Kindling the Moon (Arcadia Bell #1)(88)

I tightened the cap on the marker and handed it back. The dread that I’d kept at bay in the hideout of Jupe’s room returned, bringing with it an aching sense of sadness. “To tell you the truth, Jupe, sometimes I almost wish it weren’t.”

35

The Big Sur region of California that borders Morella and La Sirena to the south is one of the most beautiful parts of the entire country. Rolling green mountains stretch across one side of Highway One, and the Pacific’s waves crash on the other at the bottom of craggy, lush cliffs.

Going this way, instead of taking Five—the faster route— added an extra hour or more to my drive, as Lon tried to point out to me, but I didn’t care. The mental serenity it provided was well worth it. It wasn’t a weekend, so there weren’t too many people slowing down traffic by constantly pulling over at scenic spots. I’d hit L.A. after rush hour and would still get to San Diego well before 11 p.m.

“Hard to believe it’s real, huh?” I said to Riley Cooper as I drove. “The view, I mean.”

She sat in the passenger seat smacking gum. “Fantastic. I’m kinda sorry you’re taking me home. I’ve never felt so calm and relaxed in my life.”

“Vacation can’t last forever.” And neither would my supply of the opiate elixir I’d been using to dose her.

She sighed. “True, true.”

“I’m sorry about the accident, Riley.”

She shrugged. “I feel much better now, no harm done. To tell you the truth, Jane, I’m really glad I came. It was nice to catch up after all these years.” The smile she gave me was so authentic that I almost believed we were old friends. Then I reminded myself that the real Riley had hurt Jupe.

A couple hours into our drive, I stopped at a gas station and called her father, Magus Zorn, in private on her cell phone, using up the last of her battery. He was alarmed and demanded to speak to her. I refused, but told him that she was okay and wasn’t hurt, except for the missing tooth. Like Riley, Magus Zorn denied knowledge of Caliph Superior’s whereabouts, but it was hard to tell if he was lying over the phone. Regardless, I told him to make sure his council was ready for me to prove my parents’ innocence at midnight. I figured that gave me time enough to talk to them beforehand.

I tried to keep my eyes on the road, but I had a terrible headache and was fighting constant nausea. A couple of times I almost blacked out, but it passed quickly. Of course I would manage to get sick during all this, probably from that stupid midnight dip in the ocean.

Early that morning, before I left Lon’s house, I scribbled a quick note to him and asked Jupe to deliver it. I made him swear not to read it, but I doubt those kinds of promises mean to much to a stubborn thirteen-year-old.

Dear Neanderthal,

There is no way I could possibly thank you for everything you’ve done for me, even if you only did it to get me in the sack. No matter what happens, I will pay you back the money you wired to Spooner. My order has it. You may not be a thief, but I don’t like being in debt to people. I was going to tell you some mushy private stuff, but I don’t really trust Jupe not to read this. Plus you already know it all anyway, maybe better than I do.

—Cady

It was just after ten when I pulled into a deserted parking lot on the edge of Old Town. I paused to inspect the building across the street. Hard to believe, but there it was, the infamous Luxe Sapphire Temple. The place where the final— attempted—Black Lodge slaying had failed seven years ago. And the place my parents had been framed, when all they’d wanted to do was mediate peaceful talks between the other occult organizations.

As a rule, I usually avoid any of our rival orders’ temples and lodges, on the off chance that someone might recognize me; however, one time out of curiosity, I’d driven by this particular building when Kar Yee and I were loping around California after college. The largest occult temple in the world, their website claimed. It was intimidatingly big and contemporary in design, topped with a three-sided triangular blue glass window on the roof; the blue pyramid was lit from the inside and illuminated the night sky like a beacon, easily seen from blocks away. It was so grand and distracting that I almost failed to notice the series of Heka-charged wards around the main parking lot. I had no doubts that if I crossed those wards, I’d be attacked, so I kept my distance.

According to their propaganda, the inner temple held over a thousand people. So crazy. Like one of those megachurches that brings in flocks of attendees every Sunday. Quality, not quantity, as the caliph always said. I wondered if he would be here tonight, and if so, on whose side would he be standing?

I pulled my rental into a dark parking space under a tree at the edge of the empty lot and rolled down my window. The night air was brisk but energizing. I’d been stuck in the car far too long. Such a shame we didn’t arrive in the daytime. After navigating around the brown, smog-filled skyline of L.A., San Diego was the promised land, with warm, clear blue skies and even bluer water.

Dull yellow lights glowed from the smaller windows around the sides of the temple. A handful of cars were parked near an entrance, but I didn’t see any people or movement. I patted my jacket, double-checking that the crystal talon was still tucked away safely in the inner pocket. A copy of the White Ice Demon class seal was rolled around the talon for easy access, but I’d also memorized it, and hidden a spare piece of red ochre chalk in the side of my sock, just in case.