“You thought wrong,” she said simply. When she opened the door to her suite and stepped inside, he put a hand out to stop her from closing it. Without hesitation, she touched her palm to his chest and slammed him backwards against the opposite wall with a simple incantation. She watched him slump to the floor with a small huff. “Presumptuous,” she muttered, and she shut the door and left him there.
2
Adelina had been mistaken to think that Nathan wouldn’t get into any more trouble. Whatever had happened sometime in the night, Nathan had come quickly to collect her in the wee hours of the morning, banging on her door and helping her push her belongings back into her bag.
As they rushed out of the hotel and through the mall, Nathan leading his daughter by the hand, they passed the shattered remains of a chandelier scattered across the marble floor, the wreckage surrounded by a small crowd of security guards talking into their radios.
“Nathaniel, what did you do?” Adelina whispered, but the guards didn’t seem to notice them as they hurried by.
“Just an accident,” he muttered, “but one that I’m fairly certain got caught on camera, so let’s be on our way before they try to take me to reg jail, hm?”
“How was that an accident?” she pressed, but Nathan only smiled at her.
Adelina pulled her coat a bit tighter around her as they exited into the massive parking lot, and Nathan stood on tiptoe to peer down a lane of cars before apparently choosing one he liked. He opened the driver’s side door of a silver two-door Lexus and slid inside, waving her along behind him. He started the car with a light touch to the ignition, and then they pulled away and left the sprawling mall compound behind.
He made it look so easy. Even though they were on the run—again—because of one of Nathan’s “accidents,” even though she hated to imagine the state he had left his hotel suite in, she still couldn’t help but marvel at the magic he did. It was effortless, thoughtless, careless. What sort of spell could there possibly be for starting a car engine, and why would he know it offhand? Why didn’t he have to search his bag for a grounding token; why didn’t he have to even speak a spell?
“Where are we going now?” she asked, pushing aside the slight tingle of nervousness at the back of her mind. “We’ve been going east for a while now; you’re sure you don’t have a destination in mind?”
“Toronto,” he admitted. He rolled down the window just enough to let in some air and steered the car with one knee while he lit a cigarette. “But I’m sure we’ll make some interesting stops along the way.”
“What’s in Toronto?”
Nathan exhaled a cloud of smoke toward the window and turned to her with a grin. “A game,” he said. “I don’t want to give it away.”
“You do like to be mysterious, don’t you?”
“Life is best when it’s a surprise,” he shrugged, and he leaned over to turn on the radio.
They did make many stops along the way. A lot of them were even fun. When Nathan was simply being Nathan, Adelina enjoyed sitting across from him at dinner, telling him stories from the adolescence he missed. He always wanted to know more about her, to the point that she almost ran out of things to tell. He told her stories from his youth, from his time as a privateer in Haiti, and all of the other places he’d been—almost everywhere, it seemed, in his time. He sometimes boasted, but it was easy to tell from the teasing glint in his eye when he was stretching the truth.
More than one of their stops, on the other hand, ended in Nathan showing up tired and bloody. Unfortunately for him, there wasn’t as much in the way of Nathan’s kind of fun during the drive through Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but he still managed to find trouble. More of his misunderstandings, she supposed.
They changed vehicles twice more because Nathan decided somewhere near Saskatoon that he wanted to ride a motorcycle, and then decided another hour east that it was “too fucking cold for this bullshit.” So now they rode in a black BMW with the heater on, and Adelina watched the snow fall outside the passenger window in the fading light of evening.
When they had been driving a while, Nathan reached over to turn down the radio. “Do you know what day it is, kè mwen?” he asked softly.
Adelina tried to think, but the last few weeks had been such a whirlwind that the days had begun to bleed together. She shrugged at him, and he smiled.
“It's Christmas Eve.”
She almost laughed, but she bit her tongue. “You care about Christmas?”
“Of course. I care about any excuse for revelry—and good will toward your fellow men and that sort of thing as well, I suppose. But most importantly, it so happens that Saskatoon, despite or perhaps appropriately to its ridiculous name, has the highest density of sweet shops anywhere in Canada.”
“Definitely important.”
“I'm very glad you agree. Now. I propose that we test this information thoroughly, then retreat to a hotel to enjoy our findings. We can see if we can find some anisette to stave off this relentless cold. And we can prepare the bath.”
Adelina's eyebrows lifted slightly. Even with all his scheming, he wasn't going to forget important rituals. He never forgot the loa.
He always made the time to set up small, makeshift altars wherever they stayed, and no matter how casually he treated the other aspects of his life, he was solemn and diligent when he prayed or paid service to the loa. He had passed up more than one raucous Saturday night to return to their room with Adelina, humming and singing with her over lit candles and carefully drawn veves in cornmeal on the floor. It was comforting to have someone with her who followed the same Haitian practices her mother had taught her, even if he pushed boundaries she wouldn’t.
Every Tuesday, he excused himself and dressed his altar all in red, whispering and humming to himself in the dark bedroom of their latest suite. She had more than once spied on him from the next room and seen him kneeling on the floor, his bare torso twisting and damp with sweat. She had seen his eyes roll over red and his back arch as if pulled by strings, his body bending so far backwards that his head touched the floor, and been forced to avert her eyes from the pounding heat of magic in the room. She knew that he served the loa with both hands—that he did both good and bad work by and through them—and she knew the veve that marked his skin at the back of his neck. Kalfu wasn’t evil, but his domain was everything destructive and unlucky. He allowed evil to happen in this world. And Nathan communed with this spirit as easily as others might pray to their ancestors. It was concerning to her to say the least, but when she had tried to speak to him about it, he had only laughed and assured her that he knew what he was doing.
Despite her worries, it was a side of him that she respected. She smiled. “I wholeheartedly accept your proposal,” she said.
“Excellent.”
Nathan pulled off of the highway once they reached the city, and as Adelina leaned to the side to peer out the car window, she wondered how she'd managed to miss that Christmas was approaching. Maybe the other places they'd been simply weren't as festive as this, but Saskatoon looked like a painting. Lights were strung up on lampposts down every street, people bustled along the WHITE sidewalks in heavy coats and warm hats, and white snow lined every rooftop. It looked cold and cozy all at once.
Nathan had apparently been given good information about the sweet shops—they seemed to be everywhere. He parked the car on the side of the street and led her by the hand, stopping at every tempting window to judge the contents before heading inside. There were more chocolatiers, candymakers, and bakeries than Adelina cared to count, and they didn't exit a single shop without at least a sampling of the offered wares. Adelina's arms were loaded with boxes and bags by the time they admitted defeat and set about finding ingredients for the ritual bath.
Nathan even chose to forgo his usual cigarette in place of a peppermint candy cane, which he idly crunched on his way through the aisles of the grocery store. He picked up the various necessities and paid for them with a glamor, and together they c
arried their haul and their suitcases through the streets to their chosen hotel. The outside was unimpressive, and Adelina doubted that anywhere in Saskatchewan would be up to Nathan’s standards, but he still managed to secure a penthouse suite with a marble bathroom, a full kitchen and dining room, and a balcony. She was beginning to suspect he had a sixth sense for detecting luxury.
Nathan spread their findings out over the coffee table and hummed a tuneless song as he poured two glasses of the anise liqueur. Adelina took one from him gratefully, and the two of them sat on the plush grey couch and let the alcohol warm their bellies while they picked over their assortment of chocolates.
“Would you like a gift, kè mwen?”
Adelina chuckled and shook her head. “Please don’t rob any more jewelry stores for me.”
A soft smile touched his lips. “A more important gift than that.”
“I don’t have anything for you.”
“Nonsense. You’ve selflessly allowed me to bask in your radiance for weeks; what else could I ask for?”
She laughed as she plucked another chocolate from its box. “Don’t you ever grow tired of flattering me?”
“I have a lot of time to make up for.” Nathan leaned forward to set his empty glass on the table. He tucked one leg up underneath him and shifted to face her as he reached behind his neck, unfastening the thick silver chain. He held up the silver-wrapped turquoise pendant as though asking her permission, but she put up a hand to stop him.
“You can’t be serious,” she protested. “Isn’t that the charm that keeps you alive?”
“Skill and grace keep me alive, Adelina,” he said with a laugh. “This just helps me get out of scrapes. It’s a powerful protection, and I’d like it to be protecting that which is most precious to me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re what’s most precious to you, Nathaniel. And you get into far too much trouble to give up something as useful as that.” She put her hand over his and pressed the necklace back toward him. “How could I sleep at night knowing you’re constantly on the verge of getting yourself killed? Thank you for the chocolates, and for reminding me that it’s Christmas. I don’t need any more than that.”
Nathan seemed prepared to argue, but he only gave a short sigh and clasped the chain around his neck again when Adelina nudged his arm.
“You deserve better than me, kè mwen.” He leaned forward to touch a light kiss to her hair as he stood. “I’ll prepare the bath.”
She watched him from the sofa while he gathered the materials, and when he moved with the large bowls into the dining room, she sat beside him at the long table. She lit the white candle for him and murmured soft prayers as he marked the bowl with chalk and mixed the fragrant leaves and oils in the water. The accommodations were far fancier than she remembered from her childhood in Haiti, but the warm feeling in her heart was the same as Nathan worked the mixture in one bowl and then the other.
When he was finished, he wiped his hands and placed a tall candle in the water of each bowl. Nathan's voice echoed softly in the room as he spoke the same prayers her mother had taught her, his hands steady as he lit each candle in turn.
“Lave m', foubi m' pou wete fòt mwen fè a. Netwaye m' pou efase peche m' lan. Mwen rekonèt sa m' fè a pa bon. Se tout tan peche m' lan devan je m'.”
He offered her a faint smile and touched her arm affectionately as he passed by her. Now they would wait. They shared another glass of anisette and watched the snow fall onto the church below the balcony window, and when the candles burned low enough, Nathan blew them out. Adelina took one of the bowls into the bathroom with her and scrubbed herself from head to toe, then poured the sweet citrus mixture over her shoulders, whispering the prayer again and knowing her father was doing the same.
She dried off and wrapped a plush white robe around herself, and when she poked her head out of the bathroom, she found Nathan helping himself to the remains of the anisette.
“Aren't you missing the point of cleansing yourself?” she chuckled, but he only shrugged and offered her an unapologetic smile. Adelina lazed beside him on the sofa, her head resting gently against his shoulder as the warmth of the shower drew her toward sleep.
“Next year we'll make sure we're somewhere we can have proper Reveion,” he assured her. Jwaye Nwel, kè mwen.”
“Jwaye Nwel, Nathaniel,” she answered through a yawn as she shut her eyes.
RUNAWAY
3
Adelina was almost itching for some excitement as they made their way finally into the outskirts of Toronto. The trip farther east from Saskatoon had been uneventful, which had been a relief at first, but then a bit of a bore. Nathan had barely wanted to stop to sleep; she supposed now that they were close to Toronto and the culmination of whatever game he'd been planning, he was becoming impatient. She had to admit she was curious to see what was coming.
Nathan didn’t drive very well in the heavy traffic as they approached the center of the city, but Adelina at least managed to keep him from setting anyone on fire in frustration. Eventually Nathan voted in favor of abandoning the car on an empty side street and continuing on foot despite the cold.
“Are you going to talk about this game yet, now that we’re actually here?” Adelina pressed, pulling her small wheeled suitcase behind her as they walked.
“Just need to confirm a minor detail,” Nathan murmured, mostly to himself. “But let’s get out of the damn cold first.” He moved closer to the street and hailed a taxi, then asked the driver to take them to “the best hotel in town. Really, now. No skimping.”
1
The driver gave them a somewhat skeptical look in the rearview mirror, but he drove on, allowing them just enough time to warm up before dropping them on the sidewalk outside a towering building of glass and steel. A twisting, busy statue of a fluttering flock of metal birds sat just near the entrance, guarding the door. They passed underneath it and through the revolving glass door, and Adelina waited patiently while Nathan poured honey into the receptionist’s ear.
A bellhop carried their bags for them and led them eagerly to the elevator and up to their suite on the 17th floor. It was called a suite, but it looked to Adelina like an entire home. Two bedrooms, a living room and a dining room with attached kitchen, a balcony, and a bathroom the size of an apartment she lived in when she was in college. Adelina insisted on tipping their escort herself—tricking a large hotel into a free stay was one thing, but stiffing a low-wage worker was another, and Nathan hardly ever had any real money in his pockets. She thanked the bellman and hurried him out of the room before Nathan could ask him for some ridiculous amenity, but her father seemed content to explore.
He’d shown no sign of any remorse for the damage he’d done, large or small, as they made their way across the country. On the contrary, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. They had stayed in a few roadside motels along their journey, but Nathan always preferred luxury appointments whenever possible. She hadn’t known him to be shy about partaking in provided spas, room service, or anything else the hotels offered. He even made a habit of going for a long swim in the mornings—or whenever he actually woke up—but Adelina marveled that he ever had the energy. She supposed he had to fight off the calories in the gallons of alcohol he consumed each week.
“Aha! Perfect. Adelina, look at this,” he called from the living room, interrupting her memories. “They just give you an iPad.”
“It’s probably not to keep,” she pointed out, but he wasn’t listening. He was already slumped into the soft leather sofa and tapping at the screen.
“I’m surprised you know how to use one of those,” she chuckled as she sat down next to him.
“Ish.”
“What are you doing? Something I can help with?”
“This is a trick Cora taught me,” Nathan answered, glancing up at her with a grin, and he leaned closer to her to let her see the screen. “Did you know witches are allowed to use Google?”
He had tri
ed to search for “magic shops in Toronto,” and had gotten himself a list of joke shops—card tricks, silk scarves, coins, and other stage magic accessories. He tried “new age shops in Toronto,” and Nathan hummed as he scrolled until he found the result he wanted.
“There you are,” he said softly, and he touched the link to find the address.
“What are we looking for? Supplies?” Adelina asked as Nathan rose to his feet, abandoning the iPad on the sofa behind him. He bent over the nearby desk and took an envelope, a pen, and a slip of paper from the provided stationery, which he slipped into his coat pocket. “Or are you still being mysterious?” she pressed.
“I’m sorry, kè mwen. I don’t really mean to be withholding. You remember back in Vancouver, I spent so much time talking with those seedy-looking folk in noodle shops? I was asking around, and I found out a wonderful little tidbit about my favorite Chaser. He used to be a bit of a bad boy, you see. I’m wanting to look into an old friend of his, see if he’s still here. Then I’ll see if I can’t stir up the local Magistrate a bit, and we’ll be well on our way.”
“To what?”
“To the game, of course,” he answered with a smile. “Now come along. We’ve secrets to expose and jimmies to rustle.”
The shop they arrived at was a simple glass front overgrown with hanging ivy, almost covering the carefully painted white lettering on the wide windowpane.
GALLOWS HILL WITCHERY
Books - Incense - Oils - Herbs - Candles - Curios
A small sandwich board advertising a special on salt rocks sat just below the window. Nathan pushed open the door and caused the small jingle of a bell, and as soon as they stepped inside, Adelina could tell that it wasn’t a mundane shop. The soft scent of burning amber touched her nostrils, settling in every nook of crowded shelves and dark corners. A man at the glass counter looked up from his book as they entered, but he didn’t offer them anything like a welcoming smile. He gave them a brief look up and down and returned to his reading, unconcerned.
The Left-Hand Path: Runaway Page 2