Then she began to move her right hand slowly above the city map. The tension in the room was suffocating. Surprisingly, she did not mind having an audience, for the three men gave her a feeling of protection against the unknown that she was seeking to penetrate.
Divination proved to be a slow, painstaking process.
As expected, London did not provoke a reaction, though she felt a faint tingling in her palm. Perhaps that was because Kira had spent so much time in the city.
Next Surrey, then Kent. Lucien was laying out the counties counterclockwise around the city. Essex next. Kit did not look closely at the maps. Instead, she did her best to keep her mind empty so that she was only an instrument for whatever mysterious power moved the pendulum.
Suddenly the locket began twitching, creating a flurry of excitement. In a voice trembling with hope, Jason asked, "Is Kira in or near Romford?"
The pendulum began swinging clockwise. No. Kit released the breath she had caught. "Kira used to visit friends in Romford. That's probably why there was a reaction."
"Still, it proves that the technique has value. You weren't even looking at the map, so you couldn't know that you were over Romford." Lucien studied her face and frowned. "Do you need to rest?"
Guessing that she was gray with exhaustion, she closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, her hands loose in her lap. Lucien rested a hand on her shoulder and some of his strength and confidence flowed into her. When she felt a little stronger, she raised the locket and continued. After Essex, Hertford.
Now Middlesex. Still nothing. Her throat tightened. This wasn't working; she had covered all of the counties around London with no results.
Quietly, Lucien slid another map under her hovering hand. A quick glance showed that it was Berkshire, which lay just west of Middlesex. He was starting on the second ring of counties out from London.
Doggedly she passed her hand over Windsor, then north to Maidenhead. Kira, where are you? South again toward Bracknell.
The pendulum jerked like a hooked fish, then began wildly swirling counterclockwise. At the same time there was a sharp, almost painful, sensation in her right palm. Kit snapped back to wakefulness, excitement burning through her veins. She felt a strong sense of her sister's presence, not the barely conscious pulse that was always there, but the intense connection she had felt when Lucien had mesmerized her.
His voice choked, Jason said, "Is Kira near Basildon?"
The locket slowed a little, but continued circling in the same direction. Kit felt Lucien behind her. He said, "Is she closer to Hycombe?"
The pendulum began moving more rapidly. Kit was only half aware of it because she felt herself sliding into her sister's mind and emotions so deeply that she was unsure where one of them ended and the other began.
"You're over a small village, West Hycombe," Lucien said, his voice distant. "Is she near there?"
Kit's head was pounding, and she was dimly aware that the locket was again swinging wildly. Swinging, swinging, the tip of the whip biting into glazed flesh. A guttural, animal sound of pain twisted with ecstasy. Maddened eyes filled with craving and menace…
Far, far away, Lucien asked, "Is Kira in or near a place called Castle Raine?"
Reality splintered into a whirlwind of fear. Sister… self… other… enemy… danger… danger… danger!
As she fell into the vortex, she began to scream.
Chapter 34
As soon as Lucien said the words "Castle Raine," Kit cried out with a terror that froze his blood.
Michael vaulted from his chair and crossed the kitchen in two steps. "Bloody hell, what's wrong?"
Jason also said something, but Lucien ignored both of the other men. He moved in front of Kit and saw that she was oblivious to her surrounding, her eyes blind, her hands clawing, her tortured voice one long wail of distress. She was like a madwoman-or a woman trapped in madness.
He caught her hands and said urgently, "Wake up, Kit, you've succeeded. It's over."
She writhed frantically, trying to jerk her hands free. "I hate this, I hate it, I hate him,I hate him, I HATE HIM!"
Face pale, Jason said, "What do you think has happened?"
"I think she has become trapped in Kira's terror," Lucien said grimly. Pitching his voice more sharply, he said, "Come back, Kit. For God's sake, come backl"
The screaming stopped, but her eyes were still dazed, and she was panting like a deer that had been hunted to the point of collapse. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking and as cold as when they had hidden in the stream to avoid the pursuing dogs. How much more could she stand before she shattered? Softly he said, "It's all right, Kit, you're safe here with me."
"Please… please hold me, Lucien." She began to weep, but her voice was her own.
Thanking God that she was herself again, he lifted her in his arms, then turned and sat in the chair. As he cradled her against him, he asked, "Is divining with a pendulum always so exciting?"
Face pale, the American said, "I've never seen anything like that happen before."
"Presumably, you've never worked with a woman who was searching for her lost twin." He stroked Kit's trembling shoulders. She seemed painfully fragile.
Hating the necessity of probing, he asked, "I gather that you connected with Kira's emotions?"
Kit swallowed hard. "Yes, just at the end of one of the whipping sessions. It was ghastly, like having a nightmare while still awake. I could see and hear everything and feel Kira's emotions, but I could do nothing. I felt paralyzed, like a fly trapped in a web with the spider approaching."
"Is Kira all right?"
Kit frowned, then relaxed. "Yes. He's gone now. She knew I was there. I think that helped."
"You think she's being held at a place called Castle Raine?"
Kit shuddered and hid her face again. "I believe so."
Lucien extended one arm, keeping the other around Kit. "Michael, give me the map."
His friend silently placed it in his hand. After studying the area, Lucien said, "Castle Raine is a ruined medieval fortress, and it's probably no coincidence that it falls roughly halfway between the estates of Mace and Nunfield."
"Probably not." Michael glanced at Kit. "A castle dungeon would fit your impression of a lightless underground prison."
She grimaced. "You're right. Even furnishing the place comfortably can't cover up that atmosphere."
Lucien was still frowning at the map. Not surprisingly for a medieval castle, a river ran nearby. What caught his attention was a nagging sense of familiarity. An image popped into his mind: standing on a hill amidst old stone walls, looking down at a curving, moonlit river. Stone walls and moonlight… "Damnation, I think I've been there!" he exclaimed. "Castle Raine must be the place that the Hellions hold their rituals."
"You attended one of their infamous orgies?" Michael said, his brows raised.
Kit's head came up, her gray eyes narrowed as she waited for Lucien's answer. Uneasily he remembered the hard-faced whore, and the horrible desolation he had felt after allowing her to earn her fee. His arm tightened around Kit's shoulders. "Strictly in the way of business, not for pleasure."
She relaxed again. A good thing she was so tired, or she might have guessed that his answer was not the whole truth. The night was one Lucien preferred to forget.
Jason said, "Do you know if the castle has dungeons?"
"I didn't see any, but it's likely. The grounds are quite extensive. Almost anything, or anyone, could be hidden there."