“Ah, Mike, I’m cooler than you can even realize right now. Just wait a few years when we start having deep conversations about The Mabinogion and the legend of Cerridwen.”
“What’s that?”
“More of a who’s she? Quite the enchantress.” Alayna’s smile widened and a gleam ran through her eyes. “We’ll get into the cauldron of poetic inspirations and the first three drops. Hint, hint. It’s poison after the first three drops.” She giggled. “That will be funny in a few years. Maybe not side-splitting, but a chuckle none the less.”
“If you say so.”
“I do, and so it shall be heard.”
Mike looked around. “By who?”
“I don’t know. It sounded fancy, didn’t it? A declaration. Anyway. Moving on. What are you doing tonight? Please don’t say something stupid. Please don’t say something stupid.”
“I’m going out with that girl you like to hate on. Haters gonna hate.”
“Look at you, trying to distract me from the fact that you are going to do something very stupid tonight. That might work on a feeble mind, but you should know my brain is strong, like bull. Don’t do it.” She whispered the final sentence.
“Stop trying to order me around like you’re my mo...” He couldn’t finish the word.
“You don’t need to say or think that. I’m not trying to order you around. You can do whatever it is your little heart desires. I’m just giving you a great option. Now, I have been accused of being a disciplinarian in the past.”
“See?”
“I do. But those people eventually thanked me for saving their lives. They all said that if I didn’t push them as hard as I did to bring every ounce of ability out of them, they would have died. Being a wizard can be a good life, but it is also a tough one. If you choose this path, you need to understand that you could easily die at the hands of George.”
“No, yeah, the gravity of the situation. I think I have a pretty good handle on the fact that George is one tough S.O.B.”
“You’re not ready quite yet, which is why I am saying that facing him now is a stupid plan.”
Mike’s phone rang, and Alayna whispered, “Bet I can tell you who that is.”
He shook his head and turned his back on her. He put the phone to his ear. “What’s going on?”
“Not much. Just hoping my heart doesn’t explode right now. Maybe I’m a teensy bit nervous.”
“Yeah.” He went into his room and closed the door. “My stomach’s been swirling around like crazy. Should we go through with it?”
“Silly. We have to do it. If we stay here or leave town, we both need that money, right?”
“Yeah. But is it worth dying over? I’m not strong enough yet.” Mike stopped, realizing he might have said too much.
“What are you talking about? You’re plenty strong. Don’t let that bitch at the funeral home get you down. She was wrong to come at you like she did, and I’m sure she’s going to apologize for it soon. None of that was your fault. But now that money only gets split one way. It’s all yours.”
Mike hadn’t wanted the situation to come down to that. He would have preferred to split the money and still have his best friend alive. “Never thought about it. It’s already dark. I don’t think we should wait until too late.”
“I’m leaving here in about five minutes. Be ready or I’ll find another gorgeous guy who can fuck like a champ. They’re really easy to come by these days.” She laughed.
Mike smiled. “So I hear. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“Bye.”
Alayna’s high-pitched, yet soothing voice carried through the closed door. “I can hear everything you say, you know? So you can keep closing the door if you want, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t hear you sounding scared.”
Mike cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Is this part of getting the best out of people? Seems like you’re just busting my balls.”
“Yes. This is also the part where I help you stay alive. That part is rather important. You see, if you aren’t alive...”
Mike cut her off. “Enough with the lecturing. I respect what you are doing, but I have to do this. I think you are real. I’ll admit that. But people have been disappearing from my life ever since my mom died. You could be gone tomorrow, and I’m here on my ass, broke and dying of cancer.”
“Mike, I’m not going to abandon you,” she promised, making an X over her heart with her thumb.
“Heard it all before. If I get this money, it will be there tomorrow, next week and maybe next month. It won’t run away from me. If I’ve learned anything around here, it’s that the only person I can count on is myself. And I can barely do that.”
“Mike, you have a gift.”
Mike laughed heartily. “I don’t even get gifts on Christmas.”
“I’m sorry about that. I am trying to help you. May I come in?”
“Nope. I’m getting dressed,” he lied.
“Whatever, then. I won’t detail my past, but I’ve suffered probably more than you. And just to let you know, you are going to have to be the one to chase me away, not the other way around. I’m sorry you’ve had some crappy experiences, but one day you can serve as inspiration to people in the same boat you’ve used to travel the bumpy seas of life. I’m never leaving you if you accept this honor. That’s a promise.”
Emily beeped the horn, and Mike waved to Alayna on his way out. Mike didn’t hear her mumble, “You poor, pretty-faced S.O.B.” She flashed a peace sign as he ran out the door.
He jumped in the Jeep and slammed the door shut.
“Hey.”
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Nothing. Still kind of got the heebie-jeebies.”
She shifted into reverse and turned to Mike. “Really? I feel great now. I’ve come to peace with whatever is going to happen.”
Emily had a strange look in her eyes. It was like the first night they had met at the bar. There was a calm to her that Mike couldn’t quite understand. They were going into the belly of the beast, and she didn’t seem concerned in the slightest.
“Not that it really matters, but did you bring the gun?”
“Yep. It’s right under your seat. You can carry it this time, if you want,” she offered.
“Why not? Maybe he won’t be able to conjure up that golden shield this time.” Mike checked the magazine. It was full. He locked it back into place and tried to make sure he didn’t shoot himself. His frantic mindset didn’t mix well with handling a firearm.
He pressed the safety even though it was already in position. Mike remained silent as Emily flipped through the radio stations.
She stopped on Dead Man’s Party for much longer than Mike would have preferred before finally changing the station. As they neared Houlihan’s Square, Mike reached into the back seat and grabbed the shovel.
As he got out of the car, Mike’s mouth ran dry and the shovel slipped out of his sweaty hand. He quickly picked it up and waited for Emily to get out, too. Her door flew open, she jumped down and walked right past Mike as if he were invisible.
Mike followed her and kept touching the gun in the side pocket of his cargo shorts for reassurance. His lungs tightened as the air pressure seemed to increase.
Why is she so calm? My heart is about to explode, and she might as well be picking daisies.
Bile crept up his throat, and he swallowed continuously to keep the metallic taste at bay. A squawking of angry birds filled the dark forest.
A murder of crows circled above Mike and Emily. The couple tried to pick up the pace, but the murder seemed to be increasing in size and volume. Mike feared that the birds were signaling to George that there were intruders.
“You know what crows mean, right?” Emily asked.
“Sure do. And it’s not living bodies.” Mike took the gun out of his pocket. He left the safety on, but wanted to be ready.
Mike remembered the Morrigan, the Goddess of the crows. She was also known as the Pha
ntom Queen and the Goddess of War, Fate and Death. Right now, Mike needed to appeal to her control over the birds of death.
He silently asked her to call off her winged air force. He tried to send a peaceful vibe to let the Morrigan know that he didn’t intend any malice toward her friends.
The crows streaked across the moon, and the passage of flapping silhouettes against the bright white background continued for about thirty seconds. Once they were gone, the woods returned to an ominous state of quiet. They continued toward Houlihan’s Circle in frightened silence.
The fierce moon shone down through the tree branches and illuminated the circular pattern of boulders. Mike tried to swallow the lump in his throat to no avail. A metallic liquid rose up into his mouth from his stomach as they stepped between two boulders and entered the Circle.
“Alright, let’s find the spot,” Mike stated the obvious.
Emily nodded and pointed toward the marked spot. Mike’s legs threatened to go on strike. They wanted him to turn around and run out of these haunted woods. Despite the bodily warnings, Mike pressed forward and found the area.
He handed Emily the gun and started digging. Slamming the shovel into mother earth, he stepped on the head to dig in, and flung the dirt to the left and right. Ferociously, he dug until his arms started getting sore.
Mike had made it two feet into the earth. He dropped to his knees and started passing the dirt through his hands. “Bring that flashlight over here. This is about two feet or so. I’ll go down further, but we’d better start checking this dirt.”
Emily put the gun in her pocket, steadied the flashlight in one hand and picked up a handful of the loosened soil. A few minutes fell off the clock and they hadn’t found anything. Mike panicked even more. He grabbed the shovel again and dug deeper. He carefully set the dirt to the side of the hole so they could search for the treasure.
At about three feet below ground, he dropped the shovel. “Do you know how big this broken amulet is? Or what it looks like?”
“It’s an amulet for a necklace, supposedly. So I guess it’s pretty small.”
Mike didn’t appreciate the word supposedly. It didn’t breed much confidence into the young man as he kept sifting through the dirt. At last, Mike detected something other than dirt in his right hand. He pushed his open hand toward the flashlight’s beam and noticed a silver sparkle. Hope careened through the dark valleys of his heart as he dusted off the object.
But then he recognized the object. A Heineken beer bottle cap. Mike tossed it aside as the stench hit his nose. He knew exactly what that smell indicated.
George.
Despite the warning smell, he continued searching. Emily tapped Mike on the shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned his head and Emily extended her palm, full of dirt and a tiny golden object. She wiped off some more dark soil and held it under the flashlight. It was a solid golden heart that had been unevenly broken in half.
“We got it. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”
The aroma of death increased as Mike tossed the shovel aside. “Let me get the gun back.”
She dug into her pocket, pulled the gun out and handed it to Mike.
Emily picked up the flashlight, turned it off and extended her closed hand to Mike. “Here, you hold it. I’m notorious for losing stuff, and we can’t afford to misplace this.”
Mike reluctantly held out his hand, and she dropped the gold amulet with green patina spotting into his palm. He shoved it into his side pocket and poked his fingers into the corners of the pocket to make sure there weren’t any holes.
Mike pushed Emily through the boulders, and they walked at a brisk pace back to her car. He still hadn’t seen the beast, but kept expecting the killer to jump out from behind a tree or something.
A rabid sounding growl erupted from behind. Mike didn’t slow down, peeking periodically over his shoulder.
Focused on escape, he smacked his forehead on the low hanging branch of an oak tree and dropped the gun. The moonlight betrayed him right at that moment and retreated behind a dense cloud. Mike dropped down and tried to find the black gun. His head throbbed as he moved around on his hands and knees trying to locate it.
“Hey. I need that flashlight,” Mike whispered. He raised his head and realized Emily was gone. He stood up and spun around but still couldn’t locate his partner.
The new wizard was about to leave the gun behind when he stepped on a solid object. Leaning down, he picked up the Glock 43, and continued in the direction he hoped would take him to the vehicle.
A brutish howl, even louder than the previous one, precipitated Mike to take the safety off the gun.
Chapter 19
THE HAIRS ON THE BACK of Mike’s neck not only stood up, they danced an Irish jig and sent jagged chills down his spine. Alone in the dark with George was the last place Mike wanted to be. Not to mention being on the legend’s home turf.
Mike was ready to shoot anything that moved. His gun hand was shaking as he quickened his pace. He ducked under a tree branch and ascended a slight incline.
“Mike,” Emily called out, but Mike’s frantic reaction had already started.
Mike detected movement from his peripheral vision, turned and fired twice.
Horror flashed through Mike’s eyes. Had he just shot his girlfriend? He waited for her to fall, but she never did. Mike thanked his lucky stars and his nerves. For the first time he was glad that he was a terrible shot.
“Holy shit. I’m so sorry.”
She ran over and hugged him. “You still have the amulet, right?”
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here now since we’ve just revealed our location.”
Mike grabbed her hand and they ran ahead. He could feel the blood pumping through his fingers and palm as he dragged her up the hill. At the top, he let go of her hand and reset the safety on the gun.
Before long, the unmistakable malodor of George hit Mike’s nostril hairs and threatened to singe them with its intensity. Still, they kept moving.
The couple continued running through the dark woods, and Mike breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the faint light of the street lamps through the trees. They exited the woods and hustled the final hundred steps to the car.
They jumped in. The car wouldn’t start. Of course. Mike thought about using the limited magic he had learned to help start the car. He turned around and checked for George as Emily kept trying to start the car.
Chugga...chugga...chugga...
The smell grew stronger, but Mike still hadn’t seen the legendary murderer as his head whipped around in every direction, checking through the darkness.
Finally, the car started, and Mike’s heartbeat and breathing calmed down. Emily peeled out, and they cruised down Avalon Avenue and away from Houlihan’s Square. Mike couldn’t get comfortable in the passenger seat. The smell still remained in his nose and triggered gruesome flashbacks of Kyle’s death.
He rubbed his eyes to rid himself of the visions.
Emily broke the silence. “We’ve just made a boat load of cash. You still have the amulet, right?”
“Yeah.” Mike dug into his pocket and pulled out the little piece of gold.
Emily screamed with excitement. Mike extended the broken charm toward Emily so she didn’t have to take her eyes off the road. The tiny amulet was smaller than his thumbnail. He stuffed it back into his pocket.
Emily pulled out her phone. “Here.” She handed her cell to Mike. “Find Tarot Reader in my contacts and call it. Once it starts ringing, hand me the phone.”
“Okay.” Mike found the number and pressed dial. After a long pause, the phone finally rang.
He passed the cell to Emily. She held the phone to her ear with one hand and steered the car with the other. “Hi Tucker. Great news. We have the object. I mean, I have the object. We as in me and you have it. Anyway, give me a call as soon as you get this and it will be all yours.” She pressed End Call and set the phone in the center console.
What the hell does she mean by him and her? Is she embarrassed of me or something? Is she setting me up like Alayna has been saying? That was weird.
“As you can tell, he wasn’t home. I don’t know if we should go by his house. That freak is probably waiting outside my house right now anyway. It’ll be the first time I’ve ever wanted him there.”
She’s overcompensating for it. She knows I heard her slip up so she’s trying to trash talk him now.
Mike suggested, “Why don’t we go to your house and call him again? It is kind of late. He might be asleep for the night or something.”
“He told me to call anytime if I got the amulet.”
I’ll bet he did tell you to call him anytime.
Emily guided the Jeep into the driveway and they went inside. She invited him to sit on the couch, and she disappeared into the kitchen. A couple of minutes passed, and Mike began questioning her extremely suspicious and lengthy absence.
Just as he was about to start snooping around for her, she suddenly came around the corner with a bottle of booze in her hands. She stopped in front of Mike and presented the bottle with a big smile on her face. “I’ll admit, I don’t really know what it is. My dad gave it to me and said it was an expensive bottle. That’s all I know. Ooohhh, forgot the glasses. Do you want ice?”
“I think you might ruin a liquor like this if you put ice in it. It is supposed to be savored as is.” Mike didn’t know where the sudden injection of refinement had come from.
“Listen to you, Mr. Sophisticated. Be right back.”
Mike stared at the label on the bottle of caramel yellow liquid.
CADENHEAD’S
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKEY
from ARDBEG DISTILLERY
DISTILLED 1975
The phone rang in his pocket. It was a text alert, and Mike checked to see who it was. Alayna again. He didn’t even look at the message, just put the phone back in his pocket.
Emily entered the room again with two rocks glasses. Mike opened the bottle and poured two glasses about half-full. He leaned for a deep snootful and didn’t enjoy the aroma.
“Cheers,” Mike said, and they both picked up their glasses and clanged them together.
Bloodline Awakened Supernatural Thriller Series: Books 1-3 Page 52
