Sword of Elements Series Boxed Set 2: Bound In Blue, Caught In Crimson & To Make A Witch

by Heather Hamilton-Senter

  The one constant was that Tynan could sense the Paths. He confided in me one night that back in Las Vegas he’d even travelled a couple of feet down one before losing his nerve. He made me promise not tell anyone and I agreed, but I resented being forced into what felt like a lie.

  A couple of weeks before Halloween, Boudica and I were sitting by the pool in bathing suits and t-shirts while Peter, Tynan, and Daley horsed around in the shallow end. Their object was to keep a beach ball from hitting the water, but it was really an excuse to dunk one another and elbow each other in the face as they launched themselves after it. Peter had started the game and it was good to see the other guys laughing and having fun; my best friend’s sunny nature was infectious. Taliesin and Rowan cheered them on while Miko sat on the steps leading into the pool gripping the metal handrail as if her life depended on it.

  Boudica pulled off her t-shirt and threw it on the small table between us. “For all his long years, Rowan is still like a child. He takes such pleasure in simple things.” The words might have been affectionate, but her tone was strangely neutral.

  I decided to risk asking something I’d been wondering about. “I thought all the earth magicians were human. Why are Rowan and Taliesin still alive after all these years?”

  Boudica shrugged, muscles rippling under pale skin scattered with freckles. “No one knows in Taliesin’s case, but Rowan has bound himself to the bard by oaths sworn on both magic and his faith. He will remain on this earth as long as Taliesin does.”

  “So when Taliesin dies, Rowan dies too?”

  She shrugged again. “Perhaps when the bard is gone, Rowan will begin to age again—though likely some battle or other will do them both in at the same time.”

  I shivered despite the moist, warm air. There was something cold in the woman’s voice.

  As if she doesn’t even care. Or worse.

  We sat in silence for a minute, but eventually I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask, “And what about you?”

  She lifted a pale eyebrow. “You mean, what is my status among the immortals?”

  I squirmed under her frosty gaze. “I guess so, yeah.”

  “No one has told you then?” I shook my head. “I was the queen of the Iceni,” Boudica declared proudly. Rowan glanced over in concern, but I smiled back and he relaxed.

  She was waiting for me to respond, but I didn’t what to say. Scowling, she jabbed her finger at me. “Don’t they teach you children anything? The Iceni were of the Celtic bloodline. My kingdom was roughly where Norfolk is today. In England.” I could feel myself flush at her obvious contempt.

  The woman sighed. “When my husband died, I was the rightful heir, but Rome had already placed its yoke around the neck of Britain and didn’t recognize the right of women to rule. Rome took my kingdom, flogged me, and raped my daughters. So I waged war upon Rome. In the end, I was defeated. I took poison with my daughters, but to my horror, I awoke and they were dead. I fled and didn’t know what I was until Rowan found me. I learned from Taliesin that my abilities in war and my immunity to the poison were my heritage as a descendent of the sidhe warriors who once served Cernunnos.

  “Sidhe?” I repeated. It sounded like shee.

  “I suppose, in your modern lexicon, you would call them elves, but they were nothing like the languid actors prancing around in your movies. The sidhe were warriors so beautiful and bright that it hurt to look at them directly. And so in love with battle that no full blooded members of that race remain—a little like your friend the redcap, though nowhere near as messy. The sidhe could sever the head of an enemy with one stroke and almost no blood, so clean and hot were their blades, so strong their arms.”

  Her lips twisted. “I didn’t know which of my parents to thank for my unwanted life. They both died when I was young. I suspect it was my mother for my clearest memory is being taught by her how to lift a sword. Sadly for my poor daughters, their blood was too diluted by their father’s to survive the poison as I had. I’m not immortal, though I’ve aged very little since that time. A dose of poison strong enough to account for what I am would have killed me, and I would have adjusted my portion if I’d known. By the time Rowan brought me to the bard, I’d relearned the desire to live—for vengeance, if nothing else.” Boudica’s voice became low and almost sensual. “I enjoyed watching the great Roman empire fall at last.”

  I felt sick. I wished I’d never asked.

  Boudica smirked as if she understood how her story had affected me and it only increased her contempt. As she stood and walked to the deep end to execute a perfect dive into the pool, I could see the white of old scars criss-crossing the skin on her back.

  Miko wandered over and plopped down into the chair Boudica had vacated. “Was she telling you her story? I caught the end of it.”

  I nodded. “It’s sad.”

  The fairy pulled her knees up to her chin. “I don’t know why she joined Taliesin. I don’t think she likes any of us, not even Rowan. It’s terrible what happened to her, but she’s wrong inside. Did she tell you what she did after she lost her kingdom?”

  “She said she waged war on Rome.”

  Boudica had joined the boys in their game and Daley was now sitting on the edge of the pool watching. His necklace shimmered aqua against his bare chest.

  Miko dropped her voice so no one else could hear her. “When she conquered a Roman city, she destroyed it. She slaughtered almost eighty thousand people, even the women and children, and what she did to the bodies . . . well, it was awful. At least, that’s what the history books say. Of course, when she was defeated, the Roman legions were just as bad, but it’s not a Roman I have to sit across the table from every night.”

  I shivered again; I’d seen some of the darkness running through Boudica. “I feel sorry for her.”

  “Sure, feel sorry for her if you want, but don’t ever trust her. I doubt she’s even remotely sane. But then, who am I to talk about trust.” The fairy was staring at her phone with a strange expression on her face.

  “Who’s that?”

  A dusky blush spread across her cheeks. “No one important. Just an old friend who wants to hook up.” She slipped the phone back into her bikini top and I laughed.

  “That’s an interesting place to keep it.”

  “Might as well fill it with something.” She nodded her chin at Boudica. “We can’t all be as well endowed as some people.” The woman’s attributes were definitely impressive, but my gaze strayed back to Daley.

  “Oh Rhi, don’t even think of Daley that way.”

  I forced myself to look away. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know what I mean. Daley will break your heart.”

  “I’m just curious. Why does he always wear that necklace with the aquamarine stone?” From Taliesin’s book, I knew it once belonged to the girl named Melusine.

  Miko frowned. “The stone is clear.”

  I sat up straight as I realized that the color I saw the pendant as was the same as one of the colors I saw surrounding Daley. “Stay here for a minute.”

  “What are you doing?” Miko hissed.

  “Checking something out.”

  I walked over to the shallow end. Rowan smiled and Taliesin nodded as they passed me on their way out. I almost lost my nerve at the shock that ran through me as Daley looked up. Electricity sparked across my skin. I’d asked Miko, but no one else was affected by Daley’s power the way I was. The charm bracelet was still in my purse, but the red scar on my wrist burned.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey,” he replied.

  That was the extent of the conversation. I stood there awkwardly. The beach ball hitting me in the face came to my rescue.

  “Sorry, Rhi!” Peter yelled.

  “It’s OK.” But instead of throwing the ball back in, I offered it to Daley. Frowning, he reached for it and I made sure our fingers connected. Hoping it would be enough, I closed my eyes.

  For a moment, there was nothing, but then th
e stone burned aqua and I saw tendrils escaping it, entwining with Daley’s lightning. They connected him to a beautiful girl with a river of dark hair.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  “No. Friggin. Way.”

  I’d dragged Miko away from the pool and we were sitting across from one another on her bed. She’d decorated her room with posters of Japanese rock bands and pink pillows. She was twisting one of them now in her small hands.

  Tell me again what she looked like.”

  We’d been through this twice already. “Pretty. Long, black hair. White dress with swishy sleeves.”

  Miko’s eyes were wide. “That’s what we buried her in.”

  “What?”

  “We buried her in a white dress with long sleeves.”

  “Who?”

  “Melusine. Daley’s girlfriend.”

  I had to know. “How did she die?”

  Miko grimaced. “When Melusine first joined us, everyone was so excited. She was an actual descendent of the first Melusine—an ancient water elemental who could turn into a kind of dragon. Our Melusine wasn’t a pureblood and hadn’t learned how to access her powers, but it would have been a real game changer for us if she could. Unfortunately, the original Melusine was also a man-eater—not just literally—and ours was the same. By the time she came to us, she’d left a pile of broken hearts behind. One of them eventually caught up with her.”

  It took me a moment to understand what Miko was saying. “She was murdered?”

  “Some kid walked up to her in the middle of the street and shot her. He put another bullet in his brain before Daley could even react.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “It gets worse. The kid left a suicide note in his pocket. Melusine had been texting him, promising they would get back together and getting him to send her money. When he ran out of cash, she told him she was done with him. Daley went out of his mind with grief. He took the necklace off her dead body and he’s worn it ever since. He’s forgotten what she was really like.”

  “What was she like then?”

  “Beautiful, vain, charming, manipulative—just like most sirens, loreleis, nixies, and mermaids.” Miko smiled her lopsided smile. “And fairies too. But Melusine was from that whole class of Greylander whose sole purpose seems to be to seduce and destroy men for the fun of it.”

  I didn’t remind Miko that my closest magical counterpart might be a leanan sidhe. “She seemed sad.”

  “She might have cared for Daley,” the fairy conceded, “but there’s no way of knowing if he truly loved her back. That’s the only part of her magic she was ever in control of, but Daley refuses to believe it. He refuses to remember how they fought all the time or how jealous and unhappy she made him.”

  I went to the window. The picture of Daley’s face raised to the moon was an image my mind kept turning to no matter how hard I tried to banish it.

  A pillow hit the glass and I turned and raised an eyebrow at Miko.

  “Sorry. I wasn’t aiming for you. I’m furious I didn’t see Melusine’s spirit had attached itself to that stupid necklace. Seeing the truth is supposed to be my specialty!”

  I sat back down on the bed and leaned against the headboard. “So what are we going to do about it?”

  “Hauntings aren’t good. Ghosts forget the details of who they were in life but not the big emotions. Since that’s all they’ve got, those emotions just get bigger and bigger until they spill over into the mortal plane. Add magic into the mix and it could get ugly.”

  “So if ghosts exist, I guess it’s proof there’s life after death. I suppose it’s our duty to help her move on to wherever it is she’s supposed to go.” I didn’t want to examine too closely why I wanted her gone so badly. “Do you think Daley can see her?”

  “Nope,” Miko replied without hesitation.

  “Why not?”

  “If Daley could see Melusine, he’d be happy.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  I sat cross-legged on my bed at the mansion with a magazine, but 10 Ways To Add Sparkle To Your Holiday Wardrobe couldn’t hold my attention. Giving up, I tossed it across the room at the dresser, but it missed and slid down the front to join the sweater, boots, three t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, and several textbooks on the floor. I was spending less and less time in my own home, but my two rooms were starting to look the same.

  Peter had run out of excuses to give his parents and usually left before dinner. Missing him, I lay back and concentrated on the connection between us—a thread the color of new grass. As we both trained, our bond strengthened, and I was able to sense him without being near him. I’d also learned how to block that awareness. I never again wanted to catch even a hint of what he was feeling when he was making out with Miko. After that first horrifying experience, Taliesin taught me how to create a mental barrier to give us both some privacy. It was like imagining a pane of glass reflecting the bond away.

  I tossed onto my side restlessly as I was reminded of my disappointing interview with the bard.

  “Yes, I am aware that Melusine is still with us,” was his calm reply.

  “What do you mean you’re ‘aware’ of it?” Miko squeaked. “Why haven’t you done anything about it?”

  Taliesin sighed and glanced at the fridge behind us; we’d cornered him in the kitchen on his way to get a snack. “What would you have me do? Take away Daley’s only comfort in grief? Should I be that cruel?”

  “You’ve been cruel before.”

  Taliesin nodded. “Yes. But Melusine has not yet posed a threat to any of us. You remember how Daley’s sadness threatened to overwhelm him after death. You also know of how I first found Daley, but I will tell the tale again briefly for Rhiannon’s benefit.” He sat down at the kitchen table and gestured for us to join him. “Six years ago I went to consult with the Seer of New York.” He glanced at me and I remembered that the Seer of New York was Morgause, my mom’s and Morgan’s sister. It felt strange to think that I had another aunt out there, although an adopted one.

  “She told me to seek out the Hudson River Psychiatric Center and that my journey to knowledge would begin there. Since the Seer is rarely so specific—or coherent—I immediately went in search of the place. It was very strange. Part of the facility was still in use, but the rest was abandoned and filled with ghosts. I could not see them, but I could hear them answer when I asked why the Seer had sent me to them. Their whispers led me to Daley who was starved and half-crazed. He had been sent to the facility for observation, but in his confused state had run away to join the spirits. They are like lightning, after all, being insubstantial and yet powerful. I do not know how long he was alone with them. If Daley remembers, he does not say.”

  The magic in the bard’s voice transported me. I could see barred windows, rotting wood, and Daley huddled in a corner in the dark.

  Taliesin continued, “Daley’s stepfather drank and his mother did nothing to protect the boy from the man’s rage. One night, Daley fought back. It was also the night of a great storm. Without meaning to, he tapped into the power that is his birthright and struck his stepfather down with lightning. When the house caught fire, Daley’s mother refused to leave her husband’s side. Daley tried to save her, but they were separated by flame.” The bard sighed. “I took him in as my son, but it wasn’t until we found Tynan that he began to heal. Daley’s great need is for a family to replace the one he lost. He was going to ask Melusine to marry him.”

  “What?” Miko gasped.

  “When she died, I was afraid we might lose him to the shadows again. Rowan began to sense that the girl’s spirit was still with us, but it seemed to help Daley and allow him to function. We hoped he would eventually let go and shed the ghost on his own.” The bard’s smile was grim. “I know we cannot let the situation carry on indefinitely. The more a spirit loses touch with its own identity, the more it believes that we, the living, are its enemy. But let us wait and see, for Daley’s sake.”

  I tossed again
and punched the pillow as I tried to get comfortable. Taliesin wanted us to stay out of it, but he couldn’t see the web of Melusine’s possessive desire.

  She’s not going anywhere.

  I gave up and got out of bed; maybe a quick run would clear my head. Easing into the hallway, I closed the door carefully behind me.

  “Where are you going?”

  Startled pink starbursts blinded me, but I heard Tynan laugh softly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  As my eyes cleared, I forced myself to smile. “It’s OK. I couldn’t sleep so I was heading down to the gym.”

  “I was going to go for a walk. Why don’t you come with me?” I couldn’t think of a way to say no so I followed him downstairs to the doors that opened onto the back terrace.

  There was frost in the corners of the glass. “Maybe I should grab a jacket.”

  “You won’t need one.” Opening one of the doors and stepping out, Tynan motioned for me to join him. My reluctance must have shown on my face as I came out. “Don’t worry. Look at what I can do.” He made a motion with his hand and the chilly air around us swirled, picking up dried leaves.

  Coughing at the dust of the leaves as they disintegrated, I was about to tell Tynan to stop when I realized the air was now dry and warm. I looked at him in surprise. “That’s amazing.”

  He ducked his head but I could see the white of his teeth as he smiled. “What color is it?”

  Warm air flowed over my skin and I closed my eyes briefly. “Auburn with orange sparks. But how?”