The Quickening

by Yvonne Heidt

  “Try harder,” Kat said. “Please.” She had the utmost respect for Sunny and Shade and what they were trying to do, but she found it impossible to continue to sit here in this room while they appeared to be looking at nothing and listening to voices Kat couldn’t hear. It was driving her crazy.

  “Would you please,” Shade said, “quit fucking fidgeting?”

  “Sorry,” Kat said. “I can’t help it.”

  “Then leave the room.”

  Angel padded into the room still wearing her pajamas with the kitten tucked in her arms.

  Kat crossed to her then crouched to her level. “What do you need, munchkin?”

  “I only left her for a second,” Aura said, coming in behind her. “Come on, baby. Let’s go eat breakfast. Nana will see what’s in the kitchen.”

  Angel continued to stare at Kat, who began to squirm under the intensity of her blue eyes. It felt like she was being stripped of all her ego and her soul was stripped from her and laid bare on the floor.

  Kat felt Shade and Sunny shift behind her. The moment was heavy, as if time itself had stopped and everyone was waiting for it to start again before they could take another breath.

  “That which was written in history, will be again.”

  Did that mature voice just come out of Angel? Kat felt every hair on her body rise to attention. She looked around to Sunny and Shade who were both staring with their mouths open in surprise.

  She fell from her crouch to sit on the floor. “Angel?”

  “The Dark Rider seeks to destroy us once more.”

  Kat felt as if she might faint. She knew that voice.

  “Mother?”

  *

  Strong arms tried to pull her from the mud. Tiffany heard a primal scream, and the anguished notes of it seemed to pierce straight to her soul. She was fading, but aware of being shaken. Who was yelling at her? She was tired, so tired, but the screams persisted. She tried to open her eyes, but they were heavy, too heavy. A hand brushed her face and gently moved the wet strands of her hair.

  Salt from the woman’s tears fell on her lips to mix with the coppery taste of the blood that filled her mouth.

  “Don’t leave me!” The voice again. Tiffany tried to smile but didn’t feel her muscles make the motion. She felt like she could float away on a cloud of peace.

  She’d been so incredibly blessed by the Goddess. She’d been loved beyond measure by her warrior lover, and she wanted to take that feeling with her on her great journey home. In the corner of her vision, a small dot of light grew larger until she was encompassed by the glow.

  “Daughter. It’s time now.” The feminine voice was more prevalent than the screaming, and Tiffany latched onto the sound. Now she felt the corners of her mouth lift slightly. Home.

  The pain that filled her stopped when she reached for the Goddess’s hand. She floated to stand beside her but was deeply aware of the emotion behind her. The rain fell in sheets, but not a drop hit her or the Goddess. She turned and was surprised and a little shocked when she realized the body on the ground was her own. The person wracked with grief and rocking her dead body was Kat.

  There was so much blood, but floating outside her body, she was detached from the horror of it. Wait! She wanted to see more, to try to understand. Tiffany turned back to the Goddess, but before she could protest, the light grew brighter, erasing the scene before her.

  “You will remember her, child. I promise you will find each other again. It’s not her time yet. You have been faithful and devoted to me. Do not doubt, or take my vow to you lightly.”

  The Goddess smiled, and Tiffany was filled with a sense of well-being, homecoming, and utter harmony. “I will remember,” she whispered. The light held and comforted her at once. Joy and love swam through her soul.

  A harsh slap to her face brought her out of the vision she so desperately wanted to hang on to.

  “Wakey, wakey.”

  “It was you,” Tiffany said. “The rider was you.”

  Mark’s high-pitched giggle gave her chills.

  “How could I have not known that?”

  “You’ve always been stupid, Tiffany.”

  What was he saying? Her head ached and her thoughts were muddled from the beatings.

  “Don’t remember?” Mark sat on the cement floor in front of Tiffany. “Let me tell you a beddie-bye story. Listen carefully, because I’m nearly done with you again.”

  Tiffany closed her eyes and then opened them when he pinched her.

  “Pay attention.” He laughed. “It’s a good one.”

  Tiffany didn’t have a choice. She tried to focus.

  “Once upon a time,” he started sarcastically, “in a land far, far away and long ago, there lived a king. He had several wives of course, but it was the red-haired witch that was his favorite. She could see things that helped the king smite his enemies and brought him untold riches. Now, this king and witch had a daughter.”

  Mark giggled again and poked Tiffany in the chest. “That’s you. Anyway, this young girl proved to have, let’s say, special gifts as well. One of the other wives had a son born from another man before she married the king.”

  He pounded himself in the chest. “That’s me. Can you see where this is going?”

  Tiffany shook her head slightly. She listened carefully, hating that she was fascinated with his story when she knew how it ended. But knowledge was power, and she needed him to continue.

  Mark cuffed her head. “See? I’m telling you. Stupid. The other wife was jealous of the witch and her daughter. She went to a sorcerer and brought to the castle some magic of her own. Dark magic. She put a spell on the king to murder the witch so she could take the girl, and promised her to her oldest son. But something went wrong, you see. The witch and her brat got away. The entire clan at the castle searched and searched, but they didn’t find them. They hid very well. The woman, who was my mother in that life, created a powerful spell and sealed it with the blood of young, innocent women. One that would ensure the girl, that’s you, was tied to us throughout time.”

  Mark’s eyes were full of rage, and spittle sprayed from his mouth as he talked. “But you wouldn’t come back with me when I found you.”

  Tiffany heard buzzing in her ears. The sound of madness. Hadn’t she heard that recently? God, she couldn’t think.

  “It took ten years that time, but I fixed you. I fixed all of you bitches. Yes, I did.” He jumped to his feet. “But you don’t know the very best part yet!”

  Tiffany gagged. No, don’t say it.

  Mark clapped. “Guess who your mother is this time around.”

  *

  The intercom buzzed in the hall, but its harsh sound didn’t break the stunned silence in the room. Kat continued to stare at Angel, whose features had shifted somehow, and she looked like someone much older.

  “The curse was cast a thousand plus two moons ago, and it must be broken.”

  Mitt stirred in Angel’s arms and mewed. She looked down to comfort the kitten, and when she looked back up, her face was once again that of a young child.

  Kat exhaled and heard Sunny and Shade do the same.

  No one said anything until Aura took over. “Honey?”

  “Yes, Nana? Is breakfast done now?”

  “Let’s go and see.” Aura took one last look over her shoulder before disappearing.

  Jordan walked in. “The police are here, along with Detective Parker.”

  Kat’s legs had fallen asleep, and she took the time to get her circulation going again. She looked at Sunny. “Did you—?”

  “No clue. Wow.”

  Kat was finally able to stand. “Try to find her again. I’ll go out there with Jordan. Don’t give up. We have to find her.” She was frantic with worry but still had the ability to feel the otherworldly moment she’d had with Angel. At least she had something to focus on, if not a direction yet. Now she had to figure out how to find Tiffany and break the curse.

  She walked down the hall a
nd was almost surprised to see how pretty the day was turning out to be. Somehow, she thought it would be raining and storming, like the day when Tanna was killed. Hell no. She couldn’t allow herself to go there at all, but how could she mend the threads of grief and anxiety torn within her when she was faced with a horrible situation much the same as the first?

  Kat had to keep positive or she’d fall apart. Angel was eating on the patio with Aura, and she felt her heart fill with a fierce sense of hope, love, and belonging. This event may have been set in motion over a thousand years ago, but they would finish it in their favor this time. Besides, if they didn’t have a chance, why was everything coming together in just this way? It would be too cruel of the Gods and Goddesses to take everything away again. They would win this.

  Or she would die trying.

  Hang on, Tiffany. I’m coming for you, love.

  *

  “My mother? How does she tie into this?”

  “Well,” Mark said. “She was my mother back then, and she bargained with the dark sorcerer. There is always a price to be paid. She went quite mad you know. The curse cost her a tiny bit.” He held his fingers an inch apart. “She promised the sorcerer things she couldn’t deliver for his services. He couldn’t have cared less about you, the child; he wanted the red witch for himself. When the bitches couldn’t be found, he revealed a clause she hadn’t known existed in the original spell. In the event he didn’t get paid, the curse would go back onto my mother, and she would have to search throughout time for the witch until she delivered her unto him.”

  “But you said I was the child.”

  “Ah, but I had a deal with him myself where you were concerned.” Mark nudged Tiffany with his foot. “Guess who my daddy was. Guess!”

  Tiffany closed her eyes. “The sorcerer.”

  “See? You’re catching on. Well then, my daddy scried for you in his crystal ball. It took him years. We’d almost given up. Imagine our surprise when we actually found you, and you had married another in my place. Another bitch at that. I couldn’t let that pass, oh no. You stained my honor and I was duty bound to kill you for it.”

  “But I didn’t know I was promised to you,” Tiffany said. “I was six years old when we left.”

  Mark ignored her, and she knew she wasn’t going to change his mind about something that happened so long ago with a simple declaration of innocence. He wouldn’t believe her anyway.

  “I took my marauders with me and gave explicit orders for them not to touch you. And we burned that fucking sanctuary down to the ground.”

  And with that statement, Tiffany thought, the missing pieces fell into place. “Why did you kill everyone? Why not just me?”

  “Because it was fun.”

  Tiffany’s blood chilled as the realizations occurred one after another. Her mother’s hatred, the recurring nightmares of dying, why she had been so blind where Mark was concerned, and Kat. What had happened to Kat? She refused to think or ask about how Angel fit into this nightmare. He hadn’t mentioned her yet; she wasn’t going to remind him. So far, his sick obsession had only included her. She managed to block her pain, and her head cleared slightly.

  “Mark, how many times have we relived this?” She kept her voice small, trying not to set him off.

  “That’s the thing, Tiffany.” He spit her name out spitefully. “When we murdered the women, one of my men was too excited and accidently killed the red witch. I went to the largest hut, and the older women had been slaughtered like pigs while they held on to each other and prayed to a Goddess who never came to their aid.”

  Mark’s eyes lit with evil glee. Tiffany knew that look well and attempted to shrink back from him, but her back was already to the wall.

  “Needless to say, my father was pissed off at me.”

  Another missing piece clicked and she felt a surge of power when she received the information. Tiffany couldn’t help it. “Oh, that’s rich. You were cursed to search and search for me until you could make me marry you.”

  Mark rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. “Are you laughing at me, Tiffany?”

  She put her arms up to block the blow, but her head snapped back from the force, and hit the bricks.

  *

  Kat sat at the table and joined Jordan, along with the two officers in uniform, and Parker. “I’m sorry,” she said then gestured toward the newspaper and folders stacked in front of him. “Why are you here again?”

  “I can’t really say for sure,” Parker said. “I was sitting at my desk, going over the files for the umpteenth time, and felt the need to come right away. Something in my gut said I would find the answers I was looking for here.”

  “But your gut didn’t tell you Tiffany wasn’t here?” Kat regretted the comment the instant she’d made it. “I’m sorry. I’m not angry with you.”

  Parker nodded once. “What do we know?”

  Jordan cleared her throat. “Nearly two weeks ago, Mark Blasier was released from prison. There must have been a problem with the paperwork, as no one called Tiffany Curran to notify her the man that tried to kill her was free.”

  Kat felt wave after wave of anger flow over her skin, but she kept her mouth shut. These people were not at fault and had nothing to do with a data entry error. She focused her rage toward Mark, concentrated on sending her hatred for him into the ether, and hoped it found its target.

  “There were instances over the last week that no one thought much about until we compared notes.”

  “What happened?” Parker asked.

  Kat interrupted. “I could swear I was being followed. Tiffany began receiving strange phone calls, and there was an intruder outside her house.”

  “Yesterday,” Jordan continued as one of the officer’s took notes. “We found a strange box in Tiffany’s house.”

  “What was in it?”

  “Old bloody rags and bits of hair.”

  One of the officers snickered and Kat glared at him. “Regardless of what you’re thinking, it proves he was inside her house.”

  “Do you still have the box?” Parker’s face paled.

  “Shade does.”

  “Can I see it?”

  Jordan nodded. “Yes, let me finish first. Last night, Tiffany came here to Kat’s with her daughter, Angel, because of the building’s security. But she disappeared sometime during the night.”

  “So she left of her own free will?” One of the uniformed officers stood. “This doesn’t prove anything, and there’s no proof that Blasier kidnapped her.” He turned to Jordan. “I’m sorry, but you know how busy we are. There’s no crime here.”

  “But…” Kat wanted to smack him. “You know how this will end. I know there’s nothing you can prove until the crime has already been committed. But what about being proactive for once? Can’t you do that?”

  The other officer stood to join his partner. “I really am sorry, Jordan, Kat. Call us after the forty-eight hours, or if…” His face turned red as he stammered. “We have to go.”

  Kat didn’t bother showing them to the door. She knew she wouldn’t be able to refrain from slamming it.

  “Kat,” Jordan began. “It’s not their—”

  “I know.” Kat turned to Parker who sat back in his chair.

  “I’m still listening,” he said.

  Kat put her head on the table and heard footsteps in the hall and Shade’s voice. “I told you, she went this way.”

  She looked up to see Sunny walk onto the balcony and say something to her mother. Kat left the table to see what she was saying and if they had managed to find a clue about where Tiffany might be. When she had gotten as far as the glass doors, Angel ran to her and lifted her arms to Kat. She nearly lost her fragile hold on her composure. She felt so damn helpless and insignificant in the face of Angel’s absolute faith in her. She should be out pounding the pavement, asking questions, something other than talking in circles.

  Angel patted Kat’s cheek. “Don’t cry.”

  Kat didn’t t
rust herself to speak so she nodded instead.

  “Mommy will come back.”

  “Of course she will, munchkin.”

  “We’re going to the pet store for ’plies.”

  “Supplies,” Aura translated. “We’ll replace what she’s already used from your neighbor and buy her own.”

  Kat nodded again and reached for her wallet.

  “No, I have this.”

  “Are you two going to be safe?” Kat didn’t want them to leave and disappear as well.

  “I wouldn’t be going if I thought we weren’t.”

  “Are you always cloaked in enigma?”

  “Pretty much. Listen, Kat, it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you love our Tiffany. This was her choice and battle. It’s hers to win or lose. You can’t fight it for her.”

  That is so what I don’t want to hear. Kat’s jaw tightened. Aura put a hand on her shoulder, and she felt warmth spread from the tension in her neck and stomach muscles. She didn’t want to give in to the relaxation. She felt as if she had to be wound up like a spring and was ready to bounce at any second. “I’m so confused. Aren’t you afraid of what might happen to her?”

  “Terrified.” Aura looked at Sunny, Shade, Jordan, and then back at Kat. “But I think all of my girls can handle whatever comes their way.”

  “Nana! Come on.”

  “Go on,” Aura said to Kat. “They need you at the table.” Her skirt rustled as she swept past her on the way to the door.

  “Bye.” Angel held up a little hand and waved. She held up Mitt’s tiny paw and whispered to the kitten. “Mitt says see you later.”

  “See you soon.” Kat wanted to believe Aura so badly. It was so hard to put her heart and faith into something and someone else. She wanted to believe they had it handled and all would be well, but they hadn’t lived through the grief of losing Tiffany before.

  Had they?

  She had no time to think about that now. Damn it, she needed a plan.

  Chapter Fourteen

  This time when Tiffany regained consciousness, she was alone. She was thirsty and had no idea what time or even day it was. She also had little illusion that she was going to live through this encounter.