by Dana Davis
“Unless you’re a medium, it takes at least two witches to feed the recitations. And séances aren’t exactly instant, as you witnessed tonight.” She gave Noah a smirk. “I doubt TV stations would put up with something that slow, even if they knew about the real thing. The audience would fall asleep before the first spook appeared.”
Noah and Bridgette chuckled.
“Besides, séances can get very nasty if you bring back the wrong person or get a hitchhiker. That’s a nasty spirit who latches onto whoever is being called from the living. You really don’t want to mess with one of those. A hitchhikers is someone who was very violent in this life and wants to continue whatever mayhem he committed when he was alive. They’re dangerous and extremely difficult to get rid. No medium worth her salt would risk having that happen in a public forum.
“Anyway, psychics read thoughts and have visions of those they’re doing readings for. Most of the time they simply tell the customers what they want to hear. Positive thinking goes a long way for some people.”
Noah gave her a thoughtful gaze and said, “And the reason Ian appeared in the first place? You didn’t call him up earlier.”
“You’re right, I didn’t. Occasionally, a spirit will contact a paranormal who’s not a medium, like with Great-Uncle Ian, but that’s rare.
Noah nodded. “And mediums? Can we get in touch with one?”
“There are a couple in the area but I’m not sure either would be willing to help. I’ll put in an online request. Can’t guarantee anything. Mediums are a reclusive lot, very skittish. Take appointments only through people they know and trust.”
He raised his brows. “I would be too if I had dead people talking to me all the time.” He smiled and leaned close to give her a peck on the cheek. “What about Ian? Since he appeared several times, can you contact him again?”
Daisy shook her head. “Not since we did a séance. Uses too much ethereal energy. We won’t be able to contact him and he can’t come through on his own again for about a month, like Bridgette said. It takes that long for them to recharge their ethereal batteries, so to speak.” She glanced at her cousin, whose green eyes weighed her. “And I have no desire to conjure up my molester, if that’s what you’re thinking. Especially after what Gran said about him.”
“You’re right about that,” Bridgette said. “Your grandmother was a tough old bid—lady. If she says to be careful around him then I’m inclined to agree.”
“What? You? Agree with your Aunt Maureen?”
Bridgette offered a smirk. “We never agreed on anything but I knew not to cross her. She was too strong a witch.” She sighed. “I’m not looking forward to calling my mother tomorrow, either.”
“Does she even know you’re here?”
Bridgette cocked her head to one side, red locks falling over her shoulder.
“You’re impossible. You have to tell her.”
“Once she knows I’m back in Arizona, she’ll bitch until I drive up and see her.”
Daisy took in a long breath and nodded. “This séance didn’t accomplish much.”
“What family secret do you think your Gran was talking about?” Noah said.
“I haven’t the faintest.” Daisy looked at her cousin.
“If your Great-Uncle Ian didn’t know,” Bridgette said, “then I certainly don’t. Maybe it’s something on Uncle Desmond’s side.”
Daisy glanced at Noah. “Desmond was my grandfather and Ian’s brother.”
“Grampa Desmond,” Noah said. “I know about him from pictures. But I think I’m going to need that genealogy chart after all.”
Daisy chuckled and Perky let out several barks. “We’d better let him out.” She and Bridgette uttered the counter spell to release the alarms around the bedroom.
“I’ll get him.” Noah left the room.
“Think Grampa Desmond would know anything?” Daisy said.
Bridgette shook her head. “If he did, he probably would’ve come through instead of his brother.”
“Hmm. Yeah, maybe you’re right. Besides, I wouldn’t be able contact him tonight anyway. I’m wiped.”
Séances drained power from the elements as well as the spirit and the medium. In Daisy and Bridgette’s case, they were acting mediums, therefore prone to fatigue just like the real thing. Daisy’s stomach rumbled just as Perky bounded into the room and straight to her chair. She scooped him up and received several licks to her chin and a wagging tail in appreciation.
“He acts like he hasn’t seen you in days,” Bridgette observed.
Daisy laughed. “His sense of time is somewhat skewed. It’s a dog thing.”
After an easy pasta meal, the trio found they were tired enough to get ready for bed. A quick shower and Daisy came out in an oversized t-shirt, flannel pajama pants and overstuffed slippers.
“Wow,” Bridgette said as she gazed down. “That’s sexy. Noah must want to jump your bones every night.”
“Very funny. I don’t sleep in the pants. And when you’ve been married five years, the expensive lingerie is for special occasions. We like to spend our money on more practical things.”
“Like hearing aids?”
“Oh, you’re a riot, Bridge.” Daisy smirked and raised brows at her cousin. “Like remodeling our attic into a library.”
“Really? I’m actually impressed. Can I see it?”
“Thought you’d never ask.” She snatched up the spell book they’d been perusing and led her cousin into the office, which had the door closed to keep Perky from getting stuck upstairs. He was good about going up but not so good when it came time to come down. “After you,” she said with one arm extended toward the spiral staircase that dominated a corner of the small room.
“Nice.” Bridgette made the climb.
“The light switch is at the top of the stairs on your left.”
“Found it.” Once the lights came on, Bridgette called down, “Nice space you have here.”
“Still think my pajamas are lame?” Daisy started up.
“Yes. But I understand your logic now.”
“Gee thanks.” Daisy placed the book on a stack of others next to the bookshelf.
“Hey, can I store my magick stuff up here? Until I find a place.”
“Sure. I’ll clear off a shelf for you.”
“Thanks. Better make it two.” She fingered a stack of books on the table. “Are these the mysterious spell books?”
“The very ones.”
“Any luck translating?”
“Noah’s working on it.”
“Really? So a mortal’s good for something besides sex?”
“I heard that,” Noah said as he came up the stairs.
Bridgette turned and gave him a tired grin. “I know you did. You’ll learn you can’t sneak up on a telepathic witch.”
“I’ll remember that. And I wasn’t sneaking. I live here.” He looked amused. He put Perky down and sat in a chair.
“What’s all this crap?” Bridgette pointed to one corner where Daisy had stacked several boxes.
“That crap, as you so eloquently put it, is my work. I sell vintage and gently used products on the internet.” She had begun that self-employed job after she married Noah. Had she been in business five years already?
“People actually pay you for used shit?”
“Some auctions get very good prices.”
“I told you that Humanities Degree wouldn’t do you any good.”
Daisy chuckled and shook her head.
Bridgette moved to the bookshelves. “Mind if I snoop?”
“Go ahead. We can use all the help we can get.”
“Too bad you can’t post these on the internet. Maybe find someone who knows how to decipher them.”
“Oh, that’d be a hoot,” Daisy said. “Infect every search engine in the world.”
“Would they do that?” Noah said.
Daisy couldn’t help but smile at her husband’s magickal innocence. “No, honey. I was joking. The s
pells have to be said aloud by someone with inherent blood who knows what they’re about and how to channel the elements.”
“You watch too many movies, Cousin-in-law,” Bridgette said with her nose stuck in one of the books.
“Hey, the stuff I’ve seen around here, you can’t blame me for wondering.”
“They wouldn’t scan into a computer anyway,” Daisy explained. “Permanent protection spells are put on them as soon as they’re scribed. I had to use three counter spells just to photocopy that page I took to the conference where we met. And it didn’t last more than a few hours.”
“Oh, shit,” Bridgette said.
“What? Bridge, what is it? You sense someone?”
The redhead flicked her long fingers at Daisy. “Not that. I forgot to have my savings transferred to a local bank.”
“Is that all? You scared the crap out of me.” Daisy didn’t add that it was completely out of character for her cousin to forget anything that had to do with money.
“I’ll do it now.” Bridgette sat, legs crossed, and closed her eyes. She mumbled a series of spells that left her face strained and red. The hairs on Daisy’s arms stood up with the static she created. After a few moments, her eyes popped open. “All done. Long distance casting. What a bitch.” One long arm swiped across her brow.
Noah fixed his gaze on Daisy. “Is that how you screwed up our bank account?”
She crooked her lips up. “Guilty.” She turned to Bridgette, who had a humorous look on her face. “I was in a hurry. I was at an estate sale and needed to transfer money. I just forgot to put the entry in our computer program.”
“I almost called the bank and reported the money stolen,” Noah said.
Bridgette shook her head. “You never were any good with finances, Daisy.”
“That’s not true.”
Noah laughed.
“Okay, so I’m not the best banker in the world. Sue me.”
Noah gave her a wink and she smiled.
“Do they always do that?” Bridgette said. Her eyes moved to a the stack of books near Daisy.
“Do what?”
“I don’t ever remember my mom’s books reaching out for me.”
“Only recently. That’s how I chose this one.” She pointed to the one she’d brought up from downstairs.
“Now,” Bridgette said as she crouched in front of the stack. “Which one of you little beauties is tempting me?” Her hand drifted up and down the spines. “Gotcha.” She took three from the top and pulled out the next one. “Mom’s got this one.”
Daisy sat next to Bridgette on the Navajo rug near Noah’s chair. She rested her head on his knee and he placed a hand on her shoulder. This book looked very much like all the others Daisy’s mother had left her. Old leather, cracked and faded in spots. Uneven pages sticking out, with leather ties that held them in. The emblem on the front, a tree with a flower growing beneath, had once been embossed in silver. Now it was simply an indentation in the worn leather. Most of the books had trees on them with various flora or fauna accompanying them.
“Shall we?” Bridgette said. She placed the book between them on the rug. For an instant, her fingers traced the orange and black zigzag lines of the Navajo designs. “This is nice. Real?”
“As far as I know. I bought it at an estate sale. You wouldn’t be interested. It’s used shit.”
Emerald eyes narrowed on Daisy. “There’s a difference between antique and used, Cousin. This is antique.”
“And I suppose the difference has to do with money.”
“Of course.”
“What about vintage?”
Bridgette waved a dismissive hand. “Used shit with a different name.”
“You’re such a prude.”
“Maybe.” Bridgette smiled. “But I’m a well-dressed one.” She put her hands on the book and closed her eyes.
Noah moved and took in a breath and Daisy put a hand on his thigh to urge him to stay quiet. He seemed to get her message and leaned back in the chair. Daisy followed her cousin’s example and the two sat in meditation for what seemed several minutes. She had her eyes open only a second before Bridgette.
“Anything?” she said.
“No. You?”
“Nothing concrete. This book feels a lot like the other one did.” Daisy got an idea.
Normally, the spell books were kept in a particular order, some ancient anal-retentive rule, from what she could figure out. But what if it wasn’t? What if there was some long-forgotten reason for the order, other than going from easier spells to more difficult ones to the impossible, untranslatable ones. She scooped up the previous book and placed it next to this one.
The vibration didn’t seem to change. She moved the book to a different position. Nothing. Bridgette seemed to catch on and reached to make the next move.
“Wait,” Noah said. Both Daisy and Bridgette looked up at him. He leaned down and pointed to the book Bridgette had chosen. Perky licked his cheek. He tossed a ball toward the far corner for the dog to chase. “That symbol. See? In the trees. It’s not on the other books.”
Daisy and Bridgette leaned in so far they almost touched foreheads. Daisy had to squint to see it.
“I never noticed that before,” she said as she studied the nearly imperceptible curved stroke within the tree branches. It looked like nothing more than an unfinished U. On closer inspection, she could tell it was the tiniest bit thinner than the branches around it. “How could my mother and grandmother have missed it? They would’ve mentioned that during my studies.”
Bridgette eyed Noah. “Well, well. Looks like you’re not a complete mortal, after all.”
“What?” Noah said.
“What are you talking about, Bridge? Noah’s never shown anything magickal. No one in his family ever has.”
“I’ll bet my best lipstick, he’s a sleeper.”
Daisy’s heart hammered and she stroked Perky, who had trotted to her with his ball. “That’s just a legend.”
“Is it?” Bridgette’s eyes moved to her. “How is it that Noah, of all people, saw that symbol when generations of our family haven’t? My mother’s never mentioned it, either. And she has an exact copy of this book.” A manicured nail tapped the cover.
Daisy studied her husband, who had a confused look on his face. “He’s the son of a linguist, Bridge. A mortal.”
“And I’m the daughter of a half troll. But that doesn’t mean I’m destined to grab handfuls of raw fish and start chowing.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“It’s what my dad used to do. According to my mom, he would go fishing out at Saguaro Lake and eat everything raw before he got home.” She winked at Noah. “Just one aspect of his heritage my mother didn’t care for. In fact, she doesn’t even like seafood. That’s how those idiotic stories about trolls living under bridges got started in the first place. Put a tall guy with excess body hair under a bridge and give him raw fish to eat. Happens every time.” She snickered.
Daisy crossed her arms and raised a brow at her cousin, not wanting to get off subject. “What does a sleeper have to do with my husband’s linguistic talents?”
“Well, if he is a sleeper, then someone in his ancestral line was a paranormal.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, I know the legend, Bridge. But what does noticing a symbol have to do with it? His father was a linguist and Noah dabbles in that field too. He’s very detail oriented.”
“Maybe that’s more than coincidence. There’s one way to find out.”
“Uh-uh. No way. We’re not putting my husband through a magickal trial.”
Noah cleared his throat. “I am right here, you know.”
“Sorry honey. But you don’t want to do what Bridgette’s suggesting. It’s very—unpleasant.”
“What exactly is a magickal trial?”
“A spell to see if you have paranormal blood,” Bridgette said. “It’s how we weed out the fakers.”
Noah had an unreadable
look on his face and Daisy got to her knees in front of his chair. Perky licked her hand. “What are you thinking, honey?” She pointed to Bridgette. “And don’t you snoop.”
Her cousin held up hands in defense. “I’m in my own mind.”
“Noah?”
His eyes moved to Bridgette. “What’s involved in this trial?”
“It’s a simple spell. If you have even an ounce of paranormal blood, it won’t harm you. If you’re pure mortal—well, let’s just say you’ll be praying to the ceramic throne until you’re begging for somebody to knock you unconscious.”
“Does it tell you what kind of paranormal?”
“No. That calls for another spell. One that’s a bit more involved.”
He studied Daisy. “I’m willing to try it. If I do have paranormal blood then maybe I can help catch the damn specter that’s been attacking you.”
“So that’s what this is about? I told you we can handle him.” Daisy loved Noah all the more for wanting to protect her. But this was her terrain. Not for a mortal. Or a paranormal with no active powers. Hell, even she hadn’t found a way to protect herself from the specter’s attacks. And I’m not a novice witch.
“What if Bridgette’s right? What if one of my ancestors was a paranormal? Wouldn’t you want to know? I would.”
“Noah. I’ve seen what this spell does to mortals. If she’s wrong—”
“Then I puke my brains out. Small price to pay after what’s happened to you.”
Daisy fought tears. Bridgette had the courtesy to fake reading a book.
“Has any mortal died or become permanently damaged by this trial spell?” Noah said.
Daisy hesitated. When Noah’s brows went up in question, she said, “Not that I’m aware of. Bridge?”
“No,” came the quick answer, but the redhead kept her nose in the book.
“You think Noah could help us? You can quit pretending to read now.”
A smirk danced on Bridgette’s thick lips and she looked up. “Depends on what kind of paranormal blood he’s got. But he’s definitely handy with the books. And I’m betting it goes beyond mortal linguistic talents.”
Noah took Daisy’s face in his hands. “Let me do this. For you. If we’re wrong, then you can nurse me back to health.”