“We just got off on the wrong terms. Your impression of me is misguided,” she said, walking toward us slowly.
I stiffened.
“No. It’s not. And if you’d just stay where you’re at, I’d appreciate it. You’ve made things very clear,” I replied.
There were several wooden stools surrounding most of the tables. We needed to be as close to the front door as possible in case we had to escape.
“Would you cast a spell on that door back there?” I asked Logan. “I want to make sure not a single soul can get in or out of here until we say.”
Maddie let out a big sigh. “You’re as stubborn as your aunt and mom implied.”
My stomach knotted. What else did my relatives tell this woman? I scanned the room, feeling very uneasy as my gaze skipped over the sorcerers who were no longer in this realm.
“Now tell me who those sorcerers were?” I sat down on the stool and watched Maddie as she slowly made her way to the other side of the table.
“They were members of the Praedivinus Order, plotting against you and your family. They sent the sylphs to your home last night to kill you. The only thing that saved you was your connection to…”
“Dace and Bakula,” I said, nodding.
“No, actually, your connection to the elementals is what stopped them from following these sorcerers’ orders. They recognized their future leader.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“A Divinus witch is something of legends, but here you are. A Divinus witch who has abilities to connect with all kingdoms is unheard of. Yet, from what I’m told you have some interesting connections to wildlife,” Maddie said, tossing a glance at Logan. “If you hold the power to unite our worlds in a way that has never been done before, I can’t even imagine the possibilities.”
My mind flashed to the beautiful chairs that Dace and Bakula had made for us in the fairy woodlands back East. Granted they spoke of something similar but with everything going on, I didn’t really stop to analyze what they were trying to tell me.
“So you’re saying that it was okay that we killed these men because they were going to kill us eventually? I don’t know that I believe it. Why were they here with you then?”
“I found out what they were up to and offered my residence as a place for them to hide until you were destroyed so I could keep tabs on what they were doing. I had hoped what I had heard about you and your connection to fairies and wildlife was true.”
“And if the rumors weren’t true, what would you have been able to do?” I asked. “The sylphs would’ve killed us just like they were commanded.”
Maddie twisted her lips into a frown, looking down at the table and then back up at me. “Well then, it wouldn’t have mattered because you weren’t the one.”
Logan jumped up from his stool, knocking it over. “She’s not just a pawn for everyone to jerk around,” he growled. He moved so fast I didn’t even see him get to her side, let alone witness how his hand wrapped around her neck so quickly. It just did. Maddie’s brown eyes pleaded with mine, and I wasn’t really sure I cared. I glanced at Logan as his silver eyes locked on mine, and his grasp tightened around her neck.
***
“Let her go,” I whispered, realizing the hatred that was pumping through us wouldn’t get us anywhere; it would only slow us down. “As twisted as it sounds, I understand.”
Logan’s brows pulled together, and he looked away quickly, dropping his fingers from her neck. The pale trace of where his flesh connected with hers could be seen.
Maddie inhaled loudly, exaggerating greatly as she rubbed her throat. I shuddered thinking that Logan’s hand was so close to…
“Triss, find out what you want and let’s get out of here. Nothing good is coming from being down in this misfit cave,” Logan said quietly. He sat back down next to me, his hands shaking while he stared directly at the table looking at neither of us.
“So these images and memories,” I began. “They are part of the prophetic ability?”
“Yes. Whenever you’re faced with something, even subconsciously, your mind will tap into this ability in search of answers. Often the answers will already lie within you, but sometimes the search goes beyond. It takes time to control, and eventually you’ll be able to see inside the minds of others, with some limitations of course. Now, your father obviously wanted to communicate with you. Being in the other realm, he was able to connect with you somehow. You must have had your guard down and that’s how he slipped in. What were you thinking about?”
“I was thinking about how nice it is to have my mom almost back to normal,” I said, sliding my hand over to Logan’s knee. “I was thinking back to what she used to be like.”
“That makes sense. You were allowing yourself to escape with thoughts of someone you loved, someone he loved,” Maddie said. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to summon you to a portal.”
“A portal?” I asked. Logan threw a worried look in my direction and turned to face Maddie.
“Portal to the underworld,” Logan mumbled.
“Portals exist in all facets, Logan. They aren’t just between the underworld and here.”
“I think he did, actually…” my voice trailed off. Logan turned to face me and began slowly nodding his head before turning toward Maddie.
“Really. What makes you think so?” she asked, completely intrigued.
“Well, the pantry drifted away, and all I was left with was a black empty room, only not. That all happened immediately before I passed out.”
“Interesting,” Maddie whispered.
“Before we go any further, I want to know your specialty.”
“Specialty?” She looked amused.
“You know. What’s on your door? What keeps you behind this door?”
“I play with reality.”
“You alter reality?”
“I prefer to think I shatter it,” she said, laughing.
Thinking quickly back to my father’s compound, I didn’t understand the delight she took in her statement. Was she nothing more than a power hungry sorcerer?
“So you’re a dark sorcerer?” I asked, staring into her eyes.
“Absolutely not. None of us in the undercities are good or bad. Nothing is that black or white. Never has been. Never will be. That whole concept didn’t come about until recently – the last century or so. I would’ve thought with everything you’ve encountered, you’d understand that.”
Not liking how she was rearranging responsibility so easily I wondered if this meeting was a mistake.
“About the dress?” I asked, raising my brow.
“The woman who wore it drowned. She was murdered, actually. Your mother’s great aunt, if I remember correctly. By wearing her dress, the emotions and feeling were transferred to you.”
My blood froze. Was that possible?
“You’ve been connected with the natural worlds your entire life, correct?” Her brow furrowed and she looked behind her.
I nodded, still trying to wrap my head around the murder she just skipped over.
“If you’ll let me move, I’d like to give you something. You can replicate it for your own use. It’s syrup that you sip for clarity. I’ll give you the list of ingredients, and you can make your own. You’ll see the ingredients aren’t going to kill you or anything.”
“I don’t think I need the syrup from you, but the recipe would be just fine. No offense,” I said, following her to the far wall where the colorful bottles were lined up in rows. “Was there something I was supposed to do with that information?”
“What information?” Maddie asked, reaching for a cobalt blue jar.
“The dress. Back to the dress. So I felt suffocated and took it off. Haven’t thought much of it since, and then I come here and find out she drowned. How am I supposed to put two and two together? Telling me these things after the fact really isn’t that helpful,” I said.
Maddie looked underneath the blue jar and peeled a sticker off t
he bottom.
“Here’s the recipe,” she said, handing it to me.
I glanced quickly over the ingredients. They all seemed harmless enough, but I certainly wouldn’t be guzzling her version of it.
“The ancient relative who was murdered?” I asked. “Is her death relevant to what’s going on now?”
“Things are always relevant, even if we don’t know why. She had two of the three abilities that you have. She wasn’t a full Trifecta. She was missing the ability to create fire. Your father can be thanked for making you the perfect combination.” She grabbed a recipe book. “Add in your prophetic abilities and the Divinus is all you. It will take time to develop your skills. You can’t expect to recognize these sensations and immediately understand what the message is.”
“But I don’t have much time,” I replied, feeling my throat constrict unexpectedly. Pushing the lump down, I continued, “I need to understand things as they come. If a portal opens up, I want to recognize it and use it to our advantage. I don’t have decades to study the craft like you do.”
Logan placed his hand on my shoulder, and Maddie looked at him. “I really am sorry I doubted your loyalties. I think all it’s done is put us behind,” she said, looking at Logan.
“That’s exactly what it’s done,” Logan said angrily.
“Believe it or not, knowing that these powers and abilities exist will help you master things quicker. You won’t dismiss out of the ordinary sensations any longer, will you?” She pursed her lips at me. “For example, if your sense of reality begins shifting in the manner it did in your… pantry… was it?”
I nodded.
“Now you know how portal calls are made. What the surroundings do around you is unforgettable. I guarantee you the next time it happens, if you’re a willing participant, you’ll let your soul transcend the here and now.”
“Soul?” I questioned.
“Well, that’s what all this is about, isn’t it? What do you think’s happening when you enter a portal? The physicality of things is far too burdensome for this kind of enlightenment.” Maddie glanced at Logan. “When you were trying to conquer the dark side of things, what were you tapping into?”
His grip tensed on my shoulder. I placed my hand on top of his, waiting for his response but several seconds passed.
“The attempt was usually to master wills, either our own or someone else’s,” Logan said.
“Another term for soul, maybe?” She smiled as if her point had been proven. “Well, you’ve been born with that gift, Triss, and you may die because of it. But surely, the gods have given you enough time to master it before your time is over. It’s up to you to allow yourself to merge in ways that may seem uncomfortable or unlikely. You will need to do this for survival. I guarantee it. And the mortals will soon be counting on you to save their way of life from a war they don’t even know is beginning. You must stop it before it erupts and the mortals attempt to interfere.”
I shuddered at the reality of her words, the brutality and coldness of them. Living away from everyone, cut off from emotions and connections seemed to harden her outlook. It was as if my life didn’t matter for any other reason than to fulfill something that was out of my control.
“And I wouldn’t be too certain that your time will end. There are other ways,” she said, connecting her stare with Logan’s.
“Immortality,” I whispered, shaking my head.
“Well, it’s not like that’s been offered to you. The only keepers of that little secret are the fairies, and they aren’t much for sharing that piece of information. It’s too crucial for their own survival.”
“So even if she wanted to become immortal, it might not be possible?” Logan’s voice broke.
Maddie threw hands into the air, and whipped her fingers around. “It’s not always up to us.”
“I don’t want to be immortal and watch everyone I love die,” I muttered.
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Maddie insisted. “Now, I want you to practice ingesting that syrup. It takes time to understand how it releases in your system, but it will help you see things more clearly. It really will. Now onto that man in your vision. He’s been at odds with your father for quite some time.” She grabbed a glass jar that was filled with fog and one that was filled with a cloudy liquid and walked back to the table. Logan and I followed, sitting back on the stools. I looked quickly at Logan’s injury and it looked much better.
“He’s fine.” She waved her hand around to get my attention. “Now onto my specialty.”
“Shattering souls?” I asked, more annoyed than anything.
“Partly. If the walls around one’s heart are too tough to be penetrated then there’s no use, but I generally can shatter even the most hardened of hearts. As with all magic, it’s a matter of training the soul. The will we have inside of us all can be manipulated. That’s when real magic occurs, when we harness the strength of our own will… Anyway, this is a little mixture that even the least skilled sorcerer can use. It might only give them seconds of insight whereas it might give you minutes. You may see visions, or you might only feel unsettled, and the information will settle itself out later.” She mixed the substances and a thin fog hovered over the table, but before I had a chance to react I began seeing the man again. This time he was in front of a large group, possibly a coven, but it looked more like in an office building. The images continued to move forward until the fog dissipated. I looked at Logan who seemed to have encountered the same images as me.
“He’s the man who was competing with your grandfather and father on several corporate contracts. He had been a member of the Praedivinus Order growing up but was tapped by another organization and left the Praedivinus Order. In doing so, he took much of the information he had gathered from your father and all of their research. Now that your father and grandfather are out of the way, I’m sure he thinks it’s his time to advance his organization. That’s what your father wanted you to know.”
“How are you so sure of this?” I asked.
“He told me,” Maddie responded, pushing the stopper back into the jar. “Now my suggestion is for you to go home and practice. Mix the syrup and try opening the portal yourself. Don’t share this syrup or recipe with anyone else.”
“He told you that?” I asked.
“He told me that and then I saw it. I checked on all of you before you got here.”
“If you saw everything, including Logan’s intentions, why did you set us up?” I asked, as anger rose again.
“His actions were a little murky. I couldn’t see much surrounding him. That was the problem. Remember, I wasn’t born with my abilities. I had to learn them. What you can see on your worst day is what I can see on my best. Now, if you don’t mind unlocking the doors, I can get the bodies disposed of.”
A shudder ran up my spine thinking how easily she used us, and how easily I was willing to use her. Logan nodded and began undoing his handiwork as we walked to the front entrance. Opening the door, I felt an immediate sense of relief as I stepped back into the main room.
“Who’s behind that door? The one with the woodland creatures,” I asked Maddie, as I pointed at the door that had appealed to me the moment I stepped into the room.
“No one, my dear. It’s waiting to be filled by you,” she responded, closing her door and locking us out.
***
“That whole shattering souls thing Maddie spoke about really rubbed me the wrong way,” I said.
“I’d say the whole thing rubbed me the wrong way.” Logan laughed, gently touching the wound on his neck.
“Point taken.”
We had walked down to the waterfront to pick up some ingredients at one of the local apothecary shops. The items on Maddie’s list weren’t available at my aunt’s shop, so my aunt called ahead to Keeping Herbs where they had all the missing ingredients ready for us.
The wind was really picking up, and the sky was turning a shade of white that signaled to Seattle that sn
ow was on the way. The holiday season was right around the corner, but I felt anything but festive. Some of the storefronts were beginning to trade out their usual goods for pine arrangements, red velvet bows, and holiday bulbs, but it still didn’t cut it.
The tiny wooden plaque, scrawled with Keeping Herbs, swung from the eaves with each gust of wind that blew off of Puget Sound. Logan opened up the door, and we stepped into the space that smelled strongly of lavender and sage.
“You must be Triss,” a woman said. She stepped out from behind the glass counter where tiny vials and apothecary jars were lined up. She was a slight woman, with blonde hair that was piled on top of her head in a French twist. She was bundled in an oversized ivory sweater and jeans.
“That’s me,” I said, smiling. “Thank you so much for helping us out.”
“Anything for Vieta. She’s always so kind and sends so much business our way. I’m Salinah.” She reached out to shake our hands. “However our little shop can support our community in this troubled time….” She smiled and looked away. “I’m from the Quartz Beach Coven. I’ve been thinking about possibly switching to Witch Avenue, but I’ve heard there’s talk of them combining. So I thought I’d wait and see. Let me grab the stuff for you from the back room, and you can be on your way.”
“Very cool,” I replied, watching her wander away through the door. There was something she was hiding, something about her demeanor. I glanced at Logan who nodded, noticing the same thing I did. And covens combining? This was the first I’d heard about it.
I walked over to the far wall to look at the many dried herbs and ointments on display. But it also gave me the perfect opportunity to crane my neck and see into the backroom. If everything was ready, what was taking her so long?
Witch Avenue Series (The Complete Set) Page 71
