[Mystic Caravan Mystery 05.0] Freaky Places

by Amanda M. Lee

  I had an idea … and it wasn’t a pretty thought. “What are you?”

  Kade was more caught off guard by the question than Paige. “What do you mean?”

  I ignored his question. “You’re not a simple witch.”

  “And you’re not too quick on the uptake,” Paige countered. “Did you really think I was a witch?”

  “You have abilities that suggest you’re a witch. I should’ve seen that from the beginning. You heard the lullaby, after all.”

  Kade realized fairly quickly that Paige was done pretending and wisely took a step back. He didn’t move so far away that he couldn’t jump in should she attack, but he let me handle the talking.

  “Is that what you call it?” Paige pursed her lips. “Back in my day we called it a Wailing Whisper and made it strong enough to drown out everything in its path. Your attempt was weak.”

  “It was meant to be unobtrusive.”

  “It was still weak.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What was Barney to you?”

  “My, you’re full of questions, aren’t you?” Paige made a tsking sound with her tongue. “I guess you’re used to people answering your questions because you enjoy invading minds – just like you’re trying to do now – but that won’t work with me.”

  Under normal circumstances I would’ve been embarrassed to be caught poking in someone’s mind. These were not normal circumstances. “What are you?”

  “What are you?” Paige fired back. “I’ve been searching Melissa’s memories for an explanation for what you can do and why you all group together, but she doesn’t know nearly as much as she thinks she does.”

  Paige’s words made my blood run cold. “You befriended her to get close to us.”

  “Oh, well, that’s egocentric.” Paige’s eyes lit with mirth, the clear blue jarring something in my memory, although I couldn’t remember exactly what. “Not everything has to do with you, Poet. Melissa is powerful in her own right. I was drawn to the power, not you.”

  Kade slid me a look and I knew his silent streak wouldn’t continue. I wanted to admonish him to keep his mouth shut, but I couldn’t. Not only was it rude, but he had a right to ask questions. Given the fact that Melissa was under his care, there was absolutely no way he would back down now.

  “You’ve had your fun with Melissa,” Kade said. “You need to let her go.”

  Paige’s turn was slow and deliberate, the look she graced Kade with menacing and smoldering. “And why would I do that?”

  “Because we won’t leave without her.”

  “Are you suggesting I should fear you?”

  “I’m suggesting you won’t survive this if you don’t cut your losses and run,” Kade clarified. “You have to know that you’re not stronger than us.”

  Paige snorted, genuinely amused. “You are ridiculously handsome. I see why Poet is with you. You’re not very bright, though, are you?” She didn’t give Kade a chance to respond. “You’re powerful, although you have absolutely no idea about the magic that’s coiled inside you. What is that?”

  She leaned forward and sniffed the air. “I don’t believe I’ve ever come across anything like that,” she continued. “Forget what I am. What are you?”

  Kade balked. “I’m a man.”

  “You’re definitely a fine specimen of a man,” Paige agreed. “You’re something more, though.” She slid her eyes to me. “What is he? I’ll share my secret if you grace me with his.”

  There was no way that would happen, mostly because tipping Paige to Kade’s lineage would also give her hints to Max’s power. I couldn’t remember Paige ever crossing paths with Max – which was a good thing, because he was our most powerful weapon.

  “We’re not here to share secrets,” I supplied, rapidly changing course. “We’re here to come to a meeting of the minds. You’re clearly not willing to share your secrets – and don’t worry, I’ve already figured out Barney wasn’t your father, so that’s hardly a secret. We’re not willing to share our secrets either.”

  “You have no secrets,” Paige shot back. “Everything Melissa knows, I know. That’s the way my particular gift works. That’s the way I want it to work.”

  Something about the way she phrased the statement caused a few things to slip into place in my busy brain. “Is that it? Did you pick girls who boasted specific skill sets? That Aubrey Partridge girl. Everyone said she was smart and unobtrusive. If you know everything she did, that means you’re as smart as she was.”

  “Don’t try to figure me out,” Paige admonished. “Your tiny brain isn’t capable of comprehending what you’re dealing with.”

  “You talk big, yet you’re afraid,” I argued. “You’re afraid because we broke your wards and made it inside the cave. I can see the fear. It practically rolls off you in waves.”

  Paige made a derisive sound in the back of her throat. “You don’t have any idea who you’re dealing with.”

  “I don’t know that it matters. You think you know us because you have access to Melissa’s mind. The thing is, she didn’t know everything about us. She was new. We purposely kept her in the dark about a great many things.”

  That wasn’t a lie. While I inherently trusted Melissa, I hardly shared most of Mystic Caravan’s secrets with her. I figured she would learn those for herself when the time was right … and since she’d been with us only a few weeks that time had yet to come.

  “While you may think you have the advantage because Melissa knew things, I can guarantee she didn’t know nearly enough to help you overcome the magic storm we’re going to be sending your way,” I said, offering up a sneer of my own. “If I were you, I’d start running now.”

  “You’re not me.” Paige wasn’t frightened, yet something about my words shook her. She wasn’t as steady as she was only moments before. “This is my habitat. This is my space. This is my realm. You can’t beat me when you don’t even know what you’re fighting.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” I moved to touch her, perhaps jolt her with my magic, but I didn’t get a chance because Paige slapped up an invisible energy field to stop me, forcing my fingers to glance to the side.

  “Don’t even think about it.” Paige skirted the edge of the booth and increased the distance between us. “I know you’re used to winning. That’s what your magical menagerie does, right? You win. That’s not going to happen this time.”

  “You don’t believe that.” I allowed a smug smile to play at the corner of my lips. She was about to run. Here, without aid, she was exposed. She didn’t want this to turn into a fight, which is why she allowed me to see her when witnesses were afoot. She wanted to verbally spar and boast, but the physical and spiritual fights were yet to come. “You know we can beat you. Your ego won’t allow you to run and survive. You feel the need to take us on.

  “I’ve seen creatures like you before,” I continued. “It’s always your ego that brings you down. So … sit back and relax. We’ll bring the fight to you soon enough. If you insist on winning, that means you’re willing to risk losing … and that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

  Paige barked out a laugh, the sound high-pitched and eerie. It came straight from a nightmare and invaded my reality, causing me to tilt my head to the side as I regarded her.

  “You’re the one who will fall,” Paige said, her words accompanied by a terrific bolt of lightning. “You’ve never lost, so you think you’re invincible. You’re about to find out otherwise.”

  “Yes, you’re about to find out otherwise,” a voice cackled, causing me to jerk my head to the left. There, one of Bates’ dolls – the original one that caused my skin to crawl – sat with bright eyes, staring at me. The doll moved of its own volition, extending a finger and pointing at me. “We’re coming for you.”

  The doll laughed maniacally.

  “We’re coming, and there’s no way you’ll defeat us,” she said.

  “What the … ?” Kade appeared at my side, pressing his body against mine
as the first drops of rain hit. “Did that doll just talk?”

  I nodded as I stared at the doll, a multitude of things converging in my mind. I flicked my eyes to where Paige had stood only seconds before, but it was empty. I gave the area a brief scan, but she was gone. I wasn’t surprised. She’d used the doll as a diversion. She’d also given me an idea, and that wouldn’t end well for her.

  “We have to get back,” I said, jolting as a rumble of thunder shook the ground. “We don’t have much time, and we have things to get in place before Paige moves on us.”

  Kade arched a surprised eyebrow. “Moves on us?”

  “Yup. She’s coming … and soon. We need to be ready.”

  27

  Twenty-Seven

  I went into research mode when we got back to the circus. The gates were closed in anticipation of the upcoming storm and it was absolutely deserted, everyone taking cover inside.

  I headed straight for my trailer, Kade close at my heels. He waited until we were inside to start asking questions.

  “What just happened?”

  It was a simple question, without any easy answers.

  “Paige is doing this.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out myself. Why, though?”

  “She gains power and knowledge from the girls. She also gets something else, although I’m waffling on what that is. At first I thought she was sick and wanted to play dress-up – that was before I realized she was the culprit and not a victim, and thought someone else was behind this – but now I think it’s something more than that.”

  “What?”

  “She wants her own army.”

  “An army of young women? Why?”

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “There could be a multitude of reasons. Women control sex, which is a biggie. They’re also more open to possibilities, which probably allowed Paige to get a foothold inside her victims’ heads.”

  “I don’t understand any of this.” Kade sat next to me on the couch and watched as I booted my laptop. “Why would a girl like Paige – a young girl with her whole life ahead of her – enslave other girls to do her bidding? And you mentioned sex. Do you think she’s using the mindless things she created for sexual purposes?”

  He wasn’t getting it. I licked my lips and took in a calming breath. Explaining this wouldn’t be easy. Him accepting it would be another struggle entirely.

  “Okay, here’s the thing: She’s not a young girl,” I started. “She’s something more than that. She’s older … and fouler.”

  “But what?”

  “I don’t know. I think she started as a witch. The symbols … the magic I’ve seen on display … it all stems from that branch of the pagan tree.”

  “How old do you think she is?”

  “At least a century. It would take her that long to build up enough power to do what she’s doing.”

  “But how could she live that long?” Kade pressed. “The way you described it before, witches are merely humans with magical abilities … like you. Does that mean you’ll live forever and look young and hot the entire time?”

  I pursed my lips to keep from laughing. It was clear the notion both worried and intrigued him. “No. I have a normal lifespan … at least by your standards.”

  “That’s good, right? That means we’ll grow old together.”

  It warmed my heart that he thought about our relationship in those terms, but we didn’t have time to dwell on that now. “That’s our norm,” I clarified. “Nixie and Naida, for example, are from different planes. Their lifespan is much longer than ours. They seem young to you. I see it when you look at them.”

  “Nixie seems young,” Kade clarified. “Naida seems somehow older, yet they’re supposed to be twins.”

  “They are twins, and they’ve been alive for more than a hundred years. That’s barely a breath in their dimension. They’ll be here long after we’re gone … and they’ll still look the same.”

  Kade rubbed the back of his neck. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair.”

  “I know.” He rested his hand on my knee. “Go back to Paige. I don’t think I understand what’s going on here. How is she old yet looks young?”

  “I’m guessing part of it is what she’s doing to the girls she chooses for her … army.” I explained. “She’s stealing more than their freedom and knowledge. She’s also stealing their youth. I also believe she’s forcing them to perhaps act as prostitutes in some shape or form.”

  Kade was understandably horrified. “How is she doing that?”

  “They’re empty vessels when she has them locked in that cave. She can animate them. You saw that with Melissa and the one who turned on Raven. Paige can make them do things – say things – and that means she can force them to complete tasks.”

  “I really want to kill her.”

  “Join the club.”

  “I don’t understand about the prostitution thing,” Kade said. “Is she doing it for money? Is all of this about money?”

  “She’s doing it for power. She needs money, too. If she sends one of her creations to seduce a man, I’m guessing sex and payment isn’t the only thing she’s looking for. She also probably wants secrets … and bank account information … and insight into other things. This is all theory, but I believe her approach is multi-pronged. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what she’s trying to do. It only matters that we can stop her.”

  “You said that she’ll come to us. How do you know that?”

  “Because she believes she’ll catch us off guard,” I replied, opting for the simplest answer. “She thinks she’ll be able to take us by surprise when she attacks. We need to make sure we’re ready.”

  “And when will she attack?”

  As if on cue, lightning split the sky through the window, accompanied by a terrifying shriek of thunder.

  “Soon,” I said, moving my fingers to the keyboard. “We don’t have much time. I need you to message everyone in our group – Nixie, Naida, Luke, Raven, Dolph, Seth, Nellie and especially Max – and tell them to gather in the big tent in thirty minutes.”

  “Do you think she’ll move that fast?” Kade was flabbergasted. “How could she mobilize her … human dolls … that fast? It seems impossible.”

  “She’s strong and determined. She knows we outnumber her, although the girls make it doubly difficult for us. If we kill them, we can’t save them. If we don’t, that won’t stop them from trying to kill us.”

  Kade understood what I was saying. “We’ll save as many as we can.”

  “We will.”

  “We’ll save Melissa.”

  I was less sure of that. I had no doubt that Paige would use Melissa as a very special weapon against me. “We’ll do our best. Call them. Make sure they have the supplies we need.”

  “I’m on it.” Kade got to his feet. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to see if I can track down background information on Paige,” I replied. “I don’t know if it will help, but it certainly can’t hurt.”

  “How will you do that? You said she was older than she looked.”

  “And yet she clearly had some sort of tie to Barney … and if I’m not mistaken, Bates, too. She controlled Bates’ doll, and I got the feeling that it wasn’t the first time. If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to figure out those ties before the fight.”

  “And that helps us how?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Knowledge is power, though.”

  “Okay.” Kade leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Get to it. We don’t have a lot of time.”

  KADE LEFT ME TO finish my research, braving the storm to make sure everything was battened down outside and promising to meet me in the tent as soon as he was finished. I was worried Paige would mobilize faster than I envisioned, but there was very little I could do about that, so I trusted him to protect himself and he believed I would do the same.

  Finding information on Paige wasn’t easy, but I knew a thin
g or two about reading family trees. Paige’s ego wouldn’t allow for her to completely eradicate information from websites like Legacy.com, so I had a working idea of the family dynamics by the time I let myself into the main tent.

  I shook my head, spraying water on Luke as I passed. He made a face but didn’t complain. He understood things were about to get serious. One look at the assembled faces told me they all understood that.

  “I know who Paige is,” I announced.

  “Kade has been filling us in,” Max supplied. He looked grave. “I can’t believe it’s been Paige all along.”

  “I don’t get it,” Luke interjected. “She’s been on the circus grounds. Shouldn’t she have alerted the dreamcatcher?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” I said, rubbing my hands over my cargo pants and flicking my eyes to the tent flap to make sure we remained alone. “She was only on the circus grounds the first night. Then she and Melissa moved outside the dreamcatcher line before we erected it.”

  “Are you sure?” Raven’s eyes were keen. “I’ve never known the dreamcatcher to fail like this, but if it did, we need to know.”

  “I’m sure. I’ve been racking my brain for images of Paige on the circus grounds and the only time I can come up with is that first night. Otherwise she’s been very careful not to slip over the dreamcatcher. She must have recognized it for what it was.”

  “The night she heard us whispering the lullaby,” Raven noted. “You said you thought she heard us.”

  “She seemed surprised we called it that. She referred to it as a Wailing Whisper.”

  Max furrowed his brow. “That’s a very old term. I mean … like a hundred-and-fifty-years old.”

  “I think she’s at least a hundred-and-thirty-years old,” I supplied. “I also think she was Barney’s great-grandmother, not his daughter.”

  A series of hushed whispers flitted through the tent. Naida was the first to speak.