Tegan nodded and flicked her wrist. White light flashed and then Timothy stood right beside her. She turned on him. “The Gap in the Old Lands, you know where it is?”
Timothy’s eyes widened, then he cursed. “No. I don’t. Neither did Joseph, though he was looking.”
Tegan pointed to her left. “Riah?”
“I have not been in the Old Lands since 1665.” He frowned and shook his head. “If there is a Gap there now, it is new.”
Tennessee closed his eyes. “If that was meant to be comforting, it wasn’t.”
Tegan patted his chest with her hand. “Timothy, when I sent Ellis back to Joseph, were you around?”
“Yes…” He narrowed his dark eyes. “Why?”
“Could you tell that I was listening?”
“Excuse me, what? You did what?”
Tegan grinned. “I planted a magical wire on him by a mark behind the ear. It was invisible to the eye and allowed me to hear everything he heard.”
“You are scary.” Timothy chuckled. “This is how you knew I was alive?”
“Ellis told me but it was how I got my confirmation and knew that my magic had worked on you.”
“Well shit, crazy pants. No I had absolutely no idea. Did not sense the magic on him at all and neither did Joseph or Trey, otherwise none of our plans would have worked.”
Easton raised his hand. “Can you still hear what he does?”
“Only if I turn it back on, which I’ve done a few times just long enough to confirm he is alive and well. But what I’m saying is, I’ll do the same thing with Henley and then I’ll be able to hear what she hears – what the shadow monster hears.” She pulled her hair to the other side of her head and tapped behind her ear.
There was something missing. Something was on the tip of my tongue but I could not place it. And then Tegan turned her head and the ceiling light reflected off the gold hoop earrings on her ear and sparkled – I gasped. That’s it.
Tennessee glanced to me. “What’s it?”
Oh shit. Ooops. But it was no use being awkward about that now. I tucked my hair behind my ear and pointed to the earrings that were identical to Tegan’s. “I think we’d all feel more comfortable if we – or Tegan – could know Henley’s physical whereabouts at all times. I mean, you were able to track me when I was in the past.”
Tegan’s eyes lit up. “Now we’re talking. Are you okay with loaning yours?”
“Of course!” I reached up and started to take mine off when Savannah pushed off the far wall.
“Um, sorry, question about that jewelry?” Savannah pointed to me. “Don’t kill me for asking but…I wore Tegan’s half. I felt the power in that thing. Are you sure this demon won’t?”
“Plus it’s gold.” Willow threw her hands up. “Henley only wears silver.”
Lily frowned. “Tegan, can you make a new set?”
“No.”
We all jumped and turned to Riah.
He shook his head. “While I have no doubts in the Aether Witch’s skills, the magic in these is from Keltie. A literal goddess. This demon will not be able to process what he’s feeling, if he feels it at all. A tracking spell by a witch, especially one as uniquely gifted as Tegan, would be noticed.”
I nodded. That settled it. I pulled my earrings and ring off, then walked over and set them in Henley’s open hand. “We don’t want to take any risks.”
“What about a decoy set?” Tennessee asked from behind me. “Like let’s give her another piece for tracking so that if he senses it, he’ll destroy the other one and not Keltie’s.”
“I love you. Brilliant.” Tegan grinned. “Lennox, put a bracelet on Henley and me in gold with a tracking spell.”
Lennox dashed across the room and then wrapped her hands around Henley’s and Tegan’s wrists. She closed her eyes and light flashed beneath her fingers. Her indigo hair shimmered like light was running through her body. And then she let go…and they both had slender gold bracelets on.
I cocked my head to the side and eyed her. “Give her more gold jewelry, like rings or something. So she looks like she just wears two-tone now.”
Tegan snapped her fingers. “Excellent. Very good. Okay, so now we’ll know your location and everything you hear—”
“What about sight?” Bettina skipped over excitedly and I totally understood how she was Tegan’s best friend. This kind of scheming was just as enthralling to her. “What if we could see what the shadow monster was seeing?”
“Like a GoPro deal?” Tegan’s eyes flashed and she practically danced. “Okay, but where—”
“A dermal.” Henley tapped on her face beside her eye, right on her cheekbone. “Perfect spot for one.”
Lennox gasped. “Sick. I can do that.”
“Can you connect it to a computer?” Kenneth asked from in the kitchen.
“Yeah, like whoever sits by the computer will be able to watch – like a security guard.”
I frowned. “But who will watch? They can’t be out where he might see—”
“I’ll do it.” Kenneth shrugged. “We need all our Cards ready to move, so let me watch. I’ll sit right here in this house and watch.”
“I’ll help,” Daniel said from beside him. “We can do it together.”
Tennessee smiled. “Thank you. That’s perfect.”
“Okay, now earbud time.” Tegan pressed her fingertip to the skin behind Henley’s ear. With her other hand, she touched the same spot behind her own ear. She held them there until her rainbow magic coiled around her wrist. She whispered some lines of a spell, but I couldn’t hear her. “Listening mark is set.”
“May I make a suggestion?” Bentley said in his little voice that did not carry like everyone else’s. “Put one on Bettina too? Don’t activate it yet if you don’t want, but just in case.”
Jackson arched both eyebrows. “Just in case? Right, how daft you think we are? What the bloody hell do you know and aren’t telling us?”
Bentley shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Jackson scoffed. “That’s a lie and we both know it.”
Bentley grinned and he looked exactly like Tegan despite the golden eyes. “I could tell you, then you’ll be as crazy as me and Tegan.”
“Oh, yeah, one hundred percent don’t suggest.” Tegan shook her head.
Jackson turned to Tennessee.
“Don’t look at me like that, man.” Tennessee chuckled. “You know the rules. Yes, Tegan put the mark on Hope as well.”
Tegan nodded and pressed her fingers behind Bettina’s ear.
I bit my lip as my stomach tightened into knots. Last time I’d been trapped in Hidden Kingdom, so I hadn’t gotten as many altercations with him as they did but I saw plenty. Enough to give me one major concern that no one was voicing. “Um…what if he does try to take her out of this realm? He did last time. What can we do to prevent that?”
Tegan grimaced and stepped away from Bettina. “Full disclosure, that’s the only thing I’m worried about. There’s got to be an answer. I just need to think.”