Deadly Rising

by Jeri Westerson

  “Once the crucible is hot enough, I’ll drop the coin in. The gold should serve as a shield to protect you, but I must also mention that while it is in your chest, it will be fairly painful.”

  He sighed. “Of course.”

  We all watched the crucible on its tripod. Doc held the coin tight in his left hand. Nick passed out printed pages to the coven. I glanced over Jolene’s shoulder but couldn’t make out what it said. Some sort of weird language. Jeff looked on casually, making sure he stayed clear of the silver.

  When the crucible began to smoke, Doc dropped the coin in, where it sizzled and spit. He watched it carefully and began picking up the bits of herbs laid out on the hearth from left to right and popped them into the crucible. Smoke rose, and the room filled with a scent like a burnt car engine. I stepped back farther as the crucible’s bowl began to glow with heat. Doc picked up one of my fireplace pokers and thrust it under the tripod into the radiant coals.

  It was all a bit too medieval for my tastes. “Are we sure…”

  “Shhh!” Nick shushed. He raised the paper to his face and the coven gathered around the reddening crucible. The fire threw them all into silhouette. They had never looked more like a coven than at that moment. It gave me a sick feeling. I reached behind me and grabbed Erasmus’s hand. He squeezed, then quickly let go.

  With papers in hand, the Wiccans chanted from the text while the fire flickered behind them. The crucible sputtered and steamed. They kept chanting as Doc bent over and grabbed a towel like an oven mitt to grasp the end of the poker. He whipped it out of the coals. It glowed red-hot.

  As the chanting grew to a crescendo, he suddenly thrust it into the crucible. Something whined and the coven continued to chant.

  Doc turned. “Mr. Dark, if you would open your shirt.”

  They faced each other boldly, as if challenging the other to flinch first. Was this really necessary?

  The melted coin clung like a ball of fire to the glowing poker. Wispy smoke rose in a very strange pattern, almost like letters, elongating and shifting.

  Erasmus held his shirt open.

  “It would help if you knelt.”

  Stonily he got down on his knees, holding the shirt wide.

  Doc nodded solemnly. “Now hold still. This is gonna hurt.”

  Before I could object, Doc jabbed the hot poker into Erasmus’s chest. Erasmus threw back his head and howled. The windows shook. Books fell off of the shelves. Doc kept pushing the iron in, grimacing with the effort.

  Erasmus’s face was twisted in agony, teeth gritted. How long did this have to go on?

  “Isn’t that enough!” I screamed over the loud chanting, the fire that seemed to roar.

  Doc held it there a moment longer before yanking it back. The ball of fire was gone. Erasmus’s chest glowed where the iron had been, but there was no scar, no hole, and even now the glow was fading. He fell forward, head hanging between his heaving shoulders.

  I tried to go to him, but Seraphina gripped my arm and held me back.

  Doc breathed hard. “Mr. Dark, you have twelve hours. No more than that. Make good use of that time. If you don’t return within the twelve hours, I won’t be able to get that out and you’ll die. Are we clear?”

  It took a few more moments of deep breathing before Erasmus raised his head. His eyes glittered and he was plainly struggling with the pain.

  “Crystal.”

  Slowly, he rose, closing his shirt. Without another glance toward us…toward me…he walked to the door. But before he left, he turned partway. “If I don’t come back in time, look to that book from Alexandria. There might still be clues. I will send a message if I can. And Kylie, remember, the Booke of the Hidden is still your charge. There are more creatures to come. Beware. Good luck.”

  Instead of opening the door, he simply vanished.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Twelve hours. That was all he had. Eight o’clock tonight. I almost called Ed and told him I couldn’t make it, but Seraphina talked me out of it. It would help to keep me distracted, she said. And Ed needed me. Ed, the living, breathing human being. Like me. How could I argue with that?

  I was reluctant to close the shop, and after wondering aloud, someone tapped my shoulder.

  Jeff. His eyes and ears had morphed a little when Erasmus had been going through his ordeal, but they were slowly returning to normal. “Look, you should spend time with your…with the sheriff. I’ll watch the shop.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “Look, I gotta do something. I can’t wait around all day for Seraphina to finish that potion. And you should…you know. Decide. You should decide on…Ed.” I lowered my eyes, unable to look him in the face. “And then later, I’ll head over to your grandpa’s place. Work on making it habitable. In the meantime, I can be useful here. I mean, I know how to run an herb and tea shop, right?” He sidled closer, wincing at the silver amulet, which I quickly tucked inside my shirt. “Doc doesn’t have a TV. I can’t read another book. Let me work here. You trust me, don’t you? Hands off the till, I swear.”

  Should I? Jolene would come at three thirty and the shoe was on the other foot. I didn’t need him—it was the other way around now. “Okay, Jeff. Thanks. Maybe I should make you a key. Since you’ll be…staying.”

  He smiled that crooked smile that had gotten me in trouble all those years ago. “That would be sweet. But, uh, let’s play it by ear for now. The wolf is napping, but sometimes it gets restless.”

  “The potion should help.”

  He swiped stray hair off his forehead. “Whenever it gets done.”

  When I arrived at Ed’s, I told him the bad news, that I had to be back around six. He seemed disappointed but conceded it. “I realize it’s a school night,” he said good naturedly.

  It was a good opportunity for me to see some other parts of Maine. I’d been so wrapped up in the shop—and then the Booke—that I hadn’t had a chance to really leave Moody Bog. The only time I saw anything was driving straight through to my little village.

  The day was pleasant enough, and Ed smiled a lot, which lightened my mood…until I thought about Erasmus’s mission. He’d be fine, I kept telling myself. He knew what he was doing.

  But he was also in pain and I hated that. Have to stop thinking about it.

  As I glanced at Ed from time to time, I began to feel a little guilty. When I was with Ed, Erasmus fell to the background, but the same thing happened to Ed when I was with Erasmus.

  Jeff was right. I was some piece of work.

  Machias was only an hour away. Once there, I found it to be a quaint—there was no other way to say it—little town. Much bigger than Moody Bog, and with much more open sky than the claustrophobic forests of my village. Since it was along the coast, it had some charming wharves and waterfront shops. We wove around the roads till we got to the medical center. I felt bad for Ed. All this was so unnecessary. But I couldn’t tell him it was a spell done by his brother…who had also walloped him in the first place.

  I walked with him to reception and then the waiting room. “They said it will only take about half an hour,” Ed said as we sat together in the pleasant waiting area. “Then we can walk around.”

  “If you’re feeling up to it.”

  Doc had healed him of whatever bump Doug had given with magic, but no one knew if it would end up in the scan.

  When Ed was called in, I stayed in the waiting room, nervously checking my phone every few minutes. Jolene said she’d text me if she got any word from Erasmus. It was nearly noon. Eight hours to go.

  Ed came out of the exam all smiles. “Clean bill of health,” he said and wrapped me in a hug. It was good to hug someone. It was even better to hug Ed. I pulled away, hiding my discomfort by fiddling with my purse and slinging the strap over my shoulder.

  “Where to now?” I asked.

  “Let’s go downtown.”

  We bundled up in our coats. It was a c
old, crisp day and the sky was clear. People milled along the streets, window-shopping.

  Ed gestured toward the bay below us, surrounded by hills. “You might remember Machiasport from the second naval battle of the American Revolution, if you’re up on your history.”

  “I was never one for history in school. More of a literature gal.”

  “Well, there are plenty of books on the subject.”

  “Where does the name Machias come from? Was it named after someone?”

  “Nope, it’s a term from the local tribe, the Passamaquoddy. It sort of means ‘bad little falls.’ The Machias River, in other words.”

  “Are the falls bad?”

  “They’re rapids, which probably made it tough to navigate by canoe.”

  “Is it an old town? I guess most are around here.”

  “From 1633.”

  “You guys don’t mess around with your history. But what’s with ‘downeast.’” I’d seen that word on the sign coming into town.

  “Most Mainers who live in this part of the state refer to it as downeast. Like you’d say ‘socal.’ I think it started as a nautical term.”

  “I see. So is Moody Bog downeast too?”

  “Ay-yuh.” He grinned.

  Ed and I had an easy camaraderie. And he had made me laugh when everything had been so heavy. But I couldn’t help but watch the skies for a large winged god or check my phone constantly for the time. It would have been a nice day if I hadn’t been so worried.

  When we got back to the car to see other sites, the Booke was there on the passenger seat.

  “What in blazes is this?” said Ed, picking it up. An immediate uneasy feeling seized me. I wanted desperately to yank it out of his hands. My fingers griped the doorframe of the car so hard they whitened.

  “Booke of the Hidden,” he read. “Is this more of that Wiccan stuff? Oh, wait. This is that book you found bricked up in your wall, right? I remember you telling me about that when we first met.”

  “When you were accusing me of murder.”

  He blushed. It was charming. “Yeah. Forgot about that. Just doing my job.”

  “I know.” I pulled it out of his hands. “It’s old. I still need to get it appraised.”

  “You gonna sell it? Shoot, I thought it would be a great thing to keep around. A conversation piece, you know.”

  “I’m not as enamored with it as I was at first.” Now stay in the car! I thought, placing it in the back seat.

  “I don’t know. Put it in a glass case in your shop. Another tourist attraction.”

  “I said no!”

  He looked at me, questioning, and I blew out a breath. “I mean, I just think it would be a better investment if I sold it.”

  “Okay,” he said, hands up in surrender. “It’s your book.”

  And it was reminding me it still had creatures to release. Definitely not fun and games anymore.

  My phone chimed. It was a text from Jeff.

  Heading to your grandpa’s. Jolene is here.

  “Anything to worry about?” he asked after my long silence.

  “No. Just Jeff letting me know Jolene arrived at the shop.”

  Ed seemed to puzzle at this. Obviously, something was missing. He wasn’t remembering things…like how he was planning on going over to Doug’s after learning his brother had beaten up Jeff. I watched pensively. Would Doug’s spell hold?

  Instead, he asked, “What’s your ex-boyfriend doing working at your shop?”

  Oh boy, hadn’t thought that one through. Think fast, Kylie. “The thing of it is, Jeff got some bad health news. He’s…he’s going through some stuff and I agreed to let him stay at my grandfather’s old place.”

  “What?”

  “He’ll be cleaning it out for me—doing me a huge favor really—and working at the shop a little. Like today so I can skive off.”

  “Your ex? That you ran away from?”

  I postured with my hand on my hip. “I did not run away from him. I left to make a fresh start. And I’m giving him a chance to make good. Which he is.”

  “Sorry, sorry. It’s just—this Jeff and that Erasmus guy. Seems a little crowded with your male friends always around.”

  Jealousy wasn’t usually cute, but the crinkle of the bridge of his nose, the upraised brows—it was kind of a good look for him. I slipped my arm through his. “You don’t have anything to worry about.” Was that the truth? You’re still thinking about Erasmus. But it was looking more and more as if I would be thinking further about Ed.

  I drove us around the bay at Ed’s instruction. He pointed out more sights, but when the time ticked toward five with still no texts from Jolene, I insisted we wrap it up.

  Ed buckled his seat belt and settled in. “What’s so important about getting back so early? We’ve been gone all day anyway, and the shop closes at six, doesn’t it?”

  “I have a lot of bookkeeping to do. Profit/loss and all that.”

  “It’s just that…I thought that taking some time away…with your…ahem, new boyfriend…”

  I bit my lip and stared straight ahead.

  After a time of silence, he sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be presumptuous. I was just hoping…”

  “Don’t be sorry. I…do think of you that way. It’s all just new to me.”

  “You’ve seemed distracted today. I didn’t want to mention it because I was enjoying your company. But it did seem that you weren’t all there.”

  “It’s Erasmus.”

  “Oh? What about…him?”

  He had every right to use that tone. He didn’t even know how much. “He had to travel today for a very important meeting and I haven’t heard from him. It’s…it’s about his job. This could make or break him. I wanted to be there when he got back.” I took the curve in the road a little too fast and winced when the tires squealed.

  “Oh. You could have told me.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you with it.”

  “Make or break him, huh? What kind of work does he do?”

  “Corporate shark, that sort of thing. This could bankrupt him.”

  “Well, I hope it comes out okay. I know he’s your friend and you worry about him.”

  “I do. And thanks.”

  “So I suppose that means the date is cut short.”

  “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry I’ve been a lump today.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m grateful you could drive me to my boring appointment and that I got to spend at least a little time with you. And I’ve been a bit of a lump too, truth be told. Daniel Parker’s murder has been weighing on my mind.”

  And on mine. “Any suspects?”

  He shook his head. “A few vague suspicions. The lab in Bangor is taking a look at the DNA evidence, but that will take a while. Like I said before, George and I aren’t exactly used to murders here and suddenly we’ve got four on our hands. It’s likely the missing persons are homicides too. It really throws me. Are we looking at some sort of serial killer?”

  I wondered if it would ease his mind to know that he didn’t have to arrest anyone. Though the alternative was far more terrifying.

  “Looks like it’s probably a good idea for you to get back early too.”

  He nodded at the sunset. “It’s just as well. I’ll have to check in at the station.”

  “Let’s come back here some other time and really make a day of it, okay Ed? Is it a date?”

  “Yeah. I’ll definitely take a raincheck.”

  We drove in silence. And it was comfortable silence. I didn’t expect that. Even though I was worried about Erasmus, I still felt relaxed and safe in Ed’s company.

  You are one screwed up dude, Kylie.

  We made it back to Moody Bog around six, just as the sky turned pink and gold and the trees on the ridge stood out like black cracks on the landscape. I drove to Ed’s place, even walked him to his door.

  “I know you wo
n’t come in so I won’t bother to invite you. I can see that Erasmus is important to you.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So I’ll wish him luck. Call me if you want to talk, okay? Anytime…Tonight, even.”

  “You’re so good to me, Ed. I don’t deserve you.”

  “Don’t be so sure.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. Before he withdrew, he looked me in the eye and slowly pressed a kiss to my lips. He lingered there gently, not asking for more, but giving enough to let me know where he stood. He caressed my check with his knuckle and then disappeared inside his house.

  I sat in my car, watching as the lights came on in his place. It looked so homey, so inviting and safe. Ed was sanctuary. What was Erasmus but chaos?

  I scanned the sky again and saw nothing but birds heading home. I turned the car toward my shop too.

  The gang was there, sans Jeff. I supposed he was making himself at home at Grandpa’s place.

  The Booke followed me in, which caused a few raised eyebrows.

  “Any word?” I asked.

  Doc shook his head and continued pacing in front of the fire. The crucible was long gone, but a fire was there and the poker was in the coals, waiting for Erasmus’s return.

  Nick went out for pizza and brought it back in about twenty minutes. I couldn’t eat a single slice.

  No one talked to me. Maybe they knew. It was probably telegraphed on my face. I wrung my hands, unable to sit still. I paced, too, but pacing in front of the fire was getting crowded so eventually I went out to the backyard.

  My fingers traced the twisting, thorny vines of the dormant tea rose that twined around the leaning arbor. I looked up to the clapboard side of my house and couldn’t help but find the scratches from the succubus. That was the first time Erasmus and I…

  I sighed and sank into the rickety glider, pulling my jacket around me. Had he found the answer? Had they discovered him despite our best efforts? Was he in too much pain to make the trip back?

  This wasn’t like the last time he went missing. This was far worse. Because this time, I knew where he was and how much danger he was in. And time kept ticking.