The woman added the pouches to the bill. “It will be two hundred and fifty dollars.”
She handed her the money, shoving the rest back into her pocket. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Be careful with the dark magic. I don’t want to be reading about you in the newspapers.”
Grinning at her remark, she knew the woman still had a hard time believing her story. “You won’t… But you may be seeing a missing person’s poster about a Jason Hargrove.”
“Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”
“He’s a witch hunter.” She eyed her levelly, nodding. “He’s one mean S.O.B.”
“Witch hunter, huh?” Agatha remarked in thought. “So is that the reason for the bodyguard?”
She winced at the question. “Yes and no.” She glanced back toward the door. “They were sent to rescue me from the inquisition hall. The judges sentenced me to burn, and I barely escaped in time. I won’t lie. I want revenge.”
“I won’t miss a witch hunter.” Agatha shrugged, dismissive. “Go in peace. Blessed be.”
She flashed the woman a smile. “Blessed be.” Grabbing her bags, she ran out of the shop.
Mica paced in front of the Express Van. Upon seeing her, he threw out his arms in question. “Did you buy out the whole store?”
Rolling her eyes, she laughed. “No, I’m not sure exactly what I would need so I bought a little of everything.”
He ran over to help her. “It will be dawn soon. We have to hurry.” Grabbing the bags, he threw them in the back.
They jumped into the van, and he glanced over at her. “I didn’t think she was going to let you in.”
“She almost didn’t let me in.” She shrugged. “If Sherry hadn’t called ahead, I think we would have been out of luck.”
He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
* * *
Jason Hargrove sat in the parking lot of a diner across the street from the all-night laundry. He could not believe his eyes when he saw that black Express Van pull into the parking lot across the street. He watched Desiree get out of the van, but he could not see where she went. She came back out a few minutes later and one large dude helped her with her bags. They climbed back into the van, taking off again. He reached down, starting his mini-van. He pulled out to follow the other van. “I’ve got you now, witch,” he whispered. “Let’s just see where you’ve been hiding.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mica parked the van behind the bushes. Grabbing the bags from the back, they started the return trek to the cavern. A soft glimmering was visible on the horizon. A low fog had settled over the mountains. That combined with the white snow made the surroundings glow premature of the sunrise.
She hastened her steps. “I told you we’d make it back in time”
Gazing up at the lightening sky, he turned his head back toward her. “Just barely.”
“If I’m successful with that spell, you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
He sighed. “That would be nice.” He pointed to the ground. “Watch your step, there’s a patch of ice.”
She looked around frantically. “Where?” Slipping, she landed hard on her butt. Rolling her eyes, she grinned. “Ouch…I found it the hard way.”
He could see that she was not seriously hurt, so he laughed. “I told you there was a patch of ice.” Putting his bags down, he reached down to help her up. “Are you hurt?”
She flushed red, and then laughed with him, still holding his hand when she answered, “Only my pride.”
“You two sure are chummy,” Caleb remarked sarcastically. Both Desiree and Mica’s heads snapped around to his unexpected voice, both surprised that he was awake.
Pulling her hand out of Mica’s self-consciously, she looked away. “Caleb…you’re up early.”
His gaze appeared cold and calculating as he raked his eyes over her. “What have you got there?”
She caught the unfriendly tone in his voice, and felt uneasy. “Mica took me to go get some magical supplies.” She glanced at Mica and then back to Caleb. “I wanted to start working on Drake’s spell.”
Caleb reached over and grabbed her bag; he looked down, peeking inside. “I see,” he remarked, glaring over at his friend. “Mica, did you have a look around while you were out? Were we followed?”
Mica could feel his hostility. “The roads were fairly deserted. We weren’t gone long. I don’t think we were followed.”
“You don’t think you were followed, but you’re not sure about that.”
Mica’s irritation with Caleb grew. He did not appreciate his judgment questioned. After all, this was his mission. Caleb had just come along for the ride. “No, I don’t think we were followed. Caleb, what’s with the third degree?”
Caleb looked between them. “Oh, nothing much. I just woke up to an empty cave, and I couldn’t find the two of you anywhere, no note, nothing.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “I was left to wonder where you two really were.”
She did not like his tone. “I’m not a child.” She snatched her bag away from him. “And last time I checked, you’re not my father. I didn’t know I needed your permission to go anywhere. We went exactly where we said we did.” She glanced at the lightening horizon. They did not have time to argue about this outside. “Mica has to go inside now.” She forced herself to calm down. “If you insist on continuing this argument, then we can do it from inside the cave.”
Turning on his heel, he stomped off. “Fine,” he shouted over his shoulder, not bothering to turn around.
She watched Caleb walk away. “Mica, what’s with him?”
“I’ve never seen him act like this.” He shook his head in thought. “It’s usually me with the foul temper.”
She glanced at the horizon again. “It’s getting brighter out here by the second.” She glanced back at him, shrugging. “You better get inside. I’m sure we’ll eventually find out what’s going on with Caleb.”
* * *
Mica and Desiree made it to the cavern as the sun crested at the horizon, and he hurried into the shadows. She paused at the entrance to stare into its inky blackness. Rubbing her hands briskly over her arms, she shuddered. “Mica, I can’t go back in there without a lantern.”
“There’s nothing in there that’s going to hurt you.”
Her eyes grew wider as she continued to stare into the cave. “I know that.” The panic set in again. “I can tell myself that all day, but I can’t make myself walk in there.”
He put the bags down against the wall. “I’ll carry you again.”
Her eyes must have reflected the desperation she felt. “You can’t keep doing this.” She pulled her eyes away from the cave entrance, looking into his eyes. Hating the weakness in herself, she felt as if she was a burden on him. “Just go get me a lantern.”
“No, I don’t want to leave you out here alone.” He looked back over his shoulder and then back at her. “I don’t think we were followed, but you yourself said Hargrove is sneaky. I’ll come back for the bags once I have you inside.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Caleb will get upset.”
He glared at her impatiently. “Caleb is already upset.”
“Caleb will get upset about what?” Caleb remarked from behind Desiree.
She jumped, throwing her hand up to her chest, closing her eyes. “You just about scared me to death. Can’t you make a little more noise and let someone know you’re there?”
“Caleb will get upset about what?” he repeated.
“Desiree had a panic attack walking through the dark cave earlier this evening." Mica remarked, shrugging. “I didn’t want to leave her here alone to run back and get a lantern for her, so I was going to carry her through the cave. We didn’t think you would understand.”
“So why would you think I would get upset?”
“Oh, let me see,” Mica replied sarcastically, “maybe the little pissed off attitude we g
ot from you a few minutes ago.”
He scowled at the remark. “You would have been pissed off too.”
“Okay, Caleb, what did we do to piss you off?”
Desiree stepped between them. “Guys…” She placed a hand on each of their chests in a gesture to back off. “You both need to calm down and stop fighting. Try to remember you’re both friends.”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry for the attitude.” Caleb’s shoulders slumped and then he looked away. “I woke up early and you both were gone, and it pissed me off that you didn’t at least wake me up and tell me you were leaving.”
She put her hand on his arm. “Caleb, I’m sorry. The decision to leave and get those supplies was a spur of the moment decision. It was getting late and we didn’t have time to come back and tell you. You were so tired when you went to bed; we thought you would still be asleep. It never crossed my mind that you would wake up and be worried.”
“Okay, now that I’ve got that off of my chest, we can get this stuff back to camp.” He bent down, grabbing a couple of bags; he took them inside the cave. He stopped and turned back around when he realized no one was following him. “Why aren’t you coming? Are you both still mad at me?”
“Mica wasn’t kidding.” She rubbed her arms and shivered. “I can’t walk through that cave without a lantern.”
He stared at her and then glanced at his friend. “She’s really afraid of the dark?” he remarked in disbelief. “That wasn’t just a story?” They both shook their heads. He looked back into the dark cave and then back at them; his shoulders slumped again and he sighed heavily in defeat. “I won’t get upset.” He looked away. “Carry her if you must, but we can’t stay out here all day.” He continued his trek inside, disappearing into the inky blackness.
She shivered again; this place really freaked her out. She glanced up at Mica. “Caleb’s right, we can’t stay in the mouth of this cave all day.”
Reaching down, he picked up the other bag, handing it to her. “You hold on to this.” He picked her up, holding her tightly in his arms. “If it makes you feel better, close your eyes. I’ll walk fast.”
She nodded, burying her face in his chest. “Okay, I’m ready.” She swallowed hard. “I think.”
He chuckled softly, taking off. One second she felt the air rush past her face, the next second he was placing her back on her feet. “We’re here,” he whispered softly.
Her eyes flew open in surprise, looking around with her mouth hanging open. “How did you do that?”
He grinned, taking the bag from her. “It’s all part of the package.” He shrugged. “Along with the rest of the stuff that seemed to irritate you earlier.” He looked around the room. “Where do you want to put this?”
She smiled at his comment and sudden change in subject. “Oh, I don’t know, let me see…” Turning around to look for a good place to work, she locked eyes with Caleb. He watched them from the other side of the room. The smile left her face and she bit her bottom lip. She looked away, turning back to Mica. “Uh, there’s another cavern over there.” She pointed nervously in the other direction. “Just beyond this one. It should give me plenty of room to work in private.”
“Can’t you find an area in this cavern to work where we can keep an eye on you?”
She smiled, locking eyes with him. “I wouldn’t be able to concentrate,” she whispered so low even he had trouble hearing her. “You are too big of a distraction.” He smiled back at her comment. “I need to have room to experiment without worrying that one of you will get caught in the crossfire,” she remarked louder for Caleb’s benefit. “Plus, I need to be able to concentrate. This spell has to be perfect.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Mica helped her set up her magical work area. Placing a stone slab over a boulder made a perfect Altar.
She closed her eyes, smiling, and turned in a circle, stretching her arms out wide. “Mica, do you feel it?”
“Feel what?”
She caught her breath; her eyes rose to stare at the colorful rock formations hanging down from the rocky ceiling. “I feel her.” She turned in a circle again, laughing excitedly.
“Who?”
“You know the legend; it’s the one about the Indian princess who got lost at the joining of the two rivers inside this cave. I feel her. She’s here.” She dropped her arms and her eyes widened. “I hear her.”
He chuckled softly. “Okay, what’s the joke?”
The smile left her lips as she turned to him. “You don’t believe me?”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “You weren’t kidding?”
She shook her head. “No.” She spread her arms wide again. “This is all part of who I am. I seek answers from the spirits.”
“What is this spirit telling you?”
She smiled again, kneeling down to the rocky floor next to the Altar, placing the palms of her hands firmly on the ground. “She told me that there is a natural source of power that runs through here.” She tapped the ground with her hands. “Right here!”
“And that’s important because…?”
Her smile grew wider. “I can tap into it. This is the perfect place to cast my spell.”
He clapped his hands together, rubbing them briskly. “So, are you about to get started?”
“No, I’m going to get some sleep first. My mind needs to be fresh to conduct the ritual.”
Caleb entered the cavern to check out what they were doing, looking around, appraising the room. “Y’all have made a lot of progress in here.”
Desiree turned at the sound of his voice. “Yes, we have, and I’m exhausted. I’m about ready to turn in for some rest.”
Caleb walked casually around the room inspecting things, picking up the stack of cards. “What are these?”
She stepped toward him. “Those are tarot cards. They are magical cards that tell you about yourself. They also tell about the past, the present, and can even predict the future.”
He looked back down at the cards in his hand, laughing in disbelief. “Oh, come on. You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?”
She smiled. “It is up to the individual as in what to believe. I have, in the past, found tarot cards to be rather accurate.”
Mica walked up behind her. “Why don’t you read the cards for us? We could all use a little entertainment.”
Her eyes rounded, a little alarmed. “Are you sure you’re ready to hear what the cards say?” Biting her lip apprehensively, worry creased her brow. “Some people get upset from the things they learn from a reading.”
Caleb rolled his eyes at her statement. “Oh this is just for fun. I’ll go get the chairs.”
Mica smiled at his friend’s enthusiasm. “Caleb seems to be in a better mood.” He stared after him. “He seems to need this distraction.”
The apprehension had not left her face. She believed in the cards, and there was no telling what they might reveal to them. “I can’t control what the cards read.”
“I’m not asking you to. We’re not really taking this seriously.”
She tilted her head. “Whatever you say…” She rolled her eyes and then looked pointedly at him. “I think it bears repeating. We need to proceed with caution. I can’t control what the cards read.”
He glanced at Caleb coming back into the room and acknowledged her statement with a nod.
Caleb could not hide his excitement. “I put the chairs around the table.”
They all took their seats around the stone slab.
She shuffled the cards, placing them in her left hand. “Who wants to be first?” She used the tone of voice that she usually reserved for her lectures.
“Why don’t you do yourself first?” Caleb remarked. “Show me and Mica how this is supposed to work.”
She nodded. “What question do you seek answers for?” Cocking her head to the side, she waited for one of them to speak up.
Mica grinned. “Tell us about you… Tell us if you will be able to meet you
r goals.”
She nodded, shuffling the cards again with her left hand. Closing her eyes, she meditated over them. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, and then placed the cards on the stone Altar. She cut the deck into four piles. “I will draw four cards. The first card will describe me, what type of person I am. The second card will tell the past. The third card will tell the present. The fourth and last card will tell the future. Are you both ready?” Nodding, they both laughed. “Very well, we now will begin.”
The first card she turned over was The High Priestess; placing it on the table, she pointed to the card. “This card represents me. This card is The High Priestess card; see the blue, white, and black colors, with the pomegranates, and the moon crown of Isis? The High Priestess card is the card of knowledge.” She looked between them. “Secret knowledge.” She grinned mischievously. “The job of the High Priestess is to offer secret knowledge. To lead and assist, to help one find their path.”
Mica grinned back at her. “Are you keeping secrets from us?”
She laughed, shaking her head, drawing the next card. She placed it immediately below the High Priestess card. “This card is the Seven of Wands. This card represents my past; see how the man defends himself with one staff against six others? This card represents high stakes, often when one is weary or defenseless. Others look at what you’ve done and often get jealous or greedy. The card represents to the bearer not to give in. If you do, your enemies will take power and show you no leniency.”
Courting the Darkness Page 9
