Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Everybody has that theory,” Kade said dryly.

  “Yes, but she’s actually caught a few perverts at rest areas and added them to her doll collection.” In addition to being a pixie from another plane of existence, Nixie had a very specific form of magic that allowed her to use her dust to shrink evildoers into dolls, which she then sold as magical totems to unsuspecting guests who frequented Mystic Caravan.

  “Wait ... I thought all her dolls were drawn in by the dreamcatcher,” Kade said. “You said the magic from the net brought in more than evil creatures.”

  “It does,” I confirmed. “But on occasion Nixie gets it into her head that she’s a crime fighter.”

  “Usually after watching DC movies,” Luke volunteered.

  “Why DC movies?” Cole asked. “They’ve been bad for years. The Marvel movies are better, at least right now.”

  “I don’t disagree,” I said. “However, the DC movies have Aquaman.”

  “Ah.” Cole nodded his dark head in understanding. “She and Naida have an affinity for the water, so they feel a kinship with Aquaman. I get it.”

  I shook my head. “No, she just thinks Jason Momoa is hot.”

  “Who doesn’t?” Luke asked. “Whatever that guy has going for him, they should bottle it and sell it because it’s freaking amazing. They could make a million dollars just off his sweat.”

  “He’s not wrong,” Cole said as I grinned.

  “He’s not,” I agreed, glancing at a frowning Kade. “What’s up with you?”

  “I just realized I’m outnumbered,” he said, glancing between us. “I’m the odd man out.”

  “How do you figure? I’m the only girl. I’m the odd woman out.”

  “Yeah, but you and Luke have a bond that won’t ever allow either of you to be on the outside looking in. When it was just the three of us, I felt it pretty keenly. When Cole joined us, I figured it would create more of a balance, but I’m still the odd man out.”

  “Because we all think Jason Momoa is hot?”

  “Because there’s nobody else to elbow me in the stomach and say, ‘Wow, Wonder Woman could totally tie me up with that lasso and I would totally be fine with it.’”

  “That’s pretty sexist,” Luke said. “You probably shouldn’t say that.”

  I snickered. “You can tell me who you find hot. I promise not to be offended.”

  Kade rolled his eyes. “It’s not the same.”

  “Maybe that’s something you and Max can bond over,” I suggested. “He probably thinks Wonder Woman is hot.”

  “He’s my father. It’s weird to talk about that stuff with fathers.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s normal to talk about that stuff with fathers if movies and television are even remotely true to life,” I countered.

  “I’m going with Poet on this one,” Cole said. “Mention Wonder Woman to Max. I’m sure he’ll be more than willing to talk about her lasso.”

  “I’ll talk about her bracelets and tiara with you,” Luke offered. “I’ve always thought I would look fabulous in those bracelets. The corset would be iffy, though.”

  “Oh, knock it off.” Kade grimaced. “You guys are totally ruining superheroes for me. Let’s talk about something else ... and I don’t mean Nixie’s rest area fetish. We’re totally talking about that later, by the way, Poet. If you’d told me what she was doing I wouldn’t have stopped.”

  I laughed as I moved between the trailers and started arranging the chairs around the table. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Savannah,” Kade said. “You guys briefly mentioned the ghost issue but I’m not sure I understand.”

  “You just don’t like ghosts,” I said.

  “Nobody likes ghosts.” Cole’s expression momentarily darkened. “This area is thick with them, which is why I’m not a big fan of visiting here.”

  “You’ve been here before?” I turned my attention to him.

  “Once, and I vowed never to come back.” He managed a half-hearted smile. “I guess I’m going to have to make allowances now that I’m an official member of the circus.”

  “You will,” I agreed. “As for the ghosts, there’s really nothing to worry about. They’re harmless.”

  Kade shook his head. “You always say stuff like that and then we get bit on the ass.”

  “If a ghost bites you on the ass you have bigger problems,” Luke teased.

  Kade glowered at him. “You’re getting on my nerves.”

  “You love it and you know it.”

  I ignored the banter. I was used to Kade and Luke going at each other. Luke was boisterous, an avowed extrovert. Kade was a thinker and a worrier, and that looked to be what he had planned for the rest of the evening. It was time to reassure him.

  “Baby, ghosts are ... remnants of a life lost,” I said. “Most ghosts are sad because they were ripped from their lives before they were ready. There’s nothing to fear from sad spirits.”

  “Definitely not,” Luke agreed. “It’s the angry spirits you have to worry about. That’s when you get poltergeists ... and if you’ve seen the movie, you know they’re all kinds of freaky.”

  Kade’s eyes widened and I found fury bubbling up when his gaze connected with mine.

  “Way to go, jerkoff,” I growled as I elbowed Luke in the stomach. “Did you have to get him going on this?”

  “I’m not going,” Kade argued, his voice shrill. “I’m just trying to understand. You’re the one who always says that I need to learn about the things we do. Well, I’m trying to learn.”

  I had to bite back a sigh. “And I encourage your work ethic,” I said. “You’re my best student.”

  “Don’t take it to a gross place,” Luke warned. “You know I have a delicate stomach. I don’t want to throw up before dinner.”

  “Yeah, don’t take it to a gross place,” Cole echoed, grinning. “As for the ghosts, I’m with Kade on this one. I don’t understand why the reapers don’t invade this place and suck them up.”

  “There’s a rumor they can’t,” Luke said. “Supposedly someone made a deal with a crossroads demon centuries ago and the reapers aren’t allowed here. I’ll tell you what, if I was a ghost I’d make a beeline for this place. It’s pretty and there’s no hunting allowed.”

  We’d parked and I was already tired of the conversation. “We’ll talk about the ghosts later,” I promised Kade as I turned back to the business of unpacking. “It’s going to be okay. You have nothing to worry about.”

  He didn’t look convinced, but nodded. “Fine. I’ll put together a list of questions that I expect to be answered.”

  “Oh, well, that sounds like a fun night. I can’t tell you how excited I am at the prospect of a list.”

  Finally, he managed a full-fledged smile. “There might be some other activities wedged in there.”

  “Things are looking up.”

  “Always.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss and then pulled back. “I just don’t like the idea of ghosts.”

  I understood his fear, though I didn’t agree with it. “I’ll protect you.”

  He scowled. “I hate it when you say things like that.”

  “Why do you think I say them?”

  HOURS LATER, OUR PART OF THE CAMP was arranged and ready. We still had plenty of work to set up the tents that went along with our official duties, but we could sleep well with a job well done. After dinner, Kade and I walked to the river. I’d eaten enough that I wanted time to digest before heading to bed. Kade, of course, was ready to start peppering me with questions.

  “How many ghosts have you seen?”

  I pursed my lips, considering. “I don’t know that I can answer that question. When I was a kid, I didn’t even know I could see ghosts. I’m betting there were a few who slipped right past me.”

  “Do you remember the first time you realized you were seeing a ghost? I mean … not one that you look back on now and realize was a ghost but one that you knew at the time was a ghost.”r />
  I swallowed hard and nodded. “It was in Detroit, when I was on the street.”

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I know it’s difficult to think back on that time.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t mind sharing with you.”

  “That’s good, but ... .” He blew out a sigh and nodded. “Tell me.”

  “There was this guy named Honky Tank. He liked country music and someone gave him that nickname. He thought it was funny. He was a bit older and needed bi-polar medication really badly. He refused to take it, though, and he ended up out with us.

  “For a time, we tried to absorb him into our group because he was alone, but it didn’t really work out,” I continued. “He saw things ... and heard things. Voices told him to do things, and it wasn’t safe.

  “One night, the voices apparently told him to mess with the wrong people, a group of dealers who hang in Chene Park. They didn’t find him funny and decided to torture him ... to death. The reaper who showed up to absorb his soul missed him because of the dealers — that was an ugly business too — and he escaped.

  “I saw him in our park later that day.” My heart ached when I thought back to the memory. “At first I figured there had been some mistake. We’d heard wrong, which happened sometimes. Then I saw what they’d done to him.

  “Some ghosts look just as they did right before they died. Others carry the wounds of their death. He carried the wounds ... and they were ugly.”

  Kade’s hand went to the back of my neck and he started rubbing at the tension there. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought this up.”

  “It’s fine,” I reassured him, managing a weak smile. “He was even crazier in death. They drove him to absolute madness. It broke my heart. Thankfully a backup reaper arrived and absorbed him not long after.”

  “How old were you?” Kade asked.

  “Sixteen.”

  “Oh, baby.” He pulled me to him and kissed my forehead. “I wish I could go back in time and erase every ugly thing that happened to you. It hurts my heart to think about the fear you must’ve felt when you were living on the street.”

  Because I knew that was true, it made me love him even more ... if that was possible. “If those things hadn’t happened, if I’d turned left instead of right, I wouldn’t have ended up here with you and the others. I believe I belong here.”

  “You definitely belong right here.” He hugged me tight and sighed. “I still don’t like ghosts.”

  The morose tone of his voice made me laugh. “I’m sorry you don’t like them.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” He was quiet for a long time, and I hoped he was going to let it go. Then I felt him go rigid.

  “What is it?” I asked, instantly alert.

  “Look.”

  I tore my gaze from his face and looked to the river. There, spread over the water, had to be at least one-hundred ghosts floating over the rippling surface. They were all staring inland. Some, the ones directly across from us, appeared to be focused on us.

  “Well, that is ... .” Words failed me.

  “Creepy,” he finished.

  It was definitely creepy. It was also weird. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” I admitted as I moved closer to the riverbank. “I wonder what they’re doing.”

  “I think it has something to do with the dancing down the way,” a female voice said from behind, causing me to glance over my shoulder.

  Raven Marko, our resident lamia who ran the House of Mirrors, had appeared out of nowhere. She was quiet and slinky, long silver hair hanging over her shoulders. She seemed absolutely mesmerized as she pointed.

  I followed her finger, frowning as I tried to ascertain what she was pointing out. There had to be at least thirty people — young and old, all dressed in white, at the shoreline. The women wore white dresses and were barefoot. The men were dressed in white tunics and also went without shoes. They also wore hoods. They moved in dance formation, a low murmur emanating from them.

  “What are they doing?” Kade asked.

  “Maybe a ritual of some sort,” Raven replied. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  I was also at a loss. “I wonder if they’re some new cult,” I mused.

  “A cult?” Kade’s eyebrows migrated toward his hairline. “Georgia has cults?”

  His reaction made me laugh. “There are cults everywhere, some more dangerous than others.”

  “Is this one a dangerous cult?”

  That was a very good question. I looked to Raven, but she clearly didn’t have answers to feed me. “We should get the dreamcatcher up,” I said.

  Raven nodded. “Absolutely. We might want to double the lines, too. Just in case.”

  I squeezed Kade’s hand. “I need you and a few of the others to keep watch on them,” I said to him. “We need them to stay away while we work.”

  “I’ll handle it.” Kade was grim. He was dedicated to his role as security chief. “Can you send Luke, Cole, Nellie and Dolph down to help? I’ll stay here for now.”

  I was loath to leave him, but we needed to keep an eye on the dancers. “I’ll have backup out here for you in five minutes.”

  He managed a wan smile. “Just focus on the dreamcatcher. I’ll be okay.”

  I nodded. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. They might not be a threat.”

  “That would be a nice change of pace.”

  3

  Three

  The dreamcatcher didn’t alert overnight, but I was tense enough about the ritual on the riverbank that I hadn’t slept well. Apparently I wasn’t the only one, because when I opened my eyes the next morning, Kade was already alert.

  “Hey.” He offered me a lazy smile as he traced his finger over my cheek.

  “Hey.” I exhaled heavily and tried to focus on the day’s schedule. Mondays were always busy. “Did you sleep?”

  “I did.”

  “Did you sleep well?”

  He opened his mouth and then shrugged.

  “Me either.” I shifted so my head was higher on his chest and rubbed my nose against his cheek. We didn’t often have much time in the morning, so I appreciated when we could spend even ten minutes alone together. “We hit Florida after this,” I reminded him. “We have a full month of downtime in front of us.”

  “I know. I’ve been thinking about that. It’s going to seem ... weird.”

  “Weird?” I cocked an eyebrow. “I thought you would be excited. Just you and me for a whole month. We can sleep in until noon if we feel like it.”

  “I like the idea of sleeping in, but let’s be honest. That will last a week at the most. We’re not the sort of people who can do nothing.”

  “Is that what’s bothering you?”

  “Nothing is bothering me. Well, that’s not entirely true. The ghosts bother me.”

  “I’m more worried about the people performing the ritual. The ghosts seemed like passive observers, but they’re kind of connected, so I get it.”

  “I’m just wondering what we’re going to do for a full month.” His smile slipped when I pulled back to look him over. “Will you get bored with me if we have that much time together?”

  That didn’t worry him. There was something, but it wasn’t all the together time we would have. It was something more. “You’re still going to see Max,” I reassured him. “The off-season park is essentially set up just like this, except we’re more spread out and other paranormals live there.”

  “Baby, I’m not worried.” He stroked my hair. “I need you not to worry about me being worried. I’m just ... not sure what to expect.”

  “It’s not a big deal,” I reassured him. “We sleep in, go out to eat, spend hours frolicking in the ocean. There’s work to be done, too. We have to do our ordering and packing for another eleven months on the road. I’ll have scheduling to do, so it won’t all be fun and games. I thought we could make a trip to Disney. I also thought we could take a few days down in the Keys, just the two of u
s.”

  He brightened. “No Luke?”

  Ah. That’s what he was worried about. “Luke has his own things he likes to do. Plus, Cole will be there. I’m sure we’ll have some meals together — you know darned well Luke and I can’t go a month without seeing each other. But we won’t be all over each other. I promise.”

  “I just want to spend some time with you.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss so soft it nudged a sigh out of me. When we separated, he made the same sound and then glanced at the clock. “We should probably get moving.”

  “Probably,” I agreed. “I want to talk to Raven and the others about the ritual.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea, but I’m going to find out.”

  BY THE TIME WE’D SHOWERED, DRESSED and exited the trailer, the rest of our group was already bustling around the dining area.

  “It’s about time you joined us,” Luke huffed from the table, where he sat sipping coffee with a smirking Cole. “I was about to check to make sure you hadn’t died in your sleep.”

  I pinned him with a dubious look as I crossed to the kitchen area. “You thought we died in our sleep?”

  “I thought there were three possibilities,” Luke replied. “Like maybe you caught one of those sex viruses that forces you to fornicate until you burn up and die.”

  “Like on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” I asked, shooting him a narrow-eyed look. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t watch that show without supervision. It makes you twitchy.”

  Luke straightened his shoulders, clearly offended. “It does not. That’s a quality show.”

  “It is,” I agreed. “The problem is you, not the show. Whenever you watch it, invariably two days later, you start fashioning wooden stakes and suggesting vampire hunts.”

  “I still think that’s a good idea,” Luke said stubbornly. “But forget about the show. I was talking about you guys. I also thought you might’ve accidentally died of boredom because Kade wouldn’t stop talking, and then he took his life because he can’t live without you.”