by Vega Lizzie
Chapter 33
That next morning, Shannon slowly lowered herself onto the sofa as Terra and Olivia sat at her side. She groaned quietly then apologized for being a bother. “Sorry I’m being a wimp. I’m just tired of being…sore and unfocused. We need to talk about something.”
The sober looks that she got from Terra and Olivia told her that something had already been discussed at length. They both nodded and Olivia began the discussion.
“Mom, I know that you think you are protecting us by only sharing what you think is safe. I kinda know what that’s like.”
“We’re ready for all of it, Shan,” Terra added, “there’s something big going on isn’t there?”
“What have you seen, Mom? We can deal with it together.”
Terra leaned forward, her voice was shaky, “You don’t have to shoulder the whole burden, Shan. We can do it together. All of us.”
Shannon could only smile, “I love you both so much. Yes, there is something, rather someone coming toward us but…” She paused, “it’s off in the distance. What’s short term in my father. I have to figure out the source of Darien’s power and what that means to us. He was angry and he talked about how things could have been if I’d stayed back in Montana. He’s the key to what I’ve been seeing in my head. There’s something out there that I’m supposed to experience.”
“We’ll help you, of course,” Olivia said excitedly, “What about the scary spice girl?”
To their amazement, Shannon only smiled, “Scary spice, that’s kind funny under the circumstances. I know you thought I was hallucinating but I’ve seen her in my head, at least I think so, before she attacked me. Um, she’s not a priority.”
Terra was dumbstruck, “You can’t be serious. We can’t just let her run around loose in the streets.”
“Oh, I took her seriously, believe me, but for now, we don’t need to go out of our way to run into her again. Promise me, Terra, that you won’t go looking for her.”
Terra growled a response.
“I’m serious,” Shannon repeated, “You promise me, both of you, right this second.”
“Jeez. Fine, Mom. Chill.”
Shannon put her hands out, “Do it.” She held up her good hand, trying to form her fingers to the signature Spock gesture, “I mean it.”
Terra slowly raised her hand and Olivia did the same. It was quiet until Shannon’s sly smile made Olivia laugh, “What?” she snickered, “what is going on in your head?”
Shannon looked around the living room, “I’ve made a big decision to change something. I’m not sure if it’s what people are expecting and that may be the reason, I feel it’s the right thing to do. Some will likely be upset but…” She looked at Terra, “I am convinced that you have had the right idea all along and I have no idea how to take this Ivory Witch thing to the next level.”
Olivia gasped, “Break from the Third Council. Wow.”
Shannon looked at her daughter, “God, Ollie, how do you do that? I haven’t said a word.” She looked at a stunned Terra and shrugged, “I haven’t said a word.”
Terra’s own sly smile spread across her face, “Said anything, no. But your rebel streak has been showing for a while now. Can’t say I’m surprised. Colin will flip out.”
“I don’t think so,” Shannon said quietly, “I think, in his own weird way, he’s encouraging me to do it. Unsanctioned rituals, bringing Cassandra here without telling her what he’s doing. He wants me to rock the boat.”
“How will the rest of the family react?” Olivia asked then answered her own question, “Duh, they’ll all go with you. Dumb question.”
“They will,” Terra seconded, “I think that’s been obvious from day one.”
“Eliza texted me earlier,” Shannon said with smile, “I think she has gone into full research mode. She’s bringing Robin with her.” Her brow went up, “They are collaborating. What’s that say?”
“Robin is cool,” Olivia grinned, “I like her.”
“She’s unpredictable,” Terra added, then caught Olivia’s frown at her choice of words, “but yes, she’s cool. They’re not coming over for casual conversation, are they? Are you going to tell them about your plans?”
“We’ll see. Let’s see what they have to talk about. I’m hoping it will help give me some direction. Hear them out and then we’ll decide.”
Chapter 34
“So, there you have it.” Eliza sat back, almost expressionless. Her eyes gave her away. The usually stoic Robin had watched Shannon from the beginning but even she had to look away for a moment.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but I’m convinced that it’s true.” Eliza looked at both Terra and Shannon, “That’s why I interrupted, so…um, yeah,” she wiped her hand quickly across her eyes, “sorry to derail you. All of these symbols and your sudden abilities are from the ancient times.
“It’s okay,” Shannon whispered, then stood from the bar stool and walked out of the kitchen, “a minute…please.” Eliza watched as Shannon walked out, then turned to go into her studio. When Eliza turned back, tears were obvious. “Sorry,” she said to Robin, “I could have done it better.”
Robin put her hand on Eliza’s arm, “You did just fine. You kept your cool. From here on out, it’s Shannon’s call.”
Terra watched the quiet exchange, “Wait, you rehearsed this? My God, how long have you known. That’s not right.”
Robin abruptly cut Terra off as she tightened her grip on Eliza’s arm, “Only since last night. From all the people in your world, right now, this had to come from a calm and steady Eliza.”
Terra was taken aback. “You were really calm and steady. It’s like when…”
Eliza sniffled, “When I didn’t know you, right? Yeah, that sucked.”
Terra stood to comfort Eliza but froze when Shannon walked back into the room and moved to hug Eliza. “It’s gonna be okay, I promise.” She set two small binders on the counter in front of her.
“I love you for that, El. Thank you.” Shannon nodded to Robin, “I want to hear everything even if it’s just a ghost story. It might help me fill in some blanks.” She pointed to the binders, “One is from my dad. It’s our family tree. Marcus started researching it this morning and will forward you everything he finds,” she paused, “both good, and bad.”
She pointed at her junior high binder, “I was maybe twelve. I started drawing these little doodles having no idea what they meant.” She flipped open the book to a specific page, “I do now.”
“So you know?” Eliza asked but it was only a second before she turned another page in her notebook to reveal a page covered with curving rows of diamonds. She gasped at the sketch, “It’s the same as in the mirror.” Terra looked up at the little bundle of wheat over the kitchen doorway.
Shannon nodded, “Suspected is more accurate for the moment. Maybe that will help.”
Terra was quick to add some positivity, “The more I think about it, the issues with the sect were so long ago, most people won’t care.”
“You mean most people in the Third Council,” Robin countered, “Conclave may be another matter. Any inroads you’ve made there are sure to be tested.”
“We could test that almost immediately with Jesse and Ryan. I could get Issac to…” Eliza looked up at Shannon, who had a slight smile on her face. She turned to Robin to see a subtle shake of her black bobbed head. Her expression was more a smirk.
“Shit,” Eliza cursed under her breath, “I just bubbled up, didn’t I?”
Shannon finished her smile, “Pretty much. Kinda adorable, really.”
Whether relieved or frustrated from being told to hold back, Eliza didn’t filter, “Well, Dark Priestess here said I can be normal now, so…” She could almost feel the heat from Robin’s glare on the side of her face. She turned slowly to acknowledge the steely eyed frown, “Too soon?”
“Quite.” Robin sneered yet she was clearly enjoying Eliza’s discomfort. “Perhaps Shannon would like to bring u
s up to speed, now?”
“Surrre,” Shannon snickered, instantly calming them, but the humorous moment was short-lived. “As you know, I did something dumb and went after the thief of my grimoire by myself. Thought I could handle it just fine. My mistake, but at the moment, it seemed reasonable. Marcus had tracked the implanted chip to the hotel, and it was easy to figure the moron that took it.”
Robin’s brow arched, “Implanted chip,” she repeated, nodding her head, “old magic meets new technology. That’s going to prove useful.”
“So, I’m not a completely impulsive train wreck,” Shannon smiled, “Darien is the son of the Sheriff in Helena. I suspect him of being behind the extortion-”
“And worse,” Terra interjected as if to put an exclamation point on Shannon’s story.
“And worse, yes. There have been several businessmen, friends of the family for years that have died or left town in disgrace. Took Marcus a couple of weeks to figure out the common thread between them, since…” Her eyes narrowed and she cleared her throat, “Since my father left out a tiny bit of pertinent info.”
“He’s really nice,” Terra offered, “but in this instance, also kind of a dipshit.” She turned to Shannon with an overly toothy grin, “Too soon?” Robin burst out laughing, then caught herself, “sorry…yeah, continue.”
“I confronted Darien in his hotel room. He must have some financial interest in the hotel because he knew I was coming from the front desk clerk. I wasn’t in his room for two minutes and he threw these two steel balls at me that clasped my wrists and hands together.”
“So, you couldn’t cast,” Eliza exclaimed, “that’s a new one. Like those shiny meditation spheres,” She looked at Robin, “steel balls, is that in your repertoire?” Robin just shook her head and looked out into the living room.
“Restraint for sure,” Shannon continued, “with a little torture thrown in as a bonus. I finally broke them off after I escaped from the hotel basement. That’s when I was attacked by that woman in that alley.”
Terra jumped in again. “Robbie and Marcus are headed there to see if they can find that harness thing in the dumpster. It might be helpful going forward.”
“I was in the alley downtown and I must have made a lot of noise getting the first one off. I could finally generate a little energy to get the second one off. That’s when she attacked me.”
“Is she part of Darien’s crew?” Robin asked nervously but it was Terra that answered, “I don’t think so. The woman said something that I had heard only the day before while I was getting my butt kicked. I can’t see how they are either not working together in some fashion…”
“Or at least part of the same faction,” Shannon finished. “Her skills were…she toyed with me. I was completely defenseless This is bigger than us, this is something new. I’ll admit I wasn’t at my best but…my God.”
Robin began to dig in her bag, “She could have easily killed you. I was hoping to do more work on this but it’s something you should see now. Setting two of the glass vials from the hospital on the counter, she invited Terra to pick one up, “Have a whiff. It’s very faint, probably more so than last night.”
As Terra hesitated, Eliza reached for the second vial, “Is this the same?”
“Yep,” Robin answered but pointed at Eliza’s drive thru coffee cup, “We may have trouble smelling it with that scent in the air. Give it a shot.”
As Eliza twisted the cap off the glass bottle, she looked to Shannon, “I assume this is from you, right?” Her face tightened as she brought the edge of the glass to her nose. “Bloody gauze,’ she murmured, “new from Este Lau-” She looked at Robin, “You’re not serious.” Robin only nodded her head causing Terra to quickly reach for the second cylinder. With a second pass by the gruesome contents, Eliza quickly corked the vial and set it carefully on the counter. She watched Terra do the same thing, “Wasn’t expecting that.”
“Tell me about it,” Shannon commented then realized they weren’t talking about her attack, “Sorry.”
Terra looked at Shannon, “Almond or vanilla?” She shook her head with a sly smile, “That’s not you, more like cinnamon or close to it.”
“That’s what I think, cinnamon or a mix of ginger? Wait, was she poisoned?”
“Not poisoned but whatever was on the knife acted as an anticoagulant.” Robin leaned forward, “I thought ginger too, until this morning and it’s dissipating rapidly. It was more pungent in the ER.” She reached over to tap one of the books that Eliza had brought along. “Your turn again,” then caught her arm, “but as odd as this sounds, the relationships between these three separate events are only marginally related. That’s my theory up to this point. I just can’t connect your attacker with Terra’s episode.”
“Treat them separately until a direct connection is made.” Shannon said firmly. The comment made Eliza sit up straight, “That sounds like a formal directive.”
“And it’s not like I want a repeat of how I ran into my situation again, either,” Terra added, but she held a glance to Shannon. There was a significant use of words that she had left out. She looked up at the ceiling, “Offsite,” she cleared her throat, “this is me…embracing the rules for a change.”
“Oh yeah,” Shannon said suddenly, “There’s gonna be some of that. First priority is my father and whatever is going on out West. Until I understand the source of Darien's magic, we will wait.”
“And train,” Terra added, “maybe branch out into new techniques?” She looked at Robin, “Is there something that you can share from the old ways?” Robin’s expression shifted and she shot a quick glare at Eliza. She shrugged meekly, “No one said you’re old.”
“Certainly experienced,” Terra snickered, “definitely not old. So, not what I meant. Speed, maybe, like how Colin can accelerate.” She grimaced, “did I dig myself out of that hole yet?”
Robin laughed heartily, “I’m thirty-nine,” she mock-glared, “like…forever now. I’ve only celebrated that anniversary…a couple times…or so.”
“Forever hot,” Shannon grinned in response and they shared a collective smile.
“Come and go as you please, but I want you safe if it’s Montana related.” Shannon smiled and looked at Robin, “You too, Robin. You know you’re always welcome here.”
“Of course,” Robin answered quickly and busied herself by gathering up the two samples of Shannon’s medical dressings. She cleared her throat once. “Be right back, um…too much coffee for me.”
“Either past Olivia’s room or upstairs in our room. Make yourself at home.”
Eliza caught Terra’s eye with a soft smile as Robin left the kitchen. She waited for a quiet moment. “She’s rough around the edges, but she wants to help.”
“Ollie will lose her mind,” Shannon snickered, “Robin might get annoyed.”
“Five bucks,” Terra grinned then chuckled when Shannon turned down the offer of a wager. “Nope. All good intentions for us.” Terra was quick to withdraw the playful offer, “She’s different these days. Way more, okay a little less intense.”
“I can’t believe you’re not more upset about the attack in the alley,” Eliza suggested, “I thought for sure you’d go there first.”
“I wanted to,” Terra added, “I have some energy that needs to be directed, and quick. I want to know how he did some of that stuff.”
“Give me another day or two,” Shannon said softly, “and I’ll help you with that.” Eliza instantly lit up with a grin just as Robin walked back into the kitchen, “Sorry for that. What did I miss?”
Eliza’s grin turned into a chuckle, “Just these two…being these two. Terra is feeling frisky.”
“Eliza,” Terra spouted, “seriously.”
“Kids,” Shannon said quickly to dispel the theme, “I’d like to quickly review something before everyone else shows up. A united front will help under the circumstances.”
Robin looked slightly alarmed, “Please do.”
Shannon
reached across the counter to snag a sketch book. Flexing the fingers on her battered right hand, she opened the book to a blank page, “Let me run this by you two. You’ve got experience and knowledge and I think there is something coming down the road for us, me for sure.”
She began to sketch, holding the pencil loosely and struggling at times, “Terra has told me that you have seen these symbols on the bathroom mirror. Basically, the same ones I drew back in Montana.” One by one she drew out the set of wavy lines then what looked to be the head of a piece of wheat. The third image looked like a lobster claw and she emphasized it, “This one is new and unrelated, hopefully but I want to see if it jogs anything with either of you.”
“This is the pictograph for water,” Eliza offered, “and your wheat symbol. I have been looking at this for a while now. Hieroglyphs are obvious given your Egyptian preferences when you started casting.” She pointed to the claw, “This isn’t consistent with any Egyptian symbolism that I’m aware of. When did this show up?”
“The knife from night before last,” Shannon said, “She held it to my face after it cut me. My recollection is fuzzy, but that’s as close as I can remember. There’s also this.” She sketched out an obelisk and set the pencil down, “I was recently shown this as something from a long time ago. I’ve yet to understand it other than it’s a weapon of some sort.”
Robin leaned forward, “I don’t know this. I know the shape of course, but as a weapon, not in my experience.” She shook her head, then pointed to the claw, “Fascinating.” She held up her hand and tried to spread her fingers apart, pointer and middle finger together, ring and pinky together. Terra got a big grin on her face and quickly made the same gesture, “Another side of you that we didn’t know about.”
Shannon sighed, “We’ll wait while you bond over a TV show.” She looked at Eliza, “this is constant around here.” She shook her head but tried to make the same gesture, “Uh, no,” she grimaced as her battered fingers fought back, “live long and prosper…all that stuff. Can we move on, please?”