by Lana Melyan
“You tell me. Where did he go? He didn’t drink too much, did he?”
“No. He had a few shots, then he said it was late and he had to go.”
“When?”
“About an hour ago.”
An hour? My heart pounded. No way. He wouldn’t do that. Not again. Not now.
“He was pretty grim. Did you two have a fight or something?”
“No. It’s not that. He just needed to think some things through.”
“Don’t worry, Nicky,” Sam said, looking worried himself. If not for Nate, then probably for me. “Maybe he just needed some fresh air.”
I could feel the force behind his words. Nice try, Sam.
But I said, “Yeah, maybe. I’m sure he’ll turn up soon.”
The next customer stepped to the counter.
“Are you allowed to work here alone?” I whispered.
Sam leaned on the bar. “Well, Brian is here, just in case. He’s doing some paperwork in the back room. But I also compel everyone who dares to question me.”
“Sam, you can’t do that. It’s not right.”
“I know. But this is kinda a bad time for doing the right things. Sometimes you do what you have to.”
Like, kill people. Who was I to judge him? I’d already used that power several times myself and had done things much worse than that.
“True,” I sighed. “I left my phone in the room. I should call Nate. See you tomorrow.”
I hurried back to the apartment and checked my phone. No calls or messages. I tapped his name and pressed the phone to my ear. But my call went straight to voicemail. My heart sank.
Where are you? I typed the message, sent it, and went back to the hallway. Thinking that he could’ve called Logan, they could be together, I knocked at Connie’s door.
But when the door opened, Logan was the one looking at me.
“You’re home?”
“You sound disappointed.” He smiled.
“No. Sorry, it’s just . . . have you heard from Nate?”
“Not since we came back from the house.” His smile vanished. “What’s going on?”
“Nicky?” Connie showed up behind him.
I stormed past them into the room. “He left a few hours ago, and . . . my call went right to his voicemail, and . . .” I tried not to panic, but it didn’t seem to be working. “I don’t know where he is now.”
“Where did he say he was going?” asked Connie.
“He went to the bar. He said he needed a drink. But I checked, and he isn’t there.”
“He needed to drink alone?” Logan squinted. “That’s not a good sign. Did something happen after we got back?”
I glanced at Connie. “He found the letters. I forgot them next to the lamp, and he probably saw them when he turned it on.”
“What letters?” Logan looked from me to Connie.
“His mom’s and Joseph’s letters. And there was something in them . . . sorry.” I looked at both of them. “I can’t talk about it. But I’m afraid the thing that happened last time is happening again. Remember? When he disappeared for several days after one of our conversations?” I bit my tongue before the words, Right after he confessed he killed his mother nearly fell out of my mouth.
“Nicky, he wouldn’t do such a thing now,” said Logan. “He wouldn’t leave you alone in this dangerous time.”
“Last time he didn’t leave me alone either. He was always around. Only cloaked.” I sighed. “Maybe I’m overreacting. It’s only past eleven.” I headed to the door.
“You can wait here, with us,” offered Connie.
“No, it’s fine. But before you turn in,” I looked at Logan, “I want to ask you something.”
“Yeah, anything.” Logan nodded.
“I want you to check at Ruby’s.”
“Nicky, there’s no way—”
“I know. I don’t mean it like that. But they knew each other for a long time. And if he needs someone to talk to, who knows.” I shrugged. “I’m just worried. That’s all.”
Logan did as I asked, but Nate wasn’t at Ruby’s either. There was nothing more I could do, and I just sat on the couch, waiting.
Connie and Logan came to check on me a couple of times, but when it was nearly two a.m. I assured them I was fine and sent them to bed.
I sat waiting the whole night, and only when the sun came up did I drop my head on the cushions, close my eyes, and let the tears roll down my face. I knew something was very wrong.
10
“It’s too early to panic,” said Brian as we all sat in the bar the next morning. “Nicky, you said he was upset about something. He could’ve stopped by some other bar. Maybe he just lost track of the time and—”
“No. He wouldn’t do that.”
“Or maybe he just needed to be alone,” suggested Sam. “Is the car still there?”
“Yes, it’s where he left it yesterday,” replied Logan.
“Logan, yesterday, when you and Nate went to the house, did you notice anything suspicious?” asked Brian.
“Nothing.” Logan shook his head. “We did look around before we walked inside, but everything seemed normal. Then we cleaned the place, and when we left, we made sure no one was tailing us. But there are houses across the street, and, of course, we can’t be sure no one was watching us.”
“The house.” Sam glanced at me. “Nicky, what if he’s there, in the house? Maybe he just fell asleep?”
“Then why didn’t he answer any of my calls or messages? Or warn me?”
“Maybe his phone died.”
“He didn’t warn you the first time either,” said Connie.
“That was different. That day, among other things, we had a fight. And yes, he didn’t warn me, but he warned Gran and Logan. And I could feel his presence everywhere I went because he never really left me alone. Now he’s just gone.” As I said it, a cold shiver ran down my spine, and I clutched my trembling hands together.
“I think Nicky is right,” Brian admitted. “He wouldn’t leave her, and he wouldn’t take time off in this critical situation. It’s not like him. But we’ll give it a few more hours before we sound the alarm.”
“I’ll check your parents’ house, just in case.” Logan got up from his seat.
“Not alone.” Sam got to his feet as well. “I’ll come with you.”
“Nicky, it’s better if you and Connie wait for us here,” added Logan on his way to the door.
“Logan is right. We should stay together until we figure out what’s going on,” said Brian.
My throat tightened. Don’t panic. Don’t panic, I kept repeating to myself.
Brian headed to the counter, and I followed him. “Then give us something to do. I need some distraction.”
“Okay.” Brian put matches on the bar. “Light the candles. And I need more beer glasses and coffee cups. You’ll find them in the kitchen. Connie, there’s not enough sugar packets in the bowl. They’re in the drawer, under the coffee maker.”
The waitress arrived. People started coming in, and the smell of beer and coffee filled the bar. The day went on like nothing had happened, except my heart was pounding, and I wasn’t the only one who kept turning my head at every sound from the opening door. I saw Brian and Connie exchange worried glances from time to time.
Even though I was sure Nate wasn’t in my parent’s house, my stomach still clenched when Logan and Sam returned without him.
“No trace of him at all?” asked Brian.
Logan shook his head. “Everything looked exactly the same as when we left it yesterday.”
“It doesn’t mean something bad has happened.” Sam turned his reassuring gaze on me.
“Sam is right,” said Connie. “Maybe he just drank until dawn and fell asleep somewhere else.”
I knew none of them really believed that theory and were just trying to make me feel better.
“If he doesn’t show up until tonight . . . ” Brian hesitated. “Come after dark. I’ll close early. We’ll try
a locator spell.” He looked at me. “Do you have something of his?”
“Only his clothes.” I squeezed my fingers around the pendant of my necklace. Nate’s present. “We didn’t take much with us.”
Brian sighed. “Then bring me his shirt. Nicky,” he called, as Connie, Logan and I turned to leave, “we’ll find him.”
I wanted to be alone, and I refused Connie’s offer to stay with her and Logan.
The moment I walked into the apartment, I went to the bedroom. There, on a chair next to the bed, lay Nate’s shirt. I picked it up, closed my eyes, and pressed it to my trembling heart.
“I won't let anything happen to you,” I whispered, hoping that wherever he was, he’d get the vibe. “I’ll find you, I promise.”
I didn’t talk to Nate like I did when he disappeared last time. I knew he was nowhere around. I knew if he was somewhere close, I would feel it. And right now, I felt like I was alone not only in this room but in the whole town, in the whole world.
After several agonizing hours, we finally stood around the table in the bar’s backroom.
Brian put Nate’s shirt in a metal bowl and whispered, “Incendio.” The shirt caught fire, and we watched it burn to ashes. Then Brian collected the ash into a cup and grabbed a small jar with dark powder from the shelf. We moved to the bar, where on the table the map of New Orleans lay ready.
Brian added a pinch of the black powder and about an ounce of water to the cup. As the whole content bubbled and swirled, he tipped the cup, letting the thick, grayish liquid trickle onto the center of the map.
“Perducto,” muttered Brian.
We stared at the liquid, waiting for it to move, but it remained still.
“Perducto,” repeated Brian.
The liquid made a few attempts to leave the circle, but it looked like it was hitting some invisible barrier. After a moment it shrank into a pulsating ball and then burst, splattering all over the map.
We stared at each other.
“Brian, what does this mean?” My voice trembled, giving away my fear. “Is he okay? It doesn’t mean he’s . . .” I gazed from one to another, and they all looked back at me, as perplexed as I was. “Does it?” I turned to Brian again.
“No,” said Brian, his eyes still fixed on the map. “It doesn’t mean he’s dead. I think he’s cloaked from a locator spell.”
“You mean he’s hiding from us?” asked Connie.
“Or, someone is hiding him.” Brian’s words sounded more like a statement than a suggestion.
“There has to be a way.” I nervously brushed back my hair. “Brian, what should we do? How do we break the spell?”
“I don’t know if we can. If he’s cloaked, then using his shirt, or any other of his possessions, isn’t good enough. We could try a different incantation if we had his blood. Otherwise, we have to think of some other way to find him.”
Now that I was sure Nate had been taken by the Order, panic shot through me. My chest hurt, my vision blurred, and my fingers tingled.
“This can’t be happening,” I whispered, pressing my hand to my forehead. “How did this happen? Did they take him when he came out of the bar?” I was talking more to myself than to the others. “The apartment is only across the street.”
“Maybe when he came out, he saw them. In that case, he would have walked the other way, tried to get them as far from you as possible,” said Sam.
“If that’s what happened, then they didn’t run into each other on accident. That means they knew he was in town, probably saw him when he stopped by the house,” said Brian. “They know this place, and they knew he’d show up here. They came here to ambush him.”
“Nicky,” Connie said, drawing closer. “He’ll be okay. He’s immortal, it wouldn’t be that easy to—”
“That means they will torture him. Over and over.” The tingle in my fingers was becoming stronger. Trying to stop my magic from bursting out, I pressed my hands against the table, but the moment my palms touched the map, it ignited.
Sam rushed toward me. He grabbed my forearms and started chanting, siphoning my magical energy. With a wave of his hand, Brian extinguished the fire.
When Sam let go of my arms, Connie pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered next to my ear.
“If we can’t locate Nate, then we’ll do what we came here to do,” said Logan. “We need to find the Order witches. Then we’ll torture out of them Nate’s whereabouts and improve the sword at the same time. Two birds, one stone.”
“Yeah, that’s the only way,” agreed Brian. “There isn’t much we can do tonight. It’s too late. Let’s meet here in the morning.”
“In the morning?” I stared at him. “Brian, we can’t leave him . . . wait the whole night?”
“Nicky, there are only a few of us, and we can’t act spontaneously. We can’t help Nate if we get caught too. We need to think this through, come up with a plan.”
I gave him a curt nod and marched to the door.
11
“Guys, I’ll be fine, really.” I rolled my eyes when Connie and Logan followed me into the apartment. “I don’t need babysitters.”
“Nicky, there’s something I need to tell you.” Ignoring my words, Logan came forward.
“What is it?” I looked at him, holding my breath.
“Nate . . . he knew this might happen. He always said that, with Vincent gone, it was only a matter of time.”
“What else did he say?” I rushed on, my heart hammering. “Did he leave any instructions? Did he say what to do if it happened?”
“No. I don’t know. But you might.”
“Me? He never said anything to me about . . .” I nervously shook my head. “Logan, what is it? Spit it out.”
Logan cleared his throat. “He left you a message. In your Callahan way.” He pressed his two fingers to his temple.
“What?” My eyes widened. “When did he do that?”
“Right before we left River Stones.”
“I was going crazy and you—” I burst out. “Why did you wait all this time to tell me?”
“Sorry, but he said only when I was sure he was gone.” Logan pressed his lips together. “We’ll leave you alone.”
He started toward the door, but Connie didn’t move.
“You go.” She sank down on the couch. “I’ll stay here, just in case.”
Logan nodded and walked away.
Connie and I exchanged a glance, then, my heart throbbing, I headed to the bedroom.
I needed to calm down first. I climbed on the bed, sat in a lotus pose in the middle of it, and took a few deep breaths. Pushing away the anguish and anticipation, I concentrated my thoughts on Nate only. When my breathing became even, I pressed my fingers to my temples and said, “Reveal.”
Nate appeared in front of me.
“Hello, my love.” He smiled. “Sorry I woke you.”
The moment I heard his voice, tears burned my eyes.
Oh God, no. I need to stop this or I won’t be able to see him.
I took a few deep breaths.
“Please, don’t say anything, just listen,” he said, looking deep into my eyes. “I’m using your Callahan way to leave you this short message in case something happens to me. That’s why I blocked your powers and then woke you up. I said that I’d never keep secrets from you, but I had to. Just this once. Sorry.”
We were at the cabin, and now I was sure he did this the last night we stayed there before driving to Lynchburg.
“Nicky, things are really bad right now. If one day I’m gone, it means I’ve been taken, because you know that I’d never leave you otherwise.
“Before, the Order didn’t come after me because they needed a Callahan, and they had Vincent. Now they think I’m the only one left who might have the information they seek. Also, all this time, the Order had no idea we had Kenneth’s books. They thought they were locked up in Kenneth’s vault. Now they know, and they’ll do anything to get them.
“I
knew sooner or later they’d come after me, and the right thing to do was to stay away from you. But after everything that happened, I couldn't leave you alone either.
“Nicky, if it happens, if they get me, please don’t look for me, don’t risk your life to save me. Just go on with the mission. It won’t be less risky, I know. But you’re almost there. Finish it, I know you can.
“Stay safe, my love. You are my everything. If I survive, I won’t be able to exist without you. Alive or dead, I’m forever yours.
“I’ll kiss you now, and put you back to sleep.” He drew closer. I wished I could feel his kiss, and I wanted to touch his face so badly.
But the next moment he disappeared, leaving me alone in the dark room, tears rolling down my face.
Connie carefully walked into the bedroom, and as she looked at me, her face sank. She came closer and sat down on the bed.
“Why does this keep happening to me?” I pushed out the words between sobs. “I can’t lose him too.”
I dropped my head into her lap and sobbed harder.
Connie didn’t want to leave me alone, but I wiped my face, reassured her I would be okay, and sent her to bed.
Alone, I replayed Nate’s words in my head. Don’t look for me, don’t risk your life to save me. The more I thought about it, the angrier his words made me. Did he really think I would leave him there?
I knew Nate’s immortality spell was strong, and he said that the sword probably wouldn't kill him until it was ready. But we were dealing with dark witches, and I couldn’t be sure they didn’t have some counter jinx or have in their possession some weapon like our sword.
I got up from my seat and started pacing. They are probably torturing him right now, and you’re sitting here doing nothing. Your crying isn’t going to help him. I brushed off the fresh tears from my face. Get a grip. Think.
I needed at least one of the Order witches. Brian thought the Order was watching my parents’ house, and that was how they knew Nate was in town. They saw him walk in there. Why didn’t they capture him right away?
I had two answers to that question. Either only one or two of them were watching the house and they didn’t risk it because Nate was with Logan and they could become prey themselves, or there was a camera installed somewhere.
