My jaw drops. This is bizarre. I’ve never seen object-lauvan act like this. It’s as if they are alive.
In the ringing stillness after Anna’s invocation I begin to hear a whispering sound, like wind through leaves. Or like the quiet murmurings of a large crowd of people some distance away. Anna must hear it too, because her mouth parts in a wide smile.
“Welcome, spirits.”
The whispering turns to murmuring then to indistinct muttering. I’m forcibly reminded of the sounds I heard during Sylvana’s spirit invocation. But it doesn’t stop at muttering. The lauvan ball gives a final pulse and starts to bloom. It writhes and wriggles upward and outward, growing huge and distorted. The lauvan gather themselves into three indistinct shapes.
Cold sweat trickles down my back. Lauvan don’t move of their own accord like this. They don’t create shapes, with rounded tops and long slender protrusions that a fanciful man might call arms, and a narrowing that could be construed as a neck…
“Greetings, Anna Green.” A bland, androgynous voice emerges from the central lauvan-shape. My heart stops, then stutters back to life, three times faster than before. The lauvan in the front of the shape’s—head?—twitch and writhe in an approximation of a mouth.
“How does your task progress?” Anna says, her eyes still closed. It’s clear that she can hear the lauvan-shape but cannot see it. I notice with shock that two purple lauvan twist among the orange of the lauvan-shapes. Another of Anna’s lauvan detaches from her body and floats to the shapes, where it is sucked into the wriggling mass.
Now I’m even more worried than before, if that’s possible. Are the lauvan-shapes taking pieces of Anna? What does that mean?
And when am I going to stop calling them lauvan-shapes, and admit to myself that spirits might be real?
The central spirit responds to Anna’s question with a flickering near its mouth region.
“Progress is slow but steady. Energy to the mountain is all but blocked. We have needed to exercise caution on our end—we are being watched, and punishment would be severe if we were found out.”
“Yes, I understand.” Anna’s tone hints at impatience, not understanding. “But when will it be done?”
“There is one on your side who thwarts us. Already this one has undone some of our work. But we will be ready for this one if there is an attempt to slow our progress once more. We anticipate completion after the second sunrise.”
“There’s someone else?” Anna’s smooth forehead wrinkles in confusion. “I don’t know who else could. It’s certainly not Jackie or Bethany. And the others—they wouldn’t.” She lifts her chin higher. “It doesn’t matter. You deal with this intruder, and the event will go on as planned. Then we will all benefit.”
“Indeed. You can tell your people that the plan will proceed on schedule.”
During this exchange, Anna’s lauvan detach themselves from her body in a slow but continuous parade of purple. Her lauvan blend in with the spirit lauvan. I’m horrified to see the spirits becoming more formed with every purple lauvan they incorporate. Instead of blank expanses of lauvan, depressions form where eye sockets should be. The central spirit’s mouth grows more distinct, almost forming lips.
Are the spirits taking Anna’s life force, her lauvan? Are they harming her?
Anna seems to notice nothing, although her chest rises and falls with greater frequency than before and her cheeks are pale.
“Until the morning, spirits,” she says. “Keep your end of the bargain, and we will keep ours.”
The spirits begin to swirl together above the amulet. Faster and faster they turn, until they become one twisting mass of lauvan that shrinks and grows still, calmly twining around the necklace as before. The connection between necklace and cable severs, and orange lauvan slink back to the necklace.
Anna sways for a moment. Her limbs move as with a great effort and she fumbles around for the necklace to drape it over her head. Then her eyes open and roll back. She slumps boneless to the ground, clearly unconscious.
I’m by her side in an instant.
“Anna,” I hiss. “Anna.”
She’s out cold. I check her heartbeat in the pulse of her neck, and her airway by her breath on my cheek. All is normal. Her lauvan are sluggish, but no more than when she sleeps.
I shake my head at her unseeing form.
“Anna, what have you got yourself into?” I pass my hands over my face. They’re shaking.
After all these years, it turns out that the druids who schooled me were right. The spirit world is real. It can be contacted. I search my memories for what the druids taught me so long ago. It’s all pretty foggy. I dismissed lessons about the spirit world early on as superstitious stories inspired by hallucinogenic herbs used in ceremonies.
Think, Merlin, think. What do I know? According to the druids, there are spirits in charge of each of the old-world elements—earth, air, water, and fire. They exist on a different plane from our world—one reason I dismissed them in my youthful arrogance. I thought I could see that plane in the lauvan, and laughed at those who believed that there were spirits when there were clearly not. They govern the elements and make sure none are out of alignment, that the scales of the world are balanced. The druids put a lot of stock into balance, and I certainly agree with them of its importance. But the notion that there are beings that maintain the balance of the world, that surprises me.
Although, apparently not all spirits are interested in balance. These spirits have been deliberately knotting the lauvan around Mt. Linnigan to cause an eruption, for what purpose I’m still not clear. It sounds as if they are renegade spirits. If there are real, honest-to-goodness spirits controlling this volcano, things may be more dire than I thought. It certainly explains the presence I felt in the lauvan-cable. Now they’re onto me. And they’re not fans, according to Sylvana and the psychic punch I received from the presence in the cable earlier. Do they know who I am? Do they know what I am? Do they have the answers about myself that I long since gave up hope of ever finding out?
There’s also another interested party—whoever Anna is working for. Some person or persons unknown are directing Anna’s movements, undoubtedly the author of the note covered in red lauvan. It seems to me that Anna is in way over her head with whatever this is all about. She obviously knew nothing about the lauvan-stealing that took place while she and the spirits spoke. It cost her her consciousness this time—what will happen next time?
I stroke Anna’s soft cheek. She looks so young when she’s asleep, so vulnerable.
“Time to take you home,” I whisper to her. She doesn’t respond. I feel around in her coat for her keys and shove them in my pocket. Her car surely isn’t far—I can’t envision her hiking for hours in the middle of the night. I look around and spot a faint trail of purple lauvan glowing dimly to my left. Ah ha. Thank you, Anna, for your excitement in this early morning. Glad you had some left over from last night.
I blow out the candles, shaking off the wax and stuffing them into my pocket. That done, I bend down and gently slide my hands under Anna’s body to pick her up. Her limp form hangs loosely between my arms. I try to tuck her head into my chest to avoid it flopping around on her neck. The car had better be close.
When I get Anna back to her apartment, it’s time for answers. And now that I know what I’m facing, it’s time for action.
CHAPTER XV
Anna’s car is parked in a clearing of an abandoned logging road near the edge of the park, close enough that the journey is mercifully swift. I fish the car keys out of my pocket and unlock the backdoor of her cherry-red Acura, black in the dark. Carefully, I pick her up and lie her down on the backseat. She doesn’t stir. Losing some of her lauvan sapped her energy, and now she needs time to recoup. I look at Anna’s limp body and feel a pang of fear. I hope that’s all it is.
The sky begins to lighten as I turn the key in the ignition and reverse the car out of the clearing. By the time I roll into town and w
heel into a free space on the street in front of Anna’s apartment, the sun has risen and glints off curtained windows up and down the street.
With Anna in my arms, I fumble for a minute with the keys in the door until the right one successfully turns the lock. I bang the door open with my foot, eager to get inside and put Anna down.
In the hallway, I walk past 102 with my cargo in my arms and stop in front of 103. My knuckles rap loudly on the door, despite my awkward hold on Anna. A light appears, filtering through a gap between door and floor.
“Sylvana,” I hiss. “It’s Merry. From the shop yesterday. I need your help. Anna’s in trouble.”
The door opens a crack, as far as the security chain will allow. Sylvana’s wide eyes peer out from her sleep-puffed face. She takes a moment to absorb the scene. I pause to consider how it must look—me, tousle-haired and puffing with exertion, Anna a deadweight in my arms. Sylvana, to her great credit, doesn’t hesitate.
“Oh my god.” The door slams and a rattling chain precedes the door flinging open. “Come in. Lie her down on the sofa.” Sylvana runs to reposition tasseled cushions and I maneuver Anna onto the couch. We stare at Anna in silence for a moment until Sylvana turns to me.
“What happened?” She looks back to Anna. “Should she go to a hospital?”
“No. Look, Sylvana, I need to ask you a few questions. Anna will be fine—I hope.” I move to the table in the kitchen area and pull out two of the chairs. “Come sit.”
Sylvana looks a little taken aback by my taking charge, but she comes and sits down gingerly.
“What is this about?” She looks at me warily, as if only now realizing the situation—a strange man barges into her home at sunrise, carrying her unconscious neighbor, and now wants to talk? I try to appear as unthreatening as possible, and try for a weak smile. It doesn’t seem to help much. Sylvana’s body is tense and her lauvan more so. I sigh.
“I’m sorry for bursting in like this. I need your help. Anna needs your help. Am I wrong in thinking you and Anna used to be friends?”
Sylvana lets out an explosive sigh.
“Yeah, we’ve been friends forever. We grew up together. It’s just recently that…” She stops.
“Yeah. About that. I need you to tell me everything you know about those necklaces you and Anna were given.”
As I expect, Sylvana’s face blanches.
“What—how do you know about those?” She searches my face. “What did Anna say?”
“Look, I don’t have much time. Just know that Anna is in deep, over her head, and I might be able to help. If you tell me what you know.”
Sylvana worries her lower lip for a minute, and then words burst out of her like water from a breached dam.
“We got them from my aunt when we were visiting her in Vancouver. Aunty Bethany was all excited, she’d met this guy who was really skilled in the divining arts. This was before we opened the shop, but Aunty Bethany knew it was in the works, she was helping us buy inventory and all that. The guy, this divination guru, he came into her shop one day and chatted with her, then gave her a necklace to try.”
“Why did he do that?”
“He told her something about wanting to share the knowledge—that the more people who could see into a person’s heart, the better the world would be. He just sounded like he wanted to spread his wisdom. I guess we should have known better, but the community is very tight-knit, very friendly, and I just didn’t expect anything. Anna knew better.”
“What did Anna know?”
“That there would be a price. ‘You don’t get something for nothing, Jackie-bird,’ that’s what Anna said, and she was right. After Aunty Bethany tried out the necklace—I think she read a lady’s tea leaves, and she said the images practically leapt out of the teacup, with the meaning so obvious—she called me right away, she was so excited. We were visiting when the man came back and he offered us two more—she’d told him about us, I guess—and we took them. And yeah, they are amazing. I can really see, truly get visions of people’s hearts, and actually talk to the spirits that underlie everything. It’s beyond amazing.”
She looks wistful for a moment. “But then the man came back. We were visiting my aunt, like I said, and he turned up in the shop and asked us if we could help him. There would be great power, rewards far beyond what he had already given us, if we helped him with something. He didn’t specify what it was, but as soon as he started talking I got an overwhelming sense of darkness. I was wearing the necklace at the time, you see. I must have been sensing his true intentions, his true purpose. And whatever he wanted us to do, I’m sure it wasn’t good.
“After the man left, I found out that Aunty Bethany felt the same, and she and I agreed that we weren’t going to have anything to do with the man anymore. Anna, though, you should have seen her eyes light up when he started talking about giving us powers we could only dream about. She wanted it. She wanted it bad enough that the dark aura didn’t even faze her. We had the biggest fight that night. I tried to convince her that it wasn’t worth getting tangled up in that darkness, and she kept saying that it wasn’t right to accept gifts and not give back. She left the next morning on the first bus, and we haven’t spoken since.”
Silence falls in the little apartment. A bird starts to sing outside and the sun’s rays creep in the window.
“Do you know who the man was?”
“He called himself Drew. I never got a last name. He was probably mid-thirties, light brown hair, shortish. That’s all I know, I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t really matter right now. But thanks.” I blow air out through pursed lips reflectively. “I guess that explains why these necklaces keep cropping up. But not how to fix this.”
“How do you think you can help?” Sylvana looks at me with a hint of defiance in her eyes. She spilled out her story, and I’m still the dark stranger trespassing on her domain. “Who are you?”
I smile wryly. I don’t think this is the time or place or person to get into the finer details of the answer to that question.
“I’m just someone trying to help. Anna’s in trouble. She’s delving into dark—energies—she can’t control, that are tearing her apart and she doesn’t even know.”
Sylvana presses a hand to her mouth. I debate quickly in my mind what to say next.
“What if I told you that there are centers of power in the world, places where the Earth’s energies coalesce? And that Mt. Linnigan is one of them?”
Sylvana nods before I finish speaking.
“I’d tell you that you’re absolutely right. I’ve learned about the energies of the world before—that’s common knowledge in the spiritual seekers community—but when I came home wearing the necklace for the first time, I felt it. I felt the power of Mt. Linnigan. My necklace practically hums when I’m close to the mountain.”
“Good. That makes things easier.” I gaze at Sylvana for a moment before saying, “The eruption. It’s not due to geology. Anna is playing with fire, and she’s going to burn herself and everyone else in this town if we don’t do something.”
“No,” Sylvana whispers. She looks to Anna, still unconscious on the couch. “Oh, Anna, what did you do?”
“I don’t know what she thinks she’s doing, but that volcano will blow if she completes her task.” I stand up. “Can I ask you to keep Anna here, take care of her, distract her if she wakes up? There are some things I need to do today to fix this.”
“Of course.” Sylvana looks confused. “But what can you do?”
I smile.
“I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Don’t worry, we can make things right. I just need your help.” I move to stand beside Anna, and bend down to unhook the necklace from beneath her auburn curls. The orange lauvan of the amulet start to twist through my own immediately. I hold it up to have a closer look.
“Ow!” I drop the necklace on the carpet, a sharp pain making my fingers sizzle as if held in a flame for too long. I shake my hand, glaring at the pi
le of lauvan now twisting slowly on the floor. I’ve never had a reaction like that from touching an object of power before.
“What happened?” Sylvana stares at me, at the necklace, then back to me.
“Damn amulet—never mind. Just—can you hold onto this for me and keep it away from Anna? I think it’s a key piece in her dealings with the volcano, so let’s make sure she doesn’t have it.” I nudge the amulet toward her with my foot, trying to minimize contact. The spirits must have a very close connection to the necklace, too close for them to tolerate my touch. I suppose I should be grateful I wasn’t flung across Sylvana’s living room. These ridiculous necklaces are becoming very tiresome.
Sylvana nods silently and picks up the necklace with finger and thumb. When nothing happens, she gives a barely audible sigh of relief and puts it on top of her bookshelf, out of sight. I rub my hands over my eyes. “Could I bother you for some water before I go?”
“Of course.” Sylvana turns and rummages through a cupboard in the kitchen.
I swiftly move to kneel beside Anna on the floor. I don’t know how long she’ll be out, but her unconscious state is so convenient that I think I’ll help extend it a little longer. I grasp a few of her lauvan and twist them together. That should keep her asleep for a few hours, at least. Hopefully it will be long enough to do what I need to do. When I finish, I gently stroke the hair off her forehead.
“Sleep, Anna,” I whisper. “And stop making life so difficult for me.”
I turn to get up. Sylvana holds a glass of water in her hand, an expression of shock and wonder on her face.
“What did you do?”
I don’t know what she thought she saw, but I decide to ignore her words. I move to her side and take the water.
“Thanks.” I drain it and put the glass on the table. “Please, just keep Anna safe, and keep her here. I’ll do everything I can to make this right.” I leave Sylvana standing in the kitchen, the sunrise bathing her in an orange glow of fire.
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