by Lee Roland
Etienne stood by one building, waiting. “Leave her here,” he ordered Darrow.
Darrow stared at him for a moment, then glanced down at me.
I kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t worry, buddy. I promise I won’t hurt him too bad. And if I do, I’ll wait until after he signs the checks on payday.”
Darrow flashed a quick grin at Etienne. Then he laughed. Darrow knew my ability to defend myself. Immune to magic? I could still take him on. I’d bet his immunity wouldn’t work if I picked up another rock and lobbed it at his head. The back of his head. If he saw it coming, he might shoot me first. I have little pride if I’m fighting for my life—or my freedom. Life and real bullets coming my way had taught me to fight dirty.
Etienne led me inside the building and into a simply furnished office. Desk, chairs, couple of filing cabinets, the place looked and smelled like it was rarely used.
Etienne didn’t relax. His face remained grim and his voice deep and angry. “You can’t just go wandering around in the Barrows.”
I raised my chin and gave him my sweetest smile. “Yes, Daddy. I’ve been a really bad girl.”
“Darrow tells me the word dangerous doesn’t mean anything to you. He says you don’t know how to be afraid.” His expression softened a bit. Trying to make friends? I doubted it.
“Danger is subjective.” I wandered over to a small window, attempting to do a better job of spotting where I was and how I could get back to River Street. “I told you, I’m looking for my sister. I will find her.” The view from the window was another warehouse.
“I don’t have time to babysit a witch.”
Oh, we were back to restrain the witch again.
“Babysit! Arrogant ass. You think you rescued me, don’t you? I had the situation under control.”
Etienne stood with his arms crossed, glaring at me. Yes, he was attractive. Could I possibly use him? I suppose I could seduce him. I wondered . . .
I moved closer to him. With my arms at my sides, I tried to look as harmless as possible. I drew a deep breath, drawing the clean scent of masculinity, brushed with a hint of citrus.
He stepped back. Stepped away from me fast. For a brief moment I saw something in his eyes that shocked me. Fear.
“Keep your distance, witch.” His hand went to the hilt of his gun.
This was not the reaction I expected. I knew I was desirable on a level that appealed to strong men like him. What was wrong with him?
“Sure.” I smiled what I hoped was a wicked smile. It did, however, surprise me to find myself a little disappointed. “I’ll just be on my way. How far is it to River Street?”
“No. You’ll either leave the Barrows or you’ll stay here. I can’t have a rogue witch wandering around.”
This little piss-off would not end well. “You think you can hold me?”
He studied me long enough I actually became self-conscious. I even flinched when the AC unit stuck in a window kicked on. Finally he said, “Maybe we can come to an agreement.”
“Such as . . .”
“You leave Laudine’s. Stay here in this compound. You have one friend here, with me. I’ll have everyone start looking for your sister. You have a picture, don’t you?”
“I have a picture. I don’t want or need your help.” This offer was unexpected and definitely unwelcome. No way would I allow a man who so obviously hated witches to take over my search. I edged toward the door. I didn’t want to fight, but I would if I had to, especially now that Darrow had gone. He wouldn’t get in the way.
I agreed that I could use help. I wasn’t likely to find Marisol wandering aimlessly through this place, trusting luck to bless me with her location. I just didn’t want his help. “I need to see Abigail, too. You know where she lives?”
“Abigail. She’s . . .”
He stopped and I held out a hand and gave a Come on, spill it gesture. What a confusing man. Yes, all men are confusing, but his mixed signals and body language added to his complexity. His face suddenly relaxed. Obviously, he’d decided on a plan to deal with me. “I’ll take you to Abigail.”
Again, he’d surprised me. I could live with that one, though. Live with extreme caution. In minutes we were in an SUV and on our way out of the Barrows. The sun had dropped behind a black bank of clouds in the west, clouds that promised rain before midnight. Etienne didn’t speak, but occasionally glanced over at me.
I watched him as we drove north through that invisible barrier, the Earth Mother’s ward. He didn’t flinch or give any other indication that it existed. I didn’t know a way to test his immunity to magic other than to touch him with magic. I had no reason to do that. I’d been taught that magic used out of curiosity was considered offensive, if not illegal.
It was almost dark when we reached our destination. Abigail’s house, a painted white wood frame structure with porches much like my grandmother’s, seemed a safe and pleasant place. A multihued carpet of flowers spread across the front yard, and substantial trees clumped in a thick forest behind the house.
The flowers remained perky in the last rays of sunlight, but inky blackness spread under those trees, which seemed more like an ancient, primeval forest. A fortress of a forest where man’s axes had never been allowed to kill or maim bark or trunk. The house sat lower to the ground than Gran’s. Abigail probably didn’t have to deal with floods, alligators, snakes, and other things that stalked or slid through the darkest swampy night.
The woman who walked around the house from the backyard to greet us looked like the picture-perfect grandmother. When she came closer, though, I could see that her hair was truly silver, not gray called silver to take away the sting of age. She wasn’t large, but she was solid. Her head came up to my shoulder and her face looked as smooth as a young girl’s. I’d heard of her, of course, but never met her. This was Abigail. As far as I knew, she’d been the Earth Mother’s High Witch, High Priestess, long before I was born.
“Nyx, welcome to my home.” Abigail held out a welcoming hand. I accepted it. The sudden surge of earth magic rolling through her staggered me. My knees almost gave way before I locked them in place. Seeing my distress, she quickly shielded me from her power.
“Oh, I beg your pardon,” she said softly. “I sometimes forget how my aura affects young witches. I came to see you early this morning, but your familiar wouldn’t let me near.”
“Herschel is a bit protective. Sorry. I’ll talk to him.” Not that it would do any good. Herschel did what he wanted to do and ignored me.
Abigail blasted Etienne with a warm, welcoming smile I doubted he could possibly deserve. “Etienne, it’s been a while. You better come in before anyone notices you.”
Now, that was interesting. Having recovered from meeting the High Witch, I stepped beside him. “You don’t want to be seen?”
Etienne shrugged. “Who is Herschel?”
“My dog. My familiar. You saw him.”
“You mean that ugly mutt at Laudine’s?”
“Hey. He may be ugly, but he has a sensitive soul. If you want to keep all your limbs intact, I suggest you not call him names.” He hadn’t asked me what a familiar was, so I figured he knew.
Abigail’s kitchen was fantastic, a farmhouse room that smelled of fresh-baked bread and other delicious edibles. Like Gran, she had pots of herbs in the windows. Best of all, her table was set for three.
“Sit down, please,” she said. “All conversations are more pleasant over food.”
Etienne appeared a bit uncomfortable, but he did sit. Abigail placed a large tureen of soup on a trivet in the middle of the table, and a plate of sliced homemade bread by it. Big chunks of vegetables in broth swam in the soup. There was butter and jam, too. Yum.
When a witch offers you a meal for no explicit reason, it is considered an offering of peace and friendship, to be accepted without question. As soon as Abigail asked a blessing from the Great Master of the Universe and the Earth Mother, I dug in. The thrown-together meal I’d received at Laud
ine’s that morning was long gone.
Etienne stared at the food for a minute. Then he ate.
“Thank you for trusting me, Etienne,” Abigail said.
Etienne nodded.
Abigail smiled. “Nyx, I’m told you don’t follow the traditional path of service to the Earth Mother. I hear nothing unseemly about you, though.”
I almost choked on a piece of bread. “You probably weren’t listening. Been out of the country for a few years.”
“And you live in California now.”
I nodded, but I wondered how she came about that little piece of information. I didn’t want to talk about me, so I changed the subject. “You thanked Etienne for trusting you. Why shouldn’t he?”
Abigail hesitated, then said, “The question is, why should he? You are not the first witch to cross his path, Nyx. Not all witches are as benign as you.”
“Benign? Her?” Etienne sounded shocked.
Abigail gave him a beaming smile. “Don’t be facetious, Etienne. There is nothing wrong with a good defense. A soldier like you should know that. I’m told Nyx excels in defense. She defended herself, Laudine, and Laudine’s property.” She frowned. “Though not against you, I’m told.”
Abigail continued speaking directly to him. “I can see how her power would concern you, though. Do you think she harbors some malicious intent towards you? Why would that be?”
I didn’t laugh. It took strength to remain solemn and steady. Malicious intent toward Etienne? He’d made me a semi-prisoner. The fact that I knew I could escape that prison made no difference. He’d used his men to contain me and used Darrow to suppress my anger.
Etienne glanced at me. He didn’t answer Abigail’s question. “I remember once I was chasing some thieves in Nigeria. I remember a bridge that collapsed under my truck. The wooden supports had been almost completely burned through—underwater.”
I stuck out my chin to show how little I cared. “Or maybe you were the thief chasing a perfectly legitimate convoy. Defense depends on who’s the pursuer and who’s the pursued.”
Abigail laughed, a warm and mellowing sound that tinkled like little bells. The tension left the room and we finished a nice meal in peace. And wonder of wonders, she presented us with coffee and cake for desert. Then it was back to business.
“Did Laudine tell you why I’m here?” I asked Abigail.
“No. Only that you were the daughter of a friend. Laudine was once a competent witch. She was, and still is, kind when those who sought her needed her help. Something changed a couple of years ago. She’s become deeply disturbed. She isn’t one to confide in me. I am not a tyrant, so I accept her decision.”
“Etienne is trying to drive Laudine out of the Barrows. If I were her, I’d fight, too.”
“I agree. That situation is very complicated and unfortunately, I cannot interfere at this time. But I don’t think that’s why you came here. How may I help you?”
“Information about the Barrows would be nice. Etienne isn’t a talkative man. Laudine tells me things, but I’m not sure she’s reliable. You’ve been here a while.” I hadn’t said anything about Marisol, and thought maybe I should keep it to myself for a while. Etienne could tell her, but as usual, he didn’t seem inclined to talk.
Abigail leaned back and smiled, seeming willing to give me a lesson. “I should explain one thing first. Something incredibly important to your safety here. There is a singular and dangerous place, a spot in the Barrows that allows travel between worlds under certain circumstances. Locals call it the Zombie Zone. Circumstances in that place are often dictated by our moon—or its absence in the sky. There are other considerations.
“The Earth Mother has placed her ward around the Barrows to protect the rest of the world from things that have happened, and continue to happen, here. Almost all major events in the Barrows are directly or often indirectly connected to the Zombie Zone.”
“I felt the ward around the Barrows.” I sipped my coffee. A door between worlds. How interesting. Like most adults, I now wished I’d at least paid attention to the lectures in school, even if I didn’t do the homework.
Abigail nodded. “Now a bit of history. About seventy years ago, the Barrows was a thriving community. There was an earthquake and infrastructure collapse. The Mother placed a spell over the ruins to keep the average person from seeing it, or if they did see, they soon forgot. That’s why it hasn’t been redeveloped in all this time.
“About fifty years ago, a . . . being . . . established an incorporeal presence in the Barrows. That’s the only way to describe it. It was a powerful presence and it corrupted men to do its bidding. For many years, it was simply referred to as the Darkness.
“Six years ago, through a rather complicated plot, the Darkness was brought physically into this world. It was the Earth Mother’s plan. He lost significant power over the Barrows, and men in general, during that event. He is called Aiakós. The ward that contained him in his incorporeal form then physically contains him today. The Barrows is his prison. The Earth Mother’s ward is the protection for the Zombie, but it is also his cage.”
Now we were getting down to some information. Even Etienne seemed interested. He leaned forward, eyes wide. “He was more powerful? Before he came here?”
“Oh, yes. He had a wide sphere of influence. He could whisper in men’s minds and they would obey. Now he must speak to them one-on-one to charm them, get them to do his bidding.”
“Laudine calls him a demon.” I watched her carefully. She showed no surprise.
Abigail nodded. “And so have many others. Though, he is not a supernatural being. I will tell you, I think it was a mistake for the Mother to bring him here.”
“Laudine says you protect him. The demon.”
“Not I.” Abigail gracefully shook her head. “It is Etienne who has that rather unpleasant duty.”
I glanced at Etienne, but he sat very still, watching us.
Abigail sighed. “Aiakós is virtually invulnerable to all but massive trauma—and witchcraft. For his employer’s safety, Etienne has encouraged all witches to leave the Barrows. Most left easily enough. They simply wanted to be left alone. There were the generous offers of money, too. I don’t know why Laudine clings to the place.”
“What about Michael? He’s Aiakós’s son, I’m told. I met him yesterday.”
Abigail stood and refilled our coffee. “Michael is Aiakós’s son by a witch. He is, and always will be, a bit of a wild card. His loyalty is to Aiakós, at least for now. Though I doubt he or his wife would tolerate any atrocities.”
“And Dervick?”
“Who?” She cocked her head and frowned.
“The guy who says he’s in charge of the Bastinados. He’s a feeble little magical fire starter with a massive inferiority complex. Or at least he appears to be.”
“I know nothing about him. That’s interesting, though. I will look into it. There are so few males that can use earth magic. Regarding the Bastinados, there are two Sisters of Justice in the Barrows who make it a habit to eliminate them virtually on sight. They’ve been known to chase them down an alley in broad daylight. I disapprove of that kind of vigilantism, but they are the Mother’s direct charge, not mine.”
As a witch, I had to place credence in the Earth Mother and her choices. Certainly, in spite of Laudine’s warning, it seemed appropriate to speak honestly to the High Witch.
“Abigail, my sister, Marisol, came to Laudine’s place a few months ago. She’s disappeared. Laudine believes Aiakós has killed her.”
Abigail’s face took on a look of dismay. “I had not heard this. Why did Laudine not come here when it happened?”
“She thinks that you’ve betrayed the witches by protecting the demon.”
Abigail stared at me, tears forming in her eyes. She’d reacted with hurt, not anger. She lifted her cup of tea. Her hands shook slightly. “As I said, I’m not protecting him. I think bringing Aiakós here was a grave mistake. I’ve told the Mother so
. She tells me she has plans. But somehow, in some way I don’t understand, he is drawing more evil to Duivel.”
Etienne abruptly stood. “Plans? The Earth Mother has plans. Like the last one?”
Abigail studied him. “You mean the one that ended in a pitch battle that very nearly destroyed us all. Yes. I am concerned. But I rarely question. I have served her all my life.
“The Earth Mother loves us, Etienne. How frustrating it must be for her to send us into battle in a place where she cannot and will not intervene. I would say it is both a blessing and a curse.”
Etienne clenched his fists. “I’ll go for the curse.” As a very strong man, he might, given certain circumstances, actually challenge the role the Mother had given him.
Chapter 13
Before we left Abigail’s, she gave me a promise that she would search for Marisol with all the resources she had at hand. We climbed in the SUV and headed south.
“What’s this about Dervick and fire?” Etienne asked. “He seems pretty useless to me.”
“He can call and manipulate fire.”
“Can you? Call fire. You burned my man.”
“I burned your idiot. A little burn. Probably didn’t even blister. I told you, I won’t be bullied. But yes, I can create and control fire.” Except when it escaped my clutches and raced off like a runaway horse.
“And this Dervick can do that?” He sounded skeptical. “He’s a . . . witch?”
“No. Technically, guys can’t be witches. But some, a very few of them, can use earth magic. You heard Abigail.”
I agreed with the confusing part. I felt a little sorry for him. “Etienne, earth magic and the people who use it can’t be defined. Some can do things, have powers; others, witches’ children who should have been born with them, can’t do anything at all. You don’t get to place us in little boxes, sorted by our power. It comes and goes at the Earth Mother’s rather erratic will. It’s like all of nature. Underneath seeming chaos is perfect order—even if we don’t see the pattern. Or so I’m told.”
