager grin on her face. Damon was focused on our surroundings. His muscles were tense as if ready for a fight.

The star trail from Tegan's hands grew so bright I worried she was going to draw attention from mundanes inside the surrounding houses. My heart started hammering when even the smells around us intensified. The sweet scent of flowers, the spicy aroma of the food, and the faint, herbal tang of magic .

"It's close," Tegan whispered. Her voice was barely audible over the hum of energy. "I can feel it."

"Great," I said as I thought of something. "Can you tell if it's being guarded by an ancient, soul-sucking monster?"

Faith chuckled. "Wouldn't that be just our luck?"

The glow around Tegan's hands pulsed once more before fading away, leaving us standing in the dim light of the gas lamps. She opened her eyes and scanned the area. "I can't tell who has it. We need to go this way," she said, pointing down the street.

We followed her down a busier street. Less than a block later we were in the thick of it. The French Quarter was a carnival of sights and sounds. It was a gaudy parade of human nature at its most entertaining. Tourists swarmed the streets, and their eyes were wide with wonder while their cameras flashed like strobe lights at a bad rave. The scent of fried food replaced the spicy, but the buzz of chatter remained. I caught a whiff of something unidentifiable but distinctly unpleasant every once in a while.

We weaved our way through the throngs. It felt like a never-ending carnival. My breath caught when our pace quickened. We had to be zeroing in on our target. "I swear," I muttered, sidestepping a group of tourists in matching "I Heart NOLA" T-shirts. "If I get elbowed one more time, I'm going to start a new urban legend about a ghost that haunts tourists who don't watch where they're going."

Faith snickered and flicked her gaze around at the bustling crowd. "Let's hope whoever has the Soul Compass isn't out in the open. This could get messy fast."

"Thanks for that, Faith," I said dryly. "I love a good jinx right before things go south."

As if on cue, we rounded a corner and Tegan stopped in her tracks. "It's her," Tegan informed us. She pointed to a woman in a flowing, bohemian dress. She was standing at the center of a group of about twenty mundane tourists.

"Is she holding the Soul Compass above her head?" Eve asked in a horrified tone. It had to be. The compass' surface was shimmering with a subtle glow as she regaled her audience with tales of the ghosts that supposedly haunted the Quarter.

"You had to say it," I grumbled to Faith. "Now we've got a show-and-tell session in the middle of Dauphine Street."

Faith flashed a roguish grin. "What can I say? I like to keep things interesting."

One of Damon's eyebrows rose in question. "This witch is playing with fire. We have to get her away from the crowd. Any ideas?"

"I have a few," Tegan said, eyeing the woman critically. "But they'll require a bit of finesse."

Eve wiggled her fingers. "You say finesse; I say magic."

"Fantastic!" I rolled my eyes. "Because we're known for our subtlety."

Eve glanced around, then leaned in. "Maybe we can lure her away by pretending to be interested in a private ghost tour. We can offer her some cash. Tour guides love that."

"That's preferable to having something go wrong and risk further exposure," I said.

We approached the group cautiously, trying to blend in with the gaggle of tourists. The woman was in full performance mode. Her voice rose and fell dramatically as she spun her ghostly tales. The tourists hung on her every word. Their faces were a mix of skepticism and fascination.

Faith stepped forward, raising her hand. "Excuse me," she called out, flashing her most charming smile. "We were hoping to get a more...personal tour. Just the five of us. We're really interested in the more exclusive stories you might have."

The woman paused, her eyes narrowing slightly as she assessed us. "A private tour, you say? That'll cost extra."

"Money's no object," Damon said, pulling out a wad of cash. "We just want to hear the best you've got."

Her eyes lit up at the sight of the money. "You're in luck. That was the end of this tour, and I don't have another scheduled for an hour." She turned to the tourists and gave them the rest of her spiel, ending with, "Enjoy the rest of your night in the Quarter."

As the tourists dispersed, the tour guide with the compass, instructed us to follow her to the beginning of her tour. No one spoke as we followed the woman down a narrow alleyway. The noise of the crowd faded behind us and the Soul Compass continued to glow faintly in her hand.

Once we were out of sight and earshot, Tegan wasted no time. "We'll take that now," she said, reaching for the compass.

The woman recoiled, clutching it to her chest. "What? No way! This is mine!"

"Listen," I said, stepping forward, "we don't have time for this. That compass is dangerous in the wrong hands. Just give it to us, and no one gets hurt."

"Are you threatening me?" she asked, her eyes widening in alarm.

"Not exactly," I replied with a smirk. "Think of it more as a strongly-worded suggestion."

Damon stepped in. "Please, we're just trying to prevent a disaster. That compass has the power to cause a lot of harm. Not to mention you're playing with fire by using it so openly."

The woman's face hardened, and she narrowed her eyes. "Piss off. This is my livelihood."

Eve stepped forward. She was already chanting a spell under her breath. The mundanes that were walking through the alley abruptly changed course and wandered away. That was a good call. It seemed like things were about to get ugly, and we didn't need any witnesses.

The woman's face turned red with anger. "You can't just take my business away! I wasn't hurting anyone by making ghosts appear during my tours. No one knows this is a magical artifact. They think it's some silly trinket. I'm allowed to use it to attract spirits. My tips have increased a hundred-fold as have my bookings."

We surrounded her, cutting off any escape. The bustling noise of the street seemed to fade into the background as our little drama unfolded. Eve's voice was calm but firm when she said, "You could have done something with your magic without stealing a relic."

The woman scowled, her voice rising in defiance. "I didn't steal anything. I bought it fair and square from a reputable dealer. And it's not like you own the market on magic!"

My phone buzzed. It was Alex. " When are you coming home? I need to see you. " The sentiment warmed my heart, but was horrible timing. We were in the middle of something.

I quickly texted back, " Heading to Eve's after we finish dealing with a witch. We'll eat the tacos I made two days ago. " I'd made that plan as the smell of food made my stomach growl. We could have stopped for something, but I preferred the tacos I'd made the other day. We hadn't eaten them, and they would go to waste otherwise. My mother always said waste not, want not.

Tegan stepped forward with her fists clenched at her sides. "The Soul Compass was stolen. It belongs to my family, and I'm here to reclaim our property."

The woman's eyes narrowed to slits. "You can't just take it from me. I paid good money for this. It's become the cornerstone of my business. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Tegan's eyes glinted with determination. Using her relic hunter magic, she reached out and plucked the compass from the woman's hand without touching her. It was as effortless as if she were picking an apple from a tree. When the tour guide made a move for Tegan, Faith stepped in and held a dagger to the woman's throat. "You want to stop right there," she hissed.

The woman backed down, but not without a fight in her eyes. "This isn't over. You think you can just walk in here and take whatever you want? I have rights! "

"Your rights don't extend to stolen property," Tegan said coolly. "The Soul Compass has been in my family for generations. Everyone in the Shrouded Nation knows that the relic hunter can find anything from her vault anywhere. That's how we located you. You were duped by whoever sold this to you."

The woman muttered under her breath, clearly frustrated. "I'll never believe Billy Joe again when he says he found a bargain item. Right after I kill him."

Faith gestured to the end of the alley. "You should warn Billy Joe that any other stolen artifact he has is going to be reclaimed soon."

The woman laughed and shook her head. "Not a chance. That asshole deserves to have a knife held to his throat."

Damon tossed her the wad of money he had as she was walking away. "For your troubles," he said.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she murmured, "Thanks." She stuffed the cash in her purse and pulled out a card. "If you have any ideas about how I can coax ghosts without using overt magic, I'd love to hear them. What I've tried hasn't worked well."

Eve nodded and I sighed, pocketing my phone. "I told Alex to meet us at Blue Moon for those poblano chicken tacos. We didn't get a chance to eat them, and he wanted to see me."

Faith rubbed her stomach. "Great idea. I was going to suggest we pick something up on our way back. I'll text Greyson and ask him to alter the location when we get back to the council house."

As we walked away, the Quarter's vibrancy closed back in around us. The wrought iron balconies overhead were draped with lush green ferns and the sounds of a distant trumpet played a mournful tune. The air smelled like jasmine and fried dough. It was a uniquely intoxicating blend that was pure New Orleans.

"Do you think she knew what she had?" I asked.

"I doubt it," Tegan replied. "If she did, she wouldn't have been showing it off to tourists. "

"She did have a point, though," Eve said thoughtfully. "She wasn't hurting anyone by using it to summon ghosts."

"Except for the ghosts," I pointed out.

Damon gestured to a popular cafe across the way. "She was just trying to make a living. I doubt she would have purchased the compass if she'd known it was stolen. I'm going to grab some beignets for dessert. I'll catch up with you or meet you at the house. Just don't leave without me."

Faith's eyes lit up. "I haven't had a beignet in years. For those, we'll wait," she said and then focused on us. "We did her a favor. If the council got wind of what she was doing, Lucinda would have come down here and punished her."

"True. Not that I feel guilty for Tegan taking a relic back." Eve looked over her shoulder and changed the subject when she muttered, "I hope Damon hurries. If I have to go another minute without food, I might start summoning ghosts myself."

Tegan tucked the Soul Compass into her bag as we made our way back through the bustling streets. The promise of food and a momentary respite spurred us on. Damon caught up right as we turned onto Royal Street with a white paper bag swinging in his grasp.

"Are those the beignets?" I asked.

He shook the bag and nodded. "Yep. If you've never had them, they'll change your life."

I opened the door of the council house, and my heart started racing. I'd left the door unlocked when we left earlier. Had anyone gotten inside? I looked around and listened for any intruders while Faith's fingers flew over her phone screen. She was texting Greyson. I checked the kitchen and what looked like a library and didn't see anything out of order.

"Everything alright?" Damon asked.

I waved a hand at the door. "We left it unlocked when we left. I wanted to make sure no one snuck inside. "

Eve's brow furrowed as she focused on the front of the house. "There's a keep-away spell around the place. I imagine Lucinda geared it toward mundanes. She would want her cleaning staff coming in regularly."

"Greyson is ready to send us to Eve's store," Faith interrupted.

I activated my crystal, and the portal shimmered into existence. It flickered in that way I now recognized indicated a shift in the destination. We stepped through, one by one and into the vortex. We emerged into the cool, incense-laden air of Eve's store a second later. The shop was filled with crystals, herbs, potions, and other mystical trinkets. The smell of sage and lavender hit me like a calming wave.

Hunter and Alex were already there, standing by a display of quartz crystals. Hunter looked up as we arrived, his face breaking into a relieved smile. "Did you find the veil and seal it?"

Eve walked into his arms and said, "We did. It was at the second temple. Damon and I were able to work together to fix the tear."

Alex stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. "Hunter and I were just going over what you guys have to do to stop Miletus. Any luck with the compass?"

"We got it," Tegan said, holding up the Soul Compass. "And we had to deal with a very annoyed tour guide to get it."

Faith rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she was a peach. But we've got more important things to worry about. Like where to go next."

I went into the kitchen and heated up the taco filling while Eve pulled out the toppings. It was nice to have some downtime where we weren't jumping through portals and dealing with crises. We talked about the various prophecies about Miletus and how confusing it was while we ate. No one had any answers and when Eve started yawning, Hunter ushered us out the door saying we could resume in the morning since the world wasn't ending right that moment. No one objected because he was right. Eve poured everything she had into helping others and would work until she collapsed. I was grateful she had him looking out for her.

Alex and I said our goodbyes to Faith and Tegan, and we headed to my house. "How's everything in the fae realm?" I asked as I unlocked my front door. I hadn't thought to ask sooner, and I felt like a bad girlfriend.

Alex followed me inside. His hands immediately found my shoulders. "It's been tense," he admitted, his fingers working magic on the knots in my muscles. "But nothing I can't handle. You seem more tense than usual."

I sighed, the weight of everything pressing down on me. "Just dealing with one crisis after another. You know how it is."

We talked for a few minutes about the various issues he'd been facing, sharing advice, and commiserating over the challenges. His hands were warm and soothing, and for a moment, the world outside didn't seem so overwhelming. Then he made a comment that caught me off guard. "You know, when you're my princess…"

I blinked, turning to look at him. "What?"

Alex got up, moving to sit directly in front of me. He took my hands in his. His eyes were serious and filled with a tenderness that took my breath away. "Surely you know where things are going between us, Nishi."

I shook my head, confusion, and a flutter of hope battling within me. "I don't know what you mean."

He took a deep breath, his grip on my hands tightening just slightly. "This isn't how I imagined doing this, but I love you. More than anything. And I don't want to wait for the moment. With you, they're all perfect." He paused and looked into my eyes. "Will you marry me?"

For a moment, I was too shocked to speak. My mind went blank, and my heart pounded in my chest. Then, slowly, I nodded. "Yes," I whispered. "Yes, I will. "

Alex's face broke into a radiant smile. He picked me up, twirling me around with a joy that was infectious. "I need to show you just how much I love you," he murmured, his voice filled with promise.