A man sat on one of the leather sofas, reading a book as he waited, and a woman behind the counter was decked out in black leather bondage gear. A Taser sat on the counter beside her, along with a computer, a phone, and a bowl of after-dinner mints. The walls were painted a soft green, and all in all, except for the pictures and the receptionist’s uniform, it could have been a waiting room for any number of different shops.
The receptionist was frowning, staring over at the corner near the front window. I glanced at the corner and saw the ghost, leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. Oh great, a smartass spirit. I could recognize them just about anywhere by their attitudes. I turned to the receptionist.
“I take it you have a ghost problem?” I was too tired to make small talk.
She nodded. “Yeah. He won’t leave the shop alone, and he’s been bothering us for the past couple years. I’ve asked the owner if I could bring in an exorcist, but he doesn’t want freak out the customers.” She glanced over at the man sitting on the sofa. He wasn’t paying any attention to us, keeping his eyes on his e-reader. I got the feeling he was embarrassed to be seen here and wasn’t about to voluntarily participate in any conversations.
“Do you want me to see if I can take care of him? It’s kind of what I do.” I held out my hand to her and she shook it. “I’m Raven BoneTalker, by the way.”
“I’m Nancy. I’m afraid I’m not authorized to pay you anything.” She paused, then added, “But hey, I’ll give you what I’ve got my pocket if you’ll help. Well, my purse, since I am obviously not wearing any pockets. I just want that spirit out of here. He drives me nuts.”
I set my groceries down on the counter. “Don’t worry about the money. Let me see what I can do.”
I turned back to the spirit, heading in his direction. He straightened up, suddenly aware that I was staring straight at him. I could see the surprise on his face. Oh yeah, I had dealt with his kind before. Some spirits weren’t malicious but had a twisted sense of humor, and they enjoyed aggravating the living. They wouldn’t deliberately hurt anybody, but they did like to play jokes and tricks, and essentially scare people. I wasn’t sure what went into making up their psyches when they were still alive, but I had a feeling a number of them were your typical high school bully types and they never grew out of it.
I let out my breath slowly, then closed my eyes and conjured up my web spell. It wasn’t an actual spider’s web, but it acted like in an etheric net, in which I would be able to catch spirits who weren’t too powerful. I held out my hands, focusing on the energy as I wove the web between them.
Weave the web, weave the spell,
as I now do compel
spirit, spirit, enter the web
as I call and trap the dead.
You cannot run, you cannot hide.
For you are dead and I’m alive.
For you are weak and I am strong
and my web is wide and long.
I trap thee now and you will come
you cannot flee, you cannot run
into my web I now command
as I finish the last strand.
I finished weaving the etheric web and cast the spell as I did so, watching as the ghost suddenly jerked toward me. He was fighting the magic, but he wasn’t very strong, and I could feel the power of Arawn flow through me. The Lord of the Dead was more powerful than just about any other god, and none of the living could ever withstand him. None of the dead could fight against him.
The spirit let out a strangled obscenity, something like fuck you, but he slid into the web as I bound it around him, weaving the strands tightly together so that they covered him entirely.
“Yeah, yeah, tell it to the judge,” I muttered. I could carry him like this until I decided what to do with him, but it would help if I had some sort of container in which to lock his essence. I turned back to the receptionist.
“Hey Nancy, you wouldn’t happen to have some sort of box, or even a bag, would you? A box would be best.”
She was watching with wide eyes. Apparently she could see the spirit and what he was doing. She fumbled around behind the counter and brought out a small trinket box. It was cute, with a ladybug on top, and it was about four inches square. “Will this work? It’s what I keep my rings in, but I can find something else if it won’t.”
I nodded, accepting the box. I took the lid off and then focused on pushing all the energy of my web spell, along with the trapped spirit, into the box. A small gelatinous ooze appeared against the bottom of the box, which told me that I had been successful. I replaced the lid and turned back to her.
“Do you have a rubber band? I don’t want the lid to come off while I’m on the way home.”
She nodded, speechless. She handed me a rubber band and I wrapped it around the box several times.
“Okay, I’ve got him trapped. I’ll take him home and move him onto the Phantom Kingdom. From there, he can make his way across the Veil. I doubt he’ll return, but if he manages to find his way back, just give me a call.” I fumbled in my purse and brought out one of my business cards, handing it to her.
“Thank you, I really appreciate this. Are you sure I can’t pay you something for your business?”
I shook my head. “Consider it pro bono. Although if you ever know anybody looking for tarot readings, my number’s on there. The second number is the number of the shop where I do most of my readings. You can call them and Llewellyn will book you a time, or you can call me.” I winked at her. “Random ghost-busting has actually been good to me in the past in terms of finding clients,” I added with a grin.
She laughed. “No problem. And if you ever want any of our services, or you have a friend who’s into a little latex, just call me and I’ll set them up for a freebie.” She handed me a card for the shop, writing her own number on the back. “Again, thank you. I’ve been dealing with that spirit for the past three years. He loves coming in and disrupting things.”
“Well, I doubt if he’ll do that again. I’ll talk to you later,” I said, waving at the strawberry blonde as I headed out of the shop. The man on the sofa glanced up at me, then went back to his reading, apparently unfazed.
As I crossed the street, dusk was falling and the streeps had begun packing up to go back to their flops. I sat on the stairs leading up to the building, enjoying the warm evening air. A few moments later, Ember and the rest exited the building, chattering loudly. Kipa took the groceries from me as I stood.
“I hope you weren’t waiting out here too long.” He gave me a kiss.
I laughed. “I found something to amuse myself.” I turned to Ember and Viktor. “Can you two come over tomorrow to talk about the secret garden area?”
Ember nodded. “Actually, why don’t you meet us at the office here at eleven? Will that work?”
I nodded. “Sure thing. See you then.”
As we headed toward the parking garage, I was about to tell Kipa what had happened when my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID. Ferosyn. It still boggled me how the gods used cell phones, and how they managed to find some way to call from Annwn. I hadn’t figured out how yet, but someday I was going to sit down and make Herne explain it all to me.
Answering, I held the phone close to my ear. “Raven here.”
“Herne said that you’re interested in talking to one of my therapists. I think that’s a good idea. Can you come over to Annwn tomorrow afternoon? Say around three p.m.?”
“To Cernunnos’s Palace?”
“Yes, that would be best.”
“All right. I’ll see you then. Where should I go?”
“Just show up at the Healing Center. They’ll be waiting for you and they’ll bring you right to me. I’ll leave notice that you’re on the way at the front.”
I said good-bye, then stuffed my phone back in my pocket. “Well, apparently I start therapy tomorrow,” I told Kipa. “I have to go over to Annwn in the afternoon. So I’ll need to go to a portal. I suppose I could use one in TirNaNog,
but those tend to be pointed toward the great Fae cities. I need to call Herne and ask him if I can use one of the portals to his father’s palace.”
“He’s right behind us. Why don’t you run back and ask him now?”
I jogged back to where Herne and Ember were walking together. “Herne, Ferosyn just called. I need to be at your father’s palace tomorrow. Can I use one of the Wild Hunt portals? I’d rather not have to take a roundabout way.” There were other portals around the area besides the ones that Herne had control over, but I trusted his to get me where I needed to go.
“Of course you can. In fact, there’s one near my house. I’ll make arrangements for you to use it tomorrow. What time do you need to be there?”
“Ferosyn wants me there at three, at the Healing Center. I can come over and hang out with Ember and Viktor, discuss the case at eleven, and then go through to Annwn after that.”
“I tell you what, I need to go talk to my mother tomorrow afternoon. I’ll escort you to the palace. And I’m sure Ferosyn will have someone who can escort you back. Will that work?” He gave me a lazy grin that told me he didn’t mind at all.
“Thank you, I appreciate it. Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow morning, around eleven.”
After saying good-bye again to both Ember and Herne, I headed back to where Kipa was waiting in the car. I climbed in his truck, pulling the door shut. As I fastened my seatbelt and leaned back, I wondered what therapy would be like. But then again, it couldn’t be as bad as the flashbacks that I was having. And it couldn’t be as bad as what Pandora had put me through. Or at least, I hoped it wouldn’t.
The next morning, after tending to the ferrets, I carried the box with the spirit into my ritual room. As I settled down in front of the altar, I placed the box in front of Arawn’s statue.
“Blessed Arawn, Lord of the Dead, guide and guard me in my journeys. Blessed Cerridwen, Keeper of the Sacred Cauldron of Rebirth, guard and guide me in my journeys. Teach me to walk in the shadows without fear, for I am the Daughter of Bones, speaker for the dead. Guide me through the Aether as I perform my duties. Strengthen me, swallow my fear, let me walk with confidence and surety. Blessed be the Guardians of the Underworld. So Mote It Be.”
The litany was comforting and I lowered myself into trance. A few moments later, I could feel them standing before me. Or perhaps, my spirit was standing before them. Either way, I reached out and picked up the box, holding it up in front of the altar.
“Lord Arawn, I have here a spirit who has been bothering the living. He belongs in the Phantom Kingdom. Please take him in, guide him through the Veil, show him what he needs to do next.”
I opened the box, and I could feel the psychic web that I had created unraveling as Arawn coaxed the spirit out, gently guiding him into the underworld. A moment later, the man was gone.
“Thank you, Lord Arawn and Lady Cerridwen.”
I paused, realizing it had been a while since I had done anything in front of my altar for my gods. I had been reluctant, not wanting to face them after what Pandora had done to me. It dawned on me that I had been blaming them—punishing both them and myself. I took a deep breath, and thought over what I wanted to say.
“I apologize, and I ask for your forgiveness. I have been neglectful of my duties, and I have been neglectful of acknowledging your presence. I realize that I was angry at you. When I called out for help, neither of you came. But I know that’s not something that you can always do. It’s not something I have the right to expect. And maybe you did show up—maybe you were the guiding force that led Ember to where I was being held. Maybe you worked through her.”
I paused for a moment, then added, “Whatever the case, I apologize for blaming you for what happened. It wasn’t your fault.”
I was crying, I realized. Tears were dripping down my face. Grateful for waterproof mascara and eyeliner, I looked at the skull that sat between Cerridwen and Arawn’s statues. Sometimes working for the gods who watched over death was a heavy mantle to wear. I had been steeped in spirits and ghosts and graveyards and headstones since I was little. I was born a bone witch, and part of it was directly related to my mother being Queen of the Bean Sidhe. My father, too, dealt in meting out death, even though it wasn’t something over which he had control. My entire family was born from the grave.
“You have been with me since the day I was born, haven’t you?”
I wasn’t expecting an answer. But a moment later, the light dimmed in the room and a tall man appeared before me. He filled the room from floor to ceiling, and he appeared to be standing directly through my altar. He was massively built, and his skin was a deep, rich brown. His hair flowed down his shoulders, down to his lower back. He had a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, and he was wearing a black robe studded with silver stars and a silver headdress, a diadem with a crystal skull in the center. The stars on his robe twinkled as he moved and the scents of autumn lingered in the air around him, of harvest leaves and bonfires, of cinnamon and apple cider and caramel.
“My young priestess, I have been with you long before you were born. You do not remember your time with me in the halls of my castle, but trust me, you were with me then, and you will be with me again. For now, know that even though we cannot always step in directly, the Lady Cerridwen and I are always with you, in your heart, and in the depths of your soul. And yes, we did indeed guide Ember to finding you.”
And then, before I could say a word, he reached out and stroked my cheek, his touch as cold as the frozen north, and as desolate as a wasteland. And then he vanished.
I caught my breath. I had heard Arawn and Cerridwen before, talking to me, and they lived always in my heart, but this was the first time I had ever seen the Lord of the Dead in all of his glory. Overcome by the residue of his power, by the touch that still stung my cheek with its icy brilliance, I burst into tears. I rested my head on my arms, leaning on the altar, and cried my eyes out, freeing the pain and fear that I had locked away.
As cold as the God of Death was, he also had a warmth that I couldn’t explain, and a gentleness that belied his strength. I wept as though my life depended on it, and finally, when I was able to catch my breath, I sat up and wiped away my tears. My breath felt freer than it had been in weeks, and I wanted to sleep, possibly for days. But I didn’t have time for a nap, so I kissed the statues of Arawn and Cerridwen and headed out of my ritual room, stopping to wash my face and reapply my makeup before I went to eat breakfast with Kipa.
Ember and Viktor were waiting for me when I arrived at the Wild Hunt. Kipa hadn’t come with me; he had another errand to run for Herne and told me he would see me at home.
Angel motioned for me to go through to Ember’s office, so I followed the hallway back to the end. Viktor was sitting in a chair near Ember’s desk, and I took a seat on the sofa beneath the window that overlooked the alley. Ember had opened the window, but the scent of garbage was starting to seep into the room and apologetically, she closed it as I sat down.
“I’m sorry, I forgot that garbage day isn’t until tomorrow and there’s quite a buildup down there in the dumpsters. Let me turn on a fan.” She switched on a large fan so it would move the air around the room. “I didn’t realize it was going to get so warm today.”
“Yeah, it’s supposed to get up to eighty-one today. I don’t know about you, but I could go for some rain. It’s been warm for several weeks and we need a break. Also, have you noticed how muggy it’s getting? We’re due for a storm.”
As the fan turned my way, the blast of cool air hit me and I shook my hair out. I had chosen a short black skirt that came to mid-thigh, beneath which I was wearing patterned tights that stopped at my ankles, and a fitted purple corset top. It had acrylic bones and zipped up the front, and the material was light enough so that it wasn’t too warm to wear. My birthmarks that covered my shoulders and arms and back were visible, and you could see the birthmarks on my chest as well. A pair of purple ballerina flats completed the outfit.
I slid my shoes off and crossed my legs on the sofa. “Okay, so what do we do about the Lykren?”
“First, let’s go over everything that we know again.” Ember brought up all of Yutani’s research and we went over everything point by point. It didn’t add much to our knowledge base, but it established the known facts. An hour later, she poured us coffee while I stared at the map of the Worchester District.
“There sure are a lot of ley lines running through that sector. I wonder why.” I pointed to the center of the district, which was a few blocks from the abandoned veterans home. “This appears to be ground zero for the vortex.”
“Yes, and it’s only growing stronger. We contacted LOCK this morning before you came in, and they confirmed that psychic activity has picked up in the district over the years, growing by over fifty percent—if you count reported incidents.” Ember frowned, staring at the graph. “It would be interesting to find out why, but I’m afraid that’s a case for another day.”
“What now?” I asked. “We need to go in armed, and prepared to deal with the myriad ways of attack that the creature has. It’s like the Swiss army knife of monsters.”
“I guess we go in with as many weapons as we can carry and play it by ear. You’ll have to lead us.”
“Do you guys mind if I ask Trinity to go with us?” I asked. “I wish I knew why Herne and Vixen were so hesitant about him. He’s been nothing but good to me over the past weeks.”
Ember hesitated. “I know you like him, but I’ll be honest. For some reason he makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know why. Herne hasn’t told me anything or I would tell you. He just strikes me as chaotic, I guess.”
“Just think about it, all right?” I frowned, then shrugged. “When do you want to go over there? I don’t have time this afternoon, given Ferosyn wants me at his office at around three.”
“Tomorrow morning? I’m not about to go out there in the dark,” Ember said.
Witching Moon Page 10
