by Robbie Cox
Or so it seemed.
After a few more moments of Kayla staring at the other young woman, the other girl glanced up, coming to a stop, and staring directly at Kayla, her arms still wrapped around her books.
Kayla couldn’t look away, couldn’t even move. She sat there, staring, and she could have sworn the other girl’s eyes glowed a bright orange for a moment. Kayla’s mouth popped open, her eyes going wide as the other girl—or so Kayla assumed—held her locked in the strangest game of Who Blinks First. The air surrounding her turned warmer for a brief moment, the air going silently still, and then the moment passed, the afternoon breeze back. Kayla felt herself breathe again as her body relaxed.
The girl just turned and continued walking the way she headed before she stopped for a stare-down with Kayla.
What the fuck was that? Kayla stared after the other girl. She had magic, that much Kayla knew for sure, but what kind? And why hadn’t Kayla seen her around before? The Murky Cauldron wasn’t the only store in Harbor City that catered to witches, but it was one of only a couple, and sooner or later, every witch in the city ventured inside. Of course, the girl could have entered the Cauldron when Kayla wasn’t there. She would have to ask Tansy about her, see if she…
Kayla paused, taking a deep breath. There was no way she could walk back into The Murky Cauldron, not after everything that happened. She sighed as she twisted her fingers around each other, knowing her time with the coven was over. Too much pain filled the place. First, Rose died, then Alex, and at her own hand. She couldn’t face that day in and day out.
She turned her head, cocking it to the side a little as she stared in the direction the other girl had walked. Kayla didn’t want to give up magic necessarily, not after not believing in it for so long and now having it, but she knew being a member of the Cauldron Coven was out of the question. Still, it seemed like there were other witches in Harbor City. Perhaps it was time to venture out a little and see what else was out there.
She sucked in a deep breath as she climbed to her feet. She needed to introduce herself to that other girl.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Laci walked into the Harbor City Public Library, ignoring the temptation of the lake off to the side, the sun shimmering across the rippled surface. Determination forced her to walk past the enticement and focus on what she needed to do in order to start her journey as a social worker. She mentioned going to college, but before she did that, she needed to get her G.E.D. Colleges kind of required a high school diploma or the equivalent. When Jerome Williams forced her to run away from home, he also forced her to quit school. According to Jerome, his whores “didn’t need no education to lie on their backs.” She was about to enter her junior year of high school when he forced her to run away, so at least she had a tremendous head start in her education. Obtaining her G.E.D. shouldn’t be difficult. If she could at least get started, that is.
Laci assumed the library would be the best place to begin. With her decision to leave the coven made, she could focus on her future, and thankfully, her mother offered her time to do just that without worrying about getting a job. Laci planned on making the most of her mother’s offer. This time around, Laci would make something of herself.
She stood in the library’s entrance, glancing around at the tall shelves of what seemed like an endless collection of books. Off to the right set a long counter, two of the librarians behind it, one checking in books and the other assisting people checking them out. Glancing around, Laci noticed square wooden tables with wooden chairs in a long line along the wall as well as some down the middle of two sections of shelves. A few students scattered among some, a few poring over thick textbooks, some scribbling on paper, probably writing a report or essay for some class. A couple of tables held some senior men playing chess or reading the newspaper or thumbing through a magazine. Behind the tables set a row of computer terminals, some empty, some with students scrolling through research of some kind or another. Laci could imagine herself sitting there, studying, preparing for a future that still seemed so far away from where she stood right then.
Standing there, she took a deep breath of the musty scent wafting up from the ancient brown carpet. She could smell the mold from a water leak, the dusty aroma of ancient books, some of which hadn’t probably been touched in years, decades even. If Laci was honest with herself, she would admit the smell of the library reminded her of the ancient halls of her high school, carrying her back in time before life went haywire. It was a time she missed, a period in her life ripped from her grasp as Jerome forced her to follow another path, one she could never shake.
She glanced around once more, wondering where in the world to begin her journey, when she noticed the bright red hair of Kayla Lewell sulking around one of the bookshelves, her head tilted as she studied another young woman sitting in one of the plush chairs along the back windows of the library. Laci had not seen Kayla since their time in the Summerlands, and from what Jayden told Laci, the other girl hadn’t visited The Murky Cauldron in that time, either, not that Laci could blame her. Too many memories existed there, too many ghosts.
Laci took a deep breath, debating whether or not she should go say hello to Kayla. Laci knew it was the right thing to do, but somehow, she thought doing so would just open old wounds and emotions, and they were both better off without those. No, she was out of the coven, and therefore, she would stay away, making a new path for herself. Blowing out a breath she hadn’t realized she held, she turned away from Kayla and started to make her way to the research desk. The little gray-haired woman behind the counter could surely help her discover where to get started in her studies for the G.E.D. At least, Laci hoped.
As she walked, she noticed a tall, lanky man, with shaggy graying hair and a narrow nose, leaning against one of the dark gray metal bookshelves, his arms over his chest as he watched Laci walk across the library floor. She chanced a glance his way and felt a tremor of nervousness run through her as he didn’t bother to look away, but continued to study her, one eyebrow cocked, as she made her way to the research desk. He seemed like an old professor from the way he dressed, one of those men who thought his students loved him because he gave off the persona of one who fought the establishment. He wore faded jeans with grungy white sneakers and a walnut-colored sports coat. As much as Laci didn’t want to use her magic, she found herself searching for the man’s aura, trying to determine his intentions. However, the air around him merely shimmered, adding to his creep factor. Laci shivered, but continued to the research desk.
Once there, Laci leaned on the counter, her hands clasped in front of her as she waited for the elderly lady behind the desk to acknowledge her, pushing thoughts of the strange man out of her mind. The lady continued scribbling for a couple more seconds before finally looking up at Laci, a fake smile on her lips telling Laci the interruption was tolerated but not appreciated. “Hello,” the woman said, the fake smile in her tone. “How may I help you?”
Laci took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders, suddenly embarrassed at the question she needed to ask. Did kids drop out of school these days? “I need to study for my G.E.D. and I hoped you could point me in the right direction.”
“Why, of course, dear,” the woman said as she set her pen down on her desk. “You are free to use the computers, if you don’t have a laptop of your own. I can give you the link if you’re ready. Of course, you’ll have to pay for the test, but you do everything online.” The lady gave a sad shake of her head. “Seems people do everything online these days. So sad.”
Cost was something Laci had not thought about. “Do you know how much the test costs?”
“Well, there are four parts and each one costs thirty-two dollars, so about one hundred and twenty-eight for the whole thing. It also takes seven-and-a-half hours to complete, so you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of time.”
Laci stared at the woman, seeing her dreams dashing on the ground around her. She didn’t have eight dollars to her name
, not to mention one hundred and twenty-eight. “Four parts, you said?” she asked the lady, putting off the conversation about money. Laci knew she would have to get a job to afford the test. She couldn’t ask her mother to pay for it, not after everything she put her mother through over the past eight years.
The gray-haired woman nodded. “Yes, there will be language arts, science, math, and social studies.” The woman shrugged. “Pretty much the basics that you would have studied in high school.”
Laci heard the rest of the woman’s sentence, the part the woman didn’t say out loud. If you hadn’t dropped out, that is. Laci took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto her face. “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate the information.”
“Anytime, dear,” the woman said. “That’s why we’re here, after all.”
Laci highly doubted the woman believed that. With a smile on her face to show the information hadn’t shocked or disappointed her, Laci nodded and turned to walk away. She glanced to where the man stood as she crossed the floor, relieved to see he had left. She then glanced over to where she noticed Kayla staring at the other woman along the windows, but both were gone, as well. Laci shook her head, thinking how strange the day had been, wondering if she should have taken the time to say something to Kayla. As she moved to the library doors, she shook her head. No, she decided. Kayla suffered enough from what happened to her, something that wasn’t her fault, but it still held the death Laci grew tired of dealing with and wanted out of her life. The others of the coven would take care of Kayla. For once, Laci needed to take care of herself. Since she escaped Jerome’s clutches, Rhychard Bartlett and his faerie realm friends as well as Tansy and the Cauldron Coven protected her. Laci had yet to stand on her own two feet and make it in this life without people helping her. Now was her chance, and she determined not to permit anything to take her off course. The worlds of faerie and magic could take care of themselves. Laci Valentine was no longer in the business of saving the world.
Determination filling her about her new course, Laci shoved against the glass door to the library and stepped out into the late-afternoon sun, only to come up short as she saw the man from inside the library sitting on a bench in front of the library, staring at her.
Five
Laci stood there, staring at the man, his graying hair almost covering his deep blue eyes, eyes that never turned away from her as she left the library. He sat on the concrete bench, smoking a thick cigar, one leg crossed over the other, ankle resting on his knee as he studied her. In his other hand, he held a silver flask with the lid open. What is his problem?
With a deep breath, she took a tight grip on her anxiety and forced herself to approach the man who seemed obsessed with her. Crossing her arms in front of her, she stood in front of him, her eyes narrow slits. “Why are you following me?”
The man cocked an eyebrow at her, his lips turned up into a smirk, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth. “Following you?” he asked, cocking his head as he studied her. “Why on earth would I be following you? I was outside first, you know? Would seem you were the one following me, if you look at it that way.” He took a small swallow from his flask, twisted the cap back into place, and tucked it into his jacket pocket, all while continuing to smirk at her.
Laci blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t even know you; why would I follow you? You stared at me in the library just a little while ago, and now you’re out here, waiting for me. I want to know why?”
The smirk still plastered on his face, he held up the cigar, making sure she noticed it. “They discourage smoking in the library, so I came out here.” He cocked his head the other way, his eyes narrowing. “Do you always think people follow you?”
Laci felt her anger bubbling inside of her. “You stared at me while I stood at the research desk. Why?”
“Would you believe I wasn’t staring at you at all?” he asked. “But rather, I stared out the window behind the research desk, watching some birds flying over the lake. You just happened to be between me and the window. I am curious, though. Are you usually this paranoid?”
You have no idea. Laci sighed as she adjusted her purse strap over her shoulder. She took another deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. “I’m sorry,” she offered the stranger. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks.” Years, really. “I’m just a little on edge. I apologize for misunderstanding what I thought I saw.”
He nodded, lifting his cigar to his lips and taking a long pull, his eyes never leaving hers.
Laci pressed her lips into a thin line, ready to just walk away and call the strange encounter over, but the man lowered his cigar, his wrist resting on his knee as he cocked his head back the other way. “I would imagine it has been,” he said. “You’ve seen a lot of death in a short amount of time. That can’t be an easy thing to bear.”
Her whole body stiffened as she glared at the man. “Who the fuck are you? How do you know what I’ve seen?” She called her power to her fingertips, ready to blast the man if he so much as moved an inch toward her.
He grinned, lifting his cigar and studying the end of it. “I’m Nazareth Xavier,” he told her. He took a long drag from his cigar again, taking his time as he watched the smoke curl up at the end. He then blew out the smoke, watching it as the afternoon breeze took it, stretching it into the air around him and wafting it away. “And I know about you, because it’s hanging on you like a shroud; death, that is. Your aura is soaked in it.”
“You’re a witch?” she asked, eying the man with suspicion.
He shrugged. “Not really, although some have called me that. I’m a servant of Hekate, Goddess of magic, ghosts, and necromancy. Basically, I serve the dead.” He took another pull from his cigar. As he lowered it, blowing out the smoke, he narrowed his eyes at her, his head tilted to the side a bit. “As do you.”
Laci gave a slow shake of her head. “I don’t serve anyone, especially the dead.”
He shrugged again, staring at his smoldering cigar. “And yet, death clings to you like a cloak you can’t remove.” He turned his gaze back up to meet hers. “Hekate has touched you, whether you want that touch or not. Have you not wondered why you can do the things you do? Have you not been to the Summerlands? Seen the dead? Talked to them?”
How the hell does he know that? How long has he been following me?
“You wear the touch,” he told her. “Other necromancers can see it as well as those who know what to look for. It surrounds you as I said.” He shifted on the bench, uncrossing his legs, leaning forward, his elbows now resting on his knees, hands clasped, cigar held loosely in his fingers. “The dead, however, can consume you, if you don’t learn to harness your powers, and since you don’t even know what you are, I’m positive you don’t have a clue as to how to protect yourself. You need help. More precise, you need my help.”
“I know how to harness my powers,” she told him, annoyed at his accusations and belief that she was inept at magic. “Tansy has taught me how to use magic, and I’ve been pretty successful in defending myself and my friends with it, so if I were you, I’d leave me the hell alone.”
Nazareth shook his head, nonplussed. “I’m not talking about the magic they teach you at that coven,” he said, making her eyebrows arch that he even knew about the Cauldron Coven. Apparently, he’s been following me a long time. “I’m talking about your powers, your connection with the dead. People who have died have their own energy, ghosts, phantoms, spirits. If you don’t learn to protect yourself against it, they can suck the life force right out of you.”
“How do you know so much about me?” she asked, her anger in her tone. “Why have you been following me?”
He sighed, shaking his head some more. “You are not listening. I am a servant of Hekate. She is the one who has touched you, called you to be what you are. It is also she who told me about you and sent me to help you harness your powers before it’s too late.” He took a deep breath. “I really do hope you’re not this obtuse when learning how to contr
ol your gift. It’ll make things obnoxious and our time together long.”
“I have no intention of learning anything from you,” she said, gripping her purse strap tighter. “I don’t even know you. You just show up, stalking me around a library like some dirty old man, spewing a lot of nonsense about goddesses and ghosts, telling me I have special powers. I’ve been around long enough to know bullshit when I hear it. I don’t know who you are or why you’ve fixated on me, but stalking is against the law, and I have some powerful friends. I suggest you back off.”
“Dirty old man?” he repeated, brows furrowed. “Now, that’s just rude.”
Really? That’s what he pulls out of everything I just said? Laci rolled her eyes. “So is following someone.”
He waved her off. “And I know all about your powerful friends, but they won’t be able to help you when the dead arrive. The Warrior has no power in this area, nor does the Warrior’s Blade or your coven. They could only stand by and watch as the dead consumed you. Hekate has a purpose for you, but in order to fulfill it, you need to learn what you are and how to manage the power that comes with it.
Laci felt the growl welling up within her, but blew out a frustrated breath instead. “And just what the hell am I? What has your Hekate touched me with that requires special training for me to succeed?
Nazareth cocked an eyebrow as he tilted his head. “You really don’t know?” he asked. Then he shook his head. “No, I suppose you don’t, considering how childish you’re behaving right now.” He took a deep breath, placing both hands on his knees. “Laci Valentine, you’re a necromancer, speaker to the dead, bridge between this life and the afterlife.”
Laci stared at him, her mouth ajar. I’m a what? This was so not how she saw her day going.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kayla saw the other woman sitting along the back windows, her nose in the thickest book Kayla remembered seeing. She smiled, slightly. It was a book about as thick as those Alex Barrister would read just for fun, one of those epic fantasy books he would always go on about. With a deep breath, Kayla tamped down the thoughts of Alex and headed to the young woman she hoped could give her some answers.
