by Brenda Trim
When I was younger that statement would have had me wanting to crawl into a hole. Now, I didn’t have the energy or desire to be embarrassed. “He’s talented,” I replied with a shrug. “And, he has a sweet side few ever see. Although his grumpiness is what drew me to him in the first place.”
Violet made a choking sound. “I think you’re the first person in history to use sweet and Bas in the same sentence. There’s no doubt you two are made for each other.”
“I prefer my men smiling,” Aislinn interjected.
I smirked at her. “Argiess smiles a lot. And, he’s pretty sexy, too.”
“I’m not in the market. I learned my lesson long ago that I’m better off alone. No men for me, thank you.” Aislinn’s attitude toward relationships was far more familiar to me than I cared to admit.
Most women my age feel that way, especially after a nasty divorce. I felt that way, and still do, to a large degree but for very different reasons. I had a loving marriage and lost him and have been in no hurry to find someone new. I wanted to focus on myself for once.
A high percentage of middle-aged women eschew new partners because their previous ones have been awful to them. Why invite another man to treat them badly? Besides the fact that when we go through a terrible loss, whether it’s from divorce or death, it brings into sharp focus what you have neglected to do for yourself in deference to another.
“Understandable. We need to focus on Ben and Bailey then the rest of the town right now, anyway. Let’s try to combine power and sneak past whoever is hiding the kids from us.” The more I talked the more confident I felt. This would work. We were incredibly powerful and smarter than most.
Violet and Aislinn followed me to the attic where I opened the window and allowed in the breeze, but also the moonlight. I inhaled deeply, grateful to be back inside my home.
“Be sure to light the white candles. And, add a dark purple one for intuition. Oh, and a black one for a couple reasons,” Grams threw out there cutting me off with a look. I have no idea how she knew I was about to object to the use of black candles. “Black is most often associated with protection which Ben and Bailey need, but it’s also about uncrossing the magic blocking you. Not to mention it can be used to ward off any negativity that may be sent your way.”
“I have so much to learn.” I sighed and grabbed the candles Grams mentioned while Violet drew a circle with salt. After I placed the candles, the three of us formed a circle and clasped hands.
Violet cast the circle which activated with a bright flash of white light. The atmosphere buzzed with renewed vitality. My skin tingled and I swore I could take the King and Queen on by myself in that moment. Okay, not entirely alone seeing as my two best friends were the reason, I was so pumped.
Something Grams said clicked and instead of scrying like usual, I did something else. “Acies.” The air condensed and I focused on my desire to get a glimpse of the kids and where they were located.
When nothing happened several minutes later, I dropped their hands and rubbed the back of my neck. “Well that didn’t work. Any other ideas of how we can think outside the box?”
Aislinn released the lip she’d been chewing on and sighed. “What about doing a mind-meld with Bailey. Not sure I want to see what a seventeen-year-old boy thinks.”
Violet’s mouth tipped up at the corners. “Ben’s head is a terrifying place. Seriously, Bailey and I are always saying he isn’t right in the head. Although at the moment, I’m fairly certain Ben is thinking about how he can save his sister from their predicament.”
“You’ll need some lavender to align your third eye and some blur lotus to open your crown chakra.” Grams was near the bookshelves containing her jars of herbs. Violet released the circle to grab both items and a metal bowl then returned and cast their magic again.
Placing the dried plants in the container, she lit them then motioned Aislinn and I over. We clasped hands and the smoke rose to our faces. It was sweet and bitter at the same time. Initially I became sleepy, but quickly got over that.
Violet took a deep breath and chanted, “Commisceo.” I kept Bailey forefront in my mind the entire time, hoping to get anything from her.
Several seconds later I struggled to breathe through the terror and agony traveling through my left ankle. I gasped and clutched my leg. In the process I let go of Aislinn and Violet.
Reality rushed back to me and the sensations completely vanished. “Grab my hands. There was something there. I think her…”
“Ankle is hurt,” Aislinn said, cutting me off. She snatched my hand then Violet’s.
I choked up when I noticed the tears brimming in Violet’s eyes. She was far more put together than I would be in her place. Pretty sure I would be a blubbering mess the second my kids went missing.
Violet cast the spell once we were connected again. Only this time nothing happened. We waited for long agonizing minutes, but nothing came through.
“Let me try another one,” I suggested. They both nodded and I gathered myself and searched for another way around merging. “Misce.”
For nearly a full minute after I cast the spell nothing happened. The air had lost all its vibrance and was now oddly empty. And my skin no longer tingled. Crap. “That’s not working. Anyone else have anything?”
“I think I have one. I just need a minute to recenter my mind. I don’t want my fear of failing Violet and the kids to cause any problems.” Aislinn’s words were a potent reminder of where we should be focused. And that time I hadn’t kept Bailey at the front of my mind. I hadn’t been thinking about much of anything really.
While Aislinn composed herself, I did the same. My children meant everything to me, and I know Ben and Bailey were Violet’s entire world, as well. I pictured Bailey’s brilliant smile and bright blue eyes. She looked so much like her mom.
And her voice. I swear she and Violet had siren in their blood somewhere. Ever since I’d known Violet, she had been able to make you do anything she asked of you. And, boys always flocked to her. Bailey was the same way.
“Are you part siren?” The words were out before I could stop them. Violet’s eyes widened a bit then her cheeks turned pink. “I don’t announce it. I can’t influence anyone like my grandmother could.”
“Could have fooled me,” Aislinn teased. “Why do you think your store is so successful in this day and age of electronic books?”
Violet shrugged her shoulders. “I’m okay with that. I have no problem selling them something that will enrich their lives. Hey, maybe I should try to talk to Bailey and tell her to talk her way out of captivity!”
I shook my head. “She might be successful in that, but I’d rather we save her. It’s the only way I can be sure her influence over her captor doesn’t slip. Because if she tried and somehow lost control before she was safe, she would pay the price. That’s too much to put on her.”
“All right,” Aislinn murmured as she grabbed my hand again. I cleared my mind and thought only about Bailey and her sass.
“Inquinatae!” Aislinn’s voice seemed to reverberate around our circle. Everywhere it touched it buzzed and bubbled with vigor. My skin was tingling again. I braced myself for the pain, so it wasn’t a punch to the gut when it registered.
I tried to glean anything I could from her surroundings. I heard water dripping somewhere. At first, I thought it was a cave, but the ping told me that wasn’t right. It was a sink. I couldn’t smell anything and before I could gather anymore information all sense of her was gone.
Before I could register the desire to reconnect images started shuffling through my head. First, I saw a black dog jumping through Violet’s picture window before it latched onto Bailey’s leg. The creature had leather-like skin and red eyes.
Several came through next. Ben being hit with a tail followed by him being dragged through what looked like a portal. The next thing I saw were imps with long pointy ears and massive noses. I thought I saw the flash of a sofa. It passed too fast for me to see i
f it was like Argiess’s or something I would find on Earth.
Chains floated toward me as the black dog transformed into a dark-skinned bald man. He waved a finger through the air and the metal links followed his command and wrapped around Ben first who had been bucking and kicking imps into the walls. Bailey had gone stock still when her brother started being chained up.
Tears fell down her cheeks a second later, but she remained in place while she was chained to a wall. All I could see was grey stone surrounding them. The lights overhead were incandescent. Between one blink and the next they were gone.
I looked from Aislinn to Violet and squeezed her hand. “They’re still on Earth. We’re one step closer to them. We just need to try again. Grams was right. Tackling this from another angle is going to get us there.”
“Of course, I was right, child. I’m always right.” Gram huffed and lifted her chin in the air.
I lifted one eyebrow as I stared her down. “You weren’t right about keeping me in the dark.”
She sent me a dark look that made me want to lower my head and apologize. No matter how old I got, the urge to please her never went away. “You should try iugo. That will join you together.”
Violet bobbed her head. “I bet with that I will be able to maintain a connection.”
I took a deep breath and decided to focus on the connection between mother and daughter. Violet was our best bet at locating them. Violet chanted the spell and the air crackled around us.
The sensation intensified and I expected to start seeing something any second. My gaze shifted from Aislinn to Violet as I waited. It became clear nothing was coming to me, or Aislinn. Just when I was about to let go, I noticed how Violet’s eyes had gone distant.
It seemed like forever as we stood there holding hands while Violet spaced out. It reminded me of someone having an absence seizure. When it continued for several minutes, I reassured myself she wasn’t a child and had never shown any signs of a seizure disorder.
Finally, she blinked and shook her head. I couldn’t wait a second longer. “Are you alright? Did you see them? Do you need tea or anything?”
Violet let go of our hands and went to take a step but ended up stumbling like she was a newborn foal. “I.” She paused and cleared her throat. “I saw them. Let’s get tea and I will tell you all about it.”
“I’ll get it started. You guys take your time coming down,” Aislinn offered.
I was so lucky to have these women in my life. I couldn’t ask for more. “Thank you.”
I stayed close to Violet and took the stairs slowly. By the time we made it to the kitchen there were three mugs of steaming tea and some cookies on a plate. Grams followed us down and remained quiet while Violet sipped her drink.
“Are they okay?” Grams’ voice cracked on the question. The first sign I’d seen at how this impacted her.
Violet nodded her head and set her cup down. “I saw them in a large house. It was old. The furnishings were antiques and in desperate need of repair. The windows were filthy, and I couldn’t see anything from Bailey’s position, but I heard cars driving and honking, sirens and shouting. I’d bet my left tit they’re in a city.”
My heart leaped in my chest. “That’s good. Do you think they are in London?”
Violet looked up at me and I could see she wasn’t smiling like I was with the news. “I have no idea. I didn’t see anything to indicate where in the world they were.”
“Were they speaking English? Outside I mean. If they weren’t, we might be able to narrow down the search that way.” I prayed she said no, it sounded like Japanese or something. That would significantly narrow our search.
“Yes, they were speaking English. And, I think they might not have had an accent like yours. It was really hard to tell. I didn’t catch words, per se. I got the feeling more than anything. But, maybe that’s enough.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Your impressions are always spot on. We’ll start in London since it’s the biggest city in England and go from there.”
“Perhaps you’ll be able to sense them when we close in,” Aislinn added.
Violet latched onto that and sat forward, reaching for Aislinn’s hand. “Yes. I’m sure I’ll be able to. I’ve never felt closer to Bailey in my life. I know I will sense her.”
I would do anything to ensure Violet got the chance to prove her point. “I’ll call Camille to keep an eye out and let Bas know we’re heading to the city.” I pulled out my phone to make the calls, praying we weren’t starting a wild goose chase.
Chapter 13
“I’m not sure this was the best idea,” Aislinn said for the hundredth time since we left Pymm’s Pondside.
I sighed and turned in my seat until I was facing Aislinn and could see Violet from the corner of my eye. I still wasn’t used to having the driver’s seat on the opposite side of the car, so Aislinn agreed to drive into the city. Last thing we needed was for me to get flustered and end up in a crash.
“What would you have us do? Ben and Bailey are in a city. London is the closest one for us to check while Violet continues trying to get more information from Bailey.”
Aislinn glanced over at me. “We should have waited for Bas and Argiess. They could help us.”
My gut churned. They were going to head toward us the second they saw the note we left them. “You’re right, but we don’t have time to waste. If they aren’t in London we will need to regroup.”
“They’re there,” Violet informed us. “I know it with every cell in my body.”
I shifted so I was looking directly at her. “Have you seen anything else?”
She bobbed her head. “It wasn’t much, but I caught sight of what looked like average townhouses. They had red brick and white trim.”
Aislinn cursed under her breath. “That could be anywhere in just about any city.”
“But even I know the importance of listening to your gut. Especially when it comes to your children. I’ve seen mothers and fathers push for more testing when they refused to believe doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with their son or daughter and it ended up saving the kid’s life.”
Aislinn lifted her hands from the wheel for a second. “You’re right. I don’t have kids, so I wouldn’t know anything about that.”
“I understand being frightened about facing the unknown, but it will take us some time to locate the building and I have no doubt Sebastian and Argiess will be heading our way before we know it.” I considered calling Bas and having him drop what he was doing to leave now. They really wouldn’t be that far behind us then.
“You’re right. So where should we start? The North West side of London where we will come in from?” Aislinn drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove down the quiet highway. It was dark, so I didn’t see much of the beautiful countryside.
“Head to the center of the city. From there I should get a sense which direction to head.” Violet sounded distant as she spoke, and I wondered if she was bracing herself for the worst or if she was distracted by trying to connect with Bailey. If I knew it was the former, I would try to get her thinking positively, but if it was the latter I didn’t want to interrupt.
I decided to keep my mouth shut and we drove in silence for several long seconds. When lights came into view in the distance, my muscles started jumping and my heart skipped s few beats.
I rubbed my hands on my jeans when tingling started up in my hands. “Are there any pockets of supernaturals in the city? I was thinking perhaps like would attract like and they’d live near one another. That might narrow down where we should start looking.”
Aislinn glanced over at me. “Not really, no. The city has too many humans for our kind to feel comfortable. All those bodies tend to block the flow of energy from the ley lines to a larger degree than living away from densely populated areas.”
“The clusters we will find in and around the city will all be along those magical pathways,” Violet interjected. “But, Aislinn
’s right. There isn’t a huge population here. Besides the fact that most of our kind thrive on nature and our connection to it. You don’t get as much of a boost when your exposure to the source is limited.”
I sat forward as we hit the outskirts of London. “That makes sense. Is there a magical market here where we can ask questions? We might be able to find out if anyone’s seen anything suspicious. Or felt anything nefarious.”
Aislinn slowed the car and bobbed her head while remaining focused on the road ahead. Traffic had increased as we got closer and now there were vehicles all around us. “That’s a good idea. We can start at The Tenth Ring. It’s the market in St. James park across from Buckingham Palace.”
“Sounds good to me,” I agreed. Violet didn’t say anything, but I noticed her wring her hands together and chew on her lip. Aislinn exited the highway and made so many turns that I got lost. That wasn’t all that surprising since I hadn’t been there nearly enough to know where anything was.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out. Seeing Sebastian’s name flash on the screen made my pulse quicken for polar opposite reasons. Both were understandable but it was odd to have excitement and fear racing through me in equal measures.
“Hello.”
“Fiona,” Sebastian growled from the other end of the connection.
“Did you even read my note? We still have no idea precisely where they are being held. Violet is convinced they’re here in London. We are starting our search at The Tenth Ring. If we’re lucky, we will have a location by the time you and Argiess get here.”
“Don’t go into any building until we reach you guys. You haven’t honed your craft enough to anticipate the best counterattacks.”
I hated that he was right. Not that I planned on telling him that. “I am not a liability anymore. I can burn anything to a crisp. We will see you soon.” I hung up before he could say anything else. I expected him to call back, but he didn’t.
By the time I shoved my cell in my back pocket Aislinn was pulling up to the curb close to a memorial for one of the previous Queens of England. I had never been to this part of town. It was beautiful at night. When we all climbed out, I saw the park down the street.