Freaky Rites (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 6)

by Amanda M. Lee

  I was in no mood to move furniture even though the sight of Kade shirtless and straining enticed, so I begged off and told him he could do whatever he wanted with our office space. I had things to do around the circus grounds, after all, and that included making sure the late trucks dropped their cargo in the right places. Kade was so enthralled with being Mr. Organized that he basically waved me off without a backward glance. That was best for what I had planned.

  I stopped in the heart of the circus long enough to make sure the big tent was on its way up – it is the main draw, after all – but Dolph was in charge today and I needn’t have worried. He wasn’t messing around as he barked orders (some in a language I didn’t understand) and he didn’t so much as spare me a glance when I happened by.

  Things were running well so I decided to investigate the area surrounding our current home. Even though I found it rational to believe I was overreacting, that in fact the blood belonged to an animal, I couldn’t shake the idea that I was making a big mistake. Very few times over the course of my history with Mystic Caravan could I actually say that the scariest outcome wasn’t the one we found ourselves mired in at the end. That’s what fueled me now.

  “Do you want to take a walk with me?”

  I cozied up to Luke’s back as he watched the animal tent being erected. The tent was almost always empty unless we had to pretend we had animals in the cages. I was trying to be nonchalant, but the way Luke arched an eyebrow told me he was in the mood to be the exact opposite.

  “And why would I want to take a walk with you?”

  “Why wouldn’t you want to take a walk with me?”

  “I’m angry with you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you always take Kade’s side over mine.”

  “I think that’s a gross exaggeration.”

  “And I think I’m losing interest in this conversation.” Luke was nothing if not full of himself, so I was resigned to begging when he folded his arms across his chest and fixed me with his most obstinate look.

  “Fine.” I blew out a sigh. “I’m sorry about always taking Kade’s side instead of yours. I will make it a point to take your side whenever the next fight arises, even if I think you’re being a complete and total tool. You are a wonderful best friend and handsome man. I am sorry to have offended you.”

  Luke rolled his eyes. “And?”

  I ran the apology through my head. “And you’re the best dresser in all the land,” I automatically added. “You’re so good you should have your own clothing line and people everywhere should let you dress them.”

  “Much better.” Luke brightened considerably. “Where are we going?”

  “For a walk in the woods.”

  Luke’s happiness hissed out of him like a balloon slowly losing air. “Why? I don’t want to hang around the woods. It’s creepy … and dirty … and there might be crazy people walking around while chanting. You know no good ever comes of chanting.”

  “I do know that,” I confirmed. “That doesn’t change the fact that I want to take a look.”

  “Why not take your boy toy?”

  “He’s otherwise engaged.”

  “Meaning he’s being anal retentive while setting up your office,” Luke translated, letting loose a sigh as he dragged a hand through his hair. “Why me?”

  “You’re my best friend and there’s no one I would rather have at my side.”

  Luke narrowed his eyes. “Why really?”

  I knew I was a little too perfunctory with my answer. If I wanted him to believe me, I should’ve paused and acted as if I was really trying to come up with the correct answer. “You can scent things and we might run into other shifters. I need appropriate backup for my quest.”

  Luke groaned. “You know I hate it when you use that word.”

  I was confused. “Backup?”

  “Quest,” Luke barked. “A quest sounds fun. I’ve always wanted to go on a quest.”

  Actually, I knew that. “So, let’s go on a quest.”

  “Fine.” Luke was resigned as he straightened. “I think we should bring someone else along for the ride.”

  “Who?”

  “Take a wild guess.”

  “WHERE ARE WE GOING?”

  Melissa wasn’t exactly excited about being dragged into the woods, but she looked perkier than she had in almost ten days so I took it as a win.

  “I simply want to look around,” I replied, keeping my eyes on the ground as we picked our way through the woods. There was always a chance more items from Amanda Stevens’ purse would appear, and that would be enough evidence to prod me to call the police. Once clear of the fairgrounds and initial stand of trees, we discovered a well-worn path that seemingly led into the woods. We had no idea where we were headed, and it appeared someone else most likely did know where he or she was going, so we decided to follow the path.

  “What are we looking for?” Melissa’s voice was soft.

  “Poet is convinced something is out here and it wants to chant us to death,” Luke replied. “I remain skeptical, but she appealed to my ego, so I had to come.”

  Melissa pressed her lips together as she regarded Luke. “Oh, well … that sounds fairly normal.”

  I was worried about her. I wasn’t sure how to broach the obvious topic. Instead I cleared my throat and opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

  “I’m totally excited about looking for the mad chanters,” Melissa said hurriedly. “It sounds like fun.”

  “Not fun but better than work,” Luke corrected, smirking as he bumped his shoulder into Melissa’s and caused her to almost lose her footing. “Pay attention. You don’t want to fall out here. If the chanters show up, we might have to leave you. I don’t think you want that.”

  Annoyance washed over me. “Luke! Don’t say things like that to her.”

  “It’s okay.” Melissa flashed a wan smile. “I prefer he treats me as he’s always treated me rather than acting as if I’m going to fall apart at any moment. The former is definitely better than the latter.”

  I tugged on my bottom lip as I trailed behind them. I hadn’t given Melissa’s predicament much thought … or at least the type of thought that was necessary. I recognized she was struggling – so much had happened in Seattle that we couldn’t touch on everything if we had an entire week to talk – but now I realized she was feeling ostracized because no one was bringing up the actions that led to her possession by a crazy woman.

  “It’s not that people don’t want to treat you normally,” I offered, my eyes landing on an extensive stretch of fog that pooled in a small depression to my right. The sun apparently never managed to show its face here, which allowed the fog to get a stronghold and never give it up. “It was my idea to let things rest for a bit because … well, just because.”

  “Because you thought I couldn’t handle it,” Melissa finished. “You thought I was going to start crying or kill myself or something. Admit it.”

  “I never thought that.” I opted for honesty. “I did think you needed some quiet time, so I ordered everyone to take it easy around you.”

  “Even though I’m often amused by Luke?”

  “I wasn’t particularly worried about Luke.” I was mildly worried about Luke letting his mouth get ahead of his brain because that often happens, but he was hardly the one I wanted to behave when I issued the edict. “I was more worried about Nixie and Naida saying something inappropriate simply because they didn’t understand what you went through. I was also convinced Raven might say something simply out of meanness.”

  Melissa was taken aback. “Oh, well, I didn’t consider that.”

  I smiled. “It’s okay. I’m glad you brought it up. If you want people to start treating you normally, I can release the muzzle.”

  “I’m ready to try to go back to normal.” Melissa was earnest. “I know it will take time, but I would rather be treated normally.”

  I understood. “I will make sure everybody knows.”

&nbs
p; “Great.”

  We lapsed into silence, walking a good five minutes without a word. I was about to suggest turning around – it didn’t seem as if we were going to find anything of interest – when Luke extended his hand to cause me to slow.

  “What is it?” I whispered, instantly on alert. “Do you see something?”

  “Do you smell something?” Melissa added, her voice low.

  “It’s more that … there.” Luke pointed and I followed his finger, frowning when I made out what looked to be an older home set against a wall of tall trees. It was so old I almost didn’t see it because of the natural camouflage.

  “Huh. Did you know that was there?”

  Luke made an exaggerated face. “How would I possibly know that was there?”

  I held my hands palms out. “I don’t know. I thought maybe you sensed it or something.”

  “Maybe he smelled it,” Melissa added. “That house definitely looks as if it smells.”

  “Scented,” Luke corrected. “I don’t smell things … except, well, Poet’s cooking. When in hunting mode, I scent things.”

  Melissa’s face was blank. “Why is that important?”

  “It’s more manly,” Luke answered. “As for the house, I have no idea. The only reason I even noticed it is because something about the roof line stood out. I couldn’t figure out what I was looking at right away and then, somehow, it turned into a house.”

  That was odd … and disconcerting. “Well, I … .” I didn’t finish what I was about to say, instead swiveling to the left when I felt a presence move in. I was ready to lash out with a bit of magic in case we needed to run, but the woman standing close to the tree line – who happened to have a goat tethered to a leash – looked relatively harmless. “Um … hello.”

  The woman, her long silver hair pulled back in a loose bun, appeared amused by my reaction. When Luke jumped at her presence, she actually belted out a jaunty laugh. “Hello.”

  “Where did you come from?” Melissa asked as she instinctively moved closer to Luke. “I … you weren’t there a second ago.”

  “Probably not,” the woman conceded. “Wasn’t far, though. You guys were so loud I heard you coming from a half mile away. Wasn’t sure what to expect.”

  I figured that was probably a gross exaggeration, but I let it go. “Do you live out here?”

  “I believe you’re looking at my house.”

  “But … you’re out in the middle of nowhere,” I pressed. “How can you live out here? I mean … what about groceries and doctor visits?”

  “Don’t put much faith in doctors,” the woman said, her gaze busy as it bounced between faces. “Never needed one and I’ve been around a good seventy years or so. Figure the odds are in my favor in that regard.”

  I figured the exact opposite, but kept my observation to myself. “And the food?”

  “I have a garden around back. I have cows and goats for milk. I churn my own butter. I’m pretty good at taking care of myself.”

  Luke, utterly charmed by the woman’s bluster, grinned. “You churn your own butter? I can’t believe I actually met someone who does that. I’ve been looking for a very long time.”

  “Well, now you can tell your friends you met me.” She returned the smile. “I’m Caroline Olsen. You folks tourists?”

  I realized rather quickly that I’d been remiss when it came to my manners and shook my head. “We’re with Mystic Caravan Circus.” I introduced all three of us in turn. “We’re staying at the fairgrounds about two miles that way.” I pointed in the direction I believed we’d come from. “We were just out taking a hike to look around when we came across your place.”

  “We didn’t even see it at first,” Melissa added, apparently eager to contribute to the conversation. “We were talking about whether or not we should approach when we saw you.”

  “Approaching probably isn’t a good idea,” Caroline offered. “I’m not the friendliest sort. I don’t entertain and I have a schedule I have to stick to if I expect to get all my work done by nightfall.”

  “You probably don’t want to risk walking around in the fog,” I noted.

  “Fog is only one of my worries. Minor one, really. It’s the shadow hunters I’m trying to avoid.”

  She said it in such a matter-of-fact manner I could do nothing but stare at her for a long beat. Finally, Luke was the one to ask the obvious question.

  “I’m sorry, but … what are the shadow hunters?”

  Caroline shrugged, noncommittal. “That’s the name I gave ’em. Don’t know if that’s what they really are.”

  I glanced around, uncertain. “Can you be more specific?”

  “Not really.”

  “But we’re staying close to this area,” Melissa pressed. “If there’s something wandering around out here, well, we would like to know what to be on the lookout for. If there’s something dangerous we need to know what to fear.”

  “Long as you keep your activities to the day, there’s nothing to fear,” Caroline shot back. “I’m not the type to talk out of turn.”

  “But you must have meant something by that statement,” I pressed. “That’s not a normal thing to say. Shadow hunters, the term and the beings … whatever they are, means something specific to you.”

  “They do and I’m in no mood to share that with you,” Caroline argued. “You have bigger worries, including the fact that this girl recently had her soul fragmented.” She extended a finger in Melissa’s direction. “I’d be more worried about that if I were you.”

  That was interesting. I’d never heard of possession being described in that manner. A fragmented soul elicited images, and they weren’t far from what really happened, but they were still darker than what I was comfortable focusing on. I couldn’t figure out how Caroline knew that. She was clearly trying to deflect. The question was: Why?

  “She’s fine,” I said automatically. “Her soul is full and devoid of cracks now.”

  “It’s still cracked,” Caroline countered. “The cracks are mending, sure, but it’s not something that happens overnight.”

  “That’s an interesting observation.”

  “I’m full of them.” Caroline pursed her lips as she regarded Melissa. “You’re more afraid of what happened than what’s to come. You’re looking at things the wrong way.”

  As if sensing her discomfort, Luke slung his arm around Melissa’s shoulders and tugged her close. He was in protective big brother mode and he didn’t care if he appeared standoffish to Caroline. “We’ll take care of her,” Luke admonished. “You don’t have to go all Friday the 13th on her.”

  I made a face. “Friday the 13th? What does that have to do with anything?”

  “She’s the crazy person who shows up in the beginning of the movie to warn about imminent death,” Luke replied. “She knows her role well, but we don’t need anyone to tell us how to live our lives.”

  “Good point.” I rolled my neck until it cracked. I wasn’t quite ready to give up on the conversation. “What are the shadow hunters?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Caroline was adamant as she gripped the goat’s leash tighter. “These woods belong to them. Stay out of the woods and you should be fine. Don’t go anywhere after dark and you’ll be safe. That’s all I’m willing to say on the subject.”

  “But … .”

  “No.” Caroline started walking toward her house. She was clearly dismissing us, whether we wanted to be tossed out with the compost or not. “Just stay out of the woods. It’s not safe for you to be wandering around.”

  “But it’s safe for you?” Luke challenged.

  “I know the rules.”

  “And what are the rules?” I called out.

  “Don’t go into the woods,” Caroline repeated.

  “And don’t go out after dark,” I finished. “I heard that part. Anything else?”

  “Yeah. Stay off my farm.”

  She didn’t look back as she trudged toward the odd house in the woods. Wh
en I was sure she was out of earshot, I turned my attention to Luke. “What do you make of that?”

  “She’s the crazy person everyone runs into at the beginning of a horror movie,” Luke answered without hesitation.

  “Should we listen to her?”

  Luke shrugged. “She’ll probably die early now that she’s served her purpose. That’s how horror movies work.”

  “Yes, well, at least you’re getting your information from a reliable source.”

  “You can always rely on me for that.”

  “Uh-huh.” I made up my mind on the spot. “Let’s go back. I want to see if I can dig up any information on these shadow hunters.”

  “I think you’ll be woefully disappointed, because they only live in her head,” Luke argued.

  He was probably right, but I couldn’t dislodge the memory of the chanting … and the fear it instilled inside me. “I’m checking it out all the same. It couldn’t hurt.”

  6

  Six

  Kade dragged me into our newly-organized office upon return to the circus grounds. I made the appropriate “oohing” and “aahing” he expected, although my heart wasn’t truly in it. I was much more excited about our new living arrangements. Our working arrangement was merely mildly interesting and occasionally bordered on dull.

  “It’s nice.”

  Kade made a face when I didn’t react as he expected. “We each have our own desk and another room to spread out in if we need a break. I thought you’d like it.”

  “I do like it.”

  “So … what’s the problem?”