“You want back in my heart? That’s so sweet.” She laughed until an unseen force grabbed her by the throat.
“You mock me? So crass, child.” He still sat playing with his fingernails. When he stopped, he looked at her for several beats before she attempted to speak again.
“Child? It wasn’t so long ago you saw me as more than a child,” she spoke against the force at her throat, her voice constricting with every other syllable.
He stood so quickly, she thought she blinked him into her field of view. He was so close he could have kissed her, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked deep into her eyes. “You almost killed my son. You tried to kill my son. And, even though you failed, I shall find a way to make you pay for that.” He turned from her and sat back in the chair, resuming his comfortable state while Sabina was held firmly in place.
“You did not tell me I had a grandchild.” He looked away from her again. When he looked back up, his eyes had turned completely black. “You must not have known of my powers. Well, no one ever has. Not completely.”
He moved his head side to side as a blind musician would have. “I saw her. When the thunder struck the ground in the little town of Pleasant Ridge, Cincinnati. I saw her. At first, I thought it was her mother. I even toyed with her a bit. Halloween decorations. I couldn’t help myself.” There was laughter in his voice at the thought. When he stopped talking again, his eyes returned to normal.
“What was that?” she asked as his eyes changed back.
“That, my dear, was something you weren’t counting on.” He rose and grabbed her by her chin. “When I saw the girl blowing out candles on a cake–eighteen candles–I knew then. Yes, she looks like her mother, but she also looks like my son. She is my blood, and now you think to kill her too.” He squeezed her face hard, compressing her cheeks into her face, making her look like a fish, and released. When his hand left Sabina, so did the magic that was keeping her still.
“So, what? You came to threaten me? Leave her alone or else?” Sabina rubbed her jaw and face.
“No, I came to speak to your father. To let him know everything it is that you’ve done these last eighteen years. It was just a happy coincidence that you’re here instead. I could just… take care of you myself. Save my granddaughter all... that... trouble.” He walked to the back of the chair he had been sitting in.
“But you won’t. You still need me for something.” She sat more confident, crossing her legs so the skirt she wore slid up her thighs.
“Hmm, that’s an interesting thought. No, I doubt I need anything from you. I doubt I need to take care of you. Maybe I’ll let the dice roll and land where they may.” He headed toward the door.
“Why would you let me kill her?”
“Don’t be stupid, child. I wouldn’t let you kill her, and you won’t kill her. It would, however, benefit me if she were to kill you.”
Sabina watched as Sigmis walked from the study, rubbing his hands together and laughing to himself as if she weren’t even there.
Chapter Twenty-One
The house was nearly emptied except for Finis, who was busy righting the upturned first floor. Seraphine had been watching over him. Not that she was happy for the job. It was her active powers that were essential since she could prevent Finis from shifting.
Bellatrix and Marshal continued to watch Xoras. I couldn’t stand the thought of him in my parents’ house, but it was the only alternative to having him at the circle. Once we had gotten closer to circle time, I placed a spell on the top floor of the small house to keep him from leaving. I needed as many of my people as I could get by my side for what I was about to do.
The circle was set. All of my tools had been brought from home, hidden in my car during graduation and the party. They sat on the altar table in the middle of the circle clearing, behind the house.
“Déjà vu much?” Clara said, effectively making me jump.
“Do me a favor. Don’t sneak up on me,” I hissed at her.
“Oh yeah, sorry about that,” she announced halfheartedly as she entered the little clearing.
“You would be sorry if I blew you up on accident,” I pointed out. She didn’t protest again, but her eyes went wide with shock as if she’d forgotten that little fun fact. “Or maybe not on accident.”
Clara laughed. It was her ‘as if’ laugh. Come to think of it, I don’t remember her acting much like herself since we had arrived at the cabin. She was always alone, and even when she wasn’t, she was hanging out with Chester and Ophelia. Again, I shrugged it off till later. Just one more thing to be compartmentalized.
The air had cooled, but my bare feet felt warm against the sand. I wore the white robe I had worn for the ritual, as had everyone else. It seemed important. Other than that reason alone, I hadn’t any idea why I wore it. I assumed the rest were just following suit.
As I gazed up at the sky, I noticed the fullness of the moon as it moved overhead. June’s full Strawberry Moon got its name because some Indian tribes knew it as a sign to gather fruit ripe enough to be picked. I suspected witches continued to call it the Full Strawberry moon because the magic in the Indian people allowed them to see the pink ring around the sphere. It was the first I had the opportunity to see since having gained my powers. I could tell the power behind it was significant.
Tonight was the thinnest the two plains would be. The spell should allow me to anchor Gwen and Silas to myself. Once the veil between the plains closed again, they would remain on this side. I had to admit to myself that I was a little nervous. While everyone else still obsessed over how I would handle the magic portion of it, I was starting–thanks to my sister–to freak out about the family part of it.
With Marshal and Bellatrix still close to the house, Ophelia and Chester had made sure everyone else spread out in plain sight. “No sense in pretending they’re not all here,” he said when I questioned him.
Even though I was supposed to be in charge, I still felt like a new kid on the block, so to speak. I didn’t mind him stepping in and telling everyone where to go and what to do. Not at that moment, anyway. Besides, he had more experience. I’m sure that had my parents been there, they would have done the same thing for me.
Alistair insisted on staying close to the circle, but I had to veto his request. It was imperative for both of my parents to cross over. I wasn’t sure of the unspoken resentments of my grandfather to my father, and I wasn’t taking any chances. I told him he could stay in earshot, but he had to be away from the clearing with the rest of them. Once Michelle asked where she should go, he found purpose again.
“You stay near me. I’m perfectly capable to protect you,” I heard the old man offer.
Then when I saw the look in Peter’s eye, I knew she’d have more than one protector. “Chad, looks like you have nothing to worry about where Peter is concerned. Not that you did anyway.” I pointed at Peter, who was following closely behind Alistair and Michelle.
“I guess not.” He laughed and gave me an apologetic look. “Forgive my jealous ways?”
“Always, ya big animal.” I winked at him and he laughed more. “When this is over, we need an actual vacation. You know that, right?” I asked so low I was sure nobody heard me.
“Of course we do!” Clara yelled as she stepped from behind Chad and I. “This fighting every other month is crazy. I want an actual summer vacation before heading into college. Far away from this house. Pool, and beach. Fuzzy drinks. Hot guys to rub suntan lotion all over me.” She closed her eyes, no doubt fantasizing about a multitude of men at her beck and call at the country club, or an island somewhere.
“What do you have against this house? I think it’s charming,” Crystal added as she and Matt found their way to the clearing.
I had meant to pull her aside; to have a proper talk about what I’d done to her and Matt when Xoras arrived. She needed an apology. Or at least, I thought she did. But there she was, acting as if everything between us was normal. I knew she was sorry for the role
she played against me. Even she was allowed to hope for parental acceptance. Wasn’t that something I’d been hoping for since the ritual? I had only hoped I was making my parents proud by freeing them. I was also freaking out about how long it was taking. I had imagined a multitude of things they would say to me once they were back.
“I do too. It’s cozy,” I said, agreeing with my best friend.
Clara rolled her eyes at me, but then winked at Crystal. Her obvious way of saying, “See, she doesn’t hate you.” I knew Clara understood what I did, even if she questioned me at the time. I knew she got it. I needed someone like her in my circle. She was never afraid to question authority. I knew she’d keep me honest, even with Seraphina Crawford’s immortal powers in me. Well, I wasn’t immortal, but the powers were. I hoped Gwen had some more insight into her grandmother and why it was so important that I got those powers.
Then, I was brought back from my carefree teenage adolescence to the task at hand. The clock would strike twelve in precisely five minutes. We had to move. I started to stress, but Chad grabbed one of my hands. The calming effect was instant. I took a deep breath as everyone took their spots. I looked around my circle. Everyone, including myself, was in position and ready to go. Which wasn’t bad, for not paying attention to what I was doing from the start.
I called each of the elements to my circle. Starting with air and ending with the spirits of my ancestors. I hadn’t remembered Chester teaching me that way. However, each time I cast a circle, I conjured the powers of the elements to protect it and keep us from harm. I didn’t close the outside world away from us. I kept the circle clear so all could witness what was about to happen, yet none outside the circle could enter–and vice versa–until it was closed, or unless I allowed it, like I had with Elle.
It was more powerful than before. As I called air to me, the wind howled inside the circle and out. As Earth was called, the soil at our feet–as far as I could see in the dark of night–lifted from the ground and mixed with the air. Flames in the candles rose twelve feet tall and obeyed my command, warming all of us. Water ran at our feet, removing the stains of fear and loathsomeness that followed us to our protective circle.
When I called on the ancestors before us to help protect our circle, bright swirling lights came from all around and surrounded us and the house. They seemed to fly into me, offering their blessing for what I was about to do.
I had to wait for the clock to strike twelve, and then begin the spell I had practiced over a dozen times since Michelle and I put it together. On the first chime, I began:
Open the veil between the world apart,
allow access only to those I cherish,
back to the world they belong.
I beseech thee, mother goddess.
Allow me and my power to guide them,
anchor them, and shield them
release them from a world of nothing.
Carry them to the world they belong.
Out of the darkness, the emptiness
and into the light by way of love.
This I ask of thee, so mote it be.
As the clock sounded the twelfth chime, a wind whirled through the circle. The candles stayed lit, the flames unmoving. The air between us began to ripple.
“Did you mess something up? I don’t see them,” Clara asked, and I rolled my eyes at her. The wind howled more outside the circle and I expected, at any moment, the world around our protective bubble to be attacked as it had twice in the past. Nothing happened, except through the shimmer in the air, a figure stepped through as if it were coming from behind an invisible curtain hanging between us.
He was taller than I first thought he’d be. However, I remembered his features accurately. The chiseled jaw, dark brooding eyes, and pitch black hair. He was lean, but muscular, and I could see the resemblance between him and myself. The sun-kissed skin made more sense to me. He was darker than I. Not by much, but enough that I would have guessed he was more Italian or Mediterranean than American.
He moved slow and carefully through the rift. The right half of him emerged, and then the left. When his hand came through holding another, that’s when the tears fell from my face. Sure, I was happy to have my father there, but a girl will always call out for her mother in times of need.
As he led her through by the hand, I could tell where I’d gotten everything else from. I was finally able to compare everything about them and me, and I did so in those first few minutes; everything from the long, wavy raven hair to the high cheekbones and slender nose. I saw her eyes staring back as Chad nudged me. He, too, was in awe by the resemblances. I only looked away from my mother once, to smile at my sister. She was right. I had compared her and myself to the Andrews’ features, but never found anything that made us look like a family. Even my name was different than theirs. Looking at my parents in that moment, I finally knew where I’d come from.
She was right about another thing. I hadn’t thought enough about what this would mean for our family. Not just my parents and I, but for all of us.
When Gwen was completely through the rift, I had to close it. I felt more like a five-year-old who wanted nothing more than her mother’s hug, wanting to forget everything that was going on and run into her arms. However, I found myself again, and centered within me the powers I finally had control over. I raised my hands toward the heavens and looked around the circle to the shadows around us. With the flames high in the sky, I knew they had all seen the return of Gwen and Silas. Even if I couldn’t see everyone, I could feel the waves of emotions swirling around the grounds of the house.
“I thank the mother goddess for her aid this night. To release those who had been unjustly banished. Thank you to those who came before us, for protecting this circle as I have done your will. By the powers given to me, Elyse Margaret Crawford, I close the rift, and never allow it to be opened again!” I yelled, and clapped my hands together over my head. A bright purple light flashed at the impact of my hands against each other.
The split in the air grew bright with white light, then collapsed on itself, right before my eyes. “I thank you, Water, for protecting our circle as we have done your will.” I lowered my hands and the coolness of the earth washed away, leaving the ground around us as dry as it had been before we started.
“I thank you, fire, for protecting our circle as we have done your will.” The flame of the candles sunk back down to the wicks. Smoke spiraled through the air and tickled my nose.
“I thank you, earth, for protecting our circle as we have done your will.” The earth that surrounded us, mixing with the air, fell back to the ground.
“I thank you, air, for protecting this circle as we have done your will.” The air spun around us and whistled in my ear as it began to die down.
“What another has done, is now undone. It’s the way it should be, so mote it be.” I lowered my arms to my sides. The energy I had before the circle was cast had filled me to the brim. Once I was done, I felt like I could have slept for a year.
I hadn’t recognized the words or the motions in which I moved, but I let instinct guide me as I had in the past. I let the power flow through me and I could feel the anchor secured around my parents as the rift closed and snapped away from them.
When I looked up, all had gone dark, and the only faces I could see were the six in front of me. I could feel more. One was very faint, but I could feel someone’s fear and desperation. It was mixed with anger and greed.
Before I was fully aware to make out who it could have been, it was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Two
She thought about intervening. She had to compel herself not to. What she would have given to see her sister stuck on that plain until her death. Unfortunately for Sabina, Elyse was too powerful, even for her to stand up to. If she was going to get back at her niece for spoiling everything, she was going to have to go about things a bit differently.
She thought about it before. She had figured out how to take the powers of a
witch through their death. She only needed to concentrate on the powers they held and claim them for her own as their life slipped away. Into the depths of nothingness. The idea that a witch’s power slipped away when they died, and nobody was the wiser of it, well... Sabina laughed.
“Waste not, want not,” she whispered to herself the last time she grabbed onto a dying witch’s powers.
Isabella saw the look in her daughter’s eyes when she held her. She knew what it was her youngest child was about to do. A part of her was ready to move on. The cancer had made her so ill, and tired. She just wanted to sleep. Sabina shook her head at the memory. She would not let it get to her. Not after all she’d done to get what she longed for.
She could have taken more. Gone on a killing spree to get more power. No, she wanted something else a lot more than just a few measly powers. She wanted what was her family’s legacy. She would have had it by then, but she never imagined Elyse would catch on so damn quickly. “What does a girl have to do?” she asked the air in the night.
The darkness had come when Elyse let the flames go away. Sabina had never seen a witch call to the elements, and to have them answer the way they answered her niece. The way they once answered Sabina’s grandmother.
“The way they will answer me!” she screamed so loudly, the birds nesting nearby were startled from their beds.
Sabina looked up at the rose color around the moon. She knew that night would have held too much magic to her darling niece for her to interfere. She was no fool. She stayed perched in a tree–close enough to hear the words spoken. Far enough to hide amongst the darkness.
At least she learned many things that night. One was that Elyse held the power of the immortal. Silas Sr. had been right. The other was that her father had run to be at his favorite daughter’s side. Her brothers as well. Wherever her oldest brother was, his Bellatrix was sure to be close by, too. It meant all the most powerful witches were in one place. She was glad she hadn’t rushed in as she had before. The fight at the Blackwood manor had taken too many of her golems. Making them took a considerable amount of time, hence her inability to get things done in a timely fashion.
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