Lilah was impressed. She knew witches had great power, but had no idea they were capable of anything like that.
“A few months ago, witches started receiving the calling all over. It doesn’t matter if you’re from a skipped generation, or if your family already has a witch from your generation. Siblings of witches were coming into powers. All of my cousins received the calling. We were panicked.”
“I bet. What did you do? What did you think was going on?”
“I was afraid. I knew it had to be something big, but we didn’t have to wonder long. Word spread fast.”
“About the wolves?”
“Exactly. The tribe in Mississippi were told that there would be a move against witches. They told the coven that’s been helping them about it and said they weren’t going to fight. They would help them defend themselves instead.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing yet. The wolves are still preparing. The ones from the north, from the Great Lake area, they’re on the move. We can’t track them. Our locator spells don’t work on them no more than your psychic ability would.”
Lilah let all this information sink in as she sipped her cocoa. It’s the wolves. They’re behind the attacks on the vampires, and after the witches, her family will be next. “Wait. This doesn’t add up.”
Everleigh sat silent.
Amber asked, “What doesn’t?”
“The spell on the werewolves.” Lilah noticed both of them smile.
“If our powers don’t work on other Elementals, how could that one spell work?”
They didn’t say anything for what felt like an eternity. They stared into their cups with the wickedest smiles at the corner of their mouths.
“You tell her, cousin. This is your show,” Amber leaned back and waved her hands in front of her chest.
“There’s a reason I don’t think I can perform the spell,” Everleigh hinted.
“What’s that?”
“Let’s just say the Mississippi covens might have a little werewolf blood in their heritage.”
“Oh,” Lilah said. “Oh!” she repeated as it sunk in what Everleigh meant. “I guess that would be how it works, huh?”
The three girls laughed. Their cocoas were finished, and it was almost time for the shop to close. Lilah knew she had been expected home a long time ago. They left and piled back into Lilah’s car. She drove them the few blocks to Everleigh’s house.
When she pulled up, Lilah said, “It’s Water, then. That’s who is behind everything,” more to herself than the other two girls in her car.
“Not entirely. Someone else is pulling the strings. The wolves are carrying out orders.”
“Orders? From who?” Lilah was baffled.
“We don’t know, and neither do our allies in the south.”
A few moments passed while Lilah tried to think of who else could even know about the Elementals true existence.
Putting her hand on the door, Everleigh told her, “I’m really glad you outed yourself tonight. We need to join together. It’s the only way we have a chance.”
Lilah agreed, but it was up to her family. Everleigh knew that too. Neither was sure what would happen now.
Another car drove past and pulled into Everleigh’s drive. “Aunt Meredith is back,” Amber noticed.
Meredith got out of her niece’s car. She was exactly as Lilah had remembered her. “She uses an aging spell, doesn’t she?” Lilah asked without taking her eyes off Meredith.
There was a gasp from the back seat. If Lilah had looked in her rearview mirror, she would have seen Amber shaking her head and mouthing words of pity for this poor child who knows nothing.
“An aging spell?” Everleigh was amused. She opened the passenger door of the car and said before she got out, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“What does that mean?” Lilah quickly asked, but it was too late. Everleigh had left with Amber right behind her. They hugged their aunt who turned to wave at Lilah. She waved back then headed home.
Lilah arrived at her house expecting a welcome wagon on the porch wondering where she had been. She was surprised to see no one. She walked inside, and saw the other nineteen members of her family who were gathered at the farmhouse in one room. They were everywhere. They squeezed together on the sofas and chairs, the arms, the floor, and some had brought in chairs from the tables in the kitchen and dining room. The room was quiet, and the air was so thick it clung to Lilah like damp strings of hair.
She looked around the room. No one lifted their gaze to her. Lilah spied her mom and dad sitting side by side on the large recliner. Her mom finally looked her way.
“You guys know?”
Her mom nodded. “I’m sorry, Lilah. I only read your mind because I was worried you weren’t home yet. I’m trying to give you your privacy like you’ve asked.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“What?” her mom was genuinely surprised.
“I’m glad I don’t have to tell you.”
Lilah moved through the room. There was barely a space anywhere. She found a spot on the floor between a couple cousins and sat down. “So what are we going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
Lilah turned to see who answered her. It was her Uncle James. “What’s the plan?”
No one answered.
“We have to do something,” Lilah insisted.
“What can we do?” Abby asked.
“Lilah,” her Uncle Todd stood up, “I think its best you retain your friendship with Everleigh until Marcus arrives. We need to stay current on any new developments.”
“That’s it?” Lilah asked in disbelief. “That’s all you got. That’s all anyone can come up with?”
She stood up and walked toward the window then turned and faced the room. “You want me to spy on the witches? That’s the plan. Well, I guess we’re doomed then. It’s been nice knowing all of you.”
“Lilah!” her mom yelled through gritted teeth. “That’s enough.”
“No, mom, it’s not enough. We have to be active in this. We can’t just sit back and wait to see what happens with the witches or wait for Marcus.”
“You know our ways,” Uncle James told her.
“I do. I also know we haven’t faced anything like this before, and Marcus isn’t here to instruct us. So until he shows up, we need to do something to prepare ourselves for whatever comes our way.” Lilah was practically yelling by the time she finished. She was angry at them, but mostly she was scared. She was afraid of losing her family or Jackson. Whoever was doing this had found a way to subdue vampires without fire. That frightened her most of all.
She waited, but no one responded to her outburst. She wasn’t sure how she could get through to them. She sat back on the floor farther away than where she had been sitting. She didn’t want to go to her room and isolate herself, but she still didn’t feel like being too close to them.
Minutes ticked by. Lilah’s mind jumped from one horrible outcome to another. She thought about Jackson. She might never have a life with him the way her family had with their matches. She worried about him getting hurt because of her. She had to shake those thoughts away because crying would do no one any good right now.
“Tell us, Lilah,” she recognized her dad’s voice without looking up, “What would you have us do?”
“Well,” Lilah hadn’t thought about it herself. She figured someone older and wiser than her would figure this out. “For starters, we should track the wolves. We need to know where they’re headed and when to expect them here.”
“You know we can’t,” her dad told her.
“They’re Water, Lilah. You know this,” her Uncle Todd spoke to her like she was a child again.
It hit Lilah suddenly in an instant. “We can’t track them,” she said eagerly, “but we can track the absence of them.”
Murmurs went through the room. “Their absence?” Sara asked.
“Yes!” Lilah sprang up from the fl
oor. “The tribe of wolves up north is the largest remaining tribe, right? If they’re on the move, someone has noticed something.”
Her family still seemed mostly confused, but Lilah saw a few sets of eyes light up as they figured it out.
“Like large groups traveling together?” her dad asked.
“Yes,” Lilah’s excitement was growing.
“Vacant properties,” Gene added.
“Exactly like that!” Lilah told him. “If they all leave together or close together, that’s going to raise some eyebrows. It has to. We just need to pick up their scent from the area where they lived, and follow the clues of the people they run into on their way.”
“It’s not…there’s no guarantee,” Todd sighed.
“It’s a start,” her mom told him.
“Okay, so where were they living?” Lilah asked.
“All I know is they were somewhere in the Great Lakes area,” Uncle James answered.
“That’s better than nothing,” Lilah was trying to keep everyone encouraged. “How big is the tribe?”
“Multiple families.” Her Uncle Todd sounded a bit more interested.
“Maybe fifty then? Like us?” she asked.
“It’s possible, Lilah,” Sara told her. “We really don’t know for sure.”
“With children?” The gears in Lilah’s mind were spinning now.
“Schools,” said her mom. “The kids would be pulled out of school, or would be considered truant.”
“Yes!” Lilah pointed at her mom. “Concentrate on the school systems in that area.”
She turned to the family and started grouping them off on areas to focus. Moving trucks. Rental properties suddenly emptied. Utilities shut off. Would they bother with it? She didn’t know, but it was worth a shot.
“If you move, you get rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff, right?” Lilah was talking more to herself then to anyone in her family. “Sara and Gene, take the garbage routes. See if multiple homes had huge amounts out for trash like you’d leave behind in a move.”
Sara and Gene nodded. They pulled out their phones and looked at a map of the area dividing up the towns each would focus on to see if they could come up with anything.
Uncle James asked, “What about me, Lilah?”
“Follow the money. Account closures. Out of state purchases or anything that might look suspicious on bank accounts or credit cards.”
“I’ll help him,” her Uncle Todd offered.
Soon everyone was tasked with some small detail to examine that might bring them a clue. Lilah made her way to the kitchen. “What are you going to work on?” her dad asked.
“Coffee,” she replied without stopping. “I think we’re all going to need some.”
Lilah went into the kitchen and turned on the light. She set about getting the coffee pot set up to brew. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket, and she pulled it out. It was a message from Everleigh.
“Grandma wants to meet you. Is that cool?”
“Yes, just tell me when.”
“Okay. She wants to know if Air is willing to help.”
Lilah replied with absolutely certainty, “Yes.”
She pulled up her message screen with Jackson. Nothing since she’d texted him from the driveway that she was home, and he had replied good night. She wanted to text him. He was awake. She could see him. He wasn’t able to sleep because he was thinking about her.
Lilah knew it was the wrong time to start up a conversation with him, but the pull was so strong. She would give anything to be able to go to him again right now, but her family needed her. More than that, all of the Elementals needed their help. She watched him until the coffee brewed then rejoined her family.
They were just starting to map out the route they believed the wolves were on when there was a knock at the door. Todd jumped up to answer it.
It was definitely a witch. Lilah could sense it. She knew it wasn’t Everleigh because she would’ve said she was coming over. It must be Meredith.
Todd opened the door. “Meredith!” he shouted happily.
“Can we come in?”
Lilah looked up. She could see Meredith from where she sat.
“We?” Todd asked.
A man stepped from the side. Lilah didn’t recognize him and couldn’t get a read on him. He wasn’t a witch. He must be under a protection spell, but his energy was different.
“Hello, Luke,” Todd said. “You are always welcome here. Please, come in.”
The two of them walked inside where the family was busy tracking wolves. No one barely looked up except for Lilah who couldn’t peel her eyes away.
“What brings you out so late?” Todd asked concerned.
“Eloise kicked us out,” Meredith told him.
“What?” Todd eyes lit up amused.
“Well, to be fair, I didn’t exactly ask permission to stash a vampire in her attic.”
Lilah gasped. Her mouth dropped open. She stared at him. She had never seen a vampire before that she was aware. He looked normal which was almost disappointing.
The three of them heard her, and they all turned to face her. “Luke, this is my niece Lilah. You have to forgive her. She didn’t know vampires were real until a few days ago.”
Lilah couldn’t stop staring.
Meredith snapped her fingers in front of Lilah’s face. “Aren’t you going to say hi?”
It took another minute, but Lilah slowly turned her head away from him to look at Meredith. “Hey,” she smiled then glanced back at Luke. “Are you really going to be staying here?”
“That’s up to your uncle,” Meredith answered.
“Well, not exactly,” Todd said slowly. He looked at everyone gathered in the living room. “I think there’s a few more who need to weigh in on this, too.”
Luke and Meredith looked at all the faces who were beginning to take more notice of them. She was sure Todd would be okay with it, but convincing his family was an entirely different matter. They had always been so private. It worked though as they’d never suffered the same fates as the other Elementals.
Finally it was Sara who spoke up, “Why not?”
Even Todd looked surprised. “Really? Just like that?”
Sara shrugged, “I mean it seems we’re breaking all the rules anyway.”
The family muttered their agreements then went back to work. “I guess that’s that,” Todd told them still in disbelief.
Meredith continued to look at the large congregation of Air, but leaned toward Todd and whispered, “Are they feeling okay? Did something happen?”
“Yes,” Todd answered. “The Elementals are being hunted.”
Luke walked toward the coffee table where there was a notebook spread open with a rough map drawing spread out on two pages. “Is that Michigan?”
Abby looked up and grinned from ear to ear. “Thank you!” She turned to their cousin Lauren with her nose dramatically up in the air, and said, “Even someone who doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be can tell what it is.”
“I still think it looks like a dog, Abby. Sorry not sorry,” Lauren told her.
“Michigan? As in the wolf tribes?” Meredith was intrigued.
“Yes. Lilah’s idea,” Todd motioned toward her. “We’ve been working pretty much since she got home tonight.”
“Working on what? Can we help?” Luke was interested.
Todd smiled at Lilah and said, “Go ahead. This is all you.”
Lilah looked at the three of them standing in front of her. It was a little intimidating. There weren’t any comfortable places left for them to sit, so Lilah stood up. She walked to the side and started to explain her plan to track the wolves by using the blanks they came across when they were searching for information.
“Because you can’t psychically pick up on other Elementals,” Luke stated more than asked.
“Exactly,” said Lilah.
“So you’re tracking the void areas?” Meredith asked. “I understand what you’re
saying, but I’m not sure I understand how it works.”
Lilah nodded. “Yeah, we have some students who suddenly stopped going to school, but we can’t pick up anything on them or their families.”
“Wolves,” Luke said his voice filled with disgust.
“More than likely,” Todd added.
“There are other clues too,” Lilah continued. “Well, I call them clues. We’re looking at rentals, movers, bank accounts, and so on.”
Meredith looked at all the members of Air who sat with their notebooks, phones and laptops, looking at maps or taking notes. It showed on her face that the whole process was slowly beginning to make sense. She chuckled and smiled, “Genius, girl! This is great!”
“Can we help?” Luke asked.
“Slow down, honey, I need to get you spelled first.”
Luke deflated. His shoulders slumped, and his head fell back. “Then no one can talk to me.”
“Hon,” Meredith said. “I had to hide you, so no one at the house found you. These people know you’re here. You don’t have to be hidden.”
Luke breathed a sigh of relief. “Get started then.”
Meredith stood in front of him and took his hands. She closed her eyes and quietly said a few lines. When she finished, she looked at him and smiled then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“That’s it?” he asked.
“That’s it.”
“And just like that, no one can find me?”
“Oh ye of little faith,” Meredith rolled her eyes and playfully swatted his chest. “I’ve kept you safe this long, haven’t I?”
“Yes, love, you have.”
“Alright,” Meredith said loudly rubbing her hands together. “This is a game changer. We’ve been trying to figure out a way to get our magic to finally work on the other Elementals. Let me think about how to use our magic like you by reverse engineering it.” She set off to the back of the house to find a quiet place to think.
Air: The Elementals: Book One Page 13
