by Renée Jaggér
McAlpine tossed me a glare before emptying his glass in one gulp and slamming it on the desk. The stem shattered. I kept myself from jumping and fixed him with an even colder glare.
His face turned crimson. “You might have beaten me this time, but I’m the big fish in this puddle. You are only inviting more problems.” He sent the papers on his desk flying. I had no doubt that Simon’s folder was among them. “You’ve stirred up the supernatural hornets’ nest. Get ready to be stung.” He braced his hands on the desk and leaned toward me, glaring as he continued to seethe. “That’s more than a mere druid can handle.”
At last, my moment came. I wasn’t looking to share who I was becoming and what power I held with everyone and certainly not with the people close to me, but this man was about to go to prison for a very long time. I shrugged and leaned back. “Good thing I’m not a druid then because those all sound like small problems to a goddess.”
McAlpine became as still as a statue, then his jaw dropped. “Wh-what?! That’s impossible.” Whether he was aware of the Morrigan, I did not know, though the crows following me everywhere should have been a sign. I decided it didn’t matter.
I rose, braced my own hands on the desk, and leaned toward him. “How do you keep a shapeshifter out of a prison when he wants in, I wonder? Your actions have shown me enough, Samuel.” I produced my own wicked smile. “Time to pay up.”
We could both hear the police in the building, and a moment later, they entered. McAlpine’s fury vanished, replaced by fear. No doubt he wouldn’t have been afraid of the police if he’d had his magic. Rendered useless, I thought and grinned. How does it feel to be the one without power?
I gave Money Man a little wave as handcuffs were slapped on his wrists. “Until next time.”
I walked out, my new to-do list on my mind.
I didn’t give myself much time to sleep after my meeting with Houndsinn.
I had one last thing to do before starting my new job.
And new life, I thought. I couldn’t quite believe it. A few weeks ago, Simon had sent me on leave, and my mother had encouraged me to see Gran. Now I was starting again. I might even be able to move out of that godsforsaken place I currently call home, I thought. My flat wasn’t too bad, but an upgrade didn’t sound unappealing. In fact, not having my loud-ass neighbors would be more than wonderful.
Before I could do any of that, however, I had to bury the wolf.
I swallowed hard and repressed tears as I climbed into my car for the long drive north. I had yet to call my mother and tell her the news, knowing she would be appalled to learn everything I’d had to do to out McAlpine and land my new job.
I didn’t see any reason to tell her about the wolf’s body in my trunk.
I started the car, shoving down the memory of his body colliding with the tree and the yelp of pain that had followed. It’s only right I bury him at Gran’s, I thought. I didn’t know why it felt right; it just did. My hands tightened on the steering wheel. I had to follow my instincts. They had served me well so far.
Hours later, the ancient forest I’d passed through before loomed in front of me. I’m not afraid of you anymore, I thought. The trees were tall, twisted things that looked as old as McAlpine’s ogham tree, but as I drove past them, I did not feel chills up my spine. I gulped, wishing the wolf was following me instead of on his way to be buried.
I pressed the brake as the sign at the fork came into view. This time, I did not avoid looking at it. I read it, allowing the words to soak into my mind.
Once the wrong turn is made,
the willful strike is stayed.
Choose with wisdom,
avoid thy strife.
Conquerors and kings have died over less.
I shook my head, sighing. I still didn’t understand what it meant, but it didn’t make my stomach churn anymore. I haven’t made a wrong turn yet, I mused, taking the left fork. A short time later, I broke free of the forest’s grasp, and at long last, I was joined by the black crows.
I grinned up at them from my window. “Fancy meeting you here!” A few weeks ago, I had told a crow on my windowsill to “fuck off already,” and now the sight of many of them made me feel...safe. So much for them being omens of death. The thought chilled me. I am death. I am life. I am the goddess of war. Saying such things, even to myself, still felt foreign. I swallowed hard, gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.
The hill and the cottage atop it came into view, and I allowed the darkness within me to be quelled by the relief I felt at the sight of Gran at the end of the path. Waiting for me, I realized. Once more, I had not contacted her to tell her I was coming. I hadn’t even told my mother, but she still knew.
Gran’s smile warmed every part of me, almost lifting the burden I carried. I climbed out of my car and tried to produce a smile to cover what weighed me down, but I could not hide from Gran. She hobbled over to me and folded me into her arms. “Welcome back, my dear.” She spoke as if she knew everything that had happened.
I pulled away to survey her. She looked years older than she had when I last saw her. Her wrinkles were deeper and her back more hunched. Her smile was weaker, as if changing her expression took too much energy out of her.
Living at the top of a hill might not be a great idea anymore, I thought, then released a deep sigh and opened my trunk. The wolf lay in a heap inside. Somehow, he hadn’t started rotting yet. His body was stiff and cold, but no flies had collected around him. I looked up, seeing crows but no other carrion creatures. They didn’t look eager to descend and eat the dead animal.
They know something I don’t, I realized.
When Gran peered into the trunk, sadness filled her expression, and a gasp escaped her lips. She clutched my arm. “Oh, Angelica, this is awful.”
I fought tears. “I want to bury him here.”
Gran’s eyes met mine, and she gave me a sad smile and a nod of understanding. “I think I can muster up a little something for an old friend.”
Questions I had put away in the chaos of the past few days tumbled into my mind. How long had this wolf lived? How many of the Morrigans had he served? I glanced at the crows. Were they the same? I clenched my fists, peering once more at the wolf in my trunk. What would it be like, battling other supernatural creatures without him?
My questions went away, however, when Gran laid her wrinkled, sun-kissed hands on the wolf’s side. Her fingers sank into his fur. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
A moment later, I stumbled back. The creature in my trunk heaved in a breath and lifted his head. My hand flew to my mouth as shock coursed through me. Gran stepped back, smiling. The wolf licked her hand, then her face. I moved back as he hopped out of the trunk. He ran around Gran first, tongue dripping as he panted. Then he sprang toward me like a puppy.
I laughed as he landed on me. If anyone saw us, they would be appalled to see my delight at being attacked by an enormous wolf. “Well, what the hell do I do now?” I asked Gran. “I can’t take a wolf home with me, dead or alive.”
Gran came to my side and looped her arm through mine. “We let him do as he has always done. The wolf and the crows have lives of their own, but they will come to you when you need them.”
I could not take my eyes off the wolf, even when he lifted a leg and peed in the grass. “I’ll need to learn that trick, Gran.”
Gran patted my hand and smiled. “You will learn it and much more, but for now, I need to rest my old bones.”
I helped Gran up the hill, confirming that the cottage didn’t seem like the best place for her to live anymore. She’ll never leave, though, I told myself. This is her sanctuary. Even with the glamour gone, I knew it was mine, too. The wolf ventured up the hill with us. The crows drifted overhead.
“I have so much to tell you, Gran.”
She patted my hand again. “I know, my dear. I have felt a shift in you. Your power has grown.”
“I’m afraid, Gran. The man I defeated, h
e...well, he said I’ve upset the supernatural hornets’ nest. I know he was just trying to mess me up, but what if he’s right? There has to be more danger out there than goblins and druids.” I had seen the names of other creatures in Douglas’ research. After my encounter with the phouka and Redcap, I knew many of them were real.
Gran’s expression grew somber. “You may have done, my dear, but that is what being the Morrigan means. You received your power to defeat other creatures as well.” Her grin returned. “You can also become friends with some of them.”
I smiled, remembering that Douglas had dressed up as a redcap for Halloween one year.
Gran leaned into me as we came to the top of the hill. “You will have time to learn, my dear. Soon enough, you won’t be a fish in some puddle but a warship carving through the waves.” She squeezed my arm. “All in good time.”
Time, I realized, hadn’t always been on my side. Not when my brother had died, and in many other instances as well. I’ll make it be on my time, I decided. Whether the goblins or druids or gods like it or not.
Epilogue
The first thing I did after taking over McAlpine’s office was redecorate. He hadn’t had the chance to clean out his Celtic-looking relics before he was taken away by the police. Douglas might want to look at those, I thought, so I packed them for him to examine later. I kept the ornate oak desk, but nothing else was my style.
If my mother ever came to visit, she would call my new office space “too practical and in need of my flourish.” I grinned at my desk, thinking of her as I scanned the small number of items on it. Douglas’ research was still piled up for me to read. Next to the stack was a framed photo of some children I had met in Haiti. A reminder, I told myself, of the world out there. I had helped my community avert a crisis, but there was a whole world out there that was in a lot of danger.
I was just taking a seat when there was a knock on the heavy oak doors. I grinned. “Come in.” The person I had been expecting all morning walked in, wearing the exact expression I had anticipated. Dr. Simon Lorne looked nervous, as if a million questions about who the new director was filled his mind. His nervousness turned to shock mixed with confusion.
“An-Angelica?” Surprise didn’t allow him to use my nickname.
I laughed as his eyes widened, then scanned the room, noting its changes. He raked a hand through his hair. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
I rose and slid a steaming cup of coffee across the desk. “Coffee, Simon?”
Simon stared at the mug and then at me. “It’s you. Houndsinn replaced McAlpine with you.”
I nodded.
With a bewildered expression, Simon slipped into the chair opposite me. I sipped from my own cup of coffee.
Finally, Simon gave me a nervous smile. “To be honest, Ang, I walked in here expecting another version of McAlpine, even though Houndsinn promised change.”
I flashed Simon a smile. “I wasn’t going to let him choose just anyone.”
Simon shook his head. “Did you know it would be you?”
I shook my head. “I was as surprised as you are right now.” To myself, I added, Though I shouldn’t have been. My power got me here. I slid an envelope across the desk. “By the way, here is my two weeks' notice, along with a vacation request to make up for the days I have already missed.”
Simon chuckled as he took it. “I can’t say I’m happy I won’t see you around the hospital, but...” His voice trailed off, his expression still bewildered.
“But we’ll be working together,” I finished. “I plan on approving whatever you ask for. I hope you know that. I would love to hear about everything you need.” I cleared my throat and corrected myself. “Everything we need.” I wasn’t an EMT anymore, but I was just as dedicated to the hospital as I had been when I was employed there.
Simon’s eyes lifted to meet my gaze again, and his brows drew together. “I have so many questions, Ang.”
I nodded and stiffened. How much could I tell him without him thinking I was insane?
Simon leaned back. “I guess I’d like to start with asking you how you got the job.” His eyes glittered. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Reginald Houndsinn doesn’t offer jobs to just anyone, especially if they involve overseeing a lot of money.”
I grinned. “I know that.” I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “I suppose being a heroic celebrity is just what is needed when your philanthropic trust is under scrutiny for major malfeasance.”
Simon shook his head in disbelief. “Okay, Crow Lady.”
“Don’t call me that.” I was serious, but a smile tugged at my lips.
He lifted his hands defensively. “Okay, you’re the boss.”
“I don’t think I like that, either.”
Simon shifted in his seat. “We’re both going to have to get used to it.”
I leaned back and folded my hands. “So, Dr. Lorne, what will I be approving today?”
Simon, however, didn’t seem interested in talking about work just yet. He asked another question, but I waved him off. “I’d be glad to tell you the whole story sometime soon.” I tilted my head, my heart beating faster. “Maybe over dinner?”
Simon’s eyes twinkled. “I’d love to. How about this weekend?”
I shook my head. “I’m going to visit my gran this weekend, but will next week work?”
Simon nodded. “Whenever you can, Ang. You’re the busy one now.”
I found it hard to imagine a busier work schedule than what I was used to as an EMT, but I was willing to embrace it. Now that I would be overseeing the funding for hospitals and businesses, I could hire Douglas to run Morgan’s Murder online. “Now, tell me what I’m approving funding for today.”
Simon dragged a hand through his hair once more and adjusted his glasses. “Well, for starters, I’ll need to hire someone to replace my best EMT. She decided to just up and leave and—”
I threw a wad of paper at him. “Funding for hiring more staff, check. Done.” I pulled a pen and a checkbook out of the desk.
Simon’s eyes widened. “As easy as that?”
“As easy as that.”
My stomach lurched as his kind eyes met mine. Were those butterflies fluttering inside me? I shoved the thoughts away. I wish I could tell you everything, Simon. I wish you could know just like Mum and Gran and Douglas, but I can’t. I remembered the photograph Gran had shown me of her with the man she fell in love with in 1944. I wouldn’t call it a mistake, but I wasn’t going to do the same thing. Not while I was just getting started, anyway.
I was the Morrigan. Even though I didn’t feel like a goddess of war, I could not ignore the power within me.
“Remember when we were in Haiti, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life yet?” I asked.
Simon’s brows rose. “Yes, I remember. What are you getting at, Ang?”
I smiled. “Nothing much. Just that, well, you told me I should be an EMT, and I listened to you. I don’t listen to very many people.”
Simon’s eyes twinkled. “I know.”
“Thank you for what you said to me there. One thing leads to another; I see that now. Your influence led me here.” I knew Simon didn’t look at “here” for me the same way I did. Becoming a goddess had nothing to do with my friend’s influence, but if I hadn’t had medical experience, I wouldn’t have done as good a job.
Simon sipped his coffee. “You don’t need to thank me, Angelica.”
I signed the check and handed it to him. “We’re just getting started.”
The Story Continues
The story continues with books two, The Way of Wisdom.
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Note from Renée
July 13, 2021
Here we are at the start of a new series. If you’ve read either or both of my other two series, Callie Hart and Werewitch, I thank you and welcome you back. For those of you who are new, a bit about me…
I grew up in Los Angeles
and now live in a small town in Arizona (more about that for returning readers). It’s just me and my dog Josephine; she is a Labradoodle. Or something. I’m really not sure since she’s a rescue, but that’s as close as I can come. Did you ever wonder who rules the world? It’s her. And she does it from her air-conditioned living room in Arizona, where it was 106 today.
She is less eager to ride in the red Jeep during the summer, and I can’t leave her in the car, so she has much narrower horizons since we moved in May. Well, there will be other times. I have been told that the seasons in my part of Arizona are Really Hot (that’s where we are now. Climate change, anyone?), This Is Why We Live Here, Really Cold, and This Is Why We Live Here. I have only seen the first, aside from a couple of days in May, but I can’t disagree that it’s really hot!
For those who have returned to me (and thank you again), I moved (the less said about that, the better). I am a little closer to my family now, and I have given up the dripping wilds of Oregon for rural northwestern Arizona. Yes, it IS a dry heat! Storm went to live with her grandmother in California, so it’s just Jo and me now, although I am sure another companion, dog or cat, is in the works…when I get back from my upcoming trip. If my passport gets here in time. Grrrr… (that was part of the adventures during the move).
I wrote in my last author notes that I was going to spend time overseas, but I moved instead. I will, however, be traveling to and writing from Europe later this year, starting at the end of August. Who knows, maybe our heroine will get to travel too? Probably not, since the world is locked in a pandemic, not unlike the one we are coming out of these days (at least in the US).
So, the essentials of my life now: Yes, this town has a Starbucks (three, actually) and some excellent fish tacos. For new readers, just know that I am addicted. Also, I have always liked Mexican food, and some of the places here serve food that is out of this world! Chicken mole forever!
