by Livia Quinn
“I’m back here, Tempe.”
I don’t know how she did that, but it’s always weird. I walked around the wall into the rear portion of the shop where Aurora stood surrounded by boxes. “Wow, what a mess,” I said. “Can I help?”
“Didn’t you have plans this afternoon?”
“I’m waiting to hear from Dylan regarding River’s amphora, to do the ceremonial initiation.”
“Tempe, why didn’t you say something? Call Dylan and tell him to find another Djinn and meet us at La Grand Morte at 11:00 tonight. Bring the new bottle.”
“Big Mort? What about Lightning Bayou? It’s bigger, plenty of water, lots of gators and other sacrificial candidates.”
“That’s the point, dear.” She smiled while she continued to unpack, “We need a dead lake.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what ceremonializing a bottle involved, but I figured it probably meant a spell or two…and blood…and who knew? Apparently, everybody but me.
Aurora stopped her unpacking and tilted her head. Waiting.
“Oh, right. I’ll call Dylan.”
I walked outside. Dylan seemed to know exactly what Aurora had in mind and promised to be there promptly at eleven.
When I reentered her workroom, Aurora was head down into a large box of dress bags. “Help me with these, will you?” The slithery plastic held oodles of frothy ball gowns in an array of colors and sizes. There must have been forty of them. Some were sheer filmy chiffon and others heavy with multi colored sequins and rhinestones. I held hangers for her while she unfolded and priced each one. I then moved each one to the appropriate section on the rack. I could do this. There were Cinderella-styled ball gowns, figure hugging knits, flowing silk A-lines, and ornate fit and flares, according to her. I learned more about fancy dresses in thirty minutes than I ever could have imagined.
My eye caught on a dress hanging on the steaming rack. It was the color of a winter thunderstorm. Its heart shaped bodice and waistline were covered in rhinestones that reflected like diamonds. To say I wasn’t a girly girl…well, we’ve been there, but this dress made me want to be.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” said Aurora from over my shoulder.
“For sure, but I’d never have the occasion to wear something like that. What’s next?”
“After we get these gowns up, I have candles, and look at these wonderful blown glass earrings.”
There were decanters, the thingies that sit down over candles, sequined shoes, and a box full of jewelry.
“My last shipment of Mardi Gras masks and gowns is due tomorrow. I’ll probably be here Sunday trying to get everything priced and displayed before Monday. Next week will be crazy leading up to the Grand Ball, not to mention the upcoming proms.”
She was playing right into my hands. “I might have the perfect solution for you.”
Aurora poured us each a cup of tea and leaned against the counter. “Tell me.”
“Have either Montana or Kat mentioned the basketball game tomorrow? Jack’s daughter is the star player, and I promised her a bunch of us would be there. I sorta volunteered you as well.”
“So it’s ‘Jack’ now?” She laughed at my poor attempt to keep a straight face. “Anyway, the daughter, Jordan? I read the sports column about her in the Destiny Tribune.”
Now that was an image. My otherworldly mentor, Aurora Boreal, pouring over the sports section.
“Jordie says this is a huge game for them, and she apparently doesn’t have a lot of friends. She invited us to come for the Mardi Gras float decorating at 2:00 and stay for the pep rally before the game.”
“Sounds like fun. I’ll look forward to it. But I’m not sure what time I’ll get there, since there’s a Mardi Gras ball tomorrow night, and I’ll probably have last minute customers. I can bring some special beads and trinkets I’ve been holding on to. Now tell me about this perfect solution.”
I squirmed. “Oh that.” She cocked her head patiently. “Seems Jordie’s looking for a part-time job after school. But it has to work around her practice schedule and her father’s…”
“Suspicious nature?” Aurora smiled. “If I like this girl, I’ll definitely hire her. I need some late afternoon help, and a popular teenage athlete would be good for business.”
“You may as well write her name on your schedule, because she’s a jewel.”
She reached over and took my hands in hers, her expression turning serious. “What else is on your mind? Your aura is a bit gray.”
“Really?”
“No, silly. That’s your bailiwick. But I can tell you’re a bit down. What is it?”
I sighed. “Jack—” I started to tell her what he’d told me about Phoebe, then blurted out, “kissed me.”
Her eyes and mouth turned up in delight. “What brought that on?”
I bounced up, pacing to the door and back. “Okay, that’s the point. I’m asking myself the same thing. I mean, was he feeling sorry for me, or did he finally give in to this attraction I’ve felt since I first saw him?”
“Why would he feel sorry for you? I’m pretty sure he’s felt more than a little irritated with you since you met.”
“This is true.” So I told her about meeting Dylan, about his apology, and finally about Phoebe’s connection to the victim and her supposed “lovers”.
“Poppycock!” pronounced Aurora, her eyes flaring with indignation.
“Well, I searched her house. There was a man’s set of slippers by the bed and a cane in the living room.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions.”
I paused, tapping my fingertips on the counter, thinking back over the condition of the house.
“What is it?” Aurora asked.
“I don’t know. There was something wrong about the house. The whole place looked like it had been cleaned out to rent but…”
Aurora finished off her tea and set the cup in the sink. Sounding somewhat distracted, she asked, “Do you want to try the mindlink?”
I chuffed, “I’d have more success posting on social media, and you know how adept I am at Squawker and Snapchat.” My sarcasm was met with a hug.
“We’re going to find them, Tempe.”
“Funny. That’s exactly what Jack said to me.”
“Well then. Believe it.”
“How much longer does River have, Aurora? Can he last until the full moon, or is it the Coincidence?”
“The time of the lunar full moon is mathematically predictable, based on a millennia of observations and modern technological reporting. It’s a matter of gravity, orbit and distance from the earth. The full moon begins next Friday and will provide the strongest boost to your family frequency. If you’re going to connect with River that would be your best opportunity, until the Coincidence.”
Seven days ’til the full moon, I thought. Maybe we’d get a break before then.
Aurora went on, “The full Para-moon or Coincidence isn’t as certain. It happens infrequently. The last one was four hundred years ago. Its coincidence with the lunar moon is based on magic, not science, so until the time is closer and I can do an astral seeding, I can’t give you a more accurate guess than sometime before the lunar full moon begins its descent. After next weekend, possibly Fat Tuesday.”
“Is that what you’ve been calling ‘Chaos’?”
“Actually, Chaos refers to the twenty-four hour period when the full moons coincide, and all Paramortals lose their power until the next moonrise.”
“Zeus’ darkest hour! This is serious.”
“Yes, well, we’ll worry about that after we find River.”
In other words, we had to find him before the Para-moon when all hell would break loose. I couldn’t help but wonder how Jack would respond when a bunch of variants and other unfriendly creatures had twenty-four hours to create havoc on the streets of Destiny.
Chapter 31
“Is this where the party’s goin’ d-down?”
* * *
Tempe
La Gra
nd Morte was indeed dead. The ancient swamp had been barren for so long that the trees had petrified in their stumpy stages. The bed was cracked from lack of moisture, some of the chalky grey crevices curled up along the edges, and many were pulverized into a powder. Each step Dylan took along the bank created a tiny puff of matter I was pretty sure I didn’t want to inhale. There was a lot to making a beautiful gemstoned antique into a viable genie bottle.
Dylan threw a military style duffle down at Aurora’s feet. “Careful, Dylan,” Aurora scolded. “Buzzard’s knees, but you can be such a man sometimes. Tempe, please bring the new amphora over here and help Dylan carefully unpack the contents of this bag. I’ll set up the base for the ceremony.”
She gathered several items from the bag and the new amphora and walked out into the center of the flat lifeless swamp, her feet not kicking up the first bit of dust.
“Did you find a Djinni?” I asked Dylan.
“Uh-huh.” He unpacked three more items and followed Aurora across the lake.
“Wait—”
“Is this where the party’s goin’ d-down?” asked a young familiar voice behind me.
I whirled to find Andy Rush standing hands in his pockets, looking out across the old swamp toward Dylan and Aurora.
Of course. Andy was the newest Djinni, and a good choice because he was already connected to River through their training sessions.
Aurora motioned for us to cross over to where she and Dylan had been busy setting up a small altar. “Hurry on over, Andy.”
Aurora placed candles at five points on the perimeter circle Dylan had marked with salt. After Andy and I entered the circle, he closed it with the remaining salt.
“Hand me the other herbs and minerals from the bag please, Tempe.”
I recognized the wolf-bane, mugwort, Job’s Tears, and Cinquefoil. “What are these?” I held the brown pieces of root in one hand and what looked like twigs in the other.
Dylan said, “The one in your left hand is High John the Conqueror, and the ‘twigs’ ironically sometimes called that, are devil’s shoestring. It provides power, while the High John helps with healing. And this little package…” he pulled a mesh bag from his pocket “…will purify River’s new home.”
He bent over to pick up five small stones from the pack. “And these little jewels are boji stones for protection.”
“You two stop gabbing and help me finish setting up before we run out of time,” Aurora said.
I didn’t know we had a time limit. “Midnight?”
Aurora smiled, placing a large clear crystal in the center. “Yes. Andy has a curfew. Andy, stand over there at the South side of the circle where you can hold your arms over those two points. Tempe, over here at the head, and Dylan and I will stand opposite here. We’re one week from the full Quickening Moon and our Para-moon. We’ll pay homage to them as well. Tempe, please light the candles.”
I looked around for matches.
Dylan cleared his throat, and Aurora raised an eyebrow. “As a Tempestaerie, please.”
I swallowed. It was a defining moment, here in the night with two Paramortal pros. They didn’t cajole, or intimidate, or push me to do what I was supposed to be able to do. They simply expected it to be done. Immediately.
So I extended my hand and brought fire from that well of Qi’menori inside me. Like a Zippo in the shape of a finger, my flame blossomed briefly then burned steadily as I lit the five candles representing earth, air, water, fire and spirit. I took my place at the top of the five-pointed star.
There was a bright three quarter moon surrounded by a halo and the stars were so bright and distinct, they seemed pluckable. Pleiades was clearly visible. I loved its nickname—the seven little sisters. It kind of reminded me of the SOAPs.
We held hands. “Damn, Tempe,” Dylan said. “Put the flame out first.” He licked his palm where the fire had left a burn mark. The mark disappeared.
“Sorry.” I extinguished the flame and took his hand and Aurora’s.
“On Freya’s night of Venus, goddess of love and happiness. Under the seven sisters of Pleaides —Maia, Alcyone, Asterope, Taygeta, Celaeno, Merope and Elektra,”
I was counting in my head and lost track. Would that affect the spell? Regardless, Aurora went on…
“On the approach of the Quickening Full Moon,
I call upon the power of Earth to the North.
Hail and Welcome.
I call upon the power of Air to the East.
Hail and Welcome.
I call upon the power of Fire to the South.
Hail and Welcome.
I call upon the power of Water to the West.
Hail and Welcome.
I call upon the powers of our Spirit guides to join us in this circle for the purpose of protection for two of our own.”
I’d never been to one of these ceremonies before, but I felt the connection to the elements Aurora implored. Especially the elements that ruled Tempestaeries like me and Phoebe, air and water. As she called to them, my blood seemed to flow much faster through my veins, and I saw the detail in the landscape around us.
Where the dead swamp had seemed just a flat expanse of grey gumbo, I could suddenly make out the pattern of tiny roots in the surface, and small fissures around the dead stumps in the distance, thirty or forty yards away. She continued.
“Sister, Brother, Djinni kin,
Mentor, guardian, apprentice within
The circle protects, distributes the power
For all supplicants at the appointed hour
That hour we know not but we pray it is soon
For the one endangered to be found by Full Moon”
Aurora lit another white candle and the scent of sage rose with smoke from the small tray in front of her. She dribbled salt around the midnight blue amphora, and placed ladies’ stones at three points on the circle.
“With salt and flame and herbs and metals dear
We purge malevolent spirits
From the hearth of River’s amphora
And call on the three ladies to protect this hearth
Until our Djinn’s son, River comes home.”
She held out her hand. Dylan placed four small cylindrical tubes in her palm. Lighting the herbs in the wide pan near the amphora, she threw the tubes into it. They exploded, sending sparklers and three plumes of light into the air.
“Fair Ladies forgive the inaccuracy of the color.
Fourth of July fireworks were all I could find.”
There was a vibration beneath our feet, and Aurora said, “Stand firm, everyone.” The amphora rocked from side to side, moving faster until it was clearly vibrating on its base like a child’s top.
Andy blanched and said, “Whoa,” as a dark smoky shape exited the top of the navy container, followed by several smaller slender shapes, offspring? Ugh, house cleaning. The three stones glowed red like charcoal briquettes and the shapes dissipated. Another popped out of the back door and was zapped out of existence.
Now I knew why Marty had been terrified of River’s amphora. There had been spirits still left in it that might have enslaved him. The devil’s in the details…
Aurora took my hand again and held it up.
“For the Tempestaerie here
Father Sun and Mars provide protection
Mercury speed healing,
Mental acuity and communication.”
She uncovered a circlet made of vines and placed it on my head, returning to her place.
“We ask for clear answers to find the ‘son’ and
Light surround father, mother, brother.
Bring clarity to the connections within the family bond”
What did that mean? It was all some kind of rhyming astral puzzle, and I didn’t know enough to figure it out. I looked over at Dylan who winked at me and grinned. We both looked at Andy who was getting tired of holding his arms out at the forty-five degree angle.
“Bless the young apprentice and the ‘son’
&
nbsp; In whose place he stands,
Make swift and sure discovery of that one
So the evil can be banned.
As new life permeates the ground under our feet,
We demand old evil here make a final retreat.”
For the first time, I noticed tiny sprigs of grass bursting forth from the dead earth. Then as quickly, small springs of water spurted from the cracks and ran across the ground. The years-dead limbs on stumps seemed to inhale and began to extend, twigs becoming thin branches that thickened and turned into limbs as the stumps rose out of the wet muck.
Five inches of water now lapped at the edge of the circle, as if we stood in a glass enclosed cylinder. Aurora lifted her hands and we all followed her lead.
“To the Eastern guardians of the Air,
If you cannot stay, thank you and farewell.
To the Western guardians of the Water,
If you cannot stay, thank you and farewell.
To the Northern guardians of the Earth,
If you cannot stay, thank you and farewell.
To the Southern guardians of the Fire,
If you cannot stay, thank you and farewell.
I bind the Spirit guides of the Paramortal nations to
follow, lead and protect those present in the pursuit and elimination of ones intent on harming River Pomeroy
Blessed Be.”
Dylan chimed in, “Blessed Be.”
I was too late, so I just stood there waiting to see what came next. Hopefully, we’d get out of this cylinder surrounded by growing waves of water before we drowned.
“You have so little faith, Tempest,” said Dylan who kicked the salt line barrier. I gasped expecting the water to pour into our space. I went for River’s bottle and the lids, but Aurora beat me to it. She took her time, pulled a leather tote from under the altar and set it on top as Dylan put the candles out and loaded the supplies into his duffle bag.
“Place the amphora, with the lids removed, into the bag and strap it in. Set the rocks around the base and cover it with the cloth inside, then surround it with the High John, Job’s Tears and Wolf-bane until you get it to River.
