by K. A. Fox
He agreed. “That’s part of the puzzle. There’s also the question of how it was made. I’ve never known a Golem to come apart like that and then reform into small copies of itself. Usually, when you’re able to disrupt their structural integrity, they disintegrate into inanimate pieces. This creature would have taken a lot of power to create.”
“So, there’s someone out there, bent on destroying us, that has a lot of magic at hand.” I didn’t like the idea of that, but all the evidence seemed to point in that direction.
Cal nodded. “That’s the way it looks to me. This wasn’t a standard Golem. There was something unusual mixed in with the clay, and I never saw the Naming it carried. I have no way to narrow down a list of suspects. But it has to be someone who isn’t afraid to test magic and experiment.”
“What’s a Naming?” I asked. Something nagged at me, but I couldn’t pin it down.
“To animate a Golem, you have to name it. Give it the Breath of Life. Usually, you’ll write the name on the Golem’s forehead as you form it. Or you’ll have the name written on something, then put it inside the Golem. Without the name, a Golem won’t function.”
I closed my eyes and replayed the battle scene. I could see Callum taking the Golem down the first time, its pieces scattered about and even the smell came back to me. I wanted to gag but fought the urge. I played through the rest of the images, suddenly remembering the leathery object sticking out of the Golem’s chest, just before it shifted and started to reform.
Opening my eyes, I said, “I saw something right after you knocked it down. It was sticking out from inside. Looked like leather. I was about to pull it out when the copies began forming.”
The attention on his face didn’t bother me now. I appreciated that he was listening to me. Like we were partners trying to solve this problem together.
“That was probably it. Buried inside when it was made. The way it smelled tells me that its maker used animal fat of some kind, mixing that with the clay.”
I remembered the odor in the air when I’d found the dead animals at the back end of my property. Too many coincidences were colliding.
“Your purification spell was a smart idea,” said Callum, interrupting my thoughts. “Pretty sure that saved us all.”
I shrugged. “Except for the fact that the explosion knocked Torren out. Seemed like a good idea up until then.”
“That wasn’t your fault, Laney.”
“It was my idea to use that spell to kill the Golems. I feel a little responsible.”
Cal shook his head. “You shouldn’t. I realized at the last moment how intense the shock wave of that explosion could be. I threw up a shield around all of us, using the bracelets your father gave us as the focus. I didn’t realize Torren wasn’t wearing his, so he had no protection. If anyone is at fault for what happened to him, it’s me.”
Understanding hit me. While I’d been feeling responsible for what happened, so had Callum. But we’d both done all we could to try to protect each person in our little group.
I reached out to Cal, my fingers wrapping gently around his warm forearm. “We did what we could in a bad situation. If Torren had been wearing the bracelet like you’d told him to, he’d have been fine. But he didn’t. We make the best of things as they are now and hope that they turn out all right.”
As he listened, I could see the tension leaving him. “You’re right. Thanks for ending my pity party before I could really get it started.”
I smiled, feeling easier with him now. “Seems fair. You didn’t let me enjoy mine for very long. I’m not about to let you wallow any longer. Let’s get upstairs and figure out what we need to do next.”
Chapter Thirty·Four
The shrill ringing of the phone woke me, jerking my head up off the table where I’d apparently laid it down a few short hours ago. My mouth was dry and tasted like acid as I coughed, “Hello,” into the receiver.
“Ms. Murphy?” asked the alto voice on the other end of the line.
I nodded my head, then shook it, trying to wake myself up, thankful the caller couldn’t see this painful process. “Yes,” I answered. “Who’s this?”
“This is Lana Kingston. We met in town the other day.”
My brain clicked along, catching up with the conversation. “Yes, Sheriff. How are you?”
“Miss Tilly asked me to call you if anything happened.”
“Which means something has happened.”
The pause in her voice told me a lot, the stress she was feeling obvious to me even over the phone. “A young woman went missing last night.”
“Oh no.” I let the chair catch me and tried to remain calm. “Where was she from?”
“She’s from Hazelwood. Maggie Adair. Do you know her?”
I pictured the young woman clearly in my mind. “Yes, of course. I’ve talked with her at her family’s store. But how could she have gone missing? Hazelwood is well protected. I checked that myself.”
“Her car was found on the highway, leading back to town. She’d been visiting some friends in Calhoun yesterday and when her family realized she wasn’t in bed this morning, they went looking for her. The car was on the side of the road, about a hundred feet from the Hazelwood sign, with the driver’s door standing wide open.”
Realizing how close she’d been to safety, my heart sank. Whoever had taken Maggie knew about the stones and the protection they offered. “Any sign of what happened or where she was taken?” I hoped for good news but suspected the Sheriff Kingston had none to offer.
“Unfortunately, no. I’m afraid I have to go track down some more people to form a search party.” She was professional, business-like, but I could feel the worry running beneath her voice.
“I’ll wake up the guys and we’ll come help. Where is everyone meeting?”
“No but thank you. You need to talk with Miss Tilly. And if I’m right, I think you’ve got something coming your way you need to get ready for.” Her news delivered, she hung up.
I put the phone back down and swiped at my eyes. Tears wouldn’t help us now. Or Maggie. I had work to do.
Calling Miss Tilly, I was surprised when her granddaughter answered.
“Hello, Ms. Murphy. My grandmother said you would call. She asked me to give you a message.”
“Are you sure I can’t speak with her?”
“She’s not here. She’s meeting with people in town as we all try to locate Maggie. But she was adamant that you be given this message.”
I took a deep breath and held it, worried about what I might hear.
“She said to tell you it’s time. She’s given you what you need already. Now you need to do what must be done.”
The air rushed out of me as my head spun with confusion.
“Is that all, Aften? There must be more to what Miss Tilly wanted me to know.”
“There is nothing else, Ms. Murphy. We all have jobs to do. We will do ours and you must do yours.” With that said, she hung up on me, her task complete.
Hanging my head, I knew what Miss Tilly was trying to tell me. I just didn’t want to admit that was the only option. Hearing movement, I turned to see Moose leaning his large head in through the doorway. His eyes were concerned as he padded toward me carefully.
I let my hand scratch gently at his ears for a moment, enjoying the silky feel of his black fur in this form. He leaned his head into my touch and the warmth of him filled me up. “Friend,” flashed through my mind and I looked down at him wondering. Callum had said you could hear a Hell Hound once you learned how to listen.
I patted him, scratched under his jaw and then said. “Moose, I need to talk to Cal for a bit. Can you get him for me? And then go check on Torren, please?”
With something like a nod, Moose left the room and I tried to turn my thoughts toward a plan. I briefly considered calling for Angus or Uncle Newt but forced myself to discard that idea. This mess was in my backyard, and I was going to be the
one to clean it up.
I started laying out the things Miss Tilly had given me. If she was right, there was no time for me to waste. Night comes fast this time of year, and I needed to have everything ready to go.
I flicked on Cal’s coffeemaker as he walked into the kitchen. A crease cut into his cheek from whatever he’d fallen asleep on and his hair was sticking up, but even that made my heart stutter a bit. He’d left his shirt behind and the hard muscles left exposed made me want to touch them. I turned away, focusing on the work in front of me. There was no time for what I wanted right now.
“You needed to talk to me?” he asked.
I nodded without turning around. “A woman from Hazelwood is missing. They found her car right outside of town. Search parties are forming to look for her.”
“And you think this is related to the other women that were killed?”
“I do.”
“Do you know this woman?”
“I’ve talked with her at her family’s store in town. Briefly. That’s all.”
“Does she look like you?”
I closed my eyes, picturing Maggie Adair the last time I’d seen her. Months ago, maybe even a year. Her dark brown hair was long and we’d laughed about the fact that we wore the same size clothes. She’d been nice, her smile friendly. That’s all I could remember.
“Delaney? Are you all right?” Cal’s voice interrupted my thoughts, bringing me back to the problem at hand as his hand settled onto my shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I answered. “Maggie has brown hair. She’s nice. Friendly. Which is probably what made her a target.”
“But does she look like you?” he asked again, persistent.
I didn’t like the answer I had for him. “No more than any of those other girls did.” I didn’t fight him as he gently turned me, his fingers lifting my chin up so my eyes met his.
“You carry this burden like you caused this. It’s too much. We will solve this problem and find Maggie.” His voice was kind. I wanted to give in, to let him carry the weight. But I knew that wasn’t for him to do. It really was on me. I just couldn’t tell him that.
“I have some things I need to do to help Miss Tilly with the search. Can you check the perimeter for me? Make sure all the wards are still strong? After what happened with the Golem, I don’t want to risk anything else getting through. We don’t have time to deal with that right now.”
“Of course. And I think we should call Angus. He’d want to know about this new progression of the threat against you.”
That was exactly what we couldn’t do. “I thought of that too, but you did say he and Uncle Newt are dealing with their own problems Below. We can handle this. As long as the wards are sound, we’re safe here.”
He sighed. “True. I hate not sharing information with him right away, but this would be a distraction for both of them. You promise to let him know if anything changes?”
I swallowed past the lump of truth wedged in my throat. My mother had worked so hard to teach me the importance of honesty, but right now it was easy to fall back on what I’d inherited from my father.
“Of course,” I lied. “If anything changes, we’ll contact him right away.”
He looked down at me, his fingers touching my cheek in a fleeting gesture before he stepped back. “All right. I’ll check the wards. You keep working in here and Moose will watch over Torren for us.”
“How is he?” I asked, needing to know.
“He’s better,” said Cal. “Still unconscious but his breathing’s improved and his heart rate’s regular again. I think if we give him a few more days, he’ll be fine.”
I tried to smile, genuinely relieved to hear that someone close to me might survive the experience. “That’s good news. I was afraid he might not wake up.”
Cal offered me a reassuring smile in response. “You helped him. That was the difference. And once we finish this, you and I should work on ways you can have more control over your abilities. Maybe then, you won’t feel you have to hide out here.”
I couldn’t hide the strain in my laugh. “Yes, we should work on that. Later.”
“Soon,” he said. “We’ll find Maggie and the person who took her. We will end this and then we will turn all of our attention to you.”
The way he said that made my stomach flip, but I didn’t let it show. I turned back to the items I’d set out in specific order on the counter before me and started putting Miss Tilly’s plan into action.
Chapter Thirty·Five
When Callum walked out the door to check our security, his hand lingered on my shoulder as he said goodbye. I couldn’t help but watch him stride off, waiting until he was out of sight before I got back to work. I ignored the voice in my head that told me I could do this another way, shutting it out and focusing on what had to be done.
As the time passed, I poured all my energy into preparing the herbs Miss Tilly had sent home with me. Layering them carefully together exactly as instructed, I boiled and mixed them as needed, then let them rest in cold water. I swiped at the nervous sweat that kept rolling down my face. This had to come together perfectly, or it could all fall apart.
My father’s arrival in the kitchen as I labored over the hot stove was heralded with a shift in the pressure around me that made me want to shake my head and sneeze until my ears popped. I shoved the written instructions I’d been following into a pocket, turning around to face him just as he stepped out of the portal he’d used.
Angus glanced at my tired face, worry lining his eyes before he reached for me. Pulling me into a quick embrace, he cupped my jaw and looked down. “You look like you’re toiling over a cauldron. Miss Tilly’s work, I assume?”
I nodded, dancing around him to guide his attention away from what I had been crafting. “She’s been trying to teach me a few things. How to see clearly, how to cast a Truth Telling, that sort of thing.”
“Herb magic. She’s always had that talent. Nothing wrong with you learning what she’s willing to teach.”
“Glad you approve.”
He smiled, a little baring of teeth in that motion. “I don’t think it would matter to you if I approved or not, Laney. You’ll do what you think is best either way.”
“Like letting me live out here alone?” I asked. Maybe this was his way of calling back the bodyguards, an idea which saddened me a little.
“No. Nothing like that. There’s too much danger right now for you to be without protection. But Callum has told me good things since he’s been here. I hope you’ll listen to him. He can teach you a lot.”
All I could do was nod, not trusting myself to say anything about what he’d taught me already. Changing the subject seemed wise. “Did he call you here today?”
“Yesterday. He wanted me to know about the Golem. He also told me what happened to Torren. That’s why I’m here. I wanted to check on him and on you, make sure that his condition wasn’t weakening you.”
“It’s not. I’ve felt fine. Cal said he’s stabilized, and I’ve got Moose watching over him for me now.”
“Good. And you like the Hound?” The tone in his voice surprised me, almost like he was hoping I liked a gift he’d given me.
“He’s great Dad. I wish you’d just told me that he was coming instead of making him pretend to be a regular dog. But he seems happy here.” Truthfully, it was difficult for me to think of a time when Moose wouldn’t be here with me. The idea of it made the house seem emptier immediately. And colder.
“You know I’ve never been one to choose a straight line when other options were available. I wasn’t sure how welcoming you’d be to a Hell Hound on your doorstep. Getting him in the door was important. If you grew to appreciate him, even better.”
That was truth, carefully put. With Angus, there could be anything happening behind that rock star facade; plans and schemes, circling and coinciding, even clashing sometimes. Especially around those he loved.
�
��How’s Uncle Newt?” I asked, still trying to keep his attention distracted.
“He’s away right now.” When I looked at him for more details, Angus just said, “On business.”
I shook my head but didn’t say anything else. If he wanted me to know more, he’d either tell me or expect me to figure it out on my own. At my silence, Angus reached for my hand, his long graceful fingers folding gently around mine. It reminded me of how he’d tried to teach me to play guitar, his fingers deft on the strings, mine always a shade too small to make the same magic he did.
“You’re really all right?” His question was careful but there was an urgency below it that I’d rarely heard from him. He needed to hear me say the words.
“I am Daddy. I promise.” The softness of my answer seemed to reassure him and he relaxed, the minute tension of his jaw easing. I hadn’t noticed that clench before it receded.
“I have to go. But we’ll talk again when we both have more time. Be careful with yourself.”
“I will.” Before he could leave, I had to pass a message along. I’d been keeping it from him, afraid of how the words might hurt him. But this might be my last chance to share it with him. “Hey. Mom wanted you to know she’s good now.” I tried to say the words gently, but he flinched anyway.
“You’ve talked to her? She’s doing well?”
I nodded. “She also said you need to know she doesn’t blame you. She never did. She wants you to find a way to forgive yourself for everything that happened.”
With those words, my father turned away, distance growing with each step as he prepared to leave me. Just before the portal snapped shut, the rush of air carried his voice to me. “Easier said than done, Love.”
Chapter Thirty·Six
With Angus gone, the house became too quiet and my skin itched with discomfort. I returned to my task, letting the mundane activity of following directions distract me from the worries gnawing at my mind. Work was something easy to do, a way to avoid thinking of how much I had to lose if this went wrong. I moved from one item to another, ignoring what was coming for now.
