“Tammy worries needlessly. You won’t get trapped because the thing that brought you back will keep you safe there. Believe in the boy. Trust him.”
Except the boy in question didn’t want my help. “What exactly is this thing that brought me back?”
Instead of answering me, he stood, walked to a corner table, and poured himself a glass of water. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thanks.” I frowned. He was deliberately avoiding answering me. “What thing?”
He glanced at me and smiled mysteriously. “It will show itself when the time is right. However”—he walked back, sipping his drink, and took the chair behind the desk this time—“you must remember one thing. Rules change when you visit the land of the dead. It’s not like visiting the astral plane where you can only communicate and possess lowly creatures. In the land of the dead, everyone will see you. You will have a physical body, but the feelings that go with it will be heightened. Pain. Pleasure. Hunger. The magic there is unpredictable, so be careful with your spells. Then there’s family and friends you’ll see again. Loved ones. The urge to want to stay will be strong, so please resist it. We need you here. Dark times are coming.”
“Cryptic much?”
I didn’t realize I’d spoken out aloud until he threw back his head and laughed. He sobered up. “We need all our kind here because once the darkness passes, there will be a new beginning for our kind.” He stood and walked around the desk. “Come on. It’s time to go home. Your friends are here, and I have clients waiting.”
I removed the money from my pocket and offered him the entire bundle.
He glanced at my hand and shook his head. “I don’t take money from children.”
“I’m seventeen, not a child,” I said stubbornly.
He chuckled. “And you’ve done more things to help people than most adults I know. Still, you are a child. Put your money away.”
“But I owe you—”
“Nothing. I didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know in here”—he tapped my head—“and in here.” He tapped my chest. “You are going to help the boy because it’s the right thing to do, journey charm or not. You know you have to do it.”
No, I didn’t. I frowned. Or maybe I did. Helping him was part of my plan to prove I was good. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask, “Do you know what a harbinger of death does?”
Something flashed in his eyes. Shock or fear? He’d seen my future and he kept saying dark times were ahead.
“Am I one? A harbinger of death?” I pushed.
“What a terrible thing to say. Oh, before I forget. If you want to take anything with you, make sure you hold it close.”
He was avoiding the subject. “Am I, Doctor B?”
Babatunde sighed. “Sometimes some of our people misinterpret visions, Celestia. They don’t look deeply enough to see the meaning, or out of ignorance they only see what they want to see, so don’t take what anyone says to heart.”
Somehow, I hadn’t expected him to give me a straight answer. “So, you can’t give me a straight answer either? It should be easy. It’s a yes or no answer.”
He frowned. “Who did not give you a straight answer before?”
“My grandmother. Her answer actually sounded a lot like yours.” I pushed my hands in the pockets of my jacket, my shoulders hunching. “I wish someone would tell me what it means. Am I going to go crazy and blow up the world? Come up with a mega-curse?” I watched him for telltale signs that my guesses were right. His expression didn’t change. “Lead an army of Witches and level non-magical people? I mean, there are a few annoying ones in my town, but I’d never want to kill them. Maybe make them hop around like frogs or snort like pigs.”
He chuckled. “Your friends are getting impatient.” He angled his head. “No, it’s your cousin who is the impatient one.”
Zack was here? Yikes. “Thanks for seeing me and listening, Doctor B.” I shook his hand, but he pulled me closer for a hug and I stiffened. I didn’t hug strangers. If he noticed, he didn’t show it, but a weird sense of well-being washed over me. He must have laid some serious calming mojo on me. “Thank you.”
He just smiled. I left his office and hurried toward the store. Just before I exited the dark hallway, which seemed shorter than when I’d entered it, I glanced back. I caught sight of Doctor B closing the door and my jaw dropped.
He was no longer wearing a white suit. Instead, he was dressed in black and wore a cloak made from animal skin and a large hat with feathers. His face was painted white.
I entered the shop to find Shania talking to an elderly woman dressed like her and two young men. The old woman stiffened and studied me intently as she shuffled toward the hallway. She spat out something in her native tongue and her companions turned to stare at me, too. I stiffened.
“What did she say?” I asked Shania after the three disappeared.
Shania shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t understand the dialect.”
She was lying. I may not read auras, but I knew when someone was lying. She indicated the shop window. “Hayden and your cousin are waiting outside. I kicked them out because of his aura. I don’t like Witches who don’t embrace their gift.”
I had no response to that.
“Later, Shania.” I started toward the door, paused, and glanced back. She was chewing on her lower lip. “She said harbinger of death, didn’t she?”
Her eyes widened. “Uh, I don’t know.”
I gave her a sad little smile and hurried from the shop. Zack and Hayden were having an intense conversation outside the store and looked up. Hayden placed a hand on his chest and communicated with him silently. He crossed his arms and stayed put while glowering. She faced me and smiled.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.
“Rescuing you from yourself,” Zack said. “Do you know what could happen to you here in the Quarter? This is one part of town you don’t want to come to alone. Where’s your car? It’s probably stolen by now.”
Hayden smacked him on the chest. “What happened to letting me do the talking?”
“You would have tiptoed around the issue. She is reckless with zero regard for her life. This is not the AP. You can’t go wherever you want while sitting at home or lying in your bed. What did you want with a voodoo doctor anyway?” Zack asked.
Gah, he could be so overbearing sometimes. I was more likely to be mobbed by the good citizens of Windfall for being a Witch than by the people of the French Quarter.
“What do you think, Zack? I want to go beyond the astral plane and visit the land of the dead and I don’t want to get trapped there. So, I came for the kind of protection only Doctor B can provide.”
Hayden’s jaw dropped. She knew I was telling the truth. Zack, clueless and on a power trip, glared. “Very funny. Why would you want to visit the dead?”
“To talk to Grams.” Even as the words left my lips, I knew I shouldn’t mess with his head. He would feel guilty. Besides, he’d taken Grams’ death just as hard. “Jeez, I’m only messing with you. I have a crush on this totally hot guy at school,” I said, keeping my voice light and annoyingly high-pitched. “And when I say hot, I mean smoking.” The image of Hel’s son filled my head, but I dislodged it fast. I was so not interested in him. “I wanted something to make him see me, the real me. I’m almost eighteen and I’ve never really gone on a date.” He scowled and I knew I had him. Hayden was trying hard not to laugh. I warmed to the idea. “You go out on dates all the time and have no idea how hard it is to find someone once everyone knows you’re a Witch.”
A couple walking past looked at me with wide eyes. Zack glared at them, then took my arm. “Let’s go. Where’s your car?”
I pointed to our left and he steered me in that direction. Hayden followed us. “Listen, Celestia. I know it’s not easy being”—he looked around—“who we are, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to use potions to snare a guy. Magic has a way of backfiring on the u
ser.”
“Who we are?” Wow. Zack was finally coming around. “But I want a boyfriend,” I whined. Hayden burst out laughing. Zack shot her a hard look.
“Did the doctor give you something?” he asked.
I let my shoulders drop. “No. He said I was young and pretty with a great future ahead of me and didn’t need to date some pimply-faced teenager to prove my worth.”
Zack grinned. “He got that right. How much did he charge you for that piece of wisdom?”
“An arm and a leg,” I wanted to say, but Zack was likely to go back and demand a refund. “Nothing. He said since he didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, it was a freebie.”
“Good. Because any schmo off the street would have told you that,” Zack said. “Besides, most of the boys at your school are pimply-faced idiots.”
“Then hook her up with someone from your team,” Hayden said, joining in the game.
Zack snorted. “I don’t think so. She can do better than those morons.”
“If all your friends are morons, what does that make you? A super moron?” Hayden asked.
“I’m an exception.”
“Cocky much? Must be overcompensating for something,” Hayden shot back, but I missed Zack’s response because my focus had shifted to my car. Two buff guys in dark, baggy clothes were leaning against it. One was bald and had some serious tattoos, and the other wore his hair in dreadlocks.
“Crap,” Zack said, slowing down. He’d just noticed them. He tried to grab my arm, but I sidestepped his hand and got out of his reach.
“Hi, guys,” I called out once we got closer.
“Is this your car?” Baldy asked.
“Yes.” I pulled out my keys and shook them.
“Granny said to keep an eye on it until you came back,” Baldy said and waved. Since the parking lot was too far, I couldn’t see the person he was waving to, but I was sure it was the same old woman who’d watched me put a protection spell on my car. My spell must have bombed.
“Some punks were sniffing around it, but she took care of them,” Dreadlocks piped in.
I debated whether to cross the street again and personally thank her, but I took pity on Zack. He looked like he had landed in the twilight zone. “Tell your grandmother I said thank you. Next time I’m in the Quarter, I’ll stop by.”
Baldy grinned. “She’s always there, so stop by my store whenever you like, little sister.”
“I will, thanks.” I watched them cross the street, waved when they looked back, unlocked my car, and placed my backpack on the floor. Zack still wore the look of someone who’d had a rug pulled from underneath him and landed on his ass. He’d really thought I was in danger here. “Where did you park?”
“St. Peter Street,” Hayden said. “We’ll hitch a ride to his truck.” She slid in the front passenger seat while Zack took the rear without saying a word. The drive was short, and he was the first to get out. Again, he didn’t speak.
“Hang on a sec,” Hayden said and followed him to his truck. They spoke briefly. Then she came back to my car.
“You’re not driving with him?”
“No. You and I need to talk.”
I studied my cousin. Just before he entered his car, he glanced our way, a weird expression on his face.
“He’s finally realizing being a Witch has its perks,” Hayden said as I pulled out onto the street. Zack eased behind me.
Did the perks include being a harbinger of death? The name was self-explanatory—someone who caused others to die or who death followed. So far, I hadn’t killed anyone, so why did people think I was one?
Sighing, I focused on driving. Hayden was busy going through my music collection, so I didn’t say anything as we left the city behind. I wanted to tell her about Doctor B’s reaction and what the woman had said.
Hayden finally knew about my mother. I’d confided in her on Monday night and she had lost it, cursing and ranting about irresponsible Witches. I’d watched her in shock, then hugged her. I’d never had a friend like her, but I was thrilled she finally knew the truth. Not even Zack knew about it, yet he was family.
“How did you know where I was?” I asked.
“Educated guess. Let’s start by the way you’ve been acting since Monday. Shopping online for a heavy winter coat, boots, thermal blanket, heavy-duty gloves, and socks. Not just a pair. Two, one in a man’s size.”
My jaw dropped. “Have you been spying on me?”
“No, smarty pants. You used my laptop at TC on Tuesday and I delete browsing history twice a week. Fast forward to today. You were quiet. You talk a mile a minute, so quiet meant worried or plotting, or both. Every time you fix some engine or something, you always bore me to death with the details. You didn’t today. When you left the shop, you stopped by the ATM to withdraw money. FYI, the bank is visible from our shop.”
“Only if you stepped outside, nosy,” I retorted.
“So I stepped outside. Sue me. There’s nothing Slidell has that Windfall doesn’t have. I knew you were headed to New Orleans, and after all the discussions we’ve had the last few days, I knew you needed protection before you went back and helped your latest case. And to round it off, Doctor B is the only one who can provide that kind of protection. I even thought you might be doing it at his place.”
“Nah. When I do it, I’ll do it at home. I wanted a journey charm to lead me back home just like I told Zack, but Doctor B said I didn’t need it. He said I’d be okay. Then he gave me a hug and slipped something in my backpack.”
“What is it?” She reached for my backpack.
“I don’t know, but it has a calming effect. I was going to wait until I got home before looking at it.”
“Can I?” She was already rummaging inside the bag.
“Would it make a difference if I said no?”
“No.” She pulled out a sports bottle.
“I’ll have that.”
Hayden handed it to me. “Only you can put a water bottle and a book in the same compartment. And not just any book.”
She lifted the heavy leather book and placed it on her lap. The cover had a relief of two dragons and Wiccan symbols. The mythical creature was my family’s familiar and the symbols guaranteed that no one could unlock the clasp of the grimoire except me. A scaly familiar. Just my luck. Whatever happened to cats and owls? Even a mouse would have been better.
“Why did you bring your grimoire? This should be under lock and key.”
“I’d planned to study spells while waiting to see Doctor B.” I pulled the tip of the sports bottle and sucked some water. “Found it yet?”
“No. Guess it doesn’t want me to find it.” She fished inside all the pockets. The leather backpack was small, and I often used it instead of a purse. “Stupid charm.” She put the backpack down. “So can I be there when you go back? You know, to keep an eye on you?”
“Sure. Just don’t tell your mother. And if I don’t come out of it, slap me. I hear it’s pretty addictive over there.”
“Are you going back tonight?” she asked.
My stomach dipped at the thought, online images of the goddess flashing in my head. She was human, just half-alive and half-dead. But she hadn’t smelled or sounded like someone with a partially dead body during the conversation with her son. He, on the other hand, had looked human. Normal. After reading about Loki, her father, and his ability to mimic anything and anyone, I wondered if her son could do that. Taking different forms would be cool.
“Are you?” Hayden asked.
I glanced at her, confused. “Am I what?”
“Going to Hel?” She chuckled. “That sounded wrong. Anyway, are you?”
“I’m going to try. I can’t let him starve because of me.”
What if he was like his uncles? A wolf would not be bad. Wolves were practically dogs, and dogs were adorable. A giant snake, on the other hand... I shuddered. Please, don’t let him shift into something scaly. And why was I acting like I believed Norse gods w
ere real? I needed proof.
CHAPTER 7. MEMORIES
EIRIK
I need to piss was the first thought that registered when I woke up. It took me several seconds to pry my eyes open and stare into the darkness. Whether my eyes were closed or open, I saw nothing. The darkness was too deep and the cold so chilling my fingers and toes could have fallen off weeks ago and I wouldn’t have known.
How many days had passed since the last torch went out? Days and nights tended to blend together when your psycho mother popped into your room whenever she liked and asked gleefully, “How’s it going, Son?”
“What do you think?” I had retorted, but it had amused her. So I’d stopped, and she’d increased the frequency of her visits.
She was totally bipolar. Not surprising with her dark and glowing runes. She could be chatty during one visit and completely cruel the next. She was determined to break me. I refused to give her the satisfaction. If this was pre-training, I hated to see what she’d throw my way once I left the room. If I ever left the room.
My father hadn’t bothered to see me again. He was probably pissed because I had disobeyed him. I still had no idea whether Viggo made it out or not.
I shivered despite my Asgardian clothes, which were made from a material that adjusted according to the temperature. They were useless against Hel’s cold. The coat and the gloves I’d given back to Rhys would have helped, but then my mother would have suspected something. I’d hate for her to find out the truth about my father. Rhys never brought my winter clothes either, but that was okay too because I would never have been able to explain how I got them.
I blew warm air into my hands and rubbed them. I couldn’t feel the tips of my fingers. Cold air from the hallway entered the room through the vents near the floor, which were worse than if they’d been near the ceiling. The blanket was too thin to act as a barrier against the cold. And without activating my healing runes, I could catch something.
I was supposed to be immune to most illnesses and diseases, but who knew what bugs lurked in Hel. The gods ate golden apples from Goddess Idun’s orchard to gain immortality. My grandmother made sure I ate bowls of the apples. But that was in Asgard. Reapers used bind runes etched on their skin to ward off illness and heal wounds. I had those too, but those might apply to Mortal diseases. Hel was unknown territory. I was depending on bind runes for strength, endurance, and other abilities to get by. They’d sustained me physically while memories from happier times had kept me sane.
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