Chapter 68

Sian and Tanner had dodged Madam Pomfrey and were heading past the Sixth Years Only Sunbather's Club meeting room when the first ward hit. It made them both wince, ears popping as if the hall had suddenly been pressurized.

"That can't be good." Tanner said, giving his head a shake and flexing his jaw to pop his ears back.

"It's a magical backlash," Sian said knowingly. "It happens when a whole lot of magic or a small amount of the really powerful kind hits the environment."

"And how would you know about that?" he asked. She shrugged, but she was grinning.

"Your little brother dared me to open the big box by the window in the main landing at the Zephyr's." Her grin got wider at his horrified look.

"And?"

"A whole lot of magic came out. Every hair on my body was purple for two days, but I didn't know that until I actually got the body back..." She shrugged again, more sheepishly this time. "It took Lillian a whole day to catch all three of me and cram them back in my skin. The first shockwave felt just like that."

"See, that's the bad part about being gone so long," Tanner sighed. "I miss all the good stuff. I'm not purple am I?"

"Memories," Sian agreed. "And no. But, uh, why are those idiots wearing 40s-style swimwear in the middle of winter?"

"Sunbather's Club."

"Indoors?"

"Magical folk like to complicate things. They do look tan, don't they?"

The two werewolves watched the club meeting adjourn and the sixth years head off in various directions. Tanner snapped to attention and stepped back out of sight as Raye appeared in the group. She wasn't wearing a swimsuit, but had a notebook that she was still scribbling in.

"Thank you so much for letting me see the enchanted ceiling," Raye was cooing to one of the older boys. "I know it's supposed to be sixth years only..."

"Well, seeing as it is just for your report on enchanted environments..." he said, obviously pleased at her attention. "And we do have the best. Creating light to see by is one thing. Creating sunlight that plants and skin respond is a whole different matter!"

Tanner's ears had perked up and he was intent on Raye. Sian looked back and forth between them and waited quietly until the group had passed.

"Old girlfriend of yours?" she asked. Tanner managed to chuckle while still looking serious.

"I've threatened her before," he said. "Why do you suppose a thralled, wanna-be vampire hunter would be interested in magical sunshine?"

"To kill vampires with? Indoors or underground, right?" Sian asked.

"But, didn't Esme invent something like that already?"

"Yep. A sun grenade. It's only really effective on young and weak vampires though. You need the real thing to combat a full-power leech."

"And... she's thralled? That's bad, isn't it?"

"Psh. There's enough vampires in the world that I'd say one in every 20 people had at least a little thrall in 'em. That's not the problem. The problem, my little love, is that she's got some of Esme's blood in a little bead around her neck."

"WHAT." Sian's eyes widened and her fists clenched, but the rest of her had frozen in place. "She WHAT?"

"I could've gotten it off her," Tanner added. "But those meddling kids got in the way."

"WHY does she have my cousin's blood in a bottle around her neck?"

"Your FAVORITE cousin," Tanner reminded hr. "I figured it was to open the World's Door." He was enjoying watching her fume. "I have a theory that's how the Morthahg got through the last one."

"So...so..." Sian fists opened into a claw-like pose. "That little...thing! Was behind Esme getting framed??" She took a step that would've evolved into a full stomp after the girl in question if Tanner hadn't grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her up to his nose.

"Oh hardly," he said. He touched his forehead to hers and gave her nothing to look at but his mismatched eyes. "She's a deluded child. But something was behind it. And that something is probably the same something that GAVE the precocious little pumpkin the blood."

"Have you told Victor?" she asked after a moment of fighting down a snarl.

"And when could I have done that, darlin'? Over tea, some sunny afternoon? No."

"Is it...the vampires? Trying to get revenge on Esme?" She squirmed a little, but he hung on to her.

"She killed most of the ones who've crossed her. But it might not be her they're after."

"You mean...?" Sian pulled back again and this time her let her go. "Lorelei?"

"That's one of the possibilities."

"And it's not nearly as unlikely as the excuse one of you is going to give me for being up here," a voice said. They both turned to see Professor Snape standing at the end of the hallway. He almost sounded tired. "Is it?"