“If you don’t want to attend, why are you?”
“That’s a damn good question. But it’s never that simple, now is it?”
“Could be, but no. Life is rarely simple,” I say as I move across the log cabin and check on her supply of stacked firewood. It’s near the bottom. I make a mental note to bring some more inside as soon as I get a chance. “Tell me what’s going on and we’ll figure out what needs to be done.”
“First you tell me where you’ve been for the last four or five days. I have a sneaking suspicion you’ve met Liam.”
“I have, and I’ll tell you everything, but only if you promise me you’ll stop me if you need a rest or anything else. I mean it, Vivi,” I say with a stern edge I rarely use. “This story may take some time and your health is much more important than my Irish mishap.”
She half snorts and half guffaws into her Scotch. “Well, since you put it that way, Angel. Of course, my fluid-filled lungs and wretched old body takes precedence over a harrowing tale of fallen angels and Angels of Death. Whatever was I thinking?”
She cocks an eyebrow in a look of derision that makes me laugh. It feels good to relax a little. The last few days I’ve been a ball of nerves, coiled tight and being poked at with a hot knife. Liam’s knife. Seeing Vivi alive, if not totally well, was the first step toward normalcy, but speaking with her is definitely easing some of the strain.
“All right,” I agree. “I’ll tell you mine and then you’re going to tell me yours.”
“I’ll sit here in my chair and close my eyes and rest. I’m not asleep, mind you. I’m listening to the lovely timbre of your voice. Now go on and tell me about your adventure across the water, and all about that bloody Irishman. Then I’ll tell you about the enormous gathering we’re about to host.”
I share my ordeal with Vivi, leaving out very little. Only the parts that are untellable, such as my feelings toward Juliana and the thought of never seeing her again and writing the song. The memories which surfaced while spending time in the cave also go unvoiced. Of my mother teaching me to play the organ and how it sparked my passion for music.
Vivi listens with a good ear and doesn’t interrupt. I finish by telling her I have yet to search for her daughter because I came immediately back here after my time as a captive.
“You haven’t seen your woman?” she asks.
“I have not. Your situation is my first priority.”
“Pish-posh,” she says as she bats her hand in the air like she’s swatting away some nonsense. “You need to leave this sick old witch and be with someone who makes your heart do the tango. Does she do that for you?”
“And more.”
“Well then. What are you still doing here?”
“I’m not leaving you again until I know I’m not immediately needed.”
“You’re not, so go be with her.”
“We made a bargain and I’m not going anywhere until you hold up your end of it.”
Vivi settles back in her chair and appraises me with a cool green glare. “We certainly did, didn’t we? And since I know you won’t get out of my hair until I tell you, here’s the scoop. In about forty-eight hours, every witch in my coven, and many others, friends and some family, will be showing up here for web weaving and Lammas. That’s the harvest festival, in case you were unsure.”
“Thank you for clarifying. I’m not familiar with Lammas,” I say.
“There’s a hell of a lot more going on here at the ranch, which is why I was willing to check out early.” She pauses to look out the window. “I’m just not up for a festival, Nathaniel.”
She says it like it’s a confession and it makes me look at her closer. She’s tired. Her voice is strong, but there is a weakness about her. I see it in the droop of her shoulders, the lines of strain on her face, and her waxen color. Anyone can see she isn’t radiating with good health.
“Can you cancel?”
“I probably could, but half of these people are already on the way or live off the grid, and it wouldn’t make much difference. They’ll be here anyway.”
“Do you want to close up the house and pretend you’re not home?”
Vivi smirks and I think I even see a little twinkle in her eye.
“Don’t think I haven’t thought of it. You’re forgetting these are seers and adepts. They’ll know I’m inside and they’re likely to cast a spell on me if I don’t show my face at my own celebration. If I were dead and gone, the new high priestess would be called and I wouldn’t have to do anything but dance in the Summerland.”
She finishes the last of the golden liquid and sighs. “Since you’re hell-bent on delaying me, I suppose I have to prepare for the rituals.”
“Your guests don’t know how sick you are, do they?”
“Many know I’m sick, but they don’t pry. We respect each other’s privacy well enough. The coven is choosing my replacement and we will be initiating our new members. There will be a two day festival, a great feast and skyclad dancing under the Aquarius Moon. Honestly, I’d like to go sit at the bottom of a lake and ignore the whole blasted thing.”
“The lake is your choice. But know this, I’m more than willing to do whatever is needed. Even if it means barring the door, or hosting fifty witches and wizards.”
She stares across the room at the huge picture windows, lips pursed, and eyes distant.
“Vivian, this may be your last chance to see some of these people, and for them to see you,” I say as kindly as I can.
After a long pause she nods. “I know it. And that’s why we’re going to make it memorable.”
The preparations for the coven meeting and gathering keep me bustling around Vivi’s ranch, but I enjoy it. Vivi teases me about being her errand boy and man slave, but there is an honest feeling to real physical labor and not just lingering about and talking to souls who have recently passed.
Hours later, I wanted to thank her before she went to sleep for the night, but I didn’t. Instead, I told her I was going to back to Ireland to see about Eileen. But first, I have to find Juliana.
∞
Juliana is inside her house and there’s nothing I can do to get to her. Her car is parked in the driveway. All the lights of the house are off and it’s the middle of the night. No matter what I try, I’m stuck at the end of her driveway, or far behind her house in the forest on the other side of the fence. With four spirit fires burning on the corners of her property, I have a sneaking suspicion Chris Abeyta is involved in the preternatural inaccessibility around the Crowson household. Unease hovers around me. Something is going on and I don’t know what it is and I don’t like it either.
Movement catches my attention and I see Marcus approaching me from out of the darkness. I split. I don’t need another confrontation with my mentor. My laundry list of errands doesn’t include fist fighting or arguing with Marcus. And to make matters worse, Harmony is with him. I leave before they can tell me to put some distance between me and Jared.
In retrospect, I should have asked him about the force field surrounding Juliana’s house. Marcus would know what happened with Jules and her brother while I was away. Then again, chances are pretty good he was only coming over to try his hand at knocking some sense into me.
∞
Northern Ireland at the break of day is extraordinary. At least on this morning. Since I’m going to make an attempt at playing a human, I have to abide by the social standards of everyday life. And being what they are, it’s too early to go knocking on Eileen Bell’s door.
I wait nearby at the shoreline, trying to be patient. As I watch the sun rise and glisten upon the hills, I hear the birds cry, call, and sing like it’s a mad competition to see who is the most raucous. I dream of having Juliana by my side. Of walking with her along the hills above the sea and watching her excitement over every colorful flower. I would give everything I have to be with her here…or anywhere.
Unfortunately, the morning break allows me to ponder my gross error in judgm
ent. I still have to find Liam, with all his wizarding tricks and keep my word. But Liam will wait. I won’t disappoint Vivi. Her life stands before my own. If there is anything I can do for her, it will be done before I finish with Liam.
I find a long beach and take a walk. The ocean sighs in and out against the shore like the steady breath of the Earth. I watch fishing boats trawl until they disappear over the horizon. When the first few people begin to share the beach with me I concentrate on the name, Eileen Rose Bell, daughter of Vivian Costa. And just like that, I begin moving through space toward my destination.
Plots of green earth divided by stacked stone walls or endless leafy hedges divide the land into neat rectangles in every direction. Eileen’s home is walled off from the pencil thin road by a tall flowering hedge. The gate to the drive is open allowing me to see the house without difficulty. The two-story white farmhouse has three chimneys and enough character to be thought of as picturesque. The hill with the ancient temple ruins, where Liam’s bunker is located, rises up behind Eileen’s home. Which means, if I have my inner compass in check, Liam’s house is down the lane and around the bend on the other side of the hill. And, if I am going to keep making assumptions, Liam may be inside this house right this moment. Call it an intuitive feeling, but the wicked man has an unmistakable aura. This detail means inquisitive little Kevan and his sister, Becky, are Eileen’s children. Vivi has no idea Liam is involved in Eileen’s life. Vivi said she wanted clean ties and that by cursing her ex-husband she was putting her baby’s life at risk. So why did Liam stay involved for all these years and never tell Vivi anything? I’m not going to get any questions answered by standing in the road.
Going up to a stranger’s door and introducing myself as a representative of Vivian Costa’s estate is a sure-fire way to let Eileen Rose Bell know her mother is still alive. The truth is sometimes hard, but being tangled in lies and deception is always worse in the long run. Case in point. It’s been over thirty years since James and Vivi started this and now here I am attempting to right the wrongs. As they say, better late than never.
Except, once again, I’m blocked from passing through the gate. The air shifts and begins to irritate me reminding me distinctly of Liam. I grit my teeth with frustration. Is it that easy to block spirits from entering? It happened at Liam’s, at Juliana’s, and now here. I didn’t think so, but I’m unable to pass. I scrub my fingers over my scalp and rethink my plans. As I begin to pace in front of the hedge I hear a car’s engine start. Quickly, I form my physical body and walk over to the gate at the bottom of the driveway. I want to look like a professional so I manifest a button down shirt, tie, and slacks.
A small blue sedan is coming my way. The driver sees me and I raise a hand in a beckoning wave and smile. I know it’s Eileen before she even stops the car. She has the look of her mother in every way except the eye color. The eye shape though is exactly the same with those angular eyebrows and distinct cheekbones.
She lowers the window. “Are ye lost then?” she asks with raised brows and a look at my clothes.
Her casualness makes my smile come naturally instead of feeling forced.
“No, ma’am. Are you Eileen Bell?”
“Mam, Mam, Mammy. That’s the—”
“Hush, Kevan, Ye’re being impolite,” Eileen says to the boy in the back seat.
I hear the boy’s excitement and I cringe inwardly about what may come out of Kevan’s mouth next.
“But, that’s the—” he tries again.
“Enough! Shush yer mouth or ye’re staying home,” she says and turns to me with an apologetic look. “Excuse me boy. Can I assist ye in some way?”
Kevan’s words rush out of him in a mumbled tangle. “That’s the fairy Uncle Liam caught in the cave! Don’t speak to him, Mam.”
A look of horror crosses Eileen’s face as she whips around in her seat to reprimand her son for interrupting. I see the look, but I have no way of knowing if it’s because she’s embarrassed by her kid, or because she believes him. Possibly both. She gives another warning, hissing at him to remain silent. When she turns back around in her seat, I can see she’s more wary of my presence. Her eyes are guarded and her mouth is tight.
“I am acquainted with Liam. Your son speaks the truth in that, but I assure you, I’m not a fairy.”
“That’s what he said to me, too,” the boy’s voice drifts out the open window.
She shoots him a warning look, then refocuses on me.
She lifts her chin slightly and says, “My Uncle Liam is inside the house this second. Would he vouch for ye?”
“My name is Nathaniel and yes, Liam may have something to say about me,” I say and take a step back. I don’t want to scare her off before telling her about Vivi.
“That’s not what I’m askin’ and I don’t appreciate yer vague answer either.” She reaches for the gear shift knob and looks ready to pull out.
I respond quickly before she drives away. “I apologize, Ms. Bell. Let me get to the point. I’m representing Vivian Costa.”
I hear the engine shift out of park.
“Now ye speak of ghosts. Please leave me home and don’t come back,” she says as the car turns into the lane.
“Your mother is alive. I wanted you to know before she dies.”
I watch the window roll up as she drives away. After the car is well out of site, I release my body and return to my spirit form. I’m not about to give up yet. I estimate I have a few more hours until morning in Colorado so I find a spot under a tree, keeping Eileen’s house within sight, and wait. It doesn’t take long before the blue car returns.
Unable to walk onto the property, I wait by the gate and only show myself when she and Kevan step out of the car.
“Ms. Bell?”
She wraps an arm tight around the boy and bends down to whisper something into his ear. He listens, takes the small package from her hand, and runs into the house.
She turns to me, hands clutched tightly to her purse. “Are ye able to enter through me gate?”
“No, ma’am,” I say.
“Well then, ye’re not welcome here, spirit.”
“You’re not misled, Eileen, but I bring nothing but pure intentions. Even if I am what you suspect, would you still pass up a chance to know your mom is alive?”
“Me mam was an instrument of the devil and she died for her sins.”
“You have a right to believe what you want, but I strongly suspect whoever told you that about Vivian was not giving you the complete story.”
Eileen squares her shoulders.
I continue. “It was my idea to contact you, not hers. She wants no harm to ever come your way. I can leave your mother’s information and you can decide if you would like to speak to her or not.”
Eileen’s eyes shift from somewhere around my kneecaps and she glances up for the briefest of seconds before looking away again. It was long enough for me to see her determination and also the slight crack forming in some emotional barrier.
She says, “I will not invite ye in, spirit.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“I need to go in. My daughter needs me now.” She starts for the house.
“If you have a pen and some paper?”
“I can’t trust ye aren’t bringin’ ill wishes to me family.”
She’s about to bolt.
“Vivian Costa is dying of cancer. She lives on her ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Your father, James Bell, turned her out when she discovered she had magical abilities.”
I see Eileen cover her ears with her hands as she walks around the side of her car and is headed around the back of the house.
“Ask Liam,” I call out. “He knows the whole story.”
She disappears and I hear a door open and close with a bang. I stand rooted to the ground wishing that had gone better. As I’m about to leave Ireland and return to Colorado, I see little Kevan coming around the front of the house, ducking beneath the window sills, and looking lik
e a boy who fears the wrath of his mother, but just can’t help himself.
He dashes down the driveway and stops just at the invisible line where I cannot pass.
“Here,” he says as he haphazardly throws something my way. “I heard ye askin’ for something to draw with.”
A pencil goes sailing by my head while a sheet of paper does a sort of half flip and lands a foot in front of the panting boy.
“I’m no’ allowed to ask ye inside the fence. Mam will surely kill me if I do.”
“You shouldn’t be out here if it isn’t okay with your mother.”
“Ye can’t hurt me as long as I stay on me side of the gate. Uncle Liam knows how to keep us safe from the fairies. He told me so.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I say somewhat amused by this cheeky little guy. “I could use that sheet of paper. Then you should hustle back inside before they notice you’re out here.”
“Oh,” he says and looks down at the paper. “I’m definitely no’ allowed to touch a fairy.”
“Fold it up and throw it over to me.”
His eyes widen like this is a brilliant suggestion. I retrieve the pencil and paper and jot down Vivi’s address and phone number.
Kevan fidgets and squirms restlessly while I write.
“Is your sister feeling better?” I ask.
“Yes. Uncle Liam knows just what to do for her asthma every time it gets bad.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I say.
There’s a brief moment of silence and he says, “Who’s Vivi?”
“I think that’s a good question for your mom,” I say.
“Is she my granny? Does she really practice magic?”
I finish writing and try to put off answering the boy’s questions. I’m already on Eileen’s list of suspicious characters. I don’t want to make it worse by telling the boy things she may not want him to know. I refold the paper and as I’m about to toss it back to Kevan I hear a grumbling deep voice calling for the boy.
Haunting Me (An Angel Falls Book 3) Page 22
