“Yes, well, you’re still a young hen compared to me, too, so you would take up for them. All right, onward.” Rowan suddenly reminded me of a drill sergeant as she motioned toward the storage room and marched through the living room.
“I just realized we’re with a group of women who—except for you, me, and Teran—must all be over a hundred years old,” Ari whispered to me.
“Over a hundred fifty,” May said over her shoulder. “I have excellent hearing, by the way.”
I poked Ari in the ribs, once again feeling like I was back in high school. But the jovial mood ended abruptly as we entered the storage room. The weight of the energy washed over us like a tidal wave, sending me reeling, searching for shore. I stumbled and Aunt Teran grabbed one arm as Ari took the other. They steadied me.
Rowan frowned. “It hit you that hard, did it?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It can’t be earth energy—I’d recognize it.”
“You’re adept in one other realm, though,” Rowan said, a look of concern on her face.
I paused. “I can speak to the dead. But death and chaos aren’t the same energy, right?”
“No, they aren’t, but they can and do connect. Which is why I’m worried. I want you to wait up here with May and Ari, while the rest of us go downstairs to check out the mural.” She knelt, feeling for the latch, and as the secret door to the basement opened, the energy began to increase.
I reeled, grateful that Ari still had hold of me, but as I turned around, I saw something rising out of the hidden stairwell. It was gaseous and large, unformed at first, but it sent dread fear racing through my body as it began to swell and take form, hovering near the ceiling.
In the swirl of mist and smoke, a massive skull began to form. The eye sockets of the skull blazed with an unhealthy green light, in which swirled miniature galaxies. I could see no visible neck, no body, just the smoke forming the shroud that hooded the specter.
I stumbled back, overwhelmed by the sheer malignance of the creature.
It slowly turned in midair, focusing in on me. A hail of laughter reverberated against the walls, ricocheting till it formed a web of sound. I covered my ears, trying to block it out, wondering why the others weren’t doing the same, but the laughter cut through, sending me into a panic. I couldn’t think, I could barely see, and I fell to my knees and curled over as I tried to hide from its sight.
“Spior salachar!” Rowan’s voice cut through the fear, like a sharpened blade through butter.
Creature dark and creature foul,
Spirit from the darkened realms,
From your smoke-infested cowl,
Though you seek to overwhelm
I drive thee back, specter of doom,
Return to your graven tomb!
Her voice rose with the incantation and May, Nerium, Berta, and Daya joined in. They repeated the chant over and over.
I peeked out from behind my hands just in time to see the five women advancing on the massive skull. As they neared it, they joined hands, forming a line with Rowan on one end, May on the other. Rowan raised her free hand, as did May. Their chant was so loud by now that the room vibrated with their voices. As they brought it to a crescendo, a brilliant light burst forth from Rowan and May’s free hands, bathing the skull.
The creature let out a shriek as it began to dissolve, and then—all was silent. The skull was gone. And just like that, I was free from my paralysis.
Another moment and I was able to move. I slowly stood up, wincing as my leg cramped. “What the hell just happened?”
Rowan turned to me. “We must have activated something when we were looking at the mural earlier. Which makes it all the more vital that we seal it and close it down.”
I felt like a novice in the face of their abilities. “Thank you,” I whispered. “Why did it target me?”
“Because you have the ability to speak with the dead—which makes you more vulnerable to them, as well. Since you haven’t had formal training, you had nothing to repel it with.” Nerium shook her head. “The dead don’t play fair. Well, not the dead as in your average spirit, but the dead as in the creatures from the underworld who have never been human. Those who are born from the energy of Death.”
My stomach lurched and I breathed through it. “Is there any way to dismantle that mural after we seal the portal? Would that eliminate the ability for anyone to break the seal and activate it again?”
“Yes, once we seal it, we should be able to dismantle the mural,” Rowan said. “Now, let’s get down there and take care of matters before anything else decides to pop its head out to say hello.”
“I don’t want to wait up here,” I said. “I want to see what you’re doing.”
“Same here,” Ari said. She took my hand and squeezed it.
Grateful for her comfort, I brought her hand to my lips and gave it a quick kiss.
“All right, but you must agree to do everything we tell you.”
I nodded. “Agreed.” I wasn’t about to ignore them, not after what had just happened.
We headed downstairs. The mural was swirling, like a kaleidoscope on steroids. It was shimmering and wisps of mist drifted out from the center.
“Oh hell, it’s definitely awake,” Teran said.
“Yes.” Rowan set down the bag she’d been carrying, as did the other four women, and they immediately started work. I felt in the way so I backed up so I wouldn’t glitch anything up. Ari joined me. Teran silently accepted a massive box of salt that Rowan gave her and walked over to the edge of the wall, then begin to pour a thick stream of it along the edges, missing no space, creating a border surrounding the room.
Daya followed, pouring a thin stream of yellow powder. One whiff told me it was sulfur.
After Daya, Berta followed, with a thin ring of a reddish-brown powder. I frowned, trying to place it, but I couldn’t identify it. I motioned to May, who was standing nearby, watching.
“What’s that? I know the salt and sulfur but…”
“It’s a mixture of graveyard dust and dragon’s blood powder,” May said. “Hush now, let them concentrate.”
I knew the circle—which wasn’t a proper circle, but that didn’t matter—was meant to keep anything inside that might come out of the portal, but it also acted like an amplifier, concentrating every speck of energy in the room. The resonance made my head hurt. As Berta finished with the ring of dust and powder, she stepped away from the edge.
“No one is to leave this circle, not even if you’re going to pee your pants. Do not break the borders before we’re done,” Rowan said. “May, take the north. Nerium, to the west, Daya to the south, and Berta to the east. January, Teran, and Ari, stand with me.” She moved into the center of the room. Teran, Ari, and I joined her.
May took the north—which meant she was facing the mural, Berta faced the east, Daya turned, facing south, and Nerium faced the west. They held their arms outstretched and Rowan lifted hers toward the ceiling. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I stood there, arms at my sides. Ari followed suit. Teran closed her eyes and held her arms out, palms up.
After a moment, May let out a long breath and began to chant.
Spirits of the Northern Lands
Wolf and Elk and Bear,
I call you forth, soil and sand,
Cavern, crag, and lair.
Heed my summons, Fly to me,
Protect us all, So Mote It Be.
She paused and it felt like we were being stampeded. I stared at May. I had no idea anyone could summon that much force with so simple of an incantation. I could feel the earth elementals listening, and they rose around us, invisible and yet as real as I was.
As they settled into place, Berta took up the chant.
Spirits of the Air and Sky,
Hawk, Eagle, Owl,
I call you forth, wind and gale,
Storm clouds hear my call.
Heed my summons, Fly to me,
Protect us all, So Mote It Be.
A ru
sh of wind encircled us, and I could hear a low hoot, sweeping through the circle. Ozone crackled, filling my nostrils and smelling like a thunderstorm. As I realized just how strong the women of the Crystal Cauldron were, I began to process just how far I had to go.
Daya was next. She sucked in a deep breath and her voice shook the room when she spoke.
Spirits of the Sun and Fire,
Salamander, and slithering snake,
Bonfire, hearth fire, sun and lava,
Shine down as magic we do make.
Heed my summons, Fly to me,
Protect us all, So Mote It Be.
The temperature in the room rose, not so much as to make it miserable, but enough for me to notice the added heat. Daya turned back around and her eyes looked like burning coals before fading back to normal.
Nerium was next and her voice rose, like a siren’s call.
Spirits of the Ocean Mother,
Salmon, whale, shark,
I approach, the water’s daughter,
Waves, please leave your mark,
Heed my summons, Fly to me,
Protect us all, So Mote It Be.
As the scent of the sea wafted through the room, Rowan straightened and her voice echoed against the walls.
Spirit of Spirit, magic’s core,
Weave now the elements four,
Into a cone of power we spin,
The threads of magic all akin,
Focused on a single goal,
Seal now, this chaos hole,
Bind it fast, seal it tight,
Forever more from this night,
Break the magic, break the spell,
Shatter forever the link to hell.
Back to Chaos, back to the Void,
This portal now shall be destroyed!
There was a loud rumbling and the floor began to shake. My first thought was earthquake, but Rowan simply said “Stand still” and so we did. The noise was deafening, and as I watched the mural, it began to spin so fast that I had to close my eyes.
Another moment and a loud groan filled the room like some behemoth machine, belching out its last breath. Everything sped up, rushing by so fast I could barely breathe and then—like a long sigh after a hard night—the mural cracked, and paint began to peel off the wall. And then, without warning, everything stopped as the energy vanished, leaving the room feeling…
…Like a room.
I stared at the wall, waiting, but nothing moved. Nothing reached out. There was simply nothing left of the energy that had filled the basement. The lights seemed brighter, the air lighter, and except for a whiff of something acidic, the portal was gone. Rowan waited for another moment, then sank onto the floor. The rest of us followed suit.
“So, what happened?” Ari asked after a moment.
Rowan shrugged. “We broke the spell that originally created it. It won’t be back, not unless someone takes the time to recreate the spell. Since it wasn’t a natural portal, we were able to effectively shatter the magic.”
I stared at the women around me. “I had no idea you…we…witchblood…could be so powerful. It felt like a locomotive was barreling through the room.”
“You and Ari will eventually reach our level, if you work at it,” Rowan said. “Teran, are you ready to return to the fold? You’ve been on sabbatical ten years. It’s time.” She turned to me. “Your aunt is incredibly powerful with earth magic, but she must learn to accept her role in the town.”
Teran blushed. “I’m a prodigy, actually. But I never wanted to do more than tend to flowers and herbs, and make potions. I suppose I’ve escaped my destiny long enough. All right, I’ll return to the coven.”
I thought over all that I had learned about the Crystal Cauldron. “And you think Ari and I are good choices for the coven?”
“Both of you carry strong lines of witchblood in your veins. We meet twice a month—on the moons—and meetings are required attendance. We’ll initiate you on the Sabbat after you’ve been with the coven for six months. So, on the spring equinox.” Rowan let out another sigh. “It’s late and we still have to cleanse the house. We’ll paint the walls on the weekend.”
“Is that enough?” I asked. “Do we need to sand it down or anything?”
“No,” she said. “We’ll wash the walls with a strong protective water first. By the way, Charge—your ghost—is gone. He went through the portal before it closed.”
“At least I know my parents didn’t kill him. I truly think he was trying to protect my mother. Albeit in a lamebrained way, but…I think his love for her won out over his allegiance to the Covenant.” I stared at the floor.
Rowan shrugged. “Unless we have a chance to talk with your parents in spirit, we may never know the full story. But we know they didn’t kill him, and we know they were trying to protect you from the portal by keeping you out of that room. I’m angry your mother didn’t ask me over when they first discovered it but…”
“But she and you were on the outs,” Teran said. She turned to me. “Rowan managed to piss off Althea—I can’t even remember how—but it was a stupid fight, I know that. They weren’t speaking around that time.”
Rowan shrugged. “I was honest with her. I told her I thought she could do better than marrying Trevor and I meant it.” She held my gaze for a moment. “I loved my son, but he wasn’t as capable as you think. He decided that he didn’t have a strong lineage of witchblood—even though the Jaxsons were a good, solid family in the witchblood community. And so he took that as an out to avoid dealing with his own powers. My son was lazy, and he was careless.”
I remained silent, wishing that I’d asked more questions as I was growing up. Most of all, I wished my mother had taken me to the Aseer when she was supposed to. But that was all water under the bridge.
“I’m so glad this is over,” Ari said. “If you think I’ll fit in with the coven, then yes, I’ll join.” She gave me a rueful smile. “I think we’re going to be spending more time working on our magic than going to movies.”
“I think so too,” I said, shaking off the odd mood that had settled. “I hate this room, though. I don’t know how I’m going to feel comfortable living here again.”
“This room would make a lovely magical studio. And by reinforcing it with your magic, and if the coven met here, we could make sure it took on a whole new energy and that it would never allow the portal to reform,” Teran said.
Rowan actually smiled. “Your aunt is a smart cookie. We’ll make it work for you, January. No doubt of that.”
As we dragged our weary butts up the staircase to begin the cleansing, I listened to the bones of my house. Not a single thing felt out of place and—when we walked past the kitchen—I saw that all the drawers and cupboards were shut tight. The invasion was over.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning, I felt less grim than the night before. Teran’s idea to turn the basement into a magical studio would free up the library to be the comfortable reading nook that I wanted it to be. Killian promised to help me move back home that night, but I asked him if I could stay another week or so—just long enough to paint the basement and the storage room so they didn’t seem so dark and small.
As I headed out for work, Xi stopped me at the front door. I knelt and picked her up, snuggling her to my chest. “What do you want, Xi-xi?”
She purred, rubbing against my cheek, and then stared at me. I immediately felt a wash of love and comfort from her, and then I felt a vague warning. She blinked, and in that moment, I felt something pulse and caught a glimpse of one of my massive oak trees in the backyard. The leaves were burnished copper and beginning to fall, but there was something about the tree that I couldn’t shake.
“Thanks for the info, punkin,” I said, setting her down.
I crossed through the gate into my backyard, wandering over to the massive oak. Frowning, I began to examine the tree, first at the roots, and then, standing. As I swung around the back, I saw gouges on the tree bark. They were abo
ut five inches long, deep and narrow—like someone had taken a thin axe to them.
Actually, I mused, they remind me of Wolverine’s slashes. I froze. Slashes…deep and narrow…I had seen something similar recently. Crap, the claw in the tree. They reminded me of the gashes on the tree at Danielle van Ness’s house. And hadn’t Dr. Bones used Wolverine as an example for the way Danielle had been carved up?
Groaning, I turned back to the tree and examined it, keeping myself as alert as I could. Sure enough, they were new, and they looked like the scoring on the tree in Danielle’s yard. Hurrying, I jogged to the front yard and climbed in my car, heading out for work.
Everybody was busy when I burst into the office. “Hey, I have a problem and it’s not just my problem,” I said, sitting at my desk. “I found claw marks on a tree in my backyard this morning that look disturbingly like those at Danielle’s house.”
Tad winced. “You’re saying the Whatcom Devil has been over at your place?”
“I can’t be sure, but there aren’t that many creatures around that leave that sort of claw mark, are there? Come out and look.”
“How’s your ghost?” Hank asked.
“I’m happy to report that thanks to Rowan and the Crystal Cauldron, the portal is taken care of. Now that the inside monster’s gone, I need to make sure that I don’t have one outside as well.”
Tad shook his head. “You know, this creature seems to fixate on one person, from what I can tell by all the reports. It will fixate on one victim at a time, go after them, and after it—” He paused, staring at me.
“Just say it. I know what you’re going to say,” I said.
“After it kills them, it moves onto the next. It could have been lying in wait at Danielle’s house and when it saw you, it saw—”
“Dinner? I suppose you’re right. If that’s the truth, then it’s an excellent tracker. It would have to find its way to my home from just seeing me at Danielle’s house. Rebecca—the imp—warned me that a frightening presence had entered the Mystic Wood.”
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