“What is it? I can tell there’s something else.”
“The witch hunters have been on the rise as well. They’re blaming some of the vampire kills on the witches. For you to suddenly appear again seems suspicious, and it would not bode well if anything caught their eye. I suggest that you look for a new place to live. You can stay here the night, but you’d best move on in the morning.”
It didn’t escape my notice that she hadn’t even hugged me, nor welcomed me back. In fact, she seemed troubled to see me. At that moment, I realized that nothing for Zara had changed. She was still callous and cold.
“No, thank you. You obviously don’t want me here so I’ll be on my way. If you see him again, say good-bye to Father for me.” I motioned to Bubba to wait for me outside. “I’ll just get some of my things from my room—”
Zara cut me off in mid-sentence. “When I thought you were dead, I sold your things. Except for a few of your ritual items. They’re in the trunk over there.”
I pressed my lips together, unable to say a word. If I spoke, it would be to break her down as much as I could. My own mother didn’t care that I was alive. And now, she was sending me out into the world without so much as a blessing.
I opened the trunk, relieved to see that she hadn’t sold my wand, or the few crystals I had collected. Stones had power, and actually I was surprised that she hadn’t decided to auction them off. I pocketed them, then slid my wand inside my cloak. At least the Fae had outfitted me with a gorgeous purple gown, and an indigo blue cloak. The material would last through time, given it was woven on a magical loom. There were pockets inside the cloak for a number of things, and as I passed by the table, I picked up two of the rolls that were sitting in a basket.
“I trust you won’t begrudge me a bite of bread,” I said, holding Zara’s gaze.
She shrugged. “Of course not. Maddy…” A look crossed her face that I couldn’t read, but then she stopped and shook her head. “Best of luck.”
I couldn’t accept the lackluster apology. Zara could never say she was sorry, but this was going too far. I turned and headed out the door, shutting it behind me. I wouldn’t speak to my mother for another thirty-two years.
I made my way over to Auntie Berma’s, praying that she was still there. That she hadn’t decided to bug out. Sure enough, the ivy-covered cottage was still looking as neat and tidy as ever. I raised my hand to knock on the door and she opened it before I could touch the wood.
“You’re back,” she said with a smile. “I wondered how long it would be before you would decide to enter the world again.”
“You knew I was away? That I wasn’t dead?”
She motioned me in, pointing me to the table, where I took a seat. Before she answered, she filled a bowl with hot soup and slid it in front of me along with freshly baked bread, and an entire apple pie. The Fae had fed me, all right, but the food in the outer world seemed more rich and vibrant. I dug in immediately, feeling like I would never feel full.
Auntie Berma poured herself a cup of tea and sat down opposite me. “Of course I knew, what do you think I am, some garden-variety witch? I’m one of the Aunties, and don’t you forget it.”
“A Faerie warrior saved me. Tom summoned her and she carried Bubba and me away. By the way, can you give Bubba something to eat?”
Bubba let out a little purp and jumped up on the bench beside me. Auntie Berma picked out a few choice morsels of chicken from the soup and put it on the table, motioning for Bubba to eat. She also put out a bowl of water for him, and poured me a glass of mead. I drank it down, and she poured me another.
“You’re a lucky woman, to escape a Faerie Barrow. Most people who go in never come out.”
“They liked me. They invited me to return whenever I want, and said I can stay there. I’ll remember it, in case the world grows too tiring.”
As I mopped up the last of the soup with the bread, and then started in on a slice of pie, Auntie Berma crossed to an armoire. She opened it and pawed through one of the drawers inside. When she returned to the table, she placed a silver dagger and a spike in front of me, as well as their corresponding sheaths.
I stared at the dagger, unable to take my eyes off of it. Something about it sang to me, with the silver engravings and embellishments on the hilt, and the blade that gleamed with an inner light. The spike seemed to be its match, engraved with the same runes and ornamentation. Hesitantly, I reached out and ran my hands over the top of the blade. I didn’t touch it. It was sacrilege to touch a witch’s dagger unless she gave you permission. But the energy emanated off of it and it tickled my fingers with a spark, running up my arm like tendrils of ivy.
“What’s this? May I touch it?”
Auntie Berma nodded. “Of course you may touch it, because it’s yours. You’ll need these in the coming years. You’ll need them far longer than you think you will, so even when you think you’re done, do not give them away. These are your cornerstones, Maudlin. Your destiny is beginning to unfold in front of you. And these—the dagger and stake—will be your comfort, your curse, and your blessing. Take them, and bind them to you. For they are sacred tools, ancient and priceless.”
I picked up the dagger. It felt right in my hand. As I picked up the stake in my left hand and held both out in front of me, it felt as though the universe trembled, as though a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.
I looked up at Auntie Berma, a dread decision sweeping over me.
“I’m going to find the vampires that turned to Tom. And I’m going to destroy them. If they’re terrorizing the countryside, I will hunt them down and turn them to ash.”
And with those words, I sealed my fate.
SANDY GOT OFF the phone, shaking me out of my reverie. “Bjorn gave me a list of five houses where he thinks a vampire might be able to hide. They all have basements, and they’re all empty. Two of them are almost in the center of town, so I think that probably eliminates them as possibilities. I really doubt if Dracula would choose a place with high visibility. But the other three, they’re all in the general area, and they’re on back roads. He said he can get us in to check them out during the day, which might be the best idea.”
“No,” I said. “Remember, Dracula is part of the Arcānus Nocturni, and he can walk about in the sunlight. Going after him during the day would simply leave us a man down, given Aegis can’t go with us. We can start tonight.”
The doorbell rang, and Kelson headed into the living room to answer. She returned, her face pale.
“Essie Vanderbilt is at the door. She can’t come in, unless you give her an invitation. But she said she needs to talk to you now.”
“Oh crap,” I said. I really didn’t want Essie visiting me at home. “I’ll go talk to her.” I glanced at Sandy and Max. “Don’t tell her that Aegis told you about Dracula’s allergy.”
Both Sandy and Max nodded, and I headed to the front door. Sure enough, Essie was standing there, wearing a long green dress and a brocade jacket with gold buttons. She had on the feathered hat that looked straight out of Downton Abbey.
“Essie, what brings you here?” I wasn’t about to invite her in until I knew what she wanted. And even then, I had my doubts about the wisdom of the idea.
“I thought you might want to know something. And I didn’t trust any of my messengers to deliver this information.” She leaned closer, her face pale under the porch light. “I think I might know where Dracula is hiding.”
And with that, I actually invited Essie Vanderbilt into my house.
Chapter 15
I CALLED OUT to Aegis, Sandy, and Max to join us in the living room.
“Essie Vanderbilt, meet Max Davenport. You know Sandy, and of course Aegis.” I turned to them as they took their places on the sofa. “Essie said she thinks she knows where Dracula’s hiding.”
“Actually, I said I think I might know where he’s hiding. We can’t guarantee it, but it occurred to me that you might not k
now about the catacombs.”
“Catacombs? That sounds like a barrel of laughs. I didn’t know we had catacombs on Bedlam.” All I could think of were the catacombs of Palermo, Sicily. Containing nearly eight thousand bodies, the catacombs were a grisly tribute to death.
“If you’re thinking of mummies, then you’re a little off-base. These catacombs were created around two hundred years ago, before vampires were officially let into Bedlam. Once again, I’m breaking tradition by telling you. I don’t think they’re used much by anybody anymore, so I doubt if I am revealing any secrets. But it would be just the place for someone like Dracula to hide.”
“You wouldn’t be interested in going with us, would you?” I held her gaze for a moment, though I knew what her answer would be.
Essie laughed. “Oh, Maudlin. Somehow I don’t think that would be the wisest thing for me to do. But in the interests of being a good neighbor, and I do consider us neighbors, although we live in completely different neighborhoods, I thought you might want to check it out.” She stood, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. “I’m off. I have things to do.”
“Thank you,” I said. “And I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m disinviting you from my house.”
“I’d think you were stupid if you didn’t. No offense taken,” she said as she swept out the door.
I shut it behind her, turning to lean my back against it. “Oh hell, I forgot to ask her where the catacombs are.”
“We can find out from Delia. She’s sure to know.” Aegis handed me my phone.
“Good idea.” I called her, but there was no answer. When I called the station, Bernice, the receptionist, told me that Delia was over on the mainland for the evening. She had left instructions that only emergencies were to be forwarded.
“Well, hell. You wouldn’t happen to know where the catacombs in town would be, do you? The entrance, that is?”
Beatrice cleared her throat. “No, I don’t happen to know that.”
“No problem. I’ll find out a different way.” I bit my lip, thinking as I hung up. Then, snapping my fingers, I jumped up. “Henry! He’s writing the history of Bedlam. I’ll bet you he knows!”
Aegis clapped his hands. “Of course. You know, we need to remember we’ve got quite a resource under our roof.” He stood up. “I’ll go see if he’s in his room.”
“Be sure to knock,” I said. “Henry and Franny have been getting awfully friendly lately, remember. I have some suspicions that something’s going on between the two of them. Not that I know how that could happen, logistically.”
Aegis rolled his eyes, but gave me a nod. “I’ll be polite. I promise I won’t pry.”
As he took off toward the stairs, I turned back to Max and Sandy. “Now that you know about the witches’ blood, I can talk to you about it. I was thinking about pulling a raid on the blood bank, though I’m not sure that’s exactly the best way to go about this.”
“I’m certainly not giving my blood to Dracula, that’s for sure.” Sandy let out a snort. “What do you think would happen if news got out that Dracula’s running around Bedlam?”
I thought about it for a moment. The groupies would go crazy, and if anybody from the clubs like the Vulture Underground, or even the Utopia, found out, we’d have such an influx of goth girls and boys that it would clog the ferries and road system. That alone might be enough to drive him away. Except, with so much fresh meat on the island—and some of them willing victims—it might be enough to make him stick around.
“So,” Max said, “if he’s allergic to witches’ blood, how much will it take to kill him?”
“I’m not sure. Essie didn’t say, but you can bet that since she told me, it has to be an amount that I can get my hands on. Essie does nothing without forethought. She’s probably got one of the most streamlined ulterior agendas that I’ve ever seen. She is intent on working her way up in the vampire nation, and she’ll do anything she can to get there. Even cavorting with the enemy. My guess is she’s hoping that we’ll kill Dracula for her, and that will be one less of the old guard to stand in her way.”
Sandy walked over to the bar and poured herself a snifter of brandy. “Want one?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” I paused for a moment, then added, “I’m still not sure what to do about Fata Morgana. Today, I saw a side of her that made me want to weep. She was so willing to use Ralph to get to me, and then when I turned my back on her, it was painful to see her grovel at my feet. She’s lonely. The Ocean Mother may take care of her and may have changed her, but Fata’s still inside of that incredibly powerful water elemental.”
“Do you think Auntie Tautau will do anything?” Sandy handed me a snifter of brandy and I sipped the fiery liquor, closing my eyes as it trickled down my throat.
“I don’t know,” I said. “She seems to think Fata’s presence here is vital, though for how much longer, I don’t know.” I caught Sandy’s gaze and held it. “Do you think I’m to blame for her going away? Did I really lead her on? Those days are such an incredible blur. After so much blood, after so much pain…the freedom and booze and sex…it was like a feast after famine. I barely remember any of it, I was so stoned.”
“You had to let go of all the death. You were steeped in it, Maddy. I remember days where all we did was run, stop, kill vampires, then run again. They were a plague, and you singlehandedly prevented them from devastating the continent.” She shook her head. “Fata loved you because you were strong. You burned so bright, you were like flames to a moth. And even then she was drifting on the tides. Did you ever ask her where she was born? How she came to be Tom’s cousin? Because I did, once. And she had no answer. She couldn’t trace their lineage together. Did you ever ask Tom about her parents?”
I blinked. “I never thought about it. He said she was his long-distant cousin, but he never once mentioned how they came to meet.” I searched my memory. Fata had introduced me to Tom, had said they were cousins, but that was about it. He didn’t contradict her, and I didn’t think to ask. “I have no clue if they were actually related, now that you mention it.”
Sandy drained her snifter and refilled it. I held out mine and she poured me another shot. “I’m just saying this: you saw her come in on the waves, from the ocean. What if she’s always been part elemental and just never knew? Or had somehow forgotten? What if she was never Tom’s cousin but he thought she was?”
I slowly eased myself into the rocking chair, breathing shallowly. If Fata wasn’t Tom’s cousin, why had she told me she was? What would she get out of it? And then, I thought, what if she hadn’t expected Tom and me to get together? What if she had regretted her decision to introduce us? Could she have sicced the vampires on us out of jealousy?
“Oh, Sandy. I can’t think about this. I can’t let myself even begin to believe this. The ramifications could mean…”
“But you have to think about it. You have to pay attention because your life could depend on it. She still loves you. Her behavior makes it obvious, but now she seems even more dangerous than she did back then. When did you meet? I can’t remember.”
I thought back. “I met her in 1659, even before I saved Bubba. So I knew her for over a hundred years before we fought and she left.”
Max cleared his throat. “I don’t want to interrupt, but I see where this is going. If she lived among people—be they witches or humans—for a hundred years, she was influenced by you, and quite possibly the elemental side of her nature calmed down. But now, for the past two hundred years, she’s been back in the ocean, back in her element. She’s forgotten the social niceties.”
“Social niceties like not killing people and not playing with people as pawns.” Sandy winced, settling on the sofa near me. “I love Fata, but the more this unfolds, the more terrified I am of her staying here. What if we can’t control her?” She turned a pale face to me, tears flecking her eyes. “I can’t believe we are having this conversation.”
“We have to break the pact we made—” I stopped as Aegis returned.
“Henry and Franny were having a heart-to-heart, and they looked serious. I said nothing, but I have the feeling both of them were relieved when I got my info and left. Anyway, Henry told me that the catacombs in Bedlam have several entrances, but the nearest is down at the base of Beachcomber Spit. We can be there in fifteen minutes.” He stopped, glancing curiously at me. “Are you all right? You and Sandy both look like you’ve seen a ghost, and I’m not talking about Franny.”
I suddenly burst into tears. Aegis, looking confused, opened his arms as I rushed into them. He closed his arms around me, kissing my head as I leaned against him, crying, the jagged sobs wracking my body. The next thing I knew, Sandy tapped him on the shoulder and he backed away. She pulled me down onto the sofa and, crying with me, took my hands. I curled up on the sofa, my head on her lap as she stroked my hair and brushed it out of my eyes.
I was crying for Fata, and for me, for Tom and Sandy and for all those years we ran steeped in blood. I closed my eyes, and the visions of my dagger slashing through one vampire and another and another and another filled my thoughts. There was blood on my hands, blood on my soul. I could taste it, smell it, until it merged with the fire within me and then—then, for a time, all that mattered was blood. Until the night on the hill, and the flames raged so brightly that there was nothing left the next morning and we were hip-deep in ash. And that had broken the rage.
After a time, the tears slowed. I was breathing out of my mouth, my nose was so stuffed up. Sandy slowly eased me into a sitting position and I panted raggedly. Max found the tissues and handed them to both of us.
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