My heart sank. “Then she might have left town already.”
“We have reason to believe she is still there. Kelvan has friends in the demon community in Albuquerque, and he found out through them that Madeline has gone to see a local warlock named Orias for the last two nights. His friends tell him she is expected back tonight.”
There’s a demon community? “Why would demons help us?” I asked when I’d gotten over my shock.
“They wouldn’t, but they’d help Kelvan. You must have made quite an impression on him.”
I closed the laptop so I could hold the phone again. “What do you mean?”
“Kelvan is a nice guy, but he doesn’t do well with strangers, especially hunters. That’s why I didn’t tell him what you are. After you left, he told me that if you ever needed anything, to let him know. He took it upon himself to reach out to his friends in Albuquerque.”
“I think his cat really liked me.”
David let out a laugh. “Lulu likes people even less than Kelvan does.”
I grinned. “I have a way with animals. It’s all part of my charm.”
“Okay, I get it. You’re going to be mysterious about it.” I could tell by his voice that he was still smiling. “I hope your charm works on warlocks, too.”
“I’ve never met a warlock. I’ve heard they can be into some heavy stuff.” Like capturing baby griffins and using their blood to raise demons. I shuddered. I had no desire to meet someone who practiced that kind of magic. Everything I knew about warlocks had come from Remy. Warlocks were born with magic, but they needed demon essence to make them strong. They raised higher demons and kept them captive so they could draw from the demon’s power. The stronger the demon, the stronger the warlock.
“Orias is a powerful warlock. He offers his services to anyone for the right price. He doesn’t care if you are demon, human, or something else as long as you can pay and don’t cause him any trouble. He doesn’t have a problem with Mohiri, like many of his clientele do, but he never gives anything away for free either, and that includes information.”
“Great,” I muttered. If we were lucky, we’d find Madeline at the warlock’s place and I wouldn’t have to deal with him at all. I sighed. Since when had I ever been that lucky?
“I’m sending you directions to Orias’s place now. It’s a little tricky to find if you don’t know exactly where you’re going. I think that is by design.”
Someone tapped on the window behind me, and I turned to see Roland waving for me to come in.
“Thanks, David. Listen, I have to go but I’ll let you know how it goes. And tell Kelvan thanks for me.”
“Will do. Stay safe.”
I hung up and joined the others in the booth where a burger and fries waited for me. Looking over at Jordan’s plate, I shook my head at the two monstrous cheeseburgers. “You aren’t actually going to eat all of that, are you?”
“Duh.” She smirked and took a huge bite from one.
I picked up my own and took a much smaller bite. It was homemade and so delicious after twenty-four hours of gas station food. I gave a contented sigh that drew smiles from my friends.
“What’s the plan?” Jordan asked in a lowered voice after she finished off her first burger. “Do we know where Madeline is?”
“She’s here in town, but she moves around a lot.” I told them about the picture David had sent me, and they all started talking at once.
“So we wait for her to check into another hotel?” Peter asked.
I took a sip of my soda. “We don’t know if she will get another hotel. But I have the name of a person she has been going to see, and there is a very good chance she’ll be there tonight. David is sending me the address.”
“Great.” Roland grinned at me. “So who are we going to see?”
I smiled at their expectant faces. “We’re off to see the wizard.”
Chapter 3
“Sara, are you sure these directions are right?” Roland twisted the wheel to the left and the headlights bounced over the cactus growing along the edge of the twisting desert road. Not a road actually, more like a track that wound through the uneven terrain with occasional markers to let you know you were still on it. We had been following it for forty minutes, and so far there was no sign of buildings or any kind of life.
“David said it was a bit out of the way.”
“Out of the way or out of the state?” he retorted. “If this road gets any worse, we’re probably going to lose the exhaust... or worse.”
“We should almost be there.” The car crested a rise, and I pointed to a small cluster of lights less than a quarter of a mile away. “There it is.”
Jordan leaned forward in her seat. “Where? I don’t see anything.”
“Right there, those lights.”
She shook her head. “I don’t see any lights.”
“Me either,” Roland said.
“Ha-ha, you guys. Very funny.”
By now we were close enough to make out a large, two-story adobe structure with lights shining from some of the downstairs windows. Outside lights illuminated the front of the building where half a dozen cars were parked.
Roland maneuvered the car across a small wooden bridge. “I don’t know what you’re talking –” He hit the brakes. “Whoa! Where did that come from?”