The Hanged Maiden: A Reverse Harem Romance (Rise of the Ash Gods Book 1)
Page 3
“What thing? What are you talking about? Val, you’re not actually saying anything.”
The brunette sighed loudly and exasperatedly. “Okay, you win. Two things: one, I don’t know a lot about this. I’ve only been a Keeper in my own right for three years. You have no idea how much a Keeper of the Spades has to learn. And two, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you the little that I know. And not because you’re an Ordinary!” She added the last part quickly, not giving Piper the chance to squint her eyes at her. “Because I don’t understand most of it myself. I trained with the High Keeper for a while, before her health started degrading so much that she couldn’t teach anymore, and she talked about a lot of things. Like… how those on Earth have the ability to be multi-dimensional, how Earth can exist on more dimensions at the same time… I know, I know. It’s a lot of woo-woo even for me, and I’m a goddessdamn witch! She also said something about Walk-Ins and how they can hijack people… Whatever. The smoke things that attacked my temple didn’t look like Walk-Ins to me. Not that I know what a Walk-In looks like. Or even what it is.”
Piper stopped her with a wide gesture. “Alright, I get it. It’s too much information for me anyway. Let’s find the Major Arcana, so I can go back to my boring life.”
Valentina’s blue eyes grew wide with genuine appreciation. She held her hands up against her chest.
“So you’ll help me?”
“Of course I’ll help you. A little road trip, and we’re done, right? Everything goes back to normal.” When Val didn’t say anything, Piper cocked an eyebrow and rubbed her chin theatrically. “Or plane trip. Oh my… Goddess! Don’t tell me the Trionfi Scuri is in Europe. Or Asia. Or Australia!”
Valentina shook her head. “Let’s find out. Hand me a map of the world. You have one, right?”
Piper jumped off the bed and ran out of the room, throwing over her shoulder: “I don’t, but Tim does. Be right back.” Tim was her youngest brother, and he wasn’t back home for summer break yet, so his room was empty.
While waiting for Piper, Valentina closed her eyes and cleared her head. She breathed in and out, imagined a shield of white light around her, and smiled. She wasn’t feeling at peace, but sometimes a witch had to fake it before a complex spell. Her friend was right. One road trip, and then she could go back to her life. Dante was fine. Her parents had made it out, for sure, and the other Keepers... No, she couldn’t think about them now. She couldn’t let the image of fallen witches and the High Keeper’s lifeless body cloud her mind. Clarity. Even though the Lovers was a tracker card by nature, and Tristan and Iseult would know exactly what to do, Valentina still needed a clear head to cast the spell.
“Always the optimist.”
The voice in her head startled her so much that Valentina snapped her eyes open. “Where were you? I could’ve used some help, you know.”
“Sorry, but you’re beyond help, and I don’t like getting involved in lost causes. You’re naïve to think an attack right before the ceremony is just a coincidence, and you’re even more naïve to think your Ordinary friend can do anything to help you. She’ll just slow you down.”
“My Ordinary friend?! I’m you and you’re me. She’s your friend, too. In fact, you should be a better version of me, so what the hell are you talking about? We’re supposed to be on the same page.”
A familiar burning sensation spread through Valentina’s left side before the voice spoke again: “I am a better and smarter version of you. Don’t like it? That’s your problem.”
“Ouch!” Valentina clutched her side. Her birth mark always hurt like hell when the voice of her Higher Self was particularly bitchy. She’d never quite grasped the connection between her Higher Self and her birth mark, although she had her theories. But her theories didn’t make any sense, so she’d never told them to anyone. Maybe, one day... when she wouldn’t be so scared of her mom... Maybe after this whole thing was over? It could wait.
“Got it!”
Piper tiptoed into the bedroom, closed the door behind her gently, and handed Tim’s old world map to Valentina.
“Is this even up to date?”
“Pretty sure it is.”
“Alright, whatever you say.” Val spread the map on the floor and placed the Lovers in the middle.
“Is it okay if I watch?”
Val chuckled. “Of course. Knock yourself out. Let me know if I chant this right, okay?”
Piper rolled her eyes and sat on the floor, legs crossed. To her slight disappointment, Valentina didn’t do much more than what she’d done to her walls. She drew some weird symbols over the Lovers card and the map, whispered something in Italian, then blew in the four cardinal points of the map. Piper should have taken her friend up on her offer when they were ten and let Val teach her Italian.
“Nothing’s happening. I think you chanted it wrong.”
Valentina laughed. “Shut up and look.”
Piper gasped and scurried away when she saw Tristan and Iseult literally emerge from their card and step onto the map. They were no taller than dolls, but they were very much alive and breathing. They were real.
“Yeah, they can do that,” Valentina chuckled. She was oddly pleased with herself. She had no idea that introducing Piper to the witchy world would be so much fun. “All the original Trionfi can. Unfortunately, they’re more like holograms. I’m not powerful and experienced enough to make them truly real. Like… of flesh and bone.”
Holding hands, Tristan and Iseult started walking all over the map, as if they were looking for something, a place that would reveal itself only under their bare feet. Piper’s amazement amused Val, but she had to admit that she was quite fascinated by the enchanted couple herself. Tristan had to be one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen, and Iseult walked with the grace of a ballerina.
“Here,” Tristan said. He pulled Iseult against his chest and hugged her close. “They are here.”
“Who?” Piper was even more curious than Valentina. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. “The Trionfi Scuri?”
“I think he’s talking about the original Lovers,” Val explained. “Thank you, Tristan.” She tapped the card, and the two little people stepped back inside it. “The copy is directly connected to its original, so…”
“And who are the original Lovers?”
Valentina laughed lightly and shrugged. “We’ll find out together. Maybe. I’m the Keeper of the Spades, so I’m only allowed to know the Mysteries of the Spades. The Mysteries of the Major Arcana don’t concern me.”
“But aren’t you dying with curiosity?”
“Sure. But there are rules.” Valentina leaned over the map, her finger on the exact spot Tristan had indicated. “Sacramento, California? That can’t be right. The six covens should be spread over six continents, and the US is ours. Why in Goddess’ name would the Trionfi Scuri be in California?”
“At least we can choose, right? Road trip, or plane trip? What shall it be? I can borrow my dad’s truck.”
Valentina wasn’t paying attention anymore. “Road trip,” she said absentmindedly.
“Awesome!” Piper jumped to her feet, clapped her hands in excitement, and was out of the room in a second. “I’ll go make sandwiches before my folks wake up.”
CHAPTER THREE
Valentina drifted on and off. They had been on the road for three hours, and she could barely stay awake. It was way too early in the morning, and the fact that she’d stayed up all night didn’t help, either. To her surprise, Piper had no trouble staying awake, which was great since she was the one driving. They would switch soon, but Val didn’t particularly look forward to it. Her driving skills didn’t quite match her floating skills.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Hm?” Val rubbed her eyes and sat up straighter. “Ask away.”
“Why do you always say ‘oh my Goddess’, or ‘for Goddess’ sake’? Does your coven, like, worship a Goddess?”
“Weirdo.”
They fell silent for a while, and Valentina drifted off again, but Piper had too many questions to leave her alone.
“So, why don’t you work with a deity?”
The brunette shrugged. “I guess I just haven’t felt the call.”
“There’s a call?”
“Some deities choose the witches they want to work with, but a witch can make the first step too, if he or she wants. Some covens advocate for the first scenario, though. La Congrega di Spade is pretty lax about it. My family was never into working with deities, so that’s one explanation for my disinterest.”
“And another?”
“It’s not that simple. You don’t just summon a god or a goddess and ask for favors. You have to bring them gifts, show gratitude and whatnot. I’ve always thought it’s probably easier to make a marriage work after both partners cheated than to maintain a good relationship with a deity.”
“Wow. Sounds extreme. They’re that bad?”
Val laughed out loud. “Nah. Just fussy and pretentious. Not my cup of tea.”
“And what if one day you become a deity’s cup of tea?” Piper shot her a mischievous look. “You can’t say no, right? An offer you can’t refuse…”
“I can.” Valentina’s voice was serious all of a sudden. “I’m a witch, but even if I weren’t, I could still say no. Here’s my first witchy lesson to you, Ordinary.”
Piper laughed. She was used to the name by now, and she knew her friend meant it as a joke.
“I’m all ears.”
“You’ve stepped into my world now, so listen up: no matter what we come across on this road trip, be it a god, a goddess, an angel, a demon, or Bigfoot himself, remember that you’re in charge of your own physical, emotional, and mental body, and you can, and should say no if you feel like a no is in order.”
“Oh… that was intense.” Piper gulped, let it sink in, then decided she didn’t quite understand what an emotional and mental body was, anyway. “So, Bigfoot is real?”
Val rolled her eyes. “From now on, just assume that anything is real.”
They turned on the radio, drove for another hour, then stopped for a refill and some snacks. On the one hand, Valentina was pretty angry with herself that she’d let Piper take her dad’s truck instead of handing her a credit card, so she could book plane tickets to Sacramento. She’d realized it in the morning, but she hadn’t had the heart to ruin her friend’s excitement. On the other hand... “Who are you kidding, stupid?” Oh, her Higher Self had been particularly bitchy lately. “You’re too scared of what you might find there to take a plane.” They were pulling back onto the I-5, and Valentina shuffled in her seat and stuffed a handful of potato chips in her mouth. “Okay, you’re right. But I needed the extra time to think.”
“Think about what? Some advanced strategy that would prevent you from fucking up again?”
“What’s it to you? You should be supporting me. And... again? When did I fuck up before?”
“Oh, yes... You’re too innocent for that.”
“I don’t even...”
A sharp pain in the ribs left her breathless. She almost choked on her chips and spit half of them all over her lap, scaring the hell out of Piper.
“Are you okay?”
Valentina was still holding her breath, so she just nodded. When the pain subsided, she pulled out a bottle of water and drank eagerly. She gave Piper a reassuring smile and went back to eating her chips as if nothing had happened. Her left side was throbbing, but she was determined to ignore it. It didn’t make sense, so she simply had to stop thinking about it. It was an insane theory. Her Higher Self was right. Who was she trying to lie to? The voice in her head contradicted everything Valentina had said, and would continue to say, out loud. Bitchy or not, when she was right, she was right.
They switched after another hour of driving, but Valentina had to eventually admit that covering approximately 800 miles in one day wasn’t such a great idea. The stops and short breaks kept adding more time to their estimated 13 hours of driving, so nine hours in, when Piper suggested they called it a day, Valentina had to agree. She was tired, but more importantly, she felt like she was getting close. Close to Sacramento, close to the answers she was looking for... And she was scared. They stopped in Mount Shasta city, and Piper found a small motel in minutes. The wonders of modern technology! Valentina hadn’t seen Mount Shasta before, but she’d heard stories. As she stepped out of the car and pulled her luggage out of the trunk, she looked up at the mountain peak rising over the horizon, and a chill ran up her spine.
“Are you cold?” Piper threw Valentina her hoodie.
Valentina caught it, put it on, and smiled at her friend. It was incredible how attentive Piper was. She always knew what those closest to her needed before they knew it themselves.
“It’s this place,” she said. “Do you feel it?”
Piper cocked an eyebrow and followed Val’s gaze. “Beautiful, that’s for sure. But no, I don’t believe I feel anything in particular.”
Valentina followed Piper to their room. They checked out the twin beds, the bathroom, and started making themselves comfortable. Meanwhile, Val told her what she knew about Mount Shasta.
“My dad says there’s a hidden city inside the mountain, inhabited by beings who are more advanced than us. They used to be humans, but now they dwell in a dimension that vibrates at a higher frequency than ours, although they sometimes let themselves seen by a select few who come to hike in these mountains.”
“And you’re saying you can feel the presence of these beings?”
Val shrugged. “I can feel the place is sacred. Let me explore a bit, and I’ll let you know.” She winked at Piper.
“What? You’re going for a hike at this hour?”
“Not physically. In the right conditions, I can astral travel, so I hope you don’t snore.”
Piper blinked in confusion, then simply shook her head and let it go. She’d slept less than Valentina, and she didn’t have the energy to bombard her with questions about astral traveling. Tomorrow was another day.
They took turns to the bathroom, ate the sandwiches they had left from the road, plus a bag of Cheetos, then went to sleep. Lucky for Valentina, Piper didn’t make a sound as she slept peacefully, so she started with deep breaths and relaxed her entire body, from her toes to the very top of her head. She cast a protection circle mentally, infused it with sigils, and let herself sink into the exhilarating sensation of vibrating so fast that her etheric body detached itself from her physical one and floated through the wall, right toward the mountain.
If there was, indeed, a hidden city inside Mount Shasta, then Valentina wasn’t allowed to enter. No matter how hard she willed her etheric body to go through rock and ice, she found herself floating aimlessly over the peaks and valleys. She gave up and decided to enjoy the view. The night sky was clear, the moon was in its first quarter, and the stars looked like small drips of white paint spread all over a wide, dark canvas by an overly enthusiastic artist. Valentina knew it was freezing cold, but she couldn’t feel it. The perks of astral traveling... She wandered for a while, floating through trees and bushes, not bothering to avoid them. The pure, fresh energy of nature itself revitalized her and helped her physical body regenerate faster inside the motel room. While she was here, exploring the forests, she was also there, sleeping in the bed next to Piper’s, acutely aware of her friend’s silent, regular breathing. She was in two places at the same time, which reminded her: being a witch of the De Rossi lineage rocked! Not all witches could lucid dream and astral travel, but for the De Rossi witches, these were natural gifts. She’d made Dante Conti jealous of her abilitie
s more than once. On the other hand, no one could handle blue energy like Dante Conti could. She sighed deeply and started floating back to the motel. This was not the time to think about Dante and her parents, not when she was so close to La Congrega di Trionfi Scuri, so it was better to shut her mind off and just sleep. She could zap herself inside her physical body in a split second, but she rather enjoyed floating over the city. That was... until she felt a presence following her.
Valentina rolled her eyes mentally and kept floating at her normal pace. The circle and the sigils would keep anything and anyone away, so there was no reason to panic. If it came to a more direct approach from the creature on her trail, a firm no would be more than enough. She was well used to meeting other entities or people who were astral traveling themselves, and she’d never been scared of them. Usually, they left her alone, too. This time, though, whatever was behind her caught up, and before she knew it, she felt the soft touch of a hand on her shoulder blades. She turned around, firmly intent on shooing the thing away and tell it how rude it was to touch her without her consent. What she didn’t expect was to find herself face to face with, probably, the most handsome stranger on the astral plane. He looked young, but his intense green eyes hid eons of knowledge behind them. His dark brown hair was tied in a loose ponytail, with wild strands constantly escaping it to frame his sharp features, then magically finding their way back to where they belonged. He wasn’t human, Valentina could tell that much.
“Can you hang upside down, love?”
“What? Why would I?”
He laughed as if she’d just said the most amusing thing he’d heard in ages, then flipped his own body upside down for a quick demonstration.
“For a fresh perspective, of course.”
He winked at her, and Valentina did a double take. She’d seen this man before. But where? He looked so familiar. This wasn’t the first time he’d called her “love”.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, you know who I am. But I don’t like waiting, love. What’s taking you so long?”