“You need to give me the mirror.” Kal had a sinking feeling it was not going to be this easy.
“I don’t have it.” Bryan’s hand shook as he tipped the decanter over his glass.
Of course not, it couldn’t be that damned easy. He’s probably smashed the mirror upon the rock, or given it as a gift, donated it to a museum, or some other equally disastrous move that could send the demon on a rampage.
Kal fought to keep his voice calm. “What happened to the mirror?” Please tell me you know where it is.
“After Bethany’s parents were murdered, I cast a spell on the mirror thinking it might be the cursed object that had ruined our lives. I hid it in the subbasement here, but bad things began to happen, and I didn’t want it anywhere near my daughter. So, I gave it to the most powerful witch I knew at the time.”
“Helena-Marie?”
“She wasn’t available then. I gave it to Bethany’s grandmother. Clarissa Caan.”
Chapter 8
Bethany shut the computer down and turned off the light on her desk. It had been a long day, and she was ready to go home. Maybe Kal will drop by after work. Just as she stood up, with her mind still on the hunky police chief, she heard the electronic chime announce someone had entered the showroom through the front door. Frowning a little, Bethany glanced at the clock. The door should have been locked unless the twins forgot on their way out. She hurried out to the showroom, ready to get rid of the latecomer.
“I’m sorry, we’re clo—” Bethany stopped when she saw Halona standing with a little blond-haired girl at her side. The child’s face was covered with red splotches, and her round blue eyes looked red from crying. Uh oh, someone has been playing in the woods again. I wonder if it was with an adult or Tawny Spencer. The two little girls had become fast friends and were prone to get themselves into all sorts of misadventures, sneaking into the woods being one of their favorite pastimes.
Bethany knelt down and studied the child’s face. “Lisa Cornell, is that you behind all those red dots?”
Lisa nodded, too upset to smile at the joke.
“Poison ivy, I think,” Halona said. “I told Lisa you might have something that could help her.”
Bethany winced as she looked at the angry red welts that were irritated from scratching. Patting Lisa’s head reassuringly, she smiled and nodded at her. “I’m sure I can find something. Why don’t you two sit down and have a soda.” Bethany motioned to the lawn chairs and nearby cooler filled with soft drinks. “Help yourselves, I’ll be right back.”
Hurrying back into her office, she once again went through the cabinets and drawers withdrawing the ingredients she needed to make a lotion for Lisa’s face. Glancing through the office windows, she smiled at Halona and winked. With the itching momentarily forgotten, Lisa was bent over, hands on her knees, looking down at a goldfish pond filled with yellow water lilies. It was always a favorite with the visiting children to watch the brightly colored fish swim among pretty flowers.
Before the itching could distract Lisa again, Bethany cast a quick spell over the minty smelling lotion she mixed in a small silver bowl. By morning Lisa would be good as new, and with a little extra blessing thrown in, she would be immune to the effects of poison ivy for the next few months.
“Something happened this morning, didn’t it?” Halona whispered when Beth returned. “I can smell the residue of magic on you. Something earthy and sweet. Good magic. Healing magic. You haven’t projected this strong in several months.”
“I have my power back,” Bethany explained quietly. “The demon cast a binding spell on me, but Kal broke the curse.” She kept stirring the contents of the bowl. “It seems it had buried an effigy of me in one of the potting sheds.”
Halona nodded. “That makes sense. The demon smothered your abilities.” She looked as though she wanted to say more but, instead, called to Lisa. “C’mere, Lisa. Let Bethany put this on your face.”
Lisa obediently moved to stand beside Halona, but when Bethany dipped her fingertips into the bowl, Lisa cringed back and grabbed Halona’s hand, moving slightly out of reach.
“It won’t hurt, I promise.” Bethany held the liquid out for Lisa to inspect. “It’s just lotion. It will make the itching stop. By tomorrow the rash will all be gone.”
Lisa looked at Beth suspiciously. “My grandma took me to her doctor once, and he couldn’t make the bumps go away. He put some kind of icky pink stuff all over me, and it got dry and cracked like mud. I didn’t like it.”
Halona hid her smile. “But he didn’t know how to treat special little girls.”
“Mom said he was a muggle,” Lisa said with the outspoken honesty of a child.
Halona and Beth exchanged amused glances. “Well, I’m not a muggle,” Bethany said. “I’m an earth witch that can cure you, but first, you’ve got to let me put the lotion on your face.”
Lisa looked from Bethany to Halona as if she needed confirmation the adults were telling her the truth. Halona nodded her agreement. “The faster you let Beth take care of you, the faster we can go get ice cream and then meet your mom.”
“It won’t hurt?” Lisa reluctantly took a step forward.
“Not one little bit,” Bethany assured her. She dipped her fingers into the soothing lotion again. “Show me where it itches the most.”
Lisa pointed to a spot on her chin then her cheeks and her forehead and neck.
“I get the picture,” Bethany said, placing her fingertips on the red blisters running the length of Lisa’s jawline and down under her chin to the delicate pale skin. Lisa flinched at the first touch of Beth’s fingers, but when the lotion began soothing the itch, she turned her head for easy access to her neck.
“Feels better, doesn’t it?” Halona watched the rash disappear at Bethany’s touch. “Your mom’s going to be so happy to see you lose your spots.”
“She tried to make them go away,” Lisa said earnestly, “but she couldn’t.” Thinking about her words, she frowned. “Is she a bad witch, Halona?”
“Of course not, sweetie.” Halona hugged Lisa to her side. “Your mom isn’t a healer. She has other talents.” And right now she’s using them to seduce our congressman into some funding for tourism in Magicville.
Lisa’s mother headed the tourist council for Blansett and was always going to fundraisers, campaign functions, and any other events that might generate income for the town. Thanks to her tireless efforts, Blansett was swiftly becoming a top attraction for the East Coast.
Bethany spread the last of the lotion on Lisa’s face and stepped back to look at her results. The rash had all but disappeared on Lisa’s skin. “That’s much better.” Bethany set the bowl aside and rubbed her fingers together, feeling the heat of magic tingling in her bare fingertips.
“Do I detect the unauthorized use of magic?” a male voice boomed through the door just before Kal walked inside.
Lisa’s eyes grew huge, and once again, she skittered behind Halona, peeking out from her side to watch the imposing police chief advance on them with a purposeful stride.
“Why, Chief Burke, I believe you must be mistaken.” Bethany fluttered her eyelashes at him like a southern belle. “There’s no one here but us little ole witches,” she said in a falsetto voice.
“Oh, well, I must be mistaken then.” He grinned, planting a quick kiss on Bethany before turning to Halona. He gave her a quick hug. “How’s things going?”
Halona smiled up at him happily. “Couldn’t be better, Kal.”
He pretended to look confused. “I thought there were three people in here, but I only see two. Is there an intruder?” He stalked away to look behind a cart of flowers then he peeked under the drink cooler, and Lisa giggled. He whirled around to face the girls. “Did you hear that? There’s definitely an intruder.”
Kal made a big show of checking the most ridiculous places a person could hide, and Lisa dissolved into a fit of giggles, putting her hand up over her mouth to stifle the sound. At last, she c
ouldn’t resist. She ran out from behind Halona and tugged at his arm. He pretended to be startled, which caused a fresh round of giggles.
Lisa threw herself at the chief, and he picked her up, twirling her around a couple of times before putting her back on the floor. “How are you doing, Lisa?”
“I’m better now.” She turned her face back and forth for him to inspect. “Bethany cured my poison ivy. See?”
“I see.” Kal smiled and put his hand on top of her head. Bethany noted his hand covered the child’s head and looked protective resting there. She felt a surge of warmth toward him and the maternal urge to have a family of her own. Where in the world did that come from?
“I came to escort you ladies to the ice cream parlor, if you’d like to join me.”
His words were loose and easy, but despite his playful manner, Bethany felt his tension. Something has happened, but he doesn’t want to discuss it in front of Lisa. “Are you going to buy?” Bethany kept the mood light so Lisa wouldn’t feel threatened in any way.
“Of course I am. You can even order double dips.” He pretended to think about it. “Maybe even sprinkles, but that might be pushing it.”
Lisa did a fist pump and smiled up at Halona. “I want double chocolate.”
“You got it,” Halona said before turning to Kal. “Unless you’ve recently taken up mind reading, how did you know we were planning a trip to the ice cream shop?”
“I ran into Lisa’s mom at the fundraiser a few minutes ago, and she told me you and Lisa were visiting Beth to see if she could help with the poison ivy. Then she mentioned you were going to meet her at the shop after she has a few words with our esteemed congressman.”
“And you think we need police escort to buy ice cream?”
Kal’s face lost its humor. “I don’t want to take a chance.”
Chapter 9
“I spoke to Bryan Janzen,” Kal said after waving goodbye to Halona as she entered Beachcombers, where Drake and Scamp waited upstairs for her. He hesitated on the sidewalk until he heard the lock engage before taking Bethany’s hand. As she looked up at him, she realized he had something painful to tell her. His eyes held a reluctance that strained his exotic features into harsh lines, hardening his face.
“It’s not good, is it?” Bethany asked, gripping his hand a little tighter. He gave her back a gentle squeeze. In the distance, she heard the sounds of music and laughter, and even fainter was the song of the ocean.
“Not really,” he answered, “but you’ve got to hear it.”
“Of course.” Bethany moved closer to him, soaking up the warmth of his large body and calming her mind with the strength of his presence. She breathed in the salty breeze and willed herself to draw courage from the earth rhythm around her.
“What do you remember about that trip your mom and dad took to the islands? The one with your cousins’ parents.”
“Oh, that trip,” Bethany said, her lips giving a small curl at the memory. “Not much. I was too young. I do remember that the four of us threw such tantrums at not being allowed to go we were promised a party with real pony rides. Bryan, of course, provided the entertainment at the castle. We got to dress up like princesses, and they had four white ponies with unicorn horns fastened to their heads. Someone had braided flowers and ribbons in the ponies’ manes, and we were all awestruck by the whole deal.”
“Was this after the trip?”
Bethany frowned, thinking about it. “No. I don’t think so. It was just before they left. It was nothing more than an elaborate bribe to keep us under control while they were gone. They hired a nanny to watch us so we could be together at the castle. It wasn’t like they just dumped us with a stranger. Grandparents and other family were around too. We were spoiled shamelessly. I think each of us got a new princess dress and anything else they could think of to keep us occupied while they were gone.”
“Do you remember anything after your parents returned?” Kal wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked through town toward the beach house.
Bethany concentrated, but few details came to her. “I don’t know. I think something happened, and my dad got sick. Mom cried a lot, and she left me with Grandma, but that’s about all I remember, and then…” She lay her head against Kal, swallowing to release the tension in her throat. “They were killed.”
“They sent you to Clarissa for your safety,” Kal said gently. “I’m sure your mom knew they were in trouble. I’m not sure how much your dad was capable of understanding at that point.”
Bethany stiffened and tried to pull away, but Kal held her tight. “What do you mean?” she asked. “What did you find out? What happened to my father?”
“It seems the group played around with a bit of dark magic in the islands, and during one of the rituals, your father took something that belonged to a demon.”
“My father would never steal anything.” Bethany drew away, trying not to get angry at Kal for repeating what he’d been told. He wouldn’t have, would he? But I remember Grandma was so angry with him, and she wouldn’t say why. Did she know what he’d done?
“If he took something, he must have thought they needed it to control the demon.” Bethany felt she had to defend the man she could barely remember.
“He took it because he was mesmerized by a ritual, and it seemed like a good thing to do at the time.” Kal’s voice was gentle, but his words were brutally honest.
Bethany looked around, surprised to find they were already at her house. She sat down in a lounge chair on the deck, reluctant to take the knowledge into her home. She knew it would bring sadness and anger, and she tried to keep negative emotions out of her living space. “Tell me what happened.”
Kal sat opposite Bethany, stretching his long legs out on either side of her, effectively trapping her, she noted. Despite her anxiety of what she would learn, she couldn‘t ignore the wideness of Kal’s chest or the male beauty of his perfect body and features.
“Shut your eyes,” he whispered.
Reluctant to miss one moment of staring at him, Bethany slowly closed her eyes. She wondered what he was up to. When she relaxed back into her chair, he began reciting a quiet litany of unintelligible words, coaxing her into a vision she wasn’t sure she wanted to experience.
* * * *
A crackling bonfire lit up the island skies, sending sparks jumping high into the night sky. Bodies writhed and leaped as the sounds of drums and chanting filled the humid air. The smell of sex and magic overpowered the musky scent of bare earth and jungle foliage. Power shimmered through the night, jumping from dancer to dancer, animating their moves with an otherworldly frenzy.
After hours of participating in the ritual, the crowd had no conscious thought left as individuals. They obeyed the call of the entity that frolicked in the flames. Some stood at the edge of the clearing, too exhausted to dance any longer, staring at the shadows in the blaze as if hypnotized. None had the will to leave. They were enthralled by phantom images within the flames.
Filled with strength beyond their wildest dreams, even the weakest of the participants knew they could achieve anything they wanted. The world belonged to them on this night. Nothing was off-limits, and every wish could be had for a price.
The local shaman worked himself into a trance, calling upon the god of his choice. He offered his body up as a vessel for the dark one to inhabit. Tonight, among the tourists, he could feel energy flowing, a raw untapped power that he wanted to possess for his own. He would work the crowd until they dropped, and when they were too weak to struggle, he would drink their magic like the finest wine.
After offering himself many times, he and the demon were so closely intertwined the shaman hardly knew where he ended and Melech began. It didn’t matter. He had special privileges and influences that no one else on the island possessed. Loaning his mind and body to Melech for the demon’s earthly pleasures was a small price to pay.
Earlier in the evening, before the festivities started, the shaman h
ad encouraged everyone participating to leave an offering in the woven palm basket placed next to the altar. Enlightenment and magic always had a price. Not even the demon could take part without leaving a treasured item as collateral to the powers that be, the only difference being that the demon reclaimed his treasure, and more, as his due. Once the ceremony was over and Melech had taken his share, the shaman got what was left. He’d grown wealthy, by island standards, from the gifts tourists left in the offering container.
In the crowd, one participant felt a surge of forbidden knowledge rush though his mind like wildfire. Wrapped up in the ceremonies, and magic, he called a lesser demon of his own. Now the evil entity used him as a host, bringing his dark trickery to the human’s weak and untrained mind.
Dancing wildly around the bonfire, the possessed man made many circles close to the offering basket throughout the night. When he was given a little nudge from the demon, his greedy eyes took in the treasures of the offering, and he began to want for himself.
What harm could come from taking a memento for yourself? the demon whispered seductively in his host’s mind. Take something small, something worth little value. Something you could give your wife as a gift.
The man reached out as he passed the basket and snatched up a small silver mirror encrusted with rubies and sapphires around the face of the mirror. Highlighted by the flames, it seemed to beckon him with its reddish glow and sparkling jewels. A perfect choice.
Melech felt no psychic warning when his talisman was taken. In his human form, he was joining with one of the local priestesses, and the ecstasy in his earthly body consumed his demon mind with the lust he felt.
Slipping the mirror in his pocket, the thief heard low, guttural laughter echoing in his mind. Despite the humid night, and heat from the fire, a chill gripped his body as if he had a fever. Shaking and trembling with the cold, he was only dimly aware of his wife and friends pulling him from the dancers. Escaping into the dark, they half dragged and half carried him to a private sailboat waiting offshore.
Mystic Tides Page 30