Tangled Echoes (Reconstructionist 2)

by Meghan Ciana Doidge

  We could have run for the front door, but it was likely to be trapped, which would slow us down. Plus, I had no idea if the other three vampires were still inert in the cellar or at large elsewhere in the house.

  I stepped in front of Declan, who shifted Jasmine in his arms but didn’t set her down. Lifting my chin, I channeled every bit of Fairchild haughtiness I could muster while facing down a greater predator. And with a wounded family member at my back.

  “You are trespassing, vampire.”

  “I am,” the vampire said, crossing his legs at the ankle and swinging them with childish anticipation. “Wisteria Fairchild, I presume? You may call me Yale.” His Welsh accent was heavier than it had been in the two reconstructions I’d collected, as if he was trying to be charming.

  “Introductions are not necessary, vampire,” I said. “You are none of my concern. If the executioner of the Conclave doesn’t take your head for kidnapping an investigator under his protection, then the Fairchild coven will make you suffer for your transgression.”

  Yale frowned, the expression forced and overly animated. “The witch holds no token from any vampire protector.”

  “She has her word.”

  “And I understand she has no standing within the coven.”

  I deliberately stepped halfway across the kitchen, closing the distance between myself and Yale — and to the shattered back door. Declan kept close behind me.

  I met the vampire’s moss-green gaze unflinchingly, instantly feeling his attempt to ensnare me. But I brushed his magic away without effort, derisively curling my lip at his feeble attempt. “You understood wrong.”

  Yale slid to the floor, keeping his hands on the edge of the counter. He was only a couple of inches taller than me. “Which one of you blew the door in half?” His question was eager, as if all his desires could be fulfilled by the answer.

  But I wasn’t even remotely interested in whatever game he had going on in his head. “My cousin needs a healer.”

  “Is that your version of a white flag?”

  “We’re leaving.”

  Though the cottage wards weren’t of my own construction, they responded to my Fairchild blood and the command in my voice. The top half of the back door swung open.

  I took a half step, then angled my shoulder to the edge of the counter, placing myself between the door and Yale.

  Declan took my hint without further prompting, moving toward the door. I kept my gaze steadily on the red-haired vampire.

  “I would have words with the executioner,” Yale said, flicking his gaze up over my shoulder as Declan carried Jasmine through the back door, then jumped to clear the patio steps.

  “You’re about to get your chance,” I said. “I suggest you speak quickly.”

  “You are so deliciously cool.” Yale touched his tongue to his lower lip. “What does it take to get your heart racing?”

  I flicked my gaze to the window just long enough to see Declan step through the gate, glance back for me, then carefully place Jasmine in the passenger seat of the golf cart.

  “You’re attempting to take my bargaining chip,” Yale said with amusement. “Are you staying in her place?”

  He lifted his hand from the counter, but paused in midmotion when I raised my right arm in response. I tugged the sleeve of my wool coat back. My white-picket-fence bracelet glowed with blue witch magic.

  Yale’s gaze snapped to my wrist as I curled my fingers into a fist, silently coaxing more magic into the platinum charms.

  The vampire grinned. “Oh, good. You’re going to fight back. The other witch was a disappointment.”

  “Allow me to state this clearly,” I said. My voice was low and steady. “I’m a valued member within the Convocation. I am the scion of the Fairchild coven. And I am also the chosen of Kettil, elder and executioner of the Conclave.”

  “You carry no token —”

  “His very power is embedded into the bracelet I wear. A bracelet constructed by the most powerful alchemist of our time. As a gift of appreciation.”

  Yale’s gaze flicked to my wrist again. “A pretty trinket.”

  “It has a name,” I whispered, layering my improvised bluff with something I hoped might capture a power-hungry predator’s attention. “Vampire’s Bane.”

  Yale laughed, but the sound was full of forced amusement. “I accept your credentials, witch.” Then he deliberately turned his head to look out the window. “Of course, I cannot speak for my children.”

  Over his shoulder, the path beyond the gate was empty. Declan and Jasmine should hopefully have been halfway back to the manor.

  “They delight in playing in the shadows of the sunset,” Yale said. “And I’m an indulgent father.”

  I was through the back door before the last words were out of his mouth. I could hear him laughing behind me as I remembered to jump over the spelled second stair, then brushed heedlessly past the other spells along the back path.

  The magic of the estate rose up around me, likely responding to my panic. It swallowed the malignant magic I triggered as I bolted through the back gate, then onto the wide stone pathway that led back to the manor.

  While I was facing off with the vampire in the kitchen, my heart had been steady. Even sedate. Now it was pounding in my chest in time to my footfalls.

  But I was moving so much more slowly than I knew the three vampires would be, visualizing them darting throughout the deep shadows. I crested a shallow hill, expecting to see Declan and Jasmine slaughtered on the stones of the pathway before me.

  Instead, all I saw was the endless stretch of trees between me and the manor. And the golf cart overturned at the edge of the path.

  I slowed my pace as I approached, then circled the cart. Refusing to allow myself to freeze in terror. My cursory examination didn’t turn up any blood or residual magic, which was good. But I also couldn’t tell whether or not Declan and Jasmine had been snatched, or if they’d run off into the woods.

  I needed to get control of myself, of my emotions. I needed to take control of the situation.

  I tugged off my shoes and socks, tucking them into my bag. Then, ignoring how bitingly cold it was underfoot, I stepped off the stone path and onto the dirt. I was thankful that there wasn’t any snow.

  I might have been out of practice, but I was still a witch standing on her ancestral land — literally. And though the estate’s magic might have grown wild or even capricious, it still answered to witches. Not to vampires.

  “Jasmine,” I whispered, raising my hands toward the shadowed trees surrounding me. “Declan.” Decomposing leaves stirred and evergreen bushes rustled around me, though I hadn’t felt a breeze earlier. I took another measured step from the path, reaching out with magical senses long atrophied. Seeking some hint … some presence.

  The magic of the land whispered secrets to me, but I didn’t understand its words.

  I took another step, ready to abandon my attempt to connect with the wild magic of the estate and return to my mad dash for the manor. Then I felt a push underneath my right hand.

  I continued walking forward, slowly but steadily. Lifting my hand before me, I whispered again. “Jasmine.”

  The magic nudged my hand once more and I was running again. I picked up my pace in the direction it had indicated, heedless of the ever-deepening shadows.

  Chapter 11

  Magic exploded against a tree trunk only inches from my right cheek. I twisted away, throwing myself to my hands and knees in the dirt and dead leaves.

  “Damn it, Wisteria!” Declan snarled quietly from nearby. “I could have taken your head off.”

  I crawled forward, weaving through the stands of birch and maple that dotted this section of the estate until I could see Declan standing in a small clearing. His attention was riveted in the direction of the manor. A few feet away, Jasmine was propped up against a tree that looked as though it had been very recently split in two.

  My cousin grinned at me weakly, waving her finger
s in greeting.

  I scrambled to my feet as I crossed the distance between us, then I crouched down again before Jasmine.

  “Defensive position,” she said.

  “Can you stand?” I asked. “If I help?”

  “Leave her.” Declan was pivoting slowly, scanning the ever-darkening trees around us.

  I could see the wide clearing at the back of the manor and the far side of the derelict vegetable gardens over Jasmine’s head. Running unhindered, it might take only ten minutes to get there. For one terrible, painful breath, I desperately wished we’d had the type of family we could rely on. Parents who would have believed us without question, putting our safety before their own welfare. But we didn’t. And even if we did, they couldn’t have gotten to us in time anyway. We were on our own.

  Heedless of Declan’s orders, I got my shoulder underneath Jasmine’s arm, then helped her rise to her feet. “We need to be in the open, out of the shadows.”

  “The trees are cover,” Declan said, as if I were a complete moron.

  “They hunt by heartbeat,” I said, inching Jasmine along the length of the fallen tree. “Physical barriers, defensive positions, it doesn’t matter. They’re playing with you, using the shadows to stay out of the sun.”

  “The rapidly setting sun,” Jasmine said.

  Laughter filtered in around us. The hair at the back of my neck prickled, but I didn’t bother looking around. It was highly unlikely I’d see them unless they wanted me to.

  “You think you’re scary?” Jasmine shouted into the bare-leafed grove around us. “I’ve dated scarier.”

  More laughter followed as Jasmine and I skirted the fallen tree, forced to shuffle deeper into the shadows in order to get to the clearing beyond. My cousin was a dead weight on my shoulder. Though we were practically the same size, I wasn’t going to be able to drag her very far.

  Declan didn’t bother protesting as he kept tight on our heels, rolling marbles that glinted with magic in both of his hands.

  “Speaking of Kett,” I said, “please tell me you texted him again. That you told him we were being hunted.”

  Jasmine only grunted, pained. I craned my neck, trying to see her through the matted hair hanging around her face. She had her eyes closed, murmuring something to herself. A lullaby, or perhaps a healing spell she had no actual ability to cast.

  I picked up the pace.

  As we made it out of the shadows and into the clearing, Declan threw two more of his premade spells behind us. Wood splintered and cracked, but the sinister laughter was the only response.

  Jasmine stumbled, silently taking me down with her. Declan glanced over his shoulder, stepping toward us to help pick her up.

  I shook my head, pointing back at the tree line. Two shadowed figures had appeared behind us, staying only inches away from where the last rays of sun kissed the clearing.

  I scrambled to my feet.

  “You aren’t wearing any shoes, Betty-Sue,” Jasmine mumbled, trying to raise herself onto her hands and knees but failing. “That can’t be good.”

  Ignoring her, I crossed around and grabbed her by the shoulders. Then without thinking any more about it than that, I started dragging her across the grass toward the manor. If I had been a skilled witch, I might have been able to figure out how to harness the magic of the estate in a helpful fashion. If I had been a witch of real power, I probably could have transported Jasmine directly into the manor. But I wasn’t either of those things, and wishes weren’t going to get Declan and Jasmine to safety.

  Declan kept himself between us and the two figures waiting patiently within the shadowed trees.

  I fell twice more, eliciting pained grunts from Jasmine that tore at my heart each time.

  Halfway across the clearing, I glanced over my shoulder. Valko was standing underneath the grape arbor.

  Apparently, the thickly overgrown vines provided enough protection from the setting sun even without their leaves. Blistering rage swept through me in response to the appearance of the dark-haired vampire, and I was glad Jasmine couldn’t see him behind us. Gathering all the composure I could muster, I paused to assess our options. My hesitation drew Declan’s attention to the third vampire.

  We were trapped, hemmed in, and Yale hadn’t even joined the hunting party yet.

  Ignoring the terror pulsing through my limbs, I carefully laid Jasmine down on the ground. She touched my cheek lightly, trying to smile even though she was struggling to keep her eyes open. I wasn’t certain that blood loss was the same as a concussion, but I wanted to shake her awake nonetheless.

  We had run out of time, though. There wasn’t another moment to worry or fret or be afraid.

  I tugged off my wool coat, folding and placing it underneath Jasmine’s head. Then I pulled my candles and lighter out, leaving my bag with her.

  “We’re making a stand?” Declan asked. “Here?”

  I nodded, quickly pacing a tight circle around Jasmine and placing the pillar candles at its north, east, south, and west edges. “They’ve obviously guessed that we’re trying to make it to the manor.” I glanced at the red now streaking the sky. “We just have to hold them off.”

  “Until what?” Declan spoke quietly, but it likely didn’t matter. If the vampires could hear our heartbeats, they could hear our conversation, whispered or not. “You think Kett can take four of his kind at once? And if you think he can, would he do so for witches?”

  I didn’t answer. I didn’t have an answer. All I could do was try to protect Jasmine, then stand with Declan and stall for time. I didn’t know if that was even possible, though the chat in the kitchen with Yale had given me a glimmer of hope.

  I systematically lit the candles, saving the green for last. Green for earth. Then with the magic of the estate thrumming underneath my feet and my white-picket-fence bracelet glowing on my wrist, I lifted my hands toward the circle, calling forth magic I hadn’t wielded in over twelve years.

  As it had at the cottage and on the path when I sought for Jasmine and Declan, the centuries’ worth of magic tied to the estate responded to my call, pooling underneath my palms. I pushed the gathered energy through the circle.

  The candles flared as the circle snapped closed. Now contained within it, Jasmine gasped. This was a protective ward, rather than a reconstruction circle. A simple bit of magic I’d learned before I was a teenager. But I was so out of practice that I hesitated to try to cast a circle large enough to hold all three of us — unwilling to stretch and thin whatever protection I could offer Jasmine.

  Even with this smaller circle, a witch more powerful than me would tear through the barrier with little effort, as Jasper had done over and over again the last time I’d attempted to wield such magic. Because we were so tightly bound, Jasmine and Declan could likely move through it without resistance. But bolstered by the magic that now resided in my bracelet courtesy of Jade Godfrey, I could only hope that the circle would hold off the vampires.

  At least for as long as I was alive.

  “Nice casting,” Jasmine said, sounding a little more together than she had just a few moments before. “I can feel the magic.”

  I offered her a tight smile, turning to face the manor and placing her and the circle behind me. “Watch my back.”

  “Always.”

  Declan stepped up beside me.

  The vampires had melted back into the shadows, but the sun was only moments away from fully setting. Dusk was upon us.

  “If you get a chance to grab Jasmine and run,” I said without looking at Declan, “you take it.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Declan,” I said. “Don’t try to save us both. We’re massively outnumbered.”

  “I heard you.”

  A quiet rustling came from behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jasmine sitting upright. She had my phone in one hand and was digging through my bag with the other. Seen through the barrier of the protection circle, the collection of reconstructions gathered on her
necklace glowed like blue-tinted stars.

  I surveyed the tree line, then the edges of the garden and what I could see of the manor. The windows of the house were dark. Nothing stirred in the dusk.

  The vampires wanted to play. I expected that they’d show themselves without warning, but given their behavior so far, they would likely ease into the attack portion of their hunt. No point in just slaughtering us. That would curtail the fun too quickly.

  “Declan.” I brushed my fingers over the top of his hand, feeling all the magic he held at the ready.

  “Yes?”

  “If I die …” As I uttered the words, I realized I wasn’t scared at the prospect. “If I don’t make it through this … will you remember that you loved me once?”

  “I always remember,” he said gruffly.

  The three vampires appeared without any warning, fanning out between us and the manor. Amaya, the former necromancer from Ecuador. Valko, the dark-haired male who’d bitten Jasmine. And the as-yet-unidentified female, who dressed like a witch wannabe and was likely responsible for the spells around the cottage, unless those were of Yale’s construction.

  Deliberately ignoring them, I cast my gaze around the clearing again. Some small part of me was still hoping that Kett would sweep in and save us. But Declan was correct in his assessment of the situation. At this point, saving us likely meant destroying one or more of his brethren. And no matter how many witch laws the vampires had ignored by kidnapping and torturing Jasmine, I wasn’t sure they’d done enough to warrant a Conclave-sanctioned execution.

  This was a witch matter. A Fairchild witch matter. So we witches were going to have to solve it.

  I took a half step forward, deliberately drawing the attention of all three vampires. “I’ve already had this conversation with your master,” I said. “You’ve kidnapped a Fairchild witch, and you are now trespassing on Fairchild lands.”

  “Who’s going to kick us off?” Valko said with a sneer. “Two witches? Against three vampires? That’s ridiculous.”

  “Three witches,” Jasmine said tartly from behind me.