Water Nymph

by Edmund Hughes

  “Will the wine cellar work?” asked Jack. “There’s room on the center of the floor.”

  “It should,” said Mira. “Peter’s workshop is probably contaminated with some of his residual magical essence, so we wouldn’t want to use it regardless of whether we had the space.”

  “Right,” he said. “So what else do we need?”

  “What else do you need, is what I think you mean to ask,” said Mira. “I can only offer my guidance. You will have to handle casting the spell and performing the ritual.”

  Jack frowned, feeling a little unsure about what she was suggesting.

  “You can walk me through it though, right?” he asked.

  “I can,” said Mira. “First, you’re going to need a significant amount of blood essence. As much as you can take from your thrall without hurting her.”

  “From Ryoko,” corrected Jack. “Not my thrall.”

  Mira rolled her eyes.

  “Second, we’ll need a few additions for the ceremony. Some candles and incense to help establish the correct ambience.”

  “Is that really necessary?” he asked.

  “Of course,” said Mira. “You’ll need to wash yourself thoroughly as well. And you’ll need to meditate and clear your mind before attempting the spell.”

  “Right…” said Jack.

  “Finally,” said Mira. “You’re going to need one of Peter’s magical foci, something of his that has his memory of Adana on it to help orient the spell. It isn’t strictly necessary, if you know the incentives to provide to coax a demon out, but in your case, I think it’s a must.”

  “Okay,” said Jack. “I guess I could go get his staff? It’s still at the cemetery.”

  Mira smiled slightly and nodded. She was the one who’d originally put the staff there as a way of saying goodbye to Peter. Of course, she’d broken into the workshop and stolen it from Jack in order to do so, but that was water under the proverbial bridge.

  “His staff would work perfectly,” said Mira. “Knowing Peter, I have no doubt he’s previously dabbled with spells involving the Other Realms. There should still be an echo of those occasions within it.”

  “The Other Realms,” muttered Jack. “What are they, exactly? I feel like I should know at least that much before jumping into this.”

  “That is…” Mira hesitated, and tapped a finger against her lips. “A more complicated question than it might seem. The Other Realms represent a magical spectrum of places disconnected from the world and reality we abide in. The Other Realms are where, for example, it’s speculated that the magical essences that shape and affect our world are in their distilled state. Magical scholars have speculated that at least one of the Other Realms is where the essence goes to, when a spell is cast.”

  “Uh,” said Jack. “I’m not sure that really answers my question.”

  “And that’s because your question does not have a good answer,” said Mira. “The Other Realms are not places mortals can travel to and return from. Arcane philosophers and magical scholars have been studying them for as long as they have recorded their existence. Sticking objects through portals and examining the damage done to them on return. Trying to slip video cameras through, which as ambitious as it sounds, has never worked.”

  “So nobody really knows for sure?” asks Jack.

  “Exactly,” said Mira. “But I know enough about demons from the Other Realms to tell you that you’ll need to be extremely careful once you’ve summoned Adana. I cannot emphasize that enough, Jack. She will be dangerous, of that I am sure.”

  He felt a chill flutter through him, forcing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up straight.

  “Okay,” he said. “Well, there’s no point in wasting time. We can get the stuff tonight. Just let me check in with Ryoko first.”

  Mira nodded. “I’ll await you in the car.”

  They both headed upstairs, and Jack made his way to Ryoko’s room. He knocked gently on the door before sliding it open. Ryoko was in bed, and she sat up slightly as he entered.

  “Mr…” She caught herself, giving her head a little shake. “I mean… Jack.”

  “Hey,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

  He sat down on the bed next to her, setting a hand on her shoulder. Ryoko didn’t answer immediately, taking a slow breath first.

  “Fine,” she said.

  “Mira said you didn’t feel well at the beach,” said Jack. “Was it just the sun, or…?”

  “Just didn’t feel well,” said Ryoko.

  She wasn’t looking directly at him, and it made Jack start to worry. He’d only seen her like this once before, after her uncle had died. Back then, she’d still forced herself through her daily routine. Of course, it hadn’t been that long since. Jack wondered if maybe since she’d managed to suppress it then, it was finally catching up with her now.

  “Ryoko, come on,” said Jack. “Talk to me. Please.”

  “I…” Ryoko swallowed and closed her eyes. “I thought I was… talking to you.”

  Jack didn’t know what to say to that. He squeezed her shoulder.

  “Is there anything I can get you?” he asked. “Do you think a night’s sleep will help?”

  “Do you… need to feed?” Ryoko rubbed at her neck with one hand. “It’s okay. I can still do that for you, I think.”

  Jack frowned and shook his head slightly. The last thing he wanted to do was feed off Ryoko while she was feeling like this. He’d seen what the effects of his bite did to people, the ecstatic, emotional high that could only logically be followed by an immediate crash afterward. And that wasn’t even considering the physical effect of her losing a portion of her blood.

  “I’m fine,” said Jack.

  “Please?” whispered Ryoko.

  Jack felt his skin crawl as he heard the word. She wasn’t offering herself for him to feed off her. She was pleading with him to do it. To give her his bite again. Could it be like a drug to certain people? Everything he’d heard and seen concerning the way enthrallment worked pointed toward an obvious, definite yes.

  And it wasn’t as though the counter potion was a perfect solution. Supposedly, it blocked the basic, long-term effects of enthrallments. But the pleasure of his bite was still getting through. Pleasure, even on its own, could be more than enough to affect someone’s emotional state.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Jack. “I… think you need rest, Ryoko. More than anything.”

  He needed to bite her for the summoning ritual. The idea of waiting a few days to cast it annoyed Jack, but it wasn’t as though he was working under a time limit. He cared more about Ryoko than he did about finding the truth about something that had happened a decade earlier, even if it was a ghost from his past.

  “I’m sorry…” whispered Ryoko. “I’m so sorry…”

  “Why are you apologizing?” asked Jack.

  She finally looked at him. There was something weak and wounded about her expression, but in a subtle way. She didn’t look like she’d been crying. She looked like she’d reached a point where she was too tired and emotionally exhausted to find even her tears as a release.

  “I wish I wasn’t… the way I am,” whispered Ryoko. “I wish…”

  She didn’t finish her sentence. Jack stretched out on the bed next to her and pulled her into a tight, full-body hug. Ryoko leaned her head forward, presenting her neck to him, even though he’d already told her that he had no intention of biting her.

  “I have to go with Mira to get some stuff from town,” he said. “We’re taking the car. We’ll be back soon, okay?”

  Ryoko didn’t say anything. Jack kissed her cheek, hugged her again, and left the room feeling worried and ineffective.

  CHAPTER 13

  “Right,” said Jack, as he buckled his seat belt. “Let’s do this.”

  He pulled the car out of the mansion’s garage and into a wall of pouring water. The storm had grown in intensity since he’d gotten home, and even though it wa
s barely past dinnertime, it was pitch black outside.

  “Hmmm,” said Mira. “I’m unsure if this is a natural storm.”

  “So you do think it has something to do with the water nymph, then,” he said.

  “It’s possible,” said Mira. “It could be a retaliatory gesture for some perceived slight that happened during her time on the beach earlier today.”

  A perceived slight. Jack winced, wondering if the annoyance he’d shown at discovering the bodies on her island might qualify. She’d started drowning people immediately afterward, and the storm had begun brewing when he’d left the beach.

  “Let’s just assume that it’s a natural storm for now,” he said.

  Not only would it make his night simpler, but it was their only real option. Going after the water nymph in the middle of a storm would be foolhardy, even with the breath potion Palmer had sold him.

  He drove slowly with his windshield wipers on full speed, and they squeaked rhythmically with each pass over the glass of his windshield. Lightning played across the sky, occasionally dipping down to strike in the distance.

  “How was your maid feeling?” asked Mira.

  “You called her my maid,” he said. “That’s a step up from referring to her as my thrall. Maybe eventually, you’ll even learn her name.”

  Jack could sense Mira rolling her eyes without needing to turn to look at her.

  “She seemed deflated when she left the beach earlier today,” said Mira. “She is a fragile sort of girl.”

  “She is,” said Jack. “I might not be able to go through with the ritual tonight if she isn’t feeling up to letting me feed. Unless…”

  He licked his lips and looked at Mira for a few seconds as the car came to rest in front of a red light. She picked up on his implication and shook her head.

  “Dearest Jack,” she said. “We’ve spoken on this before. My blood is off-limits to you in that sense.”

  “I’ve already agreed to give you the Embrace, if you behave,” said Jack. “You must trust me enough to know that I’m not trying to sneakily turn you into my thrall.”

  “I’m aware,” she said. “That would not be your style.”

  “So why not then?” he asked.

  “Because I am not food for you,” said Mira.

  “Doesn’t it intrigue you a little, though?” he asked. “You were a vampire for so long. The only time you were ever on the receiving end of a bite was that one time before you were first turned, wasn’t it?”

  “That is true,” Mira said, with a touch of reluctance.

  “Aren’t you curious about what it would feel like, coming from me?” Jack reached a hand over, running a finger along the nape of her neck. Mira grabbed his hand and squeezed it, letting her lips pull back into a drawn smile.

  “Perhaps I am… a little curious,” said Mira.

  “I’ll be careful,” he said. “I promise. It would let us try the ritual tonight. And it would certainly go a long way toward building goodwill, concerning the Embrace.”

  “Are you saying that if I let you feed off me, you’ll return me to my former status as a vampire sooner?” she asked.

  Jack shrugged.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I guess I am.”

  Mira thought about it for a couple of seconds, and then leaned her head to the side.

  “Perhaps,” she said. “We shall see what the night holds. I do trust you, Jack. But this is a lot for you to ask of me.”

  “Fair enough,” said Jack. “There’s actually a vial of anti-enthrallment potion in the glove compartment if it we end up needing it. I wouldn’t bite you without protection, obviously.”

  “Such a gentleman,” said Mira, rolling her eyes.

  Jack turned the car around a corner, and then slowed as he approached the parking entrance of the local dollar store.

  “We can probably get the candles here,” said Jack. “Maybe the incense, too.”

  Mira raised an eyebrow as she looked at the store’s sign, which read “DOLLAR MARKET” in bright neon. Several letters had burned out over the years, and the “T” on the end flickered as though it was on the verge of being next.

  “You inherited all of Peter’s money, and yet you’d willingly shop at a place like this?” asked Mira.

  “It’s open, and we’re here,” said Jack. “You can’t argue against convenience.”

  He parked the car as close as he possibly could to the entrance, and then he and Mira sprinted the distance through the unrelenting deluge of the storm. The automatic doors opened with a hermetically sealed hiss to allow them entry, and the two of them made their way into the aisles.

  It wasn’t hard to find what they were looking for. Jack carried the basket as Mira piled in candles, jasmine-scented incense, and a box of chalk, which she explained would be necessary to draw the actual summoning circle on the cellar’s stone floor. Once they had everything, the two of them headed for the checkout counter.

  The employee on duty was looking away from them, fixing a display of batteries located along the store’s front wall. When he turned around, his eyes met Jack’s, and both of them froze.

  “Uh…” Jack winced as recognition set in on both sides. “Hello, Bruce.”

  Bruce’s expression shifted into a narrow glare. He was a good-looking guy, with tall, tanned skin, a strong jaw, and conventionally attractive features. Jack had disliked him for his own reasons, but on a superficial level, he’d never really wondered all that much about what Katie saw in Bruce.

  Which made it feel a hundred times more surreal to see him wearing a blue retail vest with a name tag on it and holding a pricing gun in his hands. Bruce had been the obvious candidate to be the next sheriff once the current one retired. Now he was working a classically dead-end job.

  “I’m on break right now,” said Bruce, in a stiff voice. “You’ll have to see if one of my coworkers can help you.”

  Jack glanced around, frowning a little.

  “It doesn’t look like there are any other employees even here right now,” he said.

  Mira squeezed his arm.

  “That would appear to be his point,” she said.

  Bruce glanced at Mira for the first time, and his scowl deepened.

  “You can always go and shop somewhere else,” said Bruce. “Like I said. I’m on break right now.”

  “Come on,” said Jack. “That’s so petty. Sure, we’ve had our issues, but…”

  He frowned. If anything, he was the one who should have had the proverbial axe to grind. Bruce had left him for dead while facing down a ghoul. He’d sucker punched Jack on multiple occasions and even resorted to stalking him at one point.

  But then again, Jack had gotten close to Katie behind his back. Close enough for things to have happened.

  “We haven’t ‘had’ our issues,” said Bruce. “We have fucking issues, Jack. Present tense.”

  His words were harsh, but there was something lacking from Bruce’s tone that made Jack wonder how much anger the other man truly harbored.

  “What happened with Sheriff Carter?” he asked. He asked the question sincerely, with no pity or mockery in his voice. Bruce didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds.

  “It’s none of your business,” said Bruce. “Fuck off. Why are you still here?”

  “Because you won’t let me pay for the items I picked out, maybe?” said Jack. “Come on. I don’t want to be here any more than you do. What’s it going to take?”

  “What’s it going to take…” repeated Bruce. He chuckled and shook his head. “Alright. I’ll play nice, if you answer a single question for me.”

  “Sure,” said Jack, biting back his frustration. “Anything.”

  Bruce took a slow breath through his nose. He glanced down at the checkout counter, and when he brought his gaze back up to meet Jack’s, he almost looked like a different person. Vulnerable, confused, and harboring old hurts.

  “What’s the real reason why Katie left the island?” asked Bruce. “She
said that… she took a job somewhere on the mainland. But I know that wasn’t it. And I don’t think it was because of you, either. She only came back for a single afternoon. Only packed a few bags, not even close to all her stuff. Then she was gone.”

  The switch in Bruce’s demeanor was so sudden that Jack had to repeat the words a second time in his head to understand the question. Why had Katie left Lestaron Island? To join up with the Order of Chaldea. But what had been the catalyst for that decision? Jack didn’t like to think about it very much, but he would give Bruce the answer, even if it didn’t make sense to him.

  “She said…” Jack swallowed, collecting his thoughts. “She said she was sick of watching the men she loved turn into monsters.”

  He was a little worried that using the word “men”, which was so very plural in nature, might trigger Bruce. It was close to a direct quote of what Katie had said to him, however. Bruce nodded slowly, then tapped his fingers on the counter. He didn’t react in any other visible way, but he reached for the items in Jack’s handbasket and began ringing them up.

  Bruce didn’t say another word as Jack paid and continued through the transaction, and Jack didn’t say anything else to him. He wasn’t interested in prying into whatever meaning Katie’s words held for her former fiancé. He accepted his change, gave his onetime antagonist a small nod, and left the dollar store.

  “He does not look well,” said Mira, as they climbed back into the car. “Peter’s apprentice was rather ruthless in the way she managed her relationships.”

  “Yeah,” said Jack. “I guess she was.”

  CHAPTER 14

  They drove in silence for a few minutes. The cemetery was on the other side of town. Jack slowed the car as he pulled up on the street and then swore under his breath. A thin beam of light was weaving through the grave plots, illuminating a cone of falling rain and swirling fog.

  “Fuck,” he said. “There wasn’t a guard here the other night.”

  “Are you surprised that the groundskeeper would take preventive measures after discovering that one of his flock had been exhumed under the dark of night?” asked Mira.