“According to what I’ve read in the book I got from the outer planes, I definitely think we’ve got it wrong,” Kelsey said. “I’ve studied their words, and I think Myrddin’s interpretation is off. He thinks Dean and Lee are the only ones who can kill him, but these prophecies seem to point to them being the only ones who can wield the weapon that kills Myrddin. Wield or prime or something like that. I’m not great with languages but the primals are, and they’re excellent with prophecy. Between the academics here and the primals, I hope we can crack it. If I’m right, I need to find that weapon.”
“Hence, we’re off to see the primals,” Evan said. “The wonderful primals of Atlanta. I can work on my not tan since I’ll be underground.”
“Underground, where you could easily be trapped,” Dev pointed out.
Evan stood, pointedly ignoring her papa. “I need to pack. Fen.”
Fen hopped out of his seat as Evan swept from the room. He shrugged Kelsey’s way. “Sorry. I know everyone thinks I’m the alpha, but I pretty much do what Evan tells me to. Let me know if you need me.”
Lee shook his head. “What does she need to pack? She doesn’t own anything.”
“Our sister knows how to make an exit,” Rhys said with a shake of his head. “Papa, don’t even try with those two. It won’t work and you’ll alienate her. If you make us choose between you and our sister and Fen, you won’t like our decision.”
“That wasn’t what he meant.” I reached for Dev’s hand because I knew he’d just taken a punch to the gut. “He’s worried. You have to give us a few moments. You were babies yesterday. Our babies. And now we’re so worried for the world you’re in. We feel guilty for leaving you.”
“You didn’t leave us, Mom. We know that. You didn’t want this for us,” Lee said. “But it’s where we are. I wish we could shut everything down and have a happy family reunion, but we’re in the middle of a war. The only thing that has kept Myrddin from fulfilling his contract with the demons is what we did the day you disappeared.”
“You mean the fact that I stole his grimoire? I took back Gladys, too.” I could confess to that particular crime now that my husbands were no longer under the wizard’s influence.
“Your mother didn’t mention that she’d stolen Myrddin’s book of spells. Harry, did you help her?” Daniel looked grim, but he always got back to business.
Lee grimaced and raised his hand. “That would be me. Granddad was the lookout. Oh, and Dannan helped. He dealt with that nasty cat of Myrddin’s.”
The little pixie sat on Lee’s shoulder, and his wings fluttered as though to say good times.
I hadn’t mentioned the heist in the beginning because I didn’t trust Daniel not to run right to Myrddin and give both the sword and the spellbook back. After we got the thrall stones out of my husband’s heads, well, we’d been running for our lives and then making a baby and running again. Let’s just say it had been a crazy week.
“Myrddin has Gladys?” Kelsey’s jaw had gone tight. Gladys was Kelsey’s name for the sword she carried as the Nex Apparatus. The Heavenly plane called it the Sword of Light. It was the sword given to the companions before recorded history. Long ago when we’d been known as the Amazons. It had only found its way back to us when Kelsey had been made the Nex Apparatus. Once in female hands, Gladys’s powers had hummed to life again.
“Had Gladys,” I corrected. “Thanks to my father and Lee and Dannan, the sword and Myrddin’s grimoire are safely in a bag of holding in my closet at the penthouse.”
“But he lives in the penthouse,” Sasha pointed out.
“Yes, but I’m the only one who can see the bag.” The bag had been my father’s gift to me on my wedding day. My dad had been the supernatural world’s greatest thief, so I hadn’t asked how he’d gotten his hands on the incredibly rare object from the Heaven plane. The bag of holding had been fashioned by angels during their wars with the demons. “Once I placed the grimoire and Gladys in the bag, it disappeared and can only be opened by the owner. Dad primed it with my blood. I’m the owner.”
“Myrddin could burn the place down and he still wouldn’t find it,” my father said. “It should be exactly where she left it. He can try any number of locator spells, but they won’t detect the objects he’s looking for. The bag itself is a small pocket universe, so the objects aren’t actually on the Earth plane.”
“That explains why he hasn’t found them.” Sasha was making notes on a pad of paper. I’d noticed he’d walked in with notebooks and pens. He was an old-school spy master, but then I rather thought he didn’t trust Myrddin wouldn’t have hired hackers. “But they’re in danger if they’re still in the penthouse.”