“Zery. The police have her.” She shoved the boots into my hands.

The news set me back, but I took the hikers and put them on. “The police?” I asked.

“She was taking Pisto’s body to the safe camp. They were almost to the beltline. Alcippe was following her in another car. That detective pulled Zery over.”

Boots on and keys in hand, I stood and stared her in the eyes. “He pulled her over?” Could he do that? A Milwaukee detective pull over a car in Madison for no reason?

“There were other cars too. A group of Amazons were driving down. But only Zery was pulled over. Alcippe tried to stop, but Zery waved her on.”

“So, where’s Zery now?”

“They found Pisto’s body in Zery’s car. They took her away in shackles.”

Handcuffs. The police had hauled an Amazon queen off to human jail in handcuffs. This was very bad.

“The warriors?”

“In the gym. Without Zery or Pisto…” Bubbe shook her head. “Cleo is trying to settle them, stop them from their stupidity.”

“They want to attack the jail, don’t they?” Of course they did. Most of them had spent their entire lives dreaming of fighting a real battle with a real cause. Freeing their queen from human clutches? What could be more noble?

“That is the talk now, but there have been other mentions.” Her gaze was sharp.

Me. They wanted me-dead, I was sure. Nothing like facing a mob of Amazon warriors to liven up a dull imprisonment.

“Harmony will be safe.” Bubbe shoved open the door. “We will bring her to you when things have settled.”

I stared at the open door, unable to do much more. She wanted me to run, to leave my daughter. She knew me better than that-surely. My gaze traveled back to my grandmother. She raised her hands, started to mumble.

I strode forward, stepped into her space. “Don’t even think it. I don’t care how strong your powers are. They won’t get me to leave Harmony.”

Her eyes narrowed. Her lips drew together in a pucker. “You will both be safer if you aren’t here.”

“Not if the killer is still out there. I know who it is-who it has to be.”

Bubbe relaxed her lips, moving from a purse to a twist.

“It’s Alcippe. And all of this is about her losing control of the Amazons and her hatred of me. If I leave and she can’t get to me and I leave Harmony behind, she’ll go after her, because Alcippe knows that would hurt me more than anything. Would kill me.”

Bubbe shook her head. “Alcippe lives for the tribe.”

“And that’s why she hates me.” I ran through everything I’d worked out in the last few hours. When I was done, Bubbe looked no more convinced, but she didn’t start chanting either. She moved to the side and stared at the wall-let me walk past her into the basement, her gaze never wandering from whatever spot she’d focused on.

I jogged through the basement to the outside door. Once past that, I crept up the stairs. I could hear voices arguing-or at least one voice, male. I peered over the stairwell.

Peter stood at the corner of my shop, his back to the gym. In front of him were the twins, fully armed with swords, staffs, grenades…maybe not grenades, but they were loaded down with weapons and even wearing some kind of padded Kevlar type vest.

I could only imagine what Peter was thinking.

As I watched, they pointed toward the parking lot. I crouched down a little lower. They didn’t turn to look, but Peter did. He saw me. I could feel his gaze, but before I could think what to do, he turned back to the twins and began to argue louder.

“The shop is open. I just left for lunch.” He stepped to the side, to his left, forcing the twins to turn too, move so their backs were to me. “I have appointments.”

The twins seemed to broaden from behind, but didn’t say much, at least not much I could hear. Peter looked past them, at me. His eyes said run.

I didn’t stop to think why he wasn’t questioning what was going on or how he seemed to know I needed to escape without the twins’ noticing. I just vaulted up the stairs and sprinted to my truck.

I had to get to my daughter. I had to make sure she was safe.

After I pulled up at West High, I sat in my truck for a few minutes, let it idle-technically against the law in Madison, but far from my biggest worry at the moment.

I wanted-no, needed-to know Harmony was safe, but I also knew I couldn’t just drag her out of geometry or whatever and race away.

The killing had gone on too long, and it was tied to me. I had a responsibility to stop Alcippe, especially since no one else believed the killer was Alcippe.

Then there was Zery. I couldn’t traipse off and leave her in jail. I was the only Amazon equipped to talk with the police, to maybe get Reynolds to bend. I had to go back, had to face Alcippe and the Amazons.

I drove to a nearby neighborhood street, where I deserted the truck and took off on foot. I would check on my daughter, reassure myself she was safe, then I’d do whatever I had to do to stop this disaster.

I checked my watch. It was almost two-right before sixth period. Harmony should be on her way to English. Luckily the classroom was on the ground floor. I didn’t want to worry my girl by interrupting her class. I just wanted to see her. It took three tries before I found the right class.

The period had already started by this time, but the kids were still milling around. Harmony was facing the window. A slender boy stood in front of her, his back to me. Her eyes did some angle thing I’d never seen before, and she flicked her hair over her shoulder. My girl was flirting.

Seeing the obvious display of interest from my daughter shot fear of a new kind through me, but the relief at seeing her at all-happy and healthy, if focused on some boy whose face I couldn’t see-quickly knocked that aside.

My fingers gripping the concrete sills that topped the brick, I soaked up the sight.

Rachel appeared, shot the boy and then Harmony a sidelong glance. She saw the attraction too, seemed to approve of it more than I did.

I tapped my fingers against the sill. I’d wanted a normal human daughter. Guess that’s what Artemis was giving me.

At that moment a line of cars pulled up to the four-way stop near the school. I dropped to my knees in the dirt to avoid being seen. Being arrested for spying on students, or even just being outed as a crazy stalker mom, was not part of my plan.

By the time the cars had pulled off, the class had settled into their seats and I didn’t dare risk peering at my daughter again.

She was safe.

As long as I found Alcippe and stopped her, Harmony would stay that way.

Chapter Twenty-two

Back in my truck, I realized I didn’t know where Alcippe was. Bubbe had said Zery waved her on, but had she continued to the safe camp or returned to the gym?

Zery was jailed somewhere in Wisconsin, and Alcippe thought I was locked in my basement.

I bet she didn’t go far. I drove home.

From the outside things looked pretty normal, in other words, quiet. The twins were nowhere to be seen. I stood on the sidewalk between my shop and the gym, undecided on what to do first.

Someone grabbing me from behind made the decision for me. An arm snapped across my chest, pinning my arms to my side, and my attacker began walking backward, dragging me with each step.

I reached out, gathering power without thought. The process was becoming easier, second nature. A spell was on my lips, wind building in my lungs, when a rough voice whispered in my ear. “Too damn stubborn. You were supposed to leave.”

Mother.

“I’m taking you to your truck and you’re going to get in it and drive. Head north,” she ordered.

I let out my breath and released most of the power. “Where’s Alcippe?” I asked.