Her pulse had been so weak and thready, I’d acted fast to bring in help. I’d dialed 9-1-1 right after her collapse, then called Briar. Whatever Ashanti’s secrets might be, looping him in could help me find answers.
He already had a CSI gathering ash and other evidence for analysis, and he’d started circulating a photo of Ashanti in search of identification. Briar was an awesome cop; he was great at his job, possessed a good heart, and had access to law enforcement resources I couldn’t otherwise tap.
“I guess I’ll leave the fire-breathing cloud out of my report for now,” he said, stepping back and lowering his voice so the paramedics couldn’t hear. “And, y’know...the energy blasts from her fingertips.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I told him. “Or you could always go with a freak lightning strike. That would fit with the scorch marks on the ground, right?”
He flattened his hand and waggled it with fingers spread. “Eh, maybe.”
I turned my gaze back to Ashanti on the gurney. “Well, it’s not like the police report’s our main concern right now, is it?”
“Agreed,” said Briar, still keeping his voice low. “I, for one, am much more interested in finding out who the hell tried to kill you out here today.”
“You and me both, Sheriff.” As I said it, Ashanti woke with a start, a sharp inhalation of breath. There was a flurry of action as the paramedics responded to her revival, checking her thoroughly—and then they raised the head of the gurney, bringing her to a seated position.
Her face lit up when she saw me smiling back at her from the foot of the gurney. “Miss Glow! I’m so glad you’re all right!”
“Ditto,” I said. “And I’m glad you’re all right, too.”
Ashanti laughed. To me, she looked and sounded as if she hadn’t been through anything more eventful than a peaceful walk along Smoke Ring Lake. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
“I guess so.” I sighed overdramatically. “If I have to.”
Ashanti patted the bedding on the gurney. “Only if you want the patient to feel better.”
She seemed to be feeling just fine, I thought—better than before, actually, as if the power surge had left her energized somehow. “Ashanti Moneta, meet Sheriff Dale Briar. Sheriff Briar, this is Ashanti.”
“Very good to meet you, Ms. Moneta.” Briar smiled and tipped his hat. “I’m only sorry the circumstances couldn’t be better ones.”
“I’m fine,” said Ashanti. “Other than the complete memory loss, that is.”
The paramedics made a few last checks, since she’d declined to let them take her to the hospital, then helped her down from the gurney and went to work packing their gear. Ashanti walked over to us on steady legs, straightening her yellow dress, which had gotten wrinkled.
“So.” I gestured in the general direction of the lake. “Any idea what happened with the fire-breathing cloud?”
She shook her head. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
“Has anyone ever tried to kill you before?” I asked. “That you can remember?”
“No,” said Ashanti. “How about you?”
I didn’t answer, though the answer was “way too often.” Surviving murder attempts was part of my job...and part of my personal life, at least ever since my true history came to light six months ago.
“How do you know they weren’t coming after you instead of me?” asked Ashanti.
“I guess I don’t,” I said. “But that was the first time I was ever attacked out here by a fire-breathing cloud thing...and I was with you.”
“Good point,” said Ashanti.
“So has anything come back to you since the fight?” I asked. “Any clear memories of your life?”
She thought a moment, then shrugged. “Sorry, no.”
“Okay.” I watched her face closely. “But do you feel any different? I mean, you collapsed after you fired those energy beams.”
Ashanti frowned. “Did I really collapse? I don’t remember.”
“You did,” I told her. “You lit up with energy and shot off a bolt that blew up whatever was in that cloud. Then you just passed out on the ground.”
“That’s crazy,” said Ashanti.
“Maybe the energy blast just took a lot out of you,” I suggested. “It was too much strain.”
Ashanti’s frown deepened. “Is that what happened to you, too? Did your power take a lot out of you?”
Just then, Briar’s phone rang, and he stepped away to answer it. At that point, it was just Ashanti and I standing there together in the springtime breeze and sunlight, face to face.
It was then that she turned her hands around to take hold of mine. “I remember seeing the stones lift out of the lake, and it seemed like you were making it happen. You were so focused. And then the fire broke your concentration, and they all fell.”
I didn’t answer. She was still such an unknown quantity, I was hesitant to trust her. It meant a lot that Phaola had vouched for her; Phaola and I had been through hell together, and over the past months, we’d come through it as the best of friends. She’d gone down the wrong path for a while but changed course and helped me save all humanity. In the end, as I’d come into my power as Mother Earth’s avatar, I’d appointed her the new Lady of the Alleghenies, replacing the previous one, Laurel, who’d perished. So Phaola’s word carried a lot of weight with me, though experience had taught me that I still had to be careful.
Ashanti’s voice lowered almost to a whisper. “Are you Landkind yourself, Miss Glow? Is that why you have powers? Is that why the Lady of the Alleghenies sent me to you?”
I felt the urge to tell her who I was—but not yet. I still needed to know more about her first. I needed to make sure Phaola hadn’t been deceived, and Ashanti had not been sent to harm me or people I cared about.
“Ashanti,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “All you need to know is, I want to help. I will do everything I can to get you back to your rightful place.”
“Please tell me who you really are, Gaia,” she pressed, squeezing my hands harder.
Before either of us could say another word, Briar hurried over with phone in hand. “I have to go.” His voice and expression were grim. “Gaia, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.” I didn’t ask for more details in front of a civilian I wasn’t sure we could trust. “Good luck, rock hound.” It was a nickname, since Briar was a rock collector and amateur gemologist.
He was already on the phone with his next call, jogging toward his cruiser. The best he managed was a thumbs-up over his shoulder on the run.
Leaving me to wonder what the hell he’d been called away so urgently for, and to worry about his well-being when he got in the middle of it.
6
“Where to now?” asked Ashanti as we rolled back into town in the Highlander. “Someplace without killer clouds, I hope.”
“You’re half right.” I drove a little further, then pulled into the parking lot of the newest shop on Main Street. The name of the place, scrolled in green and white on the front window, was Scintillas in the Mist.
As soon as we walked in the door, the owners spun and greeted us, beaming with sheer delight. “Gaia!” they both shouted at the same time, their elation obvious.
“Minthe and Nephelae, I’d like you to meet Ashanti,” I said. “Ashanti, these are two of my best friends in the whole world, Minthe and Nephelae.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ashanti nodded.
“Any friend of Gaia’s...” said Minthe.
“...is competition for us!” finished Nephelae.
The two of them giggled excitedly. Life in the mortal world—and Confluence in particular—never seemed to get old for them. You might feel that way too if you’d been freed to live life as you choose after spending millennia as nymphs cursed to never leave certain magical places.
“You’re both in luck today! We’re having a 50% off sale!” Minthe, a brunette with deep green highlights, had been trapped in a f
ield of mint for most of her life. She didn’t look a day over twenty-one, but her true age was in the thousands of years.
Nephelae, who had platinum blonde hair with light blue highlights, looked just as young...and was every bit as old. “Every customer is eligible for a complimentary cup of green matcha tea,” she told us. “Come have a seat while Minthe fixes it.”
Nephelae gestured at one of the little wrought iron tables with two white wicker chairs in the front section of the shop, and Ashanti and I sat. The nymphs made most of their money selling herbs, incense, candles, and aromatherapy compounds, but they also had a nice sideline serving teas and select goodies in the shop’s café area.
“So what brings you here today?” asked Minthe. “Just out doing a little shopping for Sheriff Briar?”
She and Nephelae giggled at that, even as Ashanti turned a funny look my way.
“Are you here to talk about our next trip?” asked Nephelae. “We’re still torn between the Galapagos and the Tianzi Mountains of China.”
“Though we’re open to other ideas, if you know of something extra-special,” added Minthe.
“Actually, I was hoping you could help us with something,” I said.
“Anything, anytime, anywhere, girlfriend,” said Minthe.
“Gaia helped us out in a big way a while back,” Nephelae explained to Ashanti. “We owe her more than we can ever repay.”
“I was their travel agent,” I told Ashanti. “I did some special bookings for them, that’s all.”
It was a major understatement, but I was still playing certain cards close to my vest. It was true that Minthe and Nephelae had been customers of Cruel World Travel...but the help I’d provided, at least at first, had been to free them from the bonds that had locked them down for so many ages. Thanks to me (after a harrowing battle with a coven of ancient witches) they’d gone on to travel the world...and, eventually, settled in Confluence and started a business. In the months since the collapse of Parapets—an event I’d been drawn into after the death of my best friend, Aggie—they’d become even closer friends and confidants of mine.
“So what kind of help do you need, exactly?” asked Minthe.
“Ashanti and I were just attacked out at Smoke Ring Lake. It was some kind of fire-breathing cloud thing. I was hoping you could tell us more about it.”
“You’ve come to the right place.” If anyone could tell me what I needed to know, it was Nephelae. After all, she had a special affinity for clouds after being trapped in one since the time of the ancient Greeks. “It breathed fire, you say? Not lightning?”
“That’s right,” I said. “Big blasts of flame like something out of a dragon’s maw. I caught a glimpse of what looked like a dark snout, but it could’ve been just about anything.”
“Wow.” Nephelae folded her arms over her chest and tapped her chin with an index finger. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that, Gaia.”
“What about...” I glanced at Ashanti, wondering if I should ask her to step away before my next question—then decided to let the chips fall where they may. “What about any gods or creatures you might have encountered?”
Ashanti’s eyes widened, but she said nothing.
“Hmm.” Nephelae closed her eyes and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, deep in thought. “Zeus threw lightning bolts, but I don’t remember him hiding behind clouds to do it. Fire was more up Hephaestus’ alley, but he wasn’t an airborne type at all.” She thought some more, then opened her eyes. “Prometheus stole fire from the gods, but he didn’t fly, either.”
“This was definitely an airborne attacker,” I said.
Nephelae frowned. “You’re sure it wasn’t a dragon?”
“I’m sure.” Just then, Minthe brought my steaming cup of matcha and put it on the table in front of me. “What about a fire sprite or elemental?” I asked.
“It’s possible,” said Nephelae, “though I haven’t seen one in ages. Climate change has been rough on them, you know.”
“A demon, maybe? Or an ifrit?” suggested Minthe.
Nephelae nodded. “Either of those makes sense.”
“It does?” Ashanti looked confused. “But there’s no such thing as gods and dragons and demons, is there?”
“Poor thing.” Minthe looked at her sadly.
“Have you been living under a rock or something?” said Nephelae.
Minthe sighed. “But it doesn’t matter anyway, I guess. We can’t be more specific without some kind of evidence.”
“What about this?” Ashanti pointed at a few dark flecks on the yellow sleeve of her dress. “Some of the ash stuck to me when the cloud-thing exploded.”
“Can’t hurt to take a closer look.” Minthe left the room, then returned with a cotton swab and plastic baggie. She dabbed Ashanti’s dress with the swab, picking up enough flecks of ash to darken the tip. “We can run a few spells over it and see if anything pops.” She dropped the swab in the baggie and sealed it.
“We’d appreciate it,” I said, sipping my tea. “The sooner we find out who or what was behind the attack, the better. Ashanti’s in danger, and it doesn’t help that she’s lost her memory.”
“You poor thing!” said Nephelae. “No wonder you’ve forgotten all about the fantastical side of reality!”
“When do you think you might be done examining the ash?” I asked.
“How about tomorrow?” asked Minthe. “We’ll give you a call when we’re ready.”
“Deal.” I finished my tea and stood. “Maybe you could put out some feelers in the meantime, too. Ask around a little about the fire-breathing cloud.”
“Will do, Gaia,” said Minthe.
“We’ll ask around our peeps,” said Nephelae, “discreetly, of course.”
“Just one more favor, guys,” I told them. “Please be extra-careful and on the alert from here on out. Whoever tried to kill Ashanti, they might not like it that you’re mixed up in this now.”
“Sure, Gaia,” said Nephelae.
“Don’t worry about us.” Minthe made a muscle with her bicep and growled. “We’re all about the old-school hardcore, yo.”
I laughed, because the attitude didn’t fit the cute little brunette with the chirpy voice and ancient origins. The effects of her new infatuation with rap music had a way of popping up when I least expected.
“Good to know,” I said. “But please don’t hesitate to call if things go sideways, okay? Any time of day or night, understood?”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Nephelae in her best put-upon teenager voice. “We promise we’ll call, Mother.”
It was more than a joke. Nephelae and Minthe both knew my true nature as the personification of Mother Earth and teased me about it from time to time...but the teasing was always done with love and respect.
“All right then.” I smiled. “Give us a shout when you’re ready. We’re going for a drive in the meantime.”
“We are?” Ashanti got up from her chair. “Where to?”
Just then, my phone pinged with a text from Briar. “Correction,” I said. “Change of plans. We’ll have to take that drive tomorrow morning.”
“Why is that, Miss Glow?” asked Ashanti.
Heart racing, I texted Briar back. “Guys, can Ashanti hang out here with you for just a bit? Can you watch out for her?”
“Sure,” said Minthe.
“What’s up?” asked Nephelae.
“There’s been a murder,” I said as I ran for the door. “And apparently, Mother Earth has taken credit for it!”
7
When I rolled up to the modest brick house in suburban Rich Township, I saw the crime scene was already crowded. In addition to Briar’s cruiser, there were two Confluence P.D. cars, three State Police vehicles, an ambulance, and the medical examiner’s van parked in the driveway and along the street. A van from the local TV station showed up, too, as I was walking around to the backyard...and I knew that was just the beginning.
I said hi to Marcus Gr
eene, the uniform at the corner of the house, and he let me pass. I went straight to the part of the yard that was just off the patio; local cops and State Police were gathered there, huddled and looking down at something on the ground.
Briar must have heard or sensed my approach, because he looked up. “Gaia.” He gestured for me to join him in the huddle.
Part of me didn’t want to, because I knew what I’d see. Briar’s texts had drawn me a picture, and it was awful.
But staying off to the side was not an option. Working with law enforcement when called to do so was my job...and this particular crime was personal.
I walked over, and Briar stepped back to make room for me. Looking down, I saw the murder victim’s body on the ground, and my stomach churned...not because I wasn’t used to seeing the aftermaths of atrocities like this.
But because it was the kind of murder that someone with my abilities might have been likely to commit.
The woman on the ground, Ellie Grenoble, was a local widow in her late seventies. I didn’t know her well, but I’d seen her around town now and then. She’d even come to Cruel World Travel once or twice to pick up pamphlets for trips she was thinking about taking.
Now here she was, in her simple blue housedress, white sweater, and white sneakers, with her body so packed with dirt it was coming out of her mouth.
Dr. Renee Cox, the Medical Examiner, crouched by the body, dumping little scoops of the dirt from Ellie’s mouth into a clear plastic vial. “It’s like she was pumped full of dirt from some kind of high-pressure device. Palpating her lower body, I can feel lumps of the stuff as far down as her abdomen, pubis, and even her thighs.”
“I don’t see a high-pressure pump anywhere nearby,” said the older of three Staties. His hair under the hat was bright white, and his nametag said Sgt. Jeffreys. “Anyone else?”
“She’s just packed to the gills,” said Renee, a middle-aged woman on the stocky side with curly brown hair. “Cause of death is most likely asphyxiation from all the dirt.”
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