The Returned

by Bishop O'Connell

  Wraith did so but still kept the other over her eyes. “Don’t ever let me do that again.”

  “Deal,” Caitlin said and shook a couple of tablets into Wraith’s hand. “Take those and drink the water. It’ll help.”

  Wraith swallowed the pills and sucked down the entire bottle of water in a few massive gulps. When it was empty, she dropped it, drew in a deep breath, and looked around. “How long was I out?”

  “Not long,” Caitlin said. “Just a few minutes.”

  “That was fecking brilliant,” Siobhan said.

  “It was fecking stupid,” Wraith said. “But we were short on options.”

  “That’s what I thought was impressive,” Siobhan said. “Not what you did but that you did it, and the why.”

  “How’s construction going, Doc?” Wraith said, obviously uncomfortable with the praise.

  “Just about done with the third circle,” Edward said.

  Caitlin noticed for the first time that Anna wasn’t screaming or pounding on the barrier anymore, and it made her nervous. She turned and felt a chill run down her back. The girl was standing stone-still, her eyes smoldering with dark purple flame and tendrils of the same stuff pressed against the barrier. As Caitlin watched, more and more of the things came to life and joined their fellows. It was almost better when she was screaming. Though she couldn’t explain how, she knew that in time, the girl—or rather the power inside her—would eventually break free.

  “And that’s three,” Edward said.

  Caitlin felt a stronger pressure settle over her and fought the urge to try to pop her ears.

  “That’s as good as I can make it,” Edward said. “But I don’t think it’s going to hold her for very long. We need a plan.”

  “How long do you figure we have?” Caitlin asked.

  Edward shrugged. “It’s a guess, but I’d say if we’re lucky, we might get a couple of hours.”

  “Whoa, what are you doing?” Caitlin asked as Wraith tried to get to her feet.

  “I’m fine,” Wraith said. “We don’t have time for me to just lie around.”

  Caitlin reluctantly helped Wraith to her feet. She wobbled once but stayed up.

  “Okay, maybe not fine, but I will be,” Wraith said. She looked over, and her eyes went wide. “Holy shit, Doc, that’s a hell of a circle! We’re going to need to swap some teaching when this is done.”

  “Thanks,” Edward said and smiled. “And that’s a deal.”

  Wraith walked over, slowly, and with Caitlin watching her—ready to grab her if she fell—began examining the circles more closely. “You’ve got them working together, connected like an archway. That’s freaking awesome.”

  “I could’ve done better with more time,” Edward said and looked around. “Or a better location, but this should hold her for a little while.”

  “Okay,” Caitlin said and tried to think. “We don’t have a lot of time, but we have some. Let’s use it to come up with a plan.”

  Edward looked at the girl, and Caitlin knew he was remembering when he’d been influenced by a similar power.

  “I had something like that in me once,” Edward said.

  “You what?” Siobhan asked.

  Edward looked down. “I was stupid. I cast a scrying spell without being inside a circle.” He sighed. “It left me open and—”

  “And it wasn’t your fault,” Caitlin said as she walked over and put her arm around him.

  “I’ll happily go toe-to-toe in a stupid-off,” Wraith said. “But for now I’ll just ask how you got it out.”

  “I took it on myself,” Edward said. “And won.”

  “Really?” Wraith said. “That’s it? You just kicked some big nasty out on your own?”

  Edward shrugged. “There was a little more to it than that, but yes.”

  “Damn,” Wraith said and smiled. “That’s seriously badass.”

  Edward smiled, and Caitlin found it made her smile.

  “In all fairness,” Edward said, “it hadn’t even been there a day for me.”

  The room shook, almost causing everyone to fall. They all looked to Anna, still standing as still as a statue, but now there was something shimmering around her. As they stared, the innermost circle’s chalked symbols started to turn black at the edges. Anna smiled, and it was not a human smile.

  “I might’ve overestimated how long we have,” Edward said. “Do you have any ideas?” he asked Wraith. “I mean, didn’t you take on something like this before?”

  “Um, sort of?” Wraith said.

  Edward’s brow furrowed. “Is that a no?”

  “No,” Wraith said. “But it’s also not a yes.” She shrugged. “I took on this thing, or something like it, once.” She shook her head. “But I was packing a lot more power then. And I didn’t really banish it, or whatever we need to do. I just sort of stood against it.” She frowned. “And come to think of it, it kind of kicked my ass. But I held it off long enough for Rolf to come and lay the beatdown on its host.”

  “Rolf?” Edward and Caitlin asked together.

  “He’s an earth elemental,” Wraith said.

  “An earth elemental?” Caitlin asked.

  Wraith nodded.

  “Named Rolf?” Caitlin asked. “Like the Muppet?”

  “I didn’t name him,” Wraith said and rubbed her forehead. “I did help release the souls the Order had bound to themselves. But, uh, I think I sort of died to do it.”

  “Well, I’m voting that option down,” Caitlin said.

  “I appreciate that,” Wraith said.

  Edward started pacing and ran a hand through his hair, mumbling to himself.

  Wraith narrowed her eyes. “What?”

  “He’s thinking,” Caitlin said. “Give him a second.”

  “Okay,” Edward said and turned to Caitlin and Wraith. “I’m going to draw another circle and connect it to the others. It should work like a magical airlock.”

  Wraith nodded. “That’s a good idea. That way you don’t need to open the circle for me to take her on.”

  “What?” Edward asked. “No, you’re not, I am.”

  “No offense,” Wraith said, “but I’m pretty sure even with a low battery, I’m packing more power than you. You wouldn’t last with her.”

  Edward furrowed his brow. “I’m going in there.”

  Wraith narrowed her eyes. “What exactly do you mean, ‘going in’?”

  “If I can get inside her head,” Edward said, “I might be able to help her drive that thing out.”

  “No way!” Wraith said. “I’m not letting you or anyone else mess with her head!”

  Caitlin winced. “Wraith, I—”

  “No!” Wraith said and looked from Caitlin to Edward.

  Caitlin noticed Siobhan stepping over, and her stomach knotted.

  “We’re not the Legion!” Wraith shouted. “We’re not going in and screwing with her head while we try to ‘fix’ her!”

  “This is a little different,” Edward said.

  “Really? How?” Wraith asked.

  “First off,” Caitlin said, “he’s a psychiatrist.”

  “You want to put her on a couch and ask her about her dreams?” Wraith asked.

  “A psychiatrist diagnoses and treats neurological disorders,” Edward said. “It’s why you have to also be an MD. I have to discern if the problem is emotional or physical. Short of a neurologist or neurosurgeon, you won’t find someone who understands the brain or nervous system better.”

  Caitlin could see Wraith wanted to protest but was struggling for the words.

  “Secondly,” she said before Wraith could find them, “sometimes your only choice is between a bad one and a worse one.”

  “No,” Wraith said, shaking her head, but the vehemence from her tone was gone.

  Caitlin went over and put her hand on the girl’s cheek and felt tears. She lifted Wraith’s chin and looked her in the eye. “I’m not saying the Legion was right in what they did. I’m just saying somet
imes the choice isn’t black-and-white. Sometimes it’s dark gray and slightly less dark gray and you’re not sure which is which.”

  “We’re short on choices, yeah,” Siobhan said in a tone gentler than Caitlin would’ve thought possible. “The only other option is . . . ”

  “I get it,” Wraith said.

  “You don’t have to like it,” Caitlin said. “But we have to do it.”

  Wraith wiped her eyes. “There’s got to be another way.”

  “I’m open to suggestions,” Edward said and glanced back at the circle. A couple of the symbols were almost entirely black now. “But time is an issue.”

  “What about the voodoo queen?” Caitlin said. “Mama Toups.”

  “An exorcism?” Edward asked and shrugged. “I have no idea if those are real things or not. I suppose it’s possible, maybe.”

  Caitlin saw Wraith’s face go a little pale. “What is it?”

  Wraith shook her head. “Nothing.” She looked at Edward. “Do you think she’s got enough power to do it?”

  Edward shrugged again. “I didn’t get the feeling she was packing a lot of power. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I’ve learned sometimes how you use the magic matters more than how much you have to start with. It’s like using a lever to lift a heavy weight.”

  Caitlin saw the uncertainty in Edward’s eyes. “That’s if she’s willing—”

  “We have to try,” Wraith said. “It’s a less bad option than getting into her head. Right?”

  “We can’t just leave her here,” Edward said, motioning to Anna and the circle. “And it’ll take us twenty minutes at least to get to the Quarter and hope we find parking close by—”

  Wraith moved back from them, closed her eyes, and vanished in a small whirlwind.

  “Or you could just teleport into the middle of a huge tourist area,” Edward said and looked at Caitlin.

  Caitlin sighed and threw up her arms.

  “Just think of all this as training, yeah?” Siobhan said through a chuckle. “Won’t be long before Fiona is—”

  “You’re not helping,” Caitlin said.

  “I’m going to get that airlock circle drawn,” Edward said. “Just in case.”

  Caitlin started pacing and praying Fiona wouldn’t be like this as a teenager.

  Five minutes later, Wraith reappeared in a far corner of the factory with Mama Toups standing close. The old woman spotted Anna right away, and she approached slowly.

  “Please be careful—”

  “Hush now,” Mama Toups said to Edward. “I see where the circle is at. This isn’t my first time.”

  Wraith walked over to stand next to Caitlin and Edward.

  “Please tell me you didn’t just appear in the middle of the Quarter,” Edward said.

  Wraith gave him a flat look. “Yeah, I just stepped into the middle of Bourbon Street, then I started blowing holes in buildings while shouting ‘woo!’ ”

  Edward looked at Caitlin, but she just shrugged.

  “It was kind of a stupid question,” Caitlin said, then she turned to Wraith. “But you don’t need to be such a wiseass right now.”

  “No, I don’t have to be,” Wraith said and smiled.

  Neither Caitlin nor Edward joined her.

  “Sorry,” she said. “It’s how I cope.”

  Edward opened his mouth but didn’t get a chance to say anything.

  “You weren’t lying, were you?” Mama Toups asked Wraith.

  “No, ma’am,” Wraith said.

  “It’s a powerful and dark force in this girl,” Mama said.

  “Can you get it out?” Edward asked.

  “Darling, I’m sure going to give it a try,” Mama said.

  “I don’t know if you saw,” Edward said as Mama began pulling items from her massive handbag, “but the circle is deteriorating. I don’t think we have a lot of time.”

  Mama pulled out an unlabeled bottle of clear liquid, woven lengths of grass, a plate, and a plastic baggie filled with some kind of cooked meat. She carefully set the plate just outside the circle and dumped the food on it, then she took a lighter and lit the grass on fire.

  Edward looked at Caitlin then back to the old woman. “Do you think she heard me?” he asked.

  “She heard you just fine,” Mama said. “Ain’t nothing wrong with my hearing. I’m just busy.” Once the grass had burned a little, she blew it out, and it smoked like incense. Lastly, she produced a small glass from her bag and filled it with the clear liquid. The glass went next to the plate, and the smoldering grass on the other side. When everything was arranged, she stood, slowly stepped back from the circle, and closed her eyes.

  Nothing happened.

  “Mama Toups?” Caitlin asked.

  “I said I heard you,” Mama said, eyes still closed. “Time is short, but asking me ain’t gonna make this happen any faster.”

  “I’m sorry—”

  “Don’t be sorry, just hush now.” Mama stepped into the smaller circle and began singing in something that sounded like French. She raised her arms, palms toward the circle.

  Edward gave Caitlin a skeptical look. She felt the same way but knew how strange that was. She was married to a wizard after all, and a faerie gave her away at her wedding. It occurred to her it was probably some deep-seated prejudice, ranking Mama along the likes of psychics and other charlatans. Siobhan positioned herself against the wall and watched intently.

  There was a thrum in the air, and Caitlin felt the circle close. But whereas when Edward closed one, it was like shutting a bedroom door, when Mama did it, it was like slamming a bank vault door.

  “She’s like freaking Yoda,” Wraith said in a whisper.

  “Right,” Edward said.

  Mama sang louder and motioned to the offerings. The room seemed to grow a little brighter, or was Caitlin imagining that? The smoke off the grass began to swirl and dance. Then, as Caitlin watched, the liquid in the glass began to vanish, as if being drained away from below. Next, the food shriveled and disappeared. When the grass burst into flames, Mama went rigid and then started to shake.

  Then Anna went stiff, and for a moment, the purple flames around her shrank back from the barrier. The girl gritted her teeth and let out what could be described only as a low growl. Memories of a similar event flooded into Caitlin’s mind. She saw it all again, that night in Edward’s basement as he fought against Justin, the oíche he’d summoned to find out what had happened to Fiona. Without realizing it, she reached out and took Edward’s hand. He squeezed it, and some of the fear in her faded.

  “Can you see this?” Wraith asked with wide eyes.

  “What?” Caitlin asked.

  “She’s trying to pull the thing out of the girl’s quantum information,” Wraith said. “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen—shit!”

  Mama cried out in pain and crumpled as the innermost circle holding Anna erupted with purple flame.

  Wraith leapt over the debris and pushed her hands against the ground just outside the triple circle. Caitlin watched as the girl gritted her teeth and the purple flames snuffed out.

  Anna snarled, and her tendrils of flame began beating at the barrier.

  “I need some help!” Wraith said.

  Edward was at her side in an instant. “Amddiffynnent!”

  The fire flashed out again, and some of the blackened symbols turned back to white.

  “Siobhan,” Edward said. “Get Mama out of there.”

  There was a loud pop as the Fian crossed the boundary of the smaller circle and picked up the small old woman as if she weighed nothing at all.

  “Clear,” Siobhan said.

  Edward and Wraith both fell back, each of them gasping for breath.

  “What happened?” Caitlin asked as she went to check on Mama.

  “Whatever that was,” Wraith said, “it got the upper hand. Since the smaller circle was connected to the larger three, it decided to break out there.”

  Edward shook his head. “I mus
t’ve done something wrong. It shouldn’t have been weaker than the others.”

  “Is it sealed off, then?” Siobhan asked.

  “We’re back to where we started,” Edward said.

  “Is she okay?” Wraith asked.

  Caitlin nodded. “Seems—”

  “I’m fine,” Mama said. “But I’m gonna be sore for a week.”

  Edward and Wraith came over.

  “Help me up, child,” Mama said.

  Everyone did, not letting go of the woman until she practically beat them away.

  “Whatever that is,” Mama said and stared at Anna, “it’s strong.” She shook her head. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. I don’t think there’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”

  No one said anything for a long moment.

  “I guess that settles it, then,” Edward said. “I’m up.”

  “You got skill and power,” Mama said. “But believe me when I tell you, if you go in there, you ain’t coming out.”

  “I’ll go,” Wraith said. “It should be me anyway.” She nodded at Edward. “You’ve got Caitlin and Fiona. I don’t have anyone counting on me.”

  “Jesus, girl,” Siobhan said. “I’m right fond of you, but you need to pull your head out of your arse.”

  Wraith blinked at her. “I, uh, what?”

  “I get that you’re struggling with things,” Siobhan said. “But you can’t be so dense that you think no one gives a damn about you.”

  “No, I just,” Wraith said and shook her head. “I mean, sure, Brigid, Con, Sprout—”

  “Me,” Siobhan said.

  “And us too,” Caitlin said.

  Edward nodded, then turned to Mama. “What about the three of us together?” he asked, nodding at Wraith. “If we went in together, do we have a chance?”

  Mama shook her head. “Child, I got nothing left to give. Been a long time since I used that much hoodoo in one shot.” She narrowed her eyes. “Twenty years ago and I would’ve put that loa over my knee.”

  Caitlin couldn’t help but smile a little.

  Mama sighed. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” She touched Edward’s hand. “You two might be able to give it a whooping, but you need someone with experience in exorcisms to drive it out.”