“No,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Not even a clue. What about you and Gavril?”
Gavril went over to Nikoli, sat on the edge of the bed beside him and put an arm around his shoulder. “We’ll find her, cuz. Somehow, someway, we’ll find her.”
Nikoli turned to him, a faraway look in his eyes that could be seen by everyone in the room. “She was under my watch,” he said. “I screwed up, Nik. She was under my watch.”
Gilly went over to Nikoli and placed a hand on his shoulder. “She might have been under your watch, but the bottom line is, stuff happens. I pray to the universe that we find her. I know she’s still alive. I can feel her. I just can’t feel where she is. If she were dead, there’d be a hole in my heart the size of this planet, and thankfully I don’t feel that.”
Nikoli looked up at Gilly hopefully. “Did either of you have luck with the Elders?”
“Well, yes and no,” Gavril said.
“What’s that mean?” Lucien asked, joining them in the bedroom.
“It’s either yes or no, right?” Evee asked, joining them. “How can it be both? You either got some info or you didn’t.” She looked at Gilly. “Well?”
“No, we didn’t find her,” Gilly said, “but the Elders came up with an idea that might be useful.”
“The Elders?” Evee said. “All they’ve done since this started is perform spells that don’t work and contact the entire clan of Circle of Sisters for intercession spells, which didn’t work either.”
“Yeah, I know, I know,” Gilly said.
“What possible idea could they have come up with that made you pay attention?” Evee asked.
Gilly looked at Gavril and he gave her the slightest nod of encouragement.
After clearing her throat, Gilly said, “They brought up the fact that you and I have innate talents that don’t involve spells that could be used to locate Viv.”
Evee looked at her questioningly. “Huh?”
“You have the ability to contact and hear from the dead. I can astral project. The Elders suggested that you focus on one of the Originals that’s already dead and see if he has a better view behind the death veil than we do here, stuck as humans. Witches but humans. Once you lock onto one of the Originals, I can attempt to follow its voice and your trance, and astral project to the location it’s seeing and attempting to describe.”
“Hmm,” Lucien said. “Can the two of you do what the Elders claim?”
“Duh,” Gilly said.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to question you or them. Habit to confirm, is all,” Lucien said, looking Gilly in the eye.
For a moment, Gilly felt like a stupid schoolgirl. Duh? Where in the hell had that come from?
“No need to apologize,” Gilly said. “Yes, Evee can contact and speak to people and the Originals that have passed on.”
“If they’re willing to talk,” Evee said. “The way it seems to work is, if they crossed over to wherever we cross over to after death, it’s less likely they’ll communicate. If their spirits are still hanging around on earth, for whatever reason, they’re much easier to contact.”
“And what’s with the astral projection?” Gavril asked Gilly. “Do you just zap yourself to some other location?”
“Not physically,” Gilly explained. “My mind goes there, and although my physical body is still in the place where I began, I see myself in my mind’s eye when I’m in the place I’m tracking.”
Gavril, Nikoli and Lucien frowned simultaneously.
“Think of it like daydreaming,” Gilly said, trying to give them a clearer explanation. “In your mind’s eye you see whatever it is you’re daydreaming about. With astral projection, it’s more specific. I can focus that so-called daydream to wherever I want. Only in that situation, I have a dream body that goes along with it. I may still be here, but I can see, hear, react, feel in that astral projection state. The only thing I can’t do is alter what I see. The best shot we have is if I pick something up while Evee talks to whatever or whomever she connects with. Astral projection will give us more details, so we’ll at least know what direction to head in. Make sense?”
“Got it,” Gavril said.
“I’m up for it if you are,” Evee said to Gilly. “Anything to find Viv.”
Gilly nodded and asked Nikoli, Lucien and Gavril to step away so she and Evee had room to concentrate. Too much energy from too many people in one area would tone down what Evee needed to hear.
The men did as they were told, moving to the doorway that separated the bedroom from the living room suite.
Gilly sat close beside Evee and took both her hands into her own. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be. I’m just not sure who to try and contact.”
“Try Chank, since he was a Nosferatu and one of your own. Even in death, given that he hasn’t crossed over somewhere unreachable, he should still recognize and respond to his mistress’ voice.”
Evee nodded and closed her eyes. Gilly concentrated on her sister’s face and watched her lips move silently, until she felt she was inside Evee.
After about a half hour, Evee opened her eyes and looked at Gilly woefully. “I’m not picking up anything from Chank. Not one word. I can’t even feel him around me.”
Giving her head a slight shake to disconnect from Evee’s mind, Gilly said, “I didn’t pick up anything either. It was like your mind was nothing but a black hole.”
“That scares me,” Evee said. “Not knowing where he is, I mean.”
“I know, honey, but we’ve got to keep trying, for Viv’s sake. What about any of her Loup-Garous, the ones who died in the first massacre? Were you familiar with any of them? Can you bring any one of them to mind?”
Evee stared at her sister, but Gilly knew she wasn’t seeing her. She was concentrating on the Loup-Garous that had belonged to Viv.
“I remember Moose,” Evee finally said. “A big Loup. Kind of slow, though. You know, in the head. He wasn’t at all aggressive like the rest of the pack. He had a gentle spirit about him.”
“Okay, then try Moose,” Gilly said. “Focus on what he looked like. See if he comes to you.”
Still holding on to Gilly’s hands, Evee closed her eyes once more. Her lips began to move just as they had before. Only this time, Gilly noticed her eyes moving behind her lids, like she’d entered into some sort of REM sleep.
Gilly concentrated on her sister’s face, felt something move in the pit of her stomach. Evee had evidently connected with Moose; only, for some reason, when Gilly tried to connect to their conversation, all she saw was the Mississippi River, wide and winding near the city. She couldn’t make sense of it.
With her eyes still closed, Evee said, “Big heads. Lots of big heads. Color, too. Fun colors.”
Gilly felt herself frown. What she saw when trying to connect with Evee and Moose didn’t make sense. It was like she’d entered a carnival, and they were standing, talking in the middle of a midway. She heard warped music, saw clowns with big heads, and, of course, every color of the rainbow decorated the rides that made up the carnival.
“People walking, talking,” Evee continued, eyes still closed and moving beneath her lids. “Surprised voices. Excited voices. Wheels. Lotsa wheels and big heads.”
Still seeing the same setting, Gilly opened her eyes, frustrated. She let go of Evee’s hands, which immediately broke the trance her sister had been in.
“Anything?”