by Phil Stern
“This is unacceptable!” Pam exclaimed, her face noticeably darkening. “Now is not the time for grandstanding or ego!”
“Pam, please. I’m operating on Eleanor’s personal instructions.”
“I am the resident authority here!” The Dutchess intoned. “I was wearing an earth stone before you were even born!” And with that, the overweight witch turned on her heel and stalked from the room.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Tiffany.” Rayna, who’d been watching the exchange, raised an eyebrow. “We’re a sisterhood, to be sure, but we respect one another. Using Eleanor’s name to defy Pam is a dangerous game.”
“It’s not a game!” Tiffany snapped. “If I sent that report to Barbara, she’d invade Earth with half the Coven. Then we’d have a war on our hands!”
Shaking her head, Rayna had also left, leaving Tiffany alone in the faux-medieval sitting room.
But Tiffany knew she’d been right. Relations between the two covens hadn’t yet broken out into open conflict. While Eleanor was by no means perfect, Tiffany trusted her more than Barbara and the rest not to overreact.
So she had a little time. Just maybe, with prompt action and a little luck, she could avert a war.
“You haven’t said much since Rasten.” Sitting in the passenger seat, Keri experimentally tapped the windshield glass.
“There’s not much to say.”
“Really?” Leaning down, she now inspected the stereo and CD player. “So you just find out you have a sister you knew nothing about, who’s a member of a rival coven, and there’s not much to say?”
“Nope.”
“Oh, I see.” Popping open the glove compartment, Keri frowned in at the owner’s manual. “And we’re now facing a war with these girls over Earth, which just happens to be where the boy toy is stashed. But that’s not an issue either, I guess.”
“Isn’t a boy toy someone you don’t care about?” Caylee innocently asked from the back seat. “I thought he was a boyfriend.”
Keri giggled. “Come on, Caylee! There’s no reason to be rude!”
Groaning, Tiffany pressed her head back against the seat. “First of all, we’re not discussing my relationship.”
Touching the controls on her door, Caylee half-lowered the window. “But I didn’t mean to…”
“Second of all, stop fucking with the car! By the stone, you two are like children.” Raising the window from her panel, Tiffany then deactivated all the passenger controls in the automobile.
“But we’ve never been in a car.” Not even remotely chastised, Keri now wiggled her sun visor up and down. “Actually, neither one of us has ever been to Earth.”
“I think we should have brought some battle hawks.” Her head flopping back, Caylee seemed dangerously close to sulking. “They have birds here, don’t they? No one would know they weren’t from this dimension.”
“Trust me, they have all kinds of nature shows, and bird watchers, and other such bullshit here. We really don’t need any cross-dem contamination right now.”
“Do you really think she’s your sister?” Once again poking at the radio, Keri popped on a heavy metal station. She immediately began nodding in time to the crashing guitars and bellowing singing. “Wow! I really like that.”
“I don’t know.” Staring straight ahead, Tiffany passed a car doing sixty miles an hour in the center lane. “Everything Claire told us could be true, or it could be complete bullshit. Or some combination of the two.”
“But we’re going to this Mobile, right, to get that midate before they do?” Sending a pulse of green energy into the dash, Keri magically cleaned up the static and enhanced the signal. It now sounded as if the heavy metal band was playing in the car with them.
“Yeah. We’re going to assume that’s true, at least.” Reaching over, Tiffany lowered the volume to a somewhat manageable level. “After we check on Norine.” And Blake.
“Have you ever had sex to this music?” Enraptured, Keri closed her eyes. “That would be something!”
Despite herself, Tiffany couldn’t help smiling. “Maybe once or twice.”
“See, Caylee?” Laughing, Keri drew up her legs. “I told you Tiff was a witch! Deep down, at least.”
“Actually, I prefer sorceress.” Pulling off the highway, they shot down an exit ramp onto the city streets. “But I’ve been called worse.”
“I still think we should have brought some hawks.” Caylee moodily stared out her now-closed window. “They would have liked these tall buildings.”
“By the stone, girl, there’s more to life than talking to animals!” Clearly, Keri was in the thrall of discovering a new dimension. “Look at all these people! And the cars, and the lights!”
Accompanied by pulsing hard rock and her Coven-mates observations of Earth, Tiffany cruised past her apartment building. Everything seemed normal, but that was to be expected.
Pulling into a street spot a few blocks off, the three witches piled out of the car. Then, after reminding her companions of the seriousness of their situation, they walked back to Tiffany’s residence.
*****
Carefully entering the lobby, Tiffany didn’t sense any earth stones nearby. She also didn’t detect any ruby magic, but had no way of knowing how well the emanations from the Zarth Coven stones could be masked. Directing Keri and Caylee to the stairwell door, they quickly made their way up to the ninth floor.
The hallway outside her apartment also seemed typically quiet for a weekday evening. Striding halfway down, Tiffany looked first at the apartment across from hers, where Norine had presumably been staying, and then at her own door. Tiffany thoughtfully touched the Coven Stick, still hanging from her belt.
“So this is it, huh?” Clearly unimpressed, Keri looked distastefully at the faded carpet and walls.
“It works.” Making a sudden decision, she grabbed the door handle of the other apartment, sending a pulse of green energy into the knob. The lock clicked open. “Stay here, but take down any ruby witches that show up.”
“Got it,” Keri sighed. Both younger witches leaned against opposite walls, Caylee rubbing a hand over her face.
They were all exhausted, Tiffany realized. She herself had been on the go for nearly three days straight, starting with the mission in Tethra. Last night’s sound sleep in Vail had been a brief respite, though that seemed like a week ago. Dimension hopping throughout the day will do that to you.
Idly, she considered that they all might have to bed down here for the night, taking off for Mobile at first light. With the three of them, and the time to set strong magical wards, it should be safe enough. Or should they just go out and grab a hotel? She wasn’t sure. Mind racing, Tiffany entered the opposite apartment, leaving the door open behind her.
This was a residence rented by the Coven through a dummy corporation, specifically for use by young witches visiting Earth for the first time. Since Tiffany had only been in the building herself for a month, it hadn’t yet been used for that purpose. With any luck, it hadn’t become a trap for her Coven-mate.
Yet everything seemed as it should, the simple furniture and decorations undisturbed. The bed was expertly made up, though with different sheets than when Tiffany had left it. Though Norine clearly wasn’t here now, it looked like she had indeed stayed the night.
Most importantly, there wasn’t any sign of struggle. Perhaps Norine had simply become bored and left? Or been ordered away? After all, the Coven Council might have…
“May I help you?” From the hallway outside, Blake’s firm, cop voice carried throughout the area. “Are you residents here?”
Quickly dashing back out, Tiffany found her boyfriend standing in their open doorway. Merlin the cat was at his feet, quizzically looking up at Keri and Caylee. Upon seeing her emerge from the opposite apartment, Blake’s eyes went wide in surprise.
“Blake!” Before he had a chance to react, Tiffany walked up and kissed him, then threw her arms around him for a big hug. “Oh, I’ve mi
ssed you!”
One didn’t need magic to almost hear the smirking from Keri, or confused fatigue from Caylee. Drawing back, Tiffany gave her best, happy-girlfriend smile. “It’s wonderful to see you!”
“Yeah.” Confused, Blake half-pulled Tiffany in close at the waist, while looking past her at the strange young women. “And these girls are with you?”
“Yes. This is Keri, and that’s Caylee.”
“I see.” He paused a moment. “And they are?”
“Oh! Um, friends, from back home.”
“We’ve visiting the big city!” Keri gave an excited nod. “It’s so wonderful!”
“You know, Tiff, I didn’t even know you were back in town. Why didn’t you just come in?” Frowning, he nodded at the opposite apartment. “And what were you doing over there?”
This wasn’t going well. Blake seemed tired and edgy. Maybe he’d just worked a tough case? She certainly hoped it wasn’t anything to do with Norine and the Coven.
“Oh. Well, you know, my friend Norine was staying over here. The building super let her use a spare apartment for the night.” Somehow, Tiffany kept her voice light. “Have you seen her?”
“Briefly. She just left half-an-hour ago.” Blake rolled his eyes. “But she said she was your cousin, not a friend. I really didn’t understand it all.”
“Well, you know.” Tiffany vaguely replied. “So you…you talked to Norine? Was she friendly?”
“You could say that,” he cryptically assured her. “Actually, judging by Norine’s behavior, I’m a little surprised to learn she’s related to you.”
While Tiffany took a moment to digest this, Caylee leaned down to pet Merlin on the head. “I like your cat.”
“Yeah, I like him too.” Blake looked at Tiffany again. “But why would the super just give your cousin a key to that apartment?”
“Because she’s so friendly, of course!” Clearly, Keri just couldn’t help herself. “Aunt Norine is friendly to everybody! That’s what she’s known for, in fact. Right, Tiff?”
“Norine is your aunt?” Thoroughly confused, Blake took a step back. “Does that mean you two are related? I don’t understand all this.”
This was becoming absurd. Suddenly, Tiffany lost patience with dissembling and keeping lies straight. “Neither do I. Come on, guys,” she commanded, stalking past Blake into their apartment.
Almost pushed aside, Blake allowed them all to troop past him. With a final look at the opposite apartment, he closed the door.
Without slowing down, Tiffany passed through the main area into their shared bedroom. Blake found himself standing alone with Keri and Caylee in the living room, the latter now holding a purring Merlin.
“Norine’s my favorite aunt, actually,” Keri now offered, stepping forward. “She’s very…earthy, as they say. And not always appropriate! Though for a woman of her age, I mean, you’ve got to admire that. Right?”
Sighing, Blake just looked at her. “I’m not following.”
“And we all know you’re with Tiffany!” Keri blithely continued. “But let’s face it, you’re not married or anything. That is a custom here, right? And you’re still kind of young. Well, sort of, anyway. So, if you and, uh, Aunt Norine…”
“Blake! There’s one thing I forgot to mention.” Now Tiffany reappeared at the bedroom door, staring hard at the strawberry blonde while removing her earrings. “Keri has a throat problem, and really can’t talk very much.”
“She does?” Blake looked from Tiffany, to Keri, and back again. “Her throat sounds fine to me.”
“Well, you know.” Keri paused, then eagerly continued. “By my throat really isn’t that bad…”
“No, it’s terrible.” Eyes narrowing, Tiffany’s earth stone actually showed the faintest hint of active green. “So bad, in fact, that she shouldn’t talk at all. Am I right, Keri?”
For several seconds they all stood as they were, Merlin’s purring suddenly very loud. Tiffany’s steely gaze never left her younger Coven-mate.
“Fine!” Keri finally snapped. Flouncing down on the couch, she made a zipping motion across her lips. “I’m just trying to help, but whatever!”
“Merlin doesn’t like the hallway.” Staring into his yellow eyes, Caylee gently kissed his head. “He thinks it’s really smelly out there.”
“Excuse me?” Blake looked at his girlfriend for support.
“Caylee’s just tired, that’s all.” Tiffany now turned and tossed the earrings back into the bedroom. Out of everyone else’s sight, she magically guided them into the proper slot in her jewelry case. “Actually, Blake, can I see you a moment?”
“Uh, sure.” Almost gratefully, he walked past her into their bedroom.
Keri glowered at Tiffany from the couch, arms tightly folded. “Can I use that machine there to make more music?” She nodded at the stereo.
“Sure. Just not too loud.”
“Do you have any more cats?” Caylee innocently asked, now settling down next to Keri, Merlin still in her arms.
“No. And don’t tell Merlin too much,” the tall brunette cautioned. “He’s a one-dimensional cat.” Turning on her heel, she then stalked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
*****
“Tiffany.” Standing on the other side of the bed, Blake was clearly troubled. “Who are those girls? And why are you all dressed the same?” His eyes briefly glanced down at her jeans, boots, and white shirt.
“Don’t worry about that right now.” Pausing, she ran a hand back through her hair. “Look, I just need some information. It’s very important.”
“So you need some information, huh?” He still made no move to come closer, instead eyeing her warily. “That makes two of us.”
Obviously Blake was ready for a fight, but she had no time for that. “Norine left half-an-hour ago, you say?”
“That’s right.”
“Was she alone? Did she seem disturbed at all? Where there any other women around?”
“She was alone, did not seem disturbed at all, and there were no other women around,” he crisply replied, now sitting on the bed’s edge.
So it seemed the Zarth Coven had yet to make an appearance in her apartment building. Very relieved, Tiffany now sank down on the other side of the bed. “You implied something odd about her behavior. What happened?”
“Well, she just barged in here, like she owned the place, talking all about what good friends you two were.” Blake shook his head. “Then she just strolled into the bedroom here and asked if I wanted to join her.”
“Really?” Instantly annoyed, Tiffany then realized Norine might have left her a message. Looking around, she didn’t see anything obvious. “Then what did you do?”
“I asked her to leave, of course. Who the hell is she? An aunt, a friend…”
“She’s nobody. Don’t worry about her.”
“Norine isn’t one of these girl tests, is she?” Drawing back even farther, Blake looked away. “You know, where you hire some prostitute to hit on me and then report back to you?”
“No! Absolutely not!” Tiffany laughed, throwing herself down on the bed. “And if I ever was to do such a thing, I assure you that Norine wouldn’t be my first choice.”
“Who would be?” he sourly replied. “That Keri out there?”
Tiffany knew she was very tired, and Blake had been putting up with a lot lately. Still, his reference was very unfortunate. “Why? Do you like her?” she snapped. “Maybe I should just leave you two alone for a while, is that it?”
“Maybe you should give me the truth!” he fired back. “Where the hell have you been the past two days? It sure as hell wasn’t Phoenix!”
“What do you mean?”
“I called your editor, Tiffany! He says you were off this week! I even called out to Phoenix, to that solar company you said you were profiling? They never heard of you!”
Uh oh. There were certainly disadvantages to dating a police detective. “Oh, my editor is so clueless. Really, you
have to understand…”
“Enough! Enough of the bullshit!” Enraged, Blake now stood, staring down at her. “What the fuck is going on? All these sudden trips, the lies, the strange friends I’ve heard nothing about? Tell me the truth, damn it!”
Shocked, she looked up into his furious expression. So here it was, the moment she’d been dreading. “I don’t know what to say.” Pulling herself into a sitting position, Tiffany quickly gathered her thoughts.
In the room next door, Keri had cranked up an alternative rock station, which could now probably be heard throughout half the building. Blake seemed not to notice.
“How about the truth?” Throwing out his arms, he now walked to the end of the bed, looking down at her. “Are you fucking someone else? Is that it?”
“No!” she immediately assured him. “I’m not!”
“You’re not?”
“No.” Firmly, she shook her head. “There’s been no one but you, Blake, since the day we met.”
“Great.” Somewhat mollified, he folded his arms. “But you make it sound like there was someone the day before we met.”
“Really? Is that what I make it sound like?” Now Tiffany stood, confronting him across a corner of the bed. “Oh, I forgot to tell you! I was a virgin when we met! Is that what you want to hear?”
Blake glowered at her. “Where were you the last few days?”
“You really want to know?”
“Yes, damn it!”
“All right.” Closing her eyes, Tiffany knew they were both jumping off a very tall cliff, with very little chance of landing safely down below. “First I went to Vail, then Haven, then Rasten.”
Looking off, Blake’s mental atlas was clearly hard at work. “Well, Vail’s in Colorado…”
“No, not that Vail.”
“Haven!” Pointing at her, he nodded vigorously. “Wait a minute! Isn’t that where some cult gets together, out in Montana or something? Is that what you’re into?”
Tiffany waited a long moment, staring into his wild, worried expression. Her love, her rock for the past year, was very confused and hurt. And in fact, he had a right to be. Pointedly sitting once more on the bed, she patted the spot next to her. “Blake, sit down. There’s something I have to tell you. And I need you to be quiet, and just listen.”