Born of Shadows- Complete Series

by J. R. Erickson

She looked at a familiar jut of tree-lined peninsula along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Standing at the water's edge, the sliver of moon shining overhead, stood Sebastian and Dafne. Dafne looked different. Thin, as if she'd been starved, but with wild magnetic eyes. Sebastian's eyes appeared wide and vacant. Dafne held an object in her hand. As Abby leaned closer, she recognized the jeweled dragon from the Vepar's ritual. The dragon that held a pulsing blade and a life of its own.

  "This is our peninsula," Abby whispered. "Sebastian said he wanted to hang a swing from that maple tree."

  "I thought it was," Victor agreed. "But I wasn't positive."

  "Is this real?"

  "I think so. It came to me in the night about four days ago. I woke up, feverish, and just started drawing. I didn't even look at it until yesterday and then when I realized what I was seeing, I came right away."

  "Her eyes are different." Abby pointed at the dark magnetic eyes staring from Dafne's face.

  "They're Kanti's eyes."

  ****

  "I don't think you and Sebastian should be alone right now."

  They had returned to Abby's car parked by the baby store. She stared at the snowflakes crystallizing on the side-view mirror. Beautiful and intricate, Mother Nature knew her stuff.

  "I love Sebastian. I have faith in him. He's not dark. Nothing could turn him into one of them, nothing."

  "I'm sure Dafne believed the same thing about Tobias."

  Abby glared at him, stung.

  "Sebastian could never be Tobias. You don't know him, Victor."

  She started to get out of the car, but Victor grabbed her arm.

  "Don't do that. Don't use anger at me to ignore what's happening. I know you're freaked out. I am too. But this," he tapped his notebook, "is real. If you play dumb, then you're doomed. We're all doomed."

  Abby bit her lip and fought a sudden urge to reach across the car and slap Victor. She took several deep breaths. She stared at the little white bag with pink tissue paper sticking from the top. The cashier at Stork Stop had even added a tiny plastic rattle to tie the bag closed. She thought of her baby girl and wanted to cry.

  Settling back into the car seat, she reluctantly nodded.

  "I know. I don't want to know, but I do."

  "So what else has been going on?"

  "Sometimes he disappears at night. Not often," she added quickly, wanting to soften the revelation. "Maybe once a week, twice at most. I'll wake up and he's not there. One night he came running into the room like something had spooked him. I was too groggy to question it, but I asked him about it the next morning."

  "And?"

  "And he said he went for a walk outside because he couldn't sleep. He thought he heard a noise in the house and ran back to check on me."

  "Did you believe him?"

  "I wanted to." She sighed. "But no, I didn't believe him."

  ****

  Abby returned to her car and pulled away from the curb. She needed to drive home. She needed to confront Sebastian, but her head had begun to ache. The throbbing traveled to her eyes and she shut them against the white glare of the sun on the snow. She drove onto the shoulder of the road and leaned her head back.

  The headache had come on suddenly and with it came a rush of nausea. Flinging open the car door, she barely got her head out before she threw up. Aching, her vision blurred, she pulled the door closed and reclined her seat. She had made it far enough into the country that few cars drove by. She could already feel her astral body trying to disengage. She closed her eyes and gave in to the pull.

  She stood in the cave. Her last two visits had called her to the Pool of Truth to reveal unknown death. She wanted to return to her physical body, but her astral body moved of its own volition. She drifted down the sloping tunnel, the slimy walls surrounding her with dense familiarity. She was not pulled to the Pool of Truth. Instead, she floated into the path that branched to the right. A yawning cavern opened before her and she saw the small shimmering puddle of blue water that had beckoned her previously. Remembering that splendid journey into the water, she knelt down and cupped the water in her hand. In a rush, it took her. She surged through the cave in the water, as the water, and burst into the night sky. She rained into the lake as a million particles of water and then reformed as a single entity. She bolted through the water, watching the fish and the seaweed, but searching for the cyclone that she knew to be there.

  It appeared suddenly, swirling above a bed of rocks, thick with algae. She moved toward the tempest as an image gradually appeared.

  She saw a sleeping Dafne in a dungeon room cast in darkness. She lay curled in the fetal position with her black hair fanning out on the dirty mattress beneath her. Her already skinny body looked further emaciated. Bones showed through the skin of her face and chest.

  The door to the dungeon swung open and a hulking Tobias moved into the room. He glowered at the sleeping form and then leaned over her. Pushing the hair away from her neck, he leaned down and bit her. Abby saw the red of Dafne's blood on his white chin. He wiped it away and then stared at his fingers. He licked them clean and stood.

  Alva entered the room behind him. He held a syringe filled with a clear, luminous liquid.

  "She's growing weaker," Tobias told him. "Look at her back. There's barely an ounce of flesh left on her."

  Alva handed him the syringe.

  "Inject her. Kanti travels tonight."

  The image blurred and disappeared. Drawn back through time and space, Abby awoke in her car. The sunny day had grown overcast.

  Abby thought about her vision. She felt a hollow aching for Dafne. Her anger at the witch who had betrayed her and Sebastian still burned, but less as she realized the fate that had befallen her.

  Chapter 19

  "You must really miss me if you're pulling out the seashells," Oliver joked.

  His voice blasted out of the shell and Abby held it away from her ear, temporarily forgetting that it didn't work like a telephone.

  "Well I would have liked to use a cell phone, but Ula might as well be on Jupiter when it comes to cell service."

  "Yep, we prefer tin cans and string in these parts."

  "It's probably more effective than cell phones out there, but I have a reason for reaching out."

  "Other than a desperate need to hear my sultry man voice?"

  Sebastian glowered at her from the couch, but Abby only laughed. She had wanted to ask Sebastian about Victor's dreams, but the vision of Dafne had felt too important to not share with Ula immediately.

  "No, I have Sebastian for the sultry man voice. He's here with me, by the way."

  Silence from the shell and then Oliver laughed.

  "Hey man, how's the snow blowing going?"

  Sebastian started to respond, but Abby interrupted.

  "He can tell you all about his power tools when you come back. I had a vision of Dafne today."

  "It's not a power tool," Sebastian argued.

  "A vision? As in a dream or something real?"

  "It was real, I astrally traveled. It's happened to me before. I could see her in a dungeon. I saw Alva and Tobias too."

  "Wait, let me snag Helena, she's walking by."

  In the background, Abby heard Oliver yell for Helena.

  "Okay we're both listening."

  "I saw Dafne sleeping in a dungeon. She looked ill, skinny, bruised, but alive."

  "Oh thank the Goddess," Helena breathed.

  "Tobias bit her. I think he's using venom to keep her unconscious. Tobias told Alva that Dafne was getting weaker and then they injected her with something."

  "Injected?" Oliver broke in. "That's not a tactic I've seen a Vepar use before."

  "Any idea what they injected her with?" Helena asked.

  "No, something clear and sort of, well, magic looking, for lack of a better word. It was shiny, like liquid light."

  "Like mercury?"

  "No, more like light cast off a pearl or an opal."

  "The stuff from the l
air, that they were extracting from everyone," Sebastian jumped in, excited. "I couldn't think of how to describe it, but that's it, Abby. It was like looking at an opal in the sun, but as if the opal were melting."

  "You're right," Oliver agreed. "I didn't spend much time examining it, but I had a similar thought."

  "So they're injecting her with the essence they removed from everyone in the lair?" Helena asked. "How come?"

  "I don't know," Abby answered, honestly. "But they said something else. Tobias told Alva that Dafne was getting weak. He seemed to be implying that they shouldn't inject her, but Alva told him to do it anyway. He said Kanti travels tonight."

  ****

  Elda tapped her fork against her glass until the din around the table died.

  "A porpoise!" Oliver finished with a guffaw, and Julian burst into laughter beside him.

  They continued to laugh until Elda stood and cleared her throat loudly.

  "Oh sorry." Oliver held up his hands in apology.

  "I want to take a moment and thank you all for being here this evening. When we're all together like this, I have real hope for the future of Ula."

  "Here, here," Bridget declared, holding up her glass.

  Abby smiled and nodded her agreement. The Coven of Ula felt especially magical that evening. They had come together to celebrate Imbolc, the middle of winter and the shift toward spring. They had also gathered to create a plan for the map that Julian had found. Abby felt much less excited about the prospect of that conversation.

  "It is especially auspicious that we celebrate Imbolc because we are honoring the cycles of birth and death. As winter and darkness die, the spring and sun are reborn. Birth is a powerful ally in the rebuilding of a coven, and though we have agreed to spend this night in merrymaking rather than discussion about all that has transpired, there is one announcement that must be made."

  Elda paused and looked to Abby.

  Abby felt her face flush. Beside her Sebastian clasped her hand and squeezed. She stood awkwardly and he stood with her. She had never been a fan of public speaking and though she knew and loved the witches around her, she felt a little nervous as she prepared to talk.

  "Well, I guess I should just come right out and say it," she told the group, locking eyes with Elda, who gave her a smile of encouragement. "Sebastian and I are having a baby."

  Lydie's mouth dropped open and Oliver's eyes widened in surprise. The other witches looked less surprised, and Abby knew that Elda had likely confided the secret before their dinner.

  Helena stood and walked around the table, sweeping Abby and Sebastian into a hug.

  Bridget joined them.

  "Oh, it's so exciting," Helena beamed.

  "We'll spoil that baby rotten," Bridget added. "It's a sign. Of course, it is. There are no better happy tidings than a baby."

  "Congratulations," Faustine announced.

  "Yes, congratulations," Julian agreed.

  "Wow, does that mean I get to babysit?" Lydie chirped. She had moved into Helena's empty seat to eat her unfinished banana cake.

  "Absolutely," Sebastian told her. "She's going to need someone to show her the ropes."

  "She?" Oliver asked. He smiled, but Abby could see a look of hurt in his eyes. "Are you far enough along to know that it's a girl?"

  "Not technically, no," Abby confessed. "At least not by medical standards, but I still know."

  She broke from the group hug and walked closer to Lydie and Oliver.

  "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys sooner. I just felt like I should wait."

  "Yeah, of course," Oliver agreed, taking a long drink from his glass of wine. "Suddenly your cravings for peanut butter and pickle toast make sense."

  Abby laughed.

  "And noodles with hot fudge. Gross!" Lydie added.

  "Hey, that was a secret," Abby grimaced, covering her face with her hands.

  "Really?" Sebastian asked, grinning. "You have your very own chef and you're resorting to college stoner food?"

  "I couldn't help myself," Abby admitted. "I'm just happy that no one saw me eating sardines on apple slices."

  "Eeeew!" Lydie moaned, finishing Helena's dessert and moving to Bridget's chair.

  "You know, Lydie, Bridget has more cake in the kitchen," Elda told her.

  "Why waste these?" she asked.

  "Good point," Julian agreed, reaching across the table to swipe Faustine's remaining cake.

  "So, you're engaged, with a baby on the way," Oliver said. "Going for the Happily Ever After experience?"

  Abby smiled and nodded as Sebastian grabbed her from behind and whirled her to face him. He kissed her and then pulled her against him. She savored his smell and the soft texture of his T-shirt. She didn't want to turn back and face Oliver. He was hurt, as she knew that he would be. Not because she was pregnant, but because she had been keeping secrets.

  "So when do we get to have the baby shower?" Helena asked. "Bridget is already planning the menu."

  ****

  "How are you feeling?" Abby asked Helena, joining her in the breakfast room.

  Helena sat at a small table with a violet blanket draped over her shoulders. She wore gold satin slippers and a long silver robe, but still looked cold.

  "Better every day, I think," she told Abby, taking a sip of her tea. Steam rose from the dark liquid and Abby smelled a pungent garlic aroma.

  "Doesn't smell like chamomile."

  Helena laughed.

  "Bridget has me on some superpowered concoction. Almost made me gag when I first started drinking it, but it's growing on me."

  "I thought we could use some of my blood today."

  "Your blood?" Helena looked at her quizzically.

  "Elda mentioned it before. She believes it could be healing. I want to help."

  Helena stared into her tea and Abby thought she might cry.

  "I'm not sure of the process, obviously," Abby explained. "But I'll do whatever it takes. Maybe you and Bridget could find some way to develop it into an elixir for other ailments too."

  Helena nodded and some of the light returned to her eyes. She looked hopeful.

  "Only if you're sure, Abby. Lately, I feel like I need a miracle, and the old me saw miracles every day. This new version, well sometimes, I see storm clouds even on sunny days."

  "Of course, you do. We all do. I can only avoid depression and anxiety if I turn my brain off. The moment I have an hour of free time, my mind goes..."

  "Apeshit," Helena finished and they both burst out laughing.

  "What's all the ruckus about?" Oliver called from the doorway. "And where's the food? I figured Bridget would have left breakfast out until noon at least."

  "Bridget said any late sleepers have to fend for themselves today. She's hot on the trail of a new anti-viral potion. She's spending the day in the greenhouse."

  "Yeesh," Oliver complained. "Guess I'll have to survive on leftovers. No Sebastian either? I've gotten rather used to his protein pancakes."

  "He's at the lagoon," Abby told him. "Cold cereal for you, my friend."

  Oliver sauntered off to the kitchen and Abby turned back to Helena.

  "Did Dafne ever mention Kanti?"

  Helena's face darkened, but she only shook her head.

  "Never. We didn't have a clue, Abby. Not that she was pregnant, that she'd been with Tobias, that her friends had died. We definitely didn't know about Kanti. A part of me believes that she didn't know about her either, but maybe I'm wrong."

  "Why would I be the only one having these dreams? I feel like she's reaching out to me."

  "We've talked about it, a lot, in fact. Faustine believes that she's grown stronger. He thinks that each time the curse has struck, Kanti has captured the energy in some way. Now she finally has enough power to manipulate energy. She can appear in spirit form, she can send you her memories."

  "But why?"

  "I wish that I had an answer. We have a dozen theories and I believe we're getting closer to the truth, but w
e're still very much in the dark. Let me ask you this. Why do you think she's contacting you?"

  Abby paused.

  "She wants something. I know that. She wants something from me, but she can't come right out and say it. Maybe because she's not strong enough or maybe because she wants it to remain a secret until the last possible moment."

  Helena sat up straighter, nodding her head.

  "You're the direct link to her. You have to remember that. Trust your feelings and intuitions. You have more information than any of us, but be wary. She is giving you access to the cruelty that was inflicted upon her. She wants your empathy. Why?"

  ****

  Abby sat on the bed in the healing room. Bridget and Elda bustled around the space, preparing the tools to extract Abby's blood. Helena sat on the edge of the huge stone tub that occupied a large corner of the room. Lotus-shaped candles floated on the surface. The glass dome overhead revealed the purple sky of the half-light as the day waned.

  Bridget placed two glass pitchers on a rolling cart and wheeled them to Abby's side. Next to the pitchers, an array of bandages, herbs and unfortunately needles sat in a row.

  "You won't feel a thing," Bridget promised.

  She rubbed a smooth stone over Abby's skin. Abby felt a light tingling sensation when Bridget lifted the stone away. She swabbed Abby's arm and tapped gently on a blue vein. Attaching a needle to a long clear tube, she deftly slid the point into Abby's arm.

  Abby stared at her skin, surprised. She really hadn't felt anything.

  "Was that the effect of the stone?" Abby asked. "It numbed me?"

  "The stone and a bit of placebo effect," Bridget confessed, smiling. "You believed me when I said that you wouldn't feel it, so you didn't feel it."

  Elda moved to the tray and helped direct the flow of blood into one of the pitchers. After several minutes, she quickly shifted the tube into the second pitcher.

  "Will you do a transfusion?" Abby asked, looking toward Helena, who had swung her legs into the tub.

  "Yes," Elda responded. "A transfusion with the blood from one pitcher, and the other we will study and attempt to create a tincture from."