“I see.” Father Valentine pressed his lips together firmly as he judged me.
This wasn’t working. I needed to not do what I always did—follow where I was led. I needed to be like Teresa. If someone wasn’t giving me what I wanted, I needed to get it myself.
I took a little sip of the tea and instantly regretted it. The brew was bitter and foul. I barely managed not to make a face as I set down the cup. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long journey. I know you said you didn’t have any facilities here, but is there an outhouse or…?”
“Oh. Yes, of course. Out the door to the left, behind the next building. You can’t miss it.” Father Valentine grinned, and it chilled me to the core. “Come back and finish your tea, and we can see what we can tell you about fighting demons.”
I plastered on a grin. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time, dear. It won’t do to rush a lady.”
I nodded, not sure what to say to that, and left the suffocating room. Another slithering wave hit me as I crossed the line of horseshoes and I gasped for breath in the fresh air.
The street outside was totally empty. If they were telling the truth, then only the two of them were here. And if they thought I was “taking my time” in the outhouse, then that gave me at least five minutes of safe snooping.
The only problem was the wards. Passing over them could sound some kind of silent alarm. Lucas had mentioned it, so I had to be very careful. If I set one off, there was no doubt in my mind the Fathers would be breathing down my neck in seconds.
The good news was, I knew exactly where I was going. I walked around the compound to get to the building in the back. It was slightly bigger than the others, but had no windows. No chimney either. I peeked inside the open doorway, but didn’t see any auras. Nothing white and glowing.
I closed my eyes and rubbed them. Again, nothing.
No. This was wrong. I knew it was in there. I’d seen the aura not fifteen minutes ago. It couldn’t be gone.
I squinted inside, but it was too dark to see much. A mountain of books piled on the floor. I spotted some mixings for potions. But the altar…
Unlit candles crowded its surface. Even though I couldn’t make out the surrounding shapes, I knew something was off about this one. Odd-shaped lumps covered its surface, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what they were. Especially since it smelled like something had died in there.
I held my breath as I focused in on my magic, feeling it ignite within my soul. “Fire hotter than the sun, give me light where there is none.”