Page 82 of Haunted Hearts

But his face never shows up.

“This… this thing works, right?” I ask, looking around our small group.

“Yes, I spoke to my mom a few days ago through here,” Willow mutters as her brows pull closer together. “Fulton Noir.”

The water doesn’t ripple. It stays focused on the trees. I lean in, trying to see if I can spot the warlock through the dense woods. It’s a fruitless endeavor. I can’t see a damn thing other than leaves.

“Why isn’t this working?” Willow asks, frowning.

Brock shakes his head, “I don’t know. I’ve only scried a handful of times and it’s nevernotshown me who I needed to see.”

“I don’t see the abandoned hotel anywhere,” Willow murmurs, moving her hands in the water, which twists the image around to give her a new angle to view.

I don’t see a hotel either. All that’s there are trees, more trees, and oh yeah, trees. For miles in every direction, it’s nothing but nature. There’s a small pond that glistens as Willow shifts the image again but then, more trees.

“Hold on, you’re looking for a hotel?” Theo asks. “Why would we assume he’s back there?”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Brock frowns as he looks up at our fearless leader. “That’s where we found Remy, the spells strewn around the floor… the cloak.”

The Fae in the room show off various degrees of being uncomfortable from a cringe to a grimace, to even a low growl.

Theo tilts his head as he looks around us. “Willow broke into his hotel room and freed the spirits he had trapped. I think it’s safe to assume that the warlock figured out that Willow had been there and fled to a new hideout. This,” he waves his hand at the water “must be in the vicinity of a new hiding place.”

Hmm, that’s a good point. So, no hotel then. But why hide in nature? I guess being surrounded by clean air and animals is peaceful enough to concoct horrific torture methods to trap spirits, or Willow, in. Grimacing, I shake my head. Whether he’s tent camping or just laying out under the stars at night, I hope he’s miserable. And I hope he thinks he’s safe. That way, when we come for him, his surprise and defeat will be all the more satisfying.

“Fulton Noir.” Willow’s fingers dip further into the bowl, trying again. The image doesn’t change. With a frustrated sigh, she gives it another go. “Fulton Noir.”

When nothing happens again, I let out a huff, “Well, this was a bust. What’s plan b?”

Viktor reaches over and wraps his fingers around Willow’s wrist. “When I used to study with mages, one of the things they learned was how to avoid detection. If someone doesn’t want to be found, and they have the power to do so, they can cast a spell to keep themselves hidden.”

“Ten bucks that’s what Fulton’s done,” Kwil mutters.

“But you have to be extremely powerful to do something like this,” Viktor objects.

“Well, if he has Willow’s power in him, that could certainly make him strong enough for the feat,” Theodon points out as he stares at the woods. “Willow, we may not be able to see him but maybe we can figure out where this is. It has to be close to where Fulton is hiding.”

Willow’s fingers skim the edge of the bowl. The image moves again. It looks like we’re soaring. It’s pretty cool. There are trees in nearly every direction that Willow moves. There are no houses, landmarks—

“Wait, go back, Willow,” I order, waving my hand over the water. “No, no, the other way. Yeah, ok, stop. Look!”

I point at the thin, winding, two-lane road that she passed over swiftly before.

“So?” Kwil asks.

“We can use the road to figure out where this is,” I suggest. “We can look for road signs, exits, or whatever. That will at least narrow down where he could be.”

Theo looks up from the bowl at me. His brows raise high, and a smile stretches across his face.

“You’re a genius, Jonah.”

Heat rises in my cheeks. “Naw, I just thought of something that you would have figured out eventually.”

Brock slaps my back gently. “But you came up with it first, man.”

I duck my head as the heat spreads down my neck. I’m not sure my name and the word ‘genius’ have ever been used in the same sentence before.

Willow maneuvers the scene before us, her fingers moving deliberately through the water to follow the road. I know I should be paying attention to what’s in the bowl before us. And I do, for a moment. But the faint light the water gives off casts alluring shadows over Willow’s face and that steals the show. Her bottom lip gets trapped in between her teeth as she concentrates on her task.

---