A Sacred Magic

by Yasmine Galenorn

  I shrugged, thinking of all the people that we had crossed over the past months. “I don’t know.” I turned back to the fire marshal. “You said that our neighbor got a look at the arsonist?”

  “Yes. He’s agreed to look through the mug books. We haven’t had a lot of fire-related crimes lately, so there’s no pattern. Unless somebody’s just starting up.” He paused as a police officer approached. She was Fae, Light by the look of her, and she pulled out her pad and pen.

  “You’re the owners of the house?” She asked. “I’m Officer Downey. I’d like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

  I nodded. “I’m the owner. I’m Ember Kearney, and this is my roommate, Angel Jackson.”

  She gave me the once-over, and I could tell that she recognized I was tralaeth, but she didn’t seem to react to it. Luckily, most of the police were trained to suppress their dislike of certain races or species.

  “Both of you were at work? Where do you work, if I may ask?”

  “Yes, we were. We work for the Wild Hunt Agency,” I said, holding out my arm so she could see my tattoo. Right about then, I noticed Herne pulling up. He had everybody else in his Expedition. “There’s my boss right now, Herne the Hunter. They can verify we were at work.”

  Downey’s eyes lit up, and she stared at us for a moment, a new respect sweeping over her face. The fire marshal, who was standing nearby, took note as well.

  “I was going to ask for a list of your potential enemies,” Downey said, “but somehow I think that’s going to be a long one. Is there anybody in particular with whom you’ve had altercations? Anybody been a problem lately?”

  I glanced at Angel, feeling helpless. “There are so many people who are pissed at us. I can’t think of any off the top of my head, though. Can you?”

  Angel shook her head. “Not at the moment.” She paused as Herne and the others walked over to our side.

  “Is Mr. Rumblebutt safe?” was the first thing Herne asked, and that made me love him even more.

  “He’s all right. I want to take him to the vet, though, to make sure he isn’t suffering any smoke inhalation. Apparently, someone tried to torch our house. My neighbor chased them away.”

  At that point, Joffrey hurried over. He had been talking to one of the firemen.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  The police officer motioned for him to join us. “If you could give us an account of what you saw, it would be very helpful.”

  “I was out walking my dog. Turvey always goes for a walk at this time of day. Anyway, we were walking past your place and I happened to glance toward your house. I saw a man pouring something on the wall. I recognize the shape as a gasoline can, and shouted at him. I grabbed at my phone to take a picture, and he must have seen me because he dropped the can and struck a match, setting the corner of your house on fire. Then he ran.”

  “You photographed him? That could help immensely,” Officer Downey said.

  “I did my best. It’s a little blurry because I was trying to juggle Turvey’s leash and my phone. But here’s the picture.” He handed the phone to the policewoman and she stared at it for a moment. Then she turned the screen to me.

  “Do you recognize this man? He’s a little fuzzy, but it’s obvious that he’s tall with dark hair and fairly trim.”

  I glanced at the screen and my blood chilled. There, trying to burn my house down, was Ray Fontaine.

  “I know who that is. Blurry or not, I know who it is.”

  Angel let out a soft gasp. “What the hell? I know he’s got baggage, but I never for the world thought he would try to burn down our house.”

  “You know him? What’s his name? And why would he want to torch your house?” Downey asked.

  “That’s Ray Fontaine. We used to go out, a couple years ago. He stalked me for a while last year. He wasn’t able to let go. He came down to my work, he called me incessantly. Finally, I realize that he was hooked on my glamour—I’m part Leannan Sidhe. He’s human. I found a way to break the glamour, and I told him what happened because I was hoping he would understand. But he got angry all over again, worse than when I broke up with him. We’ve had a few altercations over the past few months. But I haven’t heard from him for a while, and I thought maybe he just decided to move on.”

  “Apparently not,” the officer said. “What’s his address?”

  “I’m not sure where he’s living right now, but he owns a business called A Touch Of Honey in Redmond. It’s a honey shop and bakery.” I shivered. Ray hadn’t finished the job. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was still out there, just waiting for another chance.

  “We’ll try to get prints off of the gasoline can. But it looks like he might have been wearing gloves. Hopefully, we’ll find a way to make the charges stick. Meanwhile, you might want to get a home security system.” She gave me a long look. “I can tell what you’re thinking,” she added. “Don’t worry. Just because he was inadvertently glamoured by you, it doesn’t excuse arson. Especially since you took the steps to break the glamour.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. I had been thinking precisely that, and was surprised she had been able to pick up on it. “Thanks. What do I do now?”

  “When the fire marshal finishes his investigation, I suggest you get a copy of his report, a copy of our report, and then call your insurance company. Take pictures of all the damage.” Downey put away her pad and pen. “Meanwhile, I’ll put out an APB for Fontaine, and if he comes back here, I want you to be careful. If he’s unstable enough to try to commit arson, he’s unstable enough to try to commit murder. At least, in my opinion.”

  She headed over to talk to the fire marshal and I turned to the others. To my surprise, Herne and his Expedition were nowhere to be seen. I walked over to Talia.

  “Where did Herne go?” I had my suspicions, but I didn’t want to voice them yet. If he had heard about Ray, I knew where he had gone.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. He looked furious, and he told me that he’d be back in a while. He said for us to stick around and help you and Angel out. Then he took off like a bat out of hell.”

  “Oh, hell.” I turned around, frantic, trying to decide what to do. I had no clue where he was, nor did I know where Ray was. I didn’t want to set the police on Herne, either. We had a precarious-enough balance with local law enforcement as it was. I motioned to Angel, pulling her aside.

  “What is it?”

  “I think Herne went after Ray. He heard what the policewoman said. I’m not sure what to do.”

  Angel glanced around, looking at the firefighters. They were getting ready to leave, while the fire marshal was inspecting the damaged corner of our house. Officer Downey had already left.

  “I don’t think there’s much you can do. And you still need to take Mr. Rumblebutt to the vet.”

  She was right.

  “Can you take him to the vet for me? They’ve got a permanent approval for both you and Ronnie if he needs to be treated. I’d like to stay here for a while, and talk to the fire marshal.”

  “Sure,” she said, with a nod. “Do you want me to take your car or mine?”

  “Yours, please. I want mine just in case something happens with Herne.”

  She transferred Mr. Rumblebutt to her car, which, thankfully, Ray had left alone. Then, giving me a wave, she took off down the road. Yutani and Viktor had been over talking to the fire marshal and now they came back to where I was standing.

  “You’re going to need a contractor, all right. But the fire marshal says that the fire didn’t touch anything inside the house. You can live in it while you have it fixed. The fire is out, and the verdict is—of course—arson.” Viktor motioned to Yutani. “Come on, let’s take a look at the house.”

  Before I could tell them about Herne, the fire marshal began walking toward us and they took off to examine the damage.

  “Ms. Kearney, the fire’s out,” the marshal said. “There’s a lot of superficial damage, but nothing that loo
ks like it intrinsically damaged the structure of your house. You’ll need to contact your insurance company. Start a claim, and they’ll ask you for official documents from my office and the police. I’ll send them my report as soon as you request it. The house is livable, so you can stay here if you want to. I’d have it repaired as soon as possible, though. Keep a close watch out for the arsonist, since you know who it is.” He gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry this happened.”

  “You and me both,” I said.

  As soon as he was back in his truck and driving away, I turned to the Talia. “Let’s go inside. I need to call Herne. I didn’t want to while he was still here.”

  The scent of smoke hung heavy in the air. I found one of the fans that I kept around for air circulation, and pointed it toward the living room window, opening the window so that I could blow the fumes out.

  Talia flipped on my espresso machine. “I assume you want some caffeine?”

  I nodded. “I also want sugar. And Ray Fontaine’s head on a plate.” The shock had worn off and now I was angry. I hoped Herne would find Ray. It would put an end to a whole lot of trouble, and save the taxpayers the cost of a trial. I paused, then asked her, “What do you think I should do about Herne?”

  “Leave him alone on this. I’ve known Herne for centuries. He protects his own, and no matter how independent you might like to think you are, as long as you’re dating Herne, he considers you his woman. Not in that icky, possessive way, but you’re part of his tribe, part of his pack. He’s King Stag of the forest and you’re his consort. In the world of Annwn and the world of the gods, that gives him certain rights and as long as you choose to be part of his life, you have to accept that.”

  “He’ll kill Ray. I know it.” I stared at the mug she slid in front of me. It was full of frothed milk, chocolate, and caffeine. “It’s not like I haven’t wanted to kill him myself at times, but I don’t know if I could have done it, unless he was trying to kill me.”

  “If your neighbor hadn’t come along, Mr. Rumblebutt would be dead and your house would be gone. Angel’s car was out front. Ray had no way of knowing whether the house was empty, unless he watched you both leave this morning. I don’t think he cared whether you or Angel were inside. Think about it. What better way to get back at you than to kill the ones you love? It’s an old tactic used by sadists throughout history.”

  Slowly, I nodded. I drew the cup toward me and took a long drink. “When I think about it like that, you’re right.” I pulled out my phone, pausing, thinking of everything that had happened. Then I forced myself to put it back in my pocket. “Sometimes the world can be a hard place, can’t it?”

  “Oh, Ember. If you only knew how hard. This is a rough lesson. And yes, I know your parents were murdered, and I know you found them, and I know your relatives were the ones to blame. But there have been far worse atrocities throughout time, and far more dangerous adversaries.”

  “I can’t argue with you there. Although it’s all relative. Some people would be broken forever if they had to go through what I did. To others, finding their parents murdered would hurt, but be just a blip in the road.” I paused as my phone rang. Pulling it out, I glanced at the caller ID. It was Angel. “Hey, how’s Mr. Rumblebutt?”

  “He’s fine. They did a thorough checkup and there’s nothing wrong. He was due for his shots and regular exam so I went ahead and let them take care of everything.”

  “Thanks. Are you on the way home?”

  “Yeah. Should I stop and pick up something to eat?”

  I glanced at the clock. It was well past lunchtime, going on two o’clock. Any fog I might still have from the hangover had vanished along with my fear and worry.

  “Yeah. Why don’t you stop and pick up a couple pizzas, if you think Mr. Rumblebutt can handle the wait in the car. Actually, never mind. I’ll order them from here. Just come home. I’m uneasy enough as it is.” I put in a call to our favorite pizza joint and ordered three extra large pizzas with sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese, and pineapple on them.

  Yutani and Viktor returned to the kitchen at that point.

  “I checked out all your cables and anything that might have been near the fire. Everything looks fine. Have you called your insurance company yet?” Yutani asked.

  I shook my head. “No. I’ve just been trying to wrap my head around this whole mess. I don’t know if you heard, but Ray did it. He tried to burn down our house.”

  A scowl crossed Yutani’s face. “Maybe it’s time for a hunting party.”

  I glanced at him, then at Viktor. “I’m pretty sure Herne already is taking care of that.”

  “So that’s where he went,” Viktor said. “I wondered what he was so wrapped up about. Well, you can’t say Ray doesn’t deserve it. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes, though.”

  “We’ve caught a lot of criminals in our time, and stopped a lot of altercations, but I don’t think any of us have ever had our houses targeted,” Yutani said.

  “This is personal, though,” Talia said. “Ray’s had it out for Ember for a long time. We’re just lucky that your neighbor was passing by.”

  “That reminds me, I owe Joffrey a huge thank-you. I know he’s fond of his flower garden. Maybe I’ll buy him a gift certificate to one of the local nurseries so he can invest in spring flowers this year.”

  “That would be a nice touch,” Talia said. She turned to Viktor and Yutani. “Either of you want some caffeine? The pizza is on the way. I’m assuming we’re not going back to the office today.”

  “I think you can safely make that assumption. Especially if Herne is out hunting down Ray,” Yutani said. “I could go for a triple-shot mocha.”

  “Double-shot latte for me,” Viktor said.

  At that point, Angel came through the door, cat carrier in hand. Inside, Mr. Rumblebutt looked properly annoyed. She sat him down on the counter, looking around.

  “Should I open the door, or do we need to secure anything before we let him out?”

  Viktor shook his head. “Yutani and I took a look around. There aren’t any holes in the walls that he could get out through. I’d say it’s safe to let him out, if Ember feels okay about it.”

  I had already opened the carrier by then, pulling Mr. Rumblebutt out and holding him in my arms. He clung to me, looking both indignant and frightened. As I petted him, I finally managed to coax a purr out of him, and I gave him a long snuggle, kissing his head.

  I was so incredibly grateful that Joffrey had come along at the point he did. The thought of losing my cat in a fire—or any other way—made me want to cry. How could Ray have been so callous? And Angel could have been home, for all he knew. Her car was in the driveway and he knew that it belonged to her. A well of anger rose up. I wasn’t sure what I hoped Herne would do to him, but I wanted Ray to never forget what it meant to cross us.

  The doorbell rang, and Angel went to get it. It was the pizzas. By the time she returned I had put Mr. Rumblebutt on the floor and he scurried over to the cat food dish, drowning his anxiety in a pile of kibble. Talia found the paper plates as Angel carried the pizzas over to the table and opened the boxes. While everyone helped themselves, I finally moved to the side and pulled out my phone, calling Herne.

  “How are things going?” he asked.

  “Mr. Rumblebutt’s home and safe. I’m going to call the insurance company in a few minutes.” I paused, trying to figure out how to ask what I wanted to know. After a moment, I said, “Where are you?”

  “About ready to head through the portal to Annwn. I’m over at Quest Rialto’s house.”

  I blinked. Quest Rialto was one of the portal keepers, and she lived on the Eastside. “Why are you headed to Annwn?”

  “Because I’m taking Ray Fontaine to visit Cernunnos. You’ll never have to worry about him again.”

  My heart thudded. “You caught him? And he’s still alive?”

  “Love, I know you would have mixed feelings if I did what I wanted to do, which was tear his
throat open. So I’m taking him to Cernunnos, and Cernunnos will mete out punishment. After all, Ray attacked one of the members of the Wild Hunt, as well as attacking my girlfriend. I forced Ray to write a letter deeding his shop to his next of kin. I’ll tell the police exactly what I told you. That they can call off the hunt for him because he’s been punished by divine agency.”

  “Divine agency” was the term given to any divinity-appointed agency that had official standing with the government. It allowed us to punish some criminals ourselves, rather than through the courts.

  I caught my breath, dizzy with relief. Regardless of how much I hated Ray, I still wasn’t sure whether I wanted him dead. This was better. Much better. Cernunnos would punish him, but he would keep him alive. And I would never have to worry about Ray again. That much I knew.

  “Thank you,” I said. “You don’t know how relieved that makes me. I love you so much. I hope you realize that. You…understand me. Do you know what I mean?”

  “Yes, I know what you mean,” Herne said. “And I think that you’re truly beginning to understand who I am. That you accept my choice to hunt the dog down means the world to me. Is there anything you want me to tell Ray before Cernunnos punishes him?”

  I thought for a moment. There was a lot that I wished that Ray would understand but I knew he wouldn’t. And while I was crestfallen that things had come to this, he had sealed his own fate when he set this in motion. When he chose to try to burn down my house, he had forfeited any protection I might have acceded him.

  “No. I’m done with him. Just so long as I never have to see him again, I’m good.” There was a lot I wanted to ask. I wanted to ask if Cernunnos would kill Ray, or if he would cast him into his dungeon where a lot of Cernunnos’s enemies whiled away the days. But I needed to walk away from it, to leave it all behind. Cernunnos would make sure that Ray never bothered me again, and that was all that mattered.

  “I’ll see you in a while. I take it everyone is still there?”

  “Given you were their ride, yes. We’re eating pizza now. I’ll save some for you. Come over tonight, please?”