by C C Sommerly
My father was the last man I let control me and I’d die before ending up in that position again. Besides, that route led to the potential for someone to completely dominate you and I’d never let a man think I was his puppet to jerk around at his whim.
“No mystery food and everyone has a partner from here on out. Elon is coming to stay with us here to continue training,” said Lochlan.
Callie and Jennica groaned in unison. Yeah, I could relate. Miles’ training wasn’t a cake walk either.
“Tomorrow, someone needs to visit the Sisterhood and Marty will tackle the Dark Side. Let’s try to meet up around dinner time to debrief each other on what we find,” said Sterling.
“Well, with that out of the way, let me show you to your rooms,” said Lochlan.
My room was one of the first ones, so Lochlan pointed me in the direction and I went to explore. I stepped across the threshold, not sure what to expect. The room was icy cold and my breath made smokey plumes with each exhale. I felt the lightest touch brush across the back of my neck. I turned, but saw nothing. Weird. I’m more stressed than I thought.
I walked further into the cozy room. It was done in greens and other earth tones. While I’d have thought such a color combo was masculine, it was actually very neutral and calming. A large dresser and mirror were against one of the walls. The oversized bed with curtains was centered in the room. I could fit Sterling, Callie, and myself easily in the bed and still have room. There was a wall of bookshelves and a window that dominated almost the entire outward facing wall. The grounds the window revealed were hills dotted with wildflowers.
I felt another touch and whirled around. This time a tinkling laugh accompanied the sound. What the hell?!
I stormed out of the room and into the lower level. Lochlan was in the kitchen making a meal and the others were sitting at a twelve-person table.
“When were you going to mention this place is haunted?” I asked
“Did I forget to mention that?” asked Lochlan.
“It’s haunted?” asked Callie, who slunk down in her chair.
“What better security is there? Our ghost, Giselle, won’t let anyone other than us in here.”
“So she’s going to be lurking around and she’ll be all peachy about us invading this place. Very unghost-like. She’s the least territorial ghost I’ve ever heard of,” I said.
Ghosts were notorious for claiming a place as their own. They scared off anyone that got too close and the stronger ones could affect people and harm or kill them.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything sooner. I didn’t think it was a big deal,” said Lochlan.
They might trust Lochlan, but I no longer did. If Sterling hadn’t insisted this was the only way we could get by, then I wouldn’t be here.
Muffin and I left the house, ignoring Sterling’s call for me to stop.
16
Betty was cranky. She sputtered and coughed the whole way back to Something Sweet. Muffin sharpening his claws in the back seat couldn’t have anything to do with the car’s attitude.
When Leia saw me walk in with Muffin, her smile slipped.
“I didn’t realize you were bringing your pet.”
“We’re kinda a packaged deal. Is that going to be a problem?”
“It might be, but we don’t have time for you to take him back. The meeting starts in ten minutes.”
I followed her out and we walked to an area of the Mid Line that looked oddly familiar, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember when I was in this part of town.
“Is this your first time in Merchant’s Row?”
“Yes. I haven’t been here before.”
“You wouldn’t unless you have a charm that lets you through. You’re either with me or you don’t have access.”
We stopped before a granite building complete with gargoyles on the roof and iron on the bars. A ward shimmered around the building.
“Don’t worry. It looks scary, but it’s safe. No one will harm you. Then again, with a dog like yours, most people will stay away.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the first time I’d been here. Sensing my unease, Muffin pressed himself against my leg and started growling low.
“Is he going to attack? Is he going to be okay to have around people?” asked Leia.
“He’ll be good.”
She cast me a doubtful look, but tapped on the door with the metal knocker. It had a ring held in a wrought-iron dragon’s mouth. It was detailed down to the scales. Who has a knocker like this? Only a creepy house did.
The door opened, but there was no one there.
“Neat, isn’t it? It’s enchanted. Wait until you see the inside. This place is the best and so good for channeling and opening up to the higher power,” said Leia.
The house looked like a museum and was full of display cases, walls filled with art, weapons and other decorations. The red carpet was a distinct shade that was somewhere between a burgundy and blood red. It was hard not to stare at it. Stairs were near the back corner of the room, but I was distracted from studying them further.
Before I could sit down, the questions started.
“Oh you brought someone new,” squealed the girl. “This is your first guest. How exciting.”
Yeah, positively thrilling. This better not be a waste of time.
“Can I pet your dog?” asked the same girl.
“You can’t pet a devil dog. They aren’t friendly,” said Leia.
“But it looks so cute.”
She had a weird idea of cute. Muffin was downright ugly and fierce, but I was proud of that last trait. Although, the elevated social standing Julia Huntington thought I’d get from having him never occurred.
“No, no one pets him,” I told the girl, who was foolishly inching towards Muffin.
Being new, I could get away with studying everyone. They would assume it was my curiosity at being with new people. That’s the thing about people. They believe what they want to and assuming the obvious was easier than thinking everyone has ulterior motives.
A small and delicate young woman fluttered into the room. “Hello everyone. I’m so glad to have you all here tonight. And, I have a treat for you,” she chirped.
“Leia brought a guest,” said a short girl with glasses and a youthful face.
“I see that. Welcome. If you’ll all follow me, I have everything set out and ready for you.”
I leaned towards Leia, “Who is that?”
“Why that’s Emma Lynn.”
I took a closer look at the woman. She was the right age, but nothing else about her matched the description her parents gave Callie. This wasn’t a shy and retiring young girl. Her eyes were dark and the hair was different too.
The room we went into was draped with gauzy, bright fabrics that fluttered in a mysterious breeze. Neither fan, nor open window could account for the draft. There were carpets and pillows on the ground. The only furniture was a table covered with paint supplies and a stack of canvases.
In the corner of the room, easels rested against the wall. Moroccan-styled metal lamps with colored glass hung down from the ceiling. They emitted scented smoke, but the air smelled off. There was a burnt hair smell under the bizarre layer of sweet and pungent smells. It tickled my nose, threatening to make me sneeze.
In all there were maybe twenty of us gathered in the art room. Emma Lynn stood near the canvases and everyone else sat on a pillow. The idle chit chat of before was gone, in its place was a sense of anticipation. Each of them sat with straight backs, eager to please as they waited to hear what their surprise was. It was creepy and reminded me of those pod people who are humans that get taken over by aliens. None of these people acted normal. And the smoke was itching my throat and making my nose tickle. I fought back a sneeze.
Muffin was already sprawled on the floor, taking up more room than I thought possible. It was the kind of sprawling only dogs did. His switch from defensive guard dog to sleepy was weird.
It was so sudden. I’d like to think it was because the threat was gone, but nothing was normal about this case or my other one, so why would this art lesson be any different?
“Now that everyone is settled, are you ready for the surprise?” asked Emma Lynn.
Quiet murmurs of yes was the only response. A man entered the room and someone cried out. Another person fell off their pillow prostrating himself and mumbling gibberish. Some were shaking. It was even more bizarre than their previous behavior. What have I gotten myself into?
Chills ran up and down my body and my adrenaline surged. If I didn’t need to solve the case so badly, I’d leave and only come back with weapons. Leia insisted that no one was permitted to bring weapons to this event. Why was it that every single freaking time I needed my weapons, I was in a position where I couldn’t have them?
“Be still and at peace, my children. I did not mean to overwhelm you. I’m here to observe your lesson,” said the man in a singsong voice. It was a voice that was soothing, but also captivating. I leaned forward to catch each word, feeling that if I missed a single one, I’d be somehow missing out.
“We have a guest,” said Emma Lynn.
“A guest and an animal. Welcome. We accept all who are searching to connect with The True One. May your experience here open you up to new possibilities,” he said.
Now that wasn’t creepy or anything. Even Muffin was sitting up and no longer relaxed. That was confirmation enough that I was right to be wary of this place and also the silver-tongue preacher or whatever he is.
“Jarl, your highness, the guest is mine. Her name is Marty,” said Leia in a soft voice.
“Welcome Marty,” said the group in an eerie monotone that came out as a single voice rather multiple ones.
“Please bring her to see me after the lesson. Now, I’ve taken away enough of your time with Emma Lynn. Please continue,” he said.
Emma Lynn clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. I faced towards her, but kept my body at an angle, so I could discretely study Jarl. Even from here, I could feel an obscene amount of magic coming off him. It crashed into me and almost made me rock back from its strength. It made my own rise up protectively.
Muffin shifted closer to me until his side was pressed against my knee. Once he made contact with my leg, his rigid posture relaxed a bit. I scratched behind his ears and he leaned into me more. I fought back a smile.
Emma Lynn asked everyone to select an easel. I sat in front of mine dumbfounded. No one else had that problem. They held paint brushes at the ready, eager to show their artistic mastery. Somewhere a gong was struck and everyone stilled.
“Close your eyes. Clear your minds. Open yourself up to the greatness that is The True One,” said Jarl. “Center yourself. Take deep calming breaths.”
I found myself doing exactly what he asked.
“Can you please tell your animal to stop eating the cushions,” said Jarl.
My eyes snapped open and I saw that Muffin was happily gnawing away at a pillow. Dang it, way to make us look bad, buddy. I snatched it away from him after a brief tug of war. During the struggle, his eyes briefly flashed with fire. It was honest to god, literal flames. I thought only Hell Hounds had flames in their eyes, so what is wrong with my dog?
“Sorry everyone,” I said, and meant it. I was here to investigate and although it meant participating in some group meditation/painting thing, I still wanted things to progress as they normally did. When people felt uneasy or upset, it altered their normal interactions with each other. I relied on the things they said as well as the non-verbal. I hoped Muffin’s hankering for eating things he shouldn’t didn’t alter the standard group dynamics.
Someone laughed, breaking the tension, and Jarl smiled.
“Well then, it’s not every day we get a human guest and animal guest. Let’s continue, shall we?” he said.
I settled back down. Each inhalation of smoke made my head swim until my body felt light and fuzzy. My lips tingled and I grew more and more calm. They could patent this stuff and make a killing. I’d never been so relaxed in my life.
The gong sounded again.
“Release your worries, the problems, and concerns that weigh on you – holding you back from your true potential,” said Jarl.
I could feel my mind emptying as I floated on the smoky wave. I was just a speck in the big ocean. All around me was nothing but endless potential.
Someone took my hand and I felt a pinch, but even that sensation ebbed away as I bobbed along in the vastness of the bliss.
The gong rang out, its echo lasted longer this time. Blood raced up and down my arms, not unlike the feeling I got when my they fell asleep. I blinked sleepily, still not sure what happened.
I looked down and saw the smallest droplet of blood on my finger. I stared at the crimson speck. It mocked me, told me that I was careless. I failed to stay alert when I should have. Someone stole my blood. While, I didn’t think I’d lost much of mine, it had still been taken from me without my consent. Blood was used for a number of nasty spells and there were magic users here at the Institute.
Muffin whined, which drew the attention of everyone.
“Your attention please. Are all of you now ready to begin today’s lesson?” asked Emma Lynn.
People affirmed their readiness, but I doubted whether I was up to it. My calm evaporated with the first sight of my blood and the agitation made me edgy. There is more going on here. As much as I wanted to lash out and demand to know who had taken my blood and why, I couldn’t.
First, I’d find out if this was the same Emma Lynn, who’s disappearance I was investigating. Second, I also owed it to these gullible people to figure out what all this group was involved with. I doubted it was as innocent as some “god loving” group they made themselves out to be.
Palettes of paint were passed around. Emma Lynn reminded us to “free our minds” and paint whatever we felt.
More smoke seeped out of the lamps as I painted. Once my painting was done, I shuddered. It looked like something a serial killer would create – all harsh lines and jagged slashes of red that looked like blood. It was hideous, but Emma Lynn cooed over it encouragingly.
Emma Lynn stared at my painting with the eye of an experienced artist, picking up on nuances I couldn’t see myself.
“So much hidden pain. Thank you for sharing. Don’t fret, showing pain doesn’t make you bad or evil. There’s beauty in darkness. It teaches us to value and appreciate the light,” she said.
The lesson wrapped up and I hurried over to get some time to talk with Emma Lynn. I pushed through the group to where Emma Lynn was, but the girl, the one that tried to pet Muffin earlier, stopped in front of me. By the time, I got around her, Emma Lynn was gone. And, Jarl, the weird preacher or whatever he was, had disappeared.
17
I headed out into the night with Leia, feeling more frustrated and uncertain than when I first came here. We were quiet until we turned the block. Before I could question Leia about the blood and Emma Lynn, she started talking.
“Did you see the stairs leading away from the main room?” she asked in an oddly excited undertone for such a commonplace question.
“Yes, I did.”
“Those lead to a real dungeon.”
I thought back to the stairs I had seen. Then, it clicked. Things like why Merchant’s Row was familiar and why the house seemed like somewhere I’d been before. This was the same house where I was held when I was kidnapped. Anger washed through me, quick and savage, burning through my common sense.
“How do you know there’s a dungeon?” I asked. I really wanted her to be mistaken. I didn’t want to think Emma Lynn, Leia and these religious wackos were tied into my kidnapping.
When she looked at me funny and took a step back, I knew I’d failed to keep the disbelief out of my voice.
“All of us do. We used to hold our sessions in them. There’s something to be said for meditating in the dark. It takes away the distracti
ons caused by the light. We moved the sessions upstairs because it got too cold down there.”
“And the owner is okay with that?”
“I guess. It’s a friend of Jarl and where we always hold our meetings when they aren’t at the Institute.”
Leia stopped walking and was putting off a distinctly frosty vibe. After a short time, she started walking, but now there was enough space between us that two people could fit in between us. Pull it together, Marty.
Leia needed to trust me and interrogating her was a sure fire way to undo her trust and cooperation. I needed more time with Emma Lynn and Leia was my key to that. And, for personal reasons, I wanted to know why the group sessions used blood.
“I’m sorry I came off a bit strong. I’ve never been to something like this before and it’s kinda scary. If you haven’t noticed, I’m not the relax and be Zen type.”
“I could tell that when you first walked into the bakery, but it’s the people, who are guarded that need help the most. Did you relax? Were you able to find your center and connect with the One?”
“You mean the floaty feeling like being in the ocean?”
“Yes, that’s the one! It’s similar for all of us the first few times. It gets to be that whenever we are around the smoke, our souls try to connect with the higher plane. It’s beautiful.”
I wouldn’t say having my soul leave my body was a comfortable or safe thing. “It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced,” I said. And that was true, but it wasn’t an experience I looked forward to repeating. Something told me that I’d have to do it again.
“So you felt it? Not everyone can be open to experience The True One. This is just the smallest taste of that. There is so much to learn.”
“I can imagine. What about the smoke that was used?”
“Oh you mean the incense? Well, it’s an aid to help with the process. We don’t have to use it, but it helps.”
“Does it involve any kind of blood rites?”
“We don’t sacrifice animals if that’s what you’re talking about?”