“Reading between the lines, bro.”
“Are you reading between the lines or between the brows?”
“A little of both.”
“I told you to stop that. If I want a reading, I’ll call. Meanwhile, you need to go like you said you would. And don’t forget you’re not telling anybody about this.”
“Why is it a secret?”
“Because I’m not sure what it is yet. If I was, it wouldn’t be a secret.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“You’re not going to just leave, are you?”
“Yeah. I am. Right after you spill the good shit.”
Rally sighed as he dropped into his desk chair. He reached for a tennis ball and began to absently throw it up and catch it.
“You ever heard about witches’ spring rites?”
“Maybe not in the sense you mean. Tell me.”
“There’s a colony of witches in Wimberley. They’ve been there for over a century. Every year, one or two come to mating age. I guess there’s some kind of matchmaker divining thing they do. They locate the best matches. Then they put on this elaborate ruse, a weekend event where all these guys converge and compete for a life of riches, luxury, leisure, or whatever they want from life. The winners have no idea they’ve won before the weekend even starts.”
When Rally paused, Aodh laughed. “Shit! Those evil little bitches.”
Rally shook his head. “It’s not evil. The guys who don’t win get a weekend out of it.”
“Whatever. So what’s the problem then?”
“First, no warlock has ever been invited. Two, I had to pull a string to get an invitation.”
After a few seconds Aodh caught on. “Doesn’t sound good for the home team. ‘Cause that means there’s some human who’s already been cosmically claimed as your girl’s mate. And you’re one of the wannabees running around thinking he stands a chance.”
Rally sighed and looked out the window. “Wednesday.”
“No. It’s not on Wednesday. The invitation says…”
He looked at Aodh. “No. That’s her name.”
“Her name is Wednesday?” Aodh seemed to think that over. “That’s kind of cool. Kind of witchy. I guess I like it.”
“I don’t care whether you like it or not.”
“Testy.” Rally opened his mouth to reply, but Aodh went on. “So what are we going to do about this?”
“We?”
“Of course ‘we’. One for all. All for one. Or is it the other way around?” When Rally didn’t answer, he said, “Either way, this is what friends are for. If witches can play games, warlocks can play games.”
“Aodh…”
“No need to thank me.”
“Believe me, I wasn’t going to thank you. I was going to remind you that you promised to leave if I told you the real crux of the problem.”
“I did say I’d leave, but that was before I knew I was needed here.”
“You’re not needed.”
“If you don’t know how badly I’m needed then I fear you’ve contracted mating fever.”
“What’s mating fever?”
Aodh shrugged. “Sounds like it should be a thing. Doesn’t it?”
“Look. You can drive me crazy another time. I promise. Right now, I’m driving myself crazy enough.”
“Alright. Enough of the joking around. We need to work a little magic of our own. Make sure you get what you want. We’re going to magically hack the witches’ little system.”
“Why do I hear a voice in my head saying, ‘What could go wrong with that?’”
“Do you want this witch or not?” When Rally didn’t answer, Aodh said, “Way to commit, bro.”
“Shut up. I don’t know. I want time with her to find out where things might go.”
Aodh laughed. “Where do you think things like this go? Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. It’s not new and it’s not rocket science.”
“I don’t need you to sabotage...”
“I never said anything about sabotage. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?”
“Nobody said anything about love, much less true love.”
Aodh gave Rally a coy look. “Call it pig dung if you want. Doesn’t change what it is.”
“Nicely put.”
Aodh looked around the room. “So that’s what all this is about?” He waved his arm. “You thought you could dress your way out of a magical box?”
Rally bobbled his head. “A friend of hers, the one who got me the invitation, said I’d better dress to win.”
“Uh-huh. Well, one thing’s for sure. Your invitation was special. You know humans aren’t getting invitations delivered by bad-mannered birds.”
Rally picked up the invitation. “I hadn’t thought about that, but you’re right.” He read the invitation over then looked at Aodh. “Wonder why warlocks don’t ever get invitations. I mean, without asking.” He almost sounded embarrassed to have been put in the position of begging for a way in.
“Maybe the witches like having the upper hand in relationships.”
“I don’t think they’re actually choosing. I think they’re just accepting the results of divining.”
Aodh suddenly brightened and grinned at Rally.
Throwing his hands up and turning his back, Rally said, “Whatever that is, I already don’t like it.”
“Keep an open mind.”
“No.”
“Just listen.” Rally turned half way around. “The invitation doesn’t have your name on it.”
“So what?”
“So… I think anybody who sees it is legitimately invited.”
Rally barked out a laugh. “That’s a stretch even for you, Aodh. It’s my room. My window. My invitation.”
“Well, you could look at it like that. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m invited, too. Now. Not only that but I have friends.”
Rally turned a look on Aodh that was unmistakably menacing. “You are not going to share with anybody else. And you are not going to crash the witches’ thing.”
“You’re looking at this all wrong. We’ll accept nothing less than victory.”
“Are you hearing me?”
“I am. I just think it’s selfish of you to want to keep the witches all to yourself.” Aodh rose. “Going now. You just worry about what you’re going to wear. I’ll take care of the rest.”
As Aodh was jogging down the stairs, Rally was calling after him. “Aodh, if I see you anywhere around Wimberley, I’ll spend the next hundred years making you regret it.”
Aodh’s faint laughter didn’t comfort Rally in the least.
CHAPTER FIVE The Gathering
Wednesday had been expecting a summons from the Council. She knew it would get back to them that she wasn’t into the mating thing. And she knew they wouldn’t just let it go without a fight.
Although they were known as the Elders Council, there wasn’t a single person serving who was over fifty-five. Since no one wanted to be on it, over time it had taken shape as a body peopled by women who were enjoying the years between caring for young and caring for elderly.
“Wednesday, we can’t force you to take a mate.” Gale looked at the other six witches on the Council. “Nor would we want to. But you could at least compromise and attend the event.”
“Why would I attend the event when I’ve already made up my mind?”
“Well,” Gale said, “if nothing else, out of respect for the work people do year round to make it happen.”
Wednesday laughed out loud. “Who are you kidding? Raider spends most of his time fishing, fucking, and riding his motorcycle. In that order. Probably.”
Marsalla sighed. “Stay for the rites, Wednesday. Then if you need to go traipsing around the globe, we won’t stand in your way. So long as you’re sure you can go about your business without bringing attention to anything extraordinary.”
“Of course,” Wednesday said. “I would never compromise the Colony.”
; “We’re sure you wouldn’t do it intentionally,” Gale said. “But you’re accustomed to thinking, talking, and acting freely when you’re inside the Colony gates. It’s easy to forget.”
“I won’t,” Wednesday promised.
“Okay,” Marsalla said. “Thanks for coming.”
After Wednesday was gone, Marsalla turned to the others. “What do you think?”
“We’re going to have to lock her down,” said Veil. “Her heart’s in the right place, but she’s naïve about her limitations.”
All seven nodded in agreement. They believed that Wednesday wouldn’t deliberately alert humans to her special gifts. They also believed, just as strongly, that she would give herself away unintentionally. As a safeguard to protect her and everyone in the Colony, they agreed to meet at midnight on Wednesday, the day of the week most auspicious for that sort of working.
They would cast a mute spell so that Wednesday could not divulge any secrets, even if she wanted to, and a magic cloak spell so that humans would either not see anything unusual or, if they did, immediately forget.
“I do think she may have a point about doing more to head off a global catastrophe,” said Gale.
“I’m open to consider it. What do you want to do?” Marsalla seemed curious.
“We could magically hide the rest of the fossil fuels. Make them appear invisible to humans,” Star said.
“That’d be quite an undertaking,” Lily offered. “Since there will always be corporations with a mission of greed and power, the easiest thing would be to channel profits in the direction of renewables.”
“Like a train switching tracks,” Star said.
Gale felt like they might be on the verge of something both doable and worthwhile. “I like that imagery.” She sniffed. “Maybe the kid is right. Maybe we could do more than just take care of our little corner of the world.”
“Our little corner is the priority. If we can do more without compromising that?” Marsalla looked around. “I’m on board.”
Gale grinned. “It’s like a slogan in keeping with the train metaphor. I’m on board, too.”
Marsalla rolled her eyes. “I don’t know how we could have raised that girl and have her not understand that we’re always right about happiness. The Powers That Be have made a match for her and geopolitical activism is not going to put it asunder.”
“Well said,” Gale smiled. “I motion that we form an inner circle interested in promoting the health of the planet.”
“Second,” Star said.
Rally had spent the night in Austin. He was getting in his car to head for Wimberley because the first meet and greet would begin at noon. He swung his bag into the back when his phone chimed. It was a text from Bell. He didn’t know she had his number, but he supposed that if she could get his address, she could get whatever else she wanted to know.
Morning. You’ve got one of the highly prized rooms at the hotel next to the tavern. Not only that, but it’s a single. You won’t have to share. You can go straight there and don’t ever say I never did anything for you. Good luck. - B
He wasn’t sure exactly what he’d done to get Wednesday’s friend on his side, but he was grateful.
Thanks, Bell. Owe you.
He found a small parking lot behind the hotel and a convenient back entrance. The clerk said, “Rally?” and shook his head. “Oh! Ragsnare Morovian?”
“Ah, yeah,” Rally said. Not even the other members of his coven knew his real name was Ragsnare. Even his driver’s license said, ‘Rally’. He had to hand it to Bell. She was thorough.
He handed the clerk a credit card, but the clerk shook his head. “No need, sir. Your stay is comped.”
“Oh. Well, thank you. That’s nice.”
“If you’re attending the young gentlemen’s gathering, turn right out the front door. It’s about half a block down and there are signs. I heard they’re grilling shish kabobs down by the river.”
“Sounds like a winner.”
“Yeah. When you’re entertaining men, it’s hard to beat meat on a stick.”
Rally stared at the clerk, unsure whether the man was kidding or not. He finally decided to say, “Right,” a safe, non-committal answer that can be interpreted any way the hearer chooses.
The room was no frills, but clean, and decorated in a semi-western theme, or something that approximated ‘western’ in the mind of the person making decisions on decorating. He unpacked the clothes he’d agonized over when choosing, and growled softly when he saw the wrinkled condition of the cotton shirts. It was the first time in his life he’d ever cared about whether shirts were wrinkled or not.
It pleased him to imagine that the other contenders might be dealing with the same issue. It pleased him even more knowing that he wasn’t like the other contenders.
He put the shirts on hangers, hung them on the shower rod then conjured steam to make the wrinkles relax. The decision to wear the not-wrinkled clothes he came in had been made for him. So he closed the bathroom door and said, “Let the games begin.”
Rally had known there were going to be guys at the weekend’s events, but he hadn’t expected so many. He’d descended the stone steps to a large terrace and multi-leveled outdoor café by the river. Judging from the signs, the entire establishment had been reserved for the event.
He was still standing near the entrance when he spotted Bell coming toward him. She didn’t look happy.
Before she spoke, he said, “What’s wrong?”
Bell shook her head. “She’s gone.”
“Gone?! What do you mean gone?”
Bell grabbed Rally’s wrist, not that her hand would wrap all the way around, and pulled him off to the side. “This is hard to explain, but Wednesday’s not like the rest of us.”
“That doesn’t sound hard to explain, Bell. You just did it.”
“What I mean is… I’m not talking about lovable quirkiness. Wednesday’s passionate about stuff. Through and through.”
Rally cocked his head slightly and looked confused. ‘Passionate’ wasn’t an adjective that a warlock bent on courtship was likely to mind. “Bell, passion is not a bad thing. Especially from my perspective.”
“Not that kind of passion. Well, I mean, I don’t know about that. I’m talking about causes. Like the environment.”
Rally looked away. “Huh.”
“Yeah. So I’m sorry you came…”
He returned his attention to Bell with a resolute look. “Where did she go?”
“She said something about Greenland.”
Rally took in a deep breath. “I didn’t pack for Greenland. I packed for Wimberley. Why did she go to Greenland?”
“To save the world from global warming. You mean you’re going after her?”
“Well, duh. You think I came to Wimberley…” he looked around like the idea was preposterous, “for Wednesday and now I’m just gonna turn around and go home?” He looked at Bell. “I’m kind of surprised this, ah, hive…”
“Colony.”
“Right. I’m surprised they’d allow one of you to go wandering off alone.”
“Have you been listening? Nobody allowed anything. In fact, everybody she knows either asked her not to go or told her not to go. Pleaded. Persuaded. Coaxed. Urged. And cajoled. She did it anyway.”
“If you couldn’t stop her, why didn’t you go with her?” Rally blurted out the question, knowing that’s how things worked with his friends then realized it sounded weird and accusatory only after the words were airborne.
Bell didn’t take offense. She just smiled. “How you gonna find her?”
“Guess I’ll ask one of my sisters to scry.”
“You could do that. Or you could just ask me to help.”
Rally looked hopeful. “That would be very nice of you, Bell.”
“Okay. Come on.”
“Wait. I have a couple of questions.”
“Shoot.”
“First, you told me where she went, but you didn’t say
why she went.”
“Yeah, I did. She thinks she’s going to personally visit some of the sources of major wounds and do some good. She thinks that, if she has some success to show for it, she can talk others into using magic to change the course we’re on.”
“Why now? Wasn’t she expected at this,” he waved in the direction of guys milling around the terrace, “thing?”
“She told everybody here that she wasn’t going to participate and never said otherwise. I guess they didn’t believe her. Maybe she figured that, if she wasn’t getting attached to somebody, there was just no point in meeting, greeting, or leading anyone on. Wednesday has a practical side.”
Rally gave Bell a disbelieving look. “Right. Bugging out on your own engagement party to travel to Greenland, thinking you can save the world from global warming with a little magic? Very practical.”
“Well, when you put it like that… Did I tell you that Wednesday has a highly developed idealistic nature that can sometimes manifest in extreme impracticality?”
“Not in so many words. No. Did you try to talk her out of this?”
Bell laughed. “I’m part of ‘everbody’. Did I mention stubborn as well? What’s the other question?”
“There’s supposed to be a, ah, winner? Somebody who isn’t me? And he’s here?” Rally wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the information if Bell pointed out the guy threatening to take what he wanted. Rally just knew that what he’d like to do was pound the douchebag in the face until the fucker was so disfigured he had no chance with Wednesday.
“Maybe.” Bell’s voice brought him back to the subject at hand. “That’s above my pay grade. I just know that the winner is whoever Wednesday chooses. Know what I mean?”
Rally focused on Bell and grinned, beginning to truly appreciate why Wednesday liked this witch. “I like the way you think.”
CHAPTER SIX Exit Planet Earth
“Where?” Rally’s brows drew together.
“Kangerlussuaq.”
“What language is that?”
“Hell if I know.”
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