by Kat Bostick
That question rankled and Mari had to swallow her scathing retort. What was wrong with her? There wasn’t time to argue that with her vapid stepmother. “Obviously I’m fine. Feel free to let him know.”
Mari went to heave the tote into her trunk but froze when she noticed the cardboard box full of fantasy books that never made it to library donation drop. Tears threatened to spill and she quickly shoved the box aside. Veronica continued yammering out admonishment for neglecting to call this morning—and probably for existing—but Mari ceased listening.
“…missed family dinner the other night. We waited for you, heaven knows why. The meatloaf was cold when we finally started!”
“Cold meatloaf?” Mari asked in a bored tone. “Is that your biggest concern in life?”
“It’s the principle of the matter. You were always such a spoiled child and you never grew out of it. Think you’re too good for my meatloaf?”
Any other time Mari would have made a crass joke. “Goodbye, Veronica.” She slung the bolt cutters over her shoulder and headed for the driver’s side.
“Where do you think you’re going with your father’s tools?” Vee hurried in front of Mari and crossed her arms over her ample bust.
“Get out of my way.” She growled. When Veronica didn’t immediately oblige, Mari gripped the bolt cutters in her hands like a baseball bat and pulled her arms back as if she meant to swing them. “Now!”
“Oh my God!” Veronica screeched as she scurried back to the porch, obnoxious pink robe flying behind her like a cape.
Mari wasted no time returning to Klein Park. Never in her life had she felt such a sense of urgency or such a visceral fear. She needed Jasper to be okay or she might never be okay again. He rescued her. He protected her. She failed to do the same for him.
No, she only failed at one of those. Wherever Jasper was, Mari would rescue him. Whatever it took, she had no reservations about doing it.
The sun was high and the air was sticky. By the time Mari returned to Jasper’s den she was slick with sweat. She knelt in the dip in the ground, crawling as far under the roots of the maple as she could, and forced herself to take several long breaths. Once her heart calmed as much as it was going to, she removed her shoes and wiggled her feet in the dirt. Gran taught her that touching earth with bare skin was the best way to connect to the well of power that Earth Mother offered.
When all of her casting supplies were organized and the legacy displayed the correct page, Mari closed her eyes to pray. “Ancestors, foremothers, sisters that came before me, I beg for your guidance. Lend me your gifts so that I might find what my heart seeks.” Her voice cracked and she choked out the last word. “Please.”
A tingling began in Mari’s fingers and toes. It felt like the blood returning to her limbs after sleeping on them all night. By the time it reached her chest she had to gasp at the intensity of the power that entered her. Finally the prickling settled into her lungs. There it waited for her to cast it out with her voice.
Next she got to work lighting the candle and speaking the spell. A slightly fruity taste, reminiscent of summer peaches, coated her tongue with the first word. “Earth Mother, Goddess of Flesh and Blood, I call on thy strength and pray thee answer. My heart seeks to see that for which it yearns, with eyes that know the shape of the world. Thrice I will repay thee with worship, with seeds from my garden, with life from my loins, and in death with my flesh.”
Once the words were spoken, Mari flicked the blade of a pocket knife open and cut a thin line across the pad of her ring finger. The knife was fairly dull and she had to go over the spot three times, pressing hard enough to make her grit her teeth, before a dot of red rose to the surface. Though the cut was long, it seemed to take forever to dribble even one drop of blood onto the earth. She held her finger upside down over the soil for several minutes, not wanting to skimp on the blood part.
After that she pinched the driest clump of fur she could find and held it over the candle. The strands of red writhed and danced in the flame, slowly condensing before it finally grew too hot for her to hold. She dropped it over the wick and watched the speck of black that was once fur crackle and sink into the melted wax. With a whooshing noise the flames rose several inches above the candle, shifting to shimmering gold.
Mari took that as a sign that the previous steps in the spell were successful. She closed her eyes and repeated the words two more times. Checking the book first to make sure she didn’t do it out of order, Mari licked her fingers and doused the candle. Then she took the compass in her hands, located south, and faced her body in that direction. She shut her eyes again and focused on the clearest image of Jasper that her mind could conjure.
The power inside of her pushed through her mouth and nose like a dense cloud and Mari struggled not to cough. Her ears grew numb and all outside noise faded. There was nothing but the thump of her beating heart and a second, fainter flutter that she knew belonged to Jasper.
“I’m coming for you.” Mari whispered to that steady heartbeat.
Her eyelids cracked open but she had to blink rapidly to adjust to the unexpected brightness obscuring her vision. Before her was a flickering gold light. It stretched like a thin beam of sunlight peeking just over the horizon during the last hour of evening. Her gaze followed the beam and saw that it led her out of the trees. Mari stuffed her spellcasting tools into her bag, tucked one more clump of Jasper’s hair in her jeans pocket, just in case, and bolted through the woods.
It took a second to adjust to the disorienting pull that the strange light had on her body. The invisible thread tied to her heart had thickened, plucking at her sternum and coaxing her to wherever the other end was anchored. Standing atop the bosky hillside that lined Klein Park, she scanned the area and found that her destination was northeast of here. Unfortunately magic didn’t care about roads or city layouts so it looked like she would be making a lot of sudden turns.
Following the light with her car turned out to be more difficult than Mari anticipated. Not only was it messing with her vision, it pointed her the wrong way on one way streets. Downtown Klein, unlike the suburban oasis near the school, didn’t have roundabouts so she had to drive circles around several blocks to find a street going the direction she needed. Eventually she ended up on the highway but, once again, going the wrong direction. At least she hadn’t made it all the way to Brainerd before getting a chance to turn around.
With every minute that ticked by, Mari’s anxiety coiled tighter. It didn’t help that the exit she’d taken brought her into a neighborhood on the northeast edge of Klein. She passed block after block of ramshackle houses, rusting cars, and trash filled lots. Dad always warned her not to go northeast when she took the bus but Mari hadn’t realized just how bad it was. Actually, it made the perfect place for evil witches to lay low.
Mari cursed when the houses gave way to overgrown fields and clusters of trees. If they were somewhere in the forest she would have a much harder time finding them. Just as the worry arose, the trees parted to reveal a huge vacant parking lot that circled an L-shaped strip mall. Weedy plants sprung from every crack in the concrete and discolored signs hung crooked, if they still hung at all.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
In some ways, this location was ideal. When she got Jasper out they could sneak off to her car without witnesses. But seeing as the only people here—she hoped they were actually here—were potential arsonists, murderers, and magic folk capable of cursing werewolves, the whole getting him out part wouldn’t be easy.
“Well, I guess it’s going to be guns blazing.” Mari shrugged and pulled into the lot.
The plan wasn’t actually to go in guns blazing. The plan was…yet to be decided because damn, Mari was bad at planning. The guiding light from the spell was waning but it clearly pointed to the largest building in the juncture between the two halves of the shopping strip. Based on what was left of the sign, it used to be a clothing store.
Alright t
hen, the plan was to find a way in. To be safe, Mari drove to the end of the strip furthest from her target building and parked her car next to a loading dock. The big concrete ramp would hide the little Corolla from anyone coming around the back of the building and the shadow cast by the roof would make it less visible form the parking lot.
Mari slipped from her car, bolt cutters in hand. If Jasper was chained and caged she would need them, but they also served as a good weapon. Assuming this witch couldn’t throw hexes and fireballs like in some of the TV shows she and Jasper binged on.
The first thing she noticed when she crept around the corner to the back of the building was a white van parked at the opposite end. It was one of those tall work vans that carpenters drove. There were no windows on the sides, making it the perfect transport vehicle for a werewolf. She clutched the bolt cutters in one hand and pressed her back against the concrete wall of the nearest building, sliding closer with wide but cautious steps.
There didn’t appear to be anyone outside but that didn’t mean they weren’t simply out of view. As she neared the van, Mari’s pulse picked up so much that she could feel it drumming in the column of her throat. A rush of adrenaline pumped through her veins double time, making her hands shake and her knees weak.
Get it together, Mari.
Once she was less than ten feet from the van, she froze. Mostly she was paralyzed with fear because what the hell was she doing? Other than the kickboxing that she’d taken up two months ago, Mari had no fighting skills whatsoever. She wasn’t good at sneaking, couldn’t break into a building if the door was locked, and had no clue what she would be facing when she did get in there. She was about as likely to rescue Jasper as a mouse trying to rescue cheese from a trap.
Too bad. She told herself. He needs you.
A vision of his face flickered in her mind. This time he was human. Pale lips turned up in a half smile and mischief danced in lively green eyes. Vivid red hair caught the sun, filling the world with firelight. That fire was nothing compared to the heat that radiated from his chest and into the hand that she rested on it. Something inside of her ignited when she remembered the feel of his skin on hers, burning away the fear until nothing was left but determination.
About twenty feet from the van was another loading dock. The tall garage door at the top of the ramp was secured shut with a padlock. Beside it was a small black door, also secured with a safety hasp and a padlock. Compared to the rest of the building, the hasp and padlock were shiny and clean, possibly because they had recently been added to the door. She hadn’t been paying mind to the other back entrances she’d passed but none of them looked like they had been recently reinforced for security.
Mari could probably use the bolt cutters to break the lock but it wouldn’t be quiet or subtle. Besides, if that was the door the coven used to get in, she might walk right into their grasp. But wait, how did they get in if the door was padlocked from the outside?
She was rescuing a werewolf from a witch. Why was she searching for logic? They probably magicked the damn thing open.
Mari approached the door and pressed her ear against it to make sure there was no one immediately behind it. Next she looked over her shoulder and gave the area a cursory sweep. Even if no evil witches flew through the door and attacked her, she could still get picked up by patrolling cops for trespassing.
Cutting a padlock was as noisy as she feared and twice as difficult as she expected. It rattled against the door and the bolt cutters left her shoulders aching. No one came in response to the ruckus. For two long minutes Mari held her breath and waited but she was met with only stillness. Reassured by the silence, she twisted the handle of the door and stepped inside.
Every surface was tinted with dust. The flat air carried a faint hint of that new clothing smell and, oddly enough, stale Chinese food. Mari was standing in a stockroom. Tall warehouse shelves lined one end of the wall. They were mostly empty except for old boxes, plastic packaging, and coat hangers. A handful of clothing items still hung on a metal rod to one side. Mari chose that as a good place to hide as she scouted further into the room.
She really should have searched her storage tote for shoes. Maybe there were sneakers in one of these old boxes? With every step she took her flip flops creaked and smacked the back of her heel. Mari removed them and tucked them on one of the shelves, hoping she wouldn’t get tetanus. Silence followed her bare feet on the concrete as she abandoned her hiding spot and approached a pair of swinging doors.
If there was any doubt that Jasper was here, it quickly vanished when a rumbling growl echoed on the other side of the doors. Through the cracks Mari could see the derelict remains of a department store. Clothing racks and shelves were scattered around the open space. Forsaken mannequins were strewn about, their plastic eyes unblinking and emotionless. Super creepy. Why couldn’t evil witches hide out in posh hotels?
Mari gently pushed one of the doors and slipped through. Immediately her eyes were drawn to the heavy cage in the far right corner. Inside was a cramped red form. Before she could get any closer a male voice carried across the space. Mari ducked behind a display shelf and craned to listen.
“It’s awake already. Should I hit it again?” The voice was a familiar one that she hadn’t hoped to hear anytime soon. Maybe ever again.
“That motherfluffer—“ Mari clapped a hand over her mouth before she accidentally revealed her presence.
“I don’t know, Henrick. Three is a lot, even for their kind. The luminary will be furious if we overdose the creature.”
“Fine but if it starts making too much noise I’m going for another dose.”
It? Mari had half a mind to march right over there and smack both men over the head with her bolt cutters. But if they had drugs for a werewolf as big as Jasper, they could probably knock her out for a week. Damn, she knew there was something wrong with Henrick. He was following her and she led him right to Jasper.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, Mari!
By the sound of it, there were only two people. Mari wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing that their luminary wasn’t here. Feet scuffled on concrete, seemingly from only one person. When the shuffling ceased, she darted from her hiding spot as best she could in an awkward crouch and huddled behind a wooden desk in the center of the room. From that vantage point she could see Jasper clearly as well as the two cots that were positioned on the floor near the cage.
Lounging on one cot was a lean man with dark hair and dark olive skin. Mari almost cursed aloud again when she recognized the “neighbor” that had been watching her from an adjacent driveway on several occasions. How could she be so oblivious? Some wizard with serial-killer vibes appears out of nowhere, starts following her, casts on her, and she spent over a week baking cookies and googling werewolves? They should have hopped in the car and left to the find the pack the same day that Henrick followed her to Davito’s.
The second cot was empty but for a tangle of blankets. Another desk like the one she was hiding behind sat beside the mattress, littered with takeout boxes, soda cans, and other evidence that these men had been staying here awhile.
The shuffling returned and Mari noticed Henrick pacing. One of his hands was wrapped around the grip of a gun.
“Oh, shit.” She slapped her hand back over her mouth.
Jasper moved for the first time since she’d spotted him, raising his head to look directly at her. Half-lidded eyes revealed slits of green, clouded with a drug haze, yet the fury in his expression was unmistakable. His lip slowly peeled back and he let out a much louder growl. Jasper was growling at her? The wolf snarled and snapped his teeth, his head shaking back and forth aggressively.
“Run. Safe.” She heard the now familiar voice in her head demand. Jasper told her werewolves didn’t use telepathy, which was obviously a lie so he could secretly read her mind because this was happening with growing frequency. She could feel his emotions again too. Rage so hot it felt like it would melt her bubbled out of hi
m. Beneath that molten anger was something sharp and unexpected; fear.
“Run.”
Wait, Jasper was reprimanding her for coming after him? Talk about ungrateful. Mari rolled her eyes and shook her head at him, mouthing the words “not going anywhere, Red.” He was probably too groggy to read her lips but if he could send words into her head, then hopefully hers would make their way into his. Mari was so focused on trying to send him telepathic messages that she didn’t notice Henrick approaching the cage until the growling quickly quieted.
“Careful, Henrick.” The man on the cot warned as Henrick raised the gun and pointed it through the bars.
“I can’t spend another hour listening to this animal.” Henrick griped.
“So step outside.” The other man sighed with more than a hint of irritation.
There was a grunt of agreement and Henrick disappeared out of Mari’s line of sight. A second later she was diving under the desk. Heavy boots fell rhythmically on the concrete as Henrick strode by in the direction of the loading dock. Crap, why was he going that way? It had a padlock on the outside. Or it did before Mari broke it. The half-baked plan she’d come up with between the loading dock and the desk was quickly unraveling.
“Guns blazing.” She really ought to stop talking to herself out loud if she was going to make a habit of rescuing kidnapped werewolves.
Once Henrick was out of sight, Mari crawled out of her hiding place and made a mad dash for the corner where the other man was relaxing, totally unaware of her. After noticing a broken skylight pouring sunshine into that half of the building, she crafted a new plan. A ridiculously stupid plan that was probably not going to work, especially because casting that spell to locate Jasper earlier took a lot out of her. Beneath her skin, the warmth of magic felt cooler, like it was weak. Hopefully she still had enough power for this.