The Oracle Series: Vols. 4, 5, & Grave Endowments

by Cynthia D. Witherspoon

  “But enough about Turd Landry. You need to talk some more,” she told him.

  “Pardon me?” said Jonah.

  “It’s been awhile since I’ve slept without Cyrus, and it won’t happen anytime soon,” she informed him. “So we may as well get to know each other. Tell me about being the

  Blue Aura.”

  Straight to that, huh? “Like I said, I’m supposedly a big deal,” he told her. “I walked out of my old job one day, the world turned blue for five minutes, and my life hasn’t been the same since.”

  Eva was silent again. Jonah knew she could relate to the sentiment, and he knew that there was more to her story than the abbreviated one she gave when she first got there. But that was another story for another day.

  “What else can you do?” she asked. “Besides the balance thing?”

  “I’ve got power over electricity and the winds,” answered Jonah. “I can actually use the wind to pull the batons back into my hand if I drop them. There is this other thing that all Elevenths can do called Spectral Sight. It allows us to see spirits and spiritesses—” Jonah saw Eva shoot up from her prone position. “You can see spirits?” she breathed. “Without a mirror?”

  Jonah was taken aback. “Uh, yeah.”

  Eva flicked on the lamp, temporarily blinding Jonah. “And the spirits aren’t a threat? They don’t attempt to take you?”

  Jonah almost snorted, but something told him that this wasn’t the best time for that.

  “No, not at all,” he answered. “Sometimes they just want to communicate. Want to say what’s up and all that. There are bad spirits—met a couple myself—but they can be fought. They can’t take us anywhere. But—wait. Eva, I told you all of this earlier.

  Remember?”

  “I’m sorry, Jonah, but I was still pissed at you then,” she admitted. “I didn’t even bother to process some of the stuff you said. The Spectral Sight thing must have been one of those things.”

  With a little effort, Jonah filed the irritation away. It was over and done with.

  “Right,” he said. “But yeah, we can go into Spectral Sight and see spirits and spiritesses.”

  Eva’s entire demeanor changed as she turned to look Jonah in the eye. “Do it for me,” she said. “I need to see my parents.”

  Jonah felt pity for her. He had been here before, after all. “Eva, if I did that, only I would be able to see them,” he confessed. “You wouldn’t—”

  “I don’t care,” said Eva instantly. “You—you can speak to them for me. You can say exactly what I say. I would do it myself, but Apollo banned me from seeing them. He said there was too much danger. Too much temptation. I need them to know I’m sorry.

  They need to explain some things—please, Jonah. I’ll owe you.”

  Jonah was stunned. When they first met, there was enmity. Then after some Siren seduction and some Shade violence later, a bit of respect was earned. Now Eva was supplicating, promising that she would owe Jonah.

  All in the same day.

  He sighed. “Alright, Eva,” he agreed. “I’ll do it. I don’t know what’ll happen, but

  I’ll do my level best.” Eva looked full of gratitude. She told Jonah her parent’s names and descriptions. Jonah put these details into the forefront of his mind, and he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then willed the curtain to rise so the actors could perform. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by bright mist.

  “Hmm,” he murmured. “That’s odd.”

  “What?” asked Eva with impatience. “What do you see?”

  “I see a bright misty mass,” said Jonah, “but that’s something that occurs with multiple spirits and spiritesses. It shouldn’t happen for just two.”

  The mist began to solidify. To Jonah’s surprise, Eva sat back in alarm.

  “Wait,” she said, a little unnerved, “I can see the mist, too.”

  Jonah frowned. That shouldn’t have been possible. What was going on?

  The mist solidified, but it wasn’t Eva’s parents. It was a man. One man.

  Jonah didn’t recognize him, but Eva swore. Her face was a study in hatred. Jonah shot up at this reaction and grabbed his batons. “What?” he said loudly. “Eva, who is this man?” “Elliot,” Eva whispered.

  Jonah gave the man a double take. Elliott looked like a bluish-white hologram. He looked like a spirit. But he wasn’t in Spirit. So what was the deal?

  He looked down at his form and flashed one of the coldest leers Jonah had ever seen.

  “Oh man,” Elliot commented, “I gotta admit this is cool.”

  "How the hell are you in here?” Jonah had to know. “There are defenses—!”

  “Relax,” said Elliot in a bored voice. “Your respective masters have pooled their resources, and unfortunately, they’ve been effective. I can’t breach the grounds of the Grannison-Morris estate at this time. But it doesn’t matter. The Shades were able to breach, and I will be able to soon enough. How am I here, you ask? Truth is, I’m not. I’m miles away, on your Astral Plane.”

  Jonah shook his head. It couldn’t be true. There was no possible way. “Are you talking about Astral Projection?!” he croaked. “But you’re a Tenth Percenter!”

  Elliott rolled his eyes. “Those little details tend not to matter when your patron is

  Hera,” he said. “Hera is able to supersede any restrictions your planes of existence may hold. She is all-powerful.”

  “Damn,” commented Jonah. “You’re really up her ass, aren’t you?”

  “Shut up, Eleventh,” snapped Elliott. “I couldn’t breach your grounds yet, but I could manage this. But it’s enough. Sibyl, about the Covington house—”

  “I’m not really worried about the house right now.” Eva glared at the newcomer with a hatred that was evident. “You can’t force me to do this, Elliot. I’ll break the damn contract. I’ll be on the first flight out of North Carolina tom—”

  “No you won’t, actually,” replied Elliott. “You will go, and you will be a good little Sibyl, or your parents will never know peace.”

  Jonah nearly dropped his batons. This Elliott guy couldn’t have the power. He was a Tenth.

  Eva must have caught his expression, because she put all of her attention on him. “What does he mean, Jonah?”

  Jonah couldn’t speak for several seconds due to being dumbstruck. “He—he’s somehow got the powers of a Spirit Reaper,” he said in a hollow voice. “He is going to usurp the spirits of your parents to make himself stronger.”

  Jonah saw horror, fear, and grief engulf Eva. Instantly, he was furious at this guy. Another damn bully.

  He bounded up to Elliot’s Astral Projection and held up his batons. “You’re a big man when you’re broadcasting from somewhere else,” he snarled. “You’re screwing with things you don’t understand. Let those spirits go!”

  “I warn you, Eleventh Percenter,” said Elliott. “This isn’t about you. It’s about Eva. What do you care, anyway? You’ve known her one day, and from what I hear, your meet wasn’t pretty.”

  “Yeah, well, what a difference a day makes, huh?” retorted Jonah. “You won’t hurt Eva. Not in my backyard.”

  “Don’t befriend her,” warned Elliott. “Do yourself that favor. Don’t get close to that evil bitch. She’ll betray you, just like she betrayed me.”

  Jonah sniffed. “Push someone around, and then paint yourself the victim. Classic. I only see one bitch here, and that’s you.”

  Elliot’s eyes hardened. “Okay, Eleventh—”

  “Jonah Rowe’s the name,” interrupted Jonah with heat.

  “Okay, Jonah,” said Elliott. “I was going to leave you alone. Your Spectral Sight was simply a means to an end. But now, you’re in the game, too. You’ll die, just like the Sibyl.”

  Jonah gritted his teeth. “Death isn’t real.” “Oh right,” chuckled Elliott. “I almost forgot you people’s cute little shtick. But death will be real. For you and your new buddy.”

  “Good luck with
that.” Eva took a deep breath as she tried to get a grip on herself.

  “You know the deal. You know that I’m immortal.”

  Elliott pulled his eyes off of Jonah and slowly turned them to Eva.

  “You know, even now, I still adore your green eyes.”

  Jonah snapped his attention to Eva. Her eyes were teary, bloodshot, and once again green. He looked back at Elliot’s projection with loathing, but Elliott kept his focus on Eva.

  “You will honor your commitment, and do the episode,” he told her, “or your paternal imposter and your whore of magick mother will be lost.” Jonah roared and tossed a baton at Elliott’s projection. It shattered, but he knew that Elliot was on the Astral Plane somewhere, completely unharmed.

  He went to Eva, who had fallen to her knees with her face buried in her hands. Jonah didn’t know what to do other than fling an arm around her shoulder. Mere minutes ago, he’d have kept his distance, but the time for awkwardness was long gone now.

  “It’s alright, Eva,” he murmured. “He wasn’t really here.”

  Eva looked scandalized, hurt, and broken. Then Jonah remembered those last words. “Why did he say those things about your parents?” he asked her. “Why did he call your dad an imposter? Why did he call your mom a whore of magick?”

  Eva raised her face from her hands and gave Jonah a look that clearly said she was terrified to answer his question. She was spared the task though, because at that precise moment, the door banged open, and their friends burst inside.

  “What happened?” Cyrus demanded.

  “I am tired of this shit!” bellowed Jonah. “It’s not even daybreak! What is it now? 4

  AM?”

  They all looked at each other.

  “Jonah,” said Jonathan, “you and Eva have been in this room for a day and a half.”

  “What! But—”

  Then Jonah remembered. Time on Earthplane and Astral Plane were different.

  Elliott’s little Astral mindgames made them lose time.

  “We all lost a day and a half,” said Reena. “We thought we were asleep for a few hours, but now it’s Wednesday. 3 P.M.”

  “No,” Eva jerked up, her eyes wide. “We missed the Covington House interview—” “Never mind that, Little One—” began Cyrus, but Jonah cut him off.

  “Reschedule it,” he commanded to no one in particular. “For today. Get whoever you need to speak to on the phone, and tell them we’ll be there in forty-five minutes.” “Why?” asked Reena.

  “Elliot’s got Eva’s parent’s spirits,” Jonah announced to them all. “He wants the Covington House thing done, or he’ll usurp them like a Spirit Reaper.”

  Chapter Six

  Eva McRayne

  “Cyrus, it doesn’t make any damn sense.” I folded my arms over my chest. “You can’t just lose time. The world doesn’t work that way.”

  For his part, Cyrus took his eyes off the road just long enough to raise an eyebrow in my direction. I knew what he was going to say. I, of all people, should understand by now that there are more things between heaven and earth than what should be expected. “I know, I know. You don't have to remind me.”

  I sighed as I glanced over my shoulder to the backseat. The rental car company had dropped off the standard black SUV while we were all losing time thanks to the Astral Plane. Joey hummed under his breath to the music blaring through his headphones while Jonah stared out the window.

  “You don’t have to do this, you know.” I shifted around to get a good look at him.

  “You should have stayed back at the house with the others.”

  Jonah snorted. “No deal, Superstar. I got threatened too, you know. And I don’t take threats lightly.”

  I closed my eyes at his response and bowed my head as I thought back to what Elliot had said. Hera had granted him abilities. That was true. But the true extent of those abilities was just coming to light. I knew Elliot could travel much like Cyrus. He stepped into the shadows and then back out again whenever he wanted.

  Could this be their method of transportation? The Astral plane?

  I’d never talked to Cyrus about it. Not really. There’d always been something else more pressing. Like now. Flying down the road towards a house I was sure was going to be my undoing.

  And those things he said. “Paternal imposter.” “Whore of magick mother.” I was still in the process of dealing with those revelations. Martin McRayne was actually my stepfather, but he was the only father I’d ever known. And my mother—she was not a whore of magick. Poor Jonah. He had to ask what Elliott meant. But I had had no intention of answering his question.

  Not now. Not ever.

  But I had to put that in the back of my mind. No matter how resistant it was to go there.

  “Look.” I took a shaky breath, and distracted myself from my own thoughts. “Jonah, I really do appreciate what you’ve done for me so far. And I am grateful that you tried to make contact with my folks last night. But listen to Elliot. Don’t befriend me. Don’t interact with me. It’s safer that way.”

  “Jesus,” snapped Jonah as he turned his attention away from the window. “I saw you fight, Eva. I know you’re stronger than this—mess you’re turning into. What the hell has this guy done to make you so afraid?”

  “Aside from slaughtering my parents along with ten other people at least and shoving me out of a four story window?” I bit my lip to keep the sarcasm out of my response. “I wasn’t able to protect them, Jonah. I won’t be able to protect you, either. So it’s just best—”

  “Let me make up my own damn mind.”

  Jonah had on sunglasses, but I could tell he was glaring at me from behind them. It

  was so strange. I tried to distance myself from this man and his friends. I didn’t want them to get involved. But the more I tried to keep him away, the closer it seemed we became. So I sighed and rubbed my face against the back of my hand.

  “Fine. Be stubborn. Just don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Jonah dismissed me with a wave of his hand. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve seen worse.”

  Yet when he turned his attention back to the passing fields, I could see his expression. Jonah Rowe may be a big-deal Eleventh Percenter, and he may be able to access a part of his brain that the rest of us couldn’t. But he’d never faced the flavor of crazy that was my life.

  I was sure of it.

  ***

  We pulled up to the front of the Covington Mansion some five minutes later. I was sure it had been a sight back in its heyday. But after years of neglect, the old house just looked sad. The windows that hadn’t been shattered were boarded up. The granite exterior was a mottled mix of gray, black, and mold. Three stories rose up, topped off by a rusted weather vane bent by the wind.

  “What is it about this place?” I muttered to myself as I stepped out of the car. “Why is Elliot so determined that I come here?”

  “What?” Joey took off his headphones as he stood beside me. He whistled when he took in the same view I was seeing. “Classic, Evie. This episode is going to be classic.”

  “Right.” I shook off the chill running down my spine. “Maybe we’ll win you another award, Joey.”

  He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at me as he rushed to get his equipment out of the back. Cyrus and Jonah came up to flank me on either side.

  “This is the glitz and glamour of what I do, Jonah.” I snorted. “Exotic places, beautiful faces—”

  I let my voice trail off when I realized that Jonah had turned pale. He was still wearing his sunglasses, but I could tell by his expression that he was unnerved. Cyrus had picked up on it too.

  “Rowe, are you alright?”

  Cyrus regarded him over my head. Given the events since we’d landed in Rome, my keeper was on high alert. So I wasn’t surprised that he had tensed up by my side. For his part, Jonah shook his head.

  “It’s nothing. Where’s the owner you were supposed to meet here?” />
  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “We’re only a day late. Maybe he got tired of waiting.” “Cute, Superstar.”

  I chuckled. “I thought so. Come on. I want to go check this place out.”

  I started across the lawn when Cyrus placed his hand on my shoulder to hold me back. He turned me towards him, and I could tell he was scrutinizing my eyes. They had shifted back to gold the moment Jonah had broken contact with Elliot, but it didn’t sit well with my keeper that my abilities were fading in and out at random.

  “I’m fine.” I pressed my hand against his cheek as I stressed my words. “Promise.

  I’m even all healed up from my fight with the Shades.”

  Cyrus didn’t have the chance to respond. I turned on my heel and marched up the steps. The place was encircled with a large front porch, but I had to be careful when I crossed it. The boards were green with rot. I started to warn the others when I heard a crack behind me.

  “Dammit.” Jonah grunted as he jerked his leg free from the hole he had made. “You couldn’t investigate a place like the Hyatt, could you?”

  “Nope.” I turned back towards the ornate front door to see that it was standing open. “Wait, what?”

  “What’s wrong?” Joey had joined us, shifting his camera up to his shoulder. “Why are we all hanging out on the porch?”

  “The door just opened.” I frowned as I peered inside. “Maybe Frederickson is already here.”

  “Frederickson?” Jonah was dusting the dirt off of his pants leg. “The owner?” I nodded. “Robert Frederickson. Bought the house at an auction back in 2012 as a tax haven. He contacted Theia Productions to do a show in the hopes that the exposure would help him dump it.”

  “Stay here.” Cyrus stepped past me and over the threshold. “It could be a trap.”

  “Or just an empty old house full of spider webs and broken furniture.” I offered up then shrugged as they all turned to stare at me. “It was worth a shot.”

  Cyrus ignored me as he disappeared inside. Joey sat his camera down then knelt beside it to fiddle with the buttons on it. Which left me and Jonah with nothing to do but wait.