by J. C. Hart
"Well, thanks. Wish me luck." She waited, but there was nothing more. It didn't really matter, she knew that he would support her no matter what.
Alyssa pulled her red lipstick from her purse and smeared it on, smacking her lips together and giving herself a pout in the mirror.
It would just have to do.
There was a timid knock on the door and Alyssa frowned, unsure who it might be. She swung it open to find Sam on the porch holding coffee and a delicious smelling brown paper bag.
"What's the occasion?" Alyssa asked, arching an eyebrow as she grabbed one of cups of coffee. "I mean, this is nice, thanks, but why do I feel you've got an ulterior motive—I'm already on board for tonight."
"I'm not very good at being subtle, am I?" Samantha asked. She came inside and kicked the door closed behind her. "Can we sit?"
"Sure, but you better talk fast because I'm getting nervous now." Alyssa took her spot on the couch, and Sam sat on the opposite chair.
"We've got a bit of an issue, well, not really. Maybe? I don't know... I was trying to find out for sure before I talked to you about it, but as Brandon pointed out, I'm running out of time."
"Brandon? You've seen him?"
"He came to see me after he left Mrs Nolan." Sam gave a pained smile. "He's worried about you."
"Then why isn't he here too?" Alyssa tried not to let the sting cut her, but it did. She'd half expected him to follow her out of there, even though she'd told him not to.
Sam bit her lip. "I don't know if I'm meant to say anything but it sounds like whatever cure he was promised doesn't exist. His nephew..."
"Oh. Fuck." Alyssa slumped back against the couch. "He was counting on that. Do you think-"
"I think Kyle was going back to talk to Mrs Nolan again, see what he can find out. The little boy, he's coming here right? We'll find a way to save him."
"Was that what you came to tell me?" Alyssa asked. She sipped on her coffee, wishing it was ten times stronger. Today had already been long and there was so much left to do.
"No. I almost wish it was."
"Come on, out with it."
"We think that when the ceremony happens, that's when pregnancy might have occurred."
"Ah. What?" Alyssa shot upright. "Pregnant. Like, with a baby?"
"Yeah... I think that might be part of the transference of power."
"Well fuck me. Or not. Seeing as that isn't part of the bargain." Alyssa threw herself back against the couch. "And we don't know until we do it?"
"I don't think we can."
Alyssa let out a long sigh. And then she shrugged. "I guess we just have to wait and see. This won't change my mind, though I'd come to grips with the fact I wasn't going to have a child and now... Now I don't know."
And really, none of that mattered right now. Whatever happened would happen and she'd deal with it—she was more concerned about Michael and the fact that his time was running out.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Noah's black SUV pulled around to the front of the shop. It made an unnerving thunk as Brandon closed the door and buckled his seatbelt, or perhaps that was just his brain. He still didn't feel quite right about the whole thing, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
It was probably just that he was the outsider. He might have spent summers here, but these people weren't familiar, and he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever really known this town.
"So what's the plan?" he asked, wanting to breach the silence.
"We'll go over to her place, and see if we can pick her up." Noah shrugged, as if it were something he did every other day.
"And you're sure she has no magic of her own?"
Noah laughed. "One hundred percent. Didn't you catch that I’m a magic eater? I can smell it on a person if they have so much as the slightest drop of it. Hell, I bet even you can feel it."
"Yeah, sometimes I can." He paused, then asked, "So how strong is Alyssa?"
Noah glanced over at him, then back to the road. "Pretty strong. Strong enough, I think."
"Your words aren't filling me with confidence," Brandon muttered.
"Oh lighten up, would you? She's one of us. We're not going to let anything happen to her. And we'll be there to help her adjust to... Well, to whatever happens."
Brandon humphed, throwing himself further back in his seat.
"And what about you? Are you one of us?" Noah gave him another sidelong glance.
"I'm not sure I follow."
"Well, are you going to throw in and help protect the Bay? Or are you heading out once you get what you came for?"
"It's not like that! Sure, I came here because I thought I could save my nephew, but it's not like that was a completely selfish act. I'd do anything to save him, anything not to see my sister suffer. And I've been nothing but up front when it comes to Alyssa. A bloke with ill intentions wouldn't have fessed up like I did, even though it could have cost me a shot with her."
"That's the spirit." Noah nodded enthusiastically. "Nice to know you've got some fire in there. Might come in handy."
Brandon shook his head, a laugh bursting from his lips. "You asshole."
"Sometimes." Noah grinned. "Look, you're alright in my book. Just, don't be a dick. We're family here, and if you want to be a part of it you need to be considerate, and treat people with respect. That's really all we ask."
"Done." Brandon could easily do that. Besides, it wasn't like he wanted to go up against this bunch. God children and their partners? Nope, better friends than enemies.
Noah pulled the SUV up in front of a tidy looking single story house. Its cottage garden was well maintained and lights shone out from the front rooms despite the fact it was still light. "Looks like she's home," Noah said. "Come on. Let me take the lead though."
Brandon followed Noah up the path. They got to the front door and found it cracked open, Noah nudged the door with his toe and it swung back ominously.
Brandon glanced at Noah who gave him a half shrug and headed into the house.
"Mrs Nolan?" he called. "We've come to have a word."
Noah shot him a glare, and Brandon returned the half shrug from before. "What? It's not like she's not expecting someone, the door was open."
"Where are you?" Noah asked, clearly giving up on the stealth factor. No sound came back through the house though.
"What the fuck is going on here," Brandon muttered. There was a weird tang in the air, and when he entered the living room the scent of souls hit his nostrils. "Shit, something went down here."
"No kidding. I can feel the magic still buzzing in the air. Is she dead?" Noah asked. There was no one in the room, but there was a reasonable amount of blood.
"If she’s not, she’s close to it."
"Let's break up, search the house. Top to bottom. Meet back at the front door in five minutes, but call out if you find anything. I'll take the front."
Brandon nodded, only too happy to oblige. He wanted to get away from the smell in the room before it tempted him too much. He knew he could dig into what had happened, but he wasn't sure he wanted to, and hopefully Noah didn't think to ask.
He entered the kitchen, scanned the benches and even opened a few drawers, but it looked like the home of someone who didn't eat here much. There wasn't a single dirty dish in the sink, and nothing but milk and butter in the fridge. What the hell did this woman live on?
He headed for the next room, and found a medicine cabinet lined with bottles, all kinds of prescriptions for a range of things, some of which it didn't seem like Mrs Nolan was likely to have. What the hell was she into? He pushed on, heading for the bedroom. Unlike the rest of her pristine house the bed was a mess of tangled sheets. The stench of sweat hit his nostrils and he shook his head, trying to dislodge it. He crossed the room to the bedside table and slipped his fingers through the pile of mail. Most of it was local, but there were a few from out of town. He folded them and slipped them into his pocket for later, knowing he didn't have the time right now.
/> Still, not a trace of the woman they'd come looking for. Something nefarious had gone down here—whatever they were holding over her had come into play, and she was dead.
He headed back to the front door and Noah came through a moment later. "Find anything?" he asked.
"Nah," Brandon replied. "Well, I don't think so. There were a couple letters from out of town, might be worth a look." He brought them back out of his pocket, thinking it was better to share the info than not. After all, Noah could drain him of magic if he really wanted to.
"Cheers, I'll take a gander while you go back in there and figure out what happened." Noah pointed to the lounge with one long finger. Brandon shook his head.
"No, I'm good."
"I know you can do it, and you said you cared. About Alyssa, about the Bay. Prove it."
"I don't need to prove shit, man. Back off."
Noah reached out and grabbed Brandon's arm, his grip firm, but not threatening. "We need you to do this. You think we all like some of the things we do? I know people who have killed to keep the Bay safe. Killed to keep their loved ones safe. All I'm asking is that you man up and figure out what the hell went down."
"Fine." Brandon flicked Noah's hand off and stalked into the lounge, shutting the door between them. Like fuck he was going to let anyone watch. He went to the window and drew the curtains closed, shutting out any peering eyes before taking a place in the centre of the room, his feet planted firmly on the ground.
Brandon closed his eyes and drew in his magic, drew in the scent of the room and felt death crawling up his arms like fingers. He didn't need to speak, chants and rituals were for those whose magic came slowly; not for the likes of him. He had to fend it off. Bringing it on was like breathing once he let himself go.
The scene played out before him, Mrs Nolan kneeling on the floor. A man in shadows standing behind her, and there, a woman, drawing forth... Was that her soul? There was a fierce power in the room, the mere echo of it stronger than anything Brandon had experienced before.
Brandon pushed the shadow world back. Shook his hands and arms, flicking death from them and opening his eyes to embrace the real world once more.
He didn't know what he was going to tell the others, but even the barrier they were putting up wasn't going to stop whatever was coming. For all he knew, it was already here.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
They were heading to a place called Rover's Bend. She'd never been there before and she couldn't bring herself to think about it too much, all she knew was that things were about to change, and she could feel herself beginning to disassociate with the world. What would be different in the morning? In an hour? Would she come into her magic immediately, or would it be a gradual thing? No one had any answers, least of all her.
Maybe they should have summoned Gran, but Alyssa was beginning to think that she might never be ready for that. It was one thing to forgive Kelly, who had only stolen her boyfriend, another to forgive family members who had kept her whole heritage a secret, and not left anything helpful behind. Cryptic, useless assholes.
Well, if she did end up having a baby, she sure as fuck wasn't going to hide things from it. She'd be straight up from the very beginning.
The car pulled to a stop on the side of the road and Samantha got out. Alyssa sat for another minute, willing herself to open the door.
What the fuck was going to happen?
Before she could open the door another car arrived and Brandon hopped out, along with another man and woman. Sam opened Alyssa's door and held out her hand.
"Come on, they don't bite. That's Noah and Melody, and I'm sure Jake and Moana will already be down by the river."
Alyssa scanned the area, noting the jutting rocks and brambles.
"Lucky I wore shoes, huh?" Alyssa quipped, trying to smile. Samantha squeezed her hand, their connection giving her a little boost.
"It's going to be okay. And it's fine to be scared, just, take deep breaths and try not to freak out."
"How can I do that?" she asked, the pitch of her voice rising. "None of you have done this before, we don't have any records and you just want me to become something I'm not even sure I know how to be!" She flicked Samantha's hand off, pushing her hands into her eye sockets, trying to stop the tears from coming.
"It's been a long day, probably a long week, hell, month. I get it, Alyssa." Samantha rubbed a hand up and down her spine, the motion strangely calming. "But it's almost over, and once this is done, things should start to settle down. And we can try to fix Michael."
Michael. Alyssa set her shoulders, and shook her head, shook off her lingering doubts though her stomach disagreed. It wasn't possible to feel good. However, she could at least fake it. "Right, let’s go then. Lead the way!" She smiled, knowing it didn't reach her eyes, but not caring.
Brandon approached her then and Sam stepped back, giving them a moment.
"Holding up?" he asked.
"No. Not really. Tell me you've got something excellent to get drunk on after this."
"I have something excellent to get drunk on after this." He kissed her forehead gently. "Sam spoke to you?"
"Yup. Fucking clay babies."
"Clay... Oh, right. Papatūānuku. Well, I’m sticking around, clay baby or not."
She pulled back and scrutinized him. "Really?"
"Really. I'm not going anywhere."
"That's a huge relief to be honest, because I'm scared shitless of what's about to happen and while I hate to admit it you're an excellent influence on me and I need you." She rested her head on his shoulder, really appreciating the strength of him as he squeezed her tightly.
"You're safe with me," he whispered.
"I know. Ditto. I’m here, with you, I mean." She laughed, but then her phone started to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered the call. Kelly. "How far away are you?"
"About twenty minutes I think."
"Right. Look, I just have to do something real quick, but I'm going to give my phone to Brandon and he can tell you where to come. Okay?"
"Yeah, no problem, Lysie. Are you okay? You sound... Kind of tense."
She gave a hollow laugh. "You could say that. Look, don't worry about me right now, we'll talk soon." She swallowed hard, knowing it was now or never. "And Kels? I forgive you." Alyssa ended the call and passed her phone to Brandon. "They aren't far away and I'd really like to not be doing this whole earth goddess thing when they get here. Can you wait for them?"
"I thought I might help..." He frowned.
"I know, but I think your sister is going to need you more than me." What she really meant was his nephew, but she didn't trust herself to say it. She gave him another kiss and then left him there with the cars.
Melody and Noah silently led the way, while Samantha kept pace behind Alyssa. They walked through the woods, the sound of a river nearby filtering through birdsong, the scent of the forest thick in her nostrils. A faint wind wended its way through the thick trees, fragments of sunlight dappling the forest floor around them.
It was beautiful, pure and simple. This was the New Zealand that they showed in the tourism ads. The one they captured in movies. The one she loved best of all.
They rounded a bend and the forest opened up to show a wide section of river with a flat cove beside it. It could only be Moana and Jake standing by the river, and Alyssa could feel sea salt against her skin, hear the waves crashing not that far from here.
"Moana, Jake, this is Alyssa."
"Nice to meet you," Moana said. She bowed her head in greeting, and Jake grinned.
"Hi, nice to meet you, though perhaps the strangest way to get to know someone," Alyssa said. She shuffled her weight from one foot to the other. "Let's get on with this."
"Someone's sure in a hurry to get her goddess on," Jake said with a grin and a wink.
Under other circumstances, she might think he was funny, but right now it wasn't helping.
"Sure, Alyssa, if that's what you want." Sam
looked her in the eyes, and Alyssa gave a little nod.
She tugged on her earlobe though, nervous. "What do we do?"
Samantha was silent for a moment, all eyes on her. "Well, I'm not a hundred percent sure. But, I chose this spot because we can all access our elements here. We're close to the water, the earth, and the wind. The stars aren't visible yet, but I can always feel them, always draw on their energy."
"And..." Alyssa urged.
"And..." Samantha cringed.
Alyssa threw her hands up in the air. "God, you're all so useless! No offense." She shook her head, frustrated beyond words. She closed her eyes, asking for guidance, waiting for inspiration to hit. "Okay," she said approaching Noah, pushing him backward a bit. "You, stand here. Melody, you stand there, Moana, there, and Sam, I want you over here." She moved around her makeshift circle, getting them all into the place that felt right. Which left Jake, who amplified magic. She pointed at him. "And you, I want you with me."
"Where?" he asked, no question or doubt in his voice.
She could tell that he trusted her already, that he believed she was doing the right thing. He’d dropped his cheeky attitude from before and his new gentle confidence gave her hope. "In the middle, where else?" She shrugged, laughing genuinely. "Come on." She grabbed his hand, rough against hers, and they stepped into the circle.
"I don't know what we're meant to do," she said, though she felt charged, as though this was right. "But I want you all to use your power, call your gods, use their energy and focus it here. We're calling their mother, we're calling her so that they can be protected, so that she can be protected. So she can protect them. What mother doesn't want to protect her children?"
She scanned her eyes around the circle, each person nodding when her gaze landed on them. And then she closed her eyes, one hand linked with Jake's.
It started slowly. Her senses tingled as she felt magic being used around her. The wind picked up, and she could hear birds erupt from the trees and take wing, darkening the sky above them for a moment as they fled. The smell of salt grew stronger, and she could hear waves pushing up the river and jostling against the stream before escaping the riverbed and coming to flow around her feet, seeping into her shoes.
