Nim’s eyes narrowed, and then she somehow managed to sigh. “I’m not human, Zoey. I never was. I’m made of magic, so you can’t expect me to follow the rules of the physical world. As to how long I’ve been here, I think it’s been at least eight years. My body processed the thrall stone sometime after you fell through the painting. And yes, I knew about it. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sure at the time it seemed like a reasonable thing to do,” Daniel allowed. “Nim, I know what it feels like to be in thrall. You do things you wouldn’t normally do.”
“Yeah, well, at least you didn’t sleep with him.”
I sobered because I knew what that felt like. “No one blames you. I’m glad you’re alive. Is Myrddin going to miss you?”
I had to consider the fact that she might have to go back. If something important went missing, it might tip the wizard off that I had plans.
“I don’t think so. He hasn’t opened this box in a very long time. I can’t be certain, but the last time has to have been years. I can sometimes hear people talking. I know seasons have changed many times since the last time I saw the light,” Nim said. “I think he feels like I’m a failed experiment, and he can’t bear to look at his failures.”
“The box was deep inside the closet.” Asta stood back as though being too close to corporeal beings was odd for her even when she was in her solid form. The Hidden One had been busy this evening. She’d managed to make her way to Dallas and back here in the course of a day. She was planning on having a debrief with Sasha when she finished with us. “I went there looking for the bag, but this is what I found.”
A pit threatened to open deep in my gut. “The bag wasn’t there?”
Asta was slightly translucent. I could see the outline of the bookcase behind her. I’d been told that the Hidden Ones hadn’t been prepared for the fact that there was a door to the Hell plane in the building, and it had made them sick. They’d done their job, but Asta was still weak and Magnus was back in their field recovering. They would not be able to go in a second time. “It was not in the place you told me I would find it. There were many shoes though.”
At least my shoes were still there. Myrddin probably didn’t need much closet space for his robes.
“Bag? What kind of bag are you talking about?” Nim asked.
Frustration welled inside me, but the truth was I couldn’t have the Hidden Ones take Nim back. I couldn’t sentence her to more time in Myrddin’s care. Not even to get the bag. “I had a bag of holding. It was in the closet when I left.”
Nim’s eyes went wide and a smile lit her face. “You did it. You stole his grimoire. Oh, sweetie, you should have seen his face when he realized it was gone. He was in a rage for days. It was lovely.”
All I felt was sheer panic. And arrogance. I’d really thought my plan would work. “I left it in my closet in the penthouse. No one could have moved it.”
“That’s why the witch showed up that morning,” Nim said, her gaze seeming to go inward. “When Myrddin realized he’d lost the king, he panicked. We went to the dark temple to confer with our demonic allies and that was when he decided to take over the crown himself. When we came out, it was morning and he had to put his plans in motion. He started by taking out as many vampires as he could. The academics were too fast. They got away, and so Myrddin went after the wolves. While he was trying to take out your allies, Sarah Day was in the penthouse. The children were gone by then.”
“And my father was dead.” His body had died that morning, and I’d said good-bye to his soul mere hours before.
Not good-bye. I’d hugged him like he was going on a long trip, one I would take someday, and he would be waiting to welcome me.
“Yes. Zoey, I’m so sorry…” Nim began. “I promise I wasn’t involved in that. He could make me think things were more normal than they were, but he couldn’t force me to do something that ran counter to my true soul. I have never killed for him.”
I shook my head because my emotional state was far too fragile, and we couldn’t lose time to my grief. “I can’t right now. Just tell me what happened. The kids were gone and my father was dead. I thought Sarah tried to get away, too.”
“Myrddin told me to get upstairs to ward the penthouse as quickly as possible,” Nim recalled. “He didn’t want any of your allies to get in and possibly lock him out. It was important to secure the cash he knew Devinshea kept. Though I believe he thought he would have access to the bank accounts, too. He was so angry that Albert had secured them before he left. He had to find different sources of income.”