“Yes. I loved that dress.” My mind wandered back to that evening; it had begun with such promise and ended in terror. Preoccupied, I jumped and gave a little screech when something skittered across the pine needles at my feet.
“It’s only a lizard.” Ms. Lacusta’s voice floated back to me.
“Hmmm.” I stepped carefully, paying more attention to the ground before me as I resumed my reminiscing. “And the second time I was here, Nell dragged me from the parking lot into the clearing. I had the bumps, bruises and cuts to prove it.”
Ms. Lacusta was several yards ahead of me, but I could hear her heavy sigh. “Tasmyn, if you’re trying to make me feel guilt about the part I played in both those incidents, you’re not succeeding. As I’ve told you, I had no idea that Nell would react that way. I didn’t know how unbalanced she was.”
I thought uneasily of the Nell I had met in these same woods last week. I wondered if somehow she knew I was here right now. Pushing the idea from my mind, I hurried to catch up with Ms. Lacusta.
The walk to the clearing was much easier in the daylight, and I was surprised when we quickly reached the boulder that marked the turn-off from the path.
“Here we are.” Ms. Lacusta strode confidently to the center of the clearing as I stood rooted at its edge. My eyes darted to the left, and I half-expected to see the ropes that had bound me during my last visit here.
“Tasmyn.” The patience was back in Ms. Lacusta’s voice. “Don’t be frightened. I came here and cleansed this spot of the residual energy from that day, and I made sure there was nothing here that would bring painful memories for you. Fear will only inhibit power at this stage. Try to relax.”
I almost snorted. If she wanted me to relax, this was the wrong place to be. But I took a tentative step inward.
Instantly a dizzying wave of—something enveloped me. My feet buzzed as though I’d stepped onto live electric wire. My heart began to race and my breath came in short puffs. The energy that surrounded me was palpable. If I lifted my hand, I could almost grip it.
And I could hear it, too--not with my ears but through my head. A steady humming rose and fell, and I winced, trying to concentrate in the midst of the noise and confusion.
Tasmyn, do you feel it? The power... it flows between us. This place facilitates it, allows us to be better conduits. Embrace it. Fall into it...
Startled, I gasped. I had never been able to clearly hear Ms. Lacusta’s mind, although I had picked up bits and pieces of her native language now and then, and I could consistently sense her moods. But just now I had heard her with amazing clarity. Was it truly the power of this spot, or was it merely that she was allowing me to hear her?
Stop fighting it. Tasmyn... close your eyes. Feel the energy. Allow it be part of you... become part of it.
Almost unwillingly, I shut my eyes and forced myself to lean into the grid of power around me. My breathing calmed, and my heart returned to its normal rate. Everything dimmed to an even thrum of vibration, and yet my senses were slowly expanding, unfurling quiet tentacles all around. It was as though I could feel the grass growing underneath me, count the individual molecules on the breeze that skimmed my cheek. I could hear the insects crawling in the nearby trees, and as I sank even further into the energy, my mind flooded with voices and images. I could hear Ms. Lacusta, yes, but above her I heard so many other voices that it was impossible to distinguish any of them.
Yet it wasn’t a cacophony of noise the way it usually was when I opened myself so completely. For the moment I concentrated on any one, it became all I could hear. I smiled involuntarily; this was what I had always wished I could do.
Now, Tasmyn, reach out. With your mind, reach out to me, and see what we can do together.
I focused more, ignoring all the voices in my head. I imagined stretching my hand toward her, toward Marica—it didn’t seem odd to think of her that way now—and in my mind, I saw that hand touch hers. At the moment we touched, a tremendous spark flew up, and the energy flared around me. It wasn’t painful, but it was startling, and I sucked in a fast breath.
Yes! See, Tasmyn. My mystical daughter, what heights of power we will know! This is only the start, and yet we are so connected—
“STOP!”
I whirled from where I was, and all at once my heart was pounding again. Reverend Pryce stood on the edge of the clearing, a mixture of revulsion and fanatical triumph on his face.
“I knew it,” he hissed. “Witches. Everyone scoffed at me, thinks I’m seeing demons under every rock, but I knew. I watched. And now you can’t deny it.”
I shivered under his accusing glare and ventured a quick glance over my shoulder at Marica. She remained where she was, inscrutable and calm. Not a trace of panic or guilt was on her face. With the connection and my concentration broken, I could no longer hear her thoughts.
Reverend Pryce’s mind was a mixed up jumble of prayers and his fevered attempts to keep me at bay. I felt a twinge of apprehension, remembering Nell’s words from last week. She’d told me that he knew my secret. It seemed that she was right.
“Tasmyn.” Marica’s voice drew my attention back to her. “Come back over here. Step away from him.”
“No!” Reverend Pryce lunged to grab my arm, but I sidestepped him carefully, staying just beyond his reach. He seemed unwilling to come any further into the clearing, and I wondered if he too could feel the energy here.
“Come to me, Tasmyn!” Marica didn’t wait to see if I would obey her; she threw back her head, eyes closed, and shouted out words that were foreign to me.
Instantly a circle of flame shot up, encircling her. My mouth dropped open and I gaped, trying to remember how to breathe.
Reverend Pryce took advantage of my distraction and seized my arm. He pulled me back before I could react.
“I can save you. It’s not your fault. I can see that now. Come with me. It’s not too late. You can be redeemed.”
Redemption. Wasn’t that what Nell had said? She had wondered if redemption would be more painful than... acquiescence. And hadn’t I been on the verge of just that before Reverend Pryce appeared?
Beyond the flames, I could still see Marica. Her arms were outstretched, and her eyes were intensely seeking mine.
I couldn’t think clearly. What I had just experienced here was incredible, and the idea of learning more, tapping into the power. . I couldn’t deny that it was tempting. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure that Reverend Pryce was wrong. And if I refused to leave with him, there was no telling what he might do. Now that he had guessed the truth about me, he was almost as dangerous as Marica.
I turned to meet her eyes again. Her face glowed in the fire, and with her hair falling loose around her face, she had an almost unearthly beauty. I hesitated only a moment.
“I have to go with him,” I said quietly, trying to communicate my real meaning to her. “If I don’t—I just have to go.”
Her lips hardly moved as she answered me. “Do what you must.”
I remained rooted to the ground, unable to make a decisive step. The circle of flames suddenly flared higher, obliterating Marica from my sight. Reverend Pryce pulled me toward him, and unwillingly I stumbled out of the clearing.
I was barely aware of my surroundings as Reverend Pryce dragged me along the path back toward the parking lot. His grip on my arm was painful, but I wasn’t frightened; I was still sure I could convince him that he was wrong about me.
He halted abruptly when we reached the lot. I tripped and nearly fell against his back. There were only two cars in the lot—Marica’s and a small black sedan that I assumed belong to him.
But the good reverend wasn’t looking at the cars. His eyes were fastened on the lake across the parking lot.
“No,” he muttered. “Not here. Too close. And within the town. Got to be outside the town.”
“What’s that?” I struggled to catch what he was saying.
“I need to get you farther away from her,” he said,
not meeting my eyes. “Come on. We have to leave.”
His grip on my arm tightened and we moved toward the sedan. Reverend Pryce opened the rear passenger door and motioned to me. I didn’t have any choice but to climb into the backseat.
He didn’t say a word as he got into the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition. I tried to hear what he was thinking, but his mind was jumping about so erratically that I couldn’t make sense of anything.
“Reverend Pryce, where are we going? Are you taking me home?” My attempt to keep the growing panic out of my voice was only moderately successful.
“There has to be repentance and cleansing before redemption.” He spoke quietly but firmly and then said nothing else.
I watched the trees fly by as we drove along the country roads, and I made a plan. When he turned off to drive through King—for I was sure he was going to do that—he’d have to slow down or risk being stopped for speeding in town. I could open the car door and jump out. Dangerous, yes, but I had a creeping suspicion that whatever he had planned for me was worse than a few scrapes or a bumped head.
However, when we reached the road that turned into King, Reverend Pryce didn’t even pause. He continued on the winding highway, and I remembered that this was actually the more direct route from Lake Rosu to Sawood, faster than driving through town. It would also be a straight shot to his house and church.
I fought hard to keep down the panic that threatened to rise up in my throat. I cast about for some way to escape, but the car was going much too fast. I didn’t think there was a chance that Marica would alert anyone; she would be too concerned about exposing herself to any suspicion.
There was a hum of vibration in my back pocket, and I caught my breath. My cell phone! I hadn’t even thought of it. Carefully I eased it out of the pocket, keeping my eyes trained on Reverend Pryce. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything but the road, even though he was still muttering to himself.
I glanced down at the caller ID readout. It was Michael. Of course. Marly had probably told him that I’d called in sick to work, and he was trying to check on me.
I lowered the phone so that it wouldn’t be visible from the front seat and then hit the answer button, immediately pushing the volume down so that Reverend Pryce wouldn’t hear Michael’s voice. At the same time, I spoke loudly.
“Reverend Pryce... why are we driving this way? Are we going to your house? To the church?”
His eyes flickered to glance at me in the rear view mirror. “You don’t have to worry about that. You should be sitting back there praying for salvation. Repenting. We’ll be there soon enough.”
Was it enough? Would Michael hear that and understand? The timer continued to run on the phone, so I knew we were still connected.
“But Reverend Pryce... I’m frightened. I want to go home. Or you can drop me off at Sawood. We’ll be passing it soon—“
“Be quiet!” For the first time, he seemed to lose control. “I have to concentrate. I need to be in prayer about what I’m going to do.”
I checked the phone. The timer and Michael’s name were blinking; I knew that he had hung up. I hoped that meant that he had heard enough and was calling someone—anyone—for help.
We flew past Sawood without slowing at all. He only braked when we reached a narrow dirt road just short of the large sign that proclaimed the name of his church. Clouds of dust obliterated the trees on either side of the road, and the ride was so rough that I had to hold onto the door to steady myself.
The car finally bounced to a stop at the end of the road. We were still in the woods, but I saw an opening in front of us. Reverend Pryce sat motionless for a minute, his hands still on the wheel. I hardly dared to take a breath.
Then I could hear him. For the first time today, it wasn’t a jumble of confusion and outrage; he was praying. He was asking for guidance and for the strength to do what he knew needed to be done.
That last part was hardly reassuring. Whatever he thought he needed to do did not bode well for me.
And so I found myself bowing my own head and praying just as hard. God, I don’t really know if I’m doing this right, but I know that you are there, and I know that you gave me this gift I have. And I don’t think that you are the kind of God Rev. Pryce thinks you are. So please... do something. Send someone. Make him see that he’s wrong about me. Please, please, please... I’m so scared...
“Come on.” Reverend Pryce climbed out of the car. When I didn’t move, he pulled my door open and reached as though to grab my arm again.
“No!” I unfastened my seatbelt and scrambled to my feet. “I’m coming. Where are we?”
“Lake Stephen.” He closed the car door and steered me forward. “It used to have some kind of local name, but it belongs to the church now, and this is what we call it.”
I bit my lower lip and considered. I wondered if I could outrun him, maybe make it to the church or even to his house. Would Mrs. Pryce believe me? Or would she simply turn me back over to her crazy husband?
Before I could test that possibility, Reverend Pryce gripped my shoulder and pushed me out of the trees and onto the sandy lakefront. It wasn’t a large lake, I noticed distractedly, but it was completely enclosed by trees. No houses. No one to hear me scream.
“You have been led astray. That woman—and I’ll deal with her later, or make sure the authorities do—she has corrupted you. But you know that, don’t you? There’s more in you. I knew you weren’t right, but I didn’t know how bad it was until Cara let something slip last week. Then I knew that you had cultivated evil powers within you.”
“That’s a lie!” I shouted. “I’m not evil. What I can do is—it’s not anything I asked for. It’s a gift—a gift from God. I don’t use it for harm--”
“Blasphemy,” he breathed, glaring at me. “God doesn’t supply the elements of witchcraft. This came from the evil one.” Before I could answer him, he picked me up bodily, hauling me toward the lake.
My arms were pinned, but I kicked and struggled, trying to at least slow him down. I sucked in a deep breath and screamed as loudly as I could.
“Be silent!” Reverend Pryce commanded. “This is for your own good. Save your breath for repentance.” I heard the splash of water as he waded into the lake; one of my shoes dropped off and soon my feet were wet. Reverend Pryce was working harder now, and his breathing was labored. Finally he stopped and allowed me to slide down so that I was almost completely immersed in the water.
But my feet couldn’t find the bottom, and with Reverend Pryce still holding my arms, I had to rely on him to keep my head above the lapping waves.
“Do you acknowledge your sin? Are you ready to repent?” His lips were very close to my face, and I flinched.
“I-I’m not—there’s nothing--” I twisted and he tightened his hold on me. Water licked at my chin.
“There has to be repentance and cleansing!” he shouted. And before I could do much more than pull in a fast breath, I was underwater, his hand firmly on top of my head. My ears filled, and I kept both my mouth and my eyes tightly shut, trying to calm my heart so that last breath would last a little longer. I could hear his thoughts above me, wild and disjointed.
Then just as suddenly I was out of the water, and once again he had me by the arms.
“Water cleans the body, but it takes more than that to purify the soul,” Rev. Pryce muttered. The glaze over his eyes terrified me; it dawned on me that he was moving even further beyond the reach of rationality, and I was in very real danger.
“Reverend Pryce—please!” I begged. “I’ll repent or whatever you want me to do. Only—please, let me out of here.”
“Yes, you’ll do anything to save your life. But what are you willing to do to save your soul? Don’t you understand that sacrifices are required? If you give up this life, you may gain eternity.”
Even in the midst of the intense afternoon heat, I shivered. My back was to the shore, but since I couldn’t hear any o
ther thoughts, I knew we were still isolated. Desperation gripped me.
He pushed me down again so that I could only just barely keep my face above the water line. Through gritted teeth, he ground out, “Do you REPENT?”
“Please—yes, I repent--” Tears were running down my face and my breath came in sobs. Whether he heard me or not, I don’t know, for in the next instance I was under the water again.
This time I hadn’t been able to take a breath in preparation, and within a very few seconds my lungs were screaming for air. I thrashed about in a fruitless attempt to gain footing. My head was fuzzy, and I had a weak thought that it might just be easier to give up and draw in the gulp of water that would end all of this. Images of Michael... my parents... Marly and Luke flashed through my mind, but they all seemed so very far away.
As I teetered there on the edge, I vaguely heard a voice... was Reverend Pryce speaking again? What did he want now? But then I thought it wasn’t him. The voice was almost familiar, but even that realization couldn’t distract me from the suffocating pain in my chest.
“Daddy, no!” Cara’s scream cut through my haze. I wasn’t certain if I heard her inside my head or without. There was a disturbance somewhere near me, and then other hands were grabbing at me, pulling me up.
“Tasmyn!” Somehow, incredibly, Rafe was there, and bless him, he was holding me above the lake.
I gasped in a long sweet breath, and my head cleared a little. Water was still pouring from my hair, over my face, but I saw that Reverend Pryce was screaming at Cara, who stood waist-deep several feet away from us.
“Get away from here!” he shouted. “You have no idea what kind of evil she is. Let me finish my work!”
“Tasmyn, are you all right?” Rafe’s face was intent with concern for me, and I could feel his worry. I pushed it away even as I continued to cough and choke. A strong wind blew over the lake, and my teeth chattered.
“Please,” I begged. “Just get me out of here. Just to where I can put my feet down... ”
King Series Box Set Page 53