Of Fire and Storm

by D. G. Swank

  “Yeah. She showed up and Marilyn went with her.”

  “You called a spirit from the afterlife to do your bidding?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “That’s a weird way to put it.”

  “Do you know what you could do with that?”

  “Help ghosts who are stuck to move on?” Would it work for Tommy? I could call his mother to come to him, but first I’d have to figure out how to make the vortex appear. “Tell me about this client you partied with,” I teased as I unwrapped my sandwich.

  “I wasn’t partying. I was entertaining, Pippy. There’s a difference.”

  “And how old was this client?”

  He grinned. “Too old to party.”

  I snort-laughed. Most of his clients were twice our age minimum, super rich, and snooty. “Hope your Friday night wasn’t too dreary then.”

  “Oh, she made it worth my while.”

  I widened my eyes in question, and he waggled his eyebrows.

  An older woman. That was a first for him. Maybe he really was changing his usual pattern.

  “Hey,” he said after he took his first bite. “Rosalyn mentioned she has a friend who has access to a collection of fourteenth-century weapons that changed hands a week or two ago. Do you think it’s the same one Jack was invited to see?”

  My mouth dropped open. “Your new client has a friend who has access to the collection?” My panic started to rise. “Hudson, she must be with the Guardians.”

  His brow wrinkled. “No. I investigated Rosalyn before I met with her. She’s definitely not.”

  I gave him a look of surprise. “Is it typical to investigate clients?”

  “Not usually, but it seemed prudent given the situation.”

  “You need to stay away from her, Hudson. That’s one huge coincidence.”

  “Piper,” he said, putting his sandwich down. “She’s got a ton of money. Why would someone like that need the Guardians? Everything I’ve read about them hints they want to control the demons to get rich. Rosalyn’s already worth millions.”

  “Are you sure you’re not being blinded by the dollar signs?” The pain in his eyes was proof I’d gone too far. “I’m sorry, Huddy. I didn’t mean it. I’m exhausted and I’m worried about you.”

  He picked up his sandwich again. “It’s okay. You’re under a lot of stress.”

  “Now that my birthday has come and gone, I know they’ll be coming for me. I’d hate for them to use you to do it.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” he said, looking me in the eye. “What if I contact them and see if they’re open to a discussion about what exactly they want from you. Then maybe we can negotiate your involvement. Isn’t that better than sitting around waiting for them to kidnap you?”

  “While it might sound like a good idea, may I remind you that my father did the same thing? Plus, there’s nothing to negotiate. I will never work for them. No.”

  “You won’t even consider it?” he asked. “What if we could make it a conference call? We could use the conference room at my office.”

  I groaned and closed my eyes. “Hudson.”

  “I’m scared to death for you, Piper. I have no control over what happens to you in the supernatural world, but this…this I can help with. You let Abel help you with that.” He pointed to my left hand. “Why won’t you let me help with this? It’s a phone call. If nothing else, it might buy you some time.”

  I knew he’d felt hamstrung lately and he saw this as a way to help, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of talking civilly to the people who’d killed my parents and ambushed me at Helen’s Bridge. Still, I wasn’t going to take this from him yet. “Let me think about it.”

  Relief filled his eyes. “Thank you for considering it.”

  “I’m tired,” I said, getting to my feet. I grabbed the sword off the table. “I think I’m going to take a nap.”

  “You look exhausted. That’s a good idea.”

  I headed upstairs and went to my room to charge my phone, but first I checked for messages. Somehow I’d missed a message from my grandmother from this morning. She had told me she wouldn’t be able to get calls or emails while she and Granddad were on their cruise. Had something changed?

  “Hello, Piper,” she said in a brisk, clipped tone. “I had hoped we’d be on better speaking terms by now. You could have made more effort to resolve things.”

  I rolled my eyes. Typical Nana Maureen statement.

  “Yesterday was your birthday and we’ve never missed one before. I thought it might have been easier if your grandfather and I left, but now I’m not so sure.” Then her tone softened. “Your grandfather had no idea I’d hidden things from you. It’s not fair to make him suffer for my mistake. We’ll be back in town on Wednesday. I want you to come over for dinner Thursday night and make it up to him.” Then she hung up.

  Even if I could call her back, I just couldn’t handle her on top of everything else. If I was going to make an emotional phone call, I had someone else in mind. She answered after several rings, just when I was sure it was about to go to voicemail.

  “Piper,” Rhys said, sounding drained. “How did the ghost exorcism go?”

  I nearly cried with relief. “It was rough, but she moved on and Jack didn’t need stitches or staples when it was all said and done, so I’ll call it a win. Thanks for helping.”

  “Just doin’ my job,” she said, but there was no bitterness in her voice.

  “You’re under a lot of stress right now,” I said. “And I hate that Jack bothered you, but I wanted to tell you that your information helped a woman break free from an eighty-year-old time loop.” I paused for a fraction of a second, then pushed on. “I’m so sorry, Rhys. So, so sorry. If I could change what happened to—”

  “Piper,” Rhys said, sounding weary. “I’m the one who owes you an apology. I blamed you for something completely out of your control. I’m ashamed for how I behaved, especially since I know how much her death hurt you too. It’s just I had to blame someone. I’m sorry.”

  “No,” I said as I choked on relief. “I deserve the blame.”

  “None of this is your fault, Piper. None of it. I let you down and I won’t do it again.”

  “Move in with me and Huddy,” I blurted out. The suggestion came out of my mouth before it registered in my brain, but I was struck by the rightness of it.

  “What?”

  “We need to circle the wagons. These demons aren’t going anywhere. We need to stick as close together as we can, and we definitely need to be protected while we sleep. I know someone who can put strong wards on the house. In fact, I have a protection for you. A pendant.” When she didn’t say anything, I added, “Tommy’s living here now.”

  “The ghost boy?”

  “Yeah, a demon had found him, and Beth threatened to hire someone else to get rid of him, so I brought him here. He’s in the attic.”

  “Does Hudson know?” she asked in shock.

  “No. Not yet, but he won’t find him because I’ve created something Abel calls a pocket dimension.”

  “Oh my God!” she cried out. “You created another dimension?”

  “I guess so. I transformed the attic to look like my mother and grandmother’s old playroom in the other dimension, and Tommy is living there for now.”

  “This is crazy, Piper.”

  “I know, but we can’t tell anyone. Abel’s worried what the demons will do if they find out.”

  “What will they do?”

  “I don’t know, and I don’t want to think about it. The demons performed two ritualistic murders last night at the warehouse where they’ve been hosting parties for the past several weeks, and another one out by Black Mountain today. Abel went to check it out.”

  “Take an afternoon off and look at all I miss,” she teased in a dry tone.

  “I know, right? Never a dull moment with me these days.” I paused, so thankful she was talking to me. “I need you to stay inside your house until I can get you the neckl
ace I had made. Pour the holy water Jack gave you and salt around all your doors and windows. I can’t lose you.”

  “Okay.”

  “One more thing,” I said. “Hudson mentioned something, and I want to get your opinion.”

  “Okay…”

  “We all know I’m just sitting around waiting for the Guardians to swoop in and try to take me.”

  “Piper…”

  “No, it’s true, but Hudson thinks we should contact them and try to negotiate.”

  “How would we even reach them?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe through their website.” I paused. “You’re not saying this is crazy.”

  “I don’t know, Piper. We know they won’t stop until they get you.”

  “They killed my father after he tried to negotiate. I’m not sure they’re negotiating-type people.”

  “That was fifteen years ago. People change. Demons are roaming the earth. Maybe they’re more mellow now.”

  “I doubt the demons are a mellowing influence.”

  “All I’m saying is think about it,” Rhys said softly. “The important thing is to keep you safe.”

  Both Hudson and Rhys were urging me to do this, and all I could hear in my head was Deidre’s voice telling me that someone close to me would betray me.

  No. I refused to believe it.

  But if one of them was possessed by the Great One?

  I went lightheaded at the thought and scoured my last conversations with both of them for any sign of a personality change. Neither one of them had shown any signs of violence or anger. The only thing off was them pushing me to talk to the Guardians.

  “I’ll think about it,” I said. And a whole lot of other things too.

  I hung up, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. I would have loved nothing more than to actually take a nap, but I was worried about Tommy. I’d left him for nearly eighteen hours. While the time had passed differently in his world, it still felt like too long.

  I walked out of my room with my sword over my shoulder. With demons running amok, it seemed smart to keep it with me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hudson going into his room.

  He gave me a sheepish grin. “I was dozing, so I decided to take a nap too.”

  I headed down the opposite end of the hall from the staircase.

  “You’re going to the attic?” he asked in surprise.

  “I want to search my dad’s desk and files again. See if I missed anything.”

  He walked back into the hall, giving me a confused look. “You’ve been over the entire office several times already.”

  “I know, but Abel’s out there chasing big, bad demons. I feel like I should be doing something.”

  He took a step toward me. “Do you want help?”

  I shook my head. “No, but maybe you and I could watch a movie after you get up from your nap. Just you and me.”

  He leaned against the wall and smiled. “I like the sound of that.” Then he went back into his room and closed the door.

  I hated lying to him, but Hudson had a harder time accepting all of this than Rhys. I needed to ease him into it.

  When I reached the attic door, I glanced back over my shoulder to make sure Hudson wasn’t watching before I grabbed the doorknob. I closed my eyes, concentrating on Tommy’s dimension, and then opened the door. The ward was lying on the steps, so I stepped around it and quickly shut the door behind me.

  “Tommy?” I called out softly as I got to the top of the stairs. Relief washed over me when I saw him standing in front of the dormer windows.

  “I was scared for you,” he said with tears in his eyes.

  “I’m okay. I’m sorry I was gone so long, but I’m here now.”

  “The things are watching you.”

  The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. “What things?”

  He turned to look out the window and pointed.

  Holding my breath, I walked to the window and stared out in horror. My yard and the street in front of the house were gone, replaced by a large valley, and I realized this was what Asheville must have looked like hundreds of years ago, before it was colonized. There were mountains in the distance, but a massive storm cloud obscured the mountain peaks. Lightning flashed, only they weren’t electrical bolts. They were eruptions of fire.

  Just like I’d seen in my brief glimpse of hell.

  “What is that?” I asked in horror.

  His hand grabbed mine and squeezed tight. “It’s coming for you, Piper.”

  I took several rapid breaths before I asked, “Why?”

  He tilted his head to stare into my face. “Because of me.”

  “Are they coming for you too?” Even as I asked the question, I regretted it. He was five years old. I didn’t want to scare him.

  He looked frightened, but not for himself. “No, they want you. Some of them don’t know it yet, but they will. They’ll find out what you can do and come for you.” He tightened his grip on my hand. “Piper, one of them is badder than the others. He’s very, very bad.”

  I stared at him in terror. “How do you know this?”

  “I just do.”

  Once again, just like a few days ago, I prayed he wouldn’t turn into a pile of dust. I wanted him to find his mother, but not like that. After another long look at the storm, I pulled him away from the window. “Enough of this. Let’s play something together.”

  “Okay. They can’t hurt you right now anyway,” he said matter-of-factly. “The other ones are outside guarding you.”

  I stopped. “What other ones?”

  “The ones who are trying to figure out what you are.”

  “The neutral beings that keep watching me?”

  He gave me a blank look. I wasn’t surprised.

  “How do you know this?” I asked again.

  He lifted his shoulders into a rolling shrug. “Can we read? I want to read the book about the puppy.”

  “Sure,” I said absently. “That’s a good idea.”

  He walked over to the shelves and picked out several books, then pulled me over to the daybed. We both climbed up and scooted to the back of the bed, nestling against the pillows. He snuggled into my side, and I wrapped an arm around him.

  “I’m scared for you, Piper.”

  “I’ll be okay. I have friends who will help me.”

  “One of them is not your friend.”

  I jerked my gaze down to him, my stomach knotting with dread. “Which one?”

  He looked up at me with huge, trusting eyes. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.”

  My breath stuck in my chest. “Who didn’t tell you?”

  He held out one of the books. “I can read that word,” he said, pointing to the cover. “It says puppy. It has lots of ps.”

  I forced a grin, trying to calm down. “Aren’t you clever? Maybe you should be reading this to me.”

  He giggled. “I can’t read all the words. Just some of them.”

  “Then let’s read the book together.”

  It was slow going, reading together, and by the time we’d finished three books, Tommy had fallen asleep plastered against my side.

  I stared down at this sleeping child, surprised again by my maternal feelings. Was he destined to be mine?

  That was ridiculous. He was a ghost.

  I’d intended to stay upstairs for a short while, but I must have drifted off to sleep along with Tommy because I woke with a start.

  Tommy had shifted to the other end of the bed, so I covered him with a blanket and scooped up the books and set them on a bookshelf. How long had I been asleep? Minutes? Hours? How much time would it translate to in the outside world? Hudson was going to freak out if he’d been searching and hadn’t found me. I didn’t even want to consider what Abel would do.

  I headed back downstairs and into the hallway, worried when I found the house dark. Shit. For all I knew, it could be the middle of the night.

  “Hudson?” His bedroom door was slightly open, so
ft light flooding from the crack. I knocked on the door, then pushed it. “Hudson?”

  The room was empty.

  Something caught my attention, the slightest ripple of supernatural power downstairs in my living room.

  I was still wearing my boots with my daggers, and I pulled the sword out of its sheath, slowly making my way down the stairs, grateful for the pool of light at the bottom. Hudson had turned on a lamp in the living room.

  As I stepped down onto the bottom step, I tried to convince myself I was overreacting. Only, the mark in my hand screamed otherwise. There wasn’t just one supernatural being in my house—there were multiple beings. Several felt familiar, and I recognized the power rolling off one of them as something I’d felt the night before at the warehouse.

  Where was Hudson?

  I rounded the corner, ready as I’d ever be to face the group of people standing in my living room.

  In front stood two tiny men—about two feet tall—barely clothed and with short hair all over their bodies. From the feeling I was getting from them, one of them had been the creature who watched me kill the demon outside Beth’s house. Two Native Americans—a man and a woman—dressed in traditional clothing were gathered in the back—they were giving off a supernatural vibe of their own and I was sure they were the beings I’d encountered by Helen’s Bridge. Were they the Nunnehi? Sandwiched between were three people I recognized from the other night—a redheaded woman and two men. The woman propped her hand on her hip and looked me up and down as though she was judging me.

  “Piper?”

  “Since you’re in my house, that’s a good guess.”

  The hint of a grin tugged at her lips. “I’m Ellie Lancaster, and I hear you’re looking for me.”

  Chapter 26

  I nearly dropped my sword in shock, but I quickly pulled myself together. Ellie had given me a death stare in the warehouse. They might be here to kill me. I held my sword in a defensive stance.

  One of the short men in front pulled a knife from his animal skin loincloth.

  “Tsagasi,” Ellie said demurely. “Relax. We ambushed her in her own house. Of course she’s defensive.”

  “I thought you considered me an enemy,” I said, taking a step back so I’d have more room to react if they charged.