Felix choked and I realized what she said.
“Um,” was all I could come up with even with the energy potion.
I didn’t know what to say, but Felix decided to stop being a wallflower. “Chrysie was murdered in the dorms.”
His deep voice rang out like bells in the silence of Martha’s kitchen. And then he heard himself and a sick expression covered his face. You could see the way he was berating himself.
I was too tired not to laugh. As soon as I started giggling, Chrysie joined in. The two of us stared at each other across the wide room with its wide-planked wood floors, multitude of random witchcraft items, and the scent of herbs that seemed to be growing out of sight.
“Look,” Elspeth said as she took her own bite of the cereal. “I’m here because the Hallow Council called me.”
I froze. Those jerks had tried to manipulate me out of my house, Martha. They were holding back the inheritance that was mine. And they were rude. And their lackey was in my house, eating my cereal.
“Mom,” Chrysie started, probably well aware of how angry I was. I suspected Chrysie could hear heartbeats, so she must know mine was racing.
“I’m not on their side,” Elspeth cut in. “But you need to know some things. They actually don’t have to give you the money until you graduate from college. Unless your mom takes it for herself and gives it to you.”
“She won’t,” I said. I didn’t need to ask Mother. She knew that they were giving me crap. She had seen it. And she hadn’t done anything. She wasn’t going to help even if I asked her. Well, she might. But she’d manipulate me and bring it up over and over and over and over again. And eventually, I’d regret the day I ever asked far more than I’d regret being poor for a few years.
But..I knew my mother. Why would I let Elspeth tell me she wasn't on the council’s side and believe her?
“What do they have to do with the trust money? Don’t they have to give me an allowance?”
“They don’t have to do anything,” Elspeth said.
Neither did she, I thought. I wanted to trust her. She was Chrysie's mom. But she was also a Hallow. And as far as I could see, Hallows were a pretty untrustworthy lot.
“The taxes?” I asked.
“Oh yes, those.” Elspeth nodded and took another bite. She reached so casually over to Chrysie and took her hand as she spoke. “They can’t let anything happen to the house. But they don’t have to pay for anything that they weren’t paying before.”
“Like the electricity and water?” Chrysie was the one who asked, but she’d been reading my mind.
Why had the Hallow Council called Elspeth?
"How long are you staying?” I asked Elspeth. Chrysie's eyes were heavy on me, and I knew that if Elspeth was staying in town--Chrysie expected me to let her mom stay here. And I wasn't sure that was a bad idea. I needed to know her motivations. And Elspeth probably didn't know how much Martha was on my side.
“A few days," Elspeth said.
And I made the only offer I could--after all--her family had taken my mother in when she'd had no one. And I was certain that my mother was as much of a cold fish as a recent orphan as she was now.
"You're welcome to stay here," I lied.
Elspeth nodded and Chrysie asked her mom to come with her into the front parlor. I watched them go, knowing that Chrysie would spend the morning comforting her mother about her own death.
“I’m going to bed,” I announced.
“Oh hey,” Felix said, as soon as the other two left. “Did you win the dare? People were taking bets.”
“If your bet was laid down on extenuating circumstances via dead body on the path, you’re a winner.”
Felix choked again. The poor guy. But I was too tired to care. I let those ominous words be my last ones and found my way to the bedroom of the defunct princess knight of the dead and undead.
CHAPTER 4
I woke to a knock on my door. I wanted to stab whoever was doing that in the face, but I thought it was probably a good idea to open it first to make sure it wasn’t someone who was stronger than me magically.
Felix stood on the other side looking sheepish. I looked down to make sure I wasn’t naked, saw I was in a cami and boyshorts and shrugged. I had been sleeping. He got what he got. Ratted out hair, blurred eyeliner, and all.
“Hallow Council types are here,” he said. “Elspeth said to get you.”
He handed me coffee and with the first swallow I felt the beautiful burn of my energy potion.
“I doubled dosed it,” he said and knocked on my door jamb once before leaving.
I took my time getting dressed. It wasn’t a power play. I wasn’t sure I’d make it down the stairs without falling before the energy potion kicked in.
When I walked into the front parlor, I found Dr. Hallow, Portia Hallow, Habitha Leone, and Finn. I raised a brow at him, but he didn’t betray a thought by the flicker of an eyelid.
“Hello,” I said. Dr. Hallow had risen, followed awkwardly by Finn, but when Dr. Hallow stepped forward to kiss my cheek, Finn slumped back into his seat.
“Take a seat, my dear,” Portia said gesturing to a high-backed chair that was a little offset.
I cocked my head at her and then waved a finger to draw one of the armchairs near the fireplace across the room. I placed it so that it effectively set me at the head of the figurative table.
I sat there and then leaned back and waited. That was very much a power play, but this was my house and they had my money. In the end, I would win. They had, at best, four years to play games with me. And then they would be unnecessary as far as I was concerned.
Portia cleared her throat and began again, “My dear.”
“My name is Rue Hallow. Miss Hallow is sufficient for you.”
“I beg your pardon,” she said, huffily.
“Miss Hallow. Veruca if you must. I am not your dear.”
“I must have forgotten we were dealing with a child.”
“No,” I said evenly. “You forgot that you were dealing with Autumn Jones’ daughter. I have been played by far more masterful manipulators than you. You aren’t going to use cliched condescending terms to assert your authority over me and I am not going to play your games. What do you want?”
Dr. Hallow snorted and Finn hissed, “Rue!”
Habitha shifted and looked disgustedly at me, but you really needed to care about someone for their disapproval to matter. I’d already learned this woman was a flunky and ineffective witch.
I lifted my brows and then said, “Well?”
“We’re here for the Talisman.”
I took a long breath in through my nose and let it slowly out through my mouth. I stood and then said, “You are welcome to leave.”
“That is enough,” Portia stood and faced off against me. “You will give us the Talisman.”
“I didn’t realize you were this stupid, Portie,” Elspeth said. “The last I checked incredibly powerful supernatural Talismans are not imprisoned by children who weren’t even alive the last time the Talisman was seen.”
I could stand up for myself. But I wanted to see what Elspeth would do. And where her allegiances lay. And then I had to immediately wonder if I could trust anything that happened here. What if it was all an act for my benefit?
Of the group, I was most inclined to trust Elspeth. Since she'd raised Chrysie and I had respect for Chrysie's innate gentleness and goodness.
“Then where is it?”
“I suspect,” Elspeth said idly, “it is either in the hands of enemies to the keeper or no one has presented a necromancy ability strong enough to draw it forth.”
Portia crossed back to her chair, crossed her legs, and said, “I don’t believe that for a second.”
“She’s right, Portia.” Dr. Hallow said, “There is no way that Rue could be hiding the Talisman. The council has discussed this more than once. As well you know.”
I reseated myself but no one except Finn seemed to notice.
“What things, Portia? Your manipulation of Veruca? Or did you have something else that you’re hiding from me?”
“Hiding from you? Why would I hide anything from you?”
“Wasn’t it you, Portia, who told me that St. Angelus was safe for Hallows? Where was the call to tell me that Chrysanthemum had been killed? Where was the call to explain that the school had determined to pay for her to be changed? Where was the call to explain your lies!”
Portia leaned back, uncrossed her legs, and crossed them again. She drew attention to her long slender legs and the spiked-power heels on her feet.
It was fascinating to watch them fight. They were family. But they were also my family. And yet strangers. Was this what all families were like? Was letting them fight in front of me, in my house, taking my power away?
“I was under the impression that your relationship with your daughter was sufficiently close for her to tell you herself.”
This time, it was Elspeth who stood, and I saw a resemblance to my mother that would have scared someone a little less experienced with my mother. Portia didn’t blink. But then Elspeth’s head slowly cocked to the side, her eyes flared red with power, and a wind appeared out of nowhere, sending her hair flying around her head.
“Control yourself,” Portia snapped with a bored tone.
“Portia,” Dr. Hallow said carefully. “Elspeth.”
But it was too late, Elspeth’s hand lifted and Portia gagged. She tried to do magic, but my wards and the layers and layers of wards on Martha from previous generations would never let one witch raise a hand against a resident of this house. Not inside of Martha.
And, of course, I'd invited Elspeth here this morning.
“Did you know that it would be unsafe for Chrysanthemum here?”
Portia’s head rolled back and forth as she tried to escape Elspeth. Finn jumped to his feet, but Dr. Hallow waved him back down. “Nothing you can do, boy. I doubt Elspeth will do serious harm.”
I could see Elspeth breathe. I could see her gain enough control again to speak.
“I assumed that a real Hallow would have been able to defend herself.” Portia was asking to be buried in the basement.
My eyes narrowed as soon as I realized what she said and I asked, “Like the two other Hallow girls who died?”
Elspeth hadn’t known about those, and the light that was burning from her eyes flared even hotter. She moved her hand and Portia gagged again. And then shrugged the power off. She couldn't fight back inside of Martha, but Portia wasn't entirely defenseless.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t burn you to a cinder right now?”
“Because you’re burning through your power and you’ll be an ineffective worm of a witch in seconds? Because you’re a second-rate Hallow and always have been. Because you were too stupid to marry well, so the reason your kid died is because you gave her normal blood rather than one of the powerful witches who’d have married you.”
Elspeth let Portia go, allowing her to fall to the floor only to keep her there. “You always wanted to be one of the real Hallow, didn’t you? What are you? Fourth-cousin, twice removed from the real line?”
Dr. Hallow snorted a tiny laugh and Rue wondered how many times he’d seen these two go at each other. He was, however, sitting very small, as if he didn’t want to catch their attention.
“Mom,” Chrysie said from the doorway. “I’m ok. I really am ok.”
“And what will happen to you if someone like Rue doesn’t brew your potion? Do you realize how hard it is to come by someone who can brew like Rue and Autumn? I doubt that anyone outside of Rue and one or two others in the entirety of the St. Angelus Thinning could brew that potion. You’ll go mad, Chrysie. The vampire spell won’t have had enough time to settle into you and you’ll go mad and die.”
Elspeth’s voice broke on the last word and then her fury renewed. She dropped her control of Portia and turned to Chrysie. “If they get the Talisman, they might hope that they can pass it to someone they can control like these two, but it would be Rue that it went to. And keepers die Chrysie. They die all the time. And then you’d go mad.”
“My mother would brew it for her,” I told Elspeth. “She’s cold and vindictive and cruel, but she really does love a few people. And I believe you are one of the few. I’ll give you my mother’s number. You can ask her. Nothing will happen to Chrysie.”
Portia was pushing herself to her knees on shaking hands. “Children are dying, Elspeth.”
For once Portia sounded human. For once she sounded like she cared. “I didn’t mean for anything to happen to your daughter. Or the other girls. Children are dying. Ask Rue. She and Finn found another body last night. The thinning needs a keeper. If we don’t do something, people will continue to die.”
For once, I kept all my anger and frustration out of my voice. “I don’t know where the Talisman is.”
It was a flat statement. I could see, in that moment, that Finn and Dr. Hallow believed me. Portia didn’t though.
Maybe she knew me and my mother too well.
“As long as you play the type of games your mother played, Ms. Hallow, people will die. And those deaths will be your fault.”
I stood and said simply, “You are not welcome here. Don’t come back.”
“This house belongs to the Hallow Family,” Portia snarled, “And we’ll take it from you.”
“This house belongs to the Hallow heir,” I shot back. “I am that heir. Chosen by magic, by the house, and by the normal rights of inheritance. The last owner was my mother. She is probably the only one who could take it from me. She might have allowed the Hallow Council to think they were in charge, but push her. Try it. See what happens. See who will win.”
I did sort of hate how easy it was to threaten people with my mother. I had called her when the witch cops had assumed I’d killed Chrysie. And it had changed our relationship for the good. But I wasn’t mistaken in the nature of my mother. She was a snake. I was—struggling to be something more. But I had to think when it came to ethical decisions. I’d been raised by a woman for whom anything was a consideration. I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to be something more. Something better. I wanted to be like my Daddy. I wanted to be like my former coven leader, Hazel. I wanted my magic to make beautiful things.
Portia stepped back at my threat. This woman knew Mother. But Portia realized in a second what retreating at my threat meant, and pushed forward again into my space. But Martha wouldn’t let her. The power of the house reached out and every step forward ignored all the laws of science and kept Portia the same distance from me.
“Hallow Heir,” I explained to Portia’s shocked face. I raised my brow at her and said again, “This is my house. That is my money. The Hallow Council might be able to prevent me from taking it myself. But you can’t keep it from my mother, and you’ll have no chance after I graduate from college. Enjoy your little power plays. They’ll soon be over.”
“This council,” Portia said, smoothing back her hair. She’d given up trying to intimidate me but hadn’t lost her snide coolness, “Does not exist at the convenience of the Hallow heir, whoever that is. And we’ll continue long after you try and fail to intimidate us.”
I smiled slowly and then said, “What’s that noise?”
I held my hand to my ear and then whispered dramatically, “Tick-tock. Tick-tock. That’s the timer running out on how long you can hold my money. Once the graduation bell rings, you lose your last string over me. Keep your little club. I won’t care what you do. You don’t care what I do. Problem solved.”
I smiled smugly and then offered, “You could, of course, lessen all of our trouble by turning my money over now.”
CHAPTER 5
“Are you freaking out?” Chrysie’s happy voice was muffled by her bite of her double burger. I had eaten at the restaurant. Chrysie had too. And then gotten one to go. You'd think that it would be
this gift to eat anything and everything. But, it was so much work. Honestly, I enjoyed food less with Chrysie around.
“Are you freaking out?” I was avoiding answering. There was this dawning light of something in my head, and it was freaking me out. A lot. But no...
“What about?” Chrysie was so damn cheery. I knew that her mom had tried to talk her into leaving St. Angelus. I knew that she was struggling in two of her classes. I knew that she had bad dreams and she hated being a vampire. It turned out that when all of your magic fed your rebirth, you missed the magic you'd never been that good at. And yet there was a lilt in her voice. She was almost skipping--and that was Chrysie, not vampirism.
"All of it," I said vaguely. I rubbed the crease between my brows. I didn't need to see it to know that I was riding the stress and worry train.
"Life is good. It's practically perfect. It's fun living with you guys in Martha. It's fun being at school. How bad could the rest of this get?" She waved vaguely around the adorable little street we were walking on with picket fences and giant oaks.
“Sweet Hecate, you idiot. Do you feel that? It’s the chill of why the hell did you jinx us like that?”
Chrysie laughed and then paused and said, “Dang! I do feel it. I didn’t mean to jinx us. Hecate’s eyes!”
We walked on for a couple of blocks before she said, “Are you freaking out over the body? And going to the police station.”
I shivered. And then lied, “I mean…it gets kind of old right?”
It didn’t. It didn’t get old at all. Seeing Jen lying dead on the ground wasn’t easy simply because I’d seen the leftovers of my advisor, Dr. Lechner. Or the near-death of my Mother. Or the ghost of Chrysie before she’d been raised as a vampire.
There was nothing that made seeing someone dead easier. They were…wrong. Something was missing. It was as if someone had taken that vibrant person you’d known and exchanged them for something that seemed to be a wax replica. Clearly, the person you were intended to see. But slightly wrong.
Hungry Graves: A Rue Hallow Mystery Page 4