"But I thought you said the Coven made their home there."
"They did. I started the Coven, Poppy. It is time you know the whole truth and not just the half truths I am choosing to tell you."
Poppy looked at her father then, as if for the first time. "How old are you?" she asked. "Mom isn't that old, she's only forty something. . .how can you have been around all that time ago to start the Coven?"
He smiled. "I am older than I look," he said. "When I met your mother, eons after creating the Coven, I was. . .about three hundred years old I think, possibly older. I was a professor at the time, when I met your mother, working at Carleton University teaching mythology. When she left, I walked away from that life. When I met her, I lived that life so I could be with her, though to be in four walls like that all the time. . ." He shuddered. "I do not like it." He smiled again, "Now, back to the story, shall we?" Poppy nodded. "So I am older than I look. I am the one who built the Coven House, Poppy. I am the one who filled it with Witches and others like me, so that they would not know my loneliness, not know my pain and rejection. Your mother refusing to love me because of what I was put such pain in my heart, Poppy; I didn't want anyone else like me to feel that way again. Knowing about mythology as I do, I know that people like me exist, that Witches exist. I built the house."
"But how do you explain the energy, the House Spirit, the magic in the house? The spirits that died there, my friend Monica that was kept in a room. . ."
"I cannot explain any of those things. I built the house and started the Coven and left soon after. I stepped through a door in the basement, never to be seen again. It had been boarded up after I disappeared. I am merely a prophecy and my own myth now. I built the house so that others would not feel the rejection I felt, have a place to practice their magic, their craft away from the prying eyes of others."
"How could you just walk away?"
"Because, I have done that all my life, I suppose. The House soon fell to the Witches, there not being enough Shape Shifters, none actually. All the other Fey and those with odd abilities wanted to stay where they were, so I was happy to leave the house to them. The House belongs to the Coven, but I'm sure if you look at the original deed, my name will be on it. I can't explain the spirits, the energy, because it was always there in the Fallen City. When I built the house above it, it seeped into the house’s walls, its windows. I was happy to fade away into the darkness and become a mystery."
There was silence after that. Poppy looked up and watched her father drink his tea. She took a sip of hers and felt its sweetness on her tongue. "I don't know what to say," she said.
"You are the first who knows the whole truth. There are other details, but we don't have time for that. I wanted you to know your roots. You came from me; we are the only Shape Shifters left in the world, Poppy. The woman who is taking the power from the otherworld knows about you too. She wishes to have you for her own, to use your power."
"How do you know this?" she asked.
"I know many things," he said. "We must stop her before Ashling ceases to exist."
"But who is the girl who greeted us? That's me, isn't it?"
"Yes, or a picture of you, a part of you. She's in your image. I created her."
"You created her?"
"I missed you so much, Poppy. I wanted a companion in the House when I first created it. So I created a being out of magic and shaped her into you, what you looked like when you were taken from me. Before I left and the Coven was set up, I told her what her job would be. To be a guide to those who came into her, to be an ally. To help, to assist. I created her so I would never forget the most important person in my life. You have grown into a beautiful young woman," he said.
Poppy shed a tear but smiled. "Thanks Dad."
"You and I were destined to meet, according to the prophecies. So I was not worried. I am sorry you had to wait your whole life to hear the truth and to meet me. I will not make that mistake again, prophecies be damned."
"Prophecies?" Poppy asked. "You keep mentioning those."
"The Coven houses the most extensive collection of prophecies. These have been made by oracles throughout time, or by wise men and woman. Predictions, if you would. The Coven has its very own Prophecy Keeper, a delightful woman named Lilly. You shall meet her; you two will get along very well."
"How did you get to become a wise man for a tribe of Fairies?"
He smiled at her again. "That is a story for another time."
There was a loud pop and they both turned around to see the House Spirit standing before them. "How did she do that?" Poppy asked.
"She is the embodiment of the House," he said. "She can go anywhere. Do not forget, we are still technically in the Coven House’s basement."
"Why didn't she show me where to go in the first place?" Poppy asked.
"Because you must walk your path on your own. That is the way it has always been. We all walk on our own pathways. Sometimes they merge with others so that others may come into our lives to enrich it. But we all walk our paths alone."
"Father, I have named myself," The House Spirit said when she approached them. "I named myself House."
Grant laughed. "That is a very good name. What is it that you wish to see me about, why have you come here? Is there danger?"
"I feel something. . .like the last time." Briefly House filled them in on what had happened during the attack on the house. "I am sorry I could not stop them," she said.
"It is not your fault, child."
"But I feel them again. . .they are close to the house."
"Then there is no time, we must go now." He turned to Poppy. "Get Alicia quickly. There is no time to waste. We must go before it's too late. I fear we're all in danger," he said.
Chapter Forty Five
Put to Right
It had taken a few days to put things right again in the House. Orlando was moved to his bedroom where David took care of him until he woke. He sustained only a few bruises and he was sore for a while, but other than that, he was fine. David was thankful; he didn't know what he would do if he lost Orlando again. Monica and Moe explained to everyone about the Fallen City underneath the Coven House and how they had stumbled upon it by accident.
"Nothing happens by accident in this house," Cecelia said. "Of that, you can be sure."
They had gathered in the attic after the attack on the house. Chip sat with Roz in her bedroom; she was tied back to the bed again and she was sweating. Cecelia went to her and felt her head. "Her time is near," she said. Chip nodded and closed the bedroom door behind them, letting Roz rest. They all gathered in the other attic room, so that they could all see each other.
"So do you think the House meant for us to find the city?" Monica asked.
"I would think this is so," Lilly said. "There are so many prophecies; it seems that nothing at all is by chance some days. I often believe in Fate and Providence. I think our lives are not under our control at the moment." She went on to explain about being the Coven's Prophecy Keeper and how she had lived below for decades, never before venturing above ground. "I was afraid that the world had changed too much," she said. "Fear can do a lot of things. But we are not in control of our lives at present."
"No," Naomi agreed. She passed around the tray of drinks that Cecelia had put together. Scotch and whiskey are always good for healing and storytelling. David sat on the small couch in the attic room with Lucia, Orlando resting in his room. Cecelia and Naomi rested on the floor pillows and Chip had made himself comfortable on his bed. Lilly sat beside Chip and Edgar was at her feet, lying on the floor. "I don't think our lives are ours at the moment either," she continued. "There is something at work older than us here. From the time Jethro died, strange things have happened."
"I can only think that his death was the catalyst that set things in motion," Lilly said. "The event that woke the House’s energy."
"But I wasn't living in the Coven House at the time."
"Never the less, we all s
eem to be connected by it, for whatever reason. It has brought us together, after all."
Naomi touched Lilly's arm. "I am so sorry that you were so lonely for so long. But what do the prophecies say?"
"Oh, a great many things. There are a few, however, that concern the Shifter you have told me about. There are many; I am sure we all figure into them some way. I am in the Prophecies." She said. "I think if we look, we are all in them. There is more to come, as well, this I know for sure. There is one Prophecy about a woman that will come to this House to cause it harm. That is all I can tell you. . . ." She sighed with frustration. "Prophecies are the most vague of things. It is quite bothersome."
Putting aside talk of prophecies, Naomi suggested they clean the house. "Cleaning is a good way to cleanse negative energy from your house," she said. They all agreed it would be a wonderful idea. And so they cleaned. David, and Orlando when he was better, put to right all the pictures that had fallen in the rooms. Cecelia and Naomi swept up all the glass from the windows that had broken and swept the dirt out of the house. Lucia washed all the floors in the house and vacuumed where there were carpets and Edgar and Lilly went around the house placing the fallen things back on shelves or in their place. As they cleaned, the House changed from a frightening place to their home again. Gone was the image of Orlando thrown from the door to the wall, gone was the darkness that had settled around them for the past month. It felt good to clean the house, to get rid of the slowness that had found its way into the walls of the house. David even opened all the windows, letting fresh air rush through the house’s walls. It took them four days to get the house in order again. Never far from their mind was the knowledge that the evil was coming, that they would soon be under fire. They enjoyed the quiet days while they could, knowing that the longer it stayed quiet, the more trouble they were in.
On the 28th of October, four days until Halloween, Lucy and David's parents, Honey and Jose, were over to help decorate the house for Halloween. They were hanging spider webs over every surface, hanging ghosts and Witches outside the door, carving pumpkins galore to light the walkway. Everyone was working to make the House spectacular for Halloween. What better house for Halloween than a haunted one? David had filled Lucy and his parents in on what had happened, what was going on. Honeys' reaction was expected. "I can't stand this house, this place!" she said, huffing. "It almost killed us, I can't understand why you are all living here."
"Because we must keep an eye on the House and its magic," Cecelia explained. "Otherwise, others may get into trouble."
"Well, you're all a lot nobler than I am," she said. "This place gives me the creeps." Jose hugged his wife and kissed her on the forehead.
"I just miss my daughter," Lucy said. "I haven't seen her for a month; the last time I heard from her, she was trying to find her father."
"I think she found him," David said. "She's been in the Otherworld forever."
"Do you know when she'll come back?" Lucy asked.
"Soon," Naomi said. "I can feel it."
"Sooner than you think!" Chip yelled down from the stairs. "Something is wrong with Roz!"
All of them rushed up the stairs to the attic to see Roz. She had been able to untie herself from the bed and was floating on the ceiling. She was clawing the stucco on top so that she was covered in white powder.
"SHE'S HERE SHE'S HERE SHE'S HERE SHE'S HERE!" she screamed.
She kept banging her head against the ceiling, clawing at the stucco; a chunk of the ceiling fell and almost hit Chip. They all stood outside the bedroom, looking in. He was the only one brave enough to be in the same room with her. Everyone was awestruck; never before had Roz been so tortured by her predictions. "SHE APPRAOCHES!" she screamed at them, tears slipping down her cheeks. "SHE COMES, THE IS ALMOST HERE!"
All of a sudden, she fell like a rock, hitting the bed with a thud. Chip ran to her and held her close, his hand on her stomach. She looked up at him, her eyes cloudy. "Oh, Chip. . . ." she said.
"Yes, baby?" he held her close.
"I think. . .my time is almost here. . .the baby is growing restless. . . ." She closed her eyes and went to sleep. The silence in the air was thick. "I wonder what that was all about?" David asked, frightened. They all froze when they heard the doorbell downstairs. They waited, hoping that whoever it was would go away. It rang again and then again. Whoever it was, they were persistent. "Oh, this is silly!" Honey said. "I'll go answer the door if you're all too afraid to." She stormed out of the room. Everyone followed her soon after, Chip staying with Roz in her bedroom. They all walked down the stairs behind Honey, stopping on the landing while she continued down to the front door. When she opened the door, she let out a little scream and fell to the ground. Standing in the doorway was Karma. She smiled up at all of them. "Hi, everyone," she said and smiled. "Have I missed anything?"
Chapter Forty Six
A Ghost from the Past
They all stared at her open-mouthed with shock. She continued smiling back at them. "Wow, is it ever good to be back," she said. "Do you have Star with you?" she asked. She stepped over the threshold of the house and a breeze rushed through the front foyer. It blew Karma's hair so that it wisped around her head. At their continued silence, Karma said "Come on guys, don't let a lady stand here, what's wrong?"
Finally, David spoke. "You're supposed to be dead," he said. "We went to your funeral."
"I know, I had to climb out of my casket," she said, showing them dirt-covered hands and dirty fingernails. "Have you ever tried to bust out of a casket?" she smiled. "I don't recommend it to anyone, messy work."
"Why aren't you dead, Karma?"
She looked at all of them. "Well, don't stare at me like I'm some kind of freak!" she said. "Hell, Orlando's been dead once, Moe is already dead but you aren't standing there gawking at him."
"I'm sorry," David said, walking forward. "I think all of us just want to know what happened."
"I'm going to need to wet my whistle for that then. Would that be okay?"
"Of course," Orlando said. "I'll go make us some juice or something."
"Something a little stronger, if you don't mind," Cecelia said, still staring at Karma.
"Sure," Orlando said and went into the kitchen.
"How about we all get comfortable in the living room?" Cecelia suggested. "That way, Karma can tell all of us her story."
"Can't a girl get a hug around here?" Karma said.
"Oh, of course, sorry. . . ." David said, hugging her uncomfortably.
"Why is everyone so glum?"
"You died, Karma. We all saw you die. . .we buried you. It's quite a shock to see you alive and well again," Honey said.
"It was quite a shock to me waking up in that coffin," she said. "Come on guys, it's me, Karma!" She looked at all of them. "Goddess, has all the time in this house made you all so jaded?" Orlando came out of the kitchen with a tray of glasses and a bottle of scotch. She reached for the bottle, filled a glass half full and drowned it in one sip. "Goddess, that's better." She smiled, motioning to the living room. "Are we ready?" she went in and sat down, leaving everyone staring after her. Slowly, everyone else followed. David and Orlando sat with her on the leather couch, Lucia and Naomi taking up space on the floor. Lilly and Edgar sat in the corner by the window, away from everyone and Cecelia sat down in the old leather arm chair. Chip sat on the arm of the couch, next to David. They all looked at Karma. Finally, Cecelia spoke.
"Maybe it's best if you start explaining things," she said. She looked out the window and saw the sky was an electric blue colour, all fresh and bright. Then why did she feel such dread?
"Okay," Karma said. "I'll try not to leave anything out. Is the jury ready?" she said to the rest of them.
"Jury?" Naomi said.
“I feel like I'm on trial here."
"You sort of are," Cecelia said her mouth a grim line. She looked around the room and saw that Edgar was watching Karma with narrowed eyes.
"Well," Karma said, o
bviously flustered. "The last thing I remember. . . ." and here she paused, her eyes rolling back in her head. "The last thing I remember," she repeated, "is the wall blowing out, before Poppy went into the house. I remember the rock flying at me and then darkness." She swallowed and continued. "And then. . .I awoke."
"Just like that?" Naomi asked, curious.
"No, no, it was more. . .an awareness in the beginning. That something was different. I didn't feel anything at first but I could SEE the darkness as opposed to feeling it. After a week, I was able to move my arms and legs."
"Weren't you scared being buried alive?" Lucia asked.
"It didn't register at first, that I had died," she said. "I didn't know I was alive again." She paused, as if for effect and then continued. "That was when I began to hear the birds."
"The birds?" Orlando said. "What were they saying?"
"It's not what they were saying. I just heard swarms of crows, cawing at me; their voices were harsh in the confines of the coffin."
"Crows?" Naomi looked up at that and regarded Karma with eyes like slits.
"Yes," Karma said. "Crows. They had come to bring me back from the dead."
Naomi had seen Poppy's shape in her mirror. She knew that Poppy's shape was that of a crow, though no one else knew; she also knew, though she could not prove it yet, that Karma was lying.
"What happened?" Lilly said. It was the first time Karma noticed she was there.
"I. . .I don't know exactly. I became filled with this. . .rage, this anger and was able to push and climb out of the dirt.
"All by yourself?" Cecelia asked.
"Crows are known to be spirits for the dead," Lucia said. "Remember the myths? The dead can come back if they have died wrongly, while travelling on the wings of a crow. . . ."
"That's just stupid superstition," Cecelia replied.
"Even so," Lucia said. "Crows have been known to give the person they resurrect great strength. Perhaps this is the case here?"
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