A Ritual of Fire

by J. L. Hendricks

  If I didn’t need the news so badly, I would have crashed on the couch as soon as I sat down. To say I was exhausted was an understatement.

  Thankfully, the news was already on when we entered the room. Mara sat on the edge of a recliner with her eyes glued to the TV. “So, what’s going on?” I asked.

  Mara glanced at me before going right back to the news. “It looks like the eco-terrorists have targeted businesses owned by witches and other paranormal creatures.”

  The reporter was going over the various businesses which had been burned down overnight. “With the telephones out of service, our news is traveling to us the old-fashioned way, by Pony Express.” The newscaster laughed at his own lame joke.

  His fellow newscaster, a lady named Jessica, rolled her eyes as she picked up with her part of the news. “We can’t say for certain that this is the complete list but as far as we can tell, fifty local businesses with ties to The Sampson Corporation and Moonlight Incorporated have all been destroyed. The eco-terrorist group responsible for the attack on our telecommunications system has claimed responsibility for these attacks as well.”

  She seemed to be reading now, paraphrasing some written statement. “Their leader stated in his manifesto the CEO’s of both corporations are guilty of polluting our environment with their manufacturing practices as well as with their corporate greed.”

  Her colleague arched an eyebrow. “I thought both companies were certified green? They worked very hard to do as little damage to our environment as possible. Could it be they lied to us, Jessica?”

  “Donny, I don’t think so. I wouldn’t be surprised if these terrorists made up these accusations in order to justify what they are doing. It’s probably a group of disgruntled former employees.” Jessica narrowed her eyes and looked into the camera. “Stay tuned for more information after your local weather report.”

  “Wonderful.” Alyson plopped on the couch next to me and heaved a heavy sigh. “It sounds like all of our problems are tied together.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I knew the timing of these terrorist attacks was suspicious. So, the terrorist group is run by the werewolves or are they being manipulated by them? Both of those companies are controlled by paranormals. Isn’t Sampson run by bear shifters?”

  “Yep and witches run Moonlight Incorporated. This was one very well planned attack. Whoever is behind this is both extremely smart and powerful, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to take down our wards and sentinels so quickly, even if they were willing to sacrifice themselves. I’ve never met a werewolf smart enough to come up with a plan like this, let alone execute it so flawlessly.” Alyson was right, it had to be someone using the wolves.

  “I agree, wolves just aren’t capable of this. Whoever is behind this has magical abilities and knowledge of a ritual thought to have been destroyed over fifty years ago. Wolves don’t have that kind of magical knowledge,” Stella added.

  “There must be a group of witches who have gone rogue. No one else could do this, could they?” Alyson asked.

  Alyson had thought it was witches from early on but the pentagram was a dead giveaway. Why would witches repeatedly leave such an obvious clue?

  Mara sat back in her chair, rubbing her temples as she added herself to our discussion. “No, I think there is something else we haven’t considered yet. Witches would not do this, plus they are too smart to leave evidence of magic use at the crime scenes.”

  Mara’s position and experience as the grand witch seemed to hold enough sway with Alyson for her words to actually break through her prejudice. “Okay, well, who else has magical abilities? Could a group of humans obtain magic? If they found a book of spells, would they be able to wield them?” Alyson asked.

  Mara tapped her chin while looking at the TV. “I’m sorry, dear, but humans wouldn’t be able to use magic unless a witch imbued them with the power. I suppose it’s possible a group of halflings discovered who they were, got together, and are now getting back at the covens who created them.”

  “Halflings?” Alyson quirked an eyebrow questioningly. “Like in those fantasy books and movies?”

  “No, a halfling is a child born to a female human who was impregnated by a male witch or mage as some like to be called,” Mara explained as she slowly got to her feet. “If the mother had come from a halfling herself and she gave birth to a mage’s child, it is possible they would develop power. It’s very unlikely but has happened. Usually, those children are taken in by the father and his coven.” As she finished her explanation, she headed to the kitchen. “Anyone want some tea?”

  “Yes, please,” Alyson said as she stood up to help Mara.

  As Stella followed them into the kitchen, I hesitated. “Are all of the windows covered? I don’t need to be hit by a stray sunbeam. It will zap what energy I have left, assuming it doesn’t kill me outright.”

  I could withstand some sunlight as long as it was indirect, however, I would need to feed if it happened. Given what had happened earlier, something told me Alyson wouldn’t be so happy to help this time.

  Mara poured water into a tea pot and turned on the stove. “Yes, I closed everything in the house while you were making your way here. Don’t worry, you’re safe.”

  Relieved, I stepped into the kitchen as Alyson leaned against the counter beside Mara.

  “So, it is possible we’re dealing with witches, well, hybrid ones, most likely a group who were abandoned by their coven?” Alyson mused.

  “Possible, but not likely,” Stella mused as she pulled a selection of tea bags down from a kitchen cabinet. “There are other species who could wield magic. Dragons for one. Fae are another possibility. Neither are very likely. The fae come from the earth and would never try to destroy it, plus demons are their natural enemies. No fae would ever want to bring demons into this world.”

  My eyes flicked to Alyson as I chewed on the new information. While I was certain it hadn’t been her behind the murders, Stella had a point. If it wasn’t witches, at least one from the main covens, and it wasn’t fae or dragons, what else could it be? It stood to reason that the only thing behind it would be a Halfling, but still… how could one get powerful enough to take on the great witch’s coven? That didn’t add up.

  “Yeah, I agree about the fae. Too much iron in the air for them to do this kind of magic anyway, and dragons are extinct,” Alyson said resolutely as she wrung her hands. Her nervousness was obvious. I hoped my partner wouldn’t get overly excited and blow her cover. She needed to calm herself.

  “Yes, dear. I suppose they are.” Mara’s eyes lingered on Alyson a few seconds too long.

  If anyone had the power to ascertain a shifter’s other form, it would be Mara. I tried to think back to see if Alyson had given anything away. She hadn’t shifted since we had joined Mara. Still, for their own sake, I really hoped Mara and Stella believed Alyson was anything other than a dragon. If they didn’t, it was going to open a whole new can of worms. After all, dead men tell no tales.

  Once the tea was finished, all the women fixed themselves cups. While I could drink tea if I wanted to, I just wanted to sleep.

  “All right, I think it’s time I went to bed. Alyson, you should get some sleep as well. It looks like we’re going to have another very long night. Where is a room I can stretch out in?”

  It would be better if I didn’t sleep in a room with any of them. If I woke up suddenly and one of them was close, I just might steal a drink from their neck.

  “You can take the back room, it’s the furthest from the front of the house, in case we get an influx of witches from our coven today. Are you still scary when woken up early?” Mara had seen what happens long ago. I had never hurt her but she’d still earned more than a few accidental bite marks.

  Alyson shrugged and took a sip of her tea. “Yes, he is. There should be a sign saying, ‘Danger, wake upon pain of vamp feeding.’”

  “I’m not that bad.” I turned and went to find my room.

  Later
tonight we would need to see about getting some backup from command. I only hoped we could reach them via phone instead of having to drive all the way there.

  13

  Alyson

  “Come here, Alyson, and be a dear. I could use some help with this spell.” Mara had laid the scarf belonging to the leader of the Venice coven out on the counter.

  “What did you need?” I couldn’t do magic, surely she knew that.

  “There’s a mortar and pestle in the cupboard above the microwave. Will you get it down for me?” Mara may have been old but she could have pulled this down using her magic. No, she wanted something from me. Worry flashed through me. Was she on to me? Did she know my secret?

  I wasn’t sure, but I kept an eye on her the best I could and reached up to pull out what she requested. “Is this what you were looking for?” I took out the mortar and pestle and laid them on the counter.

  “Yes, yes. Thank you, dear.” Mara patted my cheek, and I felt a strange sensation running through my body.

  I took a few steps back from her as my eyes widened. What did she just do? If she tried to put a spell on me, I don’t care how innocuous, she would be dead.

  I narrowed my eyes at her and prepared to attack. “What did you just do?”

  “Nothing much. I just needed a little bit of shifter magic for this spell. No need to worry.” She waved me off like I was a little girl who had overreacted which made me even angrier.

  Something about the way she said it made me think she wasn’t telling me the whole truth, and while I knew she wasn’t all there all the time, I was starting to think the old bat was wilier than anyone gave her credit. Worse, if she did something to expose me, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. My first impulse would be to silence her and the coven, but if I did that, I wasn’t even sure the FBI could save me from the retribution of the other covens, especially since I didn’t technically exist.

  “You should never take anything from someone without asking,” I snarled, putting my hands on my hips. “If you do it again, I don’t know what I’ll do, but it won’t be pleasant.”

  “What happened?” Stella ran into the kitchen, eyes fixed on me. “I heard you raise your voice. What’s going on?”

  “Your crazy mother just stole some magic from me without even asking! What is wrong with you people?” I turned to leave when Stella stopped me.

  “Wait. I’m so sorry. My mother knows better than to take without asking.” She turned to her psycho mom. “Mother, why didn’t you just ask? If you needed more power, I would have easily given it to you. We don’t do this, especially to our friends.”

  “She doesn’t need it. Look at her! She’s drowning in magic and doesn’t even know it. I can see it flying around her in circles, begging to be released. I did her a favor.” Mara went back to making her potion, whatever it was for.

  “What is your mom doing? Why is she messing with a dead person’s scarf or is it part of her crazy act?” By now I wasn’t so sure she was as crazy as everyone believed.

  “It’s a locator spell. If the person, or persons, who killed the Venice coven left any trace elements on the scarf, we can track them with the spell Mom is making. She’s right though. It does take a lot of power. I am sorry she took from you in such a way. It’s not our normal way, I swear.” Stella seemed genuine. Her mother, on the other hand, still seemed off.

  “Don’t touch me again,” I warned, eyes narrowed. “I’m going to find a room near Vlad to sleep. For your sake, you’d better not try anything again.”

  I needed to get away from these freaks. Trying to be friendly to witches was wearing me out. Just when I dropped my guard, BAM! They proved why I hated them so much.

  Grumbling, I made my way toward the room they’d given me at the back of the house, but as I reached for the doorknob, something exploded. The entire house seemed to shake and as bits of plaster rained down around me, I spun on my heel ready for action. Only, no attack came, and none of the defensive wards painted along the walls flared to life. No, something else had happened.

  “Did the spell go wrong?” I mumbled, and after casting a quick glance at Vlad’s door to see if he’d awakened, I made my way back to the kitchen.

  I walked into the kitchen and found Mara sitting on the floor beside the counter. She was covered from head to toe in viscous green goo, and her hair stood on end like that crazy scientist in Back to the Future.

  “What happened?” I asked, torn between concern and annoyance as I made my way over to her.

  “Just a bit too much power, dear. I guess I shouldn’t have siphoned from you.” Mara blinked her large eyes a couple times. “Your magic doesn’t seem to be very compatible with mine.”

  As she spoke, I watched her, looking for clues that she knew my identity, but it didn’t seem like she had. That left me with two options. Assume she was an uncannily good liar or that she didn’t know. For the moment, option two seemed more reasonable. After all, option one led to some consequences I wanted to avoid if at all possible, especially given what seemed to be at stake with the dark magic rituals.

  “Glad to see you’re okay!” Stella huffed, and I turned to find her standing right behind me with her hands on her hips. “But this is exactly why we don’t take magic from outside of our own coven.” She sighed, shaking her head as she passed by me. “Come with me to the bathroom, and I’ll clean you up.”

  “Guess, I’ll just wait out here then,” I grumbled, moving to the living room. While I’d been ready to sleep before, now I was wired, but thankfully the room had its own television. Picking up the remote, I turned it on, flipping through the channels before I settled on a mindless sitcom.

  One moment I was being massaged by a hot cabana boy on some distant shore, and the next someone was knocking on my door.

  “Come in. I’m awake,” I called, stretching as I glanced out the window. It was well after dark. Man, how long had I been asleep?

  Vlad carefully opened the door, a steaming mug of what I hoped was coffee in his hand. “Hi. I brought you some coffee. I thought you might need it.” Vlad handed me the coffee which I greedily accepted – cream and sugar, just the way I liked it.

  “Thanks,” I said, looking him over as he settled against the far wall. Before this case, I wasn’t drawn to him, but now I was. I tried to shake it off, but yeah, jumping him looked really good right now.

  “You’re welcome.” Vlad looked at the floor. “So, what do we do now?” He spread his hands. “We still can’t call into HQ, and we don’t exactly have any leads.”

  “I’m not sure.” I took a sip of my coffee, letting the warmth seep into me as I thought. “When people mess with things they don’t understand, crazy consequences develop. There has to be a way to trace that.”

  “You might be right...” He stood up and walked to the door before turning to look at me.

  “What’s up?” I said, sitting up on the bed. Part of me was glad I’d fallen asleep in my clothes, but most of me just wanted a shower even though I knew it wasn’t a good use of time now that I wasn’t waiting for Vlad to wake up. I guess in retrospect, I should have ditched the sitcom and taken a shower last night. Still, I was mature enough to put the case first, even though I didn’t want to.

  “Nothing.” He hesitated, looking like he wanted to say more.

  “Nothing?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “It doesn’t seem like nothing.”

  “Well, here’s the thing…” He looked at the ceiling. “The witches came up with a plan to trap whoever is doing this.”

  “I thought you said we didn’t have any leads?” I asked, unsure how I felt about that. On one hand, witches still rubbed me the wrong way, but on the other, well, I sort of trusted Stella and Mara. Geez, how could I even think that?

  “I don’t like their plan. I am hoping you’ll agree.” He sighed as I stood up and gulped the coffee. Even though I’d slept more than usual, I still felt drained, and this conversation wasn’t helping.

  “Well, with that open
ing, I can’t wait to see what you follow with.” Instead of responding, Vlad simply nodded and walked out, leaving me alone in the room.

  I appreciated it, but it wasn’t like I had any clothes to change into or anything, so I settled for running my hand through my hair a couple times before I left. It wasn’t much, but it’d have to do.

  When I entered the living room, I found Vlad chatting with Mara and Stella while ten other witches filled every other nook and cranny of the place. Vlad was right, if the plan involved this many witches, I definitely wasn’t going to like it.

  “Alyson! You’re up! It’s about time.” Stella chuckled. “I wanted to go wake you but Vlad said it would be almost as bad as waking him up.”

  “Pfft. I’m nowhere near as bad as Vlad.” I rolled my eyes. “I need more coffee before you bring me up to speed.”

  Some Tylenol or breakfast would have been good, too.

  “There’s more in the kitchen, along with eggs, bacon, and toast if you’re hungry. Help yourself,” Mara said, gesturing toward the kitchen.

  As I entered the kitchen, Vlad walked up behind me and stood way too close for comfort, shooting tingles of lust through my veins. I glanced back at him. “Have you heard of personal space?”

  “Sorry, after these past few days I just feel closer to you.” He put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed, sending those tingles to my lower belly.

  I froze, maybe I was just going crazy. Surely, I’d get past my awkward feelings as soon as I got some food in my belly. “Um, you might want to give me some space so I can get my breakfast.”

  “How about I get you some more coffee?” He snagged my empty cup from my hand as he moved away from me to pour me a fresh cup of joe.

  “You must have read my mind.” I gave him a small smile before picking up one of the paper plates. Then I set about filling my plate with food.

  “What time is it?” I asked glancing at my watch, only the faceplate was shattered, making the time unreadable. Damned expensive pieces of junk.