Shadows in Ravenwood (Daughters of the Circle)

by Lenore Wolfe

  THIRTY-ONE

  MORGAN

  Morgan had never seen Claire like this. Their enemy had come in and taken their aunt right out from under them, and not one of them could prevent it from happening. Worse, yet. They never even got the chance to fight.

  Claire took the blow, to heart. She blamed herself. She’d been training every day. Now, she had them all training day and night. Anger drove Claire—and Morgan knew it. She just didn’t know how to help her.

  Thorick immediately got on the trail to find Dante. After a couple of hours, he came back empty handed, but went out again, and then, again. Claire appeared visibly shaken each time he appeared without their aunt. He told them he’d put several Gargoyles on Dante, and even some Warrior Fae on Dante’s trail. He repeatedly reassured them that they weren’t about to let up—or give him any peace. He told them that Dante was having a heck of a time staying ahead of them—with a prisoner on his hands.

  But Claire didn’t seem comforted by his words. She seemed deflated, like, she’d lost faith in their ability to fight their enemy. Morgan didn’t blame her for that. He’d taken her to show that he could get to them anyplace—anytime. He was making a point. He’d come into their house, stolen their aunt right out from under them. And his ploy had worked.

  Morgan couldn’t decide what she should do. She knew she should ask Alex—she just didn’t want to worry him. She even thought about talking to Claire, but she didn’t want to worry her, either. Besides, Claire still didn’t look in any shape to engage in a conversation. In the end, she settled on talking to Sophia. On balance, it would appear she knew more about these things than any of them.

  She decided to go and find her, right after lunch, because she knew Claire wanted her to lead them through to the Land of the Fae sometime later, and Morgan didn’t want to wait until they got back to get some answers.

  She couldn’t relax like this. Not knowing put her on edge.

  Giving Alex a hug, she told him she was going to find Sophia, and she slipped away. She went through the main floor, but she didn’t find her. So, she headed for the second floor, and when she didn’t find her there either, she went to search in the attic.

  She found Kira playing with a doll, and Sophia curled up in one of the overstuffed chairs, reading. When Sophia saw her, she sat up. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  Morgan’s brows shot up, not following. When she did, she felt awful that Sophia thought she had to ask.

  “Sophia,” she said. “You are always welcome anywhere you want to go in this house. This manor—all this—is as much yours, Tara’s, Alex’s, and the Twins, as it is ours. We're family.”

  Sophia nodded, smiling. “See—that is what makes you and Claire—all of us—so amazing.”

  Morgan sat down in the chair next to Sophia’s. “Actually, I was searching for you,” she told her.

  Sophia had turned to check her daughter but turned back to glance back at Morgan. “What’s up?”

  Morgan ducked her head. She sensed that Sophia frowned. “I’m worried I’m going to get you all killed,” she confessed.

  Sophia frowned. “What?” she said. “What on earth would make you think a thing like that?”

  Morgan looked up. Tears filled her eyes. “I think I’m in his head—or he’s in mine.” She saw Sophia frown. “He’s going to know every move we make—because of me.”

  Sophia got up and knelt in front of Morgan, taking her hand. “Did you tell Claire this?”

  Morgan shook her head. “She’ll think it’s my fault he got our aunt,” she said, crying in earnest now. “I saw him in my mind, but at first I was sleeping—then I was too disoriented by what I saw.”

  Sophia squeezed her hand. “I can help you, Morgan,” she said. “I can help you stop him.”

  Morgan’s gaze shot up. “He’s doing something—to get inside my head?”

  Sophia nodded. “Yes, sweetie. He’s a warlock. He probably found you the easiest to get to….”

  “Because my head is damaged.”

  Sophia gave her a gentle smile. “You were vulnerable.” She gazed deep into Morgan’s eyes, so she could see the truth in what she said. “I can help you. Together, we can prevent him from winning.” She got up, pulling on Morgan’s hand. “Lay down in the center of this rug.” As Morgan, did so, Sophia told her. “He’s not going to like this. He’s going to try and break through again since he’s used to having an inside line. He’s not going to like losing his connection.

  She went to the shelves and returned, her arms laden down, and began to set a crystal and candle grid around Morgan. “Don’t worry,” she told her as she worked. “Your minds too powerful for him to do more than use you for a kind of link. Kind of like a TV monitor.”

  Morgan nodded, relieved.

  Sophia went back to the shelves, returning with some stones and herbs, and laid them in a strategic pattern on Morgan. “I’m going to heal your aura so that there are no holes in it, so it’s not so easy for him, or any others for that matter, to intrude into your life force.” She gently lifted Morgan’s hands and laid them down to her sides, instead of where they were across her stomach. “I’m also going to start the work of bringing your chakras into balance.

  Sophia worked with Morgan until Claire and Tara came searching for them. As she finished, she told Claire and Tara about what had been happening to Morgan.

  A horrified look crossed Claire’s face, and she told Morgan she should have told her.

  As they watched, Morgan sensed they were intrigued by what Sophia was doing. She didn’t blame them. She was impressed by her, too.

  “You guys should have her do this for you,” Morgan said when Sophia finally told her that she could get up. “It’s pretty amazing. I feel better than I have in years.”

  Claire came around to the front of her, gazing into her eyes. “You look like you feel better.” She glanced over at Sophia. “What do you say? Would you be up to doing some more healing when we return?”

  Sophia grinned at them. “I would love to,” she said.

  Later that afternoon, they made the trip to the Land of the Fae, to check on the meeting her mother set up for them. As Morgan watched, Sophia called up the veil, separating the human world from the Fae. She glanced around amazed, finding it harder to believe their world existed, separated from their own, and yet right there among them at the same time.

  They existed on a plane that seemed to overlap theirs. But, then, why had all the stuff she’d read point to them living more like—well, down? She glanced at the ground, which must have given her away because Sophia laughed.

  “You’re thinking too linear, Morgan,” she said. “You’re thinking of the five dimensions, but it isn’t so up and down. Well, if you think of the higher dimensions and the lower dimensions, I guess it sort of is.”

  Morgan chuckled at this. “Never mind, it hurts my head too much,” she said, laughing at Sophia.

  They walked the path that took them to Shantra’s cottage. She stood to wait for them at the edge of the field. Hugging her daughter, she led the way towards the village.

  “I felt you coming, daughter,” she said. “You do realize their grandparent’s, and their parents for that matter, came here before—searching for these same answers.”

  Morgan looked at Sophia, who now turned to meet her gaze.

  Sophia nodded at her mother. “We do. But it’s the only place we have to start.”

  Her mother nodded. “We’ll tell you what we can, then.”

  Was there no hope? Morgan thought. If they’d tried all this stuff before, what made them think a bunch of new witches who hadn’t even trained to be witches, could go up against a warlock, who obviously couldn’t be destroyed.

  They were going to get themselves killed before they had a chance to enjoy being home again.

  She caught Claire’s gaze. She could see the same thoughts running through her sister’s mind. But if they gave up—they’d die for sure.
r />   They had to try.

  Claire gave her a wisp of a smile. “What was at the bottom of that weird box in the fairy tale Grams use to read us?”

  Morgan grinned. “Hope.”

  She put her hand on Morgan’s back, playing with her long, dark auburn hair. “Then, hope is what we’ll hang onto.

  Morgan nodded. They didn’t have a choice. This plan was all they had.

  THIRTY-TWO