Page 45 of The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee

Once he’d finished installing the cameras, the witch put the wards back up. She was visibly drained.

The itch started again and I pushed down the urge to put a distance between myself and the wards. ‘Do you have to do your thing again with the wards?’ I asked Liv.

‘Of course not,’ she said dismissively. ‘The new wards were already set. Adelheid is lifting and lowering them, not making them all over again.’ It was all foreign to me but I nodded as if she were making total sense.

Gunnar installed another camera outside the door. Both were battery run, motion activated and sent images to our phones; they were also video only, so they didn’t suck up a lot of power. Once he’d finished and we’d tested that they worked, we said our goodbyes to Adelheid. She was going for a lie down.

We followed Liv to the home of the earth witch. Apparently Calliope was meeting us there – and I wasn’t too thrilled at the prospect. Not long ago we’d suspected Soapy, her second and lover, of being a drug dealer so she probably wasn’t thrilled with us, either. Plus, she was a terrifying water dragon and I’d seen her kill someone with one bite.

I’d have to remember not to stand too close.

Chapter 26

The earth witch’s home was up the mountain and deep in the woods, close to the Grimes brothers’ trading post. Like Kostas’s home it was a log cabin, but unlike his it looked brand new. It made me think uncomfortably of Connor but I pushed him forcefully from my mind. Now was not the time to try and sort through my muddled emotions. I needed to be sharp and focused.

Liv walked boldly up to the front door and knocked. The witch opened it – at least, I assumed it was the witch. He was medium height, stocky and had a scowl on his face. Charming. Calliope stood behind him, looking bored.

‘Gunnar and Bunny, meet Vitus Vogler, the earth witch,’ Liv introduced us.

Gunnar seemed to know him, so it was obvious the introduction was for my benefit. Maybe I was growing on Liv – or maybe she knew how to be diplomatic.

‘If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the gem’s security.’ Vitus’s tone was impatient; he clearly wasn’t messing about.

The house was almost completely open plan. There was a large main room with soaring ceilings; above was a loft, and to our left was a short hallway that led to four doors – bedrooms and maybe a bathroom. The wood-burning stove in the middle of the room, surrounded by chunky leather furniture, wasn’t lit. There was a large kitchen with commercial-level appliances.

Vitus led us up some steps to the loft; it was half the size of the house and obviously a family room, with a large TV and comfortable furniture. Off it were two doors: one led to a bathroom and the other was for the gem. Both doors were cheap and flimsy; a strong wind or a firm kick could break them down. The security here seemed low and I was surprised it hadn’t been targeted first.

‘Is it warded?’ I asked curiously. My scalp wasn’t itching but that wasn’t a reason to plough recklessly into the room; I didn’t want to get fried by accident.

‘I haven’t had it warded,’ Vitus said. My jaw dropped and Liv started to vibrate with barely contained anger. ‘I live so far out here in the sticks that not many people come by, and the only road is visible from my front windows. I’d know if anyone came around.’

‘We called you about the other thefts. One of them was done by someone who could teleport,’ Gunnar said.

Liv exploded, ‘We told you to place extra wards!’

‘The house is warded,’ Vitus responded.

‘We walked in here!’ I said incredulously.

‘What do the wards on the house do?’ Gunnar asked.

‘They send me an alert if anyone enters the house.’

‘An alert!’ Liv was virtually apoplectic.

‘Relax, Liv. No one would dare attack something under my protection,’ Calliope said.

My mouth spoke before my brain sparked. ‘You got kidnapped a few weeks ago! Someone dared attack not a thing, but you.’

Calliope gave a chilly smile. ‘And I ate him.’ She smacked her lips.

‘Snacking on a thief after the fact won’t get the gem back,’ Liv snapped. ‘And you had indigestion for a week after eating the general.’

‘He was very unhealthy, full of trans fats.’ Calliope sighed. ‘A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.’

‘That is such an outdated saying,’ I bristled. ‘Eat what you want when you want in moderation and do some exercise.’

Gunnar cleared his throat. ‘If we can focus?’

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