Spells & Ashes

by Kim Richardson

  “I can see that,” I sassed. Part of me wanted to smash his head against the wall. I looked at my aunt, her expression telling me that it had been a giant waste of time. But I had to try. I had to be sure.

  So, the amulet was burned out. I wasn’t about to give up. Hell no. I wasn’t going to let Vargal kill this woman nor let him summon his pal, the pagan god Nergal.

  Something stirred in me, and I pulled my gaze back to the kid. “Colin,” I asked, my pulse hammering. “How was it that you shared her mind? Do you know her?” Maybe all the psychics in New York knew each other like us witches. Maybe there was a whole community of them that we’d never heard of.

  “I don’t know her,” said the kid, shaking his head. “I’ve never met her before. But I know her name is Trish, and she’s your age, twenty-five,” he told me, and I knew better than to ask how he knew my age. And then I wondered how much the kid knew about me? Did he know everything? Just by looking at me, did he know all my dark secrets?

  “I know she works at Chase Bank,” continued Colin, and I yanked myself out of those morbid thoughts. “It’s like one minute I was here with you, and the next I was with her. I don’t know how it happened. It just did.”

  “Evanora knows,” said the old witch, and Colin stiffened. “The boy shares a connection with the Greater demon. When the demon entered his mind, he created a permanent link.”

  I perked up. “Really?” That, I could use. “Then the same is true with Trish. So when Vargal started to hurt her, it opened the connection to Colin. And Trish being a psychic, she joined her mind to Colin’s. She then latched on to him,” I said, as I continued connecting the dots, “and begged him to help her. Hoping he would tell someone. Hoping someone would save her.” Like me.

  With a slight nod of her head, my aunt made a noise of agreement in her throat. She knew I was onto something.

  “What does this all have to do with anything?” expressed Logan, his face wrinkled in a frown. “It doesn’t solve our problem if Vargal has a new psychic. He has his five souls now. What’s to stop him from summoning the god tonight?”

  “It has everything to do with this,” I snapped. My tension spiked making me light headed. “Colin. When you shared Trish’s mind, did Vargal see you? Or sense you were there with her?” A plan started to form in my head.

  “No,” answered the kid and then he shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

  “Good.” I let out a breath. “That’s good enough for me.”

  Logan turned his eyes on me again, his features still holding doubt. “What are you thinking?”

  “Vargal doesn’t know that we know he’s found another psychic,” I answered, my breath fast. “And I think he doesn’t know that Colin and he share a connection.”

  Logan stared at me for a moment. “So?”

  “So?” I almost laughed. My heart pounded with excitement. I was almost smiling. Looking at my aunt now, the tiny smirk on her lips told me she knew exactly what I was thinking.

  “Colin,” I said, turning back to the kid. “Do you think you could find out where they are?” I heard Logan’s intake of breath, and now my grandfather was smiling proudly. “Can you ask Trish? I know it’s asking a lot, and it might even risk Vargal finding out. But if you do this, we have a real chance at finding Trish and stopping Vargal.”

  “Sam,” interjected my grandpa. “That could hurt Colin. Even kill him if what that old bag said is true,” he added, winning an angry grunt from my aunt.

  “He’s right, Sam,” said Kyllian. “You’re putting the boy at risk.”

  “I’m not a boy,” said Colin, looking flustered. “I haven’t been a boy since I was five.”

  “What would you have me do?” My voice rose as I stared up at the tall angel. “I don’t know how else to find him. We need to stop the demon, Kyllian. The world’s at risk if we don’t.”

  “He could die.” Kyllian glowered at me, and I could see he was taking this way too personally. “Find another way.”

  I sighed. “Kyllian, listen—”

  “I’ll do it,” said the kid before I’d finished my sentence.

  I beamed. “Thank you, Colin.” This was going to work. I could feel it.

  I watched as Colin slowly got to his feet, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He stood there for a moment, and part of me wanted to ask him later what woman Logan was thinking about. The other part told me to shut it and concentrate.

  Colin opened his eyes and turned to me. “But I’m coming with you.”

  “Absolutely not!” Kyllian and I chorused together.

  Colin looked unabashed. “Either you let me come with you, or I’m not telling you where they are.”

  The little shit. The sneaky, little shit. “Why would you want to risk your life? You saw what he is. What he’s capable of.” And on his face I saw my own answer. That was exactly the reason why.

  “I’m coming,” repeated the kid.

  “This is dangerous. Deathlike dangerous.” I could spell him to tell me. Then I’d force him to stay here where it was safe with Gramps.

  “Don’t even think about spelling me,” said Colin, startling me.

  Damn. “Stop reading my mind,” I warned, pointing a finger at him. Having a mind reader in my home would take some getting used to. I looked at the others. “If you guys have a problem with Colin coming with us, now’s the time to speak up.”

  Colin crossed his arms in challenge. I was really starting to like this kid. He had more balls than a lot of witches twice his age.

  I cast my gaze around the faces. “No objections? Fine. Then Colin, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  “Okay,” said Logan, his expression intent. “So what happens when we find him?”

  I searched Logan’s face and saw that same fierce determination I felt. “We stick to the plan. You,” I said, pointing to Logan and Kyllian, “with your celestial blades, and me with my magic.”

  I took a steadying breath and said, “We find Vargal, and then we kill the son of a bitch.”

  22

  Ten minutes later we were out of the house and all sandwiched inside a New York City cab, going north on the NY-9A to Yonkers, New York. Kyllian was in the front with the driver because, well, he was just too big to fit in the back. Me, Logan, and Colin were in the back while Poe was perched on my shoulder.

  A team of badass, supernatural fighters and killers, who’d killed our share of demons and other supernatural baddies, and none of us had a car. Yup. We were a sorry bunch.

  The driver, a dark-skinned man, kept throwing nervous glances at Poe through his rearview mirror. I had to pay the driver an extra twenty bucks so he’d let Poe in with me. He kept on rambling about the bird flu. I couldn’t explain to the idiot human that Poe was a demon and therefore could not transfer any kind of virus. Then he’d never let us in. So I’d paid the man to shut him up.

  The cab stank of cigarette smoke, old vomit, and mildew, all mixed with the overbearing scent of pine coming from the hanging, tree-shaped air freshener. I rolled down the window a few inches. Even the scent of hot pavement and exhausts was better.

  “If that bird shits in my cab,” came the driver’s voice from the front.

  I let out an exasperated breath. “He won’t,” I told him, for the fourth time in the space of twenty-five minutes.

  “If I get sick,” shrilled the driver as though I hadn’t spoken. “If I catch the bird flu and die, it’ll be your fault! I’m a family man. I have children. Who’s going to take care of them if I die?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re not going to die,” I answered, my voice flat. “You won’t get the bird flu. Trust me, if my bird was contagious, don’t you think I’d be showing some symptoms?”

  Poe leaned in and whispered in my ear, “If he wants a virus, let’s give him one so he can shut the hell up. Smallpox would be a real kicker.”

  I smiled, having thought of doing just that. But hexing the idiot driver would be way too much fun and way too easy, not to
mention that it wouldn’t help us if he fell ill. We still needed the driver to be healthy to drive us.

  “Next time, Poe,” I whispered back, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. I saw the driver frown at me speaking to my bird.

  The mix of fear and exhilaration filling me grew from the undeniable fact that I was going to find Vargal and make him pay for Julia’s soul and the other souls he took.

  Colin sat between me and Logan. I looked at him now. He’d been quiet since we got in, hands in his lap and picking at his nails with his lips pressed in a thin line.

  The kid might be small, but he made up for it with strength of mind. He was tough. Back at the house, he’d closed his eyes and contacted Trish through his mind as soon as our deal was made—though I was already starting to regret it. He told us where to find her, or rather she told him, which explained our driving north to Yonkers, New York.

  Vargal had taken her to what Colin described was an abandoned power plant. Cold and wet, he’d kept repeating, and I wondered if he was describing how Trish was feeling.

  My blood pressure rose. Trish was still alive, but not for long. Vargal wouldn’t miss his chance again. He was doing this tonight. I was sure of it.

  I didn’t know what to expect once we got there. I didn’t even know, between the five of us, if we could actually vanquish a Greater demon. But we had to try.

  Frustration hit me, and it must have shown on my face because I saw Logan snap his attention to me. Our eyes met, and a tingling jolt rushed through me. I couldn’t help it. There was just something about how he was looking at me, almost as though he was enjoying what he was seeing.

  I don’t know why, but I just kept looking at him—his dark, sensual eyes and kissable lips. I studied them with the breathless understanding that he was dangerous now, whereas before he’d been simply annoying.

  Logan looked away first and stared out the window, leaving me even more curious as to what the hell had just happened. Did he find me attractive? Or did he just want to see what it was like to have sex with a witch?

  At the thought, Colin looked up at me and gave me a knowing smile.

  Kid, you’re starting to freak me out.

  “Get used to it,” answered Colin smugly, a far cry from the scared little kid we’d rescued last night.

  We both laughed, and I felt some of the tension in the cab roll out the window.

  Three minutes later, the cab pulled up to the curb.

  “Out. Get out!” cried the driver. “Out! All of you!”

  I frowned as I opened the door. “Man. He’s asking for it.” I stepped out and walked up to the driver, paid him, and waved as he sped away as fast as the car would go.

  Kyllian shook with laughter. It was nice seeing him sober again with a smile and purpose shining in his eyes.

  “Humans,” said Poe, and he shifted on my shoulder. “Afraid of a tiny bird. And I didn’t even get the chance to drop a little souvenir.”

  I gave the raven a rub under his chin and looked around. We stood on a narrow street lined with warehouses and apartment complexes that looked like they’d survived a world war. Across from us was a vacant lot blocked off with a drooping chain-link fence. Tall grass grew up through the cracks in the pavement, and garbage littered the street, along with shattered beer bottles and cigarette butts.

  And before us loomed a massive red-brick building.

  Two tall chimneys jutted from the top like giant horns from Hell. Half the building sat in the Hudson River while the other half stood on land, like it just wanted to get its feet wet. Rows of blackened windows stared back at us, and darkness gaped in the arches and doorways of the building, like empty eyes of a giant beast. No lights shone from the inside to give any hint of the glow of candles. The only light came from tall streetlamps that lined the street, casting spidery shadows over the road.

  “What a cheerful place,” I said, a mock smile on my face. “Perfect for the winter solstice. Makes me want to take off my clothes and dance around a fire.” Logan looked at me, but I kept my eyes on the structure.

  “A beast of a building,” muttered Poe, still perched on my shoulder. “Must be thousands of square feet.”

  He was right. It was humongous—six stories high and the size of a large hospital. Vargal could be anywhere. It would take us hours to scout the entire building, but Trish didn’t have hours.

  “One hundred and sixty-five thousand square feet,” said Logan, coming forward to stand next to me. “Built in 1907 to hold electrical generators that provided power for the railroad.”

  I looked at him. “I’m impressed. How the hell did you know that?”

  He grinned. “Google.”

  Together, the five of us crossed the street toward the main building of the abandoned power plant. The gravel in the front entrance shone in the half light from the distant streetlamps. Walking among its buildings was like exploring a post-apocalyptic ghost town. Graffiti littered the exterior walls like giant, mismatched murals, but the bright colors did nothing to improve the dilapidated structure.

  A doorway lay open in silent invitation into the mouth of the beast. Even in the semidarkness we could still make out faded, black letters just above the frame that read ENTRANCE. A large piece of plywood lay beyond the opening, the middle cracked as though it had suffered a great blow.

  “Looks like someone kicked it open,” I said. Like a Greater demon called Vargal.

  Kyllian moved next to me, his face covered in shadow. “I’m sensing lots of demon energies. This is definitely the place.” Smiling, the angel whipped out his blade, a wild look in his eyes.

  Yeah. This was going to be a fun night.

  “Is it me, or does he look a little too excited,” commented Poe.

  I had to agree. The tightness in my gut reappeared tenfold and I turned to Colin. “You still sure you want to do this? There’s no shame in waiting out here for us.”

  Colin gave me a look like I’d just slapped him. “I’m coming. You said I could. We made a deal.”

  “I like this kid,” cawed Poe.

  I sighed and adjusted the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder. “I know I did. I just want you to make sure you understand what’s going to happen.”

  “We’re killing the demon,” answered the kid in a voice that said we’d already taken care of it. “That’s what’s going to happen.”

  I frowned, wondering if the boy could see into the future. That wasn’t one of the many abilities he’d shared with us. Perhaps there was more to Colin than he let on.

  “Colin, can you pinpoint where she is? With your mind. Like what you did before at Sam’s place?” Logan moved to stand next to the boy.

  “It’s too risky,” I said before Colin could answer. “We can’t risk tipping off Vargal that we’re coming, or that Colin is here.”

  “He might already know,” said Logan. “And this could be a trap.”

  “I thought about that.” I looked at the raven. “You ready?”

  Poe made a caw of approval and flapped his wings. “You kidding? I’m always ready.”

  “Poe,” I said as twin feelings of fear and excitement lit through me. “Please be careful. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

  “I’ve got this.” The raven took off in a flutter of wings and feathers and shot straight through the entrance of the building like a black arrow. I kept my eyes on him until he was swallowed by the darkness.

  I turned to the others. “Poe’s going to scout for traps. Trust me. He’s the best at sensing magical traps and wards. We’re basically blind and deaf by comparison. He’ll also look for Trish. Let’s move.”

  Kyllian was second through the entrance, galloping into the darkness beyond. No doubt he had super night vision aided by his angelic abilities.

  But I had something better.

  I shoved my hand inside my bag and pulled out a small crystal globe the size of an apple and said, “Inluminent.”

  The globe shone
with a brilliant white light, like a miniature star, bathing me and twenty feet beyond in its luminance.

  “Cool,” said Colin. The smile on the kid’s face made my heart melt. “Here.” I reached for his hand and placed the globe in it. “You carry it.”

  “Thanks.” Colin stared wide eyed at the spelled globe, his face covered in white light, making him appear so much younger.

  “But I want you to stay behind me and Logan,” I commanded. “Got it?”

  Colin made a face. “Yes, Mother.”

  I cocked a brow. “You’re lucky you look like you’re ten. Otherwise I would have kicked your ass for that.”

  Logan leaned over my shoulder. “What else have you got in there?”

  The guy was all in my personal space. “Female stuff, you know, the personal kind. Tampons, Maxi pads—”

  “Okay, okay, stop.” Logan’s face creased as he backed away from me. That was too easy.

  “Come on,” I said as I stepped through the entrance. “Kyllian’s probably all the way to Canada by now.”

  Even though my senses weren’t as acute as Poe’s to demon energies and the vibrations of magic, I still felt a cold transition of energy as soon as I’d stepped through the entrance, a shift in the air that had nothing to do with the wind that moved through the broken glass.

  Magic was here. And lots of it.

  My pulse raced as we moved inside, meeting darkness and shadows and nothing else. Colin’s globe gave off just enough glow to cast the walls and surroundings in a dim light, letting our mortal eyes see. Still, I wished Poe was back. The globe wouldn’t warn us if a demon jumped at us from the shadows, but Poe would.

  Debris, dust, chunks of concrete, and red bricks scattered the floor, and rusted pipes hung from the walls. The place was the size of a large warehouse. Whatever machinery used to exist here was gone. The place was empty and cold like a tomb.

  “Kyllian?” I whispered. “Poe?” I stood for a moment, straining my ears for any hint of the flutter of wings or the heavy tread of the angel. Nothing.

  Damn it. Where the hell were they?

  An uneasy feeling settled in my core. It wasn’t like Poe to disappear on me like that. He should have been back by now.