Kanti (Born of Shadows Book 3)

by J. R. Erickson

  "Can we help?" Oliver asked. "Help you find a safe place? Cast protection spells around your home?"

  Lorna sighed, defeated.

  "I never thought I'd want out. I believed, like Sydney, that the Asemaa would be my life's work. Without them I am nothing, the work is nothing. I never realized how much the group meant to me."

  "What about Gwen and Karl and Meghan? Can't you go to them?"

  Lorna shook her head.

  "It's not safe for us to be together. We're sitting ducks. Gwen and Ebony have separated from Karl and Meghan. Maybe someday..." She looked far away and Abby waited, allowing Lorna her reverie.

  "We've been reading your material. It's kind of mind blowing, the volume alone."

  "I'd say," Lorna agreed. "I remember a Saturday night years ago, sitting on Sydney's porch, drinking wine and reading one of those journals. I thought, 'who knew this is how I'd choose to spend my Saturday nights.' But I loved it, we all loved it. It made us special, which you can understand, of course."

  Abby smiled sadly.

  "Be careful what you wish for, huh?" Lorna asked.

  "Exactly," Abby agreed.

  "A lot of it's anecdotes, tales from the road for those tobacco traders. It takes a lot of reading to find the juicy stuff. We didn't know about the curse until a few years ago. That's when we started going back through and searching for links, but we all had lives. We never got around to organizing it."

  "We're so grateful that you collected it to begin with."

  Lorna offered a short, dry laugh.

  "If I could do it all over again, I'd have taken those boxes out to the woods and set the whole lot on fire."

  "Why is that?" Oliver asked.

  "Isn't it obvious? They're dead. Sydney, Stephen, they're dead because they knew about the curse. If I were you, I'd get as far away from Trager City as possible."

  Abby felt Oliver stiffen. She wondered if he thought about the night that Sydney had died, the night that he had killed her.

  "Why do you think it's isolated to Trager City?"

  Lorna threw up her hands in frustration.

  "I don't know why. It's all there though. And yet we're drawn back to that place, knowing full well that something terrible is waiting, still we return."

  Oliver looked at Abby and she sensed his anxiety about her and Sebastian living in the lake house.

  "Why was Stephen writing about a vampire cult in Trager? It almost seemed like he was luring the Vepars to him," Abby asked, changing the subject.

  "Stephen had a strange sense of humor and, honestly, something of an underdog complex. I think he believed that they would seek him out and he could get close to them."

  "Close to them? For what?"

  "He had this notion that he could reveal their lair to Adora. It was a crazy scheme that he went back and forth on. A lot of days, he knew it was nuts and abandoned the plan."

  "Was he in contact with Adora then?"

  "Yes, they talked on the phone once every couple of months. I had hoped to hear from her after he disappeared, but we couldn't wait around. It wasn't safe. Are you in contact with her?"

  Abby's face fell.

  "She's dead, too?" Lorna shrieked, not bothering to lower her voice.

  Startled, Abby looked around, but no one had heard her, apparently Oliver's concealment spell had worked.

  "We think so," Oliver answered her. "But the Vepars didn't hunt her down. She went to their lair. I'll spare you the details, but we all went in knowing that we might not make it out alive."

  Lorna put her face in her hands and shook her head.

  "Do you know what Stephen found in Houston?" Abby asked, gently.

  "Yes," Lorna admitted, her voice muffled by her hands. She looked up and her eyes appeared watery and close to tears. "He came to me a few days before he disappeared. Showed up on my doorstep in the middle of the night. He'd literally gotten off the plane from Houston and driven directly to my house. He met a man that knew about Kanti."

  "Knew what?"

  "He knew that she had existed, for starters. He was involved with a group of men that dug up her body more than fifty years ago."

  "Dug up her body?" Oliver asked, surprised.

  "Yes, at the time, the man believed they were digging up the grave of a wealthy tribeswoman. The men had been told that the woman was buried with gold and jewels. However, when they uncovered the bones, the only treasure was a gold amulet. The man who organized the dig, insisted that they bury the body at the base of a tree or she would haunt them for the rest of their lives. That night he disappeared with the amulet."

  "The man who organized the group to dig her up?" Abby asked.

  "Yes, according to Stephen's contact the man who set-up the dig was named Ira."

  "Ira?" Oliver asked.

  "Ira who later became Alva," Abby finished. "A Vepar."

  "But why would he organize human men to dig up Kanti's body? Why not just have Vepars do it?" Oliver wondered.

  "The man in Houston, his name was Jack, told Stephen that Ira acted very strange. He wouldn't touch the bones himself. He started off digging with the group, but then retreated into the woods. When Jack pointed out the amulet, Ira insisted that he hand it over, but first asked Jack to wrap it in a black cloth, like he didn't want to touch it."

  "How did Stephen find this guy?" Oliver asked.

  "Believe it or not in a chat room about Native American History. Stephen has been posting for a few years. Every month or so, he'd go in and write a request for information about a Native American girl named Kanti. He never had a hit until last August. Jack sent him an email and said that he would tell him a story, but Stephen had to fly to Houston and receive the information in person."

  "What's the significance of the amulet?" Abby wondered out loud.

  "Stephen believed that the amulet was the key to breaking the curse. Destroy the amulet - end the curse."

  Chapter 23

  Sebastian trudged through the snow watching for the gnarled tree that Abby had described months earlier. He barely distinguished the knotted gray tree from the drifts of snow as he lumbered along. Fortunately a raven, perched on a tenuous branch, caught his eye. He gazed at the misshapen trunk and found the symbol embedded in the wood.

  He turned west and moved on, noticing that the trees looked different. Many were misshapen, either abnormally large or shrunken and withered. As the snow started to thin, he spotted the crimson weeping willow looming over the white landscape.

  He gaped at the tree in dreadful fascination. He had never seen anything like it. He doubted that another existed in all the world. He touched the blade that Oliver had given him, sheathed beneath his jacket. In another pocket, a pouch held the berries of the belladonna plant.

  He crouched beneath the willow and scooped a handful of the stinging red moss into the glass jar he had brought with him.

  The root stairway that plunged into the earth left little room for his large feet. He pressed his hands into the dirt walls to keep his balance as he descended. The dank hovel smelled of rot. He saw the table piled with putrefied food. Despite the cold, maggots crawled along the rotted fruit and meat.

  "Shhh......," the woman hissed from the floor. Sebastian stumbled back as he saw her.

  She sat on a bench, facing the wall, and rocked back and forth. Her slender back looked delicate and soft, but he could see the drooping gray flesh in the profile of her face.

  "You'll wake my daughter," she hissed with a rasping voice that felt like furry legs scuttling through his ears.

  He backed into the earthen wall, not allowing his eyes to flick away for even a moment. Though she appeared helpless, something malevolent lurked beneath her wasted body.

  "I've brought something for you," he said, ignoring the thumping of his heart.

  She stood in a jerky spasm and picked up a spider-webbed mirror. She watched him through the broken glass, but he did not look into the reflection.

  "Your potion." He took the bellado
nna berries from the pouch and dropped them into the jar. Withdrawing his blade, he sliced along his forearm and allowed his blood to drip into the container.

  The Lourdes drew hungry breaths as she watched. Her long gray fingers fluttered along her vanity table. They settled on a long knitting needle.

  Sebastian moved to the hole and sprinted up the roots. The Lourdes screeched in agony behind him. He placed the jar on the ground, just beyond the reach of the willow branches, and returned to the burrow.

  "I will bring it back to you on one condition."

  She turned and glared at him. Her flinty black eyes held hatred and longing. She licked the scaly flesh of her lips. Her face was a pool of gray tissue that drooped and pooled. Though she looked ancient and decrepit, her eyes made Sebastian uneasy. Dark black holes filled with wickedness and knowing. He could feel her gaze surpassing his body with those eyes and reaching into the mysteries of his soul.

  She tilted her ruined face back and let out a long gritty laugh. The laugh grew into a howl and echoed on and on, even after she'd closed her mouth and turned away from him.

  "Those who do not learn from the past are destined to repeat it," she spit, taunting him with her words. "The dead are dead, whether they walk again or not."

  "What do you care?" he challenged. "I have what you want. You obviously know what I want, so give it to me."

  She picked up the knitting needle and plunged it into her hand. Blood, red but nearly black, spurted out and ran over her moldy pink dress.

  "I am dead, dead and decayed, rotted and ruined. The worms dance on my grave, pitter pat they go, how do they dance with no legs?" She cackled again.

  "If you're not interested..." Sebastian shrugged. He turned as if preparing to leave.

  "Stop," she growled and Sebastian froze, suddenly convinced that the Lourdes had somehow scurried up behind him and was about to plunge the sewing needle into his back.

  "Bring me the potion."

  "No."

  The Lourdes shrieked and clawed at the walls with her pointed nails. She ripped away dirt and roots and bugs.

  Sebastian waited.

  "In the corner, there's a chest. Bring it to me."

  He moved deeper into the hovel, turning back again and again to ensure she did not follow. He found the trunk and swiped the cobwebs away as he dragged it across the room to the Lourdes.

  He wrinkled his nose as he neared her. The smell of decomposition was heavy and pungent.

  She fumbled open the metal clasp and sifted through the contents. Finally she emerged with a tattered leather-bound journal. She flung it on the floor at his feet.

  He picked it up and flipped through it quickly. Pages of directions and diagrams. He saw lists of ingredients. Near the end of the book, a picture fluttered out. A black-and-white photograph of a young girl wearing a pale dress with ruffled sleeves. Big dark eyes stared at the photographer, and the curve of a smile played on her lips.

  The Lourdes gasped at the picture and lunged toward Sebastian. He darted away and ran out of the lair, clutching the book in his hand. As he left the willow, he stared at the jar and almost stooped to take it with him. Then he heard the woman's maniacal laughter and fled for the woods.

  ****

  "She said that Alva has the amulet," Abby told Sebastian.

  They sat in the kitchen, eating Thai takeout that Abby picked up on her way home. Oliver had returned to Ula to tell the witches about their discoveries.

  "And she thinks the amulet holds Kanti's soul?"

  "She didn't say that, but I think so, yes. I think about the relic that had encased part of Devin's spirit."

  "The lighter?"

  "Exactly—why couldn't Kanti have created something similar?"

  "Well it makes sense," Sebastian admitted. "Obviously the Vepars are getting more powerful through her, so they must have a link."

  "I think so too."

  Abby drank the last of the Tom Kha Gai soup from the bowl.

  "So good," she sighed. "Did you do anything other than fix the furnace today?"

  Sebastian shrugged and shook his head.

  "Nope, pretty uneventful day. Found some recipes for juicing and smoothies online for you."

  "For me?"

  "Yeah, recipes to help support you and the baby. I talked with Helena about it and she agrees. We want to make sure you're getting super nutrient-dense food for that little powerhouse you're growing."

  Abby smiled.

  "That would be good. I have been exhausted lately. I'm taking the supplements from the vitamin store, but I'm starting to think this baby of ours is sucking me dry."

  ****

  Abby laced up her boots. Waterproof and durable, they went above her knees. She put on her coat, zipped it high and then added a scarf and the red winter hat that Helena had knitted for her. She trudged along the frozen shoreline, savoring the cold air gusting off the lake.

  When Abby had woken that morning, Sebastian had gone to town for "baby fodder," according to his note.

  The snow had stopped after days of falling. The drifts were deep and soft and she moved slowly, trying not to sink so deep that the snow piled into her boots. As she traveled further away from the house, she noticed a crow following beside her in the trees. After several minutes, he was joined by a second crow and then a third until five of the birds trilled and warbled beside her.

  "Well good morning to you too," she told them.

  One of the crows flew from the tree, swooping close. She stopped and watched as the other birds did the same. One by one they flew down, circled around her, and returned to the tree.

  She sensed a warmness in her belly and reached beneath her coat, pressing her hand on her stomach. She felt a tiny flutter. The birds swooped in unison, surrounding her. Though they dove and weaved close to her head, Abby felt no fear. Instead, she felt a connection with the birds.

  She held her arms out to either side and two of the crows landed on her outstretched arms. They were heavy, but she held them easily. They clucked and talked, watching her with their beady black eyes. After several moments, they flew off. She continued her walk and the birds kept pace. Sometimes they merely flew from tree to tree and other times they sailed close, their oily black wings iridescent in the sun.

  After a half hour of walking, Abby returned to the shed. She wanted a hammer and nails to hang Lydie's drawing. She fumbled through drawers and laughed at the array of tools that Sebastian had assembled. Not an organized man, he had put light bulbs with grass seed. She opened a drawer in his workbench and spotted a box of nails. She pulled it out, but a photo clung to the bottom of the box. Peeling it off, she looked at a young Sebastian pushing his sister Claire on a swing. The photo was taken from behind. Sebastian's black curls blew in a breeze, and beyond the swing set, a beach gave way to a glittering lake. Abby could see Claire's legs extended in the air as she swung forward, her pink-painted toenails showing above her head.

  Abby's hand trembled as she reached into the drawer. More pictures lay scattered in the cavity and then her fingers brushed something larger. She pulled a shabby leather journal from the drawer and set it on the table. She stared at the threadbare cover. A faint symbol was sunken into it. The triple goddess, which revealed three moons representing the mother, the maiden and the crone, looked back at her. It was not an unusual symbol necessarily; however, Abby had first laid eyes on the symbol far in the forest, carved into a tree as she searched for a dark witch.

  "The journal could have come from anywhere," she said out loud.

  But she knew. She didn't want to touch it, but she had to. Flipping open the journal, she frowned at the tiny, cramped writing. Words jumped out from the pages—death, immortality...resurrection. She tried not to see the images, crude drawings of a figure, a girl, with symbols scrawled along her torso, legs and arms.

  The sound of an engine pulled Abby from the pages. She clapped the journal closed and shoved it, and the pictures, back into the drawer. Through the window, she wa
tched Sebastian park his car and climb out. He brushed a hand through his dark curls and then leaned down to grab the groceries. She started out of the shed, ready to confront him, but then another engine sounded and she looked down the long, wooded driveway.

  Oliver's VW Bus pulled next to Sebastian's car. Oliver waved wildly from behind the wheel, grinning. The other witches of Ula sat in the back. Victor and Kendra arrived next, parking alongside Oliver.

  "We're here to dig a grave," Victor announced triumphantly, as he stepped from his car.

  ****

  Lydie and Julian, the fire elements, and Abby and Elda, water elements, stood facing one another through a large expanse of trees. Sebastian, with the aid of Julian, had meticulously sectioned off the area they believed the map portrayed. Lydie and Julian focused on melting the snow and thawing the earth. Elda and Abby directed the water toward the lake. As the snow disappeared and the ground softened, Oliver and Faustine sifted the mud. They worked with Kendra, Victor and Helena, air elements, to transfer the dirt into piles at the periphery of the space. Sebastian walked along the edge, patrolling the piles of dirt in case they missed a fragment of bone or some other clue as to Kanti's whereabouts.

  The morning sun offered little warmth, but worked wonders on morale. Digging up the body of an angry spirit was unnerving enough without an overcast day to contend with. As they searched, Abby glanced at the faces around her. Everyone, save Oliver, held a look of grim determination. Even Lydie stared intensely toward the ground in fearful anticipation. Oliver, always clinging to the silver lining, occasionally plunked mud onto Lydie's head. She shot a fireball in his direction. It narrowly missed his right ear and he howled as if she had burned him.

  Elda and Helena both smiled and Julian offered his past student a stern look, but Abby appreciated the lighter mood that Oliver brought to the gathering. Sebastian hardly seemed present at all. He moved along the perimeter of accumulating mud, at times disappearing into the trees. He held no expression at all, but when he caught her looking, he offered Abby a distracted smile.