by Lana Melyan
“Nicky, can you see the cave too?” asked Nate.
We all looked at the map again. The small circle was at its place, on the opposite from our side of the clearing. I touched it, but all it showed was the word Cave again.
“No, not yet. We should probably get closer.”
We crossed to the other side. Passing by the spot where the invisible mausoleum stood, Nate stopped.
“I feel it. The energy.”
“Yeah.” Connie frowned. “Me too. It’s overwhelming.”
“I know.” I sighed. “It’s strong, and it wouldn’t be hard to detect.”
We walked into the woods. After a few minutes, we stopped at the edge of a slope and looked down on the uneven, rocky hillside. Watching our footing on the slippery ground, we continued down the hill. A few moments later, we stopped looking at the lined-up, naked bushes between us and the creek down below.
I looked at the map, and as I touched the golden circle, I saw the cave.
“It’s there.” I pointed to the right. “Between the bushes.”
We rounded the bushes and went along them until we saw it; a human-high hall in the hill behind the branches.
“Yeah, this cave isn’t rocky. It doesn’t look like it was created by nature. It was dug.”
Logan drew the branches aside. Bending down slightly, Nate passed through the hole. One after another, we followed him.
The cave was the size of a small room, and there was nothing inside except one torch opposite the entrance wall. Nate lit it with a twist of his fingers.
“Maybe you should look at the map again,” said Connie, eyeing the clay walls.
“I don’t need the map,” I said, looking at the family crest on the wall next to the torch. “The door is right there.”
“You can see it?”
“No, not yet.”
“We won’t look.” Nate handed me the knife. “But if there’s some kind of incantation, we should probably go outside.”
“No. No incantation.” My heart was beating in my throat. I didn’t want to stay here alone.
First I cut my palm and pressed it to the family crest. The door didn’t appear, and Nate and I exchanged a glance. As I dropped the backpack from my shoulder, he turned around, and so did Connie and Logan.
“Guys, I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just—”
“Don’t sweat it,” Connie interrupted me. “We know you trust us. Just do what you have to do.”
I fished out of the bag the vial with the dark-red liquid. I unstopped it, poured half of the contents into my palm, and splashed it on the wall.
When the red stains were gone, I said, “It’s done.”
The three of them turned around, and together we stared at the wall. A couple of seconds later an iron door, rusty in places, appeared in front of us.
“Let’s do this,” said Nate, stepping closer.
He grabbed the handle, pushed it down, and pulled the door open. The rasp of the steel filled the cave.
Illuminating his way with the flashlight, he moved forward.
“Should we take the torch?” Logan glanced at me.
“No. We won’t be coming out this way, so we better put it out.”
I waited for Connie to get out the second flashlight lamp, then waved my hand and extinguished the torch.
The three of us followed Nate into the tunnel. Coming last, Logan closed the door behind us.
The tunnel wasn’t too long, and the hallway was made of wide steps, which made the climbing easier. When we reached the door a few minutes later, my heart hammered as I stared at its dark wood. I glanced at Nate, biting my lip. I nodded, and he pushed the door open.
The second we walked into the mausoleum, the oil lamps on the walls lit up, just like in the vault. There, in the middle of the room, sat a stone tomb.
Nobody spoke, and for a moment we stood in silence, staring at it. Then Nate drew closer. With a deep frown on his face, he ran his hand over the stone surface.
“Here lies the reason for all our problems,” he said quietly.
“We should make sure—” I started.
“He’s here. I can feel it.” Nate walked to the head of the tomb and glanced at Logan, who approached the other end. Together they took hold of the lid and pulled it aside.
Nate looked inside. The anger and the hatred I saw in his eyes sent a cold shiver down my spine.
Connie and I stepped closer, and when I looked into the stone casket, my jaw dropped. I expected to see something like a mummy. But Kenneth—tall, with a frighteningly strict expression frozen on his handsome face—looked almost normal, only thin and a little bluish.
“After all those years of starvation . . . how is this possible?” I gaped at Nate.
“It’s because of the immortality spells he used. His body keeps restoring itself, refreshing his blood. The only thing that keeps him down is that suffocating spell. Break it, and after a moment to catch his breath, he’ll be as good as new.”
He’s only suffocated. I remembered Joseph’s words, and inexplicable panic washed over me.
“But if he can’t breathe. . . ” Connie glanced at Nate. “How can he still . . . I don’t understand.”
“Magic.” Nate shrugged. “I could explain if I was the one to perform it.” He looked down at Kenneth again. “We need to extract some of his blood.”
“What for?” asked Connie.
“Our ancestors used it to get the books from Kenneth’s vault. It was sealed with his blood, which is why his followers couldn’t open it.”
“You’re right,” I said. “We should have it, just in case.”
Nate pulled out his knife. “Does anyone have something smaller than a water flask?”
“Here,” said Connie, getting out from her bag a small jar with nuts. She emptied the nuts into the bag of chips and handed the jar to Nate.
“Well,” I said as soon as he was done, “it’s good to know that he’s still here and that the veil is still intact.” I couldn’t stay in this place another second. I knew Nate could see through me, and he definitely felt my panic and anguish. But I didn’t want Connie and Logan to notice it too. I headed to the opposite door which led right to the clearing. “I think we should leave now.”
6
“Are we there yet?” asked Connie before putting a bottle of water to her lips.
“Almost,” Nate replied. “We are only ten to fifteen minutes away from the car.”
“So you do remember where we left it,” she chuckled. “Good.”
“Nicky, watch your step.” Nate looked back at me. “There is—”
“Guys, hold on,” said Logan, head cocked.
We stopped.
“What is it?” asked Nate.
“I hear voices.” Logan looked up the small hill, and we followed his gaze.
There was no one there, and I couldn’t hear anything.
“It could be hikers,” said Connie, her eyes fixed on Logan’s frozen expression.
“No, I don’t think so.” Logan finally blinked. “Wait here, I’ll go check.” He flashed away.
His silhouette streaked between the trees up the hill. He stopped at the top, then quickly stepped behind a tree trunk. He looked back and beckoned for us to get up there.
It took us a few minutes to catch up with him. When we got closer, Logan pressed his finger to his lips, warning us to keep quiet.
My heart skipped a beat as I looked down from the hill. Nearly a dozen men and women sat in a circle in the middle of a meadow. Their eyes were closed, and they were chanting.
“Nate, is that them?” I whispered.
Nate pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack.
“It’s them,” he whispered, peering through the lenses. “I’ve met two of them before. Dammit.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me away, signaling for Connie and Logan to retreat.
“We can’t just leave,” I said, stopping as soon as we were back to our trail.
“N
o. But we can’t fight them either,” said Nate.
“We need four witches to improve the sword, and we can kill Kenneth right—”
“We can’t fight them, Nicky,” Nate repeated in a firm voice. “There’s a dozen of them and only four of us. We have the map with us, and the sword and the other things you brought with you. And we have you. Now imagine what would happen if we lost.”
“They don’t know who I am.”
“They will after they look in your backpack.”
“We have to do something,” I said in an angry whisper, spreading my hands.
“Just give me a second to think.” Nate ran his fingers through his hair.
“You think they already know the tomb is here?” asked Logan.
“No. But something brought them here. I think they came to search the area, and they just got started. But they’re only a few miles away from—”
“We need to distract them,” I said.
“How?” asked Connie.
“Right,” Nate gazed at me. “We need to perform magic, something powerful, to mislead them.” He looked at me for a moment, then added, “But we have to do it close to the car, so we can drive away at once.”
We hurried down the trail, and the moment the car came into view behind the small wooden bridge, we stopped.
“Here,” said Nate.
“What now?” I asked. “Are we doing one spell each?”
“No. Stand in a circle. I’ll do the spell. But to send the vibe far enough, I’ll have to draw power from all three of you.” He took my hand, then Connie’s. “Logan, take their hands.”
Nate didn’t chant. He just closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.
A shiver ran down my spine. Then my whole body warmed up, and a few seconds later my body shook. When I looked at the others, I could tell they were going through the same turbulence.
“On a count of three, let go of each other,” murmured Nate. “One, two, three.”
We dropped our hands, and at once, the air above us thickened, creating a dense, transparent, pulsing ball. Nate raised his hand and clicked his fingers. The ball exploded, sending ripples in all directions.
I was drained of energy, and as the wave hit me, my legs failed me, and I dropped to my knees. Connie fell on her back. Nate and Logan staggered backward. The moment they restored their balance, they reached out to us.
“Are you okay?” Nate pulled me up. “Connie?” He glanced back at her.
“Next time I’ll bring a helmet. Just in case.” She leaned against Logan, holding her around her waist.
Nate put his arm around my back, and the four of us headed toward the car.
I knew Nate was right, that we couldn’t fight them. If we lost, that would be it, that would be the end. They would be able to free Kenneth. I had all the information right here with me for them to do so. But I was still disappointed.
“I can’t believe we just left.”
“I know.” Frowning, Nate stared through the windshield. “But we couldn’t risk it.”
“What do we do now?” asked Logan.
“We led them away from the track, bought ourselves some time. So we’ll stick to the plan. We’ll go to New Orleans.”
After a few hours’ drive, we stopped at the motel outside Birmingham. My head was heavy with thoughts, and my tired body was begging for rest, but I had a hard time falling asleep. And so did Nate.
The dream I had the previous night had come true. That’s what my ancestors’ warning was about. The Order was closing in, and we had to act as quickly as possible.
7
Early the next morning, we hit the road. We decided it would be better if we stayed close to Sam and Brian. Nate asked Sam to rent two apartments across from his bar.
Nate called the owner of the apartments as soon as we arrived in town, and when we walked into the entry, we saw a young woman waiting for us with two sets of keys in her hands. She welcomed us with a polite smile, then led us to the second floor.
We dropped off the bags, cleaned up, and headed to the bar. The moment we walked inside, Sam rushed toward me.
“How are you?” He hugged me tightly.
Nate didn’t react to this outburst of Sam’s feelings.
“I’m fine.” I smiled as he pulled back.
“Hi, guys.” He gave Connie a hug too. “I was so worried. I . . .” He looked around the half-full bar. “Come sit, guys. You must be hungry.”
“Is Brian here?” Nate looked toward the counter.
“Yeah, somewhere around. He’s been waiting for you.”
The table next to the counter was vacant. I dropped down in the seat and put my messenger bag between myself and the wall. Because it contained all the important items, I kept it with me.
“I’ll get you something to drink until the food is ready,” said Sam.
“Just a water for me,” I said.
“Me too,” said Connie, sinking down on the couch across from me.
“I could use some whiskey,” said Nate, and he and Logan followed Sam to the bar.
“It’s nice to be back.” Connie looked around.
“Yeah. It’s just . . .” I heaved a breath. “I wish we were here for a drink. You know? Like normal people.”
“We can be normal.” Connie shrugged. “We just drink and eat and talk about something else. At least while we’re here.”
“Can we?” I looked at Brian coming from the backroom.
Connie turned her head. Brian greeted Nate and Logan, and together with Sam, four of them headed toward us.
“Yeah.” Connie sighed. “Maybe one day.”
“Hi, Connie,” said Brian, approaching us. He gave me a sympathetic look. “Nicky, I’m so sorry. I . . .” He shook his head.
“It’s okay, Brian.” I looked down. I couldn’t bear any words of condolences right now. “I know.” I glanced back at him. “You don’t have to say it.”
He nodded, then pulled out a chair and sat at the head of the table. Nate put down his tumbler and sank into the seat next to me. Sam set our water glasses on the table and squeezed in with Connie and Logan.
“So,” said Brian, “you found the tomb. After all those years. . . . That’s a huge step forward.”
“Yeah,” said Nate. “The problem is the Order is too close to finding it as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“They were there. Only a couple of miles away from the mausoleum.”
Brian’s eyes widened.
“No way.” Sam stared at Nate. “How did they find out?”
“How do I know?” Nate gazed at him. “I’m as shocked as you are.” He grabbed his whiskey glass and took a gulp. “We wouldn’t even know they were there if it wasn’t for Logan. He heard them chanting.”
“How many?” asked Brian.
“Too many to fight. But we performed a powerful spell to mislead them. The problem is, that place emanates great magical energy, and if they already know the location, they’ll find it eventually. We need to catch four Order witches as soon as possible. Right now, that’s the only thing keeping us from killing Kenneth.”
“Doesn’t it seem strange to you that this whole time, no one has come after me or Brian?” asked Sam. “We’ve been here for a while now. They must know we’re back.”
“They were kinda busy, weren’t they?” Nate’s face darkened. “Snooping around my mansion, looking for the Callahans in River Stones, murdering people.” Nate gulped the rest of his whiskey. “And now this.”
I picked up my glass and drank some water.
Nate took my hand. “I’m sorry. It just pisses me off that we couldn’t catch at least a couple of them right there.”
He was angry, and so was I. After what they’d done to us, we had just left them there and walked away.
“There was nothing we could do,” said Logan. “You made the right decision, and you know that.”
“Don’t worry,” said Brian. “I’m sure there are a few of them in New Orleans. We
’ll find them.”
The waitress came with our food, and Brian got up.
“We’ll think this through and come up with a plan,” he said. “You’ve had a very long journey. Right now you all need some rest,”
“I’ll be right there.” Sam pulled himself up too. “Let me know if you need anything, guys.” He followed Brian behind the counter.
After we ate, the weariness set in, and I could see the same in Connie’s tired look. Brian and Sam wanted to hear the whole story about our trip, about the map and the tomb. Leaving Nate and Logan behind to fill them in with the details, Connie and I headed back to our apartments to take a much-needed nap.
Taking my jacket off, I headed right to the bedroom. I curled up on the four-poster bed, rested my head on the pillow, and closed my eyes.
There was one thought that had bothered me since we left the woods. Would Nate have acted differently if I hadn’t been with him? My tired mind couldn’t stay focused. I didn’t fight it and just let myself fall into oblivion.
When I woke up, I felt Nate’s arm wrapped around me and heard his slow, even breathing. It was dark in the room, except for the yellow light coming from the street. I checked the time on my phone. It was nearly one a.m. There was no point in getting up.
I turned around and looked at Nate’s face. I didn’t want to wake him, but I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss him. The moment my lips touched the corner of his mouth, his grip on me tightened. His eyes still closed, he pulled me to his chest, and his lips found mine at once.
I was the first to wake up. Rays of sunlight snuck in through the gaps between the curtains. Trying not to wake Nate, I slid out of bed, shut the curtains tighter, and headed to the bathroom. After a long shower, still wrapped in a towel, I went to the kitchen and found everything I needed to brew a pot of coffee.
Then I went to the living room, where Nate had left our bags and rummaged through mine for fresh clothes. The weather in New Orleans was much warmer than in Pittsburgh, and I picked something lighter to wear. Instead of my thick gray sweater, I put on a thin and soft, blue cashmere one, and a pair of dark denim jeans.