by Rose Pressey
The book had to be giving me the correct spells, right? It was just up to me to discover their meaning and put them to the right use. According to the Book of Mystics, it was my duty to shut down the New Orleans Coven if I felt there was a problem. And as far as I could tell, there was most definitely a problem. But what would I do to shut down the Coven? There had to be a spell to hamper the Coven’s powers, right? It might require more energy than I had at the moment though. Why did I feel as if my energy was being drained? Was someone stealing it again? The image of Catherin flashed in my mind with her sweet face and big brown eyes. Surely a relative wouldn’t do such a thing, right?
The clarity spell I’d performed must have worked because an idea came to me. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? Since I couldn’t get a spell to work to bring back Nicolas’ mother to help me, then why didn’t I send someone to talk with her? I didn’t mean literally send someone to the afterlife, but use a medium to speak with Gina. If the medium could channel Nicolas’ mother, perhaps I could get answers to some of my questions. Luckily, I knew just the person who could help me. She just so happened to be in New Orleans too. Tomorrow we would visit her, then find Nicolas.
I’d fallen asleep with my head resting on the counter again. At least that was where I remembered falling asleep. However, that wasn’t where I woke up.
Chapter Twenty-One
Annabelle and Jon were standing over me when I opened my eyes. He had a slight smirk on his face and Annabelle’s mouth hung open. The blue sky was painted with white fluffy clouds. The smell of grass and earth surrounded me. When I glanced down at my body, I saw that I was covered in dirt again. My neck and back hurt.
“Hallie, what the hell are you doing out here?” Annabelle’s voice was so loud it sounded more like a screech.
I sat up and rubbed my head. “I don’t know. The last thing I remember was sitting at the kitchen counter.”
I was now not far from the backdoor leading outside from the kitchen. Had I blacked out again like when I had been in the cemetery? Was something seriously wrong with me? Other than having a stiff neck and achy back, I felt fine. My energy felt depleted though. I had a suspicion that something was zapping my energy again. Had the demon Isabeau returned? Or was it some other force at work? Could it be related to the demon that the vampire leader said had been unleashed?
Jon stretched his hand out to help me up.
I jumped up as quickly as my achy body would allow. “Come on. We have to hurry. We’re going to New Orleans.”
“I take it we’re not going to New Orleans to collect beads,” Annabelle said as she followed me inside.
“Not on purpose at least. I have other plans,” I said from over my shoulder as we entered the kitchen.
“You get dressed. Jon and I will make breakfast,” Annabelle said, tossing an apron at Jon.
“It looks good on you.” I pointed at Jon as he tied the apron around his waist.
“The little blue flowers match my shirt, right?” he asked as he slipped it over his neck.
After a quick breakfast, the four of us were in Liam’s car headed back to New Orleans. Liam didn’t seem sold on my psychic medium idea.
“I worry that we may be opening ourselves up to entities that we don’t want around.” Even he couldn’t hide the worry in his voice.
“Honestly, do we really want any entities around? We’ll have to talk to Gina in order to get rid of whatever bad may be hanging around. Besides, my friend knows what she’s doing. I promise,” I said, crossing my heart.
“Regardless of what she tells us, we still need to know who this demon is that Gilford Harris was talking about.” His voice was full of concern.
I offered a faint smile. “One thing at a time.”
We made it to the outskirts of New Orleans in record time. The house where Sierra Gray lived was down a small dirt road. We pulled the car in front of the white clapboard house. Wind chimes hung from the porch and a couple of white rocking chairs sat by the front door. One swayed back and forth as if someone had just gotten up.
“How do you know this woman?” Liam asked.
“We went to high school together,” I said.
“She was always spooky, if you ask me,” Annabelle said from the backseat.
Annabelle thought Casper the friendly ghost was scary, so that wasn’t saying much.
“Annabelle and I can wait outside,” Jon said while winking at Annabelle.
That was a sure-fire way to win her heart—keep her away from spooky things.
After Liam and Jon got out of the car, they stepped off to the side and spoke for a moment, whispering just out of earshot.
I let out a deep breath, then said to Annabelle, “I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I’ve said that a million times over the past few days, huh?”
“Hey, I got a bodyguard. How cool is that?” Annabelle chuckled.
I laughed. “That’s a good point.”
When the men joined us again, the suspicious look still covered Liam’s face.
“Liam, just trust me on this. I really think she can help.” I touched his forearm.
“If you say it’ll work, then we have to give it a try,” Liam said as he walked up the porch steps beside me.
I didn’t tell Liam that I couldn’t think of any other options. After lightly knocking on the door, it swung open and Sierra smiled broadly.
“It’s good to see you, Hallie.” Sierra grabbed me in a hug.
“It’s been too long. Sierra, this is Liam Rankin.” I gestured toward Liam.
Liam’s cheeks turned red when Sierra grabbed him in a hug too. He wasn’t the hugging type, which was exactly the opposite of Sierra. She’d never met someone she didn’t like. Although if she’d met some of the people I had recently that would probably change.
“Please come in,” she said gesturing over her shoulder.
The house was small, but decorated just as I’d remembered Sierra’s personality—eccentric and full of whimsy. I’d always envied Sierra’s zest for life.
“Please, everyone have a seat.” Sierra gestured across the room.
Liam and I sat on the oversized floral sofa. It took up most of the space in the room.
“So tell me what’s been going on.” Sierra sat cross-legged on the floor across from us.
I’d filled her in over the phone about my new leader of the Underworld status. Talk about an awkward conversation. How did you tell people something like that? When they asked what it meant, I had no clue what to tell them. Should I describe my title as babysitter to the paranormal crowd? That was what it felt like at the moment.
“I need help figuring out what the spells in the book I inherited mean. I thought if you could help me talk to the previous leader, then I could ask her questions. I’ve been reanimating the dead, but it’s never who I want to come back,” I said with a wave of my hands.
Her face turned white. “You’ve been bringing back the dead?”
I nodded. “Not on purpose. Well, other than the one time, but the spell I cast didn’t bring back the person I wanted.”
“It doesn’t matter how good at the craft you are, that’s a tricky spell. There’s so much opportunity for something to go wrong.” She shook her head and looked out blankly across the room, as if she was lost in her thoughts about all the horrible things that could happen.
Now she told me. If someone had written that out in the Book of Mystics I never would have had this problem. Of course if I could actually read all of the Book of Mystics, I wouldn’t have had this problem either. But that was neither here nor there.
“It’s a little too late anyway now,” I said.
“How many spirits have you returned?” Sierra asked in a shaky voice.
“Well, let’s see. There was the demon Isabeau, but I banished her back to hell. At least I hope I did. My magic is a little iffy, you know,” I said as I used my fingers to count the spirits.
She grimaced and nodded.
“Then
there was Catherin and now Claude. I tried to bring back the last leader, but she vanished before I could complete the spell.” I folded my hands in my lap. “So, that’s it, just the three. There are plenty of spirits hanging around though.”
“I bet,” she said, wide-eyed.
“Do you think you can help me?” I asked.
“I highly recommend that you don’t bring any other spirits back,” she said with an ominous tone.
“Trust me, I don’t intend to,” I said.
The bracelets on her wrists jingled as she spoke with her hands. “Well, I can probably speak with the person you want, but it would be best if we have a séance.”
“A séance?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, but it’s better if we do that tonight. And I’ll need a couple more people to complete the circle.”
Oh, Annabelle was not going to like this one bit. I wasn’t sure how I could convince her to participate. Maybe the new hunk bodyguard could talk her into it.
“I think that can be arranged,” I said, hiding the uncertainty in my voice.
Liam coughed, but I ignored his warning. Everyone knew by now that Annabelle wanted no part of the creepy stuff. Now it was up to me to convince her to do it. I was such a terrible friend. But I had technically introduced her to Jon. That counted for something, right?
Chapter Twenty-Two
While we waited for night to fall and the séance to begin, we had only one mission to accomplish—find Nicolas. If we found him, as the leader, did I have the right to order him to come with us? Probably not.
We’d decided to check out the most logical place first, Jacobson’s plantation. On our way there, I had to convince Annabelle to take part in the séance. That would be like getting a cat to take a bath. I’d probably end up with a ton of scratches before it was all said and done.
As we drove along, I peered out the car window and casually said, “Annabelle, have you ever been to a séance?”
Okay, that was far from casual and I knew the answer to that question. In fact, it hadn’t been so much a question, but more like my stupid passive-aggressive way of telling her about the séance. It was better than saying, Hey, do you want to conjure up some spirits in the dark?
Annabelle released a nervous snort that quickly turned into a loud chortle. “Hallie, you are insane if you think I’m going to have a séance with that woman.”
She knew me so well. This was going to be harder than I’d thought.
“You really wouldn’t have to do much other than hold hands with us,” I said, trying to sound breezy.
When I glanced over at Liam, he gave me a ‘good luck’ smile of pity.
She shook her head. “Yes, then a spirit can take over my body.”
“That rarely ever happens.” I waved my hand.
She snorted again. “Rarely is not the kind of odds I was looking for.”
I’d have to work on her before nightfall. If she didn’t agree to it I didn’t know what I’d do.
My apprehension grew as we neared the plantation. By the time we pulled down the long tree-lined driveway, my nervousness was off the charts. I didn’t want another fight, but it would probably be unavoidable. Spanish moss swayed in the wind as it dripped down from the old oak trees. The massive white mansion dripped with southern ambiance. Liam pulled the car right up in front of the place.
We weren’t even making an attempt to be surreptitious. Jon and Annabelle didn’t offer to stay in the car this time as we opened the car doors and climbed up. I scanned the area, then stared up at the magnificent place. Yet again there were no other cars and no signs of anyone around.
“It doesn’t look like anyone is here,” Annabelle said.
I didn’t have the heart to point out the strange vibe hanging around the place. It felt just like the vibe at LaVeau Manor as of late. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Jacobson had probably been trying to cast spells around the manor and I was probably feeling the residue of his magic here.
As we moved up the front steps, Liam walked beside me, and Jon and Annabelle followed behind us. Once in front of the massive entrance, Liam knocked on the door. We waited for several seconds, but just as I suspected, no one answered.
“If they’re not here we should just leave,” Annabelle said with a shaky voice.
Liam didn’t pick up on her apprehension when he said, “We could do that, but I think we should go in.”
Annabelle shot him a venomous glare.
“I doubt they’d leave the door open again. Not after we told them that we’d been in the house,” I said.
“There’s only one way to find out.” Liam twisted the knob and the door opened. “There’s our answer.”
I shrugged. “Hey, if they keep leaving the door open…”
Annabelle grabbed Jon’s shirt as they followed us through the open door. The fact that Jacobson kept leaving the door open was odd though. Maybe we were walking into his trap. That was the price I’d have to pay. I had too many unanswered questions and I needed to find Nicolas.
“Hello?” I called out. “It’s Halloween LaVeau. Your friendly Underworld leader.”
Annabelle chuckled. At least she wasn’t so scared that she’d lost her sense of humor. I stepped over to the staircase and peered up. Annabelle’s anxious breathing was audible from across the foyer. When Liam walked over to the parlor, I followed close behind. It looked as if someone had cleaned up since the last time we’d been there.
“At least we know they’ve been here since our last visit,” he said, pointing at the empty table.
I stepped around the room, picking up a small metal statue on the table near the window. It was an abstract piece that didn’t quite fit in with the inside décor or outside façade of the plantation. I placed the piece back on the table and stared out the tall window. Movement in the flower garden at the edge of the property caught my attention. It must have been a bird, I thought. The others were talking as I stared out the window. Their voices became muffled. It was as if I was in another world, on the outside looking in. The walls seemed to be closing in on me and the room grew smaller by the second. My vision turned black, and after that, I remembered nothing.
When I opened my eyes, everyone stood over me, their expressions filled with worry.
“Are you okay?” Liam asked.
“Hallie, what happened?” Annabelle knelt beside me.
“Let’s sit her up,” Jon said.
Rubbing my head as I sat up, I remembered being overcome with the strange sensation again, but this time it had been amplified by about one hundred.
“This weird feeling came over me and the next thing I knew I was on the floor.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ve felt the same at the manor recently. You know, when you found me outside?” I said to Annabelle.
Jon nodded. “I’ve seen this before. The witches are casting a spell and taking away Hallie’s powers. It happened to a witch from Baton Rouge not too long ago.”
“What happened to the witch?” Annabelle asked.
“They never found out who was doing it to her.” Jon shook his head.
I hadn’t been messed with this much since I’d botched that spell in high school and my teacher’s hair had been green for a month. The Coven had really come after me over that one. How was I supposed to know that my teacher was the coven leader’s sister?
Liam’s expression was filled with worry as he helped me to my feet. “We need to get you out of here.”
I nodded. “We should go back to The Graveyard and ask Ginny Love if she has any updates.”
Liam helped guide me toward the foyer. As we moved across the small space, I couldn’t help but look into the room across from us. The strange drawings and words were still on the walls. Without saying a word, I stepped away from the group and entered the room.
“Where are you going?” Liam called.
They hurried after me, probably worried that my energy would be zapped again and I’d end up flat on my face. I
just had to take a look at the wall one more time before we left. What did it all mean? How would I discover its meaning? Since the painting and markings had been in the house that had supposedly belonged to Sabrina too, I knew whatever its meaning, it couldn’t be good.
I paced the length of the room, staring at the wall. Stopping in the middle of the room, I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture. Maybe I could match the writing on this wall with words in the Book of Mystics. It might be a long shot, but it was all I had.
“Come on, Hallie, we need to get you out of here before you black out again.” Liam touched my arm.
I nodded and put the phone back in my pocket. As I turned to walk out of the room, something shiny on the floor in the corner of the room caught my attention. I glanced over and noticed a gold object on the floor. It looked like a necklace.
“Hold on a second,” I called to Liam.
He paused at the door as I reached down and picked up the necklace, holding it in the palm of my hand. The chain was gold with a gold pendant. In the middle of the pendant was a symbol that looked familiar. That was when I realized I’d seen the pendant before. Holding the necklace up, I studied the wall painting again. Just as I’d thought—the symbol on the necklace was on the wall too. How strange was it that the necklace matched the painting?
By this time Liam had stepped back over to where I stood. “What is that?” he asked.
I held the necklace up for his inspection. He stared as the chain swung back and forth, the gold sparkling in the glint of the sunlight.
“The symbol on this pendant is the same as the one that’s on the wall.” I pointed.
Liam grasped the necklace in his hand. He looked down at it, then up at the wall. “It does match. But what does it mean?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, but we should go back to the house while we wait for nightfall. I want to see if this necklace matches the painting on that wall too.”
