by L. M. Pruitt
“Up, please.”
“At least she remembered to say please,” Elizabeth muttered under her breath. Standing as well, she moved to pick up Celia, who twisted away and pointed a delicate finger at me. “No, Celia, the Prophecy is not going to pick you up.”
“Up, please.”
“Again, while it’s good you remembered to say please, the answer is still no.” When Celia started to sniffle, Elizabeth scowled again. Even though Celia couldn’t actually see her face, she apparently recognized the change in Elizabeth’s tone. “You do not want to start that right now, Celia. You will not like what happens one bit.”
Behind me, Theo moved forward a step. “Would it be alright if I carried her? You said yourself, she’s not had a nap and it’s past her bedtime. Maybe she’ll go to sleep if someone holds her for a bit.”
“This is Celia, remember?” Elizabeth shook her head, shrugged her shoulders. “If you want, you’re more than welcome to take her. Don’t complain when she talks your ear off.”
The arrangement seemed to work for Celia, who calmly allowed Theo to pick her up and prop her on his hip. When Elizabeth made to move back into the crowd, I shook my head “If Celia gets to play with the big kids, you do too.” I didn’t have to look back to know Gillian gave a nod of approval. Elizabeth hesitated, until Celia said, “Come on, Lizzie. I want to see the sparkles.”
None of us knew what she meant, but it seemed to be our cue to continue moving through the crowd of people, Theo and Celia to my left, Elizabeth to my right, with Gillian slightly behind us. The bowing continued, although as soon as we passed a low murmur started up. More to take my mind off whatever crazy spectacle I would soon be part of than anything else, I asked Elizabeth where their parents were.
“Our mother died giving birth to Celia five years ago, soon after I turned thirteen. Our father had never been part of the Covenant. Our mother was at one time, but didn’t want her children to have to worry about powers, and visions, and so on.”
“So where’s your father?” I asked.
Celia jumped in Theo’s arms at the bitter sound Elizabeth’s laugh made. “He started drinking himself to death when our mother died and finally finished last year. Celia doesn’t know much about him, because between the blindness, the visions, and our mother dying in childbirth, he pretty much avoided her. The whole plan to dilute the powers in the blood backfired. Celia’s a better seer than anybody, even Rian.”
Theo spoke up from my other side. “She’s right, Jude. Celia is just a lot more touchy-feely than Rian.”
“You said the plan backfired. How so for you?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Maybe it would have been better to say it backfired for Celia. I get feelings sometimes, hunches, but that’s about the extent of my powers. My purpose is to take care of Celia, which is more than a full time job.”
“I can bet,” I murmured under my breath. Inspiration struck, and I bit my tongue for a moment before following my instincts. “I need a personal assistant. Or so Gillian tells me. The Crossroads is plenty big enough for you and Celia.”
I heard Gillian’s quick intake of breath behind me, and a similar sound from Elizabeth. Celia was a little more vocal. “Ooh, ooh, say yes, Lizzie. We won’t have to live with Wily anymore. I don’t like her.”
“Hell, based on the name alone, I insist you move in to the Crossroads, even if you don’t come as my personal assistant. I wouldn’t wish a name like that on my worst enemy.” I shook my head, chuckling. “On second thought, maybe Hart would surrender peacefully after a week of living with a name so weird.”
“Not nice, Jude,” Theo muttered under his breath. Celia giggled and I leaned in to whisper to her. “He lectures me more than Elizabeth lectures you.”
“Now you’re just lying.” I couldn’t help laughing at the comical look of affront on Theo’s face. Even Elizabeth laughed, albeit reluctantly. “I wouldn’t dream of lecturing you, mostly because you would do your crazy fire throwing thing.” He went nose to nose with Celia, almost breathless with giggles. “Remember that before you wake her up in the morning.”
“It seems to be a done deal, so how can I argue?” Elizabeth stopped when we reached the outer line of the circle. From our current position, I could see one of the reasons the room was jammed full. The circles were almost empty of people. Only the Council stood within, and none stood inside the second circle.
“I’ve learned to develop a similar attitude about some things. It gets easier with time.” Taking a deep breath, I looked back at Gillian. “So, we’ve met and greeted. What’s next?”
“I would be interested in seeing a circle cast.” Since they’d helped cover up the mess by the river, I wouldn’t smack whichever Ice-T had spoken. I could think about it, though. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask the Prophecy to cast a circle.”
“Not at all,” Gillian answered smoothly from behind me. I would have bet anything she’d expected something like this. If only she’d shared her anticipation with me. “If the holders of the elements would move into position and the Council members move back a fraction. It is Jude’s first circle, after all.”
I watched Theo move toward the southern part of the circle, and Gillian toward the northern. As one, Lies and Guile moved east, and a guy about their age – Christophe, I remembered, moved west. Gillian motioned me forward, and I stood in the very center of them, alone. Celia squirmed down from Theo’s arms and skipped across the floor to latch back onto me, relieving my solitary status.
“For heaven’s sake,” one of the twins muttered. I shot them a dirty look and they shut up. Until something happened which made it necessary for Celia to be outside the circle, she could stay where she was.
I looked to Gillian for guidance, and she gestured to Father O’Brien who stepped forward with five candles, all of a different color. He walked around the circle, handing a green one to Gillian, a yellow one to Lies and Guile, a red one to Theo, and a blue one to Christophe. He called Celia to him, handing her a purple candle and pointing at me, which meant the purple one was mine.
“Go first to your east, and call air to you.” Nodding at Gillian’s instructions, I walked to stand in front of the twins and took a deep breath. Talk about stage fright. Bullets of apprehension skimmed my skin. I could use a breeze to cool me down at the moment.
No sooner did I have the thought, a light wind kicked up around the room, the candle held by the twins flickering to life. I did my best to tune out the murmurs from the crowd, although I couldn’t stop the small smirk on my face at the twins’ matching scowls. Not the most harmonious moment, sure, but none of us sniped at each other.
“Theo, and fire.” Turning to my right, I walked to Theo, wondering how I would call fire without burning someone. Theo shook his head and laughed, the thought must have shown on my face.
“There’s more than one type of fire, Jude.” I blushed at his hint. Whether it was my fiery cheeks or the semi-dirty thoughts he put in my head, the wick of his candle lit up, shooting high before dwindling to a safer height.
“The smaller fires burn the longest.” What his comment meant I’d have to figure out later because Christophe, obviously impatient, cleared his throat. I rolled my eyes and Theo laughed as I moved right, and west. Christophe held his blue candle out, waiting for it to light like the previous ones. I waited too, thinking of the Mississippi and how it washes away everything in its path. We all waited.
Nothing.
After a moment, I felt a lighter pressed into my hand. I looked down at Celia, who pointed to Father O’Brien. She whispered loud enough for the first few rows of people around the outer circle to hear. “Light the candle with this.”
Annoyed with my less than stellar performance, I moved to light Christophe’s candle. Before the flame touched the wick, the candle slipped from his hand. He picked it up, and I tried again.
The candle shot out of his hand across the room. We all turned to follow its progress. The wax cylinder lay where no
ne expected.... At Rian’s feet.
A long, awkward silence ensued as we all tried to decide what to do. Finally, Rian reached down and picked up the blue candle. The moment his fingers closed around the pillar, the wick burst into flame violent enough to make us all jump. He laughed nervously. “I guess there’s been a change in the team line-up.”
Christophe stepped back into the space the Council members occupied, his eyes lowered, but not before I saw the flash of hurt and anger. Rian walked across the room to take Christophe’s place, his fingers clenching and unclenching on the candle. I laid my hand over his and squeezed, letting him know we’d figure out what the change meant later.
There were two candles left unlit, and I turned to my right again to light Gillian’s. She stood straight and proud, as solid as the earth she obviously represented. I wondered if I would have to use the lighter after all, but I took a deep breath and clasped my hands around hers. She arched an eyebrow, as if to ask what I was waiting for, and I snorted out a laugh as the candle flamed to life.
“You over think the simple things sometimes, Jude. One last element. You’ll know how to bring it to us.”
Turning to the center of the circle, I saw Celia holding the purple candle. I flicked my gaze in Elizabeth’s direction, not surprised to find her shaking her head in exasperation. Bending down until we were level, I looked at the film over Celia’s eyes, which might have clouded her vision but not her spirit. After a moment’s thought, I raised my voice to carry. “Elizabeth, would you come here, please?”
“No one can enter the circle once the four elements are cast,” one of the twins informed me, with only the slightest bit of waspishness in their voice. I shook my head and my hair slid across my back.
“Elizabeth, would you come here, please?”
She stepped forward nervously, walking past a few Council members whose names I couldn’t remember. When she reached the second circle, she flicked a glance in Rian’s direction, only moving forward again when he gave her a small nod of encouragement. As she stepped to the etched line of the inner circle, Celia reached out one hand to grab her and pull her in.
“Hurry up, Lizzie. I want to see the sparkles.”
Elizabeth and I shared a confused glance. Wetting my lips, I spoke, “We’re going to blow the flame to life. All of us.” When Elizabeth’s eyes widened, I continued, “It needs all of us.”
Closing her eyes and screwing up her face, Celia began to blow in short, energetic puffs. I watched Elizabeth grip her sister’s hand tighter before closing her eyes and letting out a soft exhale of breath over the candle. Satisfied I wouldn’t have to explain how I knew it would work – I just knew – I leaned forward and let my long exhale mingle with theirs over the wick of the candle.
The room seemed to draw a breath of its own for a long moment. Time froze like it had in the hall with Williams. I looked around the circle and saw only the members of the circle itself were still of the moment, not merely in it. I observed Rian watching Elizabeth, and wondered. I noticed how Guile leaned away from her sister in Christophe’s direction, and how Lies eyed both of them nervously, and wondered. I scrutinized how Gillian scanned the room, always on the lookout for trouble.
Finally, I looked at Theo, his gaze never wavering from me since the beginning. I felt his gaze as hot on me as the fire he represented. My eyes went back to Theo’s, and I wondered if his mouth would be as hot.
Power blew out from the purple candle like a shock wave, sparks rising high into the air.
Time caught back up as the members of the Covenant gasped, cheered and applauded. Elizabeth opened her eyes, letting out a whooshing laugh as Celia clapped and cried, “Again, again!”
A voice boomed out over the celebration, echoing off the walls. Even before the crowd shifted and parted for me to could see clear to the door, I knew the voice belonged to Williams. His warriors knelt on the ground behind him, heads down. He knelt as well, but kept his head up to see me, and allow me to see him.
“Perhaps the Prophecy could take a small breather before more fireworks are set off.”
Chapter Seventeen
Someone near the door screamed, and though it was muffled fairly quickly, the sound served to break whatever spell held the room. After a general shuffling and rearranging, a large clear area spread Williams.
He took the reaction in stride, as if it happened quite often. He stood, arms crossed over his chest. He wore a lot of hardware at a mixer not involving frat boys and kegs. You could never have too much ammo at those parties.
“Not that I don’t find it an entertaining sight, but you can understand the apprehension one would feel when entering a room containing what could only be called magical fireworks.” In other words, the vamps weren’t comfortable being in a room with someone who might accidentally set them on fire. I saw his point of view, but it stung to have my ineptness made so public.
“Right, right, got ya.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “So Gillian, any thoughts on the next best step?”
“Just uncast the circle, girl. And do it quick. I don’t like being in the same room as those bloodsuckers, and I don’t mind saying it.” Only Great-grandmother Lisette would have the balls to make such a statement and get away with it. No one tried to hush her.
Once she said to uncast the circle, a light went on in my head. Working quickly, I released the elements in backward order of how I called them to the circle. The crowd immediately pressed in, only to be stopped short by a raised hand from Gillian.
With Theo on my left, Gillian on my right, and Rian and the others behind me, I crossed the room again, trying not to freak at the hands reaching out to brush me as I walked past. These people were entirely too touchy-feely.
His party having backed out of the room, Williams stood in front of the door. It was an effort, but I kept my gaze on his. I even managed a smirk.
“Jude.”
I could do terse as well as the next person. “Williams.”
“Gillian.”
“Williams.”
“Theo.”
I tried to hold back a giggle and failed. “Ok, seriously, this is like a bad B-movie. Let’s just go upstairs into one of the fifty parlors and talk things over.”
“You only have five parlors, Jude. There’s no need to exaggerate.” Gillian sighed heavily. “However, I see your point. Theo, do you need to see to Lisette or do the twins have her?”
“The twins will be fine with her.” Theo caught the look on my face. “The twins and I are distantly related, but close enough we share some family responsibilities.”
“Well, that’s a definite negative on your side,” I muttered underneath my breath. Williams heard me. I saw his lips quirk before settling back into a stern line. “To the Lab, then.”
I flushed when heads turned curiously in my direction. “I like watching Jimmy Neutron.”
Out of the fifty – excuse me, five – parlors the Crossroads contained, the smallest one tucked behind the library was my favorite. I’d stumbled on it by sheer dumb luck and immediately claimed the room for my own personal space. The paint and paper were faded and the furniture showed its age. Decades of use softened any sharp edges or rough fabric and made the space more comfortable. As soon as Elizabeth set her down, Celia crawled up in one of the chairs and fell asleep in under two minutes.
When Elizabeth moved to sit on the floor beside the chair, Rian stopped her. He took her hand and led her to one of the loveseats flanking the fireplace. Elizabeth answered the unasked question the frown on my face indicated.
“Wily’s family is somewhat old-fashioned. Anyone without power sits below those with power.”
“Which usually means on the floor.” Theo shook his head, clearly embarrassed at his relatives. He flushed at the look of disgust on my face. “Some traditions die hard, Jude.”
“We’ve come to give the Covenant an update. We’d like to make it brief, so we can continue our work.” Williams shifted, clearly in a hurry.
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I collapsed into the loveseat opposite Elizabeth. “Please, be my guest.” I aimed for flippant, but apparently hit closer to sarcasm, since Gillian came to stand behind me and twisted my ear.
“Ow, ow, ow. Geez, what is it with you people and trying to break off body parts?”
“You’d compare Gillian to the likes of Hart and his cronies?” Father O’Brien’s outrage rang clear in his words. I rolled my eyes, not surprised when Gillian smacked the back of my head, even though I knew she couldn’t have seen me. The punishment relaxed Elizabeth’s mouth a hint of a smile and made the head bop worth it.
“I’ve been abused more by more magical people of every variety than by anyone on the street. I feel like I should be carrying around a really big stick or something.”
“Funny you should mention that—.” Rian broke off as he sat on the loveseat with Elizabeth, his arm casually stretching across the back. Whether from Gillian’s look or Williams’ huff of impatience, Rian smiled. “Some other time, then.”
“I’ll make this brief. Since losing him minutes before sunrise two days ago, we’ve been searching for Hart in all of his usual spots. We haven’t had any luck, missing him by a matter of minutes, which as you all know is essentially the same thing as missing him by hours.” Williams ran a hand through his hair, the movement causing the sword to lift and bump against him. He readjusted it in a routine, almost innate way.
“He’s been staying away from his previous hunting grounds, so we can only assume he’s either found new ones, or has a reserve of sorts somewhere.”
“By reserve, you mean he’s got a dozen or so humans stashed away somewhere like cows.” The thought made me sick to my stomach, and I pressed a hand to my belly. Gillian’s hand on my shoulder and Theo’s presence to my left settled me, but the idea of people being kept caged somewhere waiting to die sickened me.
“To be blunt, yes. We’ve been monitoring the media, and since there’s been no mention of bodies being discovered fully drained, we can also assume Hart and his followers are burning the bodies when they’re finished. The taken are most likely homeless and runaways.”
