Grey charged the door again.
Fred swore. "Shut that dog up!"
-We should get rid of him. He's never going to leave us alone.-
"God damn it!" Fred swung the gun around to point it at the door. He was going to shoot through the wood at Grey.
-All you have to do is put it all together.-
The voice was soothing against the turmoil in my head. The next few minutes were like a John Woo slow motion capture for me as I lunged at him. My intent was to grab the gun from him so he wouldn't shoot Grey. Beyond that—I hadn't given it much thought. But the voice in my head had.
I saw my hand shoot out as I lunged at Fred. My chest burned as if someone pressed a soldering iron into it and I screamed out as I wrapped my hand around his hand holding the gun. Many things went through my mind at that moment. One of them was wishing this son of a bitch would just disappear. The thought was tinged with the same red hue as my wish to survive last night had been, when that thing had lunged at me from across the street and then disappeared.
I smelled something burning, something acrid, something electrical as I stumbled forward and slammed into the door. The door opened outward as it gave with my weight and I did an excellent spill on the floor. Grey was immediately in my face licking me and then dashing into the bathroom.
But Fred wasn't there.
And I was holding the gun.
"Oh no…" I said aloud and I immediately looked at the sink, just visible past the door where it stuck out from the white tile. My Undine was there, watching me, before she vanished in a bubble pop.
—Believe you can't hear me! Come on, Sam. Listen to me! Where is that bastard? Where did he go? And was that an Undine I just saw—
"Mom!" I dropped the gun and put my hands to my ears. My towel was little more than a limp bundle by that time but I didn't care. It was just us women now, because Fred was nowhere to be seen.
Oh thank the Lord and Lady! I've been screaming at you ever since you got in there. I heard that bastard on the fire escape. Where is he? She turned around in the bathroom and looked at me. Then she looked at the gun on the hall's hardwood floor and went to sniff it. This is his. Did he jump out the window?
"No…no…" I put my hands to my face and then put them over my chest. The spot where the mark was felt hot and when I looked down, the scar was more pronounced. It was a big disk of puckering, pinkish skin.
Sam?
I looked at Grey and felt my eyes ache as emotion overwhelmed me. I'd come a hair's breath away from a plethora of things. Of possibly being raped, of being beaten, of being murdered…and my Undine had seen me destroy another human being with Arcane. The smell permeated the bathroom. It clung to my skin. It lived in my hair. It was awful.
Grey moved in beside me and crouched down, inching her snout under my hands to my face. Sam-Sam? What is it?
I wiped at my face as the emotion came and went in waves. I was good one minute and then bad the next. And then good again and stayed that way for a few minutes. "I…Mom I think I just destroyed that man."
You did?
"Yeah…the way I destroyed the thing that attacked me outside Circe's. Fred was there one minute and then gone the next. Mom…my Undine saw!"
So that was your Undine. How was she here?
"Mom…don't you get it? She saw what I did. She'll report it to Miss Water of the Clerics and then Cromwell will know I'm using Arcane…I'm being consumed by Arcane and they'll make a vote to kill me."
Mom did a good wolf impression of a snort. They'll have to get through me.
My phone rang again. Grey pushed herself up and retrieved it from the desk, pulling the charger out of the wall and dragging it along with the phone to me. I smiled at her and wiped her saliva off of it. It was Ivan. "Hey, I figured you'd send a text message."
"I tried but you weren't receiving. It was like you were offline."
Huh. I'd been so offline even my mom couldn't talk to me. "I was taking a shower. What's up?" I thought I sounded pretty good considering what had just happened. But then, what did that say about me? I had just killed someone. That made two people. The bodies were stacking up.
"The Aces found the house. It's a mansion about ten miles inside the marker between Arden's property and Mr. Blackwood's. Arden swears she's been all over that property and never saw it. She's got her coven in the area coordinating getting the Circle cut. You coming?"
"I'll be there."
"Oh, bring the water out of your sink."
I froze. "Wh-what?"
"Bring the water out of your sink."
"Where did you get that?"
"I don't know. It was on a piece of paper a member of the coven gave me. I assume it's a request from Arden. See you in a bit."
I disconnected before he could and let the phone drop.
By taking the water in my sink, I would be giving my Undine access to wherever I went because she'd touched it. Someone already knew my Undine had been in my sink. Ivan assumed it was a message from Arden.
Was it possible…however remotely…that she was working with the Clerics? Was Arden the mysterious she Fred mentioned? Was…and this sounded even more ridiculous…was Arden working with Cromwell to get rid of me?
Or worse, make me weak and useless and easier to give to the Obsidian Queen?
Either way, I needed to get going. I also needed to get rid of the gun. For now, I wrapped it in a clean towel and shoved it into the bag with the other ritual supplies.
If my wild imagination had any part of it based in reality, then I was in a lot of danger and so were those around me. It was time to go on the offensive, so I wouldn't be caught on the defensive.
TWENTY
Trying to set aside panic at what I'd just done to another human being, I grabbed a mason jar and filled it with water from my sink. The rest I let spiral down the drain. My hands shook, my body shook, and not all of it was from my emotional terror at that moment. The wolf fever had ramped its take over up a few notches. I was running out of time, and I had no idea how I was going to explain Fred's disappearance.
All my mind wanted to focus on was Arwen's death at my hands using Arcane, the catalyst that set all of this off, the destruction of my dad's house and their bodies, and now Fred. There was no way I could keep doing this and not get caught. And if Cromwell caught wind of what was really going on, not get killed. I had to think of some logical explanation for Fred's disappearance. Some plausible excuse that would make everyone happy. I didn't know if he had any family remaining that would miss him, though I somehow doubted it. But if he did, family was usually the one thing that didn't stop until it got answers. I was still surprised Arwen's family hadn't shown up asking where their daughter was.
Still shaking, still freaked out, I dressed with shaking hands but managed to get everything in place.
I dumped a bunch of stuff into my bag, including the mason jar, my own white handled knife and then agonized over whether to keep the gun in my bag for about five minutes. Truth was I'd rather have it with me than leave it there. That's when I realized I didn't have my own guns. Where were my guns? The last place I remembered using them was outside Circe's house. And I'd thrown them into the back of my Jeep.
I assumed my Jeep was still parked across the street from Circe's. I didn't have time to retrieve it. According to Ivan's directions, Circe's base of power was in the opposite direction. The GPS map told me I was going to be on the road for at least forty minutes. Great. I had forty minutes to relive what just happened and try not to self-condemn my actions.
No. You'll have me with you.
I looked at Grey as she stood by the door. "No. I can't risk you, mom. I—I don't think I could keep going if you weren't here."
I'm not going anywhere. And I can take care of myself. I'm not entirely helpless.
I had sort of suspected the part about her not being helpless. I just didn't know in what way. I didn't know if Faerie paladins had special powers. Other than the fact they were previou
sly human. I didn't know if they were all human, but mom had let me know that all of the ones she'd met and befriended had been. The whole idea of stealing humans out of this world, transforming them and then taking them back to Alfheim pissed me off. I thought the Faerie Queens should spend time as wolves. See what it's like.
"Okay. So," I put my bag over my shoulder and gestured for her to precede me down the steps. "Let's get going."
I locked the shop up again and agonized over where to put my things in Ivan's truck. He didn't have a locker I could use in the back, and I was afraid a lot of bouncing and tossing around would destroy the mason jar. I carefully placed everything in the floorboard of the passenger side as Grey jumped in and immediately plopped down.
I thought Ivan had a Mini-Cooper.
"He does. And he has a truck. And no, I don't know where his Mini-Cooper is."
I like that car.
Since my cell phone was now fully charged, I diverted Ivan from sending me text updates—since we're not supposed to text and drive—to talking to me over the speaker on my phone. It was sometime after midnight. I was out late again, starting to really feel the fever of the Lycan change, and running on leftover Chinese food and club sandwiches. Oh and with little to no sleep, other than what I'd had at Arden's earlier in the day.
The thing in or on my chest, I couldn't tell which anymore, felt heavy and hot. It protruded now, something I noticed after my run in with Fred.
Fred.
Stop it. Grey's voice had a bit of a growl to it in my head. He was going to do unspeakable things to you. You defended yourself.
"Mom, I don't know that."
She paused. I do.
I glanced over at her when we reached a light. "You heard his thoughts?"
Loud and clear. He planned on raping you and dismantling you so no one would ever find your body.
The car behind me honked their horn. I'd been staring at Grey, not wanting to believe what she just said. The thought that someone hated me that much just wouldn't compute for me. I moved the truck forward and processed this new information. It didn't really make me feel better about what I'd done, but it helped me slot what happened into some kind of place that could make sense to me. The same place I'd slotted what I did to Kennett. It was all done in defense, to right a wrong or defend my life.
"Heard whose thoughts?" Ivan's voice came over the phone's tiny speaker.
"Nobody's," I answered. "Any news?"
"They've found the seam of Circe's protection barrier. Arden's putting her people out around the barrier, spacing them at the four quarters. She wants to know if you'd be willing to stand in for Water."
Grey and I exchanged glances.
I'm not sure that's a good idea.
"Me either." And I was pretty sure my mom hesitated for the same reason I did. Arcane. To mix my magic into a sacred Circle with three other participants…I didn't know if that was enough to corrupt their magic as well. "Ivan, I'm still a good half an hour away. And tell her my fever's up, so I don't think it's a good idea."
"Roger."
I really was half an hour away, and as I finished the drive, taking the truck off road and down a few really, really dark service roads, Ivan kept me updated. Arden started the initial cut at the north, and because the distance was so great, she wouldn't be able to hold the power long enough to move the blade the entire circumference. Therefore, when she started the cut going deosil, clockwise, she anchored the first quarter at the east. The Witch at the east would then connect to the cut and move to the south and anchor the now half Circle there. The Witch at the south would follow to the west, and then the west back to the north where the Circle would be connected. The whole endeavor had to be done at the same speed with no stops or gaps to keep the momentum going. A Witch's Circle wasn't stagnate; it moved in a spiral, in a constant deosil direction.
I felt the hum and vibration in my bones as I neared the entrance to a long dirt road. And with the Arcane I could actually see the magnificent sphere Arden and her coven had created. It reached far above the trees and fathoms below the ground. A ginormous egg of the God Mother's power. The hairs on my arms stood on end as I stopped the truck and got out. Grey followed me and we stood just outside of its whirling iridescence.
"It's a good thing I didn't put my magic into that."
Yeah. I didn't realize Arden had become so…powerful.
"That's not just her. It's the power of her coven combined."
Still…be careful around her. This is the swamp and Water is her Elemental Gift.
"You sound a little worried. Do you sense Faeries?"
No. But I got that feeling. Call it a Witch's intuition.
Yeah, I knew what she meant. So did I.
A sharp pain sliced through my head, just behind my eyes and the door I'd shut on the pack link cracked.
Dammit. I thought I'd finally shoved him out. And I hated the way my body reacted the second that link was re-established. I could smell him. Feel his heat against me. And in the back of my mind, he was all I wanted.
Guess what! He did!
Grey heard him too. I pulled stuff from the truck, making sure the mason jar was intact, and we started the hike in the dark. Well, it wasn't really dark for us with magical sight. The big spinning sphere cast everything in a silver glow.
I sensed everyone before I arrived. The group had staked out a clearing and set up an altar on a card table. This was north, the start and end of the Circle now closing off the base inside of it. Arden and her group were dressed in fashionable black, some in skirts, others in tights and a few in black jeans. The quarter callers were all dressed in robes and standing in their own circle behind the altar, keeping their concentration on the Circle.
"Glad you could make it," Arden said as she approached. She had an odd look on her face. Not really happy, but not sad. More like, determined. "We're about to invite the Elementals. Want to Call?"
"No," I shook my head. "You're doing a great job. What's the plan?"
"Once we Call, the Elementals will have whatever reign they want."
"What about the barrier the Magicians set up?"
She laughed. It wasn't a particularly nice laugh. "It's in reverse polarity. Can you feel it?"
Reverse polarity meant the Magicians had created it going widdershins, counterclockwise. I listened, but I didn't hear anything but the hum of Arden's Circle. "No. I don't."
"Because we tore it down!" One of the other girls yelled out as she came toward us. I recognized Dayle, one of the participants that helped get the Changeling children back. She and I embraced and her ample breasts against my chest pushed the Arcane scar into my rib cage. I hissed when it pressed into my ribs.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Dayle stood back. "Are you okay?"
"She was thrown around by a monster," Arden spoke up. "She's still a bundle of bruises."
Arden was only half right. My bruises were healing up fast. I wasn't sure if that was due to the Arcane influence or because of Bastien's wolf venom running through my veins. The thought of him brought on its own heat as I sensed him nearing me. He stepped out of the darkness wearing little more than a pair of jeans. Barefoot. And looking magnificent. Every hormone in my body lit up like a Lite-Brite toy as he stood in front of me. I had to fight not to cling to him, and it was a really hard fight.
"You've been with diable."
Everyone looked at me. I straightened my shoulders. "Yes, I have."
Arden stood beside a very still Bastien. "Oh? Is the detective okay?"
"Yes he is. He's healing up nicely. But he's still weak so he won't be here."
Bastien growled. "Good." With a scowl he turned and headed back into the darkness.
He is angry you slept with Crwys.
To him, and by his rules, you are. You're still marked and you haven't had the antidote.
"He'd better give me that antidote once we get Marilla back. Does he sense her inside?"
No. But he and his pack are around the perimeter, all in wolf form. Waiting.
Ah. That explained the way Bastien was dressed. It had to be easier to become a wolf with less clothing on.
I hadn't realized Arden was watching me. I looked at her and raised my brow. "What?"
"You don't know the antidote."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"So what is it?"
North Called the Elements in. Arden and I both reacted as we watched a plethora of Earth Elementals appear inside the sphere. They came in a variety of shapes, from Gnomes to Trolls to Rock Creatures and I thought I saw a character from a Nintendo game. These were the shapes taken by the Witches present. They headed deeper inside the sphere, intent on causing a little mischief.
East Called the Elementals. We didn't see them from where we stood in the north, but I knew they were there. I set my bag down on the ground beside a rock and noticed the mason jar had a slight sheen to it. I squatted down and pulled it from the bag as the south was called. Turning it around, I peered inside and found a small version of my face peering back at me. I gasped as my voice was lost in the calling of the west. My little Undine pointed to the lid and motioned for me to unscrew it.
I did as she asked and she vanished. Had she gone inside? How was it my Undine was here and not with Miss Water? Had something happened to the Cleric? Or had the Undine escaped?
Finally, the Calling was ended at the north. I could feel power radiating from the sphere as I stood and closed my eyes. I could also feel the pack through the now cracked door. I heard the cacophony that was their shared mind and followed along with the voice of Bastien as they waited until the right moment. That moment happened the instant the first fleeing Magician came running from the house and crossed the barrier.
One of the pack grabbed the Magician in its jaws, shook him and then tossed him to the side.
Elemental Moon: The Eldritch Files, Book Three Page 14
