She wasn't about to tell him that she and her sisters had already thought of that. Their father had traveled here from a thousand years ago, so it was the only logical deduction But the Faerie Realm was new.
"So Faeries are a thing?"
"Unfortunately. Malicious buggers. When endeavoring such a feat, you must ground yourself to this plane, or you will be at risk of being taken, or worse."
What would be worse than that?
"There are . . . things, creatures, which could return with you." He stopped and turned to face her. "I assume that you and your sisters planned to use All Hallows Eve to attempt Bane's rescue?"
Slowly, she nodded, not sure how much she should share of their plans. Truce or not, she didn't want to open them up for the Horsemen to enact a coup the second Bane returned.
Julian tightened his jaw for a moment. "I advise against it. The veil is too thin during the in-between."
"We can't wait. All Hallows Eve is tomorrow night. We must perform the spell."
Julian shook his head, his black eyes fathomless with knowledge and secrets. "You must do it tonight. And you must do it alone."
"Alone?" No, she needed her sisters and went to say as much when he spoke again.
"Aerin can't be present. Trust me, and listen. You've reached Killian in your dreams, haven't you?"
"Y-yes." Should she tell him about last night? Maybe it was the long night of no sleep and releasing ghosts upon the world, but Tierra found herself revealing last night's events, keeping quiet about the sanctuary and the hidden door that led directly to the Standing Stones from the attic.
"You say that you saw yourself torturing Killian?" Julian questioned, his brow furrowing. At her nod, he paced a distance away and looked over the Sound. She gave him a moment before joining him.
He spoke without looking at her, "It's imperative that you do the spell yourself. I know this is daunting, but you've reached Killian on your own before. I have faith that you are the key to releasing him. You had the power to send him there, and only you can retrieve him. To have your sisters present could, and most likely will, create problems. Either the attempt will be disrupted or you will lose one, if not all of them, to the Grave."
Reaching into the pocket of his long coat, he pulled out a black velvet pouch. "What I'm about to give you cannot be shared with anyone else. No one can know of its existence." Carefully, he held the pouch by the strings so she could take it without coming into contact with him.
She took the pouch and released the ties, coaxing the heavy item from the fabric. A black tourmaline fell into her palm. Blacker than any other tourmaline she'd ever seen, it was roughly three inches long and an inch wide, and its age seemed immeasurable. Oblong and jagged, it covered her palm, power radiating through her at the contact, grounding her to the Earth in a way she'd never felt before.
A startled breath escaped her, and it took a minute to recover. "What? Where?"
"The stories attached to this stone are ancient and bloody. That is why you cannot let anyone know you possess it. I've had it in my collection since I acquired it from the Knights Templar the day they were massacred. Legend has it, that the stone was mined from deep within the Carpathian Mountains. A place some in the know refer to as 'The Cradle of Life.'
"I'm sure you are aware that black tourmaline is revered for its ability to repel negative ions, repress electromagnetic fields. It will aid in shielding your body and the babe from the effects of radiation you will most likely encounter, in order to reach the Underworld."
The stone had more than the normal properties of regular tourmaline. So much more. Tierra recognized the unlimited battery life glowing from within, charged from the sun. Her earth charka fairly vibrated in excitement.
"Do not get too attached," Julian continued. "I will need this returned posthaste. Those who have sought the benefits of the stone, ended up being seduced by its power. It is not meant for mortals."
"But I'm a witch."
"Yet still mortal. The tourmaline alone will see you safely to Hell and back, but you will need to perform your other rituals. You'll know which ones. The harvest moon will be at its peak at midnight. You must be ready. Tell no one of what we've spoken of here today. To release this stone into your hands could have dire consequences for us all. Heed my words, Tierra de Moray. Tell no one."
She gave Julian a shaky nod, enraptured by the iridescence of the stone pulsing in her palm.
"Tierra, I must hear the words." Julian's commanding tone grabbed her attention, and she glanced up at him, surprised he was still there. "Promise me."
"I promise to tell no one."
"Good." Julian gave her a short nod. "Now, cover the stone, and cast a cloaking spell over it. Perform the ritual before the harvest moon begins its descent. Do not wait another day. It's imperative more than ever that we have Bane back tonight."
Chapter Twelve
Tierra entered the house, and instead of checking on Claire, she ran upstairs to her bedroom and hid the black tourmaline in the bathroom amongst the tampons she wouldn't need for months yet. One perk of pregnancy. She thought about hiding the stone in the sanctuary, but worried she might be found out. No one would question her running upstairs to use the bathroom, as lately she always needed to pee.
She hated that she wasn't being honest with her sisters, hated keeping something from them, but Julian's intensity had convinced her. Ignorance, would keep them safe.
Returning downstairs, she found Claire and Moira in the kitchen. There was no sign of Tommy or Dru. Good. She didn't relish dealing with those two. Moira stood next to Claire, wrapping a sling around Claire's arm to take the weight off her shoulder.
"How are you feeling?" Tierra asked.
"Better now that those two halfwits are gone." Claire picked at the label on the beer bottle in front of her. "Men are more trouble than a monsoon."
"Actually, I enjoy a good monsoon," Moira said. "Besides, it was kinda romantic how they fought over you." She tightened the knot on the sling. "There, baby that shoulder, no heavy lifting, and I'll apply more healing salve in a few hours. Hope you don't mind that I added a bit of Cheeto's spit to the mix?"
"Not at all. That pig can spit on me anytime, what with how his spittle healed Doctor Lector. Thanks, Moira. Already feels normal." Claire lifted her arm halfway and then winced. "Well, maybe not completely." She picked up her beer and took a long draw.
"Aerin isn't back yet?" Tierra asked, opening the fridge. Goddess, but she was tired and hungry. She didn't know which to satisfy first and figured if she didn't silence her stomach, there would be no chance at sleeping.
"Not yet," Moira muttered. "Hope her and Nick don't kill each other."
Tierra pulled out the leftover pepperoni pizza, grabbing an apple for good measure. Her eating habits were atrocious lately.
"I'll take a slice of that, too," Moira said, taking a chair and leaning her head on her hand.
"Make that three," Claire said. "No, don't bother heating it up. For once, I'll eat it cold."
Tierra set the pie on the table and handed out napkins, not bothering with plates. She took a few bites to quiet the gnawing in her stomach before broaching the next subject. "I think we need to talk about Tommy."
Claire's eyes heated. "Not now."
"Claire, you realize that if Brock can possess him, other ghosts can, too."
"Somethin' to consider, sis," Moira said around a mouthful. "We won't know who's wearin' him each time he walks into a room."
Claire rubbed the back of her neck, winced again, and traded the pizza for her beer. "I'll think of something, but I don't want to talk about men right now."
"Okay, now can Tierra tell us what Julian wanted to yap about?" Moira asked, going for another piece of pizza.
Claire drained her beer and sat back in her chair with a sigh. "Lay it on us."
What should she tell them? She couldn't outright lie, but then she couldn't tell them the truth either. If they had any inkling of what she
planned to do, they would either stop her or force their way into her plans. "Pretty much the same old. Gotta get Killian out of Hell. He's real upset over the release of the ghosts."
"Aren't we all? Goddess, I need a fucking vacation." Claire laid her head down on the table.
"Oh shit, we're going to be late!" Moira jumped to her feet. "Your ultrasound appointment is in fifteen minutes. Hurry, we need to get dressed."
"Can't we reschedule?" That was the last thing Tierra wanted to do. She needed a nap.
"No, we need to check out the tadpole, make sure he isn't sportin' horns or somethin'. Come on." Moira pulled Tierra out of her chair and pushed her toward the stairs. "Besides I wanna peek at my little niece or nephew."
"Claire?" Tierra asked, glancing back. "Want to come?"
Claire shuddered. "If it's okay with you, I think I'll have another beer and try to get some sleep. The ghosts seemed to have quieted down, probably busy figuring out how to rattle chains or something."
"Shouldn't we wait for Aerin?"
"The last thing that chick wants is anything to do with babies." Moira gave her another push. "Get a move on."
****
"I see you've taken my advice to heart," Lila said sarcastically, regarding Tierra with a critical eye. "When was the last time you slept?"
"Uh . . . "
"Could that have anything to do with the ghosts being reported about town?"
"Uh . . ." Tierra answered intelligently again.
"Thought so." Lila sighed and grabbed a bottle from the tray and squirted a glob on Tierra's exposed stomach. "Let's take a look, shall we?"
Moira planted herself next to Tierra. "So, we're really gonna to see what's happenin' inside?"
"Ultrasounds give us a pretty good idea. At least it will let us know if we need to do more tests."
"More tests?" Tierra stiffened.
"Nothing to worry about," Lila reassured her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're supposed to be reducing stress, remember."
"How do I do that when you say stuff like more tests?"
"Breathe, and take a look." A grin split over Lila's mouth. "There's your baby." She pointed to the screen as she maneuvered the wand-like thing over Tierra's belly. "Never ceases to amaze me. This is the best part of my job, that and delivering a new soul into the world."
Tears popped into Tierra's eyes, and a rush of . . . love overwhelmed her. There on the screen in black and white was the image of her baby. It was hard at times to make out, but she could see legs and arms. Suddenly she felt movement inside her.
"Holy Mother of Earth!" she exclaimed. "I-I think it just moved."
Lila smiled. "Sure is a swimmer. Lots of movement. That's a good thing." She pressed some keys on the computer, and the image froze. "Just taking some measurements here." A few more clicks and she moved the wand again.
"So . . . like can you check its hooves—er, little footsies?" Moira asked.
"Here." Lila moved the wand. "Ten toes on each foot."
"Ten!" Tierra tried to sit up, but Lila pushed her back.
"My bad. Ten toes total. Five on each perfectly formed foot."
"Phew, 'bout gave us a heart attack there, doc," Moira said."What about a tail? What? Like you weren’t a wonderin', too."
Tierra remembered Skunk Hurley and Aunt Justine's early morning rant. "Does it have a tail? Seems to the theme of the day. Just go with it."
"This is going to go down as one of my most interesting appointments ever," Lila said. She maneuvered the wand. "No tail. Wait . . ."
"Wait?" Tierra and Moira said together.
"For a minute there, I thought I could determine the sex of the baby, but it crossed its legs."
"Think I'd do the same if anyone were pointin' some sonic wave gun at my lady bits," Moira said, enraptured with what she saw on the screen. "Hey, would you look at that. I think it just waved a flipper at us!"
"No, must be a reflex . . ." Lila gasped as the baby pressed its hand against the wall of the womb and held it there. "That's . . . interesting." She moved the device and the baby followed its movements across Tierra's abdomen. "Apparently your child is very aware of what we're doing. Astonishing."
"How is it doing that?" Tierra asked.
Lila shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I've never seen anything like it," she whispered.
The baby held up its other hand, and the ultrasound machine sparked as though zapped with a power surge.
Lila jumped back on an exclamation.
"What just happened?" Tierra asked.
"I-I think it just killed my machine." Lila attempted to reboot the apparatus.
"How could it do that?" Moira asked. "It's just a baby. Hear that, Tierra, just a baby."
One that had the ability to detect its surroundings from inside the womb, communicate, and kill appliances. Sure, just a baby.
"No horns, tails, or cloven hooves," Moira attempted to soothe. "Ten toes, too, remember?"
A rapid succession of kicks that she couldn't disregard as gas, rippled the skin of her stomach.
"Holy shit," Moira said, jerking back. "Don't that hurt?"
"Not at all." Tierra smiled and stroked the mounded curve of her belly. Whatever grew inside her was her child, and she suddenly wanted it more than she wanted anything.
Chapter Thirteen
Tierra looked over the gathered items.
While ghosts continued to the haunt the manor, sending Aunt Justine shrieking to sleep elsewhere, Tierra prepped for the night ahead with Jinx eyeing her every move. Turned out, one hiss from the cat and the wandering souls scattered like leaves on the wind. Her sisters assumed she was tuckered out, and she was, but sleep would have to wait a little bit longer. She hoped she didn't screw anything up.
On the bed lay her crystal bracelets of jasper for aid in pregnancy and astral travel, bloodstone for courage and emotional clarity, strength and energy—damn but she needed that more than she liked to admit—green aventurine to help realign her spirit with her body, and she was good to go.
Wait, was she missing something?
Jinx meowed from the bed, sitting on her haunches, and regarded Tierra's preparations ready to hand down judgment.
"I know. You've made your objections clear. Here." Tierra laid a sheet of paper on the night table. She'd written a letter to her sisters, conveying her love and regret to them, in case she didn't return. "If—no ifs, this will work—but just on the slim chance things don't go as planned, please give this to my sisters if I'm not home by sunrise."
Jinx meowed again, the sound low and long in her throat.
"You're not changing my mind. So knock it off."
Jinx wasn't about to let it rest and started up a caterwauling that Tierra feared would have her sisters rushing to check on her. She stopped what she was doing and faced the cat, giving Jinx her full attention. "Wait. Say that again." Jinx swatted her paw in exasperation and began yowling again.
"Why, that's . . . brilliant."
Jinx let out an approving purr strong enough to vibrate the bed.
Tierra located her henna and stripped off her clothes. She proceeded to apply a tree of life on her distended stomach, giggling at the tiny fluttering from the baby as it followed the strokes of the applicator.
Why hadn't she thought of this? Too tired to think, obviously.
Trees were symbols of physical and spiritual growth. They represented fertility, provided sustenance, and brought together the temporal worlds. Places of birth and death, of worship and sacred shrines that had been documented since the time of Adam and Eve. Not to mention, trees anchored themselves to the earth with their deep-seeded roots—part living and feeding underground, the other cleansing the air and reaching toward the heavens.
While the henna-painted symbol dried, Tierra slipped the crystal bracelets over both wrists and around her ankles. She picked up the black velvet pouch with the black tourmaline Julian had given her and tied it to a long piece of twine hemp and slipped it
over her head. It rested between her breasts, and she immediately felt that deep spiritual connection with the Earth again, stronger than any link she experienced before. Next, she weaved the plants she'd gathered when Moira had checked in on Claire, whispering to Tierra that she planned to have a come-to-Jesus-talk with her about Tommy.
Supposedly, Aerin had headed to the store to stock the pantry. Apparently, she had a craving for dark chocolate and they were out. Claire added more beer and whiskey to the list, and Moira announced that she had a hankerin' for boiled canned peanuts. Tierra doubted Aerin would be able to locate that particular item. But it gave her the time required to visit the solarium and harvest the plants she needed.
Now, she braided mugwort leaves into her hair for aid in traveling through gateways to other dimensions, peppermint for repelling evil spirits, rosemary for health and wellbeing, and mandrake for help in locating one that you loved.
She hesitated on the mandrake. Love was a powerful word, and she wasn't sure exactly what she felt for Killian. Fear, longing, respect, and definitely sexual attraction . . . but love?
Deciding it couldn't hurt, she weaved that in, too, but limited the amount as the plant also tended to heighten physical desires, and she didn't need sex getting in the way of her rescue mission.
Following that, she added the flowers of belladonna for the dark element she'd need and balanced it with angelica. She washed off the henna and admired how the plant had dyed the tree of life symbol in the skin of her abdomen. She might need to make the symbol permanent. Getting a tattoo had never tempted her before, but she wasn't looking forward to when the henna would disappear from her skin.
Last, she reached for the golden crown in the shape of stag antlers and placed it on her head. Everything inside her heightened, sharpening her eyesight and increasing her hearing. The cut flowers in her hair bloomed brighter as though they'd been resurrected. She regarded her reflection in the full-length mirror. She looked like a fairytale nymph and figured Mother Earth would be proud of her efforts.
Which Witch is Wild? (The Witches of Port Townsend Book 3) Page 15
