Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series)

by Ednah Walters

  They were not dead. The relief was sweet. I laughed and hugged Torin. Then I remembered the coma part. “Will they be okay?”

  “I don’t know. Two of them are brain dead.”

  Yikes. “Can’t we heal one and—?”

  “No.” He shot me a censuring glance. “You know the rules. We either catch these people in the act or hope they use an evil Seeress Echo can reap. You started to blame yourself, didn’t you?” Torin said. I gave him an innocent smile. Didn’t fool him one little bit. “I tried to lighten things up by mentioning your eulogy.”

  I elbowed him. “That is what made me think they were dead. Does anyone know who these people are?”

  “No.”

  “What do they want from me?”

  Torin shook his head. “If we can help you get a clear vision, we could catch them in the act and either ID them or their location. Blaine already mobilized more Immortals, so the word is out. No Seeresses are to hold a séance without our say so.”

  “They were forcing the last one. We should talk to Ingrid. Maybe she knows a way I can sharpen my visions and get a future reading.”

  Torin’s eyebrows slammed down.

  “What?”

  “Echo will tell us all we need to know.” He seriously needed to chill.

  “Listen, I get it. Your reasons for disliking witches are valid. I’d feel the same if I was in your shoes, but you shouldn’t hold Ingrid’s past against her. Even though she practiced Seidr, Maliina was the one who was powerful and evil.” His expression was unrelenting. “Can’t you see what a hypocrite you are? If you dislike her just because she’s a witch, you should dislike me, too. Seeresses are witches, and I happen to be one.

  “I don’t dislike her.”

  I studied his shadowed eyes. “Then what is it?”

  He shot me an unreadable glance. “We don’t know anything about Ingrid except that she’s Maliina’s little sister. Andris never bothered to find out. I didn’t care before because I assumed she and her sister were Andris’ problem. But then Maliina targeted you and she became my problem. Anyone that hangs around you must be vetted as far as I’m concerned. She has not been vetted.”

  Seriously? He was beginning to sound like the freaking head of the Secret Service. “Then talk to her, get to know her, ask her about her past or whatever you need to know so we can get past this. She is the only one around here who knows about trance magic.”

  “I can’t talk to her. She clams up whenever I’m around.”

  “Then turn on the charm.” He gave me an annoyed look. “Fine. Get someone else to talk to her or something. You’re Mr. Solutions.” A thought occurred to me. “What about Femi? We could talk to her. She seemed to know something about magic.”

  “We shouldn’t involve her yet. Echo will answer our questions for now. Druids knowledge of magic surpasses anyone’s.”

  “Femi is from Ancient Egypt. The magic there is older than the Druids. No one could be wiser.”

  “Yet their gods disappeared. Never to be heard of again. That should tell you something. Norse gods rule. Druidism is the oldest religion, so Echo it is.” Torin stood and pulled me up. Then it hit me.

  “You don’t trust Femi.”

  Torin made a face. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say that. She is an open book with tattoos and pictures to prove it. She also yaps non-stop about her colorful past, so it’s easy to confirm everything she says. I just don’t trust her to put your interest first.”

  I pouted. “That’s an insult to my mother’s judgment. She hired Femi.”

  He dropped a kiss on my lips. “And she chose well, but Femi’s first priority is your father. Anyone who doesn’t put you and your interest first cannot be trusted.” There was no hesitation or apology in his voice.

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  He shrugged. “Works for me.”

  “Other than you, me, and my parents, I don’t think anyone cares about me or—”

  “Andris does. He’s like the annoying little brother I never had, hot-headed, shallow, gets bored easily, and does something every couple of decades that makes me want to disown him or beat the crap out of him, but I can count on him. He’s loyal, smart, and in a fight, once he’s resigned to it, he watches my back. He’d go to Hel’s Hall and back for you.”

  Was he talking about the same Andris? The one who whined and complained every time he had to keep me company? “If you say so.”

  “The other is Eirik,” Torin added softly.

  The fight drained out of me. Eirik was a painful subject. He could kick some serious ass. I wished he were back. I wished I could see him even just to make sure he was okay. Echo hadn’t seen him, but then again, Hel’s Hall is humongous.

  I shifted focus.

  Seeresses were willing to die to protect me. But protect me from whom? What? I needed to know how to communicate with them while in a trance, so we could stop this craziness. It was obvious now that the person I had seen wasn’t Torin.

  “Okay,” I said. “Let’s talk to Echo.”

  ***

  Echo didn’t look too thrilled to see us. “Let’s make this quick,” he said.

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen, so chill,” Torin said. “Andris needs to be here.” He touched my arm and left through the portal.

  Seated on a stool by the wet bar, a drink in hand, Echo studied me with a tiny smile. He looked like a normal guy in a black tank top and jeans, instead of his usual leather pants. Of course, he was barefooted. What was it with these people and bare feet? Or maybe I had a foot fetish because my eyes kept drifting to them.

  “How’s the Völva doing?” Echo asked.

  “The Völva has a name, Echo. Use it.”

  He chuckled. “The Seeress has claws. Want a drink?”

  “No, thanks.” I looked around. The décor was contemporary, done in silver and slate, but I could see Cora’s influence. The colorful pillows and vases had her name written all over them. “Where’s Cora?”

  Echo moved away from the stool and sauntered toward me while sipping his drink. The Druidic rings looked dark against his skin. He had an aura around him that was both menacing and fascinating. I forced myself to stand my ground when I wanted to take a step back.

  “Cora?” I called out.

  Echo grinned as though he sensed my unease. “I sent her home.”

  I scoffed at the idea. “Right. Is she in the bedroom?”

  He stopped in front of me and studied me. “Are you as powerful as the Norns think you are, or are we wasting our time protecting just another ordinary Seeress?”

  “You are protecting me?”

  “Somehow, I’ve been forced to be part of your little group of whatever you call yourselves.” He stepped away just before the portal opened. Torin and Andris stepped into the room. “Okay, the cavalry is here. Let’s get started.”

  Andris made a beeline for the bar and poured himself a drink. Torin angled his head, walked to the bedroom door, and opened it, almost hitting Cora, who was obviously listening through the door. “Want to join us?”

  Face red, she looked at Echo, then me, and finally Torin. “Okay.”

  We all found seats. Andris sipped his drink by the bar. Echo took a side chair and pulled Cora down on his lap. She had a gauzy cover over her swimsuit. Torin sat on the arm of my chair, and I sunk against his side.

  “Did Echo tell you what’s going on?” Torin asked, looking at Cora.

  “No.” The look she shot Echo said he’d refused to tell her.

  I told her everything that had been going on the last couple of days. She left Echo’s lap and came to sit beside me. “Why didn’t you tell me last night when I was at your place? We watched a stupid TV show, for pity’s sake.”

  “I like doing normal things once in a while. Yesterday was normal.”

  “Ooh, me too,” she whispered then glanced at Echo. “We should do the date thing we discussed at school.”

  “I agree.” Torin cleared his throat. I patted
his thigh. “We’re not ignoring you. You can come, too.”

  He gave me a look that said there was not going to be a double date. “We need answers, Echo. What Raine forgot to say is that she gets the vision every time she touches this.” He dangled the seal.

  Echo stared at me and rotated one of his rings. “And you’re coming to me because…?”

  Torin studied him with narrowed eyes, and I could imagine his thoughts. He barely tolerated Echo. “You are a Druid. This pendent has Druidic symbols. Unless of course, you’re a poser and those rings your wear are just for show.”

  Silence followed as they seized each other up. I’d bet on Torin any day. Echo might look like Hel swallowed him and spit him out, but Torin was the calm and collected type, until he turned into a raging tornado mowing down everything in his path.

  Echo must have decided not to take the bait. “People have signature energies, which they leave on things they touch. You know, like the scent dogs follow after sniffing someone’s clothes. Certain Seers and Seeresses, the rarest of them, can touch people or their personal things and connect with that person’s soul. Raine is connecting with that energy.” He slanted Torin a glance. “You told me the pendant belonged to your family when I came across it.”

  “My mother,” Torin said.

  “That makes sense. Magical energies are a lot more powerful. Like this. Catch!” Echo threw his ring at me. I caught it, and everything around me faded to black.

  The next second, I was in a forest. Like my visions before, everything was blurry. People in long robes and hooded cloaks hurried past me. Some carried satchels; others had wooden staffs. I didn’t understand the language they were speaking, but I sensed their fear. The men weren’t many, but they flanked the women and children, who appeared to be the majority.

  Then the ground shook, and screams filled the air as everyone started to run. My heart pounded, panic surging through me. Behind us came men in medieval skirts and armor, wielding swords. Without hesitation or remorse, they cut down the people. Men. Women. Children.

  “No!” I screamed as a mother went down, leaving behind a defenseless child. “Run. Someone help her.” I tried to run to the child, but I couldn’t move. A sword swung down on her head. I screamed.

  I was still screaming and kicking when I came to. Everyone was yelling at once. “I’m going to break every damn bone in your body, you bastard,” Torin vowed.

  “I needed proof,” Echo protested.

  “Stop it, you two,” Cora yelled. “She’s coming around.”

  Silence followed. I opened my eyes and wish I hadn’t. Torin looked ready to rip something or someone apart. “Are you okay?”

  After the vision I’d just seen, I didn’t think so. I was still shaking. I knew it happened in the past, but still… To be hunted like that? Slaughtered mercilessly? It was gruesome. Inhumane.

  Cora reached out from my other side and wiped the tears from my cheek. I gripped her hand. Did she know about Echo’s past? He kept his distance. I wanted to kick him into the next century for making me see that, yet something in his eyes told me he’d known firsthand what I’d just seen.

  “I’m okay.” I pushed Cora’s hand away and tried to sit up. Torin’s arms eased up, but he didn’t let me go. “I didn’t need to witness that, Echo. No one should ever go through that.”

  “What did you see?” Andris asked. “A threesome?”

  That would have been preferable. “Roman soldiers hunting down Druids. Old men. Women. Children. It was horrifying.” Too late, I realized this was the wrong thing to say.

  Torin was gone from my side before I could blink. The next second, he rammed into Echo. The force of his attack catapulted them across the room. The two of them crashed through the glass door to the pool deck. Shards of glass flew everywhere.

  Cora screamed. Andris laughed.

  Of all the supernatural bullshit I had to deal with, testosterone-driven soul reapers were not on the list. Not today. “Andris, are you just going to just stand there and do nothing?”

  “Yep.” He poured himself a shot and went to stand by the window to watch them. “Best fight I’ve since the Grimnir showdown at the mansion.”

  Cora yelled Echo’s name and issued threats I didn’t bother to listen to. I’d had it. I engaged my runes and went after them. Torin and Echo were nowhere in sight. The pool deck had giant cracks like someone had taken a giant sledgehammer to it.

  A giant splash came from the pool, and then a glowing Echo shot out of the water, rolled on the deck, and sprung to his feet. The look on his face said he was enjoying himself.

  I pinned him with a glare. “Don’t even think of going back into that pool, Echo.”

  “He started it,” Echo said.

  “No, you did.” Lucky for him, his neighbors were too far to have seen the sudden cracks on the deck and water splashing when no one was in the pool. I walked to the edge of the pool just as Torin’s head broke the surface. “No more, Torin. I don’t need this from you.”

  “He’s an ass…” He glared at Echo, who appeared beside me. He’d removed his drenched shirt and was putting on a thick, terry robe. He offered another one to Torin, but I didn’t think he’d take it.

  Torin pulled himself out of the pool. He looked like a drowned rat. A gorgeous rat with flames leaping in the depth of his blue eyes. I planted myself between them, snatched the robe from Echo’s hand, and shoved it in Torin’s chest.

  “You two are going to play nice from now on,” I said. “You pull this crap again and I’ll flatten both of you myself. No, I’ll use my witch powers and screw with your heads so badly you won’t want to leave your houses for weeks. And that’s a promise.” I turned and started for the house. “Now fix this…”

  The shards of glass and cracks were gone, remnants of glowing runes on their surfaces. Andris waved an artavus from the other side of the door. Now he steps up.

  No one spoke as we walked back into the house. Torin’s wet boots made sloshy and squeaky sounds with each step. He disappeared through the portal while Echo headed to his bedroom.

  “I wish they wouldn’t do that,” Cora said.

  “Nah, it’s good for them,” Andris said.

  “How come you don’t go punching people and things when you’re pissed?” I asked.

  “I’m a lover, sweetheart. Besides, things have been building up between them since forever.”

  Torin was first to arrive. He’d changed into my favorite sweatpants and a T-shirt. He walked straight to me. “Do I need to apologize again?”

  His tone said he would, but he wasn’t going to like it. I shook my head.

  “Good because I’m not sorry for kicking his ass.” He glared at Echo, who’d just entered the room.

  Echo smirked and whispered something to Cora. I didn’t know what he’d told her, but she jumped up and said, “I have to go home, guys. Fill me in later.” She disappeared into the bedroom.

  Echo joined Andris at the bar and poured himself another drink. “So, where were we before the Earl of Worthington rudely interrupted me?”

  “Your ring,” I said and tossed it back to him.

  He caught it and slipped it on his finger. “This was my older sister’s ring and—”

  “Are you forgetting something?” Torin asked in a hard voice, arms crossed and feet apart. He stood beside me, but I knew he could close the gap between him and Echo in a fraction of a second.

  Echo glanced at him then me and smirked. “Sorry about the ring, Raine. I meant to give you a different one.” He cocked his eyebrow at Torin, who growled. “I was going to give you this one,” Echo added and pulled off another ring. “It belonged to my baby sister’s. The vision would have been of singing, happy Druids.”

  Torin didn’t seem happy with that either. Guess he wasn’t buying Echo’s B.S. He really was pissed. I reached up and took his hand. Echo watched us and grinned.

  “Okay, uh, we now know you not only see things as they happen, but you can also see the past
and hopefully the future. With time, you’ll just need to touch or look at someone or something to have a vision. Chances are you can control the elements, too. Now I understand why the Norns want you, why these people are after you. You are the real deal. A true shaman.”

  He had my attention. Heck, he had everyone’s attention. Torin’s grip on my hand tightened. “Does that mean I don’t have to sketch circles like a Seidr witch?”

  “Technically, you could never be considered a witch or merely a Seeress. Your kind doesn’t draw protective circles, listen to special songs, chant, or drum to enter the trance state like other Seeresses,” he said. “You walk in the land of the living and the dead. You can move in and out of realms at a whim, touch anything and connect with its energy and know where it’s been and where it’s going. That kind of power only comes to those who’ve tasted death. You know, died, crossed over, and came back. Anything like that ever happen to you, sweetheart?”

  “I was born premature, so I might have,” I said. “The Norns made sure I survived.” Echo cocked his eyebrows in question. “Long story. Is there a way I can see clearly? My visions are really blurry. We were hoping I could catch the people after me in the act.”

  Echo glanced at Torin. “Do you want to hear the rest, or are you going to go ape again?”

  “Just say it,” Torin snapped, his hand tightening around mine.

  “There’s magical energy imbedded in that seal,” Echo continued, and Torin stiffened. “Magical energy responds faster than ordinary energues. The magic belongs to either your mother or her killer. The good part is the energy is responding to Raine and leading her to these people. Next time you connect with it—”

  “There won’t be a next time,” Torin said firmly. “We’ll find a way to stop the bastards without Raine watching them hurt another Seeress.”

  “No.” I eased my hand from Torin’s. We always knocked heads when he went all protective of me and acted like I was someone that needed to be rescued. “I want to hear this. The last Seeress looked straight at me and told me to help the others. What should I do differently next time?”