“Everyone left Satinka’s mansion to respond to all the disturbances in the area. Somehow in the confusion no guards stayed to watch over Galen. Now he’s gone, but the room is still sealed tight. Nothing shows up on the cameras. One minute he’s in the room, next minute, poof, he’s gone.”
I sank into a chair; my heart pounded so fast it threatened to jump right out of my chest. I knew something was wrong, something was bad, really bad but I couldn’t sort through the fog to really see it. “Mel, have you had any luck removing the layers of binding spells on me?”
“Oh, yeah, about that, uhm, no, but I do have something to tell you. I traced the magick of the last couple spells put on you. They have the same magick signature as the murder victims.”
“Not good at all.” I sighed. Then a thought popped into my head. “Mel, have you scanned the newest spell yet?”
She followed my line of thinking and ran back into her spell room and quickly photographed the remnants of the spell and uploaded the image into her computer. “You’re right Wyn, it’s the same signature, but why, why is the murderer trying to take away your power and keep us all wrapped up in sex and nonsense?”
“I think it’s all about distraction. The murderer wants the P.I.T. Crew distracted long enough so he can do something. I just don’t know what. I’m so close, like when a memory is right there, but you’re just not able to grasp it. That’s where I am, but I can’t reach the answer. The binding spells are holding strong, and I can’t get through the fog.” I put my elbows up on Mel’s desk and my head in my hands. I wanted to cry. “I just don’t see why Galen is being targeted. I mean he has to be the target right? All the murders connect to him and now he’s gone. Why? What does it all mean?”
I wasn’t used to frustration like this. Usually it was me with the answers, not the questions.
Mel’s phone rang and it shocked me out of my thoughts. I pulled myself together and stood up as she reached for her phone.
“I’m going to find Malone and see what I can do to help out there.”
Mel nodded her head in an okay motion, and then answered her phone, “This is Mel…uh huh…really? I’ll let everyone know. Thanks, Sati.”
When I heard her say Sati I stopped moving toward the stairs and walked back into her office. “What did Satinka say?”
“The fires are all illusions, glamours—image spells. That’s why the fire departments aren’t having any luck putting them out, they’re not real. Nothing is actually getting burned but it is getting wet from the hoses. We need to call the fire stations and tell them to quit having the trucks hose everything down. Then we’ll address the other issues, but first things first.”
My eyes must have been filled with questions because hers told me I needed to be patient. I tried, damn was I trying.
I called Malone’s cell and relayed the message about the fires. Then I called upstairs and relayed the info to Carla, between the four of us we should be able to reach all the fire captains and chiefs to stop the deluge of water which wasn’t dousing any flames.
I scrolled through my official list of local government employee cell phone numbers, a requirement to keep stored in our work phones, and made the necessary calls.
After at least ten different conversations Mel and I were finally off the phones.
I sat back down and looked at her. “What else, Mel? The fires are taken care of. I guess the fires and the crazy spell here at the station were all distractions, but why? What else is going on?”
“Satinka spotted some activity in Glenwood Cemetery. A real fire and a circle. Someone was doing magick, but by the time Satinka landed they were gone. She said it was like they disappeared into thin air.”
“I thought being able to teleport was one of those urban legend powers, no one can really do it?”
“Very few can, but Wyn, rumor has it Roark could teleport and supposedly he could take others with him as well. That really adds fuel to the demon fire. Demons can teleport. If Roark is back and he can teleport, then we definitely have a demon on our hands. A pissed demon gunning for Galen.”
“Galen? Oh my goddess, Mel, you said he disappeared out of his quarters at Satinka’s, disappeared into thin air. Mel, Roark took Galen, I know it. We’ve got to get to the cemetery now. I have to find out if I can get any visions.”
Mel grabbed a bag and reached in, searching for something, she pulled up a set of car keys. “I got my keys, let’s go. We’ll sneak out the back, now is not the time to have Malone following us.” Mel looked freaked out, which freaked me out, because Mel was the calm one when it came to things like this.
****
Satinka waited just inside the main cemetery entrance off West Court Street. She climbed into the backseat of the car and told us to drive around past the old tombstones and beyond many of the plots, all the way around until we reached the creepy mausoleum covered with vines and leaves. I guess at night everything in a cemetery was creepy, during the day the place probably appeared quite stunning especially with all the fall colors brightening up the stone gray of tombstones and grave markers.
Nestled in the middle of a residential neighborhood surrounded by black wrought iron fencing, Glenwood was the oldest cemetery in Flint. In it lay all of the influential people whose names still adorned street signs, buildings and landmarks: Mott, Crapo, Dort, Whiting, Atwood, Whaley, even the founder of the city, Jacob Smith was lain to rest in Glenwood.
I spotted a lot of gravestones. They looked like miniature Washington monuments. Weird. Some monuments so old they fell over, others completely crumbled. The place held a still but powerful energy and a quiet reverence one could find in places filled with history. But I could tell the energy had been disturbed tonight, the power hummed painfully like something ripped through the once seamless and peaceful fabric.
“Do you feel that?” I asked Mel and Satinka quietly.
“Yeah, someone has disrupted the peace here. The energy of this place was used for something dark. We better get out and find out what happened here.” Mel shivered making no move to open the car door.
Finally, I opened my door and stuck my foot out. A dark cloud filled the air, my mouth suddenly tasted like sulfur, I almost choked on it. The dark magick was so thick, so strong it threatened to gag me. Mel pulled me back into the car.
“Wyn, you okay?”
“Whatever was done, it is bad, Mel. Once I get a solid read on it you are going to have to do a cleansing, the serenity of this place has been soiled. I’m not sure if it can cleanse itself.”
“Let’s find out exactly what was done. Let me and Satinka get out first. We’ll help shield and ground you against this so it doesn’t take you over as you try to read it.”
In theory it sounded good but one foot in and I was overwhelmed, pain rippled through me. I really didn’t know if I could do this.
Mel squatted down in front of the open car door. “You can do this Wyn. You have the power to get through it. Come on girl, this will help us find Galen.”
With the mention of his name, it reminded me of why I was doing this in the first place, to save him. Whether or not we ended up together didn’t matter right now, what I cared about was making sure he was alive and keeping him that way. However alive a vampire could be.
I had to connect, read the energy no matter how dark, see the vision. I needed to find Galen. With the help of Mel and Satinka I made it out of the car and into the charred remains of the fiery circle, now just smoldering ashes. I knelt and put both hands on the ground while Satinka and Mel each had a hand on my shoulder to ground me. I knew Mel was casting a protective circle around us. I could feel their energy surround me, protect me, making my own shields stronger, my own magick work harder. Normally, we would need salt and tools but since Mel was more powerful than your average witch, she cast spells with nothing but the magick within her and the power she tapped into through the elements around her. She spindled it through her, pulling on the elements, combining them with her own stren
gth then pushing them out to create a powerful circle to shield us from all of the negativity.
I let go of my puny shields I had automatically thrown up when the blast of negativity rip through my foot. As soon as I let go of my shield I probed the locale to see what I could learn. I sifted through old tears, grief, decades, even centuries of pain and sorrow. Some so old they were barely whispers, some so fresh I could feel the grief threaten to tear through me. I pushed past those emotions until I found a flash of Devlin. But the new memories were blocked. Devlin used the same old magick to mask his activities that he had with the murders. Bastard.
My shoulders slumped in defeat. I wouldn’t be able to break through his mysterious dark magick.
Then hands were on my shoulders, both Satinka and Mel reached out to me, lending me their power.
I again focused on the image of Devlin and Galen while pulling energy from Satinka and Mel. Images flashed through my mind like a slide show: Galen with Devlin, Galen tied in silver cords, Devlin casting the circle, Devlin morphing into something else, and then fire, lots and lots of fire… like the gates of hell opened. I pushed, trying to see more. I put my palms to the earth drawing on the magick and memories of the cemetery. I held the link to Satinka and Mel and pulled more from them. Power filled me, more power than ever before, I hummed with it. My body almost ached from all the energy flowing through it. I couldn’t hold it for long. I pushed at the visions trying to see more. But nothing more came.
I couldn’t hold the power any longer. As I pulled my hands away an image of Galen writhing in agony flashed in my mind. I told Mel and Sati what I had seen as pain spread throughout my body. Darkness filled me, my brain fogged up and I couldn’t think straight.
“Filthy bastard,” Satinka cursed. “I should have known he was up to no good. Devlin has always been a power hungry fool. He’s trying to cross Roark over, to bring him back to the flesh in this dimension. I just don’t understand why he needs Galen.”
That was all I heard before the wave of darkness washed over me and I passed out.
Chapter 30
I woke up the next morning tucked into the guest bedroom at Mel’s house, a room very familiar to me. I kept spare clothing tucked into the closet and my own toiletries in the adjoining guest bathroom, my home away from home. I had spent a lot of time here with Mel in the past. Some place to go when I didn’t want to be alone. I briefly wondered why it had been a couple months since I’d stayed with her last.
After showering and eating a quick breakfast Mel convinced me to try on the gown for the Vampire Ball.
“Mel, how I can attend The Vampire Ball tonight with Galen still missing and us not having a clue about what is going on in this city?” I whined, too tired and completely mentally drained. Being pathetic after yesterday’s activities, I knew it but was feeling lost and totally confused. I wasn’t exactly in a party mood, in fact, more like a curl up with a blanket in front of the television mood.
Mel looked up at me from her kneeled position as she adjusted and fluffed the layers of metallic blue taffeta and black lace around the lower half of my dress, which was beautiful and so me, exactly like she said it was.
“Anyone who is anyone in Flint’s preternatural world will be at the Ball tonight along with some important Others from several local territories. If you want to know something, The Ball is the place to be. You can spend the night reading people while I get magickal signatures from everyone. No one will even be the wiser; they’ll think I am taking normal photographs.”
“Great idea, Mel. I hadn’t even thought of that.” I turned to check in the mirror and gasped at how gorgeous I looked. The metallic blue taffeta was a deep shade of midnight blue that looked almost black depending on how the light hit it. Trimmed in black lace, the corset style top pushed my boobs to heights never known before. Multiple layers of ruffles and hem lines made the skirt look full and flirty, modern and old fashioned all at once. The blue made my auburn hair look redder than normal and my usual smoky blue/gray eyes glittered like sapphires. Wow.
“Of course not, you’re too busy moping and whining. Look I know you’re worried about Galen, but seriously, he’s a big boy vampire and quite capable of taking care of himself. He’s not half as fragile as Satinka thinks he is. I swear she treats him like a child not the two hundred year old vampire he is.”
“How do you know?” I asked narrowing my eyes. Was there more between her and Galen than I knew?
She stood up with her hands on her hips. “Oh don’t even look at me like that, Wyn. I haven’t been with your man, but I have been friends with him for a long time. He’s all grown up and has dealt with the shit Roark put him through for all those years, but when he’s around Satinka, he lets her act like a mother hen and allows her to take control. I sometimes think he would be much better if she just let him take care of himself for once.”
“Really? I thought you agreed with Satinka about protecting him?”
“I did, but at some point you have to push the babies from the nest or they’re never going to learn to fly.”
“This coming from a woman who has never been a mother.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t have mothering instincts,” she turned her head jauntily and gave a wicked little smile.
I smiled back. “I know, you’re right. I’ve felt this way from the beginning, but I can understand, especially with the murders all leading directly to him. If anyone found out Mel, they’d execute him without a trial.”
“I know, Wyn. But he’s got us, and we’re not going to let that happen.” She patted my hand. “Now let’s finish getting ready and go have some fun. I think your hair would look great pulled up into an old fashioned up-do with some curly wisps trailing down your neck and around your face.”
I looked in the mirror and readily agreed. “Mel, I know you did not buy this dress for yourself. You always complain blue does nothing for you with your caramel cream skin and chocolate eyes. The red you are wearing is perfect; this blue…was made for me.” As soon as the words left my mouth I knew they were true. “You had your cousin Esme make this for me didn’t you?”
Esme is a stitch witch, seamstress extraordinaire. The woman could look at someone and make them the perfect gown without ever taking a measurement. She made very high-end clothing and costumes in a shop downtown.
Mel smiled. “No way was I going to this thing alone, and I knew you wouldn’t agree to it without a bribe. This gorgeous gown was the perfect bribe because what girl can turn away from a ball gown made just for her?”
I laughed. “Especially not an Esme original.”
“That’s for sure, now come on, gurl, one way or another we are going to have fun tonight.”
Chapter 31
The Masonic Temple, a blocky gray building with enough decorative elements to give it an understated feel of importance without it being gaudy, looked more like a big bank than a temple. I had never really paid much attention to it before. Just another building along Saginaw Street but tonight vampires, humans and all manner of Others filled it. Should make for an interesting night.
Mel pulled two tickets out of her fancy little bag that also held her magickal digital camera as we walked through the wide doors.
The impressive entryway was a large marble foyer with a desk to the right and an elevator and stairs going down to the left. Behind the desk were a couple small office rooms and another small room was up front. The far left office held a fortune telling gypsy, complete with crystal ball and all. A couple people counting money and tickets occupied the other room. Up front I spied a new camera disguised as an old one and a coffin along with a few other vampy props. Themed photo booth, fun.
Directly front and center stood the grand ballroom entryway. Inside the great room it was a little dark and foggy. Costumed Ball goers milled around everywhere, going up and down the stairs, wandering in and out of the ballroom, even in and out of the building—the place was packed. I was a little surprised at the number of people att
ending the gala.
Even more surprised once we entered the ballroom and I discovered the place was larger than I first thought. The ballroom was huge, with a giant stage covering the entire far end of the room. In front of the stage was an open area for the dance floor, already filled with happy party goers rocking out to the music being piped in through the sound-system. The band on stage was still setting up.
A buffet table chock-full with delicious smelling food lined the right wall. A nightclub-esque bar decked out in Goth stylings took up the center of the room. To my left, a staircase climbed up to a second story balcony. Several people milled about upstairs, but I couldn’t tell if there were any rooms on the second story.
The rest of the ballroom was filled with tables, costumed humans…and Others. Lots of Others.
I could smell the vamp pheromones mixing with the musk and green woodsy scent of werewolves along with the delightful aromas of cinnamon, spice and Autumn that witches tend to emit. I also smelled numerous human perfumes, some natural and some came from a bottle. And those were just the strongest scents in the room, which meant they had the most numbers in attendance. I could also smell various Others I didn’t recognize, a slight junglesque aroma made me think were-panther. Once again I inhaled strongly and… no way, was that a ghoul?
The effect entirely overwhelmed and the visions…Oh my Goddess. Glad my powers were almost nonexistent right now, it made it easier to shut them off, but emotional vibes continued to cling to me like wet toilet paper. Not pleasant. It overloaded me.
I glanced at Mel. She must have realized my readiness to bolt because she put her hand on my arm. I felt a little zing and then instant bliss.
“What was that?” I lazily asked.
“Just a little anti-anxiety spell I made in advance. I was afraid everything might be a bit much for you so I had it ready to go.”
“Mel,” I mumbled totally blissed out, “you should bottle and sell that stuff, it rocks.”
Hex and the Single Witch (Vehicle City Vampires) Page 16
