The three of us sat in our misery until Diana came down. Her face was red, and her nostrils had flared. She sat on a chair nearby.
“I know she’s helped all of us at one time or another, but that’s over. It’s our turn to help her. I felt the faint echoes from five spells cast against her. Pestone is a very powerful dark magician now, probably the most powerful sorcerer in Boulder County. Her memory’s been damaged too—it must have been a horrible fight.”
“We need to get that bastard, and soon,” I said.
Diana let out a howl of rage. “I’m so angry I could strangle the son of a bitch, but I doubt I can take him anymore. We’ll have to hire a champion from out of state, but we don’t have a hundred grand to pay for that. I’ll figure out how to raise the money.”
I couldn’t contribute anything helpful to the discussion, so I stayed silent. I certainly didn’t have that kind of money. Based on Tess’s and Laura’s long faces, I assumed they didn’t, either.
Diana kept shaking her head as though she couldn’t believe what had happened. “This horrible situation is sure to get worse. Pestone is much stronger now. He has all of her power, and he’ll use it against one of us the first chance he gets.”
“One more problem,” Tess said. “Pestone now knows everything Maggie knew about Ian. Her loyalty oath to us wouldn’t apply to Ian.”
“Good point,” Diana said. “At least Pestone won’t know how powerful Ian has become since he joined us. That’s a true blessing. If he comes after you, Ian, you’ll surprise him.”
I froze for a moment. Maggie had been close to Grandma Norrie for most of her life. And Grandma no doubt told her all about me too. “He probably knows all about my dad’s side of the family.”
Diana shrugged. “It’s not likely to help him fight you. You didn’t learn much magic from your father. So, he knows your Irish relatives. They’re mostly in the old country, aren’t they?”
I nodded, feeling relieved. “Pestone won’t know much about my Osage family. Norrie was never involved with them.”
“Good,” Diana replied. “I’ve spoken with Samuel several times. A remarkable chief who has your best interests at heart. One last thing: we’re having a council meeting in a half an hour.”
Tess stayed with Maggie, and another healer brought her clothes and some personal items. Laura and I headed to the council room to wait for the meeting.
I knew one thing for damned certain sure: Pestone deserved payback for what he’d done. Maybe he didn’t deserve to die, not like Cantor and Escobar, but all three were going to reckon with me someday.
-o-o-o-
HALF OF THE BENCHES in the room were already full. Diana walked up to me and said in a private voice, “I think I’ll make the sorcerer you just beat take care of Maggie.”
I sighed. “My victory doesn’t seem so fantastic anymore.”
She tapped me on the forehead with her index finger. “Toughen up. There’s no time for pity. You seem to have the luck of the Irish, and we need all that luck now.”
Once again, I remembered the morning my family had been slaughtered, most of them laid out dead on the grass. The sooner I got stronger, the sooner I could go after the Morgan County sheriff.
I rubbed my churning stomach with one hand. Everything was changing so quickly. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“You certainly will.” Diana moved on to speak with someone else.
Tess arrived and sat on Laura’s free side. Katie and Crystal arrived, both wearing black, and Diana hurried over to talk with them in hushed tones. Katie’s cheeks were stained with tears, just like almost everyone else’s in the gallery. Maggie had obviously been well-loved.
Laura put an arm around me, and her gesture seemed to open her heart to me. “How could this have happened?” she groaned. “Maggie was so strong and smart and experienced. Although we wanted her to come here, I had no idea Pestone would be able to beat her. She could’ve been killed.”
I tried to speak in a steady voice. “We’ll figure this out together.”
She shuddered. “I don’t know how much more stress I can take.”
I nodded. “I know. We’ll be looking over our shoulders all the time now in public.”
Laura and I sat there holding hands without saying anything more.
Diana and the other council members sat in their seats behind the long bench, and Diana slammed her gavel down. “This meeting of the Brigid Community Council will come to order.”
The whispers in the gallery stopped, and Diana recounted what she knew about the attack. Then she said, “For the time being, stay out of town. We have never faced a greater threat from an individual sorcerer. When you do leave the ranch, you must be part of a group that includes either me, Tess, or Ian.”
The reference to me caught me by surprise. I hadn’t thought myself powerful enough yet to actually defend them from most sorcerers. I said a prayer to all the gods, asking each for the strength I’d need to meet Diana’s expectations.
“Any questions?” she asked.
No one replied, and I realized that was probably because the clan members had been through this drill before. It was only new for me.
Diana pounded her gavel to end the meeting, and most guild members drifted away, murmuring to each other. The three council members approached me.
Diana said, “You three, come to my office.”
We nodded.
In the hallway, Katie fell back a little. “Congratulations on your latest victory. I was tied up earlier, or I would’ve said something before.”
Crystal turned her head. “I thanked him already. Did you notice his face?”
“Exquisite work, my princess,” Katie said to Crystal. “As always.”
Diana led us into her office, closed the door, and motioned for us to sit on a large leather sofa that filled one corner of the room. The coffee table in front of it was decorated with two items. The first was a lovely marble statue of a young boy holding a lyre. The second was a framed photo of a gorgeous young brunette who looked a lot like Diana. The woman had to be the boss’s daughter.
Diana handed me a photo of a stocky man about forty. His face was round and tanned, and his hair was black. Italian? Hispanic?
“That’s Pestone,” Diana said. “If you spot him, run. Of course, I’ll want to know, but get away first—unless you look forward to living the rest of your life as a slave.”
“Am I allowed to leave the ranch?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’d like you to find other sorcerers and defeat them. Pestone is the main threat, but you seem to have a knack for fighting. To further improve your skills, we’ll begin enhanced lessons immediately.”
Diana looked at the others, giving them a chance to comment, but no one did. “Everyone, carry a cellphone with you everywhere. If you come across Pestone and can’t reach me, call Tess.” She handed me a list. “Add these numbers to your contacts.”
I did.
“I’ve spoken to my fellow council members,” she went on, “and we’ve agreed that Ian needs an additional mentor. We’ve decided that I’ll make time in my ridiculously busy schedule to help him train as a warrior.”
I wasn’t sure about working directly with her. She was so damned abrasive, and I had my own stubborn side. We were bound to clash. But she wasn’t asking for my consent, so I thought about what Grandpa had told me about the importance of learning, and I nodded.
“Ian, this is a tremendous honor,” Tess said with a straight face, so I tended to believe her. She wasn’t the type to brownnose the boss, and she knew how I felt about our Grand Poohbah.
To my surprise, Katie smiled at me. “You’re gifted in fighting, Ian. The fact is, in your first fight, you went from being distracted by a life-threatening accident to vanquishing a battle-hardened sorcerer in a blink of an eye. I was very impressed.”
Crystal rolled her eyes. “Winning the first fight was luck. The guy was drunk. Ian’s
second battle, however, showed his determination to win against a vicious criminal. That impressed me.”
But I was still stuck on becoming Diana’s disciple. “Why two mentors?”
Diana took my hand. “There’s something quite bizarre about your magical talents. I first thought you’d inherited Eilwen O’Rourke’s Erbater powers. I’m not sure anymore. Your healing ability exists for animals but is otherwise unremarkable. Your real gift comes from an entirely different source—tribal magic. Samuel will do what he can to train you in that discipline. Tess will continue to develop your physical fighting ability, and I will focus on Celtic magic.”
“Why does the source matter?” I asked.
“You need someone who understands each tradition to help you develop that part of your power,” Crystal said.
I nodded. “What do I need to do?”
Diana said, “I’ll develop a training regime shortly.”
Then she stood and ushered us out of her office.
Laura rubbed my back as we walked to her apartment. As usual, her touch comforted me.
The pastures surrounding us were still green, but the breeze contained a chill. Fall was definitely approaching.
The real question is, will I make it to winter?
Chapter 15
Thursday, September 12th
THE NEXT MORNING, I woke up feeling uneasy. I would’ve much rather stuck with Tess as my sole mentor, but that wasn’t possible. That decision, like so many others here, had been taken out of my hands.
After a shower and breakfast, I rode Hercules. On the plus side, when I closed my eyes to see through his, my vision was much clearer than before. I also felt his emotions as vividly as my own. My Celtic powers were also improving, but apparently not quickly enough to suit our high priestess.
After my ride, I received a text from Diana. Come to my office.
When I arrived, she was sitting behind her huge desk, talking on the phone. The beautiful woman I’d seen in the picture frame the day before was already sitting in a chair in front of Diana’s desk; Diana pointed at the other chair and gestured for me to sit down.
The woman from the picture extended her hand and whispered, “Viola Murray, Diana’s daughter. I understand you’re the new fighter. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”
I shook her hand, which was as strong as her mother’s. I was trying to think of something polite to say when Diana yelled into the phone, “Do that again, and I’ll bend you over my desk and shove my staff up your back passage!”
Viola gave me a broken smile. There were definite downsides to having a mom who was so domineering.
Diana paused for a moment and then said, “Be sure you don’t.” She slammed down the phone and blew out a deep breath. “The district attorney was actually considering honoring Oklahoma’s warrant for your arrest for witchcraft.”
Suddenly, I felt a lot better about her kicking his ass. “Thanks so much for taking a firm stand.”
Diana jumped up and strode around her desk to hug Viola. “I’m so sorry I had to miss your gallery opening. The next time I’m in Florence, I’ll be sure to stop by. And thanks for coming on short notice!”
Viola beamed. “Anything for my favorite mom. By the way, I’ve got news—already sold three paintings and that marble sculpture of the swan. Plus, a gallery in Lyon wants to display several of my paintings.”
Diana hugged her daughter tightly and then kissed her cheek. “You’re so talented. I’m sorry you can only stay for a few days, but I understand. You have to seize the moment—paint and sculpt as quickly as you can to build on your amazing success.”
Her daughter nodded.
“And while you’re here,” Diana said with a glance at me, “I wanted to be sure you met the newest member of our community. He’s been here a week, and he’s already defeated three sorcerers.”
Viola smiled at me. “Very impressive.”
We chatted, just getting to know each other, and then Diana had to take an emergency call.
I still had no idea why she had wanted me to meet her talented daughter, but Viola seemed much easier-going than her mom. Viola and I parted with a vague agreement that we should get together for lunch while she was here.
-o-o-o-
I ATE LUNCH WITH Laura and a group of the kids, and then I spent two hours with Tess in the afternoon learning more about fighting. We worked on bare-knuckled boxing and fighting with a staff. I was pleased to discover that my custom-made weapon seemed to move effortlessly through the air.
After dinner, I trooped over to our high priestess’s royal chamber for my first magic lesson with her. At her request, I brought the chunk of rock from Carter Pass. As she opened her door, she pointed at it and motioned for me to hand it over.
Her hands sank under its weight. “Ah…heavy. So, this is your inspiration? Let me study it.”
She grabbed a dishtowel from her kitchen and spread it over her antique coffee table. Then she put the rock on the towel and sat down on a beige sofa next to it. She rubbed the rock’s coarse surface with her hands and bent forward to smell it.
“It’s cold, dense, and hard,” said Diana. “I can see why Tess wanted you to visit Carter Pass. This will be an excellent reminder of how you felt that day at the top of the world.”
I sat next to her. “I haven’t washed it off. I want to remember where it came from, and the odor helps trigger my memory. Here’s a photo of the wall. You can get an idea of how impressive it is in real life.”
I showed her the picture on my phone, and she stared at it. “Wonderful. Tess is an inspired teacher. A shield this solid would stop anything.” Without missing a beat, she said, “Give your rock a good rub and show me your ward.”
I’d been dreading this moment since I first heard I’d be training with her. How could I be expected to conjure spells before such an intimidating witch? All the idle chatter about my supposed talent was going to get blown to smithereens.
Diana slipped her cold, rough hand under the back of my shirt and spread her fingers out over my bare skin.
I flinched at the jolt of energy I received, and a queasy feeling filled my stomach. I had to hold back a groan. “Next time, warn me, please.”
Diana’s hand remained firmly jammed against my back, and the current continued to flow into me. “Don’t be childish. Soon, you’ll know me better than you knew your own mother. We need a solid emotional connection for me to understand you.”
I remembered her wanting to share a bed, and that made my stomach roil. I’d thought that was a one-time nightmare. Maybe not, even though I was sleeping with Laura? Diana wouldn’t worry about hurting anyone else’s feelings.
She pulled me out of my thoughts. “Show me your ward, now. I’ve little time to waste.”
“Sorry.” I rubbed the limestone and calmed my mind as much as I could. It didn’t help that her ice-cold hand remained glued to the small of my back.
I connected to my magical kernel and focused my mind on the stone wall near Carter Pass. As I imagined that wall surrounding me, my ward formed around me and Diana. It seemed like we were isolated from the rest of the world.
“Good,” Diana said. “Concentrate on the feeling of safety this wall creates. I expect you to conjure this spell the next time without the rock. It’s only a totem.”
I let out a deep breath, and my shield vanished.
“Listen,” I said. “You should know I won’t be as quick as some to learn to fight. I’m a very peaceful person, and my parents were, too.”
She blinked at me, unmoved. “We know how that worked out, don’t we? I’ve devised a training program to enhance your Celtic magical powers. Your grandfather and I expect you to hone your skills immediately. No excuses.”
Such a nasty person.
At her request, I created my ward twice more with her trying to distract me by digging her sharp nails into my back. And my stunning spell was a total bust.
“We
ll,” Diana said, “Tess has taught you a great deal over the last week. Still, I can see a number of glaring weaknesses we need to work on immediately.”
I was impressed by how she’d managed to praise Tess and insult me at the same time—a real double whammy to keep me off-balance.
I waited for her next blast.
“Before we get too far along,” she said, “I have an animal I thought you might be able to help. You claim that to be your strong suit.”
Any time I could work with animals, I would. “Yep.”
Diana left the living room and soon returned with a kitten in a box. “The cat belongs to Herman. It’s one of his barn cats. Its leg was bitten by some animal, maybe a sibling, and now the wound is infected. See what you can do for it.”
Diana gave me the limping male kitten, and then she slipped her hand under the back of my shirt again. At least this time, it didn’t shock the hell out of me, but I could sense her skepticism. The woman was as soothing as a rattlesnake.
I pushed those thoughts aside and stroked the tiny cat to comfort it. The kitten’s soft, silky fur slipped through my fingers. I pressed him against my chest with my left hand and used my right to brush his injured leg with my fingertips. The skin had been torn open at one spot, and blood and pus had oozed out from the open wound.
“Can you get me a few tissues to soak up these secretions?” I asked.
Without breaking our connection, Diana pulled a few tissues out from the box on the end table and handed them to me.
I dabbed the wound to clear away most of the drainage. As soon as I thought about helping the cat, my core was ready, spinning in anticipation.
“Wakonda,” I whispered as I stroked the cat’s leg. “Great Mystery Spirit, please accept me as your instrument to heal this animal.”
At first, the kitten winced and tried to push me away, but after a few seconds, she relaxed. Once again, I saw myself from the outside, through the feline’s eyes. The animal’s pain washed through me, almost breaking my concentration, but then it vanished. When I felt the Great Spirit’s presence, my whole body felt at peace. The scent of catnip filled the room.
Lone Survivor: The Sorcerers' Scourge Series: Book One Page 16
