Winter's Reckoning: (A Witch Detective Urban Fantasy Novel) (Seasons of Magic Book 4)

by Sarah Biglow

  “Stay here and wait for Jacquie. I’m going over.”

  “Please be careful,” she called as I abandoned the safety of her bench and marched toward the unknown.

  Seventeen

  I let the cold air wake me up, heightening my senses as I approached the bench across the way. I could feel the magic pushing me away, urging me to pass by and not stop until I was well away from it. I fought the urge. I felt for the edges of the spell, finding it at the end of the bench. I poured a little of my own will into the equations and unraveled it.

  Belladonna appeared before me looking gaunt and disheveled. She was no longer the woman who’d tended my wounds and shown me kindness even when I had been fighting the pull of the Council’s guidance and support. Somewhat surprising to me that even after I’d failed to save her son, she’d still treated me with respect. I almost didn’t recognize the woman before me now.

  “Belladonna?”

  Hearing her name made her eyes flutter open. They were vacant, staring like she didn’t know me. Her pupils focused on me and after a beat or two, she sat up, starting to move away as far as the back of the bench would allow. “No, you shouldn’t be here.”

  I sat down beside her and took her hands in mine, trying to exude calm even though I had a million questions. I could feel the strangeness of her magic as the spell faded. She’d definitely gotten a boost from somewhere else. “I know you didn’t want to be found. But we need to talk. I think you have information that I need.”

  “What information?” She blinked at me, still struggling to focus.

  “About Desmond.”

  “Desmond? What about him?”

  “He’s dead. Someone murdered him.”

  “Oh, oh no, I’m so sorry. But why would I know anything?”

  “A fingerprint was found on the bullet and it’s a partial match to Adrian.”

  She scrunched her eyes closed, and she shook her head. “No, that’s not right. He wouldn’t do that.”

  “Uh … He couldn’t do that. He’s dead, too,” I reminded her. She tried to pull free of my grip, but I held tight. “If you’re willing, I can go into your mind and get the answers I need without you having to talk.”

  She chewed her bottom lip so hard I worried she’d draw blood. “Yes. You have my permission.”

  I inhaled the crisp air through my nose and exhaled through my mouth. My power built up around me. Despite having taken a hit from the charm around my neck on the way over, I could still pick up on the slightest hint of honey at the edges of my magic. That made me smile as I laced my fingers through Belladonna’s and went into her mind.

  The park vanished and we were standing in a cemetery at a grave marked for Adrian Baptiste. Belladonna stood, holding a simple arrangement of flowers in deep oranges, the color of a summer sunset.

  “My sweet boy. I know you had your troubles and you kept me at arm’s length. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the one you needed. I’m sorry you felt you had to turn to darkness to fulfill that yearning in your heart. Your hands were meant to heal, not harm.”

  “You can still help me,” Adrian’s voice was gravelly, but I could still tell it was his.

  I turned with the memory of Belladonna to see the teenager standing there in a hoodie. He looked thin and hollow; his face barely recognizable under the scar tissue from the fire.

  “You can’t be here. You’re dead and gone,” she argued.

  “Our family’s business is death, Mom. You know that.”

  “Your father’s side. Not mine. I’ve always been a healer.”

  “I guess it just wasn’t in me.”

  “How could you put those girls in danger like that?”

  “They weren’t supposed to remember anything. And I saved them from death. I promised the Order that they would get what they needed and they swore they’d let them live,” he answered as a fit of anger distorted his features.

  So, Gabby and Carly’s memory blocks had been Adrian’s doing. But why had the Order listened to a fifteen-year-old boy? Either Belladonna hadn’t wondered the same question or didn’t think it was important enough to ask, because she moved on from that topic.

  “Why are you here now? How?”

  “Because I could feel you grieving, and you needed me. And magic can do some pretty wicked cool stuff.”

  “They’re taking magic. They’ll come for me next.”

  Adrian shook his head. “They won’t. You’re safe. I made sure of it. I knew what they’d do, I made them promise they wouldn’t touch you.”

  Somehow, I doubt he had that much sway over a group of people hell bent on bringing back dangerous power-hungry monsters.

  “I still don’t understand how you’re standing here.” The flowers fell from her hands.

  “We live in a world of magic, of impossible things and you can’t just accept that a son can be there for his mother when she needs him?”

  She stepped closer, reaching out to him and before I could warn her not to, she’d made contact, and everything changed. The memories around us became hazy, almost like she was in a fog, not in control of her actions or her own thoughts. A scene flashed before me as I took in Reuben’s magic vanishing into the cloaked figure. Belladonna sat in the corner of the room in silence, just observing the brutal transfer of magic. I could almost taste the hint of his magic on my tongue as the scene skipped ahead again. Other members of the Order flashed by, losing their power as the monster fed, decimating its own followers.

  Sunlight flickered around us as Belladonna moved unseeing, loading a sniper rifle with a single shot. Her movements were robotic, so uncharacteristic for her. I watched as she peered through the scope and I walked out of the bank. I didn’t want to watch as her finger trembled against the trigger. The sight marked my own chest.

  “No, not yet,” the death creature rasped as it floated around her.

  Its slender fingers wrapped around her hands, holding the trigger until Desmond appeared beside me down below on the street. The scope shifted so she would be firing at him and I could smell the power the creature poured into the bullet. Whether it was to ensure it would find its mark, or be a fatal shot, I didn’t care. Maybe it was just trying to mess with me and confuse my magical senses by using some of Reuben’s magic when he was nowhere near the scene. I closed my eyes. I didn’t need to watch Desmond die from the sniper’s perch.

  I pulled away from Belladonna and as I did so, I could feel the fog lift from around her. She looked at me, clearer eyed than she had since I sat down. “Oh, Ezri, I … I swear I never meant to hurt anyone.”

  “It looked like you wanted to take me out,” I muttered and repressed a shiver.

  I turned just in time to see Jacquie approach the bench. She kept her hands loose at her sides, but I recognized the posture. She was ready for a takedown if necessary.

  “You may not have been in total control of your actions, but you accepted that thing’s power whether you realized it or not. Believe me, I understand that grief is a powerful motivator. The rules of death are a little hazy for me and my family, too, but you loaded that gun and pulled the trigger. I can’t lock up an enigma.”

  “Want to tell me what’s going on, partner?” Jacquie asked. She apparently hadn’t been close enough to hear my comment.

  “Belladonna and I were having a little trip down memory lane. One that involved the death of our friend, Desmond.”

  “I see.” Jacquie’s posture stiffened as she moved to stand on Belladonna’s other side.

  “I have to take responsibility for what I did,” Belladonna stood and held out her hands. “I will not argue or fight. I will make a full confession.”

  “I don’t think we need handcuffs, especially if you’re coming willingly. We’re just going to drive to the precinct and take your statement. You should get a lawyer,” I replied and stood.

  I wasn’t sure what we were going to say to convince a DA to press charges against her. Maybe we could go with her being angry that I didn’t get
her son back and Desmond was just collateral in her bid to take out her grief on me.

  If Belladonna kept her word and confessed to all of it, even pleading guilty there wouldn’t be a need for a trial. However, she still needed counsel to get her the best deal possible. I didn’t want her to rot in prison. I’d spent months raging at whoever had taken Desmond from me, but knowing the truth now, all I felt was pity.

  We led Belladonna back to my car. I mouthed ’thank you’ to Avery as we passed and headed for the precinct. Stepping into the bullpen I half expected people to turn and cheer that I’d solved another case, but no one so much as acknowledged our entry.

  “I’ll handle the statement. Go fill in the Captain,” Jacquie said.

  I knocked on the doorframe to the captain’s office. “Enter,” Captain Beech called, and I nudged the door open enough to slip inside.

  “I hear congrats are in order, Trenton,” Captain Beech said with a tired smile.

  I stared at her in confusion for a minute before realizing she meant the wedding. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

  “You looking for time off for a honeymoon?”

  “Not yet,” I answered, twisting the rings around my finger absently. “I actually wanted to let you know that we solved it.”

  “Solved what?”

  “Desmond’s case. It turns out the lab missed a partial print and we traced it to Belladonna Montes. Jacquie’s taking her statement now.”

  I expected Captain Beech to berate me for not leaving the case be. Instead, she looked amused. “I see. And what motive would Ms. Montes have for killing our department’s psychologist?”

  “Grief does strange things,” I answered. “And she may have mentioned that she’d initially been aiming for me.” As I stood opposite the woman who’d seen fit to give me a shot by taking me into her precinct as a rookie Detective nine months ago, I wanted to tell her everything. If this death creature got its wish, I had nothing left to lose.

  “Well, I suppose you’ve got the answers you needed. They may not be neat and pretty, but it isn’t an open question anymore.”

  Her tone told me, on some level, she understood that my need to see this case solved carried more behind it than just wanting to get justice for a fallen comrade.

  “Captain, I never really thanked you for everything you did for me,” I offered unprompted.

  “You proved your worth, Detective,” she replied. “Now, get out there and do what you were meant to do.”

  I blinked at her choice of words. “Ma’am …”

  Her smile this time was wider. “You think the people who are counting on you were going to take a chance that you weren’t going to end up exactly where they needed you when they needed you?”

  I gaped at her. “You’ve known? This whole time?”

  “We weren’t going to leave anything to chance,” she repeated.

  I backed out of the office and tried to wrap my head around the fact that the Authority had made sure I’d been positioned right where they needed me to be to fulfill my destiny. Ezri from nine months ago would have been pissed, railing against the tight grip they were exerting. Despite that, now I realized it wasn’t meant to be a bad thing. They were just trying to help me.

  Eighteen

  Chilled air smacked me in the face the minute I stepped out of the precinct. I couldn’t let myself look back at everything I’d worked so hard to achieve. Not when I knew it meant I’d likely never see it again. My destination wasn’t far, but I took my time, strolling along Tremont Street and down past Park Street Church. The bells chimed out the hour and I stopped to listen as the sound echoed on the wind. The Common sprawled out across the street ahead of me and I approached it with steady steps. I’d been paying close enough attention to the creature’s visits to get the hint that this was where we’d have our final showdown.

  The moment my feet touched dead grass and dirty snow piles, I wondered if this sense of peace had settled over my mother the night she sacrificed herself. I’d been ignoring the inevitable as long as possible, but now, I knew what was waiting for me. Also, despite the fact I suspected what was coming, I wasn’t afraid. I was sad more than anything else. Sad at the life I wouldn’t get to share with J.T. I spun the pair of rings on my left ring finger and let a single tear slip down my cheek. It stung in the cold air, turning icy in seconds.

  I’d hated having to say goodbye to J.T., Jacquie, and my dad. I hated having to leave them like this. No matter how much they were part of this journey, it was always going to be me facing off against this monster alone. Except, I wasn’t really alone. I pressed my free hand to the pendant resting against my chest. Despite being exposed to the elements, the metal was warm to the touch.

  “You are so brave, Ezzie,” Grandma’s voice said from my left.

  I took a few steps farther into the Common. Maybe the world could somehow sense what needed to happen here today, because the space was oddly deserted. At least it meant there was less of a chance for bystanders to get caught in the crossfire. “I don’t really have a choice,” I finally said softly.

  “No, I suppose you don’t. Doesn’t mean I can’t say it. I’m proud of the woman you’ve become, sweet girl. And I’m here til the bitter end.”

  I smiled to myself at her promise. “I know you are. I know you all are.”

  I felt a hand slide into my right, and I turned to see Desmond standing there beside me, tears in his eyes. “I fucking hate you,” I said, fighting back tears of my own.

  “I’m sorry it took so long for me to come out and play,” he whispered.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Grandma disappear. This was a private moment between Des and me. I knew he wasn’t really here, but I threw my arms around him anyway, holding him tight. “I figured it out. I solved the case.”

  “I know.” He squeezed me tight. “I never doubted you would.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” I wiped at my eyes, knowing I looked crazy.

  “I know that, too. But let’s just say the trip to Ireland wasn’t just eye-opening for you. While you were communing with ancestors, I was getting a glimpse at the future. I don’t know if J.T. got the same treatment, but whatever magic Aoife invoked made it crystal clear that my days were numbered.”

  “No, that can’t be right. She said I had to pay her debt. That I was the one who was supposed to set things right again.”

  “And you will. You’re the last living member of Harrow’s blood,” he pointed out and started walking toward the center of the Common.

  I picked up the pace to keep up with his longer strides. “Why would that mean you had to die?”

  “Think about the prophecy, Ez. The wording,” he prompted. His tone carried a hint of exasperation.

  “I know the damn wording,” I grumbled, but it dawned on me after a pace or two. “Damn it. I should have realized it sooner.” Unlike Eleanor’s prophecy centuries ago that specified the gender of the world’s Savior, Neveah’s prophecy was more gender neutral. But it was clear that the last of Harrow’s blood was involved. Like it or not, Desmond and I both were of Harrow’s blood. Which meant only one of us could walk into this fight alive.

  “You should have told me.” I punched him in the arm.

  “If I had, you’d have tried to save me, and we could be having a very different conversation right now.”

  Did he know how close we’d come to that reality? If Belladonna had managed to shoot me, he’d be the one facing Death’s child instead.

  “We both know that no matter how much I had wanted to be the Savior, I wasn’t the one the world chose,” Des continued. It had led to drama between our families. Not enough to never speak again, but he’d told me more than once he wished he could take the burden from me. “It had to be you. So, that meant the bullet had to be for me.”

  “You really have a bad habit of keeping stuff to yourself when I might actually benefit from knowing it,” I said and stopped in the middle of the path.

  “I kn
ew if I gave you all the answers, you’d try to fight your destiny.”

  “All the answers? You could have at least given me a little hint,” I griped.

  “Not to break up the party, but do you feel that?” Grandma interrupted.

  I closed my eyes and focused on the world around me. The sun may have been shining, but I could sense the darkness closing in. It called to me, wrapping tight around the pit of my stomach, drawing me onward. Garlic tickled my nose as the spell woke up again. Taggart’s magic wriggled within me, trying to turn my magic against me with every step. Spearmint beat back the foul taste in my mouth as Desmond lent me some of his precious reserve to keep the darkness within at bay for just a little longer.

  I followed the path to the center of the Common. Of course, it ends here. The site of my first real clash with the Order would be the place it all came to a head. I expected the cloaked figure who’d been invading my mind for months to be just a figment of my imagination at this point, but there it stood, wrapped in a hooded cloak. From this distance it looked short. Maybe my perspective had always been off in our mental clashes, but I could have sworn it was taller. I sensed more than saw Grandma and Desmond disappear back into the heart of the pendant.

  “So, do we just like beat the shit out of each other until one of us yields or what?” I called. I could almost hear Desmond in the back of my mind chastising me for being a mouthy idiot.

  “I do not need to lay hands on you, Savior, to end you,” the figure replied.

  I caught a hint of a familiar voice underneath the rasp, but I couldn’t place it. I took a few steps forward and the figure mirrored me until we were within an arm’s length of one another. A bone chilling gust of wind whipped between us, pulling the hood of the cloak away to reveal a dark-skinned figure, its features disfigured by burns.

  Oh, shit. Adrian.

  “You’re Death’s child,” I croaked, my words coming out more as a statement than question.

  He nodded his head. “I gave my body over to it, making me stronger than I ever could have been in life.”