“Tage!” He reached for her, his touch galaxies away. He banged the back of his head on the ceiling as he tried to break free from Natalie’s spell.
His hot tears fell like rain, slipping past her lips and along her tongue. As she tasted his grief, his pain ravaged her Empath soul, shredding her apart like a beast with a bone. She met his tortured gaze and with her last breath, she whispered, “Forgive me.”
EVEN WITH A street name, navigating with someone else’s memories proved to be challenging. She had already passed by the church, yet the fluttering sparks led her back again. Halen leaned against the building to rest for moment.
“So now where?” she asked Asair, but he didn’t answer. If he thought the silent treatment would keep her from Jae, he was so wrong. When she glanced up at the street sign, sparks danced along her skin. She smiled. “Hating being a part of me now?” Still Asair didn’t answer. “Doesn’t matter. You don’t have to say a word. I feel this is right.”
At the end of the street, she came to a gated park-like garden. When her gaze landed on a gnarled, branched tree, her stomach lurched. She bent over, gagging.
She forced herself to look again. The tree’s branches twisted as if they had been tied in knots. Along one side, charred bark marked the scourge of a spell gone horribly wrong. A woman, with eyes the shade of death perched on the topmost branch and then vanished. Halen’s side cut with pain. “What is this?” She fought the bile rising in her throat and turned away. “Don’t tell me then, but at least I know you’ve been here before. I’m getting close, aren’t I?”
She turned right and the weight of the memory washed away. She stopped. As much as the tree made her uneasy, she had to follow the memories. She headed straight for the tree, hopped the wrought iron fence and trod through the middle of the gardens. She glanced up and down the street. A few stores awnings were to her right, so she headed in that direction. She walked farther, taking note of the store names, but none matched the results from her Internet search. As she passed the shop windows, she peered inside for anything that might trigger another one of Asair’s memories.
A shop with the name Jae’s Books painted on the store window was at the corner. Above the door, in black metal, the number 26. This has to be it! Halen checked the street name printed on her hand and then the sign. This was definitely the place. Her doubts lifted with pride, but when she glanced back toward the book shop a new store name filled the window. Jae’s Florist. Where once books filled the shop window, now blood roses and black orchids bloomed behind the glass.
What the… Her skin flecked with sparks. A woman with a pram exited the shop; a bouquet of gerberas smiled from the carriage as Halen crossed the street. She pressed her nose to the glass. Her stomach grumbled. Tasty delicacies: towering cakes, glazed doughnuts, creamed cookies, and sponge called to her hunger. Painted on the window in black lettering, Jae’s Confectionaries.
“How does one choose?” A voice raised the hairs along the back of her neck. She reeled around to find a boy with a freckle-flecked face. “Everything looks so delicious.” His gaze skimmed over her, his eyes like glacier ice with the slightest tinge of blue.
“Um, yes, quite a conundrum.” What—conundrum? She sounded idiotic, but he unnerved her enough to scatter her thoughts. Halen squeezed to the right, placing some space between them. Though he had to be close in age, he had striking white hair, with smoke-gray streaks; not fashionably dyed, but his own wiry locks. He was foreign and yet familiar, and her mind flipped through pages of memories trying place where she may have seen him before.
“Yes, it is a conundrum,” a smile played on his lips, “when you don’t know what you really want.” He leaned on the store window. He wore a down vest over a plaid shirt unbuttoned at the top so his curly white chest hair poked through. His khaki pants were grimy, his feet in sandals, even though clouds darkened the sky. His liquid gaze slipped over her, and sharp sparks pricked Halen’s skin.
“Well, I’m going in. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” She politely smiled and placed her hand on the door.
“I believe I already have.” His smile widened, revealing two canine sharp teeth…
The wolf from the shadows flashed through her mind, and her breath caught. Her grip tightened on the handle. The door swept open and a heavyset man with a white bakery box pushed past, wedging between her and the boy. She scooted inside the bakery and slammed the door at once. When she peered out the window, the boy had vanished.
A cool breeze blew at her back, sending shivers along her skin. She spun around. The cakes and breads were gone and she now stood in a narrow room. If she spread her arms, she was sure she could touch both walls with her fingertips. Countless cages of birds hung above winding in an endless spiral of gilded gold and silver. Canaries chirped noisily, budgies paced their perches, pigeons cooed, and a raven peered at her through glassy eyes. When the black bird cawed, flapping its wings, she jumped back, pressing her spine against the door.
Candles set in brass sconces flickered dangerously close to the birds’ cages. A putrid odor, a mix of acrid bird crap and heavy patchouli incense, cut the air. Her hand scrabbled with the door handle, but the knob would not turn. She tugged harder. Her heart thrummed in her ears as the birds competed with chirps and whistles.
As she reached to cover her ears, her elbow knocked the edge of one cage. It swung, and the budgies flapped their wings violently, swaying the cage. The cage bumped the canaries and they too fluttered, so their cage knocked the finch’s beside; like dominoes the cages were all set in motion with screeching birds.
“Stop the racket or I’ll eat you all at once!” A bald woman, with skin so dark she could have been born of the night itself, pushed open a door across the room. Halen hadn't even noticed another entrance or exit amongst all the cages, yet there the woman stood, her golden stare scanning the birds, until her gaze settled on Halen. “What’s this we have here?”
Her smoky voice was seductive, like a song to lure prey. The husky tone, laced with haunting familiarity, sent an earie chill through to the marrow of Halen’s bones.
Halen’s shoulder blades pressed harder against the glass as the woman stepped from the doorway. Her dewy skin glistened in the dim flickers of light. Why had Asair’s instincts led her here? She was mistaken to trust his memories. Had he tricked her again?
“How did you summon this place?” the woman asked.
“I didn’t,” Halen stammered, finding her voice. “I was hungry. I thought I would buy a treat.”
The woman tilted her chin toward the birds. The sleeve of her silk robe cascaded to her elbow as she stretched for the tarnished lock on one of the cages. Unlocking the latch with the hook of her long black fingernail, she reached inside. The budgerigar hopped onto her finger, pecking the tip of her nail. Being careful not to rock the cage, she coaxed the little bird out. Her eyes narrowed as she offered Halen the bird. “Is this your idea of a treat?”
Halen shook her head furiously.
“Go on.” She nudged the bird against Halen’s cheek. The little bird’s heart clicked like a timer hand on a stop watch. When Halen turned her head away, the woman brought the bird to her parted lips.
At first, Halen thought she might kiss its delicate wings, when her jaw opened and in one swift movement, the bird disappeared. As her jaw worked from side to side, the horrible cracking of bones against teeth silenced the rest of the birds. When she blew out with a puff, dozens of blue and white feathers drifted to the ground.
Sparks ripped up Halen’s spine and along her flesh. Asair? Her heels struck the door. Where have you led me?
“Who are you?” The woman swiped the back of her hand across her lips, then spit out one last feather.
Halen trembled. Her words hid, unwilling to enter her throat.
The woman stepped forward so her chest butted against Halen’s. Though she smelled of crackling fire, her skin felt icy through her thin robe. “What desire of yours has led you to me?”
Desire? Halen didn’t want anything from this woman. Her desire was to leave. Her sparks threatened to strike. Could she take her? She wasn’t so sure. If Asair had led her into a trap, he might block her powers once more. She glanced at the candle sconces; she could harness the fire, but in this small space and no way out, they would both burn.
“This was a mistake. I entered the wrong doorway. If you please, I will leave now.” She managed a weak smile.
“The glamour spell makes no mistakes. I cast it myself. You didn’t come looking for a good book or a delicious treat—you came looking for me.”
Halen shook her head more voraciously. “No, I didn’t.”
“The glamour spell reveals your true desire. You wished to find me. So, tell me what it is you seek, or I shall have you for my dessert.” The woman’s heart beat against Halen’s like a heavy drum, slow and rhythmic, unlike Halen’s rushed pulse. “I haven’t tasted a human for so long.” She bit her bottom lip several times, drawing blood. “And something tells me, no one knows where you are.” She licked her lip clean.
Dax would know; he was her Guardian after all. She could summon him. But how? It’s not like she had some kind of telepathic Guardian signal. Did she? She dug her nails into her palms. Why had she come alone? “My friends know where I am. They will find me.”
“Lost treasure.” Her breath was the scent of a forest on fire as it escaped her lips. Her head cocked to the side as she cupped Halen’s cheek. “What do you seek?”
A mist coated Halen’s eyes and the room spun. If not for the support of the woman’s hand, Halen felt she might swirl up amongst the cages like a leaf in a storm.
“Reveal your intentions.”
Halen blinked, trying to steady her thoughts, when Asair entered her mind.
Let go. Let her see.
The woman dropped her hand at once. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she gathered Halen in her muscled arms. She pulled her so tight, Halen thought she might snap her bones like the budgerigar, but though her grip was firm, she rocked her gently. “There is hope.”
Halen trembled in the midnight woman’s grasp. Hope? Hope for what?
“She’s resisting. Your appearance frightens her.” When Halen spoke, her tone was deep, masculine, and laced with an English accent. She clasped her hand over her mouth. Be quiet, Asair. Don’t ever do that again!
The woman stepped back. She wriggled her fingers, and her talons retreated into the nail beds, softening with an oval manicure. Coils of dark hair sprouted from her head, touching at her collarbone. A white top hung loose over her shoulders, and she wore pencil-thins jeans rolled up at the cuffs. On her feet was a pair of flip-flops the color of sunshine. The woman laughed as she dangled one foot to admire the sandal. “You humans see beauty in such a strange way. Is this the woman you seek? Is this who you pictured me to be?”
Halen swallowed hard. Though the woman before her now appeared more like an aunt who doled out good advice and hugs, she couldn’t shake the bird-eater from her thoughts.
“But you’re not human, are you, dear? You're something so much better. You’re perfect.” Her mouth downturned. “But if you’re here alone…” She paused for a moment, cocking her head to the side. “What’s happened to your mother?”
“My mother?” Halen stammered. “You know my mom?”
“Of course. I am the one you seek—I’m Jae. Only I don’t believe you will find what you desire here.”
This was Jae? Her mom had sent her to a woman who almost ate her for lunch! “And what do you think I desire?”
“To be free of him.” She smiled knowingly. “I can’t help you. Asair is part of you now.”
“You can’t take him out? But I thought…” A whole new kind of panic flooded her.
Jae clapped her hands and Halen jerked. “Together, you are so much stronger.”
“The spell is weakened because I’m inside her.” Asair’s English accent passed through her lips. “Surely, you’ve seen the news?”
Stop doing that! Halen pressed her lips together.
“I don’t need to watch the news to feel the disturbance in the realms,” Jae said.
Unwillingly, Halen’s lips parted and Asair’s voice escaped. “She won’t surrender—I can’t get across her seam without her blocking me. Of course, there is the possibility it’s her Guardian.”
Halen forced her lips shut, to silence his voice, but her mouth parted and more of Asair’s words tumbled out. “If Dax is aware of my presence, then we’re in even more danger. You must perform the purge.”
“Stop now!” Halen raised her hand, and sparks trickled along her arms. “Stop using my body and stop speaking whenever you feel like it!” Why would her mother send her to this woman if she wasn’t going to help? Coming was a mistake. Sparks surged beneath her flesh, and when she snapped her fingers, the locks on the cages popped open. With another wave of her hand, hundreds of cage doors flew open. The birds hopped out one by one. Halen blew into the air, commanding them with her breath. They flew, flapping their wings, spiraling toward Jae.
Jae tilted her chin toward the chaotic flock. Instead of ducking, she let out a sharp whistling hiss, like a kettle boiling over on a stove. The birds aligned, kamikaze pilots plummeting to the ground with their wings tucked to their sides.
When the room fell silent, Jae finally spoke. “A temper will only dull your magick. You must have an intention when you use your powers. Otherwise you end up with…” She sighed, shaking her head. “What a waste of good food. It took me weeks to gather this flock.” She stepped over the birds’ lifeless bodies. “Come this way.”
She nodded toward the door from where she had appeared. “I will make it comforting for you, and we can discuss what must be done.” She pushed open the door.
Halen recognized the room on the other side at once. “My bedroom—how?” Her gaze darted to Jae and then back to the books stacked beside her bed. Several more books peeked from beneath the lavender duvet. From the cracked window, Halen inhaled the salty ocean breeze of Rockaway Beach. Her whole body ached with a yearning to enter, and though her pulse tripped with fear, she stepped inside.
Jae’s spells are perfection. Asair’s tone held admiration.
When Jae sat at Halen’s desk, the chair creaked as it always had when Halen would sit to draw. If this wasn’t real—how would Jae know such details? Halen passed by the desk; her sketchbook lay open on top. A charcoaled image of Dax stared back from the page. Halen’s blue pencil lay beside it, the end chewed through to the wood, just as she left it. She sat on the bed, running her hand along the down comforter. A feather poked from the edge, reminding Halen of the dead birds only a few feet away in the next room. As if reading her mind, Jae let out a short breath, blowing the door shut.
She’s powerful, Halen mused. If she could create this room, she had access to magick Halen could only dream of.
“You have great powers too,” Jae said. “But you’re still young. You have much to learn.” She picked up the pencil and scribbled little circles on the edge of the page near Dax’s ear lobe. “Asair could teach you.”
Teach her? She didn’t come here for lessons.
Jae shaded around Dax’s eyes, bringing the corners inward, so he appeared now with a fierce scowl. “This boy, your Guardian, he's clever.” She defined the scar between his eyes with the edge of the pencil. “He seeks the truth, but his soul is tainted. He will never be able to see clearly. If you want me to perform a purge, you must be willing to let him go.”
“You don’t even know him!” Halen sat up straight. “He would do anything to protect me.”
“Yet, you came here alone.”
“I came here to get Asair out. Dax didn’t need to know. Can you can help me or not?”
Careful, Asair whispered. His anxiety wound through to her bones. He feared this woman, but also trusted her. She searched his memories, but couldn’t find the woman before her, or an image of the bald woman who had eaten the bird. Perhaps he
knew Jae with a different glamour?
Jae dropped the pencil and held the picture up to Halen. She shuddered as Dax’s cold stare gripped her. She looked away. “I know who my Guardian is. That’s not him.”
“I can help you, but first you must see your Guardian for who he is. Otherwise, it would be better if Asair stayed with you. See the truth and I’ll perform the purge.” She tossed the sketchbook. It landed on the floor with a heavy slap, and Halen jumped.
“Your Guardian’s lies run so deep he believes the poison which spews from his lips.” Jae sat back crossing her arms. “Have a good look, my dear.”
Dax’s angry stare peered up at her. You’ve done enough already. His voice flooded her mind. He was quick to blame her. But, she had lied. If he knew the truth, his words would cut much deeper. “You don’t know him.”
“I know the power he has over you. Your Guardian shackles your power. You think he was born to protect you from the darkness—he was born to drag you into the abyss.”
“You’re lying!” Halen kicked the sketchbook under the bed with her heel. She rubbed her hands, harnessing her sparks, but as she gathered enough energy to strike, the sparks fizzled. Stop blocking my magick.
Just listen to her, Asair said.
Jae crossed her legs. “It’s an unfortunate situation; your heart is tethered to him. A free siren has the power to transform the realms, but he clutches your power in the palm of his hand. The more you wander, the more he will tighten his fist.”
Halen glanced up to see Jae with her fist raised in the air. She was wrong. Dax would never hurt her. “He loves…”
Jae released her grip on the air and placed her hands in her lap. “He loves you not.”
HER CHEEKS FLUSHED. Halen didn’t know if he loved her, this was true, but she felt he could. He didn’t judge her for who she was—for what she could do; he was there for her. Why did I run away? Was there no end to her stupidity?
“You think you can love him?” Jae laughed with a low chortle. Her mockery stung. “That false sense of love is his power over you. Can’t you see he’s manipulating you? You must let him go.” She nodded toward the bracelet.
Curses and Ash (The Siren Chronicles Book 2) Page 16
