A shiver traveled over her skin. There was no way she would leave the stone behind or even let it out of her sight, but was she being a fool to blindly trust Val’s judgment? His intentions were good, but could they be hand-delivering the Heart of Hecate to Goddess-knew-what was waiting for her at the Oceanside fairgrounds? A sense of paranoia gnawed at her. “You’re not even supposed to know about the ruby.”
“But I do.” His gaze narrowed. “What’s wrong? You’re looking at me like I grew a third eye.”
“Nothing.” She entered her bedroom and shut the door. The moment she was alone, she unzipped the purse and looked inside. The ruby was safe, sitting in a change pocket. Compared to yesterday, its glow was faint, as if it were resting or conserving energy. She reached into her purse and petted the stone. “Good morning. I’m happy to see you.” A burst of crimson lit the interior of her purse. “Nice stone.” She stroked it like a cat. “We’re going to have a great day, aren’t we?” “How are you doing in there?” Val’s voice floated through the door. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“I’ll just be a few minutes.” What the hell did one wear to do battle with evil? Staring at her closet and chest of drawers, she drew a blank until the stone sent a telepathic suggestion: combat boots. She reached for her Doc Martins. “That makes sense.”
“What makes sense?” Val sounded confused.
“Never mind. I’m just talking to myself and a rock.”
“Okay.” He still sounded confused. “I’ll start loading the car, all right?”
“Good idea.” She turned toward her dresser and starting flinging drawers open.
Captain Manx materialized beside her. “Where are we going, miss?”
She flinched. “Not ‘we’—me. I’m headed someplace that you won’t want to go—to the fairgrounds.”
The captain appeared crestfallen. “The fairgrounds?” He bit his lip. “I suppose the hearty young lad is going with you?”
“Yes, we have to go. I’m sure you’ve eavesdropped on us enough to know why.”
“I do know, and I wish to accompany you. Who knows, against all odds I might be of use.”
“Captain, I’m not sure what you could do except haunt the rides and startle mortals, and I have a bad feeling enough of that will be going on already. Besides, the fairgrounds are built on what used to be San Buena’s docks.”
He hung his head and brushed his fingertips against a few wisps of white hair on his semibare chest. “I’m well aware of that fact, miss, and I insist on accompanying you regardless.”
“Won’t being at—” How could she be delicate in saying this? “—ground zero be troubling for you?”
“Ground zero?” The captain appeared blank. “I’m not following your drift.”
“The docks, aka Oceanside Fairgrounds, are the last place your ship was in one piece before it was —”
“I know that, and I’ve scrupulously avoided the area for over a hundred years.”
“Aren’t you afraid going to the fairgrounds might trigger bad memories for you? That’s what you’ve always told me. What if you run into the ghosts of your former shipmates?”
He placed his hands over ears and hummed loudly. “Let’s not discuss that topic. La, la, la, la, I can’t hear you!”
“What do you mean, don’t discuss it? If you think you’re coming with me, especially today, we have to discuss it. To be frank, I’m going to have my hands full. I won’t be able to babysit you.”
Indignation showed on his face. “Do I ever ask you to ‘babysit’ me? I’ve never asked for, nor needed a baby to sit on me. That term sounds quite degrading.”
“Babysitting means something else.” The poor captain sometimes got modern terms terribly wrong. “I don’t mean it as an insult, but you are high maintenance. How often am I downtown on some ill-advised errand looking for a suitable laudanum substitute or some exotic Tonka-bean-infused liquor because you won’t go there yourself to sniff the bottle or fondle the packaging to get an imaginary contact high? Captain, your entire rationale for never leaving the house on the hill or straying beyond Cemetery Park was because you were afraid to go to the waterfront or anywhere near the shipyard and be confronted by the ghosts of your crew or whatever it was that terrified you so badly in life. I don’t get it. They were your crew, your peers. What are you afraid is going to happen? All of you are long dead. You should have so much in common.”
He threw his hands high. “I’m ready to do it today! I shall go to the docks, come what may.”
“Fairgrounds,” she corrected him. “Really? After putting it off for over a century, you’re ready to do it today of all days? I have to warn you, there’s nothing there that you would recognize. The shipyards were paved over twenty years ago. The wooden docks are gone and the harbor has high-rise hotels on it.”
“Nonetheless, I shall go with you.”
Her heart sank. This could get complicated. “That’s fine, but what changed? If you do decide to join us, you have to look after yourself. A bubble of malevolence is getting ready to blow and I can’t afford any distractions.”
“If you must know, miss, I feel called to do it.”
This should be interesting. Who called? “All right, but make it quick. In a minute Val will return and I’m not even close to being ready.”
“My encounter with the smoke c-creature,” the captain stuttered, “was quite an alarming experience. I sensed that it wanted to probe my memories for the most disturbing items it could find and feed upon them.”
“Why?”
His gaze was blank. “So it could grow stronger. I got an undeniable sense that it feeds on fear, insecurities, and doubt.”
“No shit.” A sinking feeling gripped her. “Insecurities and doubt? I’ll need to be extra careful considering I’m sort of the queen of both.”
The captain wrung his hands. “I heartily disagree. You were admirably courageous in confronting the monster and driving it away. You didn’t let it get the better of you the way it frightened me.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “I’m tired of being so timorous. Despite pretending to be a bluff-talking captain, I spent my life full of self-doubt and regret, and now I’ve carried it all into the afterlife. This should have ended long ago.”
“What should have ended?”
“My existence in this realm.” His expression was pained. The lines on his face appeared deeper than ever. “I don’t belong here. I’ve put it off long enough. I must go with you to the docks and face what I must.”
“It’s fairgrounds now, remember? There won’t be any ships there.”
“The smoke beast will be there. That’s all I need to face.”
The front door opened and heavy footsteps entered the apartment. “Estele!” Val called from the living room. “Are you ready?”
Estele glanced down at her fuzzy sleepwear-slash-jogging outfit. Did she really want to spend what might be the most challenging day of her life dressed like a two-year-old ready for their naptime?
“Miss?” The captain waved his hands to get her attention and pointed toward the bed. “I’ve taken the liberty of selecting an appropriate outfit for you to battle demons in.”
She walked toward the bed. A pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a safari jacket with lots of pockets were set out on the bed. “Thank you, Captain. When did you do this?”
“I set the clothing out last night. I had to do something helpful. You’ll find the pockets have been stocked with useful articles like a travel toothbrush, lip balms, coins of the realm—”
“Coins of the realm? Where did you get these items?” That sneaky old dog. “You went through my purse while I was asleep, didn’t you?”
He looked guilty. “I’m afraid I did, miss.”
“I thought the ruby made you nervous? Why would you even look in my purse?”
The captain’s eyes bulged like a fish. “It called to me.”
“It called to you, so you went into a lady’s handbag and rooted ar
ound? Whatever happened to personal boundaries? Am I not allowed any privacy?”
“I’m so sorry, miss. I knew it was wrong but I was frightened. You and the lad were out like lights. I saw the gem pulsing inside your purse, a bit of rosy light escaping the seams. To these old eyes, it was as comforting as the pink glow of dawn on the day you sight land, so I crept closer—”
“How close?”
“A polite distance, but I did unzip the purse and look inside. And you’ll never guess what happened—”
“Estele!” Val stomped around the living room. “We need to leave. I have to help Bruno get ready for the breakfast run.”
“I’m getting dressed now!” She motioned for the captain to turn around. “Captain, finish what you were saying and don’t peek.”
“It was the strangest thing. First, I thought the stone was talking to me, but it wasn’t. It was more like it was speaking directly to my thoughts.”
Tugging the jersey over her head, she cast it aside and reached for a sport bra. Where did I set the deodorant? “Yes, I know what you mean. I had the same experience too. It was like the stone helped me to organize my thoughts and make a decision. Witch Griselda said it brings clarity.”
“A clear decision! That’s exactly it, miss! I dared to touch the ruby and I did experience an uncomfortable moment of self-examination—”
She pulled the T-shirt over her head with lightning speed for fear the captain would turn, peering over her shoulder to make sure he didn’t. “Self-examination? Oh, please don’t let this get gross.”
The captain remained facing away. “Perhaps self-reflection is a better term. The stone captivated me and I was forced—more like gently compelled, really—to confront my many follies and my part in them. I’ve been avoiding doing this for such a long while, but I believe now that walking, or in my case floating, to the docks—”
“To the fairgrounds.” Sorting through a drawer, she wondered if she even owned a matched pair of socks. Could she dare risk witching two unmatched socks into a pair, or would that be asking for trouble? At least she had clean underwear.
“Fairgrounds. Yes, of course. Going there is the right thing to do. I must face my fears and ask forgiveness of my shipmates.”
She stepped into her pants and tugged them up her legs. “Forgiveness for what?”
He cocked his head. “I’m not sure exactly. It’s been so long, I don’t remember the details.”
“Or don’t want to remember.”
“True. They don’t put people in asylums just because they’re a bit forgetful, do they? I must have done something regrettable and blocked it out, but I feel like the clouds are parting and I’m going to remember very soon what I did, and then I’ll be able to let it go.”
Knuckles rapped on the door. “Estele. We should have left already.”
“Almost ready!” Jeez, it was still black as night out there. She reached for the safari jacket. It weighed a ton. “There’s more than lip balm in here. Captain, what did you put in these pockets, lead slugs?”
“A few needful things, miss.”
Deciding to wear mismatched socks, she slipped into her Doc Martins and laced them up. The moment she was dressed, she burst out of the bedroom, darted into the bathroom, and shut the door.
Val groaned. “Estele, what are you doing?”
“Hold on! Five minutes. I have to pull myself together.” She had to brush her teeth. Bubble of malevolence or not, she wasn’t going to leave the house with coffee breath. “Oh, by the way, Captain Manx will be accompanying us.”
“What did you say?” He stepped closer to the door. “This is serious. We can’t get sidetracked. If the captain comes with us, he’s on his own, okay?”
She looked over her shoulder. Thankfully the captain hadn’t crowded into the bathroom with her. Accomplishing what she could in as little time as possible, she combed her hair into a ponytail and swiped on a coat of cheery peach lipstick. Swooping her fringed handbag over her head, she secured it at her side with her arm locked against it. A glance in the mirror revealed that she didn’t look like a demon hunter so much as a Banana Republic ad. Unzipping the purse, she looked at the stone, which gave off a faint red glow. “How are you doing in there? Are you ready for today?”
The ruby pulsed. The words never abandoned popped into her mind. What did that mean? Was the Heart of Hecate scared she might abandon or lose it? She spoke directly to the stone. “Never abandoned? Don’t worry, I’ll be very careful with you and make sure you get back to your rightful owner.”
With a burst of bright pink light, the ruby steadily glowed. He’ll always be your protector entered her mind.
She spoke into her purse. “Who’s ‘he’? Val? I know part of your power is the ability to grant clarity, but I sure wish you could be a little clearer with me.”
“Estele.” Val stood outside the door. “Are you talking to me? If you were, I didn’t quite hear what you said.”
“No, Val, I’m just talking to myself.” She zipped her purse and exited the bathroom. “I guess I’m ready.”
Val’s gaze skimmed over her. He looked surprised. “A purse, that’s it? Are you sure you have everything you’ll need?”
How could she answer that? Her chaotic style of magic had never been dependent on traditional Wiccan tools, charms, or anything solid. She tended to wing it, making up incantations as she went. Most of the time that lack of formality was what caused the biggest problems. “What were you expecting me to bring, a jeweled skull and a lightsaber?” She had her “protector” and the Heart of Hecate and that was all she needed. “We’re good.”
Offering his hand, he smiled. “Let’s go.”
“Very good! I’m ready too!” Captain Manx took Val’s hand. “Off we go.”
Estele tapped the captain’s shoulder. “Where did you get that harpoon, and is it really coming with us in the car?”
The captain clutched the weapon. “I’ve had it for ages. I’ll just hold it between my knees in the back seat, unless someone objects.”
“Have you seen how small the back seat of my car is?”
A matter-of-fact reply rolled off the captain’s tongue. “We’ll open a window and let the sharp end poke out.”
It was shaping up to be a long day. “About that sharp end. There’s going to be thousands of people at the fairgrounds—you know, families with children. Watch where you point that harpoon, okay?”
Captain Manx dismissed Estele’s comment with a frown. “I’ve never haphazardly harpooned anyone in a crowd.”
“Make sure you don’t.” She extended her hand to Val. “Give me the keys. I’ll drive.”
Typical man, Val had already taken possession of them. “I thought maybe I would drive.”
She shook her head. “It’s my car. I’ll drive.”
Val dug deep into his pocket and pulled out the keys, but he didn’t look pleased about it. “Here.”
Plucking them from Val’s hand, she tried to sound confident, as if she were comfortable being in charge, which she wasn’t. “Let’s roll.” She turned to the captain. “You don’t really need to go in the car. You’re immaterial, at least most of the time. In theory, you could just pop down to the fairgrounds and meet us there.”
The captain appeared stricken. “I’ve never ridden in a car and I was so looking forward to it. It would be such a thrill to ride with you and the lad and chat with the Parking Fairy in transit.”
That was news. “You know about my Parking Fairy?”
“I know all the elementals who live in the area.” He winked. “The oaks at Cemetery Park are filled with dryads. In this very building, there are water nymphs hiding in the courtyard’s koi pond. You do know that, don’t you?”
That was big news. Had she been blind? “There are actual nymphs swimming in the koi pond? I did not know that.” How would that even work? Was she that unobservant? “The pond’s not that big. Aren’t they cramped for space?”
The captain laughed. “Yo
u’re thinking rationally, and the world next door, where the elementals spend most of their existence, is anything but rational. The nymphs come and go from the pond as they please. Most of the time it’s just a brief visit to cheer up the fish.”
Where had she been? “The koi need to be cheered up? I did not know that either.”
Val patted his wristwatch. “We’re wasting time.”
Heading toward the door, she pleaded, “Captain, could I convince you to leave the harpoon behind? On a crowded midway, I think it would be more of a hindrance than a help.”
Manx’s chin dropped to his chest. “Very well, miss.” He set the rust-tinged harpoon in a corner. “I just hope we won’t regret leaving it behind.”
Estele herded everyone out the front door, then shut and locked it. Val stood close, waiting to hold her hand or be of assistance should she think of anything that required assistance. Tiny lights illuminated the black stairs that led to the parking lot, but the sky beyond was still dark.
Val walked to the passenger side. “It’s open.”
She reached toward the driver-side door handle, then jumped back with a start as Captain Manx materialized in the driver seat with his hands on the wheel.
“Beep, beep.” The captain grinned at her with beetle-stained teeth and honked the horn. “I’m ready. Lower the boom and hoist the sails!”
She patted the seatback. “I sit behind the wheel. You sit in the back. In the car, I’m the captain.”
“So you are. Pardon my faux pas.” Blushing, the captain faded away and rematerialized in the back seat and immediately started poking his fingers into an empty ashtray. “Is this a snuff box?”
Estele climbed into the car, shut the door, and buckled her seat belt. Would she regret allowing the captain to come with them today? Probably. She slid the key into the ignition and turned the engine over. It squeaked to life and the car backfired. “Well, that ought to wake the neighbors.”
“You need a tune-up.” Val cocked his head and listened to the engine. “How old is this car?”
“Way older than me.” Wrestling the stick into reverse, she backed out of the parking space. “I forget the year. It’s on the registration. This was my grandmother’s VW.”
Alchemy With Benefits Page 17
