Catalpa's Curse

by Terri Reid

  “You never saw my father again?” Cat asked.

  Agnes shook her head. “No, but I know he understood that we needed to be separated,” she said. “At least I hoped he understood.”

  She paused for a moment and looked up to the pine forest, then turned back to Cat. “When I met Rowan’s father, he was as different from your father as possible,” she said. “And although it wasn’t the same, deep love I had with your father, I still loved him. I loved his laughter; I loved his kindness. I loved the way his mind worked. And even though it wasn’t as rich and deep as my love for your father, I could honestly say that I loved him. And I had that same kind of relationship with Hazel’s father too.”

  She shrugged. “It wasn’t as hard saying goodbye to the others,” she confessed. “But there was a sweetness in each relationship.”

  She leaned forward and squeezed Cat’s hands. “All I’m saying is that you can still love, even if it’s not Donovan,” she explained. “It’s not going to be that powerful, all-consuming first love that you had with him, but there can be a sweet love and mutual respect and admiration with someone else.”

  “So, I don’t have to lie to myself?” Cat asked. “Tell myself that it never was love with Donovan?”

  Agnes shook her head. “No, you don’t,” she said. “Because it was true love and it was wonderful, if only for a little while. But now, your path, just like mine, needs you to walk away from Donovan and seek love with someone else.”

  Cat leaned forward and rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. “It hurts,” she whispered, and Agnes could hear the tears in her voice.

  “I know, darling,” Agnes said softly, rubbing her daughter’s back tenderly. “I know.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Two hours later, her make-up applied, her hair dried and her dress laid out on the bed for her to slip into, Cat sat down on the thick carpet next to her bed and gracefully moved into the Lotus position. She rested her wrists lightly on her knees, touched the tips of her thumbs to her index fingers, and closed her eyes. She breathed in slowly and, at the same time, concentrated on releasing the tension from her body. She started at the top of her head, visualizing the tension washing down her body and out of her toes. She relaxed her brow, the cheeks, and nose, her mouth, her chin, and then her jaw. Slowly rotating her neck, she pushed the tension from the muscles and let her head fall forward, her chin touching her chest. Then she relaxed her shoulders, slowly moving them in clockwise and counter-clockwise circles to make them limber and free. She moved down, releasing the tension from the rest of her body and finally, in a state of complete relaxation, she slowed her mind to open to the energy around her.

  “Let me see Donovan,” she requested softly.

  She could almost feel the ground move underneath her as her mind raced from the farmhouse to the nearby city of Whitewater. She could only see the blurry darkness of her trance-like state, but all of her other senses were alive and awake. She could smell the difference in the air, now filled with scents of the city replacing the fragrance of the herb meadows. She could hear the echo of sound off the buildings. Could feel the rush of people around her.

  Finally, she arrived at his office building, and the scents, sounds, and atmosphere changed. She concentrated on only Donovan and her progress slowed. Finally, she knew she was in the same room as him. She took a deep breath and concentrated on his thoughts.

  Her mind moved closer to his, but all she found was a solid wall of black. Her forehead furrowed in confusion. He’d never been able to totally block her before. She tried again, concentrating with more power. Still, the wall was there, keeping out his thoughts. She studied the wall and finally saw a tiny door on the far side. She moved toward it and began to reach out.

  “You do not want to open that.”

  She jumped back as if she had been burned, and then her mind focused on the voice. It was the same shadowy figure from her meditation this morning, the same spirit guide who had been with her all of her life.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “It is not Donovan,” he said. “It was placed there, in his mind, to frighten you.”

  “Who? Who could do that?” she gasped.

  “You know who,” he said. “But I will not say his name aloud; it only gives him more power. Do you understand.”

  She nodded. She turned from him to look back at the door and gasped when she saw a trickle of bright, red blood flow from the bottom corner of the door down the white wall.

  “Whose blood?” she stammered.

  The shadow moved and blocked her sight. “You must not see this!”

  “I need to know if he’s hurt,” she insisted. “I need to know if I can help him.”

  “This is not about Donovan,” the guide insisted. “This is only to frighten you.”

  “You can’t know that for sure,” she argued. “You can’t guarantee that I won’t be able to help.”

  His sigh echoed in her mind, a combination of sadness and frustration. “No, I cannot know for sure,” he said. “But I know of its ways, and I am sure it is a trap.”

  She took a moment to ponder her decision. Donovan would not have closed his mind to her; she wouldn’t believe that. He wouldn’t have allowed the demon to have gained that much control over him; he knew better. This was a trick. A trick by the demon. A trick to keep her from discovering how she could actually help Donovan.

  “I choose to look,” she finally announced.

  He stepped to the side, and her way was no longer blocked.

  She moved ahead, reached out, and opened the door.

  The naked bodies were sprawled on top of an altar of black stone, their arms and legs draped over the side. A hooded creature hovered over them, closest to the one on the end. She moved closer, quietly, so the creature could not hear her.

  The sounds coming from the creature were guttural and fragmented, combined with soft slurping sounds. Confused, she moved even closer.

  Then she noticed. The bodies. Their bodies. Rowan, Hazel, Mom… Her horror increased as she recognized the last body, the body the creature was hovering over, as her own. She cried out softly; the pain of vision wounded her heart.

  The creature heard. The noises stopped. The movement stilled. And the creature lifted its hooded head and stared up at her.

  Donovan.

  She shook her head in disbelief.

  He smiled at her and allowed a trickle of her own blood to drip from his mouth down his chin.

  “Hello, Cat!”

  She screamed, the sound echoing throughout the house, as she pulled herself back. Back through the tiny door, back away from Donovan’s mind, back from the office building, back from Whitewater and finally back to the safely of her room.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Hazel and Rowan burst through Catalpa’s bedroom door and rushed to her side. Hazel kneeled in front of her, her arms wrapped around her older sister while Rowan placed her hands on Cat’s head to see if she’d been hurt.

  “She’s been traveling,” Hazel said to Rowan. “But I think she’s coming back.”

  Cat shook and then gasped as her eyes opened. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was and tried to push herself out of Hazel’s arms, but Hazel held her tightly. “It’s me Cat,” she whispered. “You’re safe. You’re home.”

  Cat shook violently and then started to weep, collapsing against her sister. Hazel just held her, and Rowan knelt next to them and wrapped her arms around Cat too. “We’re both here,” Rowan soothed. “And nothing can harm you anymore.”

  For a few minutes, the sisters knelt in silence, letting Cat weep for as long as needed, then Cat took a deep, shuddering breath and faced her sisters. “I saw our deaths,” she stammered, wiping the tears from her face with her hands. “And I saw Donovan…”

  She trembled and took another deep breath. “He was…he was like a vampire,” she choked. “And he was drinking my blood.”

  “Where did you see this?” Rowan asked.

>   “I wanted to check on Donovan,” Cat explained, her voice still shaky. “But his thoughts were blocked, except for a small door.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Hazel said. “Donovan’s always been open to you.”

  Cat nodded. “I know,” she agreed. “So, when my spirit guide warned me…”

  “Wait, your spirit guide warned you?” Rowan asked. “What did he say?”

  Cat took another deep breath and wiped the remaining moisture away. “He said it was a trick to frighten me,” she confessed. “He said it was the…” She paused as she tried to remember the word.

  “The mosquito,” Hazel inserted. “It was a trick by the mosquito.”

  “Yes,” Cat said. “That he set it there for me, knowing that I would try and look at Donovan’s thoughts.”

  “And so, you entered the trap,” Rowan said. “And he caught you, hook, line, and sinker.”

  “No, that’s not how it went,” Cat argued. “We…all of us…were dead. Laying on a stone altar.”

  “With a vampire drinking our blood,” Hazel added, rolling her eyes. “It sounds like a really bad horror flick. I can’t believe you fell for it.”

  “Wait! I’m the incredibly frightened sister here,” Cat announced. “You are supposed to be sympathetic.”

  “Yeah, well sympathy lasted for about three minutes until we found out you were stupid,” Hazel replied.

  “I am not stupid!” Cat exclaimed.

  “No?” Rowan asked. “What if one of us had decided to take a little astral plane walk into the mind of someone and were stopped and warned by our spirit guide but disregarded what he said because we thought we knew better. What would you call us?”

  Cat paused for a moment and then nodded slowly. “Stupid,” she agreed.

  “The mosquito must be pretty worried about losing if he had to create a vision like that, just to scare us,” Hazel said, hugging her sister. “And, he must be worried about your influence over Donovan to create a wall that blocks you.”

  “He did frighten me,” Cat agreed, taking a deep breath. “And now I’m pissed. Mostly because I fell for it, but partly because he really scared the crap out of me.”

  “We can’t let him have that kind of power over us,” Rowan said. “We can’t let fear enter this equation because fear destroys hope.”

  “You’re right,” Cat said. “You’re right. I should have listened to my spirit guide.”

  “He’s never been wrong before,” Hazel added. “Remember when he gave you dating advice?”

  Cat smiled and nodded. “Don’t trust any boys, ever, at all,” she laughed. “He must have been someone’s Dad before he became my guide.”

  Rowan laughed. “Here I had advice from Patience Goodfellow about proper manners and etiquette,” she teased. “And you had someone who must have been a warrior who guided you. I have to admit that sometimes, I was jealous.”

  “He has been like a warrior, hasn’t he?” Cat admitted, feeling calm enough to laugh. “But, I guess, with my gifts I needed someone like a drill sergeant to instruct me. Poor Patience would have thrown up her arms in frustration if she had to guide me.”

  Hazel leaned back, plucked a tissue from a box on Cat’s nightstand and handed it to her. “So, you have about twenty minutes before we have to leave,” she said. “So, take a moment to apologize to your guide, and then go fix your makeup because…dang!”

  Cat smiled. “That bad, huh?”

  Hazel grinned. “Let’s just say that it’s a good thing you have twenty minutes,” she teased.

  Rowan gave Cat a quick hug. “Don’t listen to her,” she said. “You’ll knock him off his feet as soon as you walk in the door.”

  Smiling, Cat waited until her sisters left the room before she closed her eyes and sought her guide.

  Chapter Twenty

  It took only a few moments for Cat’s spirit guide to appear, shadowy and tall, in the peripheral of her mind.

  “How are you?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

  “Feeling stupid,” she admitted. “But otherwise fine.”

  “That was a terrifying vision to see,” he replied. “And it will remain in your memory to haunt you unless you face it again.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t face it again,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

  “You and I will face it together,” he said. “But we will not go to Donovan’s mind to see it, we will see it from your memory.”

  She felt his support as if it were a tangible touch, and she nodded. “Now?” she asked. “I have a date…”

  “A date?” he asked. “In the midst of a war, you have a date?”

  She shrugged. “According to the grimoire, I must find a companion that will help dispel the demon,” she explained. “So, it’s more of a meeting of mutual forces than a date.”

  She heard his soft chuckle. “Ah, so it is a strategic meeting of minds and talents,” he teased. “A war plan.”

  “I suppose so,” she admitted.

  “Will you be able to concentrate on the plan if we don’t vanquish the memory first?” he asked.

  She thought about it for a moment. “I might actually be more focused on the plan with the memory still fresh in my mind,” she replied. “I’m pretty pissed off that the demon did this to me.”

  “Good! I am glad to see that you are angry and not frightened,” he said with enough pride in her that she smiled. “That’s my warrior!”

  “So, we can wait?” she asked.

  “Yes, we can wait until tonight,” he agreed. “But no later, I do not want you to have nightmares from your experience. Your subconscious will want to play with this new memory, and we have to direct it to give you power, not fear.”

  Cat nodded. “I understand,” she said. “And thank you.”

  “For allowing you to go on your date?” he asked, confused.

  She shook her head. “No, for trying to warn me in the first place,” she said. “And not criticizing me for not listening to you in the second place.”

  “I would protect you from sorrow and fear if I could,” he said. “But I understand that there are some things you must learn on your own.”

  “I know,” she agreed. “I get to choose.”

  “Yes, you get to choose your actions,” he agreed. “But you must remember that the consequences that follow along are not something that can be chosen.”

  Cat smiled. “You were someone’s dad, weren’t you?”

  There was a long pause, and, finally, the spirit guide responded. “I beg your pardon.”

  Cat laughed softly. “Sometimes you sound like someone’s dad,” she replied. “And I’m grateful for that and the advice you’ve given me.”

  “You are welcome, Catalpa,” he replied gently. “Now, get ready for your date and try to enjoy yourself.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “I will.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Cat parked her car in the spot next to Joseph’s vehicle and took a deep breath. With her hands still on the steering wheel, she glanced up at the rearview mirror and took a good look at herself. Her makeup was fine, and her hair was in place, but there were definite signs of fear in her eyes. She was being ridiculous; this is only a date. A date at a local restaurant where she knew everyone. This was not the end of the world.

  Then why was her stomach tied up in knots, and why were her palms sweaty?

  The tapping on her window startled her, and she turned to see Hazel staring in at her. She rolled down the window.

  “Did you want us to order drive-thru for you?” Hazel asked. “Or are you coming in?”

  “Funny,” Cat replied sarcastically. “I’m coming. I just had to psyche myself up.”

  “Are you psyched up enough now?” Hazel asked. “Because I’m starving, and the smell of the homemade potato chips is making my mouth water.”

  “What if I don’t like him?” she asked her sister.

  Hazel shrugged. “Well, if you don’t like him, order
the house salad,” she suggested. “It’s small, and you can eat it quickly. If you want to give him a chance, order the fish fry. It’s all you can eat, so you can take your time.”

  With a long-suffering sigh, Cat rolled up the window and then slowly opened the car door while Hazel stepped out of the way. “I’m ready now,” Cat said.

  They entered the dimly lit restaurant, and Joseph glanced around. “There he is,” he said, pointing to a corner booth. “Follow me.”

  The lighting was too dim and the restaurant too crowded for Cat to get a good look at the man waiting for them at the booth, so she followed behind Joseph and Hazel. When they reached the booth, Finias stood up and stepped to the side of the table, addressing Cat first.

  “Hello,” he said with a cordial smile. “I’m Ellis. Ellis Thomas.”

  Cat stared at him for a moment, a little overwhelmed by both his size and his unusual appearance. Finally, she smiled back. “I’m Catalpa Willoughby,” she said, a little breathlessly. “My friends call me Cat.”

  “I hope that I will earn the honor to be considered a friend of yours,” he replied, then he motioned to the bench he’d just vacated. “Please, be seated.”

  Cat nodded, sat on the seat, moving over to the far end, and then watched Ellis greet Joseph and Hazel with equal charm. She noticed that Joseph was friendly but still suspicious. But Hazel, on the other hand, was delighted with him.

  “How did you get those amazing blue eyes with your dark skin?” Hazel asked. “They’re almost mesmerizing.”

  Finias smiled at Hazel, but he seemed to Cat to be embarrassed about his looks. “I must give all the credit to my parents,” he replied softly. “I had nothing to do with it.”

  “Well, your parents did a great job,” Hazel laughed easily, moving into her seat. “And now that we have the introductions complete, we really should order some food.”

  “Of course,” Finias replied, slipping into the bench next to Cat. He turned to her. “Are you familiar with the menu here? Do you know what you’d like? Some appetizers, perhaps?”