Dance With Death

by Becca Vincenza

  “Rowan?”

  Glancing up at him, a feeling of nostalgia crashed over me, filling me with a long-forgotten warmth. A feeling of home. Safety.

  “It’s all right, I promise. Thank you for grabbing these for me. I’ll need them to make sure I don’t overshoot,” I said with a smile.

  “You’ll be fine. Let’s go meet everyone downstairs and get some answers, shall we?”

  “Yuppers.”

  Indigo and I followed Cornelius, who had already disappeared down the hallway and was holding the elevator for us. Our floor only held our two apartments, which meant it was a short walk to either the elevator or the stairs. The industrial style made the glamour outside feel a little more real. What should have felt cold and sterile felt stylish and unique. Almost homey.

  We were silent on the short ride down, and when the doors opened to the lobby, Nix stood waiting for us. A reusable grocery bag sat next to his feet, and he held a blue folder.

  “Oh, presents for me?” I asked as I walked toward him. Indigo quietly growled behind me but didn’t say anything. Rolling my eyes, I crouched down and rummaged through the bag’s contents. The mallow I had asked him for sat on top, and I brought it to my nose. The scent was fresh and strong, and my powers flared at the closeness of the conduit for my powers. Placing it on the floor, I checked for everything else I might need. “The onyx in my blades should be enough to banish her if she gets feisty, but someone will need to hold them a safe distance while I try to summon her, or it’ll counteract the pull.”

  “We can discuss details on the way, but right now we should get going. Simon and Keller are out on another case, and I need to be back in time to hear their reports.”

  Nodding, I piled the materials back into the bag, tossed it over my shoulder, and headed outside to the waiting SUV. Cornelius took the driver’s seat, Nix took shotgun, and Indigo and I filed into the back. Nix handed the blue folder to me over the seat. As we rode through quiet streets, I read through the files. The information they had on her was slim.

  Cassidy Knox, a Curse Breaker witch. Another rarity of its own. When witches cursed another family, it usually started an all-out feud war. The coven she belonged to probably turned around and cursed the family who cursed them. It was a vicious cycle. And from what I knew of witches and mages, they could track each other’s magic. A girl I went to school with had been a witch, and she described it by saying each magic had a sort of flavor to it. When I explained to her that necromancers used a similar approach and could discern different scents for death, she stopped talking to me. Funny that.

  Cassidy was reported missing by her coven, but because Mystics often left their families or chose to leave to explore the world, missing cases were rarely followed up on. The only cases I knew people took seriously were those of missing Mystic children. Because of their extremely long lives, it was often the case that those children either lost touch with their families, or they merely forgot they existed.

  The date on the missing case file was from almost five years ago. By now, her family had probably given up. No marriage license was found through either the Mystic database or the human one. If this was the first victim’s wife, then why wasn’t he listed?

  There were small details scattered here and there about where she had supposedly been sighted over the years, but nothing concrete. The fact that Mystics moved often and frequently to avoid scrutiny from humans didn’t help.

  Though I was disappointed by the lack of details, her name would be enough to summon her. I just hoped the name of her family was still Knox and that it hadn’t changed. It would help me connect to her. The car slowed, and I peeked around the headrest to see where we were. Woods surrounded us, and the car bumped as Cornelius pulled off to a dirt road. Indigo sat close by, and with each bump of the vehicle, our legs jarred against one another, eliciting fresh flares of heat throughout my body.

  “Where are we?”

  “I own this property, which we use to escape the city,” Nix explained. “It’s technically in the city limits, but far enough away that we have our privacy. Is this sufficient?”

  I thought of the night Indigo took me to a cabin he used as a hideout in the middle of the forest. We had worked together then to summon a ghost, as well.

  “Yeah, this is good.”

  “I brought paper for you to draw your runes on. It’s in the bag,” Nix said.

  “I can draw in the dirt.”

  “Good, then let’s go. Cornelius will take your blades and remain a safe distance away. Indigo and I will stay by your side. Throughout your exchange, I need you to repeat every word she says back to us. I will prompt you with questions.”

  “That isn’t necessary. You can talk to her as if she’s there. She can hear you.”

  “Good, that will cut out time. Let’s begin,” Nix said.

  We began our walk into the forest. Though it was still morning and the sun shone brightly over us, the leaves and trees blocked out most of the light. The chill in the air was more prominent, and I tugged the sleeves of my hoodie over my hands.

  “Are you cold?” Indigo asked, concerned.

  “Nah, I’m good.” I forged ahead, Indigo staying close, his warmth helping me fight off the chill. Once we’d gone a fair distance into the forest, we slowed down until Nix looked back at me for confirmation. At my nod, we stopped.

  It took me a few minutes of preparation. My fingernails were caked with dirt after drawing the runes that I’d copied from the Tome. There were a few I hadn’t used before, and my magic surged as I drew them. The earthy scent that drew me forth filled my nostrils, and I settled on my knees and whispered her name.

  “Cassidy Knox, witch of the Knox coven, come out of the dark and visit us here on the earthly plane.”

  Magic crackled between my fingers as Control Lines sparked to life.

  Chapter 18

  Reaching into a void of existence, the Control Lines sought the name I whispered over and over, and the runes around me sparked to life with my magic. As the tugging began, I felt the vibrations through my Lines, reverberating up my arms. The strings tightened as if there was magic holding her back. With a snap, I felt whatever hold was keeping her away break, though my shared tattoo with Abel remained quiet. No flares. Breathing deeply, I glanced up.

  Floating in front of me was Cassidy Knox, her neck twisted and snapped in half. Well, that certainly wasn’t how we found her. But that wasn’t to say her killers didn’t correct her neck to make the humans believe she’d died in a different way. The exposed parts of her skin were riddled with holes, some still leaking pus, others blood.

  “Help...me...,” she croaked, her words garbled in her throat.

  Unable to tear my eyes away from the macabre scene before me, I announced to the others, “All right, she’s joined us.”

  Indigo moved a little closer, and I didn’t realize how cold I’d gotten until his heat penetrated my skin. Breathing a little easier, my gaze drifted over her again.

  Is that what would have happened to me if I had been given to the vampires? If Indigo and the others hadn’t saved me? A shiver went up my spine.

  I heard the soft rustle of fabric as Indigo draped his body-warmed coat over my shoulders. His woodsy scent filled my nose, and I patted his hand that lingered on my shoulder. It was both a thank you and a reminder that I was safe. I vowed to find the people who did this to her. They would pay.

  My powers flared at my emotional spike, and I cringed as I felt my Lines spiderwebbing outwards and latching onto the carcasses scattered throughout the forest.

  “Cassidy, we are here to try and discover the circumstances surrounding your death,” Nix said.

  A chilly breeze swirled through the trees, and Cassidy turned her steely gaze to Nix. I didn’t think she appreciated Nix referring to her brutal demise as a death, but he couldn’t see what I could. When we found her, she only had a few puncture wounds. At least, that was according to Kayana’s reports.

  “He can’
t see you like I can. But I will relay to them everything we discuss. I wanted to tell you that I spoke to a man who said you were his wife. However, when we went through your records, there was no record of a husband.”

  Cassidy’s features crumpled as she took in a shuddering breath. “They killed him,” she sobbed. “They found out about us and killed us both. We weren’t supposed to, but...”

  “All right, slow down. Who were they? Can you tell me a little more about why they killed you both?”

  Cassidy breathed in and glanced up at me from the awkward position of her crooked neck.

  “Do you know how to right yourself?”

  Cassidy took a moment, and the snapping of her bones made me cringe and flinch. I was envious of the others since they didn’t have to listen to it. After straightening herself, she blinked as if she was seeing clearly for the first time in a long time.

  “Can you tell me who the necromancer is who controls you?”

  “No. No.” The hesitant, scratchy voice told me what she couldn’t. Whoever was controlling Cassidy allowed her to come to me but with limited information. With the stilted way she spoke and the way she avoided eye contact, I wondered...What information could she give me?

  “Can you tell me who killed you?”

  “My owners. They killed us both. He was purchased a couple months after I was, but we were often kept close together. We fell in love, but we had to keep quiet. He was mine as much as I was his. Then they found out...through my blood.”

  “Found out what?”

  Cassidy touched her belly, holding it as an expectant mother would, and I realized how the vampires learned about her relationship. Bile coated my throat, and my magic flared, tightening my holds on the carcasses of the animals around us. I felt them skittering closer to come to my aid.

  “Tell me about the auctions. Do you remember anything about what happened before?” I asked.

  The werewolves around me shifted uneasily, and Indigo touched my shoulder. I heard it too, the scurrying of the undead as they came closer. It was getting harder and harder for me to control myself when my emotions took over.

  “I remember her haunted eyes, but then she touched my arm, and the world went black. Next thing I knew, I was standing under a spotlight, naked and completely exposed, and my magic bound. The binding magic was something I’d never felt before.

  “My line has been Cursed for many generations, and my great-great grandmother was the last witch in our line. She managed to keep the curse quiet from the rest of the coven. She was not from a very powerful line, and she worried they would disown her if they found out about the curse.

  “My great-great grandmother brought me into the fold by saying I was a distant relative’s kid who had been cursed and asked for me to be raised as one of their own. I don’t how they found out, but the ones who captured me knew about the lie, about everything. I was sold to a vampire coven. They...they ...”

  Cassidy looked like she was having a panic attack. Fear flooded her eyes, and she tightened her arms around her belly, cradling the life that no longer lived there. Rage pumped into my veins. They killed her and her child, and then the man she fell in love with while in captivity.

  “They drank our blood every day, multiple times a day. The vampires offered us to their friends when they visited, saying how ‘Curse Breakers’ blood is like a fine wine. Something you can only buy off the Black Market.’ Their joke, not mine.”

  Anger boiled beneath my skin. “Do you know which coven?”

  “No. They were very careful about that.”

  “Okay, hang on, Cassidy.” I relayed to Nix everything she said, leaving out the fact that she had lost her child along with her life. No point in making her go through that again. An angry ghost led to dangerous waters. My own turbulent emotions weren’t helping my anxiety levels as the scent of death slowly crept closer. My focus was centered on keeping Cassidy here as long as possible. The runes glowing with magic around my feet helped to center my energy; however, holding the others back was more difficult, requiring additional concentration I didn’t have to spare.

  “We need specifics. Any small detail would be helpful,” I prodded. “We know the Black Market exists, but the slave trade for Curse Breakers is difficult to pinpoint.”

  Cassidy glanced over at Nix before returning her gaze to me. “The magic that bound me tasted like fire, and there’s only one type of magic I know of that tastes like that—a wisp’s. Joel, my husband, said that when they brought him in, he felt the same kind of magic. Moments before they sold him, he caught a glance of the seller. A well-dressed man. Very posh...”

  Vampires didn’t use magic. They used their brute strength.

  “Where did the vampires keep you?” I asked.

  “At first, we were kept separately in different cells next to each other, but the couple of times they threw us in together, I think it was because they acted almost drunk on our blood.”

  I repeated everything back to Nix.

  “I believe we are done here,” Nix announced, half-bowing to the area I had been staring at. He was offering what dignity he could to Cassidy. I looked back over at her.

  “Promise me you will find the person who started this,” Cassidy beseeched as her power swelled. “I never want anyone to endure the powerlessness we felt trapped inside those cells. Never knowing when they would come and take us from each other, or what day would finally be our last.”

  Every word she spoke struck me deeper and harder than the one before. Unable to control myself, my powers grew as my conflicting emotions swirled through me. Hatred led the forefront, followed closely by helplessness that clung to my skin, coupled by the desperation I felt to do whatever it took to keep it from happening again. The calls of the dead became louder. The leaves rustled and branches snapped as carcasses trudged through the forest closer to me, beckoned forward by my ghastly siren’s call.

  “Rowan, calm down,” Indigo pleaded from behind me. His fingers touched my shoulder, but his gentle caress didn’t help. Nothing could bring me out of the vortex of memories, feelings, and utter helplessness.

  “Rowan, control your powers,” Nix said a little more urgently.

  My hold on Cassidy was threatened by a powerful tug. Refocusing my attention back to her, I tried to prevent her from being whisked away by the other necromancer’s pull. Agony crossed her features as two necromancers played tug-of-war with her soul.

  Gritting my teeth, my power swelled considerably, and I felt more Lines splinter outwards. Animals were significantly easier to control than humans, but my far-reaching Lines strained my mind and body. My determination to keep Cassidy here was overwhelming.

  I didn’t want her to endure a hellish afterlife, not after the significantly shortened life she led as a Mystic or the horrors she suffered in her final days. Our world wasn’t always roses and rainbows, but we strived for a mostly peaceful, happy existence.

  “Rowan.” Nix’s voice held a warning that shouldn’t be ignored, but I couldn’t, wouldn’t, let her go. My magic still pushed and pulsed through my Lines, calling the undead to me. The strain caused a headache to blossom in my right temple, but even so, I refused to let go.

  “What’s happening?” Cornelius’s voice joined the chatter around us. The sounds of the undead creatures were becoming louder. A small army was on its way to us. “Because there’s a small graveyard about three miles away, and the ground is moving.”

  “Rowan, you need to stop,” Indigo warned.

  Hmm. So that was why some Lines required more power than others. But if I release them, I’ll have to release my hold on Cassidy.

  “Give me peace by finding those who stole our lives away. Please, just let go!” Cassidy cried out.

  Only I could hear her plea. I could keep fighting to keep her here, and she could be with us until the end. She could cross over and not be forced to do the bidding of her captor.

  “Release me.”

  “Rowan, you need to let her g
o.” Indigo came into my line of vision as he knelt in front of me and brushed warm fingers over my chilled cheeks. As he wiped away the tears I hadn’t realized were trickling down my face, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

  “I can’t send her back to them,” I cried out in anguish. “Not after everything she’s been through. She deserves peace.”

  Indigo searched my gaze. Oh, so slowly, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. Pulling back, he wiped another tear away with the pad of his thumb. “You deserve peace, too. We’ll find them. Release her.”

  “But...”

  “Rowan, please...”

  It was the first time Cassidy used my name, and as my name tumbled from her lips, my power faltered. Seeing her hauled away for the second time flared my fear again.

  Indigo shifted on his knees so he was all I could see. Nodding, I drew back my magic, letting my hold on the animals around us go and untangling the web I had constructed around the bodies in the cemetery. Then, when the only thing remaining was my Line connecting me to Cassidy, I said, “Cornelius, I need my blades, please.”

  He walked to me and handed me one blade, hilt first, and took a step backwards. I motioned for Indigo to move back, so I could cut the Line that tied us together. It was woven so tightly that she was almost connected to me.

  Looking up at Cassidy, she blurred a little in the split second before I brought my blade down on my Line. I didn’t have the power to cut someone else’s Line, not when the ghost was tied to the other necromancer. Cassidy faded from view as the other necromancer pulled her back to them. Whoever it was, I would force them to break their ties with her. A tied ghost couldn’t cross over; not until the necromancer severed their connection.

  “We have to find the people responsible,” I said to no one in particular.

  “We will,” Indigo confirmed as he helped me stand.