“The Call?”
“You know, when witches are summoned to help one of our own.”
“Oh, yeah. That Call.”
“Gina and I didn’t go to the meeting, but our mother did.” She checked my chest and frowned. “You don’t wear an amulet of your coven?”
She was a talker. “I don’t belong to a coven. Do you?”
“No. We are just novices. Mom is a Seidr rep. We come from Ireland. What branch are you representing?”
She also asked way too many questions. Good thing I was good at making up stories. It was the way I’d survived high school as an Immortal in love with a Valkyrie. “My mother is local witch, and I’m still a novice, too.”
“You’re powerful for a novice.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I felt your energy the moment you entered the library. I recognized it from the bathroom a few days ago. How many of you are here? Have you met the others?”
“There’re just a few of us, and no, I haven’t met the new arrivals except you and Gina. Have you?”
“Mom won’t allow us to attend the meetings, but we’ve seen them around town. Each group wears a special amulet.” She pulled out a necklace from under her top and rubbed the white surface as though drawing strength from it. It was pretty with an intricate Celtic triquetra knot and a green agate core.
I could learn a lot about her family and the Call by touching it.
“Your amulet is pretty,” I said.
“Thank you.” She turned it. “It’s for good luck. I’ve worn it for as far back as I can remember.”
I leaned in for a closer look. “Is it made of rock?”
“No. Ivory. It’s much smoother than a rock.”
“Step away from her,” a voice growled from behind me.
Gina had arrived. I turned and smiled. Blaine was behind her. “Hi, Gina. I’m Raine—”
“Step back,” she snapped.
I pressed against the shelf and Rita scurried past me to her sister’s side. They reminded me too much of Maliina and Ingrid. The sweet sister and the aggressive one. The Irish accent didn’t help either.
“She’s one of us, Gee,” Rita said. “I mean, her mother is a local witch.”
Gina moved closer, her eyes narrowed. Blaine gave me a thumbs up, then propped his arm on one of the shelves and dislodged a few books. The sisters glanced over their shoulder and frowned. Blaine was still invisible. Grinning, he moved a few books. What was he doing?
“Did you do that?” Gina asked.
Blaine nodded, and I went with it. “Yes.”
“You can move things without incantation?”
“Can’t you?” I asked.
Instead of answering, Gina asked, “Why have you been watching us?”
“Oh, you noticed that. I wanted to confirm you were the ones singing the Seidr song,” I lied again.
Gina frowned. “The friends you hang out with, are they witches, too?”
“No, but you know what? You can meet them any time. They are cool with all this witch stuff.” Big lie.
“Well, nice to meet you, Raine Cooper.” Gina stuck out her my hand.
Our hands connected, and she started to chant. Her voice grew faint. Gina, Rita, and the bookshelves disappeared. Oh, crap. Another vision.
I was at a clearing in the middle of a forest with a ring of people. It was dark, except for the light from a fire smoldering in the center. No one moved or said anything. The silence was kind of spooky.
I grinned as something else registered. I could see clearly. The faces. The trees. The fire. For the first time, my vision was clear, and I knew it had something to do with these witches.
I moved until I was close to the ring. There was an old woman in the middle of the ring. She represented everything I’d read about witches. She was old, wore a hooded cloak, and carried a long staff. The top of her staff had a green jade stone like the one on Rita’s amulet.
“Thank you for coming, daughters and sons of old religions,” the old woman said. She spoke with a heavy Irish accent. “It’s not often we come together, but then again, it is not often we all receive the same vision, a Call from one of our own. The Call has been received by our people across the globe, not just Europe. I stand before you, not as your leader, but as the oldest practitioner of the Old Religion of the land. Madam Svietlanova is holding a meeting in Kiev, Shaman Istaqa in New Orleans, Hsu Cheng in Shanghai, Sangoma Ziga in Lesotho, Machi Mariella in Santiago, Karadji Yallan in Brisbane…” She continued to list names and places. “We must answer the Call.”
“What if it is a trap?” a man called out.
“That is why we are sending a few of us to see if we support the Call or not. As usual, we’ll use people they cannot suspect. People who can blend in.” She looked at a woman standing to her right. There was something familiar about her. “Stefania, your daughters speak English. You will go with them to America. People rarely suspect a mother with children, and your girls are powerful. A change of scene might be good for your Rita.”
My hand was still clenched. Even though I couldn’t see Gina’s hand in the vision, I knew I still gripped it. All I had to do was let it go and the vision would disappear. It was the one thing I’d practiced every night in the last two days. Control over whether I saw the past, present, or future was something I still needed to work on.
I let go of Gina’s hand and the scene faded. Two faces came into focus. Gina and Rita. Arms were around me. I turned my head and smiled at Blaine, who was no longer cloaked.
“I’m okay,” I reassured him.
“But your eyes are still…” he said.
“Glowing,” Gina and Rita said at the same time. There was awe in their voice.
“They do that when I get a vision,” I said and glanced at my watch. “We’re going to be late for class. Nice to meet you two. I hope we get to talk later.”
“You are… not just a witch,” Rita whispered.
“She’s a Spákona,” Gina said.
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I went with it. “Yes.” I grabbed Blaine’s arm. “Let’s go.” But even though I was thrilled I’d finally seen a clear vision, one worry nagged me. Who had called the witches to Kayville?
“Do you want to borrow my sunglasses?” Blaine asked, dangling a pair.
I stared at him blankly. “What?”
“Your eyes. People are staring.”
Oh crap. “Thanks.” I took his sunglasses and slapped them on. If anyone saw them and asked later, I could always say I was wearing contacts.
***
Mr. Zakowsky was talking about the upcoming concerts and performances at Kearns Theater and Walkersville University we should attend to get extra credit, while all I could think about was witch and Seeress stuff. A few months ago, I’d been worried about Norns and Valkyries. It was always something.
“Cooper!”
I looked up. Everyone in class was staring at me. “Yes?”
“You’ll be first chair next Thursday at the performance.”
I nodded. We had only three oboe players in the band, me included. I’d stopped taking private lessons last summer, but I was still ahead of the other two when it came to technique and mastering new pieces.
As we put our instruments away, my thoughts went back to my brief meeting with the Irish witches. Who could have issued the Call? And why?
“Raine, wait up,” Heath called across the room. In addition to playing football, he also played sax in the band.
“I heard Torin’s not around.”
“He went home. Family emergency.” That excuse was getting old. Every time Torin disappeared, I always used it. I picked up my Oboe case, and we left the class. “He should be back today.”
“I hope he makes it to the club tonight. It’s not really Sloane’s birthday party. The cheerleaders are throwing us a party for winning state, and it won’t be the same without the QB. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
I smiled. “How come yo
u know about it?”
He grinned. “My girl is a cheerleader. If he makes it tonight, bring him to the club. We won’t be done until the club closes at one.”
While he headed toward the front entrance, I went to get my backpack. Andris was charming a girl by my locker. Not just any girl. Sarah Lee Jepson, the co-captain of the volleyball team. She braced herself against his chest, reached up, and whispered something in his ear before walking away. He stared after her.
“Another conquest?”
“They can’t get enough of this.” He indicated his body. For someone who didn’t like sports, he tended to go for sporty girls. I put my folder and books in the backpack and locked my locker. “Why the long face? Missing Torin?”
With every breath. “No. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
He peered at me. “Liar. I told you, think of me as his substitute. I’m good for hugs, kisses, booty calls, crying, and chucking things at when you’re pissed. And not necessarily in that order.”
I smiled. He was a hoot and a half.
“That’s better.” He dropped his arm around my shoulders, turned his head, and whispered, “He’ll be back. You’re too important to him for him to do something stupid.”
“What do you mean?” I wiggled out of his embrace. “You keep dropping hints without giving me real information. Is he meeting his cousin as himself?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
He pressed a hand on his chest. “You wound me.” Then he smirked. “Let’s just say he looks nothing like the present Earl of Worthington or his predecessors, so they’ll never suspect anything.”
So Torin was meeting his relatives. That seal must really be important. We headed toward the foyer. Ever since I saw the guy in my vision, I’d scoured the Internet for everything on the Earl of Worthington. Alexander Sinclair d’Arques looked nothing like Torin, and neither did the previous earls, whose pictures were online. There were a few blue eyes here and there in the family, but nothing like Torin’s sapphire blue. Sandy hair to various shades of brown seemed common among them. No pitch-black wavy and silky hair like Torin’s, which sort of made sense. Torin and James never had children, and their father had been illegitimate.
Andris stopped making goo-goo eyes at some girl and said, “You are stressing again.”
I rolled my eyes. “Since when did you become Mr. Perceptive?”
“You bite your lower lip and a weird line appears between your eyebrows. If you were Mortal, you’d grow facial lines by age thirty.”
I laughed. With Andris, either you take him seriously and get offended or you shrug him off. “What do you do? Watch my every action?”
He shrugged. “You forget I was interested in you once upon a time.”
“Seems like a long time ago.”
“I remember it like it was yesterday. What did Heath want?” Andris asked as we left the building. “If he’s hitting on you, I’ll have to rearrange his face.”
What an idea. Students were everywhere. Some headed to the school buses while others hopped in their cars with friends or on their bikes. Those who lived closer walked away in groups.
Oregon was a green state. We took recycling and keeping the environment clean seriously. When the weather was good, we had more bikers than drivers on the road. Gina and Rita stood under a tree as though waiting for something or someone.
“Hey, did you hear what I just said?” Andris asked.
“Rearranging Heath’s face? I heard. You hate fighting, Andris. Besides, you’d have an unfair advantage. Isn’t that why you don’t play sports?”
“I don’t play sports because I hate sports. Doesn’t mean I can’t teach him a lesson for poaching. If I hit like a girl, I bet I would only break his jaw and nose, and maybe knock out a few teeth.”
I didn’t need the visuals. And why was he such a misogynist? I punched his arm.
“What’s that for?” he griped.
“You’re an idiot.” He smirked as though I’d complimented him, and I knew he was only trying to cheer me up. I missed Torin and was really worried. To take my mind off him, I explained about tonight’s party.
Andris pressed the remote and unlocked the SUV. “Torin already knows about it, but he wasn’t planning on going.”
“Why not?”
“Because the love of his life hates the place.” He shuddered. “This is why I’m never falling in love again. You become a total idiot, co-dependent, and sappy.” He threw our backpacks in the back. “Heath kept texting him. Unfortunately—”
“He left his cell phone at the mansion,” I finished. I shouldn’t have pushed the impossible man to get a cell phone in the first place. The only machines he liked were those he could pull apart, alter, and put together again. “I’m worried about him, Andris.”
Andris’ expression grew serious. “I know. He should be back tonight.”
Something in his voice said he was worried, too. He’d never admit it though. It was like a guy code or something.
“I’m going to look for him if he’s not back tonight,” I said.
“Starting where?”
“London at his, uh, whatever the earl is, uncle’s or cousin’s.”
“I’ll tag along.” He was definitely worried. “To keep an eye on you, of course.”
He was sweet and very transparent. “Thanks.”
Across the parking lot, Rita and Gina entered a blue car. They didn’t drive away. Instead, they watched us. Were they seriously considering tailing us?
“Have you talked to Blaine?” I asked.
“I try not to talk to the guy. In fact, I often pretend he doesn’t exist.”
Drama queen. “Didn’t you send him after me during lunch?”
“No.” Andris gunned the engine.
I patted his shoulder. “You’re sweet.”
“I know.” He backed out of the parking spot. Gina pulled out, too. They stayed behind us.
No matter how hard I tried to act indifferent to Torin’s disappearance, I couldn’t stop my thoughts and feelings. What if he was hurt or was in trouble? Once again, I tried to distract myself. “We have witches at school.”
Andris shuddered. “I was hoping Ingrid was wrong. She said someone’s been singing witchy songs.”
“They’re not just at our school. They’ve come from all over the world to meet right here in Kayville. They supposedly answered a Call.”
Andris groaned. “Crap.”
“You know what that means?”
“Oh yeah. When a Call is issued, witches come out in droves. It takes something big for that to happen. The first time I saw it was at the beginning of the witch-hunt. There’s, like, a secret council of Old Religion elders, and each region is represented. They hold meetings and warn their people if something big is going down. Most went underground after the meeting about the witch-hunts and kept their practices hidden. The defiant ones didn’t and were busted, tortured, and burned.”
“There’s no inquisition right now, but they’re here waiting for, I don’t know, orders or something. Who could have summoned them and why?”
“In my lifetime, I’ve heard of only several Calls, and in each case witches’ lives and their practices were threatened. It’s obvious why they’re here.” He pulled up in the parking lot behind the Mirage, parked, and turned to face me. His expression was serious. “You. You are about the most unusual witch to ever walk this earth and someone somewhere told them about you. Either they’re here to see you and pay their respects, or they know you’re in danger and have come to protect you. Either case, we should beat the crap out of the witch who issued the Call.”
My eyes followed the blue car as it pulled into the parking lot by the art center. “We don’t know any witches.”
“No, we don’t. Thank goodness.” He grimaced.
I guessed it was not the time to tell him about the two keeping tabs on us from the neighboring parking lot. He stepped out of the SUV and looked around. �
��Are you still being stalked?”
He laughed. “Yeah, I am.”
That derisive laugh told me he wasn’t. “So if you’re not, why the cloak and dagger?”
He peered at me. “The perks of being friends with you. Did you really think witches would come to town without us knowing about it? We sensed them and went on full alert. We just didn’t know what we were dealing with. Could have been Grimnirs. Actually, I would rather have Grimnirs than witches.”
I gawked at him. “You knew and didn’t say anything?”
He shrugged. “You didn’t need to know.”
I made a face. “Yeah. Whatever. See you at six.”
“I’ll leave when you are safe behind the desk and under Hawk’s watchful eyes.” He followed me inside. While he chatted with Hawk, I followed Jared who’d come out of the storage room pushing a box on a flatbed pushcart.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“New merchandize. I’ll show you.” He lifted the box from the cart, cut off the tape, and reached inside for a bubble-wrapped item.
“Oh, that’s so pretty,” I said, when he removed a gilded vintage vanity mirror.
“The free-standing ones go to the right, but ones like this one can be unsnapped so it sits on its handle.” He showed me the hinge at the base of the mirror, which transformed it from a hand-held to a standing mirror. “You want to put them behind the glass display case while I get the second box?”
“Sure.” Each mirror was bubble-wrapped, each frame exquisitely crafted. I knelt on the floor and checked the descriptions. Gothic cryptograph inlays. Classic Baroque. Vintage handle princess. I wanted one.
“What are you doing?” Andris asked.
“Putting mirrors away. Look at this. Isn’t it beautiful?” I showed him the back. “The handle bends at an angle, so it stands. I want to buy all of them.”
“Yeah. Whatever. You’re supposed to be learning how the business is run, not doing menial work. What’s next? Cleaning the floor?”
I hoped not. “Go away, Andris, before I tell Mr. Hawk.” Andris made a face as if to say “go ahead.” “Please, go. And you don’t have to pick me up. I can use the portal in the office and go directly home.”
Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series) Page 16