by Brenda Trim
Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore and stopped then thrust my hands on my hips. “Have we lost her?” I continued scanning the area, hoping to catch sight of her.
“She can’t leave this realm from here, so we just need to pick up on her trail. Do a tracking spell. That’ll make this faster.”
My eyes flew up to his. “I should have thought of that before I took off half-cocked. Okay.” I calmed myself for a couple seconds then thought of the spells I’d memorized.
Once I had the word in mind, I focused my energy on finding her. “Investigo.”
Energy burst from my chest in a bright orange light and spread out through the forest. I kept her flowing black cloak at the front of my mind. Within seconds the light narrowed to a single path with the orange light settling on top of the ground.
“Oh my God that worked!” I’d been managing more and more incantations lately, but never believe they will work until they do.
“You sell yourself short. You’re powerful and need to own that. It’s time you start recognizing how much power you have. Not to say you don’t still need to train and practice.”
I beamed at him then started following the orange dirt path. “I didn’t think anyone could get through the protections. What do I do now? I obviously need something stronger.”
Bas held a branch out of my way while I walked under it. “There’s more at play. When we get back, I want to search around the house. The protections weren’t broken.”
“Kairi mentioned something about the slaugh I fried giving their shells to help her cross to my land. Is that what you mean?”
Sebastian was graceful as he moved through the forest and I could hardly look away as he walked. God the man was fine. Why have I been putting of intimacy with him? “She likely used them to save herself from the damage crossing the barrier would inflict. But she wouldn’t have been able to manage that without the shells.”
The path grew faint a few minutes later. My heart had calmed when Bas showed up, but it was now back to beating like a timpani drum in my chest. I stopped when he held up his hand.
He pushed me behind a tree and pressed in behind me. All I felt behind me was his body heat. My cheek was scraped on tree bark as he leaned forward. It was hard to breathe, but I didn’t want him to move.
There were so many emotions flowing through me at the moment and all I allowed myself to focus on was that I was safe with him guarding me. When he poked his head around the side of the tree, I followed suit.
In between two large pine trees was a pile of black clothing on the ground. The orange light stopped there. I scanned the area, searching for her. The back of my neck prickled, and my breaths were coming faster. Where the hell was she?
My gaze lifted to the treetops. In almost every suspense book I’d ever read danger lurked above the victim. I saw a large white owl, but nothing else. “Do you see her?” My voice could hardly be considered a whisper.
Sebastian shook his head then took four steps away from me. A chilly wind instantly filled the space and I was left shivering from the cold. I moved away from the tree and headed to the cloth.
Snatching one corner, I lifted it and cursed. “Dammit. I was focused on the cloak because it was all I could see. She isn’t here. I can cast another spell, but I’d bet money she isn’t on my property anymore and I don’t have anything else to really focus on. I don’t know what she looked like.”
Sebastian took the cloak from me. “It wouldn’t do any good right now. We need to find out what she did to weaken your boundaries. There has to be a dampener somewhere close to the house where you spend most of your time.”
“What is a dampener and how would she get it on my property?”
“It can literally be anything. All she’d need is something hard and dense to contain the spell. A dampener burns through most objects.”
I groaned as I stepped over a small boulder partly from exasperation and partly from the aches that started to steal my attention. “So, it could be a rock like this or a brick or something?”
“Or a nut. But, you’re on the right track. And, it can be several smaller objects or one large one.”
I replayed the areas closest to my house in my mind, but it seemed useless. How would I know if there were rocks carrying a dampener spell? “How did she manage to pull this off? No one should be able to get close enough.”
“She likely manipulated someone that doesn’t have malicious intent toward you. Otherwise they would be repelled by your spell.”
“Tunsall! That damn brownie had to have done it. She was shifty and nervous. Her eyes didn’t stay in one place when I met her. And she was carrying nuts.”
If that little brownie were in front of me right then, I would put her in a jar with a lead lid. Dammit. She put me and everyone else that lived at Pymm’s Pondside in danger.
“I’d say it’s safe to assume she made the brownie weaken your wards.”
“When I see her again, I will make sure she’s sorry for what she did.”
Bas held up his hands. “Before you go off on a hunt for her, think about this. That elf could have kidnapped her family or a friend and is holding them hostage for her cooperation. I will say Tunsall didn’t do this lightly otherwise she never could have crossed the barrier.”
I couldn’t punish someone that was just as much one of the elf’s victims. Dammit. My head started pounding. “Alright, I need to find her and ask her where she put the nuts. I can’t sleep knowing there could be an attack at any minute.”
And then I was finding that elf and taking care of her. I was done with being hunted and living in fear. This was going to end.
Chapter 19
“What are we going to do about this bitch?” Aislinn had her arms crossed over her chest and her foot was tapping the ground.
Violet ran her hand through her hair. “How do we stop her from getting to anyone else? I mean she got to Tunsall and kidnapped her father to force her to place the spelled nuts around the house.”
I still couldn’t believe the small brownie was the reason it was possible for the elf to attack Kairi and me. Not that I blamed her. If my father had been kidnapped, I would likely do it as well. Tunsall was in a heap in the garden sobbing for her part in what happened.
I kicked the lead bowl that held the nuts. I wanted to toss them in the ocean, but Bas stopped me. He said they might come in handy with the elf, so I kept them. We theorized the lead would neutralize the magic, but no one was certain.
A loud wail echoed through the night. I glanced toward the garden with a heavy heart. “I haven’t found anything to suggest we can provide more protections. But I think Tunsall’s situation will serve as a lesson no one will forget. Her dad still hasn’t been returned and one of her friends was injured badly. There’s more than enough proof this elf will never follow up on her promises. When shit went sideways, she should have returned her father first thing. Now not many will be swayed to help her.”
“You’re right. She made no friends here, but we have no idea who she is, so she can hide in plain sight as she works another angle. We need to find her before she is able to launch another attack,” Sebastian added.
Camille got up from the chair tossing the black cloak back on the bistro table. The older witch had been more than happy to come when I called. I had no idea if she could do anything to help, but I needed all the allies I could get. “None of the tracking spells I used on the clothing have worked. If I didn’t know better, I would swear she never touched the thing.”
Violet’s forehead furrowed. “That makes no sense. Bas, Fiona, and Kairi all saw her in it. She was injured with the thing on. There should be more than enough to use to track her. How is that possible?”
Camille shook her head as she toyed with the amethyst charm hanging on a chain around her neck. “Who knows? She might have donned something like a wetsuit or perhaps cast a spell. While I’m not aware of an enchantment that would essentially cover someone in silicone, that doesn’t m
ean she couldn’t invent one.”
Bas held up a hand. “We have to assume she’s powerful enough to create one. Fiona threw enough magical lightning at her she shouldn’t have been able to move, yet she took off and evaded us.”
I sighed, suddenly exhausted. “So, where does that leave us? Powerful or not, everyone has weaknesses. Hers is arrogance. And, I suspect I hurt this one’s pride. She won’t stop until she makes sure I know she’s more powerful than me.”
Aislinn’s eyes went wide. “You’re right. We can use that against her.”
Violet’s head bobbed up and down. “We’ll set a trap for her. She won’t even know she’s walking into it. She assumes you’re uneducated about the magical world.
“She isn’t wrong about that.” I hated being a liability. You’re not a burden. Bas stopped looking at you like that months ago. Since Sebastian was my gauge for many things, and I had to trust that the grudging respect I’d earned from him meant something.
And, regardless, it wasn’t like I was going to leave my friends and the town in this bitch’s evil hands. “The question is how we manage that and how we lure her into it. I would say I’ll sit out on the cliffs until she comes for me, but that would be too obvious.”
Violet snorted. “Ya think?”
“Shut up,” I said on a chuckle. “Your idea is our best bet. Now we just need to come up with a plan that doesn’t cost me my life.”
“What is it she wants exactly? Your death?” Camille started pacing as she spoke. Her head was down, and her hands were on her hips like they were when she tried to come up with another way to explain something to me. I had spent the least amount of time with her but had become quite fond of her. She was like a surrogate grandmother to me.
I looked at Sebastian with my eyebrows lifted and my lips pursed. He lifted one shoulder. “She wants me gone and she wants my family’s grimoire. I bet she’s behind the killings and attempts to shift allegiance of the portal.”
“I’d say that’s a safe assumption. Using you as bait isn’t the best plan though.” Bas looked at me with an intense gaze that had me shuffling my feet and biting my lip. “She knows you’re no light weight. Violet might be right and she’s underestimating you, but I don’t think she will fall into a trap if you are present. Or me for that matter.”
“I was thinking the same thing. But there’s no way I’m going to endanger any of you guys so what’s the answer?”
Camille gave me a smile that warmed me and made me think of all those summer days I spent going for ice cream or down to the beach. “Just because I’m old, child, doesn’t mean I can’t conjure fire or hurricane force winds if needed.”
I laughed at that. “You can kick my ass from here to Sunday, but you guys are all I have here. Hell, you’re it anywhere. Except my kids and I don’t want them anywhere near this shit.”
“What if we hide you. We can use the grimoire to lure her to the trap,” Aislinn suggested.
“That could work. I can leave my book out on the table or something.”
Bas shot me a look that said ‘Really? You think she’d buy you’re that stupid?’ I averted my gaze and flushed while he added his two cents. “Using such an obvious ploy will not work. It has to be subtle and she has to think it was her idea entirely.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “How the heck am I supposed to pull that off? Place an ad in the local paper saying I am planning a trip to the city and my house and grimoire will be unattended?”
Violet grabbed my hands. “That could work. Well, not the ad or anything, but something along those lines. You and I can plan a daytrip to the city. I’ll talk about it at the shop with Mae. The way that old siren gossips the entire town will know of our plans in no time.”
Aislinn clapped her hands. “That’s brilliant. I’ll mention it at the bar, to cover all bases.”
“Now we know how to get the word out, how do we ensure she will come here?” There had to be more. I doubted having an empty house will be reason enough for her to come here.
Sebastian started pacing like Camille, only his long stride ate up more room. “We need to get word to her that you have been seen using the grimoire. She might not know for certain you have found the tome. I doubt Filarion announced he lost the grimoire.”
“I’ll visit the store tomorrow when Mae usually comes by and mention something about using a spell to help heal Kairi. It’ll kill several birds with one stone. It will let Mae know I have the book and am using it and about the attack that injured Kairi.”
“And, I’ll use that as a bridge to talking about our trip to the city. Like maybe you ruined all of your good towels and need to get more,” Violet added.
Camille stopped pacing and faced them. “We know the how. Now we need to discuss when. We need time to come up with a spell that will hide you. That’ll take both of us.” She’d turned to address Sebastian then. “She’s hybrid and shielding her magic will require us both.”
Bas’s head bobbed up then down. “We will also need to conceal her presence completely. If she thinks she will be able to grab the book, she will use an enchantment to make sure no one is home before she enters. A few days should be enough time to work that out.”
My gaze shifted to the pond where Kairi was lounging on the shore. She’d been there since the night before when she was injured. Her injuries required more time before she could spend more time underwater. “Will she be healed by then? I want to make sure Kairi is healed enough that she can hide in one of her caves.”
“If we plan this for four days from now that should be plenty of time for us to prepare and Kairi to heal,” Camille replied, answering my questions.”
“You’ll be here with me, right?” I directed my question at Sebastian who shook his head in response.
“I won’t be in the house with you, no. It’ll take too much effort to hide you and myself. I don’t want to be that drained when we face her.”
My heart started pounding in my chest and I couldn’t quite catch my breath. “What? I can’t face her alone. She’ll kill me.”
Sebastian crossed to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. “You will not have to fight her by yourself. I will be far enough she won’t sense me when she does a scan, but close enough that I can get here in no time. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“We will be here, too,” Violet added as she pointed from herself to Aislinn who was nodding in agreement.
I swallowed and tried to shove my fear aside. “Okay. Will the weapon you gave me be useful against her? Something that can stall her until you get here?” My body shook with remembered fear at what I had faced from the slaugh and the evil elf last night. I didn’t have the ability to beat her, especially if she brings more with her. “I need to be able to fight off several creatures at once. I doubt she will come alone this time either. And, something tells me she will come with more than half a dozen.”
Sebastian squeezed my shoulders before letting go and cupping one of my cheeks. “I think she will show up alone. The knife I gave you will inflict harm, but you will need magic, as well to take her out. Like you said her weakness is pride. She’ll see you and Violet leaving for the city and charge in here without backup. After all, she wasn’t after Kairi.”
I thought of the spell to transfer the portal to someone new and a gasp escaped me. “What if we’re wrong? What if she is after her? Think about it. She needs the blood of Fae here on Earth. How many mermaids are there here?”
Bas’s eyes widened and I heard Violet curse and Aislinn gasp. Camille merely shook her head. “You’re right. We have to plan for either eventuality. The lure should remain the same. If Kairi is her target she will be more likely to come if you aren’t home. As for the rest, I will be with the others and help battle any creatures that might accompany her.”
“Okay, good. We need to talk to Kairi and let her know she might be in danger.” I turned and headed to the mermaid without waiting for them to respond. “Kairi. How are you feeling?”
The princess glanced up at me with a smile. “Much better than last night. I will be able to return to the water by tomorrow.”
I crouched down so I was close to her level. “That’s great news. We have a plan to entice the elf to come here, so we can take her out. That will put you in danger in the process. We aren’t sure if she was after you or me or my grimoire. We can move you if you don’t want to be here.”
Kairi lost some of her coloring as the blood drained from her face. She looked from me to the others with a quivering lower lip. “No. I’m staying. If she was after me, she won’t come here if she doesn’t sense me. I’ll be safe under the water. Even if they have a merman, he won’t be able to reach me in my domain. This water answers my command.”
I held her turquoise gaze. “Promise me you won’t come out and try to help. That would put you in more danger.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “If she is after me, I can’t allow you to be hurt because of me, but I will stay under the water. I don’t have the skill you do. If I can help from beneath the surface I will.”
I understood her desire to help if possible. It was difficult to stand by while those you loved faced the danger for you. I appreciated that she agreed to remain hidden. It would make facing this bitch so much easier.
Violet rubbed her hands together. “We have a plan. One thing we need to add is disguising Aislinn as Fiona, so she sees her and I drive off. That’ll really sell the scenario.”
“We can use a twin spell to alter my appearance. I just wish it could give me your power, as well.” Aislinn sounded excited about the prospect of becoming my clone. It made me feel good.
I stood up and found myself standing close to Sebastian. His proximity was nice. I hadn’t thought about men or intimacy after losing Tim. It wasn’t until meeting Bas that my body came to life.
Being this close to him now brought all those dormant desires to the surface. If I ignored how badly I wanted to press my lips to his, it would go away. I just needed to keep telling myself this. Yeah, right. He’s everything you’ve ever wanted.