by Pat Esden
“No.” Greta grabbed a plunger and swung, connecting with Keshari’s shoulder. Keshari yelped and fell back. Greta snarled and got to her feet, advancing on both of them. But the anger in her eyes looked normal, and no hint of the Shade’s magic buzzed in the air.
The Shade.
Chloe’s pulse skyrocketed. She turned to Keshari. “Juliet! The Shade still has her.”
They flew out of the bathroom, back through the apartment. She could use the spell she’d put on Juliet. Say “Northern Circle” and Juliet would fall asleep. That would keep her from talking to the Shade. That would work.
They sped into the hallway.
It was empty.
Nothing, except debris—a pair of bejeweled kitty slippers and trail of blood droplets, leading toward the staircase.
A chill settled over Chloe as she slowly glanced through the open door to Juliet’s apartment, hoping to see her standing there, though she knew with all her heart that Juliet was gone.
They will suffer until I decide to let you join us again, the Shade’s words replayed in Chloe’s head. She pressed her hands over her eyes, rock-hard fear and guilt weighing down on her. Some things are worse than death, like near drowning or being held hostage by a merciless and powerful shade.
“You need to tell Devlin what happened,” Keshari said.
“I don’t know about you, but the Shade almost broke through my resistance. Can we be sure his magic hasn’t gotten to Devlin? The cure’s better than nothing, but it doesn’t work as well as we hoped.” Her voice sounded shaken even to her own ears. “We have to stick to our plan.”
Keshari took Chloe by the arm and led her back into the apartment. She washed the blood from Chloe’s face. Most of it had come from the nosebleed. But both she and Keshari were covered with cuts and slices from the flying debris, not to mention the damage Greta had inflicted on Keshari’s shoulder. Still, by the time they’d washed and changed into clean clothes, a renewed sense of determination was building inside Chloe.
Damn the Shade. She wasn’t going to let him torture Juliet or Greta, or any of her other friends or even strangers, like what had happened with the goth. She wasn’t going to let him destroy the Circle. Or her chance to help the boy. Or be with Devlin. No. She was going to find a way to send him back. Even if it killed her—or worse.
Chapter 26
Come to me, sweetheart, lay in my arms. Whisper your secrets and I’ll give you my charms.
—The Seduction of Merlin
Sunset rapidly settled into twilight as Chloe and Keshari hurried toward Oakledge Park. They were too late to catch a bus and didn’t want to risk taking a taxi in case the driver might be in Athena’s pocket, so they took off on foot, zigzagging their way through side streets and avoiding going near the complex, entering the park on the south end.
From there, they made their way through the fading light to a tree sheltered rock outcrop, overlooking the broad lake and the cove where the Clock stood near the shoreline. The roundabout route they took seemed wise, better to avoid running into any Circle members until they knew who was on their side.
Devlin slipped into Chloe’s mind and her heart fumbled. His relationship with Athena was so much closer than the one she had with her siblings. In fact, it was strange how quickly and easily her brothers and sisters had distanced themselves from her after everything went down with the Vice-Chancellor’s son. If it came down to it, could Devlin do the same to Athena? If his sister remained loyal to the Shade, would he take sides against her? Judging by the Shade’s power, it would probably be wiser for him if he didn’t.
Focus, Chloe told herself. She couldn’t afford to worry about Devlin right now. As much as her heart hated the idea, this was bigger than their relationship. Plus, it felt wrong to even think about him having to choose sides.
Chloe found a flat rock at the water’s edge and set down her flashlight and messenger bag. The crisp air drifting off the still lake cooled her face and helped her move toward a more meditative zone. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of water and cedar, similar in many ways but subtly different than the smells from that night at the quarry. How long ago that felt now.
“Ready?” she said to Keshari.
Keshari nodded. “I hope we will not call a lake demon or trickster by mistake.”
“We won’t,” Chloe said confidently. But a fresh trickle of sweat slid down her spine. That was something she hadn’t considered.
With that new possibility weighing heavy in her mind, she opened her messenger bag and took out their supplies, everything specifically chosen to appeal to Nimue: blue candles, a chalice of white wine, jasmine oil, a perfect apple.
Chloe lit the candles, then pricked her finger with her athame and let the droplets fall into the water. Once that was done, Keshari poured the mandala sand and crystals onto the same spot.
The last traces of sunset stretched amber along the western horizon, quickly seeping into gray. Closer to them, the reflection of stars broke the water’s darkness. No moon. Just fading twilight and stillness.
Together they intoned, “We call upon the Lady of the Lake. We seek your wisdom. Come to us…” While Keshari kept up the entreaty and jangled her bell-wand to add to the magic, Chloe sliced the apple in two and set it in the water. Pale and perfect, the slices shimmered in the low light. They bobbed for a moment, drifting inward until they tagged the rocks. Then they floated outward more rapidly than seemingly possible in such still water. Chloe’s heart leapt, wondering if the movement meant a Lady was nearby.
With her eyes trained on the water, she waited. The last colors vanished from the horizon, city lights now glimmering along the lakeshore. She straightened, pushed past the growing nervousness in her stomach, and raised her voice. “We call upon you, Lady Nimue. Hear our plea.”
A flutter of wings broke the silence as a restless bird sped away from the Earth Clock and into the trees behind them. Somewhere beyond the park a dog barked.
Keshari’s fingers entwined with hers, giving them a squeeze. “I don’t think this is working. She wants more.”
The sinking feeling of impending failure settled over Chloe. Keshari was right. The apple represented Nimue’s island home of Avalon. It would please her. The sand was full of power, and so much of Keshari’s heart. But neither was really a sacrifice on Chloe’s part. The blood she’d offered had been tiny compared to what had awoken the Shade. She had to give more. Something that would hurt.
A painful ache gripped Chloe’s chest and tears misted her eyes as she undid the clasp on her charm bracelet. Her father had special ordered and had the tiny pentagram engraved for her tenth birthday. Her aunt had given her the crystal pendulum on her eleventh, her mother had…
“What are you doing?” Keshari whispered.
“It’s connected to my heart and witchcraft, to the Craft the Lady and I share.” She cupped her hands around the bracelet and lifted it skyward, toward the dark velvet night and starlight. “Nimue, I entreat you. High priestess of the water. Will you speak to me? Counsel me?” She crouched, dipping her fingertips into the lake and letting water pour into the chalice of her hands. “Please, Lady, take this offering, as a poor man’s copper penny into a well, as a warrior surrendering his sword into the depths. Come to me. Bless me with your presence.”
She opened her hands and watched with sadness as the bracelet sunk downward and out of sight.
A long moment passed, then another. No breeze. No vibration of magic. No glimmer of anything rising from the lake’s depths. Nothing.
Disappointment weighed in Chloe’s heart. She sunk to her knees. Please, Lady. Please.
Another moment passed. And another. Just when she was about to give up, a faint tingle of magic swept Chloe’s neck.
“Did you feel that?” Keshari whispered.
Chloe nodded and scrambled to her feet.
In
the distance, the water rolled, rising and falling in undulating waves. The surge moved toward them, pushing whitecaps against the rocks, falling backwards in a crash and roar.
Chloe held her breath as a tall Lady rose up from the water in front of them. Symbols of the Craft gleamed on her skin. Her seaweed-entwined hair swirled out around her like solar flares. Her eyes shone with fury. Chloe’s bracelet shimmered on her wrist.
“You”—she pointed a long finger at Chloe—“you came to my cavern. Your blood released him.”
“Are—are you Nimue?” Chloe’s voice quivered. She hated to ask, the spirit didn’t sound happy. But she wasn’t going to make a mistake now, especially after Keshari mentioned the possibility of them attracting a trickster.
The Lady glowered. “You have the audacity to question who I am? Of course, I am Nimue of the Lake.”
“I—I’m sorry. I had to be certain.” Chloe blinked at the Lady, totally awestruck. It was really her. Nimue. She raked a hand through her hair, struggling for the right thing to say. “I didn’t mean to release the Shade. I mean, my blood was used, but now I want only to return him to you.”
“You expect me to believe that?” With a flick of her fingertips, Nimue swiveled away, nose up in the air as if disgusted.
“She’s telling the truth,” Keshari pleaded. “We need your help.”
Chloe stepped to the very edge of the rock, the whitecaps snaking over her shoes. “Tell us how to send him back. Please. I’ll do—I’ll give you anything you want. I just—” Chloe clenched her teeth, searching for the deepest truth she could give. “I want to make up for my wrongs.”
Nimue spun back, a shrewd smile rippling across her lips. Her eyes glistened. “If there are truly no limits to your willingness, then there is a way.” She held both arms out. As she raised them, mist streamed upward from beneath her feet, a ghostly blue luminesce that reminded Chloe of the garden paths at the complex. The blue grew more intense, vibrating with hot-white energy. Then a spear of light burst upward, its brightness blazing out in all directions. Nimue grasped the glowing rod by its end, slashing it through the air until it took on the shape of a small sword and dimmed to a steady glow.
“This,” Nimue said, “is the only weapon that can rejoin two halves that have been split.”
As Chloe’s eyes took in the rapier-like weapon, the mythic proportion of what she had to accomplish sunk in. She humbly lowered her gaze. “What do I need to do with it?”
Nimue pointed the sword downward and thrust its narrow blade back into the water. It blazed to life again, light flashing outward, illuminating all that lay below: fish, seaweed, rocks.
She withdrew the blade and smiled. “It’s simple. You must impale the Shade with it.”
Chloe stepped back, closer to Keshari. Stabbing the Shade wouldn’t be easy, but it sounded straightforward enough. Still, in folklore, tasks were never as simple as they seemed at first. And the Shade certainly wouldn’t give up without a fight.
“What else?” Keshari asked, as if she’d read Chloe’s mind.
Nimue laughed and tossed her head back, her hair dancing like candle flames. “After what was done, do you think the solution would be simple? The sword can slow the Shade, but only for a few heartbeats.” Her cool eyes landed on Chloe. “You must then stab the sword into the stone through which the Shade emerged into this realm.” She fell silent; a finger lifted to indicate there was more.
“And…?” Chloe asked, her mouth drying.
“Both these things must be accomplished before the hour the Shade emerged. If more than one full day passes between that time and when the sword pierces the stone, then he shall remain forever free to roam this realm.”
Chloe gaped. “That’s less than four hours from now.” She slanted a look toward Keshari to get a confirmation.
Keshari shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I do not recall anything after the energy-ball.”
An eerie stillness came over the lake and Nimue’s voice lowered to a hush. “Be warned before you take this sword. The act of purposely using such a weapon against another being—even a shade—is an act of dark magic. Whoever stabs him will never be the same. There is no way to reverse that. By nature, killing or intentionally harming another imbalances the soul.” Her gaze bore into Chloe’s as if to etch the words into her being. “Understand?”
Chloe bowed her head. “I do.”
Chapter 27
It wasn’t until I became the person I thought I wanted to be that I realized who I was.
—Chandler Parrish
As Nimue placed the lightweight sword into Chloe’s outstretched hands, the warnings played all too clearly in her head. Strangely, she had no desire to flee or turn away from the task before her. In a way, the price seemed just.
“Promise I won’t fail,” she said to Nimue. It sounded like what a fool from a fairy tale might say. Coming from her mouth it sounded like a lie.
“We shall see about that.” Nimue twirled around, arms outstretched, hair a wheel of flames and mist. She brought her arms together over her head and sank into the water, illuminating what lay below for a moment, before vanishing.
Chloe’s adrenaline kicked in. She pulled off her sweater and wrapped it around the sword. It wasn’t as if they could wander around with it glowing like a beacon. Even if it didn’t freak out anyone they happened across, the Shade would catch onto what they were up to the second he spotted it.
“What do you think our first move should be?” Keshari asked, flinging the strap of the messenger bag onto her shoulder. She snagged the flashlight. “It’s almost eight forty-five already.”
“Like it or not, we’ve got to go to the complex first.” Chloe tucked the wrapped sword under one arm, its brightness leaking out as they started up the rocks to the path.
“I do not think the Shade will be there. I suspect he is still touring the town.”
“But Devlin could be. With his help and a car, this whole thing would be a lot easier. We’ll just have to make sure no one else sees us.” She led the way, fast-walking past the Earth Clock, down the bike path toward the complex’s hidden gate.
Keshari lengthened her strides, a faint jangle of bells sounding as she came up next to Chloe. “Um—I am worried about Devlin.”
“I am too.” Chloe glanced at Keshari. “We should take some more of that cure before we head into the complex. I’m not sure if there’s a maximum dose, but I’d rather risk it. I’m hoping Devlin downed gallons of the stuff.” She took an ampule from her pocket and swallowed the contents.
Keshari did the same. “If we survive tonight, I am going to talk to your boyfriend about doing something to improve the flavor of this stuff.”
Chloe laughed, glad for the relief. “It gives disgusting a whole new meaning.” Her face heated when she realized what Keshari had said. “He’s not actually my boyfriend.”
This time Keshari laughed. “I have seen how he watches you. And, you, your magic radiates when he is near.”
“Time will tell.” Chloe kept her voice light. She didn’t dare think about Devlin in that way right now. She couldn’t afford to let anything sway her from her plan, even him. As if echoing her need to stay the course, the sword warmed against her side.
Ahead, the magic ward enhancing the complex’s back gate and fence rippled in the darkness. Keshari looked up at it and shook her head. “We should have gone through the front. It will be impossible to force our way through something this strong without our presence being detected.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Chloe rubbed her neck, thinking. “Devlin opened it with a simple flick of his fingers and a command. I’m willing to bet all coven members can do that—and I just happen to be a coven member.”
Focusing on the gate, she drew up her magic. It surged hot and ready to sail from her fingertips. It was strange how already working with her amplified power felt more na
tural than dialing it back. Still—
She hesitated, her magic receding a little as she reached up and touched a fresh cut on her throat, one she’d gotten after the Shade deflected her super-charged power and created the tornado of debris. She suspected this was another instance where letting her magic rip wasn’t the wisest choice. Like Keshari said, everyone in the complex would sense that kind of energy burst. She needed to play it cool.
“Hold this for a second.” She gave Keshari the wrapped sword, then turned her back on the gate and shook out her arms to eliminate even more of the magic she’d built up. Calming her thoughts and energy, she swiveled around. “Open,” she murmured, lightly flicking her fingers to send the slightest burst of energy at the gate.
Please, Hecate, please, she prayed.
The gate swung slowly open and she let out her breath.
“I would never have guessed that would work,” Keshari said, as they hurried through.
“I’m just grateful it did.”
Chloe took the sword back from Keshari and started toward the complex. After a couple of yards, motion lights blazed to life, brightening the path ahead of them. In the distance, a dog began to bark.
“Shit. It’s Henry,” Chloe whispered. “He’ll alert everyone.”
Keshari moved in closer to Chloe. “I was bit when I was little. This one, he is friendly, yes?”
“Don’t worry, Henry’s a sweetheart.”
With Keshari next to her, Chloe sprinted toward the complex, ready to unsheathe the sword if the Shade or anyone else emerged from the shadows. As they reached the end of the path and started past Devlin’s coupe, Henry appeared on the other side of the parking lot. A ferocious snarl reverberated from his mouth. Hackles raised. Teeth bared. He charged at them, like a hungry wolf.
“Run!” Chloe shouted. “The car.”
It was the closest option. Thank the Goddess it was unlocked.
Keshari dove in first, Chloe close behind. She tossed the sword to Keshari and yanked the door shut, just in time. A loud bang reverberated as Henry slammed into the outside of the door. He leapt, hitting the side window, snarling and snapping. Saliva slid down the glass.
