Sky Mothers (Born of Shadows Book 4)

by J. R. Erickson

  ****

  "If our plan worked, Liam should be coming across the bridge any time," Sebastian murmured.

  Hannah, Matilda, and Kit had joined the group in the woods. Hannah paced back and forth in front of the bridge, her long hair swishing as she walked. She looked rabid with strange expressions of joy quickly followed by terror.

  "Quite the poker face," Oliver muttered.

  Helena elbowed him, but Kit smiled.

  More time passed and the general euphoria in the group began to shift. Sebastian had left the amulet with Claire more than twenty minutes earlier. If Liam had escaped, it shouldn't have taken so long.

  "He's not coming," Hannah suddenly shrieked. "She killed him. She was so angry that you escaped that she killed him." She directed her venomous words at Sebastian and started to step in his direction. Abby, Juliana, and Oliver immediately blocked her way.

  "Hannah, don't be a mongrel," Kit told her.

  Hannah glared at Kit, but turned back toward the bridge. She walked slowly at first, more of an angry stomp, and then suddenly she was running.

  Abby followed Hannah's gaze.

  A man walked across the bridge. He was tall and skeletal, with sunken eyes and matted blonde hair. His clothes hung like dirty rags from his meager frame.

  Still, Hannah jumped into his arms and he caught her easily. They both cried and hugged and collapsed on the ground.

  "You're alive, you're alive, you're alive," Hannah cried.

  Liam said nothing, but Abby could hear his quiet sobs as he pressed his face into Hannah's neck.

  Matilda and Kit walked to them. Kit helped Liam to his feet and he hugged her hard, continuing to cry. He grabbed Matilda next and she rubbed his back and murmured soothing things as Hannah watched them, her face splotchy and wet with tears.

  When Liam spotted Sebastian, he broke away and ran to him. He grabbed him and lifted him from the ground, nearly buckling beneath his weight.

  "You saved me, mate. You saved my life."

  ****

  For five days, Lydie and her Aunt Cammi talked ceaselessly. They hiked the Everglades and went to Disney World. Lydie had never been and Cammi insisted it was a rite of passage for all kids, especially magic ones. As their time together wound to an end and Lydie stood in the little guest bedroom packing her bag, her head spun from all the stories Cammi had shared. Lydie's memories of her mother had always felt a little fuzzy and far away, but Cammi had brought the color back to those wonderful years.

  She held up a black and white sweatshirt with a classic Mickey Mouse grinning back at her. Cammi had insisted on souvenirs and even though she generally was not one to wear cartoon animals of any kind, she intended to sleep in the sweatshirt every night until it no longer smelled like Cammi's detergent.

  "Mind if I come in?" Cammi asked from the doorway.

  Lydie smiled and waved her in.

  "Just getting my stuff organized."

  "These five days passed like an hour," Cammi said, perching on the edge Lydie's bed and picking up one of her t-shirts. "What's Pink Sabbath?"

  "A witch band, all girls. They cover a lot of Black Sabbath, pretty wicked stuff."

  "Wow, a witch band?"

  "Yeah, they played at an All Hallow's Ball I went to a couple years ago."

  "Do they have concerts and tours?"

  "Yeah, not at Ula though," Lydie smiled wryly. "My coven is old school. More old school than old school, in fact."

  "Do you like that?"

  Lydie averted her eyes, concentrating extra hard on folding her jeans.

  "Sometimes."

  "And other times you wish for a normal life?"

  Lydie nodded.

  "When your mother told me about Ula, she said it was like living in a museum."

  "Yeah, I was born there, but Elda told me after six months, my parents wanted to move out."

  "I wish they would have stayed," Cammi said, rotating the little silver rings she wore on her fingers.

  "Me too," Lydie muttered. She had never felt anger at her parents for leaving Ula until that moment. It flared up from nowhere and the pretty yellow curtains burst into flame.

  "Oh," Cammi yelped and fell from the bed, hitting her tailbone hard on the floor.

  Lydie rushed to the curtains and waved her hands over the material. The fire vanished. She smoothed her fingers along the singed fabric and it was restored.

  "I'm so sorry, are you okay?" she asked her aunt, helping her back to her feet.

  "You are your mother's child," she declared, rubbing her backside.

  "I can help with that too." Lydie smiled. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small bottle of gray salve. "Helena, one of the," she paused on the word witch, "ladies at Ula makes a spooktactular pain salve. Works instantly."

  Cammi took it gratefully.

  "I really am sorry about the curtains, but I fixed them, okay?"

  Cammi nodded.

  "I don't care about the curtains and I don't care that you occasionally light random things on fire. I am so grateful to have had these last five days with you and I want there to be more. Okay?"

  Lydie stepped into Cammi's outstretched arms.

  "Me too."

  ****

  Their final night at the Sky Mothers was a joyous one. Despite Binda's betrayal, they celebrated Liam's return with a raucous dinner and bonfire on the beach. The witches prepared an enormous feast, but Liam, after nearly a year of surviving on bark and ants, could barely stomach more than a few spoonfuls of broth and a slice of bread. Still, he commented on every dish, how each recipe smelled and looked. He thanked the witches again and again for their hospitality. Most of all, he stared at Hannah and she looked back at him. They were lovers reunited and their bliss created a sense of good fortune that left everyone a little romantic and weepy.

  As the fire waned, the witches drifted away. Hannah and Liam were first to disappear, and then Kit and Oliver followed. Abby had nodded off and Sebastian carried her back to their yurt. Only Julian, Matilda, and Helena remained.

  "I hope that you will all return," Matilda said, looking earnestly at Helena and Julian. "And that with time, you will forgive us."

  "You are already forgiven," Julian assured her. "And now that we know how closely we are linked, I am sure that we will be back."

  "And perhaps you can visit us at Ula as well," Helena added.

  Ula's name, the jewel of the sea, had been given to it centuries earlier, but for Helena it still held true. She loved her coven and each time she visited another, she understood how lucky she was to call Ula home.

  ****

  Victor locked the door behind him. He walked to the bureau and pulled the velvet box from his chest pocket. He looked at the amulet wistfully. He longed to put it on, felt the eagerness coursing through his bones, his blood. Just looking at the snake and her red heart made his pulse quicken and a line of sweat pop along his hairline. He glanced up and caught himself in the mirror. His long hair hung limp and his eyes held the wild sheen of a meth addict seeking his fix. Victor had seen enough of them to know the look. He had even wondered a few times - do they ever look in the mirror? Do they ever look up and not recognize the desperate animal standing before them? Is that look ever a moment of truth where they put down the needle, step away from the darkness, and call their mom?

  He touched the golden snake, felt it slither and shimmer beneath his fingertips. Ecstasy more powerful than an orgasm coursed through him. He shuddered.

  "Not now," he said. "I can't do this right now."

  He slid the necklace back into the box and closed the lid, slammed it shut really. Sebastian had failed. Dafne had failed, they all had failed, but he, Victor, had not. He would carry it through.

  No one understood the power encased in that small velvet box.

  Chapter 18

  Abby dropped her bags inside the door and closed her eyes. The familiar smell of their home greeted her. She leaned her head against the wall and surrendered to the swe
et relief of returning home. When they had set off for Australia, it felt like an adventure and a vacation. Then it had turned on them. Their escape became another layer of the prison created by the curse. Perhaps she should have expected as much. Coincidences were unheard of in the world of witches. Every meeting, place, and encounter held value in the larger story.

  "Home," Sebastian murmured behind her. He set his bags down and pulled her away from the wall.

  They stood in the foyer, intertwined, and Abby felt every muscle in her body relax.

  "Do we have to go to Ula tomorrow?" she mumbled into Sebastian's chest.

  The decision had been made that all the witches would gather at Ula the following day to decipher the whereabouts of the amulet.

  Sebastian sighed.

  "No, we can pretend we mixed up the dates and go next week instead."

  Abby laughed.

  "I'll say I lost my car keys and we've both been stricken with the flu."

  "And the furnace is out again so we have to stay and fix it..."

  "And my feet are swollen from the pregnancy so I can't wear shoes."

  Sebastian smoothed her hair away from her face.

  "Really though, if you don't want to, we can put it off for a few days."

  She shook her head.

  "I want to walk in this door and really feel at ease. Right now, it's so good to be home, but in the back of my mind, there's this huge shadow. The curse, the amulet and now Clyde. Not to mention this baby's growing every day. I don't want her coming into a world of chaos. Plus, the wedding has been planned. Bridget's been working for weeks."

  Sebastian laughed.

  "Wedding trumps curse?"

  "I wish." Abby sighed. "I'm afraid the curse has taken over our lives. I'm ready to bury it once and for all."

  ****

  Faustine entered the library. He looked tired. Abby knew that they all looked tired because they were tired.

  "You all know why we're here. The original amulet was stolen," he told them curtly. "Julian and Matilda examined the false necklace in Australia. The stone was recent. It had been treated with a chemical that has only existed during this century. The gold was new as well. It certainly was not the same amulet that originally came into the castle."

  Elda followed behind him and Abby could see deep grooves in her face as if the last month had aged her another century.

  "Someone took the amulet from our dungeons. It is inconceivable to me that we do this, but..."

  "We must," Faustine finished. "Each of us will go to the tower. I will connect with you telepathically and examine your memories with the Crystal of Sight."

  "A witch lie detector?" Sebastian asked, wryly.

  Oliver grinned. "Detective Faustine on the job."

  Faustine offered him a dry look.

  "I know how it seems, and of course we don't suspect any of you, but perhaps, one of you was..." Elda started.

  "Possessed?" Lydie finished,

  Abby hadn't heard her come in. She sat in a paisley chair, looking older than Abby remembered.

  She crossed her long tan legs at the ankle and a henna pattern wound up one of her shins. Her wild blonde curls were twisted high on her head and Abby thought she saw a hint of dark makeup around her eyes.

  "We must be open to all the possibilities," Elda murmured, not in agreement exactly, but acknowledging Lydie's words.

  "Are you perfecting your phantom approach?" Oliver teased, twittering his fingers at Lydie. Her chair shook and Lydie looked hard at Oliver.

  "I would return that magic, but I don't want to light you on fire, Oliver dear."

  "Are these the terrible thirteens we're experiencing?" Oliver joked.

  "Oh no, we missed your birthday." Abby fretted. "I'm sorry Lydie."

  Lydie shrugged.

  "My aunt made chocolate cake."

  "Maybe we could have a little celebration at our house?" Abby looked at Sebastian.

  "Of course."

  "Sure," Lydie said, noncommittally. She stood and walked from the room.

  "I think she's a bit salty about the Australia trip," Oliver said.

  "I'd say," Sebastian agreed.

  "No," Elda disagreed. "She's changing. It's a difficult time for any young woman, and Lydie is special. She met her aunt while you were away. It was a big deal and something I'm sure she'll want to share when the time is right."

  "How can we help?" Abby asked.

  Elda smiled and took her hand, squeezing.

  "You have plenty enough to do, dear. Showing up when she needs you, listening if she wants to talk, that's how you can help."

  ****

  One by one, they visited Faustine's tower and one by one, they were cleared of stealing the amulet. Abby had not believed that any of them would be implicated, and yet, her own hands shook when she sat down opposite Faustine and looked into the shining crystal hanging over his third eye.

  When Faustine told her she could leave, she paused, unsure how to ask the questions rolling through her mind.

  "It wasn't me, right?"

  Faustine cocked an eyebrow and watched her closely.

  "Did you think it was you?"

  "Well, no, but, I mean, I wouldn't remember, right?"

  "It wasn't you, Abby."

  She left the tower and tried not to cry with relief. What would she have done if she had stolen the amulet? How could she look any of them in the eye after such a betrayal? It wouldn't have been her fault, of course, and they would all reassure her of that, but still.

  After Faustine completed a scan of all the witches of Ula, including Adora, he concluded that none of them had taken the amulet.

  "Which leaves Galla of Sorciére and the Chicago witches," Julian mentioned later at dinner. Bridget had made homemade pizzas, which Abby ate with relish. She hadn't had pizza in months.

  "Will you ask them to come to Ula?" Sebastian asked Faustine.

  "Oliver has volunteered to visit Chicago. He will not be able to glean as much information with the crystal as I can, but I believe he will get a solid impression of the witches. They are suspicious of covens and I prefer not to put them on the defensive. It is best if we seek them out in their space."

  Abby glanced at Oliver who gave her a smile and a shrug.

  "I've had a hankering for some time in the big city."

  "And for Ezra," Lydie snapped, picking at her food.

  "Whoa there little gator," Oliver joked, leaning over to tickle her.

  Lydie scooted her chair away and shot him a dark look.

  He widened his eyes at Abby and made a hurt face.

  "Sebastian and I are taking a trip to Lansing to see my mom tomorrow, Lydie, but we'll be back in the evening. Would you like to come stay with us for a few days?"

  Lydie glanced up at her and then over at Elda.

  Elda smiled and nodded.

  "Maybe," Lydie said, but continued pushing her pizza around her plate without taking a bite.

  ****

  "Are you sure we shouldn't put the wedding off? I mean, what's another month or two?" Abby asked Helena as they prepared to leave Ula.

  Helena had packed a tote of vitamins, supplements and pregnancy potions for Abby to take back to their home in Trager. There were satchels of herbs to aid in Abby's sleep, bath tonics, and lotions for skin elasticity.

  "Marriage is sacred," Helena reminded her. "Those binds offer their own special power and we need to call upon that now. I don't mean to scare you, but you've observed what occurred with Dafne and the Lourdes of Warning. The curse seeks to separate and destroy. We must do our best to shield you and Sebastian and your child. The wedding will be another layer of protection."

  Abby held up a pair of dried chicken's feet wrapped in twine.

  Helena laughed.

  "I'm superstitious, honey. Don't worry; no chickens were harmed in the making of that charm. I've had those feet for a long time. My mother gave them to me when I was a girl. They came from our lucky hen."

  "Wh
at do you suppose I do with them?"

  "Put them under your pillow."

  Abby grimaced.

  "I'm only kidding," Helena laughed. "Bury them in a pot on your porch. My mother did that and swore that those little feet protected us from ill will."

  Abby looked at them a bit more closely.

  "Okay, but they better not kill my tulips."

  Chapter 19

  Abby took a deep breath and stepped out of her car. She and Sebastian were parked outside of her mother's house and he had been giving her a pep talk in preparation for what lay ahead. She had not seen her mother since they performed the ritual in the fire. Julian believed that they relieved her of some dark energy, but Abby had no idea what to expect.

  She walked to the garage door and glanced back at Sebastian who gave her a thumbs-up. It had been locked the last time she visited. The knob turned and she pushed open the door, expecting to see boxes everywhere, but the garage sat empty. At the door to the house, she knocked loudly and then cracked it open.

  "Mom, it's me, Abby," she called, slipping into the kitchen.

  She surveyed the space in wonder. Clean, even spotless, surfaces greeted her. The bags of trash next to the door were gone. She saw a small candle burning in the center of the kitchen table. It smelled like cinnamon.

  "Mom?" she called again.

  She felt a strange combination of hope and fear. The dismantling of her mother in the previous months had felt like a terminal illness that rapidly took hold with no possibility of reversal. When Elda and Helena had suggested treating Becky with magic, Abby had agreed out of desperation and guilt, but very little of her believed in a positive outcome. Her mother had always been sort of unhinged. How could magic fix that?

  "Oh!" Abby's mother jumped, startled as she bustled into the kitchen carrying a basket of laundry.

  She wore one of Abby's old MSU sweatshirts and a pair of pleated mom jeans. On her feet, Abby saw fluffy leopard slippers. Her hair was brushed into a tight ponytail and her face looked raw and pink, like she had just washed it.