“I’m more worried about going blind,” Dolph said. “Didn’t every character on that show go blind?”
“Only a handful,” I countered. “You’re far more likely to come down with a communicable disease and die than go blind.”
“Oh, well, that makes me feel better,” Dolph deadpanned.
“You know, now that I think about it, I should’ve picked a different nickname.” Nellie thoughtfully stroked his beard. “I don’t like Nellie Oleson.”
“Who does?” Luke challenged.
“I’m just saying that it’s weird now that I think about it,” Nellie said. “In fact … wait. Wasn’t that woman in the woods named Caroline Olsen? Maybe she was a Little House on the Prairie fan and conjured up these little … things … to mess with us.”
As unlikely as I found the suggestion, I couldn’t entirely shake off the similarities. “We’ll go back and ask her tomorrow.”
“Can we please focus on these things?” Kade asked, his voice high-pitched. The man in the hat was back, staring directly at Kade, as if entranced by his beauty.
“Oh, look,” Luke teased. “I think Kade has a fan. It’s almost as if he wants to start a romance or something with our resident security stud. I think he’s making kissing faces.”
I stared closer. “No. He’s talking. We simply can’t hear him.”
“What makes you think he’s talking?” Raven asked, pushing forward.
“His lips are flapping like he’s talking. I’ve seen the phenomenon before.”
“Oh.” Raven narrowed her eyes. “I can’t read his lips.”
“I didn’t know you could read lips,” Percival said nervously from behind us. “I learn something new about you every day.”
“I can’t read lips, but I thought I might be able to pick something out.”
“Why is he staring at me?” Kade complained, shifting to move away from the man in the hat. “I don’t like it. He’s creepy.”
I had to agree. The dude was definitely creepy. The way his ethereal face moved under the limited light made him look almost skeleton-like. The result was jarring.
“It’s okay.” I reached out to grab Kade’s hand but found he’d retreated farther down the dreamcatcher line. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to see if he’s going to follow,” Kade answered. “Look at that. He is. It’s as if he knows I’m weirded out by him or something.”
“He does seem abnormally attached to Kade,” Raven noted, her head tilted in such a manner that she looked like a scientist about to run an experiment. “Look at that one.” She pointed toward a robust woman standing across the line from Max. “She’s following Max like the hat guy follows Kade.”
“What do you think that means?” Kade asked.
“I have no idea,” Raven replied. “I want to test out a few others. Naida, move down the line and see if anyone follows.”
Naida did as Raven asked. None of the ethereal figures followed her. In fact, they paid her zero attention.
“Interesting,” Raven muttered. “Poet, you do the same.”
I understood what Raven was trying to uncover, so I followed her orders without complaint. One of the figures, another woman, followed me. Even though I couldn’t make out her facial features, she looked like the unhappy sort. “She’s like my mirror,” I said. “The hat guy is Kade’s mirror and the other woman is Max’s mirror.”
“Yeah. It’s definitely interesting.” Raven licked her lips. “I’m going to try it now.” She conducted her own experiment, but none of the figures followed. When she returned, she seemed even more confused than when she’d left. “They’re not interested in the pixies or me. That seems to indicate it’s not the power they’re most attracted to.”
“Max is powerful,” I argued. “I might not be on the same level as you, but I’m powerful, too.”
“Yes, but what about Kade?” Raven’s eyes were thoughtful when they landed on my ashen boyfriend. He seemed to be growing more agitated by the second. I wanted to do something to help him, but I had no idea what that might entail.
“Kade is part mage,” Luke pointed out. “He might be more powerful than any of us realize. Although … you sleep with him, Poet. Has he ever blown the lid off your pickle jar while doing … you know?”
It took me a moment to process the question. “I’ll kill you if you’re not careful.”
“I was just asking.” Luke’s amusement was obvious. “You can sense things. Have you sensed magic in him?”
I swallowed hard, unsure how to answer. “I don’t know,” I answered finally. “There are times I think I might’ve brushed up against something inside him, but it could just as easily be my imagination.”
“What does that mean?” Kade asked, his voice cracking. “Am I going to turn into something … different?”
“I don’t think so.” I looked to Max for answers. “You’re his father. Shouldn’t you be able to answer these questions for him?”
“I would if I knew what to say.” Max turned grave as he stared at the son he barely knew. “I think it’s entirely possible you’re more powerful than you realize, son. I don’t know why you didn’t manifest when you were younger. Perhaps it was simply because you didn’t know you could.
“I don’t know much about half-mage children,” he continued. “In fact, mages aren’t supposed to be able to have children at all. That rule has lapsed a bit over the years, but I know there are very few born mages. One in particular – she’s become infamous because she absorbed a book to add to her powerbase – has been considered the most powerful mage ever born. I’ve yet to meet her. I’ve thought about looking her up.”
“Why don’t you?” Kade asked.
“My understanding is that she kills first and asks questions later,” Max replied ruefully. “I’m strong, but if she’s stronger … well, let’s just say I’m not in the mood to die. She has a young daughter. There’s debate whether the child will be more powerful than her. I do eventually want to meet them.
“Kade is different, though,” he continued. “His mother was human. My understanding is that the female mage of terror is the offspring of two mages, which is definitely frowned upon. Kade is only the offspring of one mage.”
“So, you’re saying you have no idea if I’ll somehow start shooting magic sparkles out of my fingers?” Kade gestured toward the lights Max conjured. “You don’t know if these creatures marking me as equal to you and Poet is normal or something bad, do you?”
“I know you’re a good man,” Max said gently. “If you manifest, you’ll be a good mage.”
“Like you?”
“You’ll be better than me. I’ve never had a problem with the mage stuff. Being a good man was more difficult. You’re already a good man, a better man than I ever dreamed of being. If you’re magical too, you’ll have a leg up on me.”
They were nice words, but I wasn’t sure Kade was ready to hear them.
“I don’t think I want to be magical,” Kade admitted.
“I’m not sure you have a choice, son.” Max gestured toward the shade following Kade’s every move. “We’ll figure it out. You have my word.”
“And mine,” I added, forcing a smile. “You’re not alone.”
Kade made an effort to return the smile, but it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “At least I have that, huh?”
14
Fourteen
We spent an hour watching the dreamcatcher ghosts before Raven suggested another test.
“I want to split their focus,” she said finally, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the man with the hat. He was so fixated on Kade that it was hard to look anywhere else. “Does anyone else think this guy is all kinds of wacky?”
“Is that your clinical opinion?” I asked dryly.
“No, it’s just … he doesn’t look anywhere else.” Raven moved to Kade’s side and waved her hand. The shadow completely ignored her. “At least the women fixated on you and Max occasionally look at
the rest of us. This guy only stares at Kade.”
“So, what do you want to try?” Max asked, his gaze on his mirror ghost. “Wait … I want to try something first.” He snapped his fingers, igniting the tips and created a small ball of power.
“What is that?” Kade asked, uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other.
“It’s nothing important,” Max answered, flashing a smile for his son’s benefit. “It’s one of the flashier aspects of magic, if you must know the truth. I simply want to see what it does to our friends here. I’m not sure what to make of them, but I’m almost positive they’re not normal ghosts.”
“I definitely agree with you there,” Raven said, moving to the dreamcatcher and pressing her toes against the line so she could get directly in the hat man’s face. “I don’t know that I’d call them shades either. I’m not sure what they are and that totally creeps me out.”
“Look at how they’re dressed,” Kade protested. “They look like extras from a historical reenactment. They must be ghosts. There’s no other explanation.”
“There are plenty of explanations,” Max countered. “Pinning down the correct one is our next task. In fact … .” He stared hard at the woman watching him before letting the small ball of golden flame fly. It smacked directly into the woman, causing the energy crackling around her form to break up. The resulting activity was like a wave coming to shore, and the female form of Max’s mirror ghost completely dissipated.
“That was interesting.” Raven stepped forward so she could better see the broken parts of the former figure. “Is she completely gone or is it a temporary thing?”
“That is the question, isn’t it?” Max was impassive as he stared at the spot where the female ghost had stood moments before. “That wasn’t a lot of magic. If they’re that easy to get rid of it shouldn’t take me long to eradicate of the rest of them.”
Kade looked almost relieved by the suggestion. “Do it then. Get rid of them. I’m not going to be able to sleep knowing they’re out here.”
“Wait a second,” Raven ordered, her eyes flashing. “I want to test a few other things first.”
“Like what?” Kade challenged. “Why does it matter? If Max can get rid of them he should get rid of them.”
“I’m with Raven,” Nellie argued. “I kind of want to see what these things can do before we destroy them all. If they’re as easy to rip apart as what Max just showed, I don’t see the harm.”
“Of course you don’t,” Kade muttered, rubbing the back of his head as he did everything he could to avoid staring at the man in the hat. “You brought an ax to a ghost fight. Your ideas are always awesome.”
I shouldn’t have laughed – the situation was too surreal and everyone was under too much pressure – but I couldn’t stop myself. The sound was low and hollow, but before I knew it almost everyone had joined in with me. Even Kade, however reluctant, flashed a smile.
“I’m sorry,” Kade offered, holding up his hands in a placating manner. “I don’t know what to make of these things. They make me extremely nervous. I’ve never seen anything like them.”
“I think we can all say that,” Max said, moving his attention to the ghost with the hat. He clearly seemed to understand that it was that ghost driving Kade to his emotional extremes. “Raven can run her experiments on them. I’ll take out the one bothering you.”
“I want the one fixated on Poet gone, too,” Kade insisted. “She’s the one most at risk.”
I opened my mouth to counter the statement, but snapped it shut. Arguing with him in his current state would simply make matters worse.
“Then there’s the compromise,” Max supplied. “I’ll take out the other two mirrors right away and allow Raven to play with the others.”
“Great.” Raven excitedly rubbed her hands together. “This is going to be fun.”
I didn’t know if I believed that, but at least she was enthusiastic. “What do you want us to do?”
“First I want Max to oust those two staring ghosts.”
“I really don’t think they’re ghosts,” Max noted as his fingers danced with magic a second time. “They’re something else. It’s intriguing and troubling at the same time.”
“Just get rid of them.” Raven’s patience frayed. “I want to test something.”
“I don’t think I’m going to like the sound of this,” Kade muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watched his father blow the hat-wearing specter to smithereens. The light effect was even cooler this time, as if Kade’s friendly ghost had more energy than the previous one. Still, Kade’s shoulders sagged in obvious relief when his mirror dissipated. That made me feel better.
“It will be fine,” Raven said, grinning. “Let’s see what these things can do, shall we?”
RAVEN SEPARATED EVERYONE into teams … again.
Initially she suggested Kade stay with her while I walk to the other side of the dreamcatcher with Luke, but Kade was having none of that. Even though his courage was clearly bolstered now that he knew Max could so easily get rid of the ghosts, it was obvious he had no intention of letting me wander off on my own … at least not tonight.
“The ghost problem is in hand,” Raven argued. “Your precious Poet isn’t in any danger.”
“What if the ghosts aren’t the danger?” Kade challenged. “What if the ghosts were only sent here to distract us because something else is hanging around?”
That was an interesting suggestion, one I hadn’t fully given thought to. “He’s not wrong,” I said after a beat. “Remy was a human. Er, well, at least she had a corporeal body. She clearly had other attributes and gifts, but she was corporeal.”
“So?” Raven asked blankly.
“So Remy isn’t a ghost … or whatever these things are.” I gestured toward the remaining figures. They glowed bright under Max’s magic, unmoving despite the fact that Max had destroyed three of their brethren. “These things could be simple distractions.”
“You’re saying that checking the boundaries of the dreamcatcher to make sure it’s still intact is the best way to go, aren’t you?” Nellie noted.
I nodded. “Basically.”
“Okay, we’ll break up in teams again,” Luke said. “Kade and Poet will take the north. I’ll go with Naida to the east, and Nellie and Nixie can go that way.” He pointed to the final side of the dreamcatcher. “That means Raven and Max will stay here.”
“Everyone has their phones so we can stay in contact, right?” I asked.
Heads bobbed as everyone geared up.
“Be careful and keep your eyes open,” Max instructed. “I don’t sense immediate danger, but now that I think about it, it’s obvious we’re dealing with more than what we see. Be diligent and safe.”
“That’s how I was born,” Nellie said, gripping his ax in one hand as he adjusted the bodice on his blue evening gown with the other. “I’m always diligent and safe.”
“Yes, those are the two words I always ascribe to you,” Max said dryly, his eyes shifting to Kade. “Be careful. I won’t be far if anyone runs into trouble.”
Kade grabbed my hand and smiled. “I know. I have my bodyguard.”
Max’s smile was kind. “I was talking to both of you.”
KADE AND I SET OUT at a brisk pace. It wasn’t cold, the wind didn’t hurry us along, but we both felt a sense of urgency that we couldn’t quite shake. I wasn’t sure how to explain it.
“You seem anxious,” I said after a few minutes, desperate to break the silence. “You’re okay, aren’t you?”
“I’m more worried about you.”
The sentiment was sweet but unnecessary. “I’m fine. You’re the one unnerved by the ghosts – which I get, by the way, so don’t get worked up about it. I find the ghosts more interesting than anything else.”
“I thought you said they weren’t ghosts.”
“I don’t believe they are. I don’t know what else to call them, so for now they’re ghosts.”
“I guess.” Kade kept his hand wrapped around mine as we walked. “Why do you think that one with the hat was so focused on me?”
I was expecting the question. That didn’t mean I had a good answer. “I don’t know.”
“You must have an idea.”
While I often basked in the fact that Kade seemed to think I had all the answers, this one time it hurt because I didn’t know what to give him to ease the emotional burden he was clearly toiling under. “I don’t know.” I gently let my index finger drift down his cheek. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but this is new for all of us.”
“Is it wrong that I was happier with the world we were already living in?”
“No.” I meant it. “Did you really think you wouldn’t inherit something from Max? I mean … after all you’ve seen, how could you ignore the fact that you were most likely going to manifest magic in some manner?”
“I haven’t manifested, though.” Kade was stubborn. I had to give him that. He tugged his hand from me and ran it through his hair before crossing his arms over his chest. “I haven’t done anything magical. Not one little thing.”
“I think you do a lot of magical things,” I teased, going for levity. “You just don’t happen to do them when we’re fighting monsters.”
Kade’s expression softened, though only marginally. “Very cute.”
“I do my best.”
“I know.” Kade lowered his forehead to mine and sucked in a steadying breath. “I wondered about it at first. When I found out Max was my father I was terrified I would suddenly be able to shoot lasers out of my eyes or develop claws.”
“This isn’t a comic book.”
Kade was rueful. “I know, but I was more familiar with comic books than real-life horror stories. I thought when nothing immediately happened that I’d managed to somehow avoid the curse.”
I furrowed my brow. “Curse? You think magic is a curse?”
“I … think magic is something I’m perfectly fine without.”
Freaky Rites (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 6) Page 13
