by John Conroe
“He is, isn’t he,” she said.
A soft snort came from Chris’s other side. “Let’s not get carried away. He’s never been a mental giant,” Lydia said.
“Buzzing. I keep hearing this incessant buzzing sound, like a dozen horseflies waiting to bite,” Chris said, waving around his head. There was a thudding sound; it made almost the same sound as one of Levi’s batons when he smacks me. Lydia was rubbing her elbow and shaking her head. Chris hadn’t reacted, but I was pretty sure the little vampire had just wacked him one and it had pretty much bounced off.
Tanya sighed, much like Aunt Ash did when Rory was over and we got goofy. “So, enough about us. I’m going to take a guess that Declan comes by his abilities from your family, Ashling?”
It was the most diplomatic way anyone had asked if my aunt was a witch that I had ever heard.
“You would be correct in thinking that, my dear,” Aunt Ash replied.
“And you, ma’am, are obviously in law enforcement, which Chris used to be in,” Tanya said to Darci, then turned smoothly to Levi. “But you, sir. I didn’t catch your name or what you do for a living?” she asked in her exotic accent.
I’ve seen Levi charm angry mothers, hard-nosed female bureaucrats, and knew he was successful on the dating scene, but I’ve never seen him stutter in front of a beautiful woman before. It was awesome.
“Ah, I’m ah, Levi… Levi Guildersleeve. I’m in books,” he said, rushing his words a bit.
She frowned, Chris looked amused, and Lydia simply watched with raised eyebrows. “You’re in books? Like, people write about you? Or you write them yourself?” Tanya asked.
“I, ah, mean I trade in rare books,” he replied, trying to catch himself up.
“He also teaches Krav Maga,” I threw in helpfully, earning myself a quick glare from Levi.
“Krav, huh? Is the book business dangerous, then, Mr. Guildersleeve?” Chris asked lightly, although he actually looked interested.
“You have no idea,” Levi answered.
“He not only deals in rare books but ones that deal in the supernatural,” I added, getting another glare. What the Hell, might as well keep digging the hole.
“Really?” Chris’s eyebrows went up as he looked my way, then back to Levi. “Like witches’ grimoires?”
Levi glanced around, a little uncomfortable discussing this in public, but we were standing near a group of black government vehicles on the tarmac of a big airport with no one nearby. In fact, I hadn’t noticed it before, but literally every one of the government agents, soldiers, and bigwigs in the surrounding area were keeping their distance. Like on purpose.
Levi apparently had the same realization as he turned back to Chris; his answer was a bit distracted. “Ah, yes, on occasion. I also work with artifacts from time to time. Things that some consider to be of power.”
“But you’re not a witch or warlock like Declan here?” Chris clarified.
“No, I’m not,” Levi answered. I was about to add that he did have his own small ability to sense things but stopped when he gave me a warning glance. Of course, Chris and his two vampires couldn’t help but notice it.
“Do you, by any chance, read German?” Chris asked after glancing my way curiously.
“In fact, I do,” Levi answered, eyebrows raised.
“Seriously? Are you seriously thinking what I think you’re thinking?” Lydia asked, rounding on Chris, who nodded and suddenly turned my way.
“Do you vouch for Mr. Guildersleeve, Declan?”
“Ah, I’m not sure what you mean, but if you’re asking if I trust him, then the answer is yes—with my life,” I answered. He studied me for a second, his odd eyes looking right through me, then he came to some kind of decision.
“I have a job for you, Mr. Guildersleeve, if you’re interested. It involves translating an old book. An incredibly dangerous old book. I will of course pay your fees for that kind of thing,” he said.
“We will pay your fees, plus a danger bonus,” Tanya said.
“Well, I have some time in the next few weeks, so I’m sure we could work something out. But when you say dangerous, what do you mean?” Levi asked. I recognized the signs. He was hooked. Anything with old books and you had his attention. Throw in supernatural and his interest was unshakeable.
“It’s a grimoire, in old German. The book itself is powerful, and the people that want it have already tried to take it from us several times. I want to know more about it.”
“There’s rumors a floating that just such a book has surfaced of late, Mr. Gordon. The chat rooms are abuzzing about it. That wouldn’t be your book, now would it?” Aunt Ash asked.
“Chat rooms? Hmm, witches have chat rooms? Ah, it might well be, Ms. O’Carroll. It seems to have stirred your people up. Maybe you should have a look at it as well, for a fee, of course.”
She waved her hand. “I’ll not be charging to assist the people that saved my boy, Mr. Gordon. I owe you a debt.”
“Please call me Chris. And it’s I who owe these two a debt,” he replied, pointing at Caeco and myself. “But I think it’s past time that you folks got home and moved on with your lives, and we have a tired little girl and her parents to escort home. Why don’t we contact you in a few days and set something up?” he suggested.
Aunt Ash glanced at Levi, who nodded his agreement. A young voice yelled, “Mr. Chris!”
The three across from us spun around so fast, it displaced air. Gone was the easy-going guy, replaced by a coiled killer looking for whatever might threaten the owner of the voice. Somehow, I knew that the woman beside him was just as deadly. But little Toni was smiling, running toward us at full speed with her giant wolf pacing easily beside her.
Chris and Tanya relaxed, and Lydia moved back the two steps she had instantly placed between herself and her two companions. She met my curious gaze and shrugged. “It’s best to give them room,” she explained.
Toni came to us in a rush, running into to her godfather’s arms with a laugh. The monster canine with her parked himself by Chris’s legs, watching my group with a deadly serious gaze.
“This is my… er… our goddaughter, Toni. And this furry behemoth is Awasos,” Chris said. “Toni, these are Declan’s aunts and his friend Levi and Caeco’s mom, Dr. Jensen.”
Toni’s parents joined us, and he had to make all the introductions all over again. Whatever spell had kept everyone else away was now broken, and others joined our growing group. Mike West was there, with Director Stewart and a whole bunch of Oracle agents. After a noisy few minutes, the Director suggested that he should fly us back to Vermont. Chris and Tanya took the opportunity to pull their group away, again explaining that they had a tired little girl and her exhausted parents to get home.
We boarded another helicopter, and I watched out the window as we lifted off. Below us, the private corporate jet carrying Chris and company taxied for takeoff.
I looked across the aisle, where Caeco sat with her mom. “I don’t know about you, but I could sleep for a week,” I said.
“No, you won’t. We’ve got a Calc test tomorrow,” she replied, smacking me back to Earth.
Chapter 42- Krista
The diner was just inside the city limits of Concord. Despite the chrome, the old-fashioned metal plate lights and the deep red seat covers, the place was a sham. It was less than five years old instead of the forty or so it tried to project. But the food was good and the coffee was perfect. Smearing the last of the pancakes in the deep puddle of real maple syrup, Krista heaved a tired sigh before popping her loaded fork into her mouth.
Bone weary, dirty, and disheveled, she wanted nothing more than to get home to her own place, shower, and sleep for a week. Or two. But Gillian had insisted on a meeting, so she had picked this place. Just a couple of blocks from her apartment and it was open even at this God-awful hour. Really, who was up at five-thirty other than bakers and truckers like the one who had given her a lift this far?
The door at the
far end swung open and a middle-aged woman with brown hair came in. She spotted Krista immediately and started in her direction. Sipping her coffee, Krista studied the leader of her Circle as she approached.
Taller than average, maybe five-ten without the heeled boot she was currently sporting, she was thin in an angular kind of way, with a long face that had always reminded Krista of a greyhound and brown eyes the same shade as milk chocolate. She was dressed in black slacks and a red sweater under a cream-colored trench coat.
“You look like hell!” Gillian said by way of greeting, sliding into the booth across from the younger witch.
Krista reached over to the folded paper she had snagged from the rack by the door and pushed it in front of her leader. Raising one eyebrow, Gillian motioned to the waitress for coffee, then opened the folded paper to look at the cover story. Death from the skies! Asteroid strikes New Hampshire. The central photo showed a tower of smoke, debris, and fire against the dark of night.
“A cosmic shame. A warlock such as never been seen before and that had to fall from the skies,” Gillian commented.
Krista held up two fingers on her right hand, touching them one at a time with her left index to make her points. “One, it didn’t just fall… it was yanked down on top of that complex. And, two, he’s still alive,” she said, taking another sip of coffee.
Gillian’s eyes lit up with curiosity, but she refrained from comment until the arriving waitress had filled her cup with coffee and taken her order of oatmeal and fruit. Even after the order was on its way to the kitchen, she paused to pour cream and sugar into the dark brew and stir it thoughtfully. Finally, she spoke. “You continue to delight me, Krista. Let’s start with the second point first. How do you know?”
“The moment he arrived, I clipped some of his hair. I’ve kept it with me ever since. When he broke my circle—” Gillain almost spit out her coffee at this, “—I immediately started to put together a tracking spell. Once I got back on my feet, that is.”
“He broke your circle?”
“Shattered it from the inside.”
Gillian’s eyes sparkled as she leaned back. Krista continued, “Anyway, as I was making my tactical retreat, a flight of helicopters flew over me. He was on one. I’m certain. Then the asteroid or meteor or whatever the fuck it was hit and I lost track. But I know he got out. Which means he’s likely to be back in Vermont where they found him by now.”
“You, my dear, are worth your weight in gold. Now tell me about the asteroid.”
“I don’t know much, but if you ever see a little Hispanic girl about this big, with big brown eyes and cute enough to be one of those American Girl Dolls, run, don’t walk, the fuck outta there!”
Gillian just raised her eyebrows and waited for more.
“They took this little girl as bait to draw in some guy. They had a vamp and a were for medical testing, but they had a major hard-on for this other guy. So they kidnapped the girl, although I gather they lost the entire kidnap crew which was like, north of twenty people or something. As soon as I saw the girl, I knew the place was all done, finito, kaput! Most powerful vision I’ve ever had. Then, not long after Wonder Witch broke my circle, I felt something shake the Power. No idea what it was, except it came from the base. About ten minutes later, the choppers go by overhead and a couple of minutes after that, the space rock bitch slaps the place into glass,” she said, shaking her head.
“So you think this guy came for the little girl? And you’re suggesting he’s responsible for the asteroid?”
“Exactly what I’m saying,” Krista replied.
“Any evidence?”
“None. But as soon as the girl arrived, the base was doomed. You know me—I don’t have much prophetic power. This was like a billboard. Everyone who handled her was marked for death. Like I said, the kid was there for a couple of hours, during which I was banging around in the damn woods, then I think the guy arrived, went through the place like corn through a goose, and then dropped a damned big rock on it… somehow. That’s what my gut says.”
Gillian took another sip and gazed down at the paper. She looked thoughtful.
“Okay, so that’s all kind of beside the point. The thing we’re interested is that the boy likely survived.”
“He most definitely survived,” Krista said, reaching into her bag and sliding a little ziplock bag across the table. Inside was a tuft of black hair.
“Shouldn’t you hang onto this for tracking?” Gillian asked, frowning.
“No, I think you have lots of witches that will do just fine. I don’t want anything to do with Kid Wonder. Plus, if he sees me, he’ll come out swinging, and I don’t want to be there for that,” Krista replied.
“Wait. You’re scared of him.”
“Absolutely,” Krista replied, looking uncomfortable but determined. “He broke my fucking circle from inside, Gill! The first cell I had him in was perfect and I drained him down, made him use up his stored power to keep warm. Then the stupid director got a hair in his ass and had me move him. I did a damned fine job jury-rigging that cell, but it just couldn’t be as tight as the first one. Still, it should have held any witch I’ve ever heard of, but he broke it. That should tell you something Gill. He’s fighting outside our weight class.”
“Impossible; you’ve got to be mistaken! He’s a male!” Gillian replied.
“Don’t matter. He is what he is. You go head-to-head and he’ll remove yours!”
Gillian tapped her lip with a red fingernail that matched her sweater, thinking it through. “You’re certain?”
“Dead certain. I was a pretty big bitch to him, Gill. If he spots me coming, he’s gonna blow me right off the planet. The agent that caught him said she got lucky. Had no idea what he was. She was trapping the girl—some genetic experiment—and the boy was there. She thought he was just a do-gooder kid till he blasted three soldiers and an armored Humvee with lightning. Fried the shit out of all of them. She pegged him twice with tranks. If his guard had been up, it might have gone a whole lot different. His guard’s gonna be up for a while after this, Gill.”
“Well, do you have any suggestions?” Gill demanded.
“Yeah, I do. Lots of time to think about it while I was clawing my way home. He’s powerful, but he’s a boy, seventeen. Been stuck in Vermont his whole life. His mother, Maeve Irwin, was killed in Boston eleven years ago, so he must be living with his aunt. He got caught in AIR’s net because he was helping out that girl they wanted. She’s pretty dangerous, but also kind of pretty. Soooo, I think we come at this another way.”
“What are you thinking?” her boss asked.
“I’m thinking it might be time to call the Sisters—the Sisters Erie. They should be touring the States somewhere. Maybe they should play Vermont. How old is the youngest? Nineteen?”
“Ryanne? Barely. But I see what you’re thinking and I like it… I like it a lot. Call them. No, I’ll do it, but I’ll want you to talk to them before they arrive. Give them the details. For now, go home, get some rest. You did well,” Gillian said, scooping up the baggie of hair and smiling a tight smile.
Krista nodded and got to her feet, glad to be out of the immediate plan. Her self-preservation instinct was in high gear, and she didn’t want to be anywhere near that kid. He hadn’t seemed a bad sort. It didn’t seem right to be putting the Sisters Erie on him. But someone was gonna go after him, and it might as well be her own Circle. They’d at least take good care of him.
Chapter 43- Declan
Caeco was wrong. We didn’t have a test the next day. Or rather we did, but we both missed it. Our guardians kept us home. The first I knew of it was when I woke to crows calling to each other in the branches of the Rowan. The sun was streaming into my container and my clock told me it was past ten a.m. I threw on sweatpants and a hoody, stuffed my feet into moccasins, and shuffled inside, noting the silver Buick parked outside.
Darci, Levi, Aunt Ash, Dr. Jensen, and Caeco were all sitting around our kitchen table
, sipping coffee or eating breakfast. My aunt came right over to hug me, then pushed me in the general direction of the only open chair. The place was set with a fork and plate, leaving it up to me to shovel in a couple of over-easy eggs, hash browns, and some crunchy maple bacon.
Darci set a glass of milk in front of me and I took a long sip after a grateful nod, then looked around the table. “What’s going on?” I mumbled.
“Debrief,” Caeco said, giving me a smirk as she snagged another two strips of bacon. Her plate looked well used.
I ever so slightly raised one eyebrow at her choice of terms, and her grin widened.
“Good, so you’ve heard the whole thing?” I asked.
“Nope, haven’t started yet. Ashling thought you’d be in right about now,” Darci said.
