Page 112 of The Howl
“Is Ashlyn here?”
“No. I’m looking for her, actually. When was the last time you saw her?”
“This morning just before the first session bell. Was her car here when you got here?” I asked.
Anne shook her head. “The Council asked me to move it. I heard you’re the one who brought Ashlyn’s absence to Adira’s attention.”
I nodded, feeling sick.
“Yeah. She wasn’t in second session. She’s almost always there. The one time she wasn’t, she left a note to explain why. She didn’t this time. It’s not like her to just disappear.”
“Do you know anyone who’d want to harm her?”
I blinked at the woman.
“Uh…everyone? This is Uttira,” I said.
“Right. I meant, is there anyone who has a personal reason to harm her?”
“Not that I know of,” I said. “Where should we look next?”
“We aren’t going to look anywhere. You’re going to go home while I continue my search.”
“Miss Regan, it’s dangerous for her to be anywhere but her home, her car, the Academy, or the Roost. She doesn’t have a lot of time.”
“You seem really worried about her.”
“I can count the number of friends I have on one hand. She’s one of them. She’s suffered so much but has always been there for me. I need to be there for her.”
Anne nodded.
“If I don’t find her at the Roost, I’ll contact the Council and recommend we organize an official search. Now go home. Let me take care of this.”
I reluctantly returned to my car. The chances of Anne finding Ashlyn were as slim as me finding her. Ashlyn was the proverbial needle in a haystack at the moment. I needed to focus on finding the druids. But where to start.
A knock on my window startled me from my thoughts.
Looking out, I saw Anne, so I quickly rolled down the window.
“I’ll follow you home to make sure you get there,” she said.
“What about Ashlyn?”
“I just called the Roost. They haven’t seen her all day. It’s time to talk to the Council.”
I rolled up my window and started the engine as my thoughts raced. I felt certain Ashlyn’s disappearance was a result of the spell this morning. Had the druids guessed the same? If so, that would explain why they’d suddenly vanished from school as well. It frustrated me, though, that they would run instead of staying to determine what went wrong with the spell and where it might have sent Ashlyn. They were our best bet at finding her right now.
If I told the Council what happened, would it be easier to locate the druids or harder? I recalled how they’d easily memory wiped people at the Roost and decided it would be harder. At least, the liaison was looking for Ashlyn in the meantime. While she did that, I’d keep looking for the druids.
Despite my decision, the sick feeling in my stomach grew the closer we got to the Quills’ home.
I parked in front of the house and let Anne in through the front door. Using the intercom, I asked Mr. and Mrs. Quill to meet us in Mr. Quill’s office.
Anne didn’t say much as we walked upstairs, but I could sense her fear. I wondered if it was fear for Ashlyn or fear for herself. Neither would help her find my friend. Both could attract predators while she was out searching, though.
I brushed my hand against the petite blonde’s hand and pulled a healthy amount of her negative emotions from her.
“Don’t let yourself feel fear,” I said when she glanced at me. “Be wary. Be smart. Don’t be bait.”
