“See?” Dina gestured to the looming mass with one upturned palm. “This is the wraith spreading its essence. It infected each of them, taking over complete control. Divided, it isn’t up to its full strength. That’s why it arms its vessels with the daggers. Where the wraith can easily devour the souls of its prey, these lesser minions must use their enchanted weapons to cut the life out of us. Magically speaking, it’s as fascinating as it is terrifying.”
“Sometimes too much information can be a bad thing, Dina!” I barked as I frantically clawed at the ground. “How about a little help finding the talisman?”
“Wiiiiiitch,” the pack chorused.
The temperature of the cellar ticked up, caused by equal parts their crushing presence, and the sweltering torch of impending doom burning into my back.
“Such an offensive, uneducated term,” Dina scoffed. Lips pinched in haughty disdain, she lifted one brow in my direction. “You have more natural ability than any Wiccan I’ve ever met, yet you never did grasp the most basic of spells. By all means, allow me to do the heavy lifting for you.” Eyes closed, she rolled her fingers to beckon forth the touch of magic. “Mother Earth, tender mercy we pray you heed. Reveal the talisman that we seek, now in our hour of need.”
The aroma of sunshine and wildflowers rode in on a soft breeze. It brushed my cheek with a maternal tenderness as it passed, then ventured on to bump the wooden bookshelf cluttered with tools directly across from me. A lone spade fell from the middle shelf, landing point-down in the dirt. Getting one foot under me, I pushed off the ground and darted for the spade. With both swords tucked under one arm, I dug in with the spade and immediately heard the clang of metal on metal. Tossing the tool aside, my fingers closed around the cool bite of metal. Pinching it between my thumb and forefinger, I rubbed the grime away with the pad of my thumb.
Horns pressed into gleaming silver.
This was it.
My momentary victory was squashed under the roars that reverberated from the chest of every black-eyed puppet as they surged forward to squash us under their wave of fury.
Hooking my arm with hers, Dina reeled us into the corner. While the act bought us precious seconds, it didn’t change the fact that we were pinned in with no chance of escape. “The talisman, Octavia! You have to destroy it!”
“How?”
Daggers sliced at the air, each hungry for a taste of our flesh.
Positioning herself protectively in front of me, Dina threw her arms out wide. “Your sword! Use it!”
I felt the noose of impending death tightening around me and gulped down the smothering dread. Acting on pure blind faith, I dropped the talisman into the dirt with a muted thump. My hand closed around the grip of one sword as the other clattered to the earth. Raising it over my head in a two-handed hold, I squeezed my eyes shut and slammed the blade down hard and fast. Light as bright and ethereal as the Northern Lights exploded in a blinding flash, sending out a strobe of energy that blasted back the mindless throng.
Chapter Eleven
Kicking at the talisman with the toe of my boot, I confirmed it had been severed in two. The air around us settled like a calming sigh, which allowed the palpable threat to dissipate into nothingness.
Dina pushed a sweat dampened curl behind her ear and offered me a toothy grin. “You did it, Octavia! The wraith is gone! Can you feel the weave of its magic unraveling?”
Free will restored, the crowd stumbled back into coherent thought. Scowling in confusion, they muttered amongst themselves as to how it was they ended up in the Dews’ basement.
The second her reality snapped back into place, Betsy’s head whipped in the direction of the staircase. “Gideon and Griffin! Where are they?”
She took the stairs two at a time to get to them, Brad and I sprinting to keep pace with her.
“Gideon!” Finding them in the sitting room, Betsy skidded across the carpet on her knees to gather her youngest son in her arms.
With the wraith gone, so went the magic keeping him alive. Griffin’s years returned to him, restoring him to a strong, healthy teen washed with regret that the second chance had been stolen from his little brother. His father knelt beside him, offering the boy a comforting shoulder as they watched the absence of magic shrink Gideon’s tiny frame further still.
“He’s blue,” Betsy sobbed. Dipping her head to Gideon’s chest, she listened. “Brad, he’s not breathing!”
My feet scuffed forward before I even knew my intent. One sword held loose at my side, I let its blade rest in my opposite palm and took a knee. Shoulder to shoulder with Mrs. Dews, I uttered the incantation scrolled on my heart. “Spirit on the other side, for your aid I give great thanks. I repay thy gift with a second chance, amongst life’s sprawling banks.”
The living flame stretched and snapped from the length of my sword, crackling out in a wide arc that settled over the trembling infant. It illuminated his core, allowing him to claim a gulp of air… then another. In a few seconds that seemed to drag on for an eternity, his breathing steadied and his complexion brightened to a healthy, peaches and cream glow.
Betsy cradled him to her chest with one arm, her free hand seizing my forearm. “How did you...? What did you...? Brad, look! He’s cooing!”
The others from the basement clustered into the room, celebrating with the Dews by offering claps on the back and heartfelt congratulations. I, on the other hand, picked that moment to show myself out. This was the beautiful American dream, and I didn’t fit into it.
Chapter Twelve
Rubbing my hands up and down my arms, I fought off the night chill as I strode toward Nikki’s car to collect Bacon. There was no trace of Elba here. The fresh tear in my battered heart demanded distance and a new town.
“As noble as that was, you didn’t have to do it.” Carrying my swords under her arm, Dina jogged to catch up and dropped them in the backseat through the open car window.
Dragging my tongue over my top teeth, I wrenched open the squeaky driver’s side door and gathered my emotional support pig under my arm. “Didn’t I?”
Hand draped over the car door, she offered Bacon a scratch on the chin that made me bristle. “Well, killing the wraith was mandatory, or we’d both be dead. But you put Nikki’s spirit into the baby, didn’t you? That’s the ripple of magic I felt. It’s quite miraculous. That child wouldn’t have survived, otherwise.”
“You’re going to look me in the eye and pretend I had any choice in the matter?”
Almond shaped eyes locked onto mine, and silver sparks of challenge swirled in the depths of Dina’s stare. “I’m not sure I understand this hostile tone. You brought Nikki back once. You could have done it again.”
Huffing a humorless laugh, I bit my lower lip. My gaze traveled down the street of suburban perfection, all of which was as foreign to me as a random galaxy far, far away. “You never did understand my abilities, despite your soapbox proclamations of unyielding support. Which I know were complete bullshit, by the way.”
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Dina rolled her shoulders into a pose of superiority. “I don’t understand or appreciate this unfounded bitterness. I’ve never offered you anything but respect and support.”
Face devoid of emotion, I blinked in her direction. “The dead call to me. Did you know that? The closer I am, the louder I hear their shouts. I knew the second you whisked Nikki’s body off to Goddess only knows where. I felt the haunting silence left in her wake. I put her spirit in that baby because it was all I could do to help either of them. So, where did you hide her? Back at the morgue? That ought to confuse the hell out of Dr. Dowden. Poor guy is going to think she only came back for a quickie.”
Folding her hands primly in front of her, Dina tried to level me with a glare. “I do care about you, Octavia. The entire coven does. We don’t want anything bad to happen to you, even if that means protecting you from yourself.”
Flipping a loose strand of hair from my eyes with a toss of my
head, I readjusted my hold on Bacon. “I wasn’t aware I needed protection. What danger was it that you saw me stumbling into?”
Dina’s brows raised as if the answer was painfully obvious. “What you do delves into the dark arts. Don’t pretend you don’t know how such a talent could be manipulated with dastardly repercussions.”
And there it was. The underlying message that something was wrong with me. That the very worst I believed about myself was true. Unfortunately for her, time and circumstance had armed me with the necessary shields to protect me from such narrow-minded bias.
Before I could form a word in rebuttal, the universe cued Mrs. Dews to bolt out the front door in search of me. “Octavia!” Waving her hands over her head, she dashed across the yard in my direction. “You can’t leave without saying goodbye!”
“You want to stand guard?” I muttered to Dina from the corner of my mouth. “Make sure I don’t say an evil goodbye that brings about the end of days?”
“This is no joking matter, Octavia.”
“Damn right it’s not.” I forced a fake smile just in time for Betsy to grab me in a tight bear hug.
“We can never thank you enough.” Mouth to my ear, her voice quaked with emotion. “I don’t know what dumbass stunt my husband pulled, but you saved us and gave our baby a second chance. You are truly an angel, Octavia Hollows, and don’t you dare let anyone tell you different. You hear?”
Over her shoulder, I shot Dina a Told you so look. “I’m happy I could help.”
Betsy pulled back, but kept a tight hold on my upper arms. “You and your sweet little pig were the miracle this family needed. We will never, ever forget you. Promise me that if you ever need anything, you will give us a call.”
A hot blush seeped up my neck to the tips of my ears. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have two young men to lavish love and attention on so that no future woman will ever be good enough for them.” After dotting a quick kiss to my cheek, Mrs. Dews trotted off to rejoin her family.
“Huh,” I mused, lips sinking into a downward C. “It seems she missed the memo that I’m a scary monster she should fear. Do you want to tell her, or should I?”
Chest swelling with trumped up purpose, Dina peered down her nose at me. “This isn’t a joke, Octavia. The coven will be watching. Resurrections like this will not be tolerated or ignored.”
Striding around Nikki’s car, I wrenched open the passenger side door and dropped Bacon into the passenger seat. “You’re right. You should keep a watch on me.” Shutting the door to secure my little piglet sidekick, I strode back around the car and took my place behind the wheel. “You said it yourself, I hold more natural ability than any Wiccan you’ve ever met. If you keep watching... you just might learn something.”
“I mean it, Octavia.” Hands falling to her sides, Dina curled them into tight fists of annoyance.
With a wry smile curling the corners of my lips, I grabbed Nikki’s sunglasses from the dashboard and slid them on. Surrounded by bits of the life she left behind, I felt a sense of peace that I had done right by the golden-hearted nurse with a dastardly love life.
“So do I.” A turn of the ignition allowed the rickety old car to rumble to life. “Want some pointers on how to get the best vantage point? Right now, I’m going to drive Nikki’s car back to the hospital and get my bike. Then, I’m going to zoom my happy ass out of this town. Because, what I hoped to find? It isn’t here.” Slamming the door, I revved the engine. “From there, I’m going to hit the closest pharmacy and stock up on suntan lotion. Because Bacon and I are headed to Las Vegas, and I’m worried that if he starts sweating, dogs for miles around will want to eat him.”
“Vegas? Why there?” Dina cringed in blatant disgust.
“Because someone out there knows what happened to the love of my life, and I’m going to find the truth. While I go in search of closure, you should know that your entire coven combined doesn’t have the strength to stop this little quest of mine. If you decide to tag along anyway, I suggest you grab some quarters and meet me at the slot machines. Because I’m not stopping for you or anybody.”
Gunning the engine, the balding tires squealed as I pulled away from the curb.
With a smile spreading across my face, I raced toward the horizon.
The Journals of Octavia Hollows continue with
Dead Man’s Hand
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And find out how Octavia and Bacon found each other in the Havenwood Falls prequel novella, How the Dead Lie, Available Now! https://amzn.to/2TJlSQW
About the Author
Stacey Rourke is the author of award-winning books that span various genres, yet maintain her trademark blend of action and humor. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head.
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Find the full catalog of her books here: https://readerlinks.com/mybooks/1328
The Gryphon Series
The Conduit
Embrace
Sacrifice
Ascension
Descent
Inferno
Revelation
and The Official Gryphon Series Coloring Book
The Legends Saga
Crane
Raven
Steam
Reel Romance
Adapted for Film
Turn Tables
The Unfortunate Soul Chronicles
Rise of the Sea Witch
Entombed in Glass
Coming Soon: Pursuing Madness
TS901 Chronicles (co-written with Tish Thawer)
TS901: Anomaly
TS901: Dominion
The Veiled Series
Veiled
Vlad
Coming Soon: Vendetta
Archive of the Fives
Apocalypse Five
Coming Soon: Rogue Five
The Journals of Octavia Hollows
Prequel-How the Dead Lie (A Havenwood Falls Novella)
Wake the Dead
Caught Dead
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Dead Ringer
Dead as a Doornail
Wake the Dead (The Journals of Octavia Hollows #1) Page 7