Ascension

by Sable Grace

  “Several charms, then? One wears off, you put another on—”

  “Then Hades would have been alerted of the trespasser before the second charm could be used. Doesn’t make sense.”

  No, it didn’t. And Kyana didn’t know enough about spells or charms to work through it on her own. She didn’t like relying on others to figure things out, but Ryker might have been right. Maybe paying a visit to a Seer was the answer. Maybe then they could at least find out the hows and whys that would lead them to the right whos.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Kyana wrapped her robe around her still wet body and returned to her room. She peeked out her shuttered windows. Judging by the sky, she still had several hours of night left before meeting Ryker back at Hank’s. Hopefully, by then, she’d have a few answers.

  Kyana quickly dressed and slid on a worn pair of boots. She traded her water-logged flare gun for a fresh one and fastened her drying weapon belt around her waist before going downstairs to search for the others.

  “Hello?” she called out to the empty living room.

  She inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of the fading aroma of Haven’s supper and the soap Geoff had used, but their bodies weren’t there any longer.

  Slightly peeved that they’d gone ahead without her, Kyana left the house. She didn’t bother to lock the door. There was no need. Haven had a bazillion protective charms guarding their house. Better security than any lock or guard dog could offer.

  As she made her way silently down darkened streets, she stuck to the shadows. The Dark Breeds in St. Augustine had been contained a good deal—far less prevalent than they’d been a few days ago. Still, she wasn’t foolish enough to let down her guard.

  On St. George Street, muted lights filtering through blanket-covered windows caught her attention. There were still humans in the city. Humans who should have learned by now that light attracted those that went bump in the night.

  She made a mental note to let Ryker know some still hid within the combat zone. Maybe he could convince them to leave or join the others on the beach Below. It was the best she could do for them. They’d never willingly take help from her or her kind without someone they trusted to vouch for her.

  When she finally made it back to the Castillo, she fired the untested flare and watched her name light up the night sky. Eagerness to find a Seer and learn how their traitor had gotten into Hades’s realm quickened her steps. She needed to find Ryker or he’d be pissed to all hell that she was back on the case without him. But she really didn’t want to waste time looking for him. Finding a Seer would cause her enough delays. They were a rare breed. Only one in every thousand Witches was born a Seer, but at least one lived in this part of Below. She’d made a reputation for herself. But having heard of the woman wouldn’t help Kyana find her.

  She pressed through the fort to the portal that would take her Below, and after stepping through the magic, she took in the chaos around her. The streets were alive with night dwellers. Most, unlike Kyana, still kept the same hours Below as they did Above. Kyana didn’t understand it. Even if the sun was fake here, why miss a chance to see it?

  She turned toward Spirits to check on Hank’s progress, but caught sight of Haven exiting the herb shop next door and stopped. She smiled at her friend. Dark circles ringed Haven’s bloodshot eyes. She apparently hadn’t slept enough to forget about the hurt Drake’s lack of trust had caused her.

  “Where are you off to?”

  “To try out a new charm.” Haven reached into her sweater and pulled out something resembling a tea ball hanging from a long silver chain.

  “Attractive.”

  Haven rolled her eyes. “It’s a charm, not a fashion statement. It will help with that”—she looked around and lowered her voice—“that thing I’ve been practicing.”

  A smile bounced around Kyana’s belly before finally smacking her in the face. She knew exactly what Haven was talking about. Astral projection. Haven had been trying to master that skill for years, but since very few could do it, even fewer were willing to teach it. The talent was looked down upon by the Ancients—proclaimed too dangerous and too close to the boundaries separating white magic from black. Haven wasn’t a rule breaker, but this was the closest she’d ever come to being in contempt with the gods.

  “I thought you gave that up,” Kyana snickered.

  The last time Haven had attempted to project herself into the spirit world, she hadn’t been able to find her way back home and her body had lain coma-like for three full days. Kyana had been forced to get help from another Witch friend, Silas, to pull Haven back into their realm.

  “I gave up the casting bit,” Haven muttered, holding out the charm. “But this is the Charm of Nine Gods. It does the casting for me.” She let go of the giant tea ball and it bounced against her breasts, spilling bits of herbs onto her sweater. “Cost me my half of this month’s mortgage, but since our bank is probably shut down or demolished, I’m pretty sure it will be okay.”

  “Kyana!”

  Kyana spun around to find Geoffrey grinning at her from across the street.

  “Hey. Where’d you disappear to?”

  Haven waved good-bye as Geoffrey made his way over. Her eagerness to test out her new charm had Kyana uneasy. Someone should be there with her when she experimented with the damned thing.

  “Here and there,” Geoffrey said.

  “Have you seen Ryker? I need to get back to work,” she added, hoping desperation didn’t tint her voice.

  “Nope, but you’re not supposed to meet up again for a couple hours.”

  “How do you know when we’re supposed to meet if you haven’t seen him?”

  “There are much better ways of getting information besides talking to someone. More accurate too.”

  Kyana rolled her eyes and resumed her path down the street.

  Geoffrey fell into step beside her. “Where we off to, then?”

  “The Seer Nettles. Ever heard of her?”

  “Lass, you should know by now that I’ve heard of everyone. But you’re going the wrong way if that’s who you’re looking for.”

  He took her arm and led her down a back street, did a U-turn, and directed her down streets made up like a miniature neighborhood. Town houses lined the sidewalks, each with neat little porches and manicured lawns. Kyana had never had reason to be on the dwelling side of Below, and was taken aback by the normality of it.

  “Quaint.”

  “Too much like San Francisco for my tastes.” He pointed down another street. “That way. So why are we finding Nettles?”

  “Just have some questions I want answered.”

  “You make an appointment?”

  Kyana frowned. “Why should I?”

  Geoffrey laughed, the sound carrying over the whispers of conversations drifting from inside the homes. “Lass, you’d have an easier time of it trying to see the pope without permission. Nettles has a line a mile long out of her house every day.”

  Well then, maybe she was legit and would actually be of help. “I can be persuasive.” She studied him for a moment. “Did we miss anything exciting today?”

  “Apparently, four major cities in the U.S., along with London, Paris, and some city in Africa—Johannesburg, I think—are starting to rebuild. They’re ushering as many living as they can find to those areas.”

  “So what cities does the U.S. believe are clean?”

  “D.C., Miami, Seattle, and San Diego. Four corners, looks like. I think they’re trying to clean up Nashville now, to give a central U.S. safe point.”

  “So what, they expect to keep Lychen, Leeches, Shyfters, all of the Underworld’s pesky critters, out of these cities by sheer will?”

  Geoffrey laughed. “They think their military guns are powerful enough to kill what’s already dead. But hey, whatever gives them hope of living through another day. And truthfully, a wee bit of progress is being made. To think we might get rid of every loosed demon would be stupid, but we can clean up
enough of them to make this world inhabitable by humans again.”

  “Optimist.”

  A sad longing crept up Kyana’s chest. She was a tracer. She should be out there killing and imprisoning the bastards responsible for all this chaos. That she wasn’t in the thick of battle was disheartening, though she knew all the tracers’ captures wouldn’t mean a thing if she didn’t do her job.

  “Shouldn’t we let them know the relief is only temporary?” she said, stepping onto the sidewalk. “Those Dark Breeds we’ve thrown back are just going to climb out again if I can’t find that damned key.”

  They passed another row of small houses where an old Mystic was beating a dusty rug from her balcony, sending bits of debris into Kyana’s hair. She shot the woman a nasty look and scooted under the awning for protection.

  “Hopefully we can find that key before they get back out. According to Hades, the climb out of Tartarus is tedious. It would take days for one to get loose again.”

  “But the ones we caught a week ago have probably already— Wait, Hades? Since when do you talk to Hades?”

  “We’re here.” Geoffrey said, pointing to a pink two-story structure that looked like a gingerbread house. True to his word, a line stretched from the bright yellow door, down the street, in rows of three. At least a hundred people waited beneath the faux moon for the Seer’s door to open, even though the sign on the neon green porch railing proclaimed she would only assist souls between seven and seven, and there were more winding around the back of the houses.

  “What is she, a miracle worker?”

  Geoffrey shrugged. “Some say.”

  Kyana shouldered her way through the throng of Witches, Mystics, and whatever other sorts were in her way. People tossed curses at her like rotten fruit, but she ignored them and pushed her way through the front door.

  Chaos erupted. Three enormous Witches pounced on Kyana. Her warrior instincts kicked in; however, before she could throw so much as a single punch, Geoffrey had her arms pinned over her head and her back pressed to his chest.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she asked, struggling against his hold.

  “Saving you from being turned into a nasty little pond critter.” To the goon squad, he said, “Could you let the Seer know Kyana is here for a reading?”

  “She must wait outside until called upon. Like everyone else,” the Witch in the middle replied, pointing to the door.

  “It’s all right. This is the one I told you would be coming. Let her through.”

  The voice carrying into the foyer sounded like it belonged to a very small bird. Kyana craned her neck to see around the Three Stooges and found a very small, scrawny older woman blinking up at her.

  Geoff released Kyana and led the way into Nettles’s small living room. The Seer sat at a table surrounded by crystals and candles of every shape and size. Four incense burners, each with a bowl of brightly colored, finely ground powder next to it, formed a half moon around the centerpiece—an antique, golden-framed mirror.

  “What, no crystal ball?”

  The insult didn’t cause Nettles’s smile to waver. “I can retrieve the one I use to entertain the children at Halloween if it will make you more comfortable.”

  Geoff chuckled. Kyana shot her elbow into his ribs. “I’m guessing if someone had questions about charms and spells, you’d be the one to ask.”

  Nettles pointed to the chairs opposite her and waited for them to sit. “I’ve been expecting you.” She looked at the door, then back at Kyana. “One is missing, though. Should we wait for him?”

  Feeling uncomfortable under the Seer’s intense stare, Kyana got down to business. “What can you tell us about Illusion Charms and cloaking spells?”

  “Since I am a Witch, most likely a lot. What particular information are you looking for?”

  Kyana shot a glance at the Three Stooges, still standing in the foyer glaring at her. All it took was a nod from Nettles and the trio slid a door closed giving them the privacy Kyana wanted. “Is there a spell or charm that would allow someone to travel through Tartarus undetected by Hades?”

  Nettles shook her head. “Hades allows only one other to roam freely through his realm, but not even Hermes can enter undetected. If someone entered Tartarus, even with a charm, he would know it immediately.”

  If Hades had such tight control over his domain, how did this chaos happen in the first place? Unless . . . “If his powers are fading and a Chosen hasn’t been found and trained, would it be possible for someone to break in, then?”

  Nettles shook her head. “Maintaining the souls in Tartarus is too important of a task. Hades would’ve begun training his replacement long before his powers began to fade.”

  Kyana rubbed the back of her neck. “Okay, so there’s no long-lasting spell to get someone into the hottest parts of Hell. There’s no way someone could just ramble around undetected. Yet someone did make it into Hell and was able to use a key even Hades himself hadn’t known existed and get out again undetected. How is that possible?”

  The Seer lit the burners and sprinkled dust from her colorful bowls into the flames. The tiny bursts of reds and greens and yellows danced eerily in the mirror, mesmerizing Kyana. She didn’t know how long she stared into the glass before Nettles’s voice claimed her attention.

  “One not of this realm, but firmly rooted within it, walks through time. This one rules, but has no power. The key lies in the heart of the loyal. To uncover the hidden, you must find the one to which the blood flows.”

  Nettles sat back and closed her eyes. “You have what you seek.”

  “No, still just as lost as I was when I got here, but have a pounding headache thanks to the incense. Appreciate the help.” When she tried to stand, Geoff grabbed her arm. “What? That twitch behind your left eye says you got the same thing from her mumblings that I did.”

  “It is my duty to tell you what I see. It is up to you to determine what it means.”

  Kyana freed herself from Geoff’s grip and studied the Seer. “I know your kind talks in riddles, but do you think you could cut to the chase just this once and tell us what the hell that’s supposed to mean?”

  Nettles simply shook her head. “In order to find the truth you must look outside the circle to see the world.”

  “Think outside the box,” Geoff whispered.

  Kyana glared. “Yeah, that one I got.” But it still didn’t offer a single answer. All she’d done since taking this mission was think outside the bloody box. She was beginning to think the box was surrounded by nothing but a huge black void.

  “Okay, let’s break it down,” she muttered. “One not of this realm. A ghost? A ghost wouldn’t be from this realm, but rooted to it before death.”

  Geoff shook his head. “Wouldn’t work. A spirit could get into Tartarus, but it couldn’t use the key.”

  Kyana drummed her fingers on the table, replaying the first part of the Seer’s prediction. One not of this realm, but firmly rooted within it, walks through time. An image of Haven’s charm came to mind. “What about astral projection? That’s here, but not here, and the soul’s on a time limit when it’s out walking about on its own.”

  “Very few are left alive with the ability to perform such magic. It’s not taught or encouraged.”

  “Yeah, I know, the gods frown upon it, but is this why? Because the spiritual body can go undetected where other souls can’t?”

  “If that were the case, it would be law, not a recommendation.”

  “Bloody hell,” Geoff hissed. “Thought you were on to something there, lass.”

  “Yeah, me too.” But a part of her was relieved. The last thing she needed was for every Witch who had tried to cast the spell or owned a Charm of Nine Gods to be under suspicion. Hauling Haven’s ass before the courts wouldn’t make any of them happy.

  Kyana paced the small room, running all the possibilities over in her mind. A row of framed photos lining a low table caught her attention. The family resemblance was too st
rong not to recognize Nettles’s family through the generations. A cross-stitch plaque was positioned above the photos. Kyana recognized the language as Romanian and had to search her memory to translate. Alive in memory until we’re together again.

  Something Icky had shown Kyana burned through her brain. Cronos’s promise to return to his children. To live again. Dread settled in her belly like a boulder. Cronos was dead. There was no one alive powerful enough to resurrect him. So how could he make such a bold promise to the ones he’d created?

  She returned to the table. “Could a restless spirit cause this much havoc?”

  Nettles gave a small shrug. “Havoc, absolutely. But one could not perform the feats you’ve brought before me today. A spirit cannot grasp on to anything tangible. It is much like astral projection in that sense. Interacting with the physical world would be almost impossible.”

  Kyana scowled. “Almost?”

  “Well, certainly. But only gods are capable of such magic. It is how Zeus and others sired so many children with human women.”

  Dawning slithered over Kyana’s skin. “They possessed the bodies of men to seduce their chosen women.”

  Nettles nodded. “Yes. And to do so, they had to release their physical forms for a short time and enter the spirit realm before entering their host.”

  Geoffrey frowned, his blue eyes darkening. “What are you playing at, lass?”

  Kyana couldn’t contain her grin. “It fits. Not of this realm, but once was, now leaving them to walk through time. If this spirit is taking over another’s body, then they’d rule but have no real power.”

  “But only gods—”

  Geoffrey cut Nettles off. “I think you’re grasping at straws now.”

  Nettles shivered. All color drained from her face. “I sense very dark, very powerful black magic at work here.”

  “Dark indeed.” Glaring at Geoff, she silently willed him to catch on more quickly. “Only a god, Geoff. What god do we know who’d be willing to create so much devastation by unlocking Hell?”