Phasmoria considered his words for a moment. “If that is your best, it will have to do. But if you ever involve my daughter in anything like this again, I swear, I will shriek for you. The gods may be immortal, but I can make you hurt. Don’t forget it.”
My mother straightened her shoulders, and she was suddenly standing there in front of us, well over seven feet tall. Like all the Bean Sidhe, she had the ability to change her appearance at will, and she made use of it as necessary.
“I understand. I won’t forget.” Kipa gave her a solemn nod.
“Then here’s what we’re going to do. Prepare to call Arachana, because I’m going to have words with her.”
Staring at my mother’s face, I was very grateful that I wasn’t the spider queen at this moment.
Phasmoria had us leave Raj and the ferrets over at Buck’s house, and then we headed back to mine. I wasn’t looking forward to going inside because I knew what I was going to find. I gave my mother the key and she went first, followed by Kipa and then by me. As she unlocked the door and swung it wide, there was a skittering sound that echoed into the foyer. I cringed, not wanting to go any further, but my mother insisted that we do the ritual over in my house.
“Gods almighty, will you look at this?” Phasmoria’s voice echoed from inside the door.
I reluctantly stepped into the foyer after Kipa, cringing as I saw spiders skittering around the walls. The walls weren’t covered, not yet, but there were enough of the creatures to give me the creeps. There were wolf spiders and tarantulas, and sure enough, I flashed back to Kingdom of the Spiders again.
“I know how neat you are,” Phasmoria said, glancing over her shoulder at me. “The creatures appear to have been busy.”
As we entered the living room, I shuddered again. The corners were filled with webs, spun by wolf spiders and black widows, gleaming from their snares. Some of the spiders were attacking each other. Tarantulas were roaming around the floor, and on my furniture. They were all the cobalt blue variety, which told me that they must be Arachana’s favorites. I’d be happy if I never saw another spider in my life at this point.
“I can’t imagine where they all came from,” I said, moving closer to Kipa. I jumped as a wolf spider scrambled over my foot. I kicked it off, wanting nothing more than to jump into Kipa’s arms. He probably wouldn’t mind, but I didn’t want to seem so squeamish in front of my mother.
“They came from Arachana’s realm. Remember, I told you she’s almost reached the stage of transforming into one of the Luo’henkah, and that means she rules over their realm. They do her bidding.”
“What about Grandmother Spider? Doesn’t she rule over the spider realm?” I asked. “And I know there are other spider deities.” I wasn’t quite clear on how the gods worked. I’d never been interested enough to find out.
“If it’s like the wolves, then trust me, there are realms aplenty with all the spiders needed to go around between the gods and the Luo’henkah,” Kipa said.
“He’s right. There are more realms than you can imagine, and more than enough Luo’henkah and gods to rule over them.” Phasmoria crossed her arms as she surveyed the walls. They were rippling with movement. “Where’s your ritual dagger?”
“In my ritual room. I forgot to grab it on the way out.” I hesitantly looked down the hallway. I really didn’t relish dashing beneath a ceiling covered in spiders.
“I’ll get it for you.” My mother stomped down the hallway, brushing the spiders off as they fell on her, giving them almost no notice at all. She knew where my ritual room was, and she returned a moment later, my dagger in one hand and the skull off of my altar table in the other. She placed the skull on the coffee table and handed me the dagger.
“Cast a Circle. Make it strong, make it tight. Cast it to keep everyone inside protected, and to repel any wayward natures from getting in.” She gestured toward the skull. “Gather around the table. Hurry up now. Don’t dawdle.”
I took a deep breath, pointed my dagger toward the north, and began to circle around, casting the strongest invocation I could think of. I seldom used it, except for spells where I couldn’t afford for the energy to run amok or uncontained.
Circle now, this ring of power,
now I call you, burn from fire.
Fly from air, rise from earth,
swell from water, I give thee birth.
As I circle, raise the wall,
never shall thee break or fall.
None shall enter, save those we call,
Watchtowers, stand thee tall.
Magic rise, around us flow,
ancient powers I so well know.
Mine the lock, and mine the key,
As I Will, So Mote It Be.
As soon as I had finished casting the Circle, a hush fell in the room, and any spiders that were within the perimeter skittered outside as if they had been blown by a great wind.
My mother wasn’t one to mess around. She turned to Kipa, pointing to the cooler. “Hand me the heart. How do I summon her?”
“You hold out the heart in your hand, and say her name three times.” I so wanted to be any place other than where I was. The thought of facing a showdown between my mother and the Queen of Spiders wasn’t settling well on my stomach. My mother wasn’t Queen of the Bean Sidhe for nothing.
Kipa silently handed her the heart, giving me a nervous glance. I shrugged, stepping back as far as I could while still remaining in the circle. Kipa joined me. The circle itself stretched about eight feet in diameter. My mother stood near the center. She held out the heart, looking mildly disgusted at it.
“Arachana. Arachana. Arachana.”
Once again, Arachana’s mist rose in the circle. I stepped closer to Kipa, grateful that I wasn’t the one summoning her this time, though I had to admit, a part of me felt childishly gleeful that my mother was coming to the rescue. I didn’t like people fighting my battles for me, and I always took responsibility for what I did, but now and then it was nice to have somebody on my side—somebody looking after me.
While I had loved Ulstair to the core, he hadn’t been strong enough to rescue me from the situations I got myself into. I hadn’t expected him to, but having somebody stronger than me on my side could be a real blessing.
As Arachana took form, the spider queen pulled back when she saw Phasmoria. Only for a second, but enough to tell me that my mother made her nervous.
The two women looked at each other, both wary. They were both Ante-Fae, and yet they were both so much more. I had a sudden flash of anxiety that, perhaps, my mother couldn’t win if it came down to a battle between the two. But then again, even though they were evenly matched, my mother did have one thing on her side. She was protected by the Morrígan, and if Arachana did anything to her, there was a good chance that the Morrígan would come down hard on the spider queen’s head.
“You summoned me?” Arachana stared at my mother.
Phasmoria crossed her arms, her fist clenched around the bloody heart as she regarded Arachana with a cold stare. “We need to have a little talk about your demands on my daughter, as well as what you’ve done to her house.”
This time the look of fear that crossed Arachana’s face was unmistakable. “You are Raven’s mother?”
“I’m not only Raven’s mother, I’m Phasmoria, Queen of the Bean Sidhe, the Morrígan’s Chosen. And you, my friend, you need to make a new deal with my daughter. She was foolish in promising you an unconditional favor to begin with. But when the gods negate a deal, they aren’t joking. Do you really want to cross Cerridwen?”
Arachana licked her ancient lips, glancing nervously my way. “I did not realize that Cerridwen would be so upset. Nor did I think the minx would call in her mother to fight her battles for her.”
“Well, Cerridwen is upset, and when my daughter offered you an alternative settlement, you refused to take it. Therefore, I’m here to negotiate a new payment, one that you will accept.” She held out the heart. “It’s in your best
interest to work with me, rather than against me. Or perhaps you haven’t heard of me and what I’m capable of.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of you.” Arachana glanced away. I had the feeling she was trying to scheme just how much she could get away with.
“I know what you love best,” my mother continued. “There is a battle raging even as we speak, and there’s plenty of blood on the table. I will send you there, so that you may drink your fill. You can slake your thirst on the blood that’s soaking into the battlefield and have more to spare. That should be payment enough. Do we have a deal?”
My mother’s voice echoed through the room. She had infused it with the power of Command, which told me that she was one step away from attacking Arachana with her shriek, which could shatter eardrums and shatter souls.
Arachana seemed to sense this as well, for she backed away, shooting me a furious glance.
“Very well. I will relinquish claim on your daughter this time. But mind you, Phasmoria, if she ever calls me again, things will go quite differently.” Arachana turned to me, her eyes blazing. “The next time you summon me, I assure you, even your mother won’t be able to protect you from my wrath and my retribution.”
Phasmoria stepped between Arachana and me. “Then we shall have to make certain that Raven never again calls your name. Because should you do anything to her, I would then have to avenge my daughter, and my vengeance knows no boundaries. Take the heart to seal the deal and I will send you to the battlefront.”
Arachana grabbed the heart and stuffed it in her mouth. She turned to me, spewing bits of blood and gristle as she spoke. “Do not cross my path again. Your mother may think otherwise, but not even her intervention would be enough to save you from my anger.”
“Enough!” Phasmoria held out her hands, and between them a vortex opened. “You are dismissed, Arachana.”
Arachana let out a hiss. “You think to dismiss me so easily, but know this, Queen of the Bean Sidhe, even the gods fear those of us who are the true souls of the world.” Then the spider queen stepped through the portal without another word.
I glanced out of the circle, and every spider that I could see vanished from sight as the vortex closed. The room lightened with her departure, and I slumped against Kipa’s side as he wrapped his arm around me.
Phasmoria turned, her anger still engraved on her face. “You have made a powerful enemy. Arachana is cunning and treacherous. Do not rest easy, thinking she is gone for good. Perhaps she will move on to other targets, but my guess? She won’t forget you soon, and while she won’t initiate conflict openly because of me, never underestimate her ability to manipulate others.”
A gust rushed past as the front door to my house slammed open. Outside, the wind had picked up and was howling as clouds obscured the sky, and once again, snow began to fall.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Three Days Later…
* * *
My mother was off on a shopping trip, which I had opted out of, and I was sitting with Llew at the table in the ferrets’ room, grateful to see that he was up and around again and that he looked mostly healed. Llew had brought me his scanner so I could copy off Beltan’s Bestiary and I was researching the best way to preserve the original.
Unfortunately, everything wasn’t quite back to normal. Jordan was still pissed at me, but Llew said he was coming around and to give him more time.
“He really does care about you, but he was so frightened when I was hurt. He was angry at me but misdirected it at you. He knows it. I know it. He’ll apologize soon enough.”
“I hope so. I hate being on the outs with him. Plus, he makes the best mochas in town and I don’t want to have to find another coffee shop,” I said. “So, you said you have news?”
He nodded. “I haven’t been able to find a way to break the curse.” Seeing my expression fall, he hurried to add, “I did, however, discover a way to make it so the ferrets can keep their memories.”
“For how long?”
“Until they decide they want me to dispel the magic. It doesn’t have to be permanent, and if something accidentally breaks the spell, I can always re-cast it on them. There aren’t any side effects. But they have to agree. I’m not going to bewitch them unless they have given their consent.” He glanced over at the ferret cage. “Unfortunately, I don’t speak ferret.”
“I don’t either, but Elise can talk to me. Do you trust me to translate for her?” I asked hesitantly. I wondered if Llew’s faith in me had been shaken since the fight with the land wight. But I needn’t have worried. He answered quickly enough.
“Of course I do. How do we go about this?”
“Let’s sit by the cage.” I tossed a couple cushions on the floor next to the cage, and Llew and I settled ourselves by the door. Elise came up to the front of the cage and I unlocked the hutch and opened it, letting her out. Gordon and Templeton followed. Gordon took off to do laps around the room, but Templeton stayed near. I lifted Elise onto my lap and she gazed up at me with those gorgeous brown eyes of hers.
“Elise, I have to ask you and your brothers something.”
Did Llew find a way to break our curse?
“No, I’m sorry. But he has found a spell that will help you remember who you are. It won’t wear off, and if it breaks by some accident, he can cast it again. But we need your permission for him to go ahead and cast it. Each one of you has to give your permission, or not, as the case may be.”
Elise paused, then let out a quick dooking sound. Gordon ran over to her side. She chittered at Templeton, then at Gordon. I told all three of them what I had told her and waited. Gordon seemed a little confused.
You mean…what do you mean again?
“We can help you remember who you really are. Do you want that, Gordon?”
Elise and Templeton watched their brother as he fidgeted in my lap for a moment. Then he climbed up my chest, snuggling his head in my hair.
I don’t know. I’m happy now. But…I don’t know if I was unhappy before. I can’t remember. What happens if I don’t like it? There was something plaintive about his question, and it made me tear up.
“We can remove the spell and you can…you will forget again.” I glanced over at Llew as I waited for Gordon’s answer.
He turned to Elise, and they chittered away. Templeton added his voice to the conversation. A moment later, Gordon turned back to me.
All right. I’ll try it, but if I’m unhappy, you can take it away?
“Yes, Gordon, and if you are unhappy, we’ll do what you want.”
Then, yes, I’ll give it a go.
Elise immediately snuggled against her brother, obviously relieved. Me too, but you knew I’d say that.
“Yes, I did.” I turned to Templeton. “What about you?”
I’m good to go. I’ll give it a shot.
With a sigh of relief, I looked over at Llew. “They’re all up for it. If Gordon’s unhappy, you’ll have to come back and dispel the magic on him.”
“Not a problem. All right, let’s get this show on the road.”
As we began to prepare for the ritual, I wondered whether we were doing the right thing. But as I had promised, if they weren’t happy we could break the spell. And maybe, just maybe, Llew and I would be able to find a way to break the curse as time went on. Meanwhile, I’d care for them, as I had for years now, and in my secret heart, I admitted to being happy they were still with me. I loved them all, and while I would let them go if they wanted, they were a part of my life and family.
Kipa and I were snuggled in bed, though I wasn’t about to have sex with my mother in the guest room across the hall. But with all that had happened over the past week, I needed the comfort of lying in his arms. Raj was curled up at the bottom of the bed, awake and watching us, but looking comfy right where he was.
I had just finished telling Kipa about the outcome with the ferrets—so far, everything was good and the boys were happy and a lot more communicative with Elise—when I realized tha
t I had forgotten to ask him about his plans for the house.
“So, are you moving in next door? Or…what?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I found renters for it, though. Ones you should approve of.” He scratched his beard, then stretched, his chest muscles rippling. I wanted to run my hands over his chest, to run my tongue over him, but the moment I thought about it, the image of Phasmoria peeking into my bedroom flashed through my mind and I quashed the impulse.
“Really? Who are they?” I leaned back against the headboard, grateful for the downtime. I needed to just sit in bed for a while, eat cookies, and binge-watch Netflix.
“You don’t know them, but their names are Trefoil and Meadow. They’re Irish, magic-born twins—a brother and sister, and they’re demon hunters. Technically, they’re investigators connected with LOCK—the Library of Cryptic Knowledge. I’m not sure exactly how they’re connected, but they’re part of the organization.”
I’d heard of LOCK before. The brainchild of Taliesin, the son of Cerridwen and the first bard in the Celtic pantheon, LOCK was about two thousand years old. The members were generally records keepers, though I knew they had some sort of guardian branch. I had the vague thought it might be military in nature, but wasn’t sure.
“They’re sane, though? And they don’t belong to any hate groups, right?”
“Right. They’re just moving to the area, so they’ll need friends. I’d like you to meet them as soon as they get settled in.” He leaned down and kissed my head. “You okay with that?”
I nodded. I was relieved that Kipa wasn’t moving in. As much as I loved the direction our relationship seemed to be going, I wasn’t ready to commit to anything long term yet. Everything was going well and I didn’t want anything to upset the applecart at this point.
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