Dead Witch on a Bridge

by Gretchen Galway

  “Power? Me?”

  “She’s not here anymore, is she?”

  I scowled at the tire marks from the ditch into the road, knowing they’d be there until the first heavy rains came, in October at the soonest. “For now. But she keeps coming back.”

  “You have a magnetic personality,” Seth said.

  Random, who had run away when he’d seen Phoebe, now reappeared, wagging tail a blur, and greeted my unwanted visitor with embarrassing delight.

  “You’re the magnet,” I said. “Do you have salami in your pocket?”

  He stopped patting Random to shoot me another grin.

  “Cut that out,” I said. “Your charms don’t work on me.”

  “Because you’re a very powerful witch.” He began rubbing Random’s belly. My fearsome and fearless guard dog had rolled over for him in spite of my cold tone and aggressive body language.

  “Because I’m tired and annoyed and you shouldn’t be here.” Seeing how comfortable Random was with Seth made me suspicious of both of them. Demons weren’t supposed to get along with dogs, but Seth had always been different.

  Or maybe I was just fooling myself.

  “I came by to tell you to be careful,” he said. “Stay home if you can.”

  Tempting, but I was in too deep. “My neighbor’s car was the one that ran over Tristan,” I said. “Do you know anything about that?”

  He stood up and faced me. The flat white light of the sky made his eyes look more gray than blue. “I know she wasn’t the one driving.”

  I hesitated to tell him anything, but if I gave him information, he might give me some. “She’s his biological daughter. I’m not sure if I can believe she didn’t have anything to do with his death. She acts like magic is all new to her.”

  “I don’t know anything about your neighbor. But I do know who took her car.”

  “And this person ran over Tristan?”

  “Not a person,” he said.

  The hair rose on the back of my neck. I glanced at Birdie’s house, hoping he was telling me the truth. More than one magical creature was playing games around Silverpool lately. “Come inside before you tell me more. It’s safer.”

  He rubbed his chin. “I’d rather not. You’ve made a few additions to your fortress since I was here last.”

  “Surely they’re not effective on a creature as powerful as yourself?”

  “Surely you don’t expect me to test it and find out?” he asked.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to decide if he was humoring me as usual for motives of his own or if Helen’s magic really might be stronger than he was.

  “Only those who mean me harm should be prevented entry,” I said.

  “I’d like to steal your heart. For that alone, your ancient magic might interpret me as a threat.” His voice was as smooth as his smile.

  Rolling my eyes, I sent out a probing spell to confirm we were alone. “A demon was on the bridge that night?”

  He paused and took a deep breath as if he expected an argument. “No. A fairy drove the car that night.”

  “That’s im—” I stopped myself. Fairies could move things, hide things, break things. But drive? And why use a human machine when magic was so much simpler?

  “His name is Launt,” he continued. “He’s… lake fae.”

  “But why? Why would any fairy hurt people? Why run over a witch?” My voice rose involuntarily. “Did he kill Tristan before he ran over him? Is he capable of that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Is he a nasty green one, excessively large for his species?”

  He drew back in surprise. “You’ve met?”

  “He ran me off the road. Me in my Jeep and then later, I think, a man named Nick Takata. They found him dead this morning.”

  Seth turned aside and put his hand over his face. After a long moment, he turned back to me. “Where’s your car now?”

  I pointed toward my house.

  He approached the driveway. After first stepping gingerly into the cracked asphalt, he walked slowly, flinching. “Blueberry leaves?” he asked me over his shoulder.

  “And a few other things.”

  Eventually he reached the front bumper, held out a hand over it, and paused. Never touching it, he shivered, glanced at me, and then inhaled deeply.

  “Launt,” he said tightly. “We’ve got to find him. Today. Now. He’s gone too far. He could’ve killed you.”

  I tried not to be flattered by his show of concern. “It’s typical around here for fae to steal things, but a car? I wouldn’t think they could even if they wanted to. Hide the keys, lock the doors, loosen the parking brake, deflate a tire—sure. All the time. But drive a car? It’s so big and mechanical.”

  “So human,” he said.

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure. Launt can drive. He’s big enough, you see, and he’s got a vengeful heart.” He splayed his fingers over the bumper and added, his voice low, “Like so many of his kind.”

  “I’ve never seen lake fae around here,” I said.

  He turned suddenly, frowning at me. “How did you see Launt? He wouldn’t show himself to you.”

  Regretting what I’d revealed, I kept my face expressionless. “I can’t tell you that.”

  We stared at each other.

  “Can all hunters see the fae?” he asked.

  “I can’t tell you that either.”

  “I don’t think they can,” he said. “I think you’ve got an interesting secret.”

  “Why is this fairy on a rampage?” I asked. “And why haven’t you stopped him? You obviously have no trouble seeing him.”

  He threw up his hands. “I’m working on it. It’s not as easy as you might think.”

  “There’s no Protector here to stop you.” I pointed toward the bridge, where I still felt Tristan’s unhappy spirit lingering. “I thought demons could do what they wanted with fairies when nobody stopped them.”

  “Perhaps they can,” he said. “But I can’t.”

  He spoke casually, but his words struck me. The Protectorate had been unable to tell me of any crime he’d committed, any evidence he was more than a man. I’d felt his magic, yes—more than I’d ever felt on any human being. But nothing evil or ancient.

  I’d always wondered… I’d always doubted…

  Was he really a demon?

  “You’re a witch, aren’t you?” I whispered. “Some kind of Shadow practitioner maybe, or—”

  “You know I’m not a witch.” He frowned. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

  “If you’re not a demon, and you’re not human, then… fae?”

  “You’re getting close.” He took my hand in his and looked down at it. “You have a name for my kind. You just don’t want to believe it.”

  Only my hunger to acquire knowledge kept me from pulling my hand away. I couldn’t resist a witch’s most valuable treasure—a secret.

  “Tell me,” I said.

  He brought my hand to his face. “I wasn’t born in this body. I wasn’t born in any body of this earth but a body of the spirit people.”

  My pulse quickened. Even witches didn’t believe in all the fairy tales. “Spirit people?”

  “I was born fae. Lake fae. Wanting a glorious future for her son, my mother switched my soul with that of a human baby.” He pressed my hand against his cheek. “I was a baby myself, in fairy terms, and I didn’t know what I was until I was older. I loved my human parents, my friends, other people.”

  “A changeling,” I said wonderingly. “I didn’t know you—things like you—existed.” The warmth of his face, the roughness of his stubble, told me he was very real.

  He patted the back of my hand on his cheek. “Here I am.”

  Because he’d started smiling again, I finally pulled my hand back. “Why did the Protectorate say you were a demon?”

  “Because they wanted you to kill me.” He sighed. “I didn’t realize that Protectorate guy was going to overr
eact so badly to a few questions.”

  “What guy?”

  “The big cheese in San Francisco. Not as powerful as I’d expected from a boss at the Protectorate. I made him talk to me for a few minutes, and he really didn’t like it.”

  “Lorne,” I said. “I worked for him.”

  “Should’ve been the other way around. He was much too easy to capture. I’d tracked Launt to Las Vegas but then lost him,” he said. “I was asking Protectorate witches around all the cities on the West Coast if they’d recorded any odd fairy behavior in their regions.”

  “Asking?”

  “Well, first I had to trick and capture them before I could ask questions. Usually I was only able to catch young agents. But in San Francisco I nabbed the director.”

  Even now I was embarrassed for the San Francisco office that Lorne was in charge. “Why didn’t you make him forget what you’d done?”

  “Some other guy came and freed him before I could get to that,” he said. “A better witch. He was too strong for me, and I fled.”

  “And then they sent me and my partner after you.”

  “To be fair to your Protectorate friends, most witches can’t tell changelings and demons apart,” he said. “After all, we are possessing spirits. We don’t belong in your bodies.”

  I took a step back, agreeing with him. “Why were you tracking Launt in the first place? Was he— You said he’s lake fae. Like you. Is he a… relative? A—?”

  “My twin, spiritually speaking.” He put his hand on his chest. “This is his rightful body.”

  Unable to control the feeling of revulsion that washed over me, I took another step back. “Why are you following him? Are you trying to kill him?”

  “No. No, never. His death would be— No.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I want to talk to him. I— I feel responsible.”

  “Responsible for what he’s done?”

  “Responsible for his existence.”

  I wasn’t sure I could believe Seth—demon or changeling—could experience human morality. Only human beings felt guilt.

  But I did know one thing. I wanted to see Launt for myself. “I’ll help you find him. And then I’ll…”

  “You’ll what?”

  “I don’t know. Something.” My training had centered around protecting fae, not hurting them. But I was motivated.

  He stared at me a moment. “I don’t want him to suffer.”

  I paused, thinking of Nick’s horrible death. “Why not?”

  “He’s my brother.”

  If he didn’t have genuine human feeling, he was putting on an excellent imitation. “Why did he come out here?” I asked. “Was he drawn to the wellspring like everyone else?”

  He opened the passenger side of the Jeep and, to my shock, climbed in. “I’m not sure. I’ll ask him.”

  Random ran around to the driver’s-side door and looked at me, clearly expecting to join Seth.

  I let him into the back and told Seth, “I need to get my stuff.” Although I didn’t have my driver’s license or a phone, I never left home without cash and a credit card, just in case. And a jacket. And a few extra beads and a can of coffee. And my staff, which wasn’t powerful away from home but might have other uses.

  After I’d gotten my things, I put it all in the back seat with Random and got behind the wheel.

  “I’ve noticed human females can never just leave the house,” he said.

  “And I’ve noticed changeling males are really annoying,” I replied, starting the engine. “So. Where are we going?”

  He rolled down the window and inhaled deeply. Handsome nostrils flaring, he took another breath, held his hand out the window, waved it around a moment, then brought it to his mouth. Licking the tips of his fingers, he shook his head.

  “The coast. At a boundary of sea and freshwater,” he said. “We have to catch him before he hurts himself.”

  “Before he hurts somebody else,” I said, backing out of the driveway. I turned around in the remaining purple mist, rolling over the marks Phoebe had left in the road.

  He tapped his fingers on the dash. “That’s what I said.”

  I glanced at the police tape around Birdie’s garage as we drove past. What did Launt want? When I’d been in the winery for the memorial, he hadn’t seemed interested in me. It was only later, after Birdie had been arrested.

  My thoughts churned through the possibilities. I had been going to Riovaca to help Birdie when Launt stopped me, suggesting it was Birdie who was really the object of his animosity.

  But why Birdie? Because she was Tristan’s daughter?

  We drove west into the forest between Silverpool and the ocean. The road was narrow and twisting, dappled with shadows, and I gave my attention to it for the next fifteen minutes while I tried to remember if anyone at the Protectorate had ever mentioned changelings. Not that I could think of.

  “The Protectorate believes a witch is intentionally poisoning the water in Silverpool,” I said, watching Seth out of the corner of my eye to see his reaction. “Using some kind of potion to harm magic species. It’s upsetting the fae enough to make them dangerous. Could Launt be, I don’t know, fighting for revenge? For the injured fae?”

  “Launt doesn’t care about anyone but himself.” He rolled down the window and held out his hand, fingers forward, feeling the wind. His voice grew serious. “He’s slightly inland, on a creek bank. Turn off at the next road. Left.”

  “There is no next road before we get to Highway 1.”

  “Brake now,” he said.

  There was a gap in the trees. I braked, turned left onto a narrow dirt road. A small campsite with pit toilets sat at the entrance of a small redwood grove.

  “Now where?” I asked.

  “Keep going. He’s following the tide up the creek.”

  “The road stops. Should I park, or—”

  The dead end before us opened up, revealing a dirt track that snaked through the forest. Emerald green moss, curtains of lichen, and wet fog created the impression of a tunnel’s entrance.

  “Never mind,” I said. “I see it now.”

  “I hoped you would. That’s a useful trick.”

  At the end of the track, I turned around and parked the Jeep facing out for a quick escape, if necessary. Random’s doggy breath over my shoulder smelled foul, but the air of the forest was sweetly delicious and cool.

  “What do you think he wants?” I asked.

  “He’s grown up hating both human and fae. As far as I know, his only aim is malice, destruction, pain, suffering. War.”

  “You know this because…”

  “I can feel him. We’re bonded. My happy life with human parents was a constant torture for him.” He cleared his throat. “The lake fae in that area aren’t always nice to their own children, let alone the ones they foster.”

  “Abduct, you mean.”

  “I was raised as a human,” Seth said. “I share your horror with the tradition.”

  I unfastened my seat belt. “What are you going to do when we find him?”

  Seth let out a long breath. “Talk to him. I think I can get him to stop hurting people,” he said. “If I could just talk to him.”

  I heard the longing in his voice, the hope. I didn’t share it.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Do you feel him?” I asked.

  Seth closed his eyes a moment. “He’s close.”

  I stared out the car window and heard a weird, angry singing from the direction of the river. Like a cross between heavy metal and a baby’s cry. “I think he’s in the water,” I said.

  Seth stared at me. “You can hear him, too?”

  I didn’t want to tell him everything, so I looked away. “We should walk. Sneak up on him. Unless he can feel you coming?”

  “I learned long ago to turn off his sight through my eyes,” he said. “His own control is more unpredictable. I can feel him now but not always.”

  “Why not?”

  “He�
��s drunk,” Seth said. “Or maybe just distracted. He’s watching the moon and the sun, searching for the boundary of sea and freshwater in the creek as the tide comes in.”

  Such transitional points in nature were particularly powerful, especially to fairies. They preferred to live in between the two states as much as possible, never committing to one pure condition or another. The dawn, the dusk. The moment water froze or ice melted. A day with both moon and sun in the sky or a night without either.

  “What do you think he’s doing?” I asked.

  “Swimming, I imagine. Enjoying a day at the beach.”

  “You mean, for fun?”

  “He’s lake fae. He craves the water. This time of year, the river is too shallow for him. He needs the tidewater flowing upstream to give him room to splash and dive.”

  I heard the longing in Seth’s voice, more sincere emotion I’d ever sensed in him.

  “You want your body back,” I said softly. “You miss your old life.”

  “This is the only life I remember. But yes, I am prepared to make an offer to Launt. This body belongs to him. I can’t live a full life in it, knowing the bones were stolen.”

  “You would give up that—” I stopped myself from complimenting his human body’s appearance. I didn’t want to encourage more of the aggressive flirting he liked to inflict on me. “You said prepared to but not wanting to. Do you mean you’d rather stay in that body?”

  “It’s complicated.” He opened the car door. “Let’s go.” He looked back at Random, nodded his head, and the dog flopped down on the back seat, sighed, and closed his eyes.

  I grabbed my staff and got out of the Jeep, dwelling over the obvious bond between Seth and Random.

  “Tell me the truth—is he your dog?”

  Seth held his hand up into the air like he’d done earlier, searching for Launt. “Nope. But his ancestors like the water almost as much as mine.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Very close.”

  I adjusted my necklace, checking in with my power, and held the staff, point in the earth, on my right side. “What’s your plan?” I asked quietly.

  Seth turned to me, his face serious. “If he accepts my offer, you’ll know the danger is past and can go, your mind at ease.”