Familiar Territory

by Sam Cheever

  I saw the moment Deg recognized the place. “A Cold Grave for Malta.”

  “What?”

  He shook his head, sighing. “This passage. It’s right out of a movie I watched as a kid. It terrified me.”

  I nodded. “I’m pretty sure that giant snake was my doing.” I remembered watching a documentary on prehistoric times once. The giant reptiles had kept me on edge for weeks. I was pretty sure I wore my knee-high rubber rain boots everywhere that summer.

  “Okay, if we’re controlling this...” Deg said.

  “Then we should be able to stop it,” I finished for him. Glancing around, I felt an eerie calm sliding over me. “Somehow.”

  “The question is how,” he agreed.

  “We need to step out of the web,” I murmured softly. I looked at Deg. “We need to join our energies and sluff off the imaginary world. Once we can see the web around us we can step out of it.”

  He nodded, offering me his hand. “Shall we?”

  Pulling air into my lungs, I let it out slowly. I stared at his hand for a long moment and then nodded, slipping my fingers through his. Silver sparks shot from our palms, spreading in a sparkling radiance around our joined hands. Deg’s energy flowed up my arm and into my core, creating a tightness in my chest that made it hard to breathe. I fought my instinctual resistance, forcing myself to remain open to the seething energy. Gritting my teeth against the effort, I felt my muscles turn to iron and quiver under the strain. As time passed, the effort seemed to ease a bit and, after what felt like a really long time, I released my breath in a slow stream.

  The energy totally encompassed us, pulsing and warming me beneath its silvery glow. Deg’s sexy silver gaze was locked onto my face, a small smile curving his lips.

  I found myself smiling back and, suddenly, it didn’t seem so terrible to be joined to the powerful Witch. His expression changed the tiniest bit, morphing into a question.

  I nodded, realizing I knew what he was asking me without words.

  Then his deep voice eased across my mind. You ready?

  Yes.

  I closed my eyes and sent the energy outward, feeling the moment when it hit the barrier of the false world. It clung there a moment, pushing against the false obstruction for a few beats before, with a firm thought, we rammed through.

  There was a small pop in my brain. It hurt only for a second and then warmth oozed past the breech and chaos exploded into my mind’s eye.

  Multi-colored strands of light flared into view, the strands varying widths and lengths. The fibers were interwoven, the strongest threads like heavy wire...the weakest like the finest filament inside a light bulb. The heavy threads pulsed with vibrant power and, I realized a beat later, seemed to wake to the knowledge that we were there. I suddenly knew what we needed to do. I reached out with my mind and wrapped my magic around the thickest strand.

  A high pitched sound pierced my brain and I cried out, my legs buckling beneath me.

  Firm hands grabbed me, supporting me until the shrill tone stopped shrieking.

  There was a tentative beat of silence.

  I felt a warm, treasured presence on the other end of that silence and relief flooded through me. Mom?

  Another beat of silence followed my hopeful question and dread filled it. Had it just been wishful thinking to find her there?

  LA? You need to run, Peaches. Get out of here. Now!

  I was confused. But you sent for me.

  No. You need to go, LA. I love you, Peaches. I want you to go away and be safe.

  I shook my head, even knowing she couldn’t see it. I’m not leaving you behind. Tell me what I need to do.

  Her silence was like a blade to my heart.

  Please? I need your help.

  A soft, resigned sigh filtered through my consciousness. First you must see.

  Yeah. I was afraid of that. How?

  Just, open your eyes, child.

  I was terrified to see what I was up against. It seemed as if I’d been chasing the horror for weeks, though I was pretty sure it had been only hours. In that moment I knew I’d found it. And suddenly I didn’t want to look.

  Deg’s hand closed around mine, giving it a supportive squeeze. And I knew I wasn’t alone.

  I forced my eyes to open.

  For one confusing moment I wasn’t sure they’d opened. The multi-hued strands of shimmering light still twisted and throbbed before my gaze. I recognized the web and realized I’d seen it once before, in the barrier at Illusory Park. Tabby’s words came back to me in a rush. It feeds where we all live...

  “The web!”

  I reached out and wrapped my hand around the intertwined strands of magic and screamed as agony speared through me. Twitching against the pain, I was unable to release it once I’d grabbed hold, and felt as if I was being electrocuted where I stood.

  Beyond the pain I heard a hundred strident voices, begging me for help. Tears slipped down my cheeks as the power I grasped ripped across my nerves, tearing at the very fabric of the magic that was me.

  Hold on, LA! Deg’s voice was filled with fear. I clung to that fear because I knew it would lead him to help. A beat later the web in my hand jumped, throwing me to the ground. I skidded across a grimy surface and hit a wall, a warm, hard body slamming into mine.

  The web’s energy turned manic, flinging us around as Deg and I tried to hold onto it.

  The chaos of voices rose with ever increasing urgency, their pleas growing along with the web’s frantic behavior.

  Then someone screamed...long and filled with anguish...and the web went still in my hand.

  I lay there a moment, fearing that if I moved the pain would slice through me again. Everything had gone quiet and the light no longer danced beyond my lids.

  I tentatively moved my legs. Then one arm. Keeping my hand wrapped around the throbbing web in my fist, I eased my eyes open. I was looking up at an old metal pipe, rusted and bent, and beyond that, an age-rotted ceiling. Somewhere in the distance water dripped and the stench of filthy wet concrete and decomposing wood made my nose twitch.

  I levered myself slowly off the ground and looked around.

  It took a moment for me to understand what I was seeing. Once I did, I gave a small cry of horror.

  Beside me, Deg groaned softly and pushed upright. He went completely still as he took in the scene before us. I reached out blindly, groping for his hand. When I found it I slipped my icy fingers into his, squeezing for all I was worth.

  The pod people were back. And this time I feared they were real. The multi-colored strands of energy wrapped each cocoon from head to toe, trailing from their bound feet toward the center of the room like strands of demonic Christmas lights.

  The energy converged in the center, wrapping around a single figure there.

  I gasped as I recognized that figure, my eyes going wide.

  “It can’t be...”

  The figure smiled, its face pale beneath the pulsing aura of the magic strands. “Hello, LA. Strange seeing you here.”

  I shook my head and stood, still gripping the latent web of magic the Witch had used to contain us. “Why?”

  The figure shrugged, dark gaze widening with pleasure. “Because I could.”

  Deg stood too and I could feel his confusion. “But he was...”

  “Dead,” I finished for him. “Yes. He was dead.”

  Jacob Withers cocked his head, fixing me with a pitying look. “It’s a shame you’ve forced yourself into my lair, LA.” Then he smiled. “But I’m really glad you did. You and your Witch were the last pieces I needed to complete my web. Now that you’re here...” Oily black energy shot out of his magic cocoon and snagged me, spinning so quickly I was halfway encased in its cold power before I realized what had happened.

  Deg gave a throaty cry and I watched him shoot skyward, struggling against the twining black magic as it bound him from shoulder to knees.

  As soon as the oily magic touched my skin I felt its taint draining my
will. I fought desperately, even when my mind told me it would be so much easier to stop. There was no way I was going to let him steal my life, Deg’s life, and the lives of my family and friends just because he could.

  He’d have to go through me first.

  Use the web, Deg’s husky, strained voice grated across my mind. It’s connected to him.

  My scattered thoughts struggled for a moment to figure out what he was telling me. But a warm throbbing in the energy web I still clutched in one hand finally broke through my fogginess and I tightened my fingers on the thing. Far from being dead, as I’d believed before, the web had just gone quiet for a moment. It was coming back to life in my hand, pulsing and flaring with light, and I realized it would soon pull me into its force, locking me down and sucking me dry as it had done the others in the room.

  I couldn’t let that happen. If the Demon at the center of the Familiar, Inc. takeover planned to use the web to pull energy away from Deg and me, I wondered what he would do if we gave him a bit of his own medicine.

  Can you help? I asked Deg, even as I sent tentative threads into the web in my hand, exploring...searching out its faults.

  Yes. He grated out. If I could turn my head I was pretty sure I’d find Deg struggling mightily. He sounded as if he were using everything he had just to stay alert and fight off the irresistible pull of Jacob’s oily magic.

  “It’s really fortuitous for me, LA, that you finally succumbed to your place in the world,” Jacob said in his arrogant, slightly nasal tone. I’d always hated that arrogance when we’d been an item, and had always wondered what formed the basis of it. Clearly he thought a lot of himself.

  But hadn’t he proven he was justified? Not many magical creatures could have done what he’d accomplished. No Familiar should be able. Even a Witch would struggle to accomplish it. Yet he’d managed to imprison an entire, powerful group for his own use. It was irritatingly impressive and it made me cranky. “At least I understand my place, Jacob,” I told him as I sent questing fingers of energy into the magic grid in my fist. I felt the aura of Deg’s magic too, just a faint shadow that I hoped Jacob wouldn’t notice. “You seem to have overstepped your bounds.”

  If it was possible, his laughter was even more snotty than his voice. “Really, LA? I’ve made the most powerful Familiars my bitch. Do you really think I’ve gone beyond my abilities?”

  I shrugged, my mind fighting off the growing allure to give in...to just let him pull me under his influence. I was so tired. So frustrated by his ability to continually stay one or two steps ahead.

  “I would have never been able to snag Deggart the elusive without your bond, LA,” he continued. “For that you have my eternal gratitude. Maybe I’ll even let you have some autonomy as a reward.”

  I frowned. What did he mean? Why did he call Deg elusive? Doing a mental head shake, I tightened my fingers around the network in my fist and sent a testing jolt of energy into it, carefully tugging on the thinnest strand I could find. I hoped the weakness of the thread would allow me to avoid his notice. “Don’t count your kitties before they’re born, Jacob. You’re right, you have managed to temporarily capture some of our best. But you won’t be able to hold onto all this power for long. We’ll be back.”

  He stared at me, his smug smile widening with confidence. “You think so? Maybe you don’t understand what I’ve done.”

  The micro-thin strand slipped from the web with a tiny surge, its energy shimmering through my fingertips and sliding into my system. I held my breath that Jacob hadn’t felt it and my heart skipped a beat when he cocked his head, thinking he was going to react.

  But he only nodded. “I suppose it would be too much to ask for anyone to understand at this juncture, but you will. You’ll all understand some day. I’ll have to satisfy myself with that.”

  Another strand slipped free of the grid, its light going dark as the energy it had contained slid into Deg.

  My system thrummed with frustration. We had to step up the process or we’d be toast long before we made a difference. With a stab of horror, I realized we’d have to capture a much larger strand. But once we’d done that we’d be out of time. We’d have to move fast because Jacob would be on us.

  I’m going for my grandmother’s strand, I told Deg. You grasp Mom’s.

  With the two most powerful strands in our grasp, we should have enough energy to turn the tables on Jacob.

  At least I hoped we would.

  Deg’s thoughts were chaotic. He didn’t respond and I risked a glance in his direction. I gasped. His large frame was almost entirely covered in multi-hued strands. He was nearly gone.

  Jacob’s hateful laugh made me snap my attention back to him. “You see, LA, I have already pulled your boyfriend into my network. I’d have you too if I wanted.”

  I sneered at him, so angry and scared I was shaking with it. “Then why haven’t you? There’s no reason to keep me alive, is there? You’re within a hair of getting everything you want, Jacob. Everything there is. But then what? Who will know what you’ve done? Who will there be to appreciate the feat? You’ll be all alone. All that power and no place to go.”

  His smile finally dimmed. I’d chosen my words carefully, built on the knowledge of the man I’d dated for almost a year. He was a vain man. A selfish, greedy man. But he had always craved the limelight. He’d always fought to prove he was better than everyone else. It was that competitive hunger that had finally succeeded in breaking us up. He hadn’t been able to stand the idea that I might be as powerful as he was. Or maybe even more powerful.

  At first he’d tried to wriggle his way into the Familiar hierarchy, sucking up to my family in an attempt to rise in the ranks. But when he finally realized he’d never be anything but an employee, and one who was outside the circles of power, he’d begun to resent me because I had a natural spot within the power circle. One that I didn’t even want.

  “The magical world doesn’t stop with Familiar, Inc., LA.”

  I shook my head, my fingers of energy sifting through the web looking for my grandmama’s strand. If I could only grasp one, it had to be the strongest. I had no idea if it would be enough. But I knew that if it wasn’t we were all lost. “No. But you know how tribal the magic world is, Jacob. You’re a Familiar, a Witch’s demonic helper, that’s all you’ll ever be to the others. No matter how much power you have, you’ll be seen as an outsider. You’ll be less. Unwanted and never trusted.”

  His dark gaze flared with hate, his lips thinning. “I’ll make them accept me. I’ll strike them down until they do.”

  I forced my lips to curve. “That’s a great plan, Jacob. They’ll love you for that.”

  He stiffened, his body shaking violently under a terrible emotion. I recognized the condition. He was overloaded with power. Magical adrenaline. His system was saturated, bloated with energy. With all the magic he was holding, it was probably a struggle just to maintain equilibrium. I tensed as his eyes rolled back in his head, his hands coming up, fingers spreading, and electricity arcing between them. He was a hair away from going nuclear. And I feared he’d blow the whole place apart if he did.

  I needed to move fast. I grasped Celeste’s strand and yanked, ripping it from the web. It sizzled in my hand, burning my flesh and dancing violently as I tried to control the rabid magic contained there. I could barely hold onto it. But I was afraid if I released the strand it might snap back into place in the network. I couldn’t allow that to happen. The surge would definitely send Jacob into orbit and I feared he’d take everyone tied to him along on the deadly ride.

  Within seconds the manic strand was going to escape my grasp. I needed to let Grandmama know it was me. If we could only work together...

  A horrible shriek filled the air. A flash wave of magic scoured the room, turning the atmosphere toxic with flame and oily magic.

  My lungs felt scorched with every breath and the agony of breathing the toxic air made me fear they were actually on fire under my ribs. I was ou
t of time. Making a sudden decision, I lowered my resistance and allowed my energy to slide into the strand I held in my hand.

  It jumped, violently repelling the invasion, and flared into pinkish white light before clamping down on my energy and ripping it away from me.

  Agony speared through me, tearing at the cells in every part of my body, and the floor came up to meet me with a horrible crunching sound.

  All I could do was lay there, writhing and twitching, as my magic was ripped violently away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  IT’S ME, I whispered desperately in my mind. Stop tearing at me. I was absurdly unhappy with the weakness of my own internal communication. But the pain and sense of violent intrusion made it nearly impossible to think, let alone talk coherently.

  The ripping pain continued unabated, so I tried again.

  Celeste!

  The ferocity of her response dipped, hesitated, and then started to ease. LA, is that you, child? Her voice sounded scratchy, as if from interference or pain.

  I thought about nodding, even tried to get my neck muscles to cooperate, and then realized she couldn’t see it. Licking painfully dry lips, I said, Yes. I came to get you out.

  Grandmama’s easy chuckle filtered through our tenuous connection. Child, you never did have a lick of sense...

  I sighed. Can we not do this now, Celeste?

  Your mother has always taken up for you...made excuses...but you’re eternally capricious and undependable.

  My temper flared. I’m here now, aren’t I? I don’t see anybody else trying to help. Guilt stabbed as I realized my words weren’t strictly true. My friends had tried to help too. They’d accompanied me in our failed attempt, endangering themselves. If they were in peril...or worse...it was all my fault. I’d brought them into the mess we found ourselves in and I’d insisted on moving forward even through life-threatening events designed to stop us. My friends and I followed Jacob’s trail...

  Jacob? Celeste questioned. What does he have to do with this?

  Was it possible she didn’t know? This is all his doing, Grandmama. He’s the one behind the explosion at Familiar, Inc. He killed Tabby and kidnapped you and mother. If Posh hadn’t come to me we’d never have found you. And now I can’t find her and I’m worried.