Fugue Macabre: Bone Dance

by C. J. Parker

  “Yes!” Agnes shouted. “And he’d have gotten you too but this freak…” she pointed at Tabatha, “…got you to leave New York. Now you’re all gonna die.”

  “Mark my words you low life bitch.” Bobbie shoved Agnes to the floor. “You will not live to see my death.”

  Agnes regained her footing. “Come on, Ionna. It’s not safe here.”

  “No. I am not your daughter anymore.” Ionna flung herself at Tabatha and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Make her go away.”

  “Go, Agnes, and do not return.” Aetheria stepped forward. “Be it known, your children are ever welcome in this village. But you are not. There is nothing left for you here.”

  Agnes stared from one to the next, her gaze finally rested on her daughter. “Ionna?”

  “You were ashamed of me.” The girl turned her back to her mother. “Go away.”

  “I’ll be back for you. Your father won’t stand for this.” With a whimper, Agnes turned and ran down the steps and into the woods.

  Bobbie waited until Agnes was gone before turning to Aetheria. “What’s this about? Why would he think he has a right to the throne? Who is he?”

  “Why do you need to know these things?” Aetheria brushed her hand through the air as if dismissing Bobbie.

  “Don’t!” Bobbie pointed her finger like an arrow at a target. “There are too many secrets, too many lies. If I’m to fight this battle, I will know why, and I will know now.”

  Aetheria closed her eyes and nodded.

  Regret and shame twisted Bobbie’s gut. She had no right to speak to Aetheria in that tone, but clan responsibilities were pressing down on her shoulders with the weight of a two-ton elephant.

  The old woman opened her eyes and stared at her. “When your grandfather was very young, he married an Outsider named Mary. They had a child. Verdun is that child.”

  Bobbie began to count off the years between her grandfather and grandmother’s wedding date. “Damn! How old is this guy?”

  “Old,” was all Aetheria offered.

  “What is it with shifter men?” Bobbie raised her hands up in frustration. “Kangee’s father has a half-blood son out there somewhere. And now I find out Grandpa Henley has one. Can’t they find a good shifter woman to bed? They have to have an Outsider?”

  “The lure of the forbidden.” Tabatha shrugged. “It’s as old as time.”

  The old woman outstretched her hands and spread her fingers wide. “Tabatha, Rhonda, you have to understand, shifters live a very long life. They do not age as Outsiders do. Mary grew depressed as she aged and Henley stayed young and attractive. On her fiftieth birthday she ended her own life.”

  Aetheria walked to Bobbie’s side. “Your father was thirty years younger than Verdun, but he gained the throne. When Uriah died, Elsu was made king.”

  “Because Verdun was a half-blood.” Bobbie raked her fingers through her hair. Maybe Tabatha had been correct with her assessment. They were all bigots. “Then maybe he’s right. The throne should be his.”

  Aetheria’s eyes widened. “He was always a cruel man. He would have broken the back of the clan and sold off the land. Verdun and Uriah argued about it until your father’s death.” Fatigue was beginning to deepen the wrinkles in the old woman’s face. “Verdun wanted it all and would pay any price to get it. That’s why he murdered your father. But his price couldn’t buy the throne. Verdun told Elsu where you were. He left the next day to bring you home. Two weeks later, Elsu was dead.”

  A great lump of fury nearly choked Bobbie. Grief, shame, and guilt built upon each other nearly bringing her to her knees. “What are you saying?”

  Aetheria shook her head. “Agnes is wrong. Verdun didn’t kill your brother, but he paid someone else to do it.”

  Bobbie swallowed several times, fighting tears. “What do you know about the other men in the woods with him?”

  “Only what Cuda told us. Though he said Verdun was his uncle’s bodyguard. This is not so. His uncle is an officer for the Outsider’s police department. He’s also one of the Guardians.”

  “What?” Tabatha jerked her attention toward Aetheria. “What’s his name? Where does he work?”

  Aetheria glanced her way. “Cuda called him Sagar.”

  “Is that his last name or his first?” Bobbie paced.

  “That, I do not know.” Aetheria grabbed her by the shoulder making her come to a halt.

  Bobbie wanted to change the subject, wanted time to let what she’d learned ferment. “Why does the joining have to be tonight?”

  “The dark moon, Noom Revo Su. The prophecy says the last true-blood Moran will join with a life-mate as the moon hides its face from the world. By the dark of night will the battle commence. The fates of our kind rest with the Moran.”

  “But why do we have to be joined tonight?” Why this rush job? She was no different than an Outsider woman. She wanted her fairytale wedding with lace and cake and flowers. She’d waited far too long to be Kangee’s wife, and now that the time had come, it was going to be no better than a civil ceremony in a dank little office somewhere.

  “The Blood Sisters have joined, but Kangee has not been joined into the circle of destinies.”

  Rhonda shook her head. “No, no, no. I’m not going through another ceremony. Your ceremonies hurt like hell.”

  Aetheria laughed, Bobbie took a step back in surprise. She tried to remember if she had ever heard the old woman laugh in all the time she’d known her. “What’s so funny?”

  “This girl who can turn a tree to cinders with a thought is afraid of a little pain?” Aetheria clicked her tongue.

  Tabatha frowned. “What’s involved with this ceremony you want Bobbie to go though?”

  “Well, it doesn’t hurt.” Aetheria grinned. “It is a marriage ceremony, little different from weddings of the Outsiders. Robertina will place her arms against his back. The Sword and the Dagger will intertwine and become locked forever. They swear their loyalty to each other and to their causes. They promise to protect their own kind until they are no more.”

  Bertha joined them again and looked into Bobbie’s eyes. “You do love him, do you not?”

  “Of course, I love him.” Thank goodness, there was no hesitation in her answer.

  “Then what’s holding you back, child?” Bertha tilted her head to the side.

  Bobbie couldn’t bring herself to utter the words, couldn’t own up to her fear of being overshadowed and controlled again. She turned on her heels and walked out the backdoor, followed closely by Bertha, Aetheria, Tabatha, Rhonda and Ionna.

  Aetheria smiled. “Lifemates choose who they mate with. They are essential to each other, relying on their mate, yet able to stand alone if forced. They choose to be equal, a partnership. You are Queen Moran. Kangee is the king of your choosing. He will rule beside you, not over you, Robertina. That’s all essential love allows.”

  Bobbie sighed heavily, giving up. Somehow, the woman could always read Bobbie’s thoughts before she could voice them. “All right. I’ll do it.”

  “Better do it now.” Kangee floated toward the earth with outstretched wings. His feathers withdrew into the skin of his arms. “They’re gathered at the highway. Twenty, maybe thirty Outsiders and those who chose to follow Cuda out of the camp.”

  “Cuda?” Rhonda ran to his side.

  “He is not with them.” Kangee massaged his biceps and rolled his neck from side to side. “The cats will be here as soon as Hylton can gather them from the shelter.”

  “The cats?” Had he only called the cats of the clan to battle? What of the snake family? The wolves and birds? Did Kangee think them useless?

  “Last Christmas a tribe of cat shifters came with the idea of taking our lands. They’d lost theirs and were desperate. They outnumbered us, but your brother settled the problem by letting them have the land at Bayou Bienvenue. The cats swore loyalty to the Moran Clan. I just tested their loyalty.”

  Why hadn’t Kangee told her about this befor
e now? Hope that’s enough and we don’t need the other clans. “What about our own? Will they return?”

  Kangee nodded. “They are on their way as soon as they have delivered women children and elders at the shelter, but I’m not sure they can get here in time. When I checked, Verdun and his followers hadn’t started toward us yet, but that’s not saying they didn’t leave right after I did.”

  “They do not come yet.” Aetheria looked toward the woodland. “But we must hurry with the ceremony.”

  The bitter taste of disappointment coated Bobbie’s tongue. “This sure isn’t my dream wedding.”

  “I’ll find a way to make it up to you, Bobbie.” He ran his fingers down her cheek. “This I swear.”

  Sounds of heavy footfalls in the woodland made every nerve her body hum with anticipation. Troy was the first to appear, followed by Derek as they returned from checking the surrounding area.

  “Ninety or so men are gathering at the highway.” Troy hiked his thumb behind him.

  Rhonda snorted. “Little late with that news flash, stud.”

  Bertha clicked her tongue. “Be nice, little girl.”

  “Where is everyone else?” Derek looked around the now deserted common ground. He strode to Tabatha’s side, slipping an arm around her shoulders and placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

  “The shelter.” Bobbie ran her gaze over her friends then faced Kangee. “Everyone is gone but us.”

  “What?” Derek’s eyes rounded. “With close to a hundred well-armed men coming at you?”

  Troy touched a hand to Derek’s forearm. “They are returning. No one knew the Guardians would choose to come with the hurricane. Those men are putting themselves in great danger to get the upper hand. Agnes told them the village would be empty. What would you have done?”

  Derek snorted. “I’d have faced Bobbie and settled the matter like a man. Not thrown a hurricane party.” He walked over and sat on the bottom step of the back landing.

  “Lexie?” Bobbie stared Kangee in the eyes. “Is she safe?”

  Kangee caressed the side of her face with the palm of his hand. “I put her and Snow in a car myself. They are safe.”

  “It is time.” The rain slowed to a drizzle as Aetheria placed Bobbie’s hand in Kangee’s. She reached into the pocket of her gray floor-length frock and pulled out an ancient book bound in mother of pearl. “Queen of Moran, Son of Ashe Ansgar it is my great honor to join you as one. You will be the guiding light to your kind in this time of darkness and into the future.” The wind stilled as if Mother Nature didn’t dare mar Bobbie and Kangee’s wedding. Rhonda and Troy stood to Bobbie’s left, Tabatha and Derek stood to Kangee’s right. Every nerve in Bobbie’s body shook. She tried to come up with a reason to stop this, but couldn’t come up with a single one. She loved Kangee, but this felt so rushed, so forced. Bobbie turned her gaze to Kangee. His face held so much peace she could have cried. This would make him happy. She nodded. It was the right thing to do, just not the time or place she had dreamed of all her life.

  Aetheria opened the book and read. “Darkness will cover the moon on the day of transition and renewal.” Aetheria looked toward the sky. “Clouds will hide the moon’s face from those who would not understand. Rain will chase many away. The winds will cry for the loved ones lost.”

  Aetheria faced Bobbie sending chills up and down her spine. “Do you allow this man to join in your battle?”

  “I do.”

  Aetheria smiled. “Kangee, do you accept this woman’s love and devotion?”

  He straightened his spine and bowed low to Bobbie. “I do.”

  “Turn your back on her only this once, so the holy blades may mesh.” Aetheria touched his shoulder turning him away.

  Bobbie brushed his hair away and kissed the tattoo running down his spine. “I love you, Kangee.”

  She walked around him so they would be face to face, placed her arms around his chest so her wrists were on the blade. “We will never turn our backs on each other again.”

  He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

  Bertha smiled. “Tabatha. Derek. Come, join with the queen and king. You will join their purpose so your strengths are one. Combine your powers and win the battle to come.”

  Tabatha made her way into the bright light. Derek followed. Upon touching wrists, Tabatha, Derek, Bobbie and Kangee were surrounded with a fluorescent glow of green.

  Bertha nodded in approval. “Do you, Derek, accept Tabatha as your lifemate, and will you stand by her side in all battles?”

  He nodded. “I do.”

  And you, Tabatha, do you take this man as your lifemate and accept him as a partner in this fight?”

  She leaned up on tiptoes to kiss him gently on the lips. “I do.”

  “It is done.” Bertha bowed low to them.

  Bobbie’s heart swelled with pride as Tabatha and Derek were now accepted as one of them.

  Aetheria and Bertha next looked to Rhonda.

  She groaned. “Oh, hell. I knew it. This is gonna hurt.”

  “Rhonda, you cannot join with whom you do not accept.” Aetheria looked at those around Rhonda. “You fight this battle alone. Your friends’ strength you share, but another must come to your back by choice.”

  “I will stand to protect her.” Troy came to her side. “With my life.”

  “Whoa! Back up there, buster.” Rhonda took three long backward strides. “I’m not marrying you. I mean, you’re cute and all, but I don’t know you.”

  Bobbie laughed. “No, Rhonda. He’s only swearing loyalty to you, to keep you from harm.”

  “Oh, all right.” Rhonda ran her gaze from Troy’s head to his toes. When Troy took her hand and led her to stand in front of Aetheria, Rhonda looked up at Troy. “And this won’t hurt, right?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “How much time do we have?” Tabatha searched her backpack for the journal and the vials she needed. She tried to remember the spell she’d seen when glancing through the journal the first time, but it was too long and detailed. She grabbed for the backpack when a gust of wind nearly blew it away then placed it under her knee for safekeeping. The clouds overhead blocked out the sunlight making it impossible to guess at the time of day, but she thought it might be around four in the afternoon.

  “I’d say half an hour.” Kangee’s brow crinkled.

  Tabatha flipped through the pages of her beloved diary quickly and called out the ingredients she’d need. “Leaf of belladonna to blur their sights. Fruit of the hemlock to steal their strength. Monkshood to take their breath.”

  Bobbie raked her hair out of her face and tied it into a bun at the back of her neck. “Hemlock berries I can find. Daddy brought back saplings from one of his trips to the east coast. But belladonna doesn’t grow around here.”

  Kangee knelt down beside her. “Why do you need these things?

  “I’ll make a shield around the compound. If the Guardians cross its line, the effects of the ward will knock them senseless for a few seconds. It should help give us the upper hand.” She scattered the glass tubes strewn on the ground until she found the powder. “I have dried belladonna. I need fresh fruit of hemlock though.”

  “What about the monkshood?” Kangee stood with his hands on his hips. “I know of a patch not far from here.”

  Tabatha checked the spell once again. “It doesn’t say. It must not matter if it’s fresh or dried.”

  Kangee ran off so quickly Tabatha wasn’t sure if he had flown or ran. Bobbie ran in the opposite direction, the haphazardly formed bun on the back of her head slipping lower with every step.

  “What can I do?” Troy shifted from foot to foot.

  “Is there a silver bladed tool? Something you can use to carve a narrow circle around the common ground? It has to be silver. The circle no more than an inch deep.”

  Aetheria walked to the base of the old oak tree and withdrew a heavy sword, with a jeweled hilt from a hollow section in its lower trunk. “It was Ashe’s, Kange
e’s father. I’d planed to give it to Kangee, but the Spirit Warriors have given him his own.”

  “Just around the common ground?” Troy took the sword from the elderly woman who could barely manage the weight. “Why not the whole village?”

  “I can’t make enough of the ward for that length of circle. Plus, I will have to split my strengths between fighting and keeping the ward strong. The smaller the circle the less energy it will drain from me.” Tabatha gazed at the large dark blue-gray sky. Her heart beat a rapid pace, and her mouth grew dry. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Not only herself, but Derek and Rhonda. She glanced over to where Bertha stood beside the fire pit. Her old friend smiled and nodded. That smile sent a sense of pride surging in her blood. She realized she was here because her friend needed her. And Rhonda had come for the same reason. “We need to hurry. The ward won’t hold against the rain unless it’s laid dry.”

  Kangee was the first to return, handing Tabatha an armload of monkshood plants he’d uprooted. “That’s all I could find.”

  Bobbie rushed forward with a small wicker basket of red berries.

  Tabatha dumped the three vials of belladonna dust into a large concave stone and hoped the small amount would be enough to work. “Dump in the berries. Rhonda, grab that rock and pound the hell out of these things until it turns into a paste. Then add the monkshood.”

  Tabatha glanced up at Troy. The muscles of his jaw clenched with a jerk as his eyes searched the tree line. She touched his hand, drawing his attention back to her. “Make the furrow. One inch. No more.”

  She dashed to the fire pit, glanced at the overhang above and thanked God for it keeping the pit dry. “The fire is out. Derek, we need wood. We’ll have to dry out the mixture until I can drop it into the ward line.”

  “That will take too long.” Derek picked up a piece of wood and tossed it aside. “It’s too wet. Rhonda, do your thing.”

  Rhonda gathered wood, tossed it into the pit and spouted instructions of her own. “Spread the mixture thin over that piece of metal over there by the shed. It will dry quickly once we place it over the flames. I’ll get the fire going.”