Page 25 of Horn of Winter

“It is not just council records I guard, young Aodhán. It is the records of races,allraces, for all the eons they have existed.”

I stared at her for a moment. “Meaning this place is basically the earthly equivalent of the codex library?”

“In some respects, yes, though I would imagine their surrounds are far more beauteous than mine.”

“It’s certainly far airier, but I would think there’s far more to your domain than what you’re currently allowing me to see.”

“Perhaps.” She stopped in front of me again, her long body coiling close to her torso. She crossed her arms over her breasts and leaned back against those coils, studying me some more. “What information do you wish to find for your current quest?”

Current quest—a deliberate choice of words, no doubt, given her earlier statement of caution. Perhaps she intended to judge the merits of my overall quest on how I handled the official one. “What are the boundaries of my searches? Am I just restricted to council records?”

She smiled. “You were given all access, though I do not believe the councilors understand the entirety of my records or the freedom that allows you.”

“That is excellent news.”

Her smile increased, revealing the tops of two large fangs rather than human teeth. It was a somewhat ghastly sight, but I somehow managed to curb my instinctive gasp.

“For one such as you, seeking revenge through the texts of time, I would imagine it is.”

“Then, for this first search, I would like all the information you have on the god Borrhás, anything you might have on his Horn, including how and why it became part of the hoard, and any mention there might be of it within the council records, for as far back as they go.”

She raised a pale eyebrow. “That is indeed a large request.”

“Go big or go home, as the saying goes.”

“A saying I am not familiar with, even if the intent is obvious. The scope of the search means it will take some time. I would suggest you start by cross-checking with your godly library.”

“I will.” I paused. “How long will your search take?”

“It will take as long as it takes, but I will send my orb to fetch you when I have the information ready. It will now guide you back to your world.”

The chair tilted forward a little, politely dumping me onto my feet. The green light darted forward toward the wall behind the Nagi. As its light caressed the black stone, a small section slid to one side, revealing the dark corridor once again. The light shot inside as I cautiously made my way around Liadon to follow.

But as I stepped into the corridor, she said, “You are very much your mother’s daughter, Bethany, but your father’s blood runs strong in you, and darkness flows deep in the master of storms and lightning’s line. Be wary of falling too far into the tempest.”

Then the door closed on her words, leaving me with her orb and a shit ton of questions.

The first thing I did when I reached the “real” world again was drag out my phone and check the time. It was close to twelve, meaning I’d been down there for a whole lot longer than it had seemed.

I swore and ran down the stairs, my footsteps echoing into the emptiness. As I reached the first floor and regained cell service, I called an Uber; five minutes, they said.

I hoped they broke the land speed record because even though the traffic at midday wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it was in peak hours, the shitty weather would still slow things down. And with my clothes stinking of the Nagi, I desperately needed all the time I could get to scrub my skin before Sgott picked me up for the commemoration.

The Uber hadn’t arrived by the time I got down to the main road, so I dug out some old spray-on deodorant from my purse and tried to at least mute the fouler scent. I wasn’t sure it worked, but the Uber driver didn’t say anything. Maybe he was simply being polite.

For once, the traffic was on our side, and it only took ten minutes to arrive at the rear lane. I ran through the still-heavy rain to the rear door and punched in the code. The building’s song was alive with movement and weight, suggesting we had a good crowd in today, which was surprising considering the weather. I shucked off my wet coat, slinging it over my arm as I made my way down the hall. Ingrid—the green-haired pixie who was now the full-time manager—was behind the bar serving customers, but glanced up as I walked in.

“Jonnie rang in sick, so I had to call in Kitty.”

Jonnie was one of our full-timers who worked as a waiter on the first floor. Kitty was currently a temp, but likely to go full time come tourist season. “You’re running the show now, Ingrid. You don’t need my approval for that sort of thing.”

Her cheeks dimpled. “Old habits die hard. I also put a list of the stock needing reordering today on your desk, or do you want me to run with that as well?”

I hesitated. I’d already done the week’s payroll and payments, but orders were an almost daily task. “It might be safer if you do it for the time being. I have no idea how long this commemoration is going to run for, and I have the council business to attend to on top of that.”

“I’ll do it after the midday rush is over with, then.”

“Don’t be afraid to do it after hours and claim overtime.”

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