From the disappointment in Rafe’s expression, I could tell he was really hoping it would be a simple explanation like that. Although I knew he loved Cat fiercely and would never want to see any harm come to her, it would have been helpful to know for sure that she experienced those twinges whenever Simon was up to something, like an early warning system or our own personal magical barometer.
Before either of us could reply to her, however, I heard the sound of voices coming from the front of the house, and guessed that Eduardo and Uncle José and Aunt Rosa must have returned from their trip to the chapel. Sure enough, a moment later all three of them appeared, looking somewhat surprised that we’d congregated in the kitchen.
“Ah, there you are, Cat,” Aunt Rosa said. Looking at her, I could see some resemblance to her younger brother Eduardo — the same long, aristocratic nose and finely molded mouth — but she was short and much more rounded, almost plump, while Eduardo was tall and well-built. Immediately, she turned toward me. “And here is Miranda. José and I are so glad you could be with the family in their hour of need. What a dreadful business, all of it.”
I opened my mouth to make some kind of reply, possibly a few words of condolence, but she didn’t give me the chance. Instead she turned to Rafe.
“You need a haircut,” she pronounced, looking at him with a critical eye. From the way his mouth twitched, I guessed this wasn’t the first time she’d made a comment along those lines. “But ah, the chapel will be lovely, although I still think it’s a tragedy that Genoveva won’t have her service at the cathedral.”
“The whole thing is a tragedy, Rosa,” Eduardo murmured.
At once she stopped, then gave a large sigh. “That it is, of course. A tragedy for you, and for the entire clan. I am just saying that it is also sad that Genoveva could not be given the respect she deserves when she is laid to rest.”
“The respect is in our hearts, my dear, not in how many people attend Genoveva’s funeral,” José said, clearly used to these sorts of pronouncements from his wife.
Once again Rosa sighed. “I suppose you are right, José, but still — ”
“Aunt Lucilla called while you were out,” Cat cut in, her voice strained. “She was not happy when I wouldn’t tell her anything about the funeral.”
“No, I suppose she wouldn’t be,” Eduardo said, and offered his daughter a gentle smile. Grief had given him shadows under his eyes, and lines in his face I could have sworn weren’t there when I’d first met him less than two weeks earlier, but the love for his family still shone in his handsome features. “I’ll call her later, once I’ve figured out what I can safely tell her.”
“I can call — ” Rosa began, but her brother shook his head.
“No, if you call, she’ll know I’m trying to avoid her. Sooner or later, everyone will know that we’ve gone ahead and had Genoveva’s service without the rest of the clan present. I hope by that point I’ll be able to explain why we had to do such a thing.”
“When will the service be, Dad?” Cat asked.
“Tomorrow, at eleven in the morning. At least we were able to get that much planned.” Another weary smile, and he went on, “That means we won’t have to hold off the inquiries for too much longer.”
Rafe shifted his weight as he stood next to me, then said, “Simon’s left the estate where he was hiding.”
Eduardo’s brows pulled together, but he didn’t look all that surprised. “I suppose that was inevitable, since he knows we know where he was living. But I also suppose it’s no use hoping that he’s left entirely.”
“We don’t want him to have left the area,” Rafe returned, arms crossed and a martial light in his dark eyes. “We want to make sure he gets what’s coming to him.”
“If that’s even possible.” Eduardo’s gaze moved to me, now faintly speculative. “I’ve heard that your powers are now quite formidable, Miranda, but the last thing I want is for you to be dragged into this thing.”
I still didn’t know Eduardo well, but I already felt the first stirrings of affection for the man who would one day be my father-in-law. He was so kindly and gentle, such a foil for the imperious Genoveva. Once again, I wondered how they could have gotten along so well, but I supposed theirs was the ultimate case of opposites attracting. And now she was gone. I’d heard that often consorts didn’t live very long after their primas had passed, although I had to hope Eduardo would be the exception to that rule. He certainly was far too young to fade away, and the world would be worse off for his absence.
Since he was watching me with that air of gentle concern, I could only smile at him and say, “It looks like Simon’s dragged me into it already. About all I can do is help keep everyone safe — and fight by Rafe’s side, if it comes to that.”
“A little thing like you?” Rosa asked, clearly not impressed by my comment. “I’m not quite sure what you think you could do in a fight.”
Well, I wasn’t entirely sure, either, but it wasn’t as if I planned to get into a mixed martial arts brawl with Simon Escobar. Even as Rafe opened his mouth to protest, Cat rushed to my defense.
“Miranda is a very powerful witch, Aunt Rosa. I have a feeling if Simon tried to take her on, he’d be regretting it pretty quickly.”
I could only hope so. The day before, I’d managed to hold him off…but just barely. If he was waiting for me, had planned ahead for exactly that sort of confrontation, then I had a feeling he’d beat me, and badly. There was just so much about wielding magic that he knew, and I still didn’t. He’d been my only teacher, but I wouldn’t be able to get any further guidance from him, that was for sure.
Rosa sniffed, which made me think that was her standard response when she’d been outmaneuvered but didn’t want to admit defeat. Something about her stubbornness reminded me of Genoveva. Maybe that was why Eduardo had been able to handle his wife so well — he’d already had years and years of dealing with that same sort of temperament in his sister.
“We don’t know it will even come to that,” I said. Even though I might have to face that eventuality one day, I really didn’t want to think about having to go head-to-head with Simon. “I mean, just the fact that he’s left Tesuque tells me he’s a little afraid of what we might do to him. Otherwise, it would have been easier for him to stay put.”
“Possibly,” Rafe allowed. However, from the way he frowned slightly, I guessed he didn’t think that was very likely. “Unless he’s left because he found an even more defensible place.”
Rafe had a point. I hoped he was wrong, though. The estate in Tesuque had seemed ideal, but for all its isolation, it did have acres of open land around it, land that could be used to sneak up behind him if you weren’t too concerned about crossing someone’s property lines. I wouldn’t know La Cienega if you dropped me in the middle of it. However, I hadn’t forgotten Rafe mentioning a creek there, an offshoot from the Rio Grande. If that creek was big enough, it could create a natural barrier…assuming Simon had been able to find someplace that backed up to it. Then all he’d have to worry about was a frontal assault.
I was about to say as much when Rafe’s cell phone rang. He got it out of his pocket, checked the screen briefly to see who was calling, then put the phone up to his ear. “Hi, John. What’s — ?” That was as far as he got. The blood drained from his face, and he stood there, face like a stone, as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. I didn’t know who John was. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but there were so many Castillos….
Everyone else clearly knew who was calling, though. The strain in Eduardo’s face was almost painful to see, as though he knew this had to be yet more terrible news, yet another blow for the Castillo clan to suffer. Cat was just as pale as her brother, while Rosa quietly reached for her husband José’s hand.
At last Rafe said, “Okay. We’ll be right over.” He touched the screen to end the call, then looked up at his watching family. I’d seen that terrible look in his eyes before…right after he found out
his mother was dead.
“That was John,” he said, quite unnecessarily. “Malena has collapsed.”
7
Targets
Rafe
Malena’s house was out in Las Campanas, not far from Louisa’s place. Rafe had always suspected that they’d both settled in that area west of downtown Santa Fe because it gave them a healthy amount of space from their mother, while not being quite so far away that she’d have any real cause for complaint. Also, that area was so upscale, no one could really question why they’d want to live there. His two sisters had always been close, maybe even closer than he was with Cat.
And now one of them was….
His mind skittered away from that thought. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Miranda watching him worriedly, her face pale and strained. Well, no wonder. What with the way family members were dropping like flies….
Again, he made himself avoid following that line of thinking. Better to focus on the road ahead, the long, winding route that led them away from the 599 and into the heart of Las Campanas. Past the golf course, past several gated communities, and then into the neighborhood where both Malena’s and Louisa’s homes were located. Behind him was his parents’ dark gray S-Class, with José riding shotgun and Cat and Rosa in the back seat. Thank God there’d been too many of them to fit into one vehicle; Rafe knew he would have gone crazy if he’d had to ride along with everyone else, rather than taking his Jeep Wrangler. He needed to be able to drive so he could focus on the road rather than the horrors that seemed to be unfolding around him.
They turned down onto a long gravel driveway, then pulled up next to the white Volvo crossover SUV parked in front of the garage. Louisa and Oscar’s car — Malena’s and John’s vehicles were probably safely inside.
Rafe had barely cut the engine when the gate in the low wall that fronted the house opened, and Oscar came hurrying toward them. That made sense. John would have wanted to stay with Malena.
The Mercedes came down the driveway next, parking behind Louisa and Oscar’s Volvo. Everyone climbed out, even as Oscar stopped a few feet away from Rafe and Miranda. “Thank God,” he said. “Louisa’s nearly in hysterics, and John has his hands full trying to keep Elisa away — ”
“What happened?” Rafe asked.
“We — we don’t really know,” Oscar replied. He’d always been an outdoorsy-looking guy, his normally olive skin almost always tanned to a dark brown, hair cut short, usually in jeans and a khaki shirt — about the last person you’d ever suspect was a warlock. Now, though, he seemed just about as pale as everyone else, brown eyes haunted. He paused for a moment, waiting for everyone else to get close enough to hear what he was saying. “Louisa and I came over because none of us really wanted to be alone, you know? Also, Malena and Louisa were going to plan the flowers for Genoveva’s service. We were all in the living room, having coffee and talking. Then Malena put her hands to her throat and whispered, ‘I can’t,’ and just sort of stopped for a second before she slumped over. John caught her before she fell off the couch, but….”
“But…?” Rafe probed gently, even though he really hadn’t wanted to ask. He didn’t want to know what was going to come next, not after what had happened to his mother. None of us are safe, echoed in his mind.
“But we couldn’t get her to wake up, no matter what we did. We called Yesenia, and she’s on her way. John and I put Malena in bed, since we didn’t know what else to do.”
Eduardo’s face was tight with pain. “But she is alive.”
“Yes…barely,” Oscar said. He made a helpless gesture with one hand, as though he wanted to reach out to offer comfort but didn’t quite know the best way how. “I guess all we can do now is wait for Yesenia, see what she has to say.”
Aunt Rosa’s eyes were glittering with tears, and José put a comforting arm around her. Right then, Rafe felt Miranda’s hand slip into his own, clutch it tightly. He looked down at her, saw tears shining in her big green eyes as well. Thank God for her. Thank God for the way they’d made love the night before, such an offering of life in what appeared to be a season of death. No, Malena wasn’t gone, was still with them, but from what Oscar had just said, it didn’t sound good.
Rafe wouldn’t allow Malena to be taken from them. Malena, who’d always been a bit bossy, had wanted to keep her obnoxious little brother properly in his place. Louisa had never been like that, had always seemed more distant, probably because she was focused on her role as the prima-in-waiting and thought she had more important uses for her energy than to scold her annoying younger brother. But Malena had been much more involved with him, and he couldn’t imagine the kind of hole she’d make in his life if…well, if.
“Let’s go inside,” he said, and everyone sort of fell into place behind Oscar, who led them into the house.
They went past the living room, where a leather couch and love seat formed what should have been a cozy group in front of a gas kiva-style fireplace, and down the hall into the master bedroom. Malena lay in bed, face still and white, while John sat in a chair he’d pulled up to her bedside, and Louisa stood a few feet away, staring down at her sister’s unmoving form, her face nearly as white as Malena’s.
John looked up as everyone came in. Rafe hoped he would never see that expression on anyone else’s face — hopeless, and yet angry and confused at the same time. “Why didn’t it work?” he demanded, one hand clutching his wife’s where it flopped over the edge of the bed.
“Why didn’t what work?” Cat asked, very gently, as though she was afraid the wrong tone of voice would cause John to shatter like over-stressed glass.
“The spell of protection Malena cast on this house! She was sure it would work. And she said it should be enough,” he added, accusing dark glare shifting toward Miranda.
Although Rafe felt her fingers tighten on his, she didn’t flinch or shrink away. Voice calm, she said, “I hoped it would work. All I had to go on was that Rafe and I hadn’t been attacked once I cast the protection spell on Rafe’s house, since I’d assumed we would be Simon’s first targets. And everything was fine at your father-in-law’s house, too.”
“So you’re saying Malena didn’t cast it correctly?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Miranda’s tone was still even enough, but Rafe could sense the tension in her slender form, the way she was keeping herself from biting out an angry retort. Obviously, she didn’t want to get in an argument with John, belligerent as he was being.
Not that Rafe could blame him. It was easier to retreat into anger than into sorrow. He knew that all too well.
“Then what are you saying?”
“It could be anything. Maybe Simon’s powers are expanding, and he tested them here first. I just don’t know.”
She looked from John up at Rafe, as though she needed some reassurance from him before she continued. He held her hand, keeping his fingers twined around hers, all the while hoping she could feel some of the strength and love he was attempting to send to her.
It seemed to work, because she pulled in a breath and went on, “For all I know, Simon could breach the spells I set up, too, and didn’t because he wanted me to think we were all safe. It’s just the sort of twisted maneuver he would pull. And — and I’m very sorry if he attacked Malena because of anything I’ve done. I’m really…sorry about everything. I know Simon is doing all this to get back at me.”
John’s eyes blazed with dark fire. Normally, Rafe would have described him as easygoing, friendly, the sort of person you could always rely on to show up with his truck when you needed something moved. He’d made a good life here with Malena and their daughter. Now, though, Rafe thought his brother-in-law was almost unrecognizable, his pleasant good looks twisted with grief and anger. “Then maybe you should leave. Go back to Arizona and take your curses and this Simon bastard with you before he does anything worse.”
“John!” Cat burst out, then put her hand to her mouth, as though she wanted to prevent herself fr
om saying anything further.
Eduardo stepped forward. Rafe thought he had never seen his father look so tired. Before he could speak, though, Louisa got up from the couch, tears still glimmering on her cheeks.
“That is very unfair, John,” she said. Her voice trembled slightly, and Rafe could tell how much it was costing her to stay relatively calm while looking down at the limp form of her beloved sister, lost in some sort of magic-induced coma. “Miranda has done everything she could to help out. None of this is her fault. She’s not responsible for Simon Escobar’s actions.”
John’s eyes narrowed, but he muttered, “Sorry,” and shifted back in his chair, his gaze avoiding everyone else’s…especially Miranda’s.
Not exactly the most heartfelt of apologies, but that was probably all they were going to get. Rafe looked over at Louisa. “What next?” he asked.
“I — I don’t know.” She plucked at the sleeve of the dark sweater she wore. Very rarely had Rafe seen his sister appear so helpless, and he didn’t like it one bit. “If it’s possible that Malena’s spell wasn’t strong enough, that means all the people we thought she was protecting might be in danger.” Her gaze shifted to Miranda. “I know we’ve already asked so much of you, but I would feel better if you would go and recast all those spells.”
“It’s fine,” Miranda said at once. “I’ll do it here first, then take care of everyone else.”
“You’re a little late to protect this house,” John said, and Louisa frowned.
“There’s still your daughter to worry about,” she retorted. “And yourself.”
At the mention of his child, John seemed to sag suddenly. Rafe wondered where she was. Maybe at a friend’s house? He knew that Elisa had a lot of civilian friends in the neighborhood, and it was very possible she’s been off playing somewhere else when Escobar’s dark magic struck at their mother. Perversely, he thought that the little girl was probably safer at a neighbor’s house than she would have been at home. Any incident or accident that occurred where the civilian authorities had to step in meant increased scrutiny, and Rafe doubted Simon Escobar wanted to deal with anything like that.
The Witches of Canyon Road, Books 1-3 Page 58