Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage

by Amanda M. Lee

  “That’s what happened to the revenants,” Zoe said. “Someone is helping them cross over, and Detroit seems to be ground zero for the invasion.”

  “I hope they can handle it,” I mused. “I liked them a great deal.”

  “They’re funny,” Zoe said. “They’re also full of themselves and snarky. There’s nothing I love better than a bit of snark.”

  “Maybe we should try to get in contact with them,” I said as we reached the bottom of the steps. “If they need help, we can figure out a way to get back there. We’re on a month-long break after this trip.”

  “I’ll know if they need help,” Zoe reassured me. “My friend Paris works in the gate room now. She’ll tell me if anything bad happens. Even if I didn’t like the Grimlocks, I would swoop in to keep Paris safe.”

  I dragged a hand through my hair as I looked around the room. “Where do you think we are?”

  “Underground,” Zoe replied as she touched the wall, her forehead creasing as she drew her fingers back. “It’s a basement.”

  “A very old basement,” Raven added. “The question is, what are we under?”

  “Maybe we should’ve gone up instead of down,” Zoe said.

  “If we’d done that, we would’ve missed these,” I said, gesturing to a set of runes carved into the wall over a dark door. “Those are the same runes that were on Heather’s body before Sami healed her.”

  “Are you sure?” All mirth had fled Zoe’s features as she regarded the symbols.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Does anybody know what they mean?” Raven asked. “They look familiar, but I’m not sure where I’ve seen them before.”

  “I don’t know.” The door bothered me on multiple levels. I swear I heard somebody whispering on the other side. “Do you hear that?”

  Zoe glanced around, her face blank. “What am I supposed to be hearing?”

  “That.” I gestured toward the door. “I hear people on the other side.”

  “You hear people talking?”

  “I ... just hear people.” I moved to cross through the door, but Raven grabbed my arm before I could. “What?”

  “We don’t know what’s over there,” she hissed.

  “We don’t,” I agreed, “but this isn’t real. We’re not really here.”

  “Oh, right.” Raven’s smile was sheepish. “I forgot about that.”

  “It can’t hurt to look.” I was determined when I reached the opening, but when I tried to move through the space, it wasn’t possible. I was frozen in place directly in front of the door. “Can either of you guys manage to get through there?”

  They both tried ... and failed.

  “We’re limited by where this woman has been in this room,” Raven mused, looking around a second time. “She’s never been through the door.”

  “What do you think that means?”

  “I think that Zoe’s mention of new doors was rather timely.” Raven waved her hand in front of the door. “This crossing is old, and those runes can’t mean anything good. Whoever these people are, they’ve been messing with creatures from other planes. That’s where they’re getting the magic.”

  I balked. “I thought we agreed they were getting the magic from the runes they were carving into the girls.”

  “They are, but it’s likely those girls are sacrifices for whatever they found on the other side of this door.”

  “We need to find out where this room is located,” Zoe said. “This basement is important to their operation. There’s no way we can figure out where we are until we go up.”

  I agreed. “We need to see what’s up there.”

  Zoe took the lead this time. I was supplying the magic for this operation, but she was far too keen to hold back. We ascended quickly, and when we reached another door she studied it closely before shoving it open.

  Blinding light assailed our eyes. After being trapped in the basement for so long, it took me a moment to adjust. When I did, we were in a bustling park.

  “Where is this place?” Raven asked as she glanced around.

  A niggling suspicion pushed into the back of my mind, and I slid past Zoe for a better look at our surroundings.

  “I’ve been here before,” Zoe said.

  “So have I,” I said. “This is Colonial Park Cemetery.”

  Zoe’s eyes fired. “This is the place we came looking for runes.”

  “I thought you both came up empty,” Raven challenged.

  “We did.” My mind was working a mile a minute. “We came up empty, but we both felt something.”

  “What?”

  “Evil,” Zoe replied. “It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was there, bubbling beneath the surface. We kept looking for a source but came up empty.”

  “We couldn’t find the source because it wasn’t a specific surface location,” I said. “The source was beneath us.”

  “The door.” Zoe bobbed her head in agreement before rolling to the balls of her feet and back again. She seemed excited. “The cemetery was the right location. We just had no idea where we were supposed to be looking.”

  “We do now.” I moved back to study the building we’d walked through to get to the park. “Do you remember seeing this building?”

  “Not specifically, but I’m guessing we will have no problem finding it on a second visit.”

  “We need to wait until after dark. We’ll draw too much attention if we go now.”

  “I want to question the chick in the cage,” Zoe said. “I want all the information before we make a decision.”

  “I agree with the mage,” Raven said. “We need to make sure we’re prepared. This is bigger than any of us envisioned.”

  “It’s also coming together,” Zoe said. “If we have only one shot at ending this, I want to make sure we do it the right way.”

  I looked around one final time, marking sight locations before turning back to them. “It’s time we question Kelly. It won’t be pleasant, but it’s necessary.”

  “Yeah.” Zoe flashed a smile that didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. “Let’s do this.”

  24

  Twenty-Four

  “Wake her up,” I instructed once we’d filled in those waiting for our return.

  Zoe nodded and placed her hand on Kelly’s head. “Rise and shine, creepy cult girl.”

  “Kelly,” I said.

  “Just let me have my fun.”

  “Fine.” I held up my hands as the woman groggily came to. “Hi.” I knew my smile would come across as deranged, but I didn’t care. “We have some questions.”

  Kelly rubbed her cheek, her eyes going wide as she slowly looked around the tent. “Where ... ?” She didn’t finish the question. She didn’t have to.

  “You’re still at the circus,” I explained. “What’s important is that you understand that you’re safe.”

  “Safe?” Kelly gestured toward the cage. “You’ve locked me up.”

  “That’s better than what you did to the girls you kidnapped,” Zoe shot back. “Consider yourself lucky.”

  We hadn’t laid out a plan for questioning Kelly before starting. Apparently Zoe was a big fan of playing the bad cop. Rather than argue, I slipped into my role as good cop.

  “We don’t want to hurt you,” I said. “That’s not what we’re about. We need you to tell us what you know.”

  “You don’t want to hurt me?” Kelly bordered on shrill. “How can you say that with a straight face? Where is the lion that belongs in this cage? Are you going to feed me to him?”

  “Now that is a fun idea,” Zoe said brightly. “But that’s not the plan.”

  “Definitely not,” I agreed. “We have no interest in feeding you to a lion … or tiger, for that matter.”

  “I can feed you to a wolf right now,” Zoe countered, snapping her fingers at Aric. “Do it.”

  “That is not the way to get me to do what you want,” he protested.”

  “I’ll do it,” Luke offered brightly. I hadn’
t even seen him come in, but he’d gathered with the others behind us and seemed entranced by what was taking place.

  “Fine. You’re my new favorite.” Zoe’s smile was mischievous. “Eat her.”

  “I’m really more of a porterhouse man.” Luke shifted. “I will show her what’s in store for her if she doesn’t cooperate.” He moved into the light so that Kelly could plainly see him. Then he extended his fingers and allowed them to shift into dangerous-looking claws. “There’s more, but I don’t feel like getting naked.”

  “You could always rip through your clothes like the Hulk,” Zoe suggested.

  Luke made a face. “These are designer threads.”

  “Oh, geez.” Zoe glared at Aric. “This is why I prefer dealing with you. Ripped clothes turn you on.”

  “They turn you on,” Aric corrected, his eyes returning to Kelly, who was almost transparent she was so pale. “I think she might pass out.”

  “Stop that, Luke,” I ordered as I tapped his shoulder.

  Luke ceased shifting, his hands returning to normal. “You women need to make up your minds. I’m willing to perform on command, but I can’t have two different people barking orders at me.”

  “Then listen to me and ignore her,” I suggested.

  “Hey!” Zoe shot me a dark look. “I want to play too.”

  “What are you people?” Kelly asked.

  “We’re all manner of things,” I replied. “We also got a look at what’s in your head. That basement at the cemetery, is that your command center?”

  Perplexed, Kelly drew her eyebrows together. “Command center?”

  “We’re not playing at G.I. Joe,” Luke groused. “Is that the place all you crazy cult members go to do your weird crap?”

  “We’re not a cult.” Despite her predicament, Kelly mustered a fair amount of righteous indignation. I was almost impressed. “Just because you don’t understand something, that doesn’t make it a cult.”

  “No, believing nonsense from a central figure who wants you to do horrible things for her benefit makes it a cult,” I countered. “How many of the missing girls are still alive?”

  Kelly averted her gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Do the claw thing again,” Zoe ordered. “This time rip her face off.”

  Luke was appalled. “I don’t rip off faces.”

  “I don’t care if you hump her leg while doing it,” Zoe argued. “She needs to be motivated.”

  “I don’t need motivation,” Kelly responded. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What girls? There are no girls.”

  I shook my head as I regarded her. “She won’t see the truth. I dropped the wall while we were in there. It hasn’t been built back up. She sees everything without a dark veil convoluting things. She just refuses to accept it.”

  “Maybe she can’t,” Aric suggested. “I’ve known people who can’t see the reality of a situation no matter how much someone else wants them to. She might’ve convinced herself that there’s nothing untoward going on.”

  “People are dying,” Zoe snapped. “They’re being tortured.”

  “Nobody is being tortured,” Kelly sputtered. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, I know plenty.” Zoe was clearly out of patience as she strolled to the cage bars. “You might not want to understand what’s happening here, but you can’t wish it away. Celeste has convinced you that you’re fighting for a greater good.

  “You’re not,” she continued. “You’re only fighting for her. She’ll benefit from this. She’ll get all the money and power. She’ll be the only winner.”

  “This isn’t about money or power,” Kelly argued. “This is about bettering the world. Imagine being able to live as if you have nothing to fear. It’s possible. Celeste knows the way. She can eradicate all evil and make this a place of good.”

  Zoe shook her head and turned to me. “Please tell me you’re not falling for this.”

  I shook my head. “She’s broken. She can’t see what’s right in front of her. We don’t have time to waste trying to fix her. We have to focus on the missing girls.”

  “And how do we do that?” Aric asked. “What’s the plan?”

  “The plan is that a group of us are heading to that cemetery.”

  “Yes.” Zoe pumped her fist. “That’s a great plan.”

  “You just want to get in a fight,” Aric groused. “You’re always excited when you can put on a magical display.”

  “I don’t want to put on a magical display. You’re making that up.”

  “That’s good.” I kept my tone even, worry momentarily threatening to bubble up before I reined in my emotions. “You won’t be part of the cemetery team.”

  Zoe balked. “No way. You need me.”

  “We need you here,” I corrected. “If Raven and I go to the cemetery — which is necessary because Raven is more familiar with plane doors — we need somebody powerful to stay behind.”

  Zoe didn’t look convinced. “Um ... no. I don’t want to stay behind. You can’t just cut my part of the team out of this.”

  “I’m not cutting you out,” I reassured her. “We need you here. The team I take to the cemetery has to be strategic. Aric can go.”

  “See, baby. We’re not being cut out.” Aric patted her shoulder. He looked smug. “Who else is on our team?”

  “We’ll take Cole and Nellie. They can fight, and Cole has fire at his fingertips if things get dicey.”

  “I still don’t like it,” Zoe insisted. “I want to go.”

  “I need to know that the people here won’t be vulnerable,” I insisted. “You’re the strongest fighter we have. The cult will likely come here looking for Kelly. I need you to be the wall they run into when they decide they have no choice but to look.”

  Zoe jutted out her lower. I saw hints of Sami in Zoe’s expression.

  “It makes sense,” Aric said. “If we get in trouble, we’ll need a second team to rescue us. You’ll be in charge of that team.” He leaned close. “Besides, someone has to watch the kid. It’s my turn to go on an adventure.”

  Zoe threw her hands in the air. “Oh, well, that is just nonsense.”

  He chuckled. “It’s necessary. This will be my adventure. You can have yours if we fail.”

  Zoe looked torn. She clearly didn’t want the mission to fail. She also didn’t want to be cut out of the action. “Fine. I’ll stay here and hold down the fort.” She tilted her head. “Wait ... if you’re going to the cemetery, does that mean I can read fortunes?”

  That sounded dangerous. Still, if it would placate her ... . “Knock yourself out.”

  Suddenly she was full of sunshine and smiles. “Have fun at the cemetery. Don’t get hurt.” She pinned Aric with a serious stare. “If you need me, I’ll come running.”

  Aric kissed her. “I think I can muddle through on my own this time.”

  “Just be forewarned. I’m going to eat circus food the entire time you’re gone. We’re talking cotton candy, elephant ears and ice cream … and probably all at the same time.”

  “Good. There’s nothing I love more than my wife all sugared up and ready to throw down. It’s an intoxicating combination.”

  THE CEMETERY WAS EXACTLY AS I remembered, sense memory kicking in the second I crossed the threshold. I still had to search until I found the mausoleum.

  “This is it.”

  “Are you sure?” Cole glanced around, smiling at a pair of women power walking past us. The looks they shot him — as if he were the yummiest corndog on the stick — made me smile, but I held my response until I was certain they were out of earshot.

  “I’m sure.”

  Cole moved closer to the door and ran his hands over the seal. “It doesn’t look like it’s in regular use. How do you suggest we get inside? I’m leery about unleashing too much magic.”

  “We could send Nellie to the center of the park to do a dance to distract people,” I offered. It w
as mostly meant as a joke but I wasn’t ruling it out.

  “I don’t dance on command,” Nellie shot back. “Besides, I need music ... and I don’t hear any.”

  “I could sing,” Aric offered. “Zoe says I have a nice voice in the shower.”

  Nellie grimaced. “You two are horny little monkeys, aren’t you? I heard women in their forties are insatiable.”

  Aric snorted. “I’ll tell her you’re interested in the nitty-gritty of her sexual drive. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to have a conversation with you.”

  “As fascinating as this is, we need to focus on this door,” Cole said. “We need to get inside.”

  “We can form a circle around Poet and let her blow open the door,” Raven suggested. “I think that’s our best bet.”

  “Or we can just do this.” Nellie reached for the handle, turned it, and pushed. The door gave way with a mild groan.

  Raven smiled. “That makes things easier.”

  I was about to suggest we enter in an orderly fashion. Per usual, Nellie had no intention of waiting. He strolled through the door, weaponless. Raven and I exchanged annoyed looks but followed.

  The main floor of the mausoleum was small, just as in Kelly’s head. I gestured toward the back wall. “The door is over there.”

  Cole made it to the wall first, his eyes keen as he looked for a seam. “There has to be a mechanism.”

  Aric reached around him and pressed a mild indentation in the wall. The door fell open, revealing the staircase. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been in a situation like this,” he replied dryly when Cole shot him a questioning look. “You wouldn’t believe the weird situations Zoe has gotten me into.”

  “Just wait until Sami decides she’s going to take on fighting monsters full time,” Cole supplied. “I bet she finds weirder situations than her mother. She’s pretty gung-ho.”

  “Nobody finds weirder situations than Zoe,” Aric said. “In fact ... .” He trailed off, cocking his head.

  “What is it?” I asked, my skin suddenly crawling with worry.

  “There are people down there.” He kept his voice low, but his expression told me that it was already too late. “They know we’re up here and are arming themselves. They’re whispering, but I have really good hearing.”