She grinned at Gill over her little joke, and he grinned back.
“He’ll meet you at the garage after breakfast,” Gill said.
Katie and her daughter had a lot to talk about, so I didn’t butt in. Nevertheless, Katie kept including me in their discussion. What a great lady.
After we finished eating, Tess and I walked to the garage together. She remained remarkably friendly. Finally, I said, “Most witches don’t warm up to sorceresses quickly. You seem remarkably kind to a complete stranger.”
She patted my arm. “I don’t particularly trust you, but I do trust Gill. He obviously trusts you, so you have to be legit. Thank you, by the way, for dealing with that asshole who snuck onto their property.”
I told her that the former sorcerer would be coming with us to undo the damage he did yesterday, and I was curious to see how she’d react to him. “By the way, would you mind driving? Because I was a slave for most of my adult life, I didn’t get the chance to drive. I’d hate to crack up Robert’s car.”
“Sure.”
In the garage, the two slaves were waiting next to a large SUV. Tess introduced me to Oran, and he was a remarkably handsome man with a lovely lilt to his voice. I could listen to him talk for hours, but he had little to say. Not that he was unfriendly but he was deferential.
After we got underway, I said, “If it’s okay with you, Tess, I’d like to stop by a sporting goods store in Santa Rosa to pick up a housewarming gift. It occurred to me they would enjoy having a spotting scope to scan the coastlines north and south of their property and the wildlife on the islands.”
“Excellent idea,” she said. “I brought them a set of Waterford crystal wine glasses. Thankfully, none of them broke on my trip.”
Google Maps led us to a sporting goods store in Santa Rosa, and I found the perfect spotting scope and tripod. Unfortunately, it took almost all my remaining cash, so I texted a message to Gracie to send the rest of my dough with Ian.
Before we reached the coast, we encountered a tall bank of fog that slowed Tess down. She wasn’t used to driving in soup, but we arrived at the cliff house without me panicking, unlike the day before.
The first thing I did was follow my slave around as he showed me where he’d hidden the listening devices and watched him remove them. Brigitte had healed him, so he could walk again.
Oran and Tess checked out the house, and they seemed to enjoy it is much as I did. I let him decide what things needed to be moved around, and I showed Tess the great backyard. I’d also picked up a padlock at the sporting goods store so I could lock the gate that led to the cliff when we left.
Tess and I stood on the edge of the cliff, and a chill shot through me.
“That’s an amazingly scary fucking plunge, isn’t it?” she said.
“Sure is,” I said. “When I first stood here yesterday, my whole body tingled. Today, it isn’t quite as bad, but that’s why I bought the padlock. The thought of Christina coming out here on her own scares the hell out of me.”
We walked along the edge of the cliff until we got a great view of the beach below.
“You know,” Tess said, “it looks amazingly peaceful down there. Want to check it out?”
I did, so we walked down the steep gravel access road. Although I hadn’t spent nearly as much time on beaches as I would’ve liked, I could tell that the tide was mostly in. The high-water mark was obvious from where driftwood had been deposited on the dry sand.
“I’m still stressed out from my recent failure with Suarez,” I said. “This would be the perfect place to calm down.”
She agreed, and we plopped down onto the beach above where the waves had soaked the sand. I sat cross-legged and meditated while staring out to sea. The surf kept up a dull roar, and the only other sound was the cries of soaring seagulls. Every so often, one of them flew overhead.
Tess was a champion meditator, as steady as a rock, and she inspired me to improve my concentration. I lost track of the time, but it didn’t seem important. We were surrounded by fog and sand and waves that never seemed to reach us.
It was amazingly peaceful… Until the water quickly receded toward the open ocean. At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but at that moment, I could see sand for a hundred yards out.
“Shit!” I said as I struggled to my feet. “We’ve got to get out of here, now! Tsunami!”
She didn’t seem to understand, but I grabbed her hand to pull her up and away from the water. We ran toward the access road up the cliff side, but it was slow going because the dry sand was so loose.
Then I saw what I dreaded. A huge wave, it must’ve been at least thirty feet tall rose up and began to break far out to sea. It raced over the barrier islands at incredible speed. Thank the gods, the water was still hundreds of yards away from us, but it ran in faster than any thoroughbred.
We reached the gravel road and ran up it, but we weren’t fast enough. The top of the wave hit us while we were still holding hands. It knocked us off our feet and slammed us against the rocky cliff wall on our left.
My right shoulder and my forehead hit the wall, but I stayed conscious. I closed my eyes and mouth to keep out all the dirt and debris the wave carried with it. Tess’ grip weakened, but I held onto her for dear life. If she got swept back, she’d be a goner for sure.
Then, just as quickly as the wave had come, it roared back to the ocean. We were almost carried off the open side of the access road, down a drop of about thirty vertical feet. I braced my feet against the rough roadbed. Tess seemed to realize the danger, and she also resisted us sliding over the edge of the road.
Within a minute, the only sign that it had come was all the debris it had left behind. I knew from living in a coastal area that tsunamis would come in series, but no other large waves followed the first.
“Are you okay,” I asked Tess.
One of her cheeks had been scraped raw and was bleeding from several bruises. More important, something floating in the water must’ve been sliced her, leaving a long cut on her right arm that bled like crazy.
She didn’t answer my question at first, but seemed to be taking stock. Then she said, “Banged up, but I think I’m basically alive. What about you?”
“Only small cuts and bruises. We got damned lucky.”
“I don’t care for your idea of luck,” she fired back with flashing eyes. “What the hell was that?”
I took a moment to catch my breath. “I’m no expert, but I think they call it a rogue wave. That was a big one.”
She looked warily out to sea, as though expecting something worse to come in next. She was right to worry.
“Let’s get higher up the cliff, just in case.”
We were surrounded by mud, chunks of driftwood, and even stray pieces of metal. Above us on the road, a tree trunk blocked the way, at least for any vehicles. Our feet slipped several times as we climbed higher on the muddy ground, but after a few minutes, we reached dry ground again. Then it was much easier to walk.
Neither of us spoke until we got to the top of the headland.
Then Tess asked, “How often does that happen?”
“Not sure,” I said. “A few years ago, I heard about one that actually killed somebody near Seaside, which is down by Monterey. That’s where I used to live, in the Salinas Valley. I think it’s pretty rare. Earthquakes can produce huge tsunamis, but I didn’t feel any tremor before that wave came.”
I was dizzy, probably because of the whack to my head, but I didn’t know of any healers nearby. Katie had said something during one of our meals about a clan in Santa Rosa, but I didn’t have any contact information. Our best bet was to go back to the winery.
Tess and I stumbled toward the house, our arms around each other’s waists to keep us upright.
Oran came running from the backyard. “Bloody hell! I saw the wave climb halfway up the cliff in front of the house. It scared the ever-living shit out of me. How badly are you hur
t?”
His eyes were wide open, as though he was genuinely worried. That surprised me. Most slaves were more than happy to see their owner’s, or their owner’s friends, suffer.
“We’re a little beat up, but we’ll survive,” I said. “Do you think you could drive us back? Neither Tess nor I are in good enough shape.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll go find your slave, and we can leave as soon as I tend to your wounds.”
He found my slave and took me and Tess into the kitchen, which he’d made fully functional. Oran used paper towels to clean our cuts and bruises, and he got rid of as much blood as possible. Where our cuts were still oozing, he created makeshift bandages from tissues and duct tape, including putting a patch on my forehead. He also found some over-the-counter painkillers to ease our suffering.
On the way back to Napa, I called Gill as soon as I could get a cell signal.
After I summarized what had happened, he said, “That’s the damnedest thing I ever heard of. My wife Maria and I lived on the coast of Brittany for at least sixty years without hearing about a big wave like that. We’ll have to keep the news from Katie for a day or two. Her labor is just starting. I called Ian to let them know, and he’s on his way with the whole family, including the eagle and the cat.”
-o-o-o-
WHEN WE ARRIVED at the vineyard, Oran drove us up to the front entrance where Gill met us both.
“I’m beginning to believe the place is bad luck,” he said.
“Or maybe I am,” I said. “The craziest things happen to me. All I know right now is I ache all over.”
Tess nodded her head several times. Gill led us to an empty bedroom, and a moment later Brigitte de Gaulle hurried in.
“I’m so sorry to take you away from Katie!” I said. “I’m sure I can wait until Laura gets here. It should only be a few hours.”
Brigitte shook her head. “Tut, tut, all is proceeding as planned with her delivery. Your condition is much more serious, and I will only need a moment to help you. She’s resting peacefully between contractions. Gill should return to her to coach her with her breathing.”
He hurried off, and Brigitte said, “Déshabillez, strip, both of you.”
I’d sort of realized I was covered with bruises, but the reality was much nastier than I’d thought. Maybe I’d been in shock or had a concussion. I’d stayed in a fog since the wave had caught us.
Our healer began with Tess because the cut on her arm continued to ooze blood. She gasped when she removed the bandage. Tess hadn’t complained a bit, but it looked much worse than I’d remembered. Brigitte rattled on in a mixture of French and English.
Brigitte quickly set Tess right, then turned to me. Oran had cleaned the sore spot on my head, but it ached worse than ever. So did my shoulder, but not as badly. As for everything else, the pain blended together.
Brigitte’s magic fingers poked and prodded at me, leaving bliss in their wake. No wonder Katie had travelled all the way from France to receive help from this woman. It took her a couple of minutes to finish her work.
“I’ve been fixed a lot over the years but never better,” I said.
She tittered and wound a lock of her brunette hair around one finger. “You are too kind.”
After Tess and I dressed again, all three of us headed to the birthing room. It looked to me just like an ordinary bedroom, with a few extra chairs. I said hello to Katie between contractions and headed to the waiting room where Oran and several of Katie’s friends had gathered. Tess stayed behind to help her mom, but babies weren’t my strong suit.
A couple of hours later, Ian arrived with his family. They all said hi to the mom-to-be, who wasn’t as calm and cheerful as before. I would’ve been swearing and screaming by now, so she seemed to be handling the situation much better than me.
Laura stayed behind with Katie, but Ian, Christina, her cat Rascal, and I returned to the waiting room. To pass the time, we played cards, mostly Hearts. Christina kept cleaning my clock, and Ian’s. Each time she won, she pranced in a circle holding her hands in the air and sang, We Are the Champions.
The hours rolled past, and I kept entertaining the kid by losing at cards. Rascal kept looking at my cards, and given the way most animals disliked me, I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn he was telepathically revealing my hands to the young phenomenon. At least we weren’t playing for money.
All things must pass, including babies. Travis Beauregard Carmichael was born at 10:18 p.m. and weighed six pounds and seven ounces. Both mother and child were healthy.
Gill had Oran to help out, but Katie had no one, at least not after Tess went home. I couldn’t help Dana soon, so there was every reason for me to help Katie instead. If she managed to help heal the wound in my heart from missing my mom and sisters, then all the better.
-o-o-o-
Wednesday, January 20th
EVERYONE EXCEPT KATIE assembled at breakfast and celebrated the new arrival. Gill looked a little worse for the wear, but he smiled and accepted congratulations from all around, including me.
As I was leaving the dining room, Ian asked me, “Are you interested in going for a run? Laura and I normally head out early, but we slept in this morning.”
“Me too. I’d be happy to exercise with you two.”
Ten minutes later, I met them and Tess at the front entrance. I was glad it wasn’t just him because he looked to be in fantastic shape. Tess was also muscular, but Laura was tall and slim, like a dancer. At least I wouldn’t come in last.
As I expected, Ian took off like an arrow down the long driveway lined with fruit trees. Tess bounded after him.
“Ian pushes himself hard,” Laura said as she raced after the other two.
Already, I was falling behind. I sprinted to catch up with them and wondered how long I could hang on.
Forty-five minutes later, I had my answer. The guy was a running fanatic, but toward the end, he slowed down so the rest of us weren’t too far behind.
When I got back to the front entrance to the house, I had to bend over and gasp for breath. I couldn’t have run another twenty feet without collapsing. How did he know exactly how far to push me?
Ian walked around in circles, breathing hard, but he was clearly capable of taking off again. Tess and Laura, though, seemed as exhausted as I was.
After Ian left the rest of us, I asked Laura, “Does he run this hard every day?”
She nodded. “He’ll ease up in the mornings when I go with him, but most afternoons, he takes his disciples out. They run like the hounds of hell are after them.”
That’s another great reason not to join Ian’s merry band. I already have enough trouble of my own.
Chapter 14
I WENT BACK to my room to take a shower, and when I got out, I had a text on my phone from Christina. Do you want to go kayaking this afternoon to see the otters and seals?
It sounded like she’d managed to convince her parents to bring a boat on the trip, or she’d managed to dig one up at the vineyard. I texted back, Sure, but I’ve never boated before.
To while away the rest of the morning, I headed for the covered back porch which included a bench swing. It seemed like a great place to meditate. When I got there, someone else had gotten the same idea. Katie was gently rocking Travis. Both had their eyes closed.
I stared at her for a moment. She looked perfectly peaceful, as though she hadn’t gone through an ordeal yesterday. The woman was a lot tougher than I’d thought. As for the baby, he’d already lost most of that pink, wrinkly look. His forehead was still pressed backwards, but that would change. I couldn’t imagine what he thought had happened to him.
I hesitated to disturb their peace, but as I was turning to leave, Katie said, “Don’t go. We’d love your company.”
“You sure?” I asked. “I thought maybe this is one of those mother-child bonding experiences?”
She tittered. “It is, but we’d still love your c
ompany.”
I sat with them and forgot about meditating. Instead, I asked her about her birthing experience. I’d seen some of it, but not most.
“It was much easier this time,” she said. “That surprised me because older pregnant women are supposed to have a tough time. Travis made it all easy.”
That sounded like bullshit, but I wasn’t about to tell a new mom that. If she wanted to believe that it’d been easy, then may the gods bless her with a memory lapse.
We chatted about nothing in particular and gently rocked the swing back and forth. Travis woke up, hungry, and Katie nursed him. That produced a peculiar feeling inside me, one that I’d never known before. I was obviously missing out on the quintessential womanly experience, but I’d never noticed before. I’d simply thought I wasn’t mom material. Maybe I’d jumped to that conclusion too quickly.
I was still pondering the question when Ian walked out of the house onto the porch. “I’m glad I found you,” he said.
I thought he was talking to Katie, but then he added, “I’m afraid I have some bad news about Dana.”
That sent a pang of fear through me. “Is she all right?”
There was room for four people to sit on the swing, and Ian sat next to me. “I think so, as far as I know. The problem is maybe more difficult for you than for her. What I mean is, Dana has been sold. Suarez must’ve decided he couldn’t keep her from you.”
“I hadn’t thought about that possibility, but I suppose there’s nothing I could have done to prevent it — except not failing the first time I tried to grab her.”
He nodded. “He could’ve hired stronger sorcerers as guards, but maybe he didn’t want to pay what they charge. I know top talent is expensive.”
“Where is she now?” Katie asked.
“According to one of the online gladiator newspapers, she was bought by a sorcerer named Don Eichmann. I’ve heard of him. He’s much more powerful than Suarez, and he owns a stable of a dozen gladiators. They live on an estate in Riverside, a big city east of LA. Lots of sorcerers in that part of the state.”
Freedom (The Sorcerers' Scourge Book 4) Page 13