Desert Magick: Phoenix Lights

by Dana Davis

  Sebastian, a mountainous man who protected wildlife in this area, looked like a stereotypical archaeologist in his mustache, button-up shirt, jeans and work boots. Daisy guessed that was pretty much his regular attire, since the last time she’d seen him he wore practically the same thing.

  “Hi, Daisy. Welcome back.” Tessa gave her a hug then moved on to Noah and Bridgette, while Sebastian moved in for his turn.

  Afterward, Daisy introduced Scarlet. The medium knew a lot of secrets about people, including Zoey, but Tessa and Sebastian didn’t know Scarlet, probably why they met out here instead of the cabin.

  “You’re the medium we’ve heard about, right?” Tessa cocked her head to one side after she shook Scarlet’s hand.

  “Yep, that’s me.”

  “Well, you take good care of our Daisy, you hear? Teach her everything she needs to know. She’s part of our extended family, especially since she helped our little Zoey here. And we don’t want anything to happen to her.”

  Bridgette crossed her arms. “And what am I? Chopped liver?”

  Sebastian laughed and nudged her. “You’re a troublemaker from what we’ve heard.”

  The redhead raised a brow at Zoey and the girl held up her palms in defense. “Hey, I’m under obligation to tell them what I know, Bridgette.”

  “Is that so? Well, as long as you tell the truth.”

  Tessa smiled and shook her head. “You’re family just as much as Daisy. Now shoo. The lot of you. I’ve got work calling me.”

  She probably means that literally. “Nothing serious, I hope?”

  Tessa, a lake manager, focused on Daisy and waved a dismissive hand. “Just more mortals in the area since the weather’s cooled. Keeps us on our toes around here.”

  She nodded her understanding. Tessa and Sebastian protected the flora and fauna in the area, making sure everything stayed in balance. Their ancient ancestors were considered gods by mortals of long ago. They would be tied to this area until their deaths, which would be a long time from now. Neither seemed to mind that destiny. In fact, they both seemed very happy here.

  “I’ll call you later, Daisy,” Tessa said as she rounded the gate and trotted to a waiting jeep on the other side. “Behave yourself, Bridgette!” She climbed in and drove off before the redhead could get in a retort.

  Sebastian chuckled. “You’re a bit outnumbered, aren’t you, Noah boy?”

  “You have no idea.”

  Before Daisy could get in a snarky reply, Sebastian clapped his large hands together. “Petroglyph, right?”

  “Yes.” She pulled her phone out and brought up the photo she’d taken it at the corn maze. What the hell did we ever do before cell phone cameras? “This one, to be exact.”

  “Oh, yes. That’s in one of my favorite areas. It’s not on any of the marked trails so it’s quiet. I had to scare off a couple of mortal hikers who were out there a few months ago taking pictures. Claim they wandered off the trail by mistake but I doubt it.”

  “Might’ve been where this picture came from. I got this from a guy who made a corn maze in this shape. His son took the original photo.”

  “Do you know if they remember the location?”

  “His son wrote the directions on the back of the photo. Here, I took a picture of that too.” She brought up the next photo and handed her phone to him.

  Sebastian squinted as he studied it. “I was afraid of that. I’ll have to get one of the cousins to keep watching the internet and take down any references to it. Can’t have mortals traipsing where they don’t belong.” He handed the phone back. “Thanks for showing me that.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Sebastian, please tell me this symbol is nearby,” Bridgette uttered. “I really hate hiking.”

  Daisy smiled. “At least we don’t have to go up a mountain to find this one, nature girl. Besides, you hate any workout that doesn’t involve a juice bar and a ripped trainer.”

  Sebastian let out a belly laugh and patted Bridgette’s cheek like a father who was fond of his daughter. “Don’t you worry, my dear. I won’t let those pretty little feet get damaged.”

  If anybody else had said that to the redhead, she would’ve put an itching spell on him. With Sebastian, she laughed and hooked an arm in his. Her five-feet-eight frame looked small compared to this mountainous man.

  Zoey, who had a small bag slung over her shoulder with her Dream Catcher box in it, put her lips close to Daisy’s ear. “Looks like I might have some competition as the favorite niece-in-law.” She giggled.

  Daisy smiled and hooked an arm in hers. “It’s nice to hear you laugh, Zoey.”

  “Yeah. Jason’s family sorta brings that out in me.”

  Noah moved to her other side. “You got that rock, Daisy?”

  “In my pocket.”

  “Okay, it’s not a very long walk from here,” Sebastian said. “But try not to make too much noise once we get there. And please turn off your ringers. The mule deer are skittish enough as it is with illegal hunters in the area and I don’t want them getting hurt.”

  “You still having problems with those hunters?” Daisy pulled out her cell phone and set it to vibrate as the others did the same.

  The large man frowned and his eyes grew dangerous. “Not for long.” He didn’t elaborate, and Daisy wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he planned to do about it.

  No one else asked questions and her thoughts turned back to her own problems. Any other time, she would have enjoyed this little nature hike. The November sun warmed the morning and a cool breeze carried the scent of creosote bushes and brittlebush as the group quietly followed Sebastian. Birds of all shapes and sizes tweeted, trilled and chirped. Towering saguaros dotted the area, curved arms reaching skyward. Desert hares and antelope squirrels dashed here and there, sometimes freezing when they heard humans come near. Once, Daisy heard Sebastian utter something to a frightened squirrel and it paused in its dash up a palo verde tree.

  She had never actually seen the huge man cradle an injured or helpless animal, but she knew he did that as part of his job, and she imagined it was a comical sight. She leaned toward Noah, who walked beside her. “When this is all over, we’re going to hike more.” With the McDowell Mountains so close to their home, they certainly had the opportunity. Wish we had a lake near us too.

  “I’ll go for that. But in the daytime please. No more night excursions.”

  Something blurred passed Daisy before she could answer and she stumbled, trying not to run into it. Noah steadied her. “Really? Out here?” She turned and gave Scarlet the stink-eye, though she doubted it showed through her sunglasses.

  The medium smirked but she didn’t say a word as they continued on another hundred feet or so.

  “Well, here we are.” Sebastian pointed to a boulder partially hidden by brittlebush. Several petroglyphs had been carved into the boulder. Near the bottom was a spiral.

  They crowded around as Daisy checked her phone. The walk to this area had taken about fifteen minutes, according to her clock. “Yep, that’s the one in the picture.” She kept her voice low, so as not to spook any animals. Then she exchanged her phone for the rock in her pocket and crouched to get a better look, comparing the two symbols.

  “A match?”

  She glanced up at Noah. “Similar but not exact.”

  “Now what?” Zoey this time.

  She gazed up at her young cousin. “I don’t know. I thought maybe something would happen if we came out here.”

  “Let me see that rock of yours, Daisy.” Sebastian held out a hand and she gave it to him. “This is a nice piece of history. Where’d you get it?”

  “A ghost gave it to me.”

  The large man’s brows climbed as he chuckled. “Well now, that’s a new one.”

  “You’re telling me. And it wasn’t just any ghost. It was an ancient Hohokam spirit that left it behind.”

  “Ghost shit,” Bridgette uttered. “What? That’s pretty much what happened. The
ghost appeared and when he left, that was on the ground. Ghost shit. Oh, pardon me, Sebastian. Guess that’d be ghost droppings for you. Or maybe ghost guano.”

  Before Daisy could reprimand her cousin, Sebastian pressed the rock back into her hand and his body trembled as he tried to suppress laughter.

  “Don’t laugh too hard, Uncle,” Zoey said in a low voice. “Don’t want to spook the deer.”

  That got him sputtering and choking to try and keep quiet. Which got the rest of them giggling, even Scarlet. Zoey’s right. It’s hard not to be jolly around him.

  After a moment, Sebastian took in several long breaths and swiped a palm over his mouth. “You witches should come visit more often. You crack me up.”

  Bridgette smirked and motioned to the rock in Daisy’s hand. “Does that feel hot?”

  “No. I’m not getting anything unusual.”

  The redhead eyed the sky and scratched at her arm. “Well, this is fucking productive.”

  Noah crouched. He reached down to where the boulder touched the ground and carefully brushed away the dirt. “You see that?”

  Daisy resting her knees on the dirt and flipped her sunglasses to the top of her head. “What?”

  “That?” He pointed to a faint outline that she never would’ve noticed. He clicked his tongue. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  “What is it, babe? Is something wrong?”

  “That’s really close to one of the symbols in those books I’ve been working on.”

  “My magick books?”

  “Yeah.” He’d been trying to decipher those ancient texts for months now. The language long ago forgotten, even by the paranormal community. “Take a picture, honey, so I can get a better look at it back at the house. And get one of the whole boulder. I don’t want to miss anything.”

  She did as he asked. “How would similar writing be here and in my magick books?”

  “I don’t know, babe. But I’m certain this is the same as the one I’ve been researching. Zoey? How’s your camera?”

  “Pretty good.”

  “Can you get some pics too? Just in case.”

  Noah pulled Daisy out of the way so Zoey could get her phone close enough. Bridgette and Scarlet also took photos.

  When Zoey crouched for a closer picture, she said, “What does this symbol mean, Noah?”

  “Wish I knew. I’ve been trying to figure it out for months now. Maybe this one will give me a clue.”

  Bridgette pushed her sunglasses up and pointed to Daisy’s hand. “You sure you don’t feel anything with that rock of yours?”

  “Nothing.” She bent down and placed the rock against the boulder. “Nope. Not a damn thing.” As she stood, the former blur that had raced past her earlier, appeared about three feet away. This time, she could make out the hiking boots, shorts and tee-shirt on the young man. He looked about Zoey’s age.

  Scarlet put a brief hand on her arm. “I’ll get this one.” She motioned the ghost to follow her a few steps away and spoke in a low voice.

  Noah leaned close. “Ghost?”

  “Yep.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this.”

  “Preaching to the choir, babe.”

  Sebastian simply watched the medium without saying a word. Daisy wondered if the large man had been around mediums much. She doubted he got surprised by anything, considering his powerful family lineage. And especially after meeting the Council of Titans. That still brought a chill up Daisy’s spine. Scarlet’s soft chuckle brought her gaze back to the medium. “What’s so funny?” The ghost was gone now. “Am I gonna owe him something?”

  “What?” Scarlet stopped near her. “Oh, no. He’s just here to hike. Was attracted to your energy and wanted to see what we were up to.” She smiled.

  “So why do you look like the cat that ate the canary?”

  Scarlet smiled even harder, pink lips stretching over white teeth. “He hit on me.”

  “A dead boyfriend?” Bridgette sniffed. “I never tried that one.”

  Daisy gave her cousin a light smack. “You’re terrible, Bridge.” Her phone vibrated and she pulled it from her pocket. “Hi, Kali. What’s up?”

  “Daisy, I think you might want to come by the cemetery as soon as you can.” The woman sounded nervous.

  “What? Why?”

  “I can’t talk now but it’ll be worth your time. I promise.”

  “Okay, we can be there in about an hour or so.” She disconnected and turned to the expectant faces near her. “Kali wants us to come to the cemetery. She wouldn’t tell me why but she sounded jumpy.” What the hell’s going on now?

  Back to Top

  * * * *

  Chapter 28

  The Search Is Over

  Kali stood behind the front desk when Bridgette walked into the mausoleum, followed by Daisy, Noah, Scarlet and Zoey.

  Kali glanced over her shoulder to the woman sitting behind her at the computer. “Could you keep an eye on the door? I need to talk to these people.”

  “Sure.”

  With a quick greeting, Kali led them down the hallway to her office. Once inside, she shut the door. With six people, it seemed cramped. This was the office where Bridgette had first encountered Kali. Where she and Daisy had used magick to frighten the woman, thinking she had something to do with Aunt Penny’s disappearance in the afterlife. Thankfully, they’d been wrong and Kali had become a valuable ally.

  “Find anything on your hike?” The Asian woman moved around behind her desk. Like most dancers, Kali’s lithe body and erect posture accentuated her movements. Pair that with her necromancer skills and she could look as deadly as she could beautiful. Right now, she wore brown slacks and shoes, a beige blouse, and her black hair pulled up in a bun, very plain and unassuming, especially considering the colorful belly dance costumes she wore at her performances.

  Bridgette shook her head and crossed her arms. “Nothing. Just another damn snipe hunt.” She for one was growing tired of the chase and wished there was a way to contain this hitchhiker without playing a game of ghost Clue and wait for a volunteer vessel. And she wanted coffee. A dull ache had formed at the back of her head, the type that usually required a caffeine and aspirin dose. Neither of which she had at the moment.

  “That’s not exactly true, Bridge.” Daisy’s gaze fell on her a moment before moving to Kali. “We found a symbol near the petroglyph that Noah thinks might be useful.”

  Bridgette let out a rude sound. “Useful for what? If you think that hitchhiker’s gonna wait until your husband translates those books,” she flicked a hand toward Noah, “which could take years even if that symbol means something to him, you’re out of your fucking mind.” Even without her senses open, she caught something urgent from Kali, and turned back to the woman. “What’s going on, Kali? Why’d you call us?”

  “I found something I think you need to see.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll see. Just come with me. Please.” She grabbed something from a drawer in her desk and shoved it into her pocket then led them out into the hall and toward the front door.

  Great, more espionage shit. Bridgette followed behind the rest as they moved outside and started across the grass. Guess the outfit really is the only thing I like about cops. Jay would look good in a uniform. Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, you slutty witch. You’ve got more important things to do right now.

  Palo verde and mesquite trees offered shady retreats for guests giving a park-like feel to the place. Especially with the large fountain they passed. Headstones dotted the grassy yard in areas, while other graves sported plaques on the ground. Metal vases stood out near every grave, many with colorful flowers in them. A middle-aged couple stood over one of the plaques, the man with an arm around the woman. They were the only other people here that Bridgette could see.

  She let a chink of her mental wall down but didn’t sense anyone else in the area just now, not even a ghostly presence. Good. Satisfied, she closed off her senses. S
he thought Kali was taking them to the mausoleum but they passed the door to that building. Where the hell are we going? “Kali, if you don’t tell us what the hell’s going on—”

  “Almost there.” Kali turned left on the other side of the mausoleum and led them toward a cluster of graves hidden from the nearby streets. “Just over here. By the damaged headstones.”

  “Okay, you’ve got my attention, Kali,” Daisy said as she locked step with the taller woman.

  Bridgette watched the two as she followed behind, flanked now by Scarlet and Zoey, neither of whom had said a word since they arrived. Noah had moved behind them all, and Bridgette wondered if he thought he could protect them from a rear attack.

  She admired the man. He had no active powers, yet he often tried to protect his wife, a powerful witch. And now a powerful medium. Don’t forget that part.

  Kali stopped. Three nearby headstones indeed had been damaged. “We had vandals out here a few days back. Kids, we think. Anyway, when I came out this morning to get photos for our restoration team, I noticed something on this one.” She pointed to a headstone that had escaped the vandalism.

  Bridgette leaned down to study the engraving on the undamaged headstone. A baby boy who died in 1971. “What about it? Do you know this kid, Daisy? Is he a relative?” Bridgette had studied the family tree as a teen, a requirement for all witches, but she never had a passion for it like Daisy did.

  “Not that I remember.” Daisy put her hand in Noah’s when he stepped next to her, and Scarlet moved quietly to her other side.

  Zoey moved next to Bridgette, standing eye to eye with her, then leaned over, hands resting on her thighs. She stayed quiet.

  “Here.” Kali crouched and brushed fingers near the base of the broken headstone to move the grass aside. “See it now?”

  “Holy shit!” Zoey said, voicing Bridgette’s thoughts.

  A faint spiral stood out against the stone and Bridgette sucked in a breath. It didn’t match the professional carving of the name and date. Instead, it looked like somebody did it with a knife or some other sharp object. “You think vandals did this, Kali?”